Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1981)
Emerald Vol. 82, No. 116 I fcugene, Oregon 97403 Monday, March 9,1981 Going j out a * winner * I It was his last game as a Duck, and senior Felton Sealey went out in style. The Oregon guard scored 14 points and fellow senior Mike «*, Clark added 18 to lead an emotional second-half comeback in the final game of their college careers. The , 79- 75 win over Arizona was the * season finale for the Ducks — ^ the 13th win against 14 losses. The two seniors left the floor in I the game's final moments amidst the standing cheers of || 9,000 Mac Court fans — and j Sealey (right) recognized the ovation with fist-clenching enthusiasm. Story on Page 7. Photo by Steve Dykes Use or lose free speech, Day warns By JEFF BAKER Of the Emerald "The First Amendment means nothing — it is of no value to us unless we use it.” Sam Day, former managing editor of The Progressive magazine, told a crowded press law class "we’re close to losing the right of free speech in the United States." Day, who was embroiled in a free speech controversy of his own over publication of an article outlining how to build an atomic bomb, said the atomic energy issue is ignored by the press. "The most important story in America today is going un covered — atomic weapons. We’re voluntarily censoring ourselves. "The Progressive stumbled in and only touched the surface. We did alert people to very, very important information in the area of nuclear weapons.” The Progessive case, Day said, illuminated the threat to free speech. “The First Amendment is not there to protect good speech, not there to protect conven tional wisdom or noble statements. It's there to protect outrageous, bad, erroneous, filthy, sexist, racist ideas. "We should never defend it (the First Amendment) with what's important. The fact of saying it is enough.” The Progressive, Day explained, became invovled in a struggle with the government through its "crusade against Police still hold ‘Bandit' suspect A 30-year-old Springfield man suspected of being the "Band-Aid Bandit" was still being held in Springfield city jail Sunday night on an alleged parole violation. Police are investigating what charges can be brought against him Randall Woodfield was picked up by police Thursday on a detainer from Clackamas County for the alleged parole violation and has been held in the city jail since then Woodfield is being investigated in connection with 26 crimes committed during the past 2'/z months in Oregon, Washington and Northern California The crimes connected with the "1-5 Bandit" and the "1-5 Killer" include several robberies, rapes and three murders Officials said Woodfield can be held on the parole violation detainer until a hearing on the alleged violation is scheduled The Springfield man is accused of leaving the state without notifying his parole officer concentration of untrammeled military power, especially nuclear weapons." The magazine's editors believed atomic secrets were available to any scientist or cor poration that wanted them, yet the public suffered from a "dearth of information about the most elementary facts" of atomic energy. To gain “equal footing" to better debate the nuclear issue, the magazine assigned free-lance reporter Howard Morland to find out the "deep, dark secret — how to build an atomic bomb." Morland was told to write in ordinary layman’s terms — "average ninth grade terms.” Morland did much research but got the bulk of his material from an article by Edward Teller, the "father of the atom bomb," in the Encyclopedia Americana The politics of the message got the magazine in trouble, Day said. The U S. Department of Energy got a copy of the article by fluke, and "they freaked out.” Department officials asked to “edit" the article before pub lication When The Progressive refused, the government got a temporary restraining order on national security grounds This instance of prior restraint before publication on national security grounds was only the second in American history The first was the Pentagon Papers case The government sued under the Atomic Energy Act, which states that any information on nuclear weapons is the inherent property of the government, "born secret, classified at Photo by Steve Dykes Sam Day birth,” Day said. The act had never been challenged in court, a record that stayed clean when the government withdrew from the case The article finally appeared in November 1979 Day said he believes the case had "some benefit" by increas ing awareness of nuclear is sues However, public backlash had negative effects. “Some people would rather not know " Related story, Page 3
