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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2018)
LET TERS FUELING DEFAZIO Thanks to Jim Neu and Congressman Peter DeFazio for their viewpoints on the topic of climate change (EW, Nov. 21 and Nov. 29). Central to this exchange are their differ- ences in opinion concerning the extent to which Rep. DeFazio has aggressively ad- vocated for action on climate change. The topic of campaign contribution adds to and complicates this conversation. For example, Rep. DeFazio received $94,000 in 2017-18 campaign contribu- tions from the fossil fuel-based air trans- portation industry (see opensecrets.org). As challenging as it is for most of us to give up flying, knowing full well the cli- mate impacts, so, too, must it be to give up campaign donations from industry sources contributing to the crisis he’s trying to fight. Laurie Ehlhardt Powell Eugene BAD EQUALITY Jerry Ritter (Letters, Dec. 6) refers to the Senate as “the great equalizer.” It’s an odd sort of “equality” that makes the vote of a barista in Cheyenne, Wyo- ming count 14 times as much as the vote of a farmer in Watsonville, California. It’s a peculiar sort of “equality” that makes the vote of a high-school senior in Burlington, Vermont, count for eleven times as much as the vote of a mill hand in Albany, New York. It’s a very poor sort of “equality” which allows the wishes of a minority to run roughshod over the needs of the majority for years, sometimes decades. John M. Burt Corvallis ROTTEN IN EUGENE A letter in the Nov. 15 Eugene Weekly VIEWPOINT asked what is the putrid smell that per- vades northwest Eugene. Most mornings, one goes outside to greet the day with a deep breath, only to be sent indoors by the truly invasive chemical odor that so often dominates this area. This is not the result of an inversion, but a consistently awful, man-made stench. City of Eugene, what is it? Where is it coming from? Would you please do some- thing to make our air fresh again? Your west side taxpayers need some help here. C. Tanzer Eugene and militarily. And the “crushing” beat- down goes on. Recently, it was mentioned on a fake, leftist-agenda, “socialist” radio station that a poll had been conducted, asking of con- servatives, if given a choice, whether they would choose democracy over the preser- vation of conservative ideology? Answer: Conservatives loved themselves too much. Given the current state of the country, the planet and growing global authoritari- anism, the poll was blind, and a bit late, to what’s been obvious. Sean S. Doyle Corvallis CONTRA RITTER NO PEDAL POWER SALE I love how Jerry Ritter conveniently leaves out any mention of the Trump agen- das other than the old “immigration” cli- ché (Letters, Dec. 6). If he knows about the book The Jungle or about Ellis Island, he might remember all of us immigrants who’ve made this country, having come from, well, gosh dang, somewhere else. As for his comment about how “Trump and others (whoever the others are — the government? Kochs/Mercers? Russian oli- garchs?) that support the rule of law …” WTF?! What rock has Mr. Ritter been sleeping under? For as long as the U.S.A. has been in existence, Manifest Destiny, capitalism and neoliberalism have been “crushing” everything in their path with an “excep- tional” attitude of laws-be-damned in the making, and now destroying of it. In consequence, the blowback is people deserving to be allowed in because they are the victims and offspring of sovereign countries beyond our borders who have been systematically destroyed by us — politically, economically, psychologically As a student at the University of Or- egon, I am outraged by the proposed Thur- ston Hills “Pedal Power” Timber Sale. Not only will the Bureau of Land Manage- ment’s proposed clear-cut of 100 acres of middle-aged forest undo the hard work in- vested in, as well as beauty of, the newly developed Thurston Hills Natural Area; it will put the lives of local residents at in- creased risk of fire and flooding. Undoing more than $100,000 in tax revenue, as well as the hard work invested to create an enjoyable rec- reation area, the Pedal Power sale will deprive outdoor enthusiasts of the Springfield area of the scenic beauty of Thurston Hills. Should this hasty BLM plan take effect, hikers and bikers looking forward to experiencing the beauty of the recently developed natural area will be subject to traversing through clear-cuts. This, likely resulting in fewer visitors coming to Thurston Hills, will mean fewer locals engaging with their environment as well as with one another. It is highly irresponsible of the BLM to impose such a plan upon the threatened area’s middle-aged forest — a more ideal age for optimal carbon storage. At a time when climate change is the world’s larg- est threat, it is more necessary than ever to keep intact the structures in which vast amounts of carbon can be stored. If taken away, the carbon storage capac- ity of the trees near Thurston Hills will be reduced, making the area less of a contrib- utor in rectifying climate change. Mariah Goodman Eugene INFIGHTING ENVIROS In response to the letter from Car- lis Nixon (“Narrow Concerns,” Dec. 6), I agree that Peter DeFazio is and has been an advocate for the environment for decades and is much appreciated by those of us who are concerned about global warming and the lack of action in Congress. However, I disagree that Deb McGee is “uninformed” and reflects what you hear from the right just by the “tone” in her word choices. She and her partner are co-founders of 350Eug, a local group that spends hours researching the latest science on global warming, training activists to be involved peacefully while following the laws, in- forming the public about local environ- mental issues and more. McGee and her partner Patty Hine are on the board of directors of 350Eug. Deb is director and Patty is president. I don’t know anyone locally who is equally or more informed about environmental issues as them. If Carlis is interested in being more in- formed about values she shares concerning the environment and how she can become more informed and involved locally, check BY JOEL KORIN More (Civic) Exercise A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: T he midterm elections are history. Soon, we will roll into a new year. Thus, today is the perfect moment to make a resolution for 2019 that’s easy to keep: Exercise your civic muscle. It is important to continue the momentum of voter involvement that we saw in the midterms. Millennials voted in record numbers, minorities in some states overcame voter suppression efforts and Oregonians continued to dem- onstrate that vote by mail can eliminate a lot of potential fraud issues. Most of all, we Americans acted on our right to vote. You can keep building on this success. Even without an immediate election cycle on the horizon, you can stay informed and be an active citizen so you’re ready the next time your civic duty calls. And it’s easy. Lane County has an abundance of organiza- tions that work on civic issues, but I’m particularly knowledgeable about City Club of Eugene because I am this year’s president. Our weekly programs run the gamut from arts to technology to politics, from local to national and international concerns, and from ideas that deserve more attention to new perspectives on old topics. Recently, more than 140 people were in the audience as representatives of Our Children’s Trust discussed their federal lawsuit about climate change. To help voters make informed decisions, we hosted candidate debates and spotlights on ballot measures. We’ll keep looking for topics that add depth to your thinking — and sometimes, it will be subjects you haven’t even thought about yet! To further inspire you to make a civic resolution, here are the names of some of our speakers coming to City Club of Eugene in January and February: Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters, former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, UO President Michael Schill and Eugene City Councilor Greg Evans. You can attend City Club of Eugene on Fridays at noon at the UO’s Continuing and Professional Education building at 10th and High. Or, you can listen on Mondays at 6:30 pm on KLCC (89.7 FM) or watch the programs on community television (Chan- nel 29). Learn more at our website, cityclubofeugene.org and on our Facebook page. In our area, you may also want to check out City Club of Springfield (springfieldci- tyclub.org); in Florence, visit cityclubofflorence.org. For any of our groups, you can attend meetings, join or donate, sponsor the club, show up for special events, check the website and tell others about us. Whatever you do to be an active, involved citizen, rest assured that your civic New Year's resolution is one you’ll be able to keep. It won’t gather dust or go unfulfilled. You’ll never regret being an informed citizen, and the bonus is that you will help to keep democracy alive in our republic. Happy Civic 2019! Joel Korin is this year’s president of City Club of Eugene 4 December 20, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com
