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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1986)
Has herbicide spraying created killer trees? See Page 8. Oregon Daily Emerald Tuesday, April 15<1986 Eugene, Oregon Volume 87, Number 131 U.S. stages air raids against Libyan sites to quell terrorist acts WASHINGTON (AH) - The United States, acting to "pre-empt and discourage" Libyan ter rorism, executed a series of middle-of-the-night air strikes against Libya, the White House an nounced Monday night. President Reagan declared: “We have done what wo had to do." Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger said an* Air Force F-l 1J was unaccounted for. but them was ho evidence it had been downed. Libyan radio said three U.S planes had been hit and the crew of one jet had been killed after they were downed "by Libyan citizens." Reagan, in a nationally broadcast address to explain the military strike, said the United States had direct and irrefutable evidence that Libyan leader Moanimar Khadafy had ordered recent anti-American attucks, including the bombing of a discoteque frequented by U.S. servicemen in West Merlin. "When our citizens are abused or attacked anywhere in the world, we will respond in self defense.’’ Reagan said. In an unmistakable warn ing to Khadafy. he said: "If necessary, we will do it again." Knowledgeable officials said Khadafy’s headquarters was one target of the raid. Reagan himself described the attacks as "concentrated and carefully targeted to minimize casualties among Libyan people, with whom we have no quarrel." Deputy White House press secretary Larry Speakes described the targets as Libya's "terrorist infrastructure — the command and control • systems, intelligence, communications, logistics and training facilities." Secretary of State George Shultz, appearing with Weinberger in the White House briefing room just after Reagun's statement, said the Soviet Union was told of the operation as it was taking place and was assured it was "in no way directed at the Soviet Union " Asked what would happen if Libya was to retaliate for the air strikes. Shultz said. "What is clear tonight is that the United States will take military action under certain circumstances." "He counted on America to be passive." Reagan said of Khadafy. "He counted wrong." The president said "evidence is now con clusive" that recent terrorist incidents had occur red on "orders sent from Tripoli." He said in telligence had blocked one "planned massacre" involving the use of grenades and small arms to attack Americans waiting in line for visas in Prance. Speakes would not discuss casualties or damage. He said "we took every precaution" to ensure that no civilians would be injured or killed. Speakes' briefing was telecast live on net work news shows at 7:20 p in., EST, just 20 minutes after the air strikes began. Speakes began: "U.S. military forces have executed a series of carefully planned air strikes against terrorist-related targets in Libya. These air strikes have been completed, and our aircraft are returning." Within five minutes after Speakes finished briefing reporters at the White House, several dump trucks were brought onto the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, blocking all the auto and truck entrances in a move to enhance protection against any terrorist attack. Reagan had met with congressional leaders earlier in the day — a day full of rumors as to American intentions in its quest to punish Khadafy. Asked how the targets were chosen, Speakes said. "Because they strike at the very heart of Khadafy's ability to conduct terrorist activities. "We're certainly prepared to do it again." if Khadafy continues to support terrorist activities against American targets, Speakes said. Demonstrators occupy building to protest U.S. aid to Contras By Chris Norred Of the Kmrrald Several University students were among approx imately 40 people occupying the Federal Building in downtown Eugene Monday in a protest against IJ.S. aid for the Nicaraguan Contras until security police, push ed, pulled and dragged them out of the building. No ar rests Were made at the scene. The protesters were some of an estimated 300 peo ple who met in the Federal Building plaza during the afternoon to protest the Reagan Administration's pro posed $100 million aid package for Nicaragua's anti Sandinista rebels, known as Contras. The Contra aid issue is expected to be voted on in the U S. House of Representatives later this week. The crowd outside the building had dwindled to about 1(M) protesters when police began to clear the building at 5:30 p m., nearly one hour before the scheduled closing time. Watching through the building’s glass doors, the outside crowd joined in song with those who chose to remain inside and risk be ing arrested. At about l» p m., police began to forcibly remove the-remaining people from inside the building. But while crowd members attempted to block the doorways and prevent the police from removing the protesters, a long corridor with several exits allowed police to move all of the protesters outside with minimal difficulty. "The police had made it very clear that they wanted it to go smooth and easy with a minimum of confrontation,” said Bill Lutz, a representative from the Central American Response Network, the group which organized the rally. "Some individuals may have felt that personally their statement was lessened without t>eing arrested, but the important thing is that they were willing to risk being arrested,” Lutz said. Following a 2 p.m. rally in the EMU Courtyard, nearly KM) protesters, mostly students, marched to the Federal Building where they joined others from the community and listened to speakers and live music and prepared to occupy the building. A speaker and informational leaflets at the rally provided people with guidelines for participation in an act of civil disobedience. "The Eugene police have told the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) that if the number of people be ing arrested is not too great, then they may be cited and released without being taken to the I^ne County Jail, if they agree to give their true name and address," said Dave Fidanque from the Criminal Justice Task Force. However, many of the protesters inside the Continued on Page 3 oo ' Photo by Mina (Corvallis One person who gathered downtown at the Federal Building Monday to protest U.S. involvement in Central America drew a parallel between current ac tivities and those that took place during the Vietnam War. Constitution Court members hear arguments in Commentator case By Stan Nelson CM (hr Kmrnalt! The Oregon Commentator is receiving differential treatment in funding by the ASUO and the Incidental Fee Committee, said Harris Rowell, representing the Commentator before the Constitution Court Monday. At the court hearing. Rowell and James Young, the Commentator’s associate editor, requested the Com mentator be funded like any other student group that complies with IFC guidelines and receives direct IFC funding. The Constitution Court will make a final decision on the matter by Friday. The IFC tabled a Commentator request for direct funding Feb. 18 and eventually placed the Commen tator funding measure on the ASUO general elections ballot. Rowell argued placing the Commentator on the ballot is unfair because the paper would be discriminated against on the basis of content. There is no basis for not funding the group, he said. After representatives of the Commentator presented its budget to the IFC in February, IFC members asked for no additional information and did not even question Commentator representatives, he said. ASUO President Lynn Pinckney, who argued the Commentator funding measure should remain on the ballot, said the ballot measure is not a means of denying funding to the Commentator but a way to gauge student use of the paper. “It asks, by putting them on the ballot, a general use level question that is asked of every group that comes before the IFC,” Pinckney said. She argued that because the Commentator is a newspaper, it cannot show its use level. The Commentator publishes between 3,500 and 4,000 issues bimonthly. Because the copies are being picked up. that should indicate a fair measure of use. said Jon Folkestad. Constitution Court member. If the measure merely is to gauge whether students read the Commentator, Constitution Court member Saulius Mikalonis asked why the measure does not ask that question directly. Rich Walsch. Constitution Court chairman, said if one paper is given funding, then other groups wishing to form a paper or continue a paper also should be given funding if the publication deals with issues, has reporters and can meet its contractual obligations to publish on time. This is necessary to avoid content based analysis, he said. If the measure is defeated at the general elections, it will bear heavily on the IFC's decision to fund the paper. Mikalonis said. The Commentator will go before the IFC to receive funding regardless of the outcome, Young said. Still, he said, it is in the Commentator’s best interest to bypass the elections and deal directly with the IFC.