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University Daily Kansan / Monday. April 27,1992
OPINION
LIFE IN HELL
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MA++
GROENING
Psychotic serial killers deserve death penalty
The execution of murderer Robert Alton Harris last week rekindled the capital punishment controversy. Harris paid the ultimate price for killing two California teen-agers - 14 years after the fact. Indeed, the cost and time it takes to execute a prisoner are two of the biggest arguments against the death penalty.
Not that the actual act of execution is costly, but the appeals process is ridiculously long and drawn out. Harris received four stays of execution before the S.J. Supreme Court on the 8th S.I.C Circuit Court of Appeals to desist.
Thus, on Tuesday, California became the 20th state to resume capital punishment since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that states had that option. Harris became the 169th person put to death since 1976. Still, capital punishment remains illegal in 14 states, including Kansas.
Former Gov. Mike Hayden promised Kansans he would reimplement capital punishment. But he promised a lot of things. In 1990, when Richard Grissom was found guilty of murdering three Johnson County inmates in concert in Kansas gave capital punishment serious consideration.
The families of those women can take comfort in the fact that Grissom MIGHT spend life in prison. He is appealing his case.
Too often, our society codbles its criminals.
Unfortunately, people in our judicial system think insanity is an excuse for violating the law. Thus, the solution is psychiatric care — not punishment or incarceration. Someone who kills an old woman to steal her purse is
David Mitchell Staff columnist
a criminal and should be sentenced to prison. But someone who kills six old women to have sex with their corpse is insane and sentenced to counseling.
But no amount of counseling can bring back the women and girls serial killer Bundy Bundy dismembered. Bundy is one of the best arguments for the death penalty. Even now, more than a decade after his multi-state killing spree, his death count is uncertain. Many of the women connected with Bundy have never been found. During questioning following Bundy's final capture — he escaped from authorities more than once — a police officer asked Bundy whether he had killed as many as 10 women. Bundy said he wasn't sure of the total, but if the officer added another zero, that would be close.
It is true that capital punishment is costly and takes innumerable manhours to prosecute. But then again, so does keeping men like Charles Manson in prison for decades. I cannot dispute that the courts already are backed up. I canonly say that granting four stays of execution is preposterous. By the time Harris was executed, his adolescent victims would have
One of Bundy's last victims was a 12-year-old girl. Like the rest of the victims, she was raped, beaten and left to die. She is infamous perrorism haemage rampage.
been 30 years old.
And before people get on their soap box and preach the value of human life and the injustice of an eye for an eye, they should remember the actions of men like Bundy, Harris, Robert Berdella and Jeffrey Dahmer. Unfortunately, the list of psychotic serial killers is too long to list, but I think the point is clear.
It is true that human life is priceless.
But as long as people like Manson stay alive, they are a threat to it.
Bundy escaped from jail.
Manson is eligible for parole every third year.
Grissom is appealing his case.
Call me a hypocrite. But because human life is so valuable, capital punishment is necessary. Seldom a year goes by without some disgruntled worker snapping and carrying a shotgun into McDonalds, Luby's, the post office, etc.
When considering the pros and cons, people should put themselves into the victims' families' shoes. What if the 12-year-old girl Bunny kidnapped had been your daughter or sister? What if it had been a KU sorority that Bundy rampaged, beating and raping women with a bed post?
The simple fact is that no amount of counseling will help someone as demented as Dahmer. And serving a client will never make up for the lives he took.
I hope the next time someone like Hinckley tries to kill the president, he's not smart enough to do it in Kansas.
David Mitchell is a DeSoto senior majoring in journalism.
THE UNIVERSITYDAILY KANSAN
Nice start,but what's next?
Hands Across Campus was good idea,but fight against racism should intensify
Thirty minutes of protest against racism, acknowledged through the joining of Hands Across Campus , was great. But racism should demand more attention from everyone. Understanding diversity and learning to love one another is a lifetime process.
The KU campus experiences separatism among races. People of different nationalities, whether consciously or unconsciously, tend to shy away from interaction with people who do not share their skin color, language or background.
Inresidence hall cafeterias alone, there are obvious areas of segregation. Templin Hall, for example, serves students from Templin and Lewis. Students from Hashinger Hall and Jayhawker Towers frequent Templin, and students from other residence halls sometimes join them. African Americans, Asians, Chinese, Europeans, Hispanics and whites all sit in close-knit groups. Some stray to other groups, but their numbers are few. There is limited interaction.
Fraternities and sororites are not racially well-integrated. Most of the time, if a student's parents were not members of a greek
organization, there is no reference from someone who is a member. Furthermore, if you do not fit into a certain scheme of things, you will not be admitted to the ranks of the greeks.
If students who belong to one race are admitted to a Greek organizations made up of students who belong to another race, those students are shunned by members of their same race and they are criticized.
Few people are willing to make it known that they think there is something peculiar about the way most people interact.
Most of the problems stem from the closed-mindedness of students who come from backgrounds where there is more of one race than any other and where there is overt racism. There is a cornucopia of races, but many students don't learn to communicate with people from different ethnic and social backgrounds.
Students should not be content with the segregation at KU. They should reach for the courage to assert that there is the problem of racism on campus.
Until representatives of all races take a stand against the segregation of ideas and cultures, this campus will continue to perpetuate ignorance.
Earth Day message resonates
Frank Williams for the editorial board
The City Commission's plans for recycling of lawn clippings deserves the support of citizens
Earth Day is past, but its message of environmental awareness should not be. The Lawrence City Commission recently made a commendable move to help keep that awareness alive.
The commission took an environmental step forward when it approved a recommendation from a recycling report by Bob Yoos, superintendent of solid wastes. The action will allow for the separate collection of lawn clippings and residential trash. This was much needed because clippings add 8,800 tons of trash to the Lawrence landfill. It is the responsibility of the commission and residents to make this plan work.
Although trash will be collected only once a week, residents should focus more on the benefits than the inconvenience. By separating the clippings, not only will the life of the landfill be extended, but compost and mulch also will be produced. And the cost for trash collection will not increase...
The commission should now take another step to help make Lawrence a more environmentally aware and active city. The commission should approve the other recommendations made by the report. The report recommended to expand the current newspaper collection system; to attempt collecting cardboard boxes from businesses; to increase promotion of private-community recycling initiatives and explore opportunities for establishing a public-private cooperative facility where recycling materials can be processed for other markets.
It is important that residents have adequate means to recycle. It is the only way to have effective and mass recycling. But while these recommendations are being reviewed, residents should use the current methods of recycling. They also should inform the commission of the need for effective forms of recycling.
Recycling should not be thought of as a time-consuming burden. It should be a way of life that benefits everyone. The more people become involved, the easier it will be.
Amy Francis for the editorial board
Lettersto the editor
Phelps is misguided
I was saddened when I saw the article, "Anti-homosexual group protests at KU student's funeral," in the April 23 Kansan. One of the things that especially got me was the banner quoted as saving, "God Hates Fags."
I don't think that is true at all. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a Christian and I understand that God is uncompromising about homosexuality being a sin. But note that Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners. Christ died for us."
I do not know Mr. Phelips, nor the person who held that sign, and do not want to accuse them of anything, but that sign disturbs me in that I think it stems from something more akin to
the hate-homosexual graffiti one finds on restroom stalls than to Biblical teaching. If their motives are indeed pure, then I apologize for the insinuation, and would instead urge them to reconsider their actions in light of their pure motives.
One thing that strikes me about almost all the hate-homosexual graffiti is how it glorifies heterosexual immorality. Do you not know, that in the very same passages that God speaks against homosexuality, are adultery, premarital sex, and even lying, cheating, and gossip? This means that every one who comes to the Bible. Even the "moral" people are without excuse, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
Not at all, for as I pointed out earlier,
God demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us, and that is
the solution.
Christ showed us the balance. When they brought an adulteress to him, he said, "He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone. When he got up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sho no more." He was uncompromising about sin, but yet loving toward the man.
So does this mean God hates us all?
Ian Chai
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia graduate student
KANSANSTAFF
TIFFANYHARNESS Editor
VANESSA FUHRMANS Managing editor
TOM EBLEN General manager,news adviser
Editors
News  Mike Andrews
Editorial  Beth Randolph
Planning  Lara Gold
Campus  Eric Gorski/Rochelle Oleson
Sports  Eric Nelson
Photo  Julie Jacobson
Features  Debbie Myers
Graphics  Aimee Brainard/J Jeff Meesey
JENNIFER CLAXTON Business manager
JAYSTEINER Retail sales manager
JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser
Business Staff
Campus sales mgr .Bill Leibertenberg
Regional sales mgr .Richa Burgerburger
National sales mgr .Scott Hauna
Co-op sales mgr .Anne Johnson
Production mgrs .Kim Wallace
Marketing director .Kim Claxton
Marketing manager .Leanna Classified mgr .Kip Chin
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Stick
by David Rosenfield