LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.Byline: The Register-Guard Cartoons depicted stereotypes This letter concerns the two editorial cartoons published in The Register-Guard on March 18 and March 19. The cartoons demonstrate to me a stereotype and offensive, out-of-character individuals. As to the March 18 cartoon featuring Sen. Barack Obama: Must we always depict a black person with a blackened black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. face and white lips? And as to the March 19 Beijing Olympics cartoon: In the grandstand, all the Chinese people The following is a '''list of famous Chinese-speaking/writing people. Note in Chinese names, the family name is typically placed first (for example, the family name of "Xu Feng" is "Xu"). are depicted as smiling, toothy and rotund. I was hoping as a nation that we had progressed beyond this kind of degrading and stupefying stu·pe·fy tr.v. stu·pe·fied, stu·pe·fy·ing, stu·pe·fies 1. To dull the senses or faculties of. See Synonyms at daze. 2. To amaze; astonish. stereo-typing. I do understand what the so-called humor is behind the images. But the images themselves are not humorous. Or is it that I have lost my sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour ? Edward Kinnunen Springfield Blame isn't equal in Mideast What's the point of Valori George's March 23 letter, in which she tallies the death toll of Palestinians and Israelis? Is it to show how both sides share equal responsibility in the dispute? She then states how many more Palestinians have been killed. I'm afraid the point she is attempting to make is just as unequal as are her numbers. If somehow the Palestinians could realize that if they stopped indiscriminately launching rockets and mortar shells into Israel, especially from the heart of Palestinian civilian populations, then the Israeli responses just might cease. To date, more than 4,000 rockets and mortar shells have been launched at Israel since Israel withdrew from Gaza. As Vice President Dick Cheney recently pointed out: "History has clearly shown that when encountered by Arab partners like Anwar Sadat and the late King Hussein Noun 1. King Hussein - king of Jordan credited with creating stability at home and seeking peace with Israel (1935-1999) ibn Talal Hussein, Husain, Husayn, Hussein of Jordan, who accepted Israel's permanence and are willing and capable of delivering on their commitments, Israelis are prepared to make wrenching national sacrifices on behalf of peace." People need to realize that this so-called equal culpability culpability (See: culpable) that the media are so fond of referring to is simply not true. If the Palestinians would stop their incredible and ugly terrorism, then a settlement would be found quickly. But this would force them to realize that Israel will not disappear - something they seem incapable of grasping. Alan Corbeth Eugene Potholes fight 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. The streets are full of potholes. I have had to reduce car speed by 5 miles per hour. My car now gets better gas mileage Noun 1. gas mileage - the ratio of the number of miles traveled to the number of gallons of gasoline burned fuel consumption rate, gasoline mileage, mileage ratio - the relative magnitudes of two quantities (usually expressed as a quotient) . Keep the potholes. Gene Thompson Eugene Earl Thompson (June 7 1917 - August 24 2006), nicknamed "Junior," was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants. Eugene Why buy Green, Beverly land? Will someone please explain why the Eugene City Council is so eager to buy the two parcels of land (Green and Beverly) mentioned in the article "City pursues grants to buy parcels" (Register-Guard, March 20)? According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the article, Joe Green (a developer) purchased his 40 acres just four years ago for $325,000, yet the City Council is willing to buy his land for more than 10 times the price he paid. The planning commission Noun 1. planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments commission, committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berle already has rejected Green's application to develop this land, mainly because of concerns of soil stability. And the city planners gave the third proposal from the Beverlys an unfavorable recommendation. Yet the council is apparently willing to buy the Beverly property for $4 million. I just don't get it. Every time one turns around, all one hears is how the city of Eugene needs more money and how we need yet another tax. On the same page as this article is another titled "County to draw up pared-back budget with 200 job cuts." As usual, they would start with cutbacks in public safety because that's how the system seems to work, whether it be city, county or state. Wouldn't it be nice if some of these millions could be diverted to something such as public safety or street repair, which all of Eugene actually needs, instead of what just a few want? Barbara Dexter Eugene Keep dogs leashed in parks First, let me state that I love dogs. But that doesn't mean that I want an unfamiliar dog to approach my children at the park. We go to the park to play and to forget about the worries of the day, but we are unable to do that when someone's "nice" dog is all over us. Even nice dogs bite sometimes. Please, keep your dog on a leash or take it to one of our community's lovely dog parks. Everyone will appreciate it. Amy Carson Eugene We get what we agree to pay for Thirty years ago, as my family pulled out of our driveway in northeastern Ohio for the last time and headed west, I smiled at the smoothness of the roads. We had near-perfect highways and byways. They always were salted, sanded and plowed in the winter. The good weather brought out the repair crews to the extent that the joke was that the Ohio state flower was the construction cone. Our sidewalks offered level walking surfaces, easily navigated by parents with strollers and kids on their big wheels. Our trash was picked up weekly; everything from washing machines to yard clippings could be put on the curb. Not a penny did it all cost us. That is, unless you want to think that we paid national, state, regional and municipal income taxes, a 6.5 percent sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. and enormous property taxes. My husband figured that he worked until noon on Thursday to pay the taxes. He worked a six-day week so that we could pay the utility bills, which were higher than our mortgage payments. Our entire backyard was a garden so that we could eat more cheaply and healthfully health·ful adj. 1. Conducive to good health; salutary. 2. Healthy. See Usage Note at healthy. health . The cost of driving and keeping everything neat and safe and clean costs money. Where does it come from? Us, folks. Remember, we get what we're willing to pay for. Jeannine Mainville Eugene Paper missed the greatest story When we sat down to read The Register-Guard on Easter Sunday, we expected to find pictures of Christian church congregations and an article or two regarding the celebrations of the resurrection of the Lord. We guess the most fabulous thing that has happened to the human race is not worthy of even a paragraph in this newspaper. Thomas F. Crawley Ann T. Crawley Cottage Grove Cottage Grove, village (1990 pop. 22,935), Washington co., SE Minn., near the St. Croix River; inc. 1965. There is farming (cattle, sheep, corn, and soybeans) and manufacturing (chemicals and machinery). Leave negative rhetoric behind I suspect many readers will disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" this letter. That is why we are fortunate to live in a democracy. My personal view is that we have three good candidates - good American citizens - seeking to lead our country as president. I have my own strongly felt favorite among them. What I hope is that we learn, as a community, to leave negative rhetoric behind. It does not help any of us. I went to an event on the University of Oregon campus The University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon has around 80 buildings and facilities, including athletics sites such as Hayward Field, which is the site for the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials, and McArthur Court, and off-campus sites such as nearby Autzen Stadium and the recently and came away smiling. The reason included the compassion I felt from young and old, black and white, tall and short, chubby and not quite so chubby, etc. It was cool. In that gathering, I did not sense animosity as much as concern. I sensed hope. I sensed desire to help our country get back on track. I thank each of the three presidential candidates and those who had joined them in earlier parts of the presidential race. Parts of our country fall too easily into sniping at one another. I guess what we all need to do is to follow as closely as we can what the issues are. We will agree sometimes, disagree other times. That is the joy of the whole show. JOHN FENTRESS Eugene Mayor candidates very different Ex-mayor Jim Torrey's campaign slogan, "Yes, Eugene, We Can," begs the question, "Can what?" If the ex-mayor means that we can return to his brand of cronyism Cronyism Tammany Hall Manhattan Democratic political circle notorious for spoils system approach. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 492] , working to serve wealthy development interests and applying old-school solutions to new-world problems, then sure, we can. I prefer the visionary, pragmatic, coalition-building work of our current mayor, Kitty Piercy. I encourage us all to get their votes in for this election regardless of your position. The candidates are remarkably different. Douglas Curry Eugene Mayoral race will entertain city I'm canceling my subscription to Netflix. What with Jim Torrey, the neocon ne·o·con n. Informal A neoconservative: "The neocons and hard-liners have long felt that no Soviet leader could be trusted" New York Times. candidate for mayor of Eugene, all but promising a campaign of negativity and divisiveness, and one of his ardent supporters describing the incumbent's relatively benign term as "a reign of terror Reign of Terror, 1793–94, period of the French Revolution characterized by a wave of executions of presumed enemies of the state. Directed by the Committee of Public Safety, the Revolutionary government's Terror was essentially a war dictatorship, instituted to ," the hyperbole and absurd polemics po·lem·ics n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) 1. The art or practice of argumentation or controversy. 2. The practice of theological controversy to refute errors of doctrine. of the right wing are promising to provide plenty of comedy, drama, fantasy/sci-fi, horror and cheap thrills. Citizens of Eugene will be able to save money on renting movies as we wallow wallow mud bath frequented by pigs, elephants, red deer, hippopotami as a cooling aid. in the free entertainment provided by that familiar group of folks who find honest discussion of the issues just too threatening to their cause of making sure the "haves" continue to get while the "have-nots" continue to give. We're in for a fun spring in the Emerald Empire as the Karl Rove wannabes Wannabes is an online interactive soap and game created for the BBC by Illumna Digital. Wannabes follows on from Jamie Kane, the BBC's previous foray into online interactive drama. The show/game consists of 14 10 minute episodes released twice a week. slither slith·er v. slith·ered, slith·er·ing, slith·ers v.intr. 1. To glide or slide like a reptile. See Synonyms at slide. 2. To walk with a sliding or shuffling gait. 3. out of the woodwork! Mick Waggoner Eugene Absence of proof isn't proof I appreciated seeing the article about Rene Salm's book, "The Myth of Nazareth" (Register-Guard, March 21). I teach a logic class, and our class had just learned the "fallacy of proof by lack of evidence." And there, two days later, was a perfect example. Salm is quoted as saying, "Nazareth appears to have begun about 70 years after the life of Jesus. Before then, there is no evidence for Nazareth." Actually, that doesn't even match with the findings mentioned in the previous paragraph. Logically, the fact that you can't prove something was there doesn't automatically prove that it wasn't there (especially 2,000 years after the fact.) I only hope people who haven't recently studied logic were alert enough to notice the problem. Kay Smith Eugene |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion