EDITORIAL
Covert tactics hurt
unified peace effort
Thursday, a group of University students calling
themselves “Students Concerned About the Reinstate
ment of the Evil Draft" printed and distributed 5.000
flyers about the United States’ draft policy.
The flyers included information about the Seine*
tive Service System and the draft lottery and gave
phone numbers to call for more information. The
phone numbers turned out to be for University Presi
dent Myles Brand and the Emerald. An unsigned letter
dropped off at the Emerald later in the day contained
story ideas and information SCARED believed would
be important to students.
The same day in Binghamton, N.Y., a group of stu
dents called “kodking Left" printed a fake edition of
the school newspaper carrying a headline proclaiming
“U S. invades Iraq."
In both cases the groups claimed they wanted to
increase public awareness of the possibility of war and
the draft. While the aim of these students is noble,
their means of attainment are not the most productive.
The reason the threat of a war in the Persian Gulf
exists in the first place is because instead of communi
cating with each other, leaders of the United States and
Iraq are intent on making grandstanding gestures
Now, on the home war/anti-war Front, a few of the
more radical anti-war groups want to educate people
about the threat of war They do not do this by discuss
ing their views with policymakers, administrators, edi
tors and others who would most likely l»e interested in
their ideas. Instead they prefer to alienate a large part
of the population by launching grandstanding cam
paigns that emphasize shock value.
Now is not the time for polarization and picking
sides. The American mainstream seems to have strong
reservations about starling a war in the Middle East.
Why break down that opposition hv turning the effort
into a radicals-against-the-rest struggle? Work with
people. Alienation through shocks or trickery will not
foster unity in an effective anti-war movement.
It was the loss of mainstream support after the Tet
Offensive that lead to the end of the Vietnam War The
average citizen was not inspired to oppose the Vietnam
War hv bombings of ROTC offices. Average citizens
changed their minds when Tet proved the Vietnam
War was not being won as the government claimed.
And when mainstream support disappeared, political
initiative did as well.
Don't alienate tin* mainstream from the anti-war
movement. It only weakens the cause.
SOMEDAf SOM.. ALL OF THIS
WILL BL YOURS/
fpRISON)
0BBSL
V0/ytr .iVV' um *
The college entrance exam of the 1990s
It's Christmas time again. Ami each year
it gets harder ami harder to find reasons to
he joyful and triumphant.
II we are truly living in a post-('old War
world, why are 400.000 American troops go
ing to spend Christmas in the Middle Hast?
If AT&T and Sprint have all these amaz
ing communication systems, win do coun
tries still talk to each other through the bar
rel of it gun?
If President Hush is going to deliver us a
kinder and gentler nation, why are the big
gest selling toys for boys still (i.i. Joes, along
with those obnoxious pistol-toting turtles?
If we rant and rave about how crooked
and evil our elected representatives are. why
do we keep returning them to Congress?
It the liberal arts are steadily phased out
of academe programs, will they be replaced
by the conservative arts?
II the government can bail out Chrysler
and the savings and loan Industry, why
can t it hail out the homeless and the hun
gry?
If (ieorge Hush becomes incapacitated,
will Dan Quaylc really know what to do?
If we really believe in a free press, why
are the media owned by so few people, or
rather, by so few corporations?
If advertisements and commercials in
duce us to act .1 particular way. why are
"peace on earth" messages broadcast only
one month out of every year?
If the customer always comes first, why
art; students always heard last?
If some bicyclists on campus are allowed
to disobey the law and almost run people
over, why can't pedestrians clothesline
those who do?
If white men have been ruling this coun
try for 4(H) years, and we’re trillions ot dol-.
lars in debt and on the verge of a v\ar, isn't it
time we give women and minorities a
chance to govern?
If Santa (Maus discussed Legos while
teaching his elves to make Lincoln Logs,
would he be told to read a letter of apology?
1 lappy Ilolidays.
LETTERS
No comment
The University's central ad
ministration will not lommfut
on discrimination issues raised
recently at the law school while
the ()fflt e of Affirmative Ai lion
and L-Iqual Opportunity revieyy
is in progress.
It is ini|M)rtant to re-empha
size this point at this time be
cause of the puhlii .ition of a
paid advertisement in the Em
t'rald. Dec -t
It is unfair to all concerned
parties to pre-judge the situa
tion before all the fai ts have
been gathered. It also is not ap
propriate to comment on possi
ble outcomes of the review be
cause matters of prim iple, such
as academic freedom, and is
sues affecting people's reputa
tions and careers are involved
For these reasons, it is our
belief that the advertisement
placed by the Task Force on
Cay and lesbian Concerns pre
empted the process The views
expressed in that advertisement
do not necessarily coincide
with any conclusions that may
Ik* reached or actions that may
lie taken as a result of the Af
firmative Action office's re
VI«V\
\orman K VYcssells
\ » »• Pmjdnnl tor
Acadcmii Affairs
and I’rmost
Not productive
Recently I received a note
from the ASt'() suggestion box
which, ill case you would
like to know, is located |ust
outside of KMl t Suite 4
I encourage you to use this
box as it tells the student gov
ernment what you the interest
ed student, has to say aliout our
performance and where or if we
can improve.
The note in the suggestion
!h>\ conveyed a very strong
message which 1 would like to
share with the University com
munity: "lait's get the serious
money decisions out of the
bands of 1H year olds
If you don't know it already,
the Incidental bee Committee
decides what and where your
money w ill lx- spent each year
Kverv term you pay close to
SlOO in lit: fees, so it is easy to
see win this person was upset
When von talk about money
this < .in nnd (iocs happen
However. I would liku to sun
gest to whot'Vi'r wrote tins little
note und you know w ho you
are that next time you try
more constructive criticism.
If you've got a complaint
then come talk to me in person
or attend the meetings they
are open to the public If you
want us to take your criticism
seriously then please hi- seri
dus, too
Michael S. Colson
Chairman, IFC
Irresponsible
use
Has this great, civilized soci
ety finally evolved to the point
when? it is vogue, expedient
and enlightening for our in
structors of higher education to
have a discourse in their class
room on their sexual orienta
tion.
Dean Holland is being zeal
ously criticized for taking steps
to assure that this irresponsible
use of classroom time is discon
tinued
In Dean Holland's defense.
the i lassmoin. be it in pre
m hool nr a college institution,
is not an appropriate medium
Im lie instructor to vent his or
her or its sexual preference, fie
it heterosexual, homosexual or
any other sexual orientation
I.ee |. (.artier
Elmira
Incorporate
Animal rights. Animal
rights, mentally ill people's
rights, children's rights, wom
en's rights, minority people's
lights, fetuses' rights, different
ly-abled people's rights, "dif
ferent" people's rights (homo
sexuals. short people, non
VVestern thinkers. non-Chris
tians, never-married people,
virgins, not-at-all virgins, ide
alists ...). poor people's rights,
elderly people's rights, work
ers' rights and criminals'
rights.
What is this world coming
to? The next thing you know,
instead of taking a special class
in ethics, people will lx; incor
porating concern with ethical
issues into their real, everyday
lives.
Alice Berry
Eugene
LETTERS POLICY
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