THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
2005
Rock and
carries
'cries'
wood
poor-
ally
begin
s
age
run
ood
e
ll
f
ear,
l
OPINION
is Mora
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2005
WHEN IT RAINES IT POURS
Ending torture: If America doesn't, who will?
PAGE 5A
"We do not torture."
President Bush delivered this unequivocal message last week when questioned about interrogation practices at U.S. detention centers where detainees from the war on terrorism are held.
If America is to re-establish and maintain its international image as a model of justice, human rights and moral decency, we should all hope that he is telling the truth.
Torture is the deplorable practice of administering intense physical pain as a means of extracting presumably important information from a prisoner.
Because of our war on terrorism and the specter of devastating terrorist attacks on a civilian population, this information is necessary to attempt to hinder such attacks from occurring.
CHRIS RAINE opinion@kansan.com
Torture is not, however, an effective means of obtaining such information.
In an interview conducted by Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum, intelligence specialist Army Colonel Stuart Herrington said that torture was "not a good
way to get information.'
Nine out of 10 people can be persuaded to talk with no 'stress methods' at all." Torture will simply make a prisoner "tell you anything to get you to stop."
Besides its ineffectiveness, torture is a direct affront to the philosophy of "innocence until proven guilt" that is the foundation of the American justice system.
Torture by definition must presume guilt, otherwise there would be no point in the torture. If our goal is to spread the American ideal of justice throughout the world, the use of torture is explicitly adverse to our success.
Some proponents of torture will point to the fact that if captured, our own troops will most likely face severe treatment involving the worst kinds of torture from their captors.
The terrorists will show no quarter; why then should we?
This is precisely why we must unequivocally denounce the use of torture - because our enemies will not.
If we must become our enemy in order to defeat it, what is the point of fighting?
We must defeat our immoral adversaries, not replace them. Vengeance serves no purpose other than bringing us closer to defeat.
We must present the people of the world a clear alternative
The war on terrorism will ultimately be won not with bullets and bombs, but with ideas and examples of morality.
to the terrorists and dictators was endorse torture.
Our use of torture is a tool used by our enemies to stir up anti-American fervor and recruit more members to their misguided cause.
Unlike fundamentalist religion, backpack bombs or poverty, this is a weapon we
can easily take away from our opponents.
Rather than add more fuel to the fires of anti-Americanism, we can suffocate it, and begin to restore our damaged credibility as a just world power.
The war on terrorism will ultimately be won not with bullets and bombs, but with ideas and examples of morality.
America must retake its place as the beacon of liberty, tolerance, and justice in the world, and a ban on the use of the torture will be an important first step.
Free All
Raine is a Wichita senior in journalism.
for
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansas 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 "ukfreeoforall."
Editor's note: Go to www.kansan.com for Free for All Online, or face the consequences.
Now, is it really that bad that we rode the bus from Mrs. E's to McCollum?
Free for All, I'm lonely.
How can you get extra credit for participating in a religious activity? That's not right.
Fuzzy hair kid! Now, really! What's up with that guy?
Dear Calculus: A "W" is not a win. It's a tie. See you at summer school, you bastard.
The Ghostbusters theme is like the Bible of music!
Adult Swim can have my babies any time it's ready.
+
Are you really Free for All? Because I'm calling from Tokyo and it's not free!
They say Free for All is unavailable. You have to wait for the tone. You have to wait for the tone or you can't be in the newspaper.
Who do you think would win in a fight? Chuck Norris or Walker, Texas Ranger?
VH1 is sitting here trying to convince me that Justin Timbalake is turning slowly into a black man, but I'm not convinced that he isn't still a white woman. You think about that.
This is the guy with the John Kerry bumper sticker. He might have lost the election, but at least now he has the moral high-ground.
The Jayhawk is the most intelligent of all the world's mythical birds.
Hey, Free for All, would you tell your little co-worker, Megan Logue, that she is amazingly gorgeous and I would love to be one of her true friends.
Think about it. If we Muck Fizzou, then Mizzou might get pregnant, and then we'd have a Tiger-Hawk, and do we really want that?
I'm pretty sure I just read an article in the paper convincing me not to eat babies.
You're just jealous of the Moody Maniacs because we always get better seats than you do.
The next time you have a bad day, just remember,
whatever else you did wrong with your life,
at least you didn't go to Mizzou.
The reason Moody Maniacs doesn't have any chicks in it is because it's a fraternity
Hey, Mangino, it's not that big of a deal that your stuff got stolen. We'll just have a booster pay for new stuff.
I just love it when teachers cancel all your classes and then there is that one teacher who threatens you with a quiz even though everyone wants to go home? Yeah. That's why we heard your days are numbered.
Vince Diesel once took on the entire city of Atlantis, and I think we all know how that turned out. Editor's note: He said Vince, I swear.
I just got my professor to join facebook.com!
A dollar doesn't go as far as it used to.
I just bought a $15 bouquet of flowers for my girlfriend and it cost me $26.
I just walked by a girl at Fraser who said she was going to the Hanson concert and that depresses me.
Yeah, but seriously though. A Tiger-Hawk? How weird is that? Think about it!
When you're in Texas look behind you, 'cause that's where the Ranger's going to be,
Chuck Norris vs. Vin Diesel.
No matter who wins, we lose.
The link between Trey Anastascio and Chuck Norris is clear. They are both golden gods.
To the guy who proposed to the red-head cashier at Mrs. E's, I challenge you to a duel! Meet me at the bike rack outside of Mrs. E's at 6' clock!
Dear Calculus: A "W" is not a win. It's a tie. See you at summer school, you bastard.
My roommate is definitely singing Meat Loaf into a bottle of vodka.
Just want to say that I think Lew Perkins hates the KU Marching Band.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Education helps pregnant mothers
It is heartening to see the meaningful dialogue and common ground between abortion-rights advocates and anti-abortion rights advocates demonstrated by Neah Galloway and Megan Salyer.
Indeed, women deserve better than abortion, and everyone should be working together to promote the dignity and well-being of women and to give them real and informed choices.
The column, "We need more ad-options" in the Nov. 16 edition of The Kansan, gave me great dismay because the accompanying headline and cartoon provided a misleading message by making central only one alternative to abortion; and in the case of the cartoon, portrayed it in a rather degrading light.
Adoption is a beautiful option for some parents. It's a truly loving gift, and I have known cases where it has been a source of great joy and peace for both birth parents and adoptive parents.
Adoption is a beautiful option for some parents. it's a truly loving gift, and I have known cases where it has been a source of great joy and peace for both birth parents and adoptive parents."
Adoption is not, however the only alternative to abortion, and certainly no woman is stupid for not considering this option.
right of Lawrence; and as a newcomer in town, I have been thoroughly impressed by the resources available to pregnant mothers and their children, as well as for fathers and families, in the Lawrence area.
Women and men of the University of Kansas, know that you have choices and that there is support for you and your child.
All of the services are completely free and confidential, and they include pregnancy testing, maternity and baby supplies, information and connections to resources available in the community, including adoption if desired, as well as a shoulder to lean on and ears to listen. You can find more information at http://www.birthright.org/.
Birthright is a non-profit, nonsectarian, non-partisan pregnancy resource center dedicated to serving and supporting women — and men — facing unplanned or difficult pregnancies.
♦ Maria Thorson
Wauwatosa, Wis.
Graduate student.
I am a volunteer at Birth-
TALK TO US
Austin Caster, editor
864-4854 or acaster@kansan.com
Matthew Sevik, opinion editor
864-4924 or msevk@kansan.com
Joshua Bickel, managing editor
864-4854 or jbickel@kansan.com
Sarah Connelly, business manager
864-4014 or adddirector@kansan.com
Jonathan Kealing, managing editor 864-4854 or jkealing@kansan.com
John Morgan, sales director
864-4462 or addirector@kansan.com
SUBMISSIONS
Mcalm Gibson, general manager, news adviser
864-7663 or mgibson@kansan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
Seth Bundy/KANSAN
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editors and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni.
The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
For any questions, call Austin Caster at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
LETTER GUIDELINES
Maximum Length: 200 word limit
Author: Author's name and telephone number; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member); phone number (will not be published)
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
Maximum Length: 650 word limit
Include: Author's name; class, home-
town (student); position (faculty
member); phone number (will not be
published)
EDITORIAL BOARD
Also: The Kansan will not print guest columns that attack another columnist.
Elisi Ford, Yanting Wang, Jeol Simone, Dan Hoyt, Anie Wattel, Mimie Pallas, Nathan McGinnis, Josh Goeting, Sara Garlick, Travis Brown, Janil Portillo, David Archer
SUBMIT TO
Kansas newcomer
111 Staffer-Flint Hall
1435 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 65045
(785) 984-4810 opinion@kansan.com
CRAPTACULAR!
Wash your hands, stop diseases
Aaaaachoo! With the onset of cold and flu season, washing your hands is extremely imperative. I have witnessed on countless occasions girls not washing their hands after leaving the restroom.
Each time, I am absolutely appalled and disgusted that such a simple step to preventing illness is skipped over.
The National Center for Infectious Disease (NCID) stated that hand washing was the single most effective way to stop the spread of disease. The NCID also stated that the way in which most diseases were spread was through touching your eyes, nose or mouth after having contact with a sick person
ERICA PRATHER
opinion@kansan.com
The Federal Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition found that poor hygiene because of lack of hand washing was the cause of one third of all cases of food borne illnesses in 1998.
Diseases that are spread through infrequent hand washing range from the common cold to more serious diseases such as meningitis or Hepatitis A.
Think about the door handles at the entrance to the Underground at Wescoe. It takes just one person to cough or sneeze into his or her hand and open the door to begin an epidemic of disease. Suppose you come along next and open the door.
There are times when a sink is
You then proceed to buy your delicious lunch of Chick-Fil-A, only to serve yourself a nice helping of bacteria when you eat your chicken fingers with your unwashed hands.
According to Men's Fitness Magazine, there are several times you should cleanse your hands: after petting an animal, after coughing or sneezing, after handling money, after using the restroom and after changing a diaper.
not nearby or when it's just not possible to wash your hands. You can't go run and wash your hands after making a deposit at the bank while in your car. But the point here is that washing your hands is easy to do and is more effective than any vitamin or flu shot you may take.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that washing your hands for 15 seconds with warm soap and water is the best method of hand washing. Hand sanitizers actually increase the amount of bacteria on your hand, so they should be avoided.
It may have sounded like nagging when your mother told you to wash your hands before coming to the dinner table, but she clearly had a good reason.
This cold and flu season, go buy some great smelling soap and lather up. And if you really don't want to wash your hands, don't use the bathroom in Wescoe, because I know who you are.
♦ Prather is a Wichita junior in English and dance.
---