‘Tina’ performance not what I expected
Having attended two incredible performances in Southern California of Tina Turner, the performance titled “Tina” at the Hult Center was a terrible disappointment. The TV advertising led us to believe we were going to see a beautiful presentation of Tina and her performances.
Instead we viewed her supposed life story, which was not in the least entertaining, and definitely not expected. She was an awesome icon of the disco era and her performances were absolutely dynamite.
The presentation of the Hult was sad, disappointing, and certainly not expected. Having personally met Ike Turner during a business meeting, what the Hult showed was not Ike Turner, just a heavily made-up man. Ike was not a handsome man and was a scammer all of his life.
The only thing impressive at the Hult were the people who work there and their dedication to helping visitors.
Marlene Pearson, Eugene
Not all protesters are vandals
The First Amendment gives us the right to peacefully assemble and to petition the government for a redress of our grievances. To me, this is more than a right. It is my responsibility. If the citizens had not risen up in 1776 in the American Revolution, we would be an English territory under a king. That would have served the king well, but not the rest of us.
So I peacefully assemble and protest against anything that infringes on my freedom or the freedom of others; against anything that goes against the protections of the Constitution’s due process of law. I protest ICE and the many laws they break to meet quota.
I stand on the corner with my sign and I glory in the endless stream of cars honking in agreement and the occasional middle finger. It is invigorating to see the American spirit is alive and well.
Last Friday, during this peaceful gathering on Seventh and Pearl, a second, smaller gathering took place with a different approach at a slightly different location. They made loud noises and banged on the federal building office windows to the point of breaking the glass. The message was clear and the response was predictable.
I do not favor violence to any degree, from protesters or ICE agents. It draws attention away from the message we had congregated to express. But, I caution myself and others to not use disruption, broken windows or spray paint as an excuse to lump together the entire protesting world, imposing the identity of the minority with the entire movement.
Some people are horribly disturbed at the breaking of windows and spray paint. I’m against it, too. But I am more horrified at what is happening to citizens and guests in the U.S. by the violent and illegal grabbing of people off the streets — like they did in WWII Germany to the Jewish population. So if we are outraged at a broken window more than we are outraged at cruel and atrocious illegal arrests without warrant or due process, we need to rethink our stance and our purpose.
Candy Neville, Eugene
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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Letters: ‘Tina’ performance, protest rights, and more reader views
