2005
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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OPINION
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Heart of darkness: Think of global issues
PAGE 7A
GOOD TO GO
As I sit down to write this final column, I'm looking back at the semester, thinking about all of the things I wanted to write about.
For the sake of time and space, I was unable to write about a large number of issues.
I do not think highly of the University's continued emphasis on becoming a Top 25 school; I am a strong advocate of Lawrence adopting a new ordinance on marijuana possession; I am repulsed by this campus' lack of environmentally friendly and sustainable practices.
All of those issues ran through my head as ways to use this final space, but I've chosen a more global issue one that has become the forefront issue in my life the
RYAN GOOD
opinion@kansan.com
past few months and one that, while receiving a scant amount of coverage in The University Daily Kansan this semester, is ignored in this country.
This issue is the children of northern Uganda.
I'm betting more than 90 percent of the people reading this have no idea what I am talking about. That's the problem.
Since 1986, a war between the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government has terrorized northern Uganda.
More than 20,000 children have been abducted and forced to serve as child soldiers or sex slaves, and over 1.6 million people currently live in camps for internally displaced people (IDP camps).
Jan Egelund, the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, has called the conflict "the biggest, forgotten, neglected humanitarian emergency, in the world today."
A search on cnn.com for "war in Uganda" will yield numerous articles about Live 8 concerts, black archbishops,
While much of Africa is often ignored by the West, the lack of knowledge regarding the slaughter of Northern Uganda continues to astound me.
fair trade issues and gay marriage in South Africa, but will not list one article regarding the LRA or child soldiering.
Why is this? Students on this campus and activists across the country know about the horrors of the Darfur region of Sudan, a conflict literally right next door to Uganda.
Are we simply so turned off by thoughts of 5 year-olds being raped, murdered and forced to kill their own families that we would rather ignore it than acknowledge it? Or is it that we really don't care?
Last fall, shortly after hurricanes destroyed the infrastructure of a good portion of our country, I experienced something I never want to experience again.
When I told a few people that I was working to raise
money for Africans, they responded in disgust. How, they reasoned, could anyone in their right mind care about Africans when there were so many suffering in our country. One of my friends then informed me that, "They're only Africans. We've got our own to take care of right now."
I honestly despised humanity at that moment. What makes one person's suffering worse than another's? What makes one person more deserving of help or better than another?
I'm assuming you already knew about the football team
being selected to play in a bowl before you picked up this paper; it's likely that you knew little to nothing about Uganda.
Is that really what you want? Is someone really worth less just because they live in Africa? If you think not, go to www.ku.edu/-ku4u and read about the conflict in Uganda for five minutes.
Then, spend another five minutes telling someone what you learned.
Ten minutes is all it takes to help make a difference. Ten minutes is all it takes to answer no.
Good is an Overland Park senior in geography, English, and American studies. He is KU for Uganda secretary.
Free All
for
Call 864-0500
Free for all callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded. Instant message the Free for All at *uikdfreeforall.*
Just so you know, I just went back through this comment to make sure it is grammatically correct and contains correct punctuation. I wouldn't want to kill Tara for All would I?
Free for All,
On the road again, oh, I just can't wait to get on the road again.
My western civ. lecturer just called Galileo his hero,
To the guy I hit with the door today,
I'm really really sorry about that
If being a Broncos fan is such a pitiable condition, why have we both won a Super Bowl and been to the playoffs more recently than the Chiefs?
Do you have a can opener? Crap, I bought soup
and I can't eat it because I don't have a can opener.
+
I hate girls.
+
I'm secretly Harry Potter, don't tell Lord Voldemort.
Sasha, CJ, listen up. I love you guys, but God made you seven feet tall for a reason. Dunk the basketball.
+
The Confederate flag is not a sign of racism! It is the Georgia state flag, and as a native of Georgia, I did not like the article saying that the flag
It reprints our state and nothing else. Don't let a bunch of morons from a hundred years ago change your opinion on the Confederate flag!
So, I'm glad that there's now a remote control that you talk into to change the channel, because it was so hard to change the channel manually before.
+
We need to order pizza right this second.
I have no idea where my life is going. Maybe some day I'll be able to become the Free for All answering machine voice. Yeah. That's sure be nice.
Editor's note: Follow your dreams. Anything is possible.
Never try to argue with an idiot. They drag you down
to their level and beat you with experience.
Dear Free for All, today my organic chemistry book bit my nose off. Can I sue?
Why do professors give you tests the week before finals?
I don't see what the big deal about Jessica Simpson is. I am not all that attracted to her looks, and by God, she is dumb.
Why can't we stand on the bleachers in the fieldhouse?
Is your bus pass still valid if you dye your hair?
Free For All, put me to bed!
Why does the perfect man have to live so far away?
As we say in Omaha: I'd rather be making out.
Why doesn't Gina Ford ever write about racism with other races besides African Americans? Isn't that racist?
This is Micah Downs. Andrea, I will marry you.
Hey, I'm just apologizing for last night
You know who you are.
A
Who cares about Nick and Jessica?
The real tragedy is that David called off our wedding because I wouldn't get him curly fries.
Someone should tell Jeff Hawkins not to shoot or dribble anymore.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sports: the greater of two evils
Ah, sports. The easiest way to make thousands upon thousands of people pile into large buildings and scream for hours on end.
The reason chili seasoning sees a 108 percent increase in sales every January. The only time when a 30-second commercial can cost $2.15 million. So why the obsession, you ask?
Although it may seem absurd for people to obsess about sports, can any activity can be looked upon by everyone and not once be considered a waste of time?
When someone breaks down and cries because Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey split up, is that not ridiculous?
When people attend a Michael Jackson concert and are overcome with emotion because he might have made eye contact with them, wouldn't their time be better spent cleaning up their community or tutoring their voucher sibling?
When you spend a weekend with your girlfriends, going to 29 different stores looking for
the perfect dress, am I out of line to suggest that you're wasting your time?
With as much diversity as our population has, is it that odd that no hobbies are accepted by all? Of course not.
If I criticized every reality-show-watcher or snow-boots-and-skirt-wearer, I'd run out of breath in a hurry.
Now, it's true that sports are an escape, there's no denying that. Just as music, video games, alcohol and many other popular college activities are escapes.
Because it's absolutely captivating. Because it's a never-ending movie, complete with plot twists, climaxes, heroes, villains, comedy, horror, dra
I'm glad that you have such admirable hobbies and that you find spending your time on anything that doesn't benefit the greater good to be an atrocity, but I'm sorry to inform you that you are indeed a rare breed.
Why do people waste their valuable time watching sports, you ask?
ma, action, against-the-odds victories, dominating tyranical empires, rivalries, deep and rich history and those rare moments where your heart is in your throat and your breath stops.
Prarie Village freshman in computer sciences
To an outsider, yes, sports seem like a complete waste of time, but such is the way with all passions and trends.
Sports fans may not have their priorities in perfect order, but neither does anyone else.
I wouldn't dare tell Trekkies that they're not spending their time constructively because their values are different than my own.
Taylor Witt
For someone who is passionate about sports, a game is hours of heart-stopping, dramatic, non-stop action.
But, alas, why would we subject ourselves to such perfect entertainment when there are burning buildings to put out and countries full of people going hungry?
HUMP DAY
Getting over the final hump
As I look back on this semester, I have many blessings to be grateful for. One of the small ones has been this column, "Hump Day."
"Hump Day," along with me,
unfortunately, must take a hiatus from the opinion page. I will be back, however, in full-force to write "Hump Day" next fall.
Until then, there is one last thought I would like to leave with all of you.
The instances I wrote about over the last semester are ones that many of us have encountered. In these moments, we often feel awkward, embarrassed or irritated.
An annoying person hitting on you at a bar will not ruin your college experience.
You are going to be fine, I promise.
I just ask that the next time you find yourself in one the spots I mentioned, you remember what I wrote about that situation and have a chuckle. A quiet chuckle if you are sleeping next to a Bigfoot/Janet Reno offspring.
ERIC JORGENSEN
opinion@kansan.com
Throughout our days as students, there are find times where we all feel small. There are hundreds of pages of reading to do, five papers to write and one day left to do them. We get lost in the chaos and monotony of the week, and barely manage a smile.
I believe whole-heartedly that we take life too seriously. There is always a new "worst thing that's ever happened to me." Between school, friends, money and love, there are plenty of frustrated moments, but we often blow them out of proportion.
Life is not as bad as it may seem, and there is no reason these moments should impede on you enjoiving your life.
I took the job as a columnist for the Kansan for a few reasons. Firstly, I like to make
The best laughs are when we make fun of ourselves.
Lighten up your day with humor and have fun with what you do. As George Allen said, "It's a great day to be alive." It is time we start believing it.
people laugh. My friends will echo this. From telling a joke to mooning a school bus full of fourth graders, if it makes my buddies laugh, I will do it. If I had a nickel for the number of times I ran naked with a piece of yard art in my hands ... well, I would almost have enough money to make bail.
So, with a humble heart, a smile on my face and anticipation for next August, I bid you all adieu.
In the mean time, make sure to find time in your day to sit back and laugh. And girls: seriously, break up with your boyfriends. You are going to get crabs.
Like Arnold Schwarzenegger before me, I'll be back.
TALK TO US
Jorgensen is a Baldwin City junior in Journalism.
Austin Caster, editor
864-4854 or acaster@kansan.com
Jonathan Kealing, managing editor 864-4854 or jealong@kansan.com
Joshua Bickel, managing editor
864-4854 or jbickel@kansan.com
Sarah Connelly, business manager
864-404-3 or adirector@kansan.com
John Morgan, sales director
864-4462 or adddirector@kansan.com
Matthew Sevcik, opinion editor 864-4924 or msevcik@kansan.com
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Hanukkah article offends Jews
In addition, the author's decision to enlarge and bold the comment made the reader focus more on the ignorant comment, than the supposed focus of the piece: to explain Hanukkah.
Monday's article entitled "Hanukkah explained" was a poor attempt at describing a very special Jewish holiday.
The author's use of Natalie Penn's comment ("Isn't that the holiday where all the rich Jewish kids get presents for eight days?") was inappropriate because of its inherent stereotypes; Jews are rich and snooded.
Most Jews who I know re-
Furthermore, the writer ignores the communal aspect of the holiday and the fact that many Jews do not experience "mountains of presents wrapped in blue and silver paper."
ceived eight very small gifts. For example, I received a few chocolate coins on the last day.
It is unfortunate that the author misused this valuable opportunity to teach the KU community about a minority and its traditions.
- Andrea Pfeiffer is a Philadelphia graduate student in social welfare