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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 26, 1983)
' ONE.. TWO. OK.WHE&i SfRlA?' Ifletters Tactics An open letter to the woman yelling at the corner of the EMU Monday afternoon. Dear madam: What was the intention of all your rantings and ravings? Was it to convert me to Chris tianity? If so, you failed. Miserably. Your words led me to the conclusion that Chris tians are too narrow-minded to accept anyone different from themselves, namely homosex uals. I used to picture your God as a loving God. But you stood there and told me that God “hates” a group of in dividuals because they are ab normal. Well, frankly, I want no part of a God that discrim inates against homosex uals, or any group, for that matter. I don’t like being turned off of Christianity, but your speech and some others I’ve heard at the EMU have given me a negative view of your religion. While I do not base my entire view of the Christian religion on one person’s views, I do take them into ac count. If you’re looking for converts, I suggest you try another tactic. And if you’re tired of being surrounded by homosexuals, might I suggest that you join ROTC? Susan Phillips Living bible I would like to thank Tom Visoky for including in his May 18 letter one of my favorite quotations from the Book of Isaiah, “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees” and "to those who call evil, good and good, evil.” I challenge him, however, to search for a wider application of Isaiah's message other than a condemnation of homo sexuality. We are indeed, witness to a world of great evil. The inabili ty of governments to negotiate peace in a nuclear age has fac ed us with planetary annihila tion and has thrown many — especially the young — Into a state of unreconciled despair and cynicism. United States supported juntas in Central America have effectively exter minated entire village popula tions In their effort to root out ‘subversives' and ‘com munists.’ And here at home, environmental perils — the mismanagement of radio active and toxic wastes, for in stance — threaten the lives of all future generations. The list could go on. Corporate irresponsibility, imperialistic greed, and un checked militarism. These are the best examples of evil in our world, and those who pro mote this kind of evil in the name of nationalism or religion are those very same people who “decree iniquitous decrees.” Tom: Since you seek to champion the “morality" of God, I urge you to put aside your judgment of others, whatever sexual preference they might have, long enough to join hands with people of every creed and lifestyle who strive for the peace and justice of a living bible. Sarah Barton junior, English Thanks folks Well, folks, the sun came out, the lawn was gr^-en, the sky blue, the stage multi colored, and it was not a Sony Trinitron, but rather the 13th Annual Willamette Valley Folk Festival that happened last weekend on the east lawn of the EMU. If you weren’t there, naught can be said but that you really missed out on a myriad of sen sory stimuli and a very fine time. Granted, you could have gone to the beach or the river or the mountains or the library, or gotten locked in the bathroom with a great novel for the weekend, but none of those places brought 225 per formers out in front of your retinas and eardrums for pleasure and cultural edification. Hippies? Of course they were there. But there were a couple of mohawkian hairjobs out there as well, and people who may never have heard of Pete Seeger or even the Cultural Forum. The event would not have come together without the long hours and patience of Frank Geltner, Jan Warren, Wendy Stolz and Anne Heid brlnk, to name but a few. To name a few more; Stan Ellefleft, Adam Schultz, Jamie McKillop, Rob Bart, Mary Heubel and Mark Rosenheim gave their time and skill. The Craft Center people worked wonders too. If you are harboring any comments or suggestions about the festival please write them down and drop them by the Cultural Forum downstairs in the EMU next to the Craft Center. After all, it’s your money we’re spending with a ruthless efficiency down here. Oh yes, we tried to get ap proval to extend that good old Street Fair atmosphere onto the festival grounds, but Adel MacMillan our guardian angel upstairs in the EMU had to do her job and follow policy. Ah, policy... By the way, we real ly had nothing to do with those skydivers, but it was pretty spectacular anyway. Well, drop off those sugges tions, keep the sunburn cream handy and thank you for com ing. See you next year. Tobay Fitch WVFF coordinator, EMU Cultural Forum Overpaid Since Jeff Nudelman feels so “grossly overpaid” perhaps he would like to donate his sti pend to someone who Is work ing in student government and using the money earned to support a family or themselves. Not all students can or do depend on checks from rich daddies: Should working in student govern ment be denied to anyone who needs to earn a living? Mary Hopa SEARCH debbie howlett A woman’s place... A woman’s place always will be at the front of a University crew shell. Victoria Brown hadn’t come to the University in 1972 with the intention of making waves at the bow of a crew shell, but when the season ended, the waves she’d made were enough to make some athletic officials green around the gills. Brown’s tenure began in nocently enough when her boyfriend, who was coxswain of the varsity team, overslept. Brown went to tell his team mates they’d have to wait a bit. The crew team, being without patience as well as a cox swain, decided that Brown would do for the day. The west coast’s first woman coxswain fell for the sport hook, line and oar lock. However, Oregon State University and the University of Washington, tried to bring Brown out of her shell. Women, they collectively figured, had no place on a men’s varsity crew team. The OSU athletic director, Jim Bar rett, held the NCAA rule book high, carried on over violations of Pac-8 directives and said he would withdraw his team unless Brown was evicted from her spot at the helm. Without a team to race against, the University squad voted to keep Brown at the helm. It ended in a 4-4 stand off. Brown decided the matter by refusing to compete (a move that leaves her a martyr, at least in my mind, for the next few light years). Eventual ly the team refused to row without Brown as the coxswain. Brown competed in only one race that season, winning against Seattle University. She will always have the memory of being tossed, an obligatory gesture for the winning cox swain, Into the freezing winter waters of Dexter Reservoir. The moment was photograph ed and recorded. Brown did not try out for the crew team the next year. But Brown hasn’t been forgotten. The University club sport program recently christened their nearly new 8-person shell; with the name “Victoria Brown.” The naming is a maneuver usually reserved for wealthy benefactors who pur chase the shells. Yet the story carries another twist. The name of the shell and what that name stands for hit close to home with the Univer sity's present eight-man cox swain: Brenda Thornton. Thornton was almost barred from competing in the Na tional Sports Festival regatta — because she is a woman. This time it was the NSF folks, holding an Olympic rule book high, ranting that there would be no mixing of gender in such a noble Olympic event. Only through some fancy finagling, and one gentleman who was willing to put his job in jeopar dy, did she manage to compete. Brown lives in Seattle now. She’s married and has two kids. She met this year’s crew team during a competition in Seattle. Thornton is giving up crew after this year and will concen trate on school and other pursuits. But Brown's name, and both women’s spirit will tie carried on the shell forever. And maybe our neighbors to the north caught the name emblazoned on the gunnel of the University’s shell as it glid ed through the water at the Pac-10 varsity championships last weekend — with Brenda Thorton at the fore Debbie Howlett is the 1983-84 Editor of the Emerald. letters Homophobia The debate over the ROTC’s discriminatory policy has had one very obvious result: from statements made during the Assembly debate and more particularly from letters published in the Emerald, it is perfectly clear that an ag gressive discrimination, sometimes subtle, more often violent and self-righteous does exist against homosex uals as a group. Illogical argu ment and twisted rhetoric thin ly clothe a frightening homophobia. That there ap pears to be so little understan ding and compassion on a university campus should be cause for shame and dismay. Perry Powers professor, romance languages Oregon daily emerald Iho Oregon Deity Emerald is published Monday through f "day etcepl during e«am week and vacations by the Oregon Dairy Emerald Publishing Co at the University ol Oregon Eugene OR. 9740.3 The Emerald operates independently of the University •rlh ottices on the third floor ol the Erb Memorial Union and is a member ol the Associated Press News end Edltorts! 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