[editorial
Gulf war’s legacy
still up in the air
At this time last your. America was at war.
As a nation, we were glued to the television watch
ing CNN reports. Previous unknowns, such as Wolf
Blitzer and Gen. Norman Shwarzkopf. became house
hold names, their exploits and attributes dissected over
countless dinner tables.
There began a massive public relations game Sad
dam Hussein was called "another Hitler." Detailed ac
counts of Iraqi atrocities greeted TV viewers every
night Iraqi i hemical weapons and possible nukes wor
ried analysts: No one knew what would happen, but
for morale and preparation’s sake, they exported the
worst.
We needed a war. Wars are a great way for the pub
lic to forget problems on the home front, and we surely
had enough of those.
America warmed up to a fever pitch, expecting
"the mother of all battles," as Saddam so eloquently
predicted. Casualty estimates for the allies went into
the thousands Everybody prepared for a long war The
t ’ S was prepared at all costs — to avoid another
Vietnam
The atr war began, war watching went high-tcH.h.
America oohed and aahed over grainy movies of laser
guided bombs striking
with amazing accuracy
Talcs of fleeing Iraqi
planes, photographs of
badly bruised American
I’OWs. and televised live
Scud missile attacks
turned the gulf war into
one fought on the air
waves as much as it was
on the ground
The protesters were
drowned out in the Amur
ican euphoria of going to
war A fledgling re< ession,
domestii problems and
other like issues went on
hold — the war captured
the attention ol the media
and its watchers.
When the troops final
Is moved, it was unbeliev
ably eas\ The allies freed
The protesters
were drowned
out In the
American
euphoria of going
to war. A
fledgling
recession,
domestic
problems and
other like issues
went on hold —
the war captured
the attention of
the media and its
watchers.
Kuwait, sweeping tin? oat- --—_
tered Iraqi .trim aw.is like toy soldiers As the ground
war triumphed in 100 hours. Americans sasv new pit
lures. The broken toss of war. Blistered tanks, burned
out trucks, oil wells in conflagration and bodies — ev
ers'where. bodies.
rhe country went on a high not soon since \ I Day
Ticker tape parados and highly watched press confer
ences, the thrill of the moment reached now peaks un
til final I \. palpably, it begun to sicken.
And now. its been a year. Time to get an account
ing of what America and its allies accomplished.
Saddam Hussein out of power7 Nope, still there,
the perpetual thorn in the side.
Destruction of Iraqi chemical weapons and nuclear
production capabilities? Uncertain, but best guess, no
The beginning of democracy in Kuwait? Wrong
again, the monarchy still remains.
What was accomplished was death. There were
few American casualties for an international war of
that size, unless you are one of the dead or a member
of the family, and then it was one too many.
On the Iraqi side, the number is still unclear. listi
mates range from 10.000 to 100,000. No one is sure.
The war has faded from the American scene It's an
election year, and the recession — now going strong —
is the main topic. The fear of Democrats who voted
against the war getting swamped in post vsar euphoria
has not materialized.
The legacy of the gulf war will be debated by histo
rians from here on out. Hut to those of us who have to
live in the present, it really doesn't amount to much
COMMENTARY POLICY
Commentaries should be between 750 and 1.000
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reserves the right to edit for grammar, style and length
if net essarv.
'could yoLi pass toe
pepper—RAip^p
RAi-W? MY hame7s'j
M/YAZAWA.
MAYBE Hus IS
XW«T HE CALLS A1
oP ?
<s>m2
'Zr'^rT'-'
s*K
Steps
Wis.it steps an? bing tak.cn
lot security within University
<1. rtns ' (Regarding ox-convict's
rape of 1H year-old freshman.
R(. Jan U' 13. nil )
Tin problem. 1 am told, is
that stale institutions arts not al
lots eii to si roen applit ants'
hie kgrounds for past activities,
that anyone who has "paid Ins
debt to society ss 111 lie ai i ept
I'd for housing
Dorm contrails say only a
less vs olds about security,
which emphasizes possible
threats Imm outside the dorms
(guest ai t ess, eti ]
What is I 'nivcrsity residen
tial housing's responsibility
that our i Inldren will he safe
vshile living within Hamilton
Complex and other residences''
fnless and until administrative
simplism thinking changes to
real common sense cause-and
effect, a ' i hedge ol outside
lex ks may only make it easier
for the lux in the chu ken coop
I se nil name please or rail
me t oiHemcd tbandma of an
other lit-year-old freshman
Mary Eva Culver
Eugene
Censorship?
What does everyone mean by
■ i'Iimii ship ' Is \ll(! s dei ision
to edit out .1 very violent si one
from .1 movie aired during
prime time toll under vour defi
nition of <ensorshtp? !! it dues,
is it rtei e .s.irtlv Iwd .iml wrong7
II .1 mag.i/ine i houses nut to
print .in .id th.it negatively ster
eotypes Aim .in Americans. is
tins i ensurship' 1! Blot kbuster
\ .deu del ides not to e.iff \ por
nography \ ideus. is this i ensor
ship-’
All suits ul people m.ike de
visions bused on .ill sorts of vri
leri.i .liiout wh.it to .ur, print,
sell Is this necessarily .ill bail
.i:id wrong' I he bookstore also
m.ikes tlies, types of del isions
U: .It S tin- difference between
so. ;.dlv responsible derision
musing.i:;.I i ensorship7
Josephine Trigilio
Women s Center
Both sides
I can ! remember a time
vs .hen I was as ,mgr\ .is I was af
ter reeding the one si fed irticlv
Me ire . i’atn. k i\\ .,:i i (
Jan JJ)
Me tragi h tliat took place
in tt><' Hamilton basement was
not a melodrama is seen on tel
evision rhe ugly truth can't he
tuned out iind forgotten when
the television is turned of!
(Contrary todabriel Johnson's
view, who spoke in Kvan's de
fense, it w.is known to many
students lh.it Rviill gave free pot
to people us friendship Other
students feared Rvan. for they
said tie watt lied them through
fits dorm window Others
t lairued they received obscene
phone (.ills from Rvan at map
propriate hours
Try taking a look at both
•odes ol the issue To say Ryan
is as a generous man who
cured [or tfie safety of women"
is rldii ulous Rvan created tear
among all dorm residents for
everyone is as raped of the faith
they plat ed in this institution's
sis urity practu us
i'fie publit doesn't need to
know the sick details of the
crime It's not only humiliating
lo the victim but also it takes
attention assay from the real is
sue Students can no longer he
apalhetli It’s time lo open our
eyes and work together for the
safely of all s!udents
Alexa Harris
Student
Oppose
I am scry much in agreement
that pornography should not he
sold at the t.’niversitv of Ore
gon bookstore
Sexism hiis limimt1 so much
,1 part of our soci.il fabric that it
is fiifHcult to identify and coin
hat, hut very important to not
ignore or accept Pornography
objer tilirs and degrades worn
en, and creates a social atmos
phere conducive to harassment,
rape, ((•mil ide It's all the same
thing really, in varying degrees
objectify women, making
them less than human, and
then exert (a patriarchallv es
tablished) power over them
I have the right to live a Ide
tree of sexism, Iren ol danger,
free of being considered less
than a man " This right that I
demand is more important than
the right that some are bemoan
ing the loss of Do you have the
right to randomly shoot people
on the street because it is fun
for you7 Why should you have
the right to contribute to my
oppression then?
The reason that 1 do not want
pornography sold at tire Uni
versity bookstore is because it
is my bookstore too, and I must
buy many of my class materials
there Because the personal is
political, I refuse to patronize
any loi ation that sells such
tilings, but I am forced to pa
tronize tlie University book
store I resent that this situation
forr.es me to contribute to
something which I so firmly
oppose
Heidi Bowman
Student
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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