RE.: Peter Courtney

Is Peter Courtney, Senate President of the Oregon legislature, paying attention?

Does he realize he represents all Oregonians in his leadership position? There is a subject about which I would like him to stop dilly-dallying around and assume leadership.

We are aware that Oregon is lagging in achieving the climate pollution reduction goals established in 2007 and that our state is no longer a leader in the climate arena.  These 100-degree days are going to be the norm if this continues unaddressed; we will be summer prisoners in our own homes clinging to the air-conditioning. 

It is time for our legislature to take a meaningful step to successfully address climate pollution.  Oregon needs to do its part: we should impose a cap on emissions.  We have made some progress with the Clean Fuels Program but this is not enough.  We need to maintain that program not undermine it.

I am asking Peter Courtney to stand up and lead the charge by opposing any weakening of the Clean Fuels Program and by assigning a high priority to supporting HB2135.

• Louise D Shawkat

RE.: Trump

Since inauguration Donald Trump has been consistently incompetent and reckless while subverting democracy and the rule of law; he’s sought to use race and religion to divide Americans against one another; he’s trying to deprive deserving Americans of health care; he would deny Americans the right to control their own bodies; he’s bombing indiscriminately and promoting suffering around the world; he’s promoting the destruction of our planet while pushing policies that favor himself and the wealthy over middle and working class Americans.  And he’s under investigation for obstruction of justice which we know because he has boasted about it on TV and to the Russians. 

I don’t know if those voting for him expected this, but he clearly telegraphed throughout his campaign that this would be his Presidential behavior – no different from his corporate behavior. Maybe all this is a surprise to his voters, but he is acting precisely the way I expected.  What is most amazing is that still many of those he is targeting actually still support this insanity and try to normalize it.

Reminder: the only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to say nothing.  For our children, our duty is to resist. 

Sincerely,

• Alan Journet

Hey Messenger: I work at a gas station and for the most part I love my job because I get to be outside and in the thick of things. But at least a few times a day, I get the most asshole customers who are rude to me. It makes me feel low and not good enough. I am writing to let everyone reading know to be kind to your gas station attendant. We didn’t piss in your cheerios this morning and we only want to fill your cars with gas, and we’d like to be able to do it with a smile. But not when you are a dick!!

Ok so to ask a question to get this printed, what I want to know is, why does Jennifer Lopez never seem to get older? She’s still as hot and young looking as the day I first saw her in the Selena movie.
Thank you,
J. P.

Dear J.P.,
Good letter. You are absolutely correct that we need to treat our gas station attendants with respect.
Regarding J.Lo, that’s an easy answer. When you have a lot of money, you can do almost anything. Dermatology and aesthetic medicine have come a long way in the last decade. When celebrities claim they “don’t get plastic surgery,” they may even be telling the truth in a very literal sense. There are incredibly effective non-invasive treatments now, such as lasers, dermal fillers, ultrasound treatments, and even skin sutures for facelifts that are safely absorbable by the body! There is no downtime and the results are almost immediate. With a regular skin maintenance schedule of facials, chemical peels, fillers, and lasers, a person can keep their youthful appearance well into their 60’s, provided they started as early as possible. Another factor is diet. Eating a diet of fruits and vegetables, with very little sugar and dairy is recommended by all Hollywood dermatologists.

Hey Messenger: I want to break up with my boyfriend but we share a house and a cat. What can I do to get the cat and keep my house?
– Anonymous

Dear Anonymous, A good break-up is one way to foster a generous ex-boyfriend. What I mean by a “good break-up” is, you need to 1) take a lot of time out of your day to have a planned conversation with him. 2) Be extremely respectful and open and do not insult or blame him. If you are very angry with him and that is what is propelling this break-up, this will be very challenging. You risk not getting everything you want if you decide to be confrontational. Another question is, do you rent or own this house? If you own it together, you might need legal assistance. If you rent, you will want to mediate this for yourselves.  That being said, if only one of you is on the lease, that person is the one who stays. Regarding the cat, divisions like this for me were more based on who is more emotionally attached. For other people, it could be more based on who paid the majority of the cat’s medical bills, entitling the person to the cat. This is a situation where you have to pick your priorities–and your battles.