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Friday, September 28, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Minority affairs director should be made dean to help give office the recognition it deserves
The 35 minority scholarships recently created reflect a strong effort by KU administrators to increase minority enrollment and improve cultural diversity. Other efforts are equally important.
In light of Chancellor Gene A. Budig's statement last week that minorities are essential to the future of the University, the Office of Minority Affairs director should be made a dean.
Cedric Lockett, Black Student Union president, is suggesting that move, as are other minority leaders. A meeting is scheduled between minority students and administrators in early October.
Continuing to place the office below other administrative offices in the administration's power structure would send minorities a conflicting message about their importance here. On the other hand, giving the office the ranking it deserves would serve as additional proof that the administration wants to improve cultural diversity and awareness.
Minority groups also want more minority authors included in Western Civilization readings. That request has good intentions, but students already read (or don't read) more than 10 books for each of the two Western Civilization classes.
Budig can bring more minorities to campus and classwork can better reflect different backgrounds. However, such changes cannot guarantee an improved cultural atmosphere.
We, as individuals, are ultimately responsible for the attitudes expressed here. The responsibility extends far beyond wearing a button celebrating diversity.
Minority groups should seek a useful compromise with the department of Western Civilization instead of demanding more reading for already overwhelmed students.
Instead of majority against minority, we as KU students need to hunger for understanding and appreciate the diversity we meet each day.
Christine Reinolds for the editorial board
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Consistency questioned
In a letter to the editor in the Sept. 20 Kansan, Liz HuebEN stated that an argument for using the terms proabortion and anti-abortion to ensure consistency is "mane, stupid, illogical and wrong." In support of her conclusion about the consistency of terms in the abortion debate, she offers two points: first, that women are not for abortion; they are for a woman's right to choose. Therefore, the term prochoice is acceptable.
The second justification why pro-bortion and anti-abortion are not fair terms is a bit more confusing. Hueben maintains that some anti-abortion opponents are for capital punishment. Thus, she objects to the term pro-life. But Sandi Wayland, president of KU Students for Life, never argued that abortion opponents must be called pro-life in her letter to the editor. She simply stated that the abortion would be firmer than pro-choice.
It is poor reasoning to say that it is inconsistent to be opposed to abortion yet for capital punishment. Capital punishment is administered to a minor by the state and is capital crime. The individual is judged guilty by due process of law and is killed by the state. In abortion, an unborn baby, who has committed no crime, has no judge, no jury, no prosecution, no execution, is killed by a private citizen.
Nevertheless, I am opposed to both abortion and capital punishment, and for the sake of argument I will agree that all who call themselves pro-life are be consistent. If one opposes abortion they must also oppose capital punishment
But if a pro-lifer must be consistent so must a pro-choicer. To be pro-choicer, one isn't for or against anything; the right to choose is the guiding principle in all areas. I know pro-choicers who support a mandata on abortion and who can help How can the government tell an individual what to do with his or her own body in his or her own car? Shouldn't wearing a seat belt be a choice? What about child abuse? How can those opposed to child abuse get adopted? Those who have different ideas about the best way to raise children?
I am opposed to discrimination on the basis of sex, religion or race. But if one is pro-choice, how can one support government interference with a personal choice to discriminate? No one is for discrimination, some just believe in the right to choose.
Why aren't pro-choice campaigns for legalized prostitution and drugs? Don't those issues involve them? Why should we decide about their own bodies?
The term pre-life is acceptable Pro-lifers are for an unborn child's right to life. The term anti-abortion is also acceptable. Pro-lifers are opposed to abortion. If any term is "manse, stupid, illogical and wrong," it is the term pro-choice. "Choice" is meaningless by itself. When someone says, "I'm for choice," or "I'm for a woman's right to choose," then "What choice?" and "The right to choose what?" are logical questions.
Are you for AT&T, "the right choice?" Are you for Diet Pepsi, "the choice of a new generation?" Or do you support the choice to destroy a developing baby in his or her mother's womb?
Hueben concluded that for consistency the Kansan should use the same root word rather than the same prefix. The terms pro-choice and anti-choice are recommended. However, Wayland also suggested using words with the same root: pro-abortion and anti-abortion.
While the language used to frame any debate is important, I urge everyone not to forget the real issue at hand. This is more than a question of semantics — it is a question of life or death.
Ann Jurcyk
Kansas City, Kan., graduate student
campus police enforce this law. As a recent transplant from California, I can assure you that in spite of a "laid back" image, there is little forgiveness on the part of the police toward this.
I'm also frightened. If an able-bodied adult narrowly escaped these demonic drivers from hell, what chance does a senior citizen, child or physically challenged individual have?
Wake up, KU. True, we are here to receive an education, but if that doesn't include a little common sense, I'm going to teach each other, there's something missing here.
Peggy Dolan Lawrence junior
Tax proposal a hassle
Democrat Joan Finney says we should put a 1-cent sales tax on things now exempt. That means items sold and charity auctions would be taxed.
If I sold $250 worth of stuff at a garage sale, I would owe $2.50 in tax. Surely it would cost the government more than $2.50 to collect that tax
If I had a garage sale would I have to get a permit or tax number? Where would I get the tax number? Where would I have to send taxes I collect? It seems like a lot of hassle just to have a garage sale.
Once again I have taken my life in my hands by having the gall to assume that crosswalks actually have a symbolic meaning on the KU campus. I was under the impression that once a pedestrian entered a crosswalk, I should be right of safe passage. Wrong! I have narrowly missed being clipped on several occasions, been yelled at, and nearly impaled on a hood ornament.
And why tax charity? Charity, like government, is designed to help those who cannot help themselves. Under Finney's plan we would lose a lot of money paying bureaucats to collect taxes instead of helping people.
Respect crosswalk law
Has Finney really thought about this plan?
I'll admit, that as a non-traditional student, meaning older, I no longer need the need to life as if the next hour will be my last — although that may have been more mind as I come a lot closer to the hamper of a car than I care to.
Matt Cunningham Olathe resident
It angers me that I have never seen
As a former KU student, I was disappointed to see the front and back covers of the current University Timetable. In contrast to the images on the cover, I hope that the University of Kansas instead would present itself as an institution wherein career alternatives to nuclear weapons engineering may be pursued. It is most important that the university no-violent academic studies was not considered to be a cost-effective cover topic for the timetable.
Timetable disappoints
Roger Holden Lawrence resident
Keeping cool over coming war
Y”
on know what's great about Americans?" ask S groblin Kobrux
'We're so cool, that's what.
What prompts that proud observation?
"Well, just listen to what people are talking about."
"They're talking about who's winning the football games, the baseball games, what they saw on TV, how was their vacation, how their cars are running, how the job's going, what the weather's like, how much sumpn' costs. Yeah, that's really cool."
But those are normal, everyday topics of conversations. Why does it strike you as being noteworthy?
"Because you listen to people, you wouldn't have a hint that we're gettin' closer and closer to real war. It looks like there no way we can avoid it, and a lot of people are going to get killed. Do but you hear people talking about that? Nah. We sort of say, 'Hey, what, me worry?' "
Oh, I'm sure people are concerned.
"Who? Ted Kempel?"
Most people. They're aware of the growing tensions in the Middle East.
loving tensions in the Middle East.
"Yeah? But are they really aware?
Or do they think this is just another made-for-TC crisis where we put up some yellow ribbons for hostages,
then the whole thing kind of fades away?
You think people really know going there, probably going to be thousands of U.S. troops getting killed?
Not hummers, but thousands. And that could be the biggest land war since Korea?"
Well, there is still the possibility that it could be averted.
Saddam Hussein could withdraw from Kuwait as we're demanding.
"He won't do that because then he'll look like a loser, and all the other Arabs will laugh at him and the Arabics will go down in Arab history as big heat!"
Then may our blockade will be effective. Deprived of food and other necessities, he'll have to be reasonable.
"That, sounds good, except they can grow enough food to scrape by
Mike Royko Syndicated columnist
for a long time. And there's ways
stuff can be smuggled in to them.
You know how long the blockade
is. It's just a little bit longer,
over there would have gray hair."
Then we might have to negotiate a settlement that is satisfactory to both sides
"Like what?" President Bush says we won't settle for anything except getting Kuwait back. And Hussein says he isn't never giving it back."
Maybe Bush will change his mind.
"No way Remember when people said Bush was a wimp? Professor George Will even called him a lap dog. Now he is acting like a tough guy and you can tell that he likes it. But it he pushes out, Hussein wins. Or if it he pushes in, he wins. The next year or two or three, Hussin still wins. So people are going to start saying Bush is a wimp again. And he's like every other president, worrying about what the history books will say about him. I don't know why people read that. More people read the National Enquirer than history books."
Assuming you're right, that conflict is inevitable, then maybe we can end it quickly with those quick, surgical air strikes the experts talk about.
"Bull. You don't win with wars and any air strikes that are quick and surgical. This ain't like taking out tonsils you know."
But we have air superiority.
"Yeah, we had all kinds of air superiority in Vietnam. We had air superiority in Korea. And before we landed at Normandy, we had air superiority over Europe. But where were those wars fought? Right down on the ground. Because that's where you fight wars. So forget about surgical strikes. When this one gets going, it'll be down and dirty. The only time air superiority ended a war was when we nuked Japan."
Well, there are some who say we should consider.
I've heard readers say it.
"We should consider what? Nuking Iraq?"
"Then refer em to a shrink. We nuke Iraq and every Muslim in the world is crazy mad at us. And the rest of the world will say we creeps. And Bush goes down in history in the same chapter as Attila or Dracula Yeah, we'd look good I can read it now. The United States, to be sure, has a strong protection and protect its national interests, naked Iraq, killing a few million innocent men, women and children. Hooray for our side."
You sound alarmingly pessimistic. You seem to think there can't be a negotiated settlement, that war is inevitable and that it will be a terribly costly conflict with great loss of life.
"Yeah, great loss of life. That's what usually happens when two big armies come at each other with their bombs, missiles, tanks and bullets. With all these wonderful computers and high tech gizmos, some old-fashioned things never change Like the head, you tie the head, you die. When a bomb lands on you, there's nothing left but bits and pieces."
You paint a very bleak picture.
"Hey, don't worry. Be cool like everybody else. Just say, 'Hey, the president knows what he's doing or he wouldn't be president.' And let's all call the local talk show guy on the radio so we can tax a cheery message to the boys over there. And, remembrance day, when the country has got a big supply of yellow ribbons. Besides, the timing looks good."
What timing?
Why is that good?
"The experts say the shooting won't start for a few months."
"It won't screw up the playoffs, the World Series or the Super Bowl."
That's a relief.
"See? You're learning to be cool."
"Either way, it works."
Mike Royko is a syndicated columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
Other Voices
Souter's silence proper
A reporter asked former Supreme Court Justice Warren E. Burger if it was proper for the Senate Judiciary Committee to ask Supreme Court nominee David Souter about abortion. Burger was emphatic: Not only would it be improper to ask, it would be improper for Souter to answer.
Such a remark is not surprising
DEREK SCHMIDT Editor
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The contrast between Souter and those measuring his character are stark indicators that we don't want a politician on the bench. Compare the
coming from a Nixon-appointed conservative. But Burger is correct. The senators instilled on unveiling Souther's feelings on abortion, they not only will hurl the intent of the court, which is a case, backwock for selecting future jurors.
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quiet dignity of Souter to his inquisitors. He has lived a life of scholarly seclusion driven by a passion for history and the law.
If we choose judges based on how they'll vote on the hot issues of the day, we compromise the independence of the judiciary.
Three Imaginary Girls
From the Mesa Tribune
By Tom Avery