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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2026)
Due process is a right given by the 5th Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, stat- ing that “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” ICE is ignoring this right, which every single person has, citizen or non-citizen. They are deporting people back to their country of origin without giving them a chance to a lawyer or fair court. Something needs to be done about this. The admin- istration needs to be held accountable. The administration that supposedly loves the Constitution is constantly violating it and ignoring it in front of us and nothing is being done. Ulises Demian Rivera Garcia Eugene Protect Watersheds, EWEB We, the chief petitioners of Measure 20-373, are deeply troubled by EWEB Board member John Barofsky’s resolution oppos- ing Lane County’s watershed protection ballot measure. Barofsky has stated that he researched our measure and spoke with members of the community. However, neither he nor any other EWEB Board member contacted the Measure 20-373 campaign or the chief petitioners to discuss the substance, intent or implications of the proposed law. This is particularly concerning given that our campaign is not diffi cult to contact. We maintain a public website with a “Contact Us” page, and the contact information for all chief petitioners is readily avail- able online. As a public body entrusted with stew- ardship of our region’s water resources, the EWEB Board has an obligation to conduct thorough and balanced due dili- gence before taking positions on matters of such importance. Failing to engage directly with the authors of a watershed protection measure falls short of what the public expects from its elected offi cials. We strongly believe that codifying increased rights and protections for Lane County watersheds will enhance the long- term health of these ecosystems and all life that depends on clean water. Measure 20-373 is aligned with the fundamental mission of EWEB: protecting watersheds and providing safe, clean drinking water for its customers. We invite the EWEB Board to contact us. Assistance League Thrift Shop Your Shopping Dollars Support Your Community! eugene.assistanceleague.org Local EXISTENTIAL ANGST So Much for ‘No Child Left Behind’ America is now into its 25th year of the educational era launched in 2002 under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Its stated intention was equity for all students, but its eff ect has been the opposite. Kids in public school continue to face a narrowed curric- ulum, lockstep teaching, and over-testing. The joy of learning has been forgotten for students and teachers alike. The pendulum can be pushed toward a better place if the public demands a rethinking of this top-down, standardized, one-size-fi ts-all mentality. The Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE) is holding a commu- nity forum to discuss a more balanced, more engaging public school experience on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm, at the Springfi eld Public Library’s large conference room. Springfi eld parents can learn more about this issue, ask questions, and talk about their kids’ K-5 education. Parents in Eugene: What about your kids? Are they getting taught enough science, geography, history, art, health, civics? What about parents in Bethel: Are you satisfi ed with your children’s educa- tion? Please join us. Larry Lewin Eugene LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows, with priority given to timely local issues for print. Find more letters at EugeneWeekly.com. Limit length to 250 words and include your address and phone number for our fi les. The deadline is 9 am Monday for Thursday publication. EMAIL TO LETTERS@EUGENEWEEKLY.COM. & Hope despite generations of troubled times VIEWPOINT BY VICTORIA KOCH I t’s been a diffi cult time lately for many families all over the world. As a retired teacher and simply an older human being, I love talking with young people. And believe me, they are talking! My current anxiety increases as I listen to them. Their talk can be deeply dark and hopeless. They think the Baby Boom generation, of which I am one, had life easier with housing, necessities and college tuition. Everything was aff ordable and job opportunities were abundant. I am a person who has to have at least some hope during troubled times. I can’t disagree with what our youth are going through and I often want to apologize to them for how our world has become. But I also believe our history has always been fi lled with what I want to call “existential angst.” We have come through dark periods before and we will come through them again. This will only happen when the older and younger generations learn to listen to each other and work together. We both have to make our voices heard. Many Baby Boomers are children of World War II parents who, like my Dad, fought against the Nazis and Fascists in Europe. It didn’t serve my German heritage Dad to soldier on the European and African front battle lines. My childhood was not easy. We were poor and my at-home mother also had to fi nd work. I was the fi rst to go to college, but I worked my way through, even with cheaper tuition. I lived abroad when there was East and West Germany and I experienced the results of World War II fi rsthand. It wasn’t a piece of cake for us Boomers. The Vietnam War took its toll. I lost a high school friend to this war. Protests similar to today were ongoing. We lived through quite a few terrible presidents, Richard Nixon, George Bush and Ronald Reagan. We lived through the assassinations of Medgar Evers, President John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and the beloved Beatle John Lennon. Then there was the 9/11 New York World Trade Center catastrophe and the Iraq War, etc. It is hard enough just being human without all our self-caused disasters! As I have grown up, I have naively believed we might not have wars by now. “Imagine all the people Livin’ life in peace.” But I am seeing that we human beings are pretty stupid. We are destroying ourselves, and we are destroying Mother Earth. Yes, why do we continue to create the anxiety we are living through and when will we ever learn? Boom- ers, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha. Let’s come together! “Imagine all the people/ Sharing all the world.” Victoria Koch is a mother, a retired teacher, a writer, a gardener and a lover of the positive human spirit. HOME SERVICES DIRECTORY AUTOMOTIVE, RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL SERVICES 1149 WILLAMETTE TUES-SAT 12-4 • LOCK OUTS • AUTOMOTIVE KEY PROGRAMMING • KEY DUPLICATION • RE-KEYING • NEW HARDWARE INSTALLATION DANA OSORNO 541-521-4696 CERTIFIED LOCKSMITH PALADINLOCKWORKS.COM advertising@eugeneweekly.com support.eugeneweekly.com Vocal January 22, 2026 SHOWCASE YOUR BUSINESS OR HOME SERVICE Come thrift with us! We are available to meet, answer questions, and address any concerns you may have regarding Measure 20-373. Constructive dialogue is essential when decisions aff ect- ing our shared water future are at stake. Kunu Bearchum, Eron King and Michelle Holman Eugene, Blachly and Deadwood 3
