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Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
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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.