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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