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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITORS
Jonas Allen. Kameron Cole
Time to pull the plug on
the Clinton scandal
Like a sitcom past its prime, the
scandal is pulling us where we
no longer wish to follow
If we've learned anything during our
many years as a TV nation, it is that
all things must come to an end.
We have watched many of our fa
vorite shows, from Mary Tyler Moore to
Seinfeld, fade into pop culture lore and by
now we know that sometimes we just
have to let go.
We also know that
few things are more
annoying than a
show that has
grown tired,
yet continues
to trudge
doggedly
along, clogging
our airwaves
and grating our
nerves.
The President
Clinton scandal —
in which the pres
ident allegedly
lied about his
sexual relation
ship with former
White House in
tern Monica
Lewinsky — writh
its daily exercises
in absurdity, has
become such a
spectacle: a sitcom
that won’t die.
n.
1 hink about it: The
characters are all in place,
often filling roles so cliche
that one can’t help but won
der if they’ve been scripted.
You’ve got Clinton, the South
ern bad boy; Ken Starr, the
grizzled grump; noisy neighbor
Linda Tripp; and Lewinsky, resi- «
dent vixen.
It started out slow, with the complicat
ed and tedious Whitewater investigation.
It didn’t take a particularly astute viewer
to see that it was going nowhere. Even
Paula Jones’ sexual harassment suit did
little to arouse our interests.
The quintessential method of propping
up a sagging sitcom is to introduce new
characters. Enter Lewinsky, a spunky
young woman who came to Washington,
D.C., with a beret and a dream. Say what
you will about this girl, but she certainly
did break up the monotony.
The scandal reached its peak earlier this
month with the release of Starr’s report,
and no matter what else happens, it is
pretty much a given that it will be a down
hill slide.
After all the pomp that surrounded the
notorious stained dress, Clinton’s video
taped deposition and, most recently, the
release of Tripp’s taped conversations
with Lewinsky, there is no way any new
scrap of evidence or information could be
anything but underwhelming.
This interpretation of events is a bit flip
pant, but if you have been following the
Clinton debacle, you have to admit there
have been times when a laugh track would
have been more than appropriate.
Although it has raised some legitimate
questions about morality and our faith in
our leaders, the investigation has degener
ated into a ridiculous mess.
Without a doubt the scandal has left us
with many memories. Who among us will
forget the cigar episode anytime soon?
Now, there’s only one important ques
tion left to be answered: How will it end?
Will Clinton be canceled while A1 Gore
spinoffs into a starring role? Maybe we’ll
wake up one day and realize it was all a
bizarre dream. Heck, maybe everyone will
end up in prison.
Whatever happens, let’s just hope the
end comes soon.
This editorial represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial board. Responses may be
sent to ode@oregon .uoregon.edu.
Letters to the Editor
Project Saferide would like to remind
students of the service that we offer. We
are a sexual assault prevention shuttle at
the University of Oregon. We operate Sun
day through Thursday 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.
and Friday and Saturday until 2 a.m. If
you need a ride please call us at 346-4239.
Because Saferide is primarily a rape
prevention shuttle, we are only able to ac
commodate female riders. This is in ac
cordance with Saferide's ASUO bylaws.
We currently operate four vehicles which
do both on- and off-campus rides. Unfor
tunately, because the number of requests
for rides is often more than we can accom
modate, we are forced to turn away an av
erage of seven women per night. There
fore, we limit our services to groups of
three or less since women traveling alone
are at greater risk of being assaulted.
Saferide is also not able to provide trans
portation ior women who wish to run er
rands. With your cooperation, these poli
cies ensure that the women who need us
most are able to get a ride.
As an organization we are concerned
with the safety of all students, regardless
of sex. Therefore, we would like to men
tion some transportation alternatives to
Saferide. The Designated Driver Shuttle
(346-RIDE) and Tandem Taxi (346-TAXI)
provide safe transportation for University
men and women. Another option in the
campus area is the Office of Public Safety
(346-5444).
Project Saferide is always looking for fe
male and male volunteers to help with of
fice work and fund raisers. Female volun
teers are needed to drive the vehicles
during operational hours. If vou are inter
ested, please call 346-0653 or stop by our
office in the Women’s Center (EMU Suite
3).
Celia Bobisud
Valerie Wright
Project Saferide