Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 1999)
2 TI he CI ac I< amas P rint Wednesday, January 27, 1999 Search for Purpose I’ve been getting “back to ba more the strength of the Protestant sics” lately—a phrase which de tenet, Sola Scriptura— Scripture spite its quaint alliteration and trite Alone. commonality holds a wealth of In recent months, my focus has meaning for any of us on Planet Terra. I rec tar ommend it for anyone. I’ll tell you how it happened for me. Dis ! satisfied with my “Con JOEL P. SHEMPERT temporary English Ver sion” paperback Bible, Copy Editor I dug out my old, brown, leatherbound, King James edition blurred. to read. It’s the best choice I could Caught up have ever made. in the duel The tough old leather cover feels of words, like a Bible in my hands. The two struggling yellow ribbons bound in for book to find the marks make it look like a piece of best argument, the right quote, and my upbringing. the perfect defense, I have forgot Opening it, I find a treasury: old, ten what I am about. I have for worn pages printed in an archaic gotten my purpose. I have forgot tongue with an outdated typeset ten who I am. It’s high time I came up for air. ting. The inner margin is packed I am Joel Patrick Shempert. I with footnotes and cross-refer ences, and sermon notes scribbled am a musician, a writer, a poet, a by my father (perhaps before I was thinker, and a servant of the Most born), are scattered throughout. High God. I have a weekly voice There are concordances and maps in this newspaper, and a responsi in the back. I am holding in my bility to use it with intelligence and wisdom. hands a Bible. Here is a real, tangible connec So what is my purpose? I have tion to my heritage, of Baptist had to reevaluate this. Is it to churches and prayers and sermons present complex, rational argu and the childhood of a pastor’s ments in defense of my belief? Is son. I begin to remember a time it to expose an ordinary readership when church was more than a to the world of philosophy and weekend club meeting, God was metaphysics? Is it to quote St. something sacred, and reading His Paul at least once a week? My answer: all of them and Word was a hushed and mysteri none of them. Those things are ous thing. Reading, I start from the book good and true, but they are not my of Jude (no problem; it’s only one mission. Love is. It’s right there in Jude—“Keep chapter), but soon find myself tossed about through New Testa yourselves in the love of God, ment and Old, courtesy of those looking for the mercy of our wonderful margin notes and cross- Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” references. So, thus ends my quest. I have My mind is racing through the heady draught of doctrine, the stripped the layers of my belief and struggles of angelic beings, and found love at the center. The true prophecies given through men journey begins now. For it is not long dead. My reason is engaged enough. I must now journey fur to a far greater degree than it has ther up and further in, to discover been by all the philosophers, theo if love is at the center of my life. logians, and commentators that Then, perhaps, I will have earned have been my intellectual diet of the right to say : I show you a more late. I start to comprehend a little excellent way. TI he AI of AN U n I cnown Cod Editor in Chief: ’"Feature + A&E Editor: Robert Schoenberg (x2576) Jeremy Stallwood The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, profes sional manner. The opinions expressed in The Clackamas Print do not neccesarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty, or The Clackamas Print advertisers. Products and services advertised in The Clackamas Print are not neccesarily en dorsed by anyone associated with The Clackamas Print. The advertising rate is $4.75 per column inch. All signed let ters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be considered for publi cation if submitted by 1 pm the Friday prior to publication. The Clackamas Print is a weekly publication and is dis tributed every Wednesday except dur ing Finals week. Sports Editor: John Thorhum Business Manager: Kristina Brooks (x2578) Clinton Conundrum why should we care? LEE EBY Contributing Writer Our country is partaking in a pro cess that is both historical and mo mentous. That process is, of course, the impeachment and trial of the current President. Whether one believes the action is politically motivated or the re sult of criminal actions taken by a public servant, the whole process is one that affects a government that theoretically serves the people. But why should we care? In order to an swer this it is helpful to examine popular conceptions: “The charges fall far short of the standards of an im peachable and removable offense.” To be convicted of most crimes two things must be present: l)Afen5' Rea (bad state of mind); and 2) Actus Reus (bad act). There are, of course, specific crimes that do not require these two points (e.g. strict liability laws), but the crimes the President is accused of are not clas sified under those laws. In the case of the President, he is Associate Editors: Angie Daschel Joel "Israel" Gunderson Karl Katzke Mandi Linstrom Staff Photographers: Copy Editor: Joel P. Shempert Sarah Welch Toni McMichael Photo Editor: Timothy A. Bell Advisor: Linda Vogt (x2310) Secretary: JoAnne Gale Design Editor: .. rtu jx Megan Oldenstadt a A ve . O regon CiTy, 2509 • Staff Writers: Kara Alexis Salena De La Cruz James Khosravi Janos Plesko Maria Raymond Angela Waddell ‘ Shelbi Wescott O reqon 97045 CCCpRlNT@clAC'k AMAS.CC. OR. US accused of Perjury and Obstruction of Justice, both of which are crimi nal acts (actus reus) and require in tentional and knowing commission of the crimes (mens red). Thus, on the surface it would appear both crimes are, if committed, convictable offenses. However, to remove a President from office the crime must be “trea son, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” (Article n, Sec. 4 of the U.S. Constitution) Since Perjury and Obstruction of Justice are neither treason or bribery, do the crimes classify under “high crimes and misdemeanors?” Like most of the Constitution, “high crimes and misdemeanors” is, and in most like lihood intentionally, vague. Yet, if one was to take the Constitution lit erally, “high crimes and misdemean ors” would mean any crime the con gress so believed rose to the level of an impeachable and convictable offense. In fact, the State of Oregon be lieves perjury to be so destructive to the justice system that it is classi fied as a felony (ORS 162.065). Thus, a charge of perjury alone could rise to a level sufficient for removal of a President of the United States if congress believes it so does. “The President can’t be re moved for an offense that does not arise from his official duties.” The Constitution does not ex pressly state that the offense must arise in the course of the official duties of a President to be a convictable and removable offense. The Senate has actually set prece dent for conviction and removal of public officials for offenses that do not arise directly from official du ties. For example, during the 1980s the Senate convicted and removed three federal judges for committing per jury. Of the three judges, two judges were removed because of perjury that in no way was connected to their official duties.4 In fact, one of the judges, Judge Nixon, was removed for perjury before a grand jury the same offense of which the President is currently accused. It must be noted, judges are removed under the same standards that apply to Presi dents. In essence, the Senate has es tablished that crimes committed by a public official need not arise from official duties. “It’s a personal matter, and a President shouldn’t be held to a higher standard than th« general public.” The Office of the President is a position that is more symbolic than substantive; however, the President holds the position of Chief Exeat tive, and technically, oversees those institutions that enforce federal laws, And allegations of the Chief Law Enforcement Officer breaking any laws are grave statements and war rant concern by the public. In other words, if the highest law enforcement officer does not follow the law, why should any individual follow the law? The question is one of fundamental fairness, and resped for the rule of law. In Oregon, law enforcement officers, or any public official for that matter, are held to higher standard of conduct (e.g, ORS 162.415). Should not a Presi dent be held to the same standard? “Why should I care?” It may sound trite, but it’s you country and your president. Our re publican form of government ii grounded on the notion of its public servants adhering to a high standard of conduct. If those standards are compromised in any way, the sys tem fails to work the way it should In fact, James Madison, one of the architects of the Constitution, real izing the importance and sanctity ol the Presidency, supported applying impeachment to political offenses and not merely criminal acts. It is conceivable that Madison would find lying to the American publics more destructive offense, and thus, more impeachable than perjury oi obstruction of justice. But the fad remains, we as Americans should be concerned and involved in all mat ters of governing, because it affects every aspect of our lives. The Print asked Lee Eby, political seiend student and graduate of Clackamas' Crini' rial Justice program, to write this article.
