4
Thursday, September 21, 1972
University Daily Kansan
KANSAN comment Editorials, columns and letters published on this page reflect only the opinions of the writers.
Activism Resurrected
The latest effort by University of Kansas student activists appears an act of futility following an act of futility. Remnants of the ill-fated Haiphong Coalition recently regrouped as the New Democratic Movement, champion of the democratic process for electing a chancellor, of all things. The idea failed to catch on with the issue with which to resurrect the campus activism of Students for a Democratic Society days.
The movement evidently thought it had found a proven formula in the idea of capitalizing on a local issue. Its organizers noticed that the Haiphong Coalition achieved some success in May by bringing customers into the KU. The coalition demanded an investigation of KU's contributions to war research.
Acting Chancellor Raymond Nichols last week announced appointments to a research investigation committee, but former members of the coalition have already said the investigation would be fruitless. Their recommendations for the composition and goals of the committee, they said, were diluted by the University Council during the summer.
A committee of the coalition, conducting its own investigation, didn't go very far before it discovered that the University Senate adopted a policy in 1969 against accepting classified research projects, a former member said. The policy was in effect several years before 1969.
The committee also discovered that quarterly reports on research applications were filed in Watson Library as public record and that funding sources appeared in annual financial accounts. The university KU was conducting secret war research and that information about research was not available.
Perhaps the Haiphong Coalition was using the SDS tactic of making allegations based on nothing more than somebody's suspicion.
Gus DiZerega, former student activist, was quoted last spring as saying, "First, you have got to hit administrators over the head to get their attention. Then you can talk fruitfully because they'll be listening."
The Haphong Coalition drew attention but its allegations backfired
tention but its allegations backfired. The New Democratic Movement's front-runner for the White House first came the ever-popular cry of "50 per cent student representation" on the chancellor search committee. Then came the demand that the Kansas Board of Regents agree to endorse the candidate for chancellor who won an all-University referendum. For the regents already had their own plans.
Failure of the New Democratic Movement was guaranteed. Spokesmen said they planned to take up the issue of University research but they were confused about what happened to the issue after the coalition government leadership might save the organization here, but like the Haiphong Coalition, the New Democratic Movement insists it is amorphous.
Already, at least one movement organizer has dropped out. Ken Tackman, the organizer, said recently that he was disillusioned with the war and would devote his energies to other things. Jeff Urban, a leader still in the movement, said there were 15 to 25 members now.
A former member of the Haiphong Coalition's coordinating committee says she already sees signs of fatal division in the newly formed movement. She said militant "Marxists" were opposing anarchist "crazies," the ones who cried "power to the people" and contributed to the downfall of the coalition. Activities during the summer dissolved in bickering over what went wrong in the Strong Hall occupation, she said.
Like older movements, the New Democratic Movement appears doomed. Students of excess ire have joined special interest groups to work for women's rights, veterans' rights and minorities' rights. Opponents of the war have joined the Vietnam Veterans Association of Sen George McGovern's presidential campaign. Founded on the ashes of a defunct movement, the new one promises to follow a futile pattern of activism for activism's sake.
Bob Simison Kansan Staff Writer
WASHINGTON - The Palestinian guerrillas have deliberately sought to provoke Israeli oppression of U.S. Ambassador Bill Buffin in Beirut, in order to create "an illusion of activity" and to encourage 'the continued from the rest of the Arab world.
He told of "the unifying spectacle of confusion, dissension and bitterness that pervades the fedayeen leadership" and that it disturbsances between Fatah elements long stationed in South Lebanon and those recently arrived from Jordan and Syria." There have even been gunfights reported, between commandos.
Jack Anderson
Ambassador Buffum sent the State Department a secret summary a few months ago of what's going on in the guerrilla wars in Syria, and that "fidelyen strength in South Lebanon, despite continual fluctuations, is now probably higher than at any time in the past," he said in that "their fighting spirit seems to have remained at low ebb."
Their forces, never a serious threat to Israel, have been in disarray since King Hussein drove them out of Jordan in September. He had been largely in Lebanon, they draw lightning from Israel and keep the Middle East in ferment.
"As if all this were not enough," the ambassador added, "the fedeyane have found their main outlet for releasing their frustrations-forays into Israel—blocked many major movements undertaken by the Lebanese and Israeli armies."
Guerrillas Provoke Reprisals
He reported that "virtually the only vestige of fedexe activity aimed against Israel is the practice of launching time-fused rockets from behind Lebanese army OPS."
But he suggested that "Lebanese army patrols are now able to find and defuse about 80 per cent of these rockets."
The U.S. embassy believes.
called Buffum, "that current fedayeen activity in South Lebanon is designed to serve two purposes, neither of which has much to do with inflicting injury on Israel.
"The first seems to be to create an illusion of activity that will maintain the fedayeen 'mystique' and ensure the continued flow of subsides from the rest of the Arab world.
"The second would appear to be to provoke Israeli retaliation against Lebanese border villages, in the hope of angering the inhabitants and exposing the Lebanese army to charges of "doomingism" in the face of enemy assaults.
"Achievement of the first aim seems to have met with only limited success. While the resistance movement as a whole is weak, there are bankruptcies, there are indications that the payment of salaries and
As far as the second aim is concerned, its realization seems to have eluded the fedayeen thus being referred to by Israel and the GOL (Government of Lebanon), of course, is widespread in South Lebanon. But the populace has not been left unconquered, because of their present difficulties.
While Buffum discounted any serious fedeatement to Israel, he warned, "there still remains for the Lebanese the difficult problem of what, if anything, to do about the growing number of commandos—6,000 at last count and still risen—camp in South
Lebanon . . . who are supported by an amorphous mass of armed Palestinians in refugee camps throughout the country.
allowances to individual
fedayeen is seriously in arrears
...
"They are prone to blame the fedayenet for provoking Israeli retaliation on their crops and houses without even being able to claim the slightest damage to Israel itself."
Lebanese authorites, he reported, "have not dared to step in foot of any of the country's 15 camps for the past two years."
The solution? Buffum observed that some militant Arab leaders believe "Lebanese leaders are only biding their time, hoping that future circumstances will allow them to deal with the Palestine问题 in the same manner that King Hussein was able to deal with it.
"I in our view, the Lebanese government intends nothing of the kind of cooperation that instead that something somehow will happen that will enable the problem to go away and remove them," their having to cope with it."
What worries the ambassador
is mounting fedayen sentiment, "particularly among those elements that make up the Fatah opposition", in favor of the concepts of area-wide terrorism and revolutionary activity long advocated by . . . radical fedayen leaders."
He cited intelligence reports that Algeria, Iraq, North Korea and South Yemen were providing financial and material assistance directly to the (Popular Front) for the Liberation of Palestine) and other avowed revolutionary organizations with nary a qualm about the adverse resistance it might have on this country's delicate public system."
Footnote: It was the FTPLP that sent three Japanese terrorists into the Tel Aviv airport, where they downed 28 innocent passengers and wounded another 70 in a machinegun attack.
Copyright, 1972. by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
Overproduction Gap
According to John Kenneth Galbraith, the major cause of American economic instability is overproduction. Through the advances of technology, this nation's workers want and need in. The old Biblical terms (New Capitalist Revised Edition), supply has exceeded demand.
Here in America the problem of excess of supply over demand has been attacked by stimulating demand, by encouraging people to buy things for which they have no innate need or encourage demand, the economy burdened with a more and more extensive and expensive advertising and marketing industry. But, as is now becoming evident in the consumer movement, an educated people will not allow themselves to be exploited indulently. Stimulation of demand is a temporary phenomenon, keeping pace with the ever-expanding production capabilities of a technical nation.
The only acceptable rationale for stressing technological advance, as Americans tend to do, is that through technology man's life-supporting labor is lessened—technology makes it possible to eat more and work less.
The problem of overproduction could, of course, be simply and economically handled by a cutback in production. But, in most minds, such a suggestion summons forth dreaded visions of layoffs and recessions; yet production can be cut by other means than layoffs.
If the heart disease rate is any indication, we have the eating down pat, but what about the work? At least one employer is on the right track. In North Carolina a 51-year-old mill owner has initiated a three-day work week (36 hours) for his employees, which amounts to a 10 per cent wage hike. They earn high wages, but their four-day weeks mean more business for the recreation industry and more jobs. Most important, technology has been dethroned from its undeserved position as master over man.
McGovern seems to understand, is to buy workers out of the labor market with a guaranteed income—pay people not to work. But the most sensible answer is for workers to press for shorter hours at the same weekly rate of pay.
It is time for all labor unions truly concerned about the welfare of their country and their members, and all laborers and employers in general, to get serious about the nation's economic production. If no one starts production, if shorter work weeks don't become the vogue, economic disaster surely will.
One solution, as Nixon seems to understand, is to focus on limited resources, as an unlimited solution, as
Readers Respond
Robert Ward
Volleyball
Stinson, Ratings, Chancellor
The upsetting factor is that Mr. Stinson failed to produce one supportable reason, other than the uneasy decision of not allowing the use of Allen Field House. Naturally, during the course of correspondence, he stated several reasons, or rather exaggerated them, in his position. At first there did exist two legitimate problems: the basketball floor would not be assembled until early October and he was unable to up the bleachers. It was after I wrote back and explained that
To the Editor:
This past summer I had the unfortunate experience of attempting to coordinate a team with the correspondence with KU's athletic director, Wade Stinson. I say unfortunate because I was not given the opportunity to sever from Mr. Stinson. In fact, the only effort extended by the athletic director was directed at college players. Stinson succeeded in that regard, thus a volleyball match for Sept. 8 in Allen Field House between the U.S. men-tour team, "The Big Dippers" and the United States Olympic team failed to materialize. The purpose of the exhibition was first to show KU, second to provide enough finances to sponsor a trip by the Jayhawk Volleyball Club and, second, to provide an Tournament in late April.
Chamberlin and all players
Chamberlin and all players
in the dirt and that chairs could
used on the bottom level that Mr.
man ride to the man-man
roadblock the exhibition
His next basis for opposition concerned the Sept. 8 date. He argued that at that time the athletic department would be concentrating on training the football apperter Sept. 9 and could not take time out to promote the exhibition. I fail to see why the athletic department should be so strictly football-oriented and therefore would have immensely increased interest in volleyball at KU.
In addition, we asked for no promotional help because all the students were supplied by Chamberlain's team. However, I realize that football at KU means money and, as we all know, it takes more effort after contacting Chamberlain's team once again, they agreed upon alternate dates of either September or November following Sept. 9. This failed to elicit a elixit response from Mr. Stinson. Thus our correspondence was lost whatsoever for the exhibition.
Nevertheless, I did intend to talk personally with Mr. Sinson, who was in charge of the exhibition merely confirmed my opinion that he backed himself with unsupportable excuses. He would not really know where he stood involving some of his objections. At one point, Mr. Sinson told me the exhibition would not be successful. Yet, less than ten minutes later, he asked if I felt volleyball could become a sport. After I replied that I thought it could with the help of the exhibition in a minimum of 5 years, he stated that I would pose the exhibition. KU's athletic department could not support another intercollegiate team but a hypothetical. In one instance he feels the exhibition will be unsuccessful and in another it will be successful as to lead to an intercollegiate sport. Also I questioned Mr. Simon as to how he would pay for years the money will not exist.
All in all, it appears that there existed no reason whatsoever to disallow a volleyball exhibition by the best players in the country. It was unfortunate a crucial question was not answered said, "I'm not in the least bit disappointed the exhibition didn't come off."
Moreover, the athletic department allows enough one of the causes for the one-year banishment of KU football from post-season competition. It turns around and plans to spend more money bringing the case to court attempting to change the team's record.
Steve Schlegel
Allow me to make some corrections on Miss Schild's hasty commentary on a Clockwork Orange in the Boland Picture. Association of America (MPAA). Her main concern is to let the MPAE give its indication of an act by the G, "G," "PG," "R" and "X," but not to let it become a censor, as she says it has in Stanley Rubick's movie, *The Adventures*.
First, Kubrick is not cutting 3 seconds of the "explicit sex them with" out-takes of the same exact scenes (Variety, Aug. 30). Miss Schild stated that Kubrick's economic temptation at the expense of his own creation about Kubrick and his films knows that he would never change anything in his films if it were him.
Second, I hope that no one is naive enough to believe that Warner Brothers doesn't care about the films they have had notably large budgets ("2001: A Space Odyssey," "The Golem of Zion" "$6 million") I assure that Warner would like the biggest return possible from film rentals. Therefore, Warner would replace footage to gain an "R" rating.
To the Editor:
--makes it possible for parents to decide whether or not their children are mature enough to play a role in the classroom. However, I am against the MPAA because I don't believe it should lay down its own suitability ideas. It would be nice when the MPAA goes overboard by suggesting to film-makers "suitable" and "suitable". But a review of the past few years will show that the reviewing board is relaxing its rules because of public demand.
Orange
Third, the MPAA states that its purpose is to inform parents of a film's suitability for children's viewing, not for censorship. This
I hope a new way is found for rating motion pictures and that Miss Schild's distortions now stand corrected.
Jim Milio
Chicago Freshman
Selection
fo the Editor:
In regard to the selection of the chancellor, five students should be randomly selected from each class (i.e., selected from a fishbowl pool with three members with three members of the Student Senate and seven members of the faculty and staff. The committee and the committee membership to 30.
This committee, along with the Board of Regents, would select the director. The committee would then elect two students, two teachers and two senators for the final vote of the Board of Regents' approval.
Mark Kasper Overland Park Junior
Griff and the Unicorn
By Sokoloff
Universal Press Syndicate 197
Newsroom—UN 4-4810
Business Office—UN 4-4358
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN America's Pacemaking college newspaper
NEWS STAFF
Published at the University of Mmanu during the academic year 2016/2017 and online since October 2017. Please visit us at www.unmmanu.edu for more information.
Students with all applicable students without credit, or additional natural or foreign languages are welcome to apply. Application should be made by emailing nskimmanu@unmmanu.edu. Nskimmanu experienced staff will review applications and make a decision regarding admission.
Editor        News Advisor, Sunshine Shaw       Scott Spireer
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Manager      Business Advisor, Mel Adams       Dale Flippergerder
REPRESENTED FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING BY
National Educational Advertising Services
A DIVISION OF
READER'S DIRECT SALES & SERVICES, INC.
MEDIA LAST MAY 1970
1