LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Cyclists also must obey the law

The Register-Guard's July 26 editorial on bicycle safety was needed and right on target: Motorists need to obey the law and share the road.

Unfortunately, the editorial only covered half of the story. There is an equally urgent need to get bicyclists to obey the law.

The downtown area is populated with bicyclists and only a very few obey traffic laws. Almost all bicyclists run stop signs and stop lights unless forced to slow down because of immediate traffic. A majority of bicyclists ride their bikes on the sidewalks. Technically, they are driving a vehicle on the sidewalk. Sidewalks on Broadway are not safe for pedestrians. Some bicyclists turn into one-way streets going the wrong way and often right in front of oncoming vehicles.

Eugene's chief of police made a commitment a number of months ago at one of the community meetings he attends to get an educational program going and to possibly increase the enforcement of vehicle laws in the downtown area. So far there have been no visible results. He does have officers on bikes ride through the area on occasion. However, to date they ride on the sidewalks and run the stop signs, which makes them poor role models.

So in the absence of any coherent law enforcement, perhaps The Register-Guard will consider a follow-up editorial urging more care by cyclists, especially in areas they share with pedestrians. Or do we need to wait for another needless and tragic death to get the public's attention?

BILL BRADLEY 

Eugene

Wetlands are a critical link

I recently attended a public meeting on a development proposal impacting wetlands. I went with an open mind and came away impressed by the thoroughness of the state and federal agencies as well as the efforts at mitigation by the developers. I also came away vastly more educated and convinced that mitigation of wetlands, in order to build on them, is mostly a prayer and a hope by those who want to use that convenient land.

Wetlands are a critical link in a chain of connections that include and impact animal, plant, bird, earth, weather, and also humans. Unfortunately, alone in that link with the power to override and destroy all is the human link. A failure to handle that power responsibly today will most certainly be harmful to us in the future.

So with much gratitude I applaud the courage of conviction displayed by Mayor Kitty Piercy to hold to her promise to find alternatives to the West Eugene Parkway. She almost had a coalition of players lined up to do just that when the Oregon Department of Transportation slowed the process with an attitude of my-way-or-no-way convenience.

"Stones of blame" (my own included) will not advance the cause but continue to divide us. May we cease and desist and get back to work with an open mind. Onward!

JUDY MOSELEY

Eugene

Alternative cars are a solution

I was delighted to see the article about the natural-gas powered car (Register-Guard, July 27) and its hydraulic compressor, designed by John Green, whose enthusiasm knows few bounds.

Recently, I also became aware of the Tesla Motor Company of California (www.teslamotors.com), which announced a totally electric car, capable of 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, with 250 miles between charges. These are radically novel answers to our near-total dependence on fossil fuels. These are potential solutions to a problem that will only get worse as time proceeds.

The most obvious manifestation is the price of gas, now at or nearing the highest ever and sure to go higher with the insanity in the Middle East. The worst manifestation is the pollution resulting from burning fossil fuels, blamed in large part for the climate change we're seeing almost daily, not to mention the cost of the infrastructure needed to service these vehicles.

Consider such an "outside the box" replacement of the now defunct West Eugene Parkway idea. Why not put electric trolleys on the tracks paralleling West 11th Avenue to provide cheap, frequent shuttle service between Eugene and parts west, using existing infrastructure with little additional construction needed? Agreements could surely be made with railroad companies for joint use of that portion of track. This service could make regular runs as far as Florence and make travel to the Oregon Country Fair a snap, with actual decreases in highway traffic.

BOB THOMPSON

Eugene

An embryo is just an embryo

Gayle Atteberry was no doubt unintentionally hilarious in her justification of President Bush's refusal to fund embryonic stem cell research (guest viewpoint, July 28). At least, that's the impression I was left with after reading her column.

While it may be true that human embryos have the potential to grow into fully developed human beings, they also require a womb to grow

in - in other words, a mother. Not once in Atteberry's article did she mention the maternal role of the human female in all of this. In fact, Atteberry's tender description of an embryo is ludicrous:

"While it is true that embryos lack hands and feet, eyes to see or mouths to speak, embryos are as human as adults. The fact is they look exactly like a human that age is supposed to look."

OK, a dot. Atteberry, moreover, romanticizes the embryo, equating this microscopic mass to a child:

"Once categorized as leftovers and frozen in fertility clinics, these children were adopted as embryos and got a chance to grow."

Yeah, but where did they grow? Certainly not in some high-tech nursery furnished with cozy, comfy petri dishes. Let's get real.

The way to display "a humble respect for the dignity of all humans" is to acknowledge the simple truth: an embryo is only an embryo. However, a child with an incurable disease - one that eventually may be helped by stem cell research - unquestionably deserves to be our priority. Not in nine months, but right now.

SUSAN L. FENTON

Eugene

U.S. should be helping Israel

A cease-fire that leaves Hezbollah intact would be a defeat for Israel, the Lebanese people and our war on terror. We must resist the militant theocratic fascists of Islam at every turn and keep nuclear weapons out of their hands.

Our lives and our livelihoods are depending on it. This means we should be helping Israel and Lebanon dismantle Hezbollah and take out Iran's nuclear program instead of making Israel play the bad cop all the time.

Democrats will die from a nuclear blast and radiation just as quickly or slowly as the rest of us, yet they cannot correctly identify our country's enemies. It is not our president. It is militant Islam, among others, with Democrats' ignorance of this fact a close second.

The root failure of our time is that we don't believe in the reality of evil. We think talking out all our problems and education is the answer. Education will not reform evil people or systems, but it will make them more dangerous. Carrying a big stick and not being afraid to use it must continue to be an essential element in our foreign policy if we want to keep our country safe.

Judging from the opinion section of The Register-Guard, the Eugene area should be safe from terrorism.

The terrorists don't routinely hit their biggest pockets of political enablers, and the eco-terrorists and anarchists are too stoned to be a serious threat.

CLYDE CARSON

Springfield

Hezbollah hides among civilians

Hezbollah is the problem and targeted the fight. They are cowards who hide amongst the civilians and fire their rockets into Israel killing innocent civilians.

I don't blame Israel for targeting these cowards who fire missiles from locations where children and women live. I'm sad that innocent civilians were killed.

Hezbollah killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two at the beginning of the war. All they had to do was return the two soldiers and stop the rocket attacks and it would be over with.

Lebanon's democracy doesn't seem to have the courage to take charge of the country after a free election. This is a no-brainier through reasonable and fair diplomacy.

I would not blame Israel if it nuked Syria and Iran. Then maybe this madness would stop.

Israel is a very small country with many other huge Arab populations trying to destroy it. What is the point of their behavior?

One thing I can guarantee - with our Second Amendment rights to bear arms, if someone was firing illegal missiles from Canada, Mexico, Cuba or Central America, my neighbors and I would put a stop to it real soon. Anti-gun advocates should think real hard about this issue.

BOB EASTGATE

Eugene

Homeless are greenest citizens

The homeless and poor are always criticized for one thing or another in Eugene.

Letters to the editor have said they smell bad in the library, beg for money on street corners, refuse to work for a living, are alcohol and drug dependent, and on and on. They actually are some of the greenest citizens we have around.

With little money to spend, they survive and contribute far less pollution to the environment than the well-heeled citizenry do. They do not buy cars and spew tankfuls of exhaust into the valley air for all to breathe. Nor can the homeless buy the latest lead and toxic metal microprocessor-filled laptop, cell phone or high-definition wide-screen TV. All of those items are discarded in less than five years by the majority of those who own a home and have a job.

Eugene's mainstream employed population are the real stinkers here, and the triumph in the pollution segment by any measure.

The people you fear and hold in contempt today could be you tomorrow.

GENE THOMPSON 

Eugene