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Apr 21st, 2005 - 21:10:55
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Letters to the Editor
June Letters: Gun Club OK, Real Aid in Iraq – Not Sweetheart Contracts, and Bicyclist Calls for a Bike-In for Peace in Middle East
By Norm Maxwell, Voice4Change, Mohsen Hashemi
Posted on Jun 4, 2003 |
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Dear West By Northwest:
Before moving to Lorane ten years ago, I lived on Svarverud Road, perhaps half a mile as the crow flies from the Izaak Walton Rifle Range. It never bothered me to hear my fellow Americans practicing their Second Amendment rights at the range. I have taken my defense rifle there on occasion to make sure I can still hit what I aim at.
I suspect a goodly portion of the present concern of the range's existence is due to the presence of the many wealthy Californians who have defeated the original farm and forest zoning out that way and have built huge mansions in the woods within earshot of the range. The range was there before they built and now they want it gone as it detracts from their property value.
Most likely they don't believe in the right to keep and bear arms. Very likely they don't even believe in military service–not as a violation of deep-seated convictions–but rather as an unpleasant task better left to little people. Without the Second Amendment, the Fourth and all the others become mere suggestions. Should private ownership of firearms be successfully legislated away, the police state will still have guns. Think about that.
The armed citizen must have places to assemble and practice safe firearm usage. The Izaak Walton Rifle Range has been around for many years and must not be lightly condemned.
I do care about the environmental issue of tons of lead embedded throughout the landscape. I know from practical experience that people will shoot somewhere. It would be good to have more ranges where the expended rounds are periodically mined. I understand some people make a living doing just that, especially on skeet ranges.
Still, armed citizens must have places to assemble and practice marksmanship. There are not many ranges left that I am aware of. There is one out McGowan Creek Road near Marcola. There are any number of impromptu ranges out on BLM land that I find covered with broken glass and other garbage but I don't think that is quite the same thing.
Norm Maxwell
Lorane, Oregon
Editors Note: The Spencer Creek Valley IWL Shooting Range is under a federal court stipulated order by law of the Clean Water Act to clean up their badly contaminated site under the supervision of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). On March 31, 2003, the DEQ added the Spencer Creek Valley IWL shooting range to the State's Confirmed Release List of contaminated sites, based on findings of 62 to 7,200 parts per million of lead in stream sediments. Cleanup has not yet happened.
Revised July 15, 2003
Dear West By Northwest.org:
Please share this with your readers: Take Action! Stop Bechtel's War Profiteering. Tell your Senator that….
Our taxpayer dollars should be going to education, health care and other basic services rather than illegal, unnecessary and immoral wars.
In the aftermath of the war on Iraq, our tax dollars should be going to genuine humanitarian and reconstruction efforts:
NOT to corporations seeking to profit from the horror and tragedy of war.
NOT to the major corporate cronies of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.
NOT to corporations with a history of social, environmental and labor abuses.
NOT to efforts to expand U.S. markets and major U.S. corporate interests in the Middle East.
We, the American people, have a right to full and complete information about the content of all contracts (using American taxpayer dollars) granted by the Department of Defense, USAID and other government agencies to U.S. corporations doing business in post-war Iraq. Full information about Bechtel’s contract is currently being denied to members of Congress and the American public.
To send an e-mail to your Senators: http://www.voice4change.org/stories/showstory.asp?file=030604~pc.asp
Warm Regards,
Voice4Change.org
An Open Letter to the World Bicycle/Peace Community: A Proposal
In the name of God
Dear Sir,
I , Mohsen HASHEMI am a small member of human society and also a member of Cycle Tourist Committee.
Any time I hear about a war anywhere in the world, I will become unhappy and ask myself what can I do for prevention from this mass massacre and incurring damages to children.
Having these ideas in my mind I cycled from Tehran to two crisis-stricken countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 years ago and to Afghanistan 7 years ago. Although I cycled the whole Afghanistan with the hope of finishing quarrel and snore of warriors and making children happy: However, in Herzegovina, the frontier guards, prevented my passage at the boundary of Metkovich and my travel remained incomplete. Even UN authorities apologized to me because I was not supported by an organization.
Gaining these experiences, I came to this conclusion that only the cooperation of different nations can be effective, so that we take steps towards peace and tranquility.
In this direction, I have a proposal which causes to take even a small step towards peace and tranquility in Israel-Palestine country.
This proposal is based on interests of groups and people and coordinating of them from all over the world who would like to finish with massacres and to prevent from incurring injuries to sinless people, to ride on a bicycle or without-engine vehicles and all join together in a certain city, like Cairo. After joining together, they move towards Israel-Palestine border and enter into this country with the permission and coordination of Israel-Palestine, if possible. Otherwise, this group can perform two symbolic movements. All of them go round the borders of this country or they form a human ring with a distance of a few kilometer from each other and waiting for end of the violence so that this at least causes that in future, the new generation, understand the worry of the world from massacre and to make a better tomorrow for themselves.
In the case that you agree with the main subject, you are kindly requested to propose any direction or time scheduling or any comments
Also if you know groups or people who are interested in the program, please forward this letter. In writing this letter, I hope you will help me in world coordination and sympathy for execution of this proposal. Because, we need a vast coordination in order to approach success for this project.
At the end, I hope the world takes steps towards peace and tranquility.
With best regards,
Mohsen Hashemi
email:peaceisland@noavar.com
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| A Proposed Route of Mr. Peace Bike |
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