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P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Monday, March 17,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editors:
Salena De La Cruz, Pat Payne
Two apologies,
one good-bye,
much good luck
The term is coming to a close, and I have a few loose
ends to put in a knot. To begin with, I once again need to
apologize to the community. The past week or so has
been fast and furious—and that is not an excuse —and
two things slipped by that have caused anger and hurt. I
don’t want to end the term that way, and we made mis
takes in both cases.
First, in the editorial board’s piece about the offensive
content and theft of the Oregpn Commentator (“MISS
ING: First Amendment freedoms,” ODE, March 13), we
wrote a few sentences badly. Toward the end of the piece,
we listed seven groups or individuals that we said might
have had motive for stealing the Commentator. Unfortu
nately, in context some people read our words as suggest
ing those groups were guilty.
We did not mean any such
thing. And I’m sorry that our hasty
writing or lack of editing might
have left the door open for such an
inference to be made. We are not
privy to any information about the
culprits in the Commentator theft,
and we are not suggesting anyone
is guilty. Our only point was to
show the wide variety of campus
organizations that were the sub
ject of the Commentator’s ridicule
in the most recent issue. We did it
poorly, and I apologize.
Second, in a guest commentary on Wednesday
(“Americans must end support for oppressive Israeli
rule,” ODE, March 12), we failed to adequately fact
check and ran claims that very well may be false. At the
least, I am unable now to verify the numbers the author
cited. Ordinarily, the Emerald requires commentary
page authors to provide citations for facts that could be
disputed or that provide the basis for an argument.
In this case, we messed up. I have asked the author
of that piece to provide citations for his facts, and he
has not yet done so. Until such a time as I receive cita
tions, I suggest that readers not believe what was print
ed. And I apologize for our sloppiness.
Anyone else is also free to provide more informa
tion, other facts and additional sources. We welcome
submissions from people on every side of the Middle
East issue. The topic is complicated and controver
sial, and the world can only work toward a peaceful
solution with extensive dialogue — but dialogue
based on confirmed facts. •
Michael J.
Kleckner
The editor's office
l Know some readers were hurt by the claims made
in the piece, and I apologize to them specifically. We
don’t support the assertions made and we won’t allow
unverified claims to be printed again.
In the way of good-byes, the Emerald today loses
one of its longest-running commentary voices and a
valued member of the staff. Editorial editor Pat
Payne graduates this term, and the paper will miss
him. Since his first column, “Baka to the left of me,
Baka to the right,” on Oct. 5, 2000, Pat’s disdain of
groupthink, knowledge of history and unique sense
of humor have been an asset to the paper.
Pat’s Emerald work has been picked up by national
media over the years, most recently with the inclu
sion of one of his columns in a writing textbook.
Thanks for bringing the Emerald wider recognition,
Pat, thanks for being a pleasure to work with, and
good luck in your career. Keep on keeping the left
wing baka and the right-wing mouthbreathers hon
est. (P.S. The office couch will miss you, too.)
Finally, good luck to everyone on finals, and stay safe
over the break. There is a strong possibility America will
be at war when spring term begins, and if that’s the case,
we will work to bring you as much information about it as
possible. Also, when we resume publishing on March 31,
we will begin breakneck ASUO elections coverage.
So have fun, let that fake-tan orange glow wear off
(you know who you are), and return to campus
juiced for more learning, more controversial ideas
and more news.
Peace and Joy,
Mike
Contact the editor in chief at editor@dailyemerald.com.
I break for books
Springtime in Oregon. The timid sun
starts to peep through the clouds, but the
trails are too muddy to hike or bike. But
spring break is a great time to curl up with
a good book, rain or shine.
So whether you wish to escape the grim
realities of today, or just want to read bet
ter prose than mine, here are a few books I
heartily recommend.
All of these books have been out for a
while, so you can find them in paperback.
And in Eugene, you can find most titles at a
good used bookstore such as Smith Family,
J. Michael’s, or Black Sun.
Not every book will please every reader. I
can’t guarantee that. But I can assure you
that I have read and enjoyed every book
mentioned here.
“History of the World in 10 1/2 Chap
ters,” by Julian Barnes.
As the title suggests,
this novel is sweeping
in scope and full of wit.
The 11 stories are very
different from each
other, yet they cohere
into a whole, and whol
ly satisfying, reading
experience. Recom
mended for those who
enjoy a treat for the
mind, or the subtler
side of Monty Python.
“The Path to the Spi
ders’ Nests,” by Italo Calvino. Calvino is
beloved by millions of readers around the
world, including this one. His first novel
tells the story of Pin, a poor Italian boy who
joins a ragtag band of partisans (resistance
fighters). Recommended for fans of neo
realist films and coming-of-age stories.
“Woman Hollering Creek,” by Sandra
Cisneros. This lyrical collection of short
stories is disarmingly simple, yet filled with
moments of wisdom. Cisneros lets the
women in these stories speak in their own
Philip
Huang
A different light
unique voices. Recom
mended for young
women, and the men
who want to know
more about them.
“Breath,
Memory,”
E d w i d g e
Danticat.
Don’t let the
Oprah’s Book
G 1 u
Eyes,
by
sticker fool
you. This is a
remarkable,
compelling
tale of a
young Hait
ian-Ameri
can woman.
Its evocations
of Haiti, the
open-air mar
kets, extended
families and social
classes alone are worth read
mg. Recommended tor readers who live
in, and between, two worlds.
“The Last Samurai,” by Helen DeWitt
This book has nothing to do with Tom
Cruise’s new movie. It’s about a precocious
young boy and his single mom. It’s about
Akira Kurosawa’s most famous film. It’s
about the search for a father. It’s about the
limits of genius in a world made for average
people. And it’s very funny. Just read it.
“The Unbearable Lightness of Being,”
by Milan Kundera. I was 19 and hardly lit
erate when I read this novel. Now I’m writ
ing book reviews. Life-changing experi
ence, anyone? Not only did I get the
lowdown on Czech life under Soviet rule,
the romantic entanglements in the story
also helped me understand how love
works. That’s why Kundera should get next
year’s
Nobel Prize for lit
erature. And why
you should pick
up his most fa
mous work.
“ Red
Sorghum," by Mo
Yan. This beautiful
and brutal story of
three generations
of Chinese who
turn sorghum into
wine, love madly
and fight the
Japanese. Imagine
if the American
Revolution oc
curred 90 years
ago, and World War
II was fought
among our amber waves ol gram, it that im
age moves you, please read this powerful
novel.
“The God of Small Things,” by Arund
hati Roy. “They broke all the rules. They
crossed into forbidden territory. They tam
pered with the laws that lay down who
should be loved and how. And how much.”
That sums up this utterly original story,
which is full of gems like these, as well as
larger insights into caste, family and love in
a part of India that is both East and West. If
you make it past the first 50 pages, I guar
antee that you will enjoy it.
Oops, did I say that?
Contact the columnist
at philiphuang@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
Peter Utsey Emerald
Rally s message undercut by splinter group
Guest commentary
I have meant to write to the Emerald for
some time now about my strong feelings
against war in Iraq. I haven’t because
there’s already a strong sentiment of oppo
sition on campus, and Pd be preaching to
the choir. I think it‘s great that there are so
many people against the war, but at the ral
ly on Saturday, I found myself troubled by
their reasoning. There are valid reasons to
oppose this war, mainly that the deaths of
millions of innocent people that will result.
The rally on Saturday was supposed to
be a celebration of life, instead of focusing
on all the pain and misery this war will
cause. I know people who spent their time
focusing on ways to foster a positive atmos
phere where people could come together
and have a good time.
This happened until a small group of ex
tremists realized they could use the protest
as an opportunity to recruit people for direct
action against “the system.” So instead of
witnessing beautiful poetry, music and street
tneater, 1 had the misfortune or seeing people
take to the streets only to get threatened and
harassed by the police. I am not supporting
the police for what they did, but I have to
question why it had to happen.
What these extremists were trying to
achieve was a breakaway march, but the only
thing that has broken was the unity among
the people of Eugene. I fear that many citi
zens of Eugqne will now be reluctant to come
to these rallies for peace because they’re
afraid that Saturday will be repeated.
Those who organized the breakaway
march do have valid reasons for disgust with
the government. I just wish they had chosen
a different time. The problem is, the rally
was the perfect place for them to carry out
their mission, which gets me back to the
main point of writing this letter.
The breakaway march confirmed my be
lief that many people in Eugene don’t know
why they hate Bush, the corporations and
the media. They just hear everyone else
talking about it, so they think to fit in, they
too must be against the government. It isn’t
the anarchists who I am referring to, but
the people who followed the anarchists be
cause they’d become bored of all the won
derful performances and thought the’
breakaway was where the action was. If
these people really wanted peace, they
wouldn’t have gone running to provoke un
necessary police intervention that would
ultimately lead to the rally’s ruin.
So to conclude, I would just like to say
“Thank you” to everyone who tried so hard
to make the rally a success, and I am sorry
that it did not work as planned. I hope that in
the future, people will understand the time
and effort that it takes to organize such a
mass gathering of people, and that they
won’t lose focus of the objective of the rally:
To promote the unification of all people so
that peace can be accomplished.
The police didn’t ruin this rally — it was
the people who decided that one march
wasn’t enough. If you say you're against the
war, I hope you have some good reasons —
and not just because it seems to be the
“hot” thing to do right now in Eugene.
C.W. George is a sophomore environmental
studies major.
Letter to the editor
Oregon Hillel had no part
in Commentator theft
Your editorial “MISSING: First Amend
ment Freedoms” (ODE, March 13) about
missing copies of a particularly offensive
edition of the Oregon Commentator was
right on the mark regarding the impor
tance of protecting First Amendment free
doms. Together with that, I am very con
cerned with your inclusion of Oregon Hil
lel as one of the organizations which
“might he considered a suspect in this
case” by listing us two sentences later as
one of the “plenty of people who could
have motive” as an offended party.
You then proceed to state that “the ru
mors we’ve heard sound so proud, it’s al
most as though people want to be associat
ed with the act.” I have no idea what ru
mors you are hearing, but I can assure you
that Oregon Hillel is neither associated
with, nor proud of this act — and I am dis
appointed that your editorial board would
presume or imply that we might be, and do
so based on speculative rumors without
consulting anyone from our organization.
Hal M. Applebaum
executive director
Oregon Hillel