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Scott Weber (Letters 6-18) always attempts to present something as science but without scientific evidence! His recent letter (Source Jun.19) pans evolution and supports Intelligent Design (ID).
Hi Eric & Staff
I enjoyed your article (tSW 6-19). You guys did a great job.
Some district attorneys crusade against meth. Some crusade against child pornography. But Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan has found a crusade all his own: He's cracking down on mothers who sleep with their babies.
Last Sunday, Dugan announced that if a parent sleeps with a baby and the baby dies, he's going to drag the parent in front of a grand jury. "Almost everybody who has a baby is aware that, if you sleep with the baby and you roll over on top of it, you could kill it," Dugan was quoted in Bend's daily paper. "So you are aware of that risk, and you consciously disregard that risk when you take your baby to bed, and now you are talking about manslaughter. … The law is the law is the law, and you bet I would take that case to the grand jury. And if the grand jury found negligence or recklessness, then criminal charges would be filed."
The law may be the law may be the law, but DA Dugan's interpretation of it in this area is pretty bizarre. Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis, who has a reputation as one of the more hard-ass DAs in Oregon, said he wouldn't prosecute unless there was other evidence of negligence - for example, if the parent had been using alcohol or drugs before sleeping with the baby.
He’s the sheriff!From Iowa, With Love
So I, Mr. Mick McMenaminsus, was lounging in my 9,689-square-foot mansion in Juniper Ridge, you know, the one beside the top-tier university, near the Les Schwab headquarters, made of recycled radials, of course. My cell phone rings: It's my editor calling from Iowa; he's in a tizzy applying for a FEMA trailer and emergency aid to replace his double-wide with a wrap-around deck and bocce court. Don't worry, he does this every year, Big Muddy don't quit flooding, nor do Federal funds stop flowing, but he won't be back this week (something about proof-of-residence problems or fraud). So, when he asked me, a run-of-the-mill ne'er do well, to write Upfront, I said, "Sure."
"I am the Sheriff"
Giusto. Say it, feel it, "Giusto." Few names conjure respect for elected office like Bernie Giusto; maybe Bernard Kerik, but let's not pick on all the Bernies of the world just yet… Last Friday, the Multnomah County Sheriff told the Oregon Government Ethics Commission that sometimes practice (and position) overrules written policy.
Giusto has been under investigation by the ethics commission for allegedly driving a county vehicle to Seattle with his girlfriend. Never mind the 250 pages of strict guidelines the soon-to-be dethroned Sheriff and staff must follow, Giusto told members of the commission: "The policy is either in effect because I say it is or not in effect because I say it's not, because I am the sheriff."
Letter of the Week
This week's illustrious Letter of the Week award goes to Liz Nahnsen for bringing to our attention the exciting world of "Godvertising."
As a resident on the Northwest side of town, I can't help but notice Westside Church's newish row of banners along Newport Avenue. Usually they are banal church advertising, but they are getting increasingly bold, and unpleasant. A few weeks ago the theme screamed at passing motorists "FAMILIES IN CRISIS," with a background of a man's ominous fist and some needles and stuff obviously depicting a drug theme.
Today I noticed the bravest signage yet: A photo of a man and woman's feet poking out from under bedcovers with a bright red caption "PURE SEX." I'm no prude, and as I write this I'm sure I'm creating just the sort of controversy the marketing folks at Westside Church are going for, but my dislike of these signs has little to do with the message. Although I strongly dislike fear or alarmist-based selling of anything (be it religion, political affiliations, or elliptical machines), what frosts my cupcakes about the Godvertising is that these banners loom over a huge block along Newport Avenue - a very popular and pretty walk/bike/drive. For those yet to experience these hulking morality memos, they are reminiscent of other innocuous ("Happy Holidays!" - city of Bend) or interesting ("You Can't Not Think" OPB), or informative ("0% Financing Until Your Children Graduate College!") except that 1) the signs are not voted on by representatives of the area, and 2) they are not displayed to the enrichment/education/entertainment of the population that views them regularly. I am not familiar with ordinances addressing such advertising on the business' own property, but legalities aside, how about a little consideration for those who just want to get from point A to point B without a graphic lecture?
Other businesses along this stretch have modest, informative, often humorous signage and are respectful of all the different sensibilities to be found on the west side. When the Westside Church complex completed building, we were excited to see evidence of a good neighbor: lovely landscaping with waterfall feature, an open volleyball court, and unobtrusive religious iconography on the property. I encourage them to be considerate of their diverse neighbors and keep the morality memos inside.
Liz Nahnsen
This letter is concerning the state of trail building and mountain bike development in the region and, most likely, will strike some nerves. For that, I apologize.
For many years, the COTA (Central Oregon Trail Alliance) has done an incredible job of building, maintaining and promoting the mountain bike trails in this region. This is the work of a handful of very dedicated people and the volunteers they have been able to mobilize. The area would not be the excellent biking destination it is today without these folks, and as a former cross country racer and dedicated rider, my hat is off to these people. There is no doubt that their efforts have directly influenced the economy of Bend.
That said, there is an issue on the horizon which is starting to cause grumbling and dissention among riders where it doesn't have to exist. And that is in the developing freeride style of biking. I am also a freerider and trail builder. While freeride mountain biking has been around for some time now (one look at the photos in any bike magazine will make that obvious,) it is a relatively new phenomenon to the Bend area. There are, however, a growing number of very accomplished riders in this area. This type of riding is growing in popularity, and while it has taken some time, the local riders are beginning to become organized. This type of riding, which can be available to all ability levels, does take a large amount of construction work to become sustainable. And the riders are willing to do this work: Witness the Lair, the Whoops trails, the Slalom Loop at Phil's trailhead, the now-defunct Powers Road area and several "hidden stashes" including the upcoming inclusion of the Cline Buttes downhill and dirt jump trails. These riders are also willing to travel to ride new exciting locations. That means there is the potential for this style of riding to be a benefit to the entire community.
I've written many letters in support of gay rights. On May 1 this year, one of my letters was published in the Source.
In the debate between intelligent design (ID) and evolution there is often an important element that is left out: The scientific method. And while there can be an endless debate on definitions of the word "science," it's important to remember how science is used to arrive at certain conclusions before we use it to conclude that some vague concept of intelligence created the universe.
It's logical to conclude that for something to be "scientific," someone used the scientific method to come to that conclusion. And what is the scientific method? If we remember from elementary school, roughly it is observation, hypothesis, prediction, experimentation, and conclusion. Now, when one says that ID is scientific, he or she is forgetting an important detail, and that's the experimental step of the scientific method. If someone observes that the physical world is extraordinarily complex, makes the hypothesis that there must have been an intelligence that designed everything, predicts that this is the case, and concludes that an intelligence or god or whatever designed it all, an important step was missed, experimentation! So far, there have been no experiments set up that give conclusive evidence that an intelligent being or force designed things.
Seems there's an issue about a feral feline at The High Desert Museum and the effect on the other species sharing its environment. Sound familiar?
Why do we always whine about the glowing ember while ignoring the raging forest fire we created behind us? Which species has destroyed and endangered more fellow creatures than any other, including feral felines? Who is wiping out wolves with helicopters and destroying the habitat, not to mention the polar bear species, of our northern regions? Who has destroyed countless species of plants and potential herbal remedies by clear-cutting rainforests? Who created DDT? Which species wiped out the cod fisheries off the east coast of our country?
Why don't we all just open our eyes, our minds, and put our mouths and pens to more effective, long-term gains than the future of chipmunks?Yep, I know this would require intelligence and maturity, which may be asking too much of the human species, but why not give the kitty some slack and start cleaning up our own (bigger) mess?
One who tries to see the tree from the forest.
Sooner or later everyone asks the question, "Where do we come from?" The answer carries profound implications. Until this question is answered we cannot solve another fundamental question that is key to ethics, religion and the meaning of life (if any): "Are we here for a purpose?"
There are two possible answers: the universe and life and its diversity - natural phenomena - are the product of 1) a combination of only natural laws and chance (the "naturalistic hypothesis;") or 2) a combination of law, chance and design - the activity of a mind or some sort of intelligence that has the power to manipulate matter and energy (the "design hypothesis.") The latter produces purpose, the former does not.
The naturalistic hypothesis is supported by theories of chemical evolution (with respect to the origin of the universe and life) and by Darwinian evolution (with the respect to the origin of the diversity of life.) The design hypothesis is supported by the purposeful characteristics of exceedingly complex natural systems that are frequently described as "fine tuned." Each hypothesis is densely laden with philosophical and religious baggage, and clear thinking is required in order to separate the science for the philosophy, the evidence from the implications and reality from imagination.
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