Don’t wait for them to come for you
ICE operates far beyond the reach of the law, right here in Lane County, and we as citizens must intercede and protest their actions. Obvious racial profiling, faces hidden behind masks and sunglasses, heavily armed agents. Pursuing your fellow human beings as if they were dangerous animals. Violations of our courts and the Constitution…with no opportunity for detainees to receive due process under the law.
Separate children from parents. Collection of secret data. This is all funded by our federal government, at the behest of white nationalists Donald Trump and Stephen Miller. Racist beliefs, guns and unlimited funding are a dangerous combination.
Make no mistake…this is the beginning of a police state, financed and built by a totalitarian federal government. Don’t look away or abandon others, because one day soon they might come knocking at your door.
Protest, donate, report, ask your church to get involved, talk to your friends, neighbors and elected officials. Act quickly or it will be too late.
John Costello, Eugene
Earth’s Most Precious Resources
This morning we learned that Trump will dismantle protections for endangered species. These are animals (beavers, sea otters, wolves, spotted owls, etc.) which, as keystone species, play a particularly crucial role in the ecosystems where they live.
The announcer of the news said people would be sad if they could no longer see these animals in the wild. Loving seeing these animals is not the most important reason to save them. We passed laws to save them, because without the ecosystems they support, we cannot live.
We depend on healthy, natural systems for our very lives. The green world of plants and forests also contains keystone species. Breathe deeply. Know that this is only possible because plants and trees consume the CO2 you exhale and produce the oxygen you inhale.
Trump seems to completely ignore the importance of the natural world. He seems to think that the only value of the environment is the financial profit that can be made from the exploitation of natural resources. Of course we must use natural resources to live, but at the same time we must be careful not to destroy the systems that make life possible.
And that’s exactly what Trump is going to do to Earth’s precious atmosphere. It promotes and subsidizes fossil fuels, a leading cause of the climate crisis, while ending all forms of clean energy. Money won’t do any good on a frying planet.
Bonnie Joyce, Myrtle Point
Oregon Democrats Don’t Care What You Want
Petition signings have finally begun regarding the referendum to end the massive tax and transportation fee package (House Bill 3991) passed this year by the Democratic-controlled Oregon Legislature. Mainstream media coverage of this effort has been scant to non-existent.
The Democrats will use every weapon in their arsenal to defeat the referendum. They absolutely do not want voters to have any say in the decision. This first became evident during the committee hearings, when thousands of testimonies were received, 95 percent of which were against it. All of this was for naught since the bill was passed without Republican support.
Gov. Tina Kotek fired the next shot as she waited until almost the last day to sign the bill, significantly reducing the time petitioners have to collect signatures.
There are at least three more arrows in their quiver, one or more of which will likely come into play as the petition drive continues. Space constraints prevent any explanation here, but the story reveals how these items were used in the past.
The last successful statewide citizen referendum against legislation (Senate Bill 833) was Measure 88 in 2014, when voters overwhelmingly said “NO!” » driving licenses for undocumented immigrants.
Following this embarrassing reprimand, the majority party strengthened its resolve to prevent a repeat. One of the weapons mentioned above is the overturning of an election decision, which Democrats did in 2019 under the Measure 88 mandate.
If we want our voices to be respected, it’s time to clean up the State Capitol!
Jerry Ritter, Springfield
What about an arts and culture journalist?
I was happy to meet all the Register-Guard reporters in Sunday’s paper. But I was dismayed to see that you had four sports reporters and not a single person covering the arts. Have you forgotten Eugene’s slogan? “A great city for ARTS and the outdoors.” We have many talented writers, musicians and artists, as well as vibrant theater and ballet companies. Celebrate them!
Carola Dunn, Eugene
Editor’s note: Although we currently don’t have any staff members dedicated to arts coverage, we have started a weekly roundup we call “Eugene Cultural Minute.” You can find it in the Wednesday print and digital editions.
Education should focus on the basics
I just finished reading the article about the various school districts in Oregon showing declining enrollment. What caught my attention was the fact that these numbers have been significantly affected by the increase in homeschooling and charter school attendance.
I think Oregon educators should realize that many families have pulled their children out of public education here because of their insistence on including a wake-up curriculum in the classroom. If public schools just taught the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, parents might be willing to return their children.
Having taught in an elementary school in California for 10 years in the 70s, I can assure you that the level of understanding in all of these subjects would also improve. And, who knows, kids might be more willing to attend their classes instead of missing out like 33% of them currently do.
Joan Jensen, Springfield
How to submit a letter to the editor: Send your letter by email to letters@registerguard.com or by mail to 388 Pearl St. Eugene, OR 97401. Letters should include your first and last name, telephone number, and city and state of residence.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Letter Writers Address Oregon Tax Education and Federal Issues
