Commentator not given proper credit
On Oct. 22, 2001, Oregon Daily Emerald reporter Diane Huber sent an e-mail requesting I reply the following day, outlining when and why I joined the Oregon Commentator staff, what posts I had held and what I thought of the magazine. I answered most of her questions by e-mail, but suggested she call my office to continue the “interview.” She never called.
Huber’s belief that members of the campus community don’t take the Commentator seriously must be the reason behind her lack of interest in reporting on the story (“Commentator celebrates 18th,” ODE, 10/24).
To clarify, editors of the Commentator have taken on the University System and OSPIRG in court over the mandatory student incidental fee that funds political lobbying organizations. They’ve spoken out against the irresponsible administration of the so-called “overrealized fund,” they have covered U.S. Senate races, they have served on the Associated Students President’s Advisory Council, and they’ve been covered by both The Oregonian and The Register-Guard for their vocal stances on the use of student fees and illiterate “liberal” reporting. They have, in short, served as an important watchdog of campus politics and journalism.
The Commentator has always been a viable platform for dissent, as well as a place for irreverent humor. These are details Huber would’ve discovered, had she placed a single phone call. While the Commentator is busy following the money trail as a student advocate and questioning the status quo, the Emerald has its hands full conducting “interviews” by e-mail.
Farrah Bostic
Studio City, Calif.
Medicinal marijuana
should be left to states
When Senators Smith and Wyden vote on the confirmation of John Walters for “drug czar,” I hope they remember the desires of the citizens of Oregon. By referendum, they overwhelmingly voted to allow patients to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Our founding fathers feared a strong federal government and spelled out the federal government’s responsibilities and restrictions in the Constitution. The 10th Amendment specifically reserved all other responsibilities to the states. Self determination, with regards to medical use of marijuana, should be the sole responsibility of each state and its citizens.
In an administration that prides itself on returning power to the states, Walters’ drug policies regarding medicinal use of marijuana would do just the opposite and would counter the wishes of the voters of Oregon and other states.
A drug czar should work with the states, not in opposition to them. It should not be the policy of our federal government to arrest, prosecute and incarcerate patients whose only crime is attempting to alleviate the pain and suffering that results from cancer and AIDS treatments.
As the primary sponsor of medical marijuana legislation in Maryland, I commend the legislature of Oregon for giving the voters a voice on this issue. Don’t let the nomination of the new drug czar silence them.
Donald E. Murphy
Annapolis, Md.
Iran has been misjudged
I would like to correct some inaccurate and misguided comments made by Tony Biz (“U.S. must overthrow Iran’s rulers,” ODE, 11/09). First, Iran has two rulers. One is President Mohammad Khatami, a moderate cleric with popular support. The other is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an ultra-conservative who is Iran’s supreme religious leader. He lacks popular support but has the power to veto legislation by the reformist government.
Iran is a theocracy, but it is also a republic. Americans should not lump it with the Taliban. Iranian women can vote, drive cars, attend universities and run for public office. Many professors are women, as well as twelve members of the parliament. A woman, Dr. Massumeh Ebtekar, is vice president in charge of environmental protection.
According to The New York Times, two-thirds of Iranians were born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and they dislike fundamentalism. Along with many women and some dissident mullahs, they support Khatami, who was re-elected last spring with 77 percent of the vote.
The “mass demonstrations” numbering “hundreds of thousands” that Biz cites reflect their enthusiasm for democracy and freedom. The United States should support them by normalizing relations with the moderate government. We should stop calling a whole nation “terrorists.” Finally, we should refrain from supporting repressive leaders like the Shah, whose brutal policies and unchecked corruption resulted in the Islamic Revolution in the first place.
Philip Huang
law student
