EDITORIAL Dr. Death sways the right to live or die •‘1 follow the dictates of the Nuremberg Court: Any Immoral law must be disobeyed. If society obeys it soci ety is immoral," said Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Although Dr. Jack Kevorkian, perhaps better known as Dr. Death, has been spending some time behind bars surely contemplating such issues as the right to live, he has. with a bit of a "God complex,” aided in suicides across the country. To many he is doing a service to peo ple on their death bed, with little will left to live and a terminal illness that unless cured by a miracle is. with out a doubt, going to take away what life is left. Miracles are an alternative to suicide for the termi nally ill. We don't hoar much about those miracles any more. especially ones like this: "With no sign of recovery they decided to switch off the machines. That's when it happened. Within 35 minutes. the patient began to respond. Over the next few hours his vital signs gradually strength ened. Three miraculous days later, he walked out of the hospital under his own power.”! The Oregonian, Sept. 13. 1993) But lot's paint a different picture. Let's say this "mir acle" was happening under a different set of circum stances. Let’s say instead of the man's family members standing by to unplug his life support system. Dr. Death was standing by waiting to inject his lethal potion that will send the terminally ill into sleep that can never be disturbed. There doesn't really seem to be much differ ence. but society weighs heavily on the two: yet mira cles are still seen as an important factor. Though Dr. Death may at times seem to be a person that is not in soc.loty’fc best interest to be walking around with lotJisnl drugs, ho does stand for a cause that is very personal to uipny. A cause that Oregon voters are likely to face in the-next year. The right-to-die groups have begun drafting an ini tiative aimed for the 1994 ballot that goes beyond that of passive euthanasia by allowing doctors to participate in the suicides of terminally ill patients. There are many powerful arguments to this sensitive discussion. Euthanasia is a personal choice that under many cir cumstances is not loft up to the individual simply because he or she is in a state where a decision cannot be made. Whether wo agreo or not, surely Dr. Death's boliof and cause will influence society to the possibility that desired suicide is a very real alternative. It is the per son's life and not society's after all. With the option of going to the polls in 1994 there seems to be too person al of an issue to let society sway individual opinion. The issue should not be tagged suicide but instead an answer to a terminal illnoss whore there is no will to live. It is an ethical issue whore the ones deciding the outcome, if it is not their own. will have the responsi bility to shoulder for the rest of their lives. Oregon Daily PO ttO Emerald ji*,* f uGtut o«tu: The Onoon D+1) I mmrakj is publiahad daily Monday ihfotjgh f t*lay tiding the school ,««! »nd Tuesday and Thutaday during mo summei by tb# Oregon Daiy Emoratd PubliahiiM Co . Inc . a! the Umversity of Oregon | ugene. Oregon Th* I r'tntkl operate* independently of fbo University anth obrcee of Suite 300 of the f rti Mehxvlai Union and 4 a member 0* the Asvkaated Press The Emmua It private property The unlayyfiji removal or use of papers it prosecutable by Law Managing Editor Editorial Editor Graph lea Editor Fraalanca Editor Editor-In-Chief Jake Barg Caffoy Anderson Sports Editor David Thorn Editorial Editor Job Paslay Photo EdRor Jail Winters Supplements Editor Night Editor: Oava Cbarbonnsau Sieva Mms Joff Pickhardt Anihony Eomey Italy Solo Aaaoclata Edltora: Scot Clamant. Sfudanf Government Actnnf.es 0 abate a Merrill Community. Rivers Janasan. tegher fdlrcatxvVAiphin.sf’ahon Naan Suit. Dave Chartxmneau. Hear do Davxxi Mad Dedolph. Amy Davenport Maira f ,e«» Martin Fienar. Sarah Handaraon. Are Heasektthf. Edward Ktoptenatem Y* Lang leong Tints Norn, Eliaabalh Raanaliarna la Sakacoa. Scott Srmonaon. Slapbania Sitaon. Sotanne Statfana. .hike Srrenaan. Mrchaie Tbompaon Aguiar. Kavn Tripp, Amy Van Tuyt. Daniel West Ganarai Manager: Judy FUecS Advartlalng Director: Mark Waiter Production Manager: Mtheie Float Advarttaing Suba Dutta. Nicola lier/mark. Ter eat Isabella. Jan Marion. Jeremy Mason. Madiaei lyMane. Van V O'Bryan II, Rachael Trull. Ketaey Wake*. Angie W«dia"i Clatelfted Becky Merchant, Manager Victor Mapa. Sim Tra Tack Distribution: Braxton Andaraon, John long. Graham Simpeon Buainaaa: Kalhy Carbone Supervisor .tody Connolly Production: Dae McCobb. P'odbcbon Coonknalor Shawns Abeia. Greg Desmond, Tara Gaultrary. Brad Jots. Jannrlar (Wand. Naif Thanginyf dayton Yea Newsroom__J4E-M11 Olsplay Advarttaing->**-3711 Buainaaa Oiftca...J40-S512 Classified Advertising -M6-4M3 SuRfrEON GeNtRAlS warning "coot.' ANP oeCAPeNT IN THE PARLY YEAR’S OF CoU€6E CAN LEAD -TO A UECLoNS CfrU.€6e C/*r* ^ urtuurNw AptrttnON, eVCmV-ALLV CAO^lNCr A Pft/TA TU-Kfc PCATH. (rRy A TATTOO INSTEAD-) iiitiiiai Hello!?! (win anybody trai k down the lad in charge of layouts? For some odd reason. I've no! seen a crossword in the Emerald on a regular basis for the past cou ple of weeks In case it is not common knowledge. I have let - lures live tunes <t week This means I need n crossword to work on five times a week So then, do we understand the need? It's just plain negligence. I've only four words for y'all: "Dude! You're killing me!" Please rem edy the situation. Billy Peffley Psychology Mobilize By llto lime this letter is pub lished. the sales tax measure will have been defeated for the ninth time. I would like to encourage both sides of the measure to write the governor and Legislature to express their ideas and concerns in regard to what they believe would lie an appropriate way to face Oregon's school funding problem. It is time Oregonians mobilize to face this crisis. If the state is to lie competitive in the future, we cannot afford a second-rate edu cation system. (Since when has average been acceptable?) Our decision will not only affect us anti our children, but generations to come as well. Ron MacKenzIe Eugene Democracy When will we have the next riots in the United States? All we really hear is "crime is up," "out of hand," "build more prisons." “enforce the death penalty with out appeal... " No one asks why all this is happening across the United States and why we have become the most violent country in the world. People are fed up! They were under Reagan and Bush and even now, under Clinton, they see no hope for real change. The appalling abyss between rich and poor persists, chances of better education and jobs have evapo rated, and hopes for changes in the system have dried up Ghet tos have not improved; in L.A., nothing much has changed since the riots How long can we continue to ignore poverty anti homeltvtsness and feel safe? Crimo i9,not up — profits are up. All the wealth, iron bars and gated communities will lie no match for the people's fury The myth of "democracy goes on. NAFTA is a joke. The rich made their pile because of the crass tax-breaks under Keugun and Bush, not because they worked harder. As long as that tax gap continues. America will languish in decay while a hand ful enriches itself. Will they enjoy this world? Not much longer. It may explode! Hilde K. Cherry Eugene KWhat? From what I've hoard of KWVA, it seems like a basic col lege station, playing mostly unheard-of alternative bunds tho majority of the time. Under standably. tho purpose of a col lege radio station is to break in new bands (where would R.K.M be now if it weren't for college radio in the early to mid-1980s?), but 1 wonder if that is KWVA's main purpose. Because if it is, I think there could be room for improvement. Most of the time I listen to KWVA, 1 end up changing sta tions after awhile because I bare ly ever recognize a song that the station plays. 1 like all kinds of music, including college/alter native. but I just can't get into lis tening to song after song I've nev er heard before. Most people I talk to agree with this and don't listen to the station because of it. And so. if indeed KWVA is interested in its audience, or potential audience. I would sug gest that it intermix more recog nizable songs into the play list. I understand the station doesn't want to play "music that can be heart! elsewhere for free," but a couple of recognizable songs by respectable (former college-only) artists like The Cure, U2, Living Colour, Depeche Mode, etc., couldn't hurt. That way the sta tion could further appeal to the average college student without selling out its alternative sound. would a I so help the station to roach its purpose of bringing new bunds to larger audiences Philip Abraham Journalism Strength We should tirsi strongmen our own s»x:ial structure, which is the root of gangs and even violence. Individuals are distantly sepa rated. apart from others and the earth — due in part to the capi talistic system. Because of this same capital benefit, it was in the best inter est of the American hierarchy to send its children off to the plea surable death of warfare, so that sheiks (and those who they give kick-backs to), despite not being directly involved in the possible loss of their own lives, could gain extra advantageous dollar-billod statistics. It allows them to con tinue to he above and to not face what they can so quickly order of lessers: to create bloodshed and death for their equal mortal brothers. The United States shouldn't tell other countries how to run things, nor should they step into war-provoking situations like aid ing both Iran and Iraq at intervals, or walking unheeded into foreign conflicts and problems when the problems in our own country should already have been dealt with by such energetic altruism Our main concern should be for ourselves, not for foreign expe ditionary involvements. With our own problems stabilized, other countries would be given greater aid. For the more important need of nature and human welfare, the capitalistic system should also be questioned. Solomon Ludwig English