Editorial
'Rugged' Oregonians
protect free speech
The Oregon Supreme Court last week overturned a 1973
Oregon obscenity law, saying that the Oregon Constitution
provides more protection for speech than the First
Amend ment.
The ruling is a profound step toward preserving civil
freedoms and limiting the government’s ability to impose
notions of morality on citizens in this state.
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court set a three-part defini
tion of obscenity, saying that obscenity was not protected by
the First Amendment. The Oregon court held that the;
Oregon Constitution provides blanket protection for expres
sion of opinion, saying that obscenity is a form of speech,
and is thus protected by the constitution, which covers “any
subject whatever.”
Justice Robert Jones wrote in the court’s opinion that the
drafters of the Oregon Constitution were “rugged and robust
individuals dedicated to founding a free society unfettered
by the governmental imposition of some people’s views of
morality on the free expression of others.”
Oregonians today are no less "rugged and robust
individuals.”
The court did leave the door open for regulation of
obscenity in the interests of unwilling viewers, captive au
diences, minors and beleaguered neighbors — the issue
before the court was not the regulation of pornography or its
display, but rather whether pornography itself is protected.
The ruling comes as good news. then, for the two
Oregonians convicted under the obscenity laws, but also as
good news for anyone who dislikes the government setting
moral standards on speech.
Helms' capture of position
raises ideological sword
It is with great disappointment that we watch Sen. Jesse
Helms become the Republican leader of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. The move was a politically motivated
ouster of Sen. Richard huger, who made the mistake of buck
ing the conservative agenda on key issues.
i.ugar led the rally on the Republican side to override
President Reagan’s veto of South African sanctions, and
played a key role in persuading Reagan to give up support
lor Ferdinand Marcos. These actions angered Helms, who
has attacked the "liberals" in the State Department for not
being sufficiently anti-communist.
When Lugar fought for overriding Reagan’s veto on the
sanctions bill, many observers said it was political suicide,
that Helms would pull seniority on Lugar to oust him from
his position on the committee.
Now Helms has done so. and he will bring his own
peculiar brand of combative, racist ultra-conservatism to the
committee, replacing Lugar’s proven ability to draft widely
supported compromises. Helms now will manage floor
debate before the committee for the Republican side.
Despite what Republicans said after the vote to oust
Lugar. the campaign on Helms’ behalf was laced with
political attacks on Lugar — casting doubts on the sincerity
of the faith in the seniority system Republican senators ex
pressed during the vote.
Seniority is now a two-edged sword for committee
leadership — there is no guarantee for junior Senators that
Republicans will wield seniority on their behalf if they don’t
meet ideological muster.
HaaoxBuer
"me Denar
ARKS contra
BAUNce«Drae
THe Homes
"I’d Ilk* to b*gin tho Suit* of th* Union addrass... but Mr*t, a f*w an*cdot*«..."
Sidewalks
Does the University admit il
literate students?
Hikepaths are clearly marked.
Kugene has more of them than
any city in the country, jogging
on concrete is supposedly
harmful, and there are many
jogging paths.
Must we be forced to add a
skateboard lane too?
Sidewalks are for pedestrians
those of us who walk.
Douglas James
Student
Let him go
Silas llissell is alleged to have
attempted to bomb a Seattle
ROTC building in 1970 As I
recall, those were pretty wild
times in America.
(Granted, bombing buildings
is not tin? most intelligent
method of affecting social
change, hut it could be argued
those who opposed the Vietnam
war were expressing their true
conscience.
Now. 17 years later. Silas
Bissell is arrested and faces a
possible 15-year prison term for
his anti-war activities. Why
bother to arrest a man so long
after the fact when he has ob
viously given up his once
radical lifestyle?
What can be done to make
him “repay his debt"? Silas'
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imprisonment would make him
a drain on the system, a finan
cial liability. When he emerges
from incarceration, will he be a
better, more productive citizen?
Most likely he would come
out an alienated, angry, perhaps
broken man who would no
doubt need a lot of assistance to
have a chance at becoming any
kind of social asset.
I wonder how much of tax
payers' money has been wasted
chasing this guy for the past 17
years? Think about it.
I say. save Silas the time and
us the cost and forget the prison
term, (live him some communi
ty service to do, and let a pro
ductive citizen remain as such.
Moreover, the Westmoreland
Tenant’s Council is establishing
a satellite program of the EMU
Childcare and Development
Centers. Thus, the
Westmoreland community will
be approaching the IFC not just
for a paltry $400 bail-out of the
faltering daycare cooperative,
but for some substantial fun
ding. We are entitled to ade
quate services here, where we
live.
James V. Munyer
Westmoreland Tenant's
Council
Daycare Committee Chairman
James Parfitt
Eugene
Family first
The observation of and sug
gestions for the Westmoreland
Cooperative Preschool (ODE
editorial, Jan. 22) have no basis
of facts or reality. It is difficult
for me to believe that you do not
understand that correct analysis
cannot occur with limited
information.
The only illustration of ”glar
ing mismanagement and
negligence” was that editorial!
In your lofty editorial position,
do you really suppose you are
above accusations of
defamation?
Head Teacher Julie
McFarland is not a public
figure. Her credibility is vital to
her career. Contrary to your
discrediting statements.
McFarland was not responsible
for administration of the poorly
supported cooperative. Are
such ill-founded accusations as
yours the only reward for such
competent, dedicated people as
Julie McFarland?
Furthermore, your sugges
tions for establishing a new ad
ministrative position or hiring a
consultant are ridiculous. You
are suggesting expending
thousands of dollars to solve a
$400 problem!
If you had done your
homework, you would have
known the issue was moot. The
1FC doesn’t lend money. The
loan request was turned down
before it got through the first
step, which was at IFC.
Heavy thought
Let us honestly and candidly
speak of the theory of Punc
tuated Equilibria. It will pro
bably be quite foreign to
everyone except science majors,
therefore allow a brief elabora
tion. as it is generally not being
taught in high schools.
The theory is held by the two
foremost advocates of the theory
of evolution: Gould and
Eldredge. They believe that
evolution did occur, but do
acknowledge the fact that the
fossil records do not support
this.
Therefore, they propose that
evolution occurred in “spurts”
(punctuated), thus producing so
few fossils that they haven’t
found yet. And. contrary to our
own “expert’’ McCormick
(ODE, )an. 16), paleontologist
S. Stanley of John Hopkins
University, says this weakens
the theory of evolution.
The objective of this letter is
to inform you that should you,
in fact, be keeping up with cur
rent science, you do not believe
in gradual evolution. You in
stead believe that unex
plainable, catastrophic changes
occurred in the genetic codes of
each and every intermediate
specie, but acknowledge that
there is no evidence to support
this. Leff (ODE. Jan. 14) is ask
ing you to believe this with the
same blind faith that he accepts
this theory.
Brian Frary, biology
Charlie Richards, economics