Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2017)
The Shedd Institute www.theshedd.org - 541.434.7000 Oregon Festival of American Music 2017 The Sweetest Melody Giants of the Classic Songbook August 2-12 - The Shedd If I Were A Bell Chuck Redd, director Loesser & Coleman Thu, Aug 3, 8:00p crisis; as a result, millions of unwanted animals are destroyed every year as “surplus.” This selfish desire to possess animals and receive love from them causes immeasurable suffering, which results from manipulating their breeding, selling or giving them away casually and depriving them of the opportunity to engage in their natural behavior. They are restricted to human homes, where they must obey commands and can only eat, drink, and even urinate when humans allow them to. Because domesticated animals retain many of their basic instincts and drives — but are not able to survive on their own in the wild — dogs, cats, or birds, whose strongest desire is to be free, must be confined to houses, yards, or cages for their own safety. I do not oppose kind people who share their lives and homes with animal companions whom they love, treat well, and care for properly. What I want is for the population of dogs and cats to be reduced through spaying and neutering and for people to adopt animals (preferably two so that they can keep each other company when their human companions aren’t home) from pounds or animal shelters — never from pet stores or breeders — thereby reducing suffering in the world. Curtis Taylor Eugene LOCAL SPRAY BAN ALIVE AND WELL “Happening People” (7/20) featured local entrepreneur and environmental activist, Shawn Donnille. He was quoted as saying, “I was chief petitioner for a ballot initiative to ban aerial spraying that almost made the ballot. We’ll revisit it next year.” The ban he is referring to was a statewide aerial spray ban that did not proceed through the qualification process. As a signature gatherer for Lane County’s Freedom from Aerial Herbicide Spraying Bill of Rights, I want to clarify that our initiative is a separate endeavor and is indeed, alive and well, targeting the May 2018 ballot. Check the website for more info: freedomfromaerialherbicides.org Michelle Holman Deadwood A FAIR QUESTION When we went to the Lane County Fair last week and last year we were shown where to park by elderly men on horseback with pistols and sheriff’s shirts and badges. Of all the life-and-death need and all the charities in Lane County, it’s inexplicable why the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse would be the beneficiary of the $5 parking fee at the fair. Outside the crafts exhibit we encountered deputies looking much more like soldiers than police officers standing aside the sheriff’s 10-ton REVA armored personnel carrier with two machine gun turrets on top, a gift from the U.S. military to Lane County. It can withstand hand grenades and IEDs and has ten firing ports to protect and serve the people of Lane County. Families were posing for pictures in front of the Iraq War surplus urban tank and in the back of a sheriff’s patrol car. We passed multiple vendors with banners and shirts celebrating machine guns with threatening messages. Poor Marilyn Monroe. Her ubiquitous smiling image was for sale Photoshopped with her holding pistols. A few feet away recruiters for the Marine Corps were talking to young fairgoers. As we left, it was women on horseback — each with a revolver on her hip – who directed us towards the exit. Stephen Dear Elmira LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows, with priority given to timely local issues. Please limit length to 200 words and include your address and phone number for our files. Email to letters@eugeneweekly.com, fax to 484-4044 or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. Star Dust The Great Craftsmen Jesse Cloninger, director Fri Aug 4, 1:30p - Thu Aug 10, 8:00p August 2-12 - The Shedd They All Lauged Shirley Andress, director Ira Gershwin Fri Aug 4, 8:00p - Fri Aug 11, 1:30p Lorenz Hart My FunnyValentine Siri Vik, director Sat Aug 5, 1:30p - Fri Aug 11, 8:00p eugeneweekly.com • A ugust 3, 2017 5
