Univ. Oregon denies rumors of `troops' sticker ban

[central scrutinizer]

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/01/26/d1.cr.stickers.0126.html

excerpt

Last week, the University of Oregon asked one of its employees to remove a yellow "Support the Troops" sticker from the state-owned truck he drives. Since then, it has been taking the heat from talk radio hosts and Internet bloggers who picked up the story and added several surprising twists.

"Magnetic yellow ribbons that say `Support The Troops' have been surreptitiously banned by the administration at the University of Oregon," according to one blog. "We have the University of Oregon telling employees that they can't display yellow ribbon stickers that say support the troops," another reports.

None of which is true, UO President Dave Frohnmayer said. People are free to express their opinions on campus, he said.

.........snip.........

"The fact that it's a university makes it a more inviting target for those who don't have their facts straight," Frohnmayer said. "But our students cover the political spectrum and so does our faculty."

[MercutioATC]

1. I'm 100% behind not allowing them on government vehicles.

Private vehicles are another matter.

[northzax]

2. agreed, the only messages that belong on government vehicles

are those stating "this is a government vehicle, owned and operated by the Univeristy of Oregon for official purposes only." Nothing that could be construed as a political or policy statement should be added to these vehicles by their operators unless it is put on every vehicle (and that should be at a minimun, at most) Of course, a "lick them beavers" sticker is acceptble, in this context.

[stevedeshazer]

3. Typical right-wing exaggeration

The story leaps from the truth (it's not legal in Oregon for state-owned vehicles to sport stickers) to the bizarre (Liberal Oregon bans employees from putting stickers on their OWN cars.)

Paul Harvey was on this story yesterday. So was Sean Hannity and Hugh Hewitt.

You'd think at least one of these nationally-known hate-mongers would bother to pick up the phone and check the facts. They're not interested in the facts, however.

[wicket]

4. They all have their RNC talking points down pat

n/t

[depakid]

5. The fact that it's a university makes it a more inviting target....

Yep-

Intelligent people who care to learn the facts about a given situation don't listen to right wing radio and don't support their advertisers.

Pretty simple, really.

btw: UO President Dave Frohnmayer is a Republican (though he's an old school "can do" Republican who's probably to the left of Bill Clinton in many areas).

[central scrutinizer]

6. Frohnmayer would have been elected governor in 1990

if it wasn't for the megalomaniac Lon Mabon who thought every Republican had to kiss his ring. Frohnmayer told him to go fuck himself, so Mabon ran some homophobic idiot as a fringe candidate who took enough of the right wing vote to swing the election to Barbara Roberts.