The Shedd Institute
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Eugene has a massive budget that no
one knows anything about. It’s time to add
more value to our unique form of govern-
ment by electing an independent auditor to
look at everything.
Robin Bloomgarden
Eugene
WYDEN VS. FREEDOM
OF SPEECH
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has co-spon-
sored a bill to criminalize advocating a
boycott of Israel, with “a maximum crimi-
nal penalty of $1 million and 20 years in
prison” [see The Intercept, July 19]. That
would include thousands of Wyden’s Or-
egon constituents, the entire Pacific Green
Party and, for that matter, the entire U.S.
Green Party.
The danger of the bill passing is real: 43
sponsors in the Senate and a majority in the
House. Criminalizing a rival political party
is the worst-case scenario of violating free-
dom of speech, an attack on democracy
itself. The only Oregon representatives co-
sponsoring this travesty are Greg Walden
of eastern Oregon and Kurt Schrader of the
5th District. The ACLU has issued a letter
condemning the bill in the strongest terms.
This completely destroys Wyden’s cre-
dentials as a defender of civil liberties. It’s
the most outrageous attack on freedom of
speech, at the federal level, in many years,
and openly un-constitutional.
The Intercept article suggests that some
senators had no idea what’s in the bill,
possibly including Wyden, which is, if
anything, even worse. It would be shock-
ing carelessness — and blind obedience to
AIPAC, an agent of a foreign government.
Charles Newlin
Corvallis
NORMALIZE THE BREASTS
“This is a co-ed sauna,” the woman at
River Road Park & Recreation told me.
“Yes, I know!” I replied.
“We require that you cover your top and
bottom,” the lifeguard insisted.
“Oh,” I said turning to my partner, who
was also topless, “so he has to cover up as
well?”
“No, this is only for females,” she said,
indicating that it was my gender — specifi-
cally my breasts — that was the problem.
“Isn’t that gender discrimination?” I re-
torted.
That
is
definitionally
gender
discrimination. Females aren’t permitted
to be topless. Males are permitted to be
topless. Why am I not permitted to bare
my chest in a space where men are? Why
is it acceptable to tell women they’re doing
something wrong when they do the exact
same thing as men?
Is it because female breasts are only in-
tended only for the sexual pleasure of oth-
ers? Are they only for feeding babies? Is it
because they’ll incite excitement in men’s
pants? No one says anything when a man
goes topless at a sauna, so why is it differ-
ent for women?
We’re supposed to be equal, right? And
even if most women choose to cover their
breasts, why not allow the breast-carrying
members of our community to exercise
their right to fair and equal treatment.
I don’t want to be discriminated against
for having breasts. I’d like to see policy
changes that reflect the modern times
we’re living in. And I want to encourage
the normalization, not sexualization, of fe-
male breasts.
Ingrid Stevens
Eugene
s ‘17
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Fin
July 28, 29, 30 - The Shedd
X MARKS THE SPOT
Congratulations to the non-binary com-
munity for scoring an “X” designation for
their driver’s licenses.
However, with 22 other letters to chose
from, why did the legislature choose X,
which designates the male chromosome?
Youth wants to know.
Fred McCord
Eugene
Editor's note: In our recall of high school biology, males
have XY chromosomes and females have XX.
Oregon Festival of American Music 2017
The Sweetest Melody
Giants of the Classic Songbook
August 2-12 - The Shedd
eugeneweekly.com • July 27, 2017
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