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.
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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
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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