OPINION
University Daily Kansan, June 6, 1984
Page 4
The University Daily KANSAN
The University Daily KANSAN
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
The University Daily Kansas USPS 80/640 is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Staffer Flat Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 60045 daily during the regular school year and Wednesday and Friday during the summer session, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays, and final periods. Second class payment贴于Lawrence, Kan. 60044 Subscriptions by mail are $1 for six months subscription is $3 six months or $4 for a year outside the county. Student subscriptions are $3 a semester. Subscription addresses to the University Daily Kansas 118 Staffer Flat Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 60045
JAMES BOLE Editor KAREN DAVIS Business Manager
SHARON BODIN Managing Editor JILL GOLDBLATT Retail Sales Manager
JILLL CASEY Campus Editor ROB LEONARD National Sales Manager
CHARLES HIMMELBERG Editorial Editor KRISITINE MATT Classified and Campus Sales Manager
MIKE KAUTSCH General Manager and News Adviser JOHN OBERZAN Sales and Marketing Advisor
D-dav anniversary
On June 6, 1944, American and British troops landed on the coast of Normandy, France. By the end of the day, 10,000 Allied soldiers were dead or wounded, but the invasion was a success. This marked the beginning of the end of the Third Reich.
The large amount of press and worldwide attention focused on this fortieth anniversary is a tribute to the courage and sense of duty displayed by those who fought for freedom. In this age of confused objectives and political doublespeak, the invaders of Normandy were truly "freedom fighters."
Thanks to these brave soldiers, for the last 40 years, the western world has indeed been safe for democracy. Secure in the knowledge of this fact, we must never let ourselves lower our guard in the defense of freedom. Peace and freedom must be protected with vigilance from those who would take it from us.
At the same time, we must be aware of the temptation to place our trust in arms. Through the invasion of Normandy, the Allies achieved a clearly defined purpose — the defeat of Hitler's army. However, history furnishes few periods in which the choices are so simple. It is rare that global dilemmas can be viewed in black and white.
In recent experience, "freedom" has been used in the defense of dubious military actions by the nations of the world. This use of the word undermines the pursuit of freedom by discrediting the word and obfuscating the ideal. Such is the inglorious history of political doublespeak.
But on this day in 1944, the meaning of freedom was clear, and we owe a great debt to those who defended it with their lives.
Attitudes save lives
People who kill other people by driving drunk have until recently been able to get off with as little as a fine. That's the bad news.
Now the good news. Lawrence is a town that acknowledges the seriousness of drunken driving and has worked for years to clean up the streets. And what's more, it's working.
Since 1976 the city of Lawrence has operated the Alcohol Safety Action Program with intensive education classes for people picked up for drunken driving, classes that train officers to spot potential offenders and a patrol car that cruises the streets on weekends looking for drunken drivers.
Lawrence is not alone in its efforts to stop people from driving and drinking. More than 30 states in the last three years have adopted tougher laws, and citizen action groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, MADD, Students Against Drunk Drivers, SADD, and Remove Intoxicated Drivers, RID, have spurred legislators to draft the tougher laws.
The problem of drunken driving may never go away, but attitudes of people all over the country are changing. This type of grassroots campaign does far more to alleviate the problem than any amount of legislation. Unpopular laws have little clout; popular support means the difference between success and failure in the attempt to keep drunken drivers off the road. People are becoming less tolerant of the drunken driver, and this is worth a thousand pages of legislation.
But this is just the beginning of what should be a major offensive in a society where for years people have allowed even their friends and family to drive the streets and highways drunk. It is each individual's responsibility to keep pressing toward the goal of eliminating the attitude that allows people to walk out of a party or bar impaired or incapacitated.
Public attitudes are changing in favor of turning in the license plate numbers of drivers who are obviously intoxicated. Being a "snitch" can save the lives of innocent people, especially the life of the not-so-innocent offender.
Take the common-sense advice of groups such as MADD, SADD and RID. Call a cab, call a friend or do whatever's necessary. But don't drive drunk.
LETTERS POLICY
The University Daily Kansan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten on two sheets of paper, double-spaced and should not exceed 400 words. They should include the writer's name, address and phone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, the letter should include his class and home town or faculty or staff position. The letters should be addressed to the University office. Umns and letters can be mailed or brought to the Kansan office, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit or reject letters and columns.
Editor pledges quality coverage
This may be disturbing news to some people, but during the summer, the University DAILY Kansan is published only twice a week.
It may sound strange to call a
semi-weekly newspaper a daily, but some of the alternatives are even stranger. The University Semi-Weekly Kansan is University Twice-A week Kansan
Well, believe it or not, back in 1964 the Weekly Kansan became the
Even though the Kansas will only be published on Wednesdays and Fridays, it will still serve as THE GAME in campus. In fact, it will do a better job.
Semi-Weekly Kansan. It was not until 1912 that the Kansan became the University Daily Kansan.
After weighing the options, I decided that it would be best not to change the Kansan's 72-year-old roster for a current increment in accuracy during the
Because the staff will have extra time to prepare each issue, readers can look forward to a more in-depth and through look at the news. The Kansen will not only examine the news as a series of events, but will also truly into the personalities, issues and background involved in those events.
The extra time will also allow the Kansan to present the news with more creativity and imagination
The words and pictures will be lively and descriptive.
Jill Casey, Shawne senior, is the campus editor. Casey, along with assistant campus editors Mary Sexton, Phoenix, Ariz., senior, and Phil English, Chicago senior, have a staff of 12 reporters to cover the University, Lawrence and surrounding areas.
Sue Schemid, Hays senior is the Nation and World editor. She will be selecting and preparing national and international articles from United Press International
The sports page will still be found on the back page of the Kansan. Phil Ellenbecker, Marysville senior, is the sports editor. Look for complete coverage of summer sports, as well as inside looks at KU athletics and baseball. Explore everything from baseball games to Olympic trials will be found in the
Sports Almanac section
Interpreting the news will be done on the Opinion page Charles Himmelberg, a Lawrence senior major in math and economics, is the editorial editor. His column explains the impact of policies of the Opinion page.
I invite readers to bring comments, complains and tips to the attention of the staff. Stop by the newsroom, 114 Flint Hall, or call 954-4816.
feel free to talk to me about anything about the Kansas — from something that please or displeases you to questions about how the newspaper operates. Sharon Bodin, a Lawrence senior majoring in journalism and economics, can also help you with any general questions or complaints. If you have a tip, please contact the appropriate news editor
Page should stimulate thinking
The editorial page is the page for the inquisitive mind. The reader may start with the news or sports, but later you'll find the mind ends up on the editorial page.
The more accumulation of facts gleaned from the news pages is insufficient. The inquisitive mind requires more; it needs exercise, and so it turns to the editorial page in search of mental activity. Here the minds arguments that challenge his convictions and focus his thinking.
Frequently an editorial or column only whets the reader's appetite. Eating lunch with his colleagues or classmates, he pursues the issue and demands their reaction to the article. A table is the sight of an animated character, its occupants oblivious to the stares of amused onlookers.
An an hour later, the reader carries his half-eaten lunch back to his office or to class. Where did he go, he wonders. He had been starving earlier. How could he have neglected to eat his lunch? The reader will never know the real answer, for this man is the victim of a carefully orchestrated scheme. In short, he is an unwitting participant of the
University Daily Kansan's editorial policy.
The editorial page should stimulate thinking. The founders of the New Republic stated it eloquently as the need to "start small insurrections in the realm of the mind's convictions"
This is the fundamental goal of this page.
The Kansan will feature four regular columnists this summer:
Julie Comine is a junior from Omaha, Neb., and is majoring in journalism.
Wolfgang Dobler is a graduate student in political science from Friedrichshafen, West Germany He is studying at KU on a Fulbright scholarship and is currently finishing his thesis.
Deb Orsborn is a fifth year student from Wichita and is studying a
pre-law curriculum
Kalpana Trivadi is from Mudras, India, where she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English Literature. She is currently working toward her master's degree in journalism.
we will continue to include the acute wit of syndicated columnist Mike Royko. Royko, who recently joined the *New York Times* in 1872 winner of the Pulitzer Prize,
Letters to the editor, as always, are encouraged, and all letters conforming to the letters policy will be published. Guest editorors provide writers to elaborate more than a letter to elaborate, and are also encouraged.
Editorials, as opposed to columns,
will always appear on the left side of
the page and will reflect the opinions
of the editorial board, not the entire
staff. The editorial board keeps itself
as well informed as possible and
welcomes guests to comment at its
weekly board meetings.
Members of the editorial board are: Sharon Bodin, managing editor; Jim Bole, editor; Wolfgang Dobler, columnist; Charles Himmelberg, editorial editor; and Mary Sexton, assistant campus editor.
Now admit it: Men hate cats
An old friend invited me over to see his new condo and meet his new significant other, with whom he was born to establish a new and lasting relationship.
After he opened my wine to let it breathe, he and I sat in the living room listening to his new Bang & Olufsen stereo — "state of the art in miniaturization," he said. "while we prepare a cake for him to prepare a new recipe for pasta primavera."
They had met, he said, on adjoining Nautilus machines. She was working on her thighs while he was trying to improve his pees.
I was congratulating him on his good fortune when it walked slowly into the room. It arched its back and stared at me.
"But you have never been a cat person."
"You have a cat?" I said
"I am honest. I like cats now. I really do. Look. We get along fine."
ours, he said.
"You never liked cats. You always told me you hated them."
"Shhh," he said, nodding toward the kitchen. "She might bear."
"Actually, it was hers. Now it is ours." he said.
"Don't you think you should be honest about such things? You can't build a lasting relationship on deceit."
It responded by digging its claws into his arm and biting his thumb.
To prove his point, he scooped up the cat and rubbed it under the chin.
"Feisty little thing," he said, dabbing the blood with a cocktail nakin.
Just then, she came in from the kitchen with yogurt and carrot sticks, and said, "Oh, you've been playing with Yolanda."
He smiled and wiped away the rest of the blood.
"It attacked him," I said
MIKE
ROYKO
Syndicated Columnist
"I gather you're not a cat person," she said.
"Of course I'm not. I am a man. Or a male person, as they now say."
"What has that to do with it?"
"Everything. Men don't like cats. Only women do. If you took an honest, scientific survey, you would find that 97.3 percent of all men dislike and distrust cats.
"I don't believe that," she said. "I've known lots of men who like cats. Most of them do."
"No. What you have known are men who lie about their feelings toward cats."
"Why would they lie?"
"To please women. They know that you like cats, so they pretend to like them, too. It is all part of the wimping of America."
"The what?"
"The conversion of normal males into wimps. This cat thing is just another facet of it. Movies like *Tootsie*'s guys like Alda. And the proliferation of cats as America's popular pets. Take my friend here."
"Leave me out of this," he said.
"No. We must be open and honest.
Now, would you have had this new and hopefully lasting relationship if he had said: 'You have a cat!' Iey, I hate cats. If that sneaking thing comes near me, I will toss it out the window."
"Of course not," she said. "But he would never have said anything like that because he likes cats. You do, don't you?"
"Yes, yes, I love them," he said,
patting the cat's head, and yanking
his hand away before it could shred
his fingers.
I decided to skip the pasta and put myself out. The last thing I saw was my friend trying to tickle the cat behind the ears.
And it was trying to pluck out his eye.
Fiery words often doused by timidity
During the two years since I gave up teaching law to become a university president, I have reflected more than once upon the rhetorical comments of the academic enterprise I left and of the one I has taken up.
It is a truism among law professors that the greatest judicial opinions hold sway through their persuasive force no less than their doctrinal authority. Judicial decisions are developed, in part, through judicial opinions ignited with rhetorical fire.
Our greatest judges — from John Marshall to Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. to Louis Dumbist Brandeis have always understood the beginning of the pquint aphoristic discourse in Cardozo, in his elegant essay on "Law and Literature," called "the mnemonic power of alliteration and antithesis," and "the terseness and tang of the proverb) and the maxim."
What moralsis has written a more persuasive exhortation than Justice Brandes's exhilarating assertion, in New York Company v. Liebmann that "if we would guide by the light of reason, we must let our minds be bold."
A judge's use of language is not a matter of indifference. Lawyers
JAMES FREEDMAN University of Iowa
know, by training and by instinct that rhetoric has consequences.
One of the most important ways in which a university community develops a sense of itself is from the public statements of its academic leaders. Presidential prose can help to shape a university's vision of self and to reinforce its sense of educational purpose.
Yet university presidents, as I have learned during my recent change of vocation, are forever forced to avoid the pungent phrase, to blue penelite the luminous metaphor, to give up speaking in their own voices, for fear of causing controversy, or giving offense to one or more people, because good will is essential to achieving the university's larger goals.
Although university presidents may draft their own public statements, they dare not issue them until they have been approved by dozoes or are sensitive to the concerns of the university's various constituencies.
During that process of editorial approval, any brightness of language that may have lit the president's first draft is inevitably made dimmer. Such changes in font size may have lent grace or heedless to the first draft is inevitably rooted out.
Thus a firm assertion that "a liberal arts education is essential to the intellectual development of students so that they may discover who they are" is likely to emerge corrupted with qualifiers, so that it states imply and defensively, that "liberal education, broad comprehension, a proportion for life meets the functional needs of students by providing them with an exposure to the treasures of the past, an opportunity for social and emotional development, and a professional experience that serves their career aspirations at the same time that it maintains avenues of upward mobility in a democratic society," thought when it ought to refine, homogenize pros when it ought to sharpen it.
presidential prose that aspires to individuation of style is it any wonder that the rhetoric university uses wshw-washy and unconvincing?
James O. Freedman, professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania from 1964 to 1982, is president of the University of Iowa.