OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
5A
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2008
LETTERSTO THE EDITOR
Republican turns to Democrat after war
The most important day this year will be Nov. 4.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
People should look at each candidate very carefully, but Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama would do this country some serious good. We have more problems on our own soil that are not even being looked at because of the war in the Middle East. Why is it that helping a country more than 10,000 miles from Washington create a democracy is more important then helping our own citizens?
I was a huge Republican supporter until about three months ago. I worked at a camp this summer, and the first week of camp was a free camp for children who had parents overseas in the military. One of my campers had a father who was working with the Marines in Iraq. His father was shot and
killed while trying to save a Marine's life. Seeing the look on a 10-year-old boy's face when he found out that he would never see his father again was one of the most painful things I have ever had to go through. His father died trying to ensure another man life. And why was he killed? No one knows because no one knows why we are still in Iraq.
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Obama supports our troops, not the war. He wants to ensure that not another child has to suffer from knowing he will never see his parent again like this camper did. Not another wife will have to raise her children alone, like this mother did. No other parents have to realize that they outlived their own child.
Obama supports peace, and peace is what this country needs.
Michael A. Cerier is a freshman from Beverly Hills, Mich.
—Johan Rasmussen is a 1994 graduate from Lawrence
What we can all agree with about abortion
What forces many women to confront abortion are limited access to health care, extensive poverty, sexual violence, poor sex education and skewed views of sexuality in society (Letter: Graphic images force us to confront abortion, Sept. 10). The stories behind the women who have had an abortion are what bring abortion "to a human level."
The idea that anyone is probabortion is laughable. As someone who sees abortion as an often "distant, mostly rhetorical debate," the letter's writer might actually benefit from studying the rhetoric involved with abortion a bit more. Wherever you stand on the abortion debate, it can at least be agreed that the fewer abortions, the better.
Does displaying any of these graphic images really lessen the
number of abortions? They do not lessen the number when they are meant to produce shock and guilt, as the billboard-sized display outside of Strong Hall did.
What has occurred because of their presence a few weeks ago is an increase in discussion about abortion. Instead of arguing in endless circles about such things as when "life" begins and trying to find a specific set of morals that apply to all (something which we need to accept as an impossibility), let's instead try to work together to reduce the number of abortions that occur. This has to start by dealing with the social issues of inadequate health care, extensive poverty and sexual violence. Part of being pro-choice is the choice for women to have a healthy pregnancy.
- Krista Gampper is a senior from Iola.
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FROM THE DRAWING BOARD
Student Senators are planning to meet with focus groups next month to discuss the new aquatic center and how much students would be willing to pay for it. The aquatic center could be on the ballot next spring, but students should think carefully about the costs of such a project.
MAX RINKEL
Robinson already has a pool for students to use, and the new aquatic center will not come cheap. The project will cost thousands of dollars to build and may raise students fees. A funding plan has not been established yet, but no doubt students will be paying for this expensive project.
In addition to the cost for the aquatic center, students must also
Who will really pay for a new aquatic center?
One argument for the pool is that the Student Recreation Fitness Center would be competitive with other schools, such as Mizzou's complete with Olympic size pool and lazy river.
consider time. Voting on this project will not take place until spring, and then building plans appointments with architects must be made before construction can even begin.
Once the pool is finally completed, the arriving freshmen and transfer students will receive a brand new pool, courtesy of those attending the University now.
Having a new aquatic center will do nothing for my education. A new pool will not help me with my career goals or teach me time management. A new aquatic center will not give me a degree or help me plan my life after these short four years. I am already paying enough for my college education without the cost of an aquatic center I will never see.
Although having a top notch aquatic center looks good on paper, I would hope students would be more concerned about the quality of education they are receiving and not the size of their pool.
The entire project could take months, even years to finish. Current students would be paying for a project they would not able to enjoy.
Students care enough about their education and their money to reject a new aquatic center, instead of simply checking yes.
Brown is a Wichita sophomore in journalism and political science.
Instead of raising student fees for a pool that would rarely be used, and might never be finished, Student Senate should propose bills to enhance the quality of education at the University. Preparing students for careers should be more of a priority than building a second pool on campus.
Rats! Why the idea of male birth control may not work
Jayplay ran an article Thursday about the experimental male contraceptive pill H2-gamendazole ("Balancing the burden of birth control"). The social and cultural issues raised in the article are significant, and I don't disagree that male contraceptives would be a revolutionary advancement.
tested on rats. Animal drug testing is a relatively good indication of human reactions to drugs, but some variance between humans and rats will undoubtedly occur.
But asking whether male contraceptive pills are good is premature at this point: The first issue should be the health of the user, and the article did not fully address that.
Male birth control pill temporarily reduces fertility by inhibiting genes that produce sperm, according an article published in the Biology of Reproduction. The sperm count rebounds after treatment with mild side effects.
However, the drug has only been
The ability for sperm production to resume and for few side effects to occur depends on how the drug binds to multiple genes. The report notes that these mechanisms are not yet fully understood, which may lead to irreversible sperm production and higher rates of side effects.
The article in jayplay portrayed the pill as a godsend to libido-laden young adults who are uninterested in procreation right now. Yet how appealing will it look to those same users five or 10 years later if fertility is permanently reduced?
Some say using condoms is a hassle. Few women on birth control would buy the logic that using rubber every time you have sex is more irritating than remembering to take a daily pill.
Although condoms do block ejaculate from entering the female body, they also protect against most sexually transmitted infections. Male contraceptives may relieve the fear of pregnancy, but they could also exacerbate the transmission of STIs if condoms are abandoned.
The Jayplay article asserts that only people in monogamous, STI-free relationships would use the new pill instead of condoms.
Likewise, promoting male contraceptives as substitutes for condoms is a dangerous assertion.
However, that certainly isn't the case with female birth control. Why would male contraceptives be any different?
Male contraceptives are highly experimental and shouldn't be touted as a miracle drug yet. We shouldn't have a rash sense of hope without considering all the medical drawbacks.
More research is needed to address its safety. We should ask about those same issues now and worry about cultural acceptance later.
Obertherla is a Wichita junior in English.
editorials around the nation
Why we should worry about a nuclear Iran
Limit gas exports to Iran to cut nuke threat.
For decades, the world's top objective in the Middle East has been to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As hopes of a peace deal have faded, a huge threat to stability and peace in the Middle East has materialized in the nuclear ambitions of Iran.
Every credible source believes Tehran, ruled by Islamist radicals who deny the Holocaust and openly declare Israel should be wiped off the map, is well on its way to producing a nuclear weapon. Iran could have one as soon as 2010.
Realizing the menace a nuclear-armed Iran would pose to Mideast and world peace, the United States and France are among the alarmed nations that have joined
Israel in trying to impose more meaningful sanctions.
A decision by the international community to restrict gas exports to Iran would lead to discontent among its citizens already unhappy with theocratic rule and could be just the thing to persuade Tehran to stop its nuclear program.
Chicago Sun-Times Sept. 20 editorial
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Going to KU has made me realize that I have a permanent case of jungle fever
--about it.
Mrs. E's doesn't always have vanilla yogurt with the granola pieces. Be sure you don't accidentally get the sour
--about it.
Frost.
--about it.
As I was driving you back, I listened to the sound of my watch ticking, and I felt the miles between us, and all I could think of was Robert
--about it.
Life is best when you know you are going to get drunk with your closest friends and just chill
That works until your friends bail on you.
When I'm depressed, I read Free for All.
--about it.
--about it.
I'm really tired of people who think their life is so bad. You can cry about it, or you can shut up and do something
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I saw the best dad in Lawrence today. He was driving a Grand Prix and had his music so loud it was probably blowing out his son's earrums.
I wish Christmas would just get here quicker.
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Wow, Free for All is really shady during the weekends.
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I need a fake ID and pronto.
I'm here or there,depending on whether you are there or here
You know you live in Johnson County when your neighbors have a rider mower for a lawn that's half the size of yours.
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I am mildly addicted to pears.
I hate it when the people next to you leave for the weekend and don't turn off their alarm.
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I got bitten by a spider last night. I'm still waiting for my spider senses to develop. Right now all I feel is pain.
To all those dumb Victoria Secret wearers: You attend KU, not Pink University.
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Stop hitting on the TA. You're a total douche. Sincerely, the rest of your math class.
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Silence. Somewhere Chuck Norris is speaking.
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