LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The Register-Guard welcomes letters on topics of general interest. Our length limit is 250 words; all letters are subject to condensation. Writers are limited to one letter per calendar month. Because of the volume of mail, not all letters can be printed. Letters must be signed with the writer's full name. An address and daytime telephone number are needed for verification purposes; this information will not be published or released.

Mail letters to: Mailbag, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188 Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]

People knew we burn fields

I am so tired of people complaining about field burning. When they chose the place to build their homes, they chose that place knowing that field burning was an option.

The people who have moved into Oregon have added to climate inversion, heavy traffic, the profusion of shopping centers and overcrowded schools. After World War II, the Willamette Valley was a lovely, wide-open area with fields and farms. Now, following the building of Interstate 5, we have a cluttered valley that has lost its charm.

Farmers have rights, also. Most of them live on acres and were living there long before others chose the spot for their homes.

BARBARA SHERMAN

Springfield

Relative foster care needs funds

Most foster children, like Christina Sutton (Register-Guard, March 11), don't know when they will become part of a permanent family. Yet almost one out of every five of Oregon's more than 10,000 foster youth lives in the home of a grandparent, aunt, uncle or other relative.

Many foster children, for whom reunification with their parents or adoption are not options, find the permanent, loving home they seek through legal guardianship by relatives. A new study released by Generations United and Kids Are Waiting: Fix Foster Care Now indicates that children in relative foster care are just as safe as, or safer than, children placed with non-relative foster families. Relative foster placements also are more stable, with children more likely to remain in familiar neighborhoods and schools and to live with their brothers and sisters.

Still, federal foster care funds cannot currently be used to support foster children living with relatives who become legal guardians. If Congress provided assistance for these families by subsidizing legal guardianships, many of Oregon's foster children would not have to wait so long to find a home where they are loved, nurtured and protected.

DONNA BUTTS

Executive Director

Generations United

Washington, D.C.

Fix potholes, not bomb craters

Regarding the question in the March 16 editorial about "whether it is appropriate for local officials to take positions on national or international matters," I do not want the Eugene City Council speaking for me.

As a citizen and a taxpayer, I want my tax dollars to fight the terrorists where they are, not in the cities of America. If the City Council is worried about fixing potholes now, think of what it would cost to fix bomb craters and demolished schools, businesses and homes should the terrorists strike in this country, which is their goal.

I am grateful to and proud of the brave men and women in our military, both native born and those choosing to become Americans, who sacrifice to keep our country free of terrorism.

JULIE BROWN 

Eugene

War ends only with a victory

Technically, war was never declared in Iraq. Some assert that the Iraq war is an "illegal invasion." Notwithstanding Congress authorizing President Bush to respond forcefully to terrorist attacks in 2001, that notion is the underpinning of the campaign to remove U.S. troops from Iraq and abandon this region to radical Islam.

In truth, the free world has been at war with extreme Islam for about 30 years. The feeble, gutless administrations of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton treated those acts of war as "unlawful criminal incidents," leaving the State Department and United Nations to deal with them. Predictably, the clash of fearless, ruthless militant Islam and weak-willed Western politicians with no stomach for war, has resulted in a global expansion of terrorism and made the world less safe for peace-loving, law-abiding people.

The current direction of our Democratic Congress is frightening. These people fail to comprehend the realities of war, declared or otherwise. War ends only when one side wins (think Korea). Withdrawing troops and support from a conflict by one side does not end a war. It ends whren one side surrenders or decimates his opponent. If we assume that our new Democrat leadership understands this, but still rationalizes with political excuses that "it's Bush's war, not ours," then they become heavily invested in our defeat, sellouts to the enemy.

One need not be willing to fight in a war to be a patriot. But no one should obstruct or hinder those patriots who are willing to fight for us all.

STEPHEN M. ROBERTS

Eugene