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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1994)
EDITORIAL S. Africa elections a worldwide lesson The right to vote in this country is a right that is often taken for granted or even overlooked. People turn away from the polls bec ause the lino extends beyond tho doors or oven down the sidewalk. In South Afric a, tho voting lines are 500-people long and have boon that way from 7 a.m. to 7 p in. People are carrying others who can't walk and all arc? voting because the* well-being of their lives depends on it. For South African blac ks, this is the firsi opportunity in their lives to vote. The story of South Africa reads almost like a fairy tale. Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years, was released and vowed to fight for tho rights of South African blacks, and he is: fighting his way into office and fighting to end white-minority rule. Odds are ho will become the new president and bring tho African National Congress back into office. Mis election will end a long stint of white minority rule that has deprived black South Africans from many of their rights. At stake is a life for those who have been robbed of many of life's simple rights: things like a house and equal education: things like honor and equal status. The whites of South Africa have accumulated huge houses and wealth while B million of the estimated 30 million blacks live in villages without sowers. Tho ANC wants to change this. However, the road is long and the work plentiful if ANC is elected. Its plan to effect change in the country has been called overzenlous and ambitious. And it most certainly is. But it is a plan where there has been no chance of a plan before, if half of what the ANC aims to do is accomplished, then opportunities will exist that have not existed before. Putting South Africa back on track will broaden tho wealth of the entire country With the polls still open, stock prices on the Johannesburg stock exchange readied a record high. Developing a strong democratic party in South Africa will help to stabilize the rest of Africa as well. One of the most important trading part ners for much of Africa, South Africa's trading status will grow as its economy grows, strengthening trade for tho entire country. Conquering its race relation problems to the extent South Africa has should provide insight to many others. Tho majority of South Africa is black. They aro fight ing for the right to run their country; they are winning and they should. They havo overcome racial hurdles that an? almost impossible to comprehend when compared to tho racial problems people of other countries experience. They have accepted their racial problems, opted for change and worked toward it. A lesson that should be learned by many. Polls dose today, but tho election results won't be tallied for hours. There is a lesson here to bo learned by everyone, everywhere. South Africa has tangled with colossal problems for quite some time but perse verance has finally paid off. The outcome of the elec tion will, most likely, reap benefits that have been merely a dream for black South Africa. Oregon Daily Emerald •>0 BO«3IV» (UCCNC oai&oitlc! fa I l .» puN.»n«J •.*» , M.xvtay m-ougb tIiu">3 inj «tvc*» ««' and Tvtay and Thu'May dunng tl>« lunnn by lb« 0>«gcn Dany ( mtmo ig C<s . I' , a! ma Un*v«y*dy ot Oregon t ugrr'r O«go» Edtlorial^ditor Graphics Editor Freelance Editor tfcea at $mte 300 o* the ‘ *ap*r \ «• prOSeCutab** Steve KAm* Je* P<t*harrf! fcAchael $TwKtCtf Ka>> Soto f‘«W. Retv*U..u Mry'ih » rut^»?w« Go . Irv .1! the University of Oregon, E i The tmar&d oper»t«n independent^ 04 the Urvver^ty 1 I its M»v •'".*■ .if Urv.i^ a#xj 4 a member of 9m As&k ,V.«d P'r-i5, The ( r»m»K1 % private property The urv.i*r.. remove* o# t b» -aw Editor-In-Chief la*a Bmg Gttfiey *r')^son Sport* Editor Davxl Thom Editorial Editor kttt P daisy Photo Editor A>ama Baum Supplement* Editor Night Editor Mestfhone iAmee A**octata Editor* t hvard Klc<^«r-*lam Sfusfcjnf Gowr-'^t^U A,' * Comm^fy Mnethene H*gher f ducahon Admenssfrahon New* Staff Ion iV*’•'*«*>. W«son Chan. Dave Cherbonnwau Amy CoUr'bo. J*m Oav%* Mag Dedotph, Amy Davenport. Ta»ha E<heo*eher. Mala FietdS. M t tender son Y.n long tr*>na Martu* Mmand. Tnsta Now f -vibeth fteenstjema. ftobbKt Mem-es Kata Sabou'-n 1 .a h***~oa. Sctrft S*mon»orv Steph«ve S«**on. Susarvw Stevens M* Thonvpaon. Amy Van Tuyt. DarvW West General Manager Judy Rkedl Adverliaing Director: M.v* W«Vt*w Production Manager Vbcheto ftps* Advertising. Br>an Davis Subs' Outfit N>co!e Mer/ma/s Teresa Isabel.o. Jeti M*»'»oo Jeremy Mason. Mx.haei Mr>a«m». Kettey We*** Classified Becfcy Merchant Managt* Veto* Me; a S#m T/e Teak Distribution John long Ter one Rafcoch. Graham S*mp*on Business: Kathy Carbone. $uperv**y Judy Corvyo8y Production Dee McCobtv P’ocKx ton CoortSneftv Shawv* Ap*** Greg Desmond Tara Gauffney. Brad Jos* Jennifer ttoiand Nan Thangviyt, Dayton Yee Newsroom 346-5511 Display Advertising .. 346-3712 Business Office 346-MI 2 Classified Advertising . 346-4643 O r I NOT A Cft«>K. START'*** TO SOOwO c.ikC AIfXOhl. < r we w/ll bomb ' 7HEM BACK 7b 7MC AJ€OdT/AT^G 1 NtlD A Pi AN ro s rot> mis A UC9£T PLAN " COMMENTARY Enough! Nixon was no hero Robbh Rkk\ls OK, so he's finally dead. And not u moment too soon Unless you've been totally oblivious to the outside world for the past week, you probably know tiiat Ki< hard Nixon, for mer f irst Crook of the United States, died Inst week in a New York hospital following a stroke It’s interesting to note that before he died. Nixon was looked upon as the criminal thot tie really was. Hut now that he is stiff, everyone looks ut him like some sort of a hero (bless what, folks? He's a dead ex-president and nothing more Sure, lie did some good things After all. he did resign. He also helped to thaw relations between America and China, as well as with the Soviet Union. Hut the guy did next to nothing domestically Well, that's not entirely true. 1 guess Nixon did contribute to modern American political scandal in a way that no other president has before After all. he dug himself so far into a hole that he had to resign. Coint idem tally, Nixon's friends are putting him into a hole of his own this week. I know that a lot of people see no harm in respot ting the man for a week or so. during the time it takes them to get him into the ground And they're right, there probably isn't What I object to is how some people are making Nixon out to be some sort of a god. Some of the TV coverage of Nixon's death was, uh. a bit extreme Take for example CNN Over the weekend. CNN had no fewer titan a halt do/on camera crews scattered around the nation to s«<ek out people to say good tilings about him Some of these interviews got pretty old after a while, how manv times ( an the mayor of the town that Nixon lived in say that Nixon walked around Ins condo in the evening? President Clinton went so far as to dei lore Mar '17 a national holiday There was no mail delivery that day , meaning that tlie average American will remember Richard Nixon by get ting a one-day reprieve from receiving his or her phone hill It s funny that almost every politician can sav nice tilings about Nixon this yveek Even Jimmy Carter, the last living Democrat!) ex-president, had his glowing quote about Trh k\ l)ii k on the news It yvill be interesting to see how politicians, especially lib eral Democrats, handle the death of. say . Ronald Reagan Helcha most of them won't he as ghnving the next time around. Nixon did leave behind quite a legai y His library in Southern California is a site to behold. CNN actually did a tour of the library oy er the yveekend, and one would assume by the size of the library that Nixon either did a lot as president or had one hell of an ego. 1 argue the latter Yet the story is not totally over. Even though the man is dead, and by the time you read this, safely in the ground, his Watergate tapes have still not been released. In the interest of full disi Insure, it would only stem fair, as well as legally sound, that the tapes lx; released to the general public After all, Nixon isn't going to care any more. There is a lot that can be learned from the life of Richard Nixon For example, it is gener ally not good to say that you are not a quitter and then quit. Sim ilarly. it isn't such a hot idea to say that you're not a crook, and, well, you get the idea As president, it usually isn't recommended that you be involved with felonious crimes in any way during your term of office, such as a break-in. It gen erally doesn't look good at re election time. You see. without Nixon, politicians might not know these things Then again, maybe Watergate gave elected officials some ideas Who knows7 But then, there is the ultimate lesson, one whit h Nixon didn't quite learn. 11 you're going to commit a crime, don't get caught. But for the time feting, polite s in America seem to lx- caught on some fanatical pro-Nixon senti ments Fortunately, these will subside with time Unfortunately, the same can not lx- said about the memories of Richard Nixon and his presi dency. Robbie Reeves is a columnist for the Emerald. COMMENTARY I he Oregon Daily Emerald welcomes commentaries from the public concerning topics of interest to the University commu nity. Commentaries should he between BOO and 800 words, legi ble. signed and the identification of the writer must l>e verified when the letter is submitted The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style.
