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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1987)
Editorial Meese and money; Reagan's black mark Add Attorney General Ed Meese's name to the growing list of current and former Reagan aides who have been or are under investigation. Meese has garnished legal scrutiny for his involvement in the shady netherworld of crooked arms contract deals — once again calling into question the integri ty of the highest rar’.ing law enforcement official in the country. Meese admitted last month that in 19B2. when he served as Reagan's presidential aide, he used his influence and staff to help Wedtech. formerly a tool and die manufacturer turn ed defense bidder, win a $ri2 million Army contract. Meese is the only attorney general to be investigated three times. The first was in 19B4 during Senate confirma tion hearings. He was recently put under investigation for his involvement in the current Iran-Contra fiasco, and the latest investigation came last week when a special pro secutor took over the justice Department's inquiry into the Wedtech scandal. The central question surrounding Meese's latest govern mental faux pas centers on whether he misused public office for personal gain In 19B5. Meese invested $90,000 in a limited blind partnership with Wedtech. so his interest in that company was substantial. Moreover, Wedtech. now defunct, had a sordid history of financial Improprieties, and many of the company's former employees recently have admitted bribing govern ment officials to gain non-competitive contracts. This fact, along with Meese’s backroom dealings, casts a pall on the at torney general's integrity. Regardless of what the special prosecuter finds. Meese's conduct as a public official rests on shaky ground. Until the special prosecuter releases his findings. Meese temporarily should step down from office. With the barrage of scandals that have riddled the current administration, the retention of Ed Meese merely adds insult to injury. Missile attack on US. ship both regrettable and tragic The Iraqi missile attack of an American naval frigate last Sunday has highlighted the pitfalls of gunboat diplomacy and comes as a regrettable and tragic incident. Twenty-eight crew members were reported dear! with 21 injured. Pentagon officials report the frigate, christened The Stark, radioed the Iraqi plane and had one minute's war ning there were incoming missiles, but for unexplained reasons it did not defend itself. President Keegan has called for a heightened state of alert, permitting American forces to fire on threatening warplanes. Unfortunately, this comes after the fact. Due to the number of ships attacked in the Persian Gulf during the 6-year Iran-lraq war, our warships should have had this clearance from the time we entered those turbulent waters. Although Iraq claims the attack was inadvertent, this hardly absolves them from responsibility, and the Iraqi government must lie held liable for an apology and reparations. This kind of an attack is the stuff from which major wars are made, and the Keagan administration must act cautious ly yet firmly to insure the safety of our ships and citizens as well as preserving international peace. .MiMUMilllllL Letters Battling bands On Thursday. May 7. I saw a banner that red "WANTED: HANDS (ANY KIND) FOR A HATTI.K OF THE HANDS .” I called for more information and was told where to submit a demo tape. I was also told that the bands would not be judged on the type of music they played, but on their musical ability. Hut I soon found that not to be the case My band is called Out of (kin trol. and we play punk rock/speed metal. My band has a combined total music playing experience of about 19 years, but I guess that talent is not what you need You need to be a friend of one of the organizers or maybe play some mainstream popular music. It is obvious that a band that is against the "norm" will be rejected as we were. I suppose I was asking too much of the organizers for us to be judged fairly Maybe next time I'll have them to my house for punch and cookies and we can listen to the new Whitney Houston album. That way. if we become pals, my band will get a chance to play in this so-called "Battle of the Hands.” 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. al 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 Piess 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 Loltinville Classified Manager Alyson Simmons Assistant to the Publisher Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Peter LaFleur / Sales Manager Teresa Acosta. Janelte Heitmann. Catherine Ltl|a, Hick Mart/. Joseph Men/el. Joan Wildermuth Advertising Apprentices Ten Boring. Meathei Mull. Bar bars Rogeis. Julie Paul Nears and Editorial 6M SS11 Display Advertising and Business MS-3713 Classified Advertising 68A-4341 Letter Perfect Graphics 684 5511 Production 686 43S1 Circulation (MS SSI t Editor Managing Editor News Editor Speclrum Editor Spectrum Assistant Editor Editorial Page Editors Sports Editor Photo Editor Spectrum Photo Editor Graphics Editor Night Editor Michelle Brence Lucinda Dillon Michael Rivers Stephen Maher Tim Chauran Michael Drummond Angela Muniz Dennis Fernandes Maria Corvallis John Giustma Lorraine Rath B J Thomsen Associate Editors Community Politics Higher Education l Administration University Attairs Student Government Student Activities General Assignment General Assignment Janet Paulson B J Thomsen Chris Norred Laurie Schwadz Carolyn Lamberson Sarah Kitchen Alicia Gano Scott Maben Reporters: Jackie Barry, Mary Courtis. Gary Henley. Will Hotbed Photographers Shertyn Bforkgren. Shu Stung Chen, Der rei Hewitt. Tim Jones. Bobbie Lo. Dan Wheelsr Production: Michele Ross I Ad Coordinator Supervisors: Sandra Bevans. Shu-Shing Chen. Eliot Knight. Angela Muniz. Ingrid White Technicians: Kelly Alexandre. Ronwin Nicole Ashton. Virginia Bamaga. Samantha Barbitta. Sara Bnscoe. Janet Emery. Judith Gatz. Lisa Haggerty Linda Jones. Jung Lee. Donna Leslie. Bobbie Lo. Kelli Mason. Mike McGraw. Rob Miles. Diana Moy. Julie Paul. Serena Williams My hand just wanted a chance to participate; we don't really care about winning it. All we ask is that the organizers not mislead potential contestants by saying "ANY K.INI)" of bands will play. It is obvious that they cannot assume responsibility to do what they say. Ron Bush Theater arts Victim's right What's more important, the rights of a child or the right to privacy of some creep who molests that child? That ques tion is being delated in Califor nia at this time. According to a segment of KTVU news (Oakland, Calif.), which aired in April of 1W87, a police department in California is considering testing rape suspects for AIDS — as they now do for other sexually transmitted diseases. Sounds » reasonable, doesn't it? Well, the ACLU is screaming that this violates the suspect’s rights. According to the news report, the ACLU is against testing for AIDS against a per sons will. That's insane! How would you like to tie a mother of a raped child and have to worry that every time that little boy or girl got sick, it might be AIDS? Anyone who gives a child AIDS deserves no rights except to a speedy execution for murder! Yes. AIDS is a political disease. It's been made into a Commentary Policy The Kmerald is interested in printing commentaries on topics of interest to the University community. Commentaries dealing with a subject that the author has exper tise in and has researched will be given preference Commentaries should be 500-800 words and typed The Kmerald reserves the right to edit commentaries for length or style. Commentaries may be submitted to the Kmerald office. Suite .too KMU. political disease by liberals so caught up in the "rights” of the carrier that they would rather sacrifice innocent people than support sane, fair policies. ijiri Parkman Elmira, Ore. Power abused This is in response to a letter by Dan Goulet in the ODE, May 14 entitled "Crack down." Ear from behaving like “a drunken mob on a witch hunt.” the striking 4-| school teachers have behaved with commen dable self restraint in the face of a school board which refused to negotiate a contract for the year beginning September ol '86 {the teachers had worked seven months without a contract before the strike) and police of ficers who flagrantly abused their powers. At Churchill for instance, the police charged a crowd of strikers who wore blocking the entrance of a busload of scabs, without giving strikers time to clear the area. One police officer clubbed a teacher in the lower abdomen, knocking her to the ground, then kicked her. Another struck or shoved a radio reporter, but refused to give his badge number as required by law. leaving his victim unable to file a complaint (KZEL, tape of the incident. Monday. April 27). Again, during a demonstra tion by strikers at the l.ana County Fairgrounds, a police officer arrested a network cameraman, and tried to expose the videotape he'd been making of the incident (The Oregonian. May 5, 1987). While that borders on the pathetic, it is still a clear and flagrant violation of freedom of the press. If there are villains in the strike, they are not the teachers, but those police officers who abused their authority and those who set the policies that allow ed such abuses to happen. Cat Faber Biochemistry graduate student
