EDITORIAL
Bush embarking on
South America tour
President George Bush is traveling in South Ameri
ca this week, on an “official" goodwill mission to Bra
zil, Uruguay. Argentina, Chile and Venezuela.
Unofficially, he's soeking support for his current
Middle East policy ~~ whatever it is at the moment.
Presidents like to travel to friendly countries every
five years, informing them of their importance to the
United States.
Bush's first stop is Brazil. It's the biggest country
in South America, both geographically and economic
ally. Brazil is one of the world s largest debtor nations,
owing hundreds of billions of dollars to the World
Bank.
Uruguay is noted for years of military rule, so for
that reason alone it deserves the United States' recog
nition.
The Argentina visit comes during uneasy times
there. An attempted coup this week by former military
rulers almost canceled Bush's visit. But the president
supports the current Argentine government. Who caws
if it hangs by a thread?
Stop number four is in Chile Though Chile finally
got Gen. Pinochet out of the presidency, it hasn’t for
gotten that the CIA put him in power to begin with,
overthrowing a democratically-elected president in
1973. Pinochet still controls the military in Chile, so
Bush's lip-syncing techniques will come in handy
there.
The tour winds up in Venezuela. It not only sup
plies the United States with a lot of oil. but is also a
staunch supporter of Bush's gulf policy. Bush is badly
in need of both oil and support.
Significantly absent on this trip ore stops along the
"drug" connection. There will be no visits to Colum
bia. Bolivia, or Peru — the three big cocaine suppliers
in South America. Bush has bigger problems than
drugs these days.
Just as singers go on tour to promote records, lead
ers go on tour to promote policies. As deadlines are
given to Saddam Hussein to get out of Kuwait, Bush
wants the support of the world.
He already has the support of the United Nations to
use force after Jan. 15. But personal appearances lend
credence to policies. And if American soldiers or civil
ians die in the gulf, it won’t matter much to South
America.
South America doesn’t have 400.000 soldiers
watching and waiting far from home.
SWSEI
WHAT IT
BOILS DOWN
TO IS THIS -
A BROKEN
MIRROR
that's going
TO CAUSE
SEVEN YEARS
OF HIGHER
TAXES-.
Suicide machine inventor not a murderer
Dr Jack Kevorkian, best known as the
man who invented the home suicide ma
( hine, has been charged with murder in Con
ner lion with the death of a Portland woman.
The woman was suffering from Alzheim
er's disease when she ami her husband de
cided to travel to Detroit to use Kevorkian's
mar bine She died in the back of
Kevorkian’s Volkswagen van the day after
she arrived in the city it was the only fa
cility Kevorkian had in whir h his machine
could be used.
Kevorkian connected the woman to an
intravenous blood line; then it was up to her
to hit a switch that would release poison
into her system and kill her within minutes.
The murder charge stems from the fact
that Kevorkian not only supplied the means
of suicide but assisted the woman by con
necting the machine to her
He was charged with murder because
authorities are afraid of a surge of euthanasia
in the country. Kevorkian is being charged
with murder to set an example for others
who might assist their loved ones in com
mitting suicide.
It is too had that the man's career and
life could be ruined while the country strug
gles to find its moral footing in the euthana
sia question. Kevorkian is no more guilty ol
murder than someone who hands a gun to a
friend who then commits suicide with the
weapon. The Michigan courts have already
decided a case similar to that of someone
handing a gun to a friend — the court ruled
in favor of the surviving friend.
Why would that case not be considered
murder when Kevorkian's is? Is it because
Kevorkian is a doctor? Is it because he in
vented a machine that has no purpose other
than to allow someone to end his or her own
life?
Whatever the reasons are, they are not
justifiable. Kevorkian should not be made a
scapegoat for the the nation's debate on the
issue.
LETTERS
Charged up
It is vitv disappointing that
the EMU food service h«»s
raised the price of the reusable
plastii mugs They have none
up troin a dollar a week ago to
$2 I suppose costs from last
week have gone up a dollar1
At least that is the answer we
will rer five Win does this de
partment want to put a Util per
cent mark up on environmental
i onseiousness? Supposedly
these reusable mugs were intro
duced to keep costs down as
well as to produce less litter If
they are saving money, what
happens to the incredible mark
up on these products? Are we
tieing charged in order to make
their budget balance at the end
of the fiscal year
Thomas K. Harris
Eugene
Waste of time
\ly intention in writing this
letter was to trv and in)e< t some
much needed common sense
into this tiresome diatribe
against the CIA we are forced to
read every day
However I now realize that
would not only lie fruitless hot
.1 waste of valuable time as
well For that Hirkenstock-clad
minority that was out harassing
the CIA recruiter (made up of
the usual aging hippies, tran
sients off 1 tth Street and other
assorted successes in life) are
beyond any hope
I w ill not go into the argu
ment that students do have a
right to interview in private
and without interruptions by
subversive crusaders < arrying
out their leftist theme of tin
week.
I will, however, not pass up
the opportunity to point out
something to all of you who
participated in that ridiculous
exercise. In the grand scheme
of things, boys and girls (in the
real world outside of Kugene).
none of you are of any conse
quence.
Steven Weidman
International Studies
Thinking G.I.S
I feel that the Emerald's edi
torial, "Guardsman's refusal a
noble concept." [Ol)E. Nov
.10) was ludicrous. Specifically,
the statement that the "reason
young men and women consti
tute the majority of enlisted
personnel is l»ei ause the\ .in
most likeh to ol»e\ without
thinking." is absurd
What is tin- source of your in
formation? You apparently do
not intend to lx- taken serious
ly I would suggest that most
enlisted personnel are young
Ix-i ause tile older soldiers have
moved up in the ranks Should
we make the 19-year-olds tin
senior sergeants or generals
and have (hem issue the orders
to the older, more experienced
men and women?
Our soldiers are taught to
think, and constitute the best
educated military force in tin
world. They are given law-of
war classes in basic training
and throughout their careers,
and are emphatically instructed
not to obey unlawful orders
On the other hand, our mili
tary are taught to lx- subordi
nate to civilian authority. The
legality of a shooting war in the
gulf is a matter for the three
brant lies of government to de
i ide Hut the soldier deploys!
I hope there is no war, as I
have many friends serving I'm
not sure whether a war would
lx- right or wrong. The dilem
ma requires open, thoughtful
debate, not ill-thought, ill in
formed, irresponsible reaction
Dave Taylor
(iraduate student
Former I'.S. Army Captain
Act now
Moralise an fillin' sentence
was left out of Jennifer Potter's
letter (ODE. Nov. id) we have
reprinted it in its entirety.
President Bush has given
several reasons explaining the
presence of what will soon la'
400.000 American troops in the
Middle Fast, such as protecting
America's economic interests,
not rewarding aggression, pro
tecting innocent lives and
achieving stability in the Mid
dle Fiast.
Unfortunately, Hush's ac
tions contradict most of his ide
als.
In addition to this, most
Americans do not want war
How many American and Arab
soldiers and civilians must die
before the American people,
the Congress. and the president
realize that a huge offensive
force in the Middle Hast is ab
surd?
The conflicts in the Middle
Bast have been a tragic and
troubling question for rulers
and revolutionaries over the
millenia. For Hush to believe
that he can achieve stability
there with a "short” war is in
credibly unrealistic.
If we're going to have a war.
it needs to have the firm sup
port of the American people, so
all you who think that a Middle
Hast war will make the world a
Iretter place, raise your hands!
All the rest of you, speak
against war now.
Jennifer Potter
Student
LETTERS POLICY
] The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print ill
letters containing comments on topics of interest to the
University community. Comments must be factually
accurate and refrain from personal attacks on the char
acter of others.