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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 1994)
OPINION Recruiters looking in the wrong place for a few good men It seems that I have friends in high placos, and they want me to know it. My local Portland-area mili tary recruiters are trying like crazy to turn me into a soldier Unfortunately for them, they're not having a lot of suc cess. I'm not exactly what the mili tary is looking for. A self avowed liberal with definite pacifist tendencies, the army doesn't expect me to go take out Saddam Hussein or nuke the former Soviet Union, does it7 1 have never expressed any sort of interest in the military that should define me as any sort of potential soldier to the armed forces And I would cer tainly not use the military -is a wav to pnv off mv debt at Ore gon Hall, either In fat t. I find it wrong that the military uses money for college education as bait in return for a commitment to participate in various acts of murder and may - hem (which is the purpose of the military). I'd rather work about a dozen part-time jobs before I would enter the mili tary Of course, the recruiters apparently don't realize this. They must have rather selective memories, considering that I Robbik Rkeyks have told them a thousand times that I don't want to hear about the military anymore and that their time and resourt.es would be better spent elsew here, for example, looking for real jobs But no. the\ keep calling and writing It seems the Armv and Nat \ hove the most interest in me. judging by the number ol phone i alls and junk mail they send me com anting my "oppor (unities ' in the armed fon es The calls from the Navy recruiter are espei tally interest ing This recruiter must have sold used cars in a former life. be< atise be is one of the pushiest people I have ever talked to. He called me this summer (one of about five calls I have had from him in the past six months). He apparently got my phone number from my high school (an a< t I will never for give the school for). After I told him no less than four limes in one minute that 1 was not interested at all, he started to tell me nlxmt his expe riences in the Navy Following 10 minutes of this drivel, he asked me what college I was going to be attending in the fall After contemplating lying in order to forever rid myself of this recruiter. I said that I would he attending the University of Oregon "Oh." he replied knowingly, "that's m Corvallis, right7" It makes me wonder where he went to college Me then said that he wanted to ask me a few questions to assess mv opportunities in the Navy todnv 1 think 1 stopped him after the 10th question or so He wanted to know a tittle more about me than I thought that he should (Have you been convii t ed of anything'* lloyv tail are you' Mo you use illegal drugs') Actually, college seems to tie a major theme among the brochures that the military has been sending me Most present the armed forces as a yvny of paving for college Even the recruiters that i all me ask how 1 am paying for college However, the computer that sends out the pamphlets to peo ple must he living in the past Ins ause it is still sending me the brochure aimed toward high school juniors and seniors, which implore people to start thinking about college Believe me. I have The calls always end when the recruiters ask "if 1 know any one who might be interested in learning about the opportunities that the Army (Navy, etc ) has?" I often think about giv ing him the names and phone numbers of some people that I really don't like, but I'm really not that c ruel The rec ruiters already waste enough of my tax dollars sending me junk mail, so I figure tiles needn't send their mail to everyone else is well True some might ask, it does sound pretty overhearing, but vvhv don't von just ignore the mail and hang up on the phone calls? Well. I've tried And it hasn't worked About the only thing left is .1 restraining order And. although it would be novel to try (ever heard of anyone who had a legal order handing t alls from the military to their house?), it probably wouldn't stop them from i ailing and w rite rig; The military does have its place iri society, although in America we tend to he a little paranoid hv thinking we must protect ourselves against every little country on the planet (sucJi os Iraq, who apparently threat* enod George Hush enough that he had to blow up the country). 1 grudgingly registered for the Selet tive Service when I turned 1ft several months ago. mostly Us mix' it's the law. I'm not going to go to jail for not registering with the government. I would rather go to jail for not fighting for the government. I just don't believe that it is right to impose one nation’s views upon another In killing one other It's kind of i niiuterprtrductive. About the only wav that the military t ould get a hold of me would lie during a draft Hut don 't count on me to fight. I'd rather serve mv i ountrv in some other [ie.it etui vs a\. fterhaps hv |tnning the I’»♦<!« e (!orps Hut the only t (inunction that I have nith the armed fon es these days is with mv friendly neigh borhood military ret miters, and I would rather keep my contact w ith them at a minimum .So. if anyone out there has am thing to do with the military. pavs on the message I'm not interested. Kealiv. Hut thanks for asking (and asking and asking ) Hohhip fleeces is (l columnist for the Kmernld LETTERS NEHrly perfect I want to thank reporter Jim Davis for his article on our recent NEH award. I do want to clarify two points: These awards are given on the basis of their academic strength and cogency. Your readers need to know that numerous faculty at the Univer sity as well as elsewhere con tributed significantly in creating these institutions and of course in serving as the teaching staff The article may have given the impression that these are one person shows, which could not lie further from the truth Secondly, at the NKH meet ings of directors of newly fund ed projects, last week in Wash ington, DC . there were throe of us from Eugene A number ol people, including several pro gram officers, noted strong rep resentation from Eugene and m> remark to Jim simply reported those comments 1 did not use the word "burg to refer to Kugene. It is not a word in my vocabulary. 1 simply said for u small city. Kugeue was well rep resented It was thus a more a positive statement than I was quoted in the article as making. Otherwise, the article was |»ir fec.t David Curland Foreign Language Resource Center Crazed Senator "Warm kisses and cold show ers" [ODE, Jan. 7) was typically written by a man Pack wood first apologizes for what he did "under the influence,” then hai k—pedals and accuses the women! It is all so embarrassing, and he ought to quit before it all gets balled up and crazy Pat kwood is so taken with himself and his importance that he can't possibly have the ener gy left to represent Oregon ill the Senate (only big timber that paid him off}, lie just made a won derful showing in Oregon by visiting little mills out in the bush, speaking to about <i5 to 75 people at a lime but never hav mg the courage to face a lug crowd in a big town He is satisfied He is a inward, and who needs him' He is a laughing slot k to Congress who lost his clout and I deeply resent having him as my (bandy) elm t ed representative He is not helping Oregon but is trying to hold on for more power and money. Truly a lost soul' Hllde K. Cherry Eugene Ignore whiners Have we the students who faithfully support the athletic department at the University been reduced to wearing seat belts while wati hmg such events? Spe< ifu allv I was never more disappointed at the Civil War game m which the adult section as well as the so-called rowdy student sec lion seemed as solemn as a i bun h choir Whv should we expect our teams to show up and piny when we, the student body, per mit i omplacency by remaining seated and producing only enough noise as which would compete with a glee i lull/ As one of the eight rowdy guys that Dave Charbonnenu desi riIntel in his article (ODE, Jnn 1H). I was shocked and confused as to why we were being reprimanded for showing our basketball team our appreciation for a game well played. To those of you that our school spirit annoyed or frus trated, my right to stand and cheer for mv team won't l>e vio lated My adv ii e to you w tuners is to stay horns m vour arm chairs to wall h tlm game amt leave tlif si hoot enthusiasm to the students who want to get a little rowdy. M< Arthur court is known in the Pot ifii -10 Con fere nci' as one of the most intimidating arenas to play in By keeping a few things in mind, this tradition i an and will continue indefi nitely. First, unhuckle those seat belts, stand up and make some noise Second, stomp those feet and let's get those backboards shaking once again Last, tell those whiners sitting behind you to tie part of the solution, not part of the problem Jeff Borgnes Psychology LETTERS din Ortffion Doily Enwrnld will uttempt !» print .ill Inlturs i onlaining conununls on (opit s of intvrt’si to the 1 nivursit\ i omimmitv Thu Enwrald reserves tlui ri^ht to edit any lotlor for length or sty In tr> irMwuni The Heidi Chronicles b> Wendy Wav version tan i •* <«"»»■ ■ I»m I ■ n« dt this institution,)^ be graded on l a cutye, a Slope, and a gnarly halfpip Whador yog’m shrsdding lha chulat or plundering lha Pinnodas oil ihe summit, Ml. Bochaior wi gha you lha uhkwato MM. Foclunotoly. tfwra's a nica, soil placate land warby. Survivor Rasort. Oownhi pockqgas, including KfhondMr, Bochaior •Mb, Marl o» $49* par parson. And you don't hews to ba an Econ major to know whatodiol(hot it Col now for but ratet nna nsaroy. wnw nbkrt. vow 5UNRIVER Tkr Crenl Nrrikwni Ketort and room adadton. 1*900491*1 110 ‘load on quad occupancy in a loap* V*og» w»
