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
Uncle Sam cries hypocrisy
APTAIN
SENSIBLE
A few weeks ago, the United States ended
up the victim of intense politicking in
the United Nations. After fielding three
candidates against us, Europe helped
get us removed from the United Nations Com
mission on Human Rights. This was an em
barrassing defeat for the new administration
of President Bush, as it gives us one less forum
to talk about the abuses of members still on
the commission.
I can imagine Castro and Jiang giving each
other high-fives as the vote was announced.
For them, there couldn’t have been a better
outcome. The United States was, for lack of a
better term, the thorn in their side. For the last
few years, our representative on the commis
sion has submitted resolutions condemning
Cuba, China and Sudan for human rights
abuses. We have spoken strongly through res
olutions on Tibet, the Falun Gong and our
own citizens being detained in Chinese pris
ons right now, as well as Cuba’s treatment of
those with AIDS and the monstrous abuses
going on inside Sudanese police “ghost hous
es.” These have been understandably embar
rassing to the countries in question.
Now, we had better ready ourselves for
some payback. China, Cuba and Sudan, all
three nations who are also on the commis
sion, and all three who have been called out
for their human rights abuses by the United
States, are probably right now plotting their
revenge through a resolution of their own.
No doubt, they will try to paint a grim pic
ture of the U.S. vis-a-vis human rights. They
might try to point at our penal system (not
that theirs are much better), which incarcer
ates a large number of people on drug
crimes. Civilized China, on the other hand,
just executes them. It would also probably
include, as a cynical measure, a reference to
our use of capital punishment. That, of
course, is meant to get continental Europe
on their side, as most of Europe has abol
ished the death penalty. Never mind that the
three countries in question use capital pun
ishment themselves.
At least we don’t forcibly sterilize women
to prevent them from having children, or
torture people in police custody, or crack
down on peaceful religious groups who just
happen to express displeasure with the gov
ernment, as in China. At least we don’t
throw people with AIDS into concentration
camps like the Cubans. Our police don’t
haul dissidents to police safe houses where
they can torture them nonstop until they
Bryan Dixon Emerald
confess, as in Sudan. Flogging, amputation
and crucifixion are not acceptable punish
ments here, the way they are Sudan.
Let me also say, however, I don’t believe our
own rhetoric of being the “only nation willing
to go to bat for human rights, anytime, any
where.” Where exactly were we when in
Rwanda, the Tutsis were slaughtering the
Hutu? Nary a peep was heard out of the gov
ernment on this issue. Why haven’t we pres
sured our drug manufacturers to lower prices
to cost or below on drugs to fight HIV every
where, obviously a human rights question? It
was only when South Africa decided to enact
some sort of legal sanction that the companies
responded. Exactly what did we do when stu
dents were being gunned down in Tiananmen
Square? Now, twelve years later, and with ab
solutely no apology from the Politburo’s lips,
we have instituted permanent normal trade
relations with China.
Further, we did put our own foot in our
mouth by denying our U.N. dues after the
vote. It makes us look like a spoiled brat, bawl
ing and throwing a tantrum because we
couldn’t get our way. Apparently only Presi
dent Bush was prescient enough to realize
this — he actually tried to get the Senate to go
ahead and pay the dues anyway. Granted, we
finally ended another similar tantrum that we
threw over UNESCO, which we apparently
found to have “an anti-American bent” back
in 1984, by rejoining the educational organi
zation in the same breath as withholding our
dues. Those dues do go to providing help to
those in dire need through U.N. programs,
such as the U.N. High Commission for
Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund
and the World Health Organization.
By pouting and withholding our money,
we are harming human rights at the same
time we are complaining that our voice has
been effectively silenced on the matter.
Pat Payne is a columnist for the Oregon Daily Emer
ald. His views do not necessarily represent those of
the Emerald. He can be reached at Macross_SD@hot
mail.com.
Letters to the editor
Dievendorf is strange
counterpart to Runge
Since my retirement from the University,
my tangible contact with student activities
has been as a volunteer with the Cultural Fo
rum. Though I do not know the circum
stances surrounding the departure of Linda
Dievendorf from her Cultural Forum super
visory position, I have interacted with
Dievendorf enough to recognize her positive
influence on Student-University relations.
It seems ironic that the forced departure of
Jody Runge as women's basketball coach,
with a “severance” arrangement of $500,000,
ostensibly is because students complained
about her personal interaction with them.
By contrast* Linda departs withoutVere
i * * •••'./# I 4 t
mony nor significant compensation, even
though she has virtually unanimous support
from students who object to the University’s
role in her leaving.
George Beres
Eugene
A ‘coon’s age’ continues on
Regarding “coon’s age,” let’s examine
some phrases from James Patterson’s book,
"1st to Die.”
From page 7, “There might be a luckier man
somewhere on the planet, David Brandt
thought as he wrapped his arms around
Melanie, his new bride. Somewhere in Yemen
— some Allah-praising farmer with a second
goat. But certainly not in all of San Francisco.”
He’s sensitive to Arabs who might have dif
ferent values. Of what use is a decadent
American wife? He’s better off with a second
goat. If I knew an Arab bachelor in America,
exercising self-control in a land of free
women, I’d insult him more by asking,
“How’s the wife and kids?” than “How’s your
camel?” At any rate, the camel is an animal,
just as a coon is sometimes a raccoon.
From page 45, “I didn’t like leaving my part
ner behind, dumb-ass wisecracks and all.”
A teller of dumb-ass jokes. That’s not very
flattering. Neither is calling an African-Amer
ican a coon. But this is a different usage than
the earlier one; owning an ass is different
from being one.
From page 72, “This is not like popping as
pirin for a headache. I’m afraid we’re in this
for the long haul.”
The long haul refers to a duration of time.
Sure, an ass is used to haul loads a long way,
but that doesn’t mean the good doctor thinks
his patient is an ass, only that it could take a
coon’s age to effect a cure.
Earl Gosnell
Eugene
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