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Tuesday, September 26, 1972
University Daily Kansan
KANSAN comment
Editorials, columns and letters published on this page reflect only the opinions of the writers.
Behind the Boycott
The Lettuce Boycott is a national movement about which there is some confusion. Sometimes it seems to be the result of a squabble between two unions and at other times it is a plea for help from the farm workers in their dealings with the lettuce growers.
The boycott is being sponsored by the United Farm Workers Union and when they ask that people buy only union lettuce it is their union that they are talking about. Many of the farm workers are now being represented by the Teamsters Union. However, it is felt that the Union does not necessarily have the necessary understanding of the workers' situation to adequately negotiate with the growers for the laborers.
Many growers have signed up with the Teamsters Union because it is usually easier to deal with them. The teamsters send a few of their top officials to confer with the growers and settle on terms, which are often more agreeable to the growers than those the UFW insists upon. The UFW claims it has a better knowledge of the workers' needs and more support from the workers themselves.
It is hard for me to determine which union would be better for the workers, so I cannot really support one union over the other. However, I do think that the workers should have the right to choose the union they want to negotiate for them. It does not seem to me that they have that right and therefore I do support the union if the boycotts would force growers to recognize the union their workers want, then supporting the boycott would help the workers achieve their right to a representative union.
It is unrealistic to expect the
workers to go on strike since there are too many others who would take their place and most of the workers need every day's wages. Consequently an appeal has been made to consumers all over the nation to support the boycott sponsored by the UFW.
I suspect if the boycott succeeds the UFW will be the union that benefits, but if that is the organization the workers prefer to have representing them then it should be the one placed in power. All that we can hope is that whatever unintended consequence the workers it will be the people in the fields who will really be the beneficiaries of the boycott.
The boycott will not be too much of a burden on anyone who decides to support it. All lettuce is not being boycotted only iceberg or head lettuce. Now would be a good time to introduce yourself to other kinds of lettuce such as bib, romaine or endive lettuce. If the UFW does not contract calls for a wage increase of about 25 per cent. Since the labor costs from farm workers on a head of lettuce amount to 2.4 per cent per head, the increase in cost to the consumer would be about a half a cent. If you are going to boycott lettuce it is a good idea to explain to the restaurant owner or the store manager that you are not eating salads or buying lettuce because it has not been grown by people represented by the union of their work. We should not induce buyers assume it is some kind of national fad against eating lettuce. The lettuce boycott is a relatively painless way to help people whose work brings food to our tables and who do not have the power to help themselves.
Mary Ward
Cynicism Triumphs
How can the public trust the judgment of a man who dismissed Hickel from the office of Secretary of Interior and selected Sipro Agnew as vice president? How can anyone believe in the campassion of a man who claims that he understands the rules of football and watches football while young people sit on his lawn protesting the war? How can we trust the rhetoric of a man who winds down the war by increasing every phase of American
Perhaps more than any other president in U.S. history, Nixon has contributed to the popularity of cynicism in this country. Following on the heels of Johnson's faith-shaking administration, the Nixon reign has all but obliterated the public's faith in elected officials.
How, for example, can the public have faith in Nixon's secret plan to end the war when, after four years, the plan still is secret and the war still is on? How can the public trust the sincerity of a man who at the outset told a national television audience that "we have ruled out the alternative of a military victory," and then appended the war into Cambodia, mined Haiphong Harbor and renewed the bombing of the North?
involvement except the ground troops?
But most of all, how we trust the honesty of such a scandal-ridden administration. With the ITT scandal, the Hofra intrigue, the Reelect the President Fund's $10,000,000 the wheat scandal and the Lavelle scandal, the Nixon administration has one of the blackest records in American history with its scandalous stained and questionable that previous decades it would have brought certain defeat at the polls. And yet, currently, there are no heralds of impending doom.
Apparently the American people have been so inundated with reprehensible political behavior that they no longer expect a president to be trustworthy, sincere, wise, compassionate or honest. Scandals and court cases have required a political career are now just wired "election rhetoric," the sort of thing that one should expect from politicians.
And thus, all the frightful misconduct of the Nixon administration and all of the charges of the Democrats are nullified: Nixon reaps the benefits from the cynicism he has sown.
—Robert Ward
Letters to the editor should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 words. All letters are subject to editing and condensation, according to space limitations and the editor's judgment. Students must provide their name, year in school and home town; faculty and staff must provide their and position; others must provide their name and address.
Letters Policy
James J. Kilpatrick
Bill Creates Consumer Czar
WASHINGTON — Columnists and editorial writers, as members of our tribe are well aware, sometimes fall into a kind of misunderstanding. Authority we pronounce upon public schools today and public power tomorrow. We are into everything that matters, but when it comes down at last to the bureaucracy, we have no course. Is non-Est. there is non-
The Congress this month is warming up to pass a bill that covers the same sweeping legislation that the CPA creates a new Consumer Protection Agency, with authority to pronounce upon everything that matters. But the CPA would have power. The CPA would have power.
I have said it a hundred times and would say it a thousand more: In the great arena of war, game is power—how it is won,
restrained. The sound doctrine was voiced in the Virginia law, which gives Patrick Henry's anti-Federalist band: Power ought always to be distributed sparingly, on the assumption that bad men will use it badly, for it is likely that they
That sound doctrine has been forgotten by advocates of this Consumer Protection Organization Act. In their eagerness to restrain one power, power one business—the large business—they are creating another machine of even greater power. Their proposed Consumer Protection Agency is like nothing we have seen before. The CPA, on top of a government, a superbureau all abuses.
The wonder is that good men, experienced in the ways of bureaucracy, could be breathing
elegislative life into this Frankensteinian monster. An explanation lies in the nature of this creature and in the nature of the problem.
In recent years, or so the Congress apprehends, consumerism has become a secular religion. Ralph Nader is its high priest, the women's clubs serve at the altar. Voters may otherwise be identified as Catholics or blacks or farmers or veterans, but whatever they may be, they will be venerated with warranted assumption prevails that as such, they all are members of the same universal church. Politically speaking, consumerism has to be served.
Beyond politics is the problem itself, and the problem is real. In the day of the village blacksmith, standing beneath his chestnut hat he would not see the time: if the shoe didn't fit, he could lead the horse back.
Responsibility was direct and a customer's recourse was immediate. Obviously, nothing of the sort obtains today. The TV set probably was made in Japan; responsibility was blurred; businesses (bosses) Trapped in the complexities worldwide commerce, the consumer is as helpless as a fly in a web.
But a proper answer is not to be found in the drastic relief proposed by this bill. Consumers who want the CPA are their interests are not identical. It is absurd to suppose that the bureaucrats who would man the CPA would be one whit wiser, stiffer, more efficient than the bureaucrats who now serve in, say, the Federal Trade Commission or the Food and Drug Administration. These new laws would simply have more power.
the proposed CPA is potentially the largest of all agencies. It would have to be expert in everything — neonatronics, in oil fabrications, fabrics, drugs, safety belts, public parks, banks, bonds, boats. It would have power to intervene in every regulatory animal or informal, of every existing agency. The bill invites chaos.
It will be denied, of course, but
There might be some value in creating a kind of super-editorial writer, as independent as the responsibility to complain, to exhort, to dramatize, to publicize, and generally to make noise in what might be conceived as the official Naldh Router. But to vest such a critic with power—the power proposed in the pending bill—to create a czar. No thoughtful counsel would buy it. —J. 1972
(W) 1972 Washington Star Syndicate, Inc.
Jack Anderson
Mitchell Linked to Watergate
WASHINGTON — Former Attorney General John Mitchell's name has been linked to the case. He was involved by a principal witness in the case.
The witness, Alfred Baldwin, has sworn he was a member of the Mission Impossible crew that spied on Democratic Party headquarters. One of his espionage reports, he has alleged, was addressed personally to Mitchell.
By Baldwin's account, he gave an oral report to James McCord Jr., who was then the security coordinator for President Nixon's campaign committee. In Baldwin's presence, McCord allegedly put the report in writing and addressed it to Mitchell.
Subsequently, McCord was arrested at gunpoint with four other men inside Democratic headquarters. They were involved in electrical eavesdropping and carrying eavesdropping equipment.
Baldwin has confessed that he monitored conversations picked up by a bug planted in one of the computers. The bugged conversations were
reported in memos, which McCord sent both to the White House and the campaign committee, Baldwin claims.
The memo that went to Mitchell, however, didn't deal with the bugging operation. As a result, he won't check on security in the building where the President's campaign committee has its headquarters.
He coiled up to a secretary in the law firm of Reeves and Harrison, which has offices in the same building. She told him that the law partners had contributed to McGearn's campaign.
to George McGearn's campaign.
A former FBI agent, Baldwin said he had been assigned at first
When Baldwin reported this to McCord, the security chief allegedly dashed off a memo to Mitchell warning that the law firm was a political security risk. Baldwin gave the FBI a 100-page statement detailing his role in Watergate cape. Thereafter, he reportedly was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony before a federal grand jury.
as a security guard for Martha Mitchell. His instructions must not to let her out of his sight except when she went to bed. He was also handed a roll of money and was instructed to buy her anything she wanted and to pay cash, he said.
When he joined the Watergate espionage operation, Baldwin said, McCord shoved a 38 pistol at him. Baldwin protested that he didn't have a pistol permit. He also was shot by the man he didn't need one, because he was attached to the President's campaign committee.
On May 9, Baldwin said he caught an Alleghey flight to visit his home in Connecticut. As he flew through the air, hacking equipment detected the pistol. He couldn't produce a permit, so he was detained while the airline checked with the campaign committee.
Apparently, pistols, burglar tools, bugging devices, surgical gloves and camera suitable for photographing documents were all part of the standard equipment available at the President's
campaign headquarters across the street from the White House.
Bank Records
Justice Department lawyers, apparently, have lied to the courts about the practice of snooping into people's private bank accounts without court authorization.
A month ago, however government lawyers in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. told the federal courts that government always gets summons or subpoena first.
On several occasions, we have published excerpts from FBI files which prove bankers willingly turn over their customers' records without being served with a subpoena.
The official, organized crime chief William Lynch, admitted to a Senate subcommittee last month that "in certain types of investigations" government sleuths get bank records without
a subpoena "with some degree of frequency."
Under intense questioning by Sen. John Tunneley, D-Calif., who was protecting the privacy of bank records, Lynch also confessed that "in particular situations he has been reasonably cooperative."
In other words, what the U.S. attorneys said in court fairly contradicts the Justice Department's testimony before the Senate. Someone obviously is living.
Footnote: In his Senate testimony, Lynch said the FBI went after bank records only violations of criminal statute."
We have documented cases in which the FBI got the bank records of dissidents like Jane Fonda, Dr. Benjamin Spock, and black civil rights leader Floyd McKenna, prompted to ask Lynch whether "criminal statute" violations included "political surveillance cases." Replied Lynch, "I do not know what you mean by that,"
Readers Respond
Sunflower
To the Editor:
Inaccurate? Innuendo? Cold?
Though we do not want to discredit the social work of the Kansan, as we feel they have done a tremendous job in helping the residents of Sunflower, we were told by the Kansan that we feel that the article in the September 8th issue of the Kanasan was not accurate and did not reflect what actually happened.
Not only did Ms. Elliott, Kansas staff writer, fail to inform the community about Sunflower residents to make the community a better place to live, but the only Sunflower resident mentioned in the article, was misquoted and none of the information taken from other residents or workers was given.
The units are not run as a motel, but are rented as apartments, mainly to families. Nor are they paid for workers, who people come to Sunflower because it is close to employment or a source of possible employment. Many are transitory, not restricted primarily by the nature of their work or a search for meaningful employment
Contrary to popular belief, the residents are very concerned about and work hard to achieve
programs and services, which will be of benefit to the total community of Sunflower.
Through community efforts one building houses a day care center, offices for Johnson and Mental Health, and complete medical and dental examination rooms which are available to residents. Another building, which will house an adult learning center and Mental Health, and complete medical and dental examination rooms which are available to residents. Additional programs include a big Brother-Big sister, a multi-purpose room, will soon be completed. Additional programs include a big Brother-Big sister, a senior citizen, scouting, church groups, and G.E.D. instruction for those desiring the equivalence of a high school education. Children in school of-school care program for children too old for day care, classes for those who desire to continue their education and children in high school and high school student. The list goes on and on.
We only wish that people would cease to pity Sunflower. We do everything we can to help you know that we are working hard to better ourselves, to provide our children with opportunities after graduation, and more prosperous communities.
If we want anything from you, it is your help and support. We welcome your reporters, but we
hope that in the future you will take time to show the good, positive things that are haplogamous as a result of community involvement.
Sally Proffit, Director
Sunflower Little People's Center
Peter Nicholson, President
The flower Health Clinic, Inc.
Chairman
Sunflower Big Brother-Big Sister
Bettie Cooper, Coordinator
Sunflower Civic Center
Dorothea Barry, President
Sunflower Civic Association
Sunflower Child Care Association
Sunflower Child Care Association
Slaughter
To the Editor:
Thomas Slaughter's editorial "GOP Pipe Dream" was a prime example of a type of journalism that has become unending, nuendo which is all too common on both ends of the political spectrum. Mr. Neerman's "Presidential Polls" which appeared below his own for some pointers in the election has been called
No one can seriously defend the bugging of the Democratic Nine and the four quarters—and I don't recall hearing anyone in the administration try—one can one. The case has been alleged with regard to
grain company windfalls in connection with grain sales to the Slovak industry intended for the Western incident are brought to trial (and the respective civil actions brought by O'Brien, Dole, and Carney) and know conclusively the extent of the so-called 'scandals' or whether any responsible party were as much evidence to indicate that the accusation against Btu is a rationalization as there is that it is true.
It's worthy of note that the new campaign laws are complex and difficult to comply with—including reporting of contributions, spending, and advertising. When it is all over and done, it will be hard for lawmakers to have been violated repeatedly by both Republicans and democrats on all levels, as evidence Democrats must grab all the free publicity they can get. An investigation more time on the evening news.
The editors of the Kansan have a right to express their views. We should also read the newspaper, I believe they should be responsible in the approach they take—whatever the position that they hold and remember that there are those of us on campus who see events through different colored glasses. They should be responsible criticism of both candidates—hopefully it will influence changes in the way we sort of jaunied attack in which Mr.
Ken Reeves Lawrence Law Student
Slaughter engaged contributes little to what could be an intelligent discussion of issues.
Griff and the Unicorn
To the Editor:
By Sokoloff
Temperature
There is a plot to increase traffic in Watkins Hospital, Just another way of working if you don't believe me. The plot is as follows: the city urges the air conditioner on her mall-fenced halls (in which I have my classes) to greet the students that arrive with a blast of fried ice.
The air conditioners are not turned on merely to a comfort level, so the conditions existing in the Arctic. The University must think we are polar bears who were born in Antarctica and never times I've had an interesting class but couldn't concentrate on my face and sandy parts.
Due to air conditioning, Watkins Hospital is crowded. Fact the University could keep a student warm if they made the climate in the classrooms bearable and at the same time, help to save precious water. Fact they have to have a shortage. If comparable conditions are going to exist during the winter, I'd better plan to bring my swimming suit to.
Mickey Weltman University City, Mo. Junior
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$ \textcircled{2} $ Universal Press Syndicate 1972
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