EDITORIAL
Earth Day victories
deserve protection
Twenty-five years ago poop!a gathered across
America. They demanded that people do more to pro
tect natural resources.
Berth Day was created in response to their concerns
For one day each spring, April 22. the nation is sup
posed to celebrate the environment. And that day of cel
ebration is supposed to carry over so every day could be
considered Earth Day.
Barth Day celobrators need to remember the Ideals of
those who founded this annual gathering The nation
has been successful In recycling drives and other cam
palgns to save the environment
Earth la a mut h better piece than It used to be Since
1970, tough legislation has saved us from environmen
tal disasters. Congress has enacted 28 environmental
laws that have resulted in cleaner air and water,
brought new protection for endangered species, slowed
destruction of wetlands and stopped dumping of toxic
waste
The Clean Ait Act and the Bottle Bill are two exam
pies of how government has demonstrated its c ommit
ment to the Earth. Twenty-five years ago. people didn't
think, twice about throwing away paper, bottles and
cardboard. Today, recycling bins c an be found on
almost every street corner.
Thanks lo environmental support triggered by Earth
Day. people are thinking twite about driving their t ars
and polluting waterways. Businesses and restaurants
are using recycled paper lo promote products.
Much of the environmental successes that have
resulted from the Earth Day campaign should be credit
ed to the people who rallied to make it a national prior
ity. Eugene residents are prime examples of people who
took Earth Day's message to heart. In how many other
cities do young people come together to pass an ozone
protection bill?
However, we can't afford Jo rest on our laurels More
needs to lx- done. The environment is never free from
the threat of human destruction.
The nation needs to make certain we don't make any
disastrous steps backward. Environmental leaders say
progress made since the first Earth Day could be hin
dered, especially considering the threat of the 104th
Congress.
In its first 100 days, Congress assaulted major envi
ronmental laws Fred Krupp, executive director of the
Environmental Defense fund, said this could lx* the
most critical Earth Day. And former Sen Gavlord
Nelson, who founded Earth Day. said people don’t
know about the assaults that threatens laws inspired by
the original Earth Day.
Rallies for this year's Earth Day might focus on get
ting a message across to Congress — something like
"Don't turn back the clock." It's unfortunate people
must worry about throats to established environmental
laws. Energy used in save the laws we have would bo
better invested working for even more environmental
protection.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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■ OPINION
‘Forrest Gump’ not really best picture
rui \ o.Skmi
know the Academy Awards
(eremony was iwo weeks
JLago. but 1 want to op}n*al the
Academy of Arts and l ienees
in light of new information.
Forres/ Gump didn't realty win
for heat picture
Three day* ago. I saw the film
Shat* shank. Redemption You
see. it realty won for best pji
ture of 1995. only nobody
knows it
In uim! you didn't watch the
Oscars, five pictures were nom
inated Quia Shins. Forrest
Gump, Four Weddings and a
Funeral, Pulp Fiction and
Shass shank. Redemption. Quit
Show, the sis ond t**st movie of
the year, wasn't really at know 1
edged for the award, for reasons
nobody understands Four
Weddings and a Funeral had
only one problem with it —
Andie Mai Dowell Probably the
only thing holding it back from
the status of ‘ truly great roman
tic comedy" if such a thing
exists Pulp Fiction simply
wasn’t good enough And. oh
yeah, Forrest Gump. This last
one was simply too silly for me
loot's look at the |>lot Okay, a
man with below-average intelli
gence experiences every impor
tant event in American history.
And what was with that hit about
running across the country a hun
dred times? It was so long. I think
it shortened my life.
Then there was Shaw&hank.
Redemption. I want to !>e hon
est; this movie was amazing I
find I muni to tell the world whv
it really was the best movie of
1995.
Redemption is a two and a
half hour epic about a man
named Andy Dufrane, played
by Tim Robbins, who is con
victed for the double murder of
Ins wife and her lover and stmt
lo Sh;m shank prison for two
consec utive life terms In
prison. I>ufrane meets another
inmate. Morgan Freeman, "a
man who knows how to get
things, from whose eyes the
action is told and characters are
exposed.
Basically, there wasn't a Iwd
thing about this movie Tim
Robbins career may have really
gotten started after lie starred in
Robert Altman s The Player, but
Redemption redefined him as
an at tor, and, in tm own words,
has Ims nine “one of the coolest
men on the planet " As for
Morgan Freeman, he has to Iw
one of the l«*st actors in
Hollywood today. this movie
proves it
This movie spoke to me like
none have probably sime
St haulier's List. and although
Redemption doesn't tarry the
same emotional weight as that
film, it said a lot to me about so
many of those (albeit dichAd)
terms truth and 'the human
spirit' It is by staying true to his
ideals and beliefs about how
people total one another that
Oufrane is able to survive in
Shawshank prison lie is forced
to disagree with Freeman's
Chirac ter about how hope c an
destroy someone in prison, yet
it is (iufrane's ability to main
tain his undying hope that
allows him to keep his sanity
But if anything, the movie was
about respect and trust
My problem is not so much
that Forrest (lump won. hut
rather that Shan shank Bedemp
lion didn't win Unfortunately,
the Academy works off the same
principles that oil the guars of
Hollywood That is, a movie is
good only if a lot of people
bought tickets to see it. It is this
attitude that allows movies like
The Bodyguard. Brain Stoker's
Dracula. and legends of the Fall
to become blockbuster money
makers
Much more money was spent
on Forrest Clump than on any
oilier film nominated, even if it
was all on silly scenes that
allowed Tom Hanks to shake
hands with dead presidents,
and rnayl>e that's why it won In
my opinion, that type of opu
lence isn't necessary if the same
si enes could be played by look
alikes (check out the film IQ
for a good example of this) but
then Robert Zemeckis wouldn't
lie the money-spending, science
fiction god he is now.
So I don't know what to
think Nobody from the
Academy called me up for my
vote, but if they had. maybe
Samuel Jackson would have
won for best supporting actor,
and The Mask would have won
for !>est spe< ial effei ts It’s too
late now anyway, hut I had to
tell someone
By the way. if you don't
believe me about Tim Robbins,
go rent the Coen brothers'
Hudsucker Proxy and / Q with
Meg Ryan and Walter Matthau
and you'll see what I mean.
Paul Van Sickle is a columnist
for the Emerald.
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