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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2001)
Tuesday Editor in chief: Jack Clifford Managing Editor: Jessica Blanchard Newsroom: (541) 346-5511 Room 300, Erb Memorial Union P.O. box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu EDITORIAL EDITOR: MICHAEL J. KLECKNER opededitor@journalist.com LONE VOICE IN THE WOODS >ixon Emerald Nobody is as weary of fad TV shows as I am, but when it comes to co-opting a populist hit in the name of local politi cal satire, I’m all for that. So, as the time draws near once again to decide this Uni versity’s membership in apparel license moni toring groups, it is time to remember the activists of the past and get ready to play “Hippie/Activist Survival Center Island.” The contestants on our island this year read like a list of the usual suspects. Jay Breslow, ASUO president, leads the cast of returning characters. Arrested last year as one of the local protesters, Breslow is a politician at heart, which makes him an early favorite. Another strong contender for the last hippie standing is surely Maria Roper, Worker Rights Consortium staff person, who is in it to win and isn’t going to back down from any local yahoo like Breslow. Other players who return from prominent ap pearances last year include Randy Newnham, a spokesman for the Human Rights Alliance, and Sarah Jacobson, also from HRA. Both were vigi lant and ready at a moment’s notice to condemn those who dared have a world view opposed to their own beacon of wisdom. Jevon Cutler, for merly of the Survival Center, is loud and active, as any good hippie protester should be. Also on our island, we mustn’t forget local icon Frog. Al though he wasn’t officially a member of a com plaining group during last year’s snafu, his sheer wiliness and rugged endurance suggest a keen survival instinct. As the game begins, the lights come up on a rainy, flora-filled park just west of the Universi ty. The small crowd meets and greets each other, sizing up the opponents. Jacobson eyes Cutler; Newnham glares at Breslow; and Roper tickles Frog. In their first immunity challenge, all partici pants are forced to find the most purely organic foods available within one mile and return to camp. The crowd races off, with Cutler and Jacob son heading for the local falafel stand, Newnham marching to a natural tea house and Frog scurry ing off to a treasure trove of wheat-germ goodness. Unfortunately, Maria Roper looks dazed and out of place, having never before left her New York City WRC office. Winner of the immunity chal lenge: Frog. Thus, with Frog immune from being tossed, the tension builds for the remaining contestants. After small side deals are made among the group, the vote comes up, as announced by the very bellicose host, Laura Close. First off: Sarah Jacobson. Unwilling to yield her principles for victory, Jacobson loses because she won’t play the game. The defeat is the work of a master politician, possibly a Jay Breslow. And the rounds continue in the same manner. Next off is Newnham. No particular reason, oth er than the rest of the group didn’t take to him very well. Next goes Cutler, leaving Breslow, Roper and Frog. Strong personalities, strong wills toward victory. Next off is Frog. Sorry, but personality can only carry you so far. That leaves Roper or Breslow to be the ulti mate winner, dependent upon the votes of the Survival Center Island members previously tossed off. After a close finish, Laura Close an nounces that between the two master politicians and true believers, Maria Roper is the ultimate Survival Center Island winner. This is shocking, of course, to the crowd, considering Roper does n’t attend the University or live in the area. Such a shocking finish can only be followed by a more galling finale. Unhappy at the loss, Breslow demands a recount. He grabs at Roper’s face, pulling off a synthetic mask to reveal none other than: University President Dave Frohn mayer! “I wanted to show my social conscience and say, ‘Common sense be damned,’ and I would’ve gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids.” 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. Letters to the editor Community policing abolition adverse Eugene Police Chief Jim Hill’s re cent announcement that he’s aban doning community policing seems more like a budget-busting tactic than sound public-policy decision making. Although the police serv ices budget has nearly doubled since 1991 and the serious crime rate has declined 3 percent, Hill suggests he needs yet more money to implement the widely popular community program. Even though community polic ing has a goal of reducing crime and at the same time reducing cost, old guard officers apparently believe the program is “soft on crime and is primarily social work.” The strong-arm approach of law en forcement that the entrenched pub lic safety personnel seem to favor has already proven to be a disaster in community relations. We believe that intimidation and harassment are all too common in Eugene law enforcement, and the exercise of authority is not bal anced by attempts at problem solv ing. The resulting alienation be tween police and the community reduces the safety of all. Hill’s en thusiasm for New York-style, zero tolerance policing suggests that he looks forward to further conflict be tween citizens and police. The lack of responsiveness by the Eugene Police Department and the city government to citizens’ concerns has led to the formation of the INDEPENDENT Police Re view Project. As a citizen group in dependent of government influ ence, the IPRP will monitor city law enforcement policy and seek to implement objective citizen police review. Randy Gicker Sherry Franzen IPRP Bowl game made me a Duck fan Having the pictures developed from my recent trip to San Diego reminded me of something I in tended to do earlier. I am an alumnus of the Univer sity of Texas and a fan of its foot ball team. I traveled to San Diego with the hope my team would win the game and I would go home happy. The point of my letter is that my “other” team won the game. I knew nothing about your program or your fans, but I now know the University of Oregon can be very proud of both. You have an intel ligent and fast team, and you have some of the classiest fans I have encountered. I have become a Duck fan and will follow the pro gram and wish it all the good for tune it deserves. I will still have to pull for my “Horns” when the two meet, though. I just wanted to say thanks and hello to all the Duck fans I met and hope we can do it again in the near future. The national champi onship game would be great. Go Ducks! Steve Kirkpatrick .. .Highlands, Texas
