4
Friday, February 18, 1972
University Daily Kansan
Readers Respond
KANSAN comment
commentats, columns and letters published on this page reflect only the opinions of the writers.
Here We Go Again
Elections for student body president and vice-president are fast approaching and no obvious candidates or issues have come to the front.
The election promises to be a matter of personality rather than platform. It will be, moreover, a digression from high minded issues and ideals to a frivolous exercise in nurie club politics.
Undoubtedly, there will be one serious candidate who will dutifully make the rounds of fraternities, sororites and dormitories stalking the elusive student vote. For his role in a presidential election, he will then become a member of a rather exclusive club of student body presidents—that has no
real constituency and no real power. The reality will stagger him—he is ineffectual—a palace eunuch. A characteristically low voter participation will deny him any claim to representing the will of the student body. Real decisions are made in the Chancellor's office—and once in a Senate. Student Senate, he will find. He may become a cynic, but his cyniscism will be softened by the dream of a vital student participation.
And when it is all over he may ask himself if he would do it again.
Judging by student interest and what can be accomplished from his position—the answer will probably be no.
—Thomas E. Slaughter
Violence, 'Great Notion,' Wills
Photo Incident
To the Editor:
With reference to your editorial (Tom Slaughter, Feb. 16), and preparing remarks, I would like to emphasize that I do not condone violence, especially violence against children, and I am not writing this as a justification for violence, a protection for a journalist or any newspaper must be aware that there is in his chosen article of being subjected to violence.
In regard to the recent incident between the February Sisters and a Kansan photographer, it should be understood that the accident occurred when the photographers be present (Such a request should not seem unreasonable in view of the circumstances). Presumably all persons suffering from lack of sleep and the tensions and pressures of the
preceding events. When a photographer caught them by surprise they reacted without any delay, and he could not be said for the photo that was taken during the circumcision. He had time to consider that he was a potential threat to the women. He had tried to console the woman before he acted. The women did not.
the result was a sad and unhappy incident for all of us, even on the February Sisters' a lesson for the photographer. To but make more of the event than just that is to fail pre to the same unreasonable demands of the women's reaction to being photographed. To write an editorial associating the Stetson sisters with criminals, Mr Richard Daley, John Mitchell and Richard Nixon is a knife known as 'president murder'. Appropriate you woulw know the organization of the February
Sisters killed in its infancy.
Have a lead editorial puts you in the position of being both prosecutor and judge, and you may be you also be even more effective, you may become the executioner.
I would like, however, if you will allow me to enter a plea in defense of the February Sisters. I have a problem for all participants in the 'attack' of the photographer have pleaded guilty (they did issue an apology because they could be off on suspicion, for example, view of this having been their first offense and in view of the mitigating circumstances. But no matter what your verdict may be, we have to consider moral injustice and a travesty of journalistic decycency to condemn the other members of the group merely because they happen to bear the same name. For the sake of those who do not want violence, who do not want your actions to peacefully but steadily and effectively toward the goal of betterment of the position of the University community, please show a little mercy and demonstrate that goodwill can indeed emanate from those in a position of confidence in themselves, their consciences and their judgments, know that they can extend a welcome hand of assistance to in a position of lesser power.
-Karen J. Lupardus Lawrence graduate student
Ditto
To the Editor
Regarding Tom Slaughter's editorial of Feb. 16.
I suppose the editorial seeks to complain, in a roundabout way, of an assault on a camera. The authorities serve only to incite rage against the actions or persons mentioned, perhaps in the hope that this rage would be transferred to the main but unrelated target. All in all, it is important that the mission than of reasoned grievance.
The point of the matter is this.
Guest Comment
By Peggy Scott, Beverly Perry and Ann Franke Press commissioner to library February Sisters
Sisters Criticize Kansan
Kansan coverage of the February Sisters has been consistently biased, culminating in the editorial attacking the February Slaughter's editorial attacking the February "gangsters, and hoodlums," "criminals" and accusing us of "philosophical bankruptcy," "superficially committed to human rights."
Editorialists on Robin Morgan outside agitator stirring up our women) and the other issues raised by their real issues and gains made by the bureauary Sisters. The Kansan has yet to address itself to day care, the women's health center, after other other substantial issues raised by the Sisters.
We would like to correct the consistent inaccuracies in the Kansan reporting.
1. Prior to our action, there was no comprehensive child care plan under consideration. The only proposal even being considered was an experimental project through the School of Education which would handle only 50 children. We were told by a faculty member that at an AUAP meeting last fall, the chancellor, when asked about the number of children who was no plan under consideration, and that every money day care would not be a too frequent event.
2. Two years ago, a proposal for a women's health center was drown up. Assurancees were given at that time that the proposal would be extended until the action of the February Sisters.
The Kanan article "Sisters Stress Services of Women Hotel Services," Feb. 15, 1972 (www.kanan.org) hospital treated anyone if they requested it was certainly news to the numerous women who have been lectured humiliated, and just not allowed to continue their gynecological and contraceptive services at
Watkins. Coverage of the development of the women's health services has primarily focused on women in urban areas.
In the same article, when a spokeswoman for the February Sisters was interviewed, she was badly misquoted: “...a woman going to Watkins has an assurance of getting medical attention and have read ‘a woman going to Watkins has no assurance of getting medical attention.’”
3. As of Thursday, the day prior to our action, there was no affirmative action program. As late as Sunday, Feb. 6, Joan Handley, released this statement “As chairwoman of Committee W of the AAPU I was very dissatisfied with the progress of affirmative action. To my knowledge there is no affirmative action program to date. I was on a retreat that lasted the special post on women's affairs four hours before our action said that she felt her appointment was a result of pressure of the AAPU Committee W and the rumored threat of our action. In other words, the chancellor did not begin to move on affirmative action until he was under direct threat of action by the February Sisters. It was only this week that the chancellor got together a committee to begin to put together an affirmative action program.
In general, the action taken by the February Sisters has served to bring attention to the fact of discrimination against women and girls. The Sisters notice that we will no longer quietly submit to oppression. And, as Elizabeth Banks said, our act has served to open channels of communication.
Contriary to popular misconception, the action of the February Sisters was warranted by the continual frustration by the team that they are now women on this campus. We have finally begun to see some action; it is our intent to continue to work for women's liberation until we win.
Garry Wills
The Administration closed down the building to the three bombs in a suicide opened 1972 with its own quiet orchestration of stealing bombs, in a series of attacks.
Bombing: At Home and Abroad
The outrage at terrorist bomb
tactically self-defeating. Among other things, they were helping Nixon—which means helping to make the bobs in Vietnam more likely to succeed, much the government can regret such stupidity in its opposition.
plantings was almost universal, and certainly justifiably property destroyed. The bombers were trying to understand the political point of view of the enemy.
There are differences, of course. Nixon is an elected Commander in Chief, and that difference is furthermore, the Furthermore, he was only killing non-Americans. Our standards of decency are a good deal laxer in those circumstances than his deputy's safe-deposit box is threatened.
None of this is said to excuse those who planted bombs in the banks. Their act was not only morally objective, but
Nixon was trying to do the same thing, with his bombing raids to the North; and many lives, and much property were destroyed. We play down the war later by more of the endless, senseless raids.
Willy says that our government has been indifferent to the violence; condemning the far-left bombings at home while condoning the ravages of war in Iraq.
The calmer voices on the Left, that have for years opposed violence out of principle, are the ones who are under administration. Men who might persuade the wild Leflists to moderate their tactics are too busy defending themselves from being dragged by their Justice department.
I mean men like Fr. Philip Berrigan, who said of violence: "It doesn't attack the fundamental problem, which is what
we call sin, men's tendency to dominate man. The students use a phrase: "A revolution is always dangerous," and the combatants. I find that fatalistic, vague and very dangerous, because it suggests that revolution is no more than with the thickest skull willing."
Then there is Berrigan's brother, Daniel, who calls the use of violence against the enemy a "game," and commends the example of Jesus, who "refused the sword with his own sword."
William Stringellow, the Protestant theologian at whose house Daniel Berkley was arrested in 1973, "Authorities, in any particular time or place, can accommodate, where they cannot destroy the, but we can overthrow them because those revolutionary forces have essentially acted as if so do the established powers." Both are bombers.
The government fears and
pursues the men who preach non-
traditional beliefs, like bombers escape them, and the bombing goes on—both in broad
Copyright, 1972 Universal Press Syndicate
that a photographer on your staff,
after being requested to refrain
from the exercise of his craft,
decided to risk his equipment on
the chance of a useful picture.
He came near to coming off badly.
One would assume that your staffman was aware of the Sisters' activities over the acquiescence the aversion to be identified by photograph. Acting with this knowledge, it is clear who the man in the camera is in jeopardy. Your staffman knew well both the risk and the stake (his camera). The staffman reckoned upon reckoning on his lost ship.
To conclude, stop crying over almost-spill milk, and when you do find something worthy of verbal assault, attack it squared and not at slants like this. Also, to whom the user would be well advised to use a discretion in risking state equipment for needless pus poses.
By Sokoloff
—Robert L. Wilderson Lee's Summit, Mo., sophomore
Editor's note: The equipment was the photographer's own.
No Thank You
To the Editor:
To be sure the Stampers' faults are numerous. They disagree with long hair, are generally prefers affection and tenderness, and are male chauvinist to the hill. But in this vein they do not differ from others, and are most matter, from others most anywhere in the real world. What makes the Stampers important is their surrounding culture, from their surrounding culture.
ideological presuppositions often obscure far more than they clarify in so far as reality is known, with Ron Parker's petulant review of "Sometimes a Great Notion" as being 'reactionary' or "emotional," and found the movie to be a breath of fresh air amid a movie land filled with the debris of inadequate social relations, and opulent gangsters, and an increasingly general obsession with the batched and hopeless. Notions of "notion" are found in their infinite varieties and "Notion" presents us with a picture of man sadly missing his mother in the media and moralists today.
Either Parker misses these real issues or, fearing them, he attempts to wrap them up with his own philosophy blanket pseudo-sophistication denunciation. The Stampers believe and practice the notion of being in control with his neighbors, minding his own business, and be accorded the same right to live life as he sees fit. Thus, the Stamper's approach profound respect for the integrity of individual human beings. Their views are far less inhuman than their own doctrine that peaceful people are then sacrificed willy nily for the attainment of the wishes of the majority, "society," reformists, or other supposed higher interest.
It is this respect for human integrity, typified, even with all their faults, by the Stampers that attack them, the musc and the "resectionary" and he apparently prefers the values of those townpeople who did not hesitate to sabotage their neighbors to stabilize their goals. They would sabotage the saboteurs had to rely on the family to save one of their conspirators who came near to drowning as a result of his efforts to protect the fortunes. Gratitude by these "socially inclined" persons is a shallow thaw, however, since they strike again setting a chain of events in motion which leads to the death of two members of the family.
In short, Parker's ethics · ad, as they did in the movie or with us, are the "social goals" our leaders for the "social goals" of victory in Vietnam, to empower all Vietnamese.
sometimes even death. Mr. Parker must be one of those "progressive" men who will kill you if he has to kill you in the process.
It takes what appears to be a thick skin to live an authentic life today, choosing and taking actions. The pressures that confront us avoiding responsibility, are great. Those with seemingly skins are sometimes abrasive when we fight, friction never, then have to develop any "thickness of skin" of their own. When brushed by someone, even if on a movie screen, they have to formulate the protagonist being "reactionary," without a social conscience, uncaring, and so forth. They must have asked their neighbors for permission to live as they did, and equally apparently, we ask, as Mr. Parker's mother, other progressives like him, as to how we shall live. No thank you.
Parker's cult of the group and
barker. Consciousness in
backward fashion more sorrowd
beginnings than does the
integrity and individualism of
the people.
Griff and the Unicorn
Sincerely.
Gus dierzae
Richard Mackenzie
Gene Roberts
James Ussery
Fran Naylor
Kennedy Center
To the Editor:
F
There is little enough to praise in the contemporary federal government. Kansas will pick up another syndicated article to balance against this one—one which is often misunderstood, understanding and does not merely repeat the fashionable condemnation of this potentially horrific story, there been there and seen productions. Many at KU have been involved with the Center's programs that have helped students know the article to contain serious distortions and drivel. But I worry about passing along the stories, who might never seek out the chance to prove the story false.
I am seldom impelled to write editors, but I must admit that Gary Wills' bandage, myopic John Kendry's function of the Kennedy Center of Music in the American Rip-Off Center," Kansan, Kafka 14) really calls for active repudiation. It is true the Center has had to close its doors because of a staffing shortfall in December because of tourn vandalism, and that aspect of human behavior clearly deserves condemnation. But to imply that the Center is only a monument is the point by more than half.
Far from "having trouble doing anything" (a glib phrase) that many contemporary "critics" are all too apt to indulge in), the Kennedy Center has the oldest asset in winner in being able to create and perform capacity houses so far in performance runs. Washington has never known such a rich talent, an operatic, oratorio or concert season as this one. Great mobs of are based in for selected events.
The halls are nearly perfect acoustically. The thrill of sitting in them, of being able to hear the music, of having an infinitely more performing artists and performing arts professionals, of phrased criticism of the architecture and decor. The Bernstein *Mass*, so well made by music fans, will easily open in New York. It is a magnificent work of untoward beauty, both in dimensions by a consumate artist of both music and theatre. The work will live long past Mr. Bernstein's illuminating comments about it.
"Copyright 1972, David Sokoloff."
—Jed H. Davis, Director, University Theatre
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