Editorial
War over old trees
rages about special
|usl ulx'ii you think you've got a handle on the
whole enviromnentalist-limlrer intluslry loud, it i rops
up again in till- most unexpected plat i*
Last Sunday. Turner Broadcasting System aired a
spei i.il entitled Anciont Torosts R.inr Over Trot's The
show, produced hy the National Audubon Society, fo
i used on the current turmoil over old growth forests
Timber industry oifu ials got wind ot the program,
and convinced sponsors to drop their advertisements
from the show All nine advertisers dropped out. in
• hiding Dean Witter and Ford Motor Co. TBS inported
ly took a $1250.000 bath on the program
The Audubon show had special implications for
Oregon The documentary was filmed in Oregon and
focused on the Opal (.‘reek forest, a drainage uliuli
i onlams huge amounts ol old growth
Fiiviroiimenlalisls and Audubon representatives
sa\ the slum was a balanced, well made documentary
about old growth lores!s and the ongoing spotted owl
i lists Timber oltn nils claim it was a biased tilm ili
rei led against the iudustrv
I'lie tun sides are even arguing over who benefited
more from the sponsot pullout Finironmeiilalists sav
the industry's lieavv handedness was a blessing in dis
guise giving theii cause more puiilii itv than it would
have rei eived otherwise Iudustrv olfu ials disagree
\\ e don ’t
In the davs building up to the program, newspa
pets and television shows covered the i onlroversv over
the show This prohatilv polled in more viewers than
would have wal< lied the show had their not been such
a fuss
There seems to lie no end to the furor over the old
growth lorusls Sometime this week, a joint House-Sen
ate committee mav lake action on an amendment that
would lilt current bans on old growth logging, while
keeping large amounts of old growth lores! land inlar t
Kiivironmeiitalists oppose the bill, and are lobby
nig Congress to block it The Audubon show, il noth
ing else. nisi hi mgs the whole ( onlroversv to the politi
i a I forefront once again
I'lie iudustrv did ai liieve one small victor) in thi*
tiasi o Because TBS lost a large amount ol monev on
the show, other networks aren't going to be in a real
burn to aii documentaries on the subjet t This will
eliminate an important forum for the environmental
ist's v iews
But foi the most part, the show will prove to be an
embarrassment to tilt1 timber officials In their haste to
get rid of the rope around their legs, they shot them
selves in the foot instead
i * NOTTCl • 1
l aWHGWWED \
|lX>AESTK FUCfflS'
"You'd like a ticket from New York to Los Angeles....around the world
so you can smoke?!”
Smoking ban amendment not worth fuss
In tli*' past few years, we have seen a
trend toward eliminating i igarette smoking
from American society. Last Thursday, the
1 S Senate took another step in the process,
voting to ban smoking on all domestic
flights
The House has already passed a similar
bill, and both versions are mm headed for a
bi< amoral i onlerem e i ommittee I'he I louse
hill makes the current smoking ban perma
nent but does not extend it to .ill domestii
flights
The i urrent ban. passed in l‘)H7. pre
vents smoking on all domestic flights ol less
than two hours Some individual airlines
have taken it upon themselves to ban smok
ing on their flights altogether.
I'he Senate floor fight over the smoking
hill captured the attention of the national
media l or days, the American puhlk was
deluged with the sight of various Senators
posturing on the dangers or merits of the
ban.
(,ut through the rhetoric, and an inter
esting point comes up. Most of the Senators
opposed to the ban were not surprisingly
from the tobacco growing states. Not in
terested in health dangers, they were only
trying to protect their state's cash crop.
We support the smoking ban. We have
nothing against smokers, in fact we came
out against the Oregon ballot measure Iasi
year which would have banned smoking in
most public places. However, we do recog
nize the health dangers of smoking, and the
rights of non-smokers. Nobody should he
subjected to hours of cigarette smoke in a
c rowded airplane unless they want to.
Besides, the now bill is really only an
unneeded extension. The current ban keeps
people from smoking on domestic flights ot
less than two hours, hut when was the; last
time you were on a non-stop domestic: flight
longer than two hours? In reality, the* new
ban does nothing radical, and will not
c hange things as much as some Senators
would lead you to believe.
To spend days debating on what
amounts to a clean-up-the-language bill is
not only worthless, it's stupid.
You would think the Senate has nothing
better to do with its time.
-Letters.
Scared
1 hr front page of tin- Sept _(>
(•itilion of lilt' ()rt‘Honian pic
tim'd President George llusli
proposing .in HO pen ent redut
lion of chemical weapons for
both tile 1 nited States and the
Soviet I'nion Only davs earli
er. Hush's comment on the
spilling of Ainerii an blood bv a
user of a semi automatic weap
on was "it's hound to hap
pen
George Hush's contradictory
statements and poor decisions
have disappointed Democrats
and Republicans ever sinc e he
took offic e Ills response to gun
control is one of the most sad
dening
Kic hard Wiener, vour letter
entitled "Overkill" [ODE Sept
J * > 1 vc as embarrassing and
scaiv Surelv nobody wants to
be armed, or to have others
armed, with bazookas and
shoulder-mounted tactic al
nukes The National Rifle Asso
nation s escape "guns don't
kill people, people kill people"
is very lame
I am a conservative too but I
am discouraged at the tac t that
our partv doesn't seem to move
,md i hiing)' with the limes As
s.llllt rifles are l>e< timing easier
lo get like drugs Ynur letter
protested the hail of dangerous
weapons You might as well
advocate the legalization ot to
tame N’ohods can justify ail\
sort ol domestic assault rifle
use Obviously an effort must
be made to prevent all people
from possessing these guns
Assault rifles, Ceorge Hush
and the NKA three irrational
and dangerous ideas that i an
not be tolerated
Mark Salvo
Political Science
Stand up
A message to freshmen
(let up stand up stand
up for your rights There are an
itu onceivable number of pen
pie and organizations at the
I'niversitv that want something
front you. Can you spare a min
ute a quarter, an hour? W ould
you like to ( ome to our meet
ing?
Mam of the organizations,
such as Campus Crusade for
Christ, target freshmen because
most of you have left all your
friends and family at home,
making you an easy mark join
a spet ial interest < Info and zap.'
Instant group of friends I don't
mean to knot k Campus (an
sade; if you're interested, talk
to them, hut don't join anytxidy
Ihx a use they offer friendship If
that's the reason, there are
probably 111 other groups offer
ing the same, only more suited
to you. i e , (Cycling Club,
fencing. Chess. OSf’IRC. etc.
As for fraternities or sorori
ties. keep your dignity just re
member whenever you dress up
m some stupid costume or go
out at .< a m on finals week to
sweep the lawn and mow the
driveway, you are getting
laughed .it by childish fools
lust like the poor retuidod kid
at junior high got laughed at h\
childish fools who hid his
books Show some guts and
taste It you think no. sav no
Jeffrey A. Hawkins
Student
Health sting
Most graduate teaching fel
lows at this university are by
now familiar w ith the problems
< aused by the lack <>l adequate
and affordable health care at
the University Many have ap
plied for .in alternative health
care plan, some have struggled
to find money to pay for the
ASt'O health care plan, and
some will unfortunately go
without health insurance this
year
hut what many don't know is
that international t,Tls cannot
teat h here unless they have
health insurance; they are not
even allowed to register with
out proof that they have, or will
have, such insurance. They,
then, have no choice They
have to come up with the mon
ev They, then, are the most
hurt by the University's refusal
to sponsor a deferred payment
plan for insurance.
But all of us have been hard
pressed this last week to find .1
health plan. It isn't easy when
we have to live on $4t>‘> a
month. But our health and
the work and teaching we do
is too important to be thus tri
fled with. It is important that
all (ITFs realize the rights we
deserve and to raise our voic es
in demanding and defending
these rights.
Candy l.aUom
Knglish C1TF
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