In Appreciation of the Rabbi’s Words
I greatly appreciated Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein’s thoughtful words (EW, 8/28). Her piece advocates protesting the war in Gaza and our government’s support for it, while offering specific advice on how to avoid recapitulating antisemitic attitudes which, unfortunately, remain active in our culture. Rabbi Ruhi’s column provides a valuable message to our whole community, including non-Jews like me who might otherwise have few opportunities to benefit from her wisdom and the wisdom of the tradition she represents.
Jeff Cina
Eugene
Cancel Flock
The city should cancel the existing contract with Flock and prohibit such surveillance technologies from being deployed in the future. As a former federal protective service contractor, I saw police employees misuse confidential law enforcement databases by accessing personal information on citizens outside of legitimate investigations.
A sense of privilege is not unique to police. Just this week, I saw a Eugene police motorcycle officer take actions that he would have used his authority to punish had you or I performed them. He moved from illegally parking at the entrance of a pizzeria to driving on the sidewalk to get to a better entry point on busy River Road, to using his emergency lights to stop traffic so he could cross the road during rush hour. There was no emergency; he just broke laws for his own convenience. He felt he had the authority to do so, and there was no accountability for his minor misuse of power.
Flock cameras wed that same culture of unchecked power that humans will exploit in ways large and small into modern technologies, creating mass surveillance at the expense of citizens’ rights. Despite assurances of safeguards, recent examples across the country reveal repeated misuse of Flock data. These are not hypothetical risks; they are proven misuses by all levels of law enforcement: state, federal and local. Ending this contract is necessary to protect our community from tools that treat every resident as a suspect.
Joseph Kittleson
Eugene
Let’s Talk the Roadless Rule
The Trump administration’s renewed assault on public lands puts Oregon’s oldest forests at risk, and the fight over the Roadless Rule may determine whether they remain standing. Overwhelming public opposition stopped some proposals, such as selling off public lands, but danger remains with the latest move to rescind the vital Roadless Rule. This rule protects 58.5 million acres of unroaded national forests in 39 states from new road construction and industrial logging, including nearly two million acres here in Oregon.
I’m a University of Oregon student majoring in environmental studies and biology, and spent my summer guiding people into Oregon’s forests with local nonprofit Cascadia Wildlands. I knew from my studies that federal land management has flaws, but what I saw was worse than expected. Some of the largest, oldest trees are being cut under loopholes that allow logging for road building. These roads dodge scientific review and public input, while leaving behind invasive species, polluted streams, and higher fire risk. It’s a blatant move to treat forests as products instead of living ecosystems.
Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and representatives Andrea Salinas and Yassamin Ansari are leading efforts to codify the Roadless Rule by passing the Roadless Area Conservation Act. But so far, from Rep. Val Hoyle? Crickets. And silence only opens the door for logging Oregon’s oldest forests.
The public comment period on pulling the Roadless Rule is open through Sept. 19. Please add your voice opposing this attack so future generations inherit living ecosystems, not stumps and tire ruts.
Flora Booker
Eugene
Support Latino Markets
I have heard that people in the Latino community are avoiding mercados and other Latino community businesses because they are afraid of being scooped up by ICE. I imagine this is true for other vulnerable people, and that those businesses must be suffering.
Please help by supporting these places whenever you can.
Susan Matthews
Eugene
Distorting History
With disbelief, I read Charles Dunaway’s response to Rabbi Rubenstein’s thoughtful column (EW, 8/28). Far from clarifying, his letter distorts history.
“European Zionists invaded Palestine… confiscating land,” he claims. In fact, Zionists had neither armies nor political power. They bought land legally in what the Romans renamed “Palestine” in 132 CE. The region has seen countless conquerors — Israelites, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Arab Caliphates, Ottomans, British — but there was never a “Zionist invasion.” Jews never fully left the land. Between 1882 and 1903, about 30,000 Jews immigrated — fleeing pogroms — while far larger numbers of Arabs also moved into Palestine, outnumbering Jewish arrivals many times over.
Dunaway calls it “cruel” to ask Palestinians to live beside Israelis. Yet Americans live on land taken from Indigenous peoples, whose loss was far greater than what we see in Gaza today. If coexistence is possible here, why should it be “cruel” there?
It is true that many Israelis overlook their government’s actions in Gaza. But how many Palestinians still support Hamas, a group sworn to Israel’s annihilation? I cannot forget the unspeakable terror of Oct. 7th, the pictures I saw and that I wish I could unsee.
Finally, it is false to claim Israel never sought peace. Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005; the result was Hamas rule and years of rocket fire. Israel has accepted two-state solutions more than once; Palestinian leaders rejected them. Peace is possible, but never through one-sided accusations and historical distortions.
Katharina Jones
Eugene
Solar the Way to Go
Seattle City Light recently entered into a contract with two solar developers in central Oregon to generate 45 and 50 megawatts of power each to offset an expected 1800 mw of power needed by 2030 due to electrification, data centers and AI facilities. They are looking to fill this shortfall with solar rather than hydro in anticipation of a lack of snowpack predicted by climate scientists that will affect utilities along the West Coast.
I recall repeated assurances from EWEB that the utility has a demand problem, not a supply problem, when it comes to resource power. It is clear that it is changing. Other resources will be necessary as EWEB considers its new contract with Bonneville Power, and other utilities face the same dilemma.
Local, self-contained micro grid systems of renewable generating resources with battery energy storage are key in providing power to the utility network and will be key in the utility’s resource supply.
Third Act and 350Eugene have partnered to present a Sun Day Solar Celebration 12:30 pm to 3 pm Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Campbell Community Center. The public is invited. Manage your energy future, learning the basics of solar, solar installation, citizen activism projects and democracy and the climate. EV and electric bicycles will be displayed, and information tables will be staffed to answer your questions.
Jim Neu
Eugene
You Cut Off the Funding
Pat Driscoll scolds Rep. Val Hoyle for not “cutting off funding to Israel” (EW letters, 8/28). Perhaps before throwing stones, Driscoll should try cutting off funding to Israel personally. After all, Driscoll has as much power to do that as the Democratic Congressional minority does.
Better yet, work to elect enough Democrats to give them a Congressional majority and the power to actually pass laws against the Republicans, who intend to pave Gaza for their friend Benjamin Netanyahu and put up a Donald Trump Mediterranean luxury resort on the mass graves.
Andrew Ross
Eugene
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
It’s the Illegal Weapons
One of the most effective ways to combat Latin American drug trafficking cartels would be to stop the illegal smuggling of U.S. made weapons into Mexico and other Latin American countries.
From Haiti to Mexico to Venezuela (think Tren de Aragua), the gangs have more sophisticated weapons than the police, thanks to gun-obsessed America turning a blind eye to the highly profitable illegal weapons trade.
I wish Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and other Latin American leaders would demand that the U.S. stop the flow of illegal weapons into their countries, which allows the gangs to terrorize their citizens and destabilize their societies.