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