'Orleans City Park' would honor bygone community

Hello. I have worked with many city representatives and community groups for many years. I helped lead projects such as the Corvallis Bypass, the rehabilitation of the Van Buren St. Bridge, Highway 34 projects, many local agency projects, and more.

I appreciate the rich historic assets in the area.

Therefore, I would like to name the park "Orleans City Park" in recognition of the historic town of Orleans, which was located on some of this property.

This could be an opportunity to bring education and preservation of a site which even today holds remnants of the lost community.

Steve Dockins, Philomath

Are city police selective in port-a-potty enforcement?

A few days ago in Central Park, I was using the port-a-potty at 2:30 a.m. Being an elderly gentlemen and one of the homeless, I find it difficult to hold it all night.

As I was returning to my vehicle, I was accosted by two Corvallis police officers.

I was questioned and informed of a variety of things - including that Central Park was off-limits after 10 p.m.

I thought I might pass this along to the students of Oregon State University. Heaven forbid they should become scofflaws, even by accident.

Central Park is not posted as being off limits at anytime, anywhere around the perimeter of the park. However, this remark by the officer may not apply to the university students and may apply only to the homeless, like myself.

In fairness, it should be pointed out that there is no law forbidding discrimination against the poor. We only have laws forbidding discrimination against people because of race, creed, or religion.

So, if you wish to discriminate against a person of a particular race, creed, or religion, you need only impoverish them first and then you can discriminate all you want.

The OSU students should feel reassured that the city police are on duty defending the port-a-potties of Corvallis against the trepidations of terrorists and such like. And may I say, "Well done!"

Not one port-a-potty has fallen or come under attack. Kudos to the Corvallis city police.

Hundley J. Bergstad, Corvallis

Clemens' generosity created a sense of entitlement

I was dismayed to read the headline "Educator: Clemens mission lost" (Gazette-Times, April 15).

The article shared the opinions of Henry Pete, superintendent of Philomath schools, who retired 42 years ago.

I'm sure Mr. Pete was a fine superintendent and is an honorable man, but I strongly disagree with his statement that the Clemens Foundation is "arrogant" and should change its name.

It is unfortunate that sustained philanthropy, and outright generosity, over a period of 40-plus years can create a sense of entitlement.

It appears that some families started to think they earned a right to a college scholarship, simply by having their child finish high school.

Rex and Ethel Clemens may have had an early vision about how these funds would be shared among the students of Philomath, Alsea, Eddyville and Crane, but that vision was formulated by the social and economic conditions at that time.

The times and circumstances have changed.

The Clemenses exercised care in determining who would act on their behalf to honor and carry out their vision and I respect their decisions.

I never had the pleasure of meeting these incredibly generous people, but my guess is that if they were alive today, their opinions and actions would more closely resemble those of the current representatives of the Clemens Foundation.

We owe this family, and their foundation, respect and gratitude, and we should feel fortunate that they are willing to continue giving many of our children this incredible opportunity to further their education beyond high school.

Bill Humphreys Sr., Corvallis

Don't let developers ruin Corvallis' lifestyle, safety

Reading Ricardo Loza's angry letter to the editor ("Preservationists are derailing dreams," April 18), I felt moved to reply.

First of all, let's get Mr. Loza's letter in perspective. Mr. Loza is an employee of developer Scott Sanders, not some poor little guy unable to build his dream house.

The land in question is at the corner of Brooklane and Chintimini and has the potential of many problems, not the least being the sidewalks. Drainage is a very long issue seemingly quite overlooked by the city.

This property development should be put on hold until the issues of sidewalk safety to those who walk, jog or bike and complete drainage is achieved.

It seems to be the policy these days to let developments be approved without concern for those around the development. Let's stop this beginning now.

Those of us living near developments that impact our lives, safety and property might find a better headline for a letter to the editor. Such as, "Developers ruining our lifestyle and putting our lives and property in jeopardy."

Lois Lacy, Corvallis

John Kroger the best choice for Oregon attorney general

I am impressed with candidate John Kroger, running for Oregon attorney general in the Democratic primary on May 20.

I heard him speak at the Benton County Democratic Party monthly meeting.

As a federal prosecutor he represented the United States over 1,000 times in court, against major criminals and corrupt Enron executives, and he is currently a professor at Lewis and Clark Law School.

He struck me as a sharply focused, thoughtful, energetic advocate for the people of Oregon.

He emphasizes that he believes the attorney general is the chief legal advocate for the citizens of Oregon. He firmly believes that drug prevention and treatment are the most effective and efficient way for Oregon to combat the drug problems that cause a majority of the property crime and correction expense in our state.

Additionally, he will dedicate staff time to enforce Oregon's environmental protection laws.

Both of these priorities touch almost every Oregonian.

Please join me in electing this exceptional legal professional to this important office.

Jay Sexton, Philomath

Give President Jimmy Carter the respect he deserves

By printing the cartoon on the editorial page on April 21, you have joined in the chorus condemning President Jimmy Carter as being naive or a dupe of the Palestinians.

How on earth do you expect to come to terms with your opponents if you don't talk to them?

Carter has done more to promote peace in the Middle East than any human on the planet. As you may or may not recall, it was through his efforts that Egypt and Israel stopped warring with each other - a truce that is still in effect today.

In return, his actions have been vilified by Israeli and American politicians and news makers.

He announced that Hamas will respect Israel's right to live in peace if Palestinians approve in a referendum. This is a concession that no amount of belligerence has ever achieved.

Give him the respect he deserves.

Philip Scott, Corvallis

American troops enmeshed in fighting no-win Iraq war

We are trying by force to create a nation where none has existed for 1,000 years, and where the British failed miserably in the same endeavor after World War I.

Before that war, the area known as "Mesopotamia" was administered as three disparate, incompatible provinces of the Ottoman Empire (1533-1918).

They were separated by religion (Sunni-Shia) and ethnicity (Kurds.) They have been killing each other for centuries, and they still are.

The internecine warfare was ruthlessly suppressed by Saddam Hussein. It wasn't a nation under him; it was a prison without walls.

With his fall, the stopper was removed on the violence, and we found ourselves refereeing a civil war.

The referee doesn't "win" or "lose." We were never (as Sen. McCain claims) "staring into the abyss of defeat."

That's hogwash! There was no more chance of our being defeated militarily than there is now of achieving the Bush-McCain fantasy of "a peaceful, stable, prosperous democracy."

And there you have it.

Gen. Petraeus said: "We haven't turned any corners. We don't see light at the end of the tunnel."

And as the Brits learned long ago, it's not likely that we will. We're trying to get blood from a turnip. It can't be done.

John Goodwin, Lebanon

Philomath School Board could decide scholarships

I just wanted to say something about the Clemens scholarships:

Our three children went to college on it. We appreciated it, as at the time, we couldn't afford to send them to school.

I suggest the Lowthers turn the money over to the (Philomath) school board and let them determine who is eligible and who deserves a scholarship.

That way, they won't have to make all of these decisions of who is and who isn't eligible.

Dan Hart, Philomath

Building border wall with Mexico won't solve problem

I am writing to voice my opinion on the subject of all the billions of dollars the United States is planning to spend on building a wall on our border with Mexico.

Americans enjoy their vacations in Mexico but don't seem to consider helping to improve the general livability in Mexico so people wouldn't have to come across the border looking for work.

Do we think they get crammed into smugglers' vehicles, leave their families behind and risk their lives crossing the desert just for fun?

If only our government could use some of that money for job training or employment incentives to improve conditions in Mexico, we wouldn't need to block them out.

Isn't a wall kind of a mediaeval concept in trying to keep out the bad and keep in the good?

I don't think people really believe that it will protect us from terrorists trying to slip in across unguarded borders. There are plenty of other ways to get in.

Wouldn't it be more practical to use our money to help create a better environment for all concerned and eliminate the need for walls?

Peggy Mullett, Corvallis