EDITORIAL Natural world’s life key to survival How ironic that America's Environmental Protec tion Agency administrator finds refusing to sign world treaties — designed to curb global warming and protect wildlife and its habitat — a "character-building experi ence." Last week’s earth summit brought government offi cials and environmentalists from 178 countries togeth er in Brazil to discuss the earth's environmental future. The huge gup between rich and poor countries was obvious as representatives -fought ter have their perspec tive heard. Unfortunately, while many lesser-devel oped countries spoke up ubout the near-impossibility of saving the environment when it was all they could do to food and care for their people, they still seemed to be striving to catch up to the larger powers that be. seeing that status as the only one worth achieving. What they fail to realize is those countries’ bigness ss what's causing all the problems — the biggest of fender being the United .States, In order to begin saving this planet, the plan shouldn't be for everyone to get as huge, mechanized, industrialized and monoy-ized as possible: the plan should be for everyone to start scal ing back. America now has the lion’s share of the pie, and we re obviously willing to do anything to keep it that way. ranging from pretending there's no problem to re fusing to join international earth-protecting measures EPA administrator William Reilly spent last week's meeting defending America's hypocritical arguments against signing treaties set to slow the earth’s environ mental decline. Anri as stated, he found it to be charac ter building Why ddes this man. who supposedly rep resents the organization designed to monitor and pro tect America's environment, advocate no protective measures — eitTfer here at home or abroad? Well, guess that's easy enough. Money. Progress, Power. Protecting the natural world and conducting a never-ending effort to "improve" and develop just don’t go together. So guess which one wins hero in America? Sure, jobs are important. And the new America was built on innovation — something some people ure proud of. But as we've stated so many times this year, without the natural world's survival, there will be no jobs, no innovation, no nothin' quicker than you cun say “die." Everything in this world is intertwined with the environment, even the most advanced technologi cal toys. All at some point require natural resources; ail depend upon the environment at the most basic level. Saving the world's isconomy by saving its natural resources is far from the pinnacle reason lor protecting the environment, but if that's the perspective the mon ied world must take to stop its rape and pillage, so be it. Keep the environment, and we keep our economy, sanity, clean air and water. The natural world's well being is imperative to humankind's survival; it also de serves to live in and of itself. f^I? Oregon Daily Emerald P O BOX JiS9. CUCCNf OREGON 97403 Ottgon Oarfy i mar afcJ « put>tf»had a*»y ImaraW PuOtefvng mi in© Urwamrty o» Oregon. f ugen©. Oregon ( meraftd opWitJOft tnd©p©nd©r>tfy 0/ !h© University mHt\ 0^*0at M Sufltt 300 O* tba Ontf Union mxi r% a mamba* ol lha Aa&ocuaUKl fhass Th© | mo*AH * prtvaia (KOp©*ty The unt**tu< removal or us© O* pap©** * pro««a/tabft» Managing Editor Editorial Editor Graphics Editor Entartainmant Editor Editor In Chlof P m urn** Cain* Dan*t» Jmil Patty layn# L afcofath Night Editor CIvaMOPh*r B» Nm Editor [diloiul Editor Sport* Ed*or In Touch Editor Com* Donnan C hr it Bounax Dor ('«•<» JAM Barg Uu (raaman uhcum tuon kuMM Gotrarnmanl Acttvllaa: Daratyn Trapps Community Tun Non Mighar Edue atiorv Administration: Cono Donnatt Fsaturas lisa kAtlogon Rsportsrs Tammy Balsy. Un)| Baucian. Davti Cfwtxxwmmu. 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Jam tar Vara Canaral Managar Judy Rradi Advancing Dtracior fVyan R Coppadga Naamoon----14*-»St1 Buamaaa OWtca_J44-SSU Production Msnsgsr Mcnot* Most Oisplsy Advertising....__ J4A-J712 CilMflsd Advertising -M-4M3 I ittemwi. f* LETTERS Communication In response lo the article of May 27 in the Em orn Id con corning rape survivors, I feel tfi.it we mu-j lie repelled by the i rime of rape as we would to ward any assault on a human lieinn l-'eellng this. I nonetheless strongly object to the senti ments expressed by Heatfier Collin,m in the highlighted quo tation ut the top of page four To me. the statements are slan derous and sexist I am certain that there would be a justifiable outcry raised by women If the quote had staled, "livery woman is a potential in fant killer livery woman is cus tom-tailored to infanticide through the media ." The point is though some men are rapists, most aren't just as some woman kill their babies, not all do blanket con demnations of either sex serve men and women not in the slightest. It's hard enough lo communicate as it is Mlltiades Mandros Architecture Faith I would like lo apologize lo Ur Otto Helweg (lecturer on Si lentific Proof ol the l-.xis tence of Clod") and any others who drew the erroneous con clusion from my letter of May I't that, since I find Helweg's views to reflect intolerance and bigotry. I conclude that Chris lians in general are similar in tills respect This is not at ail the case' 1 maintain Helweg's presenta tion wus an example of intoler ance and bigotry, not because of his Christian beliefs, but tie cause of his statements that those who do not believe in God should have inferior indi vidual rights under the U.S. Constitution to those Christians enjoy. Moreover, 1 fuel his claim that the ethics of atheists and agnostics ure totally lack ing in validity reflects extraor dinary intolerance since it dis misses the moral values of mil lions of people based simply on their faith Although I am not a theist. I studied theology and philoso phy for four years at a Jesuit college. 1 am well aware that oilier Christians practice loler 11 ii( c in a way that Holweg does not This includes observance of sexual freedoms ns well ns nil other constitutionally pro tected rights, It includes obser vance of sexual and reproduc tive freedoms, it includes free dam from government-sanc tioned religious observations A |une 1 letter to the Lmenild by Vicki Travis is a good example of a tolerant, Christian ap proach that contrasts sharply with that of Helweg Peter O'Day Neuroscience Violence? As an berth first! activist, it is parlit ularly interesting to see the destruction the Federal Building's windows referred to as a violent act I am happy to see the liegmiungs of an open debate on what constitutes vio lence and I'd like to broaden the discussion. I hope the following ques tions will stimulate further dis cussion of violence vs. non-vio lence When is there a mean ingful difference between vio lence directed toward property and violence directed toward living beings' Can you bo vio lent toward an inanimate ob ject' Is it a question of what is hurl or destroyed that dolor mines violence, or is it based upon the intent and the emo tions of the person Involved in the at l7 I think that questions such as these can help ouch one of us come to a better personal understanding of what violence means to us Was breaking those windows a violent act? it is interesting to note that Martin Luther King distinguished violence against property from violation against life I feel that this distinction is basic to any critique of laws, policies and institutions that exploit living things and exult property rights nbovu hu* man/natural rights. I personally hope that we look for the distinction between property rights and the rights of living things and discontinue blurring the distinction. I think it is important to sub mit that no one person has a monopoly on the truth and that each of us has just a piece of it. With this in mind, i hope we can develop our personal work ing definition of violence. More importantly, 1 hope we can open our own definitions to incorporate others. We need to find ways to support inten tions without criticizing specif ic tactics Finally, I hope we don’t devote all of our time philosophizing and criticizing, because there's a lot of work to do. Rebekah Ledwith Student Colors An item that has appeared in the Emerald for the last couple of days has given me a warm feeling inside. It was an an nouncement appearing In the classified section depicting a triangle within a circle The explanation said that "u person displaying this symbol is one who will be understand ing and trustworthy if a gay. lesbian or bisexual student or co-worker needs support or is seeking a positive environ ment" It's so nice to know that any one wearing the triangle can spot a homosexual out of a crowd and give him or her ex tra-special courtesy. 1 don't know how many times stran gers have approached me, say ing "I'm bisexual Can you give me directions to Burger King'" Of course, since I was not wearing tills new "Safe Zone" bodge, 1 rudely brushed them aside Now. homosexuals every where will know who to avoid based simply on whether or not a person is wearing the symbol. Kind of like Block Homes for children As rny part. I will not bothur those wearing the badge with my silly, unimportant hetero sexual concerns Hem's an idea: How alxiut a system where heterosexuals ap proach only strangers wearing blue triangles Bluck students should only approach those wearing red triangles, and Chi cano students should avoid anyone not wuaring a purple triangle. This way. all minority and special Interest groups would have their own color. 1 think this would make cam pus a much nicer place to live. Tadd Van Cleve Student