opinion
yours
Misunderstanding
On Dec. 5, an editorial appeared in the
Oregonian entitled, "U S. Must Back Ei
Salvador Reform." We are writing this
letter to protest what is apparently a
widespread misunderstanding of the
struggle taking place in El Salvador
today According to this editorial, "the
extreme leftists in El Salvador are called
'Pot Pols’ by responsible U S. officials
because their tactics of senseless
slaughter resemble those of the bloody
ruler of Cambodia who killed nearly 5
million of his countrymen in order to
'cleanse' them of ideological sins." In
fact, the so-called "extreme leftists” are
the El Salvadorean people themselves.
They are asking for the basic human
rights to food, shelter, healthcare,
education, etc., and they are being ans
wered with brutal tortures and arbitrary
assassinations by security forces whose
training is financed, in part, with U S.
military aid. The editorial's reference to
the "humanitarian tactics" of these
security forces is irresponsible. Witness
the case of a young woman walking in a
marketplace in El Salvador last August
where she was stripped and repeatedly
raped in front of onlookers by a group of
soldiers. Her "crime": She was wearing
jeans and tennis shoes — the uniform of
the El Salvadorean "leftists.” This is one
case in thousands of similar terrorist acts
carried out with the tacit approval of the
ruling junta. How many more such acts
will it take to make people understand?
Daniel Alvorodo
Co-director, MEChA
Disturbing article
Re Kirshner’s "Folksy Garage Doesn't
Make It” in the Nov. 25 ODE:
I found this light-hearted article dis
turbing in the lack of regard Mr. Kirshner
showed for the reputation of the garage
which he so unmistakably described
Although he does not slander the
“folksy" shop in any specific way, the
overall impact of the article certainly
leads to the conclusion that the service
he received there was inept and costly
beyond what what was fair.
If the writer wants to say that riding a
bicycle is less expensive and more de
sirable than driving and maintaining a
car, fine But he shouldn't take cheap
shots at a business that does a good job
I
at providing car service at the lowest
available cost to its customers.
The Emerald is a vehicle for fledgling
students of journalism to try their hand at
their desired career. The shop portrayed
in this “humorous” article employs
professional mechanics who fix cars for
their living. The reputation of the garage
suffers unfairly at the hands of an ama
teur reporter who, it would seem, takes
his own words too lightly.
Cecil Strange
335 N. Grand
Eugene
Check facts
Paul Telles’s Dec. 15 Emerald piece on
Muhammed Mehdi’s talk is a good ex
ample of why reporters should check the
facts before printing their stories.
Mehdi claims to have been a University
of California, Berkley Professor of Poli
tical Science and the author of several
books on American constitutional law.
Having known Mehdi many years ago
when we were students (in fact, one
summer I was his roommate), and know
ing his tendency to exaggerate, I was a
little suspicious. So I did a little research.
It turns out that his credentials are not
as solid as he says. First, the Berkeley
political science department doesn't
recall having him on the faculty. Since
Mehdi received his Political Science
Ph.d. from that department, he may have
at one time been a graduate teaching
fellow or a part time instructor; but that
hardly qualifies him to pass himself off as
a professor at the University of California
at Berkeley.
Second, there is no record of “several
books on American constitutional law''
by Medi; the Library of Congress lists
only his doctoral dissertation on consti
tutionalism in the West and Middle East,
a few books on middle eastern politics,
and a book on Sirhan Sirhan and Robert
Kennedy Although that does not rule out
publication in some obscure place, it
certainly does not qualify him as an
expert on the American constitution.
Perhaps that is why no one has ever
taken seriously Mehdi’s claim (first ad
vanced many years ago as a student, and
quoted by Telles) that “United States'
support of the Jewish State of Israel is a
contradiction of the American prohibi
tion against established religion.” The
argument is ridiculous on its face; if it
were accepted, the United States would
have to withdraw support from any
country not adhering to U S. constitu
tional rules, even when the support is in
the U S. interest. That would not include
support for Moslem states such as Jor
dan and Egypt as well as support for
Israel.
Barry N. Siegel
Professor, economics
‘For the Bible...’
Martin Heiser's letter (Moral Majority,
Dec. 10) to the Emerald is written on the
brink of craftsmanship, and cleverly am
biguous, in a vaguely familiar satirical
style. It is a double-edged sword of wit
and witticism Unfortunately, Mr. Heiser
holds the sword by the edge instead of
the hilt: in using it to cut, he cuts himself.
He is most cunning in his attempt to
lure all us fellow students into the ob
vious trap of trying to prove something
obviously sublime and esoteric with ob
viously obvious “empirical and historical
evidence.” Woe betide the person who
engages in such folly! Who seeks to find
true religion by any institution of proser
pine education (look it up)! I admire his
openness in allowing that “if Jesus didn't
rise, then all these Christains are out to
lunch." If we cannot prove that there was
no resurrection, then of course we have
recourse but to believe that “these
Christians" are not out to lunch, but right
here at lunch with the rest of us. For the
best proof is no proof.
Certainly the Bible is the best source
for moral laws around. But, of course, it
was written in a different time, for a
different people, and a different moral
mindset applied to Them than does to
Us But, nobody can be that real author
ity but Christ. I mean, Jesus himself said
that. Well, the Bible said it, but Jesus said
it to somebody, and someone remem
bered it, and put it in the Bible...so it must
be true For it is said “Jesus loves me,
yes I know; For the Bible tells me so."
And the scriptures also cite:
"And on the seventh day they rested
And they blessed the seventh day, in
sick hope:
And forgot their eternal life." (Epistle
to Willy, Chpt. IX, v.3)
So until Paul McCartney sings, "Open
the door, let Him in," let Jerry Falwell wait
for the reckoning' of this one-hell-of-a
lunch-party. Till then, Lennon bless us.
David Ruekberg
Junior, English
Foreign policy
I recently ran across a document
which serves as yet another indication of
U S. foreign policy as America marches
down repression row.
In a letter dated Oct. 14 the Hudson
Institute, a notoriously conservative
think tank, suggested that the U.S.
government mount an effort to convince
socialists around the world that they
should not support the Salvadorean
“left" and should support the so-called
reforms of the ruling junta.
A group of self-styled “experts" are
being assembled to target the social
democrat parties in Germany, Spain,
Britain, France and Portugal. These ex
perts include people with ties to AIFLD —
the American Institute of Free Labor
Development, a subsidiary of the AFL
CIO with long-documented ties to the
CIA.
Even more ominously, one of the “ex
perts” listed in the memo is Roy Proster
man who had responsibility for the Civil
Operations and Rural Development
Support (CORDS) program in Vietnam
which was the cover for the CIA Opera
tion Phoenix whose primary purpose was
the elimination of political opposition,
usually by assasination.
Now, let’s try tying everything
together. The letter from the Hudson
Institute was written by a lady named
Constantine Menges. In a N Y. Times
article on Nov. 29 Pres.-elect Reagan’s
advisers on Latin America assured visi
tors from El Salvador that the new ad
ministration will increase military aid,
including combat equipment, to security
forces fighting leftists geurillas. Who do
you think was a consultant to those
advisers? None other than Constantine
Menges of the Hudson Institute.
John Stewart
528 E. 12th Ave.
Eugene
Supports garage
We are writing in response to Erich
Kirshner’s "notebook" article in the Nov.
25 Emerald. He maintians that the
"folksy garage” to which he brought his
car is, after all, no different than most (or
all?) other repair shops, i.e. incompetent,
untrustworthy, and greedy.
Of course it is unpleasant to have your
car break, and even more unpleasant to
have to pay the bill for fixing it. To per
petrate the prejudice that all mechanics
are out to fleece their customers, how
ever, is carrying the unpleasantness too
far. The shop with the “hand-drawn ad in
the Yellow Pages" is a competent and
trustworthy place, and we will continue
to bring our VW to them for repairs.
Louise Klaiia
2304 Patterson St.
Eugene
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