Say What on Hoyle?
I am a little astounded to learn that certain environmental groups are not supporting Rep. Val Hoyle for Congress because they say she’s not “green” enough. She’s not “wild” enough. Unbelievable. They apparently think there is some other process that ignores or bypasses the realities of the current Congress. They conveniently ignore what Hoyle’s opponent would do for wilderness, for roadless areas, for public lands.
I have spent a good part of my adult life supporting public lands. It is inconceivable to me that these groups do not seem to recognize our current reality. The current administration and their friends in Congress don’t even believe in public lands. They are gutting national monuments. They are slashing National Park, Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management budgets and firing staff. Natural resource protection rules and programs are being eliminated. Public lands, like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, are being opened to mining, oil drilling and land speculation. And yes, the sale of public lands is on the agenda.
The only way to protect our public lands, including roadless areas and wilderness, is to elect strong, experienced members of Congress, who can effectively oppose the Republican plans to plunder our public lands. We need Democrats to take control of the House of Representatives. That’s it, there is no alternative universe where grassroots efforts to protect public lands can succeed with a congress under the control of the current administration. Our public lands are part of a life-or-death struggle for the control of Congress.
Val Hoyle is uniquely qualified to fight the current administration’s plans to gut our public lands and eliminate environmental protections. She supports the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act; both will be eliminated without a change in Congress. She supports wilderness and roadless area protections that would be gutted under the current administration.
Wishful thinking will not protect our public lands. We need an experienced fighter for us in Congress. And that fighter is Val Hoyle. I strongly support Rep. Val Hoyle as a voice in Congress for the protection of our public lands.
Bob Warren
Eugene
Keep Rural Communities Rural
There are approximately 256 unincorporated communities (UICs) in Oregon. They are mostly without public water, sewers and other infrastructure to support urban level uses. In Lane County, UICs include Fall Creek, London, Deadwood, Walton, Rainbow and 29 more, for a total of 34, more than any other county.
Recently, the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) initiated rulemaking (amending administrative rules) with the intent of allowing increased residential, commercial and industrial development in UICs and rezoning farm and forest lands for commercial and “light industrial” uses, including data centers and Amazon warehouses.
The rulemaking is progressing rapidly. Eighteen people, including at least six lobbying organizations, have been appointed to serve on the Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) which will review DLCD’s proposals and make recommendations to the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) by the end of the year.
ORS 183.333 requires that advisory committee membership must represent the interests of “communities likely to be affected by the rule” as well as those of “persons” likely to be affected by the rule.” UIC residents were not appointed to the RAC.
If you care about keeping rural Oregon communities rural and are not interested in seeing rural Oregon suburbanized, please send an email to LCDC Chair Allan Lazo: Allan.Lazo@dlcd.oregon.gov. Tell him and the commissioners to stop this inappropriate rulemaking and keep urban development inside cities, where it belongs.
Lauri Segel
LandWatch Lane County
Eugene
Not My Vote
I have tried numerous times to ask Rep. Darin Harbick (Oregon House District 12), Jake Pelroy (running for Lane County commissioner against Heather Buch) Monica DeSpain (running against Rep. Val Hoyle) and Christine Drazen (running for governor) if they support President Donald Trump with his 34 felony convictions and pedophile accusations, ICE, his Middle East war and economic, forestry and energy policies and no one has had the integrity to address any of these questions.
I request that all responsible voters demand answers to these critically important questions before ever considering voting for these obstructionists.
Our democracy and Constitution are too important to leave in the hands of those who undermine the basic spirit and intent of our county and Constitution. They will never get my vote. And I hope not yours either.
Craig Patterson
McKenzie Bridge
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
Trump Dismay
It is so disheartening to witness Trump, his acolytes and supporters’ all-out efforts to trash our natural world. How did human beings evolve into such a selfish, greedy, hateful state? People are part of the Earth’s ecosystem. When we hurt the natural world, we damage ourselves. Earthjustice, the Center for Biological Diversity and other worthy groups formed to fight for nature’s rights offer a ray of light and glimmer of hope in this otherwise dark and desperate world we all call home. Please join the fight.
Benton Elliott
Eugene
Response to De Name Them
Todd Boyle, (EW letters, 8/20) in war there are no rules. Give it a break on Vietnam, those of us who served took the flak from this country.
Why did you not bring up the atomic bomb, how many people did President Truman kill? He gave the orders.
The first school in the world that was named after Winston Churchill was our high school, here in Eugene.
When you play armchair quarterback, which you are doing, best put yourself in that time in history and understand why.
Steven E. Hunnicutt
Eugene
The Threats
A “baker’s dozen” of the biggest threats to democracy
1. Presidential usurpation of Congressional functions (straight out subversion of constitutional government)
2. Monopolies in restraint of trade (kings awarded monopolies to friendly barons)
3. Entertainment-oriented nightly news programs (sensationalist video reporting that teaches nothing important)
4. Lack of civics education for children and adults (limits knowledge of rights and responsibilities)
5. Interest-rate exploitation of borrowers (keeps people in perpetual poverty)
6. Daytime TV programming (soap suds in the eyes of democracy)
7. Hollywood movies (full of fantasy instead of reality)
8. Business advertising (misleading or false)
9. Religious theology (ignores findings of history and science)
10. Political party propaganda (criticizes the “mote” in the other party’s eye but fails to remove the “beam” in the favored party’s own eye)
11. SCOTUS’ Citizens United decision (enables outright purchase of elections)
12. SCOTUS’ Presidential immunity decision (enables corruption in office)
13. Lying, cheating, and stealing