OPINION
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Ralph Nader just pulled through my McDonald's drive-thru window and asked me if he could super size my hourly wage. Now that gets my vote.
I hereby declare war on mustard.
It looks like Yankees fans handle losing just as well as Missouri fans do.
To my roommate: I told you in our roommate contract, that deodorant is considered a "personal item." You tried to borrow mine, I tried to set you on fire. The consequences of your actions are not my fault!
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I don't know anything about the Delta Force and ACLU student groups, but if Arrah Nielsen doesn't like them, they must be doing something right
Stairs are for walking, not driving.
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So, I hate it when people leave messages on the Free for All that sound exactly like MasterCard commercials
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How ridiculous to have a Hamburger
Eating Contest sponsored by McDonald's three days after Super Size Me man is here to speak. People, get a clue.
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I'd like to say that I just got back from the library at 5:30 in the morning and got the Kansan, and I'm the first to do the crossword. It pays off to be a dedicated student.
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If you were born a brunette, you were born sexy, so all the blondes need to stop dying their hair brown because you're still not sexy.
I'm not sure if that's a homeless guy or one of my professors.
I just wanted to let all the sufferers who waited in line for two and a half hours for basketball tickets yesterday know that I went to the ticket counter today at 3 p.m. and waited five minutes and got the same tickets.
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I lost 16 pounds in two months. I call it the freshman negative 16. Bless that damn hill.
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My new favorite pastime is to sit in front of the Union, harass all the parents about reasons why not to send their kids here and while the parents are contemplating whether to send their kids here, I hit on their daughters.
Ryan Greene: When I see you camping out 14 hours a week for a basketball game, then you can talk. Now it's called Ruck Fyan, not Muck Fizzou.
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My roommates and I are like three old housewives. We're sitting here watching Dr. Phil.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
For all the stupid people in English class: When the teacher is talking, it means shut up. We are all very annoyed with your loud talking.
Dear editor,
Kansas-Missouri rivalry notone-time showdown
A friend of mine e-mailed your "Border War" article to me. I am almost speechless. This is a silly example of political correctness gone wild.
moulderin' in the grave."
I have been in uniform for over 15 years, and I'm fairly sure that I speak for the (once-silent) majority here: Changing the name of this great rival is sophomoric. Please tell the P.C. commissars that we military folks have no problem with the term "Border War."
Whether anyone likes it or not, Missouri fans will still cry, "Let's burn the town down!" as they embark on road trips to Lawrence. If we think that we can change attitudes by changing terms, then we are all being idiots.
I am proud of the anti-slavery connotation of the term "Jayhawker," and I am proud of the Free State tradition. Anyone who has been to Columbia, Missouri, in crimson and blue can attest to the fact that the war lives on, even if "John Brown's body lies a-
We should call this what it really is: War. The rivalry is literally rooted in war, and the game-day atmosphere certainly supports it. So take it from a veteran: The soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan couldn't care less what we call this rivalry.
I have been to rivalry games, from Stanford-Cal, to Washington-USC, to Army-Navy. Those are traditions. KU-MU is war.
Go Army, and Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
Tom Veale
West Point, New York
2002 KU graduate and Army (infantry) Major
Editors note: This view does not represent the official views of the United States Department of Defense, or any of its separate organizations.
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111 Stauffer-Flint
President correct to ignore U.N.
STEVE SPEAKS
Regardless of whether President George W. Bush's term ends in a few months or in four years, arguably his greatest accomplishment will be shirking the United Nations and forging ahead in the war against Iraq. The war itself won't be immediately recognized as his crown jewel — although history will judge him to be correct — but ignoring the United Nations was an act that the rest of the world should follow. This is a fact students should keep in mind when heading the polling booth on Nov. 2.
After 17 failed resolutions by the United Nations to get Iraq to disarm, it's hard to imagine how countries such as France and Russia insisted on firing up another round of resolutions that proved to be as worthless as the paper U.N. resolutions are written on. Then again, maybe it's not so hard to imagine if you consider the billions of dollars those nations stood to make through the United Nations Oil-for-food program.
STEVE VOCKRODT
svockrodt@kansan.com
Bush's refusal to heed the United Nations, in part because of such corruption within the organization, is the latest in a series of embarrassing setbacks for the languishing international organization.
A program that was supposed to provide humanitarian aid to Iraqi people in exchange for limited oil sales turned out to be a well-known scam through which Saddam Hussein received billions in kickbacks. Anyone familiar with his regime knows Hussein is far removed from using any money to improve the pitiful lot of his own people. But why the hell should France and Russia care? If money is the end, then the means are justified.
One could go back as far as the United Nation's inception after World War II, but for the sake of brevity, we'll start in 1994. After receiving word from Rwandan insurgents who warned of impending genocide, a dead giveaway for what was going to happen, the United Nations played dumb and did nothing. One hundred days later, Rwanda was stuck with 800,000 annihilated corpses, all victims of horrible genocide. The rate of killing surpassed the Holocaust at any time.
Seeing how the United Nations was created largely to prevent another Holocaust, it's safe to say that it is hardly the world's moral mountain, and its advice has the value of a wooden nickel.
Now we're seeing a huge problem of impending genocide in Sudan that the United Nations isn't about to do anything for. It's making headlines these days because of recent insurgent developments in Darfur, but anyone with even a marginal education in world issues knows the problem in Sudan has been brewing for decades.
But those issues are only the big ones. For those unwilling to pay attention to the world around them, here is a partial track listing of the United Nation's greatest misses:
In 2003, the United Nations made Libya the chair nation of the United Nations Human Rights Commission amid protest of every other human rights organization in existence and anyone with any concern of human rights issues.
The BBC reported that refugees seeking protection were coerced into performing sexual favors upon U.N. peacekeepers in order to ensure their safety.
The United Nations recently called the Bush Administration's military action in Iraq illegal, but somehow favored NATO intervention in Kosovo. Speaking of which, opportunistic U.N. peacekeepers jumped on the chance to run drug and prostitution trade there, but ignored the genocide that continued in the U.N. safe-haven for refugees.
With so much recognizable, indisputable corruption and inaction that follows everything the United Nations touches, why should Bush be expected to keep his finger on the U.N. pulse for how to run world issues?
At this point, the rest of the world should follow Bush and move along without the dead weight of the United Nations.
Vockrodt is a Denver senior in journalism and political science.
Demonstrations supporting various causes and ideas are a constant occurrence on most university campuses and university towns. University environments provide a large audience with very mixed ideas on politics, religion, business practices, university policy, and a number of other causes.
This diverse array of ideas naturally creates tension between people with conflicting views. Conflict often sparks debate, and debates can then lead to demonstrations.
Negative protests easy to tune out
Today, public demonstrations are still very common, although the causes behind them have changed significantly. These demonstrations range anywhere from silent vigils to sign-waving, chanting, and marching down Massachusetts Street to a few motivated religious activists preaching up and down lavihawk Boulevard.
However, the main goals of these demonstrations often do not reach the majority community members because their message is based on negative ideas. In fact, many protests are ineffective because they do not provide a positive outlook on a situation, but focus on debasing a political candidate or religious idea.
SARA ZAFAR
opinion@kansan.com
PERSPECTIVE
People do not respond well to being
Often, demonstrators mean well. They believe in a cause, and want others to support them. They want to get the message out about whatever issue is important to them, and they want to do it quickly and efficiently.
old that they are wrong in how they choose to live their life, or what political views they hold, or what they believe. The last presidential debate, while not an overt protest, is a good example of how little can be accomplished by slandering one's opponent until no one is sure what is true, and no one learns anything new about the candidates.
The best way to reach an audience is to make the demonstration approachable, sending a positive message. Rather than defiling a particular political candidate through malicious propaganda, sidewalk chalking, or mudsling-
ing, opposing campaigns should display the positive characteristics of their own candidate, highlighting any significant platforms, goals, and accomplishments.
This gives voters a better idea of where a candidate stands instead of leaving them confused as to who is even telling the truth. Rather than attacking passers by for not following a certain religion and lifestyle, religious demonstrators should point out the advantages, as they see them, to following their religion or lifestyle. Anti-war demonstrations often cause misunderstandings because passers by do not always understand the reasons for protesting the actions of the country's leaders. A demonstration for peace is much more effective because it is easier for people to accept.
Some demonstrations, especially those dealing with controversial issues, will always create some tension among lookovers, particularly concerns with homosexuality, foreign policy, abortion, and others, because people generally already have strong opinions on these subjects, a demonstration that supports a cause will always be more effective than one that only shows the negative.
Zafar is a Wichita senior in history.
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