Dr. Noeleen Heyzer
Harriet Merrick, Deana Dartt, Margaret
Knox, and Lise Nelson. The panelists will
discuss: the effects of violence that result
from war, political conflict, terrorism and the
war on terrorism; human rights, immigration,
and work; the production of economic inse-
curities in the context of globalization; local,
national, and international efforts to promote
human security.
The conference is free and open to the
public. For complete schedule, see
http://csws.uoregon.edu/home/index.shtml
HOUSING STANDARDS
GET CONSIDERATION
THE POLITICS OF SECURITY
EXPLORED AT UO
The Borders of Human Security:
Geopolitics Comes Home is the theme of a
May 20-21 Center for the Study of Women in
Society conference that brings together emi-
nent social scientists, lawyers, labor leaders,
and community advocates to address topics of
human and national security. Dr. Noeleen
Heyzer, Executive Director of the United
Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM), will open the conference on
Thursday evening, May 20, by exploring the
concept of human security — an alternative se-
curity paradigm that has captured the attention
of many in the international policy community.
On Friday, May 21, the conference con-
tinues with four panels that include distin-
guished scholars and community advocates
Dorothy Roberts, Cynthia Cockburn, Cindi
Katz, Dalia Hashad, Rhonda Ramiro, Ramon
Ramirez, Patricia Cortez, Sandra Morgen,
Lynn Stephen, Joan Acker, Guadalupe
Quinn, Carol Van Houten, Hope Marston,
The Eugene Citizens for Housing
Standards continues the fight to have the city
prioritize issues of rental housing conditions
in Eugene. In this week’s May 10 city council
meeting, more than 50 students, renters and
landlords attended to give testimony to the
need for local housing standards. The council
will consider all testimony and information
gathered in the last five months in a May 24
work session on local housing standards.
Maddy Melton, ASUO president and
ECHS spokesperson, says, “Over 54,000
renters in Eugene are forced to rely upon state
law and an inadequate court system for pro-
tection and/or assistance of unsafe living con-
ditions.” That state law comes in the form of
the Oregon Landlord-Tenant Act and, as
Melton describes it, “The system is time con-
suming and cost-prohibitive for many low-
income residents.”
ECHS hopes to have the City Council
adopt a rental housing program similar to a
successful one in Corvallis. In effect for more
than two years now, the Corvallis program
works with tenants and landlords to explore
all options for complaint resolution before
• Last week’s endorsements blurbs and stories had photos
for many of our candidate picks, but we didn’t have room
for all the photos. One of the seven photos left out was
Betty Taylor’s, and wouldn’t you know it, her endorse-
ment ran right above a paid ad with a photo of her op-
ponent. So, Betty, here’s lookin’ atcha!
• We nominate Willamette Week for a Pulitzer
prize for extraordinary guts and excellence in jour-
nalism. That’s a prize unlikely to be given, but it
should be.
WW is the Portland alternative weekly that re-
searched and broke the sordid story of Neil
Goldschmidt’s sexual assault of a l4-year-girl when he
was mayor of Portland and his buying of her continued
silence 10 years ago.
Betty Taylor
Newspaper readers first saw the story in The Oregonian
last Friday under the banner headline “Goldschmidt confesses
‘70s affair with girl, 14. Former governor quits career, citing his long-
held ‘lie.’”
But internet readers read the thoroughly documented details that apparently brought
about his confession on WW’s website the day before.
Incidentally, that headline was a clue to The Oregonian coverage of this story.
“Affair?” That’s hardly the correct word — and readers responded with anger.
Two months ago, WW started following a tip to this story. After it was nailed down
with documentation, WW made repeated calls to Goldschmidt’s office last week. He did
not respond, going instead to The Oregonian, where his treatment would most certainly
be “softball,” as they say in the trade. The daily would get undeserved credit for breaking
such a significant story, and, most importantly, Goldschmidt would control the spin.
Amazingly, an Oregonian associate editor immediately questioned in his column
whether this story should have been told, now or ever.
By his own confession, Goldschmidt, educated as a lawyer, is guilty of the gravest
abuse of power. He admitted a felony. Although the statute of limitations for prosecution
has passed, it is rape if an adult has sex with someone under 16. His crime with a 14-year-
8 MAY 13, 2004
using the court system. The program is
funded through an $8 fee charged to each
rental unit in the community.
ECHS staff member Brett Rowlett says,
“We want this not to be a landlord versus ten-
ant kind of thing. In fact, ECHS has suc-
ceeded in finding local landlords who sup-
port this program. It really is about making
sure that everyone’s interests are protected.”
The current list of ECHS coalition part-
ners includes: Amazon Neighbors, the
Associated Students of Lane Community
College, the Associated Students of the
University of Oregon, Centro Latino
Americano, Community Alliance of Lane
County, Eugene-Springfield Solidarity
Network, Jefferson Westside Neighborhood
Association, Oregon Student Public Interest
Research Group, Oregon Students of Color
Coalition, Service Employee International
Union-Local 501, and the West University
Neighborhood Association Executive Board.
Melton says of the diverse involvement in
the coalition, “I think we may have enough
momentum to make some changes.”
— Bobbie Willis
old was concealed for 20 years and then he paid $250,000 in an out-of-court settlement
to further conceal it.
Apparently because of this lie in his past, he long ago left electoral politics, gravitat-
ing instead to the accumulation of immense power without accountability. The week
before last, Neil Goldschmidt was the most powerful man in Oregon.
In Eugene, we’re well aware of his power; new chairman of the State Board of
Higher Education; lobbyist and more for Hyundai-Hynix in building their plant on
wetlands; lobbyist for the wood products industry in setting up dubious land swaps
with government agencies; the guy Democrats must go to if they want to run for
statewide office or even try for a judgeship; grossly overpaid lobbyist for SAIF.
In the days to come, as more details unfold, will it be apparent that Willamette
Week’s investigative reporting has truly ended Neil Goldschmidt’s remarkable ca-
reer? The Oregonian reported that Mayor Vera Katz of Portland predicts he will come
back. Former Congressman Jim Weaver of Eugene told Associated Press that his po-
litical power is gone.
Again, that probably depends on the spine of the Oregon press in documenting all
abuse of power. Lest we forget, every editor should post the column by Steve Duin from
the May 9 Oregonian. This is how it ends: “Like any father, I can still picture him, on those
carefully arranged afternoons, stepping into the room where she sits on the edge of the
bed.
“I imagine him taking off his coat and loosening his tie. And that’s about the time the
scene goes dark, and I turn away before the sadness and the horror overwhelm me.
“She was 14 when he lay down with her. She has never been the same.”
• The scandalous and outrageous behavior of American troops in dealing with prison-
ers of war continues to unravel and shake our government to its highest levels. Bush has
already committed numerous impeachable offenses, and allowing this abuse to happen
on his watch is just one more. His rhetoric about “evil” nations just fuels the sense of us
vs. them. We are reminded of former Congressman Jim Weaver’s psychological theories
about political hawks: They have little empathy for anyone different from themselves.
They will do anything — suppression of rights, torture, even murder — to protect their clan
or tribe from perceived threats. It’s obsolete thinking, but it persists as long as we allow
it. Let’s get some doves in office and build peace in the world.