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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2002)
Newsroom: (541) 346-5511 Room 300, Erb Memorial Union P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 Email: editor@dailyemerald.com Online Edition: www.dailyemerald.com Thursday, October 3,2002 Oregon Daily Emerald Editor in Chief: Michael J. Kleckner Managing Editor: Jessica Richelderfer Editorial Editors: Salena De La Cruz, Pat Payne Editorial USA Patriot Act fiarms integrity of Constitution, civil liberties It is often said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In the aftermath of the devastating Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, the roadwork has been going into overtime. Ensuring the safety of every Ameri can citizen is a worthy goal, and preventing an other attack must be high on the list of the gov ernment’s priorities. But we question the wisdom and necessity of the USA Patriot Act, enacted in the wake of the attacks. Many, if not most, of the provisions strike deeply at the Bill of Rights. We applaud the Lane County Bill of Rights Defense Com mittee’s recent efforts to have local governments condemn the Act. Our biggest problem with the Act is the im position of a layer of secrecy surrounding those arrested and detained during anti-terror investi gations. At this time, an unknown number of resident aliens and American citizens may have been ar rested in secret for suspected links to terrorist activities. Under provisions of the Act, those ar rested can be held incommunicado, unaware of why they have been arrested and unable to speak with lawyers, family or the media. This is outrageous. Without information on who is being held, and without at least a touch of transparency in the process, how can we know if the Act is work ing as it should? No one knows the number of people held by the Act’s provisions, let alone their names. In the wrong hands, this latitude could lead to a flagrant abuse of power. People who criti cize the government could, conceivably, be de clared “suspected terrorists” and vanish. It has happened before. In late 1941, the Nazi government in Ger many enacted a decree known as the “Nacht toid Nebcl” (“Night and Fog”) law, meant to end Resistance and Maquis activities in France and other areas in occupied Western Europe. The practice of this law was to arrest the sus pected Resistance member in secret, usuallv at night. Public trials were rare and usually used only if the accused was likely to be executed. More often, the victim was never heard from again, and any attempt to get information about him from the German occupation government was useless. Quite literally, those arrested under this law simply vanished into the “nacht und nebel.” While it may be too paranoid to imagine to day that many of the people held under the aus pices of the Patriot Act will be executed, it is still chilling to think that in many cases, these peo ple have been kept under secrecy that all too easily mirrors that old German decree. The slope toward Facism is hardly noticeable along the way. More citizen groups should stand up and voice their concerns about the Patriot Act before we’ve slid much further. Letters to the editor and guest commentaries policy Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged. Letters are limited to 250 words and guest commentaries to 550 words. Authors are limited to one submission per calendar month. Submission must include phone number and address for verification. The Emerald reserves the right to edit for space, grammar and style. Make not war With a possible war against Iraq looming, it may not be long before the United States begins amassing thou sands of troops at the Saudi border again. What a melan choly contrast then, to see so many privileged students wandering about last week, joining a riot while shouting “U-S-A!” | We must instill discipline in these kids and channel their excess energy. We should reinstate the military draft. YOU Just RIOTED YOUR WAY INTO THE. US. MILITARY, BU5TER! Peter Utsey Emerald Attitudes toward the mili tary have changed since the Vietnam War. In May 1970, the Ohio Na tional Guard killed tour people at Kent State. That spring, protesters in Eugene attempted to torch the ROTC building on campus. These stu dents decried the deaths of 58,000 Americans and two million Vietnamese. Only the end of the draft in 1973 quelled anti-war protests. Slowly, ROTC returned to college campuses, and students came back to ROTC. There are now 200,000 cadets nationwide, according to The Oregonian. As we face new terrorist threats, maybe it’s time for young civilians to share the burdens, as well as blessings, of liberty. Draftees could work at airports, fight wildfires and patrol sporting events. They could quell the occasional riot in Eugene, or join former drug czar Bill Bennett’s proposed “patriot SWAT team” to silence dissenters. Phil Huang A different light Recently, Uncle Sam has been cracking down on Oregon schools. In 1997, our law school was forced to exempt military recruiters from its policy forbidding discrimination against gays. Now the government is back for younger bodies. Two weeks ago, the Portland school district re versed its six-year ban on military recruiters in return for funds from President George W. Bush’s education plan. Oregon high schools now must give recruiters a list of students’ names, addresses and phone num bers. The name of Bush’s plan? “No Child Left Behind.” A draft may bring racial balance to our military. The Army’s Web site notes that 45 percent of Army enlistees are minorities; 29 percent are black. Unlike in higher education, we don’t hear conservatives moan about overrepresentation of minorities in the military. A draft ensures middle-class white males are fairly represented on the frontlines. A draft could do what Bush can’t—help end the recession. It will cre ate a huge underpaid work force and stop wages from rising, which dove tails nicely with the pro-business Republican agenda. A draft would relieve the Pentagon from having to recruit and indoc trinate 17-year-olds who can’t even vote. According to UNICEF, about 300,000 children serve at the pleasure of governments and rebel groups. By ending the recruitment of children, we could become a moral super power as well as a military one. It everyone served, we might even cure the overwhelmingly male, conservative bias of the military. In Israel, where military sendee is compulsory, citizens of all political stripes are well-represented. Earlier this year, 100 reserve officers refused to serve in Palestinian territory. They declared their unwillingness to fight for the purpose of “dominat ing, expelling, stan’ing and humiliating an entire people.” If only our of ficers spoke their conscience! A draft could make our leaders more conscientious, too. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney avoided the Vietnam draft, as did many other chicken hawks whose Iraq policy amounts to “sentence first, ver dict afterwards.” But Secretary of State Colin Powell and Senator John Kerry, both decorated Vietnam vets, have argued for a more restrained approach to disarming Iraq. Could service in battle make leaders think carefully before starting another war? The draft may soon be a fait accompli. With Selective Service in place, the government could start running a lottery just hours after Congress passes a draft bill. An auditorium in Washington, D.C., has been reserved for this special occasion. In the name of national securi ty, let’s agree not to debate this modest proposal. Otherwise, the ter rorists will have won. Contact the columnist at philiphuang@dailyemerald.com. His opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald. Police are making Eugene a ‘military-city’ Guest commentary I feel it necessary to comment on the Aug. 31 game against Mississippi State and, more specif ically, the crowd control that was present. For background, I am a 28-year-old Duck alumnus, now living in Portland. For three years now, my 11 dedicated friends and I have purchased season tickets and made the trek down to Eugene for all the home games. To kick off this new season, we decided to tailgate before the game. Due to the com plete parking shortage at the stadium, we found the only place we could accomplish this tailgating event was at an empty private parking lot near campus. Because school was not in session, we were the only people in the area. We proceeded to barbecue and drink various beverages out of. plastic cups. We had the pre-game show on the radio, but other than that we were a complete ly subdued and low-profile group. While enjoying the event, Eugene's finest (and most egotistical) rode up on bicycles and told us that we could not barbecue or drink in that area because it was not designated an “offi cial tailgating” area. We were told the only desig nated areas were found in Autzen's parking lot. •With that warning, upset, we surrendered our ef forts and made our way to the stadium. When we were in college, and for the many years following, we made our way to the stadi um by crossing the railroad tracks next to the Phoenix Inn on Franklin Blvd. If you live in the northwest end of campus, that is still how you get to the stadium. Well, this year, the Department of Public Safety and the Eugene Police Department have felt the need to close that informal route find dptour ,ey<?ryppe 3 half mile do\yq to the "legal" railroad crossing area. To make sure you obey, they posted three officers and three squad cars at the typical crossing point. If you made your way over at this point, they would reward you with a trespassing ticket. When I lived in Eugene, I felt that the police department and DPS were strict and that rigid ity paid off through safety, but I was wrong. In the years I have spent away from Eugene, every time I return I am disgusted by the vari ous restrictions that have been put forth. Whether it is restricting loitering on a spe cific public street or prohibiting an individual from crossing the railroad tracks, my personal rights are not the same in Eugene as they are in Portland. I am sure that this won't be the last weekend that DPS and EPD ruin my expe rience. If Eugene is attempting to maintain a mili tary-city, they have succeeded. Jay Leo lives in Portland.
