EDITORIAL
God Squad’ seeks
to circumvent law
The original was the "Mod Squad." Then came
"Police Squad." a hilarious parody spoof. Now we
have the "Cod Squad," except this time, things aren't
so funny.
Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan |r. has the power
to convene a seven-member committee that can over
ride the Endangered Species Act. For only the third
time in history, the so-called God Squad will come to
life — and because of it, the northern spotted owl is
facing extinction once again.
At the request of the Bureau of Land Management.
Lujan called the committee to judge whether BLM can
resume logging on 4,570 acres. BLM officials claim that
if they are not allowed to log the tracts, timber harvests
on Oregon's BLM land could fall by as much as 75 per
cent. costing tens of thousands of jobs in the Pacific
Northwest.
The official powers that be just don't quit. When
the Fish and Wildlife Service set aside millions of
acres of the Northwest's old growth for the spotted owl.
environmentalists cheered and loggers fumed. And
now the Bush ("Call me the environmental president")
administration is showing its selective green thumb
once again. Environmental issues are good until they
get in the way of that steamroller called "progress" —
which is often. Then watch how green the udministra
nun is.
Proponents
of the God
Squad say the
size of the af
fected land is
such a small
percentage of
the protected
old growth, that
a yes decision
to log the tracts
wouldn't make
What is at stake is much
more than Just 4,570
acres. The possible
extinction of the spotted
owl pales when matched
against the real Issue —
the survival of our old
growth forests.
Him mui.u un
fcrcnco to the survival of the spotted owl.
Perhaps, but what is at stake is much more than
just 4,570 acres. The possible extinction of the spotted
owl pales when matched against the real issue — the
survival of our old growth forests.
Environmentalists must take a stand, and this is
the place and issue to do it. A message must be sent
that Oregonians want to protect their forests. Yes, it is
only 4.570 acres, but the largest journeys start with one
step. If Bush and Co. are allowed to make even a slight
inroad into the old growth protection, it will be nigh
impossible to stop them the next time.
People in the timber industry have a right to be up
set. Their livelihoods could very well hinge on the God
Squad's decision. But Oregon can no longer rely on
timber products to cornerstone the state's economy. By
downscaling the industry, eventually a happy medium
between environmentalists and loggers will be reached
— a stable place where our old growth forests won't
disappear.
The move from a timber-based t;conomy to one of
light-industry and technology is a necessary and pain
ful one. The displaced timber workers must be re
trained for other jobs. That will take money and effort,
and right now, Oregon politicians don't seem to be
supplying either.
It's not just 4,570 acres of old growth at stake; it's
the future economic viability of the state. Either Orego
nians will face reality and change the base of the econ
omy or they will ignore the flashing warning signs and
watch the old growth and timber jobs dwindle away.
• . .
SUPPOSE TULRti
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LETTERS
T.V. guide
l! w.i.s |)iiinfully easy fur mu
lo mm! through Jenxl Hume's
pitiful attempt to promote Our
Version of Hell through huso
trickery (O/Jf. Oct 2) liven if 1
wus not ono of Hume's fellow
cust mombers on thu show. 1
would have soon through his
wit ki‘<i game
Hume — do you not realize
just how intelligent the average
University student is? 1 doubt a
single student fell for your "an
gry liberal" facade? Isn't it tar
better to be straightforward and
respectful by just telling the
student hotly that Our Version
of Ill'll is a swank comedy
show on every Thursday .it
111 20 on Cable it?
Shame Shame Shame on
Hume.
Bryt r logman
Student
Don’t swallow
1 have a bone to pick with the
way this administration treats
its students When Duck Call
allowed roughly half of the stu
dent body to register early, re
sulting in u horrid Mac Court
registration experience, 1 sighed
and swallowed my frustration.
When they i barged me $BG6 for
a term of higher education, 1
sighed and swallowed my frus
tration.
But while in my 9:110 a nt.
class in 150 Columbia, 1
couldn't find thu space in my
throat to swallow. The adminis
tration conveniently decided to
allow construction on the rcxif
of 150 Columbia during my
class, resulting in constant
hammering and drilling. My
professor had to dismiss class
because many students
couldn't hear his lectures.
1 pay the second-highest tui
tion of any public school in the
western United States With
SHOO per term and five classes
in my schedule, that’s S173.30
per class When i miss 20 min
utes of class due to someone’s
miscalculation. I fool cheated
and rip pod off! 1 should not
have to deal with the B.S. th.it
this administration shells out to
me and every other student at
this University.
It clearly showed, through
the Mac Court experience, that
the administration had some
severe organizational problems.
If they can’t coordinate loud
construction around one class, I
don’t feel very confident in giv
ing them close to $900 a term
for their underdeveloped ad
ministrative skills'
Dirk Barnett
Pre-Journalism
Duped
This letter is in response to
the one written by Jerod Hume
(OBI':, Oct. 2).
I can’t say 1 agree or disagree
with Hume on the soi ial worth
of Our Version of Hull her auso
1 have never watched it But
even if it is wretched (which it
probably is), why is it always
the "joyous, rainbow, brother
ly-loving liberals” that want to
“unite" and "disband" things?
I consider (or considered)
mvself a liberal, but I have no
interest in uniting with people
who are exactly like me in
dross and belief, and proceed to
"disband” that which is dilfer
ont. What about diversity'
What about the evils of censor
ship? Is not television that art
of the masses? Other wretched
television serves a useful artis
tic purpose ... like Afarr/ed,
with Chihimn, sexist and
exaggeratingly shallow; anyone
who takes this parody serious
enough to want to censor it is
clearly missing the point.
I heard a man say the other
morning, "Tunnel vision is ev
erywhere." It has taken me
those four years in Eugene to
realize the enormous hypocrisy
of the liberalism in tiiis city
Eugene liberalism is really only
alternative conservatism. Con
servative in the sense of same
ness, uniform, shop at the same
stores, only see certain films or
read certain material, those that
are different an; feared, not
trusted or targeted for censor
ship.
Also there is the tendency to
want safety in numbers (unite).
The word “unite" indicates ex
clusion by its meaning, not di
versity.
1 don't know; maybe all ol
this simply takes about four
years to realize ... but in the
meantime 1 think everybody
should relax and accept the di
versity that tries to exist in this
cramped environment.
Russelle Eyre
Student
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