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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 1983)
I The arms business Sen. Bob Packwood, surprisingly, does not support the nuclear freeze initiative. It would curb arms production. Last week at a Eugene Rotary Club speech, Packwood said he supported a freeze and a reduction in the nuclear arms race, but he doesn’t support legislation that would curb our ability to sell arms to Europe. We imagine he includes other politically feasible buyers. Packwood's logic: “We won’t force the weapons on Europe. If Europe doesn’t want them, we can’t sell them. But what if Europe does want them?’’ In other words, what if we have a market for arms, nuclear or otherwise? Whether he intended to or not, Pack wood reflected a truth about the American military build-up that has nothing to do with our defense as a nation. Defense machinery is a major, perhaps the major, international business of the United States. And in times of recession, low GNP and an unfavorable balance of trade, morality and peace play a poor second to the economics of arms sales. Packwood joins many of his colleagues in Congress when he continues to support defense packages regardless of the country’s mood or Oregon’s mood for curbing defense and negotiating a nuclear freeze with the Soviet Union. Moral considerations of these senators give way to political support from big defense corporations and defense workers. What is surprising is when senators without much military influence in their state, such as Packwood, think along these lines. Military spending, particularly the production of large ticket items, such as the B-1 bomber currently under con struction, creates jobs and profits. Defense Secretary Casper Weingberger has been using his knowledge of the jobs the defense department creates during his eight Congressional hearings this month. Sen. Donald Riegle, D-Michigan, criticized the defense depart ment’s recommended cuts last week, only to be reminded by Weinberger that the military will create 154,000 jobs in Michigan this year. It is no accident that anti-nuclearites in the Senate such as Alan Cranston, D-California and Howard Metzenbaum, D-Ohio, support the B-1. It is being built in California and engineered in Ohio. Weinberger has statistics on all the senator’s states to come to defense’s defense and save the production items. The defense budget is going to be cut in I983. The question is where and why. Packwood and his cronies in the Senate should look beyond the immediate short-term fiscal considerations. It is long past the time to halt nuclear and other arms produc tions. Packwood and his cronies would do well to start con sidering the moral obligations of being the arsenal for the world. Is that really the “good’’ the United States wants to lead the world in? And is that really the cause Packwood and friends want to stand up for in front of their constituents? opinion Subversive As a University student, I find it extremely frustrating to know that the ASUO is supporting subversive political movements with our tuition funds. I came here to get an education, but now the ASUO has decided that I must support Students for a Nuclear-Free Future, the Amer ican Civil Liberties Union, the Asian Student Society, and numerous other interest groups. Is it part of the educational process to support socialistic movemnts? Will I be forced in the future to support the Save the Drugged-Out Hippies As sociation, the Comunist Youth Brigade, and the Ted Kennedy for President Fund? How can the ASUO justify such misuse of tuition revenue without being accountable to the students? I do not hate mi norities or dissenters, but I re sent being coerced into sup porting gays and subversive radical organizations Students — it is your tuition money being wasted ($52 per term). If you think tuition is too high, part of the reason is your wonderful ASUO, which has decided that it is best for you to letters O positive I was delighted to see the Emerald coverage of the two day blood donation drive held in the EMU. However, the tone set by the picture and narrative was unfortunate. As a regular blood donor, I do not consider donat ing painful and am dismayed that you would present It as such. The positive impact on the r community of the nearly 200 donations far outweighs the minor discomfort felt by donors The University of Oregon Donor Club replaces biood u nits used by University faculty, staff, students, and their im mediate families at about half the cost This substantial ben efit can be offered only because people donate blood to the Donor Club Treating the common fear of needles in a joking manner obscured the real value of the blood drive on campus I am very sorry the Emerald chose to emphasize the discomfort rather than the very postive aspects of the blood donating Linda King UO Blood Donor Club Oregon daiiy _ _ emerald The Oregon Daily E mereld m published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon D«<iy Emerald Publishing Co at the University of Oregon Eugene OR 97403 The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices on the third floor of th* trb Memorial Urwon end hi a member of the Associated Press M* »S!t ate 3712 att 4iaj 4*4 4111 saasv t Ctreutettor* Editor Managing Editor Now* Editor A»*t*tant New* Editor Editorial Pag* Editor Photo Editor Sporta Editor Annooate Sport* Editor E ntertammem Editor Night Editor A ••octal* Editor* Migh*r Education Department* and School* Student Government Feature* Politic! Politic* Education Reporter Oonaral Stall Adverttiung Manager i". i *«.»!•<) Advertising Production Manager COTltrOHpr Harry E ateve John Heaiy Marian Green Cort Fernakl Joan Nyland • Bob Baker Mike Rtplmger Paul Danger Jonathan Siegie Con Fernaid Sandy Johnstone Frank Sham Richard Burr Sean Meyers Michele Matassa Aleta 2a* Oanene Gore Sally Ol)ar Victoria Koch Jean Ownoey || letters pay tor otner important tnings besides your actual educational costs. I suggest that the ASUO get back to the basics and keep out of political issues, or else their jobs will be replaced by peole who realize the words “socialism” and “college education" are not synony mous. Randy Shepard sophomore, business Sanctuary Regarding the wanton des truction of the tree house in Washburn Park the other day the Register Guard correctly points out that there were more compassionate options availa ble to those charged with law enforcement, then goes on to say “But the tree house ultima tely had to come down. If not where would the city draw the line? One illicit tree house tacitly permitted Where does com passion for the homeless end and creation of other public problems begin?" We may not be able to give a satisfactory answer to this question, but we can all plainly see where they city does in fact draw the line. Consider the big cement cross erected illegally in Skinner’s Butte Park. In that case, the offender was wealthy. The construction is highly visi ble, serves no useful purpose and has served only as a per renial bone of contention But in that case the city isued a re troative building permit and went to considerable expense to defend it in court, thereby illegally using our tax money for a religious purpose and forcing those who were offended by the cross to pay, through their taxes, for the court expenses of those opposing them If the young man in the tree house had fastened his Bible to the lower part of the trunk of the tree together with a big sign proclaiming his tree house to be a place of worship perhaps the city would have come to his defense, too. Bayard McConnaughey professor, biology Practices Doug Nash deserves congra tulations tor his courage in bringing to light ROTC's dis criminatory practices against homosexuals and lesbians Last year Pres Paul Olum, before kicking the partially Na tional Wildlife Federation-fund ed Kacinc Nortnwesi resource Center off campus, declared that "ROTC is an academic program within the University,” and was thus not comparable to the PNRC. It could also be argued that ROTC is a virtual vocational school run by the Defense Department, which in return for the money it pumps into the University demands the right to determine who shall enter the program, who shall receive scholarships, and who shall teach the courses. But the administration finds ROTC an academic program. Academic programs at this University must allow students "equal opportunity in education and employment without regard to any other extraneous consideration not directly relat ed to effective performance." ROTC is currently practicing discrimination in both areas. Homosexuals and lesbians are denied scholarship oppor tunities which are available to "straights." They cannot be of ficers and thus cannot be hired to teach ROTC courses. Sexual preference clearly has no bear ing on an idividual's ability to serve as an officer: blackmail, if the individual is admittedly gay, is impossible. Pres. Olum cannot eat his cake and have it too. Either ROTC is an arm of the Depart ment of Defense and must be kicked off campus under the PNRC precedent, or it is an academic program which is violating University rules. It is time for Affirmative Action to take some action. Students should be demanding it as sure ly as they would if Women's Studies refused to hire male professors or if Ethnic Studies began refusing scholarships to WASPs Sherri Schultz sophomore, political science, french Alaska loans Alaskan students, are you at tending the University with a state loan? If so, beware! Dear, rich, Gov. Sheffield has proposed cutting your loan in half, raising your interest to nine percent, and eliminating the four-year one-half forgiven clause Protect the future of your college education. Write to your representative today! Amy Baker Alaskan student
