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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 2022)
2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 BEST HANGOVER BREAKFAST letters 15 STRAIGHT YEARS! BREAKFAST ALL DAY WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A FAILURE TO EDUCATE I really enjoyed the feature on “21st Century Cowboys” in the Sept. 1 edition. Two comments by Stacy Davies startled me: “Parents call and say ‘I just realized my son is 16 and I’ve never taught him how to work. Can you teach him how to work?’” It seems obvious that someone needs to teach this parent how to parent. Then the kicker that encapsulates an indict- ment of our educational system: “They have a desire to work,” Davies says, “but they don’t have any idea how to think and problem solve.” Now that’s scary. Adults who don’t know how to parent and educators who can’t teach kids to think and problem solve. Good luck, future. Rene Tihista Springfi eld PROTECT URBAN TREES If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? This philosophical question asks if something unobserved can ex- ist. The answer, of course, is, of course. Or maybe not. Case in point: A tree in the densely packed Jeff erson-Westside neighborhood was summarily chopped down and carted off last week. It was a tall majestic conifer which for decades off ered shade for people, perching and nesting opportunities for birds, food for small critters, and heat reduction and carbon sequestration for us all as we suff er the ravages of global warming and climate change. The remnant wood slabs stacked on a trailer showed no evidence of dis- ease. Cutting down established healthy neighborhood trees is contrary to our scientifi c understanding of their myriad benefi ts in urban spaces as well as the environment at large. Yet the Eugene code allows private property owners to remove trees at their discretion from developed lots smaller than 20,000 square feet, almost a half acre. Tree re- moval from these lots is exempt from a tree removal permit and does not re- quire any other authorization from the city of Eugene. Unobserved by the city, this stalwart tree evidently cannot exist. Let's ask our city councilors to re-examine tree removal regulations in light of evolving science and diminishing lot sizes. Green Eugene is a beautiful thing. The benefi - cial trees that defi ne our city should be color-coded for protection. Benton Elliott Eugene WHAT HAPPENED TO COURTESY? Wow, some people. You know how when you’re biking down a trail and about to pass someone you should say, “Passing on the left” or “Coming E U G E N E W E E K LY . C O M around” or something? I always do that, even if there’s plenty of room to go around; it prevents startling them if they’re deep in concentration, and don’t realize that a bike is coming up behind them. I usually add a friendly “Good morning.” Most folks indicate appreciation with a “Thank you” or a wave of acknowl- edgement. But this morning one jogger respond- ed angrily, “You’ve got the whole damn path!” True, he was on the side and I had plenty of room to pass. But I wasn’t ask- ing him to move: I was just alerting him, as I do, that a bike was about to appear beside him. It’s a courtesy to alert folks that you’re about to pass them. It’s also a courtesy to respond graciously. And by the way, we are mighty for- tunate to have these wonderful trails; it’s a big part of what makes this such a special place. The people on the trails — most of them — are pretty special, too. Jeff Harrison Eugene IT’S ALL DEBAITABLE I fi nd Bob Warren's response to Paul Conte (“Don’t Count Me In With Conte,” Letters 9/1) to be both confusing and disingenuous. I've not a clue what might be at issue between the two, if any, yet if I read between the lines, so to speak, it would appear that Warren's rebuttal might be alluding to some personal ani- mosity, and possibly his and EW’s politi- cal views over Claire Syrett, Lucy Vinis and the EmX issue. Otherwise, Conte makes some perfectly good points about past bait and switch boondoggles in Eugene. The Hyundai plant is defi - nitely one for the books, in conjunction with other bait and switch city council decisions in and outside of Oregon. Although I'm not fully versed on Syrett's recall or her progressiveness, or on public opinion regarding EmX, whether Syrett has possibly fostered another bait and switch on Eugene is fair to “de-bait.” She may be progres- sive, yet she is political, and many so- called progressives (and otherwise) bait and switch aplenty to preserve their own political asses. And Warren essen- tially pointed out that Eugene has not been so diff erent in this regard. Which is why Warren’s stating that he didn't want “to be associated in any way” with Conte, and that Conte’s ex- amples don't relate whatsoever to his viewpoint, is so perplexing. Because Warren not only mentions the town square debacle, he goes on to remind us of other current and past misdeeds in Eugene's history. So how would this not square with Conte's point? Or is War- ren's point political, too? Sean Doyle Corvallis 1689 Willamette | 541-343-1542 8am - 2pm Daily featuring SECOND LOCATION! 395 W 5th Ave 97401 see our full menu online: brailseugene.com BIGSTOCK Since 1949 A Fundraiser for Oregon Adaptive Sports Featuring: Bobby Weir & Wolf Brothers Saturday, September 10 at 4:30pm at HooDoo Ski Area Food * Drink * Doors at 2:00 pm Tickets: https://www.bendticket.com More info: www.bigstockfundraiser.org PROOF OF VACCINATION, OR NEGATIVE TESTS AND MASKS ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED. THE WOW HALL WILL PROVIDE FREE KN-95 MASKS FOR ANYONE WISHING TO WEAR ONE. THE WOW HALL HAS INSTALLED A STATE-OF-THE-ART AIR SCRUBBER DOWNSTAIRS WHICH CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATES AIR AND DESTROYS MICRO-PARTICLES IN THE VENTILATION SYSTEM. S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 2 2 3
