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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2004)
Ducks stage comeback win against the Cardinal on Saturday 1 11 An independent newspaper unvw. dailyemerald. com Since 1900 | Volume 106, Issue 42 | Monday, October 25, 2004 University celebrates 50 years of equality Tonight's event commemorates Brown v. Board of Education, the case that ended school segregation BY MORIAH BALINGIT NEWS REPORTER It started out with one child, but the U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education ended up affecting millions of schoolchildren and changed the entire face of public education. Today, the University will commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision that has been heralded as the most important of the last century at the Uni versity’s convocation. The event will take place in the EMU Ballroom and will be followed by a forum titled “Unfinished Lega cy: Brown v. Board of Education at Fifty” in Room 175, Knight Law Center. “We are going to examine its impact and what yet remains to be done,” Margaret Hallock, director of the University’s Wayne Morse Center of Law and Politics, said. The case began with an elementary school girl, Linda Brown, who had to walk farther to get to her black elementary school even though the white elementary school was just seven blocks away. When her father tried to enroll her in the white elementary school, she was denied admission because she was black, so he appealed to the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for help. The NAACP took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ultimately decided that the precedent established in Plessy v. Fergu son, which allowed public facilities to be seg regated if they were “equal,” was unconstitu tional because separate facilities are inherently unequal. The decision forced schools all over the country to desegregate EDUCATION, page 8 IN BRIEF Fashion show to increase breast cancer awareness tonight University students can increase their aware ness of breast cancer at the third annual “Best Dressed Breast” fashion show at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the EMU Ballroom. As many as 500 people are expected to attend the free event, which concludes October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. The show’s emcee will provide breast cancer information as models strut down the runway in clothing provided by local stores such as Deluxe, West Moon Trading Company, Lemon Juice and Sweet Potato Pie. The American Cancer Society, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University’s peer health educators will host information tables in the lobby. The hour-long event promises to be flashy, fun and educational, said Annie Dochnahl, a peer health educator at the University. “The fashion show offers a way of making this information more beautiful and palatable, rather than just giving a lecture on breast can cer reduction,” Dochnahl said. — Kara Hansen Agro ★ AMEMGA^OTES 2004 ★ G DEBATE Measure 33: Improving Oregon's medical marijuana program or crossing the line ? BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF NEWS REPORTER Marijuana was legalized for medicinal purposes in Orbgoifcwith the approval of Measure 67 if| 199&>Jgniting a de bate that has been further inflamed this elec tion year by ballot Measure 33. The measure would amend the medical marijuana laws by requiring marijua na dispensaries throughout fhe state and creasing a patient’s possession^mit. Many op-! posed to the measure are concerned it is a disguised attempt to legalize marijuana for all purposes and would harm the current medical marijuana laws that have helpedNpany pa tients get the medicine they need. But supporters of the measure say this view stems from a general misunderstanding of what meSsure~33^actuallv intends to do. Jackie Llkpont, generaf'tnamager of tl nter in Eugene, s^kljnost ward the measure Compassion the opposition founded. “It was written to "hi^ke the existing law work better,” she said. Though the center, whichlpi^vides educa tion and services to medical mcfcijuana pa tients, is prohibited from taking artificial stance on political issues like Measure 3; cause it is a non-profit organization, Lamont said everyone working at the center, the measure. But John Horton^asSociate deputy director for state and locaUffairs of the White House Office of National LJriig CoQtrol Policy, said there is “absolutely no questiorrtf attempt to legalize marijuana in Oregon. “Oregonians have a right to know what this is really all about,” he said. Horton said it was a mistake to legalize mar ijuana for medicinal purposes in the first place because it is simply not a medicine. “To suggest that it is, is just like selling snake oil,” Horton said. Passing the measure would only continue leading Oregonians down a path of illicit sub stance injustice, Horton said. “People need to be told the truth about mar ijuana not being medicine,” he said. Elvy Musikka, the first woman to receive 'hotographei Eivy Musikka Street Fa ire e advocate lokingmai Lical ma wrks the Yes on 33 booth at the ASUC artier this year. She is a rrfedical marijua »nd glaucoma victim pnd has beer rijUana legally since 19£ agnos Mi m men? been being d Tho nia, 33” efforts, sible to ma! those who ijuana then a laW>?mature kasai juana from the federal govert said stroking marijuana regularly Jias e onl^ way to maintain eyesight since with glaucom&in 1975 ikka lives in NoithenyCalifor n very involved in the “yes on a need to do everything pos arijuana safely available to ne$d\it and challe/ig^the existing laws contrary to lidity," If Me&ke 33 p make it saffe^and jna patients adding state ses, jfs/i/sikka s/jcf it will marijua rijuana by ies and. .-s marijuana plant But Storim gon’s original medid sTsaid the presenc^ worries some of those < because the measure plants the property of l “That would take Ore rijuana a caregiver is wnat iiosed to the measure oi Id make a patient’s | :aregiver. caring and sharing away by putting a price fag on it,” Ray said, citing a history of jcaqjdalous practices by caregivers. Ray said caregivers ar ? too often concerned with making money an i said she is worried the measure will niake it legal for caregivers to sell their patients’ propsior profit. “We would tak< those bad caregiver prac tices today and make them legal for them to do it to the patient’s tomorrows” Ray said. However, Lamonrsai#foncerns about the motives of caregivers can easily be quelled if the patient takes the caregiver’s role seriously and works to establish an open and honest re lationship between himself or herself and the caregiver. “One would assume you’ve had conversa tion with this person prior to the arrange ment," she said. Ray also cited conceits that the measure is an attempt to legalize marijuana, saying though she isnXbpposf d to the idea she wants it to be presented to voters in an honest way Measiu*f 33 would raise a patient’s posses sion limit from one/ounce and four plants to one i>6und and 10 plants. If a patient can prove he^Or she is only growing one crop per year the 'it is increase^o six pounds. Lamont andMusikka both said the increase is to ensure mat patients are never without medicine when they need it and to ensure that dispensary can remain adequately stocked. But Holton said the new proposed limits are unreasonable and evidence of the measure’s true indentions. He said the increase ..amounts to “more than anyon^poSsibly could need.” To wen make anient in that amoum of mari juana “yop^ould have to smoke numerous bints every day,” he said. any opposed to thegfheasure worry it ould attract attentiomlfom the federal gov ernment and jeopardize the current medical marijuana laws ip-Oregon, something Musikka said should to^ctccepted if patients and medial marijuaija'davocates hope to continue making progress in their introduction of medical mari ^ftfana into mainstream society. ».~We negdjtoface it,” Musikka said. “You have to have^coufag^jfyou don’t have that you won’t have freedom for4Qng.” But Horton said many peopleWfer from a »^Jack of adequate informgjdcwrfegarding the medtCfTrakpuipase and how in creasing the possession limit and mandating marijuana dispensaries in every county will af fect tax payers. The mandatory dispensaries would be funded by tax payers, which makes it even more vital that voters know all the informa tion, Horton said. “Bills like these tend to fail when people are told the truth about marijuana,” Horton said. As of April 2004 Lamont said there were 8,975 cardholding medical marijuana patients and 4,822 cardholding caregivers in Oregon; 1,111 of them are Lane County residents. meghanncuniff@ daily emerald, com New York Times reporter criticizes IRS David Cay Johnston addressed social class gaps in his weekend book promotion at the University BY MICHAEL A. BOOTH FREELANCE REPORTER A captive audience listened to Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter David Cay John ston skewer the federal govern ment, the IRS and multinational corporations at the Knight Law School on Saturday. Johnston was on campus to promote his new book “Perfect ly Legal: The covert campaign to rig our tax system to benefit thesuper rich — and cheat everybody else. ” Best known for his work as a tax reporter for The New York Times, Johnston has filed stories exposing companies who use a Bermuda mailbox to escape American taxes, IRS audits that target the poor more than the rich, the fact that Enron paid no corporate taxes and a retired CEO of General Electric who had a free corporate jet. Although Johnston withheld no criticism for politicians of either major political party, his most pointed comments were reserved for conservatives. The conservative bedrock ideal of lower taxes is contrary to what conservatives and econo mists such as Adam Smith have promoted historically, Johnston said. “Taxing those with the most ability to pay is actually one of the most conservative ideals in a western democracy,” Johnston said. ‘“A ‘level playing field' is a standard republican mantra. ” In his book, Johnston explains the ever-widening gap between rich and poor and what he believes to be the solutions. He points out intentionally vague tax loopholes for corpora tions and people whose income exceeds $10 million per year, the reluctance of politicians to address corporate taxes and an IRS that turns a blind eye to blatant tax fraud. “My solution is, we need to take back our government ... and whenever 1 hear someone say, ‘Oh, the underclass— that’s a problem we can never solve.’ I say, I guess you just don't believe in the United States of America, because we can solve any problem we want to, but we have to work on JOHNSTON, page 9
