4A
Friday, October 28, 1994
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Destroying wetlands won't clear 23rd Street
The creation of the South
BESSIE JAMES
Lawrence Trafficway destroys God's creation and will not ease traffic.
According to some people, the only solution to ease traffic on 23rd Street is to build a trafficway through Haskell Indian Nations University's wetlands. Would that really solve the problem of the noisy, air polluted and congested 23rd Street?
Not at all.
The thought of less traffic on 23rd Street is laughable. If the South Lawrence Trafficway is built through Haskell's wetlands, just how many people think traffic would ease up on 23rd Street? Yeah, well I have a genuine fringe from Custer's fringe jacket that I will sell to the highest bidder.
Some people believe that the trafficway will be built along 31st Street. There is a possibility that a new post
office may be built in 1995 at 33rd and Iowa streets. Some business people have invested interest in a major well-known shopping mecca west of the trafficway, and there are business people targeting the land for development west of the trafficway for the obvious money.
Can money buy back extinct animals? Can money replace the numerous animal lives that will be lost due to the expansion of 31st street? Could money have brought Jesus Christ to quit his spiritual teachings? Obviously the answer to these questions is no. What I foresee is there is still going to be congested traffic in Lawrence, especially where there are current or
new businesses set up. Who is to say that progress to end God's creation will not stop? It will only be a matter of time before the fast food investors and other money-making schemers will see the opportunity the trafficway holds. "Heck, undeveloped land needs to be developed."
That notion is as silly as the tomahawk chop being done by ardent Kansas City Chiefs fans.
To some of the Haskell students, the wetlands area is spiritual grounds where they go to pray or take part in a sweat lodge ceremony. Others study the wetlands for class assignments. I like to take my family, friends and
tourists to visit the Medicine Wheel, to show them the age-old sweat lodge or to hike around the wetlands. I like to show my two sons the different flowers, plants and birds living at the wetlands. It is a blessing to hear the wind and all the different animals communicating with each other.
I am a Haskell alumna, and I view the wetlands as a place that needs to be taken care of and looked after because God created that land and those animals. The Lawrence community should be proud to have the wetlands.
The trafficway could be rerouted to run through any number of places,
such as a beautiful church building with a large membership, Hoch Auditorium, Alvamar golf course or any of the historical houses located in the Oread neighborhood. Does the routing of the trafficway through these places sound far-fetched? Right. I am sure many Native Americans would agree with me when I say that the thought of it being built through Haskell's wetlands is a far fetched idea.
The wetlands are vital. We would like to preserve what is important to us and our future generations.
Bessie James is a Carnoggle, Okla., junior in journalism.
VIEWPOINT
Ask Native Americans before using symbols as mascots
Whether it is appropriate for sports teams and colleges to adopt a Native-American symbol as a mascot has been
called into question because such choices in the past have not complimented Native Americans.
Ottawa Uni-
MASCOTS
tion at Ottawa University. Whether certain Native Americans are offended by teams such as the Washington Redskins, the Atlanta Braves or the
The use of Native American symbols should be approved by the nations involved and created with their help.
versity has come up with a solution so obvious it's amazing no one thought of it before.
They asked the Native Americans how they felt.
Giego, a costumed Native-American character who performed at athletic events during half time, was removed in 1971 because of concerns that he stereotyped Native Americans.
But last month, after Ottawa University officials approached the Ottawa Nation in Oklahoma, Giego was reinstated with the aid and blessing of the tribe.
Through cooperation, Giego was redesigned to depict the strength and beauty of the Ottawa Nation instead of to humiliate it.
By including Native Americans in the mascot selection process, Ottawa University officials became sensitive to the feelings of the large Native-American popula-
Kansas City Chiefs, it seems incredibly arrogant that those teams did not think to include representatives of
the culture in the mascot decision.
Perhaps the misunderstanding and animosity that has developed could have been avoided if sports organizations had approached the issue with respect from the beginning.
The anger and resentment of various Native Americans could have been prevented if organizations had thought about the importance of the symbol they wanted to assume as their mascot and asked those people to be involved.
If all sports organizations and universities take the initiative to follow the example of Ottawa University, respect could be brought back to the-symbols of Native-Americans.
Then the Kansas City Chiefs, and maybe even the tomahawk chop could be a source of pride for Native Americans and not a slap in the face.
MARK YONALLY FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
KANSAN STAFF
STEPHEN MARTINO
Editor
JEN CARR Business manager
CHRISTOPH FUHRMANS Managing editor
CAMERON DEATH Retail sales manager
TOM EBLEN General manager. news adviser
JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser
CATHERINE ELLSWORTH Systems coordinator
News ... Sara Bennett
Editorial ... Donella Heame
Campus ... Mark Martin
Sports ... Brian James
Photo ... Daron Bennett
Mellasa Lacey
Features ... Tracil Carl
Planning Editor ... Susan White
Design ... Noah Mueller
Asstant to the editor .. Robbie Johnson
Editors
TOM EBLEN
Business Staff
Campus mgr .Todd Winters
Regional mgr .Laura Guth
National mgr .Mark Masto
Coop mgr .Emily Gibson
Special Sections mgr .Jen Porter
Production mgrs .Holly Boren
Regan Overy
Marketing director .Alan Stiglic
Creative director .John Carlton
Classified mgr .Heather Nishane
Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of California at Berkeley are required to submit their letters.
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SOME LOCAL GHOULS ALREADY HAVE SOME FRIGHTENING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Matt Hood / KANSAN
Brought to you by the Church of Alcoholics
My name is Jack, and I'm an Alcoholist.
I'm a follower of Alcoholism, a religion given a nasty connotation over the years because of the label "alcoholic." Well, we Alcoholists refuse to live with it.
Alcoholism is the belief in the prophetic vision of alcohol. To us, alcohol is the physical manifestation of God, and we drink it in order to get closer to him. Others would like to think that Alcoholism is a disease or an addiction just because of a few extremists. The truth is that every religion has followers who go too far.
Alcoholists have, at times, committed illegal acts in the name of alcohol, for example: reckless driving, indecent exposure, involuntary manslaughter, etc.
COLUMNIST
That might seem bad until you look at what people of other faiths have done. Catholics who try too hard to get into heaven have been known to kill abortion doctors. We don't call them "Catholicals" do we?
At least the death and pain initiated by Alcoholism is not as pre-meditated as the massacres of other religions. Look at the holy wars that have been
JACK BIRMINGHAM
waged over the years. If Alcoholism is a disease, then these other religions must be plagues.
And as far as addiction is concerned, the Alcoholist church does not encourage excessive drinking. It stresses the importance of buying mass quantities of alcohol, but it also stresses moderation in drinking that alcohol. The only time most Alcoholists drink very much is on weekends, when we go to church, a place you might derogatorily refer to as a bar or tavern. It just happens that most Alcoholists feel so devoted to God that they drink every night. There's nothing wrong with that. Other people pray every night or read
the Bible that frequentlv.
This is where the First Amendment comes into play. In the United States, we have the freedom of religion. The government can't tell us what God to believe in or whether to even believe in one at all. It cannot interfere or let others interfere with our habits of worship. Yet, it does. It oppress us by imposing large taxes on alcohol and by publicly denouncing our beliefs. It comes out with health reports saying alcohol causes liver disease. Schools teach children to avoid alcohol. This would be like telling children that Jesus Christ was evil and that reading the Bible causes brain tumors.
The state should keep its hypocritical hands off our faith. No matter what it says, alcohol is just as vital to the U.S. government as it is to me and other devout Alcoholists. Without it, we'd never make it to that big beer commercial in the sky. And if the government stopped stealing from the Alcoholist church, the U.S. economy would collapse. So go out and serve your God and country. Get drunk.
Jack Birmingham is an Overland Park freshman in pre-journalism.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Kansan needs responsible ads
The figures are just sketches, but the message is clear: The ultra-thin figure is attractive and desirable. If you don't have it, get it. Research clearly shows that the thin ideal is unhealthy. It promotes feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem and plays a large role in many eating disorders. People cannot, and should not, look like this. It is irresponsible for the media to push unrealistic and unhealthy ideals but to find this at a "progressive" university is inexcusable. I want to see advertisements that appeal to my emotional and physical health without sneaking in the message that I must weigh 90 pounds and have the silhouette of a toothpick in order to be attractive.
I was appalled by an advertisement in the Oct. 19 Kansan. Page 6A contained an advertisement for aerobic sessions sponsored by KU Recreation Services. Consider the women pictured in the ad. Does a woman really exist who has a 12-inch waist and legs three times as long as her torso? Would she be able to eat again this semester and achieve that figure?
Nate Roger
Graduate student,
clinical psychologist
Trafficway could avoid wetlands
I am writing this letter in response to the editorial written by Richard Boyd concerning the South Lawrence Trafficway Oct. 17. I agree that the traffic on 23rd Street is horrendous. The question is how much will this southern trafficway alleviate this traffic. The trafficway will undoubtedly benefit those who live in south and west Lawrence and those ready to develop this area into residences and businesses. But I am not convinced it will help much inside Lawrence.
For whatever reason, the County Commissioners have convinced themselves that we need this trafficway and are determined to build it. In light of this, I will endorse the alignment south of the Wakarusa River. The alignment on 31st Street violates the cultural and spiritual needs of Haskell University. The alignment on 35th Street would be the worst ecologically for all the wetlands in the area. It would effectively block the wetlands north of 35th Street from the Wakarusa River located south of 35th Street. The Wakarusa is vital to the wetlands as a surface and ground water source.
I believe that there is a way to resolve the traffic problems we find inside Lawrence without impacting the wetlands. It will require some "in town" improvements as well as some carefully considered links outside the city's borders.
Chris Wright Graduate student
HUBIE
By Greg Hardin