Opinion
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Julie Wood, Editor Brandi Byram, Business manager Laura Roddy, Managing editor Shauntae Blue, Retail sales manager Cory Graham, Managing editor Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser Scott Valler, Technology coordinator
Monday, September 27, 1999
Seth Jones / KANSAN
Editorials
Delay of law banning partial-birth abortion correct, at least for now
Two weeks ago, a U.S. district judge delayed enforcement of Missouri's proposed ban on partial-birth abortion, also known as the "Infant's Protection Act." It now appears that enforcement of the law will not occur until at least March of next year.
Proponents of the law say that it will outlaw only partial-birth abortion. To this end, the law's sponsors included language that would classify the procedure as infanticide.
Infanticide is morally indefensible, as is the unnecessary use of partial-birth abortion. However, the judge in this case acted wisely to delay enforcement of this law until it can be reviewed.
First of all, the crime of infanticide already exists in Missouri. This new law does not create that crime, as
Problems with Missouri law outweigh possible protections
some have tried to say.
Second, it is silly and wasteful of taxpayer dollars to pass a law just to make a point. There are no known cases of partial-birth abortions being performed in Missouri. Therefore, this law likely was written to challenge state-by-state enforcement of Roe vs. Wade.
Third, it disallows the procedure in all cases except to protect the life of the mother. While this sounds reasonable, there is no health exception. This begs the question of when risks to health become risks to life.
Many legal experts say this law is
vague and unconstitutional. In addition, its final paragraph contains vaguely worded assurances that nothing in the law shall be interpreted to exclude the defenses otherwise available to any person under the law. Many experts see this as a veiled invitation for anti-abortion violence against doctors.
This law will contribute to a chilling effect on abortion in the state of Missouri. Many women, not understanding the law fully, may assume that they no longer have a choice in Missouri. However, this will not lead to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. Only the Supreme Court can do that, and Missourians who oppose abortion should look there instead of contributing to the already-fussing crazy quilt of abortion laws in the United States.
Jennifer Roush for the editorial board
School uniforms not a real answer
School uniforms are not the solution to teen angst. Unfortunately, Kansas Senate Majority Leader Tim Emert believes that they are. Emert has proposed legislation that would make school uniforms mandatory dress for students at all public schools and school-sponsored events. Emert said he believed that students felt peer pressure because of the type of clothing they wore.
Unfortunately, uniforms are not more than a Band-Aid solution. Prescribing mandatory school uniforms to cure peer pressure isn't addressing the core issues. Instead, the reason students feel compelled to dress a certain way in the first place should be examined.
School uniforms are nothing new to
Proposal by state senator sends the wrong message, and it misses the point
our society. They have been worn in private schools for years, and these schools still face the same teen problems as in schools without uniforms. The proposed legislation is not only ineffective, but it also may create further problems. First, the concept of school uniforms sends the wrong message to children. Rather than teaching students not to judge others by what they wear, it tells them that material goods are important.
It says that students will be judged by their inadequate clothing, not by who
they are. This initiative tells students that to be treated equally, rich and poor students need to be dressed the same.
school uniforms also leave students ill-prepared for the real world. Reality is harsh, and students will not always be able to escape it hidden in uniform. Instead, they should learn to face stereotypes and misconceptions now instead of being blindly thrust into them later.
Finally, requiring students to wear school uniforms is a repression of their individuality. One of the public education systems greatest goals should be to promote creativity, not to stifle it under the heavy cloak of mandatory school-uniforms. In a country in which diversity is valued, mandatory school uniforms should not be allowed to preach their message of conformity.
Kansan staff
Heather Herrman for the editorial board
Chad Bettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editorial
Seth Hoffman . . . . . . . . . . . Associate editorial
Carl Kaminski . . . . . . . . . . . Nees
Juan H. Heath . . . . . . . . . . Online
Chris Fickett . . . . . . . . . . Sports
Brad Hallier . . . . . . . . . . Associates sports
Nadia Mustafa . . . . . . . . Campus
Heather Woodward . . . . . . Campus
Steph Brewer . . . . . . . . Features
Dan Curry . . . . . . . . . . . Association features
Matt Daugherty . . . . . . Photo
Kristi Ellott . . . . . . Design, graphics
T.J. Johnson . . . . . . Wire
Melody Ard . . . . . . Special sections
News editors
Becky LaBranch . . . Special sections
Thad Crane . . . Campus
Will Baxter . . . Regional
Jon Schlitt . . . National
Danny Pumpely . . Online sales
Micah Kaftiz . . . Marketing
Emily Knowles . . Production
Jenny Weaver . . Production
Matt Thomas . . . Creative
Kelly Heffernan . . Classified
Juliana Moreira . . Zone
Chad Hale . . Zone
Brad Bolyard . . Zone
Amy Miller . . Zone
Advertising managers
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
"Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech." Martin Froehhar Tugger
How to submit letters and guest columns
—Martin Fraquhar Tupper
Letterz: 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 hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
Guest columns: Should be double-spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photocaptured for the column to run.
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 Chad Bettel or Seth Hoffman at 864-4924.
If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (apinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924.
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Perspective
From high school to my freshman year in Hashinger Hall to my quasi-swank living quarters in the student ghetto, I have had many friendships. I'm referring to good friends, not mere acquaintances from my hometown or even people I hate. But in my life, friends, like automobiles, have come
Finding former friends leads to self-evaluation
even people Flutter. But in automobiles, have come and gone.
I'm sure I'm not alone. We've all lost touch with two or 20 people during our lifetimes. Many are confidences now reduced to bit characters in stories we tell about the old days to our current circles. Where have they gone?
Jenny Oakson columnist opinion at kansan.com
I ran into one last week, I walked into a bar to meet some friends, and there she was, laughing and smiling just like I remembered her. She was surrounded by her
new friends, some of whom I casually knew and others who seemed like soap opera actors who replace long-time stars with no reaction from the cast, yet displeasing and confusing the audience.
Of course, I approached her, and of course, she had the charisma of a presidential candidate. But I knew, when we first made eye contact, we were both racking our brains to remember what exactly it was that caused us to part. Was it because I always told those freaks of nature/bodily fluid stories when we were eating? Was it because of a guy? Or was I just too sophisticated for her? Probably not.
My eyes darted to the ground, positive that whatever had happened was my fault. The truth was that neither us really remembered, and whatever happened was unimportant now.
we greeted each other with the usual formalities: "What's up, Dogg?" and "How you doing, girl?" Then we were perfectly polite. I asked her how she was, and she responded that she was well. She asked, I replied with the same. I half-
That's how it is with my average high school peer. I ask "How are you?" and I get a statement that resembles something like "My dad can beat up your dad!" That's always enjoyable.
expected a brag contest with a run-down of her impressive internships and an overall GPA.
But my former friend, as painful of a label as that is, was so charming that she seemed robotic and distant.
we talked about common things as we remembered our inside jokes. (How is John? Remember the time we got drunk?) The problem with inside jokes is that they are cheap. It takes no effort whatsoever to make reference to silly, strange things that happened years ago. It is transparent and shows the strained effort similar to a scorned lover's desperate attempt to get her ex to remember the good times.
Then she gave me her number, and I wrote it down with a focused facial expression. I haven't called that number and don't think I'll ever have the guts to. When I force myself to think about it, I'm sad — maybe for the lost bond I remember us sharing or maybe for the way her laughter made me feel validated instead of humored. But self-pity only goes as far as Brittany Spears on a chapered date. Not far.
My mom still keeps in contact with the girl who sat next to her in fifth grade, but I haven't seen my uncle, her brother, since the '80s, even though he lives less than 20 miles away. My theory is that different people move at different speeds and that some friends, no matter how close they were, never will be able to catch up to each other.
Some people need to have a lot of friends to feel good about their lives. Some people need to have a minimum number of pals to greet on their ways in and out of parties, be trivial with and bum cigarettes from. As for me, I'll always miss my many former friends and always treasure the time we had at whatever speed I was going.
Oakson is an Overland Park senior in journalism.
United States must accept some fault for East Timor
If we really believed in any kind of impartial justice, the international courts would be packed. First on trial would be former President Gerald Ford who, in 1975, made a special trip to Indonesia to sell millions of dollars in weapons to former Indonesian President Suharto and the Indonesian military so that they could carry out their invasion of East Timor.
Lined up behind him would be former presidents Carter, Reagan and Bush and our current president, Bill Clinton—all of whom authorized
continued arms sales that supported one of the world's worst contemporary genocides.
Hard as this may be to swallow, these grim realities become all the more clear when we read what Allan Nairn — an American journalist in East Timor recently deported from East Timor by the Indonesian government — witnessed during his work there:
Aaron
Major
columnist
opinion@karanam.com
"I know that the [Indonesian] army has put me on the black list. They
did this because I watched their soldiers murder more than 271 people at the Santa Cruz cemetery. The murders were committed with American M-16 rifles. The American government also bears some of the responsibility because they have armed, trained and given money to the TNI/ABRI [Indonesian military], even though they knew the TNI/ABRI is led by bururers and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Timorese, Acehnese, West Papuan and Indonesian civilians.
"As an American citizen who is visiting Indonesia and occupied East Timor, I also want to be clear that I believe in even-handedness. The same political, moral and legal standards that are applied to TNI/ABRI officers should also be applied to the officers and political leaders of the United States. Foreign officials who were accomplices to atrocities in East Timor, and provided both murder weapons and the
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It is time to make those responsible face up to what they have done. It is time that we demand that our foreign policy place the value of all human life above the value of the dollar, and it is time that we demand that our media take a more critical look at issues rather than serving as government cheerleaders. Until this happens, the blood of all those killed by American policy will be on all of our hands.
If you would like me to e-mail you Allan Nairn's entire statement, e-mail me at aaronm@ukans.edu. If you would like lots of great information about the situation in East Timor, visit the East Timor Action Network Web site at www.aten.org.
Major is a Deerfield, N.H., senior in sociology and American studies.
logistics of repression should also be charged, prosecuted and, if convicted, jailed. Pragmatically, it is hard to imagine General Wiranto sitting in jail. It is even harder to imagine President Clinton as his cellmate. But justice should be impartial."
I wanted to present these portions of Nairn's statement not only so that people could see the grim reality of the situation in East Timor, but also so that people could read of our own government's support of this decades-long genocide. Our presidents, congressional representatives and arms manufacturers are all guilty of being accomplices to genocide. They have, for decades, put politics and profits above human life. They should be dealt with accordingly.
When the president has an affair with one of his interns, he faces impeachment, when yet he
The East Timorese have been killed by the political goals of the government, the greed of the corporations, the indifference of the press and the blindness of the American people.
When a few kids are killed in school shootings, the nation goes up in arms, and media jump all over it. Yet, when hundreds of thousands of people are killed with American weapons at the hands of the American-supported Indonesian military, barely an eyebrow is raised.
and many others before him - supports legislation that helps a foreign government continue their genocidal policies, no one even blinks.
ACLU not just picking a fight
Feedback
The editorial "University should stand behind its historical seal" illustrates some confusion about the KU ACLU stance toward the seal. First, contrary to the assertion that this is an "invented issue," the fact that Moses is on our seal was relayed to the KU ACLU by a concerned KU student, not by ACLU rabble-rouers. Later, a handful of KU students expressed their confusion and surprise that we have a religious icon on our
University seal. Far from being an invented issue, the KU ACLU is simply responding to legitimate student concerns.
Secondly, the editorial states that we are "picking a fight." If the writer had read the letter we sent to the chancellor and provided to the Kansan, he would have known that we are simply "seeking the University's response and explanation as to the exact meaning of the seal and Bible verse within the context of a public institution." We have not condemned the seal nor called for its removal; we are only
asking questions. And asking questions certainly seems appropriate at a University whose governing seal supposedly shows a kneeling scholar doing just that.
Buddy Lloyd
KU ACLU media director
Kevin Sivis
KU ACLU president
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