LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.Byline: The Register-Guard How will nation pay its debts? I have been accused of being an un-Christian Bush hater and a liberal - as if those labels explain and negate all of my rational thinking. I would like to clarify my actions. Our county was founded on the belief that this is a country of the people, for the people and by the people. When the leaders' actions put people in economic or physical harm's way harm's way n. A risky position; danger: a place for the children that is out of harm's way; ships that sail into harm's way. , their actions need to be questioned, without retribution. When those leaders deceived the people for personal or financial gain for their campaign contributors, resulting the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children, their actions should be questioned and corrective steps taken. It has been said that democratically elected leaders of a country represent the values and beliefs of the people who elect them. Some candidates focus on single "hot-button issues" with impossible solutions and demean de·mean 1 tr.v. de·meaned, de·mean·ing, de·means To conduct or behave (oneself) in a particular manner: demeaned themselves well in class. their opposition as untrustworthy liars. Do they represent your values? There are some candidates who would like to think that all additional taxes are an unfair waste, and that there is enough money hidden away to cover all the needs of public safety, education, health and social services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales . If that were the case, what is taking them so long to bring about better services without having to borrow money from China and other nations? Someday, those foreign countries will want to call in their loans. How will we pay for the services and repay the loans with no new taxes? JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape PETIT Eugene Pope spoke historical truth What are we waiting for? Do we have to just take it sitting down when the highest authority of a Christian church is attacked by a pack of biting wolves of the Islamic persuasion from Constantinople/Istanbul to Batavia/Jakarta because he cited in a speech an irreproachable ir·re·proach·a·ble adj. Perfect or blameless in every respect; faultless: irreproachable conduct. ir historical truth? It is high time that we take a stand against the wailings of Muslim clerics and their daily dirty assaults through publications camouflaged as religious tracts. The tyranny and hypocrisy of the radical Islamic mood-creators offer an abundance of possibilities for counter-attack. I hope I am, as a non-Catholic, not alone in this opinion. History has shown again and again that we will dish out as much as we are willing to take. I don't envy our compatriots who profess Islamic beliefs. It requires more and more courage on their part to try to explain away these constant hymns of hatred. KLAUS PUTJENTER Eugene PERS a. 1. Light blue; grayish blue; - a term applied to different shades at different periods. program must be fixed Oregon citizens believe that good workers ought to have an excellent retirement. The 1990s Public Employees Retirement System was crafted in light of this thought. The existing problem is in PERS credit funding. Retirees are getting monthly checks on the basis of bond measures. The state has not put enough money into the account. It is relying on the private sector to be generous. The checks are now IOUs. Some counties are reporting that they no longer can support PERS. As more counties face similar problems, a possible statewide catastrophe looms on the horizon that will be worse than Enron. A leading commodities expert has suggested two solutions. The first is to vote no on any tax or bond measure - or, as is the case in Santa Clara Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , annexation to the city - because much will go to the pension fund. For example, the Springfield City Police Department allots 47 percent of its budget for PERS. By voting no, eventually the Legislature will be forced to draw on the $11 billion it has saved for a rainy day. The second is to start over with a pension plan that rides the real economy, and not a fixed ideal one. This may be drastic. Or we could do nothing and suffer the consequences of bankruptcy. Having served the state as a teacher, I don't wish to see good teachers get hurt. All public employees will get hurt if we don't ignore union bosses and put pressure on the Legislature to fix the pension mess from the inside out. GEORGE J. MAY Eugene Feldkamp offers needed change We are a young couple (early 30s) raising two young children and planning for our and their future. We are not politically motivated, but do always vote. We rely on friends, family and some personal research to decide on our votes. Our conclusions for voting this fall are that the 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. Congress needs change. Our current 4th District congressman, Peter DeFazio Peter Anthony DeFazio (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician. He serves as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Oregon, representing the 4th Congressional District and is currently serving his 11th term. , has been in office longer than we have been voting! He cannot possibly represent our generation's needs. One example is his refusal to consider partial personal accounts for Social Security. Our age group has learned about and is actively engaging in retirement investments. We appreciate that our parents' Social Security should not now be altered, but we want to determine at least a part of our own. DeFazio consistently votes against us. For that reason, and because of DeFazio's lack of votes in favor of properly arming our troops, we are voting in favor of updating Congress. We are voting for Jim Feldkamp Jim Feldkamp is an American conservative politician. A Republican, he was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Oregon's 4th congressional district in 2004 and 2006. Both times, Feldkamp was defeated by long-term incumbent Peter DeFazio. for 4th Congressional District Noun 1. congressional district - a territorial division of a state; entitled to elect one member to the United States House of Representatives district, territorial dominion, territory, dominion - a region marked off for administrative or other purposes . Please join us and urge your children and grandchildren to do the same. Congress, and Douglas County Douglas County is the name of twelve counties in the United States:
JASON Jason, in Greek mythology Jason, in Greek mythology, son of Aeson. When Pelias usurped the throne of Iolcus and killed (or imprisoned) Aeson and most of his descendants, Jason was smuggled off to the centaur Chiron, who reared him secretly on Mt. Pelion. SWAIN MINDY SWAIN Roseburg Evolution doesn't fit the Bible In his Sept. 24 Commentary article, Douglas Card tried to persuade us that pioneer Oregon minister-geologist Thomas Condon Thomas Condon (1822 - 1907) was an Irish Congregational minister, geologist, and paleontologist who gained recognition for his work in the U.S. state of Oregon.[1] grasped the perfect synthesis of macro-evolution and his Christian faith. Condon subscribed to theistic evolution Theistic evolution, less commonly known as evolutionary creationism, is the general opinion that some or all classical religious teachings about God and creation are compatible with some or all of the modern scientific , in which God supposedly chose to set in motion the evolutionary process to develop creatures until it culminated in mankind. It is admirable that Condon made an effort to make peace between evolutionists and Bible believers
Bible Believers is the website of the Bible Believers' Church of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. . However, theistic evolution fits neither the fossil record nor the Bible. When I visited the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument John Day Fossil Beds National Monument National monument, north-central Oregon, U.S. With an area of 14,014 acres (5,676 hectares), it is located along the John Day River (named after a Virginian scout of the 1811 Astor overland expedition). this summer, I was impressed with all the terrific fossils. But the numerous transitional fossils It may never be fully completed or, depending on its its nature, it may be that it can never be completed. However, new and revised entries in the list are always welcome. that must exist if macro-evolution is true were not present. Sure, there have been some changes over time, but those changes do not include more than a handful of guesses at transitional forms. It is not logical to assume from this significant lack of intermediary forms that macro-evolution is true. This pro-evolutionary assumption comes from prejudice and from undiscriminating un·dis·crim·i·nat·ing adj. 1. Lacking sensitivity, taste, or judgment. 2. Indiscriminate. Adj. 1. undiscriminating - not discriminating indiscriminating evaluation of scientific findings. Theistic evolution does not fit the Bible, in that nowhere within the book does it even hint that man was created from other creatures. There is no mention of anything like transforming a highly developed ape into a man. This is wishful evolutionary thinking. Even those with great intellect like Condon make uncritical assumptions. Don't make the same mistake. Seek the truth honestly and carefully. RICK McCLAIN Eugene 4-H made the right decision Where did race become an issue (letters, Sept. 29) in the matter of a certain teenager's inappropriate behavior at the July 4-H fair? Driving recklessly is still unacceptable. We were there on that night during this dance. There were many children in that area also. It was more of a safety concern, as children could have been injured due to another person's reckless driving reckless driving n. operation of an automobile in a dangerous manner under the circumstances, including speeding (or going too fast for the conditions, even though within the posted speed limit), driving after drinking (but not drunk), having too many passengers in and poor judgment at a youth event. He would have lost more than just $2,000 in steer if an accident had occurred on that evening. I personally feel that 4-H made a good decision and did not single out anyone by race. If you break the rules and endanger others, you must learn there are consequences. The 4-H program may have just been trying to help the young man understand the rules. This is a good lesson for the young man for the future. The property was not owned by that particular young man where he was driving recklessly. TERRI DIAZ Eugene Ron Saxton offers a fresh start I think Ron Saxton presents a new opportunity for leadership and a fresh start for Oregon, which is mired mire n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. 3. A disadvantageous or difficult condition or situation: the mire of poverty. v. in conflict with a governor who is conspicuously detached from the Legislature. Saxton would identify a host of new talent to govern Oregon's boards, commissions and state agencies. I think Saxton's approach, which uses business growth to promote Oregon prosperity and competitiveness without talk of raising taxes, will move Oregon forward. For these reasons I invite all voting Oregonians to join me in supporting Ron Saxton for governor, for a positive change for Oregon's future. RICK SOHN Roseburg Swift, Watada betrayed oath The recent coverage of the Suzanne Swift and Ehren Watada cases missed a critical point: Civil disobedience civil disobedience, refusal to obey a law or follow a policy believed to be unjust. Practitioners of civil disobediance basing their actions on moral right and usually employ the nonviolent technique of passive resistance in order to bring wider attention to the in the military is an act of selfishness, not sacrifice. We may respect their reasoning and their opposition to the war, but neither opposition to a particular war nor a history of abuse justify betraying an oath to serve. While civil disobedience holds an honored place in our society, disobedience to military orders has consequences far beyond the individual refuser. Because they refused deployment orders, others had to deploy in their place. Civil disobedience compels respect because it demonstrates a willingness to accept personal sacrifice for a cause. Refusing to deploy with the military results in a significant gain to the refuser - not having to deploy - and a significant cost to the soldiers who deploy in their place. I support their right to oppose the war, but I find their way of expressing it contemptible con·tempt·i·ble adj. 1. Deserving of contempt; despicable. 2. Obsolete Contemptuous. con·tempt . MARTY WILDE Blachly |
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