LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.Byline: The Register-Guard Search for areas of agreement J.J. Albi's Dec. 27 letter is a good example of the revisionist history Revisionist history carries both positive and negative connotations. Each has its own entry.
In my generation's war, we again find a Democratic commander in chief - this time initiated by a lie concerning the Gulf of Tonkin incident The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was an alleged pair of attacks by naval forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (commonly referred to as North Vietnam) against two American destroyers, the USS Maddox and the USS Turner Joy. , leading to the deaths of 68,000 American soldiers and more than 1 million Vietnamese civilians. It took a Republican commander in chief to stop the killing in Vietnam, but this didn't satisfy the new power elites in the anti-war movement. Americans departed from their traditional method of punishing mistakes at the ballot box, and instead deposed a president. This promoted a new kind of acrimony ac·ri·mo·ny n. Bitter, sharp animosity, especially as exhibited in speech or behavior. [Latin  crim that is still evident and
increasingly threatens to destroy the union.
My view of history is that of a Republican precinct committee person, but I would acknowledge that the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle ground. I hope Albi can acknowledge that partisan vitriol vitriol: see sulfuric acid. cannot be good for our country. Both Democrats and Republicans have made grievous errors, but these errors do not justify a country divided. A better Oregon and a better country can be realized only by putting our differences aside and concentrating on areas where we agree. How could anyone disagree? JAMES H. PETERSON Eugene Wage hike helps fund programs Is now really the time to discontinue the annual cost of living adjustment for Social Security benefits? Some people would think so. They feel Social Security is going broke. We are not funding the benefits fund suffi- ciently. For 10 years now there has not been an increase in the minimum wage in many states. We in Oregon have done our share to fund Social Security and Medicare with our annual increase in the minimum wage. The corresponding taxes paid by these wages has helped fund the COLA increases for seniors. But other states have not offered an annual increase in their minimum wage. Maybe it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to not pay the COLA increase to the Social Security recipients of those states that do not reward their minimum wage workers with their own COLA. It seems only fair - to both the workers and the seniors. BOB CASSIDY Eugene City-arts partnership needed Regarding "World's Greatest City for the Arts and the Outdoors" slogan: If Eugene would partner with DIVA along the lines of what the city of Palo Alto Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. did when it created the Palo Alto Art Center Palo Alto Art Center is multi-purpose center for various art-related activities in the city of Palo Alto, CA. The art center has many educational activities, such as weekly classes and special days. , then we would really have something to back up our slogan. The Palo Alto Art Center is owned and operated by the city of Palo Alto. The budget of the Art Center is approximately $1.4 million. Palo Alto provides approximately $1 million a year for staff salaries and basic program operations, as well as maintaining the facility. The Palo Alto Center Foundation is a nonprofit that raises about $350,000, or 26 percent of the Art Center's budget. It makes sense that DIVA, which is our de facto [Latin, In fact.] In fact, in deed, actually. This phrase is used to characterize an officer, a government, a past action, or a state of affairs that must be accepted for all practical purposes, but is illegal or illegitimate. nonprofit downtown arts center, becomes the equivalent of the Palo Alto Foundation and that the city of Eugene step up and take on the responsibility for funding and staffing the center. This is a more sustainable model than for DIVA to attempt to cover the entire $135,000 per year cost of keeping the current art center doors open. Moreover, it would be wonderful if the mayor and City Council would take the initiative in this regard and not leave the sustainability of a future city of Eugene Art Center up to accident. It could possibly be located in the new City Hall complex or nearby. The area currently occupied by the City Print Shop and right across from the Hult Center is another possible location. JERRY ROSS, artist Eugene Just add the word 'small' One of the reasons I like living in Eugene is that is a small city, meaning one can get around easily by foot, bike, bus or car. Small is beautiful. So, instead of the pompous "The World's Greatest City for the Arts and Outdoors" as Eugene's motto, let's simply change it to "The World's Greatest Small City for the Arts and Outdoors." That might even be close to being true. MICHAEL RAYMER Eugene Execution served U.S. interests Well, I almost called it right. When Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (born April 28, 1937, Tikrit, Iraq—died Dec. 30, 2006, Baghdad) President of Iraq (1979–2003). He joined the Ba'th Party in 1957. Following participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Iraqi Pres. was captured, I predicted that the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. would arrange his assassination Assassination See also Murder. assassins Fanatical Moslem sect that smoked hashish and murdered Crusaders (11th—12th centuries). [Islamic Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 52] Brutus conspirator and assassin of Julius Caesar. [Br. "by his enemies" to prevent trial for his greatest crimes, the blood of which is on American hands as well: the 1988 aerial poison gassing of Kurdish villages and the 1991 massacre of Shiites. The Kurdish atrocities occurred while Saddam's war against Iran was supported by the Reagan administration Noun 1. Reagan administration - the executive under President Reagan executive - persons who administer the law , which paid scant attention and was supplying him weapons negotiated through Donald Rumsfeld, Rea- gan's appointed envoy to Iraq. It is believed that these transactions included chemical weapons, and judicial inquiry may well have connected some embarrassing dots. Later, as the Gulf War concluded in 1991, Bush the Elder encouraged the Shiites to rise up against Saddam, promising U.S. support. Trusting this pledge they rebelled; Bush reneged, and a slaughter ensued. Predictably, we heard no follow-up reports on the mass graves discovered during our 2003 invasion. Forensic pathologists can determine the how and when of death, leading potentially to the why that again would have implicated im·pli·cate tr.v. im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing, im·pli·cates 1. To involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly: evidence that implicates others in the plot. 2. us. To prevent these dark revelations in court we found a cleaner form of assassination: bringing Saddam to trial for lesser atrocities committed before his Reagan-Rumsfeld collaboration in crimes against humanity, making use of Iraqi law that requires execution within 30 days following conviction of a capital offense. Thus are inquiring minds once more denied the truth. JACK DRESSER Springfield Rumble strips Rumble Strips may refer to:
I welcome congressional attention to cycling (Register-Guard, Dec. 29). However, the idea of requiring rural roads to have rumble strips whenever repaved would be worse than doing nothing. Rumble strips narrow the effective roadway available to cyclists, are hazards for cyclists and deny them lawful use of the full roadway, to which they have the same right as motorists (depending upon conditions). Road improvements are needed, but unrealistic dreams - such as widening all the rural roads, which also came up - are not. A crying need, it seems to me, is a well-thought-out education campaign directed to both the cycling and motoring public. The frothy froth·y adj. froth·i·er, froth·i·est 1. Made of, covered with, or resembling froth; foamy. 2. Playfully frivolous in character or content: a frothy French farce. opposition to cyclists by otherwise apparently peaceful Oregonians, expressed in some letters to the editor concerning Jane Higdon's death on Territorial Road, exposed a sense of privilege and immunity on the part of some motorists that should and could be addressed, for example. Cyclists should be reminded to ride on the right - a simple, life-saving concept. Motorists and cyclists both suffer from heedless and aggressive driving behaviors. Recently, in Springfield, a hapless driver was fatally victimized by both a heavy truck running a red light on the cross street and by another heavy truck that was following too close. What would be the odds of this happening if careful driving were the norm? The kind of behavior that has killed cyclists recently also killed this driver. JOHN CUNNINGHAM John Cunningham or Jack Cunningham may refer to:
Junction City Some caskets are an exception How come the Bush administration has permitted the news media to photograph President Ford's flag-draped coffin? PAUL WERTZ Eugene Saddam's death no comfort A war criminal is dead. By that, I mean Saddam Hussein. I don't feel safer, though. Perhaps it's because others closer to home yet retain power. BILL SMEE n. 1. (Zool.) The pintail duck. Springfield Media distorted Ford's legacy After three days of listening to the American mass media spin the underachievement of President Ford into a golden web of superlatives and sugared homilies, I am left wondering why I always have considered Ford as the enabler of all of the sinister mischief the far right has perpetrated on our beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. nation, initiated by the man he pardoned. Ford was no goody-goody nice guy. He was Nixon's man. He admitted as much just a year ago. He didn't pardon Nixon to "heal the nation's wounds"; he pardoned Nixon to keep Nixon out of jail and keep Watergate off the front pages, so as to facilitate his own re-election. But like a lot of Republican pranks and schemes, it backfired. Ford wasn't elected to his office; he stumbled into it. It was Nixon's dented crown he wore, and he knew it. Nixon was guilty of violations of international law, constitutional law and the public trust. He was under indictment for obstruction of justice A criminal offense that involves interference, through words or actions, with the proper operations of a court or officers of the court. The integrity of the judicial system depends on the participants' acting honestly and without fear of reprisals. , perjury perjury (pûr`jərē), in criminal law, the act of willfully and knowingly stating a falsehood under oath or under affirmation in judicial or administrative proceedings. and income tax evasion The process whereby a person, through commission of Fraud, unlawfully pays less tax than the law mandates. Tax evasion is a criminal offense under federal and state statutes. A person who is convicted is subject to a prison sentence, a fine, or both. . By pardoning him, Ford authored his own Machiavellian rule: The president is above the law. Ford, it seemed, enjoyed wearing the ex-emperor's clothes. His handymen for this new brand of cynicism were the trio of Henry Kissinger, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. You are known by the company you keep. Ford's trio of imperialists and cynics Cynics (sĭn`ĭks) [Gr.,=doglike, probably from their manners and their meeting place, the Cynosarges, an academy for Athenian youths], ancient school of philosophy founded c.440 B.C. by Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates. should stand as his true legacy. It's not the legacy you've been hearing about, but unfortunately it is the legacy you're living with. TOM ERWIN (Entity Relationship for WINdows) A data modeling program for Windows from Computer Associates. It allows the database schemas to be built graphically and turns the graphs into the appropriate SQL code for creating PowerBuilder, DB2, Oracle, Sybase and other databases. Eugene The Register-Guard welcomes letters on topics of general interest. Our length limit is 250 words. Mail letters to: Mailbag, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188 Fax: 338-2828 E-mail: rgletters@guardnet.com |
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