Perspectives
Questioned motives
I am responding to the ROTC article
(ODE, April 7). ROTC student Indira
Rice states, “We love this country
enough to fight for it, to die for the peace
of the land.”
This is 1999. Don’t give us that pre
Vietnam love-this-country-or-leave-it
stuff. Our leaders, soon to be Rice’s and
Nash’s bosses, protect multinational in
terests, not our basic freedoms.
The feel good patriotism the writer
enjoyed while interviewing the cadets
does not even hint at the horror and
brutality we subject our poorer students
to, in exchange for an education.
Go ask veterans at the Eugene Mis
sion if there is any doubt. My World Al
manac states more than 57,000 U.S.
troops died in Vietnam and 300 died in
the Gulf War.
Do you think the families of these
men and women are proud that their
kids died for the peace of the land?
Maybe a few. Most families, howev
er, agree with Robert McNamara, U.S.
Secretary of Defense 1961-1968, that
Vietnam was a mistake, and we have
57,000 deaths to prove it.
Furthermore, most would agree that
the Persian Gulf War happened for one
reason: cheap oil. Kuwait sovereignty my
foot, and we have 300 dead to show for it.
In light of the above mentioned num
bers, I feel anyone entering the ROTC
should ask themselves two questions:
Whose interest am I really serving and
30 years from now, if I die while serving
my country, will history say we should
n’t have been there anyway?
Donald E. Burton
Eugene
Support boycott
Students have the opportunity to play
a role in correcting social injustices,
which plague our society at large and
plague the Willamette Valley. It is a situ
ation of injustice in which the Universi
ty administration, through pretending
neutrality, promotes and perpetuates
farmworker exploitation on the farms of
NORPAC owners. Exploitation is suffer
ing the highest rate of chemical-related
illness of any occupation and being re
fused the right to minimum wage. Injus
tice is working six straight hours in the
field because growers illegally refuse
workers a single break. These are reali
ties on farms of NORPAC growers.
In 1992, PCUN, the farmworkers’
union, levied a national boycott in re
sponse to years of NORPAC refusing to
negotiate the abusive labor conditions.
Readers should recognize student efforts
to remove Flav-R-Pac and Gardenburger
from campus as a movement in support
of the farmworkers’ boycott.
To clarify the issue, which Garden
burger CEO Lyle Hubbard whitewashed
readers in a letter to the editor (ODE,
April 20), Gardenburger uses NORPAC
as its distributor. Gardenburger enjoys
profit-saving distribution costs due to
NORPAC’s exploitation of its underpaid
labor force. PCUN informed Garden
burger of NORPAC owner’s exploitation
of farmworkers and asked Hubbard to
sever economic ties. However, Hubbard
chooses to continue using NORPAC as
his distributor. Hubbard’s financial sup
port of a repressive regime of Oregon
growers spurred PCUN to add Garden
burger to the boycott in 1996.
While numerous universities have
stopped purchasing Gardenburger/
FLAV-R-PAC (NORPAC’s label), the
University administration refuses to
support Oregon farmworkers. Please
voice your concern!
John Riordan
Planning, Public Policy and Management
LGBTA welcomes all
My counselor recommended the Les
bian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Al
liance to me because I wanted greater
support and acceptance within my en
vironment. However, I was afraid and
nervous because I did not know
whether I would be included. One day,
I gathered my courage and decided to
head for the LGBTA. The staff was
friendly and warmly welcomed me. I
participated in educational and intel
lectual discussions on topics such as re
ligion, relationships, history and dis
crimination against gay people. I have
also enjoyed activities such hiking,
movies and bowling. At the LGBTA, I
gained support from straight allies, too.
LGBTA has made a great difference in
my life. Therefore, if you are new, lone
ly or need support within your own en
vironment, I strongly encourage you to
come by the LGBTA office in EMU
Suite 34. We welcome you regardless of
your ethnicity and sexual orientation.
LaynahTan
Psychology/Business
INCIDENT of A
SCHOOL SHOOTING or
SCHOOL GUN INCIDENT,
1997-1999
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