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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 18, 1995)
■ OPINION Many men don’t understand problems of rape, abuse Pai i VanSickij: J As a man offended by Mk hat11 Kudu all's com mentary (ODK, May 1). I feel the need to sal the record straight on snmo of tin* grossly chauvinist and ignorant e-bused statements ho made. Endicott is upset by the dis play m the EMU that asks "Aro nil men potential rapists'” Obvi ously, ho is missing the point of that message, because he couldn't understand "what could lie gained by such an obvi ous attack on men'" The goals behind "Are all men potential rapists, gm far more broad and contciousimmising than simply an attack on men Kndicott's ‘angry white-male' attitude is probably what keeps him from seeing pest such a mundane interpretation The question posed was not meant as an attack on men, hut rather as a form of education to both men and women Obviously, not all men are potential rapists the blunt answer to the question being 'no ’ Hut it in no wav ends there Ignorance has long been seen as n major stepping stone in rape prevention the question "Are all men potential rapists'" is meant to put that question into women's minds The fact is that at least Ht.l percent of ail rapes are perpetrated by someone the \ K mu knew if one rape was prevented because one more woman understood that My boyfriend/mv uncle/mv friend has just as much potential to rajM« me as some stranger." don't you think. Mr Kndicott. that you could bend over and take a couple of what ks to the ego for sui h a noble cause7 At the Mine time, that ques tion that offended you so mut h as a man was trying to odui ate you Many men also do not i out prebend the scope of the rape problem tn this i ountrv 1‘he author of tfie question Are all men rapists7" was hoping that instead of whining about the oppression of men itt the i mu d States, you would stop for a moment and consider why a women's group would promote such an idea yes. tt was shock mg. hut if it got you. as a man, to think about the problem of rape In our society for just a few min utes. then it did its job. Unfortunately, feminism has long had to turn to shoe k value to get its point across, especially to t I used mimii'il conservalive m«n who, in the word* of Kush lirnbnugh, believe "that tho Imst port about tho women's move* moot is walking luthind it." It is for this reason that men need to ho insuitod now and then, to raise their awareness about the power position they hold in tho American culture. The ASUQ dims not need a men'* i enter to promote men * issues, they are already out there Their arrogance is what precipitates the need for sue h controversial phrases as "Are all men potential rapists'" Women's issues need the pro motion that the women's center provides As long as men are unw illmg to give up the power they have throughout the i orpo rate, political and domestic areas of American society, then the need for women’s t enters will continue to exist A woman is abused in her home every eighteen seconds iind one in four women will he rajxid in their lifetime Women sot the right to vote only sixty veers ago Forty seers ego. they could attend a public university And only twenty some veers ego. they rei eived control of their own reproduc tive sy stems Men have had five use of theirs for centuries Please, don't bore us with the oppression of the white men \ru) < aim down Mr fnduott ^ uu don't need your rights pro tec ted any more than any other white upper-middle class male in tins country You might con sider thinking about why you were so offended hv that (pies tion You might get somewhere faster than petitioning for a men s ( enter Paul Van Sirklr is a co/ti/miist for thr Fmerald ■ LETTERS Keep homebirth If you asked any of the women attending th«■ Nurse Midwifery Birth Center last month, when the Eugene Ciinii announced it would close in 60 days for undisclosed reasons, they might not agree that the merger of EC with Pear eHualth was "not immediately threaten ing" ns you assert. Overwork among backup physicians was cited, but the solution for current patients was to transfer them to the t are of the same backup physicians! Many people believe the merg er is responsible. After significant publh con cern, the Eugene Clinic did agree to keep the Birth Center open until Dei to, so the cur rent pregnancies could reach term. After that time only home birth or hospital birth will remain in Eugene. II a woman chooses homebirth, that nurse midwife will not be able to admit her to Sat red Heart if complications arise during pregnancy or labor. She will la in the care of strangers Denying homebirth midwives hospital admitting privilege is not a law it is Sacred Heart's policy, compounded by regres sive insurance regulations Only the birth center allows a woman the comfort and safely o! an out-of-hospital l>irtl» with the security that if something goes awry, her midwife will U with her every step of the wav If you are cone erned about our rapidly narrowing choices, please call Citizens for Birth ('.enters at I-1 1-0760 Remember, the need for repro <lii( live chon e continues throughout pregnancy i’.S 1 would like to thank Students for Choice for their quit k response to this crisis and their role in convincing the Eugene Clinic to grant on extern stoic Shasta Willson Math/Physics Skepticism I am beginning to wonder if I will be spending the rest of the term addressing the simian routings of Brian Womack In his "opinion" (ODE. May 9), he somehow manages to contend that the social activism of the 1960s is in part responsi ble for the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal build ing I find the comparison “insulting” as well, but more importantly I find it to be utter bullshit Mu mentions the activities of the Weatherman organization, specifically their use of bomb ings The key difference Ferrellgas Position Opening MANAGER TRAINEE Krrrrllg.is. a nationwide marketing company and a re< ogni/rd leader in our Industry. Is seeking an individual to train for a general management assignment within the Oregon arra, General management responsibilities include: • Growing the business by implementing marketing and sales programs and promoting company image through superior customer service • Leading and managing an operations and administrative team • Managing the PftL tor the branch to include a business plan, and budget The successful trainee will have: / A US/HA in Business or related field / Excellent communication skills ✓ The ability to meet applicable DOT requirements Business experience* is a plus Relocation required. Wr offer a compeiitlvr salary and an excellent benefits package ini hiding prollt sharing and an investment plan option See the UO Career ( enter for more Information and to set up an appointment for an Interview rerrtltgaM. 2300 N.E. Stephens. Rosebury, OR 97470 between the Weatherman and the Oklahoma ('its bombing in that the Weatherman, in all instances that I am aware of. took pains to minimize the loss of human life in its atta< k-. This in no way excuse# its use of violence, but it mitigates it. vis a vis (fklahotna (atv Second. it was not the coun terculture or the New Loft whir h "( rented the contempt for llie government", it was government itself which per petuated such hoaxes as the Tonkin resolution and such < rimes as the Watergate affair on the American people A certain skepticism and mistrust concerning govern ment is vital to a liberal tleimx rai v. and it is not the mistrust of government bv right wing groups which is the problem, rather their use of violence. I wonder about Womack's praise for the days of "consen sus" of the 1040s and 50s. days of segregation and Mctiarthvism, of fear, silence and repression, and the notion that we should look hack to those days with nostalgia is repugnant. Joseph Renaud Germanic Languages Smokin’ joints We'd like to thank Brian Womack for his comedy, 01 opinion column regarding the legalization of hemp [ODfr. May .i) Wi> vvorc laughing pretty hard mailing il. ns wo were smoking ■< htt) hemp join) Mr Womai k each of us is onlitlod to our own opinions, hut sun o yours is m print, shouldn't you < heck your f.i< ts' You’ve made a major mis take Hemp, my friend, is not synonymous with "Mary Jane They are related, but they are two different strains of plants in the cannabis family The "future former” president i er tainly didn't inhale hemp. It would he pointless there is not enough TIIC in the hemp plant to get the high one gets from smoking marijuana You write that someone has claimed that hemp cures “brain tumors, sti kle cell anemia Perhaps this was an exaggera tion on your part Where are your sources' Who said this' II you're referring In the medici nal uses for cancer patients, it is marijuana, not hemp and it is not used to cure the cancer It's used as a pain reliever or to enhance the patients' appetites Exaggeration to gel your point m ross is one thing, hut your spiel about tanks and the Eiffel lower is ridiculous Hemp has many uses — fuel, paper, fiber, clothing and food You spend ;i large iunouni of the column giving us "facts'" from one book Wh.it does this have to do with legalizing hemp' Again. you're substitut ing imirijmunt for hemp? One ( till not s.iv th.it pot is even remotely comparable to the dangers of crack, poyvder cor .line and heroin As far as prodiM ing haltm millions do you know inyone vv ho has hul liK inated from pot (unless it has been laced)? We don't and it's obvious we know a lot more smokers than you do. As lar as alcohol being the most prevalent drug today, you're right on the mark It's much more harmful than mari juana W hat are the statistii s of auto accidents caused by •toned drivers? Nowhere near the drinking and driving stats Alcohol often makes people more violent How often have you heard ahold fights or abuse caused by someone high on pot? The examples go on and on So. Mr Womack, get your far ts straight Then you can share your opinion with your readers Our opinion is that bolh hemp and marijuana should lie legalized Allison Hall Pro-Journalism Julie Wirth National Student Exchange LAZAR’S BAZAR Coupon expires 0/S/'Kci 57 \V. 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