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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2022)
letters ABORTION SOLUTION Dear Thomas Alderman (Letters, 5/26): I can agree with you that we need new slogans regarding abortion. How about “Mandatory Vasectomies”? You want laws to control my body, I want laws to control yours. Beverly Barr Eugene TAX BENEFIT FETUSES I'm sure that women love nothing more than being lectured to on their re- productive autonomy by Thomas Alder- man (Letters, 5/26), but assuming that he's sincere in his desire for “an honest discussion” on abortion, I naturally as- sume that he's a passionate advocate for allowing families to declare a new dependent from the moment of concep- tion and being able to enjoy the tax ben- efi ts that come with. I'm also guessing that he's contacting the Census Bureau and demanding that they adjust their 2020 numbers to add all those fetuses that were overlooked in the counting, “unborn humans” and all. If not, then why? Kristopher Bluth Eugene QUOTABLE TOM COFFIN Written locally, read globally, An- drew Roberts is a well-respected histo- rian based in London, England. In his 2021 book The Last King of America, he quotes Eugene Weekly (note 8). He was “The last authoritarian ruler America had,” according to the May 21, 2020, viewpoint by Tom Coffi n, “Critical to de- mocracy.” Jamie Clarkson Eugene speaking up and told them, “The power is within you.” Thank you, dear brave children, for being part of the change. May your voic- es be heard. Amy van der Linde Eugene DEFENDING ‘STUPID DRINKING WHITE BOYS’ I feel compelled to respond to a rath- er grotesque letter written to Eugene Weekly in the May 26 issue. That letter, abridged: White boys partying outside = “Foolish privilege, soulless losers, self-pity, blaming others for their noth- ingness.” The Weekly urges writers to avoid personal attacks, so I will merely refer readers to that author's previous articles. That said, it must be a privilege to view the world with such a facile lens. It's far easier to judge people by the color of their skin rather than by the content of their character. An assumption that had these “white boys” been “Black males” (notice the author's infl ection), they would have been beaten by police, is destructively reductionist. That type of conclusion adds absolutely nothing to the conversation. At best, it is divisive and polarizing. I say this as someone who wants radi- cal change in our government, in our in- stitutions and overall equity. Neverthe- less, I do not have to qualify who I am nor where I have been. Neither should any- one else. Ever. We are complex charac- ters. Coming to the table without empa- thy and/or lacking openness just makes you an asshole. David Ross Eugene S P E C I A LT Y G R O C E R Y ALABASTER IS REAL PROTESTING GUN VIOLENCE I was in my bedroom, cold, damp air coming in through my open window, when I heard children’s voices com- ing from University Park. And then I remembered that South Eugene High School had written to parents saying they’d heard word of a potential student walk-out in protest of gun violence in schools. I walked to the park to observe. I was so emotionally taken aback that there were children standing up on the soapbox they had carried from school, fearlessly speaking up on their rights for safety in order to protect — children. The group went into fi ve minutes of silence and then bowed their heads while listening to the names of all the people who died in Texas; and the boundaries I had tried to put up to stop feeling when I heard about tragedies came tumbling down in tears. Once the rally was done, I began to walk home. Three students came run- ning toward me and asked me, “Are you all right? Can we give you a hug?” I gladly accepted, thanked them for E U G E N E W E E K LY . C O M It was written in your recent review of the play — Alabaster, by Audrey Ce- faly — that Alabaster was “a fi ctional town in Alabama.” Alabaster is indeed a viable community in Alabama, outside of Birmingham in Shelby County, with a population of 33,373. We off er the fol- lowing links to validate the existence of Alabaster as a community: CityofAlabaster.com En.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabaster,_ Alabama Should you fi nd yourself in the area, we encourage you to visit. Chuck Key Alabama CONCEALED CARRY A note to the Eugene 4J School Board: Your plan to prohibit concealed carry of fi rearms by licensed individuals on your school grounds would gain more acceptance if you would justify your ra- tionale with statistics. There are nearly 300,000 people with concealed carry permits in Oregon. I challenge you to provide the number of Oregon concealed carry permit holders Local M EAT & DAIRY OR GANIC Produce BEER & WINE $5 Off $10 Off PURCHASE OVER or PURCHASE OVER $25 $40 Entire coupon required. Coupon is valid at Friendly St or Main St. Limit 1 per customer. Not valid with offers or discounts. Expires 7/15/22 330 MAIN ST. SPRINGFIELD 541.683.2079 2757 FRIENDLY ST. EUGENE J U N E 2 , 2 0 2 2 3
