VIEWPOINTS
EDITORIALS OPINIONS. LETTERS TO TNt EDITOR
DeF&io call*
■ OUR OPINION Vo'*<' $
should rally behind
Dofazo and work
together to send him to
the Senate
Just when you think it *
•unirely safe lo make a polit
leal forecast, wham! The
proverbial prognostication
rug gels yanked out from
under you.
And what a surprise this
one turned out to he Who
would have though! Peter
IM u/io would drop out of
the rar e for Mark Hatfield's
seat?
But then again, who
would blame anyone for
choosing not to put oneself
through the financial and
emotional gauntlet of run
ning for office — lot alone
one as high-profile and cost
ly as a position in the U.S.
Senate,
HePaMo is faced with the
personal ethic of not wanti
ng lo sell his representation
lo the highest special inter
est bidder, while fully real
ising the only way he could
raise enough money to win
ihe election would be to sell
out to them It's catch-22
and all that
This is a perfect example
of everything that's wrong
with American politics.
Only the rich can afford lo
la* political contenders and
hold office, white others are
left with their financially
strapped campaigns and
good intentions
The average citizen's
answer to America'* money -
driven political machine is
grassroots involvement.
Grassroots work has proven
to be a successful tool in
raising the nec essary finan
cial support, but it can also
give candidates a power
base of volunteer*,
It * the weapon of choice
far many independent can*
dictates, and voter* disillu
sioned with the statu* quo
Ross Ferns. despite all hi*
baffling quirk*, could be the
best example of a successful
grassroots campaign that
reached from coast to coast
It appear* DoFazio ha* a
strong grassroots support
base and following
It is fur this reason w«
want to do something slight
ly out of charac ter
We don't usually get on
our knees or prostrate our
selves on the floor to beg for
a change of mind, leniency
or forgiveness from anyone
And w« aren’t going to
start now
Hut we are going to go out
on a limb and ask DeFazio
to reconsider his decision.
We need people of your
caliber Mr DaFazio. W*
need politic ians like you
who are committed to the
people, to their values and
concerns.
We realize we are asking a
lot It takes courage, guts
and buckets of money to be
a viable candidate
We enc ourage people to
call DeFaztos office (4S&
16221 to pledger their sup
port Tell him you'll vote lor
Kim
We should get together
with the ASllO and other
student groups to think up
fundraising ideas DeFazio
would need to raise some
thing like $1 I.OOO a day to
have a chance at victory. We
could at least try to make a
dent in that price tag
Wo should do what we
can to send DeFazio to the
Senate where he belongs.
He wouldn't be the only
one to beat a Republican
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CHANCES OT PE ELEC
Commentator funding: the final word
Last night's ilediuw by the Program*
Finance Committee to fund (ho Oregon
Commentator with incidental fees is a*
saddening a* It is prod (liable It teem*
shat bogus freedom of -speech arguments mis
lead the easily blinded PFC Chairwoman Susan
Anderson claimed that the journal's content
could tun affect the funding decision Some
thing tells me that if the Commentator began
printing instructions on how to rape women or
explanations on why Aryan blood is superior to
all others, t ontent would suddenly heams a
factor
When funding any form of spew h. one must
lomuder whether lines have been crossed Doe*
promoting violence against women cross this
line* I>ues the (Mmmentator's 'humorous"
explanation of ‘why men should not lie perse
cuted for acting upon their instincts" during
Take Bade the Women Night" constitute rape
advocacy?
To me. lice answers to these questions are
clear I could spend the remaining space
explaining whs However this would fuel the
alldOO* prevalent belief that this bailie is
between one columnist and one publication
Tins issue i* not about me or the personal
mud ibat has been slung This issue is about
leaders who embrace the role of apologist ami
Ignore the role of activist This issue is about a
knee-jerk reaction to the First Amendment that
has numbed oitiral thinking This issue is
about the so-railed silent maturity that refuses to
endorse a journal of \ talente or a student gov
ernment of inaction
let those people respond to last week's litany
ol letters::
"/eont to foie a fake.* Thomas St.hueuhcmt.
Oregon Commentator
’It it sad to see so many young, white boys
not having the slightest idea about their own
mentality, * Francis Neo
~lt takes a man with the murage to stand up
to women bashing to make the greatest impact
Thanks for painting out that such behavior isn't
appropriate, funny or cool, * Holly Gryte.
'I'm shocked that you ‘re being attacked foe a
lack of a sense of humor I thought students on
college campuses were in general more aware. *
Candace Palmarlae
Moat students are aware It's the ones
immersed in student politics who remain clue
less
To attack women in a piece that claims to be
promoting feminism is ludicrous," Jennifer
Williamson. ASUO president
No. of course you can t attack women and he a
feminist Women who fall to do their job*
should be immune bom criticism. Besides, hug
ging Ron Wyden on newspaper coven and regis
tering freshmen to vote are much more
important tasks for a feminist president than
attacking pro rape discourse on campus
*/ fear one day yon may find yourself on the
wrong tide of the famous quote by Malcolm X
If you are not part of the solution, you are part
of the problem '
'We may not like the opinion of our papers,
hut hate to protect their right to publish, “
Kdwina Welch, ASUO Woman's Center Director
Spoken like a true radical who demands sys
temic change I tan see why she quotes Malcolm
X Who's pari of the problem?
*7 appreciate your using the forum that is
amilahle to you in a very positive way and for
OPINION
speaking out for women and
against bigotry / think that
(Welch) was wrong about your
moti\-m, * Trit.ia lie John.
Thank* Bui I'm mam con
cerned about her lack of
motive*
*/ aim nmfnxi your valor m
the Commentator will no doubt
address the issue in their nest
publication, ” Paul Kiauwn
Do you think they'll call lor an interview?
“As the editor'inchief of the Origin Com*
maeMtor. / mn omu nttm
her of teamen taking Hu fen dr and the number
enrolled cm women ’* studies majors have not
dm reused br> moe of our magazine.' f-arrah L
Beat it
Not that a ponton who opitunuxe* Clarence
Thomas tokenism would understand thi*. but
the number of women enrolled in those pro
gram* ha* probably »m nwwnl because of the
Commentator
"It ts sad that there are people out there who
lack the matunty and class to give females the
resf>ect they deserve. * Diane Yasue
Sometime* not even females give females the
respect they deserve
"A* o woman, / hate not being able to walk
on the street at night and feel safe, and the fact
that the Commentator staff is so blind about this
issue makes it even scarier I am particularly
disturbed that it was mainly women that
attacked your article I just wanted to tell you
that there ore women that da support you. and I
for one really appreciate that there is a man out
there who is not only intelligent but caring loo. ’
Jennifer Roberta
I couldn't agree with you more.
{And yea, 1*11 lei it go now.)
Keith Cunningham, a senior maturing in English,
it a columnist for the Emerald.
Editor's note: Responses to this column will hr
distributed to the author and the editor but will
not be published because of the attention this
issue has received in recent weeks