Oregon daily emerald., February 24, 1981, Image 1

emerald
Voi. 82, No. 107
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Tuesday, February 24, 1981
--—■■■ - «S
Browne troupe brings act to Eugene
Musicians scold press
for nuclear coverage
By JEFF BAKER
Of the Emerald
It’s the water, and a whole lot more.
Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and the other Water for Life
musicians showed up at a McArthur Court press conference
Monday afternoon wanting to talk about water shortages and
nuclear power, but they ended up lecturing the assembled
journalists on what to ask.
Indian activist John Trudell exploded after four questions,
criticizing the press for "staying in the safe area. It seems like,
somebody comes ahead of ufe handing out questions to the
press to ask."
Trudell- said there seemed to be doubt cast "about the
money, about our intentions with the money.”
Jackson Browne supported the legitimacy of asking where
the money raised at Monday's concert would be distributed, but
chastised the press for not dealing with issues.
"I actually wasn’t going to go to this one (press conference),
because I'm tired of being a novelty, some kind of human interest
story on page 43 or in the music section. We re dealing with
issues here.
“When we raise money publicly, we spend it publicly.”
Concert receipts will be distributed to Citizens for Safe
Energy, the Pacific Northwest Research Center, Clergy and Laity
Concerned, Citizens Active for Peace, Nuclear Questions, the
Non Violent Tactics Development Project, the Native American
Issues Committee and the Uranium Resistance Coalition.
Each organization will receive "five or six thousand dollars
each,” said Pacific Alliance member Tom Campbell.
Raitt told the journalists, “You guys have a responsibility to
tell people the truth about nuclear power, not just put it on page
26 when there’s a leak.
“Don't wait until there's an accident. Pay attention and
don’t leave it up'Jo the Reagan people to let you know what’s
• happening.”
Browne was askedrabout people camping out and forming
long lines before concert tickets went on sale. It was pointed out
that most people were ignorant of nuclear issues and were only
interested in seeing Browne.
“It’s not really surprising that people come to a concert for
the music. What they’re going to get will be quite a bit more than
an ordinary concert,” he said.
“Talking about music is like singing about football.”
Browne admitted the paradox "that we’re here to do a
concert because we can gather people together in the com
munity and we can raise monev.
“I’m a human being who lives on this earth with everybody
else, and it’s my duty to do whatever I can. In my case it happens
to be to give a concert.”
Photo by Steve Dykes
After his confrontation with the local press and an afternoon sound check, Jackson Browne wowed
an enthusiastic crowd at his sold-out coqcert Monday night.
Trudell: law system ‘programs’ disinterest
John Trudell Ph0,° by s,eve Dykes
By HARRY ESTEVE
Of th* Emerald
The political activism of the past two decades is
dead, and young lawyersare doing little to bring it back,
an American Indian Movement .activist told about 60
University students Monday afternoon.
Speaking at the University law school before a
scheduled appearance at the Jackson Browne benefit
concert, John Trudell attacked the law education
system, saying it “programs” students away from
political activism, especially when minority rights are at
issue.
Law students forget their initial concerns and
principles in the race to be successful, highly paid
lawyers, Trudell said.
“Law schools program Indian law students that
they are worth $15,000 or $20,000.The Indian com
munities who really need those lawyers can't afford
that.
“They (the law schools) have the student lawyer
right under their thumbs.”
Law students who expressed interest in Trudell’s
several legal battles said they couldn’t help because
they were afraid it would hurt their chances of passing
their bar exams, Trudell said.
“I can understand that,” he said, “but once they
are out they need to keep their sense of direction.”
Attacking the entire U.S. legal system, Trudell said
Congress violated the constitutional provisions about
treaties every time it passed a law concerning Indians.
The Constitution is also violated every time an
Indian is tried in any court other than a tribal court, he
said.
“I don’t believe there is any law in America,” he
said, “I believe there are rules. The rich, and the people
who control the economics of the country, control the
rules.”
Trudell spent the last 15 minutes of his hour-long
talk accusing the nuclear power industry of trying to
make the world dependent on nuclear energy.
"Only they (large corporations) have the capability
to develop nuclear energy,” he said. "The world will
have to depend on the small majority who control it.
“Nuclear energy is just going to continue the racist,
sexist, ruling class control over the country.”