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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1985)
editorial Coup in Sudan not such a big surprise It is the largest country in Africa and the second largest recipient of U.S. economic and military aid on the conti nent. In the midst of growing American support, events in Sudan took a sharp turn on Saturday. Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiri was removed from office in the same way he came to power 16 years ago: not by election, but in a bloodless military coup. The coup hardly comes as a surprise. Nimeiri’s un popularity among the Sudanese people has risen to new heights in recent years. He became an increasingly brutal leader, whose imposition of Islamic law in 1983 led to harsh punishments, including public floggings and amputations for crimes such as thievery and adultery. It also helped to fuel a civil war between the Nimeiri government and the non-Moslem population living in southern Sudan. Despite constant anti-government demonstrations in the capital of Khartoum and growing anti-Nimeiri sentiment among Sudan’s intellectual and business elite, President Ronald Reagan had nothing but praise for Nimeiri. His ad ministration stood by this unpopular leader in the same way that the U.S. government stood by the Shah of Iran when all indicators showed that the Shah was largely hated by his own people. In the words of one Khartoum University pro fessor, “anyone would be better (than Nimeiri), even Idi Amin.” That Reagan could support Nimeiri shows how out of touch his administration was with the sentiments of the Sudanese people. It’s hard to say what will now happen in Sudan. Although the streets of Khartoum were filled with Sudanese citizens celebrating the end of Nimeiri’s rule, any predic tions for that country’s future are tentative at best. Sudan is one of the poorest Third World nations. Its infrastructure is barely developed and poverty and hunger are widespread. Reagan’s unfortunate support for Nimeiri’s brutal and chaotic leadership may cost the United States political in fluence in a sensitive region of Africa: Ethiopia, Uganda, Libya and Egypt all share common borders with Sudan. Many Sudanese are furious that the United States insisted on supporting Nimeiri to the bitter end. Whatever the future holds for Sudan, and hopefully it will be better than under Nimeiri, it’s time the United States learned an important lesson: Support for repressive Third World governments only increases the level of anti Americanism in the world today. In the words of a Sudanese student, “You don’t make friends by supporting dictators.” It’s important for people to learn about homosexuality For too long, the general public has remained ignorant regarding the subject of homosexuality. For too long, this ig norance has manifested itself in violence and discrimination toward homosexuals. The way to replace ignorance with awareness is to take the time to learn about an issue. During Gay and Lesbian Pride Week, which begins today, we encourage students to take the opportunity to learn about the subject of homosexuality. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA) hopes that students from all backgrounds will participate in this week’s activities, which include films, discussions, workshops, and cultural events. Students are especially encouraged to see the film, “The Times of Harvey Milk,” to be shown for free on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in 150 Geology. Only by taking the time to learn can the myths and fears surrounding homosexuality be replaced with compassion and understanding. letters Lacks facts No one is attempting to deny that homosexual males are often the victims of Acquired Im mune Deficiency Syndrome. Blaming this group for the disease, or implying that AIDS is the result of a “bad habit” or “vice” (Dan Goulet, ODE, April 5) is a manifestly homophobic response, and simply does not have its basis in factual information. It is erroneous to group gay men and lesbians together, especially with respect to AIDS. Lesbians have a lower risk of getting AIDS than the average population. In addition, gay men who are informed about AIDS and conscientious about their own and others’ safety have a greatly reduced risk of contracting the disease. It is necessary to remember that while AIDS is a disease, homosexuality is not. Like be ing heterosexual, being gay or lesbian is an expression of self. The idea that homosexual men are “disease machines” is ludicrous. We would be in terested to know what specific medical journals Goulet obtain ed his misinformation from. In actuality, heterosexuals have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases- The ac cusation that anyone from the gay community has attempted to purposely spread AIDS sounds like a paranoid fantasy, and is reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan’s claim that black people are conspiring to mix the races. Of course, nothing has been “documented” concern ing such cases. 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 Susan Thelen Advertising Sales: Laura Buckley, Tim Clevenger, Jen nifer Fox, Marcia Leonard, Rick Martz, Nancy Nielsen, Laurie Nobel, Roberta Oliver, Brett Pickman, Tim Swill inger, David Wood. Production: Kelly Cornyn, Stormi Dykes, Julie Freeman, Kathy Gallagher, Dean Guernsey, Susan Hawkins, Grant Keltner, Rob Kraft, Ross Martin, Karin McKercher, Lauri Neely, Kelly Neff, Kara Oberst, Curt Penrod, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Peg Solonika, Tim Swillinger, Colleen Tremaine, Hank Trotter. Production Manager Classified Advertising Controller Russell Steele Vince Adams Jean Ownbey Editor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Sidelines Editor Friday Edition Editor Entertainment Editor Night Editor Michele Matassa Mike Sims Michael Kulaga Costas Christ, Dave Berns Brian Erb Brent De La Paz Sheila Landry Kim Carlson Michael Duncan Michael Clapp Associate Editors Administration Higher Education Politics ASUO Student Activities Community Features Jolayne Houtz Scott McFetridge Paul Ertelt Julie Shippen Diana Elliott Cynthia Whitfield Lori Steinhauer Reporters: Sean Axrnaker, Kirsten Bolin, Michelle Brence, Dave Carlson, Robert Collias, Thomas Henderson, Robin Joannides, Allan Lazo, Cap! Lynn. News and Editorial 686-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Production 686-4381 Circulation 686-5511 The Gay and Lesbian Alliance encourages anyone desiring in formation about AIDS to attend the presentation by the Casade AIDS Project on April 11 at 7 pm in'the EMU Forum Room. )im Shoemaker Lynn Pinckney Pamela Harbeintner Jennie Bricker GALA Food carts concerning me iooa venaors: Definition of a restaurant — A place to eat. The vendors compete with brown baggers (maybe the EMU cafeteria). The vendors do not offer a place to eat or specially prepared foods (as from a chef). They should have to pay the same fees to be inspected and a percentage of being on the bus line (hours open). But the restaurant owners saying that they are losing profits is like the steakhouse owner complaining about Bob’s hamburger house. Steven Reiter Eugene Very insulted I, a foreign student, do feel strongly insulted by the callous way that the Maranatha Chris tian Church chooses to share their faith. As a Christian, 1 have often wondered whether the kindred folks at MCC are trying to convert people to "their” faith or are they trying to turn people off from Chris tianity? Syncretism does exist within Christianity itself. How can they be so self-righteous as to proclaim that only the Maranathas are correct and all other Christian denominations are wrong? But the Bible tells us that "No prophecy of the scrip ture is of any private interpreta tion” (2 Peter 1:20-21), so syn cretism is redundant. To proclaim that you are not "in the least insulted by the display in the EMU lobby” can hardly justify your blatant at tack on other religions. Not only are you not representative of all foreign Christian students, Ms. Wan and Ms. Amore, you are not even representative of other Christian organizations on campus. As Christians we should spread our faith by exemplify ing ourselves to others, not by condemning them. I come from a country where religious tolerance is the norm, and • • although Christians are' a minority, they are able to coex ist peacefully with people of other religions. The Bible teaches us that “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace" (Gaiatiahs 5:22-23) and “Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice’’ (Ephesians 4:22-24). Surely the Maranathas should abide by these teachings in their evangelical efforts and not denigrate other religions, if they truly believe in the Bible. Harold Leong Industrial Relations International Studies m No on blood According to “AIDS, the Blood Supply, and Homosex uality.” published by the In stitute for the Scientific In vestigation of Sexuality, homosexuals should not be allowed to give blood due to the practices of most homosexuals. The booklet warns: “Gays get AIDS because they are profoundly promiscuous, highly mobile and practice un sanitary sex. Gays average about 3 0 different sex part ners/year. . , Rectal intercourse is engaged in by 90 percent of gays.. . About 9f) percent of gays admit to oral/anal contact and about 70 percent practice it regularly. About a third practice handballing (insertion of the fist and forearm up the anus of a "lover”) and about a fifth urinate on and/or in each other. There are other anti-biologic ac tivities in which homosexuals engage with some regularity, but it ought to be obvious that anyone who consumes saliva, seuiKi], leues ana urine irom dozens of strangers is an ex traordinarily poor choice as a blood provider.” 1 presume there are homosex uals who don’t participate in all of the activities the ISIS men tions, but it would be difficult to be a practicing homosexual and not engage in some of these acts. However, if most do engage in all or even some of these acts (the ISIS lists a varie ty of sources to back up their statements), then maybe there’s a good case to be made for re quiring homosexuals — and yes, drug users too — to abstain from blood donation or else face criminal prosecution. Lori Parkman Eugene
