VIEWPOINTS
EDITORIALS. OPINIONS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Emerald staff gives
thanks for a great year
■ OUR OPINION: Despite
many challenges, we have
a lot to be grateful for
Loath as wo art* to wallow
in sentimentality, the Emer
ald staff has established a
tradition of taking a moment
at this time of year to reflect
on nil the many people,
events and policies for
which wo are grateful
Our list this yoar was dif
ficult to assemble only
because wo have so many
things to be thankful for and
so little space to express
ourselves Our apologies to
those who made it into our
hearts but not into our list.
This year, the Emerald is
thankful that:
1) The Senate sent Hob
Packwood packing.
2} The i hu ks are heeded
for the Cotton Bowl.
3) We get four weeks for
winter break
*}) Kovin liornbuckle is
now living in our ward only
SO peri out of the time
5) The Amazon drama lias
had its denouement, and half
of thn housing is Ireing refur
bished in another location.
t») The many people who
revolted against the idea of
using hx ators and cellular
phones in the wilderness
will not Ire using thorn when
they go hiking.
7) The O.J. Simpson trial
is over, and the media must
seek out something else to
over-promote to death.
8) Race is not an issue for
99.9 percent of the campus
population.
9) The federal government
can shut down for a week and
it has no effect on our lives.
10) Wo cover the news
instead of writing about oth
er campus publications.
11) We won best overall
college newspaper in a
national competition.
12) We can still afford an
education (barely).
13) We 1 iv** in a commu
nity whore everything is
t ontroversial.
14) Our mascot is not the
Beaver.
15) The federal speed limit
has lawn repealed. (Eugene to
Portland in 30 minutes or
less, Guaranteed.)
16) The Eugene Police
have set up shop in front of
7-Eleven and are doling out
SBO jaywalking tickets for
our protection.
17) The rain has cleaned
more than dirt off of East
13th Avenue.
18) We can express our
opinions without being
arrested.
Id) We didn’t print the
Unabomber’s manifesto.
20) We’re not turkeys with
genetically enlarged breasts
21) We now pay a S50
technology fee for a comput
er service that used to cost
$10 dollars, and we get
worse servh o to boot.
22) The (Jap will guarantee
that all University students
get jolrs after graduation
2:t) Kush i.imhaugh and
Newt at least have eai h other.
24) Yitzhak Rabin's assas
sinatiun has m>t caused an
eruption of violent e in the
Middle Hast.
25) We get to come to
work and do what we love
every day.
Above all. however, we
are thankful for many of the
things that don't lend them
selves to snappy one liners
or sarcastic asides
We are thankful on this hol
iday that wo are not homeless
and that we will have food to
eat and warm homes to return
to. We am thankful that wo
ant healthy enough to get out
of bod each morning. Most
important, we are grateful for
our families and friends who
fill our lives with joy Without
them, nothing else matters
*1* i>*gon (l*»n [ m*t*W n pef*rt**J d**l Utw*i#t Ih'ougt* ti*Hn dt/ftng Si* utiooi t*M *nd luaal** *»*1
!s*cw>») it,tat) n* KM* 5* tt* 0>«eon [••».** I nw<*M Patunwij Ct* me n era .-,wwt> at 0*90.
t uy*n» Ckaaan * nwntw ot ft* AiMOMM PH»i s*l rna *M n*n*i mate****.*:*) ot At unnwuti ■*«
ot**« *( Su** MO ot A* [15 Manual Union
wmjnto *Wwt« ittnwt in* oemon ot in* t «»*« tmam t»*)d 1*9*1 totumre -*t«n**u »»spnur
ctmcoMnrait
In* I m*>**9 a pant (*oiw** In* u«aa*y< i*nw*» f* uw at (upai n (v.nau'jh* 6* Ua
[SHOT I* CkWl 0**3 ’5 -
K*«i|a| itnm , on H*tr**i* D*ti|* 0»r*<tt» Motr aha-i
**« t*fto» , on
Caaaaattj Ut »m I t*ish *>’ AO* f i'-*d* Itwu utatm tontiwii <*t w
IH4*' Uat»M* Qttdy tt*n> ««v ftapml fcw Ui l Stin* &.J'. Mum**
n»*M! A* matin *j-nj Ct*on*x> »Ms» Avtor ton jams** tow tkiog irana
Vartt liM>utn*y *« M*» w«>« uwniosi c*** :5s;.,
[•ad*,**#*! bfi**(*ti Ann* Men* Ad 'dad *J«M Aim Man* *\v>!*n(«A> .
a On* u*nn Petag <tM» IihIwi tom Hunt* a*w
0* l (*t 1'lflJl Own aM.1
f *rtan*t R*na town tne Stun Snath **nyj ac#v Antoim StM* Botna Ottxy MX' w Him »n~
tonatgtam IhatwAJ ItasiA* tooloonw uirylura **» AitutMhaa! Satrtwmt
Can 0*t* $lwi> ton** cnp» iAwt 1**191 »» Arm* lath t.u*na* mu i»nr> •***! Vm S«:*>*
h»«a*inn* Vtaa antsmur a>*. * A»»«» b>* »<• •••.* A«n« hi* ■««: M**«j*Oewo» im
tot* stanrwn A**." Uitrwa Santa
& •**-<! Oanm Ml Mas toto*
6***t*i Maaa**. J»d* H*aS
Miatlw** l*c*» I*" M « .»■«.*, AniwHnxX M* . .(toy) Uxt, 1 , ;,■• ■ , <* s ». «*■;*
(**!«*< son'll,.' «*•* lion to*n w• fa* Ja«nn Uiv.t Ic.- wanttfi wit* Man Iiau Stownm
AadatHa W. ntattou ntnxjt «: «»»»»' • snwiitM R*.na tontM^fwn
lati'to v. MHu.mn toiascn** !*f*«n*j».i was Metont* ,ts sura jw-aai
«*wn stiamt. town watumt U. h*«t *oia*j
IxtiMM * j"t C*6t»» wntf AJ) Ctmnofi
Oii»f*«um x* Jehmen JuMiong jo> Swii
«MV» M»»11
I<!-. ««! 0*«« Itt 1S1!
Damn— i*<*G*s#*no
CHurli*4 Atf*»«fi»t*9
M* 3712
M* ISA!
j when i Asked
'WHO'LL CARUE THE TURKEY'
what i Actually mew c>as...
v___ _
i
€>*r*f *.* j) i^w>
80S
COLi ’
Sweep away cynicism, and give thanks
During a meeting this summer, my fel
low columnists and I were eac h
assigned one holiday to cover during
the sc hool year. When I heard that
mine would be Thanksgiving, I was ecstatic: for
two reasons One, my fear that 1 would have to
spend a spring weekend researching Arlnir Day
would not be realized , and two. Thanksgiving
is my favorite secular holiday
Of America's in«|or non-religious holidays.
Thanksgiving is the only one that is not a com
petition.
Halloween is a competition
to see who i an come up with
th«> best costume
Christmas (which is a s« ular
holiday at least in our country)
is a competition to see who can
give and receive the lies! gifts.
New Year's Day and the
Fourth of July are competitions
to see who can get invited to or
I OPINION
MHll
rWDB
throw the tiest party
Thanksgiving however, ts simply a chance for
us to spend time with the ones we love and
reflect on the things for which we are thankful.
Unfortunately, in our enlightened age, this
holiday has come under stringent attacks from a
number of groups Some say that the peaceful
imagery that represents the first Thanksgiving
does not do justice lo the horrors the Pilgrims
brought upon the Native American population
at the time Others. I kid you not. say the cele
bration is discriminatory against vegetarians
because turkey is the traditional meal for the
occasion.
What arguments against Thanksgiving do not
take into account is that visions of William
Bradford with gold-buckled shoes and a black
hat. and even the meal itself, are not what is
important about this holiday It is a time for
introspection. It is a time of. as the name
implies, simply giving thanks.
How often do we actually stop for a moment
and think about ail that we have, such as our
health, our families, our friends, our country
and. as students, the plethora of opjxirtunities
that we have before us
This is what Thanksgiving is almut — to look
up to the higher powers in which we believe, to
the peoplo who help us along the way. and to
ourselves, to be grateful for all that makes this
life so wonderful, and even in a broken world,
so worth living.
If we look at our generation, our music, cul
ture and idols, the emphasis is consistently and
almost unfailingly on the negative. A film such
as kids, which is merely thinly-veiled kiddie
pom. is lauded for its realism because of its |M>s
simistic slant Trent Reznor. Kurt Cobain and
Ivddie Vedder are incessantly filling our ears, so
that just in case we have forgotten, we can Ims
reminded of how crappy life really is.
«
This is w hat Thanksgiving is about to be
grateful for all that makes this life so
wonderful, and even in a broken world, so
worth living.
99
In some ways, they're right Lite can suck at
times There is isolation, pain, death, the situa
tion in Bosnia. Colin Powell's exit from the
presidential campaign, an ever-growing deficit
that old-s< hool politicos are going to do their
darndest to increase. New Age music — the list
could go on indefinitely
But wait lot's think for a minute What about
laughter? Klia Fitzgerald? The Ducks' hid to the
Cotton Bow l ' Smashing Pumpkins? The 49ers
beating the stuffing (no pun intended) out of
Dallas' That eternity between the moment you
look into someone else's eyes for the first time
and her or his lips touch your own? My God,
there is a wonderful world out there, and simply
dismissing the whole enchilada as a big mess of
sadness and misery is not only defeatist, but
absolutely wrong
We must remember, we live in a nation that
for all of its problems, has the most liberties and
freedoms of any in the world Radical feminists
such as Catherine MacKinnon and radical frue
market conservatives such as Milton Friedman
have equal freedom to express their views,
whether we agree with them or not. Our genera
tion has never seen our home soil invaded in an
act of war Aside from the far-left fringe of the
sixties and the far right fringe of the nineties,
terrorism in our land is highly unusual
There is so much for w hich we tan be grate
ful. so much that we have to celebrate As we
see the homeless in our midst, the starving
across the world and the war-torn regions of
other nations, we must keep in mind that our
ingratitude for what we have will lead to our
inability to assist those who have nothing
If we an; not truly and honestly thankful for
the many blessings in our lives, we not only do
a great disservice to ourselves, but to those who
need us as well.
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving
Prtmo A.I. Fontana, a senior majoring in eco
nomics. is a columnist for the Emerald
WHAT DO YOU THINK’
The Oregon Daily Emerald welcomes your opin
ions on this and other issues You may submit a
letter no longer than 250 words to the Emefald
offices at Suite 300 m the EMU or send us your
thoughts via e-mail at ode@oregon uoregon edu