ANYONE BUT TRUMP
As a Bernie-voting Democratic Socialist, it brings me no pleasure to say that Trump was right. The Durham report lays to rest the idea that Russia’s election meddling resulted in Trump’s 2016 election. Even if Russia did do a few things to influence voters — something the U.S. does all over the world — any reasonable Democratic candidate should have mopped the floor with Trump’s silly hair. But, oh no, it just had to be Hillary Clinton, an odious, corporate, neocon war hawk.
You do have to feel for what Hillary Clinton and the DNC must have been going through the day after Trump won. Ideally, they would have done some serious soul-searching and asked, “How on Earth did we manage to lose to an arrogant, racist, sexist, grotesquely narcissistic, pussy grabbing buffoon?” Alas, such soul-searching was not in their skill set, so they shifted the blame by launching the Russia-Russia-Russia hoax.
Let’s just hope the economy doesn’t totally tank between now and November 2024, because four more years of that clearly diagnosable sociopath would be unbearable.
Robert Bolman
Eugene
WHY THE WALKOUT
The real reason for the Republican walkout is not clear. However, it’s quite clear that the walkout is jeopardizing a fleeting opportunity to revitalize Oregon’s coastal and rural economies in districts mostly held by Republicans. Two years ago, Oregon passed landmark legislation (HB 2021) that requires large electric utilities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040. Historic levels of federal funding (IRA and IIJA) are now available on a competitive basis to provide billions for wind and solar projects. But only states that have programs in place to administer the funds have a good chance of being selected and bills to do just that are currently stalled in the Senate due to the walkout.
It’s difficult to exaggerate the magnitude of the opportunity that is at risk. Oregon currently imports a substantial amount of fossil-generated electricity from other states. However, abundant solar and wind resources are available in rural and coastal parts of the state to replace that imported energy. Developing solar, offshore and land-based wind resources will provide welcome family-wage jobs in areas where timber and commercial fishing industries have declined. Studies indicate that the amount of renewable energy available is substantially more than the state will need which could make Oregon an exporter of clean energy, further boosting this new industry well into the future. For example, a recent study at Princeton’s Net-Zero America project said “the best wind potential in the country, if not the world, is off the Northern California and Southern Oregon coast”.
Michael Mitton
Portland, Oregon
DRAG QUEEN FACTS
Here are some things a drag queen has never done:
Shot up an elementary school with an AR-15
Lynched a Black man
Overthrown a legitimate foreign government
Lied us into a war
Shot up a high school with an AR-15
Burned down a church with children in it
Lied their way onto the Supreme Court
Attempted to overthrow the government
Caused a Depression
Shot up a mall with an AR-15
Shipped American jobs overseas to increase profits
Pushed crack cocaine on the streets to finance
right-wing death squads
Traded American lives for oil
Shot up a church or synagogue with an AR-15
Choke a man to death in public
Blamed a rape victim for the rape
Dragged a person to death behind a pick-up truck
If a man who dresses like a woman gets you more upset than the things on that list, then you are the very embodiment of the Picture of Dorian Gray.
Jamie Selko
Eugene
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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