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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 7, 1982)
emerald platform Women protest against violence of night I pack my laundry into a duffle-bag and sling it over my shoulder. She looks at me with big eyes and I smile as I step out and plunge into the cool darkness of the night. It dawns on me that her eyes weren't responding to my smile — her eyes were big with fright. I become confused, then angry realizing that she saw in me someone other — a potential Rapist. I understand why she was afraid and know there's no way I could experience the real and pervasive fear of the night that grips her. To survive after dark she has to see every man as a potential Rapist. Sixty percent of all rapes occur between 6 p.m. and 2 a m. . Women are held hostage by the darkness But can they live without fear of rape in daylight? No. Two recent instances of rape in Eugene took place in daylight. In one incident a woman was abducted from a telephone booth in a residential district at knife-point. Safety for women is no longer relative to the night or the neighbor ' IWKP RjR'lbu,"M WALRUS SAID:* I P2PW SflAWWE." hood. Saturday night, women fighting against the fear will stage a candlelight march to protest sexual violence The march will be through the most dangerous (in terms of rape) areas of Eugene, the west University neighborhood and a portion of downtown To call this a march of protest is something of a misnomer It is a march of outrage against the darkness that can shelter a Rapist as he waits in shadows to attack, then protected by night sex ually assaults a victim, finally to steal away im mune into the blackness. But it is not simply the night that provides the cloak for the Rapists who will rape one of every three women in the United States (FBI statistics) Subtle attitudes condoning the act of rape poison this society. To combat this workshops on the awareness and prevention of rape, panels on violence against women and domestic violence, meetings on sexual harassment and demonstra tions of self-defense are scheduled for all day Saturday at Harris Hall, 8th and Oak Streets Men. as well as women, will benefit from attending. Rape is possibly one of the most heinous crimes The Rapist has demonstrated an inability to adapt to the society Rape is more than the violation of a woman's body Rape is the physical ^ and psychological brutalization of a woman — the act of misogyny The bruises eventually heal, but the psychological wounds bleed forever The Rapist should be paid back in kind and removed from society The recidivist Rapist shows he cannot be rehabilitated and deserves lifelong incarceration. Does castration seem extreme in the case of a habitual Rapist? Saturday night women will retake the night — but it is only one night in the many nights of fear throughout a woman's life Men can show their support for the march from streetcorners gabriel boehmer editor's note In the United States, the second Sunday in May is observed to remember one’s mother by some act of grateful affection — usually a phone call on Monday to apologize for forgetting to send a card. To prevent her from saying, "That's okay. I don’t need anything as long as I have you," and to keep yourself in pot roast and mashed potatoes awhile longer, consider the following gift sugges tions. First, the traditional: The bouquet. A perennial favorite of siblings who either work as part-time delivery drivers for florists, or have the collective buying power afforded by several brothers and sisters The I.O.U. A coupon for odd jobs around the house is a natural for offspring who never go home on weekends, or who are forced into man ual labor when they visit anyway. The home-made card. You should be able to find all the necessary ingredients around the house: construction paper, crayons, safety scis sors, a little imagination and lots of glue It worked in grade school, didn't it? If you put your mind to it, however, you can turn an ordinary gift into that something special For instance: The hairdo. Instead of giving mom a coupon for a permanent wave at her regular salon con sider a complimentary visit to Johnny Rotten's Razor Emporium for a new wave The Sunday ride. In lieu of a peaceful afternoon drive, send her to the Fox Hunt at the local dragstrip There's a little Mrs. Robinson in every mom The evening out Rather than treating mom to your company and a champagne brunch, give her some spending money and tickets to a nightclub featuring exotic male dancers Of course, there are gifts you can give mom that benefit both of you. The new baby. If you're the last one in the nest at home, give her someone else to mother — a puppy will do just fine She'll have her hands full keeping track of the new family member and won t have time to worry if you're eating right. The bottle of scotch. Your mother can share this symbol of success with the gals — if you don't get to it first The concert. How were you to know that the Tom Petty tickets you bought mom were for the same night she had to chair a school board meeting? Valiantly, you offer to take her place, even if it is at the last minute Remember, there are only two shopping days left If you've forgotten your mother's name or address, check the city directories available in the University library Or call your dad He probably needs a reminder too letters Forthrightness In a letter to the Emerald April 30, Todd Weber casts asper sions on the editorial board for 'calling those of differing opin ions liars and comparing them to Nazis" — in this case, Ronald Reagan, the fascist gun in the West, because he has re peatedly said the U S is trailing the Soviets in nuclear weapons capability On the contrary, Emerald edi tors: once again you've demon strated journalistic courage and forthrightness, calling a spade a spade I can think of few better comparisons than the Nazi regime and Goebbels' ministry of lies The main difference is that Goebbels was condemning only certain races and ethnic groups, and defending ovens built for the sole purpose of incinerating these people, Reagan, Haig, Weinberger. Thatcher and the like are effectively condemning the en tire human race and nature itself (the National Academy of Sciences states that an all-out nuclear war would destroy the ozone layer around the earth, which would result in the even tual death of all living things), while defending nuclear ovens designed solely for incinerating civilizations It is an outright lie that tne Soviets have any kind of nuclear superiority It is pure Nazi-style salesmanship to insist that nu clear weapons are a security and a protection 50,000 nukes haven't made us safer and 51,000 won't either Both coun tries are throwing their money down a rathole and starving their people in the process The sooner we realize this and stop with a negotiated "freeze", the closer we'll have come to res toring a measure of sanity in this world Nobody's going to recognize and solve the prob lem but us, and the best solution or starting point put forward so far is the "freeze. Meanwhile, Todd Weber doesn't know what he's talking about The Emerald has taken an admirable stand of conscience and common sense Vip B. Short. D.C. staff 77m Oregon Dolly Emerald la pubUahad Monday through Friday except during Hnala meek end aecationa by the Oregon Dally Emerald Publlahlng Co. News 646-5511 Advertising/Bualnaaa 646-3712 CleaaJheda 646-4343 Production 646-4341 Editor Sally Hodgkmson Managing Editor Gabriel Boehmer New Editor Harry f steve Assistant New Editor John Healy Photo Editor Bob Baker Graphict Editor Max DeRungs Editorial Page Editor Cort Female Sports Editor Steve Spati Assttciate Sports Editor Jett Dickerson Entertainment Editor Matt Meyer Night Editor Debbte Howlett Attocmte Editor*: ASUO Dane Claussen Community Marian Green Deportment* end School* Debbie Howlett Feature* Sandy Johnstone Higher Education Ann Portal Politic* / Environment Ron Hunt General Staff. Advertising Director Darlene Gore Cla tallied Advertising S ally Ol/ar Production Uaneget Ann Peterson Controller Jean Ownbey
