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		COMPROMISING OUR MISSION BY FRANKLIN W. STAHL During my gathering of signatures on the Concerned Faculty's petition for a University Assembly meeting, I discovered that almost everyone on the voting faculty at the UO is opposed to America's impending invasion of Iraq. Some members, however, declined to sign the petition because they thought it inappropriate for the university to take positions on social issues. I respectfully disagree with them and with President Frohnmayer, who has announced the same view. Our university has taken, and should continue to take, positions on issues that are central to its mission and/or its survival. For instance, under President Frohnmayer's leadership, the university has maintained its outspoken position on several "hot-button" social/political issues. Every time the university advertises its stand in support of diversity in matters of race, ethnicity or individual sexuality, it is taking a political position. The university takes such positions with conviction despite the fact that there are many Americans who are opposed to liberal social views. It has done so because to do otherwise would compromise its mission as an educational institution. Does the impending invasion of Iraq constitute a threat to the mission of the university? Indeed, it poses the gravest threats imaginable. 1. Our university, like all others, can carry out its mission only in a free, open, democratic society, like the one envisioned by the framers of our Constitution, which is all that protects our rights of free speech, assembly, press and association. We have all seen how the state of perpetual war declared by the present federal administration is resulting in the erosion of those rights. 2. Our mission to educate Oregonians can be successful only if there are sufficient funds to support that mission. The unwarranted investment of Oregon's treasure to the support of an over-stuffed military establishment is fast leading us to a poverty that threatens our survival as a society, not to mention our ability to provide an education, both K-12 and university, for our young people. If the U.S. were imminently threatened by Iraq, the university would, of course, support the war, either outspokenly or by its silence. In the absence of that justification, however, the university must stand opposed to an unconstitutional war of aggression, which will destroy its very soul. Frank Stahl is the American Cancer Society Research Professor at the UO Institute of Molecular Biology.   TOXIC RAILYARD Local citizens recently joined in a spirited public forum on the migration patterns of 39 unknown toxic contaminants emanating from the Eugene Pacific Union railroad yard. Many were shocked to learn directly from Oregon DEQ officials that way back in 1993 scientific studies confirmed the presence of carcinogenic pollutants dispersing in an unrighteous underground plume, contaminating the earth and well-water in the River Road, Trainsong, Bethel and Whiteaker neighborhoods. DEQ scientists warned, "local well-water is unfit, unsafe and carcinogenic for human consumption." Remarkably, Union Pacific and the DEQ have been "studying" the toxic plume (which flows at a modest depth of 0-10 feet, sometimes oozing to the surface in vegetable gardens and foundation crawl spaces) for 11 years, at an expense of $6 million, with absolutely zero effort at a clean-up! It is time to clean up this toxic mess. UP's efforts at delaying clean-up have been hugely successful. To wit, in 11 years of research, 1) no feasibility study of how to clean up the mess has been initiated, 2) no monitoring of ongoing spot pollution from the site has occurred, 3) study of the toxic plume's discharge to Willamette River has been scrupulously avoided, and 4) the extreme denigration of local air quality by highly toxic fumes has been completely disregarded. It is time for UP to responsibly clean up the carcinogenic mother lode beneath the Eugene railyard and to immediately convert the Eugene railyard to electric locomotives. Michael N. Townsend Eugene TIME FOR MERCY In the waning hours of our grief, with memories of that terrible September day fading, our nation readies to launch war. We who have mostly known so little suffering in our lifetime will soon rain down suffering upon people who have already known so much in theirs. Killing them, for the sake of our security, assumes their lives hold less value. Causing more death serves poorly to honor the memories of our dead. So seldom has war proven a lesser evil for a greater peace. The world already knows that we are mighty; instead, we must show that we are merciful. We must lay down our burden of apathy toward the profound problems facing most human beings: poverty, hunger and disease. We must become conquerors of famine and ignorance, rather than remain defenders of greed and arrogance. We must be the greatest nation on earth not because we say we are, but because we show we are. Otherwise, so little will change. Todd Huffman, MD Eugene INADEQUATE VICTORY I find it interesting how there is such rejoicing over the city's recognition of domestic partnerships. For people who are gay or lesbian, this might seem like some kind of victory, and it is. It's an inadequate victory. By this act, our City Council has in effect, acknowledged the indisputable truth that love and commitment between two people is valid and important regardless of the gender of those two people. I guess my main question is this; if "Domestic Partnership" can be legally acknowledged, why not marriage? I realize I am talking about different levels of government involved, but don't all Americans deserve the same opportunities? This makes me wonder about the meaning of "and justice for all" in the Pledge of Allegiance. This makes me wonder why sexual orientation is not covered in the Civil Rights Act. This makes me wonder why we have a Hate Crimes Bill, but no bill has been written to create a society less hateful toward homosexuals. Finally, I am wondering if those among us who are gay or lesbian could start paying less in taxes to our governments that do not fully recognize us as the valid, important citizens we are. Why are we celebrating the bone when we deserve the whole steak? David Gibbs Eugene WHAT WE DESERVE I was thrilled to learn recently that McKenzie-Willamette hospital has found financial backing to stay afloat, and that the company behind this may build a whole new facility for the hospital in west Eugene. I am also not too surprised to hear rumors (I don't doubt they are true) that PeaceHealth executives and board members are still grumbling that they didn't manage to totally bring McKenzie-Willamette down. Has greedy PeaceHealth not learned from its mistakes? As a member of this community, I am scared and downright disgusted with the attitude that PeaceHealth has shown during this whole ordeal. It's clear that PeaceHealth is not concerned with the quality of care or the rights of citizens. I believe this community deserves better than that, and it looks like we just got it. Allie Mobley Springfield WHY WAR? Bush says he likes peace and that he's peaceful. So, why is he going to war with Iraq? It is well known that Iraq is one of the largest oil-producing countries in this world, and we also know that President Bush is an oil executive. So I don't think this war is all about weapons. I think Bush is after Iraq's oil. Oil is not worth all the innocent people whose lives are at risk because of the war. He says he wants to go to war because Iraq may have nuclear weapons but, wait a minute. Why can the U.S. have 10,000 nuclear weapons and Iraq can't have one? That's not being fair. Bush says Iraq is a threat to this country, but think about the many countries that can be affected by the 10,000 nuclear weapons the U.S. owns. I am not supporting the war with Iraq. It will bring more hate, more death and more pain to the people of the United States and to the people of Iraq. So, why don't we think a little about what will happen to this world if the nations just start going to war against each other. Support or not, death and hate are wrong and that's what war brings. Catherine James- Giraldo Jefferson Middle School BRAVE AND NOBLE In a letter (1/30), David Caruso showed us he will lead his people fearlessly into slaughter. The same careless and brutal slaughter that killed millions of Native Americans, millions of Russians and Jews, anarchists, gays, lesbians, trans and bisexuals, and on and on, which amounts to billions of women and men having their collective fate determined by bloodthirsty fascists (Bush, among others) for personal material gain. In one respect, Caruso is correct; bloodshed needs to stop. The fastest way for this to happen may lie in a mixture of armed struggle, mass refusal of daily oppressive conditions, defection to more immediately healthy ways of life, riots, dancing parties in the streets; in sum, the unleashing of the wild chaos in our hearts and in Earth. It is the Western Euro-centric view that does not understand that if you announce to the State that you will not fight back, they have plenty of prisons, internment camps, guns, bombs and police in all forms. Countless human and non-human animals, plants, and other life forms are killed perpetually by state and corporate institutions everywhere. They don't mind murdering activists at all, violent or not. Still, most Americans remain a mix of docility, apathy, mild to major fear and serious disconnection from anything natural and nurturing. In a world that acts as a prison for many life forms and a death camp for many more, any revolts against the power structures that enforce this way of life are freedom in action, perhaps the only real freedom we can create. How much damage should we let the government keep doing before we rise and stop them? It is sick to watch your brothers and sisters die for anything. The "brave and noble" stand up when they or their family are threatened. Will you? Will anyone? Jeff Robinson Eugene NO TIME TO BLINK We have given Saddam enough time to comply with the U.N. resolutions against him. Let's stop fooling around. It's time for the Commander in Chief to make good on his earlier threat to the Evil One: "You disarm, or we will." (Manchester, NH, Oct. 5, 2002) Rafael Aldave Eugene FIGHTING AN IDEA Someone needs to let Mr. Bush, the media, and the rest of the country know that it is quite literally impossible to wage a "War on Terrorism." There is no such thing. The idea is an oxymoron of the worst sort. As almost anyone knowledgeable in the realities of world and human affairs will tell you, and as history has clearly shown, waging war against terrorists will only result in increased determination, bitterness and resourcefulness. You cannot fight terrorism with guns anymore than you can fight hunger with sticks, because terrorism is an idea. Though you may be able to defend yourself from acts of terror (though certainly not by massive weapons build-ups), no one has ever, and no one will ever destroy an idea through force, intimidation, or brutality. Terrorism does not appear spontaneously without stimulus, but rather as a response to oppression or injustice of one sort or another. Someone needs to tell Mr. Bush that terrorism will never be defeated by force. The only way to "combat" terrorism is through acts of justice. But somehow, I think he already knows that. Henry Snow Eugene TAX SHIFT Lately I hear numerous citizens blaming our state and national legislators for not doing their job to make government more efficient with our tax money, but I hear little about holding our legislators accountable for justifying who pays what portion of the tax revenues. On a national level we have gone from corporations paying 24 percent of all taxes in 1960, to corporations now paying less than 8 percent. The shift in tax burden has gone the same direction on the state levels. Tax loopholes and tax shelters abound. Some of the richest profit-making corporations in our nation not only pay zero taxes, but also receive our hard-earned taxpayer's money in the form of "rebates." We have local leaders who turn down a living wage proposal one day, and the next day drool with anticipation of giving away more tax breaks to build high-priced condominiums. On both the national and local level, we have an increasing population, an increasing poverty level and an increasing need for public services. Corporations make their profits either from selling their services or goods to us, or off our labor, or both. Increasing numbers of these corporations then take their profits away with no thoughts of responsibility to the communities and the economic shambles they leave behind. These actions may be legal, but they are immoral and unpatriotic. No amount of government efficiency can make up for this loss of revenue. Government by the corporation, for the corporation, is not what our founders had in mind. Beth Elliker Eugene   WAR RHETORIC Tonight (2/15), after joining millions worldwide in protest against the impending war on Iraq, I turned on the local news. As images of Hans Blix and Colin Powell dissolved and a green "O" came up, the newscaster smiled and declared, "The civil war is not just about bragging rights!" When newscasters — local newscasters, not owned by MSNBC, CN, or the like — unblinkingly segue from real war to the "civil war" of sports, the violence and peril of war conveniently disappear. Using the rhetoric of warfare to describe a college basketball or football game (however exciting it may be for fans) makes a mockery of the real crises faced by billions of the world's citizens every day. No doubt many sports fans see this nickname as good fun. But language wields power: Witness the worldwide effects of Bush's "axis of evil" speech. The current administration uses the vocabulary of apocalypse to justify its illegal war. Meanwhile, the university I attend uses the vocabulary of geopolitics to promote a basketball game. No wonder our nation is confused and divided. We no longer believe war to be "real" unless it is described as mythic. The use of the phrase "civil war" in this sports context ignores the history of our own country. The effects of the American Civil War still reverberate through our society; the Confederate flag still hangs next to the South Carolina capitol. Don't belittle the human and global consequences of violence by diluting the meaning of "war." Laura Passin UO   HOLDING OUR FUTURE We should not go to war with Iraq. We have no justification for going to war with a country that has not attacked us. We should allow the U.N. to do its job. We should respect and regard thoughtfully the views of our allies in Europe and around the world. We need to protect Bush from himself and his friends. No one man — or small group of men — should be allowed to hold the future of the world in his hands. Saddam is dangerous; Bush is more dangerous. We need to find solutions to the real problems we face — poverty, hunger, homelessness. We need to find ways to help Americans suffering from impoverished conditions; we do not need to find excuses to attack Iraqi peasants. We need peace, not a bogus war that will benefit nobody but the very wealthy David Mandelblatt Eugene   FROM A DISTANCE Let me just say that from afar EW continues to be the finest, most topical, concise and damn cool weekly rag anywhere from Tampa to Tacoma. Thanks. Thomas Donaldson Minneapolis LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows. Please limit length to 250 words, keep submissions to once a month, and include your address and phone number for our files. E-mail to editor@eugeneweekly.com, fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401.
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