Opinion
Page 4 University Daily Kansan, April 8, 1982
Unseptered isles
Last weekend, a conflict erupted on the tiny Falkland Islands. And for many, the incident resembled a scene from a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta: A band of Argentine marines set out to capture an island the size of Connecticut from the peaceful British shepherds who lived there.
Argentine marines? British shepherds?
How amusing.
But now, less than a week later, those who have watched the situation closely are no longer laughing.
Fifteen Argentinian soldiers were killed in the takeover. More than 1,800 British citizens are now living in an occupied territory. Lord Carrington, the British foreign minister, who was nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 1980, resigned from his post. The British Labour Party also asked Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to resign. She refused.
Meanwhile, the United States is carefully straddling the fence in this conflict between two of its allies.
Thatcher called a total embargo on Argentinian imports and sent an armada on a leisurely charge to the captured islands.
By now, most of us know that the Falkland Islands are at the center of these conflicts, but what are they, where are they and why are two countries so determined to possess them?
To start with, the Falklands consist of two large islands, and about 200 smaller ones, scattered from 250 to 400 miles off Argentina's coast.
The islands are covered with treeleas, windswept moors. It rains 250 days in the average year, and the islands are suited best to sheepherding. In fact, sheep outnumber the islands' human inhabitants 300 to one.
Great Britain traces its claim on the islands to 1592 when it says John Davis, an English navigator, discovered the islands.
Argentina calls the islands "the Malvinas" and it traces its claim to them to the day in 1520, when it says a member of
Ferdinand Magellan's crew discovered the islands.
The two sides have fought over the islands intermittently ever since then. Formal talks with the United Nations and the International Court began in 1947. But the struggle intensified in 1976, when an economic survey showed that there could be oil just off the Falklands' shores.
Black gold.
The fight for the Falklands has several causes. National pride is at stake, and so is a lot of offshore oil.
But the situation probably is most complicated for the United States.
For better or for worse, we are allied with Argentina. (Argentina, by the way, could be the most repressive government in the Americas. Amnesty International conservatively estimated that the country's military junta killed 5,000 people during its first four years in power).
In 1947, the U.S. signed the Inter-American Reciprocal Assistance Treaty, which calls for all signers to respond to an attack on any American country as if it were an attack on themselves.
But the U.S. also is bound to the British by its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and by a 1982 agreement to let the British use the U.S. air field on Ascension Island, a convenient stonower for Britain's southbound armada.
So far, the Reagan administration has kept a low profile in negotiations between the conflicting countries.
In staying calm, and staying neutral, the administration probably is doing the right thing.
Amid all the shouting and resigning and negotiating, it is important to remember that the Falkland controversy centers around underwater oilfields and 4,700 square miles of sheep pastures.
And it is important for the U.S. to remember a lesson it has learned in the past 30 years: when big countries step in to solve the small problems of small countries—they usually create big problems.
AS THE DEFENDERS PREPARE FOR INVASION.
UNCLE SAM IS PERPLEXED ABOUT WHAT TO DO.
THE INVINCIBLE BRITISH ARMADA SPEEDS ACROSS THE SEAS,
AND THE NATIVES PLAN
THEIR COUNTERATTACK
AotBantos 82
Stay tuned . .
Letters to the Editor
Dean should 'reconfigure' Western Civilization's budget
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to your article of April 5 pertaining to the Western Civilization Program. There it is stated that Robert Lineberry, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has "reconfigured" the Western Civilization budget, i.e. transferred control of 10 T.A. positions to the history and philosophy departments.
Recognizing the tenability of criticisms of Lineberry's decision made by James Seaver chairman of the Western Civilization department, the history department, as I understand it, has requested that its control of five of the 10 positions be transferred back to the Western Civilization department. The department has not requested that its control of the other five positions be re-transferred.
Your article states that Anthony Genova, chairman of the philosophy department, did not specifically request those five positions, but used the facts that (a) philosophy graduate students often are awarded positions in the Western Civilization Program and (b) the philosophy department does not control these positions; (c) the department's inability to award more T.A. positions than they were budgeted for at that time.
Thus, the principle involved here, it seems, is that if a department chairman can convince Lineberry of the need to upgrade its graduate program, then positions from other departments should be taken. The faculty are qualified to teach should be appropriated and the budgets accordingly, "reconfigured."
That is, the philosophy department was only budgeted for nine T.A. positions, in order to attract more and better graduate students and thereby to further upgrade the philosophy graduate program, the philosophy department would like to control another five positions.
In view of this, Lineberry has transferred control of five Western Civilization positions to the philosophy department. I believe this is totally inadequate ground for Lineberry's teaching role. The students have in the past often received T.A. appointments from the mathematics department; by parity of reasoning, Lineberry would be justified in "reconfiguring" the math curriculum and by providing the philosophy department could better their graduate program by awarding T.A. positions in mathematics.
Moreover, not only is Lineberry's decision untenable, but the fact that it was made without consultation with Seaver or interested parties is a significant factor in the decision, betrays its underhanded character.
A procedurally fair decision would have been preceded by open discussion with the parties affected. Procedural fairness is, I take it, incompatible with the automatic methods to which Lineberry is apparently given. Such methods are hardly consistent with the ends of the University.
$106,995. I also think that a first-rate philosophy program and a first-rate Western Civilization Program deserve much more funding than they do. The American Institute of Lineberry's salary should be "reconfigured."
I believe that Linneberg should reconfigure his reconfiguration, restoring the Western and Eastern branches.
R. H. Hall
K.R. Hau
Lawrence graduate student and assistant instructor of Western Civilization.
Jeans day not logical
To the Editor:
This letter is in response to the Gay and Lesbian Service of Kansas "wear blue jeans if you're gay day," it tells tale-clue that some of our public relations issues lacking in common public relations sense.
How absurd is it to assign a stigma to the staple garment of a college student's wardrobe? They might just as well have had a "wear underwear if you're gay day," or perhaps "anyone with a face is gay today day." The whole concept defies logic.
In Jeff Thomas' column, "Purpose of blue jeans day to increase understanding" it was stated that we are supposed to be ticked-off by being helplessly frustrated as we sit in class wearing jeans, wondering what others are thinking.
I know that when I saw other students with jeans on it didn't send signals rushing to my head, "Oh my God, he's a homosexual." That have been as fatous in logic as the day itself.
I wore jeans with the knowledge of what day it was and I am certainly not gay. It wasn't that I was intent on not being intimidated by this queer faction of students. My attitude was more apathetic than that. Who cares what other people may think?
Also, what kind of group is it that is searching for a negative response from people whose support and understanding it desires? Their reverse psychology is not only warped, but it also alienates those of us who might be inclined to be sympathetic to their cause. Why or how could anyone support any group whose goal it is to intentionally angry people? It defies logic.
Essentially, it was a copout. Jeans day was supposed to be the day when straight people were supposed to think about what it must be like for gay people to live with large parts of their lives hidden. Well, GLOSK, nobody knew who didn't. Don't worry, you are safe in your closet.
If the GLSOK truly wanted its numbers to stand up and be noticed, then they should have worn something out of the ordinary to make their numbers recognizable for our gay students to remain anonymously gay.
As far as he is being ticked-off goes, I perforce must say that you provided me with the greatest comic relief and all we need. I can hardly wait to about do this. I will be ready, in a "carry a backpack if you're gay day?"
It's Kansas Relays time again.
Terence O'Malley, Leawood graduate student
Dollar pinch hurts Timmon's Relays
I remember the Relays well, it's one of my favorite times.
Eight years ago I was a freshman distance runner walking into Coach Bob Timmons' training room.
Coach was hunkered down among mountain ranges of stacked manila folders and empty R.C. Cola cans. All I could see of him was his face, a blurred half-melted black eye with blue wedge eyes — he was once a drill sergeant.
"Key Wild Will," he greeted me and then
said, "is the most important question, "Did you run this morning?"
I had, but said "No. I ran eight mornings last week, Coach."
"You rascal "he said and smiled
He was heavily into organizing the Kansas Relays, the middle and perhaps most important leg of the relay Triple Crown—with Texas before and Drake after.
A big black phone sat ominously in front of Coach and jingled-in information that he transferred onto sheets in folders that were placed on the table to reactive stacks. The whole meet was on his table.
As Coach finished marking a minute number in among lots of other numbers on a sheet in one of the folders, I heard the phone in the other office ring.
I answered it and heard the familiar fuzz of a long-distance call.
"Coach, someone on this phone for you," I half-yelled.
"Hello, is Timmie there?" Just a cool 'llaid.
"Who?" I said, too loudly into the phone.
"Frank Shorter."
"Who," he half-yelled back.
"It's Frr..." I stopped and thought Frank! I calmed myself.
"Ubbh, just a minute Frank, he's tied up at it. So he's been getting in some good work," Frank said.
"Huh? Oh, well. I did ten quarters on the track today, and . . ."
"Just a minute Frank." Coach came out of his office.
"Frank Shorter." I handed him the phone.
"Probably wants more money, the rascal . . .
Frankl 'obudy, how ya doing?"
Ten quarters on the track is what we'd done that day, too. Running on the track during a race was not fun.
consuming country road workouts, Coach could zip from the fieldhouse to the stadium in his diapidated '60 Chevy truck and arrive through the gate as we finished our warm up. This way he could escape from the confines of the office building, where he would put us through our daily death simultaneously.
"... okay Frank, we'll see what we can work out, bye."
"Frank Shorter. huh?"
"Yup. What did you say to him?"
"You racalas," he said, and gave me that one. He stared at me. He went back to his stacked folders and I was in a state of shock.
America used to be intent on proving amateur status, so little money was available for them. Now, it's easier.
W.J. ANDREWS
Olympic athletes competed known they had
more than the Soviet-funded
"amateurs."
This ascetic practice of true sport lived on most noticeably among track athletes. Track amateurs found it especially difficult to earn a place in a team, but they chose chances at competition in away meets.
Track clubs were helpful, but woefully underfunded themselves. Some clubs more closely resembled gypsy bands that gathered as family to promote a few star talents—a pecking order of limited opportunity to compete.
The other source of money for top amateur athletes has been meet sponsors. But meet directors like Coach Timmons rarely have access to the money needed to talent-track is definitely a non-revenue sport.
And there are no guarantees that athletics will show up, run well or not apply pressure for them.
Guy's like Frank never asked for much, and you were glad to have them. It was the big question.
almost was's that milked your competitor's budget.
Lately track clubs have been getting stronger and "entertainment" with its wily nice awards have become popular. Frank is pushing shorts and shoes and doing okay.
But since the ante has been upped, the talented amateurs are avoiding traditional events and are vying for sweet rewards on the pavement under banners. Meet directors who could scarcely meet the buoyant before find themselves in a draw today. And the recession makes it worse.
So much so that Coach Tingtons has had to dispense with tradition and change the format of his team.
The meet will be run along a standard NCAA format.
Most open individual events, many junior college and high school events, and the occasional tournament.
But it is not for trying that the meet has had to change. These last couple of months that windowless office has been lighted and warm long into the night.
Some athletes have avoided their truest support, the traditional relays. More athletes should make a commitment to return the favor they've received, and meet with them where they've previously fared well.
And what about community support? Couldn't the populace invest some effort, if not some cash, to specially dress the Relays with an air of festivity? At least attend?
As a former KU runner, I can guarantee that the performance you will see if that stadium fills even half as much as for a football game, will be a rabbit-run competition of exciting dimensions. Runners love crowds. They go nuts up like a steam engine and start moving faster.
I guarantee it won't rain and you can count on bringing your tanning oil.
And watch for Coach Timmons, the diminutive wise man. You can recognize him by the dark circles under his eyes and that object of attraction in charge of the Rel晖's too busy to see.
If you enjoy yourself, next year about this time send Coach a check. He'll appreciate it and make a mark in one of the folders from one of the stacks.
And I'll appreciate it too. TheRelays is one of my favorite times.
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