LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Don't publish offensive letters

The letter titled "Affirmative action was to blame" (letters, July 28) about former Eugene police officers Juan Lara and Roger Magana expressed nothing but racial-ethnic prejudice. Like other such expressions, it was divisive, destructive and offensive and served no useful purpose.

It's a free country and a person is entitled to express such views, but The Register-Guard, as a community newspaper, should not publish them.

JUDITH LERNER

Eugene

Fear used to motivate voters

Over the next few weeks and months, we can expect the powers that be to seek to reinstate the primacy of fear. Color-coded threat charts and warnings of imminent danger will be broadcast again and again to remind us to be fearful. Put simply, we will be dared to hope.

Fear is a formidable opponent. The fear of lost power generates even more fear to maintain it. The history of man demonstrates nothing if not the awful lengths to which those in power will go to hold on to it.

To be fair, with almost three years having passed since the last domestic terror attack, the threat of a sequel is real. The administration is somewhat damned if it does and damned if it doesn't, for if officials don't release warnings and an attack occurs, the public will blame them unfairly.

Yet, do not doubt that fear will be used to seek an advantage. If, mercifully, there are no terror attacks before the election, those in power will say: "See, we kept you safe. Vote for us." If, tragically, there is an attack, they will say: "See, you still need us to keep you safe. Vote for us."

However, great leaders are not peddlers of fear; they are peddlers of hope. Desperate leaders make little secret of their contempt for hope. Instead, they bring fear to our doorsteps, and then, for the small price of a vote, they promise our safety.

They're sure most of us will pay it.

TODD HUFFMAN

Eugene

American Indians on committee

The Register-Guard's Aug. 2 article about the search for a new American Indian student coordinator at Lane Community College was misleading.

First, the people complaining seem to have presented themselves as the voice of the local Native American community, despite the fact that: 1) the most vocal of them is new to this area, 2) the community at large was not informed of this planned protest, and 3) there is no unified Native American position on this or most other issues.

Second, they did not investigate the process fully. An academic hire involves several stages, from writing the job posting through the final interviews. Several people in the Native American community helped write the posting, including LCC students and community elders. Two respected Native American elders will be on the interview committee. The core committee is LCC employees, Indian and non-Indian, who will work closely with the person hired.

The attack on this group is unfair and reveals misunderstanding of the process. The complainers claim that "not one of the committee members is an active participant in the native community." This would be difficult to define, but many on the committee are indeed active participants in this community.

The committee has openly and seriously addressed many complexities related to this hire, sometimes arguing productively. We hope the community will offer thoughtful input and support so we can effectively fill this vital position to serve Native American stu- dents.

JEFF HARRISON 

LCC instructor and member

of the hiring committee

Eugene

Oregon Country Fair exudes love

On Aug. 4, a Veneta resident wrote a letter to the editor stating that the Oregon Country Fair should be moved because it is "un-Christian and an offense to God."

I am new to Oregon and attended my first Oregon Country Fair out of curiosity and with an open mind. While I did see some things with which I didn't agree, I was overjoyed at the freedom of expression and unconditional love that the fair community offered to me.

Although my appearance is fairly conservative - and frankly, I looked a little out of place because of it - I felt loved by every person I met, and there were hundreds. Maybe it's because the letter-writer has had it in her backyard all along, but I wish she could live elsewhere for a while and see how truly Christ-like the atmosphere of the Oregon Country Fair is.

Unlike the editorial pages of The Register-Guard, the country fair was one of those rare places where we all just got along.

Perhaps country fair detractors should try living in Iran, where religious beliefs are strictly enforced as law. The Veneta resident stated, "We are a growing Catholic community that wants to be known for the true faith, not pagan rituals." If you replace the word "Catholic" with "Muslim," you get the exact same message delivered by that oppressive government to their citizens.

LEE RODRIGUE

Eugene

Heinz Kerry speech important

Paul Krugman's July 31 column, "TV news covers haircuts, not health care proposals," insightfully examines the ways mainstream U.S. media trivialize political figures. Kathleen Parker's Aug. 2 column, in which she states that Teresa Heinz Kerry has an un-first-lady-like image, is a written example of this kind of commentary.

I respect Parker's prerogative, as a political columnist, to express bias. Her comments, though, seize on superficial aspects of Heinz Kerry's language and rhetorical presentation, urging readers to see Heinz Kerry in a narrow light.

Early in her column, Parker states that she does not consider Heinz Kerry's often-quoted rebuff to a reporter to be a dominant feature of Heinz Kerry's problematic persona. Yet Parker quotes this remark five times, suggesting that she does consider it a definitive statement about Heinz Kerry's capabilities as a potential presidential spouse.

Parker also minimizes the importance of Heinz Kerry's speech at the Democratic National Convention. She suggests that Heinz Kerry's comments about women deserving a public voice are "about 30 years late." In fact, Heinz Kerry's feminist message bears constant repeating. As seen in the TV coverage of the convention, women, especially women of color, remain infrequently heard from in U.S. political life, often making speaking appearances only as introducers of powerful husbands.

Messages like Heinz Kerry's are worthy of reporting that is both in-depth and trivia-free.

JENNIFER LOVE

Eugene

Where do excise tax funds go?

Ever since I moved back to Oregon in 1983, I have been one of few who does not pay the 3 percent federal excise tax on my phone bill. It has been my understanding that this money is used for military budgets. I always state in my letter accompanying the payment why I refuse to pay this amount, and that if it were spent on education, housing, etc., I would be more than happy to pay it.

About a year ago, I phoned Qwest to inquire what all those fees are used for, because the list keeps getting longer. Well, about two months ago I was glad to see each one explained, except the federal excise tax! If that one tax is going to education, which is what Qwest seems to tell people who question them, why is that not so clarified on the phone bill?

Does anyone else want answers? What are they hiding? How much money would the government not be receiving if everyone refused to pay the federal excise tax until we know exactly where it is being spent?

HANYA ETTER

Eugene

4-H horse participants ignored

I was happy to see the mention of the 4-H and FFA Youth Fair in the July 18 Register-Guard, although I was disappointed to see that the newspaper didn't mention 4-H horse events.

Blocked away by the hardly used ice arena, the horse 4-H participants are forgotten by much of the public.

The article mentioned much of the hard work all the other 4-H'ers went through all year, but failed to mention all the hard work horse 4-H'ers do with their horses.

All year we work on keeping our horses in shape, memorizing our patterns for when we show and, for people like me, work on making good runs in gaming.

Dressage was judged in the evening on July 12. Juniors (grades 4-6) showed July 13, doing classes like showmanship, equitation and trail. On July 14, intermediates (grades 7-9) did the same classes as juniors, and seniors (grades 10-12) followed on July 15. On July 16, they did walk-trot gaming, and on July 17, open gaming.

The horses are not wanted at the fairgrounds by the Fair Board, and The Register-Guard showed a great way of agreeing with them by not mentioning horse 4-H in the article.

JESSICA SHAFER, age 13

Eugene

Answer opportunity's knock

The city of Eugene has lost PeaceHealth's new hospital due to the apparent lack of knowledge of what happens when a business is put on hold and kept in a "maybe we will, maybe we won't" mode.

Regarding the article "City deal for park slips away" (Register-Guard, Aug. 5), how anyone in the city government could even contemplate paying close to double for a piece of property in only a three- to four-month period after a sale - with taxpayers' money - completely boggles my mind. Especially when the city whines about not having money enough to maintain the existing parks.

It appears that the city needs someone like the Portland-area developer at its helm.

Any businessman will tell you that if he wasn't able to make snap decisions soundly based on knowledge, he would not stay in business very long, because he doesn't have a grant, or taxpayer's money, to bail him out for a wrong decision. He simply cannot afford a major wrong decision, and neither can the city government.

They simply can't get it through their heads that the tax money does not belong to them, it is in trust to them to use wisely. I am not sure they realize that grant money is money from taxation.

If the city wanted the land, why would it take "over the past few years," and "they thought they had a tentative deal to buy the parcel." You don't have a deal until the seller has the money in his hand. And if another deal comes along, if he is smart he will take it. That is the real world.

LORRAINE PHILLIPS

Eugene

Thief steals soldier's truck

I am writing because these car thefts are getting ridiculous. My boyfriend is currently in Texas training to go to Iraq. And while he is down there, some pathetic loser here thinks that his truck is nice-looking and steals it.

What a great way for people to show support for our troops. What a freakin' country we live in!

SHANNON URBAN

Junction City 

LETTERS LOG

Letters received in past week: 178

Letters published: 62

What's on readers' minds: The presidential election was the top topic for the week, with no close second. Almost every national issue - from employment to health care to the war in Iraq - was framed by letter writers in terms of the presidential election. Local issues generating multiple letters included the gay marriage debate, policies of the Lane Individual Practice Association and the congressional race between incumbent Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio and Republican challenger Jim Feldkamp.