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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1990)
EDITORIAL SETA raised many pertinent questions Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals demonstrated In front of President Brand's office Mon day to protest the experimentation of monkeys at the The demonstrators staged a mock funeral proces sion for two rhesus monkeys who will be killed after undergoing experiments in order to study changes in their tissue. SETA hoped to raise awareness of the plight of all animal experimentation on the campus. The use of animals for experimentation is a contro versial subject. Some research has been very valuable. There is no denying that past years of research have amounted to tremendous breakthroughs in the cure and prevention of certain illnesses and diseases. But SETA's cause invokes important points: • Replicating past experiments is a waste of time and money, not to mention the animals. • Testing and killing of animals for such mundane purposes as producing cosmetics is absurd. • All living creatureshave a right to share the planet. SETA says much of the tests being performed at the University nowadays are duplications of past ex periments through the use of computerization tech niuues. They are concerned with the experiments of at least three professors on campus, whose grants total al most $1.3 million. Who should be the final iudge on which experiments are worthy and which are not? And what federal bureaucracy is in charge of regulating and distributing research money? And fust what is the money used for? Jumping around like monkeys in Johnson Hall, as demonstrators did Monday, did not free any animals, but it may have proved some points to onlookers. Civil disobedience is an important right in this country, but sometimes symbolic demonstrations can seem ridiculous and turn people off. Perhaps SETA can convince the animal-research professors to partici pate In a no-holds barred discussion about testing on SETA members may have acted on feelings and emotions at Monday's demonstration, but thw also raised a lot of pertinent questions about the way living, non-humans are treated on this campus. But to per suade other to believe in their cause. SETA needs to continue expressing its feelings of contempt to die University. s SEEMS APPROPRIATE ENOUGH™ GIVEN WMAT THEV DO TO US-. Government-run brothel interesting idea Because of the bankruptcy of the Mus tang Ranch brothel in Nevada after the own er failed to pay taxes, the Internal Revenue Service has decided to step in and run the business until it can be sold. Let's take a look at some of the possible — but unlikely — developments of a state run brothel. First of all. in the wake of the latest trend toward summits and treaty negoti ations the Mustang Ranch could be the per fect place for a much needed western branch of Camp David. It might be just the place to open up the dialogue and avert the tensions between the United States and Iraq. Invite Saddam Hussein to Nevada. The desert climate may help him to feel at home. And if the U.S. military carries out its reported plans to bomb targets such as Hus sein's mistress' home, he might be in need of the brothel's service, the world’s oldest way to relieve tension. If the government can manage to turn a profit with the brothel it might consider opening up more of them. It would be a great way to raise some extra money to help pay for the Desert Shield operation in the Persian Gulf. A chain of government-owned brothels could be called “George’s Thou sand Points of Red Lights.” Of course, it could backfire. With the government running the business it might quickly be operating on a deficit and need to be publicly subsidized. The idea of government-owned brothels does present some problems. For instance, if they are government owned operations they would need to abide by affirmative action policies. As an equal opportunity employer there could be no discrimination based on age, gender or race. Government employees are also notori ous for simply going through the motions and not being completely devoted to their jobs. This would be a job that required a cer tain enthusiasm for the work (or at least the strong ability to fake it). Perhaps the biggest problem caused by a government-run brothel would be that with all the political junkets to Nevada there would be no one in Washington D.C. to pass any legislation. LETTERS Reject Souter The United Slates Senate will Ih1 making a monumental deci sion this week when they vote on the Supreme Court confir mation for David Souter. Throughout the confirmation process the issue of abortion has taken center stage Yet, through superb stealth. Souter has managed to keep his views regarding Roe vs. Wade secret to the Senate and the American people. Howevor. during his seven years on the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Souter wrote many opinions unfavorable to the mainstream views of socie ty. A prime example of his in sensitivity, especially to wom en. resides in a recent 1988 opinion. State vs. Colbath. in which he reversed a rape con viction on the ground that the jury should have been allowed to consider the rape victim's “sexually provocative" behav ior. Further. Souter showed a cal lous disregard for the fifth amendment protection against self-incrimination in a 1987 de cision. State vs. Coppola, when he found a defendant's state ment to police that he would not confess admissible as evi dence of the defendant's guilt. Souter reasoned, "by describ ing his choice as a refusal to confess, he implied he had done something to confess about." Surely these two uses do not tell the full array of Souter’s views. But what they do tell us is disturbing, judge Souter is no moderate as he has been la beled in Washington At best, he holds eccentric and insensi tive views toward women and criminal defendants. The question becomes; What does he have in store for "oth er" Americans? It's too impor tant to guess It's time to reject David Souter. Michael Colaon Political Science Insured I'm an average grad student. For the second year in a row I find myself writing a letter about the cost of health insur ance. And for the second year my wife and I are doing with out any insurance at all because of the cost. The cost is now $525 for one student and $1,629 (!!) for a student and a dependent. These figures surely would be lower if everyone were en rolled. The Student Health In surance Committee supported mandatory health insurance for all students In the April ASIJQ elections the student body re jected mandatory health insur ance. favoring individual choice. Maybe the notion of "freedom" appeals to kids who were in high school a year or two ago. Maybe they are still covered by mommy or daddy. Since mandatory health insur ance is blocked by the tyranny of the majority. I suggest de coupling undergrads and grads on the issue. Graduate stu dents. especially ones with families, have very different needs from undergrads. Health insurance should not be an is sue at all for graduate students — it should be a right, provid ed automatically to all of us. David Fashena Graduate student Postcards If students at your school are willing to take one minute in a good cause, they can make the world a safer place. Will you ask them to help? The farts are simple. Almost a million United States chil dren ingest a toxic substance every year. Tens of thousands end up in the hospital, dozens die. Many household, garden and auto products are toxic, in 1987, 3.104 kids drank toxic household cleaners; 173 cases were life threatening; 14 kids died. Current protective measures aren't enough. Mr. Yuk stickers don't frighten kids raised on ghostbusting ninja turtles, f -hild resistant caps are only re quired to keep 80 percent of the test age children out of a con tainer for two minutes. Give a child enough time and they of fer only minimal protection. The Poison Proof Project sup ports these preventative meas ures. But we acknowledge that they can't do the job alone. We need to child proof the poisons as well as the containers. Safe bittering agents (such as denatonium benzoate) can make toxic products taste too bitter to swallow. For one-half a cent per quart, our children can get the same protection giv en kids in Britain, Germany" japan. Australia, etc. The PPP’s "bitter fight" has been endorsed by the American Medical Association. National Safety Council. American Asso ciation of Poison Control Cen ters. Consumer’s Union (pub lishers of Consumer Reports). etc. We have appeared in the the New York Times. Parents Magazine, ladies Home Journal , Woman's day. Today Show. the Home Show, CNN, FNN. etc. But we need to show support for bittering agents in Oregon if our fight is to continue. We aren't asking for money. What we want is for students to send us postcards that state. "I en dorse the use of bittering agents in toxic household, garden and automotive products." Include your name and address. If you wish to help us collect signa ture. we will send you addi tional postcards and a facts sheet. We need student help. Your written support will go along way in the fight to make the world a safer place. Please feel free to call me at home (928-2193) if you would like additional information. Thank you. Lynn Tylczak Director PPP