Posted: Wednesday, June 4, 2008 12:00 am
'Black Guy' booth created interaction
I applaud Jeff Oliver for having the ingenuity, sense of humor and spunk to open and man the "Meet a Black Guy" booth at the Saturday market.
As a transplant from an area with more diversity, I could never have imagined the need for something like that -
before I moved to Oregon and saw an ad in the paper for "The Black Family Reunion" and realized that it wasn't a reference to a family named Black.
What I can't understand is the reaction from Ron Naasko, who called it "degrading."
I would think that the interaction the booth created, and the smiles shared, would make it anything but "a little bit low class."
Good job, Mr. Oliver.
Rebecca Stillwell
Albany
New religion based on fear, redemption
We now have a new state-sponsored religion. Something the framers of the Constitution feared.
This is not a religion in the traditional sense but is based, like any religion, on fear and redemption, and the idea that the individual must sacrifice in the name of something greater than himself. This religion has entered our lives through government fiat at the local, state, and federal level.
We are expected to be "true believers" embracing this new religion and incorporate it into our daily lives either willingly or be punished through laws, whether we believe or not.
Children are being proselytized in this new religion in our publicly funded madras.
The priests of this religion, and their parishioners, are terribly certain of their beliefs, and that they have the right to tell us how to conduct our lives. By doing so they will achieve "inner peace" for doing the right thing.
Like religions of the past, and some present-day religions, the followers of this religion believe they have the right to exact punishment on those who do not conform in order to make their ideas a reality.
In this new order we will be told how we must live. As one candidate, with many followers, recently said, "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times. That's not going to happen."
What is this new religion: Radical environmentalism.
Warren E. Sisson Jr.
Corvallis
McCain may suffer from stress disorder
I am very concerned about the likelihood that John McCain suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after being held as a prisoner of war for five and one-half years in Hanoi, Vietnam.
I honor the heroic survival of John McCain's spirit and subsequent public service.
However, I question the effect of PTSD on a leader's ability to make sound decisions in moments of crisis.
I think this issue merits public debate.
Abigail Schenkel
Corvallis
Do Clinton backers understand irony?
Apparently, the Democratic Rules Committee was disrupted repeatedly by Hillary Clinton supporters booing Barack Obama and shouting, "Let every vote count, Go McCain."
Senior Adviser Harold Ickes was quoted by CNN as saying, "This motion will hijack, hijack, remove four delegates won by Hillary Clinton and most importantly reflect the preferences of 600,000 Michigan voters."
I wonder if the Clinton supporters understand the irony of their actions.
Let's take a short trip down memory lane, shall we?
Florida and Michigan violated party rules and moved their primaries earlier than Feb. 5.
Party officials of both states were warned repeatedly that this would result in their delegates not being seated at the convention.
In September of 2007, along with Richardson, Obama, Dodd and Biden, Clinton signed a loyalty pledge promising not to campaign in either state.
February comes along and Obama has an impressive string of victories and out-fundraises Clinton's campaign by better than a 2-1 margin.
Clinton changes her stance to "let Michigan and Florida count."
One can argue that Clinton should receive a majority of the ballots in Florida at least in part because all candidates were in the state prior and post campaign ban.
No amount of twisted logic can justify awarding any of Michigan's delegates to Clinton where her rivals honored their commitment and actively removed their names leaving Clinton as the only choice on the ballot.
Apparently rules and integrity matter only when one is in the lead.
John T.L. Lee
Corvallis
Letter writer's quote was not quite right
In his May 29 letter, Leo de Vogel misquoted a line from the movie "All About Eve."
The correct quote is: "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night" - not a bumpy ride.
Pam Wegner
Corvallis
Which president do you really prefer?
So President Bill Clinton committed a puerile indiscretion in the Oval Office, while at the same time his administration had a surplus in the budget and the country was doing well economically.
President George W. Bush is a "moral" person who has started a war on a country which did not provoke the U.S., using half-truths and outright lies to justify it. Millions of people have been killed and maimed as a result.
Millions of Americans are going hungry and may not have any health insurance.
The economy is rapidly spiraling downward as prices rise astronomically.
Which president would you rather have?
Angela Carlson
Corvallis