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
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