Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The wisdom of generosity

Thank God for Bernice Staton, the benevolent woman who sponsors students at University of Oregon and Lane Community College (Register-Guard, Nov. 23). She is making up, in a very just way, for people like Bill Sizemore with their short-sighted views.

I hope that the taxpayers of this state see her wisdom. The world is a better place for folks like her.

DENNIS MICHAEL DROST Eugene

Stop sprawl interests

Let's see if I have this straight.

The Register-Guard investigative report of Sept. 11, 2001, illustrated how John Musumeci's Arlie & Company was sealing a land deal with PeaceHealth along the McKenzie River floodplain, while PeaceHealth simultaneously misrepresented its intentions to stay in downtown Eugene.

While Musumeci helped bankroll the Gang of 9's vindictive smear campaign against Eugene city councilors working in the public interest, PeaceHealth knowingly stood aside and let the council take the heat for the out-of-state hospital conglomerate's decision to abandon our urban core.

Mayor Jim Torrey and other water carriers for land speculators continue to give lip service to revitalizing downtown. Meanwhile, the sucking sound you hear is taxpayer money exiting existing neighborhoods to subsidize paving of green space for expensive sprawl into natural lands.

Oregon's pioneering land use laws contribute to making our community attractive and livable. Torrey and his minions flout our state laws to serve the special interests of pork feeders gorging on the public coffer. PeaceHealth's proposal would cause failure at the intersection of Interstate 5 and Belt Line Road as well as decimate two downtowns. The West Eugene Parkway would pave rare wetlands, undermine our commitment to nodal development and dump traffic congestion into a reeling downtown without a coherent plan.

The state of Oregon and concerned citizens continue to admonish Lane County public officials to get their act together. How much more taxpayer money will be spent defending the indefensible schemings of Torrey and his sprawl interests?

ROB HANDY Eugene

Experiencing dictatorship

Over the years, the U.S. government, acting in the name of the American people, has foisted right wing dictatorships on many countries around the world.

It is only fitting that now, thanks in part to Osama bin Laden, the American people have the opportunity of experiencing life under a right-wing dictator.

As they say in the vernacular, "what goes around comes around."

PATRICK ATKINSON Eugene

A residue of hate

George Beres' letter titled "No fence straddling" (letters, Nov. 19) and his marching sign that read "Israel Owns Smith" at the recent and unrelated Iraq "Not in Our Name" rally is as transparent as a lollipop wrapped in cellophane. Beres' claim is that Benjamin Netanyahu stumped for Smith's re-election, which puts Smith in the Israel camp.

Yes, Netanyahu did speak in Portland at the Smith rally - about free elections in a democratic society and compared our nations in that vein. Many assertions in Beres' letter are worthy of correction, but suffice to say, I barely have space for the one above.

His bias against Israel leaves a residue of unmistakable hate. That's a pity, since the world needs fairness and understanding in all camps - Jewish, Christian and Moslem.

WILLARD A. STEVENS Eugene

Recycling program weak

I read the Nov. 21 Register-Guard article regarding the need to use less and recycle more. I can tell you that we moved here over two years ago and were amazed at the poor recycling process. We had to ask for an extra little red box (which holds next to nothing) to put all of our recyclable goods in. Then the company says we must use paper bags to separate each product.

We came from California, where we had a huge recycling bin on wheels and divided into two sections: one for paper and cardboard, the other for plastic, cans and glass. We used cloth bags for grocery shopping, but no longer use them because the recycling company wants paper bags. These bags cost us 5 cents each because we can't reuse them.

Sometimes I take things to BRING Recycling, so I don't have to put them on the sidewalk. I think a strong conversation with the existing recycling companies is in order before Lane County asks consumers to do more.

By the way, I don't ask for all the junk mail. Maybe you should also talk to those companies.

TOM JONES Eugene

LETTERS LOG

Letters received in past week: 152

Letters published: 48

What's on readers' minds: No single topic dominated the Mailbag during the past week. By midmorning Friday, we received nine letters on concerns expressed by some UO students and faculty about the University of Oregon's contract with KUGN radio and that station's airing of right-wing talk shows; and eight each on the possibility of U.S.-led military involvement in Iraq, the Eugene City Council's approval of a resolution seeking reform or repeal of the USA Patriot Act, and PeaceHealth's plans to build a regional medical center in the Gateway area of Springfield.

- The Register-Guard

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