4
Tuesday, February 29, 1972
University Daily Kansan
KANSAN comment
Garry Wills
Editorials, columns and letters published on this page reflect only the opinions of the writers.
"When Miller speaks the words pop! pop! out of his flat mouth, the bare hint of a drawal softening the explosions as they drill the air. 'Sure' comes out 'sheeer', and 'pusher' joins in, 'pooooooer', as in 'Sheeer we'll get that poooooer'."
A Question of Sensitivity
—From a Kansas City Star feature on Attorney General Vern Miller by William D. Tammus
You are a good sheriff, Vern, there's no question about that. You even talk like one. I appreciate your dedication to the law and I agree with you when you say, "Nothing breeds disrespect for the law more than a double standard of enforcement."
But I don't think you should be governor. In fact, I don't even think you should be attorney general.
Things are just more complex than you are willing to admit. A sheriff must above all respect the law. He must impartially enforce laws and be honest. Some of the same and let other people worry about the quality of the law.
But a governor or an attorney general must worry about the quality of the law. He must try and find out why people break the law. Is it a bad law? Do conditions exist that prevent someone to violate the laws? Are there too many laws? Are police impartially enforcing the law?
You say, "If the people don't like the law, they should work to get it changed," and I agree, but the people, the masses, don't always know that the laws need to be changed. A middle class white suburbanite may not realize that a certain law oppresses inner city blacks. And the policeman that may be enforcing a bad law can be too busy or too involved to see the inequality.
That's why we want a governor
and or an attorney general with the sensitivity to realize that laws in themselves are not sacred, that the law was designed to serve and protect you, that law fails in these two functions it must be rewritten or discarded.
You say your job is to enforce the law. Period. That's it. You say you "enjoy probably more than anything participating with law enforcement officers in an investigation." Why? They're not involved, but also seeing someone who's wronged, someone brought to justice."
"Sheeeer," you say, "poverty causes crime. We know that, but in America, no one needs to starve ... and no one needs to go steal."
The sensitivity is not there. Those words do not reveal the unintended homogenies from the realization that synthetic dictionaries don't always solve the problems.
The point is that in America, where no one needs to starve, people do starve, and consequently people do think they must steal to keep alive. Patriotic platitudes don't fill stomachs.
Now you don't have to accept that, but if you won't, you've no business being governor, for America needs governors that will. Go back to being a good sheriff; America needs them too.
Mike Moffet Associate Editor
It is already clear, this early in 1972, what the year's cultural event has to be. It is the re-release of a series of Charlie Chaplin's classic movies, long withheld from the ungrateful country that denied him lawful ingress.
The Tramp Returns
All the negotiatory jockeying is
The Motion Picture Academy has a special prize to give Charlie this year, and New York's welcome to the Little Theater is also being orchestrated as Peking's welcome to Nixon. (Both have been in the works almost as long—Martin Segal of the Lincoln Center Film Society was on the New York visit last July.)
The thawing of this cold war between American authorities and America's greatest artist is fully the equivalent, as he did when he accord being groped for in China. The two thaws have ceremonial resemblances—Charlie's visit to this country is like Nixon's trip to China. He used niceties to be given and observed.
worth it- for Charlie is, not only the greatest American film artist, but the greatest American artist. (The fact that he started in British vaudeville has to do with the fact that his artistry is a classic vaudeville, in American forms and technique.)
When one says "the greatest," of course, one deals always with elements of arbitrariness. Taste is not dictated, though skilled men largely agree on the area of choice, if not on the particulars of choice.
Thus most people would agree that Eugene O'Neill was our greatest dramatist (besides being Charlie's father-in-law), Mark Twain our greatest all-round writer, Rosa Ponselle our greatest opera singer.
In other areas, any choice one puts up will be more contested—e.g., that Gerwinshus was our greatest musician, Mr. Chow was our favorite Bing Crosby the best popular singer.
In poetry my choice would be Hart Crane, though there are several conventions to be learned. Pound, whose birth here is as little important as Charlie's (or Bob Hope's or Cary Grant's) in England. Eliot had the moment of a brighter Anglican baptism.
The norms are not in doubt despite argument over particular tasks. The work must not only be superlatively itself, but distinctive; not merely
perfecting what others have tried,but contributing something new
Here Charlie has no challenger.
The movie form is not solely American—Germans, for instance, techniques to which a British artist had to go school before he could polish his art in America. But our strongest area in film is that of early comedy—with the great Italian (also Britishborn) and Hardy.
Not only was Charlie the premier performer in a crowded field of talent. He was also an inventor all across the board. He served his apprenticeship under a directorial giant (Mack Sennett) and went on to make him, by comparison, a midtier. His only rival in this D. W. Griffith–just Griffith's work. As he archaeological awake; one admires it as a warful for its time. Charlie's work is as vital, in its own right, now as when it was made—the mark of lasting art.
And, besides, he was his own screenwriter, composer of musical scores, producer and distributor. Not a fan of the movie industry, his talent over in all directions, creative and technical. He sums up in himself the whole cooperative venture of movie-making, the wedding of man and woman, the conquest of the latter by the former.
Copyright, 1972 Universal Press Syndicate
Readers Respond
Calley's Heros; CO Plea; Bike ...
Sexton
To the Editor:
The recent series of Associated Press articles on S. ggt. John John Eppes and Jet Petit prison camp and the recent developments on the international scene prompt this comment from a neophyte
The American people's short
memory of atroities and its acceptance of inhumanly inspired humor have been substantially proved by the phenomenal success of television's "Hogan's Heroes." Therefore, I suggest a new way to start head start on the inevitable sequel, "Sexton's Survivors."
My only other suggestion is that in the production of such a series, the most be made of the
forthcoming "cultural exchanges" with the People's Republic of China.
Surely, in a nation of 871 million persons there can found a sound manifold of monaclosed Col. Klink and his bumbling colony; Sgt. Schultz and his subordinates.
That a "Koronei Krunk" would dramatically split open the shrinking "will" between our ears. We would speculate, I would, however, speculation. I would, however,
bet that William Calley might be glad to make guest appearances if the show should ever need a layer of clothing nothing to augment its "humer."
Jerome Esslinger Morrill, Junior
Objector
My name is Kleiss and I enlisted in the Navy. I've been in the service for more than four years now. About six months ago he was sent to Iraq as a Navy as a Conscientious Objector. The request was denied. I'm in Federal Court and I'm fine on determination on that discharge.
To the Editor:
When I first applied, I was interviewed by two officers. Both requested the incarceration and recommended me to marshal. Even the commander of船 the Naval Science Unit suggested the training of support from close friends, and Rev. Dutch Stoly, Episcopalian minister at the Canterbury jail.
A board of officers at the
department personally read
the statements from the
people as well as my own. A
board had back that
meeting had been
They claimed I was "transitory" and implied that mine was a fleeting attempt to escape obliged service. I was to have to program it for me, program here and sent back to the fleet. However, I hired a lawyer and took my claim to Federal Court. At the time of this writing, I am still here by order of court, pending final decision.
What has happened up till now confuses me. I wrote honestly of my beliefs. They were not "transitory" or a devious means for escape. I attempted to convince them that my commitment was sincerely and not an arbitrary whim. They would not listen. So I've gone to
court in an attempt to escape jail. But the court's approach is also unsatisfactory.
Under the law I am forced to sue my Commanding Officer not only for discharge, but also for misuse of his authority with him. I reject the system, not the man. Moreover, the court is not interested in my beliefs, but rather is reviewing the laws used to deny my claim.
So now I sit in uniform at the Military Science Building, five miles from the court. Regardless of the court's decision, I will no longer participate in the military long as I aspire to their purpose.
Both the military and the courts of this country claim to tolerate Conscientious Objectors, who have always refused me when they refuse to even recognize my existence. Thus far I have attempted to raise my objection through established sources, but in the faith of this system, But my efforts have so far culminated in a senseless chameleon. I am uncertain how much longer I can remain active, now. I may very well go to prison; if stay, the prison will be of my own making.
Rod Kleiss
To the Editor:
Correction
While I appreciate the article on my exhibition (Feb. 22), I must make one historical correction.
It is true that we had, motorcycle on the third floor of the building, but it was for a drawing class but this incident, which occurred in 1965, had nothing whatever to do with the accident. It was the KU art department, in 1967.
John Gary Brown
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
America's Pacemaking college newspaper
Kansan Telephone Numbers
Newroom--UN-4 4810
Business Office--UN-4 4358
Griff and the Unicorn
Published at the University of Kansas daily during the academic year except in cases where an emergency payment was required or a year's service must be postpaid at Lawrence, KA 60448. Accommodations, goods, services and employment advertised offered to all students without regard to color, creed or national origin. Quotients expire are not necessarily valid. Students must verify their enrollment status.
By Sokoloff
"Copyright 1972, David Sokoloff."
NEWS STAFF
News Adviser ... Del Brinkman
Editor Associate Editor Associate Manager Campus Editor News Editors Copy Chairs Copy Editors Assistant Sports Editor Feature Editor Assistant Sports Editor Wire Editors Wire Editors Designer Editor Reviews Editor Photographers Office Manager Office Manager Corporation
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Adviser . . . Mel Adams
Business Manager
Associate Business Manager
Advertising Manager
Marketing Manager
National Advertising Manager
Chief Marketing Manager
Promotional Advertising Manager
Circulation Manager
Carol Young
Assistant Business Manager
Norman Massey
Assistant Business Manager
Dale Plegerpengert
Chief Marketing Manager
David Murray
Daniel Watson
Uu du d
sS w
hE tn
rS s
tO a o s p
sA J I L r h.
sI n t r a
j o g t t
s h e a j k l v
w r w h o r.
l a m m n o c t h i t e n t
i n t e r