Opinion
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Spencer Duncan, Editor Sarah Scherwinski, Business manager Lindsey Henry, Managing editor Brian Pagel, Retail sales manager Andrea Albright, Managing editor Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser Justin Knup, Technology coordinator
4A
Monday, November 17, 1997
ALBURQUERQUE JOURNAL
Examining
SaddamHussein uses politics to put United States in tough place
Iraq has forced the United States into an uncomfortable position. The adversary we soundly defeated in the Persian Gulf War has returned to irritate the United States and compel its diplomatic and military communities to work overtime.
What many people neglect to notice is that Saddam Hussein is a masterful politician. He knows that expelling Americans from the team of United Nations weapons inspectors from Iraq causes distress for our country while disrupting the international community.
Quite simply, the rest of the world doesn't hate Iraq as much as the United States does. The rest of the Middle East is fearful of growing American intervention in the region. France is eager to
United States doesn't have level of support enjoyed during the Persian Gulf War.
recover Iraqi debts and reap profits from future oil production. Russia has made a long-term commitment to investing political and economic capital in Iraq. China has indicated support for Iraq's current government.
In other words, Iraq has forced the United States into a situation where it must fend for ourselves. It's difficult to expect the majority of the world community to act with our best interests at heart. This obviously has been Saddam Hussein's intention from the beginning.
He has put himself in danger, though
His bluffing has been effective so far, but if the United States decides to call his hand, the results for Iraq will be disastrous.
Hussein has made it clear he expects the United States to back down in this situation. However, if we are to continue our support for the rule of international law in all countries, Iraq must be made to realize that the United States is a critical part of the United Nations and an important participant in the weapons inspection process.
We must not back down from this situation. The time has come to stand up for the international law enforcement system and ourselves. We must act decisively diplomatically and be prepared to use military force if necessary.
Clay McCuistion for the editorial board
Keep cool in coming Iraqi conflict
Emotions ran high in the United States during the Persian Gulf War. We came together as a nation and stood behind our troops. But this emotive furvor culminated by stepping on the liberties and safety of foreigners residing here.
Some KU students from Middle Eastern countries were targets of rude comments, racial slurs and even physical attacks after Iraqi troops occupied Kuwait in 1990. Hate messages were scrawled on students' doors and on public property. The campus reflected what was happening across the
Respect for fellow students from the Middle East is needed to maintain civility on campus.
nation - a kill-them-all attitude.
With the recent tension between the United States and Iraq, we think it is important that students be sensitive to students from the Middle East.
We are all representatives of our respective countries, but not all of us support our government's policies. But, regardless of our beliefs democracy won't work if we don't respect one another's opinions.
In a time of heightened tension between countries, especially tension that manifests itself in war, national pride surges. But we shouldn't let that surge of a belief become something bad — such as onslaughts toward foreign citizens. We too are representatives of a country — ours. It is tarnished when pride is expressed hatefully.
Kneejerk actions and words won't accomplish anything. Retaining civility toward fellow students on campus, regardless of their nationality or opinions on the U.S.-Iraqi conflicts, is the responsibility of us all.
Bradley Brooks and Andy Obermueller for the editorial board
Bradley Brooks ... Editorial
Jaso. Strait ... Editorial
Jodie Chester ... News
Jen Smith ... News
Adam Darby ... News
Charity Jeffries ... Online
Kristine Blasi ... Sports
Tommy Gallagher ... Associate Sports
Dave Morantz ... Campus
Eric Weslander ... Campus
Ashleigh Roberts ... Features
Steve Puppe ... Photo
Bryan Volk ... Design, graphics
Mitch Lucas ... Illustrations
Mark McMaster ... Wire
Ann Marchand ... Special sections
Lachelle Rhoades ... News clerk
Kansan staff
News editors
Matt Fisher ... Assistant retail
Michael Soifer ... Campus
Colleen Eager ... Regional
Anthony Migilazzo ... National
Jeff Auslander ... Marketing
Chris Haghirian ... Internet
Brian LeFevre ... Production
Jen Wallace ... Production
Dustin Skidgel ... Promotions
Tyler Cook ... Creative
Annette Hoover ... Public relations
Rachel O'Neill ... Classified
Jaime Mann ... Assistant classified
Marc Harrell ... Senior account executive
Scott Swedlund ... Senior account executive
Advertising managers
Broadon your mind:
"It was like saying goodbye to a statue. After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain."
Ermest Himmagway, 'A Farewell to Arms'
Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and home-town if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
How to submit letters and guest columns
All letters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Staffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Bradley Brooks (brooks@kansan.com) or Jason Strait (jstrait@kansan.com) at 864-4810. If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4810.
Guest columns: Should be double-
spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The
writer must be willing to be photographed for
the column to run.
Raving
Problems in plumbing allow eatery exploration
I have moved up in life recently. I went from being a resident of Stephenson Scholarship Hall to renting one of the finest lakeside
tunately our medieval plumbing systems allowed lovely Lake Stephenson to rise out of my kitchen walls. It created one of the most breathtaking beach views to be found.
This leak was about two notches below the Great Flood (and I'm talking Noah, not '51). But it wasn't all bad. Our pet roaches tried to help out by offering a water-skiing extravaganza, including the "Flaming Hoop of Death" jump, during each meal. However, ignorant land dwellers we are, the men of Stephenson decided they'd prefer a dry kitchen to roaches in motorboats.
Nick Bartkoski opinion@kansan.com
Housing got on this problem ... it immediately shut down our kitchen. Because of some inane clause in our housing contracts, housing's initial plan to starve us bastards back to the stone age could not be implemented. But to insure our total and complete discomfort nonetheless, they were sure to make us go to either GSP-Corbin or Mrs. E's to eat.
From now on I never want to hear another person on Daisy Hill complain about how far they have to walk to eat. They can't hang because I've got them beat by about three blocks.
Furthermore, you can't imagine the strange looks I got while I ate over at GSP. You'd think they never had seen a grown man eat in a Batman costume before.
But just a scant four weeks after the problem surfaced, our kitchen is fixed well enough for us to go in and see what got screwed up in the interim. It was finished just slightly sooner than my prediction of one week after the sun goes nova.
Housing was more optimistic. At the end of one week with the kitchen closed, they hinted that we might be able to start using it again. I personally found this a little odd considering they hadn't actually bothered to do anything apart from knocking holes in our walls.
To fix it they dug an elaborate trench around the exterior wall of the kitchen to put new pipe in. This is really the high point of our kitchen woes. While I was describing the situation to another member of the scholarship hall system, they exclaimed, "Cool! Can I be, like, an adopted member of Stephenson. My hall doesn't have anything as cool as trenches."
As housing maintenance guys began looking at the pipes, they came upon a great surprise: the drain pipe was rusted out, and water had been draining into our walls, maybe for years.
But then I had a revelation — the holes were Housing's attempt to fix the problem. I assume their hope was that the leak was caused by evil spirits. If large holes were knocked in our walls, the evil spirits would flow out of the building and the problem would be fixed. Unfortunately, this plan didn't put out quite that way.
So they went to plan two — work on the pipes.
It's times like this when all those Latin classes come in handy, as our plumbing system's blueprints were published in that language.
But as this experience comes to an end, I really look forward to getting our kitchen back. But I'm not really sure when it will be safe to cook in there, as right now we need the archeology department to go in and dig our kitchen out from the layers of brick dust that has overwhelmed our kitchen.
And as a kind of farewell message to the lovely women of GSP, I hope you remember those brighter, wistful days. The days when I'd sit at your tables and we'd talk ... sometimes of nothing, other time of our lives and the future. And then other times, when we'd just sit, and enjoy each other's company, gazing into each other's eyes ... wait a minute. That wasn't me. I was quiet and aloof the whole time I was there, living the motto "death before eye contact."
Sorry about the confusion.
Bartkoski is a Basehor junior in journalism and English.
Feedback
Letter about racism immature, distorted
Thompson's piece relies on oversimplifications, distortions and immature invective about the University's responsibilities to acknowledge the validity of various cultures that have been systematically silenced, lied about and insulted during the last few centuries.
I'm responding to Trent Thompson's attack on the Donato Fhunus column on racism. It was actually a personal assault on the writer, who is making a positive contribution to the University as a teacher and as a reasonable, dignified commentator in the "Kansan."
Instead of answering Fhunsu's remarkably restrained, fair-minded piece — which views those who have treated him cruelly with compassion, calling them "sisters" and "brothers"
— Thompson, in his frustration, commands Fhunsu to leave the United States if he doesn't love everything about it.
Considering that a university is dedicated to such virtues as critical thought, broad-mindedness and ability to exchange well-informed views in a spirited, but not mean-spirited manner, one wonders why Thompson does not leave the University, as he is pathetically incapable of understanding or relying on these virtues.
Ray Pence Casper, Wyo., graduate student
'Kansan' can control use of glossy inserts
The editorial on the subject of your beloved glossy inserts makes an interesting but ultimately unconvincing argument.
Just because glossy inserts are provided by national advertising companies does not mean that the "Kansan" must insert them. The "Kansan" may be compelled to do so for the duration of the current contract with current advertisers. However, it is certainly within your power to require recyclable inserts in future contracts.
You say your efforts to offer discounts for use of recycled paper have failed in the past. I'm not surprised. That's going the wrong direction. Corporations already have advertising budgets set when they come to you with an insert. At that point it doesn't do much good to offer them a discount.
If the advertisers want your audience—and research shows that they do—then they will either print on non-glossy paper or at the very least pay a steep premium for the privilege of contributing to the deforestation of the planet.
Aaron Rittmaster 1994 KU graduate
Ultimately, the "Kansan" has a choice. You can let advertisers dictate policy to you and remain a puppe of national corporations. Or you can lift yourselves up by the bootstraps of your journalistic and humanistic integrity and set policy yourself.
But what about charging a 100 or 200 percent premium for the use of glossy papers? Avoiding cost overruns and staying within budget are significant motivators for these corporations.
Articles not accurate on Endowment facts
This is in response to Thursday's article titled "Gobblers find sanctuary at farms."
Continuing its string of inaccurate and incomplete articles this semester, the "Kansan" contained basic errors in two stories printed in the Nov. 7 edition.
Reporting standards by "Kansan" reporters this semester give me great concern about the future of objective journalism in our country during the coming decade.
On page 2A, Corrie Moore wrote in a story about GTA awards: "The awards are funded by the chancellor's office and the Graduate and Professional Association." This statement is inaccurate and incomplete. Of $5,000 available for the 12 awards listed in Corrie's story, at least $4,000 comes from funds at the Kansas University Endowment Association.
Your readers should know that these awards would not exist if not for the generosity of KU alumni and friends, who care about GTAs and the quality of teaching at the University.
The other $2,000 comes from KU Endowment Association unrestricted funds designated for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants at the request of the chancellor. These funds are available because of donors who have the foresight
Two awards of $1,000 each are funded by the John and Diana Bartelli Carlin Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. Former Kansas Governor John Carlin established this award with money left over from his gubernatorial campaign fund.
to allow the University to determine how their private gifts should be spent.
The other mistake in the Nov. 7 edition of the "Kansan" occurred in the page three article about the University "failing to land a donation." Reporter Coryanne Graham inaccurately stated that the potential donors of the land "were talking to the wrong branch of the University." She was referring to whether the donor talked to the Kansas Alumni Association or the Kansas University Endowment Association.
Neither of these organizations, however, are branches of the University. They are both independent, nonprofit corporations, and I have pointed that out to at least four other reporters this semester.
John Scarffe
John Scarife
Director of communications, endowment association
Why are people in this county concerning themselves with the welfare of turkeys instead of the welfare of human beings? Rather than sponsor a turkey for $15, I am sure that most individuals would much rather see their $15 being used to help a needy child or family.
Humans, not turkeys need to be helped
The bottom line is this: Who is more important and worthy of our time and energy — turkeys or humans? To me, the answer is obvious. However, many people might not realize how far $15 can go in other countries.
Here are just a few of the resources that can be purchased for $15 through an organization called Partners International:
Seventy-five pounds of flour for Kurtish refugees.
Medicines for remote villages in the Philippines
A year's worth of nutritious snacks for a Guatemalan child.
Perhaps I would not have as much room to complain if the needs of people were being met adequately and equitably worldwide.
However, as long as inequity and impoverishment exist in our world, I will have the right to complain about animal rights activists whose priorities are askew.
For information about partners
International, call toll-free 1-866-857-
2786.
Seth Swartzendruber
Salina graduate student