Says there are two sides
Creationist
asks for equal time
Story and photo
By MARY M. MASSIE
Of the Emerald
Norman Fox believes God created the
world and wants the schools to teach the
creation theory along with evolution. Fox is
the spokesperson for a group of Springfield
residents who object to evolution being
taught as fact.
Fox began his campaign in August and
has since challenged two junior high texts
he considers to favor the evolution theory.
Thirty-six Springfield citizens attended a
meeting last month and talked about why
creation should be taught in Springfield’s
schools, ways to improve Science instruc
tion in schools and aims and purposes of a
creationist group.
“There are only two explanations for the
origin and present condition of the uni
verse,” says Fox. “It was either made, or it
made itself.”
He contends that because evolution has
not been proven as fact, evidence against
evolution constitutes positive evidence for
creation and vice versa.
Fox says creationists have met opposi
tion because the public doesn’t understand
the creationist theory.
For almost a year Norman Fox has been trying to get the idea that God created the world
into Springfield junior high and high school science classes. He has organized people
who support his view that there are two views to be heard.
"We do not advocate the use of the Bible
or religious doctrine as a public school text.
We want creationism to be taught from a
scientific viewpoint.”
Creationists believe the universe was
formed during a special period of creation
when basic systems of nature came into
existence in a completed, functioning state.
The evolutionist theory implies all forms of
life may be traced back to a single, one
celled ancestral group.
Fox says teaching only the evolution
theory violates the constitution and Oregon
laws relating to public schools. The latter
stipulate a fair representation of differing
viewpoints in sensitive and controversial is
sues, including evolution and creation.
Fox says changing to a two-model ap
proach in science instruction would require
teachers to be trained in both theories, text
books to represent both sides as evenly as
possible and all other instructional aids to
be balanced.
He promises to continue to pursue the
issue before the school board and is in the
process of challenging another textbook.
The creationist group has scheduled
another meeting for July 18 at the McKen
zie Center, 300 W. Fairview St., Springfield.
S.A.F.E.
(Continued from page 1)
The S.A.F.E. committee be
lieves that with manual brush con
trol, these problems will be a
voided, and that more jobs will
result.
“We propose to use labor
intensive methods,” Wemple ex
plains. “The Forest Service might
use six people to spray each unit;
we would use crews of about a
dozen, with each person clearing
an average of one-half to one acre
per day."
Who are the members of
S.A.F.E.? Wemple says he likes
to think all 1,250 petition signers
are members, but core group
members so far are: Ann Tatter
sail, a member of C.A.T.S.; Fred
Miller, coordinator of NCAP in
Eugene; Peter Bartel, hot tub
merchant and part-time aide to
Commissioner Jerry Rust; Edd
Wemple; Becky Casstevens, also
of C.A.T.S.; Mike Bresgal, secret
ary of Hoedads; Ann Cohen of
Eugene, and Mark Schwebke of
Oakridge, member of the Wil
lamette Worker’s Association.
Another meeting is
scheduled tonight at 7:30 in the
Grower’s Market at 454 Wil
lamette St. to prepare for the State
Board of Forestry hearings Au
gust 3 and 4 in Salem, develop
ment of a maximum amount of
contracts for brush control on Na
tional Forest lands and develop
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ment of a trained labor force, and
organization for the upcoming bal
lot measure fight.
'We want to make sure that
the alternatives (to aerial use of
herbicides) and the cost
effectiveness information are'a
vailable before the election in
November,” Wemple says.
Petition circulation will last
until November. Blank petitions
can be picked up at the Hoedad’s
office in the Grower’s Market, or at
the NCAP office at Eighth Avenue
and Lincoln Street.
Now that the Commissioners
have approved the petition in con
cept, it will be sent to Larry Shaw,
the county counsel, for rewording.
The Commissioners will vote
again when the ballot title and new
wording are ready.
“We expect it will come up on
the Commissioner’s agenda on
July 19,” says Peter Bartel,
another S.A.F.E. member. “We
plan to be there for a display of
solidarity on this issue.”
S.A.F.E. plans to have a
fund-raiser soon to pay for the up
coming effort. In the meantime,
contributions from interested
people can -be sent to the
committee’s treasurer, Becky
Casstevens, 1955 W. 12th,
Eugene, Oregon 97402.
Bartel and Wemple are op
timistic that the measure will pass,
but they recognize the opposition
to a ban on aerial use of her
bicides in Lane County.
"The forest industry honestly
believes that herbicides are a
needed management tool,”
Wemple says. "And farmers
haven’t seen any alternatives to
herbicides in general. They have
no time to experiment with crops;
with agricultural uses, things go
slower, and new ways have to be
phased in.”
The S.A.F.E. committee is
gambling on the people's wisdom
with its herbicide petition. “The in
dustry brings such questions to
court so the people can’t fight
them,” Bartel says. “They have
lawyers on retainer. But people
can use their votes instead of their
money — that’s the strength of a
plebiscite.”
The Commissioners could
approve a ban on aerial herbicide
spraying in Lane County with or
without a vote of the people. The
S.A.F.E. committee wants the
public to decide. As Bartel
phrases it, “Put a vote of the peo
ple on the issue, and it’s much
more devastating.”
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