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The Clackamas Print V
Wednesday, December 6,1995
The two-party system of government
Daniel Gustav Anderson
Staff Writer
Because he so preferred the
United States of America, Satan
himself designed for it the two-
party system of government.
This system is fundamentally
wrong and will bring the fall of
the American empire. As Christ
explained, “a house divided
against itself cannot stand.”
The system allows certain
people to make a great deal of
money; this oligarchy, small
group of powerful businesses, has
the power to perpetuate the sys
tem which produces its own
wealth.
Consider the contenders in
this money-making machine:
The Democratic party pan
ders to the needs of the poor, the
downtrodden, minorities, the en
vironment, people who seem to
appreciate their civil liberties.
Support of these groups brings fi
nancial support for the Party in
the form of donations and contri
butions, like charity.
The Republican Party uses
moral issues—’’family values,”
for example—catch phrases
popular to conservative capital
ists, particularly successful ones.
Then, these capitalists offer finan-
cial contributions to the Party, and
the Party fights the true “moral”
issues that the Democrats seem to
represent: helping the poor, the
downtrodden, minorities, and so
forth.
Neither party, however, is any
less guilty than the other. Imag
ine a magnet with only one pole,
or an axle with only one wheel.
A polarized system takes two
poles, and the strength of one pole
is measurable by the strength of
the other. This polarization and
fragmentation also leads to other
dangers, and distracts voters from
root issues.
Americans have adopted the
habit of reducing human com
plexity to simplistic moral abso
lutes. Certain voters, for example,
have become one-issue thinkers.
These voters rally around their
causes—abortion, gun control or
lack thereof, environment—and
become organized lobbying, pan
dering, connection-making, leg
islation-breaking, propaganda
creating factions. They are
blinded by the brightness of their
own moral correctness, voting for
candidates exclusively on the
word of the gun lobby, or the abor
tion lobby, or the tobacco lobby.
Single issues take on dispropor-
tionate magni
tude.
Candi-
dates for of
fice—remark
ably complex,
like everyone-
-simply
choose which
factions to pa
tronize, push
the keys of
enough voters
graphic by Chad Patteson
and can easily The third option is no political parties at all.
enter office
with a differ
sponsored by the Oregon Citizen’s
ent, previously unquestioned, Alliance and the antiabortion
agenda. The candidate can carry lobby—stole
much
of
on the dualistic party system with Frohnmeyer’s conservative sup
out much effort.
port. With Mobley and
Of course, the Democratic Frohnmeyer clobbering one an
Party and the Republican Party other, Roberts won the election by
are not the only two participants. a slim margin. In other words,
This century has seen the rise of either major party can use any
Libertarians, Independents, small party to defeat the other
Greens and Silver Foxes, for ex major party.
ample. Political analysts have
Representative democracy,
noticed that these parties often without parties. People could
play a spoiler role.
simply vote for candidates and not
In the 1988 Oregon guberna labels; partisan silliness in Con
torial race, the moderate Repub gress would be without base.
lican Dave Frohnmeyer lost to lib
The dual-party system is a
eral Democrat Barbara Roberts. A money-making machine for few
third candidate, super-conserva and waste of time for everyone,
tive Independent Al Mobley— and must change now.
Letter to the Editor:
Season to party Teaching evolution
Sean M. Whitney
Contributing Writer
’Tis the season to party.
Many of you will attend or host
a Christmas party in the com
ing weeks. Recently I heard an
idea that combines the tradi
tional gathering with an oppor
tunity to give;
Invitations were sent out in
viting a group of friends to a
Christmas party; however, a
brief paragraph explained, “This
party has a purpose...” The pur
pose was the collection of gifts
to be donated to a local women’s
•shelter. Enclosed, was a “Holi
day Wish List” provided by the
shelter, and the list was varied
enough to allow for even the
smallest budget.
The response was over
whelming. The host of this party,
who wishes to remain anony
mous, said that the idea came
from her desire to do something
for battered women.
“Most of these women have
no money. They’ve usually just
left, and they have no money.
They have nothing,” said the
hostess about women coming
from abusive situations.
She said that she found the
shelter listed underwomen’s ser
vices in the phone book and con
tacted them for instructions on
what, where and how to give.
The donations are being handled
through a church; the shelter
keeps its location secret to pro
Party continued on page 3
The Clackamas Print Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Chad Patteson (Ext. 2576)
Managing Editor: Amy K. Hanson (Ext. 2576)
Feature Editor: Jon Roberts (Ext. 2578)
Sports Editor: Jesse Sowa (Ext. 2578)
Photography Editor: Josh Kehler (Ext. 2578)
Copy Editor: Vicki Welch (Ext. 2578)
Opinion Editor: Brendon Neal (Ext. 2576)
Business Manager: Cori Kargel (Ext. 2578)
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Staff Writers/Photographers:
Eric Eatherton, Dan Gustav Anderson, Megan Friedow,
Lora Wahrgren, Linda Barr Batdorf, Andrew Beck,
Pamela Sirianni, Ryan Humphris,
Paul Ulmen, Lisa Marie, Tim Countryman, Brad Zimmerman
Secretary: Joanne Gale (Ext. 2309)
Advisor : Linda Vogt (Ext. 2310)
The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased,
professional manner. The opinions expressed in The Clackamas Print do not
necessarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty or
The Clackamas Print's advertisers. Products and services advertised in The
Clackamas Print are not necessarily endorsed by anyone associated with The
Clackamas Print. The Clackamas Print is a weekly publication distributed
every Wednesday except for finals week. The advertising rate is $4.50 per col
umn inch.
All signed letters to the editor will be considered for publication and must
be submitted by 1 p.m. the Friday prior to the next issue.
Clackamas Community College, 19600 S. Molalla Avenue, Oregon City,
Oregon, 97045; Barlow 104; (503) 657-6958, ext. 2309.
E-mail: cccprint@clackamas.cc.or.us
in American schools
I agree up to a point, with the
article titled, “Why evolution is
not the answer,” in the Novem
ber 29 edition of the Clackamas
Print.
I agree our evolutionary data
is imperfect, and there are gaps
that can’t be explained, yet. We
do not have irrefutable proof of
an evolution from the primordial
soup to the now. Although we do
have something to pick up and
hold in our hands, to subject to
testing and comparisons with
other samples, many feel it is not
enough, there needs to be some
thing more that needs to be an
swered. On the surface it does
seem logical and even beneficial
for the two theories to be taught
in conjuction, so a person could
see the empirical evidence and
decide for themselves.
Now, the question comes up:
which creation story (theory) do
we teach? Will it be Hindu,
Bassari, Yakima, Norse, Zen,
UFOlogist, the Gaia principle,
Christian? ... we cannot teach
only one creation theory because
there are too many, and each of
the believers are sure their’s is the
only true story and each has
enough proof to convince them
selves and other followers. Herin
lies the dilemma.
Maybe until, as with evolu
tion, we have one creationism
theory acceptable to the majority,
the best answer is still to teach it
at home or in the Synagogues,
Oak Groves, Temples, Churches,
on the mountain tops, in Peyote
dreams or wherever an individual
goes to get in touch with their
Creator. Or not.
Esther Esson
Student
LOSE 20 POUNDS
IN TWO WEEKS
Famous U.S. Women's Alpine Ski Team Diet
During the non-snow off season the U.S. Women's Alpine Ski Team
members used the "Ski Team" diet to lose 20 pounds in two weeks. That's
right - 20 pounds in 14 days! The basis of the diet is chemical food
action and was devised by a famous Colorado physician especially for
the U.S. Ski Team. Normal energy is maintained (very important!) while
reducing. You keep "full" - no starvation - because the diet is designed
that way. It's a diet that is easy to follow whether you work, travel or stay
at home.
This is, honestly, a fantastically successful diet. If it weren't, the U.S.
Women's Alpine Ski Team wouldn't be permitted to use it! Right? So,
give yourself the same break the U.S. Ski Team gets. Lose weight the
scientific, proven way. Even if you've tried all the other diets, you owe it to
yourself to try the U.S. Women's Alpine Ski Team Diet. That is,-if you
really do want to lose'20 pounds in two weeks. Order today! Tear this out
as a reminder.
Send only $8.95 ($9.60 in Calif.)-add .50 cents RUSH service to:
American Institute, 721 E. Main Street, Dept. 254, Santa Maria, CA
93454-4507. Don't order unless you expect to lose 20 pounds in two
weeks! Because that’s what the Ski Team Diet will do.
©1995-
Letter to the editor:
Concerns
about piracy
Now let me get this straight.
And I quote from the article by
Brad Zimmerman in the Novem
ber 29 issue of “The Print”; “The
reality is, that until a testing
method (for software) is found,
piracy is the only viable option to
avoid buying bad software.”
This is a powerful proclama
tion. Let’s examine his words.
“The reality is, that until a
testing method (for software) is
found..;” My first questions would
be, has he worked for a year or
more hacking out code in order to
develop a piece of software that
does something worth a consum
ers dollars? Has he been an alpha
and beta tester of software and
crash-tested it? Has he been di
rectly involved in the “testing” of
software?
Another related question.
What kind of “testing method”
does he seek? Is he aware of the
kinds of methods presently in place
for software testing by reputable
companies? Does he propose that
all software be held from the mar
ketplace until it is kid-tested and
mother-approved as worthy.of pur
chase? Who’s standards will Mr.
Zimmerman impose on the final
release of software in order to
deem it “good” as opposed to the
“bad” he proclaims in the next-to-
last word of his article?
His final amazing statement
is “...piracy is the only viable op
tion to avoid buying bad software.”
Statements such as “never” and
“the only” should always be held
suspect. If stealing is the only vi
able option to buying, then wc arc
all in sad shape. Thi§ js the.same
kind of thinking that renders'many
people incapable of changing the
TV dial. That forces them to watch
offending programs, go to violent,
sexually explicit movies against
their will, and send their kids ex
pensive private schools. Yes, it is
this same misguided perception in
this country that is forcing us all
to become angry, violent, and prone
to criminal activities.
Mr
Zimmerman would have us believe
that this stressful life we lead is
viciously draining us of any sem
blance of free will that we possess,
and dragging us to Egghead to shell
out our hard-won dollars for the
latest software that we know ab
solutely nothing about.
After reading his exhortations
to criminal activity I would imag
ine that Mr. Zimmerman has been
forced at gunpoint to purchase in
ferior products since childhood.
With absolutely no avenue of griev
ance available to him. From read
ing his article, it seems that he is
new to Ameri ca’s concept of free
enterprise; choice in the market
place, try before you buy, product
disclaimers, limited warranties,
and buyer beware.
Let’s follow his logic for a few
more examples.
Until automobiles are fully
tested car theft is the only viable
option to buying bad cars.
Until authors are completely
capable of writing inoffensive
works, book theft is the only vi
able option to buying bad books.
Until book publishers finally
lower their prices, photocopying is
the only viable option to paying
exhorbitant prices for books.
Until politicians can all emu
late the moral standards practiced
by Jesus Christ, they should all be
executed.
As you can see, this appears
to be flawed logic. Not the logic
Letter continued on page 3