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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1982)
emerald platform Retiring admiral issues startling warnings Retiring Admiral Hyman Rickover, the pioneer of the nuclear Navy, has issued startling warnings for the Congress and the nation. Addressing Congress for the last time Rickover said the Defense Department should be abolished and predicted the world will probably destroy itself in a nuclear holocaust. Rickover has served in the Navy for nearly 60 years and in that time gained a reputation for being outspoken. He was the mastermind behind nuclear-powered submarines and ships, and many other innovations that modernized the Navy. The cail to abolish the Defense Department and the dire prediction that a nuclear holocaust is near isn’t the ramblings of senility Rickover’s experience and expertise leads us to believe that his statements have more than just a ring of truth "To increase the efficiency of the Department of Defense you first have to abolish it. It's far too large,” Rickover told the Congress. More than too large, the Defense department is bloated by ever escalating transfusions of dollars into its budget, too much waste and inef ficiency in operations, and too many defense contractors knowing the ways of the system Rickover observed that defense contractors have learned how to circumvent the rules that prevent them from exploiting contracts and reap ing excessive profits. He told the Congress that he submitted recommendations to Budget Director David Stockman on ways to improve efficiency and economy in the Pentagon. It’s interesting to note that Rickover says no action has been taken on his recommendations. Allied to Rickover’s concern for the Defense Department is his stem warnings about the grow ing power of corporate America and its threat to the society. "Through their control of vast resources, these large corporations have become, in effect, another branch of government," Rickover told the Congress “They often exercise the power oi government, but without the checks and balances inherent in our democratic system." Rickover is echoing a long-standing criticism of what used to be called “The military-industrial complex." The way many of the multinational corporations work with international dealing and diplomacy is certainly like a shadow government. Finally, regarding nuclear weapons and nu clear power, the man often called the father of the nuclear Navy calls for nuclear weapons and nu clear power to be outlawed Why such a turnabout for Rickover? Has he had enough years in the military hierarchy to perceive the present direction as dangerous? Amazingly, Rickover is reciting the sentiments of contemporary nuclear arms and power pro esters. That's something to ponder for those who haven't an opinion on nuclear issues or the defense establishment I letters ERA dead The ERA is obviously dead, but it did not perish with Mor man judge Marion Canister's decision He ruled against the legality of extending the rat ification deadline because there is no clause for it in the Constitution His probable bias against the ERA does not diminish this The real causes for its failure are these: 1) Supporters of the ERA (including many men) were not able to bridge the ideological gap between housewives and “working women They were unable to develop common ground even though there is much at hand 2) Supporters failed to exploit the liberal political climate of the mid-70's A great fanfare of publicity — especially a large scale media blitz — could have turned the tide then and there And 3) supporters failed to un derstand that their opponents (including many women) would fight as long and as hard as it took to continue the centuries-old discrimination against half the population And so, even though polls have continually showed the majority of Americans favoring the ERA. it has lost Some truly effective wording in the pending Reenactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 would help save face but the future issues for proponents of sexual equality remain the ones mentioned Kevin Querdros Women raped Recent weeks have seen the publication of a number of let ters related to the adult book stores raided in Eugene and Springfield Local media cover age has provided the public at large with the erroneous im pression that Reverend Brooks and his group of fundamental Christians are the only dis senters Reverend Brooks is not the only dissenter We dissent, and have no connection with Brooks Many other community members like us reject the idea that free speech is at issue We are enraged about the violence towards women that is represented by the existence and materials of such an enter prise No one of us can allow a business to be made based on the sale and display of materials that tell us that it is okay” to overpower and abuse women One in four women in the United States is raped That means that the next time you are with, or one of, a group of four women, one of those women, maybe you. has been raped Rape is a crime of violence, of over powering; no one asks for it Adult bookstores symbolize this same theme women, whether in live or pictorial form, are to be used for the pleasure of men Now comes Stacy Lar sen (Jan 24, Eugene Register Guard), not yet old enough to vote or consume alcohol, ad vocating a pleasant attitude of indifference '' We cannot be in different to violence Germany was once, a mistake for which 6,000.000 Jews paid Our mothers and sisters and daughters pay for our indiffer ence, now and until it ends To allow the existence of adult bookstores in Eugene and Springfield would say that 150,000 people cared not at all about the many daily abuses of women, from rape to al coholism It's not just Reverend Brooks Frank J. Mar one C Street, Springfield Made in USA? Following President Ronald Reagan's speech of Jan 26 a most disturbing commercial was aired on NBC Sponsored by the Grace Corporation, it went something like this The scene is a Japanese baseball game The camera zooms on the high technology scoreboard which is depicting an antimated oriental figure hit ting a baseball with terrific fury It also dwells on the proud play ers as they hit home runs, the advertisements on the fence and on the tens of thousands of screaming fans An announcer, speaking in the same locker room-pep-talk tone as Reagan used, begins to speak Unfor tunately, according to him, we are losing The Japanese have developed a stronger industrial sector than ours On the bright side, they were able to do this only through technology stamped Made In USA'' But all is not lost By pulling together and increasing production we can still defend ourselves and even go on to victory Two cliches Man fears nothing more than the un known There is nothing to fear but fear itself Recent history The reaction to the hostage cri sis proved that there is a seg ment in our society that is ready, indeed eager, to rush where angels fear to tread to label a nation enemy," to spread hys teria through fear And spread it did Most of us knew almost noth ing of Iran before the incident It was the unknown Is Japan different? Having studied Japan for four years I am in a good position to judge and I have found that most people know very little of the Japan that ex ists today This ignorance com bined with the successes of Japan makes her the perfect scapegoat for our failures Shouldn't we really emulate the Japanese'? Better that the message be let s pull together like the Japanese" than we have to pull together to stomp those sneaky yellow bastards Brian Bray Junior, Eaat Asian languagas staff Tha Oregon Dady Emarakt Is pubHahad Monday through Friday ascapl during finals »'«»> and aacabons by tha Oragon Daily Emaratd Publishing Co Nawt 696-S511 Adaarbstng Busirtass 6**3712 ClassMads M6-4343 Production fW4Mt Editor Sally Hodgkinson managing Editor Gatxm! 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