Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2008 12:00 am
New reporting rules hurting small towns
Within the last few days, the City of Tangent lost a Planning Commission member due to the filing requirements of the State Ethics Commission.
Tangent is not the only city with this problem.
I happen to be strongly in favor of the filing information that some people have problems with. This requirement is to list the names of family members.
One of the common perceptions of many citizens, correct or not, is that "sweet deals" for friends and family members are a regular thing for city governments.
I believe that the only way around part of this perception is the requested information.
That said, there is a critical unintended consequence of this requirement. That consequence is that political conservatives will generally have the greatest objection to this requirement.
The result is that conservative viewpoints will be less well-represented in our local governments. As a result, a substantial fraction of our citizens will be politically disenfranchised.
For this reason, alone, we need to deal with this in a different way.
Additionally, many of our small, rural communities are strongly conservative.
They already have a hard time finding volunteers for the basic tasks of the city, just because of size.
Now, some of those cities will find it impossible to fill very important seats such as city councils and planning commissions.
This also demands that we find a better way.
James Wagner, City Council member, Tangent
Human rights concern loses to consumerism
You would think that after the realization that the International Olympic Committee had indirectly funded the Nazi campaign to take over Europe by holding the 1936 Olympics in Germany - remember that with the coming of the Olympics comes great economic wealth to the local economies - they would be careful about where they hold them in the future.
However, I can't be hypocritical since I still buy things made in China knowing the things that country does to its people and neighbors.
The fact that the U.S. went to war during World War II as a result of trying to defend China, and now here we are 60 years later still fighting with China over human rights, is a gross example that we are all addicts for the things we want over and above putting human rights first.
Show me the candy! Show me the oil!
Randy Wisnia, Corvallis
Pay your own way, go where you want
The Clemens Foundation news about further restricting where and what its beneficiaries may study ("Clemens clamps down," April 12) reminds me of the story my dad used to tell about his own education.
Grandfather would pay for it, but only if Dad went to "ag school."
He told the old man to go to hell and he went to the University of Minnesota.
Dianne Farrell, Corvallis
Swept up in surge of enlightenment
The surge is working! Not the war surge but the enlightenment surge.
The people of the world are responding to the human-caused chaos and destruction all around them.
People who were lazy are now getting active, those blind can now see, the fools are getting smart, the lies are coming to light, the timid are now showing courage, the hopeless now see hope, the hateful are showing compassion, the sheep are now becoming leaders, the selfish are now giving, those who only saw competition now want to learn cooperation, the irresponsible are now accepting personal responsibility, the believers in war are awakening to its endless folly, the nationalists are beginning to believe in more human unity, the fundamentalists are seeing the unfolding wisdom of goodness extended to all, the doomsayers are now seeing a brighter future, the demigods and warmongers who rally hate and fear have fewer and fewer listeners, those enslaved by the powerful few are liberating themselves, and the war chants and flag-waving has turned to more prayers and actions for peace, cooperation, understanding and friendship.
The people of the world are erupting in a beautiful volcano of enlightenment.
The goodness of humanity will overcome the evil men do.
The surge is working!
David Anderer, Albany
Israel was created by Zionist terrorists
Iris Rilov attempts to justify Zionism in her April 7 letter ("Hateful perspective won't lead to peace"). Ms. Rilov has somehow omitted a few important facts.
Zionism was defined in U.N. Resolution 3379, passed overwhelmingly by the General Assembly: "… determined that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination. …"
The document continued: "… any doctrine of racial differentiation or superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust, and dangerous."
And, it documented the "unholy alliance between South African apartheid and Zionism."
Israel was created by Zionist terrorists. Ask any Zionist about the bombing of the King David Hotel by the terrorist Menachim Begin in 1946.
Ask any Zionist about the slaughter of the men, women and children of Dier Yassin in l948.
Ask any Zionist about the rules governing water, jobs, schools, roads, license plates and ID cards in Palestine.
Ask any Zionist about the international rules of occupation.
Ask any Zionist about the Bantustans in the West Bank.
Ask any Zionist about the new two-volume book by Alan Hart: "Zionism, the real enemy of the Jews."
Zionists in Corvallis should understand that Zionism equals racism, and that most residents of Corvallis have little tolerance for racist philosophies.
We will continue our efforts to end the 60-year Zionist effort to displace the indigenous peoples of Palestine. The 60-year Palestinian holocaust must cease.
Kirk S. Nevin, Corvallis