GIVE US MORE LETTERS!
Kudos to Eugene Weekly as the only local news source with a “letter to the editor” section. This has become a relic of journalism, and I am grateful you have resurrected this important feature. Even KLCC doesn’t have a way to respond to their stories. You are unique. Thank you.
Brad Stewart
Eugene
THE VERBAL ABUSE IS REAL
All my life, I never understood violence as an alternative to legal means. At age 75, I now get it. Laws in Oregon only speak to abuse or harassment in cases where something physical happens, verbal abuse is allowed.
I am the target of a neighbor who suffers mental health issues — and/or she is just a vindictive, awful human being. She has verbally abused me for years, standing in her backyard, tantruming like a 2 year old, accusing me of unspeakable things, calling me names I don’t care to repeat.
I have reported her to the police and CAHOOTS many times. They say there is nothing they can do about it. She has the right to free speech. Her parents own the house, appeals to them result in them saying they can’t control her behavior. I live in fear she will verbally attack me again. Do you get that? I’m unsafe in my own yard!
I’m unable to access information about who subsidizes her living situation, who her caseworker is or how to report her behavior to the agencies who support her independent living circumstances.
I’ve contacted my county commissioner, my city council member, the mayor, Adult Protective Services, to no avail. The agencies I pay taxes for can do nothing.
How does this get fixed? I suspect it won’t be in my lifetime.
Nancy Maniago
Eugene
DON’T LET THE SKUNKS BACK IN
Regarding Brian Palmer’s dire prediction about re-electing President Joe Biden (Letters, 6/6), do your research on the programs and policies that Democrats have enacted for the last four years to the benefit of us all, then compare them to the Trump-era policies and programs, especially noting who benefitted from those huge tax cuts in 2018.
The only real areas that are not yet resolved by this administration is the number of people illegally entering our country (note that the Rs were told to vote down a bi-partisan immigration bill by brainy Smurf Trump so he could use inaction as a campaign cudgel) and the sick amounts of fentanyl coming into our country via China. Those two things are directly related to someone who’s rich wanting to get richer. They’ll probably never go away.
The wealthy in every country are the ones who get into office and write the laws that we all must live by, interestingly, and also the ones that specifically exempt them from paying their fair share of taxes. At least the Ds actually do trickle down some money and perks for the masses. You think Trump cares about lead water pipes, falling bridges or higher education for regular folk? Not unless he and his ilk can profit from the outcome. Big corporations (who are inflating all consumer goods, especially gas) and including the majority of SCOTUS, want him back in office “Bigly.”
If we want to continue to be a free nation, our elections make the difference. Choose to have an equal say in your life or roll over and let the skunks back in the tent.
Annie Kaynor
Eugene
SMART METER RESPONSE
The “Meter War” article (EW, 6/13) touches on complicated proliferating wireless controversies about which most are unaware: health hazards, fires, erroneous bills, 4th Amendment privacy violations; effects on pollinators and sentients.
It missed the Children’s Health Defense historic victory in 2021 in the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit case suing “capricious” FCC for using 30-year-old wireless technology harm standards. Eleven-thousand pages filed. By 2024, FCC, “captured agency” per Harvard article, failed court directives.
Donate to legal expenses against EWEB, some plaintiffs suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity: besides $1,625, $12,000 raised: Givesendgo.com/sueEWEB
Correction: I do not have epilepsy from cell use — “she became epileptic after using cellphone for over 25 years.” I said that using a cell 24 years, not hours a day, like recent users, a “strobe-like white light” was in my head when going to sleep, never occurring after “eliminating” cell use now 25 to 50 hours a year. A professor emeritus suggested it is a warning that a “user” is on the verge of seizures. I never developed epilepsy.
Also, I had Wi-Fi, removed it a decade ago after learning about health hazards, reinstalled it when friends visited last summer and rarely use it.
I have not done “shielding,” and no Stetzer filters! Research shows that shielding may reduce radiation-dirty electricity even if the radio is turned off.
Clarification: Per 30-year radio frequency systems engineer, smart meter transmissions are pulsing microwaves, and switching power modes is more hazardous than mentioned.
I can document that I knew more about hazardous smart meters than EWEB engineers. Women’s bodies and 8,000 hours of research don’t lie.
Kathy Ging
Eugene
TIME TO GET OUR ACT TOGETHER
I respectfully suggest it’s time to get our act together. We spend oodles on cops, and 4J squandered a bunch on a new building, but nobody’s talking about the mayhem that will occur when the Cascadia fault rips a magnitude 7 to 9 quake through the Whiteaker.
We start by housing everyone who needs it in community supported shelters with Conestoga huts located on public land convenient to bus routes.
We issue free LTD passes. Parents will travel with kids to local school for breakfast and a sack lunch then go to four hours of work — landscaping (our parks will be healthier with hand weeding instead of Roundup), child care, food service and retail, clerical work, health care transportation, activity and nutrition aides.
The most economical way to ration health care is to give everyone one yearly wellness check at a local Medicare clinic — labs, physical assessment and a lengthy, unhurried discussion of the social situation and personal health goals. For example, I want to help those coping with the social isolation of living with a neurodivergent partner and help make our bathroom ADA friendly. Everyone who is able should engage in a half hour of weight bearing exercise three times a week to reduce deadly visceral fat and improve mood.
Using the Head Start kitchens on North Grand Street, neighborhood volunteers and Lane Community College culinary students could prepare a hearty meat optional casserole, bread and fruit cobbler for takeaway twice a week.
Joi Cardinal
Eugene
THE REST OF THE STORY
The Lane County multi-use stadium opened my eyes as to how the news is not reported.
This last primary election, roughly 40,000 registered voters in Eugene voted. More than 30,000 voted down the multi-use stadium, approved the 4J bond and gave Kaarin Knudson the needed 75 percent to be next mayor. This is a minority deciding. Would not the news media run a story on this, the low turn-out? Lane County registered voters, 176,000 did not vote. There is a story and yet it is ignored.
Mayor Lucy Vinis said she is not running in a room that has campaign posters for Knudson. Would not a reporter look into this?
Taxpayers are going to pay $100 million for the multi-use stadium. What about all the funding that totals $94 million? How would the taxpayer be paying $100 million?
Those against said the Ems were not filling up the hotel rooms. These people either worked for the hotel/travel industry. To fill the rooms you need tourists. Is tourism more important than providing for the community? Another good story not reported.
I could point out more, but I’m limited to 250 words.
There are two sides to every story, but that only one side was being reported. News media should report both sides, but this is not happening.
As Paul Harvey would say, here’s the rest of the story. That’s not true in this community.
Steven Hunnicutt
Eugene
CLARK IS A SUPERSTAR
Basketball superstar Caitlin Clark has been a huge inspiration to female athletes all over the country and much in the news lately.
Is that why she’s so immensely popular, or is it her record-shattering performance on the court? Or that she can drop three-pointers almost at will? Or that she’s thrilled legions of fans, both as a collegiate athlete and with the WNBA? Or that she can pack stadiums?
No — for months, liberal media have told us that Clark’s popularity is largely due to her white and straight privilege. Sunny Hostin of The View added “tall and pretty” privilege to the mix. Angel Reese is tall and pretty — does that explain her stellar performances? Jemele Hill and others have jumped on the white privilege bandwagon, as have some of Clark’s apparently jealous WNBA opponents.
On June 6, Clark put up 30 points and nailed seven three-pointers in her team’s win. “White privilege” had nothing to do with that.
Society preaches to Black Americans that white people are their enemies and their oppressors, and many seem to believe that. I’ll offer a couple inconvenient truths for the “straight white privilege” preachers: First, the “privilege” that Clark enjoys is talent. Second, most Americans are “white and straight,” and a growing number of them are fed up with the petty, divisive woke bullshit that has infested our society.
Thanks to Charles Barkley, Bill Maher and others for giving Clark the recognition she has so thoroughly earned.