EDITORIAL
Gridiock tarnishes
Congress’ image
Partisan politics and a new Republican motto ol
"Nothing passes before Nov. 8” will forever stain the
J03rd Congress and permanently damage the legisla
tive branch's credibility.
When voters ousted entrenched incumbents on masse
in 1992 and swept a now crop of inexperienced reform
ers into Congress, there was an optimistic hope that busi
ness (or lack thereof) as usual would end.
Voters and pundits alike dreamed of legislators will
ing to put party affiliations aside and begin a new era
In which the business of the country became the solo
focus of the lawmakers.
Unfortunately, the Idealism quit Uy faded to mean
spirited stall tactics and unreasonable partisanship.
The five health care plans wont down with nary a
whimper. Amending the environmental Superfund laws
lost to the COP's insistence) that Clinton and the Democ
rats should receive no credit for passing a major envi
ronmental statute. All this despite joint support from
environmentalists and industry. The General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade, sponsored by Republicans during
tin* Reagan and Bush administrations, couldn't muster
enough votes and is dead until after the Nov. 8 elec tions.
when GOP support will most likely return.
Worst of all. a bill designed to stop members of Con
gress from accepting gifts, trips and meals from lobbyists
fell to a bipartisan filibuster. It seems the only thing Con
gress can agree upon is the continued flow of freebies
from special interests.
It is apparent that the tactics used by the Republican
Party, led by Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich, are ploys to
increase the public's perception that it is the Democrats
who are responsible for the endless gridlock.
But voters should see through the smokescreen and
realize the blame lies at the foot of the Republican minor
ity. Instead of worrying about the legislation and policy
in the public's interest, many GOP lawmakers are pos
turing for a takeover of the House and possibly the Sen
ate Hoping that a no-action Congress will influence
November's outcomes, the Republicans are taking a sub
stantial gamble while holding hostage the important
issues facing this country.
So once again voters will blame Congress for all that
plagues the country, increasing their calls for more
reform. Possibly, another round of incumbents will fall,
as seen already in the case of Rep. Mike Synar of Okla
homa, who lost to a retired school teacher who spent
517,000 on his election campaign.
No matter what happens during the upcoming elec
tions. Congress will have to live with voter cynicism and
a tarnished reputation until it proves to the voters that
the public's interest is foremost on the agenda, rather
than the recently demonstrated personal posturing that
did nothing more than inflame constituents.
Oregon Daily
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■ OPINION
Internet users: Keep it clean!
Anne Moser. Kornkei.!)
changes Keeping up to dale
requires frequent use of the
Internet and all its resources
Tunneling into Ohio State's
library system databases via
Gopher without a due how to get
bar k out is only one of the |>crils
of being a new user.
The democratic strut lure of the
Global Village, Cyberspac* or the
net mandates that when someone
helps a new user find his or her
way around it's almost expected
that person will repay the favor
by helping somebody else The
first rule of thumb when using
the net is don't let afraid to ask
for help!
riting a column about
the internet is risky
because it constantly
Thousands of individual
computers access the Internet
That is the net's greatest strength
and its greatest weakness.
This brings up the basic
problem on campus: hardware
access Most newly initiated
computer dweebs hog hours at
the various computer centers
while wannabes wait for a
terminal to open up. The secret
to getting on the Information
Superhighway is not to try getting
on between 9 a m and 5 p.m Go
to the labs during "ofT' hours and
/.am!, the open road goes on
forever
Hut for students still stuck in
the T hate computers'' phase,
remember — NO ONE learns how
to use Internet in a day The EMU
and the Computing Center and
the whole mess of (..omputer whiz
kills take on an elitist air to keep
novices off the hardware because
of the lack of available terminals.
This brings me to my next
[mint of the $50 computer fee. the
University administration and
more than 15,000 students
wanting »c< ess, an insufficient
number of seminars to learn
about using all the on-line
education opportunities and
everything else in between. Did
the Computing Center and the
administration think that
students wouldn't want to gain
ai l ess into the World Wide Web?
Hopefully, things will get
worked out soon so more
students will have the chance to
sharpen their computer
communication skills
communication in the
electronic world, through e-mail
and bulletin hoards is
publication. Publication brings
with it responsibility and the
ability to stay in touch by being
on the l»‘st behavior any new user
can ask. of him or herself
Internet do’s and duals
include thinking before sending
e-mail Follow the rules and the
electronic publishing world will
be a happier place.
Anyone can down load a letter
and repost it to another bulletin
board. Netiquette isn't just a
pleasant suggestion Netiquette
is protocol. He cool, chill, smile,
and mn! ( Hut beware some of the
folk on the 1-way are the people
Mom and Dad said to avoid!)
E-mail communication ruquin*
a solid background in grammar
An appreciation for not what gets
said, as most folk on bulletin
boards ask questions while those
with the answers are too busy to
post a random teaching seminar
on-line, but how something is
said is a necessity.
Computer technology is a tool.
In the wrong hands, tools can
sometimes be misused and/or
used as a weapon. The sound of
silence means more today than
ever before.
Using language that may have
more than one meaning or may
be offensive to others defeats the
purpose of communicating as a
faceless entity across oceans and
continents.
Outspoken, informal speech
that is continuously available
doesn't mean users can forgot
they're sending their thoughts
back and forth with n li\ing,
breathing human being.
When popular magazines print
e-mail responses with obscene
language, to keep the author's
intent pure, the magazines aren't
simply showing their ignorance,
but the lack of originality on in
author's part, which then
alienates others who may not
want to read any further.
Regardless of how intelligent a
writer's opinion may he or the
point her or she may contribute
to the ongoing conversation via
the electronic world, without
respectful use of language the
author's intent will have boon
lost.
This doesn't mean a new user
shouldn’t take a chance after
getting run off by a native who
loses his or her cool by spewing
verbal garbage about perceived
or real computer ignorance,
learning by doing is the only way
anyone can got really proficient
at cruising' the 1-way.
Connection is the key. The
Emerald and the Oregon
Commentator have gone on-line
to maintain that connection with
the this campus and campuses
worldwide.
By tweaking fn*! of the printing
restraints set on newspapers, lx>th
have become more interactive
and enable readers to engage in
more open communication.
Computer news fosters
participation in today's media
that did not exist in the past.
The on-rushing technology
intends to bring more fair-minded
opinions that can help sort out
today's complex social issues.
And for new users, when the
worst happens, hit control C. The
connection to that unknown
tunnel from the cyber-world will
he broken and it's possible to
begin once more.
Anyone wishing to respond
directly to this column can send
an e-mail message to Kornfeld®
duckmail.uorogon.edu.
Anne Maser-Komfeld is a
columnist for the Emerald.