OPINION
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 5A
BEELER'S PERSPECTIVE
Nate Beeler/THE EXAMINER
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Screw the hot dog cart. The Alumni Association is giving out free hot dogs on Wesco Beach.
I just achieved my life goal and got printed in the Free For All today.
I smelled the biodiesel fuel today, and it smells like heaven.
I just want to say congratulations to Coach Self on landing another top recruit. Our championship's coming.
I need to hide three liters of liquid on my body somehow. Any suggestions?
To the good-looking, curly-haired guy who's always playing ping-pong at the rec center, you look just like Seth Cohen. Do you want to make out sometime?
The first words in the Bible:
"God created the Earth." If you
don't believe that, don't call
yourself a Christian.
Why did Alvin and the Chipmunks live with Dave the human?
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▼ A RIGHT TURN
Don't expect Catholic pope to advocate liberal ideals
Now nearly everyone has taken his turn on the Whack-A-Pope machine and condemned Joseph Ratzinger — now Pope Benedict XVI — as a hard-line reactionary opposed to such universally accepted things, such as abortion and gay marriage (note the sarcasm).
VINCE MYERS
vmyers@kansan.com
But I have one key observation for everyone to ponder: Pope Benedict XVI is the Catholic pope
I bring this up not because it isn't obvious but because it seems that no one realizes what this actually means. We have some strange idea that the pope is a politician in a secular nation and that he ought to be upholding the ideals of the American left
"The pope is opposed to gay marriage and abortion! He's trying to start a theocracy! He takes his stances from the Bible! He's highly religious! He didn't even list 'secularism' as one of his top priorities!"
Indeed, as the Catholic pope, Pope Benedict's positions and priorities are formulated with high regard to the policy of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church opposes abortion, and I highly doubt that it will ever change that status. There is
None of the candidates would have sported green hair, worn a dog collar and railed against The Man. None would have lobbied America to legalize marijuana and called to congratulate NARAL Pro-Choice America on all its hard
But none of the candidates would have greatly appealed to the average KU student.
work. None would have purchased a "Kansas: As Bigoted as You Think" bumper sticker. None would have conducted Sunday mass wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt.
Again, let me point out: Pope Benedict is the Catholic
The point is that there was not a single papal candidate who would have thrilled the American left. Sure, election of an African or Latin American pope would have been a great step in diversity. And to be fair, most of the other candidates weren't as conservative as Ratzinger.
no biblical justification for abortion. The church will also probably never accept gay marriage. One day it may allow priests to marry, but that day isn't coming. If liberals think the pope should uphold secularism, that's because they're confused; it's not because the pope is wrong.
As National Review's Jonah Goldberg pointed out, "Excepting, maybe, the issue of distributing condoms in Africa, it's hard to think of a hot-button social issue that divides the church's leadership a fraction as much as American editorial pages seem to suggest."
The point is that there was not a single papal candidate who would have thrilled the American left. Sure, the election of an African or Latin American pope would have been a great step in diversity. And to be fair, most of the other candidates weren't as conservative as Ratzinger.
Pope Benedict's selection, though apparently controversial in Lawrence and other liberal areas of the country and the world, was not that controversial to the people who elected him.
The College of Cardinals took only two days and four votes to select him. He was the dean of the College of Cardinals before becoming pope and was very close to Pope John Paul II. In reality, his selection made sense.
I understand that a lot of the disappointment is political.
If Catholics could only give up on this social conservatism jazz, they might be more inclined to vote Democrat. Then, Democrats might make it back into Washington. Marvelous as that fantasy may be, it's ridiculous.
For liberals to be disappointed that the College of Cardinals didn't pick a Ted Kennedy admirer for pope is no different from me being disappointed that they didn't pick me — a Protestant, American college kid — for pope.
Sure, it would have been great, but it just wouldn't have made any sense. Fantasize all you want,but live in the real world.
Myers is an Olathe freshman in political science.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Give your mom love on Mother's Day, but don't buy her a Wal-Mart gift
Mother's Day is an annual occasion to reflect and celebrate your mommy. Some students express thoughtfulness with roses, chocolates or jewelry. When retailers promote these items, budget constrained individuals turn to a renowned valued-laced mecca — Wal-Mart.
Low prices and a lovable yellow smiley attract large revenue. So much that our local Lawrence Wal-Mart is expanding to "better provide" for our community. Is this claim even valid?
Justin Douglas, customer service manager, was naive when he said "I think [store expansion] will open up a lot more jobs for students." What he failed to mention was that women need not apply.
My basis for this allegation is Wal-Mart's proven track record of discriminating against hard-working women. Of the 1.5 million employees, women make up 72 percent of the hourly workforce yet only represent 33 percent of the managers. Only 15 percent are store managers. 650,000 men and women do not get health care from Wal-Mart.
These facts are unacceptable and damaging to our local and national economy.
Wal-Mart can change. First, knock off this sexist crap and remove the glass ceiling. Second, pay your employees a living wage — based on a 2003 Drogin study, you can afford it by increasing all prices by one penny.
I will admit that I am somewhat hypocritical as I occasionally pick up a few items at America's largest employer. As a broke college student the choice of where to shop is a financial one and not one based on business practices. Join me and take your money to another respectable retailer, at least for Mother's Day.
Our mothers deserve fairness and respect — something Wal-Mart cannot comprehend but tries to market.
Nate Manderfeld
Leawood
English
Web designer for Kansan.com
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