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Monday, October 3, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Opinion
ACLU defense of radicals is honorable and necessary
Suppose you have an opinion. Any opinion. And you want to sneak about it
Union the United States Constitution, you are guaranteed the right to do just that. And the Constitution does not qualify the rule. Any and all opinions are protected, whether they are popular, in the minority, in the extreme or in the mainstream.
It was a wise rule designed to avoid a tyranny of the majority. The founding fathers lived under tyranny and knew that tyrants allowed free speech only for those who agreed with them.
They also knew that the freedom of speech had to be set down in law that would be applicable no matter who was in
Despite this, laws restricting freedom of speech have been passed. It has taken required the courage of citizens and organizations to challenge the majority and force the legislation back within the boundaries established in the Bill of Rights.
One such organization is the American Civil Liberties Union, which recently has come under attack from Vice President
The ACU1 was formed 68 years ago and has grown into a vital nonpartisan advocate of freedom.
The ACLIU has fought censorship of books and movies. It has fought restrictions of free speech and expression of citizens, non-citizens, adults and schoolchildren. It also has defended the Islamic Nazi protest marchers, the Ku Klux Klan and pornographers.
The ACLU knows that if an extremist's views are not defended, other views cannot be protected. To allow or deny freedom depending on the viewpoint expressed only invites censorship by a government, a court, a majority. Unfortunately, Bush doesn't understand that, and has tried to smear the ACLU.
Bush should be ashamed that he cannot recognize the good works the ALCU has done in defending free speech – including
And that he has forgotten the wise words of Voltaire: "I disappreciate of what you say, but I will defend to the death your words."
What would George say?
No justice in Navy's system
It was a case where the punishment did not fit the crime, where justice was not served.
In March, Navy recruit Lee Mirecki, 19, panicked during a drill at Penacola Naval Air Station and climbed out of a swimming pool where members of a voluntary program were being trained.
His instructor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Combe, 28, ordered Mirecki, who wanted to withdraw from the exercise, back into the pool. Combe then grabbed Mirecki in a head dunking him to break his grip on a rope. About 80 seconds later, Mirecki collapsed and died. During the incident, other recruits were ordered to face away and to sing the national
On Sept. 23, a five-office court-martial panel convicted Combe of negligent homicide and conspiracy to commit homicide.
One man killing another in a life-saving drill was a tragedy. Combe's sentence makes it worse. The punishment for taking Mireck's life was a reprimand, a demotion and a mere 90 days in the prison short of enough time for Combe to pay his debt
Crimes committed during military duty, it appears, are exempt from being punished with any sense of reason or
Under the negligent homicide charge, Combe faced a maximum of one year in prison, a bad conduct discharge and loss of pay and allowances. The battery charge carried a six-month maximum sentence.
But instead, the panel decided to slap Combe's wrist with a three month sentence. So while members of the committee were shocked by the decision, it was by Christmas
In his closing arguments, Combe's lawyer blamed "the system" for Mirecki's death. Too often unnecessary deaths in military training are attributed to "the system," and what is just in a criminal proceeding is often overlooked.
That is evident in the Combe case.
Instead of appropriately sentencing Combe, the Navy has decided to assign him a sentence that often would be given to a prisoner.
Tony Balandran for the editorial board
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he can be mailed or brought to the Kalyan newroom, 111 stuffer/instructor Hall. The newroom is located at 759 Ramsdale Street and the videos of the University Daisy Kansan Editors are the opinion of the Kansan
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Film's friends and foes confusing Both sides of 'Last Temptation' controversy have made errors
Slowly but surely, like an experienced bloodhound on the trail of a tiring quarry, "The Last Temptation of Christ" is following the scent of profits as it finds its way to Midwestern markets.
In the past two weeks, crowds filled theaters in St. Louis and Kansas City while protesters folded the streets outside. The controversial movie based on the life of Christ comes closer to home.
I first read of the movie and its accompanying controversy while waiting for my car's muffler to be repaired. Maybe People Magazine's coverage of this story was not perfect, but Robertson and Jerry Falwell, but as I left the repair shop I found myself cheering director Martin Searles's soreness if her statement of
Bob Mace, president of the Granada Theatre historical society in Kansas City, Kan., said he would not allow a film time to take a stand and not let protest determine what should or should not be shown. The film will be shown on Wednesday.
As I thought of the movie, I remembered that I'd recently paid 25 cents for a cup of Nikos Kazantzikis' unusual treatment of Christ. So I went back to school and attended the movie of Supports and against those protesting the movie cooled, and I was left unsure just what all the fuss was about. Both sides 'attitudes were alike.'
Why has this movie elicited so many protests? It isn't the first controversial treatment of Christ.
Mark
Jost
Staff Columnist
"Jesus Christ Superstar" presented a similar is- less reflective portrait of Charles in 1821. German writer Karl Krauss wrote that he never even existed. And hundreds of years ago, John Milton anticipated the theme of "The Last Tempestment of Christ" in "In Paradise Lost" when it was written by William Blake (if unapproved, leave "no spot or blame behind").
The vehence protesters weren't all that left蒙confused. When Universal defended its movies with testimony from actors and directors, I wondered who the movie company was trying to convince them of. It was becalled by representatives of the decadence (Hollywood) that created the movie in the first place. Several leaders from mainline Protestant denominations also defended the film, but I doubt that their words carried much weight with the protesters. Sometimes Hollywood can be profoundly
Despite my message with both sides, I sympathize with letters to the Kansan that have lamented what happened in 2013.
anity has been the victim of double standards.
But I think Christians might channel their efforts more productively. Jesus was most concerned with showing his followers how to live and with confronting religious people in their hypocrisy. He spent little time protecting the actions of the church against those who were more powerful when it is lived, simply and truly.
Each of us has the right to voice disgust with a movie, play, book or whatever. I don't know why more of us don't protect the defamatory violence in movies that is so common in movies today.
Christians also have the right to criticize a movie that offends and insults them. As I read "The Last Temptation of Christ," I too was repaired by the word "temptation." The Bible says, That, to myself, is not the Christ I know.
And maybe that's the most important point.
"The Last Temptation of Christ" tells us little about Jesus Christ. It tells us much about its authority, but it also provides a summary of the thoughts and experiences of a man whose entire life was spent fighting the battle against sin.
Kazantzaks chose Christ as a vehicle to tell of that struggle. If you want the story of Christ himself, you're much better off reading the original version.
Mark Jost is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism.
K·A·N·S·A·N
MAIL BOX
Rules not equal
I recently made an overnight visit to a friend at Emporia State University. I learned there that all campuses are not created equal. As you know, we Jayhawks, as students, are not allowed to have any sort of alcohol on state property.
Our friends at Emporia, however, don't live by the same letter of the law we do. If you are of legal age, you can have 3.2 percent beer in your dorm room, by the lake and just about anywhere on campus. Quarter games in our house aren't allowed and what's not guarantee they are sticking to 3.2 percent beer?
I’m reminded of an inconsistency here in Jayhawkville. Anybody who has gone to Memorial Stadium through the alumni parking lot on campus must have seen the numerous tailgate parties. Most of these parties have two or three coolers of beer, with more upscale groups drinking wine and wine glasses than officers direct traffic in the parking lot, which is state owned property. But I never have seen any alumn in those tubs busted for alcohol consumption on state property. And the signs prohibiting
Jaguars. Maybe we don't contribute huge sums of money to the team. We just buy many of them as the warranty.
Maybe most of us don't drive BMWs or
Also, just because we go to a university with 27,000-plus students doesn't mean we should have to follow different rules than another institution. In fact, the Regent universities were the last I heard, the same type of people. The students in all seven
on this season of campaign rhetoric, let me remember one of the main ideas in the Constitution: all men are created equal. We must make sure that all laws are enforced equally, regardless of a person's age, income or the number of people he goes to school with.
Patrick Brungardt Leavenworth junior
Finding fascism
I want to make one thing clear from the beginning. I see a real danger in the resurgence of neofacism. It exposes a hideous and treacherous human weakness.
Dan Houston ("Proud ignorance fuels movement," Sept. 23) realizes that many of the children of the 1800s are apathetic and angry, and he labels them as neofascists.
ou want he doesn't seem to realize in that neofaecism isn't always hidden behind a shaded wall. I'll just keep it simple.
virus survives quite well in the mainstream world of cars, cotton sweaters and fraternities.
I would have to agree with Dan on his buch that he understands the movement much better than many of the students who had adopted it. I will encourage them to have absolutely no connection to neofacial stents
Dan, on the other hand, who proclaims himself as a member of a "member of the enlightened community at KU," would be in a much better position to understand a resident's sense of superiority.
Does everyone in KU its enlightened community agree with Dan that the pursuit of peace and equality is essentially naive and unrealistic?
*Hold it! I know we’re thinking.
We are supposed to wait like good children for things
that happen.*
Unrealistic? Naive? With the condition of the environment, the arms race, world poverty and corruption to the top levels of our government, is it any wonder that the children of the '80s are radical and angry? I think that there would be something wrong with them if they weren't.
And unless the children of the 105 start to get a little encouragement for the 165 idealism that seems to be held in such low regard by Dan's enlightened community, we're in for even
Dan, I know you re not a fascist. But you've got to be careful when you give people labels You'll find that it gets to be a very sticky business.
Jude Pate Lawrence senior
Lawrence senio
BLOOM COUNTY
OKAY, OLIVER !
START FLOWING OUR
WATER IN THE WATER
"CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE"
DOWN THE TOILET !
by Berke Breathed
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