OPINION
Wednesday, October 28, 1992
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
5
Student Senate needs Asian culture lessons
Student Senate needs a new brain. The organization seems to be affected by a cultural lobotomy. On Oct. 8, Student Senate failed to finance the Japan/America Club and the Cultural India Club. Yes, allocation of money causes problems, but ignorance never helps. One senator asked why the Japan/America Club needed to buy imported tea for a demonstration of the ancient Japanese tea ceremony. Couldn't they buy bnesta? Sure, why not use Teddy Grahams for communion in church too?
Brad Garlinghouse, student body president, said, "They're just funding every small interest group that comes along" and then only the two Asian groups were denied money. Does this mean cultural ignorance is an acceptable price to pay to fund other 'interest groups?' Mr. Garlinghouse also suggested an umbrella organization for all the "small interest groups" from Asia. Well, hell, why not an umbrella group for Hilli, Muslim Student Association, or Guangzhou Students and Neighbors Council?" Of course not, that would be ridiculous. But as for these little Asian clubs, who cares if they have different religions, languages and cultures? I guess ignorance is bliss when saving money.
The various countries of Asia are well represented at KU, together making up 60 percent of the international population on campus. These groups deserve their own organizations. Unfortunately, most senators have no idea what makes a Japanese person different from a Chinese person. KU is dedicated to promoting diversity, but tragically Student Senate is closing the doors to the world because they don't understand it.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
■ Roy Schmidt
Tula, Oka, junior
■ Sam Hale
Huskeville
Pro-life advocates have wrong motives
I know the people featured in the Monday Oct. 19 report who were protesting in front of Dr. Clinton's house have high motives. They believe that what they are doing will save lives. But is that really such a good thing?
They are seeking to have more children brought into a world of drugs, disease, violence, racial intolerance, war, pollution and overpopulation. Those doing this out of Christian motives want more lives to live in a society where probably fewer than one out of 10 persons is a Christian worthy of going to heaven. Therefore, you are, in effect, condemning
nine out of 10 of those lives you save to eternal punishment for being born.
Being born is not necessarily a beautiful thing. The only guarantee one gets with life is that it will eventually end in death. I know the anti-abortion people's primary concern is to save lives. But perhaps they should also have a secondary concern. What are you going to do to help all those lives once they are born?
If you don't have an answer for the second concern, maybe you should give a little more thought to your first concern. Before you go out protesting again, think about what you are really protesting and what responsibilities you should be prepared to undertake if people listen to your protests.
Bil Flaherty
Lawrence graduate student
Graduate missed the mark in critical letter
In response to the letter to the editor printed on Oct. 14, I have one thing to say to Elizabeth Arnold. She is the one who needs to grow up.
The more fact that she responded so vehemently, especially concerning Scott William's age can only lead me to believe that she herself cannot be mature enough to accept someone else's opinion besides her own.
I can understand Arnold's point of view regarding George Bush. I feel she is correct stating that he has not done anything for our country. He needs to get out of office, for the sake of our country. The United States is in pieces, and Bush has done nothing to help in his term as president.
I also feel, however, that the media in our country has made many mountains out of many molehills in order to make one of the candidates come out on top of the others. So Quayle misspelled potato; we have to kill him for it? It was a mistake and the fact that it became a national joke leads me to believe that some of these true democrats are grasping for straws in order to stand up for their candidate.
In the course of this election, we, as a nation, have neglected the issues and focused on the less important aspects, such as how to make each candidate appear to be wrong. This is not going to make our country's problems disappear. It's going to take more than ridicule to change the state of our nation. Therefore, I respond to Arnold's continuous ridicule aimed toward Scott William. Her comments can only prove her state of immaturity because she is not mature enough to respond to a letter in a rational manner.
Give me a break, " . . . while you were still going
through puberty?" What the hell is that supposed to mean? The fact that Williams is a freshman appeared to be more important than his opinion. Let me ask this. If he had agreed with you on these very issues, would his age have been so important? I think not. Don't go around ridiculing him for his age and maturity level when you yourself have proven to be just as immature, if not more so, because of the way you feel you must put him down. You're not going to get very far in life if you can't accept others' opinions without ridiculing them for some other unimportant, insufficient fact about them. Why don't you focus on what is important, such as the real issues?
So, you graduate student, grow up, I as a more freshman, feel I am much more mature than you are because I can actually handle other opinions without resorting to name-calling and/or character bashing. Think about it. While you're trying to grow up, I'll be thinking of you and try to focus on the more important issues during the election. Someone has to be mature enough to do it.
Tracey Cluthe Houston freshman
Kansan columnist writes trivial opinions
Each day I open up the *Kansan* to the editorial page to read the opinions of my fellow students. I am usually greeted with an assortment of conflicting ideas about political issues, activities on campus or attacks on previous columns. However, about twice a week, I find an article by Kate Kelley that usually addresses a non-controversial, trivial subject. While she offers an opinion, I'm not sure that it is one that belongs on an editorial page. She offers no argument or new insight to relevant controversies. Instead, she targets humorous facets of everyday life that I assume are intended to entertain her readers. I am not questioning that she has the right to express her thoughts on these topics; I am merely suggesting that they be placed somewhere else, possibly on the features page, where they would be more appropriate. If I were to write a letter to the editor about overplayed music or Nintendo dunks, it would certainly not make it to print and with good reason. If Kate Kelley believes in the power of the pen, maybe she should use it more wisely or take her opinions some place else.
Ena Wheeler
Wichita sophomore-
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KUBOTACOMMITMENT
As husband and father, Brian has pursued his professional and personal interests with one underlying goal -
"MAKING THINGS BETTER
THAN HE FOUND THEM"
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- The courage and vision to look beyond shortterm gains toward long-term solutions.
Brian is the only candidate in the 44th District to offer a detailed plan for the future. That's Leadership.
An ear to the people, an eye to the future
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