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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1986)
Editorial Offering ex-leaders refuge a good move lne United Mates put its lets to good use inis monin. Both Ferdinand Marcos and Jean-Claude Duvalier gave up power with help from Uncle Sam. Marcos stole the Philippine presidential election. Pressure from Corazon Aquino's grass-roots protest and a military rebellion swelled. The Reagan administration urged Marcos to step down and offered him asylum in exchange for a speedy and bloodless departure. Wednesday, Philippine time, Marcos and his family fl ed the country aboard U.S. aircraft and are now sheltered in Guam, a U.S. territory. Marcos probably will receive perma nent refuge in the United States. And earlier this month, the United States engineered the flight of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier from Haiti. Duvalier’s ruthless regime ended as he and hiS wife boarded a U.S. plane to France. f Marcos and Duvalier are prominent human rights abusers. Certainly neither man deserved help from the United States. But consider the alternative: Both leaders would have been ousted without U.S. in volvement. But probably. only after a long, and bloody revolution. Civil war likely would, have-erupted in the Philippines. „ Creative U.S. intervention ; prevented unnecessary bloodshed. It removed each country's.target of hatred and diffused two volatile situations. '• . ' - In addition, Haiti and the Philippines are. now fiee to follow the leaders of their choice and pursue democratic governments. And both countries likely will"reach a st'ateof stability more rapidly. • ° Of course not every deposed leader should receive U.S. assistance. The United States must weigh the likely out comes of such actions carefully.- In the cases of Haiti and the Philippines, a good chance exists that better government?' will develop. The countries stand to excel.: And U.S. intervention should be limited. Providing the means of escape in the face of a full-scale revolution is dif ferent from toppling a government.or forcing a leader out. One issue remains. Marcos was offered asylum in"the United States and Duvalier was not. The United States should have opened its borders to Duvalier. . •. *' Why? As The New York. Times editors aptly put it, if Duvalier had known beforehand that France .wou.ld be unable to find a nation to accept him,, he may not have fled. fudge minimizes crime by trusting convicted rapist A Benton County. Circuit judge has trivialized the issue of rape. . • ; • - Michael Lott, 19. was convicted, of first-degTee rape," first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree, burglary in. January. Circuit Judge Robert Gardner postponed sentencing and agreed to let Lott travel to Maryland for .treatment at' Johns Hopkins University Medical School, in Baltimore. Lott will receive psychological testing at the school’s sexual disorder clinic. .' . '. ; ' .. Allowing a first time offender to obtain.treatment before sentencing is reasonable. However, Gardner originally, told Lott to travel to Maryland unsupervised. Even' after velie ment protest from groups that fight sexual.violence, Gardner modified his decision only to require Lottos father to accom pany him. Carder even reduced Lott's bail by $10,000 to help Lott's family pay for the two trips. Apparently, Gardner doesn’t think rape is a serious crime. Convicted rapists should not be allowed to travel across the country without the supervision of a professional security guard. Lott faces a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison and a $300,000 fine — probably enough to encourage Lott to consider escape. Gardner risked Lott’s escape, and with it, the chance that he will rape again. Worse, the incident traumatized Lott’s victim. The vic tim’s best interests should have governed Gardner’s actions, not the perpetrator’s. Letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing fair comment on topics of interest to the University community. Letters to the editor must be limited to 250 words, typed, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style. Letters to the editor should be turned into the Emerald office, Suite 300, EMU. ffe HWCE.THEY VMM F WEIL ACCEPT ‘EABf DOC DlMUER • • Letters Parking supply As any economics and non economics major knows, .there . is a law erf supply add demand — the trick is to achieve a happy . medium. What I see, though, is the opposite ' —' .a limited amount of parking spaces for an . even greater amount Of • students, especially at 8:30 a,m. Don't''.say .1 should come earlier — if'you say 6:30 a.m., . I'll tell you some of us have to . work then. Besides, who wants to arrive In the dark? I received a citation while.at- . lending my 8:30 aim. class . I . never had a chance to move my car. I guess my, priorities., are; wrong' in that I should have * spent another 30 minutes circj-.. . .ing the campus before (jiving up : desperately “(never" mind that .tars could still go around my .. Rabbit) o . •. * .. ■ »»■. - ’ . ’ .• The fact that 1 paid $18 for a •year’s use frustrates me. As I live arid work off campus, J would like to be able to park my car near my blasses in Gilbert Hall, especially when. I’m on carripus until dark I don’t think it’s too much to ask. especially . .when I,use the. bus' the rest of • the time (1 know the lot in ' Taylor’s is open at ti p m,, but who has time to move cars?). I suggest we either create more' spaces or increase the price of the permits. I like the latter, as it's in line with the . theory'of supply and demand. If you raise the price high enough, eventually , you’ll take cam of . the “problem" demand. ’ ’ * ' . ‘ ■■ • ' \ Margaret McKenney Business Misconception Regarding jon Wol lander (ODE, -Feb. 13) and his “en dangered species.. .the , pre h or n h u m an b ein g’‘ • misconception: . Jonisybu have less sense than the lemmings. ' . Kay Wells •\ Eugene Frankenstein I know. I know. It's hard to come up with a good, exciting, controversial subject to write an editorial about every day of the week. That was very evident in your attack on OSPIRG (ODE. .Feb. 7). I think you are trying to give life to a Frankenstein, dead on the table until some, mad editor comes along to give it <i Jolt in the electrodes! .. Sure. OSP1RG Is important to students. But nobody was pull ing out their hair for the last 15 years because 0SPIRC’. has had a rent-free office in the EMU base ment. This whole "controver sy” cents about through an ar bitrary decision this year to discontinue rant-free status to group's based on whether the groups are incorporated or not QSPIRG doesn't feel this is a ’ valid liasis upon which to discriminate, and so they ap pealed Big deals ■'-.One thiui* I don't appreciate .•is the way the editorial makes OSPIRG out to.be some.sort of -sinister group, intent on ripping off the student body for -every . last penny they can get In point of h*ct; the $1 each student pays to support OSPIRG is .the same amount students paid 15 years ago! Inflation aside, if the group will have to begin to pay rent starting this year, as you suggest, that gives all the more validity to their re quest for additional funds. Randy MacDonald Eugene Oregon Daily 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 University with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of (he Associated Press The Emerald is private property The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law General Staff Advertising Director Susan Thelen Production Manager Russell Steele Classified Advertising Vince Adams Assistant to the Publisher Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales David Wood Sales Manager. John Boiler. Michael Gray. Robin Joannides. Carlos Lamadrid. Marcia Leonard. Shawn Leuthold. Julie Lewis. Catherine Lilja. Anne Marie Vranizan. Laura Willoughby Production Vince Adams. Kelly Alexandre. Lynne Casey. ShuShing Chen. Ellen Cross. Monica Dwyer. Storml Dykes Manuel Flores. Steve Gibbons. Rob Hare Mary Lewis, Jim Marks. Ross Martin. Mary May. Mary McGomgal Rob Miles Angie Muniz. Kara Oberst. Charla Parker, Ken Parrott. Jennifer Peterson. Jim Pfafl Geoll Rainvtlle. Michele Ross. Alyson Simmons. Peg Solonika Gregory Tipps Editor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Assistant Editorial Page Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Friday Edition Editor Sidelines Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Community Higher Education Student Activities Student Government University Allairs Julie Shippen Michelle Brence Jolayne HouU Michelle Brence Scott Harding Robert Colllas Karen Stailwood Sheila Landry Allan La*o Julie Shippen Scott McFetridge Andrew LaMar Mary Lichtenwalner Linda Hahn Kirsten Bolin Reporters Tony Ahern Sean Aumaker Dan Coran. Kim Kaady. Capi Lynn. Chris Norred. Chuck Thompson, B J Thomsen Photographers Shu Shlng Chen, Maria Corvallis, Steve Gibbons, Rob Hare, Derrel Hewitt. Jim Marks Ross Martin News and Editorial 688 SSI1 Display Advertising and Business 6116 3712 Classitied Advertising 686 4343 Production 688-4381 Circulation 688 SS11