Daily Emerald Editorial President straddling environmental fence President Hush announced Tuesday a ban on off shore oil drilling around most of the continental Unit ed States for the rest of the 20th century. Me says more studies are needed to weigh the environmental impact and scientific concerns of oil exploration. Hush made his decision based on tin? recommenda tions of a task force he appointed just days after taking office. The report, released in January, has never been made public. The ban does not affect current offshore oil drill ings. nor is it a permanent decision which cannot he rescinded or altered in the future The administration does not desire an outright ban. and tried at first to en tice local coastal governments into allowing some off shore drilling in exchange for shared revenues from the drillings. Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan Jr., who beaded the task force, even hinted that some new off shore oil drilling would he permitted Hut pressure from environmental groups compelled the president to propose eaR. CKure PCTROL&JM KdS 9m pwovtw mw ipo’x eFpecrive as a „ sun block. Q r. 5 Court ruling leaves too many questions This week the I' S Supreme' Court ad dressed .in issue wide h it had never before considered Its decision on the "light tn dic i|uestion ma\ prove to he as controver sia I and as far-reac fling- as its opinions on other divisive issues sin h as abortion The case presented involves a i2-veai old Missouri woman. Nam \ Cruzan. who has been connected to a feeding machine since human . lflH.i Her parents labored through the Missouri Supreme Court and fi nalh the I S Supreme Court in an effort to remove tfieir daughter from the feeding equipment Ihe Cruzans insist that their daughter would not want to live her life as a "human \ egotahle In a i •} decision, a pattern which has become standard for the Kehncjuist Court, the majorit\ of the' |iislices said that the pa tient's famih does not automatic a 11 \ have the right to refuse medicarl treatment it the patient cannot speak for herself According to the ruling the famih must provide cleat and convinc ing evidence that Nani v would vv ant to die Although the decision sets some prece dent. most of the decision-making povvei is left in the hands of state legislatures f uture confrontations are sure to come on this is sue This ruling is unjust. The decision of whether or not to remove lite support equip ment from .1 loved one who lies been re duced to <1 vegetative state should rest with lhi“ family . not with state or federal i ourts While human life must he considered sn i red it is only sacred to those who can live it and enjo\ its beauty. Nancy Cruzan can neither enjoy noi partake in life's pleasures The quality of life for the families of co matose patients is also severely reduced It is the families of these patients that raised, nurtured, nourished, loved, and cared for them They are also the ones who care for them when they are ill and pay for their medical expenses Attei years of complete hospital cure without am i hange in the pa tient s i ondition. it is not unreasonable tor a family to end a life that is not even being lived. Mam people do not plan for the future and don't even know that "living wills" ex ist I low do family members provide clear and com ini mg evidence that their relative would yvant to die it they yvere reiiui ed to a yegetutive slate? The Supreme Court has left mam of these questions unanswered. Perhaps they yyill he better answered by our state courts and legislatures l or the Cruzans however, it is an agonizing and try ing situation yvhii h has been indefinitely lengthened by the court's dec ision Forum Emerald should cover more University-related activities By James Drew In (hr (hrgo/i D.nh I'nirruhi, on |unr 1 I leburah Martin had a letter ol i umment puli li.sht'd. imr emu rrnrd with the i oiitenl ol thr /Onrra/i/ itself I personalis am in lull agreement with thr opening two para graphs ol hrr Irttri and with thr final two What i nilirs in hrlwrrn. though nrrds sunir W ( 11 k Commentary Martin begins In pointing out what she srrs as .111 itl|us In r thr claim that w hilc tin I nwnilti ought to hr serving thr rntirr I'nivrrsitv communits thr largest portion ol ils ion 1 nil is toward gas issues Indeed it mas ssrll hr true that the I'mtTtihl is gismg more than ils lair share ol press to go nips likt- C \! ..\ and Si ! \ tliov net .1 lot ut coverage ton] However. one must consider the polilii s ot i routing .1 now s |).ipiT On*1 goal ot tin* Idnrrilld is (o inform tin* pulilii (stuili’iit and 1 uminunit\). while .motliei must bo to train prospei tivo journalists While it might lie 111! O to SCO 111 lloptll .Util 1 OS Oil tile inner workings ot the INK onl\ a limitoii inimbei ot such artii los 1 an lie printm oil .mil run Simple put. those articles ilo not soil papers (ves. I know till* I'.numdd is troo tIn* stale mont still holds|. What people want to SIM* is coverage ot the issues, lie thev 1 ollegiate Intel, national 01 international Sim e then* are other papers more oriented to ward producing news stories on the larger si ale items, sui li coverage must of net essitv be limited to what pertains to the collegiate atmosphere lor this reason, college activities must be the primarv tm us ot the I'm cr.ild And tin1 at tivities th.it sell tlic most papers .ire thosf th.it arc tin- most pronu mmt. thi' most vocal Hallroom name ( iuh sta\ s quietly in tin' background The Interior Deco rators Assut iation doesn't ( ome mm ti to tin' forefront ot tlie issues It equal time were given to all the student groups. Mill would see a prelt\ boring paper' No. the politii s ol news paper publishing forces the inu'twhi to do prettv mm h as it di ies ( in the other issue mentioned in that set tion ol Martin's let tei I am i urious as to u hich in dividual issue of the i'mrr.ihi i o\ nrilig l lay I'l ide U eek \ i m useil to garner \ our Ml pen enl figure Sixty percent! Do van realize what that means' hook at today's paper 12 pages l.et us assume that this v\ere a nor mal school year edition There aie about six pages ot ads I lia! leaves six pages fui "news" coverage Two pa^t-s would go to sports and the gav issues i '.overage there is negligihle Three pages (tit) percent) goes to gav issues That leaves one page one page for evert f/iing else American Studies. Dam e editorial i artoon. Id ,ils. non-gay entertainment, non gav pit lures "real new s." eti M.ivhe \ou had better rethink \ inn tilt peri ent figure Ini idelltalh . smi e vour tig me relers to all ga\ issues, not lust (.A1 \ (.Al.A s member ship figures have little to do v\ ith it I low evei the hinsev statistii s sav that gavs and les hians are about 111 peri ent ot the population that's about 1.700 students, give or take Would vou at least agree th.it guv issues deserve two-thirds ol a page in this issue then:’ Thev did not get it Martin then suggests that by raising the quality of the /drier ,//