VIEWPOINTS
EDITORIALS OPINIONS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Cuban trade embargo
mean-spirited
■ OUR OPINION: Cuba.
Castro have changed their
ways and the U S should
make the necessary
moves to befriend them
Carry B. Trudeau's car
toon-strip characterization
of President Clinton as a
large waffle is a spoof that
Clinton has om « again
brought on himself.
Our grievance with our
dor isjvely indnr isivo presi
dent is over Clinton s
refusal to look beyond
superfir nil (and selfish) rea
sons for keeping Cuba under
the heavy heel of an e< o
nomic ally crippling Amori
i an embargo
While be does shoulder
mm h of the responsibilitv.
(Hinton is not soloK to
blame for this unnecessary
embargo The Republicans,
led by Senate Foreign Rela
tions Committee Chairman
Jesse Helms. K N (i . and
Rep Dan Burton. R-Ind.,
have been putting their leg
islative muscles behind a
bill called the Cuban Liberty
and Democratic Solidarity
Act- a nice-sounding
piece of legislation with an
even nastier intent The bill
advocates nothing less than
the overthrow of Fidel Cas
tro and his regime through
some kind of "final push,”
in Helm's words This is
blatantly a rase of bruiting
an alrearh dead horse.
Yes. Castro has boon a
tyrant and Cuba has had
more than its fair share of
human rights abuses, but
Castro’s Communism is
dead, and it is now time to
extend a helping hand of
goodwill. The Cold War is
over and there is no reason
to continue to punish the
people of Cuba (whose daily
food intake is loss than
1.800 calories per person),
for the sins of an old guy
with a funny beard who's
finally trying to get his
country out of its 36-year
slump.
America's trade freeze
with Cuba has outlived its
usefulness Castro has had
to face the reality that, with
out the raw goods and finan
cial aid of the former Soviet
Union, his country will
have to continue seeking
Other means of self suffi
ciency. And Castro has been
taking small steps in a direc
tion that just might save his
country. Cuba is undergoing
an agrarian revolution
finding that it < an be self
sufficient through basic
sustainable agri< ulture The
Cubans are planting pesti
cide-free crops using oxen
and the sweat of their brow-,
and its working for them
They are beginning to feed
themselves.
Meanwhile. hat k in the
C S . where the harvest of
presidential hopefuls is
beginning to ferment and
stink up the politic al land
scape. Clinton is spending
most of his time trying not
to offend large numbers of
people lie hopes will lx* vot
ing lor him. Clinton is not
about to endorse the Cuban
"Liberty" bill and jeopardize
his favor with the anti-Cas
tro voting block in Florida's
Cuban American communi
ty.
The policies and beliefs
that are keeping this embar
go in place should be dis
carded like neon active wear
- get rid of the stuff Not
only is it ugly, it makes us
look bad to the rest of the
world.
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Vermin
Oh dear, I have |ust rend
soidh of the mns) i harming,
bleeding-heart-liberal tripe in
John Davidson's letter "Try tol
erance*' (ODE, Oct. 10)
Mv stars. you'd almost think
Davidson has some vested
interest In the derelict* who
defile our pristine tempos.
Perhaps our friend over in
Legal Services has some sort of
{ahem) financial stake in the
welfare of the poor miscreants
he refers to as "people without
evident financial means who
i house to lie near the
University.''
As we nil know, the vagrants
and other such assorted vermin
who swarm about our campus
are among the mam propaga
tors of crime in our area By
this. 1 refer to both misde
meanor and felonious crimes
I'm sure when student vagrants
hap|Hm to be arrested for sell
ing l.SD to an undercover
police officer, they are quite
overjoyed to know that there is
a big. strong vindicator in
Legal-Services land willing to
take on "The Man "
Neither do I assert that
Davidson is paid according to
the number of clients he
serves, nor do I assert that lie
happens to be o lawyer It cer
tainty must make the Big Boss
Man or Woman quite happy to
see that one of his or her
employees is lieing requested
so frequently (win*, wink —
nudge, nudge).
On to tile topic of the assort
ed litter and refuse on our dar
ling campus roads
As I'm sure you can tell by
now, I hold a very . shall we
sov. "negative" perspective on
the vagrancy issue I have
attended South Eugene schools
since middle school, and I
have seen the ideals of frwnelu
rebellion, blatant irrationality
and uncontrolled “small" drug
use held up as the greatest of
all moral codes I have seen
many of my grade-school play
mates metamorphosir.e into the
seamy mas* of stinking human
ity you see crawling along 13th
Avis, every day
To grow up in Eugene is to
witness the idolization of all
that is putrid, rotten and
decaying in the fabric of our
nation. No matter what some
so-called expert will tell you,
the vast molarity of the trash
congregating on 13th Ave have
chosen to be in their situation
and ant capable of building a
bright and rewarding future for
themselves. Hear this in
mind: "By contributing to the
social illness that these people
have chosen for themselves,
you are only reinforcing and
strengthening every depravity
you once fell comfortable in
scoffing at."
By refusing to acknowledge
their delaying existence, we
are bringing them one step
closer to realizing their plight
The next time a smelly, lice
infested, dirt-encrusted,
patchouli-wearing parasite
tomes up to you and asks you
to provide him with something
for his dog. I suggest you take
the high road and offer him a
frying pan and a good reci|>e
for Canine Flam be You may
reply to this letter via e-mail at
' k a v i #urs u I a uOregon ed u "
Kavi Chaitanya Grace-Luke
Philosophy/Pre- Business
Liberal 30s
1 am not an Emerald alum
nus. but I was a reader of the
Emerald inn k in the ! 1120s and
early 30s while l was a student
at the University
I'll relate tins small incident
It was spring 1930 and the
Emerald sent out reporters to
interview those of us in the
senior class in the ROTC.
! happened to in* cadet
colonel and I told a re|>orter
that l liked ROTC fine " The
next day Dick Neuberger. the
student editor, ridiculed my
remarks saying 1 was only an
“ROTC stooge."
He. like others, had a pacifist
l>ent at that time Of course he.
like 1, went on into Army ser
via; during World War II 1
think that ns a U S. Senator.
Dick (and later his wife
Maureen) supported tin; U S.
military.
A few years ago. writing a
letter in Old Oregon. I signed
my name as a retired colonel.
Some other alumnus took the
occasion to wonder who such a
follow might ho who was on
the military side. He also
objected to having ROTC on
the campus in the 30s and still
thought the U.S. participation
m World War II was a bad idea!
It's too late now. but in retro
spect I think I should have
studied journalism Writing
letters to the editor is now my
biggest hobby.
Kart S. Landstrom
Arlington, Virginia
GTF reps
Diane Ran, Graduate
Teaching Fellow Federation
union representative, and
I-arry Williams, who managed
the GTFF Health Plan, have
t>een having difficulties negoti
ating their employment con
tract with elected union offi
cers.
Williams has already left for
another job and Rau appears to
be under extreme pressure to
fort e her to quit As graduate
teaching fellows, we come and
go, as do GTF union presi
dents. but stability and experi
ence in our union representa
tives is essential Rau has sue
cessfullv seen us through four
negotiations with the
University. She served as chief
negotiator for the last two.
which made the GTFF one of
two graduate student unions
with medical and dental bene
fits and wage increases at a
time of shrinking budgets.
I do not know what is moti
vating the current union offi
ters, but I think it is important
they inform us and act for the
beat long-term interest of the
union and not some momen
tary flirtation with power.
Yvonne Rauch
Department of English