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Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
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Thursday, May 29,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Page Assistant
Salena De La Cruz
A final
word
All good things must come to an end, or so the saying goes.
College is no different, and in the blink of an eye, I will graduate
next month and move on.
I’ve gone through all the rites of passage during my four years
here. I’ve read enough Adrienne Rich essays to give me a life
time of therapy bills.
I’ve had enough Luke(s), “JK” and Mike Bellotti sightings to
be relatively unimpressed with Oregon sports idolatry.
And I’ve learned, with the help of
many self-interested professors, if you
can’t dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle
'em with bullshit. A nugget of wisdom for
the ages, really.
I’m ready to move on into the big, scary
working world.
Well, not quite yet.
As any self-respecting college student
with little debt would do, I’m procrastinat
ing my real world entree by going on vaca
tion for a few months, seeing the world
and convincing people in countries like
France and Germany that I’m Canadian.
But before I say bon voyage to the University and faithful
Emerald readers, I’d like to clarify some issues that have been
milling around all year from readers:
• Merci to all of those who prayed for me after I wrote a dia
tribe against the media for sensationalizing child kidnappings
last October. I didn’t realize I actually needed God’s help for be
ing pessimistic.
After all of the praying though, I don’t really see any dif
ference in my bad attitude on this subject. But of course,
I wouldn’t...
• I do not hate citizens of Eritrea. In a March 10 column, I
wrote the government was requiring special registration for
“truly evil countries such as Eritrea.” You cannot imagine the e
mail traffic this statement caused.
Julie
Lauderbaugh
Judge Julie
' REALLY,
iM CAJJAblANL
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For the record, I do not believe Eritrea is an evil country.
The remark was made sarcastically. I am now well aware of
the trials and tribulations this little country has endured,
and I know terrorism is a far cry from its daily struggle for
survival — which is exactly why it shouldn’t be on the spe
cial registration hit list. Ergo, my original statement stands
(rolls eyes).
• A lot of flak was caught on the subject of Peter Arnett in
April. I still stand behind the idea that Arnett was fired for
talking behind enemy lines, when he wasn’t supposed to be
on anyone’s side as an objective journalist to begin with.
Unfortunately, once I ran to Arnett’s defense after his ter
mination two months ago, he made a fool out of us both by
signing on with London’s Daily Mirror — a rag about as cred
ible as the god-awful Oregon Commentator.
sieve oaggs tmeraia
For the record, being a columnist is all it’s cracked up to
be: short hours, fun topics and a hint of celebrity — if you’re
Wason Mest. For every “you must’ve been born in a barn”
comment in the past year came civil and constructive argu
ments that spurred discussions on the Commentary page.
That’s what columnists are supposed to do; it’s in the job
description. So, gracias to all of the ballsy readers who took
time to send letters to the editor and to me this year. Pissed
off readers are a columnist’s rite of passage. Your voice has
been important in the continuation of democracy’s “market
place of ideas”-—even when you’re wrong. ' .
Ciao, baby.
Contact the columnistatjulielauderbaugh@daiIyemerald.com.
Her opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald.
Voters should check
candidates ’ histories
on budget priorities
I would like to respond to the editorial “Legislators should fix
Oregon’s budget! ” (ODE, May 23). I agree with much of what was
said. The Legislature is not doing its job. Some of the issues
brought up should be addressed, but the paramount issue should
be the budget.
I hate to say, “I told you so,” but I did. If you remember, this is ex
actly what I brought up when I ran for an Oregon House District 8
seat last fall. Legislators talk, but nothing is ever done. History
shows this. But part of the problem is that the voters don’t listen
enough and don’t check into candidates’ histories.
In my campaign, I said that the budget was the most important
thing. I said that we need to put our party aside and fix the budget.
That means that Republicans may need to accept higher taxes and
Democrats may need to cut some things. What we have is politi
cians avoiding the budget, where they may find controversy.
In addition to these stupid bills that are coming up, I feel like I
should let you know what your representative, the man that beat
me for the job, Floyd Prozanski, is doing for us. While not ad
dressing the budget with other legislators, he has proposed that
bicyclists should not have to obey traffic laws. This is clearly a
paramount issue. As if lessening safety is better than fixing our
budget problems.
I remember debating Prozanski on a radio station, as well as oth
er places, where he said that the budget was on the top of his list of
issues. And that though he is regarded as one of the most partisan
people in Salem, putting party aside is exacdy what we need to do
—and he commended me for bringing it up. I guess putting party
aside means putting hot issues aside.
I would just like to remind people that voting is a gamble. You
can’t really know how people will do. But look at their past and
their issues and what they care about. Don’t just vote for the candi
date who is the incumbent or has the same letter next to his/her
name that you like. Otherwise you may get talks of baseball and
self-pumpinggas, and nothing is really solved.
Greg McNeill is a junior political science major.
Letters to the editor
Historic districts can
save neighborhoods
Historic districts protect neighborhoods
from quick zoning changes and reckless
development.
Please educate yourself about the extra
control residents can have over their
neighborhood by establishing a district
and studying its significant landmarks.
Pristine neighborhoods like Fairmount will
face increasing threats from unnecessary
basketball stadiums, dormitories and poor
ly placed LTD and city zoning schemes.
Checking into this historic designation
now could save you or your neighborhood
thousands in lawyer fees or worse later.
A historic district could provide at-risk
neighborhoods with extra security and reg
ulation against predatory zone changes.
The volunteers who have worked towards
establishing districts in Eugene deserve
great thanks. Could the local media please
track down these people to educate a wider
audience about historic preservation and
land use laws?
The recycle Eugene scheme could tear
up some good spots soon. I hope you will
get involved.
Zachary Vishanoff
Eugene
Nudists deserve
understanding
Kudos to Ryan Bomheimer for his arti
cle on naturists (“Naturists pursue active
nude pastimes, locales,” ODE, May 20).
His calm, informative writing showed that
people like Daniel Johnson who wish to
be nude outdoors are not flashers, streak
ers or warped kooks.
As implied, some nudists may live nude
almost full-time because they inhabit a pri
vate club in an hospitable climate. There
are many naturists who would gladly emu
late them but don’t have the opportunity.
Oregon’s physical climate isn’t exactly
warm, nor is the political climate, when
it comes to understanding or accepting
harmless public nudity. Consider Terri
Sue Webb’s confinement in a psychiatric
institution last year for riding her bicycle
nude in Bend.
There are nonetheless areas in Oregon
where one may be nude outdoors. The
Naturist Society (visit www.naturistsoci
ety.com) has details. And this fall in Seat
tle, a trilogy of short plays will be publicly
performed in which the actors are nude
along with ushers, stage crew and others.
Who would think that one of Oregon’s
virtues was its proximity to Washington?
Dr. Paul Rapoport
School of the Arts
McMaster University
Ontario, Canada
Contact the FCC about
media ownership rules
There is an interesting news story going
on in Washington, D.G., that I’ve heard
very little about in any of the news media.
I am referring to an upcoming meeting of
the Federal Communications Commis
sion, where it will be decided if huge me
dia moguls will be allowed to become
even bigger. Most of us don’t even realize
that a free press is very dependent on au
tonomy, and a democracy is dependent
on a free press.
If a large concentration of newspapers,
TV stations, radio stations, publishers
and Internet providers are allowed to be
controlled by just a few corporations,
then all we’ll ever hear or see will be based
on the dictates of those corporations.
What an undesirable circumstance that
will be for all of us! There is a bright spot
though; this behind the scenes vote of the
FCC over who’ll control what America sees
and hears won’t happen until June 2.
The FCC is still allowing public input
until May 30, so now is the time to act.
Contact the FCC at
http ://www. fee .gov/contacts. html, call
them toll-free at (888) 225-5322 or write
them at Federal Communications Com
mission, 445 12th St. SW, Washington,
D.C., 20554. Make your voice heard.
Scott Zorc
Georgia
CLARIFICATIONS
Wednesday’s article “Suicide spurs LCBT support” should have stated that Elise Self of PFLAC pointed to an anti
homosexual guest commentary published by the Emerald as the type of thing that contributes to a climate where
ICBT students feel fearful or unwelcome. She did not mean to draw a direct link between the guest commentary
and Kyle Richmond’s death.
Also, the article did not mean to imply that Kyle Richmond’s sexual orientation, whatever it was, was the cause of
his suicide. The intent was to show that recent campus events had engaged the LCBT community to show a
welcoming climate on campus and to offer support.
The Emerald regrets any confusion.