The heroism Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler displayed in thwarting the terrorist attack on a European train five years ago is praiseworthy, and they fully deserve the honors received from Belgium, France and President Barack Obama. However, physical heroism is not a particularly compelling qualification for a congressman.
These are trying and demanding times; experience and a deep knowledge of the 4th District’s needs and aspirations are essential. Skarlatos has lived in Oregon for only a short period of time, and even that time was broken up by his schooling, National Guard deployment, travel, television appearances, book signings and movie making. This has left scarcely enough time to learn anything about the critical needs of the nearly 700,000 residents of the district.
Congressman Peter DeFazio has a deep understanding of the many diverse issues of importance to the district and has diligently worked to resolve them; as a ranking member of several House committees he is in a position to look out for the district’s best interests. For the record, DeFazio has also served his country in the military.
Henry J. Bielefeld
Springfield
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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