EDITORIAL
Navy fliers had “zero
tolerance” for women
When the United States sent its militury forces into
the Middle East, it was seen as an opportunity to final
ly dispel the popular nation that the armed forces are
comprised of mindless, gun-toting apes, but rather
highly skilled and trained professional soldiers. Twen
ty years of Vietnam memories and Rambo movies had
done little to improve public perception of the mili
tary. and they needed to prove that they really were as
cool as Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
And it might have worked, had it not been for the
tragedy that occurred at the now infamous Tailhook
Association's convention in Las Vegas last year. After
the convention, unconfirmed rumors began surfacing
suggesting a very ugly incident involving the abuse of
several women guests.
Those rumors were confirmed recently by Navy Lt.
Paula Coughlin, who reported being passed down a
gauntlet of fellow officers {all male) who proceeded to
sexually abuse her. both physically and verbally, along
with 25 other women, 13 of whom were also naval offi
cers.
Supposedly, the Navy has a "zero-tolerance” poli
cy for dealing with sexual harassment. Those found
guilty are to la: automatically discharged. This policy
presumes that senior officers will act upon complaints
in a fair and timely manner. Lt. Coughlin's boss simply
told her that she shouldn't have been there, and what
did she expect, bung around a bunch of drunken sail
ors?
Zero-tolerance needs to be just that, not a paper
only policy designed to quell demands of equal treat
ment for women. The military conducts training
courses to make the sexes aware of their rights and re
sponsibilities when interacting with each other. Unfor
tunately. these classes fail to address the real issues.
While they drive home the penalties for harassment
and attempt to specify what is and is not acceptable
conduct, they fail to discuss why harassment is wrong.
Women are not portrayed as colleagues to lie respected,
but rather as dangerous and threatening creatures
around whom men must be cautious of everything they
do and say.
Such portrayals of women only reinforce the belief
that women are hampering the ability of men to per
form their job. which creates an atmosphere that allows
incidents like the Tailhook convention to occur.
The Navy should respond to this crisis with an
iron fist. Unless the guilty parties come forward, all of
ficers in attendance that night should be discharged —
involved or not. The short-term damage this would do
the Navy would be greatly outweighed by the long
term benefits of the clear message it would send.
Oregon Daily
po boi
Emerald
Tire Oregon Dariy I maratd • puMMred daily Monday ihrotgh Friday during lha
idxni yoar are) Tuaaday and Thuredoy dunng lha tummar by lha Oregon Oariy t monad
PuMahmg Co Inc . m ma IbwarMy o< Oregon, Eugana. Oregon
Tha EmarnM opa>aMa mdapandanOy at ma UravarMy trim o»«a» m Sum 300 ol tha
t rt> Mamorial Unran and a a mamoar oI ina Auocuaad Praaa
Tha f mara« a pnvare proparty Tha uvoartrl removal or uaa o< papar* a pmaaoi
atria by Mm
Edriar. Pal Malach
AaaoctaM EdBora Tim Nad. Daralyn Trappa
OrepMea Edriar Jan Paaiay
EMortal Edriar. Marim I ahar
MgM Edriar: TUn Irian
Dart room Technician Todd ririaarre
* draft lamp Shawn Banian. Jana boat Gihan Oh. Sarah Quaiman. Cainanna Royia.
Criaaritad: Paggy McGinn Manager
riualnaaa: Kathy Carbone Supmrmar
Productlan Ingnd riritfa. Tboducaon Coorenarar Stacy Macho*. Janrelar fbriand
Oanaral Manager Judy Ftedl
Mmwng mn*c»or ivy mi' n kmppaogs
Hwtoam-W-MI1
ImImh OMm.-__MS-U12
DMpUy MvartMng_SM-S71I
ClM»W«d AOttWng-M»«»Q
■m-r wrtiu is to
Thai
U&ftNAnT??
y
Ho:
Vto' HP
OwVtuJirj HA*
^gu^rsfiixnow
fUSTEKD’ PECftf
AJtt «*N6Tb
SiHPDiw*Mir:
Si(? ’
\
^ Ousted
y*|fc*W'V. ADM/«k
VJtu KinPIY
as&i
( KAMA*'
ifc-<
e* rt
V
COMMENTARY
New energy sources create jobs
By Sco!t Sklar
New jobs In clean energy
can transform the Rust
Bolt into a now labor-in
tensive set of industries. A
study recently released by the
natural gas, solar and renew
able energy efficiency industry
associations suys that a mini
mum of 99,900 jobs can bo cre
ated within this docado, even
under oonaorvative predictions,
with a not decline of 24,400
coal jobs. The study predicts
that the proportion of our ener
gy consumption from renew
able energy sources - solar,
wind, geothermal and biomass -
- will double by 2010, pollutant
emissions will decrease signifi
cantly, and hundreds of thou
sands of jobs will 1m? created. A
similar study, released by the
EPA in March, predicts a qua
drupling of solar energy's con
tribution to the nation's energy
mi* within the same time peri
od merely by providing en
hanced federal R&L). financing
and tax incentives similar to
those currently provided to the
conventional energy industries.
These studies debunk the
jobs versus environment argu
ment buy finding that increased
Investment in clean, domestic
energy resources actually cre
ates jobs and spurs oconomlc
growth. Tho "Alternative Ener
gy Future” scenario projects
that by 2010 we could easily
see a 12 percent decrease in
carbon dioxide emissions, the
primary ‘‘greenhouse gas”
causing global warming
The Unilod Slates must posi
tion itsolf for tho technologies
of the future, not of the past.
Wo must lake advantage of our
technological lead In the devel
opment of solur and renewable
onergy so as to not repeat the
"VCR syndrome" where we
lose hundreds of millions of
dollars in profits and hundreds
of thousands of jobs to out in
ternational competitors on
technologies we created. More
over, the American public
should not tolerate the contin
ued drain of hundreds of mil
lions of dollars for Imported
oil.
According to the Worldwatch
institute. ■•Residential
wenthorliatlon -- including
such measures as caulking and
weather-stripping, celling and
floor insulation, installation of
storm windows and doors, and
duct installation -- is a particu
larly la!x>r-lntensive process.”
A study by the Univursity of
Alaska found that state spend
ing on weatheri/.ation creates
more jobs per dollar of outlays
than any other type of capital
project -- almost three times as
many direct jobs as highway
construction, for examplo.
The Institute also reported on
a study prepared by the Great
Lakes Governors to determine
the economic effects of increas
ing the use of biomass onorgy
In 1985, more than 32.000 poo
ple in the Great Lakes states
were employed in jobs directly
or indirectly associated with
this energy source. Increasing
the use of biomass by 50 per
cent between 1985-1995 would
have generated 50.900 new Jobs
in operations and maintenance.
17,500 in manufacturing and
construction of new plants and
equipment, and 7,900 through
the respending of savings. Tak
ing Into account the jobs lost by
displacement of fossil fuels, the
net gain is still 41,100 by 1995
Tho bulk of the now employ
ment gains would be In agricul
ture. fabricated metal products,
and wholesale and retail trade
The United States must im
plement policies which pro
mote energy efficiency and
clean uses of domostlc energy.
... Increased
Investment In
clean, domestic
energy resources
actually creates
Jobs and spurs
economic growth.
Most of the decision will be
nmdo at tho local level. State
utility commissions will deter
mine the regulatory processes.
Statu and local environmen
tal boards will fuce hard
choices to offset pollution
Hopefully, they will consider
prevention through tho use of
solar and renewable energy
rather than bandages such as
scrubbers and pollution allow
ances.
Solar wuler heating and solar
industrial process heating is al
ready a cost-effective applica
tion being utilised in over 1.5
million buildings. Photovoltaic
is used us a cost-effective appli
cation by utility, industri
al/ugricultural and communica
tions industries for remote
power, line voltage augmenta
tion. irrigation, water pumping,
lighting and cathodic protec
tion respectively.
If we as a nation do not begin
to make the hard choices, we
will be relinquishing our eco
nomic growth and our access to
stable and affordable oncrgy.
The question Is: Can we take
some of the economic tools af
forded to us by federal and
state programs and orient them
to a new approach to economic
development?
Scoll Sklur Is executive direc
tor of the Solar Energy Indus
tries Association (SEIA), a trade
association of solar energy
manufacturers and component
suppliers In Washington, U.C.
PGLSEAVAT/ON Of
BIOOIVEWITV Ny£ANS
PAESEavAjlOM Of
WA8ITAT.
Vl
PfttSERvtflCN OF
HABITAT MEAN/S
LtSS LAND AVAILABLE
POft CjRAUNG.
fewer cattle
MEAMS LESS 8EEF
FEWER MAMftuQ&Efts
[MEANS FEWER J0&
fUPP«M6 7V4EM.