EDITORIAL
Saga of the Bobbitts
should be forgotten
“Not guilty, by mason of insanity."
Thank God it's over.
It was a story that made men all over the world squirm
in their seats, a story that gave many advocates for bat
tered women something to rally around. It was the most
talked-about story in the news for months, and now it's
nnaliy over: norena ooooiu
was found not guilty of
maiming her husband by u
jury of her peers on Friday
in Manassas. Va. — a jury
persuaded that she was
insane when she took out a
kitchen knife and proceed
ed to cut off her husband’s
penis.
Most of the people doing
Lorena Bobbitt
should not bo
considered a
symbolic heroine
for battered
women.
the talking about tins case seemed to min*, it was an
awfully big deal: a pret edent-setter, sure to have long
standing effects on the way the American justice system
reacts to cases of battered women fighting back.
Maybe that's true, but there's more to the Bobbitt case
than such concerns. The public's fascination with the
Bobbitts is voyeuristic and prurient. While some intel
lectuals have tried to justify tneir interest by talking about
precedents being set and barriers being broken, legal
experts have their doubts about whether the Bobbitt saga
will have a significant effect on justice — if it has any
effect at all.
So what has this story really Ixren about? It has boon
about a bizarre act of violence. If l.orena Bobbitt had shot
and killed her husband, it might've made the national
news the night it happened. Afterwards, it would've been
forgotten. It would’ve been lost in the news shuffle, lack
ing a magical word like "penis" to hold the public inter
est.
No one should bo all that surprised by the jury's deci
sion, There are only three possible verdicts: guilty, not
guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. There is no
question that Lorena Bobbitt did in fact maim her hus
band. so she is “guilty." in a nonlegal sense, but the choice
to cut off hor husband’s penis was not a choice which
would be made bv a sano woman.
In fact, all the arguments that indicate that Bobbitt was
somehow justified in assaulting hor husband in this wav
are counterproductive and dangorous. Our legal system
does not recognize retaliation as a justification for this
kind of violence. Self-defense, yes. Kotaliation. no.
Lorena Bobbitt should not be considered a symbolic
heroine for battered women. She had no legal or moral
right to do what she did. We can understand her reasons,
but that doesn't mean we should recognize them as valid.
The best avenue for battered women is for them to
leave. No one is saying that it's easy, but it’s often the
only way out. The Bobbitt case does not change that.
If this caso has made any woman feel entitled to attack
hor abusive husband, then it has done a grave disservice
to all battered women. They cannot escape responsibil
ity for their actions. They should not be encouraged to
try.
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LETTERS
Well done
I think. perhaps Diana Collins
Puente should look again at her
five veers of "sweat. blood and
tears" on tins campus She says
she came here to "achieve
change, to bettor the lifestyle
and the educational svstem for
people of color, for lesbians,
gays and bisexuals, for women
and non-traditional students
What I have found out is that
these goals cannot be accom
plished," {ODE. Jan, 14).
I would point out that that is a
goal that could take a lifetime,
and to not see it fulfilled in the
way she might have envisioned
may be disappointing While
she no longer will be ASUO vice
president, she will be affecting
i twinge in the world
1 would also point out that
there has been change in those
areas and she has affected it I.
too, want justice for all people 1
want women like Colhns-Puunte
to be working toward their
goals.
1 especially want you. Diana,
to know that you have made a
difference on this campus You
have a certain fire and passion
that wakes people up. People do
not necessarily want to he wok
en up. People have to look at
things they might not want to
see when they are so rudely
awoken. People do strange
things in reaction to being wok
en up this way.
You have made a difference,
you do make a different*. Some
times it is the ''small" and seem
ingly insignificant things that
end up making the biggest dif
ference. Look back at your five
years here and see what you've
accomplished, whose life have
you touched7 There is u lot more
than you even know. And thank
you for being you. Please don't
stop speaking up for what you
believe in. and keep in mind
that everything you do does
make a different e II you know
that you are making a difference
you may take some pretty bold
actions that you might not oth
erwise take.
Sandy Murphy
Sociology
Fair trial?
As one person (protester)
whose picture was beamed all
around the world from n Pack
wood protest at a Cottage Grove
yurt factory, I can tell you that 1
am fed up with liberal opinions
like Martin Fisher's (ODE ]un.
20),
Consider this. Mr. Fisher:
there are no fair trials in 1990s
America for the women who
have come forward or for Mr.
Pack wood
Matter of fact. 1 believe that if
the liberal press would have
done some investigative report
ing prior to Mr Packwood's
election in November 1992. he
would not Ih1 hiding behind any
office, let alone the U S Senate.
Now. as it stands. Mr. Pack
wood cannot be recalled; is
homeless (trailer-less) in Ore
gon; has tried to hide behind a
drinking problem; has apolo
gized for his inappropriate han
dling of women's bodies; and
now has taken back bis apology
and is attacking his women
accusers And to top it all off
Mr Fisher, he will only come
bai.k to the state he represents
when it suits his purpose.
Now. Mr. Fisher, let me ask
you. since you are willing to
wait for "the results of the inves
tigations." If a homeless, alco
holic man abused not one, not
two. not three, but 2fi women in
Oregon, would you wait in your
"old-fashioned notion," leaving
this man free, gallivanting
around the country in hopes
that someday, someway, some
how lie would get a fair trial, or
would you take action now?
Rick Gold
Eugene
Not guilty
When Emerald readers learn
alwut a student who has alleged
ly committed a crime, they usu
ally forget the word "allegedly"
and readily assume the accused
is guilty. Whether the person
was indeed guilty or not will
never be known to the reader,
for in most cases the judgment
will I Hi months later and by then
it 's not hot enough any longer to
bo printed.
To protect the alleged perpe
trator and the victim, I suggest to
print only the initials of the per
sons involved or not to mention
their names at all, as is common
practice in most civilized coun
tries and in the Emerald's own
police beat.
A case at hand is the alleged
first-degree rape committed by a
physics graduate student,
reported in the Nov. 12 Emer
ald. The case has been dis
missed by the prosecutor Yet, it
will Ini almost impossible for rny
colleague to restore his damaged
image in the community. This
letter is intended to help just
that.
His name should not have
ever appeared on the front page
of the Emerald. It is not only
unnecessary, it is adverse to the
healthy atmosphere of the Uni
versity community to embarrass
students publicly with such
allegations It does not serve jus
tice. but punishes an innocent
person.
Martin Guthold
Physics
Fishy
Bob Packwood has a defen
dunt, Emerald columnist Martin
Fisher, who wants Packwood to
stay 8 senator until he gets a tri
al. Hey. Fisher, shall we bring
back Richard Nixon, who was
never tried? I personally asked
Packwood, "Are you saying you
can't get a fair trial as an average
citizen that you need to use the
clout of the Senate as a shield7"
He should resign simply
because he loves Oregon. He
should want us to have a senutor
who is not an embarrassment
and politically impotent. As
usual, Fisher's reasoning is sus
piciously fishy.
David Oaks
Eugene