Editorial
GWEN project has
no redeeming merit
If the U.S. Air Force has its way, Eugene may become
part of a nationwide communication system. Eugene became
a proposed site for a Ground Wave Emergency Network relay
station in July.
Eugene citizens, most of whom oppose the project, met
Monday night to gather information about the project and
exchange ideas. The meeting was organized by a local op
position group, the NO-GWEN alliance. The Air Force
decided not to attend.
Citizens oppose the project for good reason. The $750
million system is planned to incorporate 240 stations across
the nation and is designed to work after a nuclear exchange
due to the assumption that radiation will be so high that con
ventional communication systems will fail to operate.
There are a multitude of objections to the project. First,
the Eugene tower, as other towers in the project have been
built, would be built without extraordinary structural rein
forcements. In other words, the Air Force, and ultimately
the federal government, is assuming that Eugene will re
main intact should a nuclear exchange occur.
Also, in August, the Lane County Council of Govern
ments Board of Directors ruled that construction of the tower
on the proposed site would not conform to zoning laws. The
land is currently owned by the Wildish Land Company of
Eugene, a sand and gravel company, and is zoned for
excavation.
But the Air Force has not changed plana for construc
ting the tower at the proposed site, and it appears that it will
use its right of eminent domain to disregard local land-use
statutes.
In addition, Randy Hledik. the director of land use and
environmental affairs for the Wildish company, said the
contract between the Air Force and the company includes
provisions for returning the land to the company. Hledik
would not specify the length of time the Air Force would
have the land, but said that the return of the land was within
the foreseeable future. What this means is that the Air Force
is going to build a tower that will be eventually torn down.
But these are minor considerations when the concept
behind the project is considered.
Extensive research demonstrates that even a moderate
nuclear exchange could send enough soot into the at
mosphere to block sunlight for months, destroying vegeta
tion and resulting in the complete elimination of the human
race. But despite the nuclear winter theory, the construction
of the system affirms that the government genuinely believes
in the concept of a “limited” nuclear war and sees a need to
prepare for it. Ten towers already have been built.
The suggestion that a communication system would be
necessary, or even helpful, lends credibility to the
dangerous notion that nuclear war is survivable. This notion
is lethal. If the government believes that a limited nuclear
war can be fought, officials may be more willing to use
nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict.
Rather than use valuable resources, incredible sums of
money and some of the brightest minds in the nation to
prepare for nuclear war, the government should be doing all
it can to prevent it.
The federal government is sending mixed signals. It
tries to assure citizens that the United States will do
everything possible to avoid a nuclear war, and yet billions
of dollars are spent each year to design and build nuclear
weapons, to research a sky-based nuclear defense system,
and now to develop a nationwide communication circuit.
Public opposition to plans to build a similar station in
Amherst, Mass, has stalled construction of a station there.
Opposition in Eugene may succeed in keeping the station
out of our city.
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Self-sacrifice
t would like to call attention
to some tendencies which I
think Rebecca Benwitt's com
mentary (ODE. Oct. 10)
exhibited.
Prior to attending the Univer
sity of Oregon. 1 served 8 years
in Uncle Sam’s Navy. During
those eight years, which
sometimes went by ex
crutiatingly slow, I was never
once prevented from par
ticipating in any general elec
tion. forced to participate or in
fluenced to vote for a particular
party or candidate. I seem to
remember standing in many
long lines for various reasons,
but never to wait my turn for
your prescribed “particular
political orientation dusting.”
Had you ever been in the
military. ! think you would
have known this.
“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit
of Happiness" was not ac
complished by the convening
members of our Continental
Congress. It was fought for and
won by a military composed of
individuals who persevered and
self-sacrificed for the good of
the whole society. These at
tributes are alarmingly absent
from our society today.
It is the lack of participation
by the individual in our society
which has allowed the “politi
cians” of today to make short
term, self-satisfying decisions
that affect us all. Our elected of
ficials have stopped being the
“representatives of the people"
which compose their country,
to members of the "me" genera
tion who choose .solutions to
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conflicts through which they
benefit directly.
Today, you and I enjoy ad
vantages won for us by the self
sacrifice and even deaths of our
ancestors while ibey served in
some branch of our military. I
believe as they did — a good
cause is worth fighting for.
■|. Scott Terrell
Eugene
Better all life
Richard Marrocco (ODE. Oct.
14) states that "the use of
humans in experimentation is
ethically and morally repug
nant." thereby seemingly justi
fying the use of non-human
animals in scientific research.
Further, Morrocco states
"that the majority of people in
this country... welcome the
many benefits attained through
biomedical research." as if
"popular" opinion alone is an
adequate arbiter of ethics and
morality, of what ends justify
what means.
Merely because we can. does
not mean we should. Wanting
to know does not give us the
right to know, or give us a
license to do any research at any
cost for any end.
Human beings are not alone
on this planet in its cycle of life
and death. Prolonging human
life, while perhaps a worthy
cause, does not justify destroy
ing the lives of non-humans.
Rather, bettering the quality of
life for all of earth's creatures,
however limited their time, will
go much further in making this
world a better place.
Patricia Sasaeen
Eugene
I'm confused!
Some questions on returning
to the U of O campus after an
18-month absence:
Why are there no Emeralds
distributed in or around Gilbert
Hall?
Pink hair, shaved heads, very
strange dress behavior? Do I
now need a scooter or moped to
attend the U of O? Is there really
an elevator in PLC? Will Mr.
Conde’s efforts allow all Orogo
nlans to become potheads?
Apartheid: a real problem in
South Africa! Is this university
really powerful enough to
change South Africa's racial
policy? Will boycotting classes
help? Wouldn't student's time
be better spent by concentrating
on local issues where they
could possibly have an effect on
policies that affect them? Is our
tuition and tax money being
wasted by canceled classes or
will the South African govern
ment be so taken aback that they
will change policy? Did Paul
Glum take a personal leave day.
Friday. Oct. 11. t»85, to attend
demonstrations? Doesn't this
university have enough work
for its president? Should we
turn the University president’s
job into a part-time position?
Why do we have a lesbian stu
dent body president? Have the
"flaming, leftist liberals" taken
over the student body? Will
AIDS help curb sexual
behavior?
Is the IFC representing the ,
students who elected them by
drawing up resolutions to cut
Emerald funds? Should we
recall this irresponsible,
unrepresentative committee?
Will all who attend this fine
institution be doomed to eternal
hell ca the courtyard evangelists
proclaim?
Help, I'm confused!
Darrel Rothauge
Senior, Business,
Political Science/History
Consult friends
I hate to cite people for inac
curate facts, however Ms. Miller
made two Inaccurate statements
(ODE. Oct. 12} which deserve
comment.
.Most Palestinian factions do
not accept Arafat's authority. If
they did, I would endorse the
position Ms. Miller advocated.
Also, Ms. Miller said nothing
about the West Bank issue when
she commented about the status
of Arabs in Israel.
Finally, even the fact that
Arabs in Israel proper cannot
join the military deserves com
ment. In America, such an ac
tion would be damned as
blatantly discriminatory. Ms.
Miller should consult her
friends about the ROTG con
troversy last year if she doesn't
know how emotional the issue
of denial of access to the
military is in this country.
Andrew Beckwith
Graduate Student, Physics
Wednesday, October 18, 1885