Stop Complaining
If Amazon is going to build a distribution center near the Eugene airport, it is because there is a demand for it (EW, 9/11). If you don’t want an Amazon distribution center in the area, then cancel your Amazon account, your Amazon Prime membership and stop ordering merchandise off the Amazon website. You can usually order merchandise directly from the manufacturer or on a different website, and most of the time, if your order is over a certain amount, you get free shipping. Otherwise, stop complaining.
Chuck West
Eugene
Calling Out David Loveall
I’d like to thank Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch for showing the courage to call out David Loveall for his outrageous and consistent abuse of his position as chair of the commission.
Loveall’s treatment of numerous county employees reveals an ongoing pattern of abuse throughout his two years on the commission. Records show Loveall threatening, swearing, insulting and vowing professional retribution on county employees simply for objecting to this treatment. Combine this with his practice of bringing both a gun and a dog into the office, in violation of county safety rules, and it’s a clear effort to bully and intimidate and has made it impossible for staff to effectively do their jobs serving this community.
Loveall’s behavior has already cost the residents of Lane County $250,000 (plus massive legal fees) to settle a recently revealed complaint by a former employee. Regardless of what you think of the guy’s politics, it’s hard to make the case that this is a good use of our tax money.
The rest of the county commission needs to follow Buch’s lead and send a clear message that Loveall’s unhinged behavior and mistreatment of public servants are unacceptable. And the voters of this county need to remove him from office immediately.
Pete Goldlust
Eugene
The Ping and the Pong
When I was a child, I was enthralled by the game we played on our TV called “Pong.” Two vertical bars on opposite sides of the screen could be moved up and down to block and redirect the moving “ball” back across the screen to try to get past the opponent’s bar and win a point.
This is much how I see the letters in response to Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein’s viewpoint (EW 8/28), Charles Dunaway’s letter Sept. 4 then Katharina Jones’ letter Sept. 11: a ping then pong back of a two-sided debate drawing on their readings of history (forgive me if either of you are the authors of those histories, such as Rashid Khalidi or Illan Pappe, using aliases.)
After reading Jones’ letter, I was so tempted to jump into the game, correcting more historical distortions. But as I am not Khalidi or Pappe or any other historian of Palestine who has spent a lifetime uncovering and publishing the facts, I know better. I also know that I cannot argue someone into thinking differently, much like I won’t be argued into thinking differently.
So rather than moving the bar and pinging back, I’m suggesting that Dunaway, Jones and I go out for coffee to get to know each other. Then, or at the next coffee date, we can discuss how we can direct our energy toward what I suspect we all want: That all people (far and near) be treated the way we want ourselves and those we love to be treated.
Molly Sirois
Eugene
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
Just Don’t Say It
The article by Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein is pure hogwash (EW, 8/28). Antisemitic statements can be entirely avoided while criticizing Israeli policies, Zionism or the existence of Israel simply by not saying anything about Jews.
Daniel Athearn
Eugene
The Problems at Home
Recent news described the disruption of the town halls of Rep. Val Hoyle and Sen. Ron Wyden by a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters (out of hundreds in attendance) who insisted that their issue take precedence.
The U.S. is careening into authoritarianism and our house is on fire with chaos, confusion, mass firings, data breaches and disregard for rule of law. Donald Trump’s BBB proposes cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and further gutting of federal agencies like the IRS, CDC, SSA and EPA. Changes to the ACA subsidies, the advanced premium subsidies, are set to expire late 2025. This is the financial assistance that lowers the monthly cost of health insurance for many people, which was extended through Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. The CBO states that premiums could increase up to 75 percent in some states and about 4.2 million people could lose their current coverage due to rising costs. Economic stats indicate that unemployment is up and job growth is down significantly, indicating a possible recession.
We have so many serious crises here in the U.S. Why don’t we focus on those and stop dictating what should be done in Gaza — half way round the world — where there is so much biased misinformation coming forth it’s hard to sort out and everyone has their hardened opinion.
We here in the U.S. have people that go hungry, that are homeless, that are not provided mental health care or adequate health care and children that are dead from gun violence.
Let’s take care of them.
Zenia Liebman
Junction City
Valuing Oregon’s Wilderness
America’s natural heritage and public lands are at risk. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule that protects 45 million acres of National Forest land across the country. Revoking the rule would open priceless roadless backcountry to development, devastating intact habitat for native species, and compromising our right to access and enjoy public lands. As students who deeply value Oregon’s wilderness and these irreplaceable spaces across America, we understand their importance firsthand.
Oregon’s wild backcountry sustains over two million Oregonians’ drinking water and nearly 200,000 jobs in the outdoor industry. The areas provide essential opportunities where Americans can hike, camp, hunt, fish, and relax. For our generation, these lands represent our recreational playground and our environmental future. Permitting degradation through development and road construction would strike a devastating blow to our most valuable public lands.
We urge you to contact the USDA and Forest Service, asking them to maintain the Roadless Rule and support the diverse community of outdoor enthusiasts who depend on these protected areas. More importantly, contact your representatives in Congress to support the Roadless Area Conservation Act (RACA), which would permanently protect these areas from future political reversals. As young people who will inherit the consequences of today’s environmental decisions, we need your voice to ensure these wilderness areas remain intact for future generations. Once these wilderness areas are compromised, they cannot be restored — the time to act is now.
UO Law School Land Air Water
and Student Bar Association members
Eugene
We are at a Turning Point
“Je suis Charlie.” You don’t have to be old to remember those words. This was the French response after Frenchmen were killed for controversial, yet still free speech.
After an American was killed for the same, I see the face of the murdered man in the mirror. My heart grieves for his children. My neck hurts knowing that it could just as easily be my blood rushing out. I didn’t agree with him or seek out his content, but Charlie Kirk’s views were no more radical than my own or those of my neighbors, and he had just as much of a right to express them.
Today the USA is at a turning point. The line between possibilities lies in every heart.
Do we really believe everyone has the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? If not, we can descend further into hatred and violence, believing our enemies are subhuman and their lives do not matter.
Or we can ask for the strength to be better — the strength to love our enemies, to dialogue with them and see them in ourselves — the strength to be able to say, “Je suis Charlie.”
Rio Samaniego
Eugene
Not Mourning Here
I neither celebrate nor mourn Charlie Kirk. He reaped what he sowed, and I offer exactly the same level of sympathy and empathy toward him as he offered toward the victims of his abuse, people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants and Palestinians.
Zero.