LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.Byline: The Register-Guard Downtown plan is worth a try As Eugene wrestles with change, there is never any lack of opposition for new ideas "New Ideas" is the debut single by Scottish New Wave/Indie Rock act The Dykeenies. It was first released as a Double A-side with "Will It Happen Tonight?" on July 17, 2006. The band also recorded a video for the track. . It is as if Eugene is in a marriage with an obstinate ob·sti·nate adj. 1. Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or course of action. 2. Difficult to alleviate or cure. spouse who refuses to go along with anything that is not of his or her own idea. Maybe when someone produces an idea about development or improvements, it automatically starts a red light blinking in some obscure basement and the naysayers come out in force. Why can't we toss all these people in a big room like kids and have them work it out? Our downtown longs for positive change. It has gone on far too long in the current state, and without help it may only stagnate stag·nate intr.v. stag·nat·ed, stag·nat·ing, stag·nates To be or become stagnant. [Latin st further. If the new proposals do not work, there would be no fault for not trying. Urban renewal funds are produced with a portion of property tax revenue reallocated from within the footprint of the urban renewal district. The properties that are in the district are those that benefit, and they are also those that are taxed - win-win. Remember: $40 million is one modest building in Portland. Urban renewal is a device left over from the "Beautify America" policy of Ladybird Johnson. It was partly disastrous because it gutted the hearts out of small towns across America and replaced them with sterile 1960s architecture. Sound familiar? However, today in Eugene, I give our architects, developers and city planners more credit, as some have learned from the past. Where is the common ground that will allow positive change? Paul Dustrud Eugene What should Republicans do? We often hear the pundits opine that it is President Bush's intention to extend the Iraq war Iraq War: see under Persian Gulf Wars. Iraq War or Second Persian Gulf War Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S. into 2008, at which juncture it will be dropped into the hands of the next administration, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. the Democrats. It's the old "kick the ball down the field" strategy. That might be good for the perpetrators of this fiasco and somewhat uncomfortable for its inheritors. However, those suffering the most will be the hapless Republicans seeking congressional seats in 2008. What can they do? Defending the indefensible certainly won't cut it. There are no longer any wagons to circle. At some point they may have honestly considered the war a positive historical event. Free the oppressed op·press tr.v. op·pressed, op·press·ing, op·press·es 1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny. 2. , etc. But now they have to live with ashes of an ill-conceived adventure. So what do they do? Edward Clarke Edward Clarke may refer to:
Eugene Rapid Iraq withdrawal strategy We can end the "war" in Iraq by simply doing the following: Start paying for the daily Iraq occupation with funds redirected from the farm subsidy money, the oil subsidy handouts, the drug industry's Medicare Part D profits and President Bush's tax cuts for the upper 2 percent - plus additional taxes on the rich as needed as needed prn. See prn order. . This would trigger a complete withdrawal within 72 hours. Maybe 48. Paul Wertz Eugene More birthing choices needed Reading about the death of Lucian Koberstein (Register-Guard, Sept. 16) makes me angry and unspeakably sad. Rightly, the mother speaks of choice, but what is not mentioned is that there should have been one more option for her as she made her choice: a midwife-assisted childbirth in a hospital. My daughter was born in a comfortable, dimly-lighted hospital room with a doula dou·la n. A woman who assists another woman during labor and provides support to her, the infant, and the family after childbirth. and midwife present. I had a natural birth - no medications, and my daughter was born in a birthing tub. The perfect environment supported my ability to give birth naturally, as women's bodies are made to do. I knew, also, that if anything did go wrong, I was where I needed to be to get medical support. One month after this ideal birthing experience, I learned that obstetricians and midwives would no longer team up to offer midwife-assisted births in the hospital. There was distrust, battling philosophies and fears of malpractice suits. I have to believe that everyone's intentions were good - that healthy moms and babies were everyone's top priority. But in the end, we are left without a middle ground. Either we choose to birth in a hospital, where there are too many drugs and unnecessary medical interventions to be considered a "safe" option, or we choose to have a baby in our homes or at a birthing center birthing center n. A medical facility, often associated with a hospital, that is designed to provide a comfortable, homelike setting during childbirth and that is generally less restrictive than a hospital in its regulations, as in permitting midwifery . My heart goes out to Lucian's mom. I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if she would have chosen a midwife-assisted birth in a hospital, but she should have had the choice. Julie Grossman Eugene Women should decide on birth What an article The Register-Guard ran on the Sept. 16 front page by Andrea Damewood concerning the recent birth tragedy in our community. As a mother of three and birth doula who has attended more than 100 births, I always have felt that women should absolutely have the birth they choose for their baby. I feel very strongly that it is for the pregnant "us" to decide, using our hearts and our minds, as one of our early parenting roles. I have supported women who, like Kelsie Koberstein, have chosen to stay home for their birth, and others who have chosen to have their child at the hospital. It is our job as birth supporters to be sure that our clients are educated on issues on "both sides of the fence," and then support their decisions. I know that this article is going to stir a whirlwind of controversy - people blaming, pointing fingers and feeling somehow vindicated in their positions. Please, before that all starts, remember this mother and all of the practitioners involved in this story - what heavy hearts they must feel. Respecting our differences, let's be about helping each other heal and not about blame and righteousness. Koberstein speaks of feeling at peace with her decision. Can we please support her in that position and let the healing cycle continue? Janene Becker Eugene Support Bush -Cheney censure Kudos to The Register-Guard for its Sept. 15 editorial listing some of President Bush's 2003-to-present deceptions on the Iraq war, and for the newspaper's continuing documentation of the harm the Bush-Cheney administration's policies are causing our country and the world. For example, the Bush-Cheney subversion of worldwide attempts to act on global warming global warming, the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. is another offense against all, especially grandchildren. Bush-Cheney will continue to spew large amounts of daily horse pucky from sea to shining sea in their ongoing efforts to deceive us and to pretend their policies have not undermined efforts to eliminate terrorism. Is starting a war under false pretenses False representations of material past or present facts, known by the wrongdoer to be false, and made with the intent to defraud a victim into passing title in property to the wrongdoer. a prosecutable war crime? At least 90,000 children, women and men have died in Iraq as a result of Bush-Cheney's conduct of this war. "Precision bombing Bombing directed at a specific point target. " is known for causing exploding building fragments to shoot far from the target into neighborhoods, through walls and windows, into homes and classrooms. If the U.S. Congress can muster the guts to vote a bill of censure as a strong reprimand REPRIMAND, punishment. The censure which in some cases a public office pronounces against an offender. 2. This species of punishment is used by legislative bodies to punish their members or others who have been guilty of some impropriety of conduct towards them. to Bush-Cheney, will the majority opposed to this war become vociferously supportive of Congress' action? CHARLES THIELMAN Eugene Sept. 11 letter was brilliant satire The Register-Guard really should start adding some consumer warnings to some of the letters printed on the editorial pages. Something like, "Reading the following may be hazardous to your health. If laughter persists longer than four hours, please consult a physician." Or, "The following is satirical and not to be taken seriously, so don't get your pantyhose in a twist." "Bin Laden not behind Sept. 11" (letters, Sept. 18) is a prime example of such a need. First, I laughed so hard I almost fell off the chair. Then I got mad - not at the writer, Robert Cook Robert Cook can refer to:
Now I'm thinking that he's one of those few individuals who deliberately writes this type of letter, filled with invention, just to see how much local blood he can get boiling. If that's the case, it's brilliant. Personally, I would have avoided the subject of Sept. 11, at least for a few more years. Give the wounds time to heal and all that. Besides, there are so many other subjects to write satire about - Elvis is still alive, the Roswell incident, Kennedy assassination Assassination See also Murder. assassins Fanatical Moslem sect that smoked hashish and murdered Crusaders (11th—12th centuries). [Islamic Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 52] Brutus conspirator and assassin of Julius Caesar. [Br. , Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, land-locked harbor, on the southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, W of Honolulu; one of the largest and best natural harbors in the E Pacific Ocean. In the vicinity are many U.S. military installations, including the chief U.S. , the battleship battleship, large, armored warship equipped with the heaviest naval guns. The evolution of the battleship, from the ironclad warship of the mid-19th cent., received great impetus from the Civil War. Maine, who really shot Abe Lincoln. I look forward to reading Cook's thoughts on those subjects in the future. Lawana Gray Marcola Conspiracy theory conspiracy theory n. A theory seeking to explain a disputed case or matter as a plot by a secret group or alliance rather than an individual or isolated act. conspiracy theorist n. doesn't wash I don't know who to chastise chas·tise tr.v. chas·tised, chas·tis·ing, chas·tis·es 1. To punish, as by beating. See Synonyms at punish. 2. To criticize severely; rebuke. 3. Archaic To purify. most for the Sept. 18 letter by Robert Cook III, who has been led down a path by those who want to create hate and disbelief in our government and see a conspiracy on every grassy knoll. I lean toward chastising The Register-Guard, because to give space to Cook's twisted beliefs is tantamount to subversion. I do not blindly follow my government, and I am not enamored en·am·or tr.v. en·am·ored, en·am·or·ing, en·am·ors To inspire with love; captivate: was enamored of the beautiful dancer; were enamored with the charming island. with the war. But I do not believe every crackpot crack·pot n. An eccentric person, especially one with bizarre ideas. adj. Foolish; harebrained: a crackpot notion. who would have one believe that it is all a grand conspiracy to take away our freedom. If that were the case, it would involve every member of Congress, not just the president and his cronies. Cook is like those who believe that Adolf Hitler's concentration camps did not exist and the genocide there did not happen, or that we never landed on the moon because it was all done on a Hollywood soundstage. I, too, have seen the proponents of the belief that the attacks of Sept. 11 were conducted by the CIA CIA: see Central Intelligence Agency. (1) (Confidentiality Integrity Authentication) The three important concerns with regards to information security. Encryption is used to provide confidentiality (privacy, secrecy). or some other agency to justify the subsequent actions by our government. These proponents are self-promoting book writers and anarchists who do make some gullible people believe, and therefore quote as fact, those theories. It is Cook who needs to wake up and study the facts: There are those who hate our country and its people; there are those who would see all of us, including Cook, dead. Kenneth Hunt Cottage Grove |
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