Council should support a department of peace

I would like to differ with your July 19 editorial, "City Council has enough to do at home." The citizens of Corvallis seem to be in support of a peace department; what better way to voice their collective voice than with a City Council vote to support this? I do not think this was time not well spent. Rather, I would like to commend the council for its stand. Vermont towns take stands; why not a city our size?

Bea Momsen, Corvallis

City needs to act to mow, clean up overgrown yard

There is one vacant lot on Grant Circle. The height of the weeds is far in excess of that allowed by the municipal fire prevention ordinance that goes into effect every June 1. I contacted the Fire Department's Weed Abatement Line on June 1 and when the weeds were still standing mid-month, I called again. I was told that the two-letter process of notifying the property owner that he is in violation of the ordinance would likely take until the end of the month, at which time the city would mow the property and bill the owner.

When I called for the fifth time immediately prior to the Fourth of July, because I was concerned that a spark from fireworks might cause a blaze, I was told that the city needs to inspect the property and send letters to the owner, and that it would likely take another two weeks.

The property was already a fire hazard on June 1 and is a much greater hazard today due to the hot and dry weather. What is the point of having a fire prevention ordinance to protect citizens and structures if the city will not enforce it?

I believe the property owner has had ample time to address the problem. I am asking that the city act now.

Jean Berlowitz, Corvallis

Jesse Helms' death was untimely and too soon

I am sorry to hear of the death of racial segregationist Jesse Helms. I was looking forward to him seeing the election of an African-American as president.

John Wawrek, Corvallis

Photo failed to illustrate how crossing truly is unsafe

The front-page photo July 10 accompanying the story on the Oregon Department of Transportation's proposed order to close rail crossings is completely misleading. Just to the right of the stop sign shown in the photo is a building that obscures the view of the tracks. The driver of a car pulled up to that stop sign CANNOT see if a train is approaching from the east. You'd have to pull onto the tracks to see anything and that would be too late.

How about publishing a photo that illustrates why this crossing is unsafe?

Esther Schiedel, Corvallis

Self-importance behind council's peace resolution

A Department of Peace! Wow, what a great idea! Why hadn't anyone thought of that before? I guess that's why they call those guys "progressives."

To staff these new positions, we can form a Bureau of Narcissistic Self-importance and fill them with people who believe they were elected to the City Council to save the world.

Harry J. Mallory, Corvallis

There's more than one way to define 'militia, ' 'military'

Despite Rex Bennett's doubts (Letters, July 8, "Militia very different from a regular army"), I do know the definition and the concept of a militia. The Webster's Dictionary Online has a different version than the one he provides:

"1 a: a part of the organized armed forces of a country liable to call only in emergency, or b: a body of citizens organized for military service." Both definitions (and another in the Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary) seem to me to focus on "organized" and "military" or "armed forces" as the more important parts of the concept of a militia.

Again, it seems to me that the discussion, both locally and at the Supreme Court, turns on whether the Second Amendment represents an individual right or a right held by the states.

I think that there is a large gray area here, but I also think that the present definitions of militia and what it represented in Revolutionary War times, comes closer to referring to the rights of states and to our present-day National Guard, the organization that comes closest to the original idea of a militia from Revolutionary War times.

My original response was not that there is no area of discussion, it was that Mr. Hibbs argued that there is no room for discussion. But I believe that his basic premise turns on misrepresenting the language of the amendment for his purposes. Mr. Bennett's definition is not the same as I found online, but it still refers to "an army," not to an individual. The Second Amendment does not obviously refer to an individual's rights; it refers to the right of states to have a militia.

Drew Foster, Wren

City Council represented Corvallis' wish for peace

Kudos to Valerie White for challenging the City Council to take the broader view and pass a resolution to support HR 808. Peace and nonviolence are indeed local issues. Corvallis is fortunate to have active and concerned citizens like Valerie and council members who understand that what we stand for and give official voice to, at the local level, matters. International peacemaking; dealing with drug and gang violence, domestic violence and school bullying and training in conflict resolution matters. It starts with us.

Karen Winget, Corvallis