editorial
Questions remain
concerning contras
In an attempt to rid Nicaragua of the Sandinistas. the ad
ministration of President Ronald Reagan has laid the ground
work for increased political instability in Central America.
In its rush to stop the spread of "communist aggression" in
“America’s backyard,” the U.S. government nursed the
development of a new army along the Nicaraguan-Honduran
border. It is an army without a country, made up of approx
imately 8,000 to 15,000 men and known as the contras.
Created with U.S. government funding, trained by the
CIA in counter-revolutionary warfare, and let lose along the
border of two ideologically opposed countries, the contras
are a force determined to survive. Yet questions remain.
How have the contras been funded since Congress put a halt
to offical U.S. financial support last year? Are the contras
there to intercept weapons en route to El Salvador? Are they
carrying out a military campaign based on terrorist tactics?
In a few months, Congress will vote on whether to
restore financial support to the contras. In light of this, U.S.
citizens deserve to know much more about the contras than
is publicly acknowledged by our government.
Reagan insists that the mission of the contras is to stop
weapons from being smuggled to Salvadoran rebels and to
put “pressure” on the Sandinistas for democratic reform.
But Amnesty International, Americas Watch, and Catholic
Relief Services, among others, claim that over 800 civilians,
mostly women and children, have been murdered by contra
forces' during raids into Nicaragua. Also, according to Edgar
Chamorro, a former official spokesman for the contras, “The
Americans have promised on many different occasions that
they were helping us to overthrow the Nicaraguan
government.”
Congressional analysts have made it known during the
last six months that at least two nations which receive large
amounts of U.S. aid, El Salvador and Honduras, are sending
funds to the contras. Recent reports also indicate that a third
U.S. aid recipient, Israel, is also financing the contras. Other
reports state that Soviet arms found on Grenada after the
U.S. invasion are now being sent to the contras.
Americans have been left largely in the dark by the
Reagan administration on the continued funding and
military operations of the contras. Perhaps it’s because the
government knows that many U.S. citizens would be
disturbed to learn that this U.S.-backed military organiza
tion practices terrorism to achieve its objectives.
Students must continue
struggle for safer campus
In recent weeks, Laura Romano, co-director of the
Women’s Resource and Referral Service, has become the
target of repeated threats of violence by anonymous men
who appear to be threatened by her outspoken views on les
bianism and women’s rights. It started with obscene notes
on the office door of WRRS and has now escalated into
threats of rape over her home phone. Whether people agree
with Romano’s controversial opinions is not the issue.
Romano has simply become the focal point of the kind of ter
rorism women still face on this campus. Although the police
are investigating the threats, it is important for the Universi
ty community to realize that the struggle against rape and
violence towards women on this campus is far from over.
Unless students stand together and support one another
(regardless of our differing backgrounds and sexual beliefs),
then rape on this campus will continue to find a place to
prosper.
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letters
Linguistics
I do not wish to comment on
the contents of Earl Gosnell's
letter (ODE. Jan. 21) as I did not
read die letter to which he is
replying. I would like to com
ment, however, on his misuse
of the English language and his
misunderstanding of Latin and
Greek.
“Homo Sapiens” is a word
derived from the Latin roots
"Homo.” which means ‘a man’
and “Sapiens.” which means
‘wisdom.’ Homosexual,
however, comes from the Greek
root, “Homo,” which means
’the same’ and the Latin root,
“sex” which means ‘sex.’
Homosexual has the same Greek
root as homogeneous,
homogenous, and other words
like homagamy that have
nothing to do with the Latin
root “Homo,” which means ‘a
man.’
Alexander Pope, I think, talk
ing kbout Homo Sapiens once
said, “A little knowledge is a
dangerous thing.”
Sheila Juba
Eugene
Irrelevant?
As 1 read Dean Berdahl’s pro
mise and/or appeal that the
study of humanities and
Western Civilization be placed
"at the heart of the college cur
riculum,” I cannot help but
remember that about a year ago
a fellow historian was sug
gesting on the pages of the
Emerald that the courses called
“Western Civilization” be
abolished.
1 believe that since the 1960's,
too many academics have too
often declared as "irrelevant”
for modem Americans too many
humanistic disciplines that had
originated and developed in old
Europe for them to be taken
seriously by the students of the
1980's.
Jakov Basic
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Russian
High risk
Recently, a letter in defense of
abortion appeared containing
the claim that more women die
as a result of childbirth than die
horn abortion. Actually, this
isn’t necessarily the case.
First of all, only one out of
every ten thousand women die
in the process of giving birth
(1980 statistics). True, only a
couple of dozen women died
from abortion complications,
but thousands suffered hemor
rhages, infections and subse
quent sterility.
By the way, childbirth actual
ly has more blessings to the
mother’s health than dangers.
Research shows that one of the
biggest killers of women (breast
cancer) is least likely (note:
least likely) to strike women
who have had children and
breastfed them. Women who are
at the highest risk to contract
and die from this cancer are
women who have never given
birth.
Michael Cross
History/Political Science
Endangered
I read the article “Survival
Center Makes Waves" (ODE,
Jan, 29) with interest; however,
the position of one of the “two
Eugene-based groups" needs to
be clarified.
The Survival Center's peti
tion concerns the protection of
rare, threatened and en
dangered wildlife species and
their habitat on the Oregon
Letters Policy
The Emerald will attempt to
print all letters containing fair
comment on topics of interest to
the University community.
Letters to the editor must be
limited to 2S0 words, typed,
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the writer must be verified when
the letter is turned in. The
Emerald reserves the right to edit
any letter for length, style or
content.
Letters to the editor should be
turned into the Emerald office,
Suite 300, EMU.
coast. The biological data un
questionably points to the fact
that off-road vehicles severely
impair wildlife survivability
and should not be allowed on
sensitive beaches, i.e., 55 miles
proposed by the Survival
Center, 34 (not 40) by Oregon
National Resources Council.
The snowy plover (not falcon)
which lives and nests on the
beach has been extirpated from
9 of its 21 historical locations
and faces a tough struggle for
existence against ORV’s. Some
wildlife biologists estimate that
only 100 of these birds remain
in Oregon. In addition, the en
dangered bald eagle, peregrine
falcon. Aleutian Canada goose,
and California brown pelican
are threatened.
The silvery phacelia also
faces extirpation from Oregon.
Only two plant communities of
this species remain on the coast
and would be protected by the
petitions. Other rare beach
plants include the pink sand
verbena. Green’s reign orchid,
and Wolf’s evening primrose.
In response to local criticism,
Oregon’s public beaches are for
everyone, not just territorial,
local governments or those who
wish to drive on them. Oregon’s
land-use laws and even Curry
County's Land-Use Plan sup
port protection of the sensitive
beaches. Also, the Transporta
tion Commission has jurisdic
tion over the beaches, not local
land-use planning.
Brett Fisher
Survival Center
Takes two
Cheri Snell knows that it
takes a man and a woman to
create a fetus (" Letters to the
editor,” ODE, Jan. 28); she sug
gests that anti-abortionists give
the man partial blame for “ripp
ing the fetus" from the womb.
Why does she not also suggest
that pro-choicers give the man
partial choice in deciding the
fate of the fetus?
Should the man face his
responsibility by feeling guilty
for the "ripping" and quietly
let it continue? Or will Snell
allow the man to face his
responsibility by sharing the
decision whether to “rip...”
or to allow the man and
woman's creation to live?
Maybe Snell should instead
paraphrase the speaker she
never once heard; "I want my
fetus and to abort it too."
Randall McGehee
Eugene