Opinion Archives - Page 189 of 314 - The Source

Our Fresh Poop Is Always Straight But Never Homophobic

Source WeeklyJune 29, 2011December 3, 2023

Monday, June 20
What could possibly go wrong? Tennessee Valley Authority, oblivious to Japan's Fukushima reactor disaster, plans six new nuclear plants in eastern Tennessee. At least there won't be a big tsunami risk … Big day for the Supremes: US Supreme Court's conservative majority strikes down massive sex discrimination class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart … Court also unanimously strikes down suit aimed at forcing cuts in greenhouse emissions from power plants … Just when we needed some good news: Forecasting firm IHS Global Insight predicts Portland will return to pre-Great Recession employment levels in 2014, but Bend won't reach that point until (gulp!) 2021 … Only in America: Richard James Varone, 57, of North Carolina, unemployed and uninsured, robs bank of $1 so he can go to jail and get medical care for various ailments.

Tuesday, June 21
Losing traction: On the heels of 16 campaign aides quitting earlier this month, Newt Gingrich's top two fundraising advisers resign; campaign reported more than $1 million in debt … Still clueless after all these years: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says he's “puzzled” as to why some folks were upset when he blamed Arizona wildfires on illegal immigrants … Scare tactics: US Food and Drug Administration unveils hideous cigarette pack images of festering sores, etc., aimed at discouraging smoking … Wrist slap: JP Morgan Chase & Co. agrees to pay $153.6 million to settle civil fraud charges. That's less than it makes in a week … Sweet music: Violin built by Antonio Stradivari in 1721 auctioned for $16 million; proceeds go to Japanese earthquake relief.

Opinion

The COCC Anti-Tobacco Nannies

COCC attempts to create a tobacco-free campus by prohibiting it everywhere on campus but it may not be teaching tolerance in a place where tolerance should be respected.

Source WeeklyJune 29, 2011January 4, 2023

Smoking and chewing tobacco are unhealthy things to do – nobody disagrees with that. And breathing secondhand smoke is unhealthy too – virtually nobody disagrees with that.
Motivated (presumably) by a noble desire to discourage students from smoking or chewing and to protect non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke, Central Oregon Community College appears to be on the verge of approving a “tobacco-free campus” policy. Praiseworthy as the motive may be, the policy goes way too far.
COCC already has taken strong measures to make sure non-smokers aren't subjected to unwanted tobacco fumes. Smoking isn't allowed inside any of the campus buildings at any time. People who want to light up have to do it in one of the parking lots or on the street.

Opinion

Jose Antonio Vargas is a Hero: What an illegal immigrant can teach us about America

Rory O’Connor shares his journey of researching how social media affects journalism in today’s society.

Source WeeklyJune 29, 2011January 4, 2025

I first met Jose Antonio Vargas in the fall of 2008, in the midst of the historic Obama campaign for the presidency. At the time, I was a fellow at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where I was researching the impact of the then-emerging social media on older legacy forms of journalism, such as newspapers.
A woman named Maralee Schwartz was also at the Kennedy School when I was there. Beginning in 1979, Maralee had spent her entire professional career at The Washington Post, largely as a political reporter and political editor. As national political editor, she led the Post’s award-winning teams of reporters in coverage including three presidential elections, the last term of the Clinton White House, and the first term of the Bush White House.

Opinion

Doe Story Goes Deeper

Reader is disappointed by News in Briefs, 6-1.

Source WeeklyJune 22, 2011January 11, 2024

I was disappointed in your report (on Cylvia Hayes, News in Briefs, 6-1), which read like it was written from a news release. No mention was made of Judge Frank Yraguen's investigation or the large amount of money spent on multiple investigations.
The following is information I read or heard on broadcast and print news.
Kulongoski asked Attorney General John Kroger to hire independent counsel to review the case (because he didn't like Kroger's analysis of the case ?). Kroger denied his department had a conflict and refused.

Opinion

A Double Standard for Deviants?

Opinion on the argument of whether Anthony Weiner should resign his position.

The Source StaffJune 22, 2011January 4, 2023

Many voters that form the “base” of the Democratic party were quite vocal in the criticism of their party leaders and the many other Democrats in Congress that pushed hard to have Anthony Weiner (the New York Representative who Tweeted lewdphotos of himself to women online) resign his position. Theirloud argument had to do with the fact that whensex scandals befall the Republican party,Republican politicians tend to “circle the wagons” around the offending sexual deviantand simply refuse to demand their resignation, as attested by recent examplesof the governor of South Carolina, the senator from Idaho, the senator from Louisiana, the senator from Nevadatocite a few.

Opinion

Cops Have the Wrong Guy

A plee to Bend Cops to cut Bicyclists some slack before ticketing them.

Source WeeklyJune 22, 2011July 19, 2024

I’d like to offer a challenge to all the Bend cops who have decided to, as The Bulletin put it on the front page of Sunday’s paper, “target cyclists.”Try riding a bike to and from work, for just one week. Then, the next time you pull over a cyclist in this town, try to look them in the eye and tell them that they’re the problem. And if you can do that, then your soul is as black as that handgun you’re wearing that you think makes you look so tough.
You ride your bike just five miles around here and odds are at some point you’ll be cut off or find yourself sharing the bike lane with a lifted F-350. So, if someone opts to ride on the sidewalk here and there, rolls through a stop sign, or decides to ride home without a light, then cut them a little slack.

Opinion

A Refreshing Take

Praise for Sydney Leonard’s article on Lone Pine and Backporch coffee.

Source WeeklyJune 22, 2011March 2, 2024

I am writing to praise Sydney Leonard’s toddy article. Ms.

Opinion

Stick to the Facts

Letter about editorial slant.

Source WeeklyJune 22, 2011January 1, 2024

I not only read the Source, I have done a lot of ads with you when I owned The Iron Butterfly. It really saddens me to see the constant editorial slant of everything “liberal, progressive.

Opinion

The World's Freshest Poop From Our Far-Flung News Bureaus

Source WeeklyJune 22, 2011March 17, 2023

Monday, June 13
Down the rat hole: Defense Department says it can't account for $6.6 billion in cash that vanished in Iraq, presumably stolen … Don't piss off the Big Guy: Vandals deface Bend's Westside Church with graffiti saying “Praise the FSM” (Flying Spaghetti Monster); “God is the one that’s going to get revenge,” says church official … Snow White and the Six Dwarfs: Michelle Bachman and six Republican men get together for presidential candidates' debate and friendly Obama-bashing session … Not recommended for the acrophobic: Airbus announces it's developing a transparent plane … The thrill is gone? Facebook loses 6 million US users in past year; Mark Zuckerberg apparently unfazed … The thrill definitely is gone: Ex-Playmate Crystal Harris, 24, dumps fiancé Hugh Hefner, 85, less than a week before scheduled nuptials. “It was all happening too fast,” she says. Which isn't usually the problem with 85-year-old men.

Opinion

Shortchanging the Crooked River

The Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act throws away opportunities to fish, irrigate and restore a steelhead run to the creek.

Source WeeklyJune 22, 2011February 4, 2023

A thing can be cheap – or even free – and still be no bargain. That's the case with Rep. Greg Walden's Crooked River bill, and that's why we're giving it THE BOOT.
Walden has dubbed his measure, HB 2060, the “Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act.” But it's far from clear that it would create any jobs, and it definitely wouldn't do anything meaningful to enhance the water security of the fish living in the Crooked River.
The reservoir behind Bowman Dam in Prineville is a rather unusual case: It holds 80,000 more acre-feet of water than has been allocated for irrigation and other downstream uses. Putting that water into the river would help fish thrive and multiply, which would improve the fishing and encourage more people to come and fish, which would be a boost to the local economy.

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