4A - THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
FRIDAY,SEPT.28.2001
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KEVIN GRITZKE/KANSAN
LETTERSTO THE EDITOR
SEX WITH 14-YEAR-OLDS
Dear editor.
DeShawn Stevenson is charged with statutory rape of a 14 year-old girl and the columnist, Aaron Fulk, thinks the charges should be dismissed? ("Player should not suffer for his mistake," Sept. 24)
Why? Because Stevenson just turned 19 years old and she was almost 15, and that makes it OK? Because he is a former KU recruit, and that would reflect badly on KU? Because the court case is an inconvenience when he should be focusing on preparing for the upcoming NBA season, and this might impair his play? Because the girl's friend purportedly lied about having sex with his friend, and you have "innocence by association"? Because he's a big-name player with a big bank account, and it wouldn't be a good story if he weren't? Because he should have known better, but he didn't? Because he's just past 18 years old, and 18-year-old boys try to have sex with 14-year-old girls, and "boys will be boys?" Because he made a mistake, and he shouldn't have to suffer?
These are all messages directly or indirectly offered to excuse this action that our society has categorized as a crime.
I could point out the ludicrous nature of each of these excuses, but I will focus on the last one, reflected in the title: "Player should not suffer for his mistake." If we don't suffer from/learn from our mistakes (i.e. face the consequences of poor decision-making), for what are we supposed to suffer?
The next time this columnist decides to write such an opinion, I hope she at least considers the messages she knowingly or unknowingly endorses.
Mark Thompson Instructor, HSES department
PERSPECTIVE
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God and religion not needed for dealing with tragedy
"Pray," is a word that I've heard often this past week. The phrase on almost everyone's lips is "God Bless America." When tragedy strikes, or the future is not certain, people have historically turned to religion for comfort. The words "under God" were not in the pledge of allegiance until the era of the Cold War, as a reaction to fear of nuclear war. The "In God We Trust" that appears on our money was added during the uncertainty of the period after the Civil War.
I've never received comfort from these things, though. I will not list all of the churches I've been to, or the reasons I arrived at this conclusion, but I will say that any comfort I receive from praying is very much like eating imaginary feasts as a little girl. Ultimately, I knew there was no food.
As a devout agnostic, I've had a little trouble coping with grief this past week. I feel helpless and small, and part of me wishes that I could curl up in the lap of a god or goddess. I wish I could be comforted like a child, and ask for help from one infinitely powerful and wise.
How do those of us without God find comfort when we are grieving? There are no easy answers, but because so many tell us to turn to God, I would like to tell you what some of us do.
Diane Godfrey
Columnist
opinionkanan.com
Commentary
There are the obvious things: donating blood and sending donations to the Red Cross. There are less obvious ways to help, though.
When I was fifteen, and I stopped going to church with my family on Sundays, I filled the void by volunteering at the hospital. Why? This world is a depressing place. If you help people, you see something positive, if only from your actions. When you are overwhelmed by pain and anger, helping people gives you something constructive to do, and the knowledge that you have done something that brings happiness is very comforting when so many are in pain.
You needn't volunteer at the hospital, but any small thing you can do that you perceive as "good" and "selfless" can help. Helping a socially inepth person get laid can be uplifting, just as much as sacrificing sleep in order to
help an acquaintance learn a difficult assignment.
There is another kind of volunteering that may come into play later, if we go to war and our country needs people to defend it. I am not afraid to die to protect the country that has sheltered my loved ones all of my life. I've enjoyed America's benefits such as free speech and in my freedom from religion. I've gone to her public schools, and the government paid my father's salary. It's not something to take lightly, but military service is definitely something you can do if you wish to help prevent the tragedy of Sept.11 from taking place in a different form in the future.
The one thing I would caution my fellow atheists against is having an emotional reaction to your fear, and losing sight of what you really believe. Don't be intimidated by the threatening tone in the voices of some when they ask why you aren't praying.
Don't let fear and helplessness bully you into accepting something that you would not accept if you were rational. Don't let yourself be isolated further. You aren't alone.
Godfrey is a junior in biochemistry from Lawrence.
PERSPECTIVE
Professors are wrong-War is an option
Last week the Kansan ran an article ("Political science professors assert that a war against innocent civilians is not the answer," Sept. 21) based on interviews with two professors of political science about the U.S. response in Afghanistan. I have taken classes from Professors Gerner and O'Brien-Fixico, and I learned a great deal. However, I respectfully disagree with the analysis they offered.
Abatement is a corollary to a state's inherent right to self-defense, which is explicitly protected by Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Moreover, the criteria for acceptable self-defense have existed for over 100 years and were created in correspondence between U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster and Britain's Lord Ashburton, regarding an instance involving the U.S. ship Caroline.
Prof. O'Brien-Fixico alluded to both the relativistic nature of the term "terrorism" and the general prohibition on the use of force in her conclusion that any strikes by the U.S. against Afghanistan would be illegal. However, rather than the American Revolutionary War, I think a more appropriate analogy for would be the American intervention into Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa. This intervention was entirely legal due to the widely accepted practice of abatement.
The history of the Caroline incident is extremely helpful in understanding this modern event. In our nation's young rebellious days there were individuals interested in attacking the British possession of Canada. They
Commentary
Robert Chamberlain
Columnist
opinionansan.com
Finally, the British, fed up with U.S. inaction, crossed into the United States, seized the Caroline, killed some of the crew, and set the boat on fire and floated it down the river.
used guerrilla tactics to attack British installations, and then retreated to an island between the United States and Canada. One of the ships used to ship arms and supplies was the Caroline.
In the correspondence that followed the incident, five requirements were created to determine legitimate use of military force in self-defense.
- Imminent threat: The state must be under imminent threat of armed attack. Given Osama bin Laden's history of involvement in terrorist attacks against the U.S., it is hard to believe that this latest attack will be his last.
- Necessary: This limits the scope of the attacks. However, given Taliban recalcitrance in this matter, it may become necessary in the process of capturing bin Laden to suppress nearby Taliban units and air defense systems.
- Taken after exhaustion of peaceful means: The effort to secure the extradition of bin Laden has been going on for years and has been unsuccessful.
Pursuant to an armed attack: Over
6. 000 dead.
Proportionate: This addresses the scope of the act. It reveals a questionable assumption underlying Gerner's argument.
Gerner, among others on campus, fails to acknowledge various scales of military action. Either there is no action at all, or cities are carpet-bombed and the countryside is razed. Both the headline and her comment, "... going in and bombing Afghanistan, which is going to end up killing a lot of innocent people ... is both immoral and impractical" reveal this flawed assumption.
Area bombing cities in order to punish the local population is a tactic that has been rejected for decades for both moral and military reasons. Nowhere have I read anyone suggest destroying Kabul as a viable strategy. It seems far more likely that Special Operations Command, supported by air assets, will try to surround and capture the leadership of the al Qaeda organization. The Web site, www.salon.com has some excellent commentaries in this regard.
Considering a proportionate response renders most of Gerner's and O'Brien-Fixico's critiques irrelevant. Of course "a war against innocent civilians" is wrong, but that policy is not under consideration. Their analysis simply sets up a straw man and knocks him down.
Upon further consideration it is obvious that the likely U.S. strategy is both legally and morally justified.
Chamberlin is a senior in political science from Topeka.
Free for All 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Not all of them will be published. Slainterous and obscene statements will not be printed.
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
I'm a girl, I'm smokin' pot, and I'm smokin' hot.
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isn't stupid how people got to college for everything these days? I mean, cowboys go to college. Wouldn't they be better learning learning on a cow or something?
For the person who thinks we should ban smoking on campus, take a look around. It's the end of the world and I will smoke.
isn't stupid how people got to college for everything these days? I mean, cowboys go to college. Wouldn't they be better learning learning on a cow or something?
I just want to know what's up with KU Parking. Has anyone seen the dirt parking lot at Corbin?
Don't worry, more powdered soap can be found in the Kansas City Art Institute.
I'm disappointed in the UDK for running an article on Monday about DeShawn Stevenson. The author obviously doesn't know that much about sports and it was just sad that she had that opinion.
--isn't stupid how people got to college for everything these days? I mean, cowboys go to college. Wouldn't they be better learning learning on a cow or something?
The song "Born in USA" talks about a guy getting drafted into Vietnam and then not being able to get a job when he gets back. It's a pretty bitter song. Yesterday's caller who thought it was most patriotic was pretty mistaken.
To the person who stole my clothes from the laundry room in Oliver: Migher I just say that it's not advisable to take someone's stuff and then wear it around the dorms. I'm on to you, we klepto, so quit!
The nearest thing about life is the surprises.
The little things that seem to pop up on you.
I just wanted to say that I'm a girl and I have a Britney Spears poster on my wall.
I just ate a Twinkie with zero, no cream filling.
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Happy 35 days till Halloween day!
--isn't stupid how people got to college for everything these days? I mean, cowboys go to college. Wouldn't they be better learning learning on a cow or something?
I sat by a really hot boy in one of my classes today. So girls, that should give you some hope, there are at least two or three really good looking guys on campus. Just look really hard.
My teacher said "um" 242 times and I guess that doesn't say much for the class if I was sitting there counting how many times she said "um."
I think it would really improve student morale if they put a mechanical bull on Wescoe Terrace.
I'm real glad that I'm a fifth senior and only have six hours left because I cut and pasted my entire way through college.
You guys owe me an apology. The only time you put anything I say in is when it's very very stupid.
To the guy who said that Bud Light is the best beer in the world, I would agree it's a very good beer but you should try the original Beuerweiser from Czech Republic.
I'd just like to say thank you to the girl who offered me a ride on campus yesterday when I was late for my court hearing. Not only are you good-looking but you're nice too and that's rare to find around here. Thank you.
Hi, I just wanted to call and say hi to my boyfriend who's in basic training and tell him I love him and I miss him. He looks for ward to getting these in the mail every week. Thanks!
Think for yourself. Question authority. Strive to be different. Strive to be unique. Don't repeat what other people say.
Last night I watched the premiere of a show called Undecided about college where all the students were drinking underaged and having sex in their dorms the entire show. Now, I don't know what college this was but I'm pretty sure it wasn't KU.
I have learned recently that stop signs pose a serious threat to students who like to read while walking from class to class. Particularly tell students.
Ok, I'm looking for tall, good-looking man in KU and I've been looking for two years now. Where are you? Call me!
To the person who had the fashion advice, I wear black with blue and I look darn good.
I'm reading Cosmo right now and there's a girl from Lawrence talking about late nights. That's awesome.
To all those peace protestors, listen up.
Bloodshed is what got you the opportunity to speak your mind, so quit this BS.
Have you ever wondered how far a cat can fall without dying? I know now, 150 feet is too far. By the way, my new cat's name is Boh.
Hi mom, it's me. I miss you a lot and want to come home.
I walked back from class barefoot today. I