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Thursday, August 26, 1993
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE
Michigan recently enacted a new law forbidding doctors from performing assisted suicides.
THE BACKGROUND
Jack Kevorkian, Michigan physician, was indicted Aug. 17 on a charge of murder for his Aug. 4 performance of an assisted suicide.
THE OPINION
Personal freedom falls victim to Michigan law
The new Michigan law which prohibits assisted suicides needs to be overturned immediately to restore to Michigan constituents the personal freedom they should be guaranteed by the Constitution.
The law concerning assisted suicides should be similar to other laws concerning violations of individual freedom, such as theft. If an individual gives consent to another person to take possession of an object, it is not theft.
Likewise, if a person asks the doctor, while sound of mind and intent, to take his life, it is not murder; it is the pursuit of a higher quality of life.
To enact a law allowing assisted suicides, the federal government would need to regulate the methods, counseling and waiting period necessary for each assisted suicide.
The federal government needs to overturn the Michigan law and allow doctors to continue their original mission of maintaining a higher quality of life, not simply maintaining life.
DAVE BURGETT FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Brighter lights provide KU a safer atmosphere
"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" Romeo was referring to Juliet, but students who will walk on the University of Kansas campus at night may ask the same question this semester. Thanks to a $2 increase in student fees and matching funds from the repair and rehabilitation fund, KU can now boast more than 100 taller and brighter streetlamps. Kudos go out to the administration and facilities operations, as well as the student body who together made this possible.
The first phase of this five-year plan to improve campus lighting is going well. Jayhawk Boulevard has better lighting than ever, and plans have been made to improve lighting in other dark areas such as around Watson Library and Marvin Grove. Improved lighting is a main concern of the safety-conscious. Glancing behind shrubbery for a possible assailant is not easy under the veil of darkness.
In an ideal world, there would be no reason to beat back the darkness by such expensive means. Students could walk any path with only the light of the moon and stars bathing the way. Alas, the world is not ideal, and these lights will be well worth the wait and expense even if only one rape or assault is averted.
MICHELLE SMITH FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
TRACY BEDELL, DAVID BURGETT, CHRISTINA CORNISH, CARSON ELROD, TOM GRELINGER, MATT HOOD, MANNY LOPEZ, COLLEEN McCAIN, TERRILYN McCORMICK, MUNEERA NASEER, MATT O'CONNER, KIRR REDMOND, CHRS REEDY, KC TRAUER, BRIAN THOMPSON, MARK SLAMIN, MICHELLE SMITH, MIKE SILVERMAN, EISHA TEIRNEY, DAVID WANEK
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING...
Nerds, math important to future of human race
Summer vacation is almost over, so today Uncle Dave has a special back-to-school "pep talk" for you young people, starting with these heartfelt words of encouragement: HA HA HA YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND UNCLE DAVE DOESN'T NEERER NEERER NEENER NEENER
Seriously, young people, I have some important back to school advice for you, and I can boil it down to four simple words: "Study Your Mathematics."
I say this because of a recent Associated Press story, which stated that three out of every four high-school students left school without an adequate understanding of mathematics. Frankly, I am not surprised. "How, I constantly ask myself, "can we expect today's young people to understand mathematics when so many of them can't even point their baseball caps in the right direction?"
STAFF COLUMNIST
I constantly see young people with the bills of their baseball caps pointed BACKWARDS. This makes no sense, young people! If you examine your cap closely, you will note that it has a piece sticking out of the FRONT, called a "bill." The purpose of the bill is to keep the sun off your face, which, unless your parents did a great many drugs in the '60s (Ask them about it), is located on the FRONT of your head. So to summarize what we learned: "FRONT of cap goes on FRONT of头." Got it, young people? Let's all strive to do better in the coming school year!
But also we need to think about getting those math scores up. A shocking number of you young people are unable to solve basic math problems.
You young people must learn to handle the basic mathematical concepts such as this if you hope to ever become a smug and complacent older person such as myself. I studied math under Mr. Solon, who, in my senior year, attempted to teach us calculus (from the ancient Greek words "calc" meaning the "study of" and "ulus," meaning "something that only Mr. Solon could understand").
But during those brief periods when we were facing Mr. Solon, we received a solid foundation in mathematics, learning many important mathematical concepts that we still use in our professional lives as employees of top U.S. corporations. A good example is the mathematical concept of "9", which we use almost daily to obtain an outside line on our corporation telephones so that we can order Chinese food, place bets, call 1-900-BOSOMS.
Mr. Solon was an excellent teacher, and although the subject matter was dry, he was able to keep the class attention riveted on him from the moment the bell rang until the moment, minutes later, when a large girls' gym class walked past the classroom windows, every single day.
You young people deserve to have
the same advantages, which is why I was so pleased to note in the Associated Press story that some university professors have received a $6 million federal grant to develop new ways to teach math to high school students. The professors know this will be a challenge. One of them is quoted as saying. "There is a mentality in this country that mathematics is something a few nerds out there do and if you don't understand mathematics, it's OK - you don't need it."
This is a bad mentality, young people. There is nothing "nerdy" about mathematics. Contrary to their image as a bunch of out-of-fit, huge-butted Far-Side-professor dweebs who spend all day staring at incomprehensible symbols on a blackboard while piles of dandruff form around their ankles, today's top mathematicians are in fact a group of exciting, dynamic and glamorous individuals who are working to solve some of the most fascinating and challenging problems facing the human race today. ("Let's see, at $2.98 apiece, with a $6 million federal grant, we could buy ... WHOA! THAT'S 2,031,422.82 POCKET PROTECTORS!")
So come on, young people! Get in on the action! Work hard in math this year, and remember this; if some muscle-bound Neanderthal bullies corner you in the bathroom and call you a "nerd," you just look them straight in the eye and say, "Oh, YEAH? Why don't you big jerks. .LET GO! HEY! DON'T PUT MY HEAD IN THE TOI-LET! HEY!" And tell them that goes double for your Uncle Dave.
Dave Barry is a syndicated columnist with the Miami Herald.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Recent violence as method of protest condemned by Pro-Choice supporters
The guerrilla warfare tactics utilized by anti-abortion zealots is reprehensible and should be condemned by all law-abiding citizens. The shooting of Dr. Tiller in Wichita reaffirms our belief that the anti-abortion movement has no respect for personal rights and no longer chooses to obey the law.
their constitutional right to privacy and choice.
We call on Congress and the President of the United States to expedite the enactment of laws that would allow federal protection not only for doctors who perform abortions but also for women who are exercising
While the debate on abortion rights continues, the KU Pro-Choice Coalition believes that discussion and education will lead to answers that will help the majority of the people in America. Violence is no way to solve any problem, no matter where you stand on the issue. The KU Pro-Choice Coalition opposes all acts of vio-
Royal Bombers The KU Pro-Choice Coalition opposes all acts of violence.
Andy Nolan
Stephanie Gabriel
Co-chairs of the KU Pro-Choice Coalition
STAFF COLUMNIST
LANCE HAMBY Presidential promises are doing little for Bosnians
Promises, promises, promises. Mr. Bill has made plenty of these hollow statements since his inaugural day in January, but his "foreign policy lie" concerning the besieged former Republic of Yugoslavia has turned out to be the worst.
Mr. Bill promised American voters and war-ravaged Bosnian Muslims that he would take actions to alleviate the atrocities occurring in this ongoing '90s Holocaust. Since that promise was made, no new action has been taken. Regrettably, Mr. Bill's regarding Bosnia has been complicated further by his constantly changing intended policies for Yugoslavia. Now the militant Serb leader, Milošovic, links U.S. words with inaction, and because of that, future U.S. and United Nations efforts of bargaining through military threats are all but gone. This evident lack of decisiveness led one Bosnian expert, Patrick Glynn, to compare Mr. Bill's befuddled foreign policy to "Carter without the coherence." It is too bad that the stability of Europe is at stake instead of the Panama Canal.
The problem in Bosnia today is rare because it is capable of transcending the political game in the United States. Whether to save little Erma is neither a Republican or a democratic issue. It is simply a humanitarian necessity. Mr. Bill hasn't yet grasped this point. To Mr. Bell, Bosnia is still a fence and he remains content to sit on both sides as long as his constituents continue to show at least a 51-percent approval rating in the latest poll.
This blastant use of politicking becomes even more appalling as one reflects back on the senseless tragedies occurring daily in Bosnia. Young girls lose their virginity daily to prostitution just to pay for scraps of prostitution "Rape camps" are being set up by the Serbs as a means of destroying the Bosnian-Muslim gene pool. "Work camps" terrifyingly similar to Nazi Germany's are already in operation. In some parts of the country, funerals no longer can be attended by loved ones because of Serb shelling. The fortunate residents of Bosnia who are only wounded also face a bleak future because medical care is almost nonexistent due to the scant medical supplies. These atrocities are not just a nightmare to a few Bosnians but instead they are a reality to the masses. Are these brutal injustices not worthy of increased U.S. action?
Mr. Bill, Hitler taught the world a very painful lesson in World War II, and now it seems apparent that Miosevic is determined to teach us all the horrors of genocide once. Or do I mean "ethnic cleansing"? One word may have a better connotation than the other, but the savage elimination of a race of people is still the intended result. With the hourglass almost empty for the Bosnian-Muslim people and winter rapidly approaching, Mr. Bill's inability to act in any way has taken, by default, a deadly tone in Bosnia. It is hard to believe that this is the same Mr. Bill who just last November scathingly criticized the George Bush administration for inaction in Bosnia. It is tragic for Bosnia that Mr. Bill's rhetoric doesn't translate into action.
Lance Hamby is a Wichita junior liberal arts and science major.
KANSAN STAFF
KC TRAUER
Editor
JOE HARDER, CHRISTINE LAUE
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TOM EBLEN
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Ellizabeth Barry ... Copy Editors
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