I
Hunger strikers
on wrong path
For four days now Charles Gray has abstained from food
— sustaining himself only on water. Gray, formerly of
Eugene, is one of nine hunger strikers in France, Canada,
West Germany and even Moscow fasting until there is a
meaningful breakthrough in the nuclear arms race.
Gray, like the other hunger strikers, has expressed his
willingness to starve himself until the “momentum in the
nuclear arms race" is turned from escalation to disarma
ment. If that momentum is not turned Gray freely spoke of
starving himself to death. He chose this past weekend
because it marked the 38th anniversary of the atomic bomb
ings of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9).
More than 150,000 Japanese were killed in these
cataclysmic events. It’s gross understatement to say that
when the bombs (nicknamed "Big Boy” and "Little Boy”)
were dropped the world was never the same. But now Gray,
and the names of the other hunger strikers may be added to
the long chronicle of the dead. The immediate carnage of the
nuclear bombings has long ended, but the pile of incidental
dead seems to be mounting.
The hunger strikers have chosen a honorable course of
action — one that makes a public statement, is highly visible
and involves no violence against the nuclear arms forces
they wish to shatter. Still, with all its overtones of Mahatma
Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau and civil disobedience these
hunger strikers have embarked on a futile effort that appears
more akin to masochism and suicide than to effective social
protest.
opinion
vjiciy, aiiu me uuiei nuiiyei oiiirseio, win idirve iuuu umy
when they see a breakthrough in the arms race, the canceled
deployment of Cruise and Pershing-ll missiles in Western
Europe and the dismantling of existing Soviet SS-20 missiles
in Eastern Europe. The idealism of these nine hunger strikers
is tragic. For many years now demonstrations in Europe —
large scale demonstrations — have done little to alter the
planned missile deployment or to nudge the belligerent An
dropov government and Reagan administration to strategic
arms reduction talks. These demonstrations have involved
hundreds of thousands of people in Europe.
Despite the apparent inability of these large demonstra
tions to change the present course of missile deployment
and nuclear arms build up in Europe they do have and will
wield significant influence in the coming years.
An example of the effectiveness of large scale protest
was demonstrated during the Vietnam war era. In the beginn
ing the protests were only a few hundred politically active
people sitting on the railroad tracks at the Oakland (Calif.)
Armed Forces Induction Center.
Gradually the protests grew — year after year, atrocity
after atrocity. Eventually the demonstrations against the
Vietnam war became 500,000 strong in Washington, 500,000
strong in San Francisco and thousands demonstrating in the
cities inbetween. These were not only the politically active.
The demonstrators represented a genuine cross section of
American culture. And the numbers calling for an end to the
Vietnam war could not be ignored. There is little dispute the
massive demonstrations did speed the end of the Vietnam
war. They may have even abetted the demise of the Nixon
administration.
The dedication and determination of Gray and the
hunger strikers is to be admired but not entirely respected.
Bluntness cannot and should not be avoided. If Gray and the
others are to carry out their threats to starve themselves to
death than they are not becoming martyrs sacred to a cause
— only dead fools.
We sympathize with Gray and the hunger strikers. Unfor
tunately, we deplore their tactics. Gray and the others would
be more effective to the movement against nuclear arms if
they remained alive and continued to speak to one person or
whole groups of people convincing each of the nuclear arms
peril. The death of the hunger strikers will not have lasting in
fluence on many to participate in demonstrations against
nuclear arms deployment or a nuclear freeze. Their deaths
will only add more ashes to the mountain of past dead at
tributable to nuclear arms.
r
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TASK fORCE ON
HUNGER
twnoN
\
' OK, HUNGERS .TODAY WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT VEGETABLES - CUP YOUR HANDS.'
Rationality
The Emerald editorial con
cerning the Christine Craft sex
discrimination suit against
Metromedia has all the ap
pearances of rationality. After
all, aren’t we all opposed to
sex discrimination and super
ficiality in TV news broad
casting? Wouldn’t it be nice if
news reporters were selected
on the basis of their grasp of
the body politic and not their
appearance? What is in
teresting in cases such as
these, is that those who are
the first to scream “foui” at
the strong-arm tactics of the
Moral Majority :-e perfectly
content shoving their morality
down one’s throat. I find both
just as indigestible
I don’t think I need to
belabor the point that there is
fluff and triviality in news
broadcasting. I think it would
be very generous to claim that
as much as one or two percent
of the garble emanating over
the airwaves constitutes quali
ty programing Unfortunately,
if there is one thing that the
producers of these programs
are good at (and TV news is
part and parcel of this
business) it is responding to
popular demand. No matter
what the quality of the produc
tion, if it doesn’t get the
ratings it won't last (no matter
what some District Court
judge says). We may wish that
popular opinion were more
enlightened, more
discriminating, but I think it
unrealistic to expect the net
works to do anything more
than reflect the values of the
viewers (as sad as this may be
to accept). Evidently, a lot of
people who watch the news
like "pretty faces." This is a
1
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Mar* Pynes
Associate Editors
Higher Education/Departments and Schools
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Jean Ownbey
shame, but is it really the role
of the government to intervene
and tell Metromedia how to
conduct their business? How
about the hiring and firing of
other persons in the TV
industry?
I never saw Craft delivering
the news so I can’t comment
on her performance. I have
seen Roger Mudd, and I am
sorry to see him go. I think I
would be even sorrier
however, to see the judicial
system barge in and have him
reinstated.
Lowell Smith
psychology
Paranoia
George Trumbo is entitled
to his beliefs. However, his
blithering remark about the
"communist creed" shows his
argument is based on paranoia
rather than reason.
Trumbo should take delight
in the fact that alcohol is con
sumed in the U.S.S.R. in quan
tities great enough to induce
an alcoholic death rate ten
times that of the U S. as well
as an alarming fall from 66 to
62 years of age in the average
life span of Soviet males.
Furthermore, Trumbo, pot
doesn’t ruin livers or burn out
the brain the way daily swigs
of vodka does. So who is more
infected by decadence?
I think the Soviets have a
better claim to a “capitalistic
creed” ruining their homeland
than Trumbo’s paranoid tan
tasy has stated for the U.S.
drug market. Trumbo should
either face reality or shut up.
Andrew Beckwith
gred student, physics
One-sided
Debbie Janes' article on
canvassing was both
humorous and thoughtful,
although one sided. An
OSPIRG canvasser speaks
with 40-50 people each day
about the issues our group is
involved in (utility reform and
hazardous wastes).
Sometimes we encounter
frustrating or saddening situa
lions including poverty,
apathy and occasionally even
hostility.
These factors, however, are
more than balanced by fre
quent experiences of positive
interaction, including:
• elderly people expressing
faith in “the younger folk” for
carrying on work they may no
longer be active in.
• people with little money
contributing whatever they
can, glad to have a voice in the
issues affecting their lives.
• meeting people with op
posing viewpoints, who can be
challenging or even wary at
first and leaving then with
mutual feelings of stimulation
and goodwill.
• hearing from so many the
simple statement, “you’re do
ing good work.”
Elaine Mancinelli
field manager, OSPIRG
Hysterical
In reference to George
Trumbo's letter on the mari
juana initiative (August 4), I
would like to say this.
I have not read such a
hysterical letter in a long time.
I am one who is not “hooked
on this poisonous
hallucinating narcotx” (not
that it matters), but I have
already signed the petition to
legalize marijuana. One of my
reasons for signing the peti
tion is the one Trumbo has
overlooked, that is, if nothing
is done the use of marijuana
by young people will not
decrease. A case in point is
myself. When I was 12 years
old I was exposed to and able
to acquire marijuana, and
could have earlier than that if I
had been so inclined. But, with
legalization also come the
ability to control the use of
marijuana among young peo
ple. I am not so naive to think
that new laws will completely
eliminate the use of marijuana
among young people, just as a
drinking age of 21 years does
not keep people younger than
that from consuming alcohol.
But it would be a step toward
controlling that use.
As to the connection bet
ween the reform of marijuana
laws and the spread of com
munism — I don’t buy it.
However, I suppose if you
wanted to believe that, then
you would also assume that
this is all "part of the plan" as
is the “infiltration of com
munist spies" into the peace
movement. To that I say I will
take my "enemies in the peace
movement "to “friends" like
Trumbo any day.
David Uvarmora
gaology