OPINION Packwood may finally be forced to answer to the public LiaS.alciccia Bob I’.h kwood may finally gat it After a turn of events it looks like our infamous Senator will finally have his day of reckoning bat's hope so, after all the talk, talk, talk without any serious answers that’s been blowing around for a year since Pack wood’s dirty linen was aired. The turning point occurred I ri dny. After his peers in the Senate almost unanimously voted against his right to privacy for the subpoena of his private diaries. Packwood finally realized that the allies he thought he could count on all along weren't there for him. Seeing an advantage in going after Packwood for not only charges of sexual misconduct. but the criminal misconduc t that his diaries imply. the wolfish hoy s on the hill abandoned their usu al stance of protecting a fellow stud and decided to rip every shred of dignity and pretense from Pack wood's carcass that their tooth and claws could col lect. They bat ked him into such a tight corner that Pat kwood agreed to resign (*•» a u se he knew he was cornered and he had no excuses left to snarl The right to privacy excuse was y\earing thin, anti the semi-confessions of wrongdoing that he how led to the Killies Committee and the press didn't throw anyone off his trn< k So at the time when Capitol I till was "flooded" with rumors of Pat kwood's resignation, right when we thought it v\as ( urtanis for this drama without any res olutioil of the plot, tile Justice Department stepped in with another subpoena for the diaries And now the judicial branch has a perfei t chance to live up to the concept of justu e Although many. 1 su.sjiet t. would like to s»-e him get tho hell out of office now, last weekend's turn of events will possibly orchestrate two things that are vital in working through tho issues that plague tins nation First of all. tf Pa* kwood goes to trial to answer to * barges lev• eled against him by the publu . the press and his peers, it will hopefully set a prts edent for the bovson the Hill that has not pro viouslv been adhered to It's called accountability Bv dredg ing up all the unthinkable mis representations off )regon con stituents from his tolI-oll journals, and by making him answer to the i barges, the |ustii e Department will toll the world that A merit an politicians can no longer hide from the public They can t just resign and have some other cor rupt politician pardon them they have got to defend them selves just like the rest of us The law says that Congressmen and women are not accountable for crimes in the same way the rest of us .ire They have to answer only to their oyvn hthu s Commitoe that, until nor*. has had a history of protecting and overlooking corruption Hut now not only does the Pthics Com mittee w.uit Pock wood's head on ,i platter. so dons the !usti< e Department, which says ttint it Packwood is guilty of i rinnn.il u tiv il\, it's ils business. too And if Hob Pm kwuod finally realizes that his Inchon and harassment are not just something hit s got to explain to Ins buildius in the l eg islativn (train h. hut also to the Judii nil Brant b anti, most impor tout t> , to the Unit mi States i iti /nils ami to the Oregon con stituents who put him into offtt n. all will not l>n for naught Another key pttw etient that hts trial would set is one that 1 t an not stress enough It yvil! send the strong message to sexual harnxsers everywhere and the pig gish employers who condone them that yon t an t get away yvith unyvunted sexual behavior any more The ( laretu e Phottias con firmation hearings may have opened some eyes to the issue, hut yy.iti lung a hunch of stodgy old men nttm k Anita Hill s alle gations that she yyas indeed yvronged by I'homas isn't many women s ultra oi |usiu:e. Hv making nn example out of this public figure, government has it i ham e to send n message to working women that it t ants about their welfare Working women, for oih e. couId have the i ham e to be taken seriously in their right to a harassment-tree env ironment and would not have to put up with the sexual intim idation that was pre\ iouslv < on sidered a given in their lives It I’,ii kwood is held aicount able for and made to answer to the crimes of which he is ai i used, the American pufilii |ust tnav regain a little faith in a sys tem that savs von can cover up unv i rime with a smile and an expensive suit Women would rest a little easier knowing that piggish politii inns, no matter how important they are. will he asked to oink in a smaller trough. Most importantly, people like him mill not get so much encour agement to slav I lint wav If lie doesn't get d now . he never w ill /.in Solt'ii l itus ii reporter for ihr l inerald LETTERS Great musician On Friday, Nov. 12, Musit Professor Edward Kammurer died from complications of leukemia at age 54. On Saturday. Nov 11. an extensive article by Kimber Williams, including a picture of professor Klnmmerer. was pub lished in the Hegister-Gunni. The article began. "Eugene mourns loss of gifted University of Oregon teacher and musi cian." On Sunday, Nov. 14. friends gathered at Beall Hall on the University campus to pay trib ute to this fine and talented man. He was acclaimed by fel low University professors and deans as well ns University musicians, members uf the Kugene Symphony and Orches tra and jazz colleagues. On Monday. Nos 15, 1 vainly searched the Oregon Daily Emarald for the acknowledge ment of the passing of this wor thy University musician and teacher 1 did the same thing on Tuesday, then Wednesday. Thursday and Friday. Not one word. I am appalled at the total lack of dignity this former award winning University paper is dis playing Where is the loyalty to a University teacher and alum nus (BA in music education and MA in music) who was impor tant enough to bo Imslowed with the title of musician laureate of iho stall' of Oregon by a formnr governor, a University music inn who was commissioned to umi pose a piano solo that was nine eel in a tinie capsule to a cornerstone of Villard I fall and a man who shared his music "with gre.it abandon and unhounding generosity with thousands and thousands of people"? In today's (Nov 19) Heg/ster Guard, it was announc ed that the University's music school has established a sc holarship to aid students in |u//. studies in memory of Edward hammerer 1 am sure the lucky rec ipients of this scholarship will nave the good taste to c arry on the mem ory of such an outstanding Uni versity musician. It seems a real shame iliiit the Emerald could not even 01 knowledge the loss of sue li a gifted tern her. mentor and alumnus Nancy Nelson Eugene Applause l.ia Salt n i la's opinion column j()/)/•.'. Nov 18) was brave. elo quent and moving I teach a seminar tailed Women and the l aw I'lie da\ (adore the b.nwruhl published the mug shots of the three Afrit an Amerii,an men an used of sexu al assault, the only Afrti an-Amer lean in this seminar had made me and the rest of the ( lass confront how differently Amerii an soei et\ through l>i" and the media treats him k and while men ace used of sex t rimes Her point was reaffirmed with n vengeance when the photos appeared on the t'mi'rahl’s front page the next day Ms Sail ice ias examination ol the Kniera/c/'s guilt and innn c mu e along will) her own was one of tlie best disc ussions ot rac ism by a while person that I've ever read Km ism in Amern a is omnipresent and very compli cated Ms Salem c.io understands this Responding to her c hallenge to the rest of the University com munity to talk, to each other aliuut rac ism is our only hope for mean ingful change. Caroline Forell Associate Professor MONDAY NIGHT SPECIAL A.Y.C.E. 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