A Fuck Too Far
I’ve been unhappy about the routine appearance of four letter words in print in your publication for some time. Your Love and Sex issue was the last straw (EW, 2/13). The “F**king around…” headline is more than I am willing to put up with. If you want decent people to read your rag, you can’t be printing gutter language. I’ll be leaving the Weekly in the box after this.
Lee Rothrock
Springfield
The Bible Over the Gun
As a Vietnam Veteran who left my M-16 in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, 53 years ago, there is no reason why I should own a M-16 or AR-15 to parade in public.
I salute Debra McGee of Eugene for her letter (EW, 2/20) by calling out the “Gun Toting and Bible Quoting” current president of the Lane County Board of Commissioners, David Loveall. What is Loveall so afraid of having to strap on his AK-47? I wonder if Loveall purchased for the sum of $60 the Donald Trump Bible?
The Bible quoting Loveall must surely believe that Trump was sent from God — he will protect you, not your AR-15. The AR-15 has been used in countless mass shootings in the United States. There were more than 500 mass shootings in 2024, and close to 30 so far this year. Since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 there have been zero mass shootings in Vietnam. Do the math, Commissioner Loveall! I pray you use your Bible, and not your AR-15, if you are ever faced with the choice.
Frank Harper
Eugene
Support the Workers
Last year, Bigfoot Beverages company hired an expensive, cracker jack lawyer with a reputation for union busting, but five months into a Teamsters Local 324 strike for a new contract with solid pension benefits, the Bigfoot Beverages picket lines in Eugene and Springfield and cities around the state are holding.
And that’s in spite of the company allowing non-union “scab” workers to vote (illegally!) last year against union representation that tilted the vote outcome against the Teamsters union. Consequently, the company bosses would say they no longer recognize the striking union members standing (read: unfair labor practice lawsuit). Perhaps another ploy recommended by the union-busting lawyer in order to earn his hefty fee.
So I ask you: Instead of automatically reaching for that next can of soda, beer or cider in your local grocery store, corner market or university/college cafeteria, take a minute to check out the website BoycottBigfoot.now to see which local businesses and breweries are supporting the 150 strikers and their families and how you can stand with them for workers’ rights and the unions that protect them.
Karen Myers
Eugene
Thanks for the Patience
Accompanying a family member on two recent full-night visits to the PeaceHealth emergency room, leading to another night in the hospital, while taxing for us both, ultimately became an edifying experience.
Despite being overburdened with patients waiting to see a physician (including some stretched out on the floor!), while those with even more urgent needs were attended to, all whom we encountered among the ER staff exemplified helpfulness, warmth and compassion: nurses, doctors, technicians and security people. More than what’s reasonable was being asked of them.
But everyone somehow maintained a caring attitude. It was incredible, especially in light of the fact that they evidently do the same thing day after day.
Jeff Cina
Eugene
There Are No Saints
I read with interest the Kirchenkampf described by Dan Bryant (EW, 2/13). The church in Nazi Germany was divided in their support for Hitler during WWII. Among the opposition cited by Bryant was Martin Niemoller, who was no saint himself.
Although his staunch opposition to Hitler was laudable, even landing him in a concentration camp in 1937, he was also a product of his time. This includes harboring antisemitic views in a nation that had a centuries-long tradition of antisemitism. While he was opposed to the Nazi’s wholesale slaughter of the Jews, he still agreed with the concept of the Jew as evil.
As he stated in a sermon in 1937: “We speak of the ‘eternal Jew’ and conjure up the picture of a restless wanderer who has no home and cannot find peace. We see a highly gifted people which produces idea after idea for the benefit of the world, but whatever it takes up becomes poisoned, and all that it ever reaps is contempt and hatred because ever and anon the world notices the deception and avenges itself in its own way.” (Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, Daniel Goldhagen, page 112). He continues on to condemn the Nazis by comparing them to the Jews, and blames the Jews for the death of Christ (ibid, pg. 518).
We must remember that even the greatest heroes in history often still were indoctrinated with the prejudices of their time and particular location in the world.
Erica Lyon
Eugene
Label Them Judah Nationalists
Thank you for printing Dan Bryant’s heartfelt column in your Feb. 13 edition (“An Unwelcome Word of Mercy”).
I am not a practicing Christian, but neither is Billy Graham’s nasty offspring. I don’t know where Billy was when his son was supposed to be learning the difference between right and wrong. Graham and self-identified Christian nationalists do not agree with anything that Jesus stood for. If they were being honest, since they are betraying Christ, they should change their label to Judah nationalists.
Ken Rosemarin
Eugene
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
Heartbroken over Firings
I’m sure many of us are reeling from the continued firings of federal employees, most notably our National Park Service rangers and National Forest Service employees. As someone who began her career at Rocky Mountain National Park, which set me up to further serve our natural areas, I’m absolutely heartbroken for my National Park Service colleagues. The illegal NPS firings will have detrimental ripple effects that we as an American People will see for years to come.
As a community that vigorously practices our right to recreate, I implore the members of the greater Eugene area to call your representatives to express your opinion. If you have phone anxiety like me, I created a little website page to help get through the call (5Calls.org). There are no bells-and-whistles; it’s just a step-by-step guide. I originally created this to help organize my thoughts, but figured it might motivate others to call, as well.
The greatest action we can do at this point is to call our representatives. This “how-to” guide will help walk you through how to find phone numbers and what to say, specifically for the NPS firings. It’s imperative that we make our voices heard.
Hannah English
Springfield
Know Your Issues
I’d like to point out that EW’s Feb. 6 issue contains articles actively attempting to resist and thwart illegal immigrant deportation by ICE (“Know Your Rights, Reduce Risks”). However, at this time ICE is only deporting dangerous criminals such as murderers, terrorists, drug smugglers, rapists and traffickers. So EW is, therefore, doing all it can to protect these destructive and harmful illegal immigrants, putting the entire community and city at risk.
Joel Shapiro
Eugene
Protest in Other Ways
I am so sorry that the recent protest in Eugene chose to attack Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley instead of the cruel, ignorant people in D.C. whose choices are killing people around the world. Oregon’s congressional representatives are leading the fight, bravely and honestly, and have been for years. I’m grateful for them. If you want to protest, battle the real sources of this depravity.
One path is to give time and money to our incredible local organizations, like Volunteers in Medicine or Plaza de Nuestra Comunidad. Or honor St. Jimmy with a gift to the Carter Center, which has been busy saving lives for decades.
Jackie Melvin
Eugene
We are now in the Twilight Zone
I feel like we’ve entered the Twilight Zone. Things around me seem as usual, but everything is different. We no longer have U.S. Park Rangers to protect our National Parks. As the danger of wildfires becomes more common, we get rid of our Forest Service workers. Every government agency that protects consumers from fraud and issues safety warnings, including health alerts, is shut down, no doubt for our convenience.
Our elected president says Ukraine started the war with Russia. What’s next, he’ll claim the U.S. started World War II. An unelected former South African seems to be running our country while President Donald Trump reignites his bromance with a Russian war criminal and seems determined to give Ukraine to Russia and abandon our NATO allies of almost 80 years.
Is this what our voters really wanted: the shut down of rural health clinics, more problems for farmers and the rise of fascism in the name of white Christian nationalism?
If this isn’t what our citizens wanted, we need to speak up locally and nationally.
Hal Huestis
Eugene
Support the Peace Corps
On March 1, the Peace Corps will celebrate its 64th anniversary after being created as an independent agency by President John Kennedy. Given the recent halt of foreign aid and the gutting of USAID, I fear that the Peace Corps will also soon be on the chopping block. Fun fact: since 1961, 6,601 Oregonians have served as Peace Corps volunteers.
I am a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Guatemala from 2010 to 2013. I collaborated with my Guatemalan colleague to address the needs of rural Mayan women, considered that country’s most oppressed group. We taught skills in citizen involvement and how to finance projects to improve their quality of life. Our efforts lessened the chance that they would seek to migrate to the USA. Peace Corps volunteers help people in developing countries with their needs in education, agriculture, health, trade and technology. This international cooperation and humanitarian assistance contribute directly to our country’s security.
The Donald Trump/Elon Musk regime seeks to end nearly all nonmilitary aid to other countries, thus abdicating our leadership role to support developing countries. It’s important to realize that the Peace Corps is a true bargain for the federal government. In 2010, my salary was approximately $350 per month, typical for Peace Corps volunteers at that time, and likely the current salary has barely increased. In honor of its 64th birthday and before the cuts happen, please call your elected officials to ask them to support continued funding of the Peace Corps!