4a
Opinion
Monday, October 2, 2000
Perspective
For comments, contact Ben Embry or Emily Hughey at 864-4924 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com
Clarification of U.N.'s role is necessary
That the United States should step out of the United Nations was one of the most radical statements I have read lately. Some students' support of the position surprised me a lot. So let's get the facts — or the history — straight.
The United Nations was created based on the ideal of collective security developed by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the 18th century. Coming out of World War I, most of the world's nations wanted to prevent another war; that's why the League of Nations was created in 1920. Why did it fail?
First, the United States didn't join. Second, the League of Nations didn't take a firm stand in the 1930s against the countries that would later be key players in World War II — Japan. Germany and Italy.
The United Nations was created with the same original goal as the League of Nations, the same goal that the League of Nations failed to achieve, and that was peaceful coexistence. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt developed the Atlantic Charter, which was the starting point for what would become, in 1945, the United Nations.
Cassio
Furtado
columnist
ogonim@aansan.com
Why do you think that the 25 countries that fought World War II alongside the United States — the Allies — agreed to the Atlantic Charter proposed by Roosevelt? Maybe because they wanted the United States to be a member of the newly born alliance.
Every single country knew that the United Nations counted on the United States' presence and participation in order to succeed. They wanted the United Nations to have a different faith from that of the League of Nations.
If you think about that, it isn't such a surprise that the U.N. headquarters are in New York City. The United States did it all. Roosevelt even named this new alliance the United Nations.
Now some people say that the remodeled United Nations would threaten the United States' sovereignty. It appears to me that those people don't grasp the purpose of a Security Council with five countries having veto power. Only the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia and China have this power. If the United States doesn't like something, it can veto it. It is as simple as saving "no" to humanity.
The United States did it in 1996 when it vetoed then-Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's second term, overruling the other Security Council members, even though the United States' debt to the United Nations was $1.5 billion at that time.
And by tradition, it is a Republican tenet to ignore people's support of the United Nations, claiming that the United Nations will threaten our sovereignty or saying that many United Nations members don't respect human rights. The Republican Congress in 1998 even tried to advance its agenda by attaching anti-abortion amendments to the bill that President Clinton had sent to Congress in order to pay dues to the United Nations.
The Charter for a Global Democracy is just a new excuse by those who never wanted the U.N. to exist in the first place. I admit that some people will buy it, even though this charter will only help in accomplishing the original objective of the United Nations, which is collective security.
But please don't say that Castro is behind this or that the United Nations is a luxury hotel for retired communists — this is a joke. It seems like McCarthyism, a period in which people who didn't have sound arguments to justify their beliefs just had to say that their rivals were communists. Castro is the next in line, so don't give life to someone who's already half-dead.
one who Communism is gone. It is what it is: only history. The United Nations, on the other hand, is the future.
Furtado is a Pelotas, Brazil, senior in political science and journalisn.
Wayne Starkskal / TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Wayne Starkskal / TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Kansan.com poll
Last week's question
What do you think of NBC's coverage of the Olympics?
The 24-hour delay leaves no suspense.
- The biographies get in the way of events.
I like it.
With the Olympics, how could things go wrong?
Other
This poll is not scientific. Numbers may not add up because of rounding. Total votes: 135
Next week's question:
What do you think of Mr. Wong, a cartoon on nibblebox.com? Log on to www.kansan.com to cast your vote on this issue.
Perspective
Responsibility is not determined by age
I am 20 years and 363 days old. In two days, something magical is going to happen. I am going to be able to purchase and consume alcohol. Of course, it's not just because I say so, or I won a contest or anything. In two days, I turn 21. It's almost too much to handle.
When I wake up from my slumber two days
from now. I will know so many things. I am
going to know how much I can drink in a specified amount of time. I am going to know when I've had too much to drink. I am going to know how to give my keys to a friend when I know I'm going to drink. I am going to know that I need to behave during a sporting event if I drink. To make a long story short, I am going to know how to be responsible when alcohol is present.
As a 20-year, 363-day-old. I don't know any of
these things. Such things don't exist in my mind. If someone tries to tell me these things, it goes in one ear and out the other. But in two days, it's finally going to stick. And everyone will know it because I am 21. And what a grand day it will be.
Kevin
Sontag
guest columnist
opinion@kansan.com
I am very tired of hearing people talk, argue, debate about David Pritchett and the Alcohol Beverage Control and the detainment and the charges and the Fourth Amendment and blah blah blah blah blah. Yes, the law says you must be 21 years old to consume alcohol, and those who are underage and get caught will suffer the punishment of disobeying the law. Well, my personal opinion is, you can take that law and feed it to my dog.
When the clock turns over from 11:59 pm to midnight, making someone 21 years old, the Budweiser fairy does not descend from above and sprinkle magic alcohol droplets on you and whisper into your ear, "You will be responsible now!" When a person turns 21, a) he already knows how to be responsible, b) is in the process of learning how to be responsible or c) will learn later how to be responsible. Nothing about your age can determine whether you are ready to experience the life that contains a beer after work and a glass of wine with dinner. What determines it is your maturity, your responsibility and most of all, your common sense.
I have no qualms about arresting people who are drunk, underage and causing disturbances or destruction. They obviously don't have the responsibility to handle what they are doing. That is where the ABC and the University's concerns should lie. To say they want to curb all underage drinking is ridiculous. They need to be looking not for people who are underage but for people who act underage. A drunken 21-year-old is just as likely to be a problem as a drunken 20-year-old. Adding one year to your age doesn't change your maturity level.
As for the ABC and the University, I hope this little rant of mine teaches you one thing. The ID may say 20 years old, but the person in the picture might be more responsible than you. I appreciate the safety you bring to this campus and your concern for our well-being.
So, Mr. Pritchett, I hope all goes well for you in your case at the Kansas Supreme Court. You weren't causing destruction, just drinking a beverage. Good luck to you.
But remember, we students don't always act our age.
Sontag is a St. Louis junior in architectural engineering.
Editorial
Language not always the barrier
Both University and students are responsible for enhancing learning.
Language barriers are common between teaching assistants and students in some University of Kansas classes. Although prospective TAs must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language, a written test of proficiency in English, the Test of Spoken English and the Speak Test, a spoken test administered by the University, some students continue to have problems.
Some TAs are not fluent in the English language, but there are also many instances where students go into the classroom and, without giving teachers a chance, automatically put up a wall simply because they do not speak English on the same level.
Universities throughout the country bring in international students as graduate teaching assistants because, in many cases, a person from another country may have a better understanding of a topic because he or she is from a certain country or region. The university is only trying to heighten the learning experience for students by increasing diversity and bringing different aspects of subjects into the classrooms.
However, when the student is prevented from learning because of a communication problem, the University should take action to correct the problem. There are ways of doing this, such as raising the requirements of the English proficiency tests.
The University takes pride in the fact that it is a diverse campus. There are students and faculty from more than 100 nations around the world. That allows for an outstanding academic experience that one might not have the opportunity to relish elsewhere.
The University should reconsider revising the spoken English language requirements in order to prevent this problem. However, students should realize that they are fortunate to have the exposure to other cultures and points of view and go into the classroom with an open mind.
Katie Hackett
Katie Hackett for the editorial board
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slanderous statements will not be printed. To read more, go to www.kansan.com.
Hockey players wear shorts, but it's a winter sport.
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Girls and guys fake orgasms, but what if the orgasm was faking you.
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Whoever made the comment about Sen. Brownback, do your research. Brownback is a fine representative for our state. This comment is typical of a flaming liberal.
Why is the football team so upset that they aren't being televised? They still have a lot to prove before they get airtime.
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The race walk is the dumbest Olympic event.
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Those mad that they don't get published are just looking for popularity.
Why do women always tell me to get in touch with my feminine side? If I had a feminine side, I'd be touching it and wouldn't need women.
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What's with the new building in Murphy, all those music classrooms. Where's the respect for theater?
Who invented gargling?
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KU is the only place where a bottle of Coke is more expensive than a line of coke.
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If you called Free for All from Bonner Springs, it reallv wouldn't be free. right?
Why does the UDK say our University isn't a bastion of education?
The away football games should be televised on the jumbo screen at Memorial Stadium.
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How do they determine the expiration date on milk?
Why is there a full page ad for Copenhagen? I must have transferred to K-State.
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