Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Why he's a Democrat

After our most recent election, there is only one reason to be a Democrat, and that is because it is so much better than being a Republican.

HENRY DIZNEY Eugene

His mind drifts

My mind drifts to Max Cleland, who lost half of his body in service to his government and who just lost his U.S. Senate seat from Georgia to a candidate of a party whose leaders (President Bush and Vice President Cheney) successfully avoided the war in Vietnam.

My mind drifts to the Hollywood celebrities who opposed the war in Vietnam, among them Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. Where are these notables now? Why have their tongues not wagged on behalf of freedom for Palestinians, Iraqis, Afghans, Saudis and other oppressed peoples?

My mind drifts to those fellow Oregonians who have given Gordon Smith another six-year lease on a U.S. Senate seat. Did the voters know that Smith is one of the biggest recipients of dollars from the American Israel Political Action Committee? What does Smith do for Israel that deserves such largesse? What did Smith do that made Israeli politician Benjamin Netanyahu campaign for him in Portland?

My mind continues to drift ... .

M. REZA BEHNAM Eugene

Targeting innocents

I smack my forehead and say "doh!" for the sake of the Bush administration and their latest tactic in fighting their self-imagined "war against terror." Monitoring Iraqi-Americans who might pose a potential threat? Did we learn nothing from World War II and Japanese-American internment camps?

Does anyone else besides me fail to see the logic in targeting thousands of wary people as terrorists and planning to arrest and detain Iraqis and Iraq sympathizers?" (Register-Guard, Nov. 11) I certainly sympathize with these poor people - does that mean Bush is going to arrest me?

The Bush administration's plan is a desperate rebuttal to critics who feel U.S. intelligence agencies are failing miserably in their "war against terror." The president's approach terrorizes U.S. citizens, wastes valuable government dollars and advances a discriminatory mission that threatens constitutional rights.

I've never been proud of my country's leadership, but now I'm just embarrassed.

NICOLE LAVELLE Eugene

Close the airport

I lived in Eugene for 10 years and always thought the Eugene Airport was a huge waste of money and farmland. Deregulation of the industry resulted in an exodus of most airlines, leaving United the only major airline serving the area, with higher prices and fewer flights. The city continued to pour millions into trying to lure other airlines, and some took the bait but then, as soon as legally possible, left.

While I, unfortunately, no longer live in Eugene, I do like to visit several times a year, but air travel, which has worsened considerably everywhere, seems even worse going to Eugene. On my last trip, snafus landed me in Portland rather than Eugene, and I had to rent a car. Now I read that United is cutting service even further, and I am definitely not looking forward to future trips.

I have always thought it would be smarter and cheaper to close the airport and use a fraction of the funds now spent on it to run a really good shuttle service to the Portland airport, as the San Francisco and Oakland airports have been doing very well for years. Fliers would have more and cheaper options and could relax on the bus ride to and from Portland - read a book, write a business plan, enjoy the scenery, have a nice nap. Municipalities need to hone their budgets, and getting rid of the drain of the airport costs could help both budget and travelers.

WANDA S. BALLENTINE Cleveland Heights, Ohio

No fence straddling

An underlying element of the tragedy in Palestine and Israel involves people who straddle fences instead of taking a stand for justice. I was no fence-rider when I carried one of the so-called anti-Israel signs at the "Not in our Name Rally." But it earned me criticism from two individuals at the rally, whose confusion was reflected in the Nov. 4 letter by Kathy Kahn Hurwit.

These individuals, whose commitment to justice I've admired, asked me to lower my sign, which read: "Israel Owns Smith." They said it was divisive, implying anti-Judaism. I told them it was accurate, their interpretation wrong.

I criticized the senator for his resolution giving Senate blessings to Ariel Sharon's Israeli militarism in Palestine. Why "owned?" Because once and probably future Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave him Israel's thanks by stumping for Smith's re-election.

I am reminded of the recent unjust criticism of University of Oregon professor Doug Card for being anti-Semitic. The false charge was part of a pattern of excessive response from zealots of Jewish heritage who call any criticism of Israel anti-Semitic.

Many in the temple repeat, "Next year in Jerusalem." Were that a roundtrip pilgrimage, life might have a chance without incessant murders of Israelis and Palestinians. But it implies return to real estate where ancestors long ago lived but for millenia has belonged to others.

Jews, Christians and Muslims express a shared arrogance when they view themselves as "chosen people" in a chosen place, a distinction all three profess to the embarrassment of their religions. The three warring groups (Palestinians are both Christian and Muslim) need to be freed from egocentric bigotry that gives them shallow claims to the geography and symbolism of Jerusalem. If they don't, the world will continue to suffer.

GEORGE BERES Eugene

Bush's supposed mandate

In James T. Bryant's letter (letters, Nov. 16), he states, "The recent elections conclusively prove that the overwhelming majority of the American people approves of the way the president is handling everything, including ridding the world of Saddam." What Bryant fails to take into consideration is that two thirds of the people didn't vote. Therefore, Bush's supposed mandate comes from about 17 percent of the people.

If the marginalized, lower-income segment of the population that typically doesn't vote could be persuaded to vote, our non-elected president would still be in the private sector and we would have leadership more accurately reflecting the true feelings of the true majority of the American people.

ROBERT BOLMAN Eugene

Pro-war rally fodder

What if Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were aimed not at humans, but at old growth timber, transgendered restrooms or Keiko? What if, while gassing his own citizens, Saddam Hussein accidentally maimed a spotted owl, or worse yet, caused National Public Radio to temporarily lose its signal?

What if during each emergency session, the Iraqi Parliament was served barbecue red tree vole, which was cooked on a stove purchased with oil profits? What if the United Nations weapon's inspectors found a Bible on Saddam's desk, or an SUV in his garage? What if Saddam was white, pro-life and labeled by some as "intolerant?" What if Michael Savage was the dictator of Iraq?

Would any of these scenarios cause pro-war rallies to break out on the University of Oregon campus or in downtown Eugene?

JAVAN YRIARTE Eugene

Go ask a Muslim

In times like these, one of the most vital evaluations for any society is discerning between those who are essentially constructive and those who are inherently dangerous. It is when I read openly bigoted letters like the one from Jerry J. Ritter (letters, Nov. 15) that I realize who our great country's enemies really are.

Ritter brazenly admonishes the, as he says, millions of Muslims who have supposedly failed to condemn the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy. I'm not sure about the "millions" that he has encountered. However, in my personal experience with a more moderate number of Muslims, I have been told unanimously that the attacks in question are absolutely condemned by true followers of Islam.

I've come to realize that Osama bin Laden and his ilk reflect the message of Mohammed as much as Hitler and the Ku Klux Klan reflect the teachings of Jesus. Based on his words, I must assume that Ritter's evaluation of these millions of Muslims is not based on any actual personal experience. Instead of doing something as simple as calling or visiting a mosque and asking a learned Muslim for his or her perspective, the Ritters of the world prefer to make brash statements concerning things they know little about.

In case it matters to anyone, I am not a Muslim. Yet even from my point of view, it is clear that if our beautiful country had a lot more Muslims and a lot less people like Ritter, we would be significantly better off.

TOM EMERSON JR. Eugene

Show me the money

The gullibility of people like David Leach (letters, Nov. 16) never ceases to amaze me. The fact that he feels insulted only underscores his naivete if he really believes that money spent on campaigning does not influence votes. I bet he also believes advertising doesn't influence his buying patterns.

Because of my skepticism, I advocate the "show-me-the-money" method of voting. Unless there is compelling information suggesting that deep pockets or out-of-state interests are somehow more enlightened than grass-roots Oregonians, I vote opposite the money, regardless of what I hear on radio or TV. Since I expect both sides to engage in hyperbole, if something begins to sound reasonable, whether it's from the mouth of liberals or conservatives, I try to determine how much distortion of the truth it took to sound that way. Sadly, I know that Madison Avenue and American politicos aren't throwing their money away, that their expenditures are research-based and that enough voters are swayed to cause campaign budgets to grow exponentially.

Ironically, Leach displays the arrogance that he accuses others of possessing. It's easy to believe that money doesn't influence when you are on the moneyed winning side. I might believe him if his issue or candidate wins without spending any more than the opponent. I'll bet you've never heard that campaign pledge.

RICHARD B. COOLMAN Eugene

CAPTION(S):

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