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University Daily Kansan / Thursday, February 27, 1992
OPINION
Acts of violence prove need to re-evaluate aid
"And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them." — Revelation 9:6
Sometimes I think idiocy is contagious. Like a particularly virulent strain of syphilis, it spreads from victim to victim through repeated contact. During last week, Israel and Lebanon have exchanged a series of vicious and meaningless attacks that each side claims as "revenge." Beginning with the Israeli assassination of Sheik Abbas Musawi, the head of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah party, his wife and his 5-year-old son, Shite Muslim guerrillas and Islamic forces have murdered and maimed each other for reasons that a kindergarten teacher would not tolerate among a group of 4-year-old children.
OK. So what? The United States cannot answer for Lebanon and the Hezbollah party, but Israel is our ally. We provide them with money — lots of it. Secretary of State James Baker did give the Israeli government a taste of the whip this week by announcing that Israel will have to choose between a $10 million loan and building Jewish settlements in the West Bank area. But more needs to be done. Whip them until they realize that they cannot get
Kevin Bartels
Staff columnist
away with that sort of behavior.
But the irony is, of course, that you can. The Israeli government lately has acted like a group of hired thugs with the assassination of Musawi. Consider the results that thus far have been generated by the Israeli government's "revenge" killing: a virtual war with Lebanon, Innocents, on both sides, died. Consider the statement by Israel Defense Minister Moshe Arena that the Islamic State was "entirely coincidental." And finally, consider that Israel killed two more children in a series of raids on the Palestinian refugee camps. Does the United States really need allies such as the Israelis? Hmm.
Not that the Hezbollah party is exactly peaceful either. The spiritual leader for the fundamentalist Hezbollah, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadallah said the attacks on Israel were
steering Lebanon in "the right direction." If anything, the difficulty of mediating the Middle East peace talks becomes more and more apparent. How can anyone talk to such people?
Perhaps we, the United States,
could provide an, er, incentive to one
or both sides. Halt all aid to Israel.
And, for God's sake, do not sell military
equipment to Iran. Oh - you
didn't know about that? Yep. Another
bright idea from our friends at the
Pentagon. Shall we send them
hostages as well? As a complimentary
service for every thousand bombs
ordered?
I just remembered that operation Desert Storm was only a year ago. Funny how you forget. Then, Saddam Today, Israel and Lebanon. If we stopped the war between the Hezbollah and Israel now, perhaps the U.S. armed forces can stay home for a while. Because operation Desert Storm II doesn't work, at least for me. Although it might get George Bush elected. Which is another reason to work for peace. Besides, I really hate those damn sequels.
- Kevin Bartels is a Louisville, Ky. graduate student majoring in English.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports are not state business
Legislature shouldn't oversee volunteer organizations; NCAA
must start policing itself
The Kansas Legislature is not eligible to officiate the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA is a voluntary, private organization. Its members, not Kansas legislators, make the rules. And that's the way it should be.
If Wint Winter's bill passed, the legislators would assume authority. Winter, a Republican state senator from Lawrence and a former Kansas football player, wants to mandate due process for the NCAA. And he wants to end the organization's practice of punishing an entire program for violations committed by an individual or a small group of individuals.
Bob Frederick, KU athletic director, has said it would be wrong for the Legislature to control the affairs of a volunteer organization. That is why the NCAA, including the University of Kansas and the five other
Kansas schools that are members, opposes the bill.
Winter addresses problems for which the NCAA is notorious. The NCAA's record in punishing members smacks of double standards and violations of due process. KU was one of the victims when the NCAA banned the 1988-89 Kansas basketball team from defending its national title. But Winter looks the wrong way for remedies.
The remedies cannot be imposed by the Legislature. The members of the NCAA will neither accept nor enforce them. They must come from the members of the NCAA themselves. And they should come soon. If they don't, proposals such as Winter's will gain more and more support and eventually approval.
Winter deserves credit for putting the NCAA on the spot. But his proposal is out of bounds. The Legislature should not intrude into college athletics. Our representatives should acknowledge that and reject Winter's bill.
Environment needs attention
Alexander Bloemhof for the editorial board
Voters harm themselves when they allow presidential candidates to ignore pollution
Mexico City's plan to construct 100 gigantic fans to blow smog out of the valley sounds like something out of George Orwell's 1984.
Mexico City looked for the quick fix and opted to make its pollution someone else's problem.
Mexico's inability to rectify a critical situation should leave U.S. voters wondering: How much more does the environment have to deteriorate before its protection merits attention? Seeingly, environmental woes just are not woeful enough for voters to start communicating with votes.
In more idealistic days, President Bush said, "Those who worry about the greenhouse effect are forgetting the White House effect." Nice. Yet Bush has failed to commit to any type of environmental policy.
Bush is not alone in the disregard for the environment.
The other major presidential candidates' positions on environmental policy remain foggy. The candidates probably are better off not to mention the word environment. Voters are not expecting a platform that includes environmental policy.
Some argue that it is hard for people to care about what they cannot see or touch.
But what can be seen should cause alarm: hospital waste floating back to shore, test results that indicate high levels of toxins in drinking water, barges searching for a permanent home for piles of garbage.
But if those sites are not scary enough, voters could wait. They could wait until the Mexico fan plan or any other similarly absurd idea is implemented. Voters could wait, and hope, that the United States can build bigger fans when the time comes and neglect the environment for a while longer.
Tiffany Harness for the editorial board
Abortion is not a right
I am writing this letter in response to Nathan Olson's letter in the Feb. 20 Kansan.. While I acknowledge that certain rights should never be taken away from any person, male or female (such as the right to free speech that Mr. Olson and I have used in our letters), I must point out that when discussing the issue of abortion there are at least two lives involved, and the rights of both must be considered.
I do not wish to remove anyone's rights, I merely wish to protect the rights of the unborn person who is being sacrificed for whatever reason may exist. Mr. Olson states that one should not force one's opinion on others. I ask him to consider this: Is not the unborn child entitled to an opinion?
Mr. Olson also points out that we currently live in a free country, one that he wishes to retain as I do. However, I must point out to him that this "free" country he professes to believe in does have laws against the use of illegal drugs, the use of alcohol by minors, driving a car before a certain age, etc. How about a person's right to practice human sacrifice if his or her religion requires it?
Would anyone who is in favor of abortion rights be willing to support a loved one's right to become a heroin addict? Or would such a person be willing to allow the ceremonial slay
ing of teen-age girls to appease the volcano god?
Think about it.
Lawrence graduate student
Lettersto the editor
ASK anything but idle
As an active member in the Associated Students of Kansas for two years, and having been involved in Student Senate, I feel the editorial written by Chris Moeser needs some clarification.
Also last semester, ASK went to the Legislative Assembly, where we spoke on such issues as the state's self-insurance policy, in direct
ASK had some problems last semester, as anyone involved in the organization will admit. The campus director did not live up to his responsibilities, and because the Legislature was not in session the state issues director was "silent" as Mr. Moeser put it. This is not to say that ASK was sitting idle. The director for state issues, Joe Cinali, went on weekly trips with among others, the chancellor, the executive vice chancellor, the head of governmental relations and the head of the Adams Alumni Center. These trips were to various districts of Kansas to speak with alumni, state representatives and state senators on issues pertaining to the University of Kansas.
response to the Hoch Auditorium disaster. We also spoke about graduate teaching assistant fee waivers, tuition increase and other topics. This assembly was very instrumental in the Hoch situation, because had KU not been there, the subject of self-insurance would not have become an ASK priority.
Mr. Moeser also stated that the campus director's responsibility was to create an Advisory Board. Even though last semester's director was ineffective, an Advisory Board was created and does still exist. 'True, the board has not met yet, but I am sure this will be remedied soon.'
This semester, the old campus director resigned and a new one, John Schwartz, was hired. In the time Mr. Schwartz and Mr. Ciniella have been working together, they have organized a very successful Lobby Day and are currently working a phone bank and a letter drive.
ASK has been a very creditable organization for over 10 years and has worked to bring many great benefits to KU. This year will be no exception. The problems that have plagued the organization are solved, and within two weeks from the time they were solved you saw a very successful Lobby Day. ASK has traditionally been a stronger voice in the second semester, and this year will be no exception. The Legislature already knows we're here, and if you are in doubt, sit tight for a few weeks and keep your
eyes and ears open. You will see, hear, and feel our efforts.
Kurt Broeckelmann
Braemann
Kurt Buckelmann
ASK Advisory Board member
Gulf war was over oil
All right, enough is enough. Having plowed through the umpteenth reply to David Caruso's column, I think it's high time that all of you warmongers out there give it a rest and stop using twisted philosophies and Americanisms to justify the murder of 100,000 Iraqi men, women and children.
So what if Saddam Hussein invaded and raided Kuwait? Are you ignorant enough to believe the administrative line that we were dutifully removing the yoke of tyranny from those poor, ravaged Kuwaiits? Educate yourself. Kuwait is not a democracy. Kuwaiit women do not have the right to vote. The Kuwaiit government practices political imprisonment and torture (For example, after the war, a Kuwaiit man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for wearing a Saddam Hussein T-shirt). Does that sound like your America?
We bombed Iraq because we are addicted to Mideast oil and because foreign wars tend to dilute our own oil.
Go to the store and buy a clue — George Bush
is a mass murderer. The only thing that scares me more than the ignorance that prompted you to support "nipping the next Hitler in the bud" is the idea that you will probably vote for the real Hitler in '92.
■ Neil Tauzin
Lafayette, La., senior
Defective 'genes'
What kinds of editorial decisions allow the publication of a column like Kate Kelley's offensive essay titled "Humor originates in genes?" Besides the inane title (and its silly implications), is it now editorial policy to allow a staff columnist to poke fun at someone's looks? If the kid who brought Kelley and her bigoted relatives so much amusement had been an African American or an epileptic or a fat, bald guy or even a "dumb [blond] thing" from Leavenworth County, would you allow such a column in the Kansan? I know of no evidence for a genetic contribution to human humor, but there are some genetic implications to human intelligence. Kelley might consider getting her genes checked for deficiencies. Failing this, certainly a little cultural therapy would be beneficial, along with some sensitivity training.
David Payer professor of anthropology
KANSAN STAFF
TIFFANY HARNESS Editor
VANESSA FUHRMANS Managing editor
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Loco Locals
by Tom Michaud