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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2004)
COMMENTARY 4 • T he C lackamas P rint Five thousand year- old drug banned / z Although many say it's useful if taken accordingly Faye Dodds T he C lackamas P rint Now that the chocolate fest is over, it’s time to shed those unwanted love handles and drop a few pounds. What’s the best way to dump those double digits? Unfortunately, not Ephedra. Within a 60-day phase out, ending April 12, the Bush admin istration will have completed the ban on Ephedra. It has been linked directly to 155 deaths and numerous heart attacks and strokes, according to www.cnn.com. Ephedra comes from the coun try mallow plant, a Huang. It has been used in Chinese medicine for over five thousand years, accord ing to www.ephedra.net, and is very helpful in treating asthma, upper respiratory infections, hay fever and chest infections. It also opens up adrenergic receptor sites found in the heart and lungs, increasing metabolic rate and calo rie consumption. Ephedra is not a bad sub stance; frequency and quantity are what prove to be deadly. In fact, it can be quite helpful and less embarrassing than a tube of BenGay and three rolls of plastic wrap, when chocolate induces swelling around the midsection. But some steps of control must be Set in stone. The least that must happen is educating people about what they are about to consume. They can take it if they want but must know the risks. Though illegal, anyone can do cocaine if they want, as long as they realize the hazards^no matter how extreme they may be. But where should the average citizen draw the line when it comes to the legality of Ephedra? It’s all about risks. Cars killed 42,815 people in 2002 (www.car- accidents.com). According to the National Safety Council, accidental dis charge of a gun led to 776 deaths in 2000; choking on food killed 744; 327 people lost their lives in accidental suffocation and stran gulation in bed; even dogs killed as many as 26. Yet the Bush admin istration is banning Ephedra? Why doesn’t anyone ban guns, un-pureed food, ¡plastic bags or dogs? Legality shouldn’t necessarily be the issue, but rather the conse quences. Why is the fear of this drug being instilled into Americans? How come almost anybody is willing to climb into a car every morning and commute to work, knowing that an average of 115 persons die each day in motor vehicle crashes in the United States? That adds up to one every 13 minutes. The point is that Ephedra is not the enemy it is so easily made out to be. So what is? Guns, un- pureed food, plastic bags, dogs, people, risks, logic, failure to edu cate? Pick one. Time should not be wasted on banning random substances. The The Chinese herbal sup- pliment Ephedra was banned by the FDA after it was linked to 155 deaths, as well as numerous heart attacks and strokes. Bush administration needs to be spending their so-called valuable time investigating logic. My logic says, get educated (hence why I am in college) and don’t act on absence of knowledge. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Important ever-present heroes often remain unrewarded, despite diligent daily duties Rodney Dangerfield has said he gets no respect, and lately it has become apparent to me that he isn’t the only one; every day we are surrounded by people who per form labor-intensive, albeit impor tant, jobs with excellence and in return get nothing. The first one of these is the most obvious: custodians. Those messes of God-knows-what have to get cleaned up by somebody, and it isn’t the magic fairy that comes down with her magic wand and zaps the mess into oblivion; it’s the custodians. Here at the college, we have been blessed by getting six brand new buildings, including the recent ly opened Rook and Dejardon Halls, and along with the new addi tions comes an increase in work load for our campus custodians. They keep our schools, work places and public places clean for us to enjoy, in addition to keeping us healthy, waging war against germs and disease. Not only do they do all this, but nine out of 10 cleaners are some of the nicest people one could ever meet. For example, we had a custodi- T he C lackamas P rint 19600 S Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045 (503) 657-6958 The Clackamas Print is a weekly student publication and is distributed every Wednesday except during finals week. F ebruary 18, 2004 Letters to the Editor Concerned smoker weighs in on youth tobacco addiction “Can I have a smoke?” I looked around ... no one. Then I looked down. “What? You’re not 18!” The 14 year old defiandy looked back at me “I’m sixteen.” I resisted whopping his a**. I love this campus. The grounds are clean, the people are beautiful and there are more damn ashtrays then an AA meeting. It is a smoker’s paradise. But, like the walls in my apartment, it is starting to lose its color. It is being ruined by all the underage bummers. Any legal smoker knows what I am talking about. You are trying to enjoy a lung dart before class, but every time you do, the moochers flock to you like homeless chasing a “free beer” truck. Now, I understand what the “pink-lungs” are saying, “Your habit, your problem.” I agree. However, I need to make a call out to all the “of age” smokers who have joined the can cer revolution. DO NOT GIVE . SMOKES TO ANYONE! I don’t care if it is your boyfriend, your grandma or that weird-looking guy at the bus stop. Don’t do it. This will do two things. First, it will hopefully reduce the number of those irritating “spongers” who want to smoke but don’t want to pay. You know who you are. Look, I know you just forgot to pick up smokes this morning ... and yesterday morn- ■ ing ... and ... And I understand that you are broke. Lucky me ... I Instructor sets record straight The following letter is written in response to a letter written by Mark A. Douglas in issue nine of The Clackamas Print regarding use of profanity ¿y professors in a meeting which he overheard. What’s clear is that Mr. Douglas’ lack of professionalism does not reflect on all people in the trades. Eavesdropping while installing equipment, he not only made public a private conversa tion, but he also took the depart ment’s comments completely out of context. What’s also clear (I know what 2 + 2 equals) is that the math department is very insightful in its discussion of expletives as other parts of speech. Who else would relish all words in all their forms? Sincerely, Kate Gray English Instructor Clairvoyant an by the name of Ed at my high school. Ed was cool in that grand- pa-ish way. A campus caretaker by day, throatee-having, motorcycle riding Mormon by night—he loved his job and accepted even the most demeaning tasks by disarming them with a chipper smile. No matter How terrible one was feeling, walking by him, greeted with his customary “Good morning” and engaging in some simple small-talk would put a smile on the face of the most depressed student. During my junior year of high school, Ed was presented .with a special award by the principal and got a standing ovation by the entire student body, the first time I had ever seen the students show so much reverence to one person, standing in applause without feel ing they had to. This goes to show that we do feel a certain debt of gratitude, even if we don’t show it. Another occupation that gets no respect is bus drivers. All day long, they drive back and fourth on the roads that we curse, play ing chauffeur to the drunk, disor derly, smelly, rowdy, obnoxious or psychotic members of society, in addition to the occasional college student. At least a real chauffeur would be named “Andrew” or “Jeeves” and get to drive a stretch limo with tinted windows, commanding a decent amount of respect. But no such luck for those who drive a colossal bus and usually don’t get as much as a “thank you” for doing their service. They transport those of us who do not own a car, or prefer not to drive, helping to fight pollution by mass transit and keep the roads a little safer for us all by not letting the aforementioned drunk and dis orderly on the road. As someone who rides the bus on a near daily basis, I can say that I always try to do my part in show- Co Editors-in-Chief: Advertising Manager: Photographers: Truman Anderson, Angela Gerhart Adviser: Linda Vogt? Cyndee Mady and Coty Price Copy Editor: Katie Funk News Editor: Karlin Johnson Opinion Editor: Ben Maras Feature Editor: Karen Hill.. A&E Editor: Isaiah' Cred Sports Editor: Nie Delzell Mark Falling, ext. 2578 Photo Editor: Jesse Lamond Staff Writers: Shannon ’Armstead, Sara Atkeson, Amy , Cashman, Faye Dodds, Fränk Jordan,' Jessica LeClaire, Bethany Monroe, Jeff Sorensen, Jadon Triplett Department assistant: Lauren Yuylsteke go to school for entertainment only because my millions make life so boring, what with one European cruise after another. I mean if I wasn’t able to hang out at community college all day ... And don’t offer to pay; I am on to that too. Second reason for not handing out your Lucky Strikes, is it can save you up too six hundred dol lars! “Oh, snap! Did he just say $600?” That’s right, my fellow nico- fiends, you give little junior a fix and you just committed a class A violation: endangering the wel fare of a minor. ORS 153.573. For those who doubt me, this is directly from the mouth of Bill Stewart. (Some of you might get to know him as the Attorney for the Prosecution, if you happened to get busted in Clackamas.) Imagine ... How are you going to “taste the excitement” when you are busy paying off that little fine? I tell you what, don’t come bumming to me. I’m smoking my last one in the pack. Bottom line: I like my yellow teeth and morning hack. I am old enough and I pay for my own death. Let’s send a message to those who are spoiling our para dise: “If you want to come to fla vor country, you need to be eight een and pay your own way!” Taran Mills CCC Student Have an idea you want to share with your fellow students? E-mail letters to chiefed@clackamas.e du or bring them on a floppy disk to RR135 by this Friday at 1 p.m. Please include your name and limit all letters to no more than 200 words. Submissions become proper ty of The Clackamas Print and are subject to editing on the grounds of length, clari ty, content and grammar. ing my gratitude for a job well done. The list of positions go on, ranging from waiters to garbage men to parents (who perform all of the above), each receiving very little thanks. Ralph Nader has suggested a National Cleaners Appreciation Day, and to that I say, “Right on, Ralph!” I would extend the day of thanks to the afore mentioned jobs as weU as others. So the next time you run into one of these public servants, please make sure to at least thank them, because even something so simple might just make their day. Goals: The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional mafiner. The opinions expressed dp not necessarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty or Print. E-mail comments to chiefed@dackamas.edu. 77>e Clackamas Print © 2004
