Posted: Thursday, May 31, 2007 12:00 am
As a Corvallis resident for 24 years, I appreciate our city's commitment to livability and natural open space.
In my neighborhood, friends and neighbors enjoy daily walks through Witham Oaks, a 95-acre oak savannah.
Our sense of community and connection is deepened as we share relaxing conversation and private reflection in the soothing balm of this pristine wilderness.
These kinds of experiences are essential for keeping us healthy and grounded in an all-too-busy and over-stimulating world. Open space is the modern day equivalent of a "front porch," in which friends and neighbors meet to share ideas and experience life at a more natural pace; it's how we remember that we are all part of the same community.
I believe that developing Witham Oaks into tract housing would destroy this vital tool for keeping the soul of my neighborhood - and of this city - strong.
Surely there are other places in Corvallis in which houses could be built. Surely the profits of an out-of-town developer are not more important than the long-term well being of our citizens and of future generations.
So how about if we collectively purchase this 95 acres of precious land and designate it as open space? Instead of wiping out irreplaceable wilderness, we can instead choose to invest in a stronger community by keeping Witham Oaks a natural gathering place for Corvallis residents.
Open space builds community. Let's build more connection and community, not more buildings.
Suzannah Doyle
Corvallis
Recognition of same-sex unions was long overdue
I never saw the problem that many other people have against same-sex couples. Maybe it is because I am only 15, and I grew up in Oregon during a time when a lot of people began to accept gay couples. Or maybe it is because I was raised by my parents to appreciate all people and not discriminate against anyone because of their race, gender or sexual orientation.
I remember when Oregon constitutional amendment 36 was passed, even though I was pretty young at that time. I was shocked because it seemed ridiculous to me that our state wouldn't allow gay couples to marry, especially since most people I knew were totally supportive of same-sex marriage.
I can't believe that it took so long for Oregon - one of the most liberal and open-minded states - to recognize and show same sex-couples the respect they have long been denied. I'm glad that it has finally happened, and I hope that other parts of our nation and the world follow our example.
Jenny Swanson
Philomath
Sugary drink was not the right reward for athleticism
My niece recently described a very exciting event in her life: During halftime at a Corvallis High School girl's basketball game, she successfully shot two free throws in a row to win a giant pop.
As I congratulated her on her fine accomplishment, it occurred to me the irony of rewarding a feat of athleticism with approximately 15 teaspoons of sugar, conservatively assuming she won a 21-ounce cup of pop (a size medium at most fast food chains). How about a free ticket for an upcoming CHS athletic event, instead?
Amy Harding
Albany
Congress needs a thorough cleaning of House, Senate
Recently Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican from Kansas, commented on the Senate measure relative to stem cell research. He was quoted in the April 12 Bend Bulletin: "It's wrong to use any person as a means to an end … " This is typical political hyperbole and hypocrisy.
For one thing, many medical procedures use people as a means for an end. Examples extend from giving blood to organ donations. Also, people are used in experimental drug and medical procedures to help find a cure for or to prevent diseases.
What I find especially troubling is that this comes from a man who found it apparently not contradictory to vote for the initial support of the Bush administration's war in Iraq. (Talk about using people for a means to an end - the securing of Iraqi oil for big international oil companies.)
In the same article, our own Sen. Gordon Smith holds up The Bible on the Senate floor and states: "I do not find that religion and science are in conflict … I believe they are in harmony." Either he knows nothing about science, or he hasn't read the book of Genesis. Either way, the statement is ludicrous.
Are these men really the kind of critical thinkers that we need in government trying to solve the pressing problems of our nation and the planet? It's time to clean house, starting at the top.
Roger Paul
Corvallis
Appointing a 'war czar' won't bring us peace in Iraq
Does anyone remember the Energy Czar? What about the Drug Czar? Oh, hey; what about Utah's Porn Czar? (Now that was a Czar! Or is it Czarina because the anointed one was a woman?) No matter, I guess.
We all know that the Energy Czar eradicated our dependence on foreign oil; the Drug Czar eradicated our illicit drug problems, and Utah is now a porn-free zone (the Internet stops at their border).
Those incredible feats are all due to the appointment of a "Czar" - with magical insights and amazing powers to battle evildoers everywhere and make the world safe. And now, in that grand tradition, "Bush the Lesser" has appointed a War Czar.
What a brilliant insight into our current predicament after four years of gross mismanagement. A War Czar will solve all, just like the Energy, Drug and Porn Czars before him. The irony of this new nonsense is that the only duty the Constitution assigns to our president is that of commander-in-chief over our armed forces. In other words, the president is supposed to be the "War Czar." And now, Bush has abdicated that responsibility, too.
Jon Gold
Corvallis
NAFTA superhighway threatens U.S. sovereignty
In her May 28 letter, Joyce Crawford wanted to know more about questionable trade deals and plans going on behind closed doors of our administration. The highway she is asking about is called the North American Free Trade Agreement superhighway, and the shady policy behind it is the formation of the North American Union.
The NAU is the brainchild of a nongovernment group called the CFR, or the Council on Foreign Relations, and is planning to merge the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States.
NAFTA was passed in late 1993, and I encourage everyone to research this topic. It severely undermines the businesses of our country, and millions of Americans have lost good paying jobs because of it. The NAFTA superhighway is also worth looking into. The details of this highway cannot possibly be fully explained in this letter, but basically this highway will stretch from Mexico to Canada through the central United States. This highway is crucial for the establishment of the NAU.
The most concise model I can relate it to is the European Union. Basically, the sovereignty of our country is in jeopardy. At this moment, the "leaders" of this country are methodically transforming our republic, all the while destroying the Constitution and your civil liberties.
Don't take my word for it. Do the research and discover for yourself what is really going on in this country. And please; do not watch the mainstream news if you wish to be informed.
Doug Huntley
Corvallis
Terrorism battle presents the U.S. with a 'Catch-22'
The terrorists derive their strength from our aggression. The harder we fight, the stronger they become. It seems the only way we can win the war on terror is to stop fighting.
Ed McDowell
Corvallis