Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Terrorist threat is real

The guilty plea by Maher Mofeid "Mike" Hawash (Register-Guard, Aug. 7), a naturalized U.S. citizen who lived and worked in the Portland area, to federal charges of conspiring to join the Taliban and wage war against U.S. troops (along with other indicted members of the so-called "Portland Seven"), raises some questions of local interest.

What happens to the "Free Mike" groupies since their darling has now admitted to being a traitor and terrorist-in-waiting? Now that this aspect of the conspiracy has been successfully investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. attorney's office under the provisions of the much-maligned Patriot Act, will the Hope Marstons and American Civil Liberties Union members of the world come to realize that yes, dear, there really are terrorists in this country (some 100 miles away - or even closer)?

And are we to expect a Register-Guard editorial or another round of resolutions from our dangerously naive city councilors and county commissioners, this time extolling the virtues of the Patriot Act? Don't bet the rent money.

For those of us who do not occupy the luxury boxes of elective office, journalistic haughtiness or liberal smugness, we are left to consider the self-evident: that the enemy not only exists without, but he is also within.

THOMAS F. BECKER

Eugene

Ending bigotry is good news

The Register-Guard's Aug. 7 article "Some Episcopals breaking away from flock" is one more example of the media's predilection for negative news instead of good news. The good news is that the Episcopal Church is overcoming traditional bigotry toward homosexuals.

On the other hand, the Aug. 6 editorial cartoon was exactly right. It showed a congregation at a wedding making such comments as "Her third wedding, his fifth." The last word balloons said, "But at least they're not gay" and "Ah, tradition."

Let's have some reporting on the fact that many of us rejoice that a majority of bishops, clergy and lay delegates to the general convention believed that it was time to overcome the traditional prejudice toward homosexuals and have led the way for us.

The idea that this action goes against Biblical teaching is questionable. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. He also never condemned people, except those who thought that they knew it all. Where St. Paul speaks about it, many scholars think that he was referring to the common use of boy prostitutes.

The Bible as a whole is full of stuff that none of us observe or condemn, so I see opposition to homosexuals as pure bigotry. I also could point out that when we look at nature, it is obvious that God loves diversity.

By the way, we are Episcopalians, not Episcopals.

REV. DAVID H. FENTON

Eugene

Exercise rights to self-defense

How many people must die because criminals enter schools with guns and shoot people? How many lives will be lost before those who blame the gun figure out that it is the criminal who is to blame?

I am the mother of three beautiful school-age daughters. I am also a concealed weapons permit holder. I'm not a criminal. I'm not dangerous. I carry my gun for protection against those who are.

Every year, criminals randomly walk into schools and wreak havoc upon the innocent. Laws will not stop them. In fact, laws against the carrying of lawfully concealed guns in schools only encourage criminals. We might as well put up a sign saying, "Self-defense prohibited zone. No one here is prepared to stop you."

However, if there is a concealed weapons permit holder on the premises, then the odds are evened. Many concealed weapons permit holders take their training much further than the basic pistol course required to obtain the license. Many of us take advanced courses in the defensive use of our firearms. We pray that we will never need to use the skills that we learn, but we are prepared to use them if our lives or those of innocent people are threatened.

The number of innocent victims that fall prey to criminals each year in our schools will continue to rise until we exercise our rights and defend ourselves!

LISANNE DICKENSON

Cheshire

War backers responsible

The Register-Guard's recent opinion pieces and cartoons critical of the president seem to have stirred up a hornet's nest of right-wing anger and criticism around the issue of the war. Most of it, as usual, is quite vitriolic and downright hateful toward anyone who dares to question this war or criticize this president.

Supporters of this president and this war are responsible for the current state of affairs. They now attempt to lash out at the ones who are saying "I told you so." This president's belligerent foreign policy and "bring 'em on" ramblings have only served to reduce support for the United States with its allies while increasing the danger to troops in Iraq.

DAVID RADTKE

Eugene

Consult pregnant women

I am glad to see that PeaceHealth is planning to create specialized mother-and baby-friendly birthing rooms for its RiverBend medical complex (Register-Guard, Aug. 6), and I commend the planning staff for gathering input and ideas from the medical professionals who will work in these rooms. But it seems that PeaceHealth is lacking the input from the most important group of people who will use those rooms - pregnant women.

I sincerely hope that PeaceHealth also will invite pregnant women and mothers to tour these birthing-room mock-ups. It is their experience, their level of comfort and their sense of safety that will prove to be most important. These women's insights could prove essential in creating a birthing space tailored to the needs and preferences of laboring women. A combined effort among the architects and designers, medical professionals, and past and future birthing mothers would make for an environment where women would feel more comfortable giving birth.

I encourage PeaceHealth to foster an atmosphere in which clients have an opportunity to communicate exactly how PeaceHealth and its excellent medical staff can best fulfill their needs.

HEATHER HEATER,

Coordinator,

Birth Companion Network

Eugene

Farr should have stood up

After reading the Aug. 4 letter from state Rep. Pat Farr, R-Eugene, I question who he is trying to fool. His letter attempts to cast himself as a champion of education, but his floor speech and vote for House Bill 5077 (the kindergarten through 12th grade education budget) was anything but the voice of a supporter of public schools.

He stated twice that the budget was "responsible." In fact, Farr stated that the level of funding was not devastating and would not adversely impact his school districts (Register-Guard, Aug. 1). However, according to school district representatives, teachers and parents, this is wrong. Further, some Oregon schools would not be open for a full school year and classrooms would be overcrowded. This is not a responsible school budget, and it would devastate school districts throughout Oregon.

On Aug. 1, Farr voted to provide in-state tuition for certain students to attend public universities on the premise that "we've got a bunch of kids who are going to fall through the cracks" (Register-Guard, Aug. 2). How about the kids who are going to fall through the cracks because of an inadequate K-12 budget?

Farr also stated that by supporting the bill he was not caving in to the pressure of his caucus leaders. He then asked Sen. Tony Corcoran to fix the budget. Farr should have stood up to his conservative caucus leadership and voted no on this bad budget. He should have demanded an adequate budget out of the House and not pass the buck to the Senate!

FLOYD PROZANSKI

State Representative, District 8

Eugene

Remember Pearl Harbor

The 170 people who gathered to commiserate over those killed in retaliation for the unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor forgot the innocent people that the Japanese murdered on Dec. 7, 1941. I saw the results of what the terrorists did there. Fortunately, the majority of Americans still would and will defend the freedom we have in America.

I wonder whether The Register-Guard will have an article on Dec. 7 and Sept. 11 as big as the one it had on Aug. 7. I am an American who dislikes terrorism.

BILL BRILEY

Eugene

Another underpass needed

Have you ever seen a cowslip under a fence? The people on the way to the university riverfront to watch the Fourth of July fireworks last month rekindled that old country question as they flowed effortlessly under the railroad at the Agate Street underpass on their way to watch the big sky show on the Willamette River.

From the river, I watched others streaming through the railroad underpass at Onyx that everyone knows leads to the Autzen footbridge, a great place to stand and "Oooo!" and "Ahhhh!"

The university-riverfront connection was working well, but I wondered: What were we going to do about our continuing desire to `return to the river' in the downtown riverfront area that reaches from the Eugene Water & Electric Board property to the old steam plant?

The simple answer, planning studies and jargon aside, seemed to be that we still need one more underpass - a downtown underpass, probably in the area between the new courthouse and the steam plant. It could be a little grander, a bit wider and a little more important than the other two, perhaps even large enough for a millrace and a whole herd of us to slip under to the river's edge when it calls.

JERRY DIETHELM

Eugene