OPINION
University Daily Kansan, July 3, 1985
Page 4
The University Daily KANSAN
KANSAN
Published since 1899 by students of the University of Kansas
The University Daily Kansan (USP$ 650-640) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Suffer-First Hall. Lawrence, KA 66045, daily during the regular school year, excluding Monday through Friday. Second-class postpaid charge at Lawrence, KA 66044. Subscriptions by mail are $15 for six months on $27 in Douglas County and $18 for nine months outside Douglas County. Address the student to the student's address on the POSTMASTER. Send address changes to the University Daily Kansan, 118 Suffer-First
News staff
Jeff Craven . Editor
Michael Totty . Managing Editor
China Lazaroino . Editorial Editor
Andrew Hartley . News Editor
Lyle Egan . Campus Manager
Susanne Shaw . General Manager, News Advisor
Brett McCabe ... Business Manager
Mark Schick ... Retail Advertising Manager
Eric Scheck ... National/Campus Manager
John Oberzan ... Sales and Marketing Advisor
Let freedom ring
Freedom will be ringing loud and true this Fourth of July. The Americans who were on Trans World Airlines Flight 847 are finally coming home to freedom.
But there are still seven Americans left in Lebanon who won't be celebrating freedom. The criminals who hold them captive have seen fit to keep them, if they are even still alive.
We must not forget our fellow countrymen who remain pawns in a cruel game being played by barbarians.
We must not forget the actions of the Shites who hijacked the TWA flight from Athens. We must not forget the actions, or lack of action, of the Greeks who were entrusted with security for the flight.
We must not forget the Shiite leader Nabih Berri. He was instrumental in their release, but he was also instrumental in their captivity. He backed up the demands of his henchmen by declaring that if America did not comply with the demands, he would let his thugs do as they please with their prisoners.
We must not forget 23-year-old U.S. Navy Petty Officer Robert Stethem. Because he was a member of the U.S. military, the hijackers made the decision that he should die. The cowards decided to begin the murder of Robert Stethem by tying him up, so he would not fight back. Once he was sufficiently bound, he was kicked and beaten until his entire body was broken. When life left Stethem, he was tossed from the plane to the ground, as if his murderers were bragging about what they were capable of.
Stetha's face was so mutilated that visual identification was nearly impossible. His family and friends have been put through an incredibly cruel punishment by seeing him come home in a box.
His murderers remain free and alive, which is a pity. We can never forget their actions.
We can never forget the actions of the terrorists who brought death to innocent people, including six Americans, at a cafe in San Salvador. They, too, came home in boxes.
We can strengthen ourselves by not forgetting our heritage. We are a country of free people because our forefathers have had the strength to insure freedom, at all costs. Freedom must always be strong in our hearts if freedom is to survive.
We must not forget that our freedom has been tested, but we have prevailed.
We must not forget that our freedom will be tested many more times. When our freedom is tested, we must not forget that justice is difficult to come by. Terrorism is a no-win situation. Those who test us will most likely escape direct punishment.
But we must never forget. Let freedom ring
Proposed bypass
A proposal to build a bypass around south Lawrence has been put forth, and will get serious consideration by the city and county commissions. Area leaders appear to very interested in the idea, to the point that financing options are being considered before Lawrence decides whether it wants the bypass.
The proposed bypass would route traffic from K-10 east of Lawrence, around the southern edge of town to a proposed interchange for I-70 on the extreme western edge of Lawrence. This would alleviate congested traffic on 23rd Street, but would also take potential customers from one of Lawrence's strongest business areas.
If the lack of action taken by the city on the numerous mall proposals is any indication, this issue will be a hot topic for discussion and elections for years to come.
This bypass would have an enormous effect on every important project being considered for Lawrence and Douglas county.
If the bypass is constructed south of Lawrence, proposals for a downtown mail would be significantly damaged. Proposals for a mall south of town could be brought back to life.
A bypass around the eastern edge of town would connect easily with I-70 and would help downtown. That would route traffic away from Clinton Lake, however, which is something no city or county leader would endorse.
A completed south bypass would be a boost for the proposed high-tech industrial park west of town, which would be great for Lawrence. If the bypass is defeated, investors could regard that as a bad sign and consequently stay away from the high-tech park.
A completed bypass would also have a great effect on the housing boom west of town.
The only thing that is clear in this matter is that if the city and county decide to build a bypass, they must move ahead with the project and not let it die the slow death that the mall proposals are suffering.
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Alcohol laws won't fix problem
The conservative trend in Ronald Reagan's America, apparently welcomed by young Americans because it seemed to affect only the freedoms of deviant minorities, has suddenly hit home for about 50,000 people in the form of a new liquor law that raises the legal drinking age to 21.
By threatening to withhold federal highway funds, the Reagan administration has managed to force its viewpoint upon state legislatures, which already have had to face the loss of federal funds in other areas.
The Kansas Legislature bowed to the pressure from Washington, which means you now have to be 19 to drink 3.2 percent beer. Those born on or after July 1, 1966, will have to wait if they are 21 to drink any kind of alcohol.
Since registration for military service has been revived, the United States is back to where one is old and was at that age at 18, but not old enough to drink.
In a culture like the United States, where alcohol plays such an important role in society, to deprive people of the right to consume alcohol is to deprive them of a social life, at least a legal social life.
Because they lack legal access to bars and alcohol, these young people turn into social outcasts who will do their best to circumvent the system.
The Legislature seemed to be aware of this problem and toughened the law against using fake IDs. But the lawmakers did not create a deterent, they only created a challenge to the ingenuity and artistic skills of the law enforcement officers who driver's licenses and birth certificates to those who want them.
Basic economic principles predict that the increased demand for such documents will result in higher prices and bigger profit margins, which in turn will attract more people to this already lucrative business.
The blame for the new law lies with those who are now affected by it. Their indifference toward politics and their law voter participation have enabled the lawmakers to lose power without fear of losing re-election bids.
But the new law is not just an expression of the distrust and contempt lawmakers have always felt for the young. It was passed with good intentions to stop or reduce the staggering rates of teenage drug use, to valve both teenagers and alcohol
It is to be feared, however, that its actual effect will be quite to the contrary. Not only will the law most like
COLUMNIST
ly cause a loss of approximately $9 million in state and local taxes and an estimated 2,500 bars to go out of business, but young people may actually do more drinking and driving.
With bars off limits to them, those under 21 will have to find other places to drink the alcohol that their older peers will undoubtedly provide. What happens with younger ones than to go cruisin' in your car with friends and a couple of six-packs?
What the lawmakers seem to ignore is that the phenomenon of drunken driving is by no means limited to the young. It is prevalent
The connection between alcohol and driving is even drawn on the television screen, where most sporting events are sponsored by car manufacturers and brewing companies. A typical beer commercial shows a bunch of people at a tailgate party with enough beer to fill a swimming pool. How do they get home? In their car, of course.
throughout society, among all ages and all classes.
In a country where distances are often measured in how many cans of beer it takes to drive from point A to point B, it seems ridiculous to single out one specific demographic group to solve a universal problem
The reason for the high percentage of intoxicated young people involved in traffic accidents is not that the young are less responsible than older people. It is simply the effect of learning how to drive while drunk. It is a natural selection that now will take place three years later in life
than before, and only the fittest will survive.
As long as drunken driving is socially acceptable and as long as Madison Avenue reinforces the link between cars and alcohol, the problem won't be solved, whether the drinking age is 18, 21 or 35.
There are some signs of a changing public attitude, but much more needs to be done to educate people about the horrible consequences involved.
Above all, by keeping people away from alcohol until they are 21, we create in them the feeling that they have to make up for what they have missed for so long. Excessive use of alcohol may well be one of the results.
Maybe the solution lies in the opposite direction. Maybe it would be best to allow people to have their experiences with alcohol before we permit them to handle such deadly a weapon as a car. Why not lower the drinking age to 16 and raise the driving age to 18? It would be worth a try.
MY BUDGET PLAN IS SIMPLE IF YOU THINK OF MY AS AN APPLE PIE...
ONE HALF WILL
GO FOR DEFENSE ...
... AND THE OTHER HALF WILL BE USED FOR
FOREIGN AID...
VII. BEE J
... AND THE OTHER HALF
WILL GO TO VARADS
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
SOCIAL PROGRAMS,
Old man makes work seem easy
The old farmhouse stood along a winding, dirt back road. It was the last house before the road disappeared into the heavy Wisconsin forest. Except for a light in the house, the farm might have been deserted. Stacks of wood, boards, logs, railroad ties and crates were everywhere in the yard. The machinery and tools were old and appeared unused
But a light was in the window, and on a fence post was nailed a hand lettered cardboard sign offering "Fresh honey."
The only animals in the yard were a friendly dog that trotted to the car and a cat that sat atop a pile of lumber and stared.
The steps led to an enclosed porch in which more wood was stacked, and into the kitchen An old,
A minute passed, then the door of a shed opened and an old man came out. He was short, almost dwarf-like, and built so squerely he seemed to have no neck. His overalls were the color of tree bark, and a shapeless old work cap was pulled over his brow
"You want honey?" he asked in a thick, Slavic accent. "Come in house."
He walked heavily with his arms hanging at his sides, like a football lineman
black, wood-burning stove stood in the corner of the room. The oak table could have been as old as the house
An old woman sat dozing in a wheelchair in the living room.
The man pulled a chair from the table and said, "Sit." Then he opened a cabinet. The shelves were filled with jars of all sizes and shapes, old coffee jars, jam jars, all filled with honey.
"He wants honey," the old man said. The old woman nodded.
"How many you want? Two?" He brought two quartz.
How much I asked.
He shrugged. "Two dollar."
How much? I asked.
He took the two bills, laid them in the center of the table and sat down.
"Where you come from?" he asked.
"Chicago, buh!" Is work in
and a place to be.
He looked at the dollar bills, smiled
and said: "You have drink with me, buh?"
From under the sink, he brought out a bottle of vodka and carefully poured two shots. He dressed his wife in the bottle back and sat down again.
"Chicago, huh?" he said (pronouncing it "Shee-kah gah"). "Long time ago, I go to Chicago. No more now. Go to me. I'm old to go to Chicago."
How old are you? I asked.
"I'm 86 now. Too old to work farm, too. Now I take care of bees. Sell honey."
The farm. How long did you work the farm?
I're thought for a moment. "I came here in 1912. I buy 80 acres, all woods, big rocks. I cut down trees by myself. Cut up wood. chop up wood, take in wagon and sell to brewery I went to." And wire. Nobody around here then.
You came to northern Wisconsin from Europe?
He shook his head. "No I come from old country in 1900. No work in old country. My father, he work 15 years, for 90 cents. Nothing to eat. no work."
"In 1900 I leave old country and go to Pennsylvania. Work in coal mines, I save money and in 1912 I come here and buy 80 acres for $800."
And there he stayed for almost 60 years. Now, he said, all of the original 80 acres, except for the house and yard, have been sold for a modest sum. Small farms in northern Wisconsin aren't selling for much. Few people want to work as hard as one must to make a living from it. His sons have grown and gone to cities to find jobs.
A cold drizzle was starting to ride in on a north wind. He put some more wood into the black stove and moved the coffee pot over the heat.
Then he walked slowly back to the car and held out his hand. I never seen a hand quite like it. The fingers were so stubby they all looked like thumbs. The hand was dark and hard from the wrist to the cracked nails.
"You got regular work in Chicago." he asked. "You got steady job? Good. That's good. What you do?"
I told him I worked for a paper.
He nodded. "Good. Every day you work, buh? Regular work. Good. Is that hard work on newspaper? Hard work?"
I told him I used to think it was. But not anymore.
This column first appeared in the Chicago Daily News on Oct. 25, 1971.
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