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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1988)
_Editorial_ Measure 8 promotes discrimination on job It's not fair. It’s not right. It’s a witch hunt. Thus, the pamphlet being circulated concerning a “no” vote on state Ballot Measure 8 begins. We concur — we urge you to vote no on 8. Ballot Measure 8 is a far-reaching initiative that, if passed, would revoke Gov. Neil Goldschmidt’s 1987 execu tive order harming discrimination in state government on the basis of sexual orientation. Moreover, with the overturning of Goldschmidt’s execu tive order, Measure 8 would enact a new state law permit ting discrimination in the workplace on that basis. Finally, Measure 8 would make Oregon the first state in the country where discrimination against gay men and les bians in the workplace is written into law. All people, and in this case, all Oregonians, deserve fair treatment in the workplace. Workers should be judged by their performance and the job they do — not by their sexual orientation. Measure 8 would protect everyone from discrimination except those identified as having a “deviant” sexual orien tation. This is completely unfair. To protect everyone but a par ticular group from discrimination is still discrimination, which, in other words, encourages discrimination. Not surprisingly, Goldschmidt has joined the bandwag on against Measure 8 and against revoking his executive or der: “Just as the state advocates no religion over another, this executive order does not advocate or endorse any par ticular sexual orientation.” He makes a very good point. No particular sexual orien tation is endorsed by his order, so how can proponents of the measure claim (as they so loudly have) that gay men and lesbians will become a “protected minority.” Clearly, their logic seems twisted. When Nov. 8 rolls around, take to the polls and cast a vote in favor of job performance — and a vote against dis crimination — and vote no on state Ballot Measure 8. Rivers initiative adds miles to Oregon's scenic beauty Oregon, a state blessed with a diversity of river sys tems, now has the opportunity to add 497 miles of these riv ers to the Oregon Scenic Waterways System. With a “yes” vote on state Ballot Measure 7, the Oregon Rivers Initiative, portions of the Clackamas, Deschutes, Elk, John Day, Klamath, McKenzie, Metolius, Nestucca, Rogue, Umpqua and Wallowa-Grande Ronde would be protected from most dams and other developments. Voting “yes” will help curb the varied threats to Ore gon’s rivers and streams: logging, grazing, dredging and filling, mining, water withdrawals and diversions and resi dential and road developments. A “yes” vote also would preserve the scenery, recrea tion, fish and wildlife habitat and scientific values of the rivers. Oregon law states that the highest and best uses of water within scenic waterways is for recreation, fish and wildlife. The law flatly prohibits any “dam, or reservoir, or other wa ter impoundment facility ... or placer mining” on waters within the scenic waterways. The law also protects private property rights by discour aging such unsightly structures and inappropriate develop ment that not only threatens the rivers’ resource values, but which could be considered a nuisance to neighboring land owners. The law does not: •restrict the use of existing water rights along scenic water ways. •allow public use of private property without consent of the landowner. •require the removal of existing development or private property use. Following state law, it only makes sense to pass Meas ure 7. While opponents of the issue may believe the pending federal Wild and Scenic Rivers bill will take care of river protection to the point that a state law isn’t necessary, this is not true. Federal legislation includes some, not all, of the streams proposed by the Oregon Rivers Initiative for inclu sion in the state Scenic Waterways System. The state and federal legislation is complementary — with the state system better regulating private land use and prohibiting placer mining and the federal system giving bet ter protection from dams. Vote yes on state Ballot Measure 7, and add 497 miles to those bodies of water already designated as scenic water ways for their outstanding natural and scenic beauty and re creational opportunities. Q, WHICH LITTLE BLOND KID DO'TOD FEEL IS MOST ; QUALIFIED IF SOMETHING HAPPENS ID PRESIDENT BUSH ? iie(cew«»wtn0»c»* -Letters No-win situation This is in response to Robert Kenneth and Laura Dutton's in sightful remarks (ODE, Oct. 18). First of all, the political poll statement was incorrect. Know ing that physical appearance is of little importance in selecting the leader of our country, I spe cifically instructed the inter viewer not to include my com ment on Dukakis being a wimp. It was completely out of con text and should never have been printed. 1 appreciate Mr. Kenneth and Ms. Dutton for pointing out how important it is not to judge someone by their appearance. However, I was astonished to see them judge my intellectual abilities by a "spur of the mo ment” paraphrase. How can they rationalize this when they have just demon strated they know as well as I do that “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Furthermore, I strongly op pose the use of political slan der. During the '80s we have been confronted with enormous amounts of slander. Bush, Du kakis, Meese, North, Reagan and many others have filled our media with slanderous re marks. The '80s have been overrun with immoral and unethical judgments. Neither Bush nor Dukakis have impressed me with their political wisdom. It’s unfortunate we’ve been left with these guys to choose from, but with all the back stabbing that’s happened this past dec ade, I'm not surprised. After all, who in their right mind wants to get involved in a no win situation? Mike Lee Business Outrageous leap In Thomas Allard’s Forum article on the ACLU last week, he raised some disturbing is sues and made some very broad generalizations out of specific questions. Reasonable people can dis agree about whether prayer ought to be allowed in public schools, for example, but it is an outrageous leap from asking that question to asserting that the ACLU wants a society where "religion is outlawed,” as he suggests. It is an equally outrageous leap to move from asking if it’s really wise to disallow road blocks to catch drunk drivers as a way of dealing with what is admittedly a very serious social problem, to asserting that the ACLU wants "drunk drivers set free." If the ACLU is really pursu ing a liberal political agenda, as its critics charge, why did it defend the Nazis’ right to march in Skokie, III.? Why did it file friend of the court briefs on behalf of Oliver North and Lyn Nofziger, whose cases are anathema to liberals? Those on the right and left are equally guilty sometimes in that they would allow free speech for those ideas with which they agree and deny it for those ideas with which they disagree. But the ACLU be lieves that our Constitutional rights, especially the right to free speech, exist for every body. Everybody, Think about it. John Muir Law Sick attitudes Risa Haberman (ODE, Oct. 10) is only one of millions of spiritually minded persons on this planet who are sick and tired of “Christian Fascists with their “holier than thou' sick attitudes. Do you think Christians have some monopoly on the reli gious experience? Christianity is one of the newest religions on this planet — a mere baby among religions. Christ’s mes sage has been so perverted, twisted and distorted by the vast number of his so-called followers that it is easier to conceive of their picture of Je sus as Hitler rather than as of Christ. Christ preached love and acceptance, not bigotry, racism, prejudice, hate and fear. What is it with you, Greg (ODE, Oct, 17)? You're the psych major! Get out of your subconscious and become con scious. Harvey P. Warren Alumnus, Philosophy Emerald P.O. Box 3159, Kugene, Oregon 97403 Tne Oregon Dally 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. 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. 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