Page 4
Opinion
University Daily Kansan, July 8, 1983
Ms. Smith goes to USSR
Out of the mouth of a babe comes the $64 question of the modern age: "Why do we keep on making bombs for a war if there's no one to start it?"
It's a good question, innocently asked by 11-year-old Samantha Smith. The reason it's such a newsworthy question is because she requested the answer from Soviet leader Yuri Andropov. Even more newsworthy is the fact that he answered her and even invited her and the Smith family to the USSR as guests of the Kremlin.
Yesterday, the Smith family did indeed head for the Soviet Union, laden with gifts and souvenirs for their hosts. Samantha even has a special gift for Andropov, but it's Samantha's surprise because "You (reporters) can't keep a secret."
For an 11-year-old, she's wise to the ways of the world.
Unfortunately, so are her parents and the Soviets.
This innocent girl is being exploited by everyone, her quaint letter being splashed on the pages of Pravda, the Soviet party-run newspaper, her mother reading prepared statements for the droves of reporters and those
reporters devouring the kitsch and regurgitating it like the story of "Samantha meets Godzilla."
It figures that the Soviets would capitalize on Samantha's letter and tour. Her letter displays American discontent with the nuclear situation, and that's what the readers of Pravda want to see. America would do the same thing if 11-year-old Natasha from Moscow wrote Reagan. It's good ol' capitalism in action. (An interesting side light: A Russian girl did indeed write the president earlier this summer but her letter, addressed in Russian, was returned, addressee unknown.)
Samantha's mother read a prepared statement, full of strong words such as, "Children are the most eloquent statement of our hopes for the future. The danger of nuclear war threats that future."
Mrs. Smith, is nothing sacred? The spotlight is on your daughter and her invitation to the USSR. We can almost see you fighting for the microphone. It's proper to protect your child from the throng, but practice a little restraint when the camera is on you.
Blacks beginning slow rise to power
A voice is crying out from that modern jungle we call South Africa-the voice of the black trade unions. It is a small but potentially dangerous wave coming ashore in the shape of an organized black labor force. The white minority that rules the country of 21 million blacks and 3 million coloreds could get flooded by industrial unrest.
The adominable idea of apartheid, which exists in South Africa while the world calmly watches, ensures political and social dominion over a majority whose toil is indispensable in mines, factories and kitchens. Even though the black workers have the power to bring the economy to its knees and cripple their masters, they have failed to do so because they are denied the basic human rights that we take for granted here.
The pathetic life they lead in desolate, dumplike "homelands" within their own country destroys the very moral fiber of their community. The men go in thousands to work in mines and cities and they are not allowed to take their families with them to work on their farm oratum and loneliness. They are rising against the life they are forced to lead, but slowly
A government inquiry into the conditions of black workers following labor unrest and an upsurge in unionism in the early 1970s prompted legislation in 1979 that for the first time officially permitted blacks to form unions albeit under strictly controlled conditions. What was given with one hand was taken with the other. They allowed to form a union but a union with no rights.
When the legislation was passed in 1979, the government made bureaucratic regulations to ensure the movement. The unions were asked to register with the Department of Labor and to bargain system run by councils with representatives from management and labor.
Most of the black unions are wary of this arrangement and many refused to register. Leaders of more militant unions predict a dark future for those who cooperate with the government. But noncooperation almost always results in arrests and torture. The list of jailed, banned and detained unionists is long. The Media Workers Association of South Africa — MWASA — has had all its articulate leaders banned. The group has also accused media agencies. A leader of the Gr
SEEMA SIROHI
and Allied Workers Union was stripped, hung in the air and given electric shocks in his knees for sneaking out.
Last June, 148 blacks signed a letter to the Transport Company of South Africa reporting harrassment on the job. The company got rid of the letter and related documents and fired 400 workers on the spot. Dr. Neil Aggett, a white involved in union activities, died in detention Feb 5, 1982 under suspicious circumstances. He was born in Brooklyn and died at National Congress, the organization that was in news recently in relation to the execution of three murguillas in Pretoria.
In spite of pressure from the government, union leaders are determined to carry on the struggle. Leaders sometimes drive 2,000 miles to organize workers and address meetings. There is resolution in their efforts. Earlier union movements, some highly political and with large memberships, crumbled under state pressure with the same swiftness with which they had
arsen. The latest wave is different with several advantages that are likely to ensure black unions a permanent place in South Africa. The pressure from labor shortages in recent years has meant inclusion of blacks in skilled jobs from which they can get better training, and are worse if more secure in their jobs today.
But there is no reason to be complacent. The black unions representing about 10 percent of the black industrial force are still embryonic and vulnerable. There are obstacles from "the government and disunity in their own ranks." For unions the immediate problem is survival.
Evidence of factionalism abounds. A "unity summit" in Johannesburg last year brought together unions representing 150,000 workers. The absence of CUSA — Confederation of Unions of South Africa — was noticed by observers. CUSA, the second largest black union alliance, and other unions with all-black leadership are suspicious of unions with white members.
The split reflects the wider debate on whether the key to liberation is in nonracial or black nationalism philosophy. Black unions doubtful of whites say that whites even with the best of intentions attempt to control any organization they are in. Another source of factionalism is disagreement over the extent to which unions should cooperate with the government.
The union movement faces immense odds but the simple act of organizing is itself a form of militance, given the South African context. It is a political act in a country where democracy exists only for 4 million whites. Most unions, even the militant ones, have so far not made any demands that would represent a serious challenge to the government or their bosses. But the militants have finally got a voice in South Africa's rich economy has finally got a voice is significant. After fighting for their rights, the unions could very easily become a political force.
Middle-aged flower child wilts in the 1980s
By LLOYD G. CARTER
United Press International
FRESNO, Calif. — As a teen-ager in the 1960s, my it was to task me with frightened passions that the Beatles, Animals, Kinks, Zombies, Rolling Stones and even Hermann's Hermits were not invaders from outer space but merely my musical heroes.
Dressed in bell bottoms, paisley shirt, granny glasses and unfurled moptop, my parents felt certain I would run away with a band of gypsies
I revealed in the emotional shouts registered by Mick Jagger's menacing glare or Jimi
But as the years passed and the roses of the Flower Power Generation wilted slightly, my expert grasp on the minutiae and trivia of rockdom (Paul McCartney's favorite drink? Rum and Coke) slipped slightly. I began to hear more tunes on the radio without being able to instantly name the band, recording studio and latest drug influences.
The grudging recognition that I am inching perilously close to what others (never me) might call middle age came when I saw the latest list of Top 20 hits and realized I may be hopelessly out of touch.
At the top of the charts is a group called the Police. Can you imagine how uncool that name would have been in the '60s?
At the No. 5 spot is a group called Kajagoogoo.
Don't ask me what that means. It sounds like somebody starting to sneeze.
While Mick Jagger's paean to erotic frustration, ("I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," kept plenty of parents nervous two decades ago, the parents of my generation get to worry about such innocuous album titles as "Pyromania" (by Def Leppard, which presumably is a hard-of-hearing, illiterate jungle cat), "Cuts Like a Knife," "Killer on the Rampage" and
Cruising in at the 17 spot is a group called Debarge, who presumably spent some time on the ship.
Bridging the generation gap somewhat is (pick up) Stix, with a catchy album called Kilroy Was Here. Don't ask me what Kilroy has been doing. I don't want to know.
"Eliminator" (which could be about a murderer or a balm for a digestive tract upset.)
Keeping the Top 20 soul list hopping is a bright little ditty called "Freak-a-zoid" by Midnight Star, a group reportedly hailing from the planet Mureatrov.
However, the final indignity in the sudden onrush of my golden years is realizing that in addition to Top 20 list for hit songs, there are also more tracks I'd love to watch video games, unheard of in my younger days.
A closet arcade freak, I am happy to see that Centipede is at the top of the home video charts. However, I walked in a record-video-etc. store out that stargazers my mvaided sensibilities.
Plantation life still obvious on Capitol Hill
It's called "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and it should be cutting a swath to the top of the video game charts soon.
By IRA B. ALLEN
United Press International
The Greek columns, the lush green swearts swarming with plebian tourists, the patricians who orate at length on the Senate floor, the backslapping and camaraderie, the amiable way a congressman will chat with anyone who recognizes him.
WASHINGTON — Most of the old Southern power bars who made laws in back rooms over bourbon and branchwater are gone; but Capitol Hill is still a plantation.
Staff members are paid whatever their lords and masters want to pay. There are no equal opportunity or health and safety laws that apply, and good field hands are rewarded with
The outward serenity of life on the Hill can mask the rampant ambition that causes each of the 100 senators to look in the mirror each morning and see a future president of the United States. Or at least hear the staff sharecroppers tell him so.
comfortable, high-paying jobs close to the power.
The ease with which information can be obtained led to a formulation by this columnist that should be of help to newcomers in the Capitol press corps. Namely, anything newsworthy that happens in Washington or the rest of campus can be learned within 45 minutes on the Hill.
Covering Congress is a reporter's dream — regular hours, long vacations when members leave for "district work periods" and, above all, the need to travel with lawyers and 20,000 staff members will talk.
Like any rule, there is an exception. For those not favored by the well-aimed leak, it did become impossible to confirm last fall that Sen. Edward Kennedy was indeed dropping out of the presidential race. Thus, an important corollary to the theory is that a scoop can last only 45 minutes, except when it involves Congress itself.
Capitol Hill is a breeder reactor of good stories. Every imaginable issue either starts in Congress or finds its way there in a hurry, and most issues take at least 10 years from inception, formation, generating more accusations, bearings, disclosures and recriminations that can be consumed.
Even a story on the impeccably tended Capitol gardens produced a truism: "They spread 40 tons of fertilizer on Capitol Hill every year, and that doesn't even include what's in the Congressional Record."
Letters Policy
The University Daily Kansas welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 spaces. 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 Kansas reserves the right to edit or reject letters.
Furor about briefing papers is 'much ado about nothing'
President Reagan has been backed into a corner — a dangerous one.
If you don't believe it, just ask former President Richard M. Nixon how it feels to have the press hound you ohil you are essentially helpless.
It would appear that the fear of becoming involved in another Vietnam War or a growing federal deficit or the significance of a meeting between Pope John Paul II and Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa have taken a back seat in importance to a collection of "briefing papers"
Surely there are more pressing matters facing the United States than determining whether the
WARREN BRIDGES
And, typically, officials differ in their views as to how to handle the situation.
Reagan has been quoted as calling the controversy surrounding the papers "much ado about nothing." At the same time, he has called for an immediate investigation into the matter.
Carter has said the Reagan campaign staff's reported possession of the papers "a very serious loss" to his 1980 campaign.
The only official who appears to be taking the situation as it should be taken is House Speaker Thomas O'Neil, who said an investigation into the matter was essentially unnecessary because. Briefing book or no briefing book, our counsel was extremely unpopular in the last election. $^{16}$
Regardless of the findings of the various
committees, departments and organizations that may investigate the matter, nothing will be discovered that will put Carter back into office.
And, if a single debate can determine the results of a$^{a}$ presidential election, perhaps someone should tell presidential hopefuls Walter Mondale and John Glenn that all they need to do is schedule a debate with whomever the publican candidates will be, as if we didn't know.
And, if demonstrating the extremes is effective as an example, perhaps a system should be set up to avoid having a president campaign for four years. Instead, a single debate could determine who our next president would be.
Sound ridiculous? Of course it does, and it should.
Reagan, who also called for an investigation,
may have another incentive in doing so.
But that appears to be what some Democrats are advocating with their insistence that the issue of the papers be fully investigated.
Though it has not been confirmed, it stands to reason that if Reagan is going to announce his candidacy for 1984, he will want to have the matter cleared up before that time.
And being placed on the defensive at the hands of the press is something Reagan won't need
However, as is often the case, opponents of Beagan may make the issue a political one.
Sure, if the papers were indeed acquired illegally or anything else happened outside the law, an investigation is in order and appropriate punishment should be handed down.
But the issue should not take precedence over more important issues until the results are
The press needs to be aware of that fact, and remain neutral in its presidential coverage — and that includes questioning the president about more than just a collection of papers that Reagan claims he never saw in the first place.
The University Daily KANSAN
Kansas Telephone Numbers
Newroom--864-4810
Business Office--864-4358
The University Daily Kaman (USFS 600-649) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Flint Hall, Lawn, Kan. 60043. daily during the regular school year and Wednesday and Friday during the summer sessions, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holiday, and final periods. Second class postage paid at Lawn, Kan. 60044. Subscriptions to mail are $15 for six months or $24 in Douglas county and $14 for six months. Students subscriptions are in the daily activity fee. POSTMASTER. Send address changes in the University Daily Kaman, 118 Flint Hall, Lawn, Kan. 60044.
Editor Janet Murphy
Managing Editor
Editorial Editor
Editorial Editor
Assistant Campus Editor
Makeup Editor
Workshop Staff
Staff Photographers
College
Columnists
Justin Abelson
Harry Malin
Rock Dulce
Neal Stafford
Elizabeth Pennisi
Susan Schmid
Stephen Phillips, Steven Purifoy
Gene George
Warren Bridges, Charles Lawson,
Sergei Sirach
Judy Hindman Malin
Staff Writers
Retail/Production Manager
National Back-to-School Coordinator
Classified/Campan Manager
Retail Sales Representatives
Business Manager
Laurie Samuelson
Advertising Adviser and General Manager News Adviser...
Bill Marsh
Curt German
Simon Chilternen, Olivia Pughe,
Laurie Damier, Timm Ireland, Marianne McChranagh
Tere McClannan
John Oberzan
Mike Kautsch