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Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online: www.dailyemerald.com
Thursday, August 14,2003
Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor:
Jan Tobias Montry
EDITORIAL
Quacks
& smacks
Smacks to the University administration for only ex
tending the submission date for comments on revising
the student privacy code until Sept. 2. While we com
mend efforts to allow students more time to provide in
put on the changes, the extension doesn't solve the prob
lem: Students won't be around to comment; it is, after
all, still summer.Quacks to the Eugene City Council for
repealing its decision to implement Eugene road fees,
which unfairly punish local businesses by charging taxes
based on how much traffic is attracted to the area. We're
glad councilors listened to the reasonable pleas of the
Eugene Chamber of Commerce.
Smacks to Arizona's Alcor Ufe Extension Foundation for
allegedly abusing the ayogenically frozen corpse of base
ball great Ted Williams. Surgeons at the foundation al
legedly mishandled the severed head of Williams and sug
gested it be given back to Williams' son, who failed to foot
much of the $ 136,000 bill. Foundation employees report
edly not only shaved and drilled his head, but cracked it,
too — at least 10 times. Smacks to the Williams family, as
well. If the purpose of freezing Williams was to preserve his
body and possibly bring him back to life, what good was
it to decapitate the guy?
Quacks to retired Admiral John M. Poindexter for
resigning. Hey, we've got an idea: Let's bet on the number
of words President Bush will mispronounce in his
next speech, not on something as grotesque as when
the next assassination will occur. As W would say,
"Good re-dunce! *
Smacks to the British royal family for polluting the air
waves and eating up the media exposure that continues
to parade them as a spectacle for the masses. Nobody re
ally cares who's living with whom, or what kind of
woman Prince William will end up with, or that Prince
Harry sneezed while playing polo. Here's a tissue, now
get over it.
Quacks to local restaurants that stay open past sun
down. Despite the common misconception that students
aren't here this summer, we are — and we're hungry!
Smacks to most of the 60 people from across the coun
try who posted feedback to the past editorial, "Editorial
staff shakes ass to downloads." We know downloading
songs is copyright infringement. But if someone takes away
the right for someone else to sell something of value, then
that person is indeed stealing. Quit trying to make justifi
cations based on small jumps of logic, you socially irre
sponsible thieves! Go split hairs at the barbershop.
Quacks to preseason football games. Something — any
thing — is better than watching baseball.
Smacks to Liberian looters who ravaged the country af
ter its government fell apart and before peacekeepers were
allowed to intervene. So this is what anarchy is like?
Quacks to Otter Pops. Whoever invented these things:
We like your student-friendly culinary style. August needs a
major holiday; we say it should be devoted to these frozen
Kool-Aid-like treats.
Smacks to the Oregon Legislature for doing nothing
— which is precisely the problem. After negotiations to
work out a budget broke down for the millionth time,
people are getting more antsy, services continue to op
erate without a budget and the outlook for higher edu
cation remains unclear. We appreciate the complexities
of government, but we aren't getting any younger — or
any funding for that matter. Where's Ah-nold when you
need him?
Quacks to the end of the term. Congratulations sum
mer graduates!
EDITORIAL POLICY
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald
editorial board. Responses can be sent to letters
@dailyemerald.com. 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.
OUS lacks negotiating decency
Sitting at the bargaining table on behalf
of 1,250 classified University employees
represented by the Service Employees In
ternational Union has thus far proven to
be quite an education for me. Unfortu
nately, much of what I've learned has left
me with the dis
tasteful impres- m m 4**-^
sion that a core PL3I UP CZ. I
group of higher COMMENTARY
education ad- _
ministrators is
hell-bent on decimating work contract
language that has been in effect for many
years. And this troubles me greatly.
Principled employers would avoid pro
posing non-economic concessions at a time
when money for their employees is tight.
This was apparendy the tact with the De
partment of Administrative Services, as they
presented no take backs in tandem with
their wage and benefit package for classified
state workers. But the Oregon University Sys
tem is using hard budgetary times as a
smoke screen for taking away worker rights.
Among their several mean-spirited pro
posals are forced unpaid furloughs of up
to 15 days at a time and scheduling flexi
bility that could result in someone work
ing seven days in a week, yet none of it
would be considered overtime. In the
event of layoffs, their language would re
duce workers' ability to use their seniority
campus-wide to bump into other jobs.
Such article adjustments could have seri
ous impact on the maintaining of family
budgets, as well as be disruptive to sched
uling of other jobs and childcare, not to
mention erosive to job security.
These tactics are unacceptable for other
reasons as well. If our governor7 s DAS team
can provide a tentative contract agreement
without stripping their contract, why is it
that the Oregon University System seems
compelled to do the opposite with their
classified state employees? It also seems
odd that the chancellor and the respective
leaders of our academic institutions (the
presidents and vice presidents) are either
contributing to or are complicit in gener
ating such a non-respectfiil bargaining and
work environment. It is as though they
welcome the prospect of higher turnover
and more temporary workers.
Worded another way, it is as if we are
considered the most expendable; and if we
don't like it, well that's just tough, we can
go elsewhere. But wait! These are universi
ties we work for, not retail outlets!
Induded in our bargaining unit are cus
todians, cooks, housekeepers, groundskeep
ers, computer technicians, health care pro
fessionals, librarians, trades maintenance
workers, office spedalists and secretaries. In
a variety of ways — and every day of the
week — we contribute to the education of
students, as well as the campus environment
that they live and study in. We, in fact, are
what 1 call the nuts and bolts of the universi
ty system, and we are key to produang grad
uates who enter the workforce and provide
hope for this state's economic future.
While University dassified employees are
still reeling from the legislature's recent at
tempt at solving the PERS crises, we now are
being asked to settle for no cost of living ad
justment or annual wage step increases for
the next two years. Against the backdrop of
these grim economic factors, the OUS take
backs seem perversely unkind. Respect does
n't show up on our pay stubs, but it sure as
heck is something we deserve.
Star Holmberg is the graduate coordinator
for computer science and is the University
Bargaining Table Representative for SEIU
Local 085, OPEU.
ASUO must include Republican voices
I must say that once again I am not sat
isfied with the lobbying efforts of ASUO.
As noted in the Aug. 12 issue of the
Emerald ("Finding capital at the Capi
tol"), a group of
six students dT*** s ■
went to Salem to *
lobby against COMMENTARY
budget cuts to -
higher educa
tion. This is something 1 strongly agree
with; however, I feel the lobbying effort
isn't as strong as it could be.
As a leader in the University Republican
culture, I can attest that none of our top
people were consulted in this effort. Clear
ly this is a more liberal campus, but don't
cut us out of the "Don't Cut Us Out" cam
paign. The Emerald article listed several
Republican legislators the group talked
with. Wouldn't it be logical to assume that
Republican students will have more of an
impact with these people?
Right now in Eugene we have both the
chairman and vice chairman of the
versity College Republicans, as
well as myself, who — in ad
dition to once being a can
didate under this party —
is the state first vice chair
of College Republicans.
The three of us would
clearly have more pull
with Republican legisla
tors. The chairman of the
University College Repub
licans is even a con
stituent of Rep. Pat
Farr, R-Eugene, who is
pictured on the front
page of the Emerald.
1 think it is irresponsi
ble of the ASUO's lobby
ing efforts to so blatantly
show its cards. We know
the University is liberal.
The more we embrace
that, the less voice we
Uni
will have. Going to one side always means
that candidates can and will ig
nore you. By not sending our
top Republicans as part of the
lobbying,group, the legisla
tors will further ignore us.
Like it or not, it is a Re
publican House and
a split Senate.
Even if ASUO is
more liberal and
represents more lib
eral people, this is
an issue that stu
dent Republicans
would have been
happy to support. An
opportunity missed,
and one we'll feel in our
tuition bills.
Greg McNeill is a senior
majoring in political
science.
Intelligentsia unfairly misrepresents Iraq conflict
Peaceniks, hear this heretic out, in the
name of all the gods of the Pit. A dark
cloud hovers over the Bush administra
tion of late, concerning decisions made
over Iraq.
Goodbye, sunshine; hello, rain. The big
debate is that no conclusive WMD
(weapons of mass destruction) evidence
has been found in Iraq, though this was
the administration's primary motive for
war. And the counter-debate is that regime
change was necessary, regardless of
whether WMD ____
were found. 1 ■ ■ ■r— 4C^**Va*
think both sides **-* *
of the debate COMMENTARY
should realize --
that whether we
got flimflammed by the Bush administra
tion is irrelevant. Why?
Iraq is of HIGH STRATEGIC VALUE.
Iraq is of strategic value for two obvious
reasons: First, Iraq has plenty of fuel; sec
ond, it offers airports adjacent to two bel
ligerent nations, Syria and Iran, which
American forces will eventually engage,
like it or not, Intelligentsia.
All of my military sources say Iran's
borders are fluctuating and that they are
next: one in the Marines and another in
Special Forces. This is the problem, the In
telligentsia will not give you the unmiti
gated story on Iraq, like a Marine or Ranger
that's been there and got blood on their
hands. As skeptical as I am, I think veter
ans of Iraq know what is going on in Iraq,
not conspiracy-obsessed crackpots.
The good news is that if engagements
with Iran or Syria become necessary,
America will no longer have to suppli
cate Turkey for use of its airports and air
space. American B-2 pilots will be spared
the LONG flights from Missouri and
mid-air re-fueling.
Though I vehemently opposed the war
with Iraq, it angers me when people fail to
realize that it would be counterproductive
to give up such a strategic spot in the
Mideast. And it is not counterproductive
pride to keep American forces in Iraq. We
have not painted ourselves into a comer
yet, despite the Intelligentsia's opprobri
ous appellations.
I hold my tongue in many circles, be
cause there is a tendency to put emotion
before objective thinking in debates, and,
thus, a fantasyland debate ensues, and
blinkered statements are passed off as a
genuine bon mot.
Unsurprisingly, there are still people
that demand war should be fought in an
ethical manner, which seems like the ul
timate self-deceit. Sherman is rolling in
his grave, reiterating: "War is Hell" — to
those who will accept Azazel's gift
to humanity.
Some liken Iraq to Vietnam. And this sim
ply is not an accurate comparison. Vietnam
was a much different scenario, though I can
see a slight similarity in the two.
There were significant world powers
funding and aiding the Viet Cong —
world powers America was not stupid
enough to directly engage: China and
Russia. Unlike Vietnam, Iraq will stabi
lize after Iran and Syria, two insignificant
world powers, fall, so long as a gestating
theocracy is aborted in Iraq and a rigid
American government implemented
there and in Syria and Iran.
Whether Bush misled Americans does
not deserve all this acrimony from the In
telligentsia — strategically speaking, the
Bush administration had to craft some sort
of reason to obtain that prime airstrip and
fueling depot.
To order American forces out of Iraq
would be a foreign policy blunder of mon
umental proportion by the Pentagon and
10 steps backward in the war on terrorism,
which no one likes to fight.
N.C. Scott is a writer for the Kaleidoscope
(U. Alabama-Birmingham). U-WIRE.