EDITORIAL Time is running out for dying Bosnians The Clinton administration is facing its first serious test in the international arena, and it's failing miserably. Clinton inherited the Bosnian crisis from George Bush, who is guilty of allowing the situation to develop as it has, yet that is no excuse for continued inaction. Unlike Kuwait, thero is no underlying U S. interest (oil), and thus, no pressing need for American involve ment. This is true only if you believe the United States has no interest in whether tens of thousands of people are butchered and tons of thousands more are perma nently ’‘relocated." Of course, the United States has never used military force to come to the aid of a people, although it basks in its self-proclaimed glory for the two times a race or eth nic group of people were inadvertently "freed" as a result of U.S. action. In the first instance, African-American slaves were freed following the Civil War. It is well known, or it should be, that the Civil War was not about slavery, it was about economics, and Lincoln himself said if ho could have not freed the slaves, he wouldn’t have. The second case was the liberation of huro poan Jews from Nazi concentration camps. It is widely believed the U.S. government knew of the holocaust, hut In time, the war In Bosnia will bum itself out without intervention... It will end because there will be no more Bosnians to kill. was not motivated to " intervene until Hitler got too aggressive for U.S. tastes and went to war with England. The difference botween those two situations and the one today in Bosnia is that Bosnia is not a secret. There is no doubt the world knows what's going on there, and there is no doubt the world doos not approve. There is doubt, howover. as to whether it's in anyone's interest to intervene. In time, the war in Bosnia will burn itself out with out intervention. When it ends, it will not be due to any brilliantly negotiated peace plan, nor U.N. intervention, nor the sudden realization by the Bosnian Serbs that genocide is wrong. It will end because there will be no more Bosnians to kill. Then the world, and especially the United States, will breath a sigh of relief. Embargoes will be placed on Ser bia. International organizations will ban Serbian involve ment. Memorials to Bosnia will be erected as proof of our sorrow, inscribed with such solemn words as, "Nev er Again (This Time Wo Really Mean It!)." And if we all stand around holding our noses a little longer, maybe the stench of the "ethnic cleansing” in Bosnia will simply go away. Oregon Daily Emerald I A *»l » •« ? * The Oregon Da*y tmeraM > pubaahad duty Monday through Friday during tha school ear and Tueaday and Thu'ftday during th* rummer try Ih# Oregon Daily Emerald •ubiiahmg Co Inc . at the Umvarvty o! Oagon. { ugana. 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Display Advertising..346-3712 CUss.fied Advising . 346-4343 COMMENTARY Attitudes influence our daily lives By Eli Babbs Everyone at some time or another has had a run-in with altitudes from other l**o[j|e These people may or may not have felt violated, or tnayta they were abusing one another anti didn't ret agnize it It turns out that one may feel the pressure of society and devel op an attitude in order to sustain a feeling of power How tan alti tudes of today lie shifted into pos itive power7 Well, here are some of my ideas: Unfortunately, it seems a per son with power is most likely to have his or her voice heard Some could argue they've been neglect ed and have had no chance to speak. Well. I'm writing to relay this message that everyone, with attitude or not. should write and let it be known how they feel. If your voice is restrained verbal ly then let the words you've writ ten do your talking. We. the students of the Uni versity. already have this gener ally instilled attitude in our minds that we're more liberal and educated than others who don't have a college education. Perhaps it's from the amount of money we pay to attend college It is a loul concept mat money will get you power, when actu ally in comparison to others who don't attend. I believe we are all amateurs until our full develop ment into a professional career. The attitude that we're supposed to become the advanced educat ed elite still remains and can be explained through the authority Figures who teach us. And where did those so-railed authority figures come from? I don't know how many times I’ve felt insulted or degraded from the strong attitude of a cop. teacher or boss. Not everyone is ignorant, and what does it mean when you're frowned on for question ing something? I believe it means we're testing power, and the ultimate test. 1 believe, is the interaction with police and the judicial system. Even an authoritative figure can be hushed by the power of gov ernment. 1 was setting up to play music at the campus bar Taylor's Col lege Side Inn when I noticed my friend Jeff being harassed by a well-known campus cop. When I got outside, two more cops pulled up. both of whom I'd been acquainted with. I said. "What's going on? This is my txuuui, ghat's he done?" Almost m once everyone said, "Go inside Eli, this has nothing to do with you." Well, when it all came down, |eff had a $505 tick et for criminal mis< hief. On another occasion a different friend. Craig Soo, was handcuffed near Taylor's and held for 40 minutes while the same officer wrote him a ticket for unlawful use of the street So do we all get it. that this is what happens when there's an attitude struggle and ail unjust edge of power that always seems to win? Jeff was clicking the fray phone's change return when the officer grabbed him from behind to ask what lie was doing. He had lost his quarter in the telephone and resisted the officer's unkind concern. In a similar way. it was unfor tunate timing for Craig to run into the offiier during an attitude fiair up. Craig was merely walking across the street during a snow ball fight when he came across the officer, who was already angry from being hit by an anony mous snowball. He just needed to write a redemption ticket to redeem his feeling of power through his attitude to slop the students from having fun. These are some examples of attitude conflicts that are the hardest to win. We don't always noed to challenge the top author ity figure. If you have an attitude about the way things are done, then look into the problem. Well, where does it all start and what will our voice say? Who do we question? When do we go too far. and why is there always a stop per? These are five basic questions that are the foundations of trust Who. what, where, when and why? If one tan honestly answer all of the questions without a flaw, then can't we assume they're telling the truth? Generally, yes. but what about the problem of counter-persua sion? Could people rehearse the five Ws to perpetuate the truth to the people who are ignorant or uneducated for the purpose of dishonest persuasion? Do these powerful people show signs of commitment or do they just seem anxious to convince? At the least we should be aware of their com mitment to a goal. This way, trust can be revealed from the out come. Problems of trust can also be slowed by the changes of our awareness. It’s the people with attitudes that generate an aware ness VVhetber it's a bad altitude There’s no need to kiss butt socially or economically, through people and business; we have the power of voice. or a good attitude, we can social ly depict what the right and wrong thing is - attd if not that, at least what is fair. Here's an example of attitudes pulling up an unfair rule. I played on an intramural lias ketball team for the students of the University until our team was disqualified for bad sportsman ship. 1 felt our disqualification was deeply unfair. We paid to play, and our fellow student ref erees took it within their power to stop our arrogant winning. We liked being good, we deserved to play, and it was the team's last season. We also liked being amateurs because we didn't receive much discrimination from our peers. Who else are wo to compete against while we're in school? Well, it just goes to show you what an arrogant atti tude will get you — a snort sea son and a weary head. Plus the awareness of the way the rules are. Too bad it's too late. Well how about the leaders who make these unfair rules? People who are to lie our leaders or role models must have a com mitment to who we believe they ought to be. And if they don't, let us compete and challenge them, because empowerment will come more through knowledge and trust than brown-nosing and money. There's no need to kiss ass socially or economically, through people and business: we have the power of voice Our verbal voice is sometimes hard because there's always some abuse, but what about our written voice? It's less personal and the abuse is sus tainable. Plus, there's not much worry about power struggles and dis crimination problems. These atti tudes should be a problem to attack with a counter-attitude, a motivated positive attitude about fairness and equality. Write to the editor on any prob lem you need to attack. Or write in a resjionse to this commentary. Eli Uahbs is a student at the L’luvt/rsity.