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repealed the death penalty in 1964; the next year the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.
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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
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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®