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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, January 4, 1968
World predictions, 1968
"What's happening?" was a popular question in 1967. For 1968, however, "What's going to happen?" is a more crucial question.
The war in Vietnam will continue, of course, and you will read more about Laos, Cambodia and Thailand as the North Vietnamese attempt to out-flank the McNamara "wall" between North and South Vietnam. And if that barren strip in the jungle fails to stop 1968 communist infiltration, neither will it or anything else short of a permanent truce stop hawk and dove traffic in the U.S.
This year will undoubtedly contain a crucial test of South Vietnam's new government. Indeed, this government's prospects for success are central to the final outcome of the war. Because the allegiance of the South Vietnamese peasants is the prize, it is more a political war than a military conflict. Thus, before the U.S. can, in good faith, pull out of Vietnam, those new leaders must eliminate the basis for the peasants' current feeling that it is the United States' war, not their own.
As in 1967, the Vietnam war will dominate news in 1968, especially if these possibilities become realities: We may see a major peace break-through in the war as both sides grow more weary. Hanoi may put LBJ on the spot by announcing they'll negotiate if the U.S. will officially recognize the Viet Cong, thus taking the propaganda value of peace initiative from the Americans. Although dangerous, we may see the U.S. seal off the port of Haiphong to prevent Communist shipping, particularly if Johnson is re-elected in 1968 and U.S. peace moves fail with the current military pressure on North Vietnam.
Speaking of war, you can make fairly secure bets that the Middle East tensions will again
erupt into Arab-Israeli fighting this year. This seems all the more probable since, as 1967 ended, the Russians were rebuilding Nassar's humilated armies and the U.S. continued Israeli support. Therefore, if peace comes to the Middle East in 1968, though it is doubtful, the U.S. and Russia will be the real peace-makers.
Elsewhere abroad, you can be sure devaluation of the pound in 1967 will not cure Britain's financial problems in 1968. And neither will she be admitted to the Common Market this year with such financial woes, though experts say it will happen eventually.
Other foreign probabilities: Gen. De Gaulle, often the bad guy in otherwise friendly foreign relations circles in 1967, will not change. Also, we may see within the Soviet Union a top leadership shake-up or conflict. Experts say the hatchet was temporarily buried in 1967 due to the 50th anniversary celebration of the Bolshevik revolution. And Russia will continue watching her communist comrades in other countries choose non-Soviet ways and means.
Speaking of Red China, it's near-certain that the chaos and conflict in that prolific nation will continue this year, especially if some leader besides Mao controls their atomic bomb development as some observers believe. But while Red China will remain The Menace in the Far East, so will she strive to end the internal chaos and continue building her awesome threat to the Western world.
Those will likely be the highlights of 1968 world-wise. But who can say what less dramatic probabilities will realize themselves in 1968, then grow crucial in 1969—assuming, of course, that civilization survives these next 12 months.
— Alan Northeutt Editorial Editor
Letters
KU vacation timing
To the Editor:
At this moment I am home on Christmas vacation and, like most other KU students, will be driving back to school on Monday, Jan. 1. Many students may even be on the road New Year's Eve.
The University has left the student with little choice in the matter due to classes resuming on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Through poor scheduling such as this they are forcing large numbers, who are at an age where statistically they have the greatest number of accidents, on the highways during a
period of maximum traffic density.
Added to this is the fact that many students are not financially able to keep their cars in the best mechanical condition, and it seems as though the cards are really stacked against us.
I can sympathize with the complexity that must be incurred when scheduling classes for an entire year, but I don't believe there is anything so pressing in an academic situation that justifies forcing the student to travel during a period of such high risk.
Thomas R. Dawes Columbus, Ohio senior
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...quotes..
President Johnson, on opponents of his Vietnam policy: "A lot of people are looking for the fire escape and the easy way out. They were doing that in Mussolini's time and they were doing that in Hitler's time."
The Hill With It by john hill
Have you ever called a business phone with 24-hour service? I called one recently and got a recorded message. A lady's mechanical voice said that if I wanted information to please leave my name and phone number when the little tone sounded.
The little tone sounded.
Suddenly, I realized that whatever I said would be tape-recorded. Stage fright is a terrible thing. A normally confident soul, I could manage only to stutter out my name and zip code before I went off the air. You'd think I'd been waiting in the wings while Ed Sullivan was going on and about me.
When I hung up, I realized what a chance I had missed. Who could dare claim to me from that moment on that this university does not offer a broad, realistic education? I had learned a great lesson.
Who says the unfree university doesn't prepare you for that four-letter word, Life, I thought to myself?
What I learned was an old Boy Scout slogan about being prepared—think of all the things I could have done with those few seconds of anonymous recorded time.
It was within my power to simply say that this was the chancellor calling and that Murphy Hall was going to be torn down next week to make way for a new 78 story Humanities complex.
For those few precious moments, I could have tossed off a couple of old jokes that I won't dare use with real people. I would have had a completely captive audience while saying that maybe my girl can't dance but she sure can intermission ha ha ha.
Or I could have said something short and snappy before hanging up like "James Baldwin eats watermelons" or "Tape-recorders will soon be replaced by machines!"
I could have even started singing my medley of Frankie Laine western movie theme songs which I had been saving only for the shower, and then hung up. After all, the fine arts department is always in the market for new talent. A star might have been born.
However, none of the above actually occurred for a very uncomplicated and highly understandable reason when viewed within the context of this situation. I was chicken.
But I was also unprepared. Therein lies the moral. Education and learning is not found in the classroom. I have since learned to have at least a good one-liner ready whenever I make a call.
For years to come, whenever I make a telephone call of an impersonal nature either at this campus or later when I try to succeed in business without really trying, I'll be ready for a tape-recorded answering service and that little tone.
Like a punch-drunk fighter at the sound of a bell, I'll instantly react to the little tone over the phone with some corny little anecdote, and then hang up.
Or if I really feel up for the game, I may even hit 'em with a few bars of "3:10 to Yuma."