opinion_ Seeing the light better late than never How ironic it is to witness the Late-in-life ideological transfor mation of many prominent social and political figures. The irony is that many of these public figures were directly responsible for shaping the world and now they disavow much of their handy work. The poet Robert Frost once said he was conservative in his youth and became radical in his old age. For most, the opposite course, from radical youth to conservative middle-age, is true. But the number of senior conversions is increasing. There's the conversion of Admiral Hyman Rickover. Rickover, testifying before Congress on the eve of his retire ment, called for the abolition of the Defense Department and predicted the world would destroy itself in a nuclear holocaust. Rickover is considered the architect of the modern navy and pioneered the nuclear submarine. What's ironic is that Rickover repudiated his entire career. The latest conversion is Robert Strange McNamara, former head of Ford Motor Company, president of the World Bank and secretary of defense under presidents John Kennedy and Lyn don Johnson. Those are impeccable credentials. McNamara has been peering over the shoulder of the Reagan administration and disputing its foreign policy. He warns of nuclear annihilation if the Soviets and the United States don't get a handle on arms control. McNamara writes in Foreign Affairs magazine, "Nuclear weapons serve no military purpose whatsoever. They are totally useless — except only to deter one's opponent from using them." Obviously McNamara isn't a hardliner, but he believes it imperative the superpowers reduce nuclear arms — to "almost zero" — to eliminate reliance on nulcear arms as a deterrent. Last year McNamara joined with George Kennan, McGeorge Bundy and Gerard Smith to dissuade NATO from its first use policy. McNamara disagrees with NATO's "flexible response" strategy that allows for NATO to use nuclear weapons if losing in a conventional attack against Western Europe. It's important to note that McNamara was one of the architects of NATO's "flexi ble response" plan. "It would be an act of suicide," McNamara says of any launch of nuclear weapons against the Soviets. And the opposite is true, as well McNamara is now calling for Europe to become a "nuclear free zone" and for NATO to replace its reliance on nuclear weaponry with nonnuclear (conventional) forces. If NATO were to proportionally feduce nuclear weapons while increasing con ventional forces the Soviets may become more willing to negotiate arms reduction. There's much knowledge to be gained from these promi nent figures who, late-in-life, suddenly repudiate the goals of their career. And like that old line that those who do not under stand history are doomed to repeat it, sometimes the wisdom of our elders is ignored. ERA vote in House tells women to wait Woman — you keep still and wait. That's the message im plied by the House of Representatives' 278-147 vote against the Equal Rights Amendment Tuesday. But what's more discouraging than the continued waiting (the vote was but six shy of the two-thirds required for passage) is the despicable actions of House Republicans who sought to sabotage the ERA with an anti-abortion amendment. The controversy over attaching these "Hyde Amendments" (named for Henry Hyde, R-lll. a member of the "4-H club") to the ERA bill literally killed the possiblity of its passage. The House was split into partisan camps. Oregon's representatives voted along party lines. Republicans Denny Smith and Bob Smith voted against the amendment. While Democrats Jim Weaver, Les AuCoin and Ron Wyden voted in favor of the amendment. So we wait and take heart only in that 1984 is an election year and those who opposed the ERA can be voted out of office. Oregon daily emerald TNf Oregon Daily I mar aid n pu binned Monday through f n day except during mam w»d and vac atmm, by the Oregon Daily f mar aid PuMnhmg Co . at the Umverwty ot dragon, f ugana. OK The I merald operates independently ot the Umvrruty with o«ite* on the third Hoot