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THE ROQUE NEWS P'"tM
Published bi-weekly, during the school months, by the Associated
Student Body of Ashland Senior High School, 201 Mountain Ave.,
Ashland, Oregon 97520. Subscription cost 12.50 per year.
Kditor Rosario De La Torre
News Kditor Jeanne Hoadley
Kditorial Editor Joseph Hawk
Feature Kditor Steve Schmelzer
Sports Kditor Sharon Hill
Advertisers Shirley Delsman, Teresa Fowler, Anita Johnson
Business Manager Jeri Lewis
Photographers Harold Berninghausen, Willie Thompson
Reporters Randy Dew, Garry Now, Dale Nelson
Sports Reporters Kevin Candee. Charlie Lewi;
Advisor Clifford M. Brock
Printed by THE PRINT SHOP, Ashland. Oregon
Viet-Mom and Economy
The recent Viet Nam cease-fire and subsequent end of active
United States involvement will not have the profound effect on the
economy that many people felt it would have.
Most of the money yielded by the end of the war has already been
spent, shifted to other parts of the defense budget, or eaten up by
inflation.
What little money is available will not be enough to provide any
significant economic or social change. As a former Assistant Treasury
Secretary put it "As far as the budget is concerned, the war is behind
us."
What this means in terms of dollars is that there will not be the
tremendous sums spent on housing, welfare, and education which
critics of the war had envisioned.
A local example is the Ashland High Computer Class. Despite the
fact that war spending is greatly down, federal money for the
computer class has been cut off, as of next year. Consequently, if a
computer class with the present facilities is to continue, it must be
financed by local school districts.
An interesting idea is that the proportion of the national budget
allocated for defense is now the "lowest it has been since 1940 the
year our weakness invited Pearl Harbor." Will history repeat itself?
Also, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare has now
become the government's biggest spender, out-spending the
Department of Defense for the first time. Even though we are
spending more on domestic social problems, we are still plagued by
numerous, seemingly unsolvable problems, such as poverty, disease,
and pollution.
W hat this shows is that the arguments that the end of the Viet Nam
War would solve all of our domestic problems by dumping money on
them, were unfounded.
The money is already being spe nt and we are not much closer to
the solutions.
Money alone is never the cure for the ills of the world.
RPD
Weissenbach Drama
Vandalism
Editorial Policy
Cease fire Gives MIA 's Wife Hope
by Joseph Hawk
A bit of hope still lingers in
Ashland High Student teacher
Karen Weissenback's mind.
Her husband is listed as miss
ing in action (MIA) in northern
Laos and President Nixon's
peace in Vietnam re-ignites the
spark in her life.
Karen Weissenback is working
with U.S. History teacher Dick
Kromminga.
Stationed in Indo China
Edward and Karen Weissen
back were stationed in Vientiane,
Laos. On December 27, 1971, her
civilian husband who worked for
Air America, a cargo airline, was
shot down.
As an air freight specialist for
Air America, Edward went down
in a C-123 into northwestern Laos.
Search Made
An active search by Air Ameri
ca and the U.S. Air Force was
held for a few days. It was soon
aborted, according to Karen,
"because the planes were getting
the hell shot out of them."
Karen did not give up though.
Karen's eyes clouded as she
told of her efforts to gain infor
mation about her husband. "Em
bassy sources in Vientiane were
not able to offer any informa
tion," said Karen.
Air America offered a kilo of
gold bullion ($3000) for his safe
return.
Hoping for Information
Up to now she has heard
nothing about him and believes
he is dead. Karen is hoping for
information that leans either
way. "The prison-camp grape
vines are very good," said Karen.
"Prisoners try to remember
every name they receive so that
they can relay that person's
condition once they get home."
Karen Weissenback is a brave
and determined woman. She is
returning to Laos in April to gain
more information about her
husband.
I - ;
Comments
To the Editor:
At last Saturday's basketball
game, a thought occurred to me.
The cheering sections would both
start to cheer and there was a
concerted effort on several oc
ocasions for the AHS group and
the Grants Pass groups to drown
each other out.
It seems to me that a more
productive effort, and one dis
playing a good deal more good
sportsmanship, would be for the
Ashland Rally to unilaterally
agree to cease all yells when the
opposition is also yelling. This
might result in other schools
beginning the same tradition.
A more functional result might
be that players and fans would be
able to hear their own particular
persuasion being expressed. This
would certainly be a more pro
ductive means of communica
tion. Who knows, perhaps this little
bit of good sportsmanship might
get something started throughout
the conference.
Clifford M. Brock
English Dept.
Webster's Dictionary says a vandal is "One who destroys
ruthlessly; one who destroys beautiful things."
You've probably often seen results of petty vandalism like graffiti
on the walls of the restrooms, broken lights, and initials carved on
park benches.
The individuals who participate in petty vandalism are usually
just a little disturbed and want the world to know that they're around.
One man described this type of person well when he said, "Fools
names and fools faces are often seen in public places."
Ashland High has always seen examples of petty vandalism like
writing on bathroom walls, but this year there is a group of several
individuals who derive some sadistic pleasure out of wantonly
destroying school property. Their handiwork includes melting a
garbage can in a toilet in the men's restroom, kicking in the door of the
men's restroom on the third story, not to mention their usual literary
masterpieces on the bathroom walls.
Maybe the answer to the problem is not being angry with the
vandals, but pity because these people are suffering from hopeless
intelligence deficiency.
-SS
Students are welcome to express their views in letters to the
Rogue News. Any letter to the editor must be of reasonable length and
signed, though the name may be withheld on request. However, the
letter will remain on file available to anyone who wishes to see it. It is
the policy of the Rogue News not to publish anything libelous in
nature. Only spelling and punctuation will be changed. Letters will be
printed on a space-available basis. The opinions expressed in the
letters are not necessarily those of the Rogue News or its staff. Letters
should be delivered to H-ll or Mr. Brock's box in the office.
r X i
I 0
An example of the vandalism at
Ashland High is the split bathroom
door on the third floor of the
Humanities Building.
By Steve Schmelzer
A feeling being wanted or needed is what gives a human a
purpose for living. The quickest way to kill a person is to take
away his feeling of achievement or being needed.
Though often overlooked, this trait in the human character is
probably the most dominating influence in society ever.
Children who feel wanted and as a needed part of their family,
most often grow up to be successful and well adjusted adults. The
children who feel left out and unwanted by their families often
become self-conscious loners who can't really adjust to life.
Suicides are often the result of not feeling wanted or as a
productive unit in society.
The people w ho reach popularity are usually those who take
an active interest in the lives of others and make others feel
needed or as an important cog in the machinery of life.
Marriages are based on individuals feeling a mutual need and
desire to share their lives with each other, but even the most
successful marriage can become a failure when one partner fails
to show the other that he or she is needed.
Retired people who continue being active in their clubs and
hobbies almost invariably live longer than those people who feel
that old age is good for nothing more than spending a worthless
existence sitting in a rocking chair.
The benefit of knowing that everyone wants and needs to be
wanted can never be discounted, because through this knowledge
your relationships can always be strenghened.