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Opinion
Page 4 University Daily Kansan, October 28, 1981
Poland tightens the vise
The vise of vicarious control is tightening in Poland, according to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. He views the sending of Polish troops into 2,000 villages to restore order and commerce as repression by proxy on behalf of the Soviet Union.
If Weinberger is correct, an order to move out from Polish Premier Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski is still far preferable to a similar order to Soviet troops from Leonid Brezhnev.
In fact, many of Jaruzelski's plans may be entirely necessary to keep an economically gasping Poland from expiring completely. With bitter winter coming, people in the countryside need food in their markets and fuel to run the tractors on their collectives.
A similarly massive labor unrest in this country might bring similar state action to restore economic order. The similarity ceases, however, when the Polish government begins mouthing words from Moscow about "solving local conflicts" and "dealing" with the "extremist elements" in the Solidarity labor movement. Those words, which speak of a crackdown, of repression, are especially alarming on this day of a planned one-hour nationwide warning strike.
The Polish government has repeatedly couched its threats in statements of how the labor movement is "hostile to a socialist country."
But the workers don't seek capitalism, only freedom to work, and live.
Hesitant judicial system fails to settle video recorder issues
When America's addiction to television lead to the mass production and marketing of home video recorders a few years back, the question of copyright laws was effectively sidestepped. At the time I wondered how much time would have been spent on trying to fall blown controversy and hit the proverbial fan law.
That time, it seems, has passed. Last week the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's decision and ruled that manufacturers and users of home video recorders were liable for damages if the tape was used for the taping of over-the-helf programs.
The "landmark" decision was made after MCA Inc. and Walt Disney Productions, both
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producers of television programming, appealed the original decision in favor of the Sony Corporation. The producers contended that the use of certain words would seriously affect their future earnings.
The Sony Corp., which produces the Betamax video recorder, countered the MCA/Disney complaint, arguing that an enforcement of the copyright laws would result in an invasion of privacy of the home. Invasion of privacy? What about theft, Mr. Sony Skopsman?
The appeals court was apparently unmoved by the defendant's argument, but Justice did not deal as harsh a blow as she could have. The portion of the lower court's ruling concerning retailers' use of the recorders for demonstration was left standing.
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Thus, it's OK for a salesman to get you interested in buying the equipment by demonstrating its uses in the store, but you will be breaking the law if you take your new gadget home and record your favorite episode of "Gilligan's island" from the living room set. The continuity of the higher court's decision is, at best, elusive.
Aside from the inconsistent nature of the appeals court's decision, it is rather puzzling that the court agreed to hear the case at all. Granted, the question of copyright law violation is a valid one, but the practical means to enforce the laws under today's circumstances are nonexistent. The question have been raised, the vici recorders were marketed. But because it was not, it is now necessary to explore possible solutions to the problem.
In its decision, the appeals court suggested the payment by video recorder companies of a "continuing royalty" to the television programming producers as one solution. A logical suggestion, even though it was just a bit after the fact. A true example of the American legal system. What a shame that the courts didn't have a more precise law to interpret.
However, when the courts finally did have the opportunity to interpret what law there was, they chose to ignore most of the questions at hand. Both the 1979 Los Angeles District Court and the appeals court addressed only the question of air-air programs for noncommercial home use.
Important issues were ignored and left undecided, possibly for years. The questions concerning the taping of pay television programs, tape duplication and off-air recording for use outside of the home were left unanswered by the courts during this round.
One hope is that the case will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and that the high court will see the necessity of dealing with all of the issues involved.
The important point is that any court should address all of the issues before it. Too often questions have been ignored because the court would want to make a commitment. An example of this type of long-term hemming and having is the question of defining conscientious objector status. First addressed during World War II, this definition was unclear throughout the Vietnam
If the courts continue to drag their feet out of reluctance to fulfill their obligation in the circle of justice, why should citizens feel obligated to fulfil theirs?
Pooch coddling taken a step too far
For years I've wondered about American society's values and priorities. We have taken democracy and stretched it to the limit so that criminals now receive better treatment than those in the police, until we are sick—and throw out any extra, while people in this country and abroad starve.
Now, my worst fears about our societal values have been confirmed: a group of 250 California (whee else!) veterinarians has published an education program for猪. That's right, pigs.
So what if people across this country are starving or freezing because they don't have enough money to pay heating bills? Pet owners in the United States, nearly 60 million annually to care for all the Rovers, Fido and Morrises and they want a financial break.
The California plan, called Veterinary Pet Insurance, is similar to the Blue Cross & Blue Shield plan for humans. When the plan becomes available in January it will offer coverage for everything from a pet's broken leg to its open heart surgery.
Open heart surgery? Have we gone mad over our pets? One can only wonder about the mental state of people who spend more to take care of their pets than they do to take care of their kids.
otherwise have been put to sleep because their owners could not pay the high cost of medical care. It sounds as though the prolifers have decided to defend pets now, too.
The costs really are unbelievable. The average office visit for dogs and cats is $45; stitches for a bite wound, $125; broken legs, $400; and heart surgery, $120.
The veterinarians behind the plan said it would save many cats and dogs that might
This propaganda is good in theory. Unfortunately, the people who really need the insurance probably will not buy it because of the cost. The people who provide coverage for such
BRIAN LEVINSON
mustortunes as running into windows, eating poison or being hit by a car, will cost $30 to $50 a year. The major medical option, which will cost $70 to $120 a year and other diseases, will cost $70 to $100 a year.
The fact that the veterinarians think enough pet owners will be interested in the plan for it to be profitable indicates the animals have lost all sense of the proper role of pets.
Let's not forget that, as much as some of us would like to think dogs and cats are human, they are not. Webster's defines pet as a "domesticated animal kept for pleasure rather than fear," a luxury, not a necessity. Pets go along with vacation homes, boats and mink coats.
With our economy in such a sad state, we should not be spending $350 million every year for pet grooming aids to make Fido beautiful. Nor should we be spending countenance health care. Pets are one item that people could give up and save a great deal of money.
Further, much of the money now being spent is used in vain. The fight to keep our pets healthy has become a losing battle thanks to urbanization. Increased housing pressure has forced smaller houses with smaller yards, or to live in apartments, which allow precious little room for pets to run and get exercise. City leash laws and "pooper scooper" laws, which require owners to clean up after their dogs, have kept dogs in their yards most of the time.
If this insurance plan catches on, where will the nonsense stop? I can see it now: unemployment insurance for stray pets. They would receive enough money for three meals a day, but if their societies would no longer be allowed to destroy animals for which owners couldn't be found. Instead, they would have to continually expand their facilities to accommodate all of the little creatures that have no homes. They would need to invest in most kids in orphanages and foster homes.
If the Democrats get back into the Oval Office, I can see a pet welfare state. After all, somebody has to give dogs enough money to food and support Lorne Green here. By now.
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Letters to the Editor
KU Endowment relving on hollow anti-divestment arguments
To the Editor:
Having recently returned from a student divestment conference in New York, I would like to comment on the Kansan's Oct. 20 story, "Officials defend South Africa investments."
Apparently the three officials see no role for social responsibility in determining who the University invests its money in. If profits are the only criterion, if investing in racism poses no problem, perhaps the University should consider out and investing in, say, brothors or the Maffa.
The story largely consisted of anti-divestment statements by Endowment Association President Todd Seymour and officials of two other universities. Most of the quotes were about how "fiducially responsibility" and the need to avoid "saccharific investments" precluded taking any action to divest from corporations operating in South Africa.
Overlooking for a moment the moral turpitude of this position, let us consider the claim by Seymour and company that divestiture would hurt the University financially. This stale apology for investing in apartheid is not based on an understanding of analysis of divestment or alternative investments.
It's too bad the Kansan didn't talk to any of the schools that actually have divested. Seven universities have divested completely, more than two dozen partially. None of these have reported divestiture having any adverse impact on portfolio performance.
At the schools where the biggest investments have occurred—Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin—the financial offshoring of alternative investments proved more remunerative.
The director of investments and trusts at Michigan State issued the following statement:
At a time when budget cuts and economic recession are taking their toll, it would make sense for the Endowment Association to look into ways to help Kansas farmers could help the Kansas economy and create jobs.
Finally, our three officials take refuge in the timeworn fiction that multinational corporations benefit the black minority in South Africa. This is just what the white minority government has been saying for the past 30 years as it went about building that massive structure of racist laws and regulations called apartheid. The whites believe this so ardently, in fact, that they have made it a crime, punishable by life imprisonment, to advocate disinvestment.
advantage because the firms that are involved in South Africa are the big industrial firms that have not been doing as well as other types of firms. By getting out of those stocks and into other relatively smaller companies doing better, we have come out ahead."
Nevertheless, the great majority of black African organizations and leaders have called for an economic boycott of South Africa, for divestiture by universities and other institutions. As a step in that direction, KU should heed their call.
Laird Okie Lawrence graduate student
Query damaged dignity
To the Editor:
In its attempt to follow up on the story of alleged spying by Taiwanese students on the KU campus, the Kansean has itself abused the rights and dignity of individuals within an important institution.
During her interview with a Slavic department
graduate student from Taiwan, a Kansan
reporter hinted that the student must be spying for the Kuomintang because he was in this country on a Republic of China government scholarship. She implied that such an accusation had originated within the small KU Taiwanese student and suggested the student point blank whether it was true.
To accuse a foreign student, even by implication, of spying on his own countrymen, and without one grave of evidence to support this claim, is a best grave of discourtesy, and at worst an example of yellow journalism (no pun intended) in the not-so-hallowed traditions of the New York World and the more contemporary grocery-store rags like the National Enquirer.
This incident points up a woolful inadequacy in today's American journalistic education, where student reporters are taught no foreign languages, know virtually nothing about foreign societies and do not even pay heed to the civil liberties and the cultural sensibilities of the diverse persons whom they interview. The presumption of guilt in this was not only a grave humiliation to our student, but also a breach of the jurisprudential etiquette. T试题, tisk Kansan'
Gerald E. Mikkelson
Chairman, Slavic languages and literature department
Karl Elliott's Oct. 22 editorial very much reflected my own feelings about the recent budget cuts.
To the Editor:
Party ignores agonies
The planners of this "party" obviously have
I as well thought the idea a great injustice to the men and women who served in Vietnam and Korea, but I am not so confident.
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never experienced the pain and nightly cries of someone close to them who still resilies his own private hell as a result of many months spent in the jungles of Vietnam.
I would like to know how they can rationale "a good old time?" to a 30-year-old quadruplepac who once had a life and future ahead of him, who, like these young men, dreamed of the day he could live on his own home to and now can only live that in his dreams. I am sure that he would gladly trade places.
The Vietnam veterans fought their war in
Vietnam and paid the precious price of losing
their youth. They don't need to keep fighting the
war at home, too, and it yet goes on . . .
Diane Bergquist
Topeak graduate student
Don't ignore Octoginta
To the Editor:
I was very shocked and disappointed to find absolutely no coverage in the Oct. 19 Kansan about the Octoginta—an annual 80-mile bike ride that, along with other biking events, consumed a whole weekend and several weeks of prior advertisement on- and off campus.
I would think that an occurrence with 350 participants, several from out of town, would receive more attention than a paragraph on the Kansas State Football team, and would certainly be worthy of the Kansan's attention.
I hope you will attempt to remedy the situation and have much more coverage next year.
Cathy Phillips Burlington, Vt., sophomore