EDITORIAL VanLeeuwen’s ideas gloss over problems State Rep. Liai VanLeeuwen was funny at first. The Halsey Republican proposed a mandatory gun owner ship law for all Oregon citizens, saying it would cut the state's crime rate drastically. Everyone chuckled, in cluding several police chiefs. Two weeks ago. VanLeeuwen introduced another bill to the Oregon Legislature. This time she wants to reduce the penalty for assaulting a person who is desecrating the flag. Rather than c harging the suspect with fourth degree assault punishable by up to ono year in prison and a $2,500 fine. VanLeeuwen wants the offender be charged only $25 Jail time would not ire necessary. VanLeouwen's outrageous ideas are harmless by them selves. The legislature will never pass the bill, especially given that Hag burning is perfectly legal. According to the U..v .supremo court, desecrating the flag is a (onstitulionally legiti mate form of protest. People who don't agree can simply turn their backs. And that’s exactly what Vanl.oeuwen should have done. In an She Is more concerned with quick-Hx responses than serious problem solving. interview with the Aioany vmnocmi-neraia. vanueeuwen said she once saw some demonstrators drape a flag over a Portland hotel entrance during a political protest, forc ing people to walk over it. The incident so horrified her that, presumably, she wanted to attack the flag drapers. But VanLeeuwen must understand assault is a serious crime, regardless of whether the perpetrator’s excuse was justified in her own mind. Just because Van Loeuwon is looking for an oxcuso to boat up flag burners doesn’t give her the right to ignore the U.S, Constitution. The truly frightening aspect of VanLeeuwen’s bill introducing bingo is that she doesn’t seem to be able to find anything better to do in the Legislature. Perhaps she needs to be reminded that Oregon is still suffering from 1 BOO's Ballot Measure 5. The Legislature must work dili gently toward either finding more revenue or cutting excess spending. It’s a full-time job that requires dedi cated lawmakers. VanLeeuwen’s recent actions indicate she is more concerned with quick-fix responses than serious problem solving. What would happen were VanLeeuwen to get her way? Someone breaks into her home and ends up wip ing his brains off the floor. Someone burns a flag and she beats him wilh the handle of the gun she is required to own. VanLeeuwen probably doesn't like Democrats either. Barbara Roberts had better watch her back. It's hard not to laugh at VanLeeuwen’s ideas. She bases her proposals on knee-jerk reactions rather than rational thought. But the state Legislature is no place for these ideas. She needs to represent her constituency with pride and dignity — to dedicate hor skills toward solving the state's budget crisis. The last thing Oregon needs is more crazy legislation. Oregon Daily Emerald The Oegon Daily Emerald * pupkshed daily Monday through f mtay sAmng the school *ear and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emaratd Pubtishmg Co Inc. at me Unrversrty o' Oegon Eugene. Oegon n>a 1 meraid operates independently o' tha University with otices at Suaa 300 o' lha l >e Memorial On«on and >» a m«mo#r ol !ha Assooaled Press The ( mar Sid t prvaln property The unlawful -amove Of use o' papers a prosecutable by law Editor: I'M Malach News Editor Jake Barg freelance Editor MopeNeelson Editor rat Editor Main f oher Editorial Editor *Ws Janssen Oraphlca Editor -Kid PIslay Sports Editor Dave Oartwnnaau Entertainment Editor EieyaHom Supplements Editor Casey Anderson Night Editor: Dtratyn Trappe Associate Editors: Tammy Haley Student Government A.-f yu-es, Daialyn Trappe. Community. CdSoan Pohkg tsgher Education. 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J4MII1 MO. I MUST. NO. AFTER ¥011 *ra ¥». «u BKT. A MO NOU A \ \ ?WL ^ AfTR'ClL^! u I I \ Tl* *ACWK£ LETTERS Happy guy I like this paper a lot because it makes me laugh I want to thank lake Berg's "Universitas" for the reminder [ODE. Feb. 16). The hardest I over laughrwf while reading the Emerald was when two people argued for days about an irrelevant issue, only to dis< over they had identical view points all along It was funny to open the pa [Mir and watch them make fools of themselves day after day. 1 laughed a lot. It makes me sad that more papers don't emphasis’.* letters to the editor like the Emerald. It would he a happier world if these were published more of ten, Everyone needs a good laugh once in a while. But most people don't give o care My friends say the Emer ald is a non-newsworlhy waste of time But I know that in the letter section — where there are all sorts of crazy and kooky peo ple — anything can happen. I like the Emerald. I hope it will continue to publish wacky Iutters because the letters make me laugh, and laughing makes me happy. And perhaps, if I'm lucky. Berg will continue to write columns to remind me that it's OK to laugh at all the crazy, kooky people. Matt nowara English Go elsewhere Referring to Jake Berg's column (ODE. Feb 16) If all the "crazy and kooky people" in Eugene are too much for him to handle. I pleasurably encourage him to pursue his interests elsewhere. Brittany Henderson Journalism Abortion wrong In the constant debate over abortion, I would like to address Ben Iglauer's letter (ODE. Feb. 12). He said there are many char acteristics that we believe are essential to a human being, "such as self-awareness and the ability to interact with others." He contends that a growing fetus does not contain those qualities, a pathetic argument he uses in the defense of abortion. However, a baby who is only one-hour old lacks those same qualities Iglauer mentions, and nobody would think about kill ing a child then Hut thousands of women every day do just that — kill a child. I am completely for equal rights, and most definitely sup port women's rights. However, in the case of abortion, the ''right" to choose who lives and who dies is not ours to make. Our choice is to have safe sex. abstain or think of adoption, not to kill an innocent child because of our mistakes ant) wrongdoings Robyn K. Hagg Pre-Journalism Much to learn Steve Masat. Zoe Pnrgot and Barbara Rodgers may believe they have mastered the concept of "diversity," but their actions on Pel). 2 show otherwise. It seems these three self-ap pointed members of the Univer sity thought-police believe di versity to be a characteristic solely dependent on ethnicity, gender or the color of one's skin. I have news for these individuals — it can also be found in the dif ferent opinions people posses. Calling a person "racist and homophobic." simply because of a political philosophy he or she adheres to. is an act of ignorance that should be strongly discour ager! Unsubstantiated attacks are often successful in the watch what-you-say. politically correct environment currently infesting our University, but they fail in the broader political en vironment. If Masat. Pargot and Rodgers believe unsubstantiated charac ter assassinations am the logical way to confront people who possess different political be liefs. they have much to learn. I suggest starting with the dic tionary. It would behoove them to obtain complete definitions of the words "diversity.” "toler a nee" and "intolerance.” They might be shocked to discover their actions on Feb. 2 fit under the definition of "intolerance." Bryan Vereschagin Political Science Skinheads in the past, l have on occasion heard stories related to skinheads in Eugene. I have always ignored those stories, believing they were nothing but grossly exaggerated rumors. I thought,"... Nah, a city with a university that boasts diversity can’t possibly lw plagued by the skinheads." Well, was I in for a big surprise. On the evening of Feb. 10, I had the misfortune of leaving a sandwich store just in time to tie caught at an intersection with a bunch of, you guessed it, skin heads. Thoy hollered obscenities (which I cannot possibly describe to you) regarding African-Amer icans for at least three blocks. As a minority myself, 1 felt both great discomfort and anger at the time. I wondered. "What did African Americans do to these lost souls to deserve such bitterness and hatred?" I see the skinheads as a defi nite threat to minority students at the University. I am not para noid, but I am very concerned about the safety of minority stu dents who have to be on campus at night Constant patrolling by the police is one solution, although it's not adequate in solving tne problem. It seems ironic the University should boast ubout its diversity while no attempt is made to dis courage such hate groups away from the campus community. If the University and the campus community really care about students, a joint effort should be made to turn away hate groups from the campus area Paul Y. Ting Visual Design CORRECTION An editorial in the Feb. 12 issue of the Emerald incorrectly implied the Lesbian. Gay and Bisexual Alliance, at a Feb. 10 news conference, blamed the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity for the actions one of its pledges Scott Siebert. a member of Oregonians United Together Political Action Committee, made the statement at the news conference asking for SAE to have its charier revoked