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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 1996)
VIEWPOINTS Public library purchases ‘Playboy’ despite protest ■ OUR OPINION: The magazine contains valid journalism and should not be removed “I'd like lo check out some naked women please " People in lake Oswego are protesting a recent deci sion by the city's public library to add Playboy to its list of 4(M) (.Huiodicab With in the first week of putting the magazine on the shelf, it vanished and Is now provid ing hours of enjoyment to some prupubesr ent boy. In response, the library has moved Playboy behind the counter, and patrons have to ask to see It No eg© limit is required to gaze at the glossy photos So, it's not surprising that this has caused citizens of the Portland suburb to him to the occasion with the usual smattering of no pub lic-porn protests and objec tifkat ion of-women arguments A* heartfelt a* their moral outrage may tie. their ire is misguided Play boy should lie pit ft ut the library's collection. l*ak« (hwngB'i librarians examine magazines and journals on a regular basis to decide what will and will not lie pun hated with pub lic funds Why. some may ask, would they consider a skin exposing mag such as this one to join their colleo lion? Playboy is more than nudity and sexual cartoon*. Each issue includes inter views with politicians and other newsmaker*, short fic tion, book excerpts, essay* and other serious journalis tic endeavors Despite the age-old joke, it D possible to read Playboy■ for the articles In addition, cataloging the magazine end keeping hack issue* allows researcher* in several field* So examine how women have been packaged for male consump tion through four decades of publishing, how a culture determines what Is sexy, when women of color became part of the Ameri can male's erotic fantasies, which political leader* felt comfortable talking with the magazine and what their moral positions were Ihen and now, etc. In short. Playboy cannot be considered pornography because it does not appeal solely to prurient intermits. It appeals to intellectual interest* as welt As for the no-age-restric tion access. It might behoove the library to allow only adults to see the maga zine. but it isn't necessary. The chances that a 10-year old boy would have the courage to ask some stern, sshh-ing librarian for a (seek at the naked ladies are slim to none. If a hormone-driven teenager want* a little visual stimulation, the last plat e he’ll want to enjoy it is in a public space. (imlmvmM such as this one often center around the public funding of offensive material. People opposed to Play'boy don't want their tax dollars sjtont on it Hut this is part of living in a democ racy. VW |my for roads we will never use and wars we don't want fought Yet peo ple choose to g«t irate about a magazine that costs each of them less than t(tooth of a percent of a single penny If the citizens of lake Oswego are bothered by the content of Playtuty. the solu tion is simple Don't ask for it. TAe skot Aeard rourvd the country club «**,****, «M« IWC tfjtfm Ml »«*■« 0tp I HtHTlOU fnv*** rutcK.-i.H > Developing nation I would like to raise some concerns over the commentary by Mr Shin Yasui (OFWs, Jan 6} regarding human right* issue* in Indonesia Mr Yasui's opinion alleged that the govern inent at Indonesia suppressed human rights and the right* of laborer* Also. Mr Yasui alleged that our president. Mr Suharto, is the dictator of a regime that mercilessly suppresses any unrest and tabor strike* We believe there is no ev ident e to supftort Mr Yasui« opinion Indonesia is the fourth nwna populous natitm in the world consisting of more than 17.000 islands and .100 different ethnic groups The political sys tem is based on democracy, it hat three political parties, and a regular national election every Five years Them are also three branches of political body legislative, executive and judicial The president is elected by tie* people {every five years} through their representative* in the People Consultative Assembly (MI'K) A* a democratic country, freedom of speec h and expression are guaranteed by our constitu tion labor rights and trade unions ate also guar anteed by the constitution Therefore, the alleged suppression of labor rights in Indonesia is hardly true Today. Indonesia continues to make efforts to develop the nation After So years of indepen dence. the results of that development is evident. Indonesia is becoming one of the newly indus tnaltrad countries The US Department of Com merce categorised Indonesia a* one of the new large emerging market* In developing the nation, we invite and encour age foreign investments Most foreign companies are keen on investing their capital in Indonesia because it haa a potential market, highly produc tive laborers and a long record of government sta bility. We believe that the need to create mure employment can be fulfilled through foreign investment We admit that there have been some inade quate policies in the process of Indonesia's devel opment However, we have tried every effort to improve froth policies and implementation toward the welfare of the people of the country. We have teamed a lot from such a process I hope this give* you a trotter idea about Indonesia. Ahmad Fauzie Gam Consul General of Indonesia Rich get richer Happy a* 1 was to see our Finero/d investigate the ongoing destruction of our commonwealth by the class weapon of Measure 5. I remain per plexed You reported that Measure S restricts properly tax rates, but ordinary home owner* actually paid increase* based on escalated assessments. Never theless. the Male now suffers a shortfall in rev* enues for its general fund — all gleaned from property taxi s I wonder; who gains? Well, what «las* of individuals financed the Measure 5 cam paign' Giving your readers the full story would nave completed the equation and better informed them With less public funds, public school* at every level have to frantually cut expenses and charge more for education services. Our tuition and other cost* (technology fees, etc.) climb, while our course choices dwindle. Students pay more and get less But the affluent pay less and get more* The state's largest individual and corporate landholders reaped a windfall with Measure 5. The result is that a weakened Oregon public joins the nationwide trend: The rich get privately rich er while the poor get poorer, and the rest get nowhere Meanwhile, well-paid "analysts and experts" say the economy is improving They might want to add, "fw those who own one, that is." Chrtt Brady Eugene Taxation flood It was pretty hard to stay calm while reading tarry Haiti's opinion column on the utility tax [ODE. Feb 19). Affordable housing for anyone, homeless or not. is a laudable goal And a t per cent utility lax sounds small and manageable put a little expense for everyone That kind of well-intentioned, small and "insignificant" taxation [always for a worthy objective initially) is why we suffer under such an ever-escalating, increasingly suffocating and eternally more complex flood of bureaucracy and taxation And, like unemployment, the homeless am still hero. Taxes go up. but the problem doesn't go away. Taxes are like rain drops; a few give u* drinking water and green forests — too many and we get a flood of destruction Dam the money in a bureaucracy and. like water, it evaporates If you want to feel hopeless, you need not be homeless Just be a 50 year-old working guy pay ing over 50 percent of your income into taxes for things you didn't even know existed. No children — because I feared I wouldn't be able to afford them Meanwhile, |'m paying for all those who refuse to afford theirs or take tom of themselves Mr Haiti, if you want to house the homeless, plug one of those bureaucratic rat holes you men tioned — but not with another tax on hard-work ing people and borderline "very low income." Hero's a lead Use Dan Williams' “rat hole" salary You know. Mr "buUdoze-thelow-uuume Amazon-housmg-and haul-it-to-the-landfill?" Michael L. Horton Eugene _ 1 1
