editorial
New Zealand’s stand
must be respected
Most Americans are under the impression that any
country that stands for democracy and freedom in the world
will stand behind U.S. military policy. But not all
democratic nations want to follow in America’s military
footsteps. Rather than resort to a knee-jerk, self-righteous
belief that our way is the right way, we must learn to accept
the decisions of these nations.
For 34 years, the United States, New Zealand and
Australia have participated in a mutual defense treaty. Dur
ing every war the United States has fought in this century,
New Zealand troops have fought alongside American
soldiers. But this friendship is now threatened by the fact
that New Zealanders voted overwhelmingly last year to keep
their country free from becoming a part of America’s nuclear
weapons strategy. As a result, U.S. ships carrying nuclear
weapons have been banned from New Zealand’s territorial
waters.
Washington’s response to this has been straightforward.
Joint naval exercises with Australia and New Zealand were
cancelled on Monday. The State Department followed with a
warning that anti-nuclear gestures against the United States
by its allies will not be “cost-free.” Speculations of trade
sanctions were raised. Angered by the American response,
New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange stated that, “In
New Zealand the people have spoken, and it is not for the
United States or any other major power to say that they don’t
accept that democratic decision.” Lange is absolutely right.
Tension over a similar issue has also built up in
Australia. Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who met with Presi
dent Ronald Reagan on Wednesday, cancelled an agreement
last week that would have enabled the United States to use
Australian bases to monitor MX missile test flights. Hawke
claimed that there was strong opposition to the agreement.
Reagan then cancelled America’s request for use of the bases
to avoid a clash between the two allies.
The United States must learn to respect the democratic
rights of other nations like Australia and New Zealand when
they do not want to become part of (or targets in) the nuclear
arms race between the superpowers. The Reagan method of
threatening allies with trade sanctions if they do not accept
U.S. military objectives must stop. Ongoing protests in
Europe, Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific against U.S.
nuclear weapons policies are not, as Reagan likes to say, all
part of some communist conspiracy. They are expressions of
legitimate concerns by the peoples in those countries.
Getting your feet soaked
on the way to the EMU
What’s 10 feet long, 4 feet wide, and one and a half in
ches deep? It’s the EMU puddle! That’s right. It’s that giant
mass of water that sits along the EMU walkway everytime
we get a heavy downpour.
There are a number of ways that the University can deal
with this ever-growing miniature lake. We can put it up for
sale as waterfront property in the heart of Eugene. We can
stock it with trout and issue fishing permits. Or we can re
quest that the Physical Plant send someone over periodically
to unclog the debris-filled drainage holes that lie beneath the
water.
There is, of course, one last, although more dramatic
step the University can take. We could call in a competent
architect, who could then design a concrete walkway that
will drain water off of rather than onto itself. Whatever step
the University takes, we hope that something will be done
soon to stop the flood from growing.
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letters
New focus
The emotional tempest put on
by the “pro-life” movement
during Right-to-Life Week gives
dramatic evidence that “pro
choice" advocates are steadily
losing the propaganda war to
the crusade against abortion. So
long as this complex issue is
spoon-fed to the mass media in
terms of baby killing versus per
sonal choice, what conscien
tious human being would affirm
a woman’s right to kill babies?
It is time for the pro-choice
movement to undertake a fun
damental reorientation of its
political focus. The assertion
that abortion is murder can no
longer be challenged by “Me”
generation platitudes concern
ing the quality of life and in
dividual happiness. The heart
of the issue, which the pro
choice movement seems to have
lost sight of, is at what moment
the life of a human being
begins. Medical evidence on
this point in inconclusive. Suf
fice it to say, anti-abortion ad
vocates maintain that a person’s
life begins at conception. Ac
cording to their reasoning, the
joining of two cells literally
constitutes a human being, no
different than the readers of this
newspaper. The only basis for
such reasoning is religion, not
science.
Cast in this light, the crusade
against abortion can be seen for
what it is, the cause celebre of
the same anti-democrats who
wish to persecute homosexuals,
force prayer on public school
children, censor our press, and
otherwise trash the Bill of
Rights in any manner they deem
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appropriate. The fight to save
abortion rights must take up a
new banner — freedom of
religion.
Gabriel Frayne
Political Science
Beat the Beavs
The Beavers have defeated the
Ducks 13 straight times. The
streak will come to a crashing
halt Saturday at Mac Court!
This will be a great victory for
true Duck fans, as any win over
the dreaded Beavs would be.
Picture Oz continually sticking
18 foot jumpers, opening up the
inside for Blair and his patented
baseline jumper. Or Harpo
stripping Flowers cleanly at
midcourt, and feeding Trapp for
the breakaway jam. If you think
Ralph has been crabby and
cranky for the last decade or so,
wait until he jumps all over
Woodside and Derrah for failing
to get back on the break, as a
streaking Anthony Taylor goes
flying by like Lew Barnes past a
Beaver defensive back.
Mac Court will be in a frenzy.
Benny Beaver will drag his tail
between his legs in shame.
There will be banner headlines
in the Sunday Register Guard,
possibly the OSU school
newspaper, and the Oregonian.
I realize there are many Beav
fans who will disagree with me,
and think these ideas are
ludicrous. There is the
possibility, however, that these
are the same fans who thought
Avezzano could turn things
around, if given another six or
seven years.
Don’t despair if the Ducks
should fall behind at some
point. We may win by only one
or two points, or by as many as
17, but we will win! Beat those
aggies!
Bill Mitteistadt
Eugene
Rubbish
Every day in this column,
wispies simper and whine
about abortion. So-called Chris
tians spew “scientific” and
“biblical” rubbish. Spudhead
liberals rehash the same trite
old poop. But no one ever gets
down to it. No one ever talks
about the real issue...
Killing babies. I’m in favor of
it.
In fact, America hasn’t gone
far enough on the abortion
front. We should take lessons
from our good friends and
trading partners, China and
India.
I'm calling for mandatory
abortions. Eveyone’s gonna get
one now. Let's kill all the
babies. If it’s already been
delivered, it’s still a woman’s
choice. She has to raise it, she
should be able to chuck it in the
dumpster. In the far east, people
don’t think a baby has a soul un
til it’s two weeks old.
I’m advocating a national in
itiative on forced medical pro
cedures. We’ll give abortions to
people who don’t even need
them. And that includes men.
Cease your senseless blather
ing, you pinheads... Let the
bloodbath commence!
Todd Souvignier
Journalism
Save the seals
You can help stop the
wasteful American seal hunt on
the Pribilof Islands in Alaska. In
1984 alone more than 22,000
North Pacific fur seals died
needlessly.
On October 15, 1984, the
North Pacific Fur Seal Conven
tion, allowing the annual seal
slaughter on U.S. and Soviet
territories, officially expired,
according to the terms of the
treaty. However, before this
happened the U.S. Departments
of State and Commerce had
already negotiated with Japan,
Canada, and the Soviet Union
for a virtually identical treaty.
But it’s still not too late to
save the seals! The new treaty is
not official unless the U.S.
Senate (now is session) votes by
a two-thirds majority to con
tinue the treaty. It is, therefore,
essential that you write and/or
call your U.S. senators now and
urge them to:
1) Vote against the North
Pacific fur seal treaty when it is
submitted to them for
consideration.
2) Advise the administration
to start over and negotiate an
entirely new treaty which pro
vides for a permanent ban
against commercial sealing on
both land and sea.
We at the Humane Society of
the United States extend to you
our sincere appreciation for
joining with us in seeking an
end to the Pribilof seal hunt in
the United States.
Judi Kukulka
Program Coordinator
The Humane Society