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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1981)
opinion Emotionalism marks end of student apathy People who were on campus 10 years ago saw this week’s rash of protests and counter-protests is reminiscent of life at the University during the Vietnam war. Students are pissed again. Behind the latest flare-up of tempers, which has become atypical in the last decade, is ex hostage Victor Tomseth’s return to Eugene Springfield. Tomseth’s homecoming has brought two' sets of emotions to a boil — patriotism and anti imperialism. The latter, expressed vociferously by members of the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade, has resulted in three arrests, at least two yellow-ribbon burnings and several slogans and chants. In most cases, the RCYB's antics have thawed latent patriotism in many University students, some of whom have taken it upon them selves to physically defend their country’s honor. While we can’t condone all the actions of either group, we think the new activity is a good turn for campus life. It signals an end to the pungent apathy that permeated duckdom throughout the 1970s. If this week’s protests are any indication, students once again are examining current issues and are less afraid to voice their views. Unfortunately, 10 years of dormant emotion alism haven’t taught temperance in political demonstrations. Members of the RCYB who objected to the hoopla that met Tomseth when he rode into New York and Springfield defended their protests on First-Amendment grounds. Fair enough. The young communists had some good points, and they’re certainly free to express their opinions. The flaw comes in mistak ing the right to free speech for the right to incite riot or throw flaming objects in crowded wooden auditoriums. They’re just not the same thing. The mistake made by the reborn patriots is no less pathetic, however. That they didn’t recognize the RCYB members’ right to express their opinion is bad enough; reacting to the demonstration of that opinion by physically and verbally attacking some RCYB members is unconscionable. It’s too much like throwing out the baby with the bath water. Students are wisely giving up the apathy of the 1970s. But that doesn’t mean they have to abandon their composure or respect for the right to free speech as well. yours ‘Yes’ on EPUD On Feb 17 the voters of most Urban areas of Lane County will have the plea sure of voting for or against the Emerald PUD bond issue. Below are some of the many reasons why I will vote yes for the EPUD bonds First: a budget of $75,000 was ap proved by the voters for a feasibility study by Center 4 Engineering of Redmond, Oregon (a firm of high credibility) for the purchase of Pacific Power and Light's property Second: The study reveals we can acquire PP&L's system; wire, poles, transformers, etc. for somewhere between $11- and $23-million, not the outragious sum of $53-million PP&L claims. For another sum somewhere in the region of $30,000, we can also ac quire PP&L's dams on the North Ump qua. Third: Public Utility systems can mar ket bonds and pay less interest than private utilities. Seattle Northwest Securities Corporation is eager to sell EPUD bonds, as are other bonding companies. Fourth: Larry Cable, a Portland con sulting attorney on bond financing revealed that Gene Tolefson, a Bon neville official, says passage of the Northwest Power Bill solves Emerald’s power supply problems. In addition PP&L’s dams on the North Umpqua could supply 100 percent of Emerald’s power supply if they see fit to purchase them Fifth: If we vote yes for the bonds that ends the taxes because EPUD will have the money to operate If we vote no, the EPUD could ask for another budget and more taxes. It's best to be wise, “VOTE YES” for the bonds Feb, 17. Joseph G. Guth Creswell New rec facility Thanks to the enthusiasm and hard work of 300 fraternity and sorority members on Jan. 24, the University has some renewed recreational facilities. These students scraped the walls and put on two coats of paint in the eight indoor handball-racquetball courts and stripped the floor and painted the walls in the east gymnasium Although most people knew of the shabby condition of these facilities, in these days of budget crunches there are simply no funds available for such projects. The fraternity and sorority students and the several faculty and staff who participated in this project have set a bright example of volunteerism and what we can do when working togther. I hope that all people who use the facilities will be grateful to the sororities and fraternities and will give some thought to how they too can help improve the University for the benefit of everyone Special thanks are due to Cindy O’Connor and Eric Jacobsen, the coor dinators of the Saturday blitz! Bob Bowlin Dean of Students Trusts thesis My first cause at the University of Oregon is to LOVE in a sense each per son here. However, there are ways not under stood. Sheer lunacy prevails so often. The reason'is that my name is Lee Wesctcott Ransom, US Army Special Forces Green Beret, Captain. My Army name remains simply: 540-62-4887 Cap tain USA. Finally I trust my thesis written early in my life entitled “1964 Election Process.” The thesis filed at Oregon State Univer sity political science department may indeed be valid. Simply put, “All people make errors, which are not corrected. Exceptions, usually are that the person needs simply 1) wallet money; 2) pictures — to enlarge themselve to people. Lee Westcott Ransom Pre-doctoral student, political science 1 Deja vu Friday night I observed a group of students roaming campus blindly and pbediently singing “God Bless Amer ica.” Could this be a psycho-historical deja vu of German youth singing “Deutschland Uber Alles?” Rather than an expression of their enthusiasm for America, I would suggest that their pack behavior is instead an expression of their insecurity and fear of the collapse of the myth of America Making pseudo-heroes out of 52 hos tages or restructuring the image of the Vietnam veteran from victim-executioner to warrior-hero, will not ease our national guilt. Only if we acknowledge the reality of America, and aren’t blinded by the myth, will we be able to evolve into a truly democratic society. But how can third-world, minority and social change groups share their vision fbUSH UNE-UP % w* ivj&roH MV#**. MsV Cfyjfif&e of America, when it is the policy of reporters on the Emerald staff to erase our message and instead print their edi torial opinion. As example, my action of standing on the American flag and read ing war poems of Vietnam veterans is stated to have ‘^enraged a crowd of about 50 students” when in fact half the people there gave support to my action. Another reporter refers to the American students attending the Iranian (reporters’ quotation marks) “teach-in” as Marxists. With such biased “report ing" how can we expect a fair hearing of what we have to say. In effect, by denying us fair access to the media, you are denying us our freedom of speech. Ron Phillips University Veterans On abortion Last Thursday, on Jan. 29, i had an abortion. Some believe I have committed murder. Ms. Beltran believes I have adopted a Nazi-like "solution." I think they should hear what I believe. My reason for having the abortion was quite simple. My birth control method failed and I did not want to be pregnant. Ms. Beltran says I killed a human be ing She is confusing human life with human being. What I killed was human and alive, but then, so is my appendix. Whether this human tissue, completely dependent on my body for its life, was a human being, is a matter of religious belief. I happen to believe that it was a part of my body with the special charac teristic that, had I given it life support for approximately nine months, it would have become a separate human being. Like any other part of my body, it is under my control and dependent on my will for its survival. This is the way my body felt when I was pregnant. This is my belief. This belief has just'as much validity as any reliaious belief that considers fertilized egg to have a soul and therefore to be a human being It is particularly ironic that Ms Beltran should compare my decision to have an abortion to the Nazi solution. Part of the Nazi solution was to outlaw abortion. Mary Daly Skinner Eugene 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.
