Oregon daily emerald., March 31, 1997, Page 2A, Image 2

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LETTERS
Matters of the heart
I am writing to commend Mike Braden on
his critique of the Emerald for putting Bill
Sizemore on your “Winners” section in the
Feb. 24 Emerald. In response to his letter,
you said the “Winners” section is “based on
events in their own lives,” and that “Size
more is ‘winning’ at life.”
I have two major problems with this.
First, you should make it clear this is the cri
teria when you print these “Winner/Loser”
sections. Otherwise, it does appear you are
endorsing the “winners.”
Second, under this criteria, the man who
recently shot people on the deck of the Em
pire State Building could be called a “Win
ner,” for he certainly succeeded in his goal
of terrorizing people. And hey, Adolf Hitler
certainly was a winner for a while there, as
he succeeded in his goal of exterminating
millions of people.
Now, I’m not trying to imply that Bill
Sizemore is anything close to a Hitler. But
he has helped to create an extreme climate
of uncertainty for the children and parents
of Oregon. I suggest that if you choose to
paint him as “winning” in life, you should
show a corresponding photo of a school
child, who is “losing.”
In fact, Eugene will be closing seven ele
mentary schools and one middle school in
direct response to Sizemore’s Measure 47.
South Eugene High School students will
have to pay for any art or music classes and
already have to pay for sports. It’s reassur
ing to know that only kids from wealthy
families will have access to the arts and
sports. Call him what you want, but in my
book, he will always be the Grand Puba of
Losers.
Benno Lyon
Environmental Studies
Political hypocrisy
We will not ask the Palestinians to shut
four Palestine Authority offices in
Jerusalem; we will shut them ourselves,”
said Israel s Prime Minister Benjamin Ne
tanyahu boastfully while Yasir Arafat’s cof
fee was still warm at his recent White House
visit. And the Palestinian leader’s airplane
was still in U.S. airspace when the same
people who served him coffee at the White
House vetoed an United Nations resolution
condemning the recent Israeli encroach
ment into Arab land, further Judaizing the
real estate in Palestine.
This form of political hypocrisy has been
synonymous with Washington’s treatment
ot indigenous people. How can one forget
the continued abominable treatment of Na
tive Americans in the United States or the
shameful history and practice of slavery
with its continued ramifications. Therefore,
American policy-makers and their support
groups in the media and academia in identi
fying with racist policies, glamorize and le
gitimize the Jewish state.
While Israel’s interests are popularized in
Eugene, other Middle Eastern polities and
cultures are ignored. While a Judaic Studies
department is planned at the University, the
study of Islam is neglected. Last year’s elab
orate symposium on European atrocities
against Jews is not matched by an equally
elaborate symposium on American and Is
raeli imperialism against the indigenous
peoples of the Middle East.
Pathetic leaders like Arafat and Egypt’s
Hosni Mubarak come and go. But the peo
ple of the Middle East and their courageous
struggle continues even if it is eschewed in
Eugene and the West.
No peace is viable with injustice built in.
M. Reza Behnam, Ph. D.
Eugene