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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 29, 1996)
The Clackamas Print Wednesday, May 29,1996 Opinion —*—I B I ■■■ Letter to the Editor Moshing the night away 2 Editor’s Note: (The following letter has been printed as writ ten upon the writer’s request.) I would like to comment on the Wednesday, May 22, ‘96 Clackamas print article on “A night in the life of a public safety officer”. After reading this article I became VERY angry at Tom Steigleders decision on letting the Noninsured motorist go. That was a very poor decision on his part. There is absolutely NO excuse for his actions!!! I was hit by a non insured motor ist in January of ‘96, and paid out of my own pocket for the dam ages. They never caught the guy who did it! From my understanding, the law is to have the non-insured car towed on the spot. But it’s people like officer Steigleder who let things go, not understanding the consequence that comes to others like my self. I’m sure he’s a good person ,(Tom)but that’s no excuse!! Maybe being a Cam- . pus cop is different than a real one, and the laws are different— NOT! Probably most people wouldn’t catch this, but I did, and I think he should be interviewed, and questioned as to why an er ror like this was made, and does he under stand that it was an ignorant play on his part........... Second on the “out break of car stereo thefts”, I would like to comment on that article, or rather Lieutenant Dexheimers unedu cated back ground on car stereo thefts. First off, when a window is broken out, by a “professional”, they use a screwdriver, and the most noise heard is a muffled ‘FOOOP’. A noise that can not be heard two cars away?^-Pro fessionals” don’t use bricks anymore, or pipes, but by sim ply inserting a screw driver be tween the rubber of the win dow frame and the window, then twisting. That will web the glass, only left to poke out the parts for an arm to fit throughout and unlock the door. Or even throw ing a broken spark plug at the window will do the quiet trick, (porcelain is very very dense, like a diamond, therefore, when hitting glass, the glass will give, not the porcelain). Where were the alarms of these cars broken in to??? Or is the Lieutenant just keeping that off the record to protect him self?? If alarms were to go off, that attracts attention, and pos sible a police OOPS, campus se curity car. I guess I wouldn’t mention that either if I were working for the campus secu rity. It seems that the security cars are always at the Criminal justice building. I, myself, and others rarely see the two cars away from the CJ building. Is it because they are there for show? Or out of gas? You would think so, when all day long when rest of the students can spot at least one security car in front of the Criminal jus tice office. The student tuition is high enough, you would think it could support fuel, time, and energy for the campus security to actually patrol the campus. The “quality” stereos are actually Alpine, Kenwood, Sony, in that order, according to the “CAR AUDIO”, and “CAR STEREO REVIEW” magazines. Thank you for your time, an honest driver David Hansen! (Editor’s Note: The Print spoke with Officer Steigleder, who clarified information about the student who ran the stop sign. Steigleder said that the student’s vehicle was registered, but the proof of registration was not in the vehicle. The student also had insurance; his proof of insurance card was expired by one month.) The Clackamas Print Staffs Editor-in-Chief: Chad Patteson (Ext. 2576) Managing Editor: Amy K. Hanson (Ext. 2576) News Editor: Pamela Sirianni (Ext. 2576) Feature/Assistant Sports Editor: Jon Roberts (Ext. 2578) Sports Editor: Lora Wahrgren (Ext. 2309) Photography Editor: Paul Ulmen (Ext. 2578) Copy Editor: Laney Fouse (Ext. 2309) Opinion Editor: Brendon Neal (Ext. 2309) Business Manager: Cori Kargel (Ext. 2578) Assistant Opinion Editor: Karin Redston (Ext. 2309) Assistant Feature Editor: Brad Zimmerman (Ext. 2309) Cartoonist: Brian Ray ♦ ♦♦♦ Staff Writers/Photographers: Eric Eatherton, Andrew Beck, Brian Ray, Jessica Dvorak, Jack Evans, Joel Shempert 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 any one 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 column inch. All signed letters to the editor will be considered for publication and must be submitted by 1 p.m. the Friday prior to publication. Letters con taining libelous material shall not be printed. Clackamas Community College, 19600 S. Molalla Avenue, Oregon City, Oregon, 97045; Barlow 104; (503) 657-6958, ext. 2309.' E-mail: cccprint@dackamas.cc.or.us Brian Ray Staff Writer There’s nothing like the sen sation one gets when stuck in the middle of a crowd of people, lis tening to loud rock music, with barely enough room to breathe, much less move. It is frightening, yet somehow fun and exhilarating, knowing that one wrong move can easily get you trampled by hun dreds of people, some much big ger than you. It is called “moshing.” What started as an under ground movement in East Coast punk and metal clubs has spread throughout the country. In the rock music scene, moshing is as common as clouds in the sky. Chances are, if you’re at a rock concert, there will be moshing going on. No longer confined to the punk rock scene at shows by bands like Bad Religion orNOFX. or hardcore metal bands like Pantera and Rage Against the Machine, moshing has been spot ted at concerts for such diverse acts as The Grateful Dead, Smash ing Pumpkins, and even Sheryl Crow. While the movement has be come more widespread, the effects of moshing have also become more apparent. Last week, at a Smash ing Pumpkins show in Germany, a 16-year-old fan from Berlin was killed when she was “crowd surf ing” (where a person “surfs” on top of the crowd, laid out, being pushed along on top of a sea of hands, over the crowd’s head) and was dropped on her head. She died almost instantly of severe head trauma and neck injuries. The band, which had taken an anti-moshing stance in the past, is now supporting an ordi nance in their hometown of Chi cago, Illinois, that will outlaw moshing within the city’s many rock clubs. Closer to home, the most no torious incident in Portland was at a 1994 Metallica concert at Port land Meadows where a 24-year- old concert-goer was crowd surf ing (I sense a pattern here), and was also dropped on his head, breaking a vertebrate in his neck and suffering a bad concussion.^ I have attended many differ ent concerts, with groups ranging from Pearl Jam or , to more extreme acts like Slayer and Pantera, and the majority of my time was spent right in the roughest part of the “pit.” The worst thing that has ever happened to me was at a Sweaty Nipples concert last year when I was struck in the head by the heel of a over-zealous crowd surfer’s Doc Marten.™ My eye was blackened, I had blood pouring down my face, and I still had a great time. I’m not a pain freak or anything. I just love the feeling of moshing. I think the problem with moshing is that many concert goers don’t use common sense. For example, if you’re a five-foot- five, one-hundred-and-fifty- pound male, chances are, you will get trampled by the six-foot, two- hundred-thirty-pound gorillas that usually populate the pit. Sometimes size and weight are irrelevant, because I’ve seen some of the most weak looking people get into the pit and hold their own against the crowd. There will always be a few people who mosh just to hurt other people, and there’s nothing anybody can do about that. I am totally pro-moshing, be cause it’s something I think can be used positively as a release or a tension breaker. I think it’s very sad that a few people can ruin it for everybody because of their thoughtless and careless behav ior. If people would look out for their own actions, I wouldn’t feel obligated to write this piece. There wouldn’t be any debate about moshing. Drinking and driving: a crime not an accident Karin Redston Assistant Opinion Editor June is graduation for Clacka mas students, as well as for most schools in Oregon. June is also a high point in the year for car acci dents involving alcohol. The media reminds us at Christmas time and New Year’s Eve not to drink and drive. In Alaska, we had far more intoxi cated drivers out during the Superbowl and on St. Patrick’s Day. Whether it is Christmas, Superbowl Sunday or Memorial Day, it seems that drinking and dri ving has become an acceptable thing do for any holiday or event. I have a problem with the us age of the word “accident” when it is referring to an alcohol - or drug - related car wreck. An accident is something that is unforseen and can’t be prevented. Drinking and driving is not an accident. It can be prevented. Driving under the influence is considered a crime in every coun try. Penalties are probably the least serious here in the U.S., where you can lose your license and/or pay fines. However, some countries have penalties that include long prison sentences and even the death penalty. Though it has been deter mined that drinking and driving is a crime, we still treat offenders like they are the victims. The “Oh, they just need help” or “They just used bad judg ment” lines don’t cut it with the families of those who are killed or badly hurt by drivers under the in fluence. During the last ten years, there has been an intense surge of media and educational focus against drunk driving. It seems to be working, but not fast enough. This term, a CCC student lost his life in an alcohol-related “acci dent.” What part of not drinking and driving don’t people under stand? What happened to taking a cab or having a designated driver? Despite best efforts by the police, schools and the media, people still continue to drive un der the influence of whatever sub stance. So let’s rewrite the laws and make them tougher. For the first offense, let’s send these folks to jail for a week and suspend their license for a year. Let them miss work and learn to deal without the privilege of driving. If anyone has bothered to read a driving manual lately, one of the first things stated is that driving is a privilege, not a right. A second offense deserves permanent revocation of their li cense, stiffer fines and more jail time. Since offenders would have no further use for a license, they would forfeit the car they’re driv ing. This would also be a good time for that experimental boot camp experience. There should be no third of fense.
