OPINION
October 24,1984 Page 4
The University Daily KANSAN
The University Daily KANSAN
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
The University, Daily Kansan, USFS 605-640 is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Staffer Hall Fail Lawn, Kanan, 6045; daily during the regular school year and Wednesday and Friday during the summer session, excluding Saturday, Sunday, finals periods Second class postage paid at Lawrence, Kanan 60044 Subscription by mail are $15 for six months or $2 a week in Douglas County and $18 for six months or $3 a year outside the county. Student loans are $2 and are payable from time to time. The address changes to the following: Staffer Fail Lawn, Kanan, 6045
DON KNOX
Editor
PAUL SEVART VINCE HESS Managing Editor Editorial Editor
DAVE WANAMAKER Business Manager
DOUG CUNNINGHAM Campus Editor
LYNNE STARK MARY BERNICA Retail Sales National Sales Manager Manager
JILL GOLDBLATT Campus Sales Manager
SUSANNE SHAW
General Manager and News Adviser
Peace efforts
When Bishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week, the struggle of South African blacks against white domination received an international shot in the arm.
Tutu, the most prominent member of a growing South African church movement for black rights, realizes the significance of his award with respect to worldwide recognition of the plight of South African blacks.
Upon his triumphant return to South Africa this week from a sabbatical in New York, he said that his being awarded the Nobel Prize was an act of God.
Even the Nobel committee has said that the award was given in hopes that it would push the campaign for peaceful change forward in South Africa.
"God has said that we are on the way to victory, that we are on the road to freedom," he said.
Announcement of the prize, however, comes during the worst rioting in South Africa since 1976. More than 80 people have died during violence there the past two months, and there may be more.
Tutu remains skeptical of the government's intentions, though he has endorsed a proposal by a prominent South African white clergyman. The proposal is for black liberation movements to lay down their arms and renounce violence, and for the white-minority government to enter a dialogue on the country's future. Tutu has said that the proposal asked more of the liberation movement than it did of the government.
"Our people have no basis on which to trust the government as history has proved time and again," he said. In addition, he said, the only alternative to the government's refusal to abandon aparthied's policies of white superiority is increased violence and, ultimately, civil war.
Perhaps Tutu's Nobel Prize and the subsequent rise of international attention paid to the South African situation will help avert such violence.
The IRA is lucky
The Irish Republican Army terrorists don't know how lucky they were.
Despite the damage, death and injury done by the bomb IRA terrorists exploded at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, last week, they did not succeed in their real objective, which was to kill the prime minister of Great Britain.
Had the IRA succeeded in killing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the fury of a whole nation backed by the concentrated outrage of the free civilized world would have been directed against the murderous secret organization, and its days of infamy would have been brought to a quick end.
The IRA should not be confused with the Irish nationalist movement that fought and won independence for the Irish republic. The IRA is a revolutionary, terrorist organization, financed, supported and trained to a considerable extent by Khadafy's Libya and the Soviet bloc. Unfortunately, the IRA also receives significant support from many Americans of Irish descent who are confused about its real objectives. Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram
Treasures of Baldwin worth attention
Everyone has a special place to go when he wants to get away and think about it all.
You know the sort of place I mean; one where you can lie on the ground and look up at the sky and contemplate clouds or stars, depending on what time of day you do your contemplating. It's the sort of place where time seems to stand still long enough to see what's happening in history — to understand more about where you came from or where it is you are going.
Thoreau had Walden. Muir had Yosemite. Armstrong had the moon.
None of those places are close enough to Lawrence to do anybody here any good, however. So, philanthropically, I have decided to reveal my local secret place wherein lies the meaning of life.
it's broken.
I'll wait a moment for the laughter to die down.
It's Baldwin.
Baldwin is probably best known to the outside world as being the home of, first, the nation's top-ranked small-college football team (the Baker University Wildcats), and, secondly, the Maple Leaf Festival.
That's right — Baldwin, Kan, that quaint Douglas County village about 15 miles south of Lawrence.
But, on, there is more than that.
I have to admit that Baldwin is special to me because I spent about
However, many forms of rebellion and counterculture exist amid the seemingly conservative trend of American youth. Leftover hippies of the 1960s combine with punk rockers and offer alternative opinions.
seven years of my life there as a college student and a college employee at Baker University. Thus was I able to learn of the treasures hidden there — treasures that may elude the casual tourist.
Over the weekend, of course, was
the big event in Baldwin, the Maple Leaf Festival. The festival annually celebrates the colorful turning of the town's numerous maple trees. Thousands of people crowd Baldwin streets to watch parades, listen to music, tour historical sites, look at craft displays, play games and eat desserts. And the small-town Americana. And, if the weather cooperates, it's a lot of fun.
Popular rock bands like the Clash, Grandmaster Flash and the Dead Kennedys — who are scheduled to perform at the Lawrence Opera House later this semester — sing about the inequalities in society. The new wave vocals are very political in nature; the movement itself has caught on in many areas, especially California and New York. In Europe, the trend toward new wave music
Another possible reason is that young voters in general are not as politically active as their predecessors of the 1960s and 1970s. This trend can be seen in the career orientation of college students and their preference for dressing for success over participating in the political process
But much is missed by touring Baldwin during the peak season. The best time to visit is when no crowds are present.
Then you can stand alone on virgin prairie in the ruts made by covered wagons that traveled the Santa Fe Trail more than 100 years ago.
Then you can stand alone in front of a restored Santa Fe Railroad station that once welcomed President William Howard Taft to town.
Then you can stand alone in my favorite place — atop a ridge of land that overlooks the Kaw River Valley, and Lawrence, 15 miles away. It was in this place, known as Signal Oak, that pre-Civil War settlers hung lanterns in a huge white oak tree in order to warn their counterparts on Blue Mound and on Mount Oread that pro-slavery raiders were on their way from Missouri.
Then you can stand alone in a modern art gallery inside a 120-year-old college building that was built in part with money donated by Abraham Lincoln.
Of course, festivals can't happen — and certainly aren't any fun — unless people are there to attend them, but it's hard to contemplate the meaning of life in the midst of a parade. The event that I attended this week appeared to me only in one on-one with one of Baldwin's links with the past.
At Baker we used to say that Baldwin was "The Center of the Universe." There is still some validity in that for me.
It may not be Walden, but it's close.
Reagan grip on youth vote precarious
Although young people are traditionally liberal in their political outlook, the trend has shifted many times over the years. The election in November may represent a shift to the right.
Polls indicate that President Reagan will likely receive a higher percentage of young voters than many other incumbent Republican presidents who have faced reelection. Some of the reasons for this are more obvious than others.
Locally, Kansas voters are traditionally Republican, and this could influence both young and old alike. In addition, Kansas has a lower unemployment rate than many other states, and the Republican Party will rely heavily on the element of economic progress in its campaign.
Nationally, the economy is a possible reason for young voters to turn to Reagan. The overall increase in productivity will help persuade young voters to give Reagan another term in office.
has been going on for more than 10 years.
Another problem for Reagan among the young comes from his
RICK
SHERIDAN
Staff Columnist
cuts in domestic spending, which have resulted in student loans being more difficult to come by. The present defense buildup also worries
young people, who are of prime draft age.
Reagan's image is much more popular than his policies. He has been described by several journalists as the "teflon president" because he is able to avoid direct blame for many of the failures of the present administration.
On a nationwide basis, it is hard to tell whether Reagan will be able to win lasting favor with young people. It is important to note that young people traditionally oppose the status quo.
The choice by the Democratic Party of a woman vice presidential candidate might activate not only young women voters, but also
apathetic voters who otherwise might not have bothered to register.
Those directly affected by the administration's massive domestic spending cuts might decide to support Walter Mondale. Many young people who are not students may have already felt the pinch.
The Republican and Democratic parties shouldn't take anything for granted until the election results have been tabulated because so many variables can affect how young voters act. The current economic climate probably the most influential on voters of all ages, but any of a number of issues could heat up at the last minute and cause a massive voter shift.
Authors started early on parody of Reagan
WASHINGTON - The uncertainties of writing books of political parody are seldom as touchingly summed up as they were by Peter Cohn, one of the authors of "The Reagan Report."
The ideal time for such an enterprise is during a presidential campaign. But draw a literary cartoon of one of the candidates during the primary season and a rival almost certainly will win the party's nomination.
The "Gunmess Book of World Records" says that the fastest paperback publishing time was 46.5 hours posted by Bantam Books for
DICK WEST United Press International
"Miracle on ice" after the U.S. hockey team won a gold medal in the 1980 Olympics.
However, USCO Parody Inc., which handled "The Reagan Report" and is described in promotional literature as "soon to be a major conglomerate," is not so fast.
"We were more interested in Reagan as president than as a presidential candidate," he said.
The biggest surprise thus far, Cohn said, is Reagan's clout with young people.
"They love this guy," he said. "The
latest teen-age fad is copying Reagan's hair style."
That includes, he said — exhibiting his style of parody — the use of a preparation that turns hair gray, but nobody notices.
In light of all the risks involved in starting work on the book in February, their venture into political parody has turned out rather well. I join Cohn in hoping that the book "sells more copies than Walter Mondale gets votes."
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Ferraro's stand on abortion recognizes women's constitutional right
To the editor:
The Supreme Court has twice ruled that abortion is a constitutional right, but Reagan and his lik are dying to change that. They want it proclaimed that abortion is murder. What would then happen to a preteen girl who is pregnant because she was sexually molested by a relative man, or righteous Christian man, if your mother, her girlfriend, or wife raped and thus impregnated? Would an IUD be considered a murder weapon?
The Kansas man yet another "Christian" man's anti-choice, anti-Ferraro letter (Oct. 16, "Ferraro's position on abortion spurs protests"). He attacks Ferraro's "untenable position" on abortion. In fact, when she was sworn in as a U.S. representative, she was required to pledge to uphold the Constitution, which supports women's right to abortions.
In any case, a girl or woman is already a viable being, and if she is pregnant against her wishes, she should have the choice not to be
Abortion is just one of many issues that make me feel very strongly that the continuation of Reagan's insidious reign would be a disaster for our country. I hope that the voters come to their senses in time to dump them. The teachers. It'll very happily vote for Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.
It seems that Reagan's right-to-life certificate is good for the first nine months only. Like many women, I suspect that if men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.
pregnant. Men who don't want to be "pregnant," can and often do, just walk away, leaving mothers and an end in an endless cycle of poverty.
Choice necessary
Julie Langston Lawrence graduate student
To the editor:
All questions of potential fetal life aside, each pregnant woman will
decide whether she wants an abortion or whether she will get an abortion. Women will decide based on their lives: how they have lived, do live, plan to live and how all that will be affected by having a child or an abortion.
If they opt for an abortion, they will have it whether there is a clean, well-staffed clinic or an unsterile, questionably staffed apartment.
If they opt for a child, they will have it whether there is a hospital nearby, a midwife is available, or they'll have to have it by themslevs at home.
No matter what a national or a state legislature directs, people will be disrespectful.
I'm pro-choice because it enables clean, well-staffed clinics, counselor services and support groups to be there for those women who will choose to have an abortion. I do not want to leave a patient in the caeption; I see it as an aid when something has gone wrong, a mistake has been made.
To decrease the number of abortions, self-awareness, sex education and the value of human life should be more prominent in children's upbringing.
Because of the diversity of familiar concern on these issues, it would make sense that they be taught in schools.
What is important to see is that the question of abortion is on the individual level. It must be on the individual level that we work. Educate our people about sex, contraception and the value of human life. For those who will choose to have an abortion, at least don't make it impossible that they have a safe place to go to have it done.
Paula Schumacher Lawrence senior
To the editor:
Violent protest
Michael Robinson is at it again:
Barely a month after declaring the
HisVACUS reasoning never lends itself easily to condensation, but Robinson's main argument seems to be that although violent protest is just fine, not any grpe will do. For example, KU'S loss in football to Kansas State University obviously isn't sufficient (thank goodness) to kindle the wrath of Robinson.
No, he demands something more substantial, like resentment of the "establishment." Surely Robinson is the only columnist whose lexicon still includes the word establishment in a pejorative sense.
Kansan his “personal domain” (the soppy “Pot Shot” wherein he took offense at those who dare criticize his inane columns). Robinson now reveals his hankering for violent protest (Oct. 22 column, “No issues in protests”).
Hobson drones on about a "compel acment America" whose desire for "protest and dissent" has foundered on something or other. What exactly are we supposed to be protesting?
Four percent inflation? A reduction in student loans to rich white kids? Abuse of Cuban rights in Grenada? No handicapped black lesbian on the Democratic ticket?
"There was a time when mob violence had some meaning," Robinson laments. Certainly he'll get no argument from the Klan on that one. The point is that Robinson (and others like him) misunderstand the rights and responsibilities of a free society.
That we cannot agree does not, except in the gravest circumstances, justify violent protest. We are obligated to settle our differences through debate and compromise. Alas, this describes the self-same establishment, also called civilization, that Robinson seems to deplore.
Tim Williams teaching assistant department of French & Italian