Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Priests deserve praise

On Nov. 17, I read a Register-Guard article about alleged sexual abuses by the priests of the Legion of Christ. Whether the allegations are true or false, I have spent much time working with Legion of Christ priests in a private school for boys in Chile. In the time I knew them, these priests were always wonderful teachers to the boys and, in turn, the boys loved and respected the priests.

I would suggest that editors could fill the pages of this country's newspapers with the good deeds of Catholic priests, as well as the good deeds of clergies of other churches.

MARIA OLIVARES Eugene

Limit outrageous awards

I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Glenn Keiper's Nov. 27 Commentary article regarding medical liability problems. He has provided the statistics to back up his views on the problems facing both doctors and patients in Oregon.

When juries award outrageous sums of money for noneconomic damages, everyone - patients and doctors - suffers the consequences. Doctors will limit patient loads, limit treatments, leave their practices or move to states where there are caps for the noneconomic damages. Patients will see a dramatic rise in drug and medical costs, and their benefits will go down.

In an age in which heart disease, cancer and diabetes affect more and more of our population, can we afford to lose these people from our medical community?

Most states have caps on noneconomic damages. Oregon needs to re-establish caps, giving juries a sane and reasonable guideline for the amount of awards they make to individuals.

We need to support Keiper and others who are trying to make much-needed reforms. We should not expect only the medical profession to fight this problem. We should all back this fight; it is to our benefit as well as theirs.

BYRTLE SWINEHART Eugene

Trampling liberties

A government that does the bidding of corporations in times of war or peace, while at the same time trampling on the civil liberties of the people, is not a government worth keeping.

KAT L'ESTRANGE Eugene

Alarmed by repression

In recent times, the Eugene city government has given disproportionate priority to catering to commercial interests over the public's interests and rights. This has also been a national and global trend. With global resources and markets opened up for exploitation by multinational commercial interests, the ruling class is quickly moving to put in place the ability to deploy overwhelming repressive force to any challenges to their legitimacy.

I am shocked by the rapid rise of fascism and repressive force throughout the world, the nation and our own community. Fascism is making a comeback. It's no less terrible or significant than that in Hitler's Germany. Yet many citizens in the United States and Europe are silent in their mesmerized complicity, much like the Germans in the 1930s.

The build-up in repressive force by Eugene police is alarming. New laws make it even easier for the traditionally fascist police to use excessive force on citizens who have not even been convicted of a crime. An atmosphere of repression exists that threatens to stifle open debate and democracy.

I want to see our local governments clearly move to protect our rights as citizens - rights guaranteed by the Oregon and U.S. constitutions, and the Bill of Rights. They should also state that our rights as citizens, our human rights, and the health of our democracy have priority over commercial interests.

This would be a change from the status quo. Lack of effort in this direction is clearly deferring to the rising tide of fascism and repression. Think of what a difference it could have made if more had spoken out in protest to Hitler's aggression. We have that opportunity now. Let's not waste it in silence.

BOZ VAN HOUTEN Eugene

Eugene needs hospital

I think it's a shame that Eugene soon will not have its own hospital. What city of Eugene's size in any industrialized country does not have a hospital? You would be hard pressed to name one.

The proposed site in north Eugene was perfect, but it was not chosen, in part, because of complaints by nearby residents about noise and traffic. This demonstrates once again how the citizens of Eugene are reluctant to sacrifice for the greater good.

I just hope that McKenzie-Willamette Hospital moves to Eugene so we can have decent medical care.

ADAM BREITENSTEIN Eugene

LETTERS LOG

Letters received in past week: 163

Letters published: 62

What's on readers' minds: No single topic dominated the Mailbag during the past week. By midmorning Friday, we received 10 letters on the possibility of U.S.-led military involvement in Iraq; nine on the Homeland Security Act, which was approved this week by Congress; eight each on the Nov. 5 elections and the Civil War football game between the University of Oregon and Oregon State University; six on the city of Eugene's proposed domestic partnership registry and other revisions to the city's human rights code, and five on concerns by some UO students and faculty about the university's contract with KUGN radio and that station's airing of right-wing talk shows.

- The Register-Guard

CAPTION(S):

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