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P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, February 11,2003
-OregonDaily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editor
Pat Payne
Editorial
Higher city fine
lets first-time
pot convictions
go up in smoke
The Eugene City Council voted Monday night to
raise the fine for misdemeanor possession of marijuana
from #100 to #250. At first, we were tom on the issue,
as it does put an unfair added burden on those who
have a legal right to possess marijuana. On the other
hand, the new diversion program accompanying the
fine hike will give students a second chance.
The way Oregon’s medicinal marijuana system
works can already be a potent Catch-22 for patients,
and increasing the fine seems to be punishing the
wrong people. It is not illegal to possess marijuana if
you have a medical condition and a license from the
state — but there is no legal place to purchase marijua
na. So patients sometimes resort to illegal sales and run
the risk of arrest.
Then again, so does anyone who wants to buy weed.
College students often are users of marijuana, and
they, too, can face an unfair price for indulging.
According to federal law, once you are convicted of a
drug offense — any drug offense, even a misdemeanor
— you risk losing any future financial aid. This burden
is high — too high for students engaging in an activity
that is not so much harmful to others as it is annoying
to the status quo — at least as regards marijuana use.
That is why, ironically, we like the idea of increasing
the fines for misdemeanor possession. The city is start
ing a new diversion program for first-time offenders
that will allow them to clear the conviction. “Marijuana
and Other Drugs” will be offered by the University and
will cost only #90. So the idea behind increasing the
penalty is that first-time offenders will be more likely
to pick the #90 diversion over a #250 fine.
We don’t like the thrust of the BUSTED-style diver
sion programs, as they lean too heavily on hyperbole
and propaganda. We don’t really know many people
who substantially changed their recreational use habits
as a result of them. But we like the idea that people
convicted for the first time on an essentially harmless
offense could have it cleared from their record.
Of course, the best-case scenario would be to decrimi
nalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. There is
a major difference between someone who uses meth or
PGP — or alcohol for that matter, as all three have a ten
dency to bring out aggressive behavior — and someone
smoking marijuana.
All marijuana prohibition accomplishes is injustice;
the penalties are out of line with the offense. But until
someone is able to garner enough support to change
the law, we support the fine increase, as it is likely to
encourage students to clear their record on first-time
offenses.
: :
Editorial poli
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The Emerald reserves the right to edit for
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Editorial board members
Michael J.KIeckner
Editor In chief
Julie Lauderbaugh
Editorial editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Managing editor
Rat Payne
Editorial editor
Jenna Cunningham
Student representative
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Steve Baggs Emerald
Nothing but a tech thing
It would be going too far to call my
self a Luddite, but at one time I firmly
believed that most emerging technolo
gy was a waste of time. I thought that
laptop computers were for the object
oriented, DVD players were idiotic,
that cell phones
pressed on ears
was a disgusting
sight and personal
ized ring tones
were obnoxious.
Now, after watch
ing a movie on
DVD, I begin typing
this column on a
laptop on which I
am also download
ing MP3 files and
burning them onto
a CD. In case I miss
any calls on my home phone, I have my
cell phone to use as a backup. And yes,
I do have a personalized ring tone. Neil
Diamond’s “America,” anyone? Talk
about obnoxious.
It is unclear when my conversion to
loving technology took place exactly. I
don’t remember when I first got a cell
phone, and I certainly don’t know how I
ever lived without one. I do remember
justifying getting a cell phone when I fi
nally decided that it was time. “Well,” I
asked myself, “what happens if I am in
the woods somewhere and my car
breaks down or I get lost?”
“Gall someone on my cell phone,”
seemed like the most logical answer.
Sounds like a convincing argument, I
Kathryn
Petersen
In other words
suppose, but the damn phone probably
wouldn’t even get any reception in the
woods, anyway.
I suppose if I were to use a global po
sitioning system, I could justify it the
same way.
To be an even bigger hypocrite, I am
horribly impatient when people are
slow to adapt to a new technology or
if I have to resort to the “old” way of
doing things.
I get galled when I have to sit and wait
for a tape to rewind when I know that
with a DVD, I could skip to the begin
ning or middle with the push of a single
button.
I get chafed at my friends who don’t
have cell phones for inconveniencing
me by not allowing me access to talk to
them whenever I see fit (But, after sit
ting here and thinking about it for a few
minutes, I can only think of three peo
ple I know that don’t have cell phones,
and of those three, I know one is in the
process of getting one).
Use a typewriter? I don’t even know
where I could find one.
I wish that I could go back to a time
before I knew the joys of technology. I
feel like an ex-drug addict who wishes
that they never found the delectation of
opiates, or an ex-alcoholic who wishes
they never took a sip from the first bot
tle. If there were a local 12-step program
available for technology addiction, I
would have to sign up.
I was watching television a while ago
and was flipping through the channels
when I came to OPB. Before my eyes
was the solution to my problem:
“Frontier House.” The series is a reali
ty show minus the trash factor. The
premise behind “Frontier House” is a
family moves to the middle of nowhere
and is made to live as if they were
homesteaders in the still-wilderness
state of Montana in 1883.
The family gets an allotment of mon
ey and enough things to keep them
alive. Then, all of the goods thcy.-aq-r
quired outside of those a person from
1883 would be expected to have are
confiscated — particularly cell phones.
They keep in touch with family and
friends via the Postal Service and
telegraphs, and can’t be bothered with
television and computers because they
hadn’t been invented yet. The family
gets the privilege of returning to a sim
pler time when survival was dependent
on working hard and not being distract
ed by electronic gadgets. It would be a
perfect escape.
Until I check into technology rehab,
or sign up to be on “Frontier House,” I
will continue to look up Web sites and
glance over prices for things that I know
I don’t need but absolutely want. This
week, I want a new PowerBook G4 —
with the 17-inch screen of course — and
a Nokia 7650 — because taking pictures
with a cell phone is so unnecessary, but
so cool.
Contact the columnist
atkathrynpetersen@dailyemerald.com.
Her opinions do not necessarily reporesent
those of the Emerald.
Letters to the editor
Faculty is wise to not pass war resolution
In “UO Assembly, groups discuss war resolution” (ODE, Feb.
2), the Emerald notes that the National Association of Scholars
says in the Chronicle of Higher Education that university sen
ates “should stick to education and curriculum, and remain
separate from foreign politics.” The Oregon chapter of the Na
tional Association of Scholars has taken no official position on
the Iraq resolutions passed by the senate of Oregon State Uni
versity and rejected by the University Senate.
However, as head of the Oregon chapter of NAS, I believe the
University Senate has acted wisely in heeding University Presi
dent Dave Frohnmayer’s call for official neutrality. Frohnmayer
is to be commended for his leadership on this issue.
Michael Kellman
professor
chemistry
Shuttle disaster calls for reflection
In “Awed by their noble cause,” (ODE, Feb. 3) it was said that
the ill-fated STS-107 crew died in the service of country, sci
ence, and humanity. I could not agree more with this statement.
' i *HQwever,atwas,alsast*ted:v“These benoesdiedMa,
lofty purpose: to increase scientific knowledge and to bring
advancements from space down to Earth in service to human
ity. Their cause was more noble than being killed for some
fleeting glory in a war, or for any of the other petty purposes
that people lionize the dead.”
Is the Emerald aware that among the dead are five mem
bers of our armed forces? These five were chosen as astro
nauts in part because of their excellence in the service of their
country’s defense.
This excellence almost surely does not include a desire for glory
through warmongering. With heavy hearts, we watched on televi
sion the fate of these brave astronauts just minutes from safety.
Unfortunately, it is this catastrophic image that has made as
tronauts Rick Husband, William McGool, Michael Anderson,
David Brown, Kalpana Ghawla, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon
famous. I think their loved ones would rather have them ulti
mately remembered not by this event, but by who they were
and what they accomplished.
This tragedy is not a platform to make anti-war statements. It
is disrespectful to the families and friends who are grieving.
Please allow this to be a time for reflection: On what the past
was and what the future can be.
Jim Gutierrez
second-year graduate
physics