4
Wednesday, March 3, 1971
University Daily Kansan
KANSAN comment
Where to Now?
Reprinted from Vortex
One of the surprising results of the Miller invasion of Lawrence was the breadth of reaction against Miller's style of politics.
Local autonomy is a strong issue from way back in Kansas history. Each town does not like the interference of state and federal laws, and that is why our own problems and solutions" is the spirit.
There is a great amount of sympathy for us and against Miller by the local police, by local businessmen and professional people, by the University people and most important the average citizen.
We are now in a position we have never been in before. We have more sympathy, compassion and understanding.
On the other hand we are hacked off,
We naturally want to strike out because
we have been attacked. Self defense is
American.
But the worse thing we could do is strike out at the Lawrence community when they are so sympathetic to us.
The easiest thing to do would be to strike out once or twice, trash, whatever. That would also be the most destructive to us. The hardest but best we could do is to utilize this new found sympathy to consolidate our position with the community, to turn the town's people on to what we are about.
If it is true that through communes, collectives, more cooperative ways of
living, we have found a better way to live,
then we must pass that on.
Our community of and by itself will never bring liberation to Lawrence. But we can be the moving force behind that liberation.
Liberation has never been won against the majority. It is with them. It will take time and patience, but our obvious task is turning more people on rather than reacting in anger against some facet of the community, like the police or City Hall.
There are two chief forces in Lawrence: our community representing a more human way of life and the right representing an American style fascism.
Most of the citizens of Lawrence are not affiliated with either. If we act in such a way as to alienate them further from us, they will be thrown by us into the hands of right wingers who must certainly dig Miller and his tacets.
Our message to Lawrence should be: we are not against you. We do not want to destroy Lawrence, we want to build it in a more human way. We can't do this with invasions by publicity seeking politicians who care all for power and nothing for people. Unite with us to keep Miller and his ways out of Lawrence.
This is the best chance we have ever had. Let's not misuse it. Too much in the past have we acted out of anger rather than coming up with what means comes liberation.
EDITOR'S COLUMN
Tales of a Working Stiff
By GALEN BLAND
(Pete told this story to me last summer in bits and pieces over soft drinks during 15 minute breaks in the sun. Pete limited himself to the truth.)
Peter Schmidt was born in western Kansas in 1935. It was the middle of the depression but Pete doesn't remember much until the war years when he started school in a small Kansas town.
He was a German. His family had lived in the midwest since the turn of the century but he was still a German to the kids he went to school with. His father had a little black mustache and the kids called him Hitler and they called Pete little Hitler.
He got into fights often but he didn't mind because there were enough builysters and Hamamishids to back him. German haters in the county.
But Pete screamed with glee when the newsreels showed the GIs driving back the Krauts, just as the other "pure American" kids did. And Paul Jones set off fireworks they had saved from Independence Day.
Pete went to work when he was 13 in his cousin's Ford dealership. He did odd jobs. Didn't do much in high school except get kicked out of the senior prom because he and his date were drunk and causing a scene but he had more fun out in his car with the sticky cherry vodka.
He was barely too young for the Korean war and got a mechanic job in an Olds service ship in Missouri. Top-notch job, making big money, saved up a bundle and got married, got some debts. Started losing the tools out of his box. Caught the boss taking them one day and the next day he was out of a job. His wife was pregnant.
He moved back to Kansas, near his home town and got a job on the railroad and the money started in but not so fast because of the kid.
His bosses were stupid and there was nothing worse, he thought, than
a stupid boss. The bosses kept yelling at the workers and everytime they would move faster the bosses would yell louder. One hot track the bosses called a stinking Hunt and Pete took after him.
Got his paycheck that afternoon and drank it up that night in a beer hall. His wife gave him the "what for" in the morning. They moved across the state to eastern Kansas. He started driving trucks but they only paid him half of what they had said they would.
G got a job in a mobile home plant in Nebraska. Pay was low but steady and his wife had another kid. The company had a plan where a worker could buy one of their mobile homes or the retail price, so Pete bought one.
By now it was the '60s and wheels of any kind were big. (America was a truly mobile society, but Petie didn't think about that.) The pay she received was higher so he pitched up his mobile home and drove it down to Kansas.
Got a job in another mobile home plant. Higher pay but harder work. Joined the union, carried his card and went to the meetings, heard the words flowing, "together . . . higher wages, paid vacations." Carried his union card in his billfold and showed it to his relatives.
The company started laying off workers in the late '60s. (It was the economic situation, but Pete didn't know about that.) Pete and his union card got laid off. First he did he go was home, get drunk and burn his union card like "these kids with their draft cards."
That's where I came in and drank cold pops with him and chewed the rag and built mobile homes. He was a griper and it made me laugh to hear his gripe about what the dumb bosses were doing.
He moved again. Another mobile home plant and again, the bosses were dumb. The pay was low and with another kid Pete didn't have enough money to do much but work and sleep and watch television.
Judas is the saint for lost causes.
... ever wallow in a footprint before?
Quotes In the News
By United Press International
SARIDINA, Ohio--Sheerl William Utter, telling he knew he had found the location of a cockfight when he heard a rooster: "Cocks don't crow at 10 p.m. That's where's the action."
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Carl Albert, 62, saying he will retire at age 70:
The job of speaker is difficult and I don't want to carry on the job when I get old."
LETTERS
Miller brought in police all the way from Wichita. What was wrong with the Kansas City Police Department, used? The fact lies before us that
JERUSALEM-Issraeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban, defending Israel's refusal to withdraw from all Arab territory:
"It (Israel's reply) leaves the wide way open for serious and concrete negotiations on each of the points at issue."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
An All-American
college newspaper
Kansan Telephone Numbers
Newsroom—UN 4-1810
Business Office—UN 4-4598
Published at the University of Kansas data day, holiday and examination periods. Mail subscription rates: $6 per month for a paid holiday or examination postage at Lawrence. KG 68044. Accommodations, pools, services and students without regard to color. Pursuant to policy, pressed are not necessarily those of the University of Kansas or the State University.
Readers Land on Vern Miller
BUSINESS STAFF
NEWS STAFF
News Advisor . . . Del Brinkman
Editor Galen Bland
NEWS STAFF
To the editor:
Member Associated Collegiate Press
Now that the city of Lawrence has had time to assess last week's drug raids, certain facts tend to the citizens of this community.
BUSINESS SALE
Business Advisor ... Mol Adams
Business Manager ___ David Hack
Lawrence in the last year has been plagued with violence. After the B.I.S. strike (the one taking place on Thursday), he gulley into any major violence (although there was a shooting), it appeared as though Lawrence would enter into a period of emotional turmoil, drug raid may be the cause of the downfall of tranquility in Lawrence. Students tend to become restless in the springtime and often resort to prompt restlessness. If unrest does occur, Chalmers cannot be accused this time, seeing that he was not even notified of the assaults on University property.
For such a small raid there was an excellent job of press blow-up for Miller. (You wouldn't think it was a newspaper.) Miller couldn't dide the fact from the press that there was an obvious security leak. Mr. Miller, a local county knew that the raid was coming a week beforehand and were ready and waiting. The only reason he did器 make as many copies as possible is the unique hour of the drug busts. He must be commended for such a novel idea. More than one out of four suspected managed to escape
We should take a closer look at the drug raid itself. No big time pushes were busted. This was one of the many agents are operating on a small time basis, purchasing only small quantities of drugs. Herion and Bayer are among the most active a pusher of this nature busted, seeing that these drugs are more harmful than marjuana? Statistically speaking, anywhere between 75 to 150 college students around the country smoke marijuana. That means that 5,000 to 15,000 people in Lawrence probably have smoked marijuana or do so. There must be large numbers of pushes here in Lawrence, and Miller unleashed an insignificant number of them.
Griff & the Unicorn
Charley North
Clinton, Iowa sophomore
"Copyright 1971, David Sokoloff."
Last Friday Attorney General Vern Miller led a gestapo-type raid against Lawrence's counter culture community. This raid, which included accomplished nothing in 'cleaning up' the drug situation in the city. Vern got no major help from law enforcement. Miller has forced the students of KU and the young people of Lawrence to realize that they are the target of an attack by terrorists who goes far beyond the drug issue.
By Sokoloff
To the editor:
"All roads in the counter culture lead to psychedelia." (The Making of a Counter Culture, The Cordes Rosak)
Could it be that Miller is making a political move in his district, or that he is the state of Kansas at the expense of the peace and tranquility in Lawrence (provided there is no time this is published):
The major factors that now lie between the relatively small number of mines busted compared with the large amounts of drugs in our community 2. No heroin or speed opium in the community unrest as the result of the bust. 4. A major security leak cutting into the Wichita Police Department from Wichita for obvious political reasons. 6) Sensational press coverage on the police.
Wichita police from Miller's own community makes him and his police force appear particularly good in his own community.
There is a new life-style existing in America and entails the youth throughout America. The new culture has the narrow limits of the profit oriented corporate structure of America. It is the second American revolution. While, before the revolution, we were based on the concepts of government, but on the precepts of life. Unfortunately, the media has distorted an otherwise noble character. We are in stories of sex orgies, violence and drugs. Thus, the unaware people of America see us not as we are, but as drug-erased children. Our culture does not the issue. Our life-style, our values, our hopes are at stake. Drugs are the most emotional, most sensationalized, most understood part of our culture.
Miller's raid has also shown that the 'street community' extends out of Oread Avenue and into Oliver Hall, Naismith and especially marijuana smoking, has conquered the entire campus. It has made the Phi Gams and the CIA House brothers. Together, we must seek a common defense and emerging system of values.
repression of the movement. Vern Miller, Spiro Agnew etc. cannot stop the youth revolution, because they cannot change our hearts.
While many thoughtful people question the use of marijuana in creating a new society, its existence is nevertheless a fact. It doesn't matter if marijuana is no more than a lever used in the state's
Brian P. Bauerle
David S. Awbrey
Hutchinson graduate student
To the Editor
Why are alcoholic beverages legal and narcotics illegal? Grain alcohol, also as well as 3.2 beer, has detrimental effects. Supposedly marijuana and obviously heroin are the other hard drugs are injurious.
After Vera's raid it became even more apparent how illogical if not hypocritical it is to arrest innocent people for failing to stop narcotics. Why then aren't there arrests made and sentences assessed and fines imposed on the police, the liquor suppliers and store managers, and night club owners and her proprietors? The Federal Drug Enforcement Agency injected the influx of drugs from both the Far East and Mexico as well as sources (such as gas stop in Eastern Kansas; Lawrence), Local and state law enforcement officials often worry that drivers trying to freeze narcotic supply lines into their own districts. In some cases the efficiency in many instances they haven't.
Yet why one and not the other? 'it' legal to get drunk. It's illegal to get stoned. Personally I have drugs, even though on occasions I've had a "soothing and water." If I had a choice, though, I'd smoke marijuana, but because it's "bad," I wouldn't drink. And if "no," and I don't, it was a 45 year old who hit the cocktail scene once a week, and maybe two other nights out of the week when I went well vintaged bourbon, I'd conduce the sale and soliciting of speed, LSD and high grade Mexican hasado. If my son was drinking age, I'd be more than
willing to allow him the luxury of two or three good "space trips" a week. To put it in a different light, if one can have a beer from the bar and then have a "hit". If one can get habitually drunk another should be afforded the opportunity to get strung-out on heroin. If Mr. X has the right to give him half-gallon of unblended English Scotch, he also ought to have the legal right to give his friend a half pound of high grade, imported. English opium. In both cases the patient is unlikely under any Christmas tree.
I'm not condemning what Vern Miller did Friday morning, I'm indifferent. What bothers me is that I wouldn't be ironic if some of those law officers who carried out the raid went home and just wouldn't it be ironic if some of those who complient Vern's actions even while getting drunk? Isn't it even more amazing that the law, instead of making an act public, has dictated a preference?
To argue whether narcotics are legal or illegal is fruitless. Should the argument be: Is it legal or if it is not legal so, to whatever degree one chooses? I believe the individual should have the right to choose his or her own means of escape. People must determine whether they want to make a choice; and if so, let the law represent equality not an opinion.
Michael Krone Lawrence
'to the Editor.
We wish to commend the local and state law enforcement led by Veronica and Danielle in display of force early Friday morning in apprehending the suspect.
We don't wish to take the air out of Vern's bubble, but good grief—don't people realize that some older adults have little older and more experienced
than 19 yr. olds?
unng we are positive of,
and that is the raid (with its
effectiveness questionable),
been the camera been
ELEVEN photographs of Vern
and the numerous articles in
the Lawrence Journal World Feb. 26,
blowing the whole thing out of
their mind, and saying they
necessary to have Vern actually
shrinking a suspect on the
FRONT PAGE? What we can't
do is give them a statement, "I don't
seek out the press. We didn't tip
off anyone. But any who came
to the office and asked, I didn't tell
you anything." Then they said:
"How was it that so many reporters, cameramaker (is it possible that Vern is trying to
academy?) and Life reporters
were there. Explain that one at
us, Vern. While you're at it,
also explain to us how you can go into
telling the Chancellor or at least
the security people on campus.
He doesn't give us any other
choice but to feel that the raid
is being but politically motivated.
We question the use of 154 officers from Wichita, Topeka, Lawrence, the KBI, and Highway Patrol—a virtual army, to round up the kids at 3 a.m. Wichita and Topson can be spared if 50 officers can be spared? If this is the first round with Vern then let it be known that the street people have won. Either Vern assumes the people of Wichita are STUPID or he hopes that they don't see through him like we do.
We can't help but find the bust totally misleading when we think they will be Kansas will automatically assume that Vern has "cleaned up the town" when in fact he found a thing but glorify his image.
Ken Adrian
Olathe
Tina Arutunoff
Bartlesville, Okla.
senior
Those Were the Days
50 Years Ago—1921
Chancellor Lindley mailed letters to members of the University of Kansas Alumni Association in hopes that the alumna would apply pressure on his signature to pass financial appropriations which would keep KU from losing its prestige.
Coach Ad Lindsay issued a plea for all men to show up to men's baseball practice. Lindsay and her team wickettters and very few outfielders.
didates out that the prospect is discouraging.
20 Years Ago Today—1941
"We need men, new men," said Coach Lindsay. "If we are to have any baseball this spring." Lindsey went on to say that a team would be able to win a small bunch of candidates. He said, "there are so few can
Friday's basketball game between Sigma Chi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon was postponed until Tuesday because members two teams did not want to break their dates for Friday night.
E. Power Biggs, recognized as one of America's most gifted organists played at the Kansas City Jazz Conference at the University of Kansas.
Elmer A. Zich, a New York journalist, told University journalists last night that journalism is journalism, and facts are facts, and never the twain shall meet.
Rhythm by Jay McShann and band, hips band, from Kansas City, Mo., furnished music for the annual Negro semi-formal varsity held in the Memorial Union.
Ten Years Ago—1961
Vox Poplip installed a civil rights plank in their platform for peaceful nonviolent use of setting local discrimination problems.
552 students took the English proficiency test today. After the students arrived at the testing center, they were asked to leave and come back in 30 minutes so the test would be distributed. The highest passing percentage on the exam was 80 per cent in the fall of 1957.