Page 4 University Daily Kansan, January 21, 1981
Opinion
Retaliation is unwise
It was easy to tell the hostage crisis was over Monday through the comments being tossed around at a KU bus stop.
"So, when are we going to bomb Iran?" one voice piped in.
"Nuke'em,"another suggested.
The people who've made comments like that in the past two days have been, in all probability, joking. But the idea of punishing Iran, whether with more economic sanctions or through military action, has come out of the closest since the hostages were flown to West Germany.
Visions of rockets' red glare showering down upon Iran, however ludicrous, are understandable. Americans have wrestled with a variety of emotions during the last 14 months, ranging from anger to frustration to rage. So it comes as no surprise, that, when the ordeal was suddenly over, the first reaction of many people was, "Now it's our turn!"
Remember the way many Northerners wanted to bleed the South after the surrender at Appomattox. Or the way some Americans, who hadn't learned the lessons from World War I, felt that Japan was getting off mighty easy when U.S. occupation began in 1945.
But this isn't the only time in American history that the nation has endured an ordeal of one type or another, only to emerge with a craving for the "satisfaction" of punishing another nation.
And just as angry Americans shouted then that Japan was at fault for starting the war in the first place, so, too, are some people today pointing out that Iran began the crisis by allowing the hostages to be
taken. Of course, from the Iranian perspective, the conflict began long before the hostages were taken, when the United States supported the shah's regime for a generation; viewed from this light, the United States was the initiator.
And sometimes, the United States and Iran may once again be on speaking terms without requiring Algerian intermediaries. Naturally, given what happened at the American Embassy in Tehran those 14 months ago, it's not likely that normal relations will resume very soon, but in a volatile region like the Middle East, it's probable that both countries may find themselves in need of each other.
Americans have shown great maturity in the course of this crisis. They are to be commended; in its younger days, America would have sent in the Army first and asked questions about negotiations later. It would be a pity if 14 months of civilized patience on the part of the United States were wasted because of some immature desire for retaliation.
Clearly, military retaliation against Iran, now that the hostages can't be harmed, would serve no purpose aside from satisfying the childish egos of a small segment of the American people and just possibly inciting a new world war in the Middle East.
The example set by U.S. actions following the surrender of Japan showed that, in the long run, it was better to emerge from a crisis and rebel relations than to pursue the imaginary "satisfaction" from prolonged punishment.
It's a time of healing, for both America and Iran.
Keeping watch on Reagan not a bad idea for students
It takes more than a landslide election—more than even an inauguration—to damp the enthusiasm of a true Reagan detractor. In fact, for Jim Rhodes, a 23-year-old political student in Camden, N.J., the fight to save the nation from Reagan has just begun.
Two days after Reagan's election, Rhodes placed an almost-invisible classified ad on the campaign website.
JUDY
WOODBURN
weekly newspaper in New York City. It read simply, "Impeach Reagan." It was a seed that has so far flowered into about $100 worth of phone calls and more than 200 phone calls from across the nation.
But Rhodes doesn't want Reagan thrown out of office—not yet, anyway. He's thinking of the other definition of "impeach" that is "to oblige you to discredit." You'll find it in your dictionary.
The words are more than just a catchy slogan — Rhodes only wants the nation to keep on Reagan and his stands on the Equal Rights Amendment, decontol of oil prices, draft registration, abortion and grain sales to the Soviet Union, to name a few things.
So, true to the bureaucratic tradition that's shaped our great nation, he's formed "The Committee to Impach Reagan Now." Starting in March, the group will publish a newsletter called *Watch," whose function will be to keep members up-to-date on the doings of our country's leader.
Rhodes sees his newsletter as a "forum for the nation" and as a watchdog on the watchdog press, which he accuses of doing nothing more than reporting press releases verbatim. He says the committee will do its own research into proposed governmental policies and legislation to see how they will affect the people and the land.
The committee also hopes to organize letter-writing campaigns and lobbying efforts. Rhodes expects to unite all the current liberal lobbying groups, and represents "represent only fractions of the liberal population."
Now that you are suitably in aid of his noble goals, I'll say, "Good for him." At a time when too many students are accused of having credit card mentalities and of looking out only for No.1, it's refreshing to see someone who cares about something other than his grade point average. But before there's too much applause from the liberals, there are a few things to remember:
So far, all CIRN has is a couple of provocative one-liners and a lot of media hype in papers like The Village Voice. Just what does it hope to accomplish? How do Rhodes compete as Rhodes believes them to be, won't report? How does Rhodes intend to achieve national liberal lobbying front to "thwart the radical right-wing Republicans"—feat that so sympathetic the most well-organized liberal groups?
The committee will market 1,000 buttons and bumper stickers reading, "Impeach Reagan Now. Before It Too Late," at $1 to $1.50 until the group gets its first $5,000 donation.
The beginnings are awfully humble. So far, there are about 12 Committee members in Camden—about half of them Rhodes affectionately refers to as "veteran" 80s activists' a la Doonesbury—and a few faculty members from Rutgers University.
And who's going to give much credence to a 28-year-old shiny-coated guy in a crew-neck shirt?
Let's hope someone does. Let's hope that the student voice hasn't faded completely into greedy whimpers for good-paying jobs and cute cars with good gas mileage.
Wow.
He is hoping to get a representative or even a whole chapter on every campus. He needs volunteers to write for the Committee newsletter and to help with circulation and research.
Whether liberal or conservative, Rhodes deserves support on this one, if for nothing more than to foster a new, healthy crop of students who care about what's happening in their government. The success of Rhodes efforts—like those of our chief executive—will depend in large part on the abilities and dedication of the people he gets behind him.
Think about it. And while you're at it, mention the idea to your high-school-age siblings or friends. Liberals and conservatives alike are going to need a fresh face to spearhead the presidential watch in 1985, when Rhodes will have moved on to bigger thing," perhaps ensembled as a congressman or senator, casting votes that affect our lives.
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'Fun' reading declines during college
A friend of mine was the star pupil in her high school English class. Her teacher felt a little in love with her youth and her potential, and after graduation, he gave her a well-used set of paperback classics that included "Don 'Doug' Driver's Travels" and "The Scarlet Letter."
On the inside cover of "The Brothers Karamazov," the teacher wished her the best and said he had faith in her ability.
Finally, after months of late-night deliberations, the student canceled her housing contract, packed her books and headed for California - to work and maybe to learn.
Three years later, as a KU pre-med major, the student bought a h i-liter pen, put her brain on automatic pilot and learned to record and memorize lectures. In the evenings, after labs and psychology classes in which she learned the latest jargon, she was tired. She curled up in bed before starting the night's memorization and never touched her English teacher's books.
Obviously, this is the story of a single student, and it does not imply that the only way to achieve a higher education is to avoid universities. But she is one of a growing number of students for whom college has become a daily grind of note-taking and recitation.
In many large universities, knowledge must be business-produced in the process, independent business-produced.
After my own graduation from a 100-student high school in Junction City, I was transformed from a slightly precocious senior into student number 266556.
I read only when assigned to read and studied
only when a test was on the horizon. The simi-
VANESSA HERRON
air complaints of several other students indi-
dia that, at least temporarily, we all had stoned
sports games.
In high school, students who learned independently were the ones who read extra chapters, hung around the chemistry teacher and stayed in the library until the lights were off. In middle school, students who read their assignments, then tried to reach their own conclusions-right or wrong.
In the past, solitary study was important to me and I was a regular at the public library. In the 1970s, my focus was on learning.
Rochester, the brooding hero of "Jane Eyre," and a year later, I fell in love with Waskilonikov, the overly sensitive ax-murderer in "Crime and Punishment."
During high school, I kept reading and cringed at the taste in entertainment my friends had developed. They cruised Sixth Street, seddom learn and went to movies only to meet eligible adolescent boys. Their evaluation "Born" was the "Network" or "Ben," was always the same.
"Yeah, we just saw it, It was real good."
Finally my classmates graduated to marriage jobs at the mobile home factory and to college.
Once at KU, I started to go to parties to meet eligible post-adolescents. I saw students in crowded classrooms to learn bite-sized chunks of Hemingway and I saw discussions that became games of "Guess how the professor will interpret today's readings." In that game, there was only one correct answer, and the student was always wrong. Everyone lost.
Of course, not all class discussions are one-sided and Comp 101 will not cause the fall of the American civilization. Neither will the fact that college students and most other adults are reading less and less. The great works of literature have survived for centuries and they will be waiting patiently when we are ready to enjoy them again.
If some troublesome original ideas remained, even after such discussions, Cliff's notes and books like the New Analysis of Western Civilization were readily available.
But for too many students, that time may never come. After four or five years of higher education, they may have lost interest in school and become inexperienced when they have not been assigned to think.
Perhaps the problem would be alleviated if each student had at least one small class that was taught by a professor who knew his name and not his number.
The University's independent study program also offers students an opportunity to tailor classes to their own needs and interests. It takes thought for students to plan their own classes, so the independent study can be a tool to help them get away with taking it seriously. However, it may take more than a few hours of freedom to bring back the joy of learning for its own sake.
This summer, I read "The Brothers Karamazov" and learned to read in my freshman year of college.
In a week, I finished the book and in another
week I had forgotten the language, the mood and
the story.
A friend noticed the book on my desk and asked me what I thought of it.
"Yeah, I just finished it," I said. "It was real good."
Once again the University Daily Kansan has failed in its commitment to serve the entire student body with complete coverage of significant events worthy of recognition. On Jan. 15, 1981, more than 200 proud and dedicated students, arm in arm, on this campus to commemorate the birthday of one of this country's greatest heroes, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial march deserved more attention
Much time and hard work were spent in organizing, making signs and informing people about this memorable occasion. Many emotions surfaced in songs and cheers as we marched. But did the Kansan care to even print an entire story? No, it probably figured you could keep us quiet by allowing us a $3-yard picture and a three-sence caption, but I find this totally unacceptable.
To the editor:
We cannot continue to accept your flimsy excuses of insensitivity and unawareness, for this leads to ignorance. In these times, none of us can afford to be ignorant.
You must work harder to fulfill every student's needs. That is not too much to demand.
Cheryl A. Jones
Houston junior
Watch sexist wording
To the editor:
As ardent followers of this state's two nationally recognized women's basketball teams, we noted with interest Sandy Clark' Big
Eight Tournament article in the Jan. 15 Kansan. That article referred to the "Wildkittens," but the Kansan sports desk may be interested to learn that the women's teams at K-State officially became the "Wildcats" several years after the institution of the inherent quality of men and women.
Women's sports have progressed since that first women's Big Eight basketball tournament held in Manhattan a few years ago without the sanction of the conference, and we appreciate the Kansan's efforts to give it the publicity it deserves. In the future, the Kansan may wish to avoid any, hopably inadvertent, discriminatory language.
Steve Koppes
Manhattan graduate student
Eric Rosenblad
Downs graduate student