opinion
Democratic lip service
about a woman V.P.
The Democrats have come within a well-coiffed hair of pro
mising to choose a women as the running mate on their party
ticket.
Are women supposed to be excited with this non-committal
committment, or is it just so much more election year rhetoric?
We're inclined to think it's just rhetoric.
Women, say the Democrats, are ready to take their turn in
the front office. But, as with every other advance in equality, it
has taken a white male to tell a non-white male "You are ready”
to give the change validity.
It is about time women took their place in the front office.
It's been about time for as long as anyone cares to remember.
The same can be said of the Democrats' patronly offer. That's
what it is. The Democrats have placed a male arm around the
collective group known as women, and in a syrupy-sweet voice
that has conned many, recited their lines.
Spare us the manure.
The Democrats want a women as a running mate as badly as
the Republicans wanted James Watt to resign. The Democrats
need a woman running mate as badly as the Republicans need
ed Watt to resign. It's image. It's politics.
The Democrats, trying to capitalize on Pres. Ronald Reagan's
even more patronizing attitude, have opted to give women an
inch. We hope women will take a mile.
The Democrats' sincerity is questionable. As with any politi
cian, the candidates will tell Americans they really want a
woman. The only proof is in the process, and if the Democrats
are not sincere, it will be another four years before anything can
be changed.
The powers that be in the national organization are counting
on the women of this country to believe them. Maybe they ac
tually believe themselves. But if there is sincerity in what the
Democrats say, they should probably do some homework
before their debates and forums and poltical recitations.
Sometimes the results are amusing when the boys gather to
tell the women what the women will get; such as the Democrats
courting of the National Organization for Women.
George McGovern thinks it's the National Organization of
Women. John Glenn thinks "we didn't work hard enough” to
pass the Equal Rights Amendment. And Ruebin Askew didn't
even get an invitation because of his stand against abortion.
Take your choice. Send your most qualified, your most
likable, your best representative to join a man who really doesn't
understand why you've made all this fuss.
The only candidate who actually sounded like he
understood how much of a carrot the Democrats have held on a
stick was Walter Mondale. In an effort to show some solidarity,
Mondale told NOW; "It's a long march and I'm going to march it
with you." Put your four-inch pumps where your mouth is Fritz.
/\ct or conscience
opposes amendment
University student Melissa Barker's act of conscience lost
her $3,200 in financial aid, but her act may just win a substantial
ruling against the Solomon Amendment. And that benefits all
students.
Because Barker didn't sign the Selective Service compliance
form she was denied $2,400 in work study funds and $800 in a
guaranteed student loan. Barker, if we judge by her act, doesn't
put a prfce on her conscience.
The loss of financial aid — and the requirements of the
Solomon Amendment — have prompted Barker to seek legal
counsel.
Barker, with the help of the local chapter of the ACLU, is in
tent on putting the matter before the courts. She is basing a case
around her refusal to sign because of conscience and the denial
of federal financial aid that resulted.
Dave Fidanque, head of Eugene's ACLU chapter said they
would question whether after her denial of federal financial aid,
it would become an obligation on the part of the University to
pick up Barker's financial aid.
Fidanque said the obligation might be covered by Article
One, Section Three of the Oregon Constitution, which states:
"No law shall in any case whatever. . . interfere with the rights of
conscience."
Barker's act of conscience looks to be within the strictures of
the Oregon Constitution. But the case will have far-reaching im
plications on the Solomon Amendment. There's already a case
against the amendment pending before the U.S. Supreme Court
— Barker's act grants the opportunity to attack the amendment,
and possibly void it, in state courts.
The Emerald's opposition to the Solomon Amendment is
longstanding. However, it takes an individual's act of cons
cience like Barker's to put the matter before the courts. We ap
plaud her courage.
Dominos or empire-building, an old theory
Many people whc would like to see the United
States not get involved in Central America are fond of
reminding u$ of parallels between Central
American and Vietnam. And there are parallels.
For example, let's talk about Dominoes. Those
people who scoff at the "domino theory" have not
learned their history. (Students study history at this
University, but do they really learn from it?) The
"domino theory," you see, is nothing more than a
modern version of the age-old, time-tested principle
of Messianic empire-building, from the Babylonians
and the Pax Romana, to the Third Reich and the one
world communist utopia.
comments
tom visoky
The Vietnam War supposedly de bunked the
"domino theory." But look again. In case you don't
remember, or don't want to remember, the
Southeast Asian version of Dominoes went
something like this: "If North Vietnam conquers
South Vietnam, then Laos, Cambodia and Thailand
will fall soon after. Well, the "soon" was debatable;
empire-building takes time.
"Treaties are only pieces of paper." Adolf Hitler
In 1973 Henry Kissinger negotiated a "peace"
treaty with the North Vietnamese (remember "Peace
with Honor"? Echoes of Neville Chamberlain's
"peace in our time."), in which the North agreed to
cease hostilities against the South. They lied,
however and in 1975 communist torces rolled into
Saigon, while, almost simultaneously, their comrades
the Pathet Lao subdued Laos.
But that's not all folks.
In 1979 Vietnamese forces "liberated" Cam
bodia. Of course, Cambodia under Pol Pot (who was
supported by those friendly folks in Red China) was a
veritable hell hole, with the slaughter of almost one
third of the country's eight million people. Life under
the new taskmasters is hardly much better, though,
and reports of continuing barbarity occasionally filter
out of the country.
You would think that after a quarter century of
war the "peace-loving people of North Vietnam"
(remember that one?) deserve a break. But, alas,
empire-building demands sacrifice.
In an extremely revealing article entitled "Why
Viet Cong Flee" (Parade, July 11, 1982) former
members of the Viet Cong confessed that they had
defected because, among other things, they had
become disenchanted by the ongoing fighting in
Laos and Cambodia. One Viet Cong officer complain
ed that "We were betrayed by the Hanoi Regime."
(Poor idealists. Were you not also betrayed by the
real power brokers after the Russian Revolution?)
Another former Vietnamese government official
recalls that he was told by the assistant secretary to
'the communist party that "The liberation of Thailand
will be next. It is a historical necessity and a respon
sibility of the Vietnamese Communist Party."
Terrorist incursions into Thailand have increased
dramatically since the communist subjugation of
Laos and Cambodia.
Dominoes anybody?
letters
Shrooming?
Frank Shaw, I was really im
pressed with your article on the
Greek guard at Oregon's football
game with Cal. I en|oy writing that
is concise, objective, and sup
ported by facts and details. Unfor
tunately, your article lacked all of
these qualities.
To begin with, you imply that
being drunk at duck games is
typical of all Greeks and only of
Greeks. Come on, Frank, open
your eyes. Every other student in
the stadium is either drunk, high,
or a combination of the two. Tell
us the truth, how many lines did
you do before the game? Or were
you just shrooming when you
wrote the article?
I'm not trying to defend every
fraternity member on campus, but
I think it's incredibly naive and
slanderous to discredit the entire
r
Creek system because of the
behavior of a few individuals. Life
is rough, Frank. Especially with
such trials as sitting in the student
section at Autzen Stadium. If you
ever start growing up would you
please try to do so without unjust
ly denouncing others along the
way.
lohn Drees ten
Misinformed
In regard to the article on
SEARCH written by Melissa Martin
and printed in the Emerald Oct. 6,
if the trend in Seach classes
appears to be religion, Martin, I
would suggest it is because your
misinformed article was designed
to make it appear that way.
Martin spent an exhausting 20
paragraphs discussing the
SEARCH class which does deal
with religion. Martin spent no
time at all discussing the other
tine classes SEARCH sponsors.
That was poor and biased
reporting.
I have taken SEARCH classes on
greenhouse construction. South
African race and class problems,
world hunger and black choral
arts. I could not have studied
these subjects if it were not for
SEARCH, let alone earned Univer
sity credit for my work.
If Martin's article had been fair,
the majority of its text would have
concerned itself with the ac
complishments SEARCH has to be
proud of, rather than digging for
(and not finding) negative claims
with which to slander the hard
working service to student and
the University that SEARCH is.
Take a SEARCH class, Martin,
and you, too, Paul Holbo — you
might learn something.
Molly Widmer
anthropology
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