opinion
vars
Time to protest
It’s time to protest. Things have finally
gotten out of hand in the moral majority.
They used to keep to themselves -
prayer meetings, Bible studies, retreats.
Now they're on T V. all Sunday morning
It’s horrible, it’s got to stop.
I am offended as a woman. Men who
preach the beauty of God, family and
home do more to promote male
chauvanism than any number of porno
flicks. They tell us to find our personal
fulfillment out of serving husband,
children, and God. THAT’S oppressive.
Again man tries to step on woman. It
won’t work. Evangelists, I fart in your
general direction.
Ever since they’ve come out of the
closet, violence has been on the rise.
This ‘Moral Majority (?)” somehow feels
justified in breaking up NOW chapter
meetings, beating up those attending,
breaking into clinics and ruining expen
sive medical apparatus, not to mention
risking the lives of the women using the
facility. Their street fights with people
protesting against the moral majority
view have caused excessive amounts of
injuries. Seems a bit more radical than a
porno flick that causes someone to go
home and (do I dare to use the word?)
masturbate
Let’s talk about the general
degenerative affect this group has on
society. Although they are a minority,
they are attempting to impose their mor
ality on all of us via political "reform.’’ I
didn’t ask them to go see “O" with me, or
“Deep Throat" for that matter.
Let’s put God back in the gutter where
he belongs. No, wait, that’s cruel. But
let’s keep God where he belongs, in the
heart of the individual. If God is your
crutch, fine, I prefer drugs.
What I’m really asking is that these
moralists go home. You attend your
prayer meetings, and I’ll work in my
go-go bar. I have fun doing it. Don’t deny
me that. Scorn me and my “type" but as
you close your eyes and go back to sleep
remember — you’re losing big.
Rosemary Daszklewlcs
Junior, political science
Towing service
Oh thank heaven?
This letter is written in hopes of keep
ing others from falling victim to what
appears to be another form of legalized
crime
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A friend of mine went into the 7-11
store on 13th and Alder and bought a
candy bar. He then walked approximate
ly 15 yards to Kinko’s, bought a cup of
coffee, returned to 7-11 and made a
phone call from the booth on the side of
the store. When he found the number
was busy, he hung up, went into the 7-11
parking lot just in time to see his car
being hooked up to be towed away by
Al’s Towing (ironically) Service ”
The tower made my friend a generous
offer: he would take his car off the hook if
he would give him $25 then and there,
rather than having to pay the $40 it costs
to get the car from the towing yard. My
friend, being a foreigner, never imagined
that laws were so crooked that he
couldn't get his car back free if he went
down and gave his very reasonable ex
planation.
He had been off the property of 7-11
for approximately 3-4 minutes Appar
ently this towing “service” has trucks
waiting near the store which either watch
for, or are called about cars whose
owners leave the 7-11 premises even for
a few minutes. It doesn’t matter that the
person has been a customer even a
minute before; once you step off the
property, you car is fair game.
This is not by the way, an isolated
incident. I know of several others this has
happened to.
I and a few others are boycotting this
store and encouraging others to do so
(and letting the 7-11 store know this) until
this ridiculous parking policy is changed.
Robert Belvin
Senior, Linguistics
Ma and pa stores
In response to the article in the Dec. 3
Emerald regarding problems of "ma and
pa grocery stores,” I am writing to advise
your readers that the Eugene City Coun
cil has begun to respond to this problem.
As you may be aware, the city’s pre
sent zoning code was last comprehen
sively revised in 1968. A thorough rewrite
of that ordinance is long overdue, but the
city has had difficulty in securing budget
funds for that project. Finally, this year,
the tax levy approved by voters included
sufficient funds to do the first half of the
code-revision effort, with the second half
to be funded in next year’s budget if
voters approve.
The city council has had some spirited
discussion of priorities in that code-revi
sion effort, since the whole process will
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be so extended due to the awkward
funding situation. The result of those
discussions was the decision to begin
with an analysis of commercial and
“mixed use" areas with specific atten
tion focused on certain “hot spots" —
energy conservation concerns, mom and
pop grocery stores, R-3 and R-4 zoning,
special light industrial sites, and protec
tion of housing opportunities in C-2 and
C-3 zones.
In response to some of the problems
encountered by mom and pop grocery
stores under the current zoning code,
our attitudes as a community have
changed about neighborhood commer
cial uses, while the zoning code has not
kept pace with those changes in com
munity attitudes Specifically, the city
council’s decision to identify mom and
pop grocery stores as a priority area in
the revision of the zoning ordinance
came just after the problems exper
ienced by the Willamette People’s Co-op
came to our attention.
The planning department is currently
working on code revisions so that mom
and pop grocery stores can continue to
operate, expand in appropriate loca
tions, and provide the friendly, drop-in,
within-walking-or-biking distance ser
vice that we appreciate from them. The
Eugene Planning Commission and the
Eugene Citizen Involvement Committee
have already taken up the issue. Special
citizen participation procedures have
been adopted, and the planning com
mission has scheduled a work session
on the matter for Dec. 15. At the com
mission's direction, the city staff will draft
suggested code amendments; and the
planning commission and city council
will then conduct public hearings on an
appropriate ordinance. Full public par
ticipation is encouraged throughout this
process.
Gretchen Miller
Eugene City Councilor
Porn fan responds
I agree with Marcia Kraus. If she thinks
“The Story of O” is objectionable mater
ial to her, then she should not have to
attend the film. She should protest the
film by not attending, staying at home,
watching TV - Walt Disney, or doing
other such entertainment to her taste.
And let me be the judge as to what is
objectionable material to me. Being a
porn fan, I thought I had been ripped off
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1
by the film since it was such a soft-core
film, but I would not advocate burning
the film, or bombing the Nickelodeon.
Other people did like it. She could not
have seen the film, for if she had, her
views would have been pushed to a more
moderate stand. In the future Marcia
Kraus, when an X-rated film is shown on
campus, protest it by staying at home
and watching TV For I can judge for
myself thank you, what is and what is not
objectionable material.
Bruce A. Roby
1559 Garfield Place
Eugene
First amdndment
“The Story of O" was recently shown
on campus. The Friends of the Future
justified the showing of the film by using
the first amendment, and I agree with
them. They have the right to show any
film they choose. But isn’t it ironic that
communist groups in America can also
use the first amendment in order to try to
take freedom away from us? Isn’t it ironic
that certain right-winged groups use the
first amendment to burn books such as
The Catcher in the Rye because it con
tains obscene words. Does the freedom
of expression necessarily mean that
views expressed are right for every single
person in our democracy? I believe that
people have the right to express their
views, but when their action infringes on
the rights of others I begin to question
that action. The Friends of the Future
have the right to show “The Story of O”
but what about the fact that this destroys
women’s rights at the same time? How
can they claim to support women’s rights
when they are clearly disregarding them?
Is it just to portray women as objects
rather than human beings? Is it just to
show sadistic crimes being commited
against women? If so, then I would like to
thank the Friends of the Future for sup
porting women’s rights.
Bill Forrest
Journalism
Good articles
I take this opportunity to tell you that I
appreciate the two very fine articles in
the Emerald:
"Exile Says Strikes Will Weaken El
Salvador”
"South Africa Apartheid Belies World
Freedom, Speaker Says”
Mr. Boehmer and Ms. Portal have
called attention to some very real and
serious concerns, and they have suc
ceeded in arousing interest and a desire
for constructive work where justice is
concerned. Students and faculty wel
come such scholarly work, I believe. As
one working with students, I am encour
aged to see such beautiful work.
You will also be pleased to know that
my high school age daughter requests
that I bring home the Emerald each day
for her to read.
Good work! Congratulations!
Loie Mead
Eugene
r
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