Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1978)
opinion Life or death; i voters choose | Legal killing in Oregon is not the answer to refor ming murderers—it’s an excuse. Ballot Measure 8 is not just another issue. If voters approve it, it will give courts the right to decide who should live or die. This measure, as described in the Oregon Voter’s Pamphlet, “Requires death penalty if judge, beyond reasonable doubt*, finds: defendant acted deliberately with reasonable expectation death would resultand probability defendant is con- tinuing violent threat to society; and defendant responded unreasonably to provocation, if any, by deceased.” • • Proponents contend that capital punishment is a less costly alternative than lifetime imprisonment. But, how can we compare $130,000 for construction of a gas chamber to one human life? Death by cyanide gassing is inhumane as you are forced to kill yourself by holding your breath, knowing your next will be your last. Court costs are expensive, too. Taxpayers will be shelling out money for long-term trials and appeals, the time of judges, prosecutors, guards, witnesses, psychiatrists—the list goes on and on, and so will some of the trials. Capital punishment has not been proven to be a deterrent to murder. Clinton Duffy, former San Quentin Prison warden, said that in 30 years of questioning thousands of robbers and murderers, not one admitted giving any thought to the death penalty at the time of committing the crime. Duffy is one of many prison officials who say the death penalty is no deterrent to violent crime. Statistics confirm these findings. In 1920, Oregon had no death penalty and the homicide rate in the state that year was 4.1 per 100,000 population. That same year it restored the death penalty and in 1921 the homicide rate was 7.7. The rate fluctuated and was 3.8 in 1963. Oregon repealed the death penalty in 1964; the next year the rate was almost the same at 3.9. Studies in Philadelphia, Pa., of well publicized executions in the 1920 s and 1930 s showed more, homicides following the executions than preceding them. And in 1940 after four widely publicized executions there was no drop in the homicide rate. These statistics make voting “no” on Ballot Measure 8 a humane decision. $: i: S •:$ :$ $: S S $: Eenie . . .meenie . . .mime . . .moe :¥ $: commentary By Eugene Lawson Of The Print “But You Don’t Have Any Experience!” How many times whether in your academic career or out of it, have you noticed a job which seemed exactly what you’d like to do? Zoom! The procedure begins and, with a thousand other ap S plicants, you rush to the per sonnel office, resume in hand, and fill out the tedious but required application. Everyone :•:• knows--especially you--that £ your academic qualifications are par excellence. You are bright, hard-working, ingenious, all-American—not to mention trustworthy, loyal, “I shall ask for the abolition of the punishment of friendly, courteous, kind, etc. death until I have the infallibility of human Judgment :$ But the days, or weeks, drag demonstrated to me.”—Thomas Jefferson C.B. by, and . . .no job. Con fused, perplexed, and feeling like the last item at a white elephant sale, you call the per sonnel office to find out why you weren’t hired-you of all people! After 45 minutess of polite pleasantries and generalized commendations about how pleased they were with your application, the truth finally emerges: you don’t have any experience--an un- forgiveable oversight on your part. Soj having no experience— or feeling you have none—how do you get hired? Well, let me suggest one alternative out of my own experience (oh, sorry;guess that’s a touchy word.) I, for one, am interested in teaching. Having had over three semesters of voluntary tutoring in elementary schfl and having also worked in al educational office, 1 could lisfl this as experience. I am also ini terested in youth work. Hem volunteer efforts in chi] youth groups, big brothel programs, boys’ clubs! Scouting and, again, the tu® ing, come in handy as dire] and related references. There are many volunM positions, wither throuil work/study or just plain serf vice, for those who are wH to invest a little time. At time! credit can also be arranged! fl investigate such opportun® call your local volunteer bur® or community service cent® I can assure you, the be® and ' training you experi® will be of value in a varie® situations and occupations. I feedback- sprint 19600 S. Mollalla Avenue, Oregon City, Oregon 97045 Offices: Trailer B; telephone: 656-2631, ext. 309 or 310 editor Cyndl Bacon * news editor Scott Starnes arts editor Leanne Lally * sports editor Mark McNeary photo editor Kelly Laughlin'staff writers Happie Thacker, Gene Lawson1, Mike Koller, Elena Vancil, Brenda Nolan staff photographers Mark Benson, Greg Kienzle, Charlie Wagg cartoonist Mary Cuddy * Graphic Designer Bev Boston * professional adviser Suzie Boss* business manager Mark Barnhill The Print, a member of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, aims to be fair and impartial journalistic medium covering the campus community as thoroughly as possible. We encourage participation through letters, free lance articles and story ideas and suggestions. Deadlines are the Friday of the week prior to the Wednesday publication Page 2 To The Editor : Jay Haight in your Sept. 27 paper criticizing the design and the staff of the Inskeep En vironmental Learning Center struck home. I am on the board of the E.L.C. and have always felt the project was excep tionally well designed and staf fed with qualified and talented people. Mr. Haight’s criticisms of the design and the staff of the E.L.C. seem to be based on philosophy that the only “real” environmental learning is an “intense, observational ap proach, emphasizing the reciprocal interactive process occuring between organism and environment in an ecological situation.” I presume that this situation is one in which man does not attempt to modify the environment but nautral” elements were adde] such as hordes of school kill merely observes. The E.L.C. is most certainly and families on weekends. I The Inskeep Environment] not an unmanaged area where natural plant communities are Learning Center is not a wild« allowed to establish themselves ness outside of man’s inf® and go through normal suc- ce. It is a carefully desi® cessional patterns. Prior to and highly used park wherl becoming what it is now, it was people can observe that an en-f a clarification pond for cannery vironment very attracativ® wastes. What value would people can also be very attraa there have been in letting such five to native wildlife. I am a sterile environment develop; sorry, Mr. Haight, but I can® naturally without man’s inter believe that it would be impol vention? At best, such a, ved by your dynamite or yoil process would have been very bulldozer. I doubt if you do either. slow. If you are really interest® Instead, the area was plan ted with native arid non-native improving the E.L.C., join the! plants that, were suitable to the association that runs it. Wei area and would attract1 native would be happy to list®] wildlife. Trails were built so: your ideas. people could see what was Dan Green being done. Other “non- Oregon City Clackamas Community Col®
