LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Rumsfeld right about 'long war'

We are now into the fourth year of the six-month "shock-and-awe" campaign to find Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, rid the world of Saddam Hussein and liberate the Iraqi people.

Several months ago, the U.S. command in Iraq declared the highway from the airport into Baghdad essentially free from insurgent attacks. That was 32 months after the coalition forces invaded Iraq and 28 months after the insurgency began.

So how did a six-month blitzkrieg become a protracted hit-and-run war?

A comment by President Dwight Eisenhower, who commanded Allied forces during World War II, provides a clue. Near the end of his term in office, President Eisenhower reportedly said, "God help this country when somebody sits at this desk who doesn't know as much about the military as I do."

Well, guess what?

In the run-up to the war, Secretary of State Colin Powell, a retired general with combat experience, advocated much higher troop levels than Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld thought necessary. So the chief architects of the war, who were not receptive to suggestions, blew off the recommendation of Secretary Powell as well as those of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki and others, fine-tuned their plans, invaded Iraq and collided head-on with the law of unintended consequences.

Recently, Secretary Rumsfeld has begun making references to fighting the "long war." He could be right this time.

JIM OHMAN

North Bend 

'Eco-terrorism' isn't accurate

As a conscientious environmentalist, I take offense to the repeated use of the terms "eco-terrorism" and "eco-terrorist" (Register-Guard, April 15).

All politics aside, these terms imply that the actions and those who engage in them are doing harm to the environment when, in fact, the alleged motivation behind those acts is eco-defense. Think about it. Exxon-Mobil is an eco-terrorist. Weyerhaeuser is an eco-terrorist. Driving an SUV or a semi-truck can be considered an act of eco-terrorism. Depositing pollution into our rivers is definitely eco-terrorism.

Those who claim to defend the environment or an ecosystem should be called something else. Corporate terrorists? Industro-terrorists? Arsonists works fine, too. I'm sure the media are creative enough to come up with a more appropriate term. I strongly urge them do to so.

SABRINA McNAMARA

Eugene

Obits offer personal insights

I first met Pat Henry the night my daughter was born. My husband had just left. I was exhausted and felt lost and alone within the strangeness of the hospital.

I was terrified. Terrified of the little red-haired being wrapped like a burrito in bed beside me. I knew that inevitably I would have to undo the blanket and face changing the diaper or, worse yet, try and push her tiny rubbery arms through the sleeves of a clean undershirt. It was impossible; I couldn't do it.

Pat Henry, the night nurse, came in and found me crying helplessly. With compassion, gentle humor and good common sense she patiently walked me through changing and dressing my newborn until I knew I could do it without breaking anything. More importantly, she helped me believe everything was going to be OK.

The second time I "met" Pat Henry was several years ago on the obituary page of this newspaper. It was her picture that stopped me. Seeing her brought back fully my gratitude for that care and kindness. Reading the obituary gave me a glimpse into the story of the person behind the nurse's uniform.

The reason I write this is not simply to honor Pat Henry, but to point out that everyone has a story and that every story is important. I am deeply saddened that The Register-Guard has streamlined its obituary submissions down to lists of names and dates - with no story, no heart, not even a photo.

Please allow the stories to be told once more - after all, it's the humanity that counts, not the dates.

SUE HUNT-THOMPSON

Eugene

Cook was right assessor choice

Rather than the "On second thought" headline on the April 19 editorial concerning the assessor's race, the headline should have read: "Register-Guard succumbs to political pressure."

Nobody has asked Anette Spickard how many years of vast experience she has had as an appraiser - she was only recently registered as an appraiser and she has never actually worked in that capacity - and how many actual months has she had as a manager. One has to wonder how someone can fix the problems in the assessor's office when she has been hired, trained and managed by the person who is a part of the problem!

Jim Gangle hired Spickard not only as a deputy assessor but also as his heir apparent. She is attached at the hip to the assessor, and it is never more evident than at local speaking engagements for the candidates. Spickard is the puppet and Gangle is clearly the puppeteer.

The Register-Guard made the right choice the first time. Gary Cook, with eight years of management experience, is still the most qualified and the best person to fill the Lane County assessor's position. He would come to the position with a clear conscience and no hidden agenda.

DONNA CORWIN

Eugene

What were soldier's thoughts?

The front page photo of Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Hess (Register-Guard, April 17) is very poignant. As I gaze at this young man, I can't help but wonder what he is thinking.

Is he wondering if it is worth all the destruction of property and loss of so many lives? Is he wondering if we are making any kind of progress - or, for that matter, why we're in Iraq at all? Is he wondering where God or Allah fit into this picture? Most of all, is he wondering if our country will ever get out of this war without end?

When Jesus walked this earth, he did not preach death and destruction. He preached love and kindness. I don't know anything about Allah, but I seriously doubt that what is written in the Quran is about hatred.

I salute all the young men and women who are in the military and wish them well. God bless them all!

BARBARA DEXTER

Eugene

Water issue hits close to home

The people of Dorena face a future without locally available clean water. Their government has declined to renovate an outmoded sewage treatment plant, and groundwater in the area is too contaminated for wells to be dug.

What's happening on every continent and across the United States is brought close to home, in our well-watered Willamette Valley. The soaring price of gas suggests the most likely solution for Dorena taxpayers: privatization of the water supply, resulting in an uncontrollable fixed cost.

Routine use of toxins (pesticides, herbicides, gasoline, industrial effluents, ingested excreted drugs) is poisoning our fresh water and killing our oceans. Sooner or later, we will all find ourselves living in Dorena.

In that light, Bill Bishop's article on eco-sabotage (Register-Guard, April 15) seemed one-sided to me. His quotes from representatives of the ACLU and the Sierra Club remind me of attacks on 19th century abolitionists. Remember that Harriet Tubman rescued slaves, aided by a network of supporters, in defiance of the federal fugitive slave law. William Lloyd Garrison publicly burned the U.S. Constitution because it protected slavery. John Brown (unlike today's eco-saboteurs) killed people to protest slavery, died for it, and was transformed from public enemy to revered martyr in a couple of years.

History has a way of quickly revising public opinion, once a majority of people become personally involved with an issue.

ALICE PARMAN

Eugene

Mulligan supports natural areas

The upcoming City Council election offers Eugene the opportunity to enhance our natural resources and realign efforts on environmental sustainability. Much of our funding now is dedicated to maintaining new development and building our infrastructure with little left for natural areas.

We need someone who will be able to bring a healthy balance between growth and maintaining our natural resources. The City Council needs an environmentally active member of our community to prioritize and determine funding for critical habitat maintenance. I strongly support Bruce Mulligan for City Council Ward 3 because as citizens of Eugene, we have a responsibility to maintain our natural areas. I know Mulligan is the right person to lead us in the right direction.

As a member of the Friends of Hendricks Park and longtime volunteer and advocate for the maintenance of natural areas, I support Mulligan's proposal on sustaining our environment. Mulligan has looked at the issues Eugene faces and understands that continuous land acquisition exceeds our ability to maintain the acquired areas. I believe his proposal for a Natural Resources Commission would be the best option for Eugene. The commission would offer realistic solutions by focusing on natural areas, identifying critical needs and recommending appropriate solutions.

Our natural areas are what make Eugene unique. I support Bruce Mulligan's plans for environmental sustainability and will vote for him in May. I encourage others in Ward 3 to do the same.

JIM BEYER

Eugene

Offer your home to immigrants

Rita B. Kiley's April 17 letter treated us to her usual rant about her misery over the present occupant in the White House.

One of her complaints in her broad spectrum of woes is the targeting of undocumented - also known as illegal - aliens, whom she believes our country should provide higher wages and greater standards of living.

Thanks to The Register-Guard and most other media sources, it would appear Kiley is not alone with these concerns. Students skipping school and legal and illegal immigrants waving the Mexican flag demanding their piece of the American pie is becoming as routine as Cindy Sheehan's ongoing Crawford, Texas, vigils.

Until this country caves in to their demands and hands them a free ride, how about if everyone who feels this way puts a few families up at their house, all expenses paid? Does Kiley have a spare room or two?

PAUL TYLER

Cheshire