LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Elites don't get Measure 37

Whoever wrote the May 23 editorial on fixing Measure 37 should be assigned to read the entire newspaper. The editor might pick up on the May 23 story on Page B2 relative to the problems with the glut of wine grapes and what it is doing to small farmers. Maybe, just maybe, he will see that farming's problem is not lack of land but overproduction.

Oregon grows exceptional pinot grapes and puts out some excellent wine, but it competes with the whole world. To do so requires good grapes, great vintners and superior marketing. So far, it seems that these necessary ingredients are available here, and we do have a thriving industry.

That said, why does the state need to confiscate private property to help the industry out? Make no mistake about it: Limiting what a private citizen can do with his property is confiscation. If I steal only half the money in your wallet, it doesn't make me less of a thief.

Measure 37 passed because the citizens of Oregon recognized that our land use system was beginning to approach that of the former Soviet Union and needed to be reined in. From the tenor of the editorials in our leading newspapers, I infer that the elites didn't get the message.

JERRY KERSHNER

Eugene

Let anyone have special plates

Russell Sadler's May 16 guest viewpoint presents a moving account of the history of Oregon's constitutional separation of church and state. But he fails to show that voluntary purchase of a "choose life" license plate crosses this divide any more than does the posting of Christmas decorations in public streets or the requirement that public officials put their hand on a Bible when taking an oath of office.

Instead of endorsing a "choose life" plate, I suggest that the Legislature allow any nonprofit group, religious or otherwise, to design its own license plate for supporters to buy. The state would charge a modest fee for administration and making the plates; beyond that, each group could set its own fee.

If salmon supporters can have a plate, why not supporters of elk, spotted owls or Labrador retrievers? If friends of Crater Lake can have a plate, why not friends of Mount Hood or Smith Rock? If culture lovers can have a plate, why not the Oregon Historical Society or the Nature Conser- vancy?

For that matter, why limit it to nonprofit groups? Some people might love to have a Nike swoosh or Union Pacific shield on their cars. Some companies might even help pay people's vehicle registration fees to get the advertising. This way, everyone can support their favorite cause or sport their favorite logo without the state endorsing any of them.

RANDAL O'TOOLE 

Bandon

Kids need honest role models

Our society is a sad piece of hypocrisy and inconsistency.

We tell kids, "Your health is more important than money," and then we put soda and gunk machines in schools to extract some extra money.

We tell kids to work hard in classes, but accolades, pictures in The Register-Guard, applause, popularity, and fuller scholarships seem to be vastly weighted toward sports. Why has Galen Rupp been on front pages of the sports section so often? Is it just because he can run a little faster than others? What if Rupp spent all that track time helping the infirm and working with the homeless? No pictures in the paper and no scholarship. Darn.

We tell kids it's what is on the inside that counts while pushing the possession obsession to the max - trendy clothes, flashy cars, big houses, expensive jewelry, superficial cosmetics.

We worry about our teens' lack of physical exercise and the explosion of obesity and early Type 2 diabetes, yet we worship and overuse cars. The young ones follow our addiction. The cars not only reduce needed activity levels but needed sleep as well, since many people work numerous hours to handle car payments, insurance and gas.

When are we going to roll out the real powerful models - the honest role models?

MIKE HOROWITZ

Eugene

Just bury space trash on Mars

After reading the article about our space junk problem (Register-Guard, May 22), I am shocked and disgusted that our government could let such a thing happen.

More than 13,000 pieces of rockets, satellites and cylinders of radioactive waste and God knows what else are floating around in space. More and more of those pieces are falling to the Earth or hitting other objects in space, including our working satellites and rockets.

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that this would eventually happen. Now they're trying to find a way to clean it up. I have a suggestion: Stop all space launchings. Build a space tractor to haul the objects to another planet - maybe Mars - and bury them. We have enough technology. We've polluted the Earth and solar system a lot more than we should have. I only hope we can still save our beautiful Earth.

I have faith that we can, but it's going to take a lot from all of us.

GEORGETTE DAVID 

Marcola

Jefferson quote being misused

David Rogers' May 19 letter about the Constitution mentioned the famous 1802 letter to the Baptist Convention written by Thomas Jefferson. The letter contained the quote "a wall of separation between church and state."

Those who want any form of Christianity totally removed from government and the public arena are erroneously using that quote to have their way. It has been taken to ridiculous extremes.

What Rogers failed to mention about the letter is that it was written 14 years after the Bill of Rights was passed by Congress and ratified by the states. Jefferson was in France at the time the Bill of Rights was passed and ratified. Jefferson wrote the letter as a courtesy to the convention, after its members congratulated him on his election as president. The letter's metaphor of the "wall of separation between church and state" remained obscure until Justice Hugo Black came across it and erroneously established the anti-religious precedent that negatively affected religious freedom.

Justice Black's motives are suspect in his opinion on this subject. He was a former member of the Ku Klux Klan and held a deep resentment toward Catholicism for what he thought was the church's increasing power and abuse of the poor in America.

The establishment clause in the First Amendment was to prevent the federal government from establishing a national church, not to remove religious reference from the public arena - nothing more.

ROBERT BOYER

Blue River

Faculty committed to diversity

The 67 faculty members in the University of Oregon's College of Education who signed this letter affirm our goal of producing professionals and scholars of the highest caliber, who possess multicultural competence and who have capacity to work with and conduct research among diverse populations. We affirm our commitment to support diversity initiatives, offer our voice in support of those in our community who have experienced discrimination and commit to the following actions:

1) Recognize that it is our responsibility to define "cultural competence" from the literature bases and professional standards within our respective disciplines.

2) Evaluate our effectiveness in integrating human diversity content and creating inclusive learning environments in our courses.

3) Seek consultation from colleagues, community members and students to improve our cultural competence and our attention to underserved populations.

4) Request annual feedback on our cultural competence in our personal faculty evaluations.

5) Recognize that cultural competence and the integration of diverse worldviews in teaching and scholarship are central to best practices.

6) Share with our colleagues successful strategies for infusing human diversity content into our teaching, advising, scholarship and service.

7) Seek more cultural immersion experiences.

8) Work with colleagues and community to increase the number of courses and training opportunities to enhance student and faculty cultural competence.

BENEDICT McWHIRTER, Ph.D.

KRISTA CHRONISTER, Ph.D.

and 65 faculty co-signers

University of Oregon 

College of Education

Eugene

Farr's goal is to help schools

Recently, there have been some letters critical of Rep. Debi Farr of Eugene for supporting some tax bills in the Legislature designed to encourage increased investment and job growth in Oregon. These letters claim that Farr is doing a disservice to our schools by supporting bills that cut taxes.

I think these critics confuse cutting taxes with cutting tax revenues. In the past, cutting capital gains taxes and increasing write-offs for new investment have often resulted in increased tax revenues by spurring growth in the economy. By contrast, during the recent recession, severe reductions in school funding resulted even though state taxes were not cut because tax revenues declined along with the economy.

The best way to provide more money for schools is to put more people to work paying taxes, not putting more people out of work by raising taxes. Farr is doing the right thing for our schools and for our economy by supporting common sense efforts to encourage investment and job growth in Oregon.

JACK ROBERTS

Eugene

People missed a moving musical

Our community has been full of news lately focusing on the understanding of other races and view- points.

I have served as president of the Eugene unit of Church Women United for some time. We feel strongly that we gain in understanding by meeting with different church groups.

This past week, St. Mark Christian Methodist Episcopal Church presented the musical "The Soulful Message of Christ" at the First United Methodist Church. The actors were sincere, creative and musical. The figure of Jesus entering and carrying the cross on his shoulder down the church aisle was more moving than the large production done in the movie "The Passion of the Christ." The songs were familiar and yet held a fresh energy.

One thing was missing, however - the audience. The few of us there felt refocused and renewed, but my question is: With all the emphasis on our community's need for understanding and participation, just where was the audience?

ALICE DUGAN

Eugene

Congratulations, Mr. Whiz-Kid

OK, Mr. Whiz-Kid geographer, here's another question: What North American city loves you the most?

Congratulations to Sam Brandt, and to his family, for his great third-place finish in the National Geography Bee. He made us proud.

GEORGE EVANO

Eugene

LETTERS LOG

Letters received in past week: 154

Letters published: 57

What's on readers' minds: The Memorial Day holiday prompted numerous letters reflecting on the cost of war, particularly related to the current conflict in Iraq. Most local writers were critical of the U.S. military occupation in Iraq while acknowledging the valor and sacrifice of American troops stationed there. Other topics receiving multiple letters were the separation of church and state and the Newsweek retraction of a story about abuse of the Quran at the Guantanamo Bay military prison.