Legislators, here's an idea: Let's dump Oregon's official state song

As part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Oregon's statehood, we should cease using "Oregon, My Oregon" as our official state song.

Not only is it racist ("conquered and held by free men, fairest and the best") but (Horrors!) it has Oregon rhyming with "on and on." We don't need to replace it. Most people don't realize we have a state song so I think we could get by without one. This would be a simple thing for our state Legislature to do in its 2009 session.

Nancy Mandel, Corvallis

A vegetarian diet and exercise

are not enough to prevent cancer

My condolences to John Donel on the recent loss of his mother to cancer.

However, his advice regarding diet and exercise are not exactly mainstream, according to my research. As a 14-year cancer survivor, a longtime volunteer with the American Cancer Society, and having lost a large number of relatives to cancer, I have long studied cancer's causes and treatments.

The research I've done indicates that eating meat, dairy, and sugar does not cause or "feed" cancer. Excessive intake of sugar (and other foods) contributes to obesity, not the explosive growth of cancer cells. Obesity DOES have a link to cancer and may also contribute to recurrence.

Exercise contributes to overall health and possibly the prevention of cancer. However, exercising until you are hot is probably not going to cure cancer.

Current research indicates that supplements taken during cancer treatment should only be 100 percent of Daily Values. Evidence exists that some high-dose supplements may increase cancer risk.

I do agree with Mr. Donel about finding out about multiple treatment options. However, the local oncologists I've dealt with have been highly educated about all the options available both locally and elsewhere.

However, I am a layperson, not a doctor/researcher. If you have cancer, do your own research, using reliable sources. The research mentioned here is from the American Cancer Society website, cancer.org.

Cynthia Freeman, Philomath

Students, citizens owe much to late former Sen. Claiborne Pell

I desire to express both gratitude and praise to the late former Sen. Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island. For the existence of the Federal Pell Grant Program, many are indebted to the eponymous Pell himself. And I would be remiss as one who has benefited in large measure from the grants which bear his name were I not to acknowledge his magnanimous work in establishing them.

While not of his political party, I recognize in him - as did his fellow Rhode Islander, Republican Sen. John Chafee - the rare but venerable attributes of honesty and integrity which were his peculiar trademarks. He was the personification of altruism, and of character so munificent despite his affluent upbringing that he became one of history's greatest exemplars of noblesse oblige.

That evil is rampant across this tormented globe I will not deny. But when I see men and women of such selflessness at work upon the world's stage, I want to say with Shakespeare's Portia: "So shines a good deed in a naughty world." It is for this reason that no one can properly apply to me the stigmatizing epithet of pessimist.

In life Sen. Pell was an honorary vice president of the American Bible Society and devout Episcopalian, and thus in more ways than one an admirable proponent of that law of universal philanthropy, which is the true hallmark of the religion of Jesus Christ. And, though many still receive great learning because of their riches, fewer will stay ignorant because of their poverty.

Kevin Taylor, Corvallis

We own some responsibility for the war in the Gaza Strip

After six days of fighter-bomber attacks on the occupied Gaza Strip, Israel has killed at least 430 Palestinians and injured at least 2,250 with U.S. weapons in violation of U.S. law. Many of the dead are women and children. Israel now stands ready to invade the Gaza Strip with troops at any moment.

Israel's attacks come on top of a brutal siege of the Gaza Strip, which has created a humanitarian catastrophe of dire proportions for Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinian residents by restricting the provision of food, fuel, medicine, electricity, and other necessities of life.

Ultimately we Americans bear some responsibility for this massacre. Israel's war and siege on the Gaza Strip would not be possible without the jets, helicopters, ships, missiles and fuel provided by the United States, in addition to the $3 billion to $4 billion dollars in foreign aid the U.S. gives Israel each year.

Additional troubling details continue to emerge about the misuse of U.S. weapons by Israel. Follow the many journalists documenting this story on the following Web sites: CommonDreams.org, Truthout.org, ConsortiumNews.com or DemocracyNow.org.

George Hutchinson, Corvallis

That $500,000 check probably won't be showing up in the mail

In the Gazette-Times of Friday, Jan. 2, K. Perkins states that if every adult in the United States were given $500,000, it would only total $85 billion. This piqued my curiosity, so I went to Wikipedia and my calculator, and this is what I found.

The U.S. population is 305,186,613 - that is, a bit over 305 million. Those 18 years of age and older comprise 75.6 percent, so the number of adults is 230,110,706 or just over 230 million. Because a billion in the American numbering system is 1,000 times a million (1,000 x 1,000,000) then by giving each adult $500,000, the total bill would come to $115,055,353,000,000 or a bit over $115 trillion.

Another way to look at it is if each adult were given only $500, the somewhat more than 230 million adults would cost the government over $115 billion, which is well over the amount stated in the letter.

I would certainly like to see a check from the government in the sum of $500,000, but I think that President-elect Obama's stimulus package will only result in a check for a few hundred or perhaps a thousand dollars. Still, I am sure I will speedily put that back into the economy.

Werner Alfred Mukatis, Corvallis

U.S. must help end the ongoing brutality in Gaza

Israel's blockade of Gaza left the Palestinian people to starve, suffer from lack of medicines, electricity and other necessities of life. According to the World Health Organization, 50 percent of Gaza's children are malnourished. They have been weakened and now undergo brutal military attack - over 500 dead so far.

Have you seen footage of Gaza's children lying in pools of their own blood, their mothers and fathers struck with grief and terror? Bombs rain down on their marketplace, buildings, mosques, even homes - bombs sent directly from the USA and paid for with our tax dollars. Is this how we want our money spent? Is this why the USA gives to Israel an average of 7-10 million dollars a day - far more than we give any other nation in the world - to slaughter people trapped like fish in a barrel?

Barack Obama generated much hope for positive change during his campaign for president. Why is he silent on the atrocities in Gaza? He spoke out against the Mumbai attacks, promising to go after the terrorists, why not this brutality against the people of Gaza, where so many of the dead and wounded are innocent children and civilians? Obama has "political capital." He could have sent a message to Israel that this is not acceptable.

We must seek an end to this brutality against the people of Gaza. I suggest pressure on your member of Congress, the Israeli Embassy, and our newly elected president, Barack Obama.

Gretchen Newlin, Corvallis