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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2002)
Emerald takes cheap shots he low opinion of the Emer ald’s news judgment have JL been thoroughly recon firmed after the paper has again decided to take the least intellectu ally taxing manner of dealing with the critical and provocative public policy debates that should be of great joy to those who express a de sire for thoughtful, rigorous public discourse. When the Emerald published Ryan Nyburg’s guest column mocking Oregon Citizens Alliance director Lon Mabon and his guber natorial run (“A few ‘wacko’ sug gestions to help Lon Mabon get elected governor,” ODE, Aug. 13), it chose to continue its dishearten ing pattern of hypocrisy and set ting aside its stated values in favor of cheap shots at controversial fig ures with whom it disagrees philo sophically. Clearly there is an overwhelm ing majority of Oregonians, myself included, who do not support gov ernment intervention into the per sonal lives of its citizens, and this trend toward libertarianism can be seen in most University students. That fact means a serious critique, Guest Commentary Bret Jacobson or even a well-crafted satire, would be fully appropriate and provocative to the discourse over the future of the state’s relation ship with its gay citizens. Furthermore, the strong disdain for government intervention in personal matters and the repeated failure of Mabon and his organiza tion could have been far more valuable in convincing students that exclusionary and bigoted poli cies are not optimal for a society. The Emerald, however, chose not to go the route of appealing to its readers’ highest intellectual abilities and chose instead to pander to the quickest, most juve nile thought processes to be found in our community. This, of course, is nothing new for an or ganization that has shown deep and increasing flaws in recent years in its news judgment and personnel matters. For two out of the previous three years, the Emerald has chosen edi tors who do not demographically or ideologically fit the mainstream of campus opinion and for the pre vious three years has continued to demonstrate declining interest in providing an intellectually bal anced and sound medium for pub lic discourse. Therefore it is incumbent on stu dents — for, the faculty and ad ministration are already too far gone in their own respective worlds of finance and ideology to be motivated to increase the quali ty of intellectual pursuit here — to do their best to think critically about what they hear from student leaders and what they read in the Emerald and all campus publica tions. The best way is simply to ask one’s self, “What’s the other side to this argument, and which side is more defensible?” Unfortunately, in this case, just about any other side would be more defensible to the lazy, juve nile stylings of the Emerald and Nyburg. Bret Jacobson is the publisher of the Oregon Commentator. Letters to the editor Nation X is the real threat President Bush is worried about Iraq obtaining weapons of mass destruction, but there is an even bigger threat. There is one rogue Nation X that has used chemicals weapons in war and has even dropped atomic bombs on civilian populations. This nation refuses to allow it self to be held accountable for war crimes by any world court and has the world’s largest stock pile of weapons of mass destruc tion. Nation X thinks it owns the world and has started more wars in the last 100 years than any oth er nation. Historically founded on slavery, Nation X talks as if it invented “freedom” but at the same time fi nances the enslavement of peoples all around the world. Nation X fi nanced the destruction of Palestine and the enslavement of the Pales tinian people. Nation X has sup ported many dictators, including Saddam Hussein, when it served its own political purposes or to gain natural resources. Nation X — the United States of America — cannot see its own “evil” because the human ego blinds perception. Bush says the world hates us because we love freedom. In truth, the world hates us be cause we are liars and hypocrites and are fast becoming Nazis of the 21st century. Christopher Calder Eugene Cookie is missed I spent much of my youth hang ing out in the businesses of 1980s’ 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street. As one of Cookie’s buddies, I want to thank you for the sweet story about her (“Passing the tongs,” ODE, Aug. 13). So often on issues like building demolition (Les’ Barbershop), new Eugene Police Department regulations regarding 13th Avenue and the passing of local color, the critical mass of the University community has about a four-year memory. My favorite Cookie story: One day walking past her stand, she said, “Hey John, I am going to die poor.” “Why?” I asked. “I’ve given up buying Oregon scratch-it tickets.” Cookie did care, she is missed and she did make a difference in my life. Thanks again. John Muir O’Brien junior pre-journalism o MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY UNIVERSITY of OREGON 1680 E. 15th Ave. Eugene, OR -346-1809 Open 12-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun. We Have A Natural 5election Of Gifts Native American Beadwork Hand-crafted Jewelry Petroglyph Designs Rocks & Fossils Nature Toys Books On Life, Past & Present, In The Pacific Northwest Eugene Emerald tickets Drawings are held weekly during the season. • Close to campus • clean Handicap Accessible Machines serving the Area for 26 years MR. 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