EDITORIAL
OCA’s recall effort
misguided, divisive
The Oregon House of Representatives took a step
toward ending the local battles over gay rights last week
when it passed House Bill 3500, which, if enacted by the
Senate and made into law. would prohibit city or coun
ty governments from either supporting or opposing gay
rights.
The reaction by the Oregon Citizens Alliance was as
misguided as it was swift; leaders of the OCA immedi
ately began a recall effort against 14 of the key legislators
who voted in favor of HH 3500.
The organization's attempt is inappropriate because it
is not motivated by a desire to replace inept or incom
petent members of the state Legislature, which is the
only legitimate reason for a recall. It is clearly designed
to remove those legislators who believe that the OC.A’s
crusade against gay rights, currently being waged in
local communities like Junction City and Springfield,
should b<> fought only on a statewide level.
Why the OCA should be so opposed to HH 3500 is not
immediately clear: after all. the bill prohibits local gov
ernments from enforcing any ordinance that "singles out
citizens or groups of citizens on account of sexual ori
entation," which would make "special rights" as equal
ly forbidden as the OCA's more severe anti-gay rights
objectives (like the "wrong, abnormal, unnatural and
perverse" language in last November’s failed Ballot Mea
sure 9.)
If HH 3500 makes it impossible for communities to
grant "special rights" to gays and lesbians, then the OCA
should support it. The fact that it is not indicates that
there is more on the OCA's conservative agenda than
preventing "special rights."
HH 3500 frightens the OCA because it will rob the
OCA of its ability to fight winnable wars in local com
munities like Junction City Such small victories are cru
cial if tho OCA is to expand its base of support and hope
to eventually win a statewide measure.
No matter what the OCA's real reasons for opposing
the bill, the means of opposition, the recall, is what
demands attention. The misuse of the power to recall is
commonly threatened, but rarely is it threatened by a
group as large and powerful as the OCA. I he legislature
cannot help but notice, and some members of the Senate
may even oppose tho bill when it comes up for a vote,
simply because they fear OCA retaliation.
Oregon has elections for stato legislators every two
years; if the OCA feels that its views have not been tak
en seriously, then it has every right to mobilize its sup
porters and replace those legislators when the appro
priate time comes. The power to recall representatives
should be reserved for those occasions when a represen
tative has demonstrated that ho or she is unable to do the
job, not for when that representative makes a choice that
happens to be different than the one voters would make.
Oregon Daily
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CNV'iiOUtd THIS
OPINION
Streaks and stars at the break
s baseball slogs into the
All-Star break, it's time to
reflect a bit on the season
thus far
Where once baseball ruled as
America's pastime, it has now
become just a way to pass time
between football seasons The
names of Mantle. Williams and
Aaron — giants one and all —
have been replaced with bicker
ing egoists Bonilla. Canseco and
Bonds Superstars, yes. but taint
ed role models
Still, baseball has an allure no
sport tan match. After all. even
George Will was moved to was
poetic ahout the game, though he
made it sound more like quan
tum physics than chalk lines and
rawhide Spauldings.
Thoughts on the 1993 season:
Expansion was a good idea,
and the committee that chose
Colorado and Florida now looks
like a genius. The R<x kies' at*
dance has been unbelievable
What would happen if tins team
started winning?
The Mets and Padres have been
around fora while but look more
like expansion teams than the
real ones do. The Mets have a
bloated budget and can't win tvall
games, ami the Padres traded
soon-to-be megastar Gary
Sheffield for the baseball equiv
alent of used i hewing gum. Both
teams should be sent to AAA
baseball for n couple of future
prospects ...
Smartest baseball move: forc
ing bigoted Marge Schott out of
the game Dumbest possible base
ball move: considering letting her
fiack in ...
Comedy of errors the finger
pointing on the Texas Rangers
after lose Canseco went down
with an elbow injury after a
pitching outing Nobody can
decide whose fault it is. Try
everybody, folks ...
Camden Yards is the perfect
place to have the All-Star Game.
It is easily the lies! park in base
ball ...
More on the All-Star Game
Anybody bitching alwut quality
players ieft off of the roster miss
the point of the game It is not a
showcase for the sport's best; it
is a fan excursion ...
Given that, there are some
notable absences With all their
fans, how come the Rcx.kies don't
have any starters' Andres Galar
raga is hitting 40 points higher
and has more RBI than John
kruk. who starts the game tonight
Everybody is clamoring for Bo
(ackson us Comeback Plavor of
the Year, but how ubout Fernan
do Valenzuela? Taking nothing
away from Bo's amazing rehab.
Fernando's return to the game is
just as miraculous. When last
seen, his screwball had left him
and he had Little League pitch
ing speed. Now. despite his 4-7
record. Fernando has an ERA of
less than 4.()0 and a string of 2.'t
scoreless innings. Not had fora
supposedly washed-up pitcher
dumped by two teams ...
While the Padres' fire sale of
players makes them the dumbest
front office in baseball, the Mots
aren't far liehind. Look for Dallas
Green to get dumped by the end
of the year, but in all fairness,
Casey Stengel couldn’t get this
group to perform. They have tal
ent but seem apathetic ...
Anthony Young deserves an
award not only for perseverance,
hut grat e under pressure as well.
Not many people could take los
ing 26 straight games. The only
smart move the Mets have made
this year is not giving up on him.
He's not pitching badly, despite
the record, and sending him
down could destroy his confi
dence and career. Ix*t him work
it out in the lugs It's not like the
Mets an* m a petulant rate or any
thing...
The search for a commission
er continues, hut slowly. Owners
are looking for someone who is
(a) highly visible, (b) eminently
distinguished and (c) extremely
malleable People with backbones
need not apply
Harry Bonds seems to lie worth
every penny of his contract. Ex
teammate Bobby Bonilla does not
Most Valuable Players the
aforementioned Bonds and
Toronto's John Olerud.
Predictions: No way. Ask me
again in August.
Don Peters is a columnist for
the Emerald,
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