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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1983)
Ijoan nyland . suitable for comment Mother’s Day columns and cards usually say things like: Thank you Mom for all the times you chauffered me here and there. Thank you Mom for all the great meals. Thank you Mom for all the emergency loans. But, I don’t want to thank my mother this Sunday for all those duties that she perform ed so well and still does. To be honest, I am uncom fortable with that role model she gave me. Like many women in their 20s, I cannot bring myself to like the martyr image my mother portrayed. I want to ask her repeatedly, "Why did you do that?” If I should ever be somebody’s mother, I do not want my thank you’s summed up one day in May. I do not want the basis of praise from my children to read: Thank you for being my slave. However, I do want to thank my mother for some things for which she rarely gets credit. I would like to thank my mother for never punishing me in front of anyone. I can still hear her saying, “The idea is to understand what you did wrong — not to humiliate.” I thank my mother for being extremely honest and open r about sexuality when I was a child and adolescent. I appreciated her attending all those horrible recitals, understanding my need for solitude and encouraging me to read. My special thank you regards a "little lecture" she gave me before I went to col lege. She told me not to give up my dreams for her, or my father or any relationship. She wanted me to live my own life and not to sacrifice. I don’t sacrifice. Now, I can only hope she doesn’t find me too selfish. My eldest sister says, “Mom’s legacy is her uncanny way of making the inevitable, enjoyable." Well, my mother does not have a secret handle on fate and I always have suspected there is a lot of un necessary compromising go ing on under that cheerful exterior. I think my mother’s legacy is her infectious insistence that one stop, and smell the roses and let things grow in their own time. The wonderful mothers are women with personalities who can discern when to nurture and when to nudge. letters Principles At last Wednesday's Univer sity Assembly meeting, I wat ched 176 University pro fessors vote to “postpone in definitely" discussion of the discrimination against gay and lesbian people which is oper.iy practiced by an academic department of this university. Perhaps thanks are in order. In two minutes, I got a more compelling eduction about the difference between principles and actions than I have receiv ed all year — an education I will not soon forget, although I wish with all my heart that I could. Sherri Schultz political science, French Wildeiness The Forest Service, in con junction with the Outdoor Pro gram has a "Wilderness Skills Trail " on campus Thursday and Friday. You can go through it like an obstacle r J course to find out how skillful you are. So I said to them: ‘‘I’ve got a wilderness skill for you. How about standing in front of a bulldozer?” The Forest Service official grinned. The Outdoor Program representative grinned, too. Everybody smiles when they hear that. Because it s so right. Because at this moment people are standing in front of bulldozers on an illegal, im moral road that the Forest Ser vice is trying to hack into the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. So if you want to do something for humanity, for trans-humanity, and for yourself, do this: Go to the demonstration at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. today in the EMU courtyard. Go to the Earth First Road Show tonight at 7 p.m. in 123 Science I. Then get into your jeans, your boots and get down to the wilderness and block that 'dozer! Marcy Willow Survival Cantor Oregon doily emerald Tha Oregon Dally Emarald is publishad Monday through Friday axcapt during wan warm and racationa. by in# Dragon Daily Emarald Publishing Co at I ha Untvaralty of Dragon. Eugana, OP. 97403 Thn Emarald oparata* indapandantly of tha Unlyartity with of tied* on I ha third floor of lha Erb Mrunorial Union and ta a mam her of tha Aasoctatad Praas Nawa and Editorial MW-MH Oiapiay Adaartiaing and •uamsas aaa 1/12 ClataMsd Adaartialng aaa 434) Production aaa 43a t Circulation IMUtl Editor Managing Editor Now* Editor Aaalatanl Now* Editor Editorial Pag* Editor Photo Editor Sport* Editor Asaociata Sport* Editor Cntortainmoni Editor Night Editor AjMMcIfttB CdiHS** Higher Education Department* and School* Studonl Government Pasture* Potillc* Studonl SorvieealCommunn y Allan* Oonoral Start Advertising Managor Ctoaeifiod Advertising Production Managor Control lor Harry Estova John Haaly Marian Qraon Cort Pernald Joan Nyiand Boh Baker Mika Hiplingar Paul Datvrer Jonaihari Stogie John Meaty Sandy Johnstone Prank Shaw Richard Burr Soan Meyer* Michele Mataaaa A tela Za» Dertene Gore Sally CM jar Victoria Koch Jean Ownboy mu I ^ TOKJ GOVERNS NT BE K£PT Our op WXAftW... «**«&* ^foffr II letters Affirmation David Herman’s letter enti tled, "Dissenting,” in which he explains his reasons for voting against the University Nuclear Free Zone Initiative makes a valid point concerning the academic freedom of the physics department. Potential ly, the freedom of nuclear physics research could be compromised. Beyond this point, Herman’s logic deteriorates. The statement, "As long as the Kremlin wants to take over the world and the West resists” is an overly simplistic assessment of Soviet inten tions and American policy. Both states pursue aggressive foreign policies with the inten tion of spreading their own in fluence as far as possible. Both states use the panacea of "national security” to ra tionalize the export of arms to most of the Third World and for their failure to find a solu tion to the Cold War. Competition among nations is not in itself a bad thing. But when the competition takes place in an atmosphere of fear, hostility and expanding military capabilities war becomes a very real possibility. The Nuclear Free Zone in itiative is an attempt to alleviate this climate of fear. It is an ideological statement by the majority of University students that they are willing to take the first small steps towards peace. More impor tant, it is an affirmation of our belief in man's ability to settle his disputes peacefully, with the power of diplomacy rather than the force of bombs How anyone can be opposed to this initiative, I cannot understand. Eric Kellermsnn senior, history Established fear The message delivered by Arthur Cox during Ground Zero Week about the nuclear arms race was not a new one. What was new was the fact that Arthur Cox said what he said. He has been a part of the American diplomatic establishment. He has talked first hand with Russians. He embodies a sense of the history of the negotiations to halt the proliferation of nuclear missiles. As he spoke I was aware of his mood of suppressed fear. He talked about the Russians' love for their country. He talk ed about how much the Rus sians had suffered — both in the loss of human lives through wars and internal op pression and in their loss of national pride when forced to withdraw from Cuba in 1962. Cox’s fear arises from this understanding. Because of this suffering and loss of pride, Russians will not allow themselves to be victimized again. If pushed to the brink by Pershing missiles in Europe (which can reach Russian soil in six to eight minutes), the threat of preventing undetec table destruction may leave them with no other choice than to fire their missiles first. Cox's message was clear. We have eight months to stop this act of American military lunacy. There is no justifies tion — defensively or monetarily — for putting Per shing missiles in Europe. Let us join with the multitudes of peaceseekers in Europe and stop this suicidal non sense Stuart Shaw Waalay Foundation Uranium mill The Lakeview Mining Com pany began mining uranium in south central Oregon in 1956. The company stopped its operation in 1961, leaving behind 130.000 tons of uranium mill tailings on 30 acres near the town of Lakeview. At that time, most authorities did not consider the low-level radioactive wastes to be dangerous. Un fortunately for the people of Lakeview, those authorities were wrong. The incidence of oatcell lung cancer in Lakeview (com mon in uranium miners) has in creased 10 fold since 1961. The small town now has the highest rates of breast cancer and infant mortality in the state. State law does not allow the storage of most low-level radioactive wastes in Oregon. In 1979, however, the uranium mining industry suc cessfully lobbied the State Legislature to exempt uranium mill tailings from the state ban on radiocactive wastes. On May 6 the State Senate Energy and Environment Committee will hold a work session on SB 419, a bill which would once again prohibit the storage of uranium mill tailings in the state. The dangers of these radioactive wastes are not restricted solely to the people of Lakeview. Medford, Roseburg, Coos Bay and McDermitt also contain exten sive uranium desposits. If you do not want these areas to become another Lakeview attend the work ses sion, write your leg.slator or call toll-free at 1-800-452-7813 (686-7500 for Eugene/Spring field residents). Jan Flaherty Eugene letters policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing fair comment on topics of interest to the University community. Letters to the editor must be limited to 250 words, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in to the Emerald office The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length, style or content Your turn is an Emerald opinion feature submitted by members of the University community. “Your turns" must be limited to 500 words and typed This editorial column will not be edited by the staff, but selection will be based on appro priateness Letters to the editor and “Your turns" should be turned into the Emerald office. Suite 300 EMU. Unsigned editorials appearing in the Emerald are based upon the majority opinion of the editorial board
