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Letter to the Editor
Sam Adams is an honorable man. He’s a lousy liar. He’s had no practice.
I don’t know why Sam said what he said. Maybe he was sick or just “bone tired”. He was obviously caught off guard.
I do know he is a human being. Everyone has an “Achilles heel”. Maybe he knew the bullies were about to have a heyday.
Maybe he had a “flashback” to his childhood & just “reacted” to all the torments, gut punches, accusations & public humiliation little “gay” boys face every day at school.
I do know he felt the threat of being removed from the one position where he has the power to get PDX out of the trouble it’s in.
I think Portlanders are smart enough to see through what is really going on.
Pat Wagner
Linnton
Abortion doctor’s murder sheds light on constitutional commitment
To the Editor:
I am writing today to share my deep, personal sadness and that of the entire Planned Parenthood family about the murder of Dr. George Tiller this morning, May 31, in Kansas.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and those close to him who are suffering a personal tragedy.
Dr. Tiller was the epitome of high quality medical care underscored by deep compassion for his patients. While he was not a Planned Parenthood provider, Dr. Tiller provided critical reproductive health care services, including abortion services, to women facing some of the most difficult medical circumstances. He was continually harassed by abortion opponents for much of his career - his clinic was burned down, he was shot by a health center protestor, and he was recently targeted for investigation only to be acquitted by a jury just a few months ago.
None of this stopped George Tiller from his commitment to providing women and their families with compassionate care that others were unwilling to offer.
His death is an enormous loss for the patients who relied on him, his dedicated staff, and the medical community. And it is also a loss for each of us for whom Dr. Tiller represented courage against unbelievable adversity.
Sincerely,
Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Disappointing: Laurelhurst residents oppose street renaming
To the Editor:
May 26 was a sad day in the neighborhood. That was the day when the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association, or rather an uncharacteristically large crowd of non-regulars that suddenly appeared at the meeting, voted to oppose the renaming of 39th Avenue to Cesar Chavez Avenue. The vote was comfortably passed by the homogeneous crowd, the lone dissenting voice coming from the only non-European American present. Although not Latino by any stretch of the imagination, he then was assigned “Mexicaness” by default, he was addressed as “Cesar” and dismissed with “Adios” when he declined to sign the petition to oppose the street renaming.
It was a sad day because it could have been so different. But instead those at the meeting repeated the arguments centered on the faulty process (which is standard city policy that has been applied prior – faulty or not), the historical importance of the current name “39th Avenue” (what???), the devastating effects the renaming would have on local businesses (all three of them?), the terrible inconvenience of having to change one’s address (which probably would not be so terrible if the new name was European) and the “eye sore” that a sign baring Cesar Chavez’ name would create (no comment).
What could have happened instead is that the dear folks of Laurelhurst would have recognized the opportunity to break from the past. That past includes the explicit exclusion of Chinese, Japanese and Blacks from what was intended to be a “high class” development. That not so distant history also includes the beating to death of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw near Laurelhurst Park by a group of skinheads who used to hang out there in the late eighties.
The dear residents of Laurelhurst could have tried to change their karma for the better by embracing the legacy of Cesar Chavez. They could have demonstrated their commitment to a different future by celebrating the life of a man who was all about struggling for equality for those who put food on our tables.
The ribbon cutting for Cesar Chavez Avenue could have been a splendid party. I can almost hear a rainbow of children laughing in celebration of their departure from their grandparent’s mistakes. The good people of Laurelhurst could have had an opportunity to actually get to know the hard-working men who mow their lawns and discover that those men not only love their familias the same way folks in Laurelhurst do, but that they also have a history that reaches at least as far back. In the process we could have all become a little more human.
Too bad for Laurelhurst. Too bad.
Gabriele Ross
(A not so proud resident of NE 39th Avenue)
Paul Kagame & the African Leadership meeting
To the Editor:
Here are some things people should know about Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame:
n In 1990 he trained at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
n The accusation against him (mentioned in a general way by Colin McCoy) is that in 1994 he personally ordered the assassination of the then-presidents of Rwanda and Burundi. They were returning to Rwanda from a peace meeting in Tanzania when their plane was shot down while landing at Kigali airport.
n At the time, Kagame’s Tutsi-dominated RPF, armed by the U.S., was invading Rwanda. This, plus the double assassination, contributed to the killing of several hundred thousand people in Rwanda.
n After Kagame took power, his army was trained by US Special Forces and invaded Zaire to help overthrow the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. The ailing Mobutu, in my opinion, had outlived his usefulness to the US. He fled to Morocco and later died.
n Rwanda and its ally Uganda are now looting eastern Congo (formerly Zaire) of its resources, and delivering them to gobal corporations.
This is the man who now makes uplifting speeches about Africa, and is portrayed in the western media as the savior of Rwanda.
Per Fagereng
Portland OR
Corruption breeds officials like Blago, Leonard
Dear Editor:
Rod Blagojevich was my Illinois state representative in the early 1990s and I well remember his boyish face on the billboards near the el. I don’t think he was so corrupt back then, and he didn’t swear so much. He was occasionally in the news for some “creative” interpretation of the law; however, he got things done and, after all, it was Chicago – “the city that works.” It is no coincidence that Blagojevich’s immediate predecessor, George Ryan, was also arrested while governor: In my ancestral home state of Illinois it is not the corn that corrupts, rather the environment of corruption itself which breeds more and more corruption.
In 2009 Randy Leonard is my City of Portland Commissioner and I see him shepherding us down this same slippery slope by selectively ignoring the law to the benefit of a privileged class of citizens and the expense of regular citizens . Since taking over the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) in 2003 Leonard worked to create a culture where the rule of law is secondary to the interests of wealthy developers. As his chief of staff explained at an insider breakfast, BDS staff will “look at the code book in a creative way” and not “latch on to the letter of the law.” [DJOC Apr 28, 2003] Leaving no doubt as to what was expected, Leonard threatened that he would hold staff personally responsible if they tried to interpret the law too rigidly. [DJOC Feb 28, 2003]
Because I have witnessed both how quickly corruption grows from peccadillo to felony as well as the extent to which the law was subverted in a recent land use case, I offer three objections to Leonard’s stated strategy of selectively ignoring the law.
Objection Number One: Ignoring selective aspects of the law gives unequal protection under the law.
As a simple citizen I read the law simply and expect simple enforcement of the law. Other citizens, fortunate to lunch the right circles, enjoy a privileged understanding. My journey into the Portland development world began when a zoning code adjustment for a condominium in my neighborhood was extralegally granted. At first, I assumed that this was a simple error or the result of misplaced motivation by BDS staff and so appealed the ruling first in front of the local adjustment committee and then before the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). Because I wasn’t invited to the insider’s breakfast club, I expected the law to be simply enforced and, as a consequence, suffered the loss of weeks of work and thousands of dollars in legal bills with no chance at fairness or even of being heard.
Objection Number Two: Ignoring selective aspects of the law causes anxiety and mistrust.
Just as the police must use extra constraint because of their access to force, the law maker must be extra diligent in following the law in a simple and imitable way. Variations from straightforward and open enforcement of the law creates a credibility gap that clouds all government actions and proposals. The prejudice towards insider developments that I had witnessed in my land use case makes it easy for me to believe foul play when I read the recent article “Why Can’t a Chinatown Businessman Get the Same Breaks as More Powerful Developers.” [WW Dec 17, 2008] The disrespect for the rule of law displayed by city hall makes it difficult for me to be excited about the Portland Plan (why make more laws that will not be enforced?) and wonder at the extent of the malfeasance surrounding the police death of James Chasse and other innocents.
Objection Number Three: Ignoring selective aspects of the law creates a culture where deceit and corruption succeed.
As we continually witness at the national level, the political cover up is often worse than the infraction. In one simple land use case I witnessed collusion between the Mayor’s office and BDS staff to illegally alter the public record and a City of Portland lawyer drive all the way to Salem to perjure himself before the LUBA court. In governments corruption cascades and feeds in ominous ways - making secrecy and deception success skills and governors of men like Blagojevich and Ryan.
Zoning law is written to encourage developers and neighbors to work together for win-win development. Enforcing a subset of zoning laws known only to insider developers creates a starting point of unfairness, pollutes the entire governmental system with secrecy and deception, and results in a clutter of misplaced and underwanted buildings.
It has been more than five years since Leonard redefined the BDS to make it more beneficial to the building industry. [DJOC May 11, 2005]
During this time period at the federal level of government we all witnessed an unprecedented disrespect for the rule of law and the resulting loss of life, prosperity and respect. It is time for city council to audit the BDS to see how Leonard’s policy of enforcing the law ‘creatively’ affects the rest of us. My hope is for a more open and honest city government where the rule of law is above monied interests and the ambitions of men. Holding our local elected officials to a high standard will result in trickle up democracy and make the whole world even better, no doubt!
Joe Meyer
SE Portland
Wanted: Challenger to take on Wyden
At its May 24th meeting, the State Coordinating Committee formed a search committee to find a candidate to take on Senator Ron Wyden in the 2010 election.
Wyden will face a Green Party challenge in part because of his opposition to a single-payer health care system in the context of the Obama administration’s current push for health care reform.
In a May 18th post on TheHill.com, Alexander Bolton and Jeffrey Young state that in Wyden’s view, “the key to passing lasting healthcare reform is finding a legislative solution that can win at least 70 votes in the Senate.”
Bolton and Young go on to write that “(Wyden’s) not shy about letting Democrats know that means dropping thoughts of a government-run public plan for the entire nation.”
Senator Wyden’s health care reform bill, S 391, also known as the “Healthy Americans Act”, would require all adults whose health insurance is not provided by one of a class of plans (such as those provided by Medicare, the Veterans Administration, or a previous employer) to purchase a Healthy Americans Private Insurance (“HAPI”) Plan.
“I wouldn’t have any Republicans on the Healthy Americans Act as cosponsors if we had a public option,” Wyden told politico.com recently.
Pacific Greens are urged to e-mail suggestions for potential candidates (with contact information) to one of the members of the search committee:
Charles Newlin (newlin@peak.org)
Kathy Leonard-Bushman (sassykathy464@gmail.com)
Mike Van Handel (mikevanh@comcast.net)
Note that a candidate must be registered as a Pacific Green at the time of nomination. As suggested by the preceding material, potential candidates must be able to champion single-payer legislation as outlined in the party platform.
Nominee
Dear Editor:
June is Adopt a Shelter Cat month, and as an animal shelter volunteer and guardian of two adopted cats, I encourage people who are ready to add a cat to their family to visit their local shelter.
From playful kittens to cuddly “lap cats,” regal Persians to cute calicos, shelters are overflowing with cats of every stripe. The need for responsible, loving homes is especially great right now, as many Americans are being forced to surrender their beloved feline companions due to financial hardships or home foreclosures.
With so many more animals than there are good homes for them, shelters have no choice but to euthanize many of these healthy, friendly cats.
Please, help change this by adopting cats from shelters instead of buying kittens from pet stores or breeders and by having your feline friends spayed or neutered. Visit www.HelpingAnimals.com for more ways to help.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Pollard-Post
Research Specialist
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510
757-622-7382, ext. 8107
LindsayP@peta.org
Transit riders union & TriMet’s troika
Dear editor,
Your May issue featured a News Bite on TriMet getting $32 million for light rail expansion, under the Obama stimulus plan. Those of us who have been actively organizing on TriMet issues this spring and summer have noticed that while TriMet looks to be implementing $23 million in service cuts to bus routes and bus and MAX frequency, TriMet continues to garner funds for the eastside trolley, the possible light rail bridge to Vancouver, and just started the WES train on the westside.
Two of us (from PSU and PCC) in the newly-reformed Transit Rider Union (which meets Saturdays at 11 am at PSU’s Chit Chat Cafe, 1906 SW 6th, across from the Ondine Building) have gone to the last two TriMet board meetings, and many of us organized a protest of these transit service cuts at the May, 2009 board meeting.
It makes no sense to be cutting public transit in the Metro area when Oregon is 2nd, among the 50 states, in unemployment, and workers need to get to work or to do job hunting. As more people lose their housing (as tenants or as foreclosed homeowners), sell their cars (or live in their cars), more and more people become transit-dependent. In PSU Progressive Student Union’s current Tenant Rights Project, we are organizing tenants in several Section 8 downtown buildings where the housing is SROs (Single Room Occupancy) and no one has a car -- all are transit-dependent people.
In organizing on TriMet issues this year, we have found that there seems to be three main players, in the rather invisible TriMet bureaucracy: Fred Hansen, TriMet’s $250,000 per year General Manager, George Passadore, former regional president of Wells Fargo Bank and now chair of the TriMet board, and Bob Williams, who told us at the Portland Building public input hearing that he was the main person on the board who, in 2008, pushed (unsuccessfully!) to gut Fareless Square and that he (Williams) is the main person on the board now who wants to axe or cut Fareless Square this year, in 2009. Passadore and Williams are the longest-serving board members, and the TriMet board is appointed by Oregon’s governor (rather than being elected).
While some pro-sustainability organizers consider TriMet to be one of the better transit agencies in the U.S., in terms of social sustainability (frequent fare increases, attacks against Fareless Square, cutbacks in frequency of service, and in some cases, getting rid of ‘unimportant’ bus routes altogether) -- TriMet (not to put too fine a point on it) basically sucks.
How can service cuts be stopped? What are alternative funding sources, given the state of the national, and especially, Oregon’s, decrepit economy? How does housing and transit ‘redlining’ discriminate against communities of color, the working poor, and indigent transit riders?
In 2008, transit riders won a victory by defeating TriMet’s proposal to axe Fareless Square, but that move (as promoted by board member Williams and others) is rising, Phoenix-like, again. Sisters in Action for Power (since disbanded) also was able to win free bus passes for students at two local high schools, despite initial TriMet opposition. As early as 1995, Lake Oswego senator Walt Brown (D) and others formed TriMet Oversight Project, but that effort (like Portland Coalition Against Poverty’s 2008 four-meetings- only transit riders group) fizzled out.
To create a mass-based, activist transit advocacy group that can work on making more of the transit system free to riders, support immediate increases in the tax on Oregon corporations, and raise the payroll tax ceiling in the Legislature in Salem (Kulongoski is ‘working on’ this, but over a 10-year time frame), organizers hope that the current Transit Riders Union (TRU) will be able to stop the cuts, make the TriMet board elected not appointed, and revive Owl buses (a budget cut in the 1980s), among many other reforms.
Like jobs, health care, and access to education, public transit is an essential social service, perhaps even a human right. The ‘green’ and ‘peace’ rhetoric coming out of the Obama White House seems to emphasize capital projects, not operations funding, for public transit (and continued wars for empire and oil profits, from Baghdad to Kabul, from Tehran to Caracas, etc.).
Fareless Square was created to fight air pollution. Public transit fights against the oil-profit mid east wars and against global warming. The current TriMet board and bureaucracy seems to be ‘going through the motions’ while giving Oregonians the shaft, with a shrug. As activists protesting TriMet policies in May, 2009, noted, TriMet GM Fred Hansen’s attitude toward riders seems to be “Let them eat cake!”
Lew Church, Coordinator
PSU Progressive Student Union
Portland State
lewchurch@gmail.com
“Cash for Clunkers” is an Environmental Clunker
“Clunker” of a Bill Would Increase Pollution
June 2, 2009
Dear Editor:
As “Cash for Clunkers” legislation moves closer to becoming law, the unintended negative consequences of this radical bill should be of concern to all Americans. The legislation, which in theory is supposed to be environmentally-friendly, would actually increase the amount of pollution generated for years to come.
“Cash for Clunkers” is touted as protecting the environment by taking older vehicles off the road and replacing them with new, more fuel efficient vehicles. The reality is that the trade-in vehicles will be scrapped regardless of the amount of useful life they have left. It’s ironic that a proposal designed to reduce pollution will actually further damage the environment. While the true intention of this legislation is not to protect the environment but to financially stimulate the automobile industry in the short term, the hidden costs of this bill could cause environmental havoc indefinitely.
The “Cash for Clunkers” amendment, included as part of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454), states that “For each eligible trade-in vehicle…the vehicle, including the engine and drive train will be crushed or shredded within such period and in such manner as the Secretary prescribes.”
Cash for Clunkers is loaded with so many potholes that the American people will be paying a steep bill both economically and environmentally for a long time. In addition to the wasteful nature of destroying perfectly good vehicles, a tremendous amount of energy and resources will be exhausted to build new vehicles to replace the scrapped ones. Providing tax incentives to purchase new vehicles or maintain current vehicles maintained for fuel efficiency would be a much better use of federal money that would truly benefit the environment.
Interested parties can send an e-mail in opposition to the Cash for Clunkers program to the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader and their congressional representatives by visiting www.fightcashforclunkers.org and clicking on “Take Action.”
Sincerely,
Aaron Lowe
Vice President, Government Affairs
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
7101 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1300
Bethesda, MD 20814-3415
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