LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.Byline: The Register-Guard First Night was missed For the first time since 1995, I did not go downtown for New Year's Eve. That was the first year of First Night in Eugene, and I missed it this year. I didn't realize I would miss it so much when I read about the decision not to hold First Night this year. Then, when a colleague and I were discussing traditions for New Year's Eve, I started talking about all the activities I would usually partake in Verb 1. partake in - be active in participate, take part - share in something 2. partake in - have, give, or receive a share of; "We shared the cake" partake, share downtown because of First Night, and I realized one of my traditions was no more. I missed First Night, and hope it will return to our community next year. C.A. BASKERVILLE Eugene Misunderestimating Bush So the Bush administration is pulling former State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler (Register-Guard, Dec. 29) out of political mothballs to build a public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most initiative to "convey the administration's intentions and to counter the virulent anti-Americanism that fosters terrorism" because the government's public relations drive to build a favorable impression abroad is "in shambles." Obviously, Dubya's "Bring-'em-on!" PR campaign this year isn't working. Could it be, to quote two George W. "Bushisms," that "they misunderestimated me" and "I will have a foreign-handed foreign policy"? Poor Tutwiler really has her job cut out for her. I mean, really, how do you put a positive spin on a "foreign-handed foreign policy?" Perhaps reviving two of Papa Bush's familiar phrases would make her job easier: America! We are a kinder, gentler occupying nation as we spread a thousand points of our might throughout Iraq and the rest of the Muslim world The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Muslims, adherents of Islam. This community numbers about 1.5-2 billion people, about one-fourth of the world. . KAREN D. MYERS Eugene Remember our richness Does Michael J. Barker (letters, Dec. 29) not understand that the only way the Founding Fathers could get the Constitution signed and the original United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. formed was to make the colonies set aside their religious differences? Back then it was literally like trying to get the countries of Europe to form one nation. The founders managed to join colonies as big as countries into a union as big as Europe. And don't believe there wasn't promiscuity Promiscuity See also Profligacy. Anatol constantly flits from one girl to another. [Aust. Drama: Schnitzler Anatol in Benét, 33] Aphrodite promiscuous goddess of sensual love. [Gk. Myth. , cruelty and prejudice of the sort Barker himself deplores in a nation whose very base was then founded on slavery. And don't believe that there weren't anti-war Friends, derided as Quakers, also. That is the richness of our nation, and may it ever be so. SUSAN KENYON Eugene Follow example of Jesus Conservatives are disdainful dis·dain·ful adj. Expressive of disdain; scornful and contemptuous. See Synonyms at proud. dis·dain  ful·ly adv. of those they snarlingly call
liberals. Many conservatives are against us helping the poor and
homeless who are in need of medical attention or housing. There are some
mentally ill people who have no place to live or food to eat, and are
unable to get help for physical problems.
Jesus Christ Jesus Christ: see Jesus. Jesus Christ 40 days after Resurrection, ascended into heaven. [N.T.: Acts 1:1–11] See : Ascension Jesus Christ kind to the poor, forgiving to the sinful. [N.T. helped these kinds of people and did a wonderful job of it. We should do the same. Many conservatives would rather favor the very rich, who are their heroes. Many of our jobs are headed overseas or down to Mexico. They are being sent there by many of those same rich people, who are willing to eliminate America's better paid jobs with benefits so that they can make more money. Some of the people who had those jobs are already on the streets. Our government favors and assists these very rich in many ways. President Franklin Roosevelt did much to help Americans when he started programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established in 1933 by the U.S. Congress as a measure of the New Deal program. The CCC provided work and vocational training for unemployed single young men through conserving and developing the country's natural resources. and the Works Progress Administration Works Progress Administration: see Work Projects Administration. during the Depression. I believe that this administration could send us into another Depression by helping out these greedy millionaires who pay them lots of money to do so. Many conservatives couldn't care less about working class Americans who work on assembly lines or do other work. If conservatives want to hurt this country morally, they should first think about Jesus and what he did to help people. Our country needs to follow that moral principle. ROBERT W. LAMBIE Marcola Make helmet law universal A Dec. 29 Register-Guard story about the new helmet requirement for youths 16 and under reflects the reality that anyone riding on a moving vehicle can have an accident resulting in permanent brain damage. Though I generally support these laws for young people, I do not understand why a person who is over 16 is not considered to have a brain in his head that is just as valuable. We require seat belts for all people. I do not know how many times I have seen families riding bikes along the river, and kids have helmets on but moms and dads do not. If a parent has a disabling head injury, it will negatively affect the kids and the spouse. The head-injured person may never be able to work again and could need full-time care. Since kids learn so much from adult example, doesn't it make much more sense for a helmet law to be universal? You might get a bad case of helmet hair or sweat a little more on hot days. But how much is your head worth to you and your offspring? Police seem to have more than enough to do already, so who is supposed to enforce these new laws New Laws: see Las Casas, Bartolomé de. ? What do kids think when they often see other kids not wearing helmets who are never given the $25 fine? When young people see that laws are not being enforced, they are then likely to become cynical toward our legal system. Perhaps it is easier to create more laws, fines and requirements for young people than to teach and communicate with them and to practice what we preach about safety. PETE PETE Polyethylene Terephthalate PETE Petroleum Engineering (university department) PETE Petersburg National Battlefield (US National Park Service) PETE Partnership for Environmental Technology Education RUBY Eugene Traditionalists ascendant My comments concern the excellent article highlighting the Mel Gibson Noun 1. Mel Gibson - Australian actor (born in the United States in 1956) Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, Gibson U.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. film "The Passion of the Christ" (Register-Guard, Dec. 27). I am part of the growing Traditional Catholic movement in Veneta. First, I will address a couple of misconceptions in the article, then expound ex·pound v. ex·pound·ed, ex·pound·ing, ex·pounds v.tr. 1. To give a detailed statement of; set forth: expounded the intricacies of the new tax law. 2. on Gibson's "conservative faith." The Mass in Latin using the liturgy prior to 1963 has never been formally abolished. It has been suppressed to the extent of appearing abolished. We don't consider ourselves ultraconservative, but simply Catholics as they should be; we look and act no different than what most people's parents, or now grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl , used to. We may appear different now only because since Vatican II Noun 1. Vatican II - the Vatican Council in 1962-1965 that abandoned the universal Latin liturgy and acknowledged ecumenism and made other reforms Second Vatican Council Vatican Council - each of two councils of the Roman Catholic Church , which opened the Catholic church to the world and raised the dignity of man to unprecedented levels, the general populace has become extremely liberal and tolerant of immorality. I mentioned the word "movement" to describe the traditionalists because even though we are only 50,000 of 64 million Catholics, after a few generations we shall overcome. This is due to the fact that we consider birth control of any kind to be a mortal sin mortal sin n. Christianity A sin, such as murder or blasphemy, that is so heinous it deprives the soul of sanctifying grace and causes damnation if unpardoned at the time of death. , and the five to 10 children per family gives testimony to this. As with most doctrines which may take some self-control or penance, the post-Vatican II church has either abolished or just allowed the unfaithful to embrace the world and birth control. Where there is a center with a glorious church, resident priests and a school - such as in Veneta at St. Thomas Becket St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas of Canterbury (c.1118 – December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church. - the growth abounds. JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape HADDOCK Veneta Americans being sold out Get ready for the stampede that is about to come. President Bush is doing it again. In two weeks he is going to Mexico. He wants to open the border to all who want to come into the United States to work. He also wants to give amnesty to the 6 million who crossed here illegally and give them citizenship in three years. Is this fair to our own citizenry? Will this take away jobs from our returning National Guard units or other military veterans? Something is wrong with this picture. These illegal immigrants will work for $5 per hour. Where does that leave our returning military and other citizens? This is not the American way The American way of life is an expression that refers to the "life style" of people living in the United States of America. It is an example of a behavioral modality, developed from the 17th century until today. . Are we being sold out? You bet. How about America and Americans first for a change? This should be a priority: a contract with America In the historic 1994 midterm elections, Republicans won a majority in Congress for the first time in forty years, partly on the appeal of a platform called the Contract with America. Put forward by House Republicans, this sweeping ten-point plan promised to reshape government. . LEN (Low Entry Networking) In SNA, peer-to-peer connectivity between adjacent Type 2.1 nodes, such as PCs, workstations and minicomputers. LU 6.2 sessions are supported across LEN connections. GASIOROWSKI Drain Remembering Lenny Bruce I remember seeing Lenny Bruce at the Hungry Eye in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden many years ago, with my wife and my mother. My mother was a conservative little old lady from Southern California who would go just about anywhere with us as long as she had her knitting. So my mom was knitting away while Bruce was doing routine when someone on the other side of the room sneezed. Bruce asks, "This gentleman is sitting in a draft. Is there a Christian Scientist who would change seats with him ?" My mother, a Christian Scientist, starts gathering up her knitting; we had to restrain her from volunteering to go sit in the draft. BOB JAMES Eugene EWEB's response was swift We were greeted New Years' Day with a winter wonderland. I was just settling in with my paper and the Rose Parade when the power went out. I took a walk and through talking with others discovered that a great portion of town was without electricity. I resigned myself to a day without watching the bowl games. About 1 p.m., I saw a Eugene Water & Electric Board truck rumble by. By 1:15 p.m., my electricity was back on, and all was right with my comfortable world. I would like to extend my gratitude to EWEB EWEB Eugene Water and Electric Board (Oregon) and its employees who were out in the cold working for all of us on this holiday. Their response to this power outage was fast and efficient. JAMES LOW Eugene |
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