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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 5, 1987)
Discrimination law a positive begining The l^ane County Board of Commissioners started to build the foundation for neater civil rights Wednesday when it passed a law prohibiting discrimination in public places. The law comes in a retaliation to the Noti pub inci dent still under investigation. John Masepohl, the owner of the Noti tavern, had plac ed signs in his pub saying "No Niggers” and had several derogatory displays. But because state laws regarding discrimination are civil, not criminal, he may receive a light punishment. The new law makes discrimination a criminal offense and carries a $1,000 fine and a 30-dav jail sentence. It also clearly defines public places to include restaurants and taverns. Commissioner Jerry Rust also has proposed an or dinance making people who discriminate libel for their actions. This action will help prevent extreme examples such as the Noti pub from happening, but the enforcement of the law may be difficult — especially with more subtle forms of discrimination. Not every cast! will be as clear-cut as the Noti incident. Some establishments currently have signs saying "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." According to the law, these signs will have to be removed because they express the potential to discriminate. The lane County Bmird ttwik a bold and decisive step when it decided to revise this law. It reinforces the 14th amendment guaranteeing our civil rights. But more impor tantly, it takes a needed step toward solving the more discrete institutional racism. Although the law is not foolproof, it makes a statement to people in Lane County that racism is a problem and it will not be tolerated. Immunity for North granted too soon 14. Col. Oliver North was granted limited immunity by the congressional committees investigating the Iran-Contra affair Thursday. While this decision may provide the hear ings with more detailed information, the decision came much too soon. North already has been implicated as the ringleader of the contra fund raising by several witnesses. Currently Albert Hakim, a former Iranian who supposedly worked with North and Maj. Gen. Richard Secord. is testifying that a large bank account was set up for North's family in case of his death. The evidence clearly shows North played a major role in this scandal. By granting him some form of immunity, the congressional committees may give up the opportunity to punish him. There are other figures in this affair and other methods of obtaining the information. The committees should have completed all the testimony Intfore deciding if immunity was necessary. This hasty judgement could prove to be costly. COMMENCEMENT 'foUUE Tue GHIKllKlC-1 Hfpe and hcnhSE OFTHfe FUTUCe tO FORTH MNO PURSUE. 1ULC \OEAi_C . JUST cpiSt set cue** Letters Life poisoning i wish to respond to Glen Sacks' letter regarding the re cent teachers' strike and the violence against people who cross picket lines (ODE, May 2«») I find his suggestions to be on the same moral level as yull ing "fire" in a crowded building for fun Whatever Mr Sacks' motiva tion might lie. he is feeding with fresh rhetoric an emo tionally volatile situation. Me is pouring poison into the minds of people already sick and wounded with bitterness and hatred. Unions in our country's past have fought courageously against injustice and indif ference. I applaud their courage and acknowledge that their cause has often bean a noble one. In many cases, however, their methods of dealing with in justice and brutality have, themselves, been violent and brutal and contributed to the suffering and misery of those in volved rather than easing them. Employers can be greedy and selfish. They are not. however, alone in these qualities: we all Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald Is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Dally Emerald Publishing Co. at the University of Oregon. Eugene. Oregon. 97403 The Emerald operates independently ot 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 properly The unlawful removal or use of papers Is prosecutable by law General Staff Advertising Oirector Susan Thefen Production Manager Michele Ross Classified Manager Alyson Simmons Assistant to the Publisher Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Peter Lafleur I Sales Manager Teresa Acosta Janelle Hettmenn. Catherine Lilia. Rick Martj Joseph Men/el Joan Wildermuth Advertising Apprentices: Ten Boring Heather Mull. Bai bara Rogers, Julie Paul News and Editorial 686 5511 Display Advertising and Business 666 3712 Classified Advertising 666 4343 Letter Perfect Graphics 686 5511 Production 666 4361 Circulation 666 5511 Editor Managing Editor News Editor Spectrum Editor Spectrum Assistant Editor Edltonal Page Editors Sports Editor Photo Editor Spectrum Piloto Editor Graphics Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Community Politics Higher Education: Administration University Allans Student Government Student Activities General Assignment General Assignment Michelle Brence Lucinda Dillon Michael Rivers Stephen Maher Tim Chauran Michael Drummond Angela Mum/ Dennis Fernandes Maria Corvallis John Giustina Lorraine Hath Steve Maher Janet Paulson B J Thomsen Chris Norred Laurie Schwartz Carolyn Lamberson Sarah Kitchen Alicia Gano Scott Mahon Reporters Jackie Barry, Mary Courtis. Gary Henley. Will Holbert Photographers Sherlyn Biorkgren. Shu Shing Chen. Dor rel Hewitt, Tim Jones, Bobbie Lo, Dan Wheeler Production: Sandra Bevans I Ad Coordinator Supervisors: Shu Shing Chen. Eliot Knight. Angela Muni; Ingrid White Technicians: Kelly Alexandre Honwin Nicole Ashton Virginia Bamaga. Samantha Barbitla. Sara Briscoe. Janet Emery Judith Gat/. Lisa Haggerty. Linda Jones Jung Lee Donna Leslie Bobbie Lo. Kelli Mason, Mike McGraw. Rob Miles, Diana Moy, Julie Paul. Serena Williams share in them. Such a simplistic, shallow view of the world as Mr. Sacks presents tends to he used to manipulate issues and emotions. It promotes violence and a "me first" attitude, as well as alienation between people who must live and work near each other. I call on Mr. Sacks to rethink his position or to kuep his views to himself. I would also en courage people to seek understanding and reconcilia tion. and to put the anger, hatred and bitterness, with their life-poisoning effects, in the |>ast. William Moore Music AIDS control Fact: Health care workers are being told to wear gloves, pro tective glasses and surgical masks when working around AIDS patients or when handling blood products. Fact: Some people are saying that wearing a thin little rubber during sex will protect you from AIDS if you have sex with a carrier. Okay, this makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Michael Cross Graduate Political science, history Hitler lesson In response to Aaron Schulz' letter. ODE. June 2. Sorry. Mr. Schulz. I should have been more specific: Hitler was the leader of the National Socialist German Worker's Party. So what difference does this make anyw’ay? Hitler's Ger many was not democratic or a free enterprise nation. All power was ultimately centraliz ed in the government. It was essentially a command economy. Democratic prin ciples were despised by Hitler. He also abolished freedom of religion, press, speech, and he outlawed other political parties. Sound like any other nations you’re familiar with today? Hitler was a strange person. He would attack Marxism one day and later claim his move ment got many of its ideas from Marxism. Hitler was many things — in cluding the leader of the Na tional Socialist movement. Come to think about it, his brutal system had many of the characteristics of quite a few communist societies — more similarities than differences, that's for sure. Lori Parkman Klmira Not genetics I .aura Desertrain's recent let ter (ODE, May 26) was not at all convincing that homosexuals become the way they are because of hormones or genes. The letter first claimed science isn't “sophisticated" enough to prove it's biological. Then a theory was presented, not backed by a shred of research, but sounding as if it's a well established (etched in stone) fact, as to how homosex uals are genetically produced. That's rather fascinating. There have been many studies to determine if sexual attraction to the same sex could be due to genetics or hormones, like FSH. ICSH. testosterone, estradiol, prolactin, estrogen, etc. There doesn't appear to be a link between those factors and non-heterosexual lifestyles. For further information check the New England |ourna! of Medicine. 1973. p, 1236; Jour nal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 1974. p. 796; and American Journal Psychiatry. 1975, p. 288 and AJP. ,977. p. 571. No homosexual baby has ever been born If homosexuality develops, it has to do with other influences. Nature doesn't deserve the blame! Gina Norens Eugene
