Letters
Huge injustice
Last week a letter appeared in
The Emerald condemning the
South African Black 77 produc
tion as a mouthpiece of the South
African Government. Many peo
ple who saw the production are
particularly perturbed by the inac
curacy of that accusation. The
production was the most powerful
anti-apartheid message delivered
on this campus for some time, and
the letter which appeared in The
Emerald the following day consti
tuted a huge injustice to the five
black South Africans who wrote
and performed the play.
The play was based on their
own experiences of the horror of
the apartheid system — three of
the players have been imprisoned
by the South African government
for their defiance of the racist sys
tem. It is this kind of authentic
message from people who have
suffered that is most convincing
and that should be supported by
aN who profess to abhor the racist
policies of the South African Gov
ernment.
I have delayed writing this letter
in the hope that the author of the
letter mentioned above would
publicly admit his mistake. As this
has not happened, I feel it to be my
duty to those fellow South Afri
cans who performed that play, to
inform readers of the truth about
that production.
Ken Dovey
Graduate Student —
Counseling Psychology
Not Christians
In last Friday’s Emerald the
local director of the Unification
Church described Moon’s organi
zation as a Christian sect’. I hope
no one who read the article be
lieved that.
The core of their doctrine is that
the atoning sacrifice of Jesus
Christ was a ‘mistake;’ hence foe
need for a second try at perfection
with the new Messiah, Mr. Moon.
I was in Washington, D.C., last
summer when thousands of
Moonies descended on the place
for his Bicentennial address, and I
can assure you that they do in
deed worship Mr. Moon as God
and his wife (his fourth) as the in
carnation of the Holy Spirit. De
votees petition the two in prayer
as the True Parents' of mankind.
It is important to remember
when talking with members of this
cult that lying to outsiders about
the organization is both condoned
and encouraged, especially in ini
tial encounters and during their
fund-raising outings. They refer to
this practice as ‘heavenly decep
tion’ and justify it on the ground
that outsiders (“Satan’s children”)
are themselves deceivers.
I regret any condemning or ridi
culing tone in this letter, as I feel
only sympathy for those caught up
in Moon’s organization. They at
least sense that humanity is in
need of something besides more
household appliances and nu
clear weapons. Judge Mr. Moon for
yourselves.. .but don’t confuse
what he offers with what Jesus
Christ offers.
Alan Cameron
Doctoral Student —
Educational Psychology
Utility rate scam
The needy folks down at the
Electric Company are in a bind
and they need your help. Their
heroic efforts to meet our ever in
creasing energy demands have
come to an impasse. It seems that
they can’t find enough private in
vestors who are willing to place a
sure-fire bet on those miracles of
modern technology — nuclear
power plants. So where, pray tell,
are they going to get the billions of
dollars they need to build these
gizmos that are guaranteed to
produce vast amounts of toxic
wastes and yield little, if any, net
energy? Simple. They’ll ask for
donations from the man with al the
bucks; Mr. John Q. Public. But
don’t worry, Mr. Public. These
folks, being cheery and ever so
humble, will gladly relieve you of
the burden of figuring out how
much you should donate. They’ll
write down a certain figure and in
clude it in your monthly electric
bill. AH you have to do is write a
check for that amount and mail it
back to them. No sweat.
But wait a minute, Mr. Public.
Don’t you think it’s time for you to
stop getting hit up by every poor
utility company that comes
straggling down the pike? Don’t
you think it’s time to write to your
legislator and tell him that you’re
as mad as hell and you’re not
going to take it anymore?
Well, Mr. Public, it is time. Write
to your legislator and tell him to
support Oregon Senate BiH 453.
This bin will prohibit these bedrag
gled fellows from knocking on
your maibox in order to scrounge
up money to pay for the construc
tion of newfangled nukes.
If you want to know which legis
lators need the most persuading,
contact Paul Williamson at the
Survival Center in Suite 1 of the
EMU or check out the ASUO
Legislative Information Center in
Suite 4.
opinion
Open primary’s demise unmounted
Earlier this week Oregon’s Attorney General,
Jim Redden, ruled it would be unconstitutional
for the legislature to open up to those persons
registered as “Independents” the right to
choose who party candidate nominees for the
general election would be. Good for him. But
better yet, good for Oregon’s electoral process
and its voters!
The current law allows anyone in the state to
register and, if they wish, run for any office they
qualify for regardless of any party affiliation
label, if any, they wish to wear. If someone does
not care to wear a party label they are in no way
forced to be identified as such. If a person
chooses not to become identified with one of the
two major parties but wishes to run for office
anyway, the present process not only allows for
that — it actually encourages the prospect.
The decision puts to rest the “open primary”
bill, HB 2569, that is now before the Senate
Local Government and Elections Committee. In
his opinion Mr. Redden stated that if one has the
right to freely associate as a member of a politi
cal party, and as a part of that right they have a
basic right to choose its nominees, then the
state cannot dilute that right by providing that
non-members be eligible to participate in the
selection process of choosing who the party’s
nominees will be.
One more thought for contemplation comes to
mind besides the constitutional issue of the
measure, and that is the lack of accountability
that an “open primary” would, if allowed, bring.
Under an “open primary,” as identified in the
V,
measure, the right of rank and file party mem
bers to choose the persons they wish to repres
ent them in the general election are lost. And
with that loss the public as a whole loses too.
They lose a sense of who the candidate has
chosen to be identified with, and as, in both the
strictest and loosest terms of association. The
open identity of coalitions fade from the public
view as a result, thus making it easier for candi
dates to hide such associations should they so
wish.
Oregon’s primary is the oldest of its kind in the
United States and the most copied. It is also the
best! It manages to let the rank and file party
members choose the candidates of their party
for the general election and, at the same time,
gives anyone the chance to run and/or vote
as/for an independent in the general election
should they wish. But the best part of Oregon’s
primary, as it is written, is its strict adherence to
lines cif accountability to the various public in
terest coalitions.
Outside the possibility of an initiative drive by
supporters of the “open primary” the issue fi
nally has seen fit to die. Good! The people of
Oregon have created the most livable place in
the country by holding their politicians account
able, and with the Attorney General’s ruling that
accountability will be continued. We should all
be thankful.
Gill Thomas
Junior — Political Science
Yes, Mr. Public, it’s time to
stand up to the electric companies
or prepare to bend over and let
them do it again.
Tom Visoky
sophomore-Pre-Journalism
Amazing letter
The letter in the May 2 edition of
the Emerald, written by Thatcher
Rawlston on the subject of
Marihuana, was the most amaz
ing letter I have ever read in this
paper. The author states that the
propaganda work of Harry Ans
linger, otherwise known as the
movie, Reefer Madness, “basic
truths are still relevant.” From the
content of the movie, Rawlston is
saying that all of us who smoke
marihuana are addicted to it after
one joint, are going to forget ev
erything we do after smoking one
of these hideous reefers, or that
because of the loss of all morals
and inhibitions I am going to rape
my mother and screw your sister.
The writer states that he had
“been a witness to many of my
friends’ odd actions while on pot.”
He considers the munchies,
laughing, and daydreaming as
“odd actions.” Tell me, brother, do
you consider someone being a lit
tle laid back and stoned on pot as
being weirder than pukeing your
guts out at a frat party? You re
mind me of many people in our
Mental Health Administration who
are willing to call everyone but
themselves crazy.
Your comment that everyone
using pot should be required to
join the Peace Corps for two years
is beyond reasoning, and like
most of this letter, so absurd it is
hardly worth commenting on. The
thing that really scares me is that
there are people like you who do
think like that. We people who
happen to enjoy smoking a good
joint of weed don't appreciate your
subjective-moralistic opinion that
we need help to ' kick the habit.”
Let me guess, you think that any
dude who has premarital sex
should have his left nut castrated?
Matt Rouse
Sophomore — Asian Studies
Whose throats?
In response to the opinion in
Monday’s Emerald:
Far from being an “expansive
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Oregon Daily Emerald
accomodation” to wilderness, re
cently designated “undeveloped
roadless areas” have been
named with future road develop
ment in mind. Mountainous wil
derness areas such as Jefferson,
Washington, Three Sisters and
Diamond Peak do not protect the
majority of Oregon forest lands.
This same controversy now brews
over Alaskan wilderness protec
tion.
Dismissing the soil depletion
common in dear-cutting opts for
short term consumption of earth
requiring ages to develop. Con
doning reforestation practices
based on fast growing monocul
ture trees made competitive with
herbicide use opts for immediate
effects on flora and fauna, and
traces of toxins in human milk (as
in areas drinking water runoff from
the Siuslaw National Forest).
Certainly no timber company
would slit its own throat in pursuit
of profit, but whose throats do they
cut?
Please include some biology in
your liberal arts education to offset
spoon-fed industrial propaganda.
Gary Trendler
Springfield Ore.
Important nearing
On Saturday, May 14, there will
be a congressional hearing in
downtown Eugene at Harris Hall
on the Endangered American
Wilderness Act, which includes
five areas in Oregon.
This is our biggest chance in
years to save a sizeable chunk of
land, including French Pete, and I
urge anyone who knows the value
of wilderness to be there to show
their support. Stop by the Survival
Center for specific information on
the bill and write letters to Senator
Hatfield and your congressman
telling them how you feel. This is a
crucial time for wilderness preser
vation, and your positive action
can make a difference.
Gail Streicker
Junior-English
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