Editor in chief: Jack Clifford
Associate Editors: Rebecca Newell, Jeff Smith
Newsroom: (541)346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Thursday
July 27,2000
Volume 102, Issue 11
k Oregon Daily 1 "■
Emerald
Some
‘dirty’
ADA
business
Two lawmakers and Clint Eastwood want to
amend the Americans with Disabilities Act.
decision,
however, so
Martin’s
ability to
play the
game he
loves may
eventually
be taken
away again.
But the
ADA wasn’t
put into law
so that peo
ple with dis
abilities
would feel
better about
their differ
ent situa
tions. It was
established
to ensure
employers or
privately
owned enti
ties that
might be less
than accom
modating in
| regards to
people with
disabilities
I don’t dis
criminate or
fail to pro
vide equi
table service
to all cus
| tomers.
The Americans with Disabilities
Act, signed into law by former Presi
dent George Bush 10 years ago
Wednesday, is one of those pieces of
legislation that most of us don’t even
think about.
Need to get through that heavy
front door with no automatic open
er? Not a problem, unless of course
you use a pair of crutches for mobili
ty. Tired of walking up and down
that set of stairs at your favorite local
restaurant? Imagine being in a
wheelchair and having to maneuver
yourself up a ramp to get in.
That’s not to say that people with
disabilities are incapable of taking
care of themselves. No, in fact, most
people with
disabilities man
age just fine without the far-reaching
paternalistic hand of someone else
guiding them through life’s barriers
and obstacles.
Do they sometimes need a little
help? Certainly. That’s why the
courts ruled in favor of Eugene’s
Casey Martin in his case against the
PGA. Martin asked golf’s governing
body for an exception to the rule that
forbids the use of a cart during tour
naments. When PGA officials de
nied his request, Martin sued under
the ADA, and the U.S. Court of Ap
peals for the Ninth Court ruled for
Martin. The PGA has appealed the
Now Con
gress is de
bating
whether or
■< not to amend
Title III of the Act — the one dealing
directly with public accommoda
tions. Florida Republican Reps.
Mark Foley and Clay Shaw have
sponsored a bill that would require
plaintiffs to give defendants notice
of alleged violations and then 90
days to comply.
None other than actor Clint East
wood, who was sued three vears ago
because his California hotel is in vio
lation of the ADA, has stepped up to
add a bit more bang to the Florida
lawmakers’ shot across the bow of
the act. Eastwood spoke to a House
committee in May, asking them to
amend the act.
We believe that H. R. 3590, like so
many of Eastwood’s foes in his
“Dirty Harry” flicks, should die on
the floor.
When Eastwood spoke to the com
mittee, officials with the Paralyzed
Veterans of America handed out
statements that read in part, “owners
of properties ... have had almost 10
years to comply with the law.” Good
point. What has Eastwood or any
other business owner in violation of
the law been doing for the past
decade? It’s not as if the government
is suddenly picking on companies.
They’ve had time to renovate their
structures and access to those build
ings.
Eastwood’s other complaint was a
common one heard in regards to this
issue: that he and other small-busi
ness owners are being preyed upon
by money-seeking attorneys since
the disabled cannot collect monetary
damages under the law. Only attor
neys’ fees can be claimed.
Good tactic on Eastwood’s part.
Who likes the idea of lawyers raking
in the dough while those truly affect
ed are left out of the compensation
cycle? Except that the actor’s basic
claim is false.
In fact, according to statistics from
the Department of Justice, as of May
1997, only about 650 lawsuits had
been filed. That number is minus
cule when one considers that about
6 million businesses, approximately
666,000 public and private employ
ers, and 80,000 units of state and lo
cal government must comply with
the ADA.
Hey Clint, we need your rhetoric
like we need a hole in our head.
We also don’t need Foley’s and
Shaw’s flawed legislation. You can
register your opinion with Rep. Foley
through his e-mail address, mark.fo
ley@mail.house.gov, and you can
reach Rep. Shaw by calling his Wash
ington, D.C. office at 202-225-3026.
Go ahead, make their day.
This editorial represents the view of the
Emerald editorial board. Responses may be
sent to ode@oregon. uoregon.edu.
Party conventions: lackluster politics, amusing protests
Now that Texas Gov. George W.
Bush has selected Dick Cheney to be
his vice presidential candidate, the
focus can begin to shift to the up
coming Republican and Democratic
Party conventions.
More of a staged theatrical event
than a meeting
to decide each
® party’s nomi
nees, the con
ventions this
year should be
even less inter
esting for the
average view
|| ing citizen be
g cause the con
Bret
Jacobson
j£iMS ventions are
now, for all real
intents, mean
ingless. While
protests out
side of the events could offer an en
tertaining show of sound and fury
that signifies nothing.
The Republican National Conven
tion begins Monday with almost no
drama available. The Democrats will
try to throw together an equally non
controversial, uplifting springboard
for Al Gore two weeks later.
As for the Republicans, any con
troversy has been removed from the
convention, taking away all of the
unique drama that once played a
great role in the events. Bush has the
nomination wrapped up and the ma
rauder John McCain has been van
quished. The convention managers
will make sure that the party’s most
accomplished speaker and longshot
candidate Alan Keyes will never
speak during prime time so that he
can’t pull a Pat Buchanan, sink-the
ship speech, declaring war on liber
als that costs the party dearly at elec
tion time. The only possible
disagreement could be on Cheney,
but that won’t amount to much.
In Los Angeles, Gore will be fresh
off his announcement of his veep
candidate and hoping that his coro
nation as a candidate goes smoothly
as it is slated to do. The only groups
inside the convention who won’t
openly kiss the feet of the Democrat
king are the Teamsters who are angry
with Gore’s support of free trade
with China and will also have at
tended the Republican convention.
But by November this lover’s spat
will be all over and the status quo
will once again reign.
Protests outside of each conven
tion, however, threaten to detract
from the bedazzling spectacle of
free-flowing confetti and star-span
gled balloon drops. While the pomp
and circumstance of a marriage be
tween party factions takes place in
side, political outsiders will be brav
ing the mild summer elements so
that their voices will be heard.
Protesters have set up training
camps in California to prepare an
other WTO-esque political state
ment to the Democrats, one that says
the party has sold out their activist
fan base in favor of big money inter
ests. And protesters have been fight
ing legal battles to protest on the
property of the Republican conven
tion site in Philadelphia, the city of
brotherly love and “civil" protest.
It is these protesters who offer the
best entertainment value during this
political period. You see, no one is •
more fun to watch than blind and
frenzied believers who have every
thing backwards.
The very essence of party conven
tions is so that various voices within
a group can be heard. Yet these self
imposed outsiders choose not to
have their voices heard in a con
structive fashion, but rather cast
themselves in an antagonistic role.
Modern protesters have become
more aggressive and less reasonable
in their demands. They believe that
whenever decision-making groups
don’t purchase wholesale the ideas of
the demonstrators that there is a mas
sive conspiracy against the American
people. These groups are easily iden
tified by ridiculous rhetoric, ugly
signs and even uglier dancing.
Thus by their own choices, they
ensure they are not taken seriously
and then have even more reason to
complain. But that should be
enough reason to tune into the party
conventions in the coming weeks.
After all, since the politicians are no
longer providing any legitimate en
tertainment, might as well take it
where we can get it.
Bret Jacobson is a columnist for the Oregon
Daily Emerald. His views do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald. He can be
reached at bjacobso@gladstone.
uoregon.edu.
Thumbs
To University
fundraising
An all-time high of
$58.5 million in
contributions was
pulled in from
2t,000 individual
donors. The effort
by the Oregon
Campaign proved
to be the most suc
cessful private
fundraiser in state
history.
To the first male
Blazer Dancer
Jeremy England,
19, will become
the first male in
the 13-year history
of the Blazer
dance team. Eng
land, who is also a
member of the
Portland Fire’s
mixed-gender Hip
Hop Squad, was
one of 100 dancers
who tried out for
the team.
To Yahoo for sell
ing Nazi objects
Yahoo! Inc. is of
fering 1,000 Nazi
objects for sale
through its Web
auction site. Items
include SS daggers,
swastika-embla
zoned battle flags
and replica canis
ters of Zyklon B,
the lethal gas that
killed millions in
“showerrooms.”
To a trio of Beavers
Three Oregon State
football players al
legedly beat an
other OSU student
after a party early
Saturday morning.
The football play
ers—James New
son, Alton “Junior”
Adams and Robert
Prescott—along
with two other
named assailants
have been arrest
ed on charges of
third-degree as
sault, a Class C
felony which holds
a five year maxi
mum penalty.