OPINION
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
EDITORIAL
www.Kansan.com
CD censorship does little to protect Kansas citizens
An open letter to Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline:
Life for Kansas' music lovers had been looking grim.
First, anyone who has purchased a CD in the last several years received money from a settlement against record companies accused of practicing price-fixing. Then the state's public libraries received thousands of CDs so popular that their availability might actually induce teenagers to utilize these institutions for pleasure as well as schoolwork.
But then you came to the rescue, alleviating the suffering of your music-loving constituency. You understood that a library filled with CDs other than Ted Nugent and Celine Dion had no practical place in a state filled with nothing but middle-aged conservative WASPs. What is the point of a public library if not to reflect through its reading and multimedia materials the parochial beliefs of a fraction of its patrons?
You were elected by a mandate to shield the people of Kansas from the delicious pop lyrics of OutKast, and you, sir, did not disappoint. Imagine what could happen to a state more interested in shaking it "like a Polaroid picture" than protecting its borders against the pervasive threat of a terrorist cell.
There was widespread concern that, because the Board of Education reversed its decision banning the teaching of evolution, Kansas would be viewed as a state who did not govern according to Christian morals. Clearly our fears were unfounded. Your valiant defense of your personal beliefs protects us all from lyrics dealing with spousal abuse, drugs, gang violence, and many others things that do not affect civilized, morally upright Kansans.
One cannot help but wonder if the old adage "out of sight, out of mind" impacted the list of CDs you chose to ban. It is a line of reasoning that certainly makes sense—if citizens can be shielded from lyrics about wife beaters, domestic violence will never touch Kansas families. And if sexually-explicit phrases are kept from the ears of teens, abstinence-only sex education will finally realize its full, glorious potential.
So thank you, Phill Kline, for banning those CDs. Your heroic actions ensure that Kansas is once again safe from the respect of the nation and the bothersome task of upholding the guarantees of the First Amendment. Thanks to you, Phill, censorship no longer belongs exclusively to fascist states. We can't wait for the book-burnings to start.
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So, I saw a pink cat today. Not a cat that, you know, without hair and just the skin, I'm talking pink fur here. Good thing pink is my favorite color, or I'd be weirded out.
editor
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--editor
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Hey, Kate, you're right, I love you the world.
Thank you so much.
editor
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Hey. I called ResNet at the beginning of the school year to get my computer fixed and they still haven't come up and I've been without Internet for a month now.
Is there anywhere I can get a damn Pepsi on this campus?
--editor
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Yeah, I just wanted to know if snakes have hearts because I'm friends with Snake Man and he definitely has a broken heart.
So, it's my birthday and I thought I'd read my horoscope because it's only once a year when you get that special advice. The only thing is, how can I trust a horoscope when the word "year" is spelled y-e-i?
If you go to KU and have a K-State license plate,you should get slapped!
editor
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You know what? Milo can be whatever he wanted to be. I think once you realize that, you'll be happy.
Everyone knows Snake Man is off Mega Man 3. Man, know your roots.
And your mother never put sugar in her cheesecake.
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Classes are like molasses. They're slow and boring.
I just saw a penguin playing with my cactus.
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Wolf Man, where are you? I miss your long ears and your fluffy tail.
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You people have any idea how much X-ray glasses would go for on Jayhawk Boulevard?
The guy in the Payless Furniture Outlet store advertised on TV sucks.
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THIS WEEK IN RUDY GIULIANI'S HISTORY CLASS:
What if Churchill and Reagan had thought like George W.2
Kline criticism not based on facts
When Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline removed 1,600 CDs from a shipment of 51,000 free CDs intended for Kansas' public libraries, two terms in particular surfaced to describe Kline's shenanigans: ban and censor.
GUEST COMMENTARY
Advocates of "free expression" claim that Kline banned these 1,600 CDs from public libraries and censored the artists that created them.
In reality, the concept of free expression gives musicians the right to produce CDs promoting anything — including drugs and violence — without fear of governmental backlash. The concept of free expression does not give the government the obligation to distribute those CDs.
Kline did not keep those artists from expressing themselves. He did not keep consumers from purchasing those CDs, and he did not keep the libraries from making those CDs available to the public. He just did not give the libraries those CDs.
"I'm not going to libraries and pulling things off the shelves," Kline told The Kansas City Star.
He added, "I will defend people's right to speak it. I will defend the libraries' right to buy it. But this office won't approve it."
wont update.
Libraries, if interested, can purchase those CDs and put them on their shelves without interference from
VINCE MYERS
opinion@kansan.com
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Kline. To use terms such as "censor" and "ban" when referring to Kline's actions is dishonest.
If you believe Kline is censoring those artists, you should battle other blatant acts of censorship as well. In all my years of schooling, I have never received a copy of the Ten Commandments from any of my teachers. They were censoring Christianity, censoring Moses and maybe even censoring God.
Ridiculous? Of course.
Regardless of whether Kline has CDs containing references to drugs and violence, it isn't his responsibility to give anyone — libraries or consumers — those CDs just because he can. Does
If I wanted to see the commandments, I could open up my Bible. If I didn't have one, I could buy a Bible. And if I didn't want to waste time and energy finding it in the Bible, I could just hop on the Internet.
that constitute censorship? No, it constitutes discernment, and any good public official knows how important that is.
Many have been condemning Kline's actions based on the First Amendment. A quick reading of the First Amendment gives nothing to suggest that Kline is responsible for distributing vulgar CDs to libraries.
vulgar CDs to notices. Condemning a government official for not distributing vulgarity based on the First Amendment is no different than condemning a government official for not distributing guns based on the Second Amendment or not distributing alcohol based on the 21st amendment. Just because the Constitution gives individuals certain rights doesn't mean the government should make sure we exercise them.
In removing questionable CDs from library shipments, Kline's office made a judgement call that it had every right to make. Nothing was censored and nothing was banned. We should save those words for when civil liberties are really threatened.
If you want to hear Cypress Hill rap about robbing and killing people, go buy the CD. Don't expect the government to bring it to your local public library.
Myers is an Olathe freshman in pre-journalism and political science.
Make campus comfortable for all
Every year, the University of Kansas becomes home to thousands of new students from all around Kansas, the country and the world. These new students are learning how to find their way around campus, the names of all the buildings and the fastest way to get from one place to another. Many students get their first opportunity to do this during summer orientation, but the fall campus with returning students can look completely different.
The best way to ease the transition into life as a student here is for established students to answer questions, give directions, and start or participate in random conversations on the bus, on Wescoe beach, or the hallways of Fraser.
COMMENTARY
SARA ZAFAR
opinion@kansan.com
Wherever these conversations may take place, it is important for upper-classmen to take the time to acclimate others to life on campus. The last thing new students need is to feel like their questions are silly, unimportant or an inconvenience.
Everyone started out as a new student at some point or another, even if it seems like ages ago. It's hard to fathom that at one time, you didn't know where Blake Hall was (behind Fraser Hall), or why Snow Hall smells like mothballs (because of the insect collections). People who are new to campus want to know what's going on and how to feel the most at ease while studying
here. Everyone — new student or "super senior" — hopes that friendly people with helpful advice will help them navigate the sometimes confusing KU campus.
Despite all the services available to new students, however, the best way for
There are several services designed to help students learn about campus and the various events that take place each day. KUInfo — 864-3506 — is one such service, answering any and all questions that students may have. They have the phone numbers for every pizza place in town memorized, and field questions about athletic events, movie times, and pool hours at Robinson Gymnasium, as well as the more obscure how many babies a kangaroo can have. Traditions Night during Hawk Week serves to teach incoming students about the history and pride of the University of Kansas, teaching them the chants and cheers known to almost every student.
them to feel like a part of the community is for those already in the community to make them feel welcome. This means, no matter how many times you have heard the same question (yes, all busses run to campus first), answer it to the best of your knowledge. Everyone eventually learns the way the University works, that you had better park in the proper parking lots, and that the rivalry with a university about three hours to the east is completely legitimate.
New students should take the initiative to find out about classes, campus and the city of Lawrence, but they should not always have to face something so big and new by themselves. True, part of the process is going it alone, but everyone has to learn sometime, and it was always better when someone more experienced is helping out.
Although it is certainly not an obligation to help new students find their way, it is always a nice gesture, and the person you help will appreciate it. Some people may not look forward to the start of a new semester because of all the people who don't know where they are going. But think of it as an opportunity to show them the better side of the University of Kansas, and why their choice to come here is one of the best decisions they have made.
Zatar is a Wichita senior in history.
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