Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2005)
Commentary Oregon Daily Emerald Monday, October 3, 2005 NEWS STAFF (541)346-5511 PARKER HOWELl. EDITOR IN CHIEF SHADRA BEESLEY MANAGING EDITOR MEGHANN M. CUNIFE JARED PABEN NEWS EDITORS EVA SYLWESTER SENIOR NEWS REPORTER JOE BAILEY KATY GAGNON CHRISTOPHER HAGAN BRITTNI MCCLENAHAN NICHOIAS WILBUR NEWS REPORTERS EMILY SMITH PART-TIME NEWS REPORTER SHAWN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR SCOTT J. ADAMS LUKE ANDREWS JEFFREY DRANSFELDT SPORTS REPORTERS AMY UCHTY PULSE EDITOR TREVOR DAVIS KRISTEN GERHARD ANDREW MCCOLLUM PULSE REPORTERS AILEE SLATER COMMENTARY EDITOR GABE BRADLEY JESSICA DERLETH ARMY FETH RICHARD PRYOR COLUMNISTS UM BOBOSKY PHOTO EDITOR NICOLE BARKER SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER KATE HORTON ZANE RITr PHOTOGRAPHERS KAT IE GLEASON PART-TIME PHOTOGRAPHER JONAH SCHROGIN SENIOR DESIGNER JOHN AYRES JONNY BAGGS MOLLY BEDFORD KF.RI SPANGLER DESIGNERS CHRIS TODD GRAPHIC ARTIST AARON DUCHATEAU ILLUSTRATOR TRACY TIERNEY REBECCA TAYLOR COPY CHIEFS EILEEN CHANG JENNY DORNER |OSH NORRIS MIND! RICE COPYEDITORS STEVEN NEUMAN ONLINE/SUPPLEMENTS EDITOR TIMOTHY ROBINSON WEBMASTER BUSINESS (541)346-5511 JUDY RIEDI. GENERAL MANAGER KATHY CARBONE BUSINESS MANAGER IAUNA DEGIUSTI RECEPTIONIST JOE BEES ALAN FULLERTON RYAN JOHNSON ROB WEGNER DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING (541)346-3712 MELISSA GUST ADVERTISING DIRECTOR MIA LEIDELMEYER SALES MANAGER KELLEE KAUFTHEIL JOHN KELLY LINDSEY FERGUSON WINTER GIBBS KATE HI RON AKA DESI MCCORMICK STEPHEN MILLER KATHRYN O'SHEA-EVANS EMILY PHILBIN CODY WILSON SALES REPRESENTATIVES BONA LEE AD ASSISTANT CLASSIFIED (541)3464343_ TRINA SHANAMAN CLASSIFIED MANAGER KORALYNN BASHAM ANDO AMANDA KANTOR KER1 SPANGLER KAnE STRINGER CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ASSOCIATES PRODUCTION (541)3464381 MICHELE ROSS PRODUCTION MANAGER KIRA PARK PRODUCTION COORDINATOR JAMIE ACKERMAN CAMERON GAUT JONAH SCHROGIN DESIGNERS The Oregon Dally Emerald is pub lished daily Monday through Fri day duhng the school year by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Ore gon, Eugene, Ore. The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. Unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law Are you having a bad day? Arc you sick of homework and classes? Then buy my joke boo-... Listen up Ass-Clown. I'll give you 200 bucks for the whole bucket Aaron DuChateau | Illustrator | the act can performed in the name of higher education ■ In my opinion War perpetuates Terrorism The war in Iraq has been removed from its prestigious position as love child sprung from the media and mili tary. Now, “Iraq” pops up on front pages and news briefs simply as a warning bell that death toll numbers will appear momentarily. America, at least the sect of Ameri ca without personal ties to the war, now leaves Iraq on the back burner of any political discussion and usually avoids the topic for fear of hearing “old news.” Well, here’s something brand spanking new that is not new at all. A historical road map inextricably tied to 9/11, terrorism and the attack on Iraq has led us to exactly this place: On Saturday, three suicide bombers attacked restaurants in Bali, killing at least 19 and injuring more than 100. The restaurants were locat ed in an area heavily populated by in ternational tourists, so it’s no sur prise that America has condemned the bombings for their role in the is sue of terrorism. Ergo, it is also no surprise that sui cide bombers would wipe out eater ies on a fabulous beach resort in the first place. Most terrorists remain unaffiliated with any nation, giving them neither a country to fight for nor a specific cause to win. Instead, since 9/11 es pecially, sites of Americanized or Westernized culture have become the battlefield for rogue terrorists. Ironically, America has turned around and made Islamic culture the battlefield for the U.S. Army. Iraqi cit izens were not at the helm of the 9/11 airplanes; however, George Bush and the American media managed to con vince 45 percent of this country’s citi zens that Saddam was “personally in volved” in the trade center attacks. America sees no difference between the Islamic extremists who suicide bombed our buildings and the Islamic AILEE SLATER FURTHER FROM PERFECTION citizens now trapped in American Iraqi crossfire, thanks to our vigilant stand against Saddam Hussein. Any one, on that side of the world at least, is expendable if a larger purpose is served: Ending Terrorism. Which is exactly the same mentali ty employed by those responsible for 9/11. The World Trade Center was not solely occupied by American citi zens bent on taking over the world. The towers included kids in daycare and international tourists, but the 9/11 hijackers considered those peo ple expendable. Like America’s atti tude toward casualties in the War on Terror, the 9/11 suicide pilots also saw themselves as serving a greater purpose: Fighting a culture of capital ism and globalization that is undeni ably linked to specific cases of Islamic suffering. The war in Iraq is certainly a global ization of American ideals. Is it any won der that terrorism has not yet ended? The majority of the world has con demned the Bali bombing, just like the majority of the world condemned the U.S. decision to strike Iraq. Iraq was attacked nonetheless. Why should it pressure rogue terrorists to hear such condemnations when em pirical evidence only shows that World Condemnation wields no con crete power? The United States subscribed to a system wherein global opinion does not matter long before terrorists real ized that they could blow up a beach and receive no real punishment. The people of Earth are far too torn to work together, and rogue terrorists take shelter in that atmosphere of ar rogant individuality, or if you will, “patriotism.” When I began crafting this article, I expected to produce a piece on what a suicide bomber is and why such a person is so dangerous. I expected to explain why suicide bombers in par ticular are so frightening, so capable of destruction. I expected to explain how the continual creation of suicide bombers across the globe could be tackled; this from my own, Western perspective. The idea I set out to prove did not end up being the idea that I now believe. A suicide bomber or pilot is no dif ferent from an American soldier: A courageous individual willing to both kill and die for the ideals of a leader, community, or nation. Until the United States extricates its armed forces from Iraq, there is no reason that we Ameri cans should be pious enough to expect suicide bombers to ever go away. Our nation must take off its blind ers and stop deeming everyone, ex cept ourselves, irrational. Only when we can see the rationality behind an Islamic extremist can we see the irra tionality behind the American mili tary platform. And vice versa, as America tends to make it. As long as there is an irrational enemy, there will be a rationalized war. I don’t know about you, but I am not a hypocrite. I am, however, tired of talking about the war in Iraq. If I stand in solidarity with the American soldiers, then I stand in solidarity with the suicide bombers in Bali. On the other hand, if I stand in opposi tion to war, then I stand in opposition to war. I stand in opposition to war. aslater@dailyenierald.com OREGON DAILY EMERALD LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged, and should be sent to tetters@dai!yemera!d com or submitted at the Oregon Daily Emerald office, EMU Suite 300. Electronic submissions are preferred. Letters are limited to 250 words, and guest commentaries to 550 words Authors are limited to one submission per calendar month. Submissions should include phone number and address for verification. The Emerald reserves the rigrt to edit for space, gammar 3nd style. Guest submissions are published at the discretion of the Emerald ■ Editorial Smokers don't want to be protected from themselves At the end of September, the Eugene City Council urged the development of new rules that would, ostensibly, reduce the health hazard of secondhand smoke. The ruling? That outdoor smoking “en closures” must now be 75 percent open. Under such City Council direction, a smoking area with both a roof and more than one wall would not be permissible. The Eugene City Council has claimed that better ventilation will reduce the health risks of smoking, but who are we kidding? The only people who frequent smoking areas are smokers — otherwise known as people comfortable with the idea of inhaling smoke. Smokers are al ready prohibited from smoking inside any city building; now, they won’t even be al lowed protection from wind and rain when trying to smoke outdoors. As long as citizens over the age of 18 have the legal right to smoke a cigarette, the city of Eugene has little business pro tecting smokers from themselves. If the lungs of non-smokers are the City Coun cil’s true concern, they should consider the fact that opening up smoking areas only creates an abundance of secondhand smoke flowing into the faces of passersby. For $15,000, Eugene can surely accom plish a feat greater than rebuilding smok ing enclosures. Smokers don’t have a problem with their own secondhand smoke, and non-smokers will be less likely to inhale toxins if smoking enclosures stay enclosed. The only public hazard we see is a Eugene governmental body that wastes time and money on unnecessary legislation. Renters need to understand and assert their rights Students renting homes or apartments with clogged drains, broken thermostats or rotting floors in Eugene don’t have to be soggy, cold or light-footed anymore. Under the city’s new Rental Housing Code, tenants now have the power to force landlords to act quickly and ensure proper plumbing, heating, weatherproofing and structural integrity, but renters must educate themselves. According to the new code, a tenant must file a written complaint to the prop erty manager, and the property manager has 10 days to respond to the complaint. If the owner fails to respond, the tenant may file a complaint with the city. The city will investigate, and if the complaint is valid, a written order will be issued for the land lord to make any needed repairs. Each day the landlord doesn’t respond to the complaint, there will be a $250 fine. Since July, there have been several ten ant complaints that are not covered by the new code, including mold, chipped paint and appliances. There has only been one violation involving a broken window (ODE Sept. 30, “Few complain after housing code change”). All student tenants (University Housing renters, too) should know their rights. The Housing Code, more than a decade in the making, exists to aid renters. Take the ac tion necessary and write to your property manager. The law is in your favor. EDITORIAL BOARD Parker Howell Editor in Chief Steven Neuman Online Editor Shadra Beesley Managing Editor Ailee Slater Commentary Editor