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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1987)
Ignition locking system deters drunk drivers A House Bill proposing the installation of a device into convicted drunk driver’s automobiles is a safe and effective idea for deterring potential drinking and driving. The device would lock an automobile’s ignition if the driver were too drunk. The device is wired to the car’s ignition system and designed to detect the driver’s blood-alcohol level. If the driver’s alcohol level is over the legal limit of .08 percent, the car will not start. The system would be offered as an optional part of the occupational-license program, which is given to convicted drunk drivers whose licenses have been suspended. Cur rently, drivers with a suspended license can apply for an oc cupational license after the first year. House Bill 2449 would make the installation of a breath-test device an option for judges issuing the licenses. Provisions for possible circumvention are included in the bill. The interlock device requires a special breathing pattern before it will start the car. According to Donald Meador, the Linn County traffic safety coordinator, the patern is difficult to master, even when the driver is sober. This helps prevent the driver from getting someone else to use the breath-test device. The bill also makes it illegal to help someone with an in terlock device drive a vehicle. This includes blowing into the device for the driver or loaning the driver another car. Under the current system, drivers with occupational licenses are subject to spot checks at least once a month. The breath-test devices also will undergo monthly inspections to determine if they have been tampered with and to prevent malfunctions. This bill presents an effective idea for preventing con victed drunk drivers from starting a car while intoxicated. In turn, this likely will reduce the drunk-driving rate. Granted, the system is not foolproof. Anyone deter mined enough to drive drunk will probably find a way. But the breath-test device warns drivers if they have had too much to (irink, and it sets up safeguards to prevent drunk drivers from starting a car. The bill is a preventive measure to a crime on the rise. It is by no means a cure to the drunk-driving problem, but it reduces the problem without infringing on the driver’s rights. Emerald apologizes The Oregon Daily Emerald has made a serious mistake. I-ast Thursday, the Emerald published a story about a stu dent, John Stephen Fisher, who committed suicide on Feb. 25. Under the headline “Friend says classroom pressure caused suicide of older student,’’ the story quoted a friend of Fisher’s as saying Fisher killed himself because he was hav ing trouble in a math class. Besides police, the friend was the only source in the story. Using only the friend’s comments was irresponsible. We do not know why Fisher killed himself. But by prin ting the friend’s statements, we put our stamp of credibility on them. Fisher’s death was tragic. We should not have com pounded that tragedy by laying blame to a single class or instructor. We sincerely apologize to that instructor. We have done this person a terrible injustice. sB^eqll Y\ELl0THERE!nPi^! wR 70UW BE. getting a R/MS£ IH A COUPLE OF YEARS , Letters Wet T-shirt The wonders of our sexist, mysogynist society never cease to amaze me. Friday’s ad for Beta Theta Pi's "First Annual Wet T-Shirt Contest" is the newest affront. Not that wet T-shirt contests are new, or are not harmful to women all on their own. It’s just that ! can’t recall ever seeing one "for charity ’’ What chari ty, I wonder, will the fraternity be so graciously donating this money to, this money gained by exploiting women’s bodies? Womenspace, or Rape Crisis Network, perhaps, both dedicated to ending the physical manifestations (batter ing, rape, child-sexual assault) of the painfully mysogynist at titudes that wet T-shirt contests reflect? In anticipation of the fraternal cries, "But we don’t force the women to do it!" I pose this question: Why is Beta Theta Pi not having a bake sale to raise money for charity, or some other equally innocuous fund raiser? Perhaps because in our socie ty baked goods don’t bring in the bucks. Breasts do. Girls and women are taught by society Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Dally 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 the 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 Wayne Michael Lottlnville Classified Advertising Alyson Simmons Assistant to the Publisher Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Peter LaFleur / Sales Manager Teresa Acosta, Beryl Israel. Janelle Heitmann, Laura Goldstein. Catherine Lilja, Rick Martz, Joseph Menzel, Peter Miller, Joan Wlldermuth News and Editorial 686-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Letter Perfect Graphics 686-5511 Production 686 4381 Circulation 686 5511 Page 2 Editor Managing Editor News Editor Spectrum Editor Spectrum Assistant Editor Editorial Page Editors Sports Editor Photo Editor Spectrum Photo Editor Graphics Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Community Politics Higher Education / Administration University Affairs Student Government Student Activities General Assignment General Assignment General Assignment Michelle Brence Lucinda Dillon Michael Rivers Stephen Maher Stanley Nelson Michael Drummond Angie Muniz Capi Lynn Michael Wilhelm John Giustlna Lorraine Rath Michelle Brence Jolayne Houtz Nick Reed Chris Norred B J Thomsen Carolyn Lamberson Sarah Kitchen Karen Creighton Dennis Fernandes Scott Maben Reporters: Sean Axmaker, Mary Courtis, Gary Henley Janet Paulson Photographers: Sherlyn Bjorkgren, ShuShing Chen, Maria Corvallis, Derrel Hewitt, Bobbie Lo. Dan Wheeler Production: Michele Ross / Ad Coordinator Kelly Alexandre, Ronwin Nicole Ashton, Virginia Baniaga, Samantha Barbitta, Sandra Bevans, Sara Briscoe, Shu shing Chen, Janet Emery, Judith Gatz, Lisa Haggerty, Donna Leslie, Curtis Lott, Steve Lundgren, Kelli Mason, Mike McGraw, Rob Miles. Angela Muniz, Julie Paul, Ingrid White, Serena Williams, X Kang Xie that their bodies are what is valuable, and one sure-fire way to gain recognition in our male dominated world is to display our bodies for approval. 1 don’t want wet jock-strap contests. I want respect for myself and my sisters. Cassandra Van Buren Eugene Bad prose In my last letter (Feb. 11). I at tempted to highlight the con tempt for the English language reflected in your prose. You responded with a letter which demonstrated that you STILL don’t understand the relation ships between the words in your sentences. People reading your letters must constantly choose bet ween clear grammatical reference and your intended meaning. Alas, with your mean ing hidden amongst poorly ap plied colloquialisms, inverted word order, and cryptic quota tions from Bible-thumpers, readers are seldom able to decipher your message before the sun sets. While writing my last letter, it occurred to me that to focus on your consistently inap propriate word choice and your difficulty with syntax would be petty. As an alternative, I ad vanced several questions, hop ing that you might attempt an explanation. In response you suggested. “If you care to debate a point, you must first not ask what it means.” This last quote ex plains both your willingness to debate scientific theories you don't understand and your commitment to the vacuous arguments associated with your position. Although you make a fairly convincing case to the contrary, religion and reason are NOT mutually exclusive — nor does the average “scientist” contend that they should be. To believe in something beyond empirical examination is NOT unreasonable. It is, however, unreasonable to ask people to agree with the distortions of "science” you espouse along your voyage to intellectual suicide. Have a nice day. Alex Gardner Graduate student, biology Head sickness Bob Baldwin: Your letter about Ron Munion is a perfect example of why I loathe your branch of the SPA. Your letter shows that you have no code of honor and know only how to destroy your opponents by in nuendo (ODE, March 4). Get this straight, jerk. This is not a liberal-conservative face off. I want you to know in no uncertain terms that I think you are sick in the head for using filth in order to gain political advantage when your side is loosing. Ms. Cameron, ASUO vice president, is a person of man ners compared to you. Why don’t you learn some tact from her before you are screwed to the wall by people who are tired of your self-righteous nonsense? Andrew Beckwith Graduate student, physics So predictable As 1 sit here in the EMU, I have just picked up my Oregon Daily Emerald hoping to find an unbiased Associated Press arti cle on President Reagan’s speech last week, which I wat ched with great interest. But as I flip through the pages, I cannot find one. All I see is basically what I’ve come to expect from the Emerald editorial page: biased, liberal nonsense based on left wing opinion. What’s wrong. Emerald? Are you afraid to run an AP article? Why won’t you print the facts and let the people decide for themselves? Oh, 1 see. Only real newspapers do that. Rick Bergesen Senior
