EDITORIAL
Clinton rally fiasco
doesn’t help cause
Let no one accuse the organizers of Hill Clinton's
visit to the University yesterday of being too well pre
pared. To the contrary, no one was prepared for the
mob scene that took place outside McArthur Court,
particularly the University Office of Public Safety and
the Eugene Police Department.
OPS Officer Otis Scarborough's comments illustrat
ed the lack of planning that went into the event, when
he said only around 5,000 people were expected to at
tend. The probable next president of the United States
makes one stop in Oregon weeks before the election,
and officials only expect 5,000 people to attend?
At the time the doors to Mac Court were closed, the
line to get in stretched down University Street and
turned down 15th Avenue (cleverly renamed Clinton
Avenue) to Hayward Field. When those in line re
ceived word that the doors were closed. they quickly
congregated on University Street, catching authorities
off guard.
With more than 48 hours notice, crowd control
measures could have easily been implemented. Driving
police cars down University Street in an effort to clear
the crowd was clearly a spur of the moment reaction
and not part of an organized, well-thought-out plan.
However, OPS and EPD are victims of even worse
planning by event coordinators. Rally organizers
should have learned their lessons four years ago when
Jesse Jackson spoke at Mac Court. At that event, an esti
mated 5,000 people were left outside. Why was that
lesson not applied this time?
Obviously, the best location would have been Aut
zen Stadium. Why that was not obvious to event organ
izers can only be guessed at, but any excuse will Ik; un
satisfactory. Security was certainly not a deciding fac
tor. Those fortunate enough to get inside were not
searched for weapons of any kind.
One of the loudest complaints being voiced by peo
ple outside had to do with the enormous number of
area school children who had been bussed in from
around town. The purpose of a political rally is to gain
the support of registered voters, not to provide a civics
lesson for children.
Many in the mob outside would have been happy
just to have caught a glimpse* of Clinton, but in this
ease, "Slick Willie" lived up to the name us he slipped
in and out of Mac Court without so much as wave to
the crowd outside. Organizers would have scored
points simply by setting up speakers outside, allowing
the crowd to at least listen to Clinton.
Instead, nearly 10.(KX) voters were given the im
pression that they didn’t count and left the scene fuel
ing dejected. Many Clinton supporters were overheard
Juestioning their allegiance to the Democratic candi
ate. Now all we can do is hope the organizers of this
rally in no way represent the ability of the Clinton ad
ministration to organize the country.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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Best wishes
So. being a good student of
political science, 1 naturally
went to McArthur Court to see
Bill Clinton speak Being a
good citizen, I took my proper
plaixi at the end of the lino that
stretched all the way around
the corner, past Hayward Field
and nearly to Agate Street 1,
along with many other people,
waited for 20 or 30 minutes for
the line to start moving
It eventually did, much to
our collective cheer. Imagine
our surprise when we reached
University Street and rnot up
with u stream of people blithely
wuiking right up to the line and
cutting in Judging from how
close I got to the entrance of the
building, I. along with the other
people who wore naive enough
to assume respect on the part of
our follow Americans, would
have gotton in If not for those
lino-cutters.
So, to all of you who wore
apparently raised in a barn:
Screw you! May you and yours
contract an extremely painful,
debilitating and socially embar
rassing disease.
Andrew Haldane
Political Science
Mad as hell
I would like to voice my ad
miration for those brave souls
who point out the Inherent po
litical powor In not voting. Hats
off to those of you whose non
votes will shine so much
brighter than the non-votes of
the merely apathetic. If Meas
ure 9 makes it impossible for
mo to loach Alice Walker, l will
think back on you and your
brave struggle.
Lot's not forgot those ever
vtgilant bike riders who bravely
oppose the "bike Nazis." The
path of least resistance would
bo to stop riding your bikes on
pedestrian walkways, but you
continue to fight the good fight.
If Measure 9 passes I will re
joice. knowing that you wero
all busy protecting my right to
cycle on the sidowalk so thut 1
can get to class on time and
teach my students that homo
sexuality is perverse.
Finally, thunks to the free
dom fighters who helped the
bookstore keep Penthouse and
Playboy on its shelves. You
fought because having to walk
down to 7-eleven to indulge in
you perversion of choice would
be an extreme abridgement of
your rights. Your road may bo
the most difficult, as Measure 9
would eliminate) any magazine
containing those delicious les
bian seduction pictorials. Still,
your I’onthousos will be in
good company, sharing a
locked storage room with Moby
Utck. You ail must be proud to
have taken on an underdog
cause. And don’t worry. When
the OCA targets anarchists,
scofflaws and masturbators, the
opponents of Measure 9 will be
right there fighting with you.
Stav* Ck»M
English
Clinton’s cattle
1 have just returned home
from the Bill (Minton rally at
McArthur Court Before now, I
was a staunch Clinton support
er, now I have my doubts.
Any political rally these days
is bound to be a slick media
freo-for-fall. 1 think we can take
this for grunted. But “for the
people" Clinton seems to be for
one group of people only —
those directly surrounding him
self and Al Coro.
Those of us, the people (pri
ons), who did not work directly
on the Clinton/Core campaign
were herded upstairs, more like
cattle ihun human beings. Some
of us waitod fur two or throe
hours to get in the door. "Spo
cial guests" were the only peo
ple allowed to come romotoly
close to Cov. Clinton; even af
tor the rally, the remaining peo
ple (rabble) were herded back
out the front doors, blockaded
from Mac Court's floor and
from Clinton.
I have to wonder: Is Bill Clin
ton for anything other than a
quick photo-op and picking up
a few more votes? If today’s ral
ly is any example, it doesn't ap
pear that he's for (ho people. It
looks like tho only person ho's
really for is himself.
Kate Thompson
Theater
Owning Bob
Bob Packwood is running for
ro-election again Ho has boon
in the U.S. Senate for 24 years.
After all these yours, ho is now
advocating term limits while
campaigning for a fifth term
Lot's limit the professional po
litical career of this most cun
ning of politicians.
Ho has lost his innocence,
has become elitist, and has
feathered his bunk account and
real estate holdings. He is u ser
vant to special interest groups
from the timber lobby to the Is
raeli lobby. They own Pack
wood’s mind, body and soul
His conscience, along with his
voice, slept through scandal al
ter scandal — savings and
loans, housing, insider trading,
Neil Bush and Silverado, the
Environmental Protection
Agency, and last but not least,
the shameful and monumental
growth of the federal deficit
during his tenure.
In 24 years, Packwood has
packed his assets and campaign
treasures with stained money.
Now it is the people's turn to
send him packing and to re
store the integrity and indepen
dence to a Senate seat that he
has turned into a throne.
Oregon does not need a shah,
but rathor a docent, PAC-free
servant for Oregonians.
If. Raza Bahnam
Eugana
Ban triples
Your editorial on triple-trail
er* in Oregon (ODE. Oct. 21)
was narrow-miruled and not up
to Emnrald standards. Why
bash the AAA as if it wore
made up solely of rich, dodder
ing old drivers who should not
be on the highway. Leave that
up to the DMV and quit being
so condescending and elitist
Have you too been paid off by
the powerful truck lobby?
Maybe you don't drive in the
rain and have your vision oblit
erated by three trailers (I know:
they are supposed to Ire off the
road in bad weather, but driv
ers won’t bo "chicken" in their
macho world, and greed rules
the owners.) Or maybe you
don't drive on Oregon's two
lane highways with a monster
trying to pass you. Yes. they do
pass others and. yes, the rear
does swing out. The driving is
not only on straight-of-ways,
but they also have to negotiate
on-ramps and curves. "Truck
trains" are OK in the Australian
outback, but not Oregon roads.
Hilda K. Cherry
Eugene
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