letters
DON’T BACK DOWN
It has recently come to my atten-
tion that there is a “Pro-God, Guns and
Trump” rally happening on the same
date as the Eugene-Springfield Pride
Parade and Pride Festival in Alton Baker
Park on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Here are just a few quotes Facebook
event’s description:
“We cannot let leftists control our city
and tell us to keep silent about our beliefs!”
“This is a 2A friendly event and there
will be many guns present including AR-
15’s. This event is not for soft-conserva-
tives, but those who are bold.”
This literal call to arms is conve-
niently timed on the same day as our
community’s largest LGBTQIA+ event,
the Pride Festival. I cannot help but be
reminded of our nation’s worst mass
shooting in history at the time, the Pulse
nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.
This targeted attack against the LG-
BTQIA+ community lead to more than
50 dead and even more injured. We just
passed the three-year anniversary of
that tragic day.
The comments left by the rally organiz-
ers make it clear that this is not a rally in
support of the First or the Second amend-
ment rights but a thinly veiled threat of vio-
lence against the LGBTQIA+ community.
As a gay man, I refuse to be afraid
in my own town, and I refuse to back
down from knock-off Proud Boys who
who seek to intimidate our community.
I ask allies and friends to show support
for the LGBTQIA+ community and show
that Eugene stands up against hatred.
Timothy Morris
Eugene
CALL FOR COMMON DECENCY
Even before the mass shootings this
weekend, I had concern about the Aug.
10 God, Guns and Trump rally. The Gil-
roy Garlic festival sounds a lot like our
beloved Saturday Market — and now
two more mass murders using the very
types of guns organizers encourage
people to bring.
They have the right to open carry
and assemble at the Wayne Morse Free
Speech Plaza, but they shouldn’t do it.
Add to this that the date and time cho-
sen is during the annual Eugene-Spring-
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field Pride Festival and you have a recipe
for fear. Their mocking words about
showing people that guns aren’t scary
fool no one.
People carrying weapons of death is al-
ways scary. To do so at a time when our LG-
BTQ community plans to celebrate seems
intended to instill fear, not reduce it.
Common decency would be to cancel
or reschedule their event. Doing so would
signal that supporters of Donald Trump
care about their neighbors. That they are
not aligned with the gunmen that carried
out the radical terror attacks.
But I doubt they will do that. I doubt
their care and concern for others. If they
had basic decency they would not have
planned this for this day, time and place. It
seems intended to provoke, and I pray that
it remains peaceful. I pray that no terrorist
uses the chaos this will create to take lives.
I pray that at least some God, Guns
and Trump supporters will bow out for
the common good.
Heather Gardner-Madras
Springfield
DEFAZIO THE DOVE
While I thank the Eugene Weekly for
helping spotlight Congress’s constitu-
tional war powers (“What’s Happening,”
8/1), the article made an ill-informed
conjecture about my record oppos-
ing war. Even the least bit of research
into my career would clearly show that I
have been a consistent opponent of war.
To start, I voted against the Iraq
War, which I believe was the worst
foreign policy mistake in our na-
tion’s history. I have consistently op-
posed and criticized Presidents Clin-
ton, Obama, both Bushes and Trump for
their unauthorized use of U.S. forces
throughout the world.
While I voted for the 2001 Autho-
rization for the Use of Military Force
(AUMF) — which was passed days after
the horrifying Sept. 11, 2001, attacks —
I only did so after I successfully per-
suaded Democratic leadership to reject
President Bush’s original draft, which
gave him limitless authorization to use
U.S. forces as he pleased.
My efforts ensured that the 2001
AUMF was narrowed to only authorize
the president to pursue the perpetra-
tors of the 9/11 attacks.
Disturbingly, the 2001 AUMF has
been used beyond its original intent
to justify the endless wars the United
States is still engaged in worldwide,
which is why I have consistently sup-
ported legislation to repeal it.
I have also repeatedly introduced
legislation to strengthen Congress’s
war powers, including requiring a sun-
set clause for any military authorization
and forcing the president to seek prior
authorization from Congress before
sending U.S. troops into harm’s way.
To state that I have not opposed war is
a gross misunderstanding of my record.
Rep. Peter DeFazio
4th Congressional District
Springfield
CORRECTING AN ERROR
Last week I sent in a letter arguing
that the Oregon Constitution has strong
protections for minority perspective
speech. I was wrong to use “white su-
premacy” as the example.
The Aug. 3 shooting in El Paso shows
that domestic terrorism is all too real, and
perhaps there does need to be restriction
on that type of hate speech, perhaps even
in the Oregon Constitution.
I was wrong. I knew better but only
focused on the original Eugene City
Council motion and ignored the reality.
Hugh Massengill
Eugene
SHAME ON SEMPLE, TAYLOR
I feel shocked and saddened by Eu-
gene City Councilors Emily Semple and
Betty Taylor, both of whom are regis-
tered Democrats and voted against the
Eugene City Council resolution against
white supremacy July 22.
The Democratic Party is a multicul-
tural coalition committed to equity, di-
versity and inclusion. In the year 2019,
it is incomprehensible that any elected
Democrat could vote against a state-
ment opposing white supremacy — even
if they serve in a non-partisan office.
The justification that the resolution
violated protections for free speech and
free thought is bogus. This resolution
was a values statement, not an ordinance
mandating criminal penalties. Voting in
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