LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.Byline: The Register-Guard Measure 34 provides balance The timber industry has many well-connected spokesmen; our forests have very few. Measure 34 is not an extreme environmentalist environmentalist a person with an interest and knowledge about the interaction of humans and animals with the environment. proposal. It is a well-balanced, carefully considered plan which takes into account many forest values certain timber companies would rather ignore. If Measure 34 passes, the long-term benefits to Oregon and the people who live here will greatly outweigh the short-term gain Short-term gain (or loss) A profit or loss realized from the sale of securities held for less than a year that is taxed at normal income tax rates if the net total is positive. the few will receive if it fails. Forget the hype. Read Measure 34 before you vote, because this time it does add up. ARTHUR SKACH Yoncalla Don't enshrine en·shrine also in·shrine tr.v. en·shrined, en·shrin·ing, en·shrines 1. To enclose in or as if in a shrine. 2. To cherish as sacred. discrimination Article 1 of Oregon's original Constitution legislated that "no free negro ... shall come to reside or be within the State, or hold any real estate, or make any contracts." Article 15 declared that "no Chinaman ... shall ever hold any real estate" in Oregon. The constitution sanctioned the removal of these undesirables and proscribed PROSCRIBED, civil law. Among the Romans, a man was said to be proscribed when a reward was offered for his head; but the term was more usually applied to those who were sentenced to some punishment which carried with it the consequences of civil death. Code, 9; 49. punishment for any person who employed or harbored them. Thankfully, these ugly doctrines are no longer the rule of law. Today, we are confronted with an effort to adopt a constitutional amendment that would alter what remains a central principle of Oregon's Constitution, that "no law shall be passed granting to any citizen or class of citizens privileges or immunities which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens." Marriage is a social arrangement, recognized and sanctioned by the government, which bears on matters including rights of survivorship survivorship n. the right to receive full title or ownership due to having survived another person. Survivorship is particularly applied to persons owning real property or other assets, such as bank accounts or stocks, in "joint tenancy. , tax law and other issues. Some of our citizens oppose gay marriage, and churches can choose not to sanction such marriages for religious reasons. But our government - founded on the principle of the separation of church and state
Our founders fought to insure the application of inalienable Not subject to sale or transfer; inseparable. That which is inalienable cannot be bought, sold, or transferred from one individual to another. The personal rights to life and liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States are inalienable. human rights to all, including liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Please, do not again institutionalize in·sti·tu·tion·a·lize v. To place a person in the care of an institution, especially one providing care for the disabled or mentally ill. in the unequal treatment of some of our fellow citizens in Oregon's Constitution. TOM CONNOLLY Eugene What if your children were gay? Both my children are gay. Through their teen and college years - when they were dealing with questions about their sexuality - Oregonians were debating anti-gay ballot measures. My kids saw that the majority of the people in this state reject discrimination against homosexuals. They are now responsible, hardworking adults contributing to society, applying their strong work ethic, education and God-given gifts. My daughter and her partner entered into a spiritual covenant 15 months ago in which they promised before God, our minister, both sets of parents, siblings and family friends to love, honor, respect and support one another until death. Their joy and hope for their future moved us all. In April, when Multnomah County authorized civil marriage between same-sex couples, my daughter and her partner signed a legal marriage contract in Portland. It requires them to meet responsibilities to one another and to the state, and grants them the same rights afforded to heterosexual couples - among them, next of kin The blood relatives entitled by law to inherit the property of a person who dies without leaving a valid will, although the term is sometimes interpreted to include a relationship existing by reason of marriage. Cross-references Descent and Distribution. status, the right to claim each other's Social Security benefits in the event of death and equal custody rights when they have children. But passage of Ballot Measure 36 would deny such rights to same-sex couples and, instead, place a stigma on their families. As a Christian, as a parent, I ask why Oregon would want to segregate seg·re·gate v. seg·re·gat·ed, seg·re·gat·ing, seg·re·gates v.tr. 1. To separate or isolate from others or from a main body or group. See Synonyms at isolate. 2. and marginalize mar·gin·al·ize tr.v. mar·gin·al·ized, mar·gin·al·iz·ing, mar·gin·al·iz·es To relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or edge, as of social standing. instead of validate those who want to build healthy, loving families? I ask you to vote on this measure as if your own children were gay. PETE PETERSON Eugene |
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