Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2000)
Letters 2_________ Opinion WEdwEsdAy, N ovemòer 15, 2000 All signed letters to the editor should be 500 words or les considered for publication if submitted by 1 pm the Fri publication. Letters to the Editor are subject to editing. W right to not publish any letter. Students react strongly to election fiasco “Long, messed up, screwed up, and shitty.” That’s the omeghekamas studontgke edF^nthey were as! ml fley thought this leag^Fesidential elections were *ing. count of ballots. A few students said the recounting should stop with Florida and there shouldn’t be any further legal action. Several students thought one or the other 77te Print surveyed 66 people yes- terday, most of them on the Oregon City cam- On the contrary Steve _ _ Nielsen ; • - _ News Editor most all of them students. Students felt that the elections were “a hoax,” “a joke,” “crazy,” “ri diculous” and “terrible.” One stu dent was embarrassed and another felt alienated by the current fiasco. Other students thought the elec tions had gone “straight to hell” and “down the toilet.” Many students thought that there shouldn’t have been a recount of Florida, that they should have counted it right the first time, and that they should stick to the first candidate was acting poorly and one student said “Get it over with now!” When asked if we should do away with the Electoral College, 44% of students said we should, 33% said we should keep it, 7% said maybe, and 13% suspended judgement. Most of those who wanted to keep the Electoral Col lege believed that the founding fa thers knew what they were doing when they created it and that we should leave it. When asked who they voted for 34% said Bush, 27% said Gore, 6% said Nader, and 28% either couldn’t or didn’t vote. Two out of three, who would have voted if they could have, would have voted for Bush. Some commonly proposed solu tions were standardized ballots and a universal collection time so me dia could not report the election results of one state before the polls of another closed. In all, it’s obvious from this small sample of Clackamas students that most are not happy with the way things are going. Many students suggested changes in the current system including getting rid of the Electoral College. I feel much the same way. As I watched the news last night, and wondered if this new threat of re counts in other states was just a political strategy to raise public tinue, watching our American pro outcry enough to halt what is cess being dragged through this happening in Florida. It’s work muck of bureaucracy and partisan ing with me. Nothing horrifies me strategy. Neither candidate is look more than having to watch this con- ing good to me anymore. Letters g Thomas Paine was professional el now find 78% of the land that they Kheirabadi. You shared your pas possessed in the 1940’s in the sion and your soul with us. This hands of Israelis. The people he was hard for you and many of us spoke for have now lived in exile really appreciate your gift. and/or bereft of power for over fifty I have flown airplanes vulner years. able to hijacking worldwide and I Dr. Epstein, while not success lost my job because a Pan Am air fully justifying this occupation plane was blown up by terrorism based on a situation that existed related to this issue. A friend’s wife around 2,000 years ago, communi was killed on a Boeing707 in Rome cated the strength, the determina and an old Air Force buddy barely tion, and the “this is a survival is escaped that incident alive. I was sue to us and we would readily die only one or two flights ahead of for it” attitude of his own culture. the 747 that was hijacked in Witnessing Dr. Epstein’s feelings Karachi—several died there. Ac of isolation, frustration, defensive cordingly, I have been following ness, and determination during the this question with acute interest debate gave me a heretofore-ab- for decades. This event was the sent insight into the Israeli mindset. single most valuable, germane, in While the debate’s attendees formative experience I have here could not realistically be able to tofore witnessed. offer the optimum solution to the A great big thanks to the Social dilemma in the Middle East from Science Department for sponsor what we learned there, we certainly ing this wonderful event. gained extremely valuable insight Related to this, I was disap into the problem. pointed to hear both presidential Unlike the pabulum-like formu candidates, during the debates, laic presentations of most daily TV declare their support for Israel. news broadcasts, this was the real Shouldn’t they have declared thing. Wow! Thank you CCC and their support for justice! As the thank you Dr. Epstein and Dr. bumper sticker says: “If you want peace, then work for justice.” Correction: In our last edition, the editorial titled "ASG Hosts Information Lun cheon" should have credited CCC Student Ambassad6rs for hosting the event. Duane Schambron, CCC student I hesitate to criticize student mas Paine was a profe! work that appears in the Clacka newspaper editor and pamp I mas Print, but I must offer a correc and his famous revolutionai S tion to one of your recent editorial phlet, Common Sense, was comments. In your issue of 8 No and published in cooperatig vember 2000 you stated: “Publica two of Philadelphia’s leadin | tions like The Clackamas Counter lectuals, Dr. Benjamin Ru! may appear to be crude and hast Benjamin Franklin. Hisg ily done, but amateur pamphlets agree that the publication ol written by Thomas Paine and other mon Sense was a critical! revolutionary writers spread ideas leading to the Declaration op that kicked off the American Revo pendence, and rank Thomas® lution.” The notion that the Ameri among the leading journag can Revolution was instigated by American history. amateurs and rabble rousers is one of many myths about American Jackie Flowers, Ph.D. history. Much to the contrary, Tho- History Instructor ¡o. Smokers urged to speak out for rig! I recently learned the Associ ated Student Government is try ing to prohibit smoking on our college campus. I was shocked and outraged. Just recently a law was passed that prohibited people from smoking in restaurants. That means the restaurant patrons and the employees who work there are now forced to smoke outside, sometimes in unsafe areas and in the late hours of the evening. I wonder why so many people were unaware that ASG is trying to pass a rule like this, and if people know, why don’t they fight back? Diana Scrivncr (x2447) Feature Co-Editor: Jim Spickclmicr' Staff: Maggie Jirasck Amanda Gosscr Chris Lundgren Corinne Rupp Dana Palmer Elena Boryska Jenny Chavez Licsl Muggli Matt Shcmpcrt Michael Choc Shannon Rccabarcn Wes Fawcett Feature Co-Editor: Tam Oliver A & E Editor: Mandy Good Copy/Opinion Editor: Sandy Lupo Sports Editor: Jason Lin gel News Editor * Sieve Nielson Photo Editor: Secretary: Mike Pollock Business Manager: Jo Anne Gale Advisor: Scott Creson (x2578) Now that they have takeg our right to smoke in restag they want to stop the smokj campus too. I implore the stg to defend their rights, becag Americans we are given th® to speak out for what we bg If we just sit back and let g decide for us, we will soon g our rights stripped away. I a lenge you to speak up and to I out for what you believe the voices and opinions wef are silenced forever. Audra Sykes 1 The Clackamas Print aims to report the! Web Master: Editor-in-Chief: (505) 657695« txi 2509 r< the to Epstein, Kheirabadi share passion and soul with students at debate Regarding the November 2 de bate on campus concerning the Israeli/Palestinian crisis in the Middle East, I must respectfully but strongly disagree with Corinne Rupp’s analysis of the event and its value to us. The pas sionate and acrimonious exchange that we witnessed yielded a vis ceral insight into the intensity of emotions shared by both of the major protagonists. The Middle East crisis has been smoldering and erupting since 1948. Both the Israelis and the Pal estinians, like almost all citizens of this country, have no other home land in this universe to which they can return, pledge allegiance, and be welcomed. We should be able to empathize powerfully with both sides. When confrcr .ed by an adver sary that wanu. all of one’s land and also claims fidelity to, and the unique sanction of, a vengeful God, (and I think that this de scribes both sides), “Houston, we have a problem.” Dr. Kheirabadi helped me to feel the plight of the Palestinians, who e What do we do about tlsi cal squabbling and wranglir I dealing with now? What I founding fathers do in 177(| Linda Vogt (x2310) 3 c in an honest, unbiased, professional ma The opinions expressed in The Clack! Print do not necessarily reflect those ( student body, college administration, is ulty, or The Clackamas Print adverts Products and services advertised in] Clackamas Print are not neccesarily ends by anyone associated with The Clacks] Print. The advertising rate is $4.75 per umn inch. The Clackamas Print is a we] publication and is distributed every We® day except during Finals week. The Clack! Print Copyright 2000.
