Editorial
Bar liability ruling
accents responsibility
The Oregon Court of Appeals extended the liability law
for bars serving visibly intoxicated customers to include
assault last Wednesday. Currently, a bar can be held respon
sible for drunk driving incidents if it last served the driver.
According to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, a
licensee can have its liquor license revoked and be held
liable if it serves anyone visibly intoxicated. Until this deci
sion. however, the liability law only was applied to drunk
driving cases.
The case decided last Wednesday involved a man who
claimed a customer who had been served while intoxicated
stabbed him He also claimed the bar was negligent in serv
ing and should be held liable.
This ruling reinforces a law designed to make bars more
responsible in serving customers. Although this case may
seem extreme, it is just another aspect of the law. The law
says bar operators can be held liable for damage by
customers who were served while visibly drunk. To this ex
tent we agree with the decision.
But while this law is sound in theory, it is not always
easy to prove what or how many establishments last served
an intoxicatod customer. Granted, a bar should be responsi
ble for the people it serves and prevent them from drinking
and driving. But other actions, such as assault with a deadly
weapon, cannot always be predicted.
Other methods exist to keep a liars from serving already
intoxicated people. TheOLGC has set guidelines to maintain
the owner's responsibility and work to enforce their regula
tions. With these guidelines and the liability law. a liar
owner is certain of his responsibility to safety the public. But
it should not extend beyond his hands.
The Court of Appeals is forcing bar owners to take
responsibility for individual acts of violence — acts of which
they have no control. The ambiguity of who last served the
tielligercnt customer detracts and renders ineffective the
goal it seaks to accomplish.
Dylan/Dead campsite
benefits fans/University
The University is to be commended for its decision last
Wednesday to operate a campground for Grateful Dead and
Hob Dylan fans this weekend. Realizing the need to provide
concert-goers with a safe, convienient place to stay will
benefit the University as well as the campers.
According to University officials, the east end of the
Autzen Stadium parking lot will be converted into a
campground for five days. The fee for camping in the lot will
vary depending on the day a camper enters.
Officials will be able to regulate campers' activities as
well as provide food booths, water and sanitary conditions
in the confined area. These were some of the main problems
with providing a site at Alton Baker Hark.
A similar concert in 1978 showed the need for a camp
ground. Thousands of people camped at Alton Baker Park
and the city was responsible for the $15,(MM) clean-up costs.
The idea for a regulated campground at Alton Baker Park
was proposed earlier in )une but no bids were submitted.
By working with the city to establish a campsite, the
University will relieve some of the maintenence and regula
tion problems. It also will keep the site open until Monday.
This will provide drivers with a close place to stay, instead
of trying to leave directly after the concert.
BUT AFTER ALL,
WHAT ABE A FEW
LIES TO CONGRESS,
CIRCUMVENTED LAWS,
AND A LITTLE
OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE
m
...WHEN ¥OUtJE
PROMOTING
DEMOCRACY
IN CENTRAL
AMERICA?
I
Letters
Grand slam
Ain't politics grand!
A self-righteous Senator Kd
Kennedy (7-2-87) confidently
feels he is "able to reach out
from the muck of" Chappaquid
dick to indignantly denounce
the morals of (’resident Keagan
in his choice of a new Supreme
Court justice
Is this the best national
spokesman on morals the
liberals can come up with?
|on Wollander
Kugene
Higher being
Inherent in the Supreme
Court decision that a 1981 I.oui
siana law mandating "creation
science" instruction violated
the legal principle of seperation
of church and state is its logical
corollary: "divine creation."
source from which the ox
ymoron. "creation science," is
derived, and the concept of
"Cod." are fiction.
If there was the slightest
evidence to the contrary 72
Nobel Laureates and the
Academies of Science of 16
states would not have opposed
the Louisiana law.
These philosophical issues
are important domestically and
internationally. They concern
the issues by which we are
exploited
Ignorance and fear of rela
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(ions with communist nations
in political, economic, social
and industrial spheres over the
past 40 years have been fostered
by religious and military/in
dustrial leaders in the United
States.
Religious leaders see their
control of U S. society threaten
ed by the prospect of well
researched and powerful atheist
arguments emanating from
communist nations. Communist
nations, too. exploit similar
fears vis-a-vis the West.
In "The Intellectual Adven
ture of Ancient Man" (Oriental
Institute. University of Chicago
Press, 1977) five eminent
scholars examine the develop
ment of religious and creation
myths in the ancient societies of
Egypt. Babylon and Isreal, and
describe the birth of philosophy
and science in Classical Greece.
The orthodox, as always,
despised the skeptical as
"fools" and attempted to
disparage their learning and in
fluence. so. we read: "The fool
has said in his heart, ‘There is
no Cod’ “(Psalm 14:1, 53:1).
This Old Testament passage
in English, as in Hebrew, in
dicates that by 1000 B.C.. learn
ed. courageous men and women
knew and clearly stated. "God
does not exist."
Bert P. Tryba
Eugene
We the people
As we listen to the
developments in the Iran
Contra scandal, let us all realize
that we must bear witness to a
investigation carried forth by
clandestine governmental ap
pointees, and a factionalized in
terest perverting the intent of a
democratic people.
Let us not forget that sanc
tions of these policies, and let
us not forget that declaration of
their legitimacy is contrary to
the principles of God, if he ex
ists. and it is contrary to the
essence of humanity. These acts
are not in accord with our
customs, our mores, our morali
ty, our traditions, and our law.
Our children will sea what is
sown from these seeds.
The real hidden sin. if there is
one. is in the needless slaughter
of Iranians, Iraquis, and
Nicaraguans: slaughter hasten
ed and instigated by American
people.
It is not our form of govern
ment. It is not our principles,
that these policies represent. It
is the self-rightous interest of
faction.
We. the people, form this
government. A government
finds legitimacy only in its peo
ple — in all its people — not in
faction.
Let us not forget the pro
clamation of another of our
historical documents, one
whose 200th birthday has
already past, let us not forget
that our Declaration of In
dependence has proclaimed
that all men are created equal,
that all men are endowed with
certain inalienable rights, that
among these rights are life,
liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
Let us not deny these rights to
other peoples. Let us live up to
our obligations in the Constitu
tion. in our treaties: let us
resolve disputes peacefully, and
with established, basic law.
Perhaps most importantly, let
us not be so blind as to celebrate
the Constitution, and denegrate
its democratic principle. Let us
be aware that openly debated
policy is superior to that of the
policy of a few. Let us know and
believe that our public policy is
indeed public.
Factionalized action of this
sort is contrary to the spirit of a
democratic people, it is insult to
we. the American people. It is
hardship on our children. It is
burden on our reputation. It is
history, slander to our very
soul.
Brad Paulson
Graduate, political science