Sights and Sounds of Critical Mass
Have to give a shout out to the riders of the brightly lit Friday night bike brigade down West Broadway to Monroe Park.
Living on West Broadway for decades, I’ve been brought to a rare state of joy at seeing and hearing them come down the street. Last night’s ride was choice! Not only were they visually a delight; when they came to the stop at Monroe Street, their bike-borne speakers emitted the sounds of Cats! I about hit the pavement. Such happy and fun creativity in the midst of all the political hate was so appreciated. Thank you, unknown riders.
Susan Brenner
Eugene
The Versatile Potato
And the official winner is — The Potato. It barely beat out The Democrat Voter for “Oregon State Vegetable.”
Don Richey
Eugene
Just Say No
Why have three of our five Lane County commissioners put a ballot measure before us (Measure 20-362) that is expensive, unnecessary and shuts out minorities and other marginalized community members from participation in periodic district voting map reviews? Why does the League of Women Voters of Lane County and the majority of our elected delegation of politicians adamantly oppose it?
Opposition to this measure includes: U.S. Congresswoman Val Hoyle, state Sens. Floyd Prozanski and James Manning and state Reps. Julie Fahey, Paul Holvey, John Lively and Nancy Nathanson. There is a reason, and perhaps former Lane County Commissioner and retired U.S. Rep. Peter Defazio says it best of all, “Gerrymandering under the guise of so-called ‘independent redistricting’ is misleading and an affront to genuine democracy. I am appalled by the back room dealings of these commissioners.”
In 2021, based on the 2020 Census, an independently appointed Lane County Charter Review committee worked for 18 months with two open meetings a month, including public comment and public surveys to develop the current district maps. The next review of the maps should be based on the data from the 2030 census.
On Nov. 5th, reject Lane County Measure 20-362! Say “No” to gerrymandering! Tell your friends!
Sue Barnhart
Eugene
She’s No Moderate
Monique DeSpain is campaigning as a moderate independent. She is anything but that, especially when it comes to reproductive rights. As a long-time member of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, I am proud that Oregon has the best reproductive health policy in the nation, policies that include access to the full suite of health care options. But DeSpain celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a decision that caused millions of women to lose access to appropriate health care.
The truth is DeSpain is firmly anti-abortion despite her recent claims. Importantly, she secretly sought and secured the endorsement of the extremist Constitution Party of Oregon. To become the party’s nominee, she signed their pledge to criminalize abortion with no exceptions and even ban gay marriage. DeSpain also pledges to serve as a reinforcement for Speaker Mike Johnson, who has called for a national ban on abortions. The right-wing MAGA caucus in the House of Representatives is unfit to govern, and the last thing we Oregonians should do is provide them with reinforcements. We will not go back!
Please vote for Val Hoyle. She strongly believes that health care decisions should be between a patient and their medical provider. Hoyle has been a champion for protecting and expanding reproductive health care, and I know she will fight tooth and nail against any attempt to pass a national abortion ban.
DeSpain cannot adequately represent us in Congress. Don’t be fooled by her ads.
Margaret Hallock
Eugene
To The Benefit of Two
Gerrymandering is defined as the manipulation of district boundaries to create political advantage in elections.
Two sitting Lane County commissioners will directly benefit in their next elections from early redistricting as proposed by Lane County Ballot Measure 20-362.
As far as I can determine, neither of these commissioners recused themselves from the discussions or votes regarding this proposal, which would give them political advantage in their next reelection efforts.
It appears the reason we are voting on this is because they failed to slip it unnoticed under the rug.
Elections are too often influenced by these kinds of shenanigans.
Vote no on 20-362 to preserve our Lane County election integrity!
Teresa Damron
Eugene
Plenty to Worry About
The City Club of Eugene recently sponsored a forum for the two candidates vying for state attorney general. One thing that stood out to me was Republican candidate Will Lathrop’s stance on reproductive rights.
He said, in effect, that we here in Oregon don’t have to worry: Even if there is a national abortion ban, he’s here to protect our “settled law” on abortion. He did not say he opposes a national ban. He merely said we have nothing to worry about. Which gives me plenty to worry about.
Has Lathrop forgotten that three U.S. Supreme Court justices, at their confirmation hearings, assured us that Roe v. Wade was “settled law” and then promptly dismantled it? In the event of a national abortion ban, endorsed by the Republican Party, I guess we just hope that Lathrop fulfills his duty as AG to vigorously defend Oregon’s abortion law, and further hope that he prevails in circumventing the ban.
Then I guess we’re cool. We can just sit back and ignore our friends, colleagues, daughters and granddaughters who will suffer and die across the rest of the country.
Rebecca McCroskey
Eugene
In Support of Hoyle
I am happy and proud to vote for Val Hoyle as my representative in the 4th Congressional District. She carries on a long tradition of strong Democrats that represent working families and the environment.
Unlike her opponent, with no previous elected experience, Hoyle was elected to the Oregon House and elected speaker of the House. She ran a statewide campaign and was elected to run the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry, where she was a strong advocate for family wage jobs for working families.
As our congresswoman, Hoyle is fighting for working families and the environment.
Her opponent does not even recognize climate change as an issue and would, if elected, march to the drumbeat of MAGA Republicans on every issue from abortion to climate change. She was actually chosen to run against Hoyle by MAGA Republicans in support of a national ban on abortion. She does not deserve a seat in Congress, certainly not from the 4th.
Please join me in voting for Hoyle for Congress.
Bob Warren
Eugene
One More Time: No on 20-362
Why is Ballot Measure 20-362 on the ballot? Because two conservative county commissioners are worried that they might not get reelected unless they redraw voting boundaries to favor conservatives. This is classic gerrymandering — manipulating mapped boundaries of voters to favor one party or class.
Our voting boundaries were drawn three years ago following a fair, transparent and thoughtful process. Maps are redrawn every 10 years to address population shifts. There is no need to revise the boundaries until 2030 when we are provided new census information.
An independent citizens Charter Review Committee recommended unanimously not to redistrict in 2025. Measure 20-362 is an underhanded attempt to circumvent our democratic process. Gerrymandering is dishonest. It doesn’t belong in our community. Vote “No” on Ballot Measure 20-362 in November.
Laurie Moses
Eugene
Simple Wisdom
Under the misdirection of Donald Trump, the GOP has devolved into CRAP, meaning the Cruelty Revenge Anger Party. How can we regain our honesty, our kindness, our vulnerability, our humanity in all of this chaos and rancor? Unlike Trump, I will not lie that “only I can fix it!” Rather, I pass along an astute life lesson taught by Inspector Armand Gamache that threads through Louise Penny’s mystery novels: “There are four sentences that lead to wisdom. Do with them as you will. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I don’t know. I need help.”
Can you just imagine if the Trumps, the Putins, the Maduros and the Netanyahus of the world believed, practiced and modeled these wise four sentences? Maybe then, MAGA might stand for Make All Good-hearted, Good Willed, Gracious, Grateful Again. And maybe this change needs to start with every one of us having the courage to be that open, honest, and vulnerable. Indulge my naïveté, won’t you? Worth a try, isn’t it? Better than the CRAP we’re floating in now.