LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Health care is a human right

I am working two jobs and still I cannot afford health insurance. This is a crime in the so-called richest nation on earth, that so many working people should be forced to view health care as a luxury they cannot afford.

Access to affordable health care is a human right, not a privilege reserved only for those who can afford to pay the excessively high cost of health care in America. House Resolution 676 will make health care available to all Americans, as it should be.

GAIL RHAMY

Eugene

Hornbuckle's facts inaccurate

I disagree with Kevin Hornbuckle's July 21 implication that Gov. Ted Kulongoski is an accomplice in the Iraq war.

The governor's opposition to this conflict is clear. Hornbuckle is entitled to his opinion, but the facts he uses are inaccurate.

Hornbuckle says, "I will never forget the picture of Kulongoski and President Bush on the front page of The Oregonian, stuffing their faces with ice cream at the airport in Baghdad to celebrate the successful invasion."

A simple Google search found a Feb. 11, 2004, Salem Statesman Journal story with an Associated Press photo of Governor Kulongoski eating ice cream with New York Gov. George Pataki at a Baghdad dairy plant.

Kulongoski and five other governors were invited to visit troops from their home states.

Hornbuckle's assertion that the governor defends the elite is hardly credible, especially with the governor's humble beginnings and his service in the U.S. Marines. Hornbuckle's list of the governor's qualifications to serve the elite include election to Oregon House and Senate and to the state Supreme Court.

He omitted the governor's service as attorney general and insurance commissioner.

PHILLIP HUDSPETH

Eugene

Protect farms and forest land

Eugene, keep going in the right direction! It is wonderful to visit family in Eugene, hop on bikes and immediately be looking at interesting restoration projects along Amazon Creek, viewing wildlife, visiting locally owned small businesses, and finally arriving at big, open space.

The preservation of the west Eugene wetlands is a huge achievement for the present and future generations of Eugene.

I hope the West Eugene Parkway project has been canned for good and that a solution can be found that will protect the Amazon Creek headwaters from real estate development.

One of the greatest threats to the western United States is development of our resource lands. The urban growth boundary is crucial for protecting our farms and forest lands that provide food, clean water and air and wildlife habitat.

I think we should stand up for our farmers, even if it means occasional smoke from burning or bad odor from cows.

From these elements flow the fundamental ingredients of a sustainable Cascadian bioregion. We must be wary of and aggressively resist the mentality of growth for the sake of growth. This toxic strategy is that of the cancer cell, and is well exemplified by the Wal-Marts, Home Depots and the monstrous residential developments becoming way too common. Starve these entities. Do not give them a nickel!

DAVID MILDREXLER

Joseph

No info found on 'I SPY' plates

Brigitta Hawes (letters, July 21) accuses Valerie Plame of sporting the words "I SPY" on her Jaguar license plates while she was working for the CIA.

I reread this extraordinary accusation several times, looking for evidence of a bizarre sense of humor on Hawes' part, but finally decided that this was not a joke. Unfortunately for the rule of reason in our universe, it appears that Hawes means what she says. On the off-chance that there might be some basis for this zany charge, I scanned the Internet for evidence, pro or con, and came up with absolutely nothing, zilch.

Neither Google nor Snopes has ever heard of such nonsense and surely, if it were true, there would be gazillions of right-wingnut celebrations on the Internet. But there were none. Not one.

It is therefore difficult not to conclude that the alleged wording of Plame's license plates is a figment of Hawes' imagination.

Hawes also neatly equates Scooter Libby's lies about matters of state in which thousands of lives were at stake - and many lost - with former President Clinton's lies about his sexual escapades, in which only his reputation was at stake. This is another right-wing mantra that is trotted out on a regular basis to debase the debate about the proper governance of the nation.

Hawes' polemic proves that the right-wing smear machine is hard at work, right here in River City.

ROBERT E. WINSLOW

Eugene

Paper blames all bad on Bush

Isn't it time that The Register-Guard replace the Commentary page with the "Everything that is bad is Bush's fault" page?

It is understandable that we must have the ubiquitous global warming, tax-us-into-nirvana article of dubious hypothetical scenarios blaming the current administration for not following the Chicken Little stampede that would result in economic chaos. And Garrison Keillor is lamenting that President Bush is allowing Norwegians to grow old. Jill Papenheim feels compelled to keep her partner's military duty secret for fear of a self-righteous lecture from a Eugene resident but is also a critic of the war, or how else would her Guest Viewpoint have been printed?

How did the Charles Krauthammer column make it at the bottom of the page? All in all, July 22 was the usual Commentary fare; however, a new low has been established with the reprint from the Los Angeles Times of the column from the Hamas terrorist, Mousa Abu Marzook.

What credibility does the newspaper expect to gain by giving a bully pulpit to a murderous terrorist gang of thugs? This is one of the most desperate attempts imaginable for an indirect hit at Bush and his administration. Even the news reporting is laced with editorializing.

Enough, already! How about simply factual reportage? Show some confidence in your readers' discernment.

CHARLES HAY

Cottage Grove

Law enforcement isn't overpaid 

This is in response to the July 22 article in The Register-Guard titled "Tough decisions ahead for county."

I have been a law enforcement professional for 20 years and, along with my comrades, have made many sacrifices in order to "serve and protect." We as law enforcement professionals put our lives on the line each and every day.

We are spit at and exposed to blood, feces, urine and other bodily fluids, making us vulnerable to a host of diseases that often also place our families at risk. We are threatened and verbally abused. We are physically attacked, shot at and often forced to make split-second decisions when fighting for our lives or someone else's.

For those of us lucky enough to survive, we are publicly scrutinized and demoralized. Our benefit package is consistently under attack and continues to shrink. It's getting harder to find good people who are capable and willing to do the job.

Cutting wages is not the answer. Perhaps we need to separate the law enforcement segment's wages and benefits from the rest of county government. As far as I am concerned, those of us in uniform earn every penny and then some!

ANDREA LARSEN

Lowell

Bicyclists should be licensed

As a regular, touring cyclist, I find those cyclists who feel and act as though they are above the law an embarrassment to those of us who do obey the law.

My husband and I wear rear view mirrors on our helmets to make sure that we get out of the way and respectfully share the road with other vehicles that are passing us. We stop at all intersections, and if staying safe means stopping to let traffic go by or riding through a little dirt or gravel (we use Kevlar bicycle tires), we do.

While on our bikes we have been forced to pass slower cyclists by swinging wide into car lanes because they refuse to do what we call "skinny up" when other vehicles, including other cyclists, are attempting to pass.

We have toured the Oregon Coast, Southern Oregon, ridden over Old McKenzie Pass to Central Oregon and many places in between and beyond. We consider following all laws not only an obvious fact but a necessity for survival - for ourselves and for others.

I am in full support of bicyclists being licensed and cyclists paying taxes for the use of Oregon roads. Because the popularity of cycling is continuing to increase, this problem is just going to get worse if something isn't done.

TAMMY BOVEE

Springfield

UO should be more of a partner

The University of Oregon should strongly consider becoming more a part of the community instead of remaining separate.

With baseball its focal point and the subject of numerous supportive letters to the sports editor, let the university now show the community it wishes to be part of and not separate or above all. Granted, the UO has the money. Granted, it has this attitude of being above. But the time may come that this may be their downfall.

Questions and concerns as to the departure of the previous athletic director still linger in the minds of those who support the Ducks. The UO can take this step to be part of the community: There is something about Civic Stadium that many wish to preserve. The same is true for McArthur Court. A business person will see the need, will know the importance, and the bottom line will be a university and community united.

Just think of what benefits would come from such a relationship.

STEVEN E. HUNNICUTT

Eugene

Correction

Craig Patterson lives in McKenzie Bridge. An incorrect city of residence was listed for him in a letter published Wednesday.