editorial _
5. Korea stands at
political crossroads
When South Korea’s leading opposition figure Kim Dae
Jung returns home on Feb. 8 after two years of political exile
in the United States, it is likely that thousands of his sup
porters will be waiting at the airport to greet him — if there s
no government intervention. The key issue for many people,
including top-ranking members of the U.S. State Depart
ment, is what kind of action the South Korean government
will take when Kim returns.
There is good reason to wonder what will happen to
Kim. He has long been one of South Korea’s most outspoken
opposition leaders. In 1971, he nearly defeated Park Chung
Hee in a presidential race that gave him 46 percent of the of
ficial count. After the election, fearing for his life, Kim fled
to Japan. In 1973, he was kidnapped by Korean agents, for
cibly brought back to Korea and jailed.
Following Park’s assassination in 1979, Kim was free
again and preparing to run for the presidency, but the elec
tion never took place. A military coup, led by the current
South Korean president, Chun Doo Hwan, took control of
the government and jailed hundreds of opposition leaders.
Kim was sentenced to 20 years for sedition. Following his
arrest, the government massacred hundreds of unarmed
civilians during protests in the city of Kwangju, an opposi
tion stronghold. The massacre shocked the world and led to
protests against the United States for supporting the Chun
dictatorship following the coup.
South Korea is now at a political crossroads. President
Ronald Reagan, who requested Kim’s release from prison in
1982 in order for him to receive medical treatment in the
United States, has steadfastly declared that South Korea has
returned to democracy. But Kim insists that democracy will
never return to his homeland until the democratic opposi
tion can openly participate in the political process.
If the Chun dictatorship jails Kim upon his return and
renews its crackdown on opposition forces, then South
Korea will be thrust into another period of political violence
and government-sponsored repression. How Chun handles
Kim’s return will also have a direct impact on U.S. foreign
policy. In 1980, the U.S. government was caught in the
awkward position of backing a military coup that led to the
mass killing of unarmed civilians in Kwangju. If Chun
returns to strong-arm military tactics to deal with the op
position led by Kim, then Reagan will be forced to make
some careful decisions.
Learn about the impact
before spraying begins
In just a few months, Eugene will become the target of a
large scale insecticide spraying campaign to rid Lane Coun
ty of the current gypsy moth infestation. The moths have
already done widespread damage to forests and tree farms in
the area.
The problem, however, is how to control the morn in
festation. Current proposals include a plan to spray 224,000
acres of Lane County with three insecticides. While one of
the insecticides (B.T.) is considered relatively harmless, the
other two (Dimilin and Orthene) have been linked with
possible harm to both environment and humans. There is a
lot to be concerned about in the proposed spray program.
For example, is there adequate protection for local streams
and lakes? What possible effect could the spraying have on
humans? These are issues not to be taken lightly. We en
courage members of the community to attend the question
and answer session on the spray program to be held today at
7:30 p.m. in the Jefferson-Magnet Arts Community
School,1650 W. 22nd Ave.
Oregon daily . .
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letters
Reversal
Timothy Smith’s commentary
on abortion (ODE, Jan. 28)
showed his command of Latin.
But Ipso facto tutti-frutti
(translate: big words are no
substitute for truth). For Chris
tians to compare a woman’s
choice to abort her fetus to the
Nazi extermination of six
million Jewish human beings is
an insult to the victims of that
horror. This is also reversal.
The intolerance of some Chris
tians for those with other views
contributed to the Holocaust in
Germany. And the Nazi's treat
ment of “Aryan” women
parallels the views of today’s
anti-abortionists: Nazis outlaw
ed abortion and forced women
to become breeding stock for
Hitler’s army. Teresa McNew’s
letter (ODE, Jan, 28) contains
exactly this argument for sus
taining America’s army.
Build me a society in which
women have the spiritual
freedom to create their own
sense of morality and the
political power to enact their
views. One in which a woman’s
income is 100 percent (not 59
percent) that of a man, and in
which un- or under-employed
adults and children are accord
ed a dignified right to food and
shelter. Show me a world in
which safe, convenient and 100
percent effective birth-control is
available and is given to
adolescents without embarrass
ment or ambivalence. And,
Timothy, transform the con
sciousness of our fellow men so
that adolescent boys do not
pressure their girlfriends into
sex, and so that adult men do
not pressure or rape women.
Only in such a world could two
men presume to discuss the
morality of what a woman does
with her body, and even then
the choice must be hers.
lack Straton
Physics
Sorrowful
Abortion is a sorrowful reality
that is sometimes the best
course of action. Better a child
not be bom than bom unwanted
by its parents, or to be sold off to
people neither parent or child
would choose, or into a corrupt
deadly world where
psychopathic, bloodthirsty
killers rule nations, who would
bring down the torture and
death of war upon their tiny, in
nocent heads.
Better than condemning them
to the nightmare evils of a
planet dying from cancer and
such, induced by human
produced environmental
poison. Better a soul travel on,
than to come and take the bread
from one already here, or fall
prey to famine.
Abortion is evil. May we find
better ways. Sometimes it is the
lesser evil.
If you don’t want a child,
don’t get pregnant. You cannot
put too much emphasis on that
effort. You will not find abor
tion an easy or pleasant alter
native. Some anti-abortion peo
ple may practice terrorism.
Better to work for peace and
love for life.
Tommy Waien
Eugene
Misunderstood
It seems that my proposal for
retroactive abortion was
misunderstood. Some have
gone so far as to say I was being
sarcastic and that I was actually
arguing against abortion; they
are sadly misguided.
Abortion is a beautiful ex
perience. A woman is able to
show her control over her body;
an example of mind over
matter.
I do have one small problem
with the abortion experience,
though: abortion is sexist.
Women have the right to control
their bodies, how come men
don’t have such a right? I don’t
want to be bald, nor do I want
my hair to turn gray, or to die
before I’m 300; unfortunately,
though, I can’t control such
things. These all violate my
"right to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness," but our
authoritarian government
discriminates against us
minorities (men) by not letting
us control them ourselves.
It is our government's job to
insure our pursuit of happiness,
and therefore they should grant
us all the right to control our
own bodies. Equality for all.
Brian Moore
English
Diversify
When I moved to Oregon
three years ago to attend the
University, the state was in the
depths of its worst recession.
Due to the poor economic con
ditions, I planned to return to
Colorado after graduating.
However, with the further
development of Willamette Pass
ski area and the employment
opportunity it has offered, I am
planning to remain in Oregon.
Oregon is a beautiful state
with year-round recreational
opportunities. In few states can
one go skiing on Saturday and
play golf, bicycle, sail, fish,
backpack, or visit the beach on
Sunday. With the decline of
timber as a basic industry, it is
time for Oregon to use its moun
tains for more than harvesting
trees.
Ski areas sell not only skiing,
but an outdoor experience.
Basic to this experience is the
quality of the natural world
around the area. People go ski
ing to enjoy the outdoors and
this enjoyment adds to the value
that people hold for nature’s
beauty. Thus, area ski operators
have incentive to provide a
quality outdoor experience.
Skiing does not impact the
environment as greatly as other
economic activities. Most ac
tivity occurs, except initial
development, during winter
months when much of the
wildlife is not in the area. In
Colorado, some of the best deer
hunting was on Vail Mountain.
It was also the least accessible.
Few area operators want people
shooting guns on their moun
tain. It’s time for Oregon to
diversify, and skiing offers an
environmentally safe and
■economically advantageous
supplement to the timber
industry.
Jim Simasko
Assistant Race Director
Willamette Pass
Thursday, January 31, 1985