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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2017)
LET TERS change the conversation to something about patriotism or the role politics in sports; those are easier conversations to have. Let’s not get distracted from the resolution. Unarmed people of color are dispropor- tionately being killed by police. Racial injustice is staring at us in the face. Let’s not allow this moment to pass by getting distracted from the resolution. Unarmed people of color are dispropor- tionately being killed by police. Brett Moser Eugene AXE THE TIMBER BARONS The regional timber industry spin ma- chine has kicked it into high gear lately, and has been spewing it’s own kind of noxious fumes at the Pacific Northwest, at- tempting to gin up a blind momentum to promote their specific interests. “Forest management” in the timber in- dustry context is defined by industry share- holder interests, while management for other, more diverse and scientifically based objectives, have totally different praxis, and cannot be conflated with the profit mo- tives of the timber interests. Despite the sweet sounding propaganda dripping off the honeyed, forked tongues of zombie lobbyists, the profit driven manage- ment of private timberlands, and the planta- tion mentality, create the worst of tinderbox conditions, and so never again can we let private timber barons monopolize public forestland policies to their own ends. They are the ones to blame for ignoring decades of reality to chase their insatiable greed, causing onward-rippling disruption to ecological forces that they never under- stood or seemed to care about. It will take many decades hence to undo the slow-mo- tion disaster they have inflicted. They don’t get to muscle endless self- ish bailouts from their self-induced crises; they don’t get to boldface lie through their teeth in hopes of swindling the taxpayers for ever-more sweetheart subsidies. Public lands are now being better man- aged than private Wall Street profiteer lands, and there will be no going backwards. Mike McFadden Eugene LIGHTS OUT, TRUMP Donald Trump’s slip-shod words harm humanity. Trump’s critique of NFL ath- letes taking a knee in protest of bigotry and then calling it unpatriotic, especially when Trump took a knee evading his patriotic duty during Vietnam with bogus draft de- ferments is … My senior year, in 1970, the high school football coach called me a “son-of-a-bitch.” My mother had died the year before; she was 42 years young. When I demanded an apology, push came to shove and we ended up inside the principal’s office. After admonishments, I was dismissed and waited until coach reappeared to hear 15% OFF thru Oct. A brilliant selection – 15th! ! e im t s g in v a s t h g li e ik B reflective in daylight. Colorful ur bike at night than yo choices. on 0 ble 10 ea er tic ov no ve re ha Be mo d flashers – we an ts ves , hts lig t gh stickers and tape, bri FREE! Eugene/Springfield bike maps 2705 Willamette St • 541.484.5410 Mon-Fri 11–7; Sat 10–6; Sun 12–5 his apology; whereupon push came to shove and I was expelled from school for three days. I made all-state football, but chose to play college basketball on a full-ride ath- letic scholarship. The last military draft via lottery according to birthdate was in 1971. My number was three, and since I was a freshman ineligible for a deferment, I postponed a college education and a sports career, including the prospect to play in the ABA for the Denver Rockets. I joined the air force and honorably served four years. Trump calling a person a “son-of- a-bitch” is pathetic and stupid. What is he implying about his mother, wife and daughter, or women in general? If some- one called me that name — face to face? — I’d knock their lights out. Michael Thessen Eugene TRUMP DON’T CARE I take a knee to the flag of the Divided States of America and to the Republicans for which it stands, a divided Nation, under a cloud of bigotry and racism, with liberty and justice for rich white people and not many others. If you are angry about Trump, guess what: He doesn’t care. Be as angry as you want. He will continue to do and say as he pleases. You will eventually come to realize that his only purpose is to make himself, the Trump brand, his family and his “friends” (in that order) better off than they were be- fore a lot of naive people voted for him. Hillary Clinton may have been all about the status quo, but that is 1,000-percent better than what we have now. Private emails? What is going on in the Trump ad- ministration is far worse than private emails. And it’s not like he didn’t foreshadow his agenda before the election. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if something is a lie if it’s what you want to hear. But you have to learn to discriminate, to not just read be- tween the lines but also to listen between the sound bites. Let’s do better in 2020. Chuck West Eugene PRESIDENTIAL REMINDER Dear Donald, here are a few things to remember: You cannot fire Kim Jong Un or North Korea. You cannot fire the New York Times or CNN. You cannot fire congressional in- vestigation panels. You cannot fire the IRS or the Supreme Court. You cannot fire the NFL or Black Lives Matter. You cannot fire the popular vote. And, above all, you cannot repeal, re- place or pardon your conscience — if you even have one. Sorry to deliver such bad news. W.C. Crutchfield Eugene YOUR VOICE MATTERS! What do you seek in a new Police Chief? COMMUNITY FORUMS Tuesday, Oct. 10 PETERSEN BARN COMMUNITY CENTER Wednesday, Oct. 11 CAMPBELL COMMUNITY CENTER Thursday, Oct. 12 NORTH EUGENE HIGH SCHOOL The City of Eugene is recruiting a new Police Chief and your input is important! Join us for a community forum to tell us what you think and how we can work together to get the right Police Chief for Eugene. The City Manager, Assistant City Manager and/or the recruiting fi rm will be present to hear your feedback. Tuesday, Oct. 17 CHURCHILL HIGH SCHOOL Wednesday, Oct. 18 SHELDON COMMUNITY CENTER Thursday, Oct. 19 GILHAM COMMUNITY CHURCH Tuesday, Oct. 24 SOUTH EUGENE HIGH SCHOOL Thursday, Oct. 26 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON FORD ALUMNI CENTER Doors for all forums open at 5:45 p.m. for a 6 p.m. start. Pizza provided. Learn more about the recruitment process at eugene-or.gov/policechiefrecruitment 6 October 5, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
