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University Daily Kansan/ Monday, October 21, 1991
OPINION
Not representative
Swaggart's acts drag all ministers down
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart is at it again.
When Swaggart was stopped for a traffic violation recently, he was found to be in the company of a prostitute who alleged that he had asked her for sex.
Swaggart, in response to being found with the prostitute, at first said he would resign until he recovered.
But, as of Thursday, Swaggart said God had forgiven him and told him that the incident was nobodv's business.
This is not Swaggart's first indiscretion. He resigned from the Assemblies of God in 1988 after Marvin Gorman, a rival TV evangelist, released photos of Swaggart with a prostitute outside a
Louisiana hotel. In a tearful confession following the incident, Swaggart confessed to unspecified sins. He went on to lead the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.
Then, last month, a New Orleans jury ruled that Swaggart had spread lies to ruin Gorman's ministry, and ordered Swaggart to pay a share of a $10 million damage award.
Critics had argued that Swaggart's latest indiscretion may be the end of his ministry. Although he obviously feels it is not, maybe the public will agree with the critics.
In 1968, Swaggart had an audience of several million viewers on 300 television stations. That audience has now
dropped to 562,000 households on 111 stations.
No minister is infallible. Like the rest of us, they have imperfections; they're human. But Swaggart's repeated and direct violations of the ideals he is supposed to stand for through his position, do a great disservice to those ministers who strive to practice what they preach.
Julie Wasson for the editorial board
Student busing
Senate reacts to need created by Hoch fire
The June 15 fire that gutted Hoch Auditorium not only left the University of Kansas without one of its most treasured historic buildings. The fire also left the campus without an auditorium large enough to accommodate many performances scheduled for the 1991-92 school year.
Four KU concert series performances have been moved to the Topeka Performing Arts Center, including last week's performance of the Ballet Folk
lorico de Mexico.
Some students have had difficulty making it to the student in Topeka. To help alleviate student transportation problems, Student Senate recently allocated $2,148 to pay for student busing.
The free busing will be particularly helpful to those students who do not have cars and would not otherwise be able to attend University-sponsored cultural events.
have been moved to buildings in Lawrence. The National Theater of the Deaf's performance of "Treasure Island" has been moved to Haskell Auditorium. Further information on the locations for events can be obtained from the Murphy Hall Box Office.
Other concert series performances
Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the University Daily Kansan editorial board.
Senate is to be commended for realizing the need for student transportation and acting to meet that need.
Opinions expressed in guest and staff columns and cartoons are solely those of the author or artist. Views expressed in columns and cartoons are not necessarily shared by the Kansan.
Julie Wasson for the editorial board
Editorial board members are: Benjamin Allen, Anita Bajaj, Kevin Bartels, James Baucom, Michael Dick, Amy Francis, Clarissa Jackson, Dan Janousek, Ellen Kuwana, Holly Lawton, Holly Neuman, John Noltensmeyer, Karen Park, Jennifer Reynolds, Jennifer Tanous, Jose Vasquez, Julie Wasson and Frank Williams.
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Campus buses ruinyour health
Don't ride the bus on Mt. Oread! We all have been put through it. You remember: You're walking or riding your bike up any of the Alp-like grades leading to camps, feeling good that you're getting a little exercise before spending the next few sedentary hours in class or the library. Just as you about to reach the summit and take a few deep breaths and enjoy a panoramic view... what the five bamboo houses behind me show, monstrosities filled with laziness %&'*#\*@$ gas you with the blackest, the smelliest, 1905, Pittsburgh style, thick as Pilippino soot you can imagine. So much for feeling you just did anything beneficial for your health. Plus, the most beautiful campus in the Midwest has just been defaced. You're pissed.
What should be done about it? First, eliminate buses that got to the dormitories. If you live in a dorm, you have no business riding the bus. Take a few extra minutes and walk or get a bike. If you're an art student or into something that requires carrying awkward stuff around, get one of those little red wagons you used to have, or a stroller or something. You're not going to look any funnier than you do already. In fact, it will probably make you look more interesting. Second, all buses coming from the north should stop at the Kansas Union/Memorial Stadium lot. Those buses coming from the south should stop at the Burge Union. These walking distances are comparable to those that people who drive their own cars must walk. Why ruin
the campus atmosphere for everyone by catering to the laziness of a few? If you live out in the suburbs and need to ride the bus, start doing your part. Get off the bus before reaching campus, as you do, tell the bus driver, now because it's just not right to leave now because it's just not right to ride farer. Spread the word.
Kurt Laurie
Kurt Laurie Lawrence graduate student
Donating blood could save lives
The KU American Red Cross bloodmobile will be at the Kansas Union ballroom today through Thursday. It takes only an houran hour and a half to travel from Ballroom A to Ballroom B life. And, your one donation may help as many as four different people.
Although there is no way to help those Americans who lost their lives over the past year in the Persian Gulf war or to a tornado or other natural disaster, we can help prevent that and lives of people right here in Kansas. How? We can continue the great American tradition of giving blood.
Statistics show that 97 percent of all Americans will use blood or blood products by age 72. However, only 5 percent of Americans actually donate blood annually. Volunteer donors give something as precious as blood to another person without causing any harm to themselves. Donating blood is completely safe from infectious diseases, including AIDS.
Please, make the effort to come by the bloodmobile today through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Your donation does count. It makes a significant difference. We cannot do it without you.
T. Michelle Cox Senior blood services consultant
Confirming Thomas was the right decision
Tuesday evening, shortly after 5 p.m., Judge Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court. After three months of rather dull proceedings, it finally got interesting last week, at least from the spectator's point of view. It wasn't exactly Watergate or even the Iran-conv scandal, but all things considered, it was very good afternoon television. Not quite ready for prime-time though; not enough sex or violence in this sexual harassment case to keep my attention after 7 p.m. I had to rely on periodic CNN updates for nighttime developments.
Americans need a good mini-scan-daley now and then, and this one came along just in time. We're one year away from another presidential election, but there's noreal campaign Democrats whom just a few scatches of muttering about the urgent need for change.
The latest rumor I've heard says that Ted Kennedy's men were sent out on a search and destroy mission, with Judge Thomas as the target. It goes on to suggest that Anita Hill was paid a handsome sum of cash to embellish her stories of previous conversations with Thomas. Politics is an ugly business, and this is just one of the little games that the real pros like to play.
It's quite reminiscent of a story about one of Lyndon Johnson's early campaigns in Texas. The race was close and Johnson was getting worried. He told his campaign manager to start a massive rumor campaign
Senators are very powerful men who have enormous "armies" working for them. Within presidential election to battle for, these armies need something to keep them occupied. So the top Democrats, who don't dare run against King George, feel somewhat bitter about not having a genuine chance at the presidency. Why not let it out on one of George's appointees?
Switching gears now, let us assume that Hill did speak entirely truthfully. We certainly have no laws against asking anyone, including employees, out on a date. Few males over the age of 13 can deny seeing (and talking about) pornographic movies. And Thomas's comment about public hair in his Coke (Thomas has a thick mustache) was a very funny comment, more nothing or less. The charge of sexual harassment is an extremely serious charge, and I'm not convinced that the acts fit the crime in this case.
The pros and amateurs alike enjoy nothing more than the opportunity to deliver their message to the masses. Last weekend's hearings disintegrated into an open forum for senators to express their views on everything from racial discrimination to date rape. They provided a soap box to preach from much more than anything resembling a court of law.
Every senator questioning Thomas has skeletons in his closet. The country is not run by chair boys. With each passing day, the number of people considered qualified to hold positions of power is diminishing. I'm not sure that I want this minority of "qualified" individuals running my country.
J. T. Pontiac is a Kansas City, Mo., graduate student in business.
J.T.
Pontiac
Staff
columnist
about his opponent's habit of enjoying carnal knowledge of his own barnyard sows. His campaign manger protested that no one would believe such a story. To this Johnson replied, "I know, but let's force him to den it."
Loco Locals
byTom Michaud