editorial
Atomic age places
existence in peril
Forty years ago, a spectacular mushroom cloud formed
over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bomb did not
discriminate. Children, the elderly, newlyweds, rich, poor;
all types of people were ravaged, disfigured and killed. Tens
of thousands of people died. The lucky ones died instantly,
and the not-so-lucky ones died slowly and painfully.
And at the same time, a dark, dismal cloud formed over
the future of humankind. With the explosion of the atom
bomb, humankind entered the nuclear age. And with each
bomb that is built, and every dollar spent for nuclear
research and development, the cloud grows darker.
This knowledge places humans in peril shortly after the
birth of humankind. If the chronology of the earth's history
is mapped within one year's time, as was demonstrated by a
calender designed by Carl Sagan in his book “The Dragons
of Eden," the first human beings do not make a showing un
til 10:30 p.m. December 31, the last day of the year. The
birth of Christ occurs within the last four seconds of the
year, and all of the United States’ history is enveloped in
less than one second.
Humans have barely made their entrance onto the
universal stage, and already are facing the problem that will
determine whether we will continue to exist or cease to
exist.
The control of nuclear knowledge involves more than
whether our children or our grandchildren will live or die,
though. As far as anyone knows, it may involve the ex
istence of life itself. All life, intelligent or otherwise, that
humans have come in contact with, originated on earth. The -
instruments that continually monitor outer space radio noise
for any sign of intelligent life, the probes designed to test for
microbes on Mars: all have failed to discover even the
faintest sign of life.
The laughter of a child, the songs of birds-that greet the .
sunrise, everything that lives may be unique to this one tiny
speck of dust in the vast universe. Obliteration may silence ‘
the only voice the universe knows.
That life thrives here, in the corner of the universe,,
tucked away on the edge of one of a 100 billion galaxies, is
an incomprehensible rarity. And we may squander it away
on our political pride and national arrogance: '
What a shame it would be to.destroy this glimmer of
magic, as soon as it has struggled into existence , fust as
humans are fighting to live, the breath of life could be ex
tinguished. All of the accomplishments that, we have suf
fered for, all of our triumphs, our joys and our sorrows."
could be gone. Our existence could be destroyed before we
even understand it.
And if life does exist elsewhere, it would be a.
fathomless tragedy to have lived and died without the
recognition of a single living soul. All of our knowledge and
experience would be wasted
But even after witnessing the horror of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, humans continue to hurtle themselves toward ex
tinction. The world’s powers possess a destructive force
capable of leveling all of the world’s cities many times over.
The Geneva talks between the United States and the Soviet
Union founder, the Reagan administration continues to fun-'
nel billions of dollars into research for the Strategic Defense
Initative, an effort to move the nuclear arms race into space,
and even underdeveloped countries such as India are adding
nuclear weapons to their arsenals.
Monday, a bell tolled in Eugene at 4:15 p.m.. 40 years
after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Let the bell toll
for peace and resistance against the arm’s race. Do not let it
toll for humankind.
letters
Connection
While the UO Resident Paul
Olum maintains, that the State
Board of Higher Education must
divest its funds in South Africa,
he chooses to turn his back on'
the connection between South
Africa and the proposed River
front Research- Park. The con
nection between classified
•research/high tech., companies
is an intimate one. IBM, for ex
ample. supplies the computer
works the white South African
government uses to keep track
. of its -24 million black citizens..
The U.S. also depends on South
Africa for the majority, of the
uranium used in American
nuclear .warheads,. Who mines
the uranium used in' making
U.S. bombs? Certainly not the 4
million whites who rule that
country. „ »•
But there's another tie. that
links high ^technology to apart-,
heid. South African President
Pjet'er -W. Botha was formerly
trie i for pro-Nazi activities after
World War ll.'IMs interesting to
note that during World War II
Paul Olum and other scientists
worked on a classified project
(the nuclear bomb) designed to
end the reign of fascism.
. Despite all this, the UO vice
: president of research' stated that °
without .classified research,
there would be ho Riverfront
Park (Women's Press, |u:
ly/Aug.. 1985). It appears to me
that the "profit, over people"
mentality prevails in Olum's of
fice. And I intend to write a let
ter to Carley Capital (the
developer) expressing my op
position to the Riverfront pro
Oregon doily
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feet. As a student at this IJriiv'er- *
sity and a resident of Eugene. I
do not support the Riverfront
project and the sanctioning of
racism in my.name'!!!.
Sue Dockatader
Eugene Free South
Africa Movement
Probability
■> In response to Tom Visqky's
’ letter (OD.K, Aug. 1) regarding a
previous letter of mine-(ODE,.
July 30):..in the-Lakota Sioux
language one canriot conjugate
the 'verb, "to think" into
"she/he/they think(s)."Thls ac
curately reflects the impossibili
ty cl proving what isin another •
person's mind. Although the
idea of fixity and absoluteness
are comforting to some people.'
w.e live in a universe based-on
probabilities.
We.can assign a high pro
bability to our assumptions of
Hitler's thoughts about Jews,
based on his actions and words.
This does not constitute . ab
solute proof,ebut belief beyond
reasonable doubt is enough for
conviction.
A classic example of presum
ed thoughts and actions that
don't match is Ronald Reagan.
The impression is that he really
cares about kids. The actuality
is that, due to his policies,
babies in Detroit are dying at the
same. rate as in the least
developed nation in our
hemisphere, Honduras. How
does one prove what for if).
Reagan thinks?
Visoky asked what I think the
study of history is. It is general
ly an examination of the opi
nions of white, male, ethnic
Christians regarding a selection
of confrontational events or of
opinions of white, male, ethnic
Christians ...
Like the I-Ching, history has
its uses, but its limitations
should be noted and balanced
with a healthy dose of personal
wisdom. To extend the classic
idea: Those ignorant of the ex
cesses of the past are doomed to
repeat them, those without
wisdom are doomed to create
the excesses of the future.
lack Straton
Graduate student
Physics
Thanks, but. Y.
. . ■ . . . , . ■ *
Frale .de Guzman’*,' article • •
about the UO grounds' crew* •••
and maihteha’iue- workers
tODE. July 25) was greatly ap-. .
predated'. It highlighted* a
group of employees .who make-a . .
major contribution tp/thu-visual. '• ’
appearance of the •University.
but who themselves remain
largely.' “invisible" "to- most
. members. of the-campus com-’
rnunity This attention has cer- '
talnly boon well, received by.
these crew’s; hopefully, the
story, will also encournge .cam
pus users'. to show increased
ri»spect for the grounds and
buildings these workers
maintain.
. I do have two small quibbles
though. First, even, though the.
urticlfi quotes a variety, of. peo:
pie. apparently no one stroke to
any of the regular crew • .
members oniy.totheiruuper
. visors .and to. two.- student,
employees.. We : might • have
found out a lot mord about the
work of these-crows; ff'W.e had:
heard from the people who ac- .
tually do it year-roundi Second.- *;
. no mention was made that most
of these, employees are'
represented by-Oregon Public
Employees Union and covered
by a recently negotiated collet: - .
tlve bargaining, agreement.
Unions, it seems; are often rio'
more."visible" to those outside
them than, the workers they
represent. .J C. *
Thanks again for the story. It
was good , to see all these
employees' efforts recognized
and praised.
Kurt Wilcox
Business Agent
Oregon Public
Employees Union
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Tuesday. August 6. 1085