LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Iraq war inflates lumber price

Robert Dahlen of North Bend writes (letters, Aug. 19) that lumber prices have gone up due to trade with China, the U.S. dollar and wildfires. I would like to point out that is ignoring what may be biggest cause: the war in Iraq.

I have heard rumors from contractor friends and was motivated to research on the Web by the above letter. What I discovered was an article by Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money staff writer, titled "War makes lumber a hot item," dated March 28, 2003.

It is especially frustrating that we not only have to sacrifice young solders and pay $200 billion plus for Iraq, but that we at home pay more for raw materials because of large quantities of materials going to Iraq.

RICHARD DAVISON

Reedsport

Pope doesn't deserve criticism

I find it interesting, but sad, that there is always someone ready and willing to attack (letters, Aug. 21) our beloved Holy Father, the pope. He is, perhaps, one of the finest and holiest men of our century, but he seems to be the target of a never-ending supply of venom.

He spends his life in service to God and others, encourages peace and forgiveness by both word and action and tries, as we are all called to do, to make this world a kinder and gentler place. In his frail health, he could simply take the easier road but has chosen against it. How many of us can say the same about ourselves? Those of us who dearly love and respect him appreciate his wisdom and guidance.

Regarding the venomous attacks, I guess it's never been said that God gives points for taking the popular road. But it has been said, "Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

In his letter, the writer made the comment: "As a man, I wonder if the pope ... ever had a mother." As a woman, I'd like to help clear up any confusion he might have on this subject.

The pope did, in fact, have a mother; she died when he was 9. Then in 1941, at the age of 21, he returned home one day to find his father dead.

What heights this struggling orphan did attain!

JANICE HOONHOUT

Eugene

What constitutes compassion?

The term compassionate conservatism surfaced again at the Republican convention as various speakers tried to restore that aspect of George Bush's self-description of the 2000 election, a quality not evident in his administration to date. This term is meant to include the principle "right to life." My question to President Bush and all who use these terms:

Does this include the nearly 1,000 American soldiers killed to date in Iraq, the more than 20,000 Iraqis killed because of the invasion and occupation, the American soldiers and innocent civilians killed in Afghanistan or, for that matter, the prisoners awaiting execution on death row and those executed in the past? Or do we need more precise language?

KATHLEEN EPSTEIN

Eugene

Call it what it is: It's rape

Rape by any other name is still rape.

Charles Verl Fenwick Jr. is in denial, finding excuses for his raping (`good men do bad things') and even gets the local newspaper to pretty it up with words like "sexual relationship," "seduced" and "having sex."

The front page of The Register-Guard stated, "The man gets the maximum penalty for having sex with a 14-year-old girl," (Register-Guard, Aug. 31) - for "having a sexual relationship" and having "seduced the girl?" There is no sexual relationship between a man and a child, only a relationship of the predator to his victim. He did not seduce her; he groomed her, pursued her, then raped her physically and emotionally again and again and again.

When he "vehemently denied the accusations," he raped her dignity and innocence again, as well as her reputation and her personal self-worth. He even gets his lawyer to say that "he fell victim to the weakness of the flesh." Come on! Men have been using that excuse for rape for centuries. He allowed himself to rape that child and nothing and no one else made him do it.

Pedophiles are pedophiles no matter who they may be, be they men of God or ex-governors. Both destroyed another person and changed her forever through rape with only their own personal satisfaction key to their actions.

Will raping and destroying a child never be considered a real crime against society? He got five years, and she a lifetime of pain.

BEATRICE APPLETON

North Bend

Columnists pushing religion

In David Brooks, The Register-Guard offers another syndicated columnist in the mold of prejudiced Charles Krauthammer. Both offer opinions, the right of a columnist, diminished by prayerful obeisance to Christianity and Judaism.

Krauthammer uses most of his space dredging up Judaic reasons for promoting policies of Sharonist Israel with blind staunchness that deprives him of credibility. Now, Brooks chooses to give an arrogant wave of the Christian banner George Bush uses to demean the faith.

Instead of criticizing the born-again behavior of Bush that needlessly challenges Islam with Christianity, he suggests John Kerry would be well served to also court the religious right. At one point, Brooks refers to "religious illiterates." That's the perfect description for evangelical support given Bush by a segment of the electorate motivated not for political justice, but for religious dominance.

If this election becomes a religious referendum, Christian voters owe it to their faith and the nation to prevent the so-called Moral Majority from becoming the electoral majority.

GEORGE BERES

Eugene

Hamm didn't miss opportunity

I'd like to comment on the editorial titled "Missed opportunity" (Register-Guard, Aug. 29).

This editorial is a classic example of people swallowing inaccurate news, then printing an opinion rather than doing a little homework to get the facts straight. Paul Hamm in no way missed an opportunity to show American spirit. He owes the world nothing more than his outstanding athletic performance and then his gracious acceptance of the gold medal, which he honorably displayed at the end of his Olympic competition. He won first place - fair and square - regardless of the inaccuracies and incompetence of the judging panel.

Tim Daggett, Olympics gymnastics commentator for NBC, gave a very good explanation of what happened to both Hamm and to the South Korean Yang Tae-young. If the difficulty of his routine had been accurately recorded at the beginning of the routine and if the judging had been accurate, Yang would have ended up with fewer points than he actually did.

I believe the writer of this editorial owes the readership an apology for making Hamm appear to be something less than he is. He is an admirable athlete and an honorable American who should keep his medal. And the writer of this piece should be ashamed for stating that he missed an opportunity of showing the true American spirit and insinuating he should relinquish his medal in an attempt to show "magnanimous sacri- fice."

BETTY J. BARTON

Eugene

Don't punish PERS recipients

An Aug. 31 letter was headlined "Retirement funds are not secure." The letter points fingers at the Public Employees Retirement System. In PERS, you can be in a fixed account or variable, or both. Variable rates are not guaranteed.

PERS has done an excellent job of investing during the good stock years. Should someone be punished for that? Many people lost their retirement to such scandals as Enron. Are public employees supposed to give up their retirement because of those mistakes or mistakes made by employers who did not invest as well as PERS?

I was in the fixed account for 30 years. Over the years, I gave up benefits and raises to keep my retirement intact. In the last six months, thanks to the Legislature, I had to give up almost $200 a month. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I sacrificed a lot to get my retirement.

The stock market to me is the same as gambling. On the same day, there was another article about PERS. The people who the Legislature hurt the worst are those who are still in the system. I was lucky and only lost a small amount. Others stand to lose a lot of money that they worked hard for over the years.

This is not right. I agree that if you are going to do it, do it to people starting fresh. Then stand back and watch the shortage of teachers, firefighters and police officers.

DAVE RITTER 

Eugene

Piercy must alleviate anxiety

I agree with many letters to the editor that the write-in campaign for Jim Torrey is not a viable solution for Eugene at this point in time.

Many of us agree that Torrey is a darned good mayor. He has done a lot of good for the the community, and no one has worked harder as a mayor than Torrey. He has proven himself to be able to reach across ideological chasms to get things done. Also, he is always there to listen to his constituents. We will miss him as the mayor of Eugene.

On the other hand, the citizens of Eugene have elected Kitty Piercy by giving her more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary election. We need to give her a chance to prove herself as the "mayor for all Eugene."

During the recent Economic Development Council meeting of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, there was an informal vote for the "Run, Jim, Run" campaign. The majority of the council members voted yes. Many business people seem to have anxiety and uncertainty about where Piercy stands in providing jobs and growth for Eugene.

It is clear that Piercy has yet to demonstrate her sensitivity to this anxiety and nervousness, and her ability to build bridges to the business community. Maybe she should start by coming to the Business Development Council to lay out her strategies and plans for creating jobs and improving livability for all Eugene.

PETER LEUNG

Eugene