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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1988)
_Editorial_ Truth yet to surface in Challenger stories NASA officials continue to shoot themselves in the foot. According to the Miami Herald’s Sunday magazine. “Tropic,” anonymous sources inside NASA now claim the Challenger crew actually survived the explosion of the space shuttle, and probably lived through a two-and-a-half minute plummet toward the sea. Apparently NASA has known for some time that the im pact of the shuttle cabin as it slammed against the surface of the ocean was the actual factor that claimed the lives of the astronauts. But we can never know for sure. In the moment of over whelming grief felt by the nation immediately following the tragedy, NASA moved in for an autopsy coverup that threat ens to cloud the truth forever. While we commend NASA’s decision to focus on the healing process rather than dwelling on the traumatic events inside the shuttle’s cabin, the decision to delude the public with misinformation truly undermines whatever scrap of confidence in the organization that the public could bring itself to maintain. But now, NASA’s actions since the tragedy make more sense. Evidence that the crew survived the explosion ex plains NASA’s continued emphasis on the development of an escape system. NASA told the public, on the one hand, that the crew could not have possibly survived the explosion, and on the other, that NASA was developing means for future crews to escape in the event of a similar incident. But, why is it that organizations and agencies that be come involved in events of international importance and widespread attention, particularly where death occurs, fash ionably tend to favor a coverup? Had NASA proceeded in the proper legal manner, an autopsy would have been performed and the results would have been made public. Of course, we find ourselves thinking of the assassina tion of President Kennedy, another incident in which autop sy reports escaped the public eye. What rule of decency or national security would be vio lated by initial openness in the time of a national crisis? After all, when the tendency falls toward a coverup, but the need to hide the truth eludes the public, we always as sume that the real truth has yet to emerge. Whether or not that is a fair assessment, we cannot say. Unfortunately, all we can do is wonder. And that is NASA’s fault. America's space travels lost to tales of glory days After all the smoke clears around NASA for its recent technical and public relations blunders, hopefully, the Unit ed States can get the space program back into action. We hear everyone express disgust with the state of things behind the closed doors of NASA. Most people right fully want to direct money inward, toward problems domes tic and international instead of interplanetary. Our presi dent wants to pump defense dollars into outer space with his Star Wars plan. Gone are the wholesome excursions into space that cap tured the imagination of the land and that reaffirmed the pi oneer spirit about which Americans grew up hearing and with which they proudly identified. When America lost its dreams of space travel, NASA lost its applauding audience. Now, they can hardly sell a ticket to the show. Nowadays, we as a nation are pulled together only by tragedy and governmental scandal. More often than not, we are pulled apart, not unified, by the government’s actions. When the great interest in space travel began back in the late 50s and early 60s, America found itself in the heat of a race to the moon with the Soviets. When that race ended, NASA found a difficult time coming up with devices or gimmicks interesting enough to capture the attention of its audience. Now, however, the Soviets and the Americans are plan ning trips in space, and they are inviting each other along. In Washington, D.C. this past week, American and Soviet scientists met to discuss plans to include Soviets on Ameri can space shuttles and Americans on Soviet missions to Mars. Talk has even circulated of a joint space station. We are swapping information, equipment, scientists, astronauts and cosmonauts. Well, here finally is something to encourage. Hut you probably heard nothing about it. Media coverage of the event was negligible at best. Where is all the hoopla, the hope, the tuba music when we need it the most? Remember. i Letters Forgiveness S. Stephenson writes (ODE, November 8) that she has had no regrets about having aborted her child, and rejects the idea that doing so was "murdering a baby.” 1 find her reasoning un derstandable. Can you begin to understand the enormous trau ma, guilt and despair that would be hers if she were to face honestly into the reality of having participated in the death of her own child? It is so much easier simply to deny the common knowledge about when human life begins and to write off any disagreement as being "twisted” and “misguid ed.” Flow else can one live with such a thing? I am sad for the death of Ms. Stephenson's child, as well as for her. The self-deception she exhibits and the dilemma it springs from are tragic and common to us all. Ignoring moral reality must lead us ei ther to moral blindness or tc despair. By the merciful gift of oui Creator, there is a solution Through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, God has provided us with a just means of forgiveness and healing This gift, however, is available only as we are willing to fact into the reality of our mora bankruptcy and to acknowl edge his right to rule us. I urge Ms. Stephenson and others tt accept Christ's sacrifice on oui behalf for themselves and to re spond to his offer to begin changing them into truly good people. Millions, including myself, have found the offer to be valid. William Moore Staff, Music Bitter You walk along campus in an election year and are molested by rude pushers of various pamphlets and forms to fill out. On every street corner, in every possible location there are groups of people stressing the importance of the vote. Are you registered? You'd better get registered Are you registered? You wonder about the officiality of the registration forms on the street corner; in the supermarket. And yet you trust those individuals who scream at you to carry out their duty once they've snagged you into their demands. Election day arises and you've prepared very explicitly for your first vote. You feel very much like the responsible citizen you ought to be. You go to a polling place to find out where you vote, and they know not who you are. You call the voter’s office; you’re “not on their records." Sorry, buddy. You lose. You lose because you trusted someone who seemed the most trustworthy American around. Funny this would happen in such a vote conscious country. Even more funny though when you tell your wearisome tale to a friend at the end of a bleak election day and he says the ex act thing happened to him. Thanks, America. Are we hit ter? You BET we're bitter. Leigh Church Pete Moshinsky Eugene Noteworthy On Oct. 22 a crime was com mitted against a young woman on our campus. As she and her male escort were walking across the unlit area of Hay ward Field, her escort was physically and verbally assault ed and the young woman was raped. She will he one of an es timated 225 sexual assault sur vivors on our campus this year. How is it then that this crime went for four press days with out being reported by the Ore gon Daily Emerald? Further more when it was reported, it received little more attention than car windows being smashed. It would seem that a rape against a University stu dent would be more notewor thy than a page four Police Beat. I feel your response to this unfortunate incident was total ly unacceptable. I would hope that in the future your report would be more punctual and professional. Bob Holt Eugene P.O. Box 3159, fCugenv, Oregon 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily 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 General Staff Advertising Director Production Manager Advertising Coordinator Classified Sales Assistant to the Publisher Susan Thelen Michele Ross Sandra Daller Colynri Me Math Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Teri Boring, Greg Borke, Matt Collins, Tom Leech, Kelly Maloney, Scott McAvoy, Tracy Mc Cullough, Amy Mittlestaedt Melissa Nelson. Vicki Reed, Catherine Richardson, Elise Sharon, Kathy Smith, Scott Thorkildson. Accounts Receivable, Circulation, Newsroom. Classified Advertising. Display Advertising. 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