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editorial Congress should not fund the MX missile First we were told by President Ronald Reagan that the MX missile was needed to close the U.S. “window of vulnerability” that would give the Soviets nuclear superiori ty. Then we were told that the MX was essential for America’s strategic ability. Now we are told that the MX is needed as a bargaining chip for the upcoming arms control negotiations with the Soviets in Geneva. Speaking about the success of his first term in office, Reagan told the American public in November that his military policies have closed that “window of vulnerabili ty.” The Scowcroft Commission, appointed by Reagan to study the MX, concluded in 1983 that the MX is not the best thing for strategic stability. But Reagan, never one to give up on big defense spending, has renewed his crusade to build the largest, most accurate, and most destructive nuclear missile to date. Reagan calls it the Peacekeeper. The idea is that this isn’t just any nuclear missile with typical nasty warheads that can vaporize people and melt buildings upon impact. This one is a kind and gentle missile, a peacekeeper, designed to bring you comfort and safety. The problem with this so-called “peace” missile is that it is unnecessary, costly, and would escalate the arms race, while also increasing the risk of a Soviet pre-emptive strike on MX silos. Reagan claims that the MX is necessary to put pressure on the Soviets at the Geneva arms control talks. He says that to back down from his proposal to build 100 MX missiles would show a lack of national will. This is ridiculous. Since Reagan became president, the United States has embarked upon a nuclear build-up frenzy. The Trident D-5 submarine-launched missile, the Bl-bomber, the Stealth bomber, the Pershing II, the Midgetman ICBM, the B-52 with its nuclear capability, and naval ships equip ped with cruise missiles have all been successfully pro moted, funded and developed by the Reagan administra tion. These weapons offer the United States more than am ple bargaining leverage in Geneva. With a national budget deficit already out of control, Reagan seeks a total of $25 billion from the House and Senate to build the MX arsenal. This will have a crippling ef fect on the national economy, leading to more drastic cuts in social programs to make up for military overspending. Con sidering Soviet concerns that the MX is a first-strike weapon, Reagan’s plan to deploy the MX in old Minuteman missile silos in the Midwest will make them sitting-duck targets for a Soviet pre-emptive strike. The MX is neither a bargaining chip nor is it a vital addi tion to U.S. nuclear forces. The entire rationale behind Reagan’s approach to arms negotiations has been to try and scare the Soviets into making arms reductions. But that has never worked in the past and it is not likely to work now. When Reagan was confronted early in 1980 with the possibility that Soviet ICBMs could destroy American land based missiles, he didn’t make concessions to the Soviets at the negotiating table. His response was to build bigger and more effective nuclear weapons. Faced with the MX missile, which is designed to be able to destroy Soviet land-based missiles, the Kremlin will most likely do as Reagan did: launch another nuclear build-up. not negotiate reductions in its nuclear arsenal. This process is what has kept the arms race in perpetual motion since 1945. Enough is enough. It’s time for Congress to put a hold on the current nuclear mania in this country by not funding the MX missile. We have more than enough weapons to bargain with. The game of nuclear overkill has been played for too long. letters Xkt. _ Oregon doily emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403. The Emerald operates Independently of the Universi ty with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press. General Staff Advertising Director Production Manager Classified Advertising Controller Susan Thelen Russell Steele Vince Adams Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Laura Buckley, Tim Clevenger, Jen nifer Fox, Marcia Leonard, Rick Martz, Nancy Nielsen, Laurie Nobel, Roberta Oliver, Brett Pickman - Intern, David Wood. Production: Kelly Comyn, Stormi Dykes, Julie Freeman, Kathy Gallagher, Dean Guernsey, Susan Hawkins, Rob Kraft, Ross Martin, Karin McKercher, Lauri Neely, Kelly Neff, Kara Oberst, Curt Penrod, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Pea Solonika, Tim Swillinger, Colleen Tre maine, Hank Trotter. Paap 2A Commitment I noticed the ROTC ad in the Monday Emerald and wanted to add the folowing information. While doing research on ROTC, I discovered the following: While cadets are given an op portunity to state their preference, the Army assigns cadets to active duty or reserve to meet the Army’s needs. You must go where you are assigned. To be fair the ROTC scholar ship program is credited with improving the operational ef ficency of entry-level officers. However the ROTC's emphasis on technical skills may not give graduates the broader background needed in the senior ranks of the Army. ROTC scholarships are not of fered at most historically minority schools because these institutions are considered academically inferior. Less than 8 percent of officers are black or Hispanic: it is hoped that ROTC recruitment of minority students at predominately white colleges will remedy this imbalance. ROTC officers are trained as battlefield replacements. The picture of cadets practicing water survival without getting your gun wet should tell that fact. Read “Camp Adventure” in “ARMY,” May 1984, if you have doubts. 1 would like to urge all students considering joining the ROTC program to read all the pamphlets available in cluding the ones that appear not to apply to your situation; get all promises in writing; read “Camp Adventure”; and know what you are committing Editor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Sidelines Editor Friday Edition Editor Entertainment Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Administration Higher Education Politics ASUO Student Activities Community Features Michele Matassa Mike Sims Michael Kulaga Costas Christ Michael Clapp Brent De La Pa? Sheila Landry Kim Carlson Michael Duncan Michele Matassa Jolayne Houtz Michael Hosmar Paul Ertelt Julie Shippen Diana Elliott Cynthia Whitfield Lori Steinhauer Reporters Sean Axmaker. Dave Berns. Kirsten Bolin. Michelle Brence. Dave Carlson. Robert Collias. Thomas Henderson. Robin Joannides. Allan Lazo. Capi Lynn, Scott McFetridge. Stasia Scarborough. News and Editorial 686-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Production 686-4381 Circulation 686-5511 yourseii iu utjiure juuu ug any branch of the military. Shasta Hatter Eugene Lousy job Why would anyone want to move to Eugene? Why would anyone with a personal business or corporation want to locate in a city which spends over $14,000 of its taxpayers* money from our city coffers to advertise to the world (Register Guard Feb. 23)the lousy job the state has done maintaining (2) three lane highways (6th and 7th Avenue). What rationally minded businessperson would offer the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) $7.2 million to widen 6th and 7th Avenues to four lanes (besides our federal and state govern ments), when they won’t even take care of three? Maybe if we asked ODOT nicely enough, they would do their job and rebuild 6th and 7th within the current three-lane boundaries, and maybe throw in a few ornamental trees just for looks. Wouldn’t that be lovely? Ya know, it's so refreshing to see the amount of effort our city council is putting in to spen ding our tax dollars. 1 can't think of a more appropriate use for $14,000 of our money. Well, I guess that’s why !’in not a member of our city coun cil. It’s always so hard to spend someone else’s money, appropriately! Richard Gold English In support We of the Rainbow Coalition strongly support Dean Derrick Bell’s principled decision to resign on Feb.6 following the law school faculty’s refusal to hire their finalist candidate, a Chinese-American woman, to the law school faculty. We believe that the candidate was rejected precisely because she is a person of color. As members of this community, we believe this action calls into question the character of the en tire institution of the University of Oregon in its failure to act on its avowed endorsement of Af firmative Action. We urge an outside investiga IIVSII Ul *•*»-» immvi . »* W VI*«1/1«V the Minority l>aw Students Association's request to the law school faculty to abolish the "substantial objections” rule, which allowed three members of sixteen to deny the candidate the position due to her. We see this as a double loss. First, the loss of one of the most outstanding law school deans in the country; second, the loss of the candidate and the contribu tion another person of color could have made to the Univer sity and the community. These losses add up to another gain for racism. Deborah Cooke Member Lane Co. Rainbow Coalition Eugene Hunger at home The organizers of African Relief Week and Oxfam America should be commended for a successful operation. However. 1 cannot understand why this effort was aimed al such a distant land. People are starving not only in Third World countries, as some would have us believe, but right here in the United States as well. In fact, a recent study by the Har vard School of Public Health in dicates that 2 0 million Americans are suffering from severe hunger. 35 million are living below the poverty level. Some claim that suffering of this magnitude has not been seen in this country since the Great Depression. Furthermore, this situation is bound to get worse, as federal aid must be cut if the budget is ever to be balanced. The responsibility of helping the homeless and hungry in this country should be a priority and must rest on our shoulders. We cannot continue to pass this burden on to the feds. Our neighbors in need and the hungry strangers on our streets have been ignored for too long. There is no need to search dis tant shores for recipients of our goodwill, they are right here. Should we not get our house in order before we try to feed the world? 1 challenge the organizers of African Relief Week and Oxfam America to promote a similar fund raiser to benefit the needy of Eugene. Dave Edlund Eugene Wednesday, March 6, 1985