LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Atheism is being forced on us

I have been following the antics of Dr. Michael Newdow, the California atheist who is trying to have the words "under God" pulled from the Pledge of Allegiance.

His recent statement to the courts that he didn't want his daughter to think that her father was wrong makes me wonder if he gives his children an allowance or if he deals in American currency in any way, because the phrase "In God We Trust" is on all denominations. It is difficult to be consistent in a society that doesn't agree with you.

I am also skeptical of his claim to atheism. Quite literally, the word means "a disbelief in a supreme being" (a god). But all societies of mankind, from their beginnings, have believed in some kind of higher power, something bigger than themselves. Only in recent centuries have men convinced themselves that they don't believe in a higher power, usually in negative reaction to a religion that was forced upon them. In reality, atheism is its own religion, and adherents don't seem to mind forcing their beliefs on the rest of us through litigation such as Newdow is pursuing.

I want to go on record as an objector to this form of religious persecution.

HAROLD CLARK

Eugene

'Under God' is unconstitutional

I have a question: How can anyone see the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance - and on our money, for that matter - as anything but unconstitutional?

Some people have claimed that those words represent the ideals upon which our society was founded, and I understand and respect that, but the country was founded at a time when there were very few other religions in this country. Today, the religious composition of the United States is much more diverse, with different people believing in a different god, gods, or no god at all. The original Pledge of Allegiance didn't even contain the words "under God." The government added these as a counter to communism, and that action was entirely unconstitutional.

The government really had no right to distinguish its citizens as being under any god at all. The separation of church and state, clearly outlined in the Constitution, is supposed to prevent that sort of thing from happening, but for some reason, our lawmakers decided to ignore this principle when deciding how to make a statement against communism.

Hopefully, the Supreme Court will uphold the separation of church and state and reverse this mistake.

KURT SEVITS

Springfield

Hospital helped mom and baby

There seems to be a myth in this community that bigger is better. The slogan at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is "We love taking care of you." My experience is that this is far more than a slogan, it is a way of life for the women who work in Women's Health and Birth Center.

When my son arrived early and under stress, his need for oxygen alone would have caused him to be whisked away from me and landed him in the neonatal intensive care unit at a larger hospital. The nursery at McKenzie-Willamette was more than able to care for all the needs of my son, who spent the first week of his life under the constant care of these dedicated women. Not only was he never taken from me, but when it was time for me to check out and my son was not ready to go home, I was dropped from the census and allowed to stay in his room. Not for one moment were we separated.

I could not have handled the stress of all his needs were it not for the fact that this hospital and the dedicated nursery staff went way beyond the call of duty to keep us together and see that we were well cared for. We could never properly thank the women who cared for us and the policies that McKenzie-Willamette has fought to uphold in keeping a newborn child and mother together.

GRACE WICK

Eugene

Nathanson will get the job done

Here in Eugene, the upcoming mayoral election could go one of two ways: to the far left or to the more moderate center. Nancy Nathanson is by far the best choice for Eugene mayor. She's up for the job. If you've been watching her on the Eugene City Council for the past 10 years, I doubt I need to convince you of this. Nathanson has the brains, the energy, the experience and the strong conviction to make things happen.

Through her long experience at the city level, Nathanson understands the vital connection between a healthy economy and a healthy community. She knows that without an energized local business environment, our community stands to lose what it holds dear - its civic vitality. She'll represent us well at both the state and federal levels, advancing Eugene's best interests wherever she finds the opportunity. She knows the ropes. She will get the job done.

ADELL McMILLAN

Eugene

Cloverdale Road now a freeway

The Oregon Department of Transportation did a wonderful job remodeling Highway 58 from Interstate 5 to Oakridge. There is one remaining problem - Highway 58 does not connect to I-5 for trucks and cars that wish to travel south on I-5. ODOT apparently decided to make Cloverdale Road a short cut for all traffic between Highway 58 and southbound on I-5.

Cloverdale Road has now changed into a freeway, but the road is much narrower than Highway 58, and there are 74 driveways and 36 mailbox groups north of Creswell. Because of the added traffic, people using the driveways may have to stop on the roadway; and the mail deliverer is parked on the road in order to deliver mail.

ODOT hasn't given proper consideration to this problem, witnessed by the fact that there are no speed limit signs on the road until one reaches Creswell.

DEBORAH L. LARSON

Creswell

Conservatives cater to the rich

Conservatives seem so disrespectful of liberals. They fill these columns with such negative comments about them.

Our wartime president Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first president who was given that label during my lifetime. He started programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. He put a lot of Americans back to work on government projects. I remember listening to him with my father on Dec. 8, 1941, as he made his Day of Infamy speech after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

Roosevelt was a Democrat who cared about the well-being of all Americans, not just the rich. Liberals care about all Americans, not just millionaires. Nor do they cater just to the rich. Conservative politicians cater almost exclusively to the rich and do not look much into the needs of the average American family.

There are other Americans who need help too - such as the mentally ill, the physically impaired, those who are down and out, those who need medical assistance and those who have other problems. Conservatives seem to not care about the government helping people in need or creating the opportunities for average Americans to better their lives. Their heroes are the very rich.

Many liberals are good Christians who want to help others. Not everybody is of the same convictions, but I would rather our government encourage and help all of our people have a better life and not cater just to the rich who put money in their pocket.

ROBERT W. LAMBIE

Marcola

Even dogs oppose gambling

I am writing this on behalf of me and my dog. He believes that casinos are bad because people spend money on gambling, waste it, and then don't have money to buy food and toys for their families and dogs.

Imagine if you had a wonderful heart-of-gold dog. What kind of food would you buy him? That's right, the best kind of food there is! So how would you buy that if you spent all your money on gambling?

My dog and I most sincerely want to stop the casino.

BLAIR PEARSON, age 11

Florence

We were safer before Iraq war 

It appears the CIA and the U.S. State Department now say in "Agencies note spread of bin Laden's ideology" (Register-Guard, April 5) that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has accelerated the spread of Islamic militant movements.

Is this a surprise to anyone? Did not millions of people from all over the globe try to tell our war president this would happen? Instead of attempting to solve the causes of terrorism, this war-mongering administration has made a bad situation worse. What purpose was served by the invasion of Iraq? No weapons of mass destruction or ties to terrorists were found. Ironically, Saddam Hussein kept terrorists out of his country. The only thing George Bush achieved was to create an unstable, hostile society that will be a breeding ground for future terrorists at the cost of thousands of lives and billions of our dollars.

We now face a staggering deficit for years to come, our allies are alienated from us and refuse to aid us in Iraq and a terrible hornet's nest of anger is now directed at us from the Middle East. We were far safer before Iraq was invaded; all President Bush managed to do there is create more terrorists.

It is a sad day for America. More and more terrorists are created daily so Vice President Dick Cheney's cronies can be awarded fat contracts and George Bush can joke to the media about missing weapons of mass destruction while our soldiers bleed and die in the desert.

AL ESLINGER

North Bend

Wal-Mart provides good jobs

In reply to the flap about the expansion plans of Wal-Mart in our area:

I have worked for Wal-Mart in Eugene for four years and I am now making $3 more an hour than I did after 25 years at the now-defunct cannery as a member of the Teamsters Union.

Please tell me who else, except Wal-Mart, would hire a 54-year-old woman and give her a living wage, full benefits including health insurance, and a chance to prosper and advance in her position?

SHARON BLOEDRON

Eugene