4 OPINION Wednesdav, April 28, 1993 U N I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N IN OUR OPINION Farm workers leader Chavez a deserving hero Hero is a word that is used both too frequently and too injudiciously in modern times, but Cesar Chavez was a man who truly earned that title. In the 1960s, Chavez brought the farm labor movement to national attention. He waged an endless battle of protests and boycotts to help improve working conditions for migrant workers. In 1965, farm labor wages in California averaged less than $1.50 an hour.Farm workers had no fringe benefits, no seniority rights and were excluded from federal labor laws. That was the year Chavez founded the United Farm Workers. Unionization brought sharp pay increases, unemployment benefits and improved working conditions. The threat of unionization boosted farm wages throughout California. Chavez is probably best remembered for the boycotts and marches he organized to further his cause. In 1970, he organized a grape boycott that ended when growers signed a contract with the UFW. It was the first real victory for a migrant workers union. Chavez dedicated his life to fighting for the "little guy." He put his life on the line by undertaking fasts in 1968 and 1972. His 36-day, water-only fast in 1988 left him with lasting kidney damage. Although membership in the UFW had declined steadily since its founding, Chavez stayed with his cause. He died while waiting to testify in a lawsuit brought against the UFW by a farm company. In the words of Robert F. Kennedy, Chavez was "one of the heroic figures of our time." He will be missed. CHRIS MOESER FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD Fans need to recognize softball, baseball teams Heading into possible postseason competition, the spotlight is shining bright on the KU softball and baseball teams. Hard work and solid plav The softball team, coached by Kalum Haack, is 26-12 and ranked 13th in the nation. The Jayhawks are looking for their second straight berth in the College World Series, while also trying to take the Big Eight title from Oklahoma State, which won it last year. The Jayhawk baseball squad, led by Coach Dave Bingham, is experiencing unprecedented success. The team has shot to 16th in the nation with a 33-10 record, 14-6 in the Big Eight. They have led the conference for most of this season after going 8-16 in the Big Eight last year. They are presently second in the conference. Most importantly, the team is closing in on a chance to play in their first NCAA regional tournament in the 115-year history of the team. The last time the Jayhawks finished first in the Big Eight was in 1949, and the last time they made the conference tournament was in 1982. What both Jayhawk teams need most of all is support from fans as the regular season closes. Both squads have home series coming up. The softball team plays University of Missouri-Kansas City tomorrow. The baseball team plays Kansas State at 3 p.m. today. The work each of these teams has put in is obvious. They are just two more examples of athletic excellence at KU.And one great way to help them get to the national tournaments is by attending home games and giving them all the support you can. CHRIS RONAN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD Getting a simple request filled can be tough to do I the most frustrating part of this job is being unable to do something for a troubled soul who has a problem and cries out to a newspaper for help. The harsh fact of life is that there are some problems for which there are no easy solutions. And the most we can do is offer comforting words. And I felt this frustration in reading a poignant letter sent to me by Susan Watkins of Chicago's Morgan Park neighborhood. I hope I don't ruin your day with this tale of woe. But her story should be shared because it could happen to others. I wanted a two-layer cake with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting and 'Happy Birthday' written on top. "Yesterday morning, I called bakeries all overmy area with my request, and I might as well have asked for Moose-Antler torte with New Zealand killer honey bee glaze. "Today was my birthday," she wrote, "and I had my heart set on a carrot cake. "Two of the bakeries didn't make carrot cakes. One bakery would make me one, but it would have to be without cream cheese frosting. Another would make me a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting but only single layer instead of double. And yet another agreed to make a two-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting but refused to decorate it. I finally found a bakery that had two-layer cream cheese frosted carrot cake that could be decorated. But the cake came frozen and wasn't prepared on the premises. COLUMNIST "I finally gave up and settled for a two-layer banana cake with banana filling and butter cream frosting, which included a nice little birthday message. "The last place I called would make my order exactly as specified but needed more than one day to do it!" can you guess what I believe me, Susan. I feel for you. As President I feel during his pamphlet "I feel your pain, I share your pain." Or was that Ross Perot who said it? Or maybe my family doctor? I know it wasn't George Bush because he would have said: "Pain thing, Feel it, Share it. An ouchie." "But when I blew out the candles, can you guess what I wished for?" But I don't know what this nation is coming to when a person can't get one-day service on a two-layer carrot cake with cream-cheese frosting and Happy Birthday written on top. I called two bakeries and asked them about it. One said: "I have no comment." They learn that from watching TV. As my mother used to ruefully say: "Bakers — they'll break your heart." Then I called one of my sisters, who And the other said: "Look, I got something in the oven 'glye." makes the greatest carrot cake anyone ever gored on. And she said: "If the ninny who wanted a carrot cake, why didn't she make her own carrot cake? Any idiot can make that kind of carrot cake." I can identify with Susan because I go through the same thing every year on my birthday. As my mother said: "Your sisters — they'll break your heart." My wife always orders a birthday cake that has some kind of gloop on it. She does this even though she knows I hate gloop. I have always hated gloop. I wouldn't be at all surprised if my last whispered words, as the loved ones gathered around and fight about my valuables, will be "Fight gloop." As my mother said: "Glop — it will break your heart." But there is hope, Susan. I am going to bring this problem to the attention of the White House. And now that we have a strong, forceful, determined, socially-aware leader in the White House — with a supportive husband at her side — we might very well see legislation requiring bakeries to make two-layer carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting and Hanover Birthday on top. Or at the very least, a federally funded program to study the problem of insensitivity among bakers. Until then, have you thought about Twinkies? You mush about 20 of them together, put a candle on top and you might never recover from the thrill. As my mother used to say: "Columnists — they'll break your heart." Mike Royko is a syndicated columnist with the Chicago Tribune. INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE have been a dreadful error of judgment that will certainly haunt Clinton for months to come. The FBI apparently reasoned that instead of allowing relatives to talk to cut members, by using tanks to run holes in buildings and fire tear gas inside, they would surrender peacefully. For all indications are that it may The tragic outcome of the Waco siege leaves massive question marks over how the Clinton administration and FBI handled it. Surely this was naive optimism? Certainly U.S. authorities seem to have badly misjudged cult leader David Koresh by failing to predict Waco handling queries method of FBI, Clinton administration that stepped-up pressure could trigger mass suicide. Clearly Congress must now deeply probe the motives behind the police assault, if only to exonerate the Clinton administration. Otherwise the inferno could create a damaging image of bumbling and failure in the U.S. public's mind. Gulf Dally News Manama, Bahrain STAFF COLUMNIST STEVE CHAPMAN Capitalism must address issues in the environment STAFF COLUMNIST Our present state of blissful addiction seems to follow this path: Many environmental problems can be traced to the traditionally unfettered free markets in natural resources. We, historically, have assumed that our natural resources are limitless, and therefore valueless until we exploit and add value to them. But to continue to believe in the Earth's ability to support our every wish requires mass denial on a scale that gives American society a great deal in common with a raging alcoholic. This the golden age of humanity, with more people living better than everbefore in history. Our capitalistic system gives us this glorious way of life, and I am always surprised when people dwell on capitalism's nequities to the total exclusion of its benefits. But I'm equally dismayed by people who worship at the alter of unfettered free markets, as if some deity has proclaimed that capitalism is without blemish. 1) Democracy and capitalism gave most of us the ability to acquire more goods through hard work, and thereby improve our quality of life. The earth was clearly a limitless resource for a low-tech population numbering in the millions. 2) The availability and pursuit of more goods eventually led to a widespread societal norm calls for us to fill our lives with an insatiable striving, and confining ourselves almost entirely to developed, constructed and altered surroundings. and are desired to preserve their population ballooned, the pursuit of a better life acquired a dark side full of life-damaging consequences, such as pollution, massive species extinctions, destruction of the climate balance, and ozone depletion. 4) We now must use massive denial as a strategy to pretend that the Earth is as limitless to 4 billion people as it was to 40 million. Meanwhile, our consumption level rises each year, simply to get the same high we once achieved through smaller doses. (5) Political and media personalities serve as enablers of our self-deception. They provide credible and soothing reassurance that unsustainable habits are really OK, or even beneficial, and that warnings from the overwhelming majority of scientists are unfounded, speculative, or self-serving. 6) Just like a raging alcoholic, we blame others for problems of our own making. We blame Brazilians for destroying rain forests while we support the World Bank's funding of roads to facilitate the burning. We blame the bearers of bad environmental news, suspecting them of having hidden agendas for communism or spiritualism. How economically massive must our environmental disasters get before we accept this reality? Will it take global climate change affecting world food production to finally peel away the last few layers of our denial? Or will we simply send billions of pieces of tinfoll into orbit to counteract global warming, and pretend we know what we're doing until the next inevitable crisis hits? Steve Chapman is an Overland Park senior majoring in ecology and systemics. KANSAN STAFF GREG FARMER Editor GAYLE OSTERBERG Manager editing TOM ELBEN General manager, news adviser BILL SKEET, Technology coordinator Editors Asst. Managing News Moudique Galien David Mitchell Editorial Campus Sports Features Graphics Rita Assistant Editors Assoc. Editorial Assoc. Campus Asst. Campus Assoc. Sports Assoc. Photo Reporters Vicki Bode Jess Dehaven Matt Doyle Ben Barry Will Lewis Mark Knapp Moeliquet Gaitan David Mitchell Stephen Martino KC Trauer David Mitchell Mark Rowlande Lyme McAdoo Dan Schmidt Tiffany Laisha Hurt Chris Moseier Joe Harder Christine Lane Stacy Moftell David Bartkooki Daron Bonnett Mark Button David Derayen Dan England Mark Rafter Frank McCleary Terrilyn McCormick...Brady Prauer Jim Reeon...Brent Migr Todd Selletter...Blake Spuney Jay Williams...Ezra Wolfe Scott Anderson...Copy Chiefs Heather Anderson...Shelly Solon J.R. 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