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Monday, March 28,1994
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
Smoking bans protect, do not infringe on rights
Bans on smoking in restaurants protect nonsmokers' rights to eat in a healthy environment. The bans do not, however, infringe on smokers' rights.
Recently, fast food restaurant chains such as McDonald's, Taco Bell and Hardees decided to ban smoking inside their restaurants. All company-owned restaurants must provide a smoke-free environment, and owners requested franchises to do the same. Hardees' ban has been in effect since November. Taco Bell's ban will be effective today, and McDonald's will begin its no-smoking policy April 1.
People should not be forced to breathe in secondhand smoke, especially if they have health problems such as asthma. Restaurant patrons, whether they're in good health or not, should be able to eat in healthy and comfortable surroundings.
Studies have shown that second-hand smoke causes cancer. While smokers have the right to smoke, they do not have the right to harm others with their habit.
The rights of the smoker have not been taken away by the new policy. Smokers still can eat in the restaurants. It takes only half an hour or less to eat, and even the heaviest smokers can abstain from smoking for that short amount of time. And if smokers feel they need to puff away and eat simultaneously, they still can go outside or take their food home.
Banning smoking in restaurants provides nonsmokers with the opportunity to eat in a healthy, smoke-free environment but does not take away from an individual's right to smoke.
AMANDA TRAUGBBER FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Citizens wrong to want more media restrictions
Americans should reevaluate their relationship with the Constitution. A recent survey found that many Americans favor certain government restrictions on the media when such topics as military secrets, terrorism, explicit sex and violence are at issue.
Freedom of the press is integral to our society. Stories may be printed that address topics that are uncomfortable to face. But if people choose to ignore the world beyond their backyard, their sense of reality will be put in serious jeopardy.
Stories that deal with military secrets are a unique circumstance. It is safe to say that most people would agree that military secrets remain secret. But the press already is restricted by the government in cases of national security, which renders the desire for further restriction unnecessary.
Most important is the instrument of enforcement. At present, the editors of the papers and managers of television stations decide what will make the news. They are private citizens who presumably have the ability to make rational decisions. Their opinions may influence the stories they present, but at least they are given the freedom to present them.
If the restrictions favored by people in this survey were enforced, the government would decide what defines valuable and invaluable news. Government restrictions of the media also would make certain news against the law, thus punishing people for reporting the truth.
This survey demonstrates a significant problem. Americans do not fully understand the importance of an unbiased, absolutely free press. It would be tragic if the American people sacrificed one of the most important rights they possess simply to shield their eyes from uncomfortable truths.
CARSON ELROD FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
BEN GROVE,Editor
LISA COSMILLO, Managing editor
TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser
JUSTIN GARBERG Business manager
BILL SKEET, Systems coordinator
JENNIFER BLOWEY Retail sales manager
Aest Managing Editor...Dan England
Assistant to the editor...J.R. Clairborne
News...Kristi Fogler, Katie Greenwald
              Todd Selfert
Editorial ...Colleen McCain
              Matthias Olsen
Campus...Jess DeHaven
Sports...David Dorsey
Photo...David Hesse
Features...Sara Bennett
Alliance Lodge
Frequency...Christine Laue
JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser
Business Staff
Campus sales mgr ..Jason Eberly
Regional sales mgr ..Troy Tawerter
National & Coop sales mgr ..Robin King
Special sections mgr ..Shelly McConnell
Production mgr ..Laura Guth
Gretchen Kootherelinch
Marketing director ..Shannon Reilly
Creative director ..John Carton
Classified mgr ..Kelly Conneally
Tearsheats mgr ..Wing Chan
Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of Virginia are required to type their name on one line.
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The Kansas reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansas newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
More legislation and new prisons will not solve problems of crime
I generally try not to pick on members of Congress, whom I think work a lot harder than they're given credit for. But then along comes an issue like crime that makes me think they must have each swallowed a handful of stunidity beans.
Crime is bad. I realize I'm risking a lot by taking on the formidable pro-crime lobby here, but that's just the way I feel. I feel the need to establish this early on because whenever someone bothers to challenge the Republicans' tired old tub-thumping and suggest that the methods we're using to fight crime don't work and that we should stop using them, that person gets labeled "soft on crime."
In its current incarnation, the Omnibus Crime Bill provides for the building of 10 more federal prisons and allows the death penalty for an additional 52 federal crimes.
The irony is that crime is largely the business of state and local governments, not the federal government. The federal government historically has had no power over street crime unless it takes place on federal property or involves the crossing of state lines. This is an approach that has mostly worked for us in the past, but
the big disadvantage is that it doesn't allow members of Congress to go on "Meet the Press" and say "By God We're Gonna Do Something About Crime." Effective enforcement of the penal code was mostly left to state and local officials, who rarely get to go on television and who aren't likely to run for President any time soon.
So Congress and the executive branch have begun to muscle in on local governments' territory. Former President Bush signed a bill making carjacking a federal crime, even though all 50 states already had laws addressing auto theft and armed robbery and many states had laws outlawing carjacking specifically. So now, when some punk jumps into a car at a red light and forces the owner
out onto the sidewalk, we make a — please pardon the expression — federal case out of it.
Republicans, and those who think like Republicans, have been busy doing their Clint Eastwood impressions this year. Alfonse D'Amato, the annoying senator from New York, thinks he knows how to solve the crime problem: prisons, prisons, and more prisons. "It's just that simple," he says. Wrong, senator. It's never that simple. Complex problems never have simple solutions. And locking everyone up just exacerbates the problem by creating a class of criminals without addressing the root problems of crime.
Punishment mania doesn't work, and it has never worked, and it shows no sign of ever working. But it's the only way we know, so that's what we're going to do.
The United States is a country that loves to put its citizens in prison. Four hundred fifty-five of every 100,000 American citizens are in prison, a rate far higher than any other nation in the world, including China and South Africa. President Clinton, who really ought to know better, backs the "three strikes and you're out" proposal to impose a mandatory life sentence on criminals convicted of a third serious felony. This law was first passed in my home state of Washington, where dumb ideas often first see the light of day, and 30 other states are examining it. I like the idea of life terms for recidivist felons, but I think it ought to be left up to the judges. The thing is, if we're going to mete out punishment before finding out anything about the crime, why even have judges? We might as well have cases judged by machines.
A Time/CNN poll shows that 19 percent of Americans think that crime is the biggest problem facing this country, up from 4 percent a year ago. Crime hasn't actually increased in that time period, and violent crime has actually gone down slightly. But somehow five times as many people are afraid of it now. The deficit now is listed as the country's main problem by a scant 5 percent of citizens. You remember the deficit, don't you? It what we were going to reduce before we decided to build 10 new federal prisons.
Stress.
Stress makes it impossible to relax
My life happens to be extremely stressful on a daily basis. I know, I know — I'm not the only one. Most college students experience the same thing. Sometimes it feels like I am alone in my hectic life.
When I get stressed out I end to turn into myself. What I mean by this is that I become an introvert. I don't want to talk to or be with anyone. This would be the reason why I feel all alone at time, I bring it upon myself.
I just want to get my crap done and get on with my life.
This makes me rather unpleasant to be around a lot of the time. I will be the first to admit that I'm incredibly high strung. I am constantly in "fast forward" mode, generally moving at Mach speed around this campus.
It's true, I'm a spaz.
I used to try and deny the reality of my hyperactive personality. I would swear up and down that I could be just as mellow as the next guy. I think that I always knew in the back of my mind that this wasn't a possibility, but I just didn't want to admit it. I desperately wanted to be the mellow me.
So, I would try to pretend that I was laid back when I was around people.
It was laughable
There I would be, trying to relax. I would lounge in a chair trying to make my body as loose as possible and seem to be at ease with myself and my surroundings. The only problem was that 'I could not keep myself from moving. I would tap my feet, play with my hair, bite my nails—any body language signaling stress was applicable.
After many futile attempts to be the mellow me, I gave up. I now accept the fact that being mellow just doesn't click with my personality.
Not only am I incapable of being laid back, I am also incapable of relaxation. People make fun of me for it all the time.
it's frustrating because I'll be sitting
hereway, feeling totally relaxed
(for me anyway), and it never fails. Someone always will approach me and say something like, "Hey man, relax. You look like you're about to fall over the edge."
This makes me even more tense. No matter how relaxed I feel, it's just not good enough for the people who are naturally relaxed. So I try even harder to relax than I did before. This results in me becoming one giant, contracted muscle.
I've tried everything possible to learn to relax. Massage, yoga, meditation — you name it, I've tried it. I used to take a dance class in which we would do relaxation exercises. It never worked for me.
They would all lay on the floor and think relaxing thoughts as the tension ran out their toes and on to the floor. I would lay next to them thinking about all the stuff I needed to get done before 4 that afternoon. The tension would remain in my body and fester in my muscles.
After the first two sessions, I just didn't try anymore. It was a lost cause. Since I have been such a stress case for so long, I have learned to deal with it. Some people are even under the impression that I have "mellowed
out" or something. That's not true. I am just able to hide it better nowadays than I used to. I could be about to implode from stress, but the people around me would never know unless I told them. They also would never know because I virtually disappear from the face of the earth.
Take, for instance, my recent workload. In a five-day period I had five papers and two projects due. That does not include the various things I had to get done for my non-academic activities (like writing this column instead of finishing my Linguistics paper on time).
I have not seen any of my friends in three weeks. I suppose they think I am dead or something. They'll get over it.
But you know what? I like my life this way. I like to feel stress. I like to work right down to the wire. It makes me feel good on a Friday to know that I accomplished a mountain of work I had thought was impossible only on Monday. What's even better is that I get a two-day break on the weekend.
Then I can be reunited with my long-lost friends and feign relaxation — until Monday that is.
Danielle Raymond is a Willmette, Ill., junior
in Journalism.
Women's History Month is given poor coverage
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
March is Women's History Month. Why is it that there has not been an article in the Kansan every day, and when there is an article about women's history, it appears on Page three instead of the front page?
The article on women's history that appeared March 10 edition was about how more women are staying at home as opposed to joining the outside work force. This is the Feminine Mystique all over again!
There are quotes such as, "Women feel their best work is at home," and "Martin said she admired women
who stay at home with their children." The women who stay at home say that it is better for their husbands' or their children's lives. What about their own lives?
This article is a reflection of society in that when women do get recognized (as in the article), it is for being exactly where society wants them. I dare you to correctly recognize a woman and print this letter.
One woman said that she didn't think women should be stigmatized for being at home with their children. I don't think they should be either, nor do I think they should be admired over women who work outside the home.
Jenny Estrada Lenexa senior
The risks associated with running
The fact that the article was written at a time when obesity and its related disorders are on the rise does nothing to aid the health community in its strive to increase wellness among the American population.
Running injuries caused by improper training
I am writing in response to Cathleen Siechta's preposterous article on "the dark side of running." I have been involve in running for 11 years, and I have experienced a plethora of physical and psychological benefits.
described in the article represent a minuscule portion of the running community. The reason people experience injuries and complications from running is because they are uneducated about how to train properly. Yes, there is a logic behind running! In reality, it is not running that is to blame but the behaviors persons engage in while they are on a running program. Moreover, regular exercise has been shown to increase calcium absorption, thereby preventing osteoporosis. If you train smart and eat healthy, running is the most beneficial sport around.
Bart Hamming
Bart Hamming Overland Park doctoral student
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