opinion
va rs
Religious body
The Latter Day Saints Student’s As
sociation is not just a "cultural” or
“social” body, it is an extension of a
religious body. Mormonism is a religion,
sometimes represented to others as
“Christian" or as a non-religious body
with cultural goals.
Mr Harris, the LDSSA director, feels
that "students may be interested in
facets of unique Mormon culture” and
mentions the Mormon interest in gen
ealogy What he neglects to mention is
the religious doctrine of Mormonism
which is essential to Mormon
genealogical work — Baptism for the
Dead Of course, here we see it is not just
a matter of culture, but of the promotion
of a specific religious belief!
The LDSSA promises to refrain from
actively seeking to convert people, but
there are other non-direct methods, such
as inviting students to visit the LDS Insti
tute of Religion for discussions on
“Mormon culture.”
If the LDS students can be funded to
promote their "culture” why not allow
the Christian students the same right to
share their “culture” also? Of course, the
IFC felt that the Mormons were more
convincing than the Christians. Perhaps
it is just a matter of what you say and how
you present yourself!
Michael Kerns
Northwest Christian College
(Student)
Trapping, stuffing
You guys are amazing. First, you glor
ify and try to humanize (?) a professional
trapper in order to “give the other side”
of the leg-hold trap issue months ago
(we're not stupid, we'll never think leg
hold traps are humane) and now, you
think we're interested in taxidermy? I’m
referring to Thursday's article, "Family
stuffs with pride." Do you think people
who make their living stuffing elephant
feet and other wild animal parts are
concerned with conserving endangered
species? I'm glad you made some men
tion of "legal proof of government sanc
tion” (whatever that really means)
regarding each animal, but do you ex
pect us to believe any of these animals
died of natural causes? People don’t
have "trophies” mounted of animals they
don't kill. I can't believe your reporter
didn't question an attitude that brags
about "doing African safaries," an atti
tude that promotes hunting for sport, not
survival. Why won't Adams Taxidermy
"do reptiles or dead pets?" I can't
believe it's for any moral reasons. This
article further reinforces the
non-progressive trend of your paper
reflecting the "Reaganism of America.”
Too bad
Shawn Rossiter
Graduate, journalism
Energy co-ops
During the next four weeks, Pacific
Power and Light and its political action
groups will engage in trying to convince
the voters that the Emerald People’s
Utility District is a bureaucratic waste of
money.
Nothing could be further from the
truth! They have and will claim that EPUD
wasted $380,000 this year when in
actuality, this money was spent for a vital
engineering report necessary to any
large-scale procurement of generating
and transmission facilities, the rest is still
in EPUD coffers
Any long-term resident served by the
local public utilities in this area can tell
you that they have enjoyed lower rates
and excellent service for the past 30
years. A comparison of actual rates per
1,500 kilowatts of residential usage as of
January 1981 reveals that Springfield
Utility Board charged $17.29 less that
PP&L Blachly-Lane Coop charged
$17.64 less, EWEB charged $19.10 less
and Lane Electric Coop charged $22.14
less or almost half of the PP&L rate!
To put the matter into better perspec
tive, one should realize that if you com
bined the salaries of just three PP&L vice
presidents (there are many), it just about
equals the entire EPUD operating budget
this year One can only conclude that
PP&L’s own excercise in bureaucratic
mis-information and efficiency resulted
in higher rates for us and bigger salaries
for them.
Mark Schwebke
Eugene
Bad precedent
We feel that with the release of the
hostages from Iran a dangerous
precedent has been established. After
the cheering stops, the ticker-tape is
swept up and the former hostages are
safely reunited with their families, then
the real issue arises.
Just who, may we ask, is paying for all
this: the chartered jets that flew them to
Germany; the accomodations at Wies
baden; the 52 overseas telephone calls;
the transportation of former-Pres.
Carter’s entourage to greet them?
That’s right! Once again the American
taxpayer has to foot the bill for someth
ing he was neither consulted on nor in
the least benefits from.
Don’t get us wrong. We’re not saying
that the hostages wanted to be taken
hostage; but, nevertheless, it seems only
fair that the'Postages assume part of the
burden for this whole extravaganza.
Once before a people was outraged by
taxation without representation. A
revolution resulted. That was in 1776.
Joe Sacco Richard La Sasso
Senior, journalism Senior, English
Sanders replies
In the last week and a half, you have
seen fit to print two letters from students,
one of whom has never been in one of my
classes, alleging all manner of nastiness
in the way in which I teach courses on the
Bible here in the University.
I am frankly surprised that you would
print such petty libel; most newspapers
would not. By refusing to print my reply to
the first letter, you have abetted the libel
and have placed yourself in a somewhat
difficult position, and you have revealed
once again your willingness to coddle
the Crazy Christian right. (I refer to your
fairly regular news coverage of off-cam
pus “Christian” education and coun
seling centers and to the fact that, if one
of their fly-by-night evangelists comes to
town, he will be all over your front page
for three days; wheras, when the
Department of Religious Studies brings
an outstanding scholar in some field of
religion to campus for lectures, we can
hardly get four paragraphs on page five,
and I can't recall your ever having pub
lished a news story on the Campus In
terfaith Ministry.)
I should like to offer some advice.
To the Emerald: You should read your
own letters policy printed on your opin
ion page. Had you done so, you would
not have printed the quasi-rational fel
gercarb from your two correspondents.
Having done so, however, you would
have printed my earlier response (It was
hand-delivered to you).
To impartial observers: The CCR, like
the Moral Majority, is not an innocent
potage, however much they may shout
slogans about Christian love. One notes
the maliciousness they direct toward
someone who disagrees with them, but
especially the vehemence they will direct
at whole groups like, God help us, the
Roman Catholic Church.
To anyone who ma^ be interested in
the Bible: First, the reason that biblical
scholars claim that the Book of Daniel
was written during the Seleucid period i§
that it was written during the Seleucid
period. The book fairly reeks the atmos
phere of Jerusalem in the days just
before the revolt. To overlook that is to
miss its splendid religious point, abobt
hope that continues to look to God in
totally hopeless situations. Second, any
one around here who wants to learn
anything about the Bible had sure better
take my class.
J.T. Sanders
Professor, religious studies
The other crisis
While Americans should rejoice at the
return of the hostages, they should not
allow their celebration to overshadow
their sense of history and the serious
problems facing America in the present
and in the future. Americans must
remember that, in a very real sense, the
people of Iran were “hostages” of the
despotic regime of the Shah Mohammed
Reza Pahlavi. Americans must
remember that the CIA played a major
role in the overthrow of the popular
Mossadegh in 1953 to establish an Iran
ian government favorable to U S. inter
ests. Americans must remember that
international human rights organizations
thoroughly, completely and repeatedly
documented a pervasive and wanton
disregard of human rights during the rule
of the shah.
Of course these considerations do not
justify the seizure of hostages. How
ever, the current outbreak of patriotism
and nationalism, fed by the glare of TV
cameras, must not be allowed to distort
the American perspective of the hostage
crisis. We must return and examine with
fairness and honesty, the roots of the
situation which gave rise to the seizure of
the hostages.
Finally, there are other hostages,
numbering in the millions, who deserve
444 days of concentrated media atten
tion. In America, there are hostages of
unemployment, ignorance and poverty.
There are hostages of mental illness,
blindness and physical impairment.
Abroad, there is mass starvation and
war. A modern day holocaust went
largely unnoticed in Cambodia which
should shame Americans for their dis
proportionate response to the Iranian
hostage crisis.
So rejoice for the hostages. But let us
do it quickly without the patriotism and
saber rattling. Let us now turn to the
other hostage crisis with equal solidarity
and with equal media attention.
David Frank
Doctoral student,
Rhetoric and communication
letters policy
The Emerald will accept and
try to print all letters containing
fair comment on ideas and
topics of interest to the Univer
sity community. Letters must be
typewritten and no longer than
250 words.
Letters must be signed, the
author's field of study or faculty
status noted and must include
address and phone number
for verification.