University Daily Kansan, April 12, 1985
OPINION
Page 4
The University Daily KANSAN
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
The University Dady Kahane, UNSP 650-8401 is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Staffer Flint Hall. Lawen Kahane, 650-8401 daily during the regular school year and Wednesday and Friday during the summer session, excluding Saturday, Sunday holidays and tenures periods Second class postage paid at Lawrence Kahane 66044 Subscriptions by mail are $15 for six months or $25 in Douglas County and $18 for six months or $3 a year outside the county. Student addresses change to the University Dady Kahane 118 Staffer Flint Hall. Lawen Kahane, 650-8401
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It's so amusing
It has all been rather amusing — watching Student Senate play with the $2 sports fee increase. Amusing, yet depressing.
The increase is a good idea, and it should pass as long as there is some way to assure that the money will go to women's and non-revenue sports.
MARCH 4. A Student Senate petition requested that Roderick Timmons' scholarship and membership on the football team be revoked. The petition, addressed to Coach Mike Gottfried and Athletic Director Monte Johnson, asked for the termination because of Timmons' 1984 conviction of sexual battery.
MARCH 7. Senators approved a $2 increase in the amount of student financial help for women's and non-revenue sports, and they attached an amendment saying that in order to get the money, the athletic department had to take away Timmons' scholarship and team membership.
MARCH 7. William Easley, student body president, didn't approve of that idea. And he didn't waste any time telling senators, either. He used his line-item veto to kill the amendment.
MARCH 27. The Senate was not going to say die, though, and tried to override the veto. But to no avail. It fell short of the two-thirds vote needed.
APRIL 3. When the override attempt fell short, the Senate returned to the original fee increase and rescinded it, apparently bringing the entire issue back to square one.
But not so. By the time the Senate had rescinded the bill, it had already been placed on the Regents' agenda. The issue is thus out of the Senate's control.
Now. that's efficiency.
The Senate worked for a month on an issue. Approved it, split it up, vetoed part, rescinded it completely, and now a higher body is picking it up.
But obviously it doesn't really matter what the Senate does — whether it approves, vetoes or kills the bill. Because of the Senate's quibbling, the Regents and Chancellor Gene A. Budig will decide in the long run.
Even more amazingly, the athletic department has already figured the increase into next year's budget. They have a cliche about that — something like "Counting your chickens before they hatch."
It's no wonder that students laugh, no wonder that they don't vote and no wonder that people don't take the Senate seriously when it works so ineffectively. They have another cliche for such a case — something like "Beating your head against a brick wall." The only good thing about it is when you stop.
Dahab's Sudan
After his annual physical check-up and a plea for more financial aid, Sudanese President Jaafar Numeiry left Washington, D.C., Saturday and headed home.
When his flight stopped off in Cairo, Egypt, Numeir learned that his 16-year reign had ended in a bloodless military coun led by Gen. Abdul-Rahman Suwar Dahab.
Numeiry sought political asylum in Cairo, while thousands celebrated wildly in the streets of Khartoum, Sudan's capitol.
Numeire was a fairly popular leader and Western ally for most of his tenure, but all that changed when he imposed strict Islamic "Sharia" law over all Sudan in September 1983. Under Sharia, more than 50 petty thieves had their right hands amputated in 18 months, and hundreds of others were publicly flogged for such violations as possession of alcohol.
Numeiry's ill-conceived transition to Islamic banking, which charges no interest, and the business and taxation schemes he began ruined Sudan's already troubled economy.
As commander in-chief, Dahab inherits rebel war in the non-Muslim southern third of the country, a $5 billion foreign deficit, widespread corruption, a crippling 2-year-old drought and more than a million refugees from Ethiopia, Chad, Uganda and Zaire.
Sudan is the largest nation in Africa and receives more U.S. aid than any other African country, except Egypt. The aid is given in part because Sudan is a sanctuary for refugees, but also because the United States is interested in maintaining a Western stronghold in an oil-rich area.
U. S. leaders were justifiably concerned by the power change. But the coup was not anti-United States, just anti-Numeirey. Dahab has already met with U.S. officials, and the United States has agreed to continue providing aid.
Dahab has said that he will relinquish military rule to "some sort of civilian parliamentary democracy" within six months. His most important task now is to end the rebel fighting in the south.
To quell the rebellion, however, Dahab must repeal the harsh Islamic law. Although most of the rebels practice primitive animism, they don't use amputation as a crime deterrent.
It is hoped that Dahab can quell the rebellion and make Sudan a stronger nation and, naturally, a stronger ally.
It has been all over the papers the last few weeks — how General Dynamics Corp. and other defense contractors are under Congressional scrutiny for all kinds of complaints and questionable bills.
A simpler, more immediate solution
tors are going to see across the table from them a steadily increasing level of experience and confidence. The process a lot more effective."
There is little question that the military was, in fact, paying more than $2.500 for a pair of pliers from
Certainly this is a step in the right direction. People who negotiate worth of defense contracts should have the best training they can get.
Harvard Business School, it has become obvious that some of the most 'respectable' executives of some of our 'greatest' corporations are ripping off American taxpayers.
"In the event of war, the new profiteers would be endangering those taxiers' children because even the United States is not rich
DOUG FARAH
"This is the most far-reaching policy reform in 100 years," Lehman. "In the future, contract
Staff Columnist
Boeing Company that cost about $8 at regular hardware stores. Or that the U.S. taxpayer paid $600 for 20 toilet seats.
These abuses have been brought to light, and the proper people have expressed the proper outrage that such things happened. But the real question remains: What is being done about the problem?
Secretary of the Navy John Lehman hit on a new scheme to keep doors closed if he's going to start sending future admirals to business school.
But there is a simpler, more immediate solution. And that is to treat contractors who cheat the company with other thieves — put them in jail.
As one commentator said recently, "Without putting too fine a point on it, as they would do at
enough to properly equip soldiers and sailors at these prices."
All-out war has been declared against those famous welfare cheaters who buy an orange with food stamps, get the change in cash and then spend it on vodka. Meanwhile, well-educated,
trusted executives have been raiding the cookie jar.
The Senate currently is investigating General Dynamics to see if the company kept two sets of submarines, but it overruns on a fleet of submarines.
Not only are we paying an additional $1 billion dollars in cold cash, but delivery of the sub-units is about four years behind schedule.
The sad thing is that most of those responsible for the problems never will pay the price for their greed and/or incompetence. They are surrounded around and noises made, but soon things will be back to normal.
It would be wise to remember these events as President Reagan and others plead for a massive amount of money into the Pentagon.
Obviously procurement procedures need to be tightened before the military can make any claim billions effectively and efficiently.
But it is not primarily a management problem. These acts of charging outrageous sums are unusual and should be treated as such.
And when they occur, we should insist that the Pentagon not only call in newly trained MBAs but the cops as well.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Black is beautiful
To the editor:
We, the men of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. wish to say that the men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. showed extremely poor taste and ugly ignorance on the night of April 4 at their annual "Dog Show."
For quite some time the black greeks at the University of Kansas have despised both the practice of and concepts behind this activity which publicly degrades people. The night of April 4, you went too far. You allowed and encouraged — through your heckling, laughter and general assistance — your pledges to say something about much of all, untrue things about past Black Panhellenic President Janine Kaye Woods. Through your vicious comments, you caused personal anguish to both her and her family.
But you did not stop with Jannie, you went on to insult three other people in the Dog Show, which drew a crowd of more than 150 people.
The time has come to stop the practice of Dog Shows at the University. Kappa Alpha Psi, so there is no excuse for publicly degrading anyone from any walk of life, especially our black women who are the mothers of our race. Our women were sexually, verbally and physically abused by white slave owners down through the years, and now some men feel it necessary to continue this ugly behavior. We tell you today that there is something wrong with a man who feels it necessary to degrade a woman in order to upgrade himself.
This is a letter condemning ignorance and celebrating beauty — the beauty of all black women from every corner of the universe. We love her. We love you. We proud to be your soul mates. We are humbled at the strength of your
We have one more request of you.
We ask that you continue to remain
standing tall and that you continue to
respect yourselves and know that
your beauty is untouched and unmatched by any.
Finally, black women, know that the behavior of the men of the Mu chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. is not reflective of the manner in which the masses of black men treat their women.
Kappas of the Mu chapter, "the truth is the light, so let it set your free," or in other words, when you know that you are wrong, a be a man and admit it. And realize that the whole does equal the sum of its parts, so when your fraternity promotes, you can also be a member pledges in having a Dog Show, the whole fraternity is actually participating in that activity. Mu chapter, why do you continue an activity that your own national office condemns?
spirit, which has been the backbone of the U.S. and stems from the great palaces of Africa where you once walked as queens. Even though you are far removed from your motherland, the world has laid heavy loads on your backs and told you to stand up anyway.
To Woods and all the black women in the world who have suffered degradation, be it public or otherwise: Stand tall, be proud and know that on this day the black men who set down to collectively write this letter, and all the black men in the world whose ideas reflect the same values and joyfully join hands with you to reaffirm, re-establish, re-dedicate and re state our commitment to you.
Soul mate to soulmate, we love you.
Members of Phi Beta Sigma Omega Psi Phi and Alpha Phi Alpha
EDITOR'S NOTE: Janine Kaye Woods, member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., also contributed to this letter.
To the editor:
Milking senators
In February, the Kansas House introduced a bill to bill to milk the official state drink of Kansas. Milk, the official drink of Kansas? We pay our legislators and state bureaucracy for wasting time in such useless rabble? The value of such a resolution is completely unclear.
Yes, the state of Kansas does already have a state bird, a state flower, a state tree. We all had to memorize them in kindergarten. Will youngsters have to add milk to their lists? The Summer Olympics ended up with so many official products, it became a pokie game. This could really help businesses, official industries, and in general, state promotion of special interests. Is Kansas on the way to an official deodorant and toothbrush?
Naming products "official" may have been a good way for the Summer Olympics to drum up cash, but the state of Kansas has nothing to gain in advertising for free. It is advertising, and dairy producers are the only ones who may benefit from such efforts.
Liquor opponents have jumped on the milk bandwagon, apparently attempting to make a travesty of serious liquor legislation. They back this bill to reassure the "wholesome" image of Kansas. All Kansans, including many of us certainly all of them don't drink milk. It's a free country, right?
sunflowers, cottonwoods, meadowlarks and the other state symbols are indigenous to the state. Milk i cattle, are not. If any drink deserves the title "official," it should be Kansas, Kansas, and we all have it in common.
The State Legislature and the tremendous bureaucracy that goes with it costs too much for lawmakers to paddle their time in such unimportant issues. This is not what we pay them to do.
Robert Hrenchir
Berryton freshman
To the editor:
Why do so many U.S. citizens hate gay people? Has anyone even asked that question? With all the talk about GLSOK and gay rights on the campus, I think there are some things that we need to understand.
True hypocrisy
One thing is: Where do we get our attitudes? This country was founded by Christians seeking religious freedom. These Christian, or Biblical, values are found in our laws and culture, but they don't personally accept Christianity. And it is the Biblical condensation of homosexuality that causes so man-
even non-Christians一一to cry out against gay men and women.
If you are now shaking your head in agreement to my point that homosexuality is a moral perversion and therefore a sin, and that that is what's wrong with it, you do well. If you do agree with my statement, then I guess it's safe to assume that I won't be seeing you in line at the Varsity Theatre at midnight (this Saturday, or that you will be sleeping in bed) but you'll keep your eyes and desires off of the body of someone of the opposite sex because forcification, adultery and just plain lust — you know what I mean — are all lumped into the same category as homosexuality
You say that your heterosexual desires towards one that you are not married to are "natural and uncontrollable." Homosexuals say the same thing. My point is this: The Apotheke Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (Romans 2:1) that to condemn another for doing the same things we do is a condemnation upon ourselves.
A song by a popular rock group says: "Ignorance, prejudice and fear go hand in hand." I say add hypocrisy to the list. You say that you don't agree with the Bible? Fine. It so much better for you to derogate the scripture rather than profane it with hypocrisy. (Romans 2: 23-34)
Paul Hahn
Paul Hahn
Wichita sophomore