4 Friday, April 16. 1993 OPINION IVERSITY DAILY KANSAN IN OUR OPINION Republicans were right to fight economic plan The recent Republican filibuster in the Senate was justified. The economic stimulus package that has been proposed by the Clinton Administration and congressional Democrats is not what this country needs. Filled with pork-barrel politics, the package needs much reform before it can be passed on to the president. It should be apparent, after the 1992 election, that people are fed up with government waste, the bloated bureaucracy and ever-increasing deficits. More than 20 million people voted for Ross Perot because he was championing the exact same thing upon which the Republicans are basing their filibuster. There comes a time when we have to expect our representatives to say no to increased spending. Since Clinton ran his campaign promising economic relief and government provided employment, the economy has taken a noted turn for the better. Unemployment is still too high, but economic indicators have consistently suggested that the economy is poised for recovery. Now is not the time to start spending additional tax dollars. Republicans in the Senate have even agreed with some of the ideas that have been proposed, but are seeking tax cuts in less effective programs to balance any increased spending for the items in the stimulus package. This is something that government needs to do more often. It seems as though once a program is enacted by our government, it is there for eternity. The Republicans in the Senate are justified in fighting to change this. JEFF REYNOLDS FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES Closure effective in ending unrest in Gaza, West Bank The incident in Jerusalem The incident in Jerusalem, where a死killed an Arab youth who broke into a car, proves that the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip) can't be a hermetic one... But the relative quiet of the past two weeks, in contrast to the frenzy of terror of the preceding weeks, points nevertheless to the efficiency of the closure. This is especially true while the closure is accompanied by massive actions of the security forces both in Gaza and Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). But above all, the lengthening of the closure has serious political weight. This is the first stage in severing the territories from the body of Israel. Shulamit Aloni and Yossi Sand (of the liberal Meretz Party), who voted against lengthening the closure, did not understand that the government has essentially begun anew dividing the land of Israel. The government decision, not to set a final date for the end of the closure, points to a policy straying from immediate security needs. . . The message is that the branches of the economy that are currently based on cheap Palestinian labor must reorganize for Jewish labor. No-fly zone in Bosnia will not end arms flow Operation Deny Flight, however spectacular it may appear, is unlikely to be effective from a military standpoint. At this moment, an uncontrolled flow of arms, ammunition and oil are arriving in Serbia — primarily along the Danube, but also across the Adriatic — which are indispensable to Milosevic and his army. The embargo will not be effective as long as its enforcement is entrusted to the neighboring countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria, which are obviously incapable of standing up alone against the political, economic and military consequences of a direct confrontation with Serbia. On the other hand, an ineffective embargo fails to unite public opinion, irritates the targeted country and ends up making that country even more aggressive. In sum, half an embargo is worse than no embargo at all. To exert more effective pressure on Serbia, the United Nations must enforce a complete embargo on Serbia by deploying a large number of N. troops along the border of all the neighboring countries. I'Unita' Rome Maarlv Tel Aviv, Israel ANTI-HATE SPEECH MEASURE FAILS TO PASS. Psycho-women-for-sale movies worth millions, but not your time Women either are obsessive to the point of psychosis or are objects to be bought or sold by men. Believe it? Many of us don't, but Hollywood keeps selling us films with ideas like these as their bases. STAFF. COLUMNIST in the women-for-sale genre, we have "Indecent Proposal." The female lead, Demi Moore, isn't actually sold, but is projected for a night, to the price of $1 million. Predecessors to this film include "Honeymoney in Vegas," in which the female lead is loaned to a man for the weekend to cancel out her boyfriend's gambling debt. This film is at least a small step above "Indecent Proposal." In that film the relationship between the woman and her lessor is not sexual. Meanwhile, "Fatal Attraction," with Let's not forget "Pretty Woman," everyone's favorite Cinderella story. Cinderella story? A hooker meets a handsome, really rich guy who buys her, and everything she wants, for the week, and (surprise!) she falls in love with him. Somehow, that story's a little different than the Cinderella that Walt Disney made famous. Glenn Close as a funny-boiling maniac, kicked off the wave of psycho/obsessive-women films. Next was "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle," with Rebecca DMoray as the baby sitter from hell whose obsession with the baby she miscarried leads her to wreak havoc on the family she blames. More recently, Tinsel Town has offered "The Temp," the story of a woman whose obsession with earning her boss' love leads her to murder his competitors, and "The Crush," a campaign on this theme with a teenage psycho. In movies with psycho women, men are the heroes. In "Fatal Attraction," for example, Michael Douglas saves his family from Close, and they all live happily ever after. Never mind that the only reason he had to save them was that he'd had an affair with a woman whom he dumped when he tired of her, and she got mad. But in movies where men are psychos, men are still the heroes. In "Unlawful Entry," for example, Ray Liotta becomes obsessed with Madeline Stowe, but, because she's a helpless female, she must wait for her husband, Kurt Russell, to save her. What happens when women are heroes? Remember "Thelma and Louise?" Susan Sarandon kills a guy who tries to rape Geena Davis, and later they blow up the truck of a man who has been harassing them. Men across the nation threw fits. They were offended by the aggression and brutality toward men that was depicted in the film. They seemed to overlook the fact that these men weren't exactly innocent victims. They also seemed to forget completely about the decades of films in which women have been treated brutally by men. Groups like the Feminist Majority Foundation protest these types of films, and groups like Women in Film try to find better roles for women in films and better jobs for female directors, producers, writers, etc. So why, if these movies are offensive to so many women, are they still made? Because they make money. "Indecent Proposal" earned $25 million in its first 10 days, and in a market economy, products that make money will continue to be produced and products that lose money will not. The surest way to stop these tired genres is to quit going to these films. Skip the next man-buys-woman-whurrs-out-to-be-pseudo-and he-has-to-save-himself flick that comes to town and go rent "Jumping Jack Flash." It's no cinematic masterpiece, but the antagonists are run of the mill bad guys, no one gets bought, sold, leased or loaned, and you'll laugh as you watch Whoopi Goldberg save her man. Julie Wasson is a Springfield, Mo., senior majoring in political science and journalism. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Basketball team should make all students proud turned that dream into reality. Looking back upon our freshman year, the memories that stand out the most are the basketball games. Coming from a football town, we were not used to basketball. But the moment we entered Allen Field House and saw the atmosphere and tradition of KU basketball, we were amazed. Throughout the season the team has given us so many great memories. We waited hours on end to watch our Jayhawks and were rewarded when we saw them win their third straight Big Eight Championship. Then came tournament time. Many people doubted the ability of Kansas and predicted them to lose early. The Hawks turned all the doubts into believers as they set out for the Superdome. Hundreds of teams dreamed of playing in the Final Four, but Kansas To Rex Walters, Eric Pauley, and Adonis Jordan, we will miss you! You've had an incredible season. We couldn't have asked for anything more. Northwestern and Seton Hall don't know what they've missed! And to the rest of the team, we are looking forward to next year and another Final Four with the chance of a national championship. Through their skills on the court, and more importantly for their sportsmanship and courage off the court, the basketball team has represented the University of Kansas well. In our hearts they are number one. Congratulations on a great season and good luck to the 1994 Jayhawk Basketball Team! Jenny Ross Veronica Yaghmour Pittsburg freshmen Gun advocates neglect context of arms amendment I am writing in response to Jeffrey Lindsey's letter of March 9 that describes the Brady Bill as a "reactionary, totalitarian piece of ill-conceived legislation." Mr. Lindsey and those that share the belief that our Founding Fathers structured the Second Amendment to allow every angry spouse, gang member, or convicted felon to freely purchase a handgun are not only foolish, but also extremely dangerous. Handgun advocates say the Constitution gives them the unrestricted right to own any type of firearm. Yet, when the Second Amendment is interpreted in the context of the period in which it is written, there is a very different meaning. Our country was still recovering from the ravages of the revolution when the Constitution was written. The Second Amendment exists because our countrymen feared a powerful central government; they felt their right to bear arms against a despotic government was important to insure a tyrant would never reign again. Clearly, our founding father's fear that the populace might have to rise up in arms against the country's military does not apply today. Yet, the NRA continues to help defeat legislation that would limit gun sales. In 1988, approximately 8,000 people were killed in the U.S. in handgun related deaths. In Canada and Japan, public ownership of firearms is highly restricted; consequently, in Canada six died by gun that year and eight died in Japan. Even considering population differences, these facts are frightening. Safety from handgun violence can only be found by phasing out handguns, not by arming ourselves with more weapons. How many people need to die before we realize that handguns are not a right, but a fragile privilege? Schuyler Laverentz Oskaloosa sophomore KANSAN STAFF GREG FARMER Editor GAYLE OSTERBERG Managing editor TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser BILL SKEET. Technology coordinator Editors Aest. Managing ... Justin Knupp News ... Monique Guisain ... David Mitchell Editorial ... Stephanie Martino Campus ... KC Trauner Sports ... David Mitchell Photo ... Mark Rowland Features ... Lynne McAdoo Graphics ... Dan Schauer Wire ... Tiffany Lasha Hurt Assoc. Editorial ... Chris Mooser Assoc. Campus ... Jim Baur Asst. Campuses ... Christine Laine Assoc. Photo ... Skary Morford Assoc. Sports ... David Bennett Reporters ... David Bartkoesi Vickie Bode ... Mark Button Jess DeNaveen ... David Dorsey Matt Doyle ... Don England Ben Grove ... Mark Klether Will Leone ... Frank McCleary Terrilyn McCormick ... Brady Prause Jim Reece ... Brett Riggs Todd Selffert ... Blake Sniffen Evan Walters Scott Anderson Shelly Solon Heather Anderson Copy Editors J.R. 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