Opinion
Page 4
University Daily Kansan, April 28, 1983
Give vets fair deal
America sent its boys over to Vietnam to fight. They fought, they came back, and now they're fighting for what is owed them. But once again the system has turned its back.
The Veterans Administration this week restated its opposition to a bill granting compensation to Vietnam vets who claim they were affected by the spraying of Agent Orange in Southeast Asia. A House subcommittee is considering the bill.
The VA's argument to the vets is stated simply, if you can't give the proof then you don't get the compensation.
VA Administrator Harry Walters told the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee that the bill was "based on theories and hypothesis. It is not based on fact. I do not believe Congress should base its decisions on hypothesis."
Then get the facts and get them quickly. The war ended in the mid-1970s, yet the Agent Orange dispute has dragged on because the government has not used enough of its resources to find out whether the vets were affected by the chemical.
That proof has already been provided, according to Rep. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., who is sponsoring the bill. He points to studies that show a relationship between the herbicide and the three illnesses covered by the compensation bill.
Whatever the case, the government had better take a more thorough look at the problem. That's the least the vets deserve.
The bill would provide compensation to 3,000 veterans, but 17,000 Vietnam vets have applied for compensation. Agent Orange was sprayed by U.S. forces in Vietnam to kill jungle growth, so it's conceivable that many American troops came in contact with jungles freshly doused with the defoliant.
The government's reluctance to grant the compensation, or to more thoroughly examine the problem, only reinforces the image that Vietnam vets came home to a country that didn't want them.
Solving the Agent Orange problem could be a big step in finally welcoming the vets back into the heart of the nation.
Teen trash movies replace the age of innocence
Last weekend I was at my home in sunny Shawnee Mission, enjoying a relaxing day away from academia. It was my last pit stop before finals, and my father and I had decided to see a movie.
But as I perused the newspaper, an awful fact struck me. Teen sex flicks are taking over the movie section.
There are Oscar contenders with such titles as "My Tutor," "Spring Break," "Spring Fever," "Joystice," "Porky's," "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and my favorite, "The House on the Hill."
One could easily presume by reading the movie section that today's young adults are sexually-fixated backseat brawlers.
Here's your basic teen sex movie in a nutshell:
Lonely boy, shy girl. Boy sees girls across shopping mall. Boy talks to girl. They see each other at the beer bash that weekend. They both get drunk, go for a spin in his Firebird and "get acquainted". They both feel embarrassed. The lonely boy's best friend, has an abortion and goes through depression. The lonely boy apologizes to the now not-so-shy girl. She says, "Let's party," and they drive away from the mail, tires screeching.
Sometimes, for aesthetic purposes, the mall is transformed into a beach or a school. But it really doesn't matter. The message of the movie is: "You're young, you're beautiful and you're mine. Now let's go fornicate."
Now I grew up slightly before the era of the
"boy mates girl" flicks, but that doesn't mean I wasn't socialized to believe the same message
When I grew up, I used to sneak the hidden Penthouse magazines from my older brother's room. (He could never hide them from me.)
For those of you who have not yet had the privilege of reading one, here's a generic copy of our book — and a link to the full version.
**Dear Penthouse.** I am a freshman at a large
university in the Midwest. I never believed any of the things that I read in your magazine. Never, that is, until this one night last week
The letters went on to describe various sex acts ranging from the sublime to the perverse. From the romantic to the kinky. (Although the two weren't mutually exclusive.)
These letters portrayed college as a haven for hedonists. Every corner had a sorority house filled with willing pledges and active activities. Every residence hall was a multistoried
Needless to say, when I arrived at KU I was greeted with a large disappointment. There were only three such sorority houses and only the co-ed residence halls were bordellos.
court classes. Just kidding. There were no such sorority houses; all were filled with women of unbleamed virtue. The residence halls were places where one could truly grow; stately halls filled with studious academicians.
So here I am to set the record straight. The teens and onward, specifically that period of time immediately after the Wonder years, are not years of reckless, sensual pleasure for most
There is a reason I qualify that statement by adding "for most people." Some people actually do live in that teen Sodom and Gomorrah. In fact, the number probably is growing because the market is being flooded with teen trash films.
But, I admit, I was not one of the privileged few who subscribed to the loose, sexual morals of our generation. I never had to get a shot of penicillin. I never had to worry whether my backseat rendezvous had impregnated anyone. I never had to go through the agonizing scene in the drug store from the movie, "Summer of 42." I was a decent kid. And I still am... I think.
But what about these movies? Will this column change the industry? Will they start cranking out titles like "I Was a Teenage Celibate," "Harry M.: Portrait of a Decent Kid" and "Good, Virtuous Youths Who Still are Virgins at the End of the Movie?" I doubt it.
Teen trash is destined to stay for a while. As long as pimple aced boys and dummy girls still live on the streets, they have no choice.
And in a decade or two, when our children return from watching "Porky's XII" or "Behind the Green Door at Ridgement High," we'll remember those happy days of our youth, when simply holding hands was enough.
Letters Policy
The University Daily Kansan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 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 Kansan reserves the right to edit or reject letters.
Injustices in South Africa being ignored in America
To the editor:
I am of the opinion that KU and the state of Kansas will never diverst from South Africa.
The debate over KU's investments in companies doing business in South Africa has been rasing for some years now.
It truly moves me to see white people genuinely concerned about the plight of black people in South Africa. The trouble is that it is only a few who are really morally opposed to white supremacy and tyranny in South Africa. The vast majority of KU students and the U.S. public in general don't give a damn about what's going on anywhere else in the world, let alone
Some. I must add, share the very philosophy of the South African government parties.
That is just one reason why KU won't divest.
I have never taken a scientific poll, but I’ve talked to many students and to people in general. Must have told me how much they abhor what’s going on, and then in the same breath go on to add, “But blacks are not ready to govern themselves.” I assure them that the South African government thinks so too.
That is just one reason why KU won't invest. You see, you cannot ask someone who believes that profits and only profits are the relevant yardstick on whether or not to invest about morality. Profits are the only consideration to such a person. How the profits are accrued is of secondary importance. I assume morality must not interfere in the process of making a profit.
The KU Endowment Association has made this abundantly clear. The multinationals have made it clear. The U.S. government has made it clear. Their primary concern is not for the social and economic welfare of the black people in South Africa.
Their concern is only that of profit and whatever else that benefits them by their presence. (So for God's sake please stop the filth lies on the well-being of blacks.)
To appeal to these institutions for moral consideration in their activities in South Africa is futile.
They have no moral capacity. Indeed, they really reflect the public's views (stockholder, electorate, etc.). The majority of stockholders want the companies right there reaping massive profits, while the electorate wants vital interests maintained.
They have no moral capacity whatsoever.
This virus threatens the well, others at KU and in the United States claim to have never heard about what's going on in South Africa. Yet these very same people have heard about Afghanistan, Poland, Idi Amin and what have you. There is a tendency among us humans to see and hear what we want to hear and see.
You see, I think America, its public, its anything, can't do much about South Africa. If they can, it's already too late, and would
proportion amount to nothing. Anyway, America, its press, its multinationals, its public, have been part of the problem in South Africa. I am 23 years old, and in that time, America's commitment to South Africa has not decreased but has increased.
increases.
Let us not kid ourselves, in one way or another,
America has built the satanic power which the
evil regime in Pretoria exercises and enjoys.
Indeed, the Pretoria bandits see themselves as
the "bullwarks against communism" in Southern
Africa. (We poor Africans are labeled communists in our attempts to free ourselves from tyranny.)
I do, however, despite my pessimism, have a message for the American people;
I know many of us Africans in South Africa appreciate the efforts of some to divest their money invested in white supremacy and in the wicked system imposed on us. We share with you the belief that the world must be built around the that human dignity takes precedence over profit.
We share with you the concern over human rights and thirst for a tomorrow that will be fulfilled.
To those who want to continue investing in South Africa, take heed, dark clouds have appeared on the horizon. Black lightning will strike without warning. Folks, I can assure you when it's all over, there won't be any investments in your steel industry for your nuclear plants; cobalt, manganese and chrome for your steel and military industries; no more profits; nothing.
Americans must examine their lifestyle which have necessitated the tentacles of corporate American to stretch across the entire universe in search of cheap labor, resources and profits in order to maintain an illusory lifestyle which Americans enjoy.
This, however, can never be achieved while Americans appeal to their self-righteousness.
Bongo Salasie,
Mount Zion, South Africa, senior
Gays play positive role
If society uses the Bible as a basis to reject lesbians and gay men, the full spectrum of that doctrine's interpretations should be expressed. One case in point is the story of Lot. Genesis 19 describes how the men of Sodom wanted to rape Lot and his male guests. God destroyed the city as Lot fled to the hills where he impregnated his two daughters.
To the editor:
Many Christians today agree that this passage demonstrates God's contempt for all homosexual activity. These verses are concerned with the issue of rape, not sexual preference; additionally, the fact that this passage condones incest leaves me questioning the value of its message.
The only references to homosexuality in the New Testament come from the letters of Paul. His condomation of gay men and lesbians based on the Old Testament makes me wonder if he had heard Christ say, "I am the law, and I make all things new."
message, rather commonly cited Biblical scripture is Leviticus 20:13, where Moses declares sexual acts between men an abomination. Leviticus abounds with interesting commands. Slave law and sacrificial etiquette are described. Although snails are not acceptable food, crickets are. Further, crossbreeding different breeds of cattle or wearing clothes made of more than one kind of fiber is strictly forbidden. We don't commit grave sins by violating the above commandments but I don't know of any selective species which would invalidate some actions while leaving other intact. Clearly, religions co- evolve with their respective societies.
Leibniz and gay men play a constructive role in the modern world. They question the traditional roles of male dominance and aggression demonstrated in the destructive potentials of modern warfare. They provide new definitions of the family for people who were previously isolated. They devote their energies not to bringing more people onto this overburdened planet, but to improving the quality of life for those who are already here.
Homosexuality and spirituality are not mutually exclusive. Gay men and lesbians are no more or less human than heterosexuals. Everyone must follow a message central to all the great religions: If our hearts are filled with hatred, there is little room for compassion.
Tim Hutchings,
Showee freshman
SUA films defended
To the editor:
the course
Klissa J. Heaton's letter in the April 21 Kansas complained about the exhibition of the film "Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens."
Beneath the Valley of the Sun,
I am director of the University Film Society's
weekend films and The Screening Room (both
will begin in the fall of 1983). For Klisla Heaton's
information, the film was sponsored by the SUA
and I stand in its defense.
SUA is showing 63 films this semester aimed at broadening our selection of classic. American and foreign films; films from such famed directors as Ernst Lubitsch, Howard Hawks and Abel Gance. Unfortunately these great films do not, on the average, support themselves at the box office. In addition, SUA has been experiencing a financial crisis which has forced the selection to be directed towards more popular titles.
I do not think every member of the SUA board agrees with all of the subject matter or ideas presented in every film shown. Moreover, I seriously doubt SUA was actively attempting "to encourage the continued abuse and the 'sexploration' of women."
It is also interesting to note that the budgets received by student organizations are awarded on the basis of how many students are served. A similar process takes place at the Kansas Union, part of a private corporation.
As far as students' rights go: "The college level educational institution in the United States has no jurisdiction over what films students will be allowed to view."
1. as a film studies major, support SUA's choice if it means the continued high quality programming that SUA has offered for many years.
Michael Borbely director, UFS Films
Start of a bad tradition
To the editor:
it's beginning to sound like a broken record. Every time an election is held on campus, the results are contested. It is becoming a KU tradition.
author.
On March 7 and 8, the Association of
University Residence Halls held elections for president and vice president. Alan Rowe and David Walker were elected.
Unsatisfied with the outcome of the elections, other candidates submitted charges against Rowe and Walker. After 40 days of procrastination, the election committee decided that Rowe and Walker were guilty of "electioneering," a term it used to describe the election committee found that it was enough inconsistence in the voting procedures to warrant a new election.
procedures to wait that Rowe and Walker have it seems to me that Rowe and Walker have been found guilty on the basis of the election committee's incompetence.
committee's incompetence. While there is no doubt that the election was poorly run, Rowe and Walker should not have been held responsible for its problems.
A new election will be held April 27 and 28. If the results of the previous election are overturned, I feel a terrible example will have been set. It will lock KU into a tradition in which no election could ever be held without being contested. If this is to be the case, what is the point of even having student government and teacher power? Under such a system, the only people who will ever become involved in student government are those who cry the loudest and the longest.
If you are as tired of this as I am, please join me in putting an end to the beginning of a terrible tradition. Support the re-election of Alan Rowe and David Walker.
Janelie Cousins,
Prairie Village freshman
The University Daily
KANSAN
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