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Thursday, March 31, 1994
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
Police billboards send the wrong message
The Los Angeles Police Protective League set a dangerous precedent recently by campaigning for pay raises through billboards depicting a hooded character hijacking a car. The city's police officers deserve a pay raise, considering the rigors of their jobs, but the billboards went a step too far.
The police officers have been without a contract for the past 20 months, and contract negotiations have been fruitless. The city continues to claim that the funds for pay raises are not there. The officers demand pay that will rival the salaries of police in nearby cities.
The recent Los Angeles riots and natural disasters in the area have proven that the job of a Los Angeles police officer is more demanding than those of many other law enforcement personnel. The officers should be compensated by a salary increase.
But the response of the officers was wrong. In addition to the billboards, the Protective League sent brochures highlighting the city's crime to tourist officials and convention planners. In response, Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan canceled plans for a six percent pay raise because outraged citizens complained about the Protective League's tactics.
The actions by the Protective League set a dangerous precedent for other public service employee unions across the nation. Firefighters could resort to threatening to let citizens' homes burn if they fail to get increased pay. Citizens are supposed to be protected by these public servants. The Protective League has used citizens' trust and reverence against them.
Responding to recent hostilities on the Korean peninsula, the United States has decided to send Patriot missiles to aid South Korea. North Korean authorities have said the action would lead "to the brink of war."
Public servants deserve a fair amount of pay, but threatening citizens is not the way to get it.
CHRISTOPHER LIVINGSTON FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Patriot missiles provide protection against war
Despite such threats, the decision to deploy Patriots is a positive one. It should be seen as a deterrent to war, not a catalyst to conflict.
To date, the conflict has been centered on North Korea's refusal to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect several of its nuclear plants. It is suspected that these plants may be producing the components of a nuclear bomb. If anything has led to the "brink of war," it has been North Korea's own militaristic attitudes.
Another fact discrediting North Korea's threats is that the the Patriot is a defensive weapon. It is used to intercept and destroy missiles. It also can be used against enemy jets. North Korea's argument that such a defensive weapon could lead to war is equivalent to saying that putting a lock on a front door would lead to burglaries.
The problem on the Korean peninsula is complex. It encompasses generations of hate and a history of war. There is a background of mistrust fed by a suspicion of new nuclear power. Despite the complications, the deployment of Patriot missiles should not be seen as adding to the conflict.
These missiles are used only to defend against an attack, and they could decrease the likelihood of an attack. Should war come, the Patriot missile would be ready to respond in battle, but the Patriot would not have been responsible for that battle.
MATT HOOD FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
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Lack of critical thought common in the ranks of Limbaugh lovers
Sooner or later, every self-respecting liberal current-events columnist gets around to writing about Rush Limbaugh, the porcine, bombastic right-wing icon whose gaseous rants issue forth daily from 638 radio stations across the nation. Rush likes to think that he frightens progressives such as me, but in all truth, I'm not afraid of Rush. It's his followers who scare the pants off me.
Such is the message Rush sends to his fanatic fans. Whatever ails America, it's not their fault. They are the putupon, the oppressed, the Jews in the grip of the ancient Pharaohs. Crushed by regulation and taxation, they are discriminated against because of
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Rush's appeal is part of the culture of victimization that pervades our society. Those with victim status are allowed to claim special favors from the rest of society to compensate for their station. Lyle and Erik Menendez claimed a license to kill their parents because they had been abused, or so they say. Tonya Harding pulls in an ever-increasing orbit of loyal fans who stand by her even if, as is becoming apparent, she was in on the plot to whack Nancy Kerrigan — she has led a hard life, which means that she doesn't have to play by the rules.
The irony, of course, is that nobody in the world has it better, on average, than Rush's typical audience member. White people still make more money, die later and get followed in jewelry stores less frequently than other ethnic groups in the United States. Men still make more money doing the same jobs as women. A European would laugh unirritantly if told that wealthy Americans consider our tax system burdensome. Especially in light of goings-on in South Africa and Bosnia-Herzegovina, one certainly could do worse than to be born a white, middle-class American.
their white skin and made to feel guilty for being male and heterosexual.
But the problem with living as a privileged person in the land of the privileged is that it's awfully hard to feel sorry for oneself. Enter Rush Limbaugh.
Whatever the offending group, whomever the offending person, Rush has a nasty name for him or her or them or it. Strong women become "femi-Nazis," and their motives are attributed to their alleged unattractiveness (not that Rush has any room to criticize others in this area). The 13-year-old daughter of the President is called the "White House dog," lest anyone think that any member of the Family family can escape Rush's wrath. All who do not fall into step behind the right wing are "idiots," "fools" and other synonyms, with the flock constantly being assured that there is only one correct stand on any issue — and that Rush knows what it is. Rush reassures them that he will do their thinking for them, and they call themselves "ditttoheads," signaling their unchanging agreement with everything Rush says.
As our society matures and the basic equality of all humans is recognized, Rush provides a voice for the former masters who have lost their place at the top of the heap and desperately need to feel superior to someone. But for all their seething hate, it's hard not
to feel sorry for people who, such as the Branch Davidians, have been taken in by a kind of false prophet.
In buying into his daily tirades, they abandon critical thought and allow their skills of reasoning to atrophy. It's easy to pick out a dittohead because they use only about a dozen different phrases when arguing politics, all of which are taken verbatim from oft-used Rush quotations. (I've always thought that these little sayings should be numbered for ease of use. Instead of saying, "A bigot is someone who wins an argument with a liberal," they could just say "No. 3." "America held hostage" could become "No. 7, and on.)
Is critical thought dead in America, at least among members of the right wing? Can the marketplace of ideas be saved? Don't count us out just yet. We survived Joe McCarthy and Father Coughlin, and there always will be people who enjoy testing their ideas under fire. But as Rush Limbaugh helps more and more people replace the crackle of deCate with the soothing buzz of conformity, it's hard not to worry about the future.
Paul Henry is a Tacoma, Wash., graduate student in history.
House Guests invade homes and lives
They're invading our homes. No, they're not roaches. They're not rats or ants or silverfish, either. They're House Guests.
When I was 8, my mom's second cousin came to visit our humble abode. About fortyish, roundish and staldish, he had a habit of ignoring persons inferior to him — namely my sister and me. He didn’t seem to appreciate the fact that I had been rudely booted out of my room so it could serve as a guest room for "Wally." Even worse, my mom forgot to move my pet goldfish (ingenuously named Goldie) from my room. So come morning, she found a very irate 8-year-old waiting outside her ex-bedroom to feed her starving pet. She made me wait until Wally woke up before she let me go in to rescue Goldie. Eons later, Wally lumbered off to the bathroom. I darted into the room and skidded to a horrified halt. Goldie was floating belly up in her glass bowl. Wally had murdered Goldie! I was hysterical. I wanted to drag Wally out of the shower and put him in cuffs right then and there. My mom tried telling me some sorry story about it being Goldie’s time to swim
out to higher seas, but I knew the truth. And I have been very anti-House Guest since that traumatizing incident.
I don't mind having friends stay with me because that virtually guarantees a fine time for everyone. But I don't enjoy having random relations land on my doorstep. As we already have seen, I'm the first to lose my territory. Then comes the small issue of my mother. My mom goes all out for company. She cooks dozens of dishes worthy of the food section of "Vogue." Then she orders me not to touch anything, eat anything or say anything. When the dreaded House Guest finally arrives, we're just one happy family at the Aroras.
I don't like being a House Guest almost as much as I dislike being a victim of one because I can empathize so sincerely with displaced, disgruntled inhabitants. It's much more fun to visit friends my own age living away from parental supervision. No one cares where they sleep, when they sleep or with whom they sleep. Scavenging for food becomes a game in itself, and as long as shower shoes exist, let the mildew roam free.
In case you're not lucky enough to avoid undesirable House Guests (or Apartment Guests), I've compiled a list of useful things to say that are effective in shortening, if not entirely terminating, the visit.
1. You'll be sleeping in the upper bunk. You may not want to look at the ceiling closely. We haven't figured out what the black splotites are yet.
2. I'm so happy! We just cleaned the bathroom today, so most of the purple stuff on the tiles is gone!
3. Oh, Fido sniffs everyone. Don't worry, he won't bite anything unless you antagonize him.
4. Watch out for giant cockroaches.
5. Okay, the water is kind of compli-
fied.
cated here. First, the hot and cold taps are switched. Second, you have to turn them in the opposite direction than normal. And let the water run for a minute until the brown gunk is gone. Third, if someone flushes while you're in the shower, move out of the way fast. Oh, and the water smells kind of funky here because of the high sulfur content. Got it?
6. Have you had a tetanus shot later?
ly?
9. There are so many interesting stories about this house, but just for the record, the former owner was not murdered in the living room. He committed suicide in the bathtub.
7. Meet Murphy, my pet tarantula.
8. What can I get you for dinner? We have yogurt, shredded wheat and pretzels.
10. Do you like "Phantom?" I love to sing along.
I hope that these tips will be successful. But if all else fails, just remember to guard the goldfish.
Allisha Arora Is an Overland Park freshman in biology and English.
Low self-esteem drives people to pierce bodies
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I was very pleased to read the article in Monday's Kansan about body piercing. Unfortunately, your coverage of the topic missed a major point: the purpose of body piercing.
The purpose of body piercing is to enable people with low self-esteem to increase their feelings of self importance through ornamentation. Since these people are too lazy to distinguish themselves from their peers in a culturally accepted manner, such as competitive achievement, they must desecrate their bodies in a conspicuous manner so
as to attract attention. It is also important to note that this is a strictly peer-driven phenomenon. People who attach rings to their noses do it in order to gain recognition from others.
I hope that that above information will enable readers of the *Kansan* to make a prudent decision when they consider body piercing.
Derek Shirk
Derek Shirk Iola senior
Men's,women's teams should be treated equall
On March 16, the Kansan ran a story entitled "Women's basketball team strives for respect." Unfortunately, the women's basketball team still is striving to earn the respect of the Athletic Department. This year marks the team's third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. This year, the team was consistently ranked among the top twenty teams in the nation. This year, the women's team finished second in the Big Eight, in a close race behind the Colorado Buffaloes. Unfortunately, this is not enough for the department. The department thinks that the women's basketball team only deserves the support of 15 members of the 30-member Women's Basketball Band.
On March 15,30 members of the
Men's Basketball Band left for Lexington, Ky., to support the men's basketball team. Luckily, the department thinks that the men's basketball team is worthy of the support of a complete band at the NCAA Tournament. It is fortunate that our women's team is not quite so lucky.
As an avid fan of both men's and women's basketball at the University, I hope that both of our teams do well in the NCAA Tournaments. And perhaps in the future, the women's basketball team will get the respect it deserves.
Leslie Ain
Leslie Ain Overland Park junior