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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2005)
■ Guest commentary CampU.S. Strike focuses struggle for peaceful future Most people I meet in my daily strike for peace on campus are un aware that making and selling weapons has been America’s top in dustry since 1950, that we have sus tained this weapons-based economy by sponsoring, supplying and creating more than 200 wars in 55 years, and that about 310,000 companies and 350 colleges are on the Pentagon’s payroll. My refusal to study inside class rooms, after three years of intensive re search, is part of a terminal project goal to draw attention to disordered national priorities that concern all Americans. (For the record, I am the only peace studies student in the Unit ed States licensed to use the RAND Corporation’s defense database, and I spend approximately 200 hours a year accessing the Pentagon’s Statistical In formation Analysis Division. I study year-round without traditional breaks; I am completing all coursework out side of class, and I completed my grad ing requirements long ago.) My graduate project is an informa tion outreach campaign to make us safer with a reasonable defense so we don’t send our citizens to wars created for profit and waste our future wealth. I came to the University to get away from wasteful Pentagon programs that flooded companies for which I worked. In my 15 years in Silicon Val ley, I refused security clearance (and higher pay) three times because our taxes were not making America safer or more prosperous. I received my Bachelor of Arts here, and began grad uate studies after Sept 11. In my third year, I found Pentagon combat pro grams in development at our schools, including the University. The European Union develops its technology for alternative energy and medical advancements and then for a reasonable defense. The United States develops its technology for battlefields first, at tremendous detriment to do mestic prosperity. Nearly every prob lem our planet bears is caused, exploit ed, or worsened by this priority. While I strongly support research, even some weapons research, I am just as strongly against wasteful spend ing, and America’s “defense” is exces sively offensive. Research should ben efit people first, and funding education should reflect that priority. I sincerely doubt that those who conduct Pentagon— funded research on our campuses have taken the time to study our National Defense Strategy and the Pentagon’s Future Combat Systems program-the primary benefi ciaries of such research. Secondary benefits come at too great a price. If the Postal Service started issuing billion-dollar stamps and began mail ing weapons around the world for huge sums of profit for itself, Ameri cans would demand change. The Pen tagon receives and wastes more tax payer dollars than other U.S. agencies combined-all the more reason Ameri cans should be in control of what it ex ports, and what it engenders: declining domestic prosperity and much more. Our founders taught us that when government strays from serving us we have a duty to alter or abolish it and in stitute new government to protect our future security. If we adopt a people based American economy, our prob lems can be addressed. The CampU.S. Strike for Peace Cam paign urges citizens to recognize that addressing symptoms, while neces sary, falls short of effecting change. People must demand a change in America’s priority, from weapons for profit to human prosperity, or the out of-control misspending of our wealth will deliver us the same fate that befell the Soviet Union. History’s greatest lesson tells us to take the profit out of war, and until we do that, we will increasingly suffer from the misdirection of our advancing technology. Both major parties have sustained the war industry for 55 years; both are saturated with corrup tion. Changing administrations with out changing priorities will not alter our course. America cannot be a peace-loving nation-nor can its people ever truly prosper-as long as its top in dustry is making and selling weapons. Only by focusing popular demand on the single greatest cause of our problems will we prevail over our problems. We are all cogs in the war machine unless we stand defiant against it or actively support those who do. (The author, Brian Bogart, has been invited by members of Parlia ment to attend the December 2005 In ternational Peace Conference in Lon don as one of 1,000 delegates from the United States, Britain and Iraq. To con tribute to The London Fund to make his journey possible, please visit the Help Us page at strikeforpeace.org.) INBOX Respect is intrinsic to University's mission Now that we are settling into the new school year, I would like once again to discuss community standards at the University of Oregon. This university has long been dedi cated to supporting and preserving the freedom of thought and expression for all its members. These freedoms are so important they will underscore the report on diversity I expect to receive in the near future from the Diversity Executive Working Group. Community standards are a critical part of what we are and what we stand for at the University of Oregon. In fact, the University of Oregon Affir mation of Community Standards, a resolution passed by the University Senate in March 2000, is prominently and permanently displayed in the Free Speech Forum at the Erb Memorial Union. The fact that the resolution holds such a place illustrates the importance the University ascribes to values contained in the resolution. Among the points in this affirma tion of standards is the University’s long and illustrious history in the ar eas of academic freedom and freedom of speech. The University seeks to fos ter a culture of respect that honors the rights, safety, dignity and worth of every individual. We respect the priva cy, property and freedom of others. The University rejects bigotry, discrim ination, violence or intimidation of any kind. We practice personal and academic integrity and we expect it from others. We also promote the di versity of opinions, ideas and back grounds, all of which form the lifeblood of this great university. It is especially important to remind ourselves of the importance of these standards when we see behavior that does not exemplify the qualities con tained within the affirmation of com munity standards. Displaying a lack of sportsmanship at athletic events or being unwilling to consider different points of view are just a few examples. Respect for the rights of all is an in tegral part of our mission at the Uni versity of Oregon. We should keep this in mind as we continue with this aca demic year. Dave Frohnmayer President, University of Oregon Editorial misconstrues merit of Bogart's project News coverage in the Emerald on Brian Bogart’s courageous strike-for peace has been admirable. The ongo ing story is rare and deserves the at tention the Emerald has given it. So it’s difficult for me to suggest that a re cent editorial (“Protesting Not a Valid Substitute for Classes,” ODE Oct. 4) reveals a misunderstanding of Boga rt’s effort, which is wisely approved by political science professor Jane Cramer. Maybe a little jealousy creeps in when student writers covet Bogart earning credit “for sitting outside for hours each day,” while classmates in vest hours in the classroom. To the contrary. When he is not explaining the peace problem to pedestrians, Bri an continues intensive individual study of the course and its text — when outdoor elements permit. The Emerald editorial failed to make note of the great number of morning and evening hours Bogart has spent — and continues to spend — monitoring and studying Pentagon and research Web sites on his comput er. It acknowledges Bogart has been given a freedom the Emerald supports for students, namely “leeway to pur sue their interests.” But it doesn’t go far enough. While exploring and doc umenting sinister aspects of military funding for campus research, Bogart also does a public service rarely achieved by one student’s study. By contrast, the Emerald ignores its journalistic responsibility of investiga tive reporting by responding to Uni versity officials’ claim that “no weapons research is being conducted here” with the rebuttal: “We sincerely hope this is true.” That is naive, lazy journalism. “Students,” concluded the editorial, I “deserve to know what their school is up to.” If absence of investigative re porting leaves a dangerous vacuum in student awareness, how fortunate that one student, Bogart, works hard for all of us to bring facts to light. George Beres Former manager of the University Speakers Bureau 1 023454 The Out List in Tuesday’s paper was published incorrectly due to an error by the Oregon Daily Emerald Advertising Department. We acknowledge the importance of this list both to the people listed and to the University community and apologize for the situation created by our error. Get movje showtimes on your phone. (Ride, date and popcorn found separately.) Google SMS. 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