EDITORIAL Deadline threatens chance for peace Allowing himself little room to maneuver, President Bill Clinton announced last week that all American troops will be recalled from peace-keeping duty in oast Africa's war-torn Somalia by March ,11. Period. Clinton did not provide himself a back door if things should go sour. Ho might as well have said, "Road my lips." If circumstances should demand a change in plans or an extension of the deadline, Clinton would not be able to adapt. He's stuck; Somalia bo damned. Tho strict deadline is an obvious attempt to quiet those who believe that involvement in Somalia could end up as "another Vietnam.” This paralyzing fear of military commitment is understandable, but it places unreasonable demands on foreign policy decision mak ing. Are we going to abandon all causes that don’t appear to be winnable in a matter of months? As tho world's only remaining superpower, the Unit od States has a responsibility to support the United Nations in its efforts to keep peace and provide relief to people in poor and war-torn nations. There is a limit to how long wo should be expected to prop up a coun try, of course, but placing an absolute deadline for U.S. involvement in Somalia is a potential pitfall. If tho sit uation there worsens, it will be difficult for Clinton to order tho troops to pack up and go. knowing that tho sit uation is little different than when they arrived. The U.S. legacy in Somalia should not be one of heavy-handed control. We should make every effort to encourage peace talks between the warring clans, and hopefully leave Somalia with some form of transitional government in place. But expecting all that to bo done by the end of March, even with an expanded U.S. pres ence in the meantime, is highly optimistic. Fortunately, the president's announcement does indi cates that he realizes that it was a mistake to abandon the stated role of the United States in Somalia from one of humanitarian relief to hunting down warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid. Whatever threat he may have posed, taking him on was a grievous error, which has already led to the deaths of at least 18 American ser vicemen and the capture of another. Clinton has dispatched distinguished negotiator Robert Oakley to Somalia to help jump-start peace talks that have boon stalled there for months. Clinton has stat ed publicly that there needs to be an "African solution to an African problem" and hopes that Oakloy (who was the Bush administration's representative in Somalia) will inspire the neighboring states to take the initiative in helping to reestablish long-term order and a stable government in Somalia. Such an arrangement would bo idoal. Continued U.S. presence in Somalia will only foster anti-American sen timent in the region, no matter how noble our inten tions. If our armed attempts to create a long-standing peace are going to be disregarded as evidonce of Amer ican imperialism, then the only option available is to leave it up to the Somalis. And hopo for the best. Oregon Daily Emerald PO BOX 31*9 EuCtNt O«CGO*W40J T h« Oregon D»ty Emm art is published duty Mondsy though Friday during the school v««' and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Oa Mardtam. Manage< Vidor Maps. &m Tia Tecs Distribution: Brandon Andaraon. John long. Graham Stmpson ■uslnsss Katfty Carbona. Superior Judy Connolly Production Dee McCoOb. Production Coontinator Shawns Abala. Greg Daemond. Tara Gauilney. Brad Joss. Janmtar Roland. Ran Thangnyt. Clayton Yaa Haawroont_JM Mil DtagMy AdvartaMg-MMTII *"T__MUItl ClaaaMad AdvarttaMg-MMM1 jmUA MtSt efimj TVS <'*‘•'1 A Problem WHAT S . « 1V£ DtftOCMTiC I I.I Cine O Ji OAOW — J <7M P*P£ 0 PA«ry. LETTERS Driking on job? As n longtime resident of Eugene, I decided to take advan tage of having the University nearby by registering for a doss this fall. Today, as I was waiting for my student ID to be processed. I glanced at the load article in the Emerald {ODE. Sept. to), regarding the "ASUQ Executive pa i r'' by Scot Clemens. As I opened to the continua tion on Page 3, 1 noticed the "Ai ( ent On” box highlighting each of the execs personally. I was astounded to see that the third item considered of greatest importance to highlight was their "Favorite 'Driking' Estab lishment.” Six years ago I took an under grad economics class with Barry Siegel, who is an outstanding and interesting teacher. Barely half of the c lass would show up each session. 1 realized this when the exam came. This fall I am taking Chinese 101 and attendance appears to be excellent. 1 trust this means that the students are there to learn this time. However, my experience five years ago and the apparent fas c ination of the student body with the trendies! "driking" establishment leaves me with little doubt why the tax-paying public is and will be reluc tant to increase its tax burden unless there is a greater reason to do so. Gail Newton Eugene Stealthy OCA The content of Martin Fisher's column on the Oregon Citizens Alliance [ODE. Oct. 4) comes off nearly as reactionary and shal low as any typical pro-OCA argument. The danger of this is that by failing to understand the OCA's goals beyond the gay rights issue. Fisher depicts it as less of a threat than it truly is. In the article. Fisher para phrases Mabon as saying that if the courts overrule the OCA's initiatives, his group would sim ply replace the judges. Fisher scoffs at this remark and makes a weak joke about shaving cream and brain cells; then, he ironically says, "Think about it." Ever since Pat Robertson's failed presidential run, his Christian Coalition, of which the OCA is a part, has explicitly stated its new approach: run ning "stealth” candidates who operate "below radar" by run ning in local elections rather than in the national arena (their words). It targets local offices: school boards, city councils, mayoral seats, and yes. Martin, they even run candidates for judicial seats. These are races to which few voters pay much attention — races where a little of Pat's mon ey goes a long way. Once the Oregon Supreme Court becomes packed with conservative Chris tians, it can interpret the law any way it sees fit. and we will all suffer. The OCA has every right to exist. Oregonians should not try to ban the OCA; rather, we should try to render it political ly impotent. If we focus only on the fiCA itself, or its flagship issue, homosexuality, its ulti mate platform proceeds unscathed. The OCA is the embodiment of Pat Robertson's "Think Globally. Act Locally” campaign; never forget it. Tyler Hoffman Eugene Spicy numerals I'd like to clarify a few points that might have been foggy after the publication of the article in Sept. 29 Emerald. The course is being offered winter term, but is not a regular course yet, i.e. although it has a CRN and title assigned to it. this does not mean it is going to be offered next academic year for sure. It is a three-credit course with grad ed option, as mentioned, and serves ns u I.ING '199 course for academic requirements. Two other omissions that I'd like to have seen are the fact that it is taught on a voluntary basis and much of the credit for arranging it goes to Professor Tom Givon from the linguistics department. For people excited to know how much Arabic they already know, I mention, in passing, that the decimal digits (0 through 9) are Arabic. We Arabs use Indian numerals maybe because we bought their spices and got the numerals free. If this is confusing, people interested may talk to me at 345 3160. Abed Khooli Physics Enquirer Please!! Has anyone on your staff reviewed the content of your newspaper recently? I thought you were supposed to be a Uni versity newspaper, focusing on campus and local interests. 1 don't mind the inclusion of some national news, since, for many students, your rag may Imj their only access to a daily newspaper. However, I am dis appointed in your selection. Just look at your AP headlines from your Wednesday. Oct. 6. edi tion: "Portland women plead no contest to hand sex." “Prisoners may be tough, but security is tougher." "Buttafuoco finally admits he slept with Amy Fish er." "Priest admits to molesting 28 children in the 1960s." "Wife maims man. pleads insanity." and the ultimate: "Alligator gob bles up woman, 70." Really!! This is what I expect to find at the Safeway checkout stand. I certainly expect some thing a bit more scholarly from a college newspaper! Or are you descending to the crass intellec tual wasteland of modern-day pop society? Rcbaocs MMcmsII Eugene