EDITORIAL
Energy plan reveals
Bush’s true colors
The Bush administration's new energy plan has
been released. In the midst of a war being fought in the
Middle East (a major oil supplier), the proposal calls
for measures to limit the United States' dependence on
the region.
This is a step in the right direction, and (lie admin
istration should be commended for realizing that we
have become too dependent on another region's natu
ral resources. When we have to send U S soldiers to
face their deaths in a desert to ensure an oil supply,
maybe it is time to find another way to keep the coun
try moving.
But the Bush plan is not doing that. Instead of
moving away from the use of oil, Bush is calling for
more oil production here in the states. Most notably,
the ‘‘environmental” president wants to open the Arc
tic National Wildlife Refuge to od drilling.
Four sections of the en
ergy proposal calling for
conservation were crossed
out by hand before it was
circulated to cabinet offi
cials. The administration
has said legislation to pro
mote conservation does not
fall in line with its ‘‘free
market” philosophy. This is
why the administration re
jot ted proposals from the
Department of Energy that
would have required greater
auto mileage efficiency, in
creased taxes to discourage
consumption and required
(-«i H
employers to charge their
workers for parking.
Rather than instituting federal laws requiring
energy conservation. Hush seeks to increase energy
production through measures, such as the deregulation
of interstate oil. gas pipelines and imported natural
gas.
The free market philosophy of deregulating indus
try has had severe repercussions in other areas and we
need to be wary of trying it again. When Ronald Rea
gan deregulated airlines, quality and safety suffered as
air travel became little more than "flying cattle cars ”
When the Savings and Loan industry was deregulated,
it lml to abuses that will cost tax payers $500 billion
The lesson is simple: Deregulation does not work and
big business cannot be trusted to look out for the best
interests of the country.
But in this case, big business and big profits have
won out over common sense. By ignoring his own en
ergy department's calls for conservation. Bush has
proved that he would rather send young men and
women (America’s true renewable resource) to fight on
foreign soil than take profits from the oil companies
and find a solution to the country's oil addiction.
Oregon
DAILY EMERALD
PI) Bo« 1|«*. t ut*nr Orvtaa r*m\
TOregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during eiam
week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co at tpe University of
Oregon Eugene Oregon
The Emerald is operated independently of the University with offices on the third
floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associate<1 Press
The Emerald is private property The unlawful removal or use of papers «s prosecut
able by law
Managing Editor
Editorial Editor
Politic* Editor
Graphic* Editor
Supplamant* Editor
In Touch Editor
Editor Ahca
Chnttophar 0ia»r
Rob Ward
Joe Ktdd
Saan Ponton
layna Lak«fisb
Anna Rambacfci
Nawa Editor
Editorial Editor
Sport a Editor
Entartatnmant Editor
Supplamanta Aaat Ed
Night Editor
Catherine Hadley
Pal Maiach
Ashley Conklin
Layne lakefish
Amy Fredericks
Christopher Blair
Associate Editors
Community Oon Pwters Student GovernmenbActlvities Paula Green
Highar Education* Administration Peter Cog**eii
Reporters Tammy Batey Jake Berg Brian Bioch Men© De Cair Ca'"e Dennett Mi^g
Rodnques. June Russell Oaraiyn Trapp© Robert Weber
Photographers i nc Evans Andre Aameri
Advertising Kevin Austermann. Mark Brundage Elam© Onto' Kathy fndicott M
chaet Gray Jennifer Kosta N cote Leahy Kirsten Lucas Stephen Mostey Maria
Newman Lisa Richman Mary Sanderson Kathy Smith Kristi Strother
Classified Peggy McGinn Maneges Ketty M, Michael Janet Sc hober
Business Kathy Carbone Supervisor Gorman Chapman Judy Connolly
Production Sandra Defter Actv*rlisi>TQ Coordinator Jennifer Arr.h*» Mia Berte»s©n
Lotus Child Carol Dopp Jim Finch Corine Frier, Susan Head Jennifer Huey Linda
Kiaastad Sheila Lorenzo J»m Mason Anna Rembecki Don Ross Jennifer Smith
Ann# Stephenson, Jenn.fer Thomas Mon Waiter Todd Wi nams
LETTERS
No class ad
We would like to take this
opportunity to corn* t an unfor
tunate mistake whit h occ urred
in a classified ail run 1»\ Tau
Delta f raternity {OI)E. I eh 4|
The ad was written in a sattr
ical fashion to poke fun at fra
ternity rush advertisements
which have appeared in the
Emerald for the last couple of
weeks
However, the examples cho
sen in jest by certain members
of our organization an* insensi
tive to some members of our
community It was not the in
tention to offend anyone and
we sincerely apologize for this
oversight
The ability to guide young
men to a higher state of maturi
ty is one of the ideals toward
which our fraternity strives We
hope that people will not dwell
1141011 the carelessness behind
this mistake but rather the
thought liehmd our apology
Isaac: lohnson
David Kyes
Students
Sad editorial
This letter is in response to
an editorial [Ol)E. Feb. 5.) The
editorial called it a “sad day"
when the use of nui lear weap
ons is even discussed 1 dis
agree.
The statements made by Sec
retary of Defense Dick (’honey
and Vice President Dan Quayle
concerning the use of nuclear
weapons were made in direct
response to press questions
dealing with that issue
Both Cheney and Quayle re
sponded to the question in ac
cordance with all other re
sponses made concerning mili
tary’ strategies; “nothing is nec
essarily ruled in. and nothing
is necessarily ruled out."
The editorial editor of the
h. mom Id should have enough
'press sense" to realize that
their comments were made in
response to press questions,
and read into it no farther than
that
The editor showed a great
knowledge of history, yet a
complete incompetence in its
interpretation He stated that
no mu lear weapons have been
exploded in anger "since the
end of W orld War 11 1 wonder
d nuclear weapons had any
thing to do with the end of
World War II?
A sad day in my mind is the
day Saddam Hussein uses
chemical weapons on anyone
History teac hes us that his talk
of chemical weapons is not just
rhetoric Hopefully history has
taught Hussein something, too;
that the day he uses chemical
weapons on our troops, may in
deed Ik- a very sad day for him.
too.
Ted Ferguson
Political Science
For the team
There have been some ques
tions raised concerning the
new seats of the Oregon Basket
ball Band I hope this letter will
answer them.
The band relocated to the
North side of the West Court at
the request of the Athletic De
partment The band's move al
lows the Oregon coaches and
the teams to communicate eas
ier and aims the music directly
toward the opposing team
Kven though it is regrettable
that the move has inconve
nienced some people, the bas
ketball teams are the main con
cern of the band After all, the
main reason for the band’s exis
tence is to support the basket
ball teams.
It is hoped that the Universi
ty community will join the
band in supporting the Ducks
Mesheal Rice
Chairwoman. Public Relations
Committee
Oregon Marching Band
LETTERS POLICY
The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all
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.
Censorship
1 was strongly impressed by
Warren Olandrias’ intellec tual
capacities [ODE. Feb. 4) of
quoting the official Pentagon
statistics on the battle for
khafji.
With an admirable accuracy
Olandrias enlists the: number of
destroyed (Iraqi) tanks, the
number of (Iraqi) war prisoners
and the number of destroyed
(Iraqi) vehicles. 1 appreciate
this information.
Olandrias' conclusion seems
to be that this war is going real
ly well and that the nasty oppo
nents of the war should finally
support it as Bti percent of the
Americans already do (accord
ing to Newsweek).
Apart from the strange as
sumption which underlies
Olandrias' argumentation
(what the majority thinks is
right), he completely ignores
the censorship of war reports.
The Pentagon introduced an in
formation pool which controls
the presentation of the war to
the public.
Even the New York Times.
certainly not the most critical
newspaper, complains that "no
pool reporters were permitted
to witness the fighting of
khafji ... so they had to quote
staff officers far from the scene,
who glorified Saudi and Qatari
troops for political purposes
and understated the fierceness
of Iraqi resistance" (New York
Times. Feb 4).
Olandrias' statements show
the terrifying (but avoidable)
victory of censorship.
Doris Schneyink
Eugene