OPINION
26
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2005
PAGE 11A
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CARINO'S PERSPECTIVE
Dan Carino/KRT CAMPUS
EDITORIAL BOARD
Election of Benedict XVI flies in face of progressiveness
When the Second Vatican Council began on Oct. 11, 1962, Pope John XXIII said that the task of the Council must be to find ways that the Roman Catholic Church can present itself to the world of today, and can reach into the minds and hearts of men.
He said the Council must not become a school where theologians can perfect their
formulation of Catholic truth. It seems ironic now, 43 years later, that this same church has just elected a pope who will reverse the effects that Pope John XXIII had hoped to see.
It is not Pope Benedict XVI's views that pose the problem, but it is his inflexible attitude towards them and the way in which he has upheld his views that is.
Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, has been described as "God's rottweiler"
He earned this and other unflattering nicknames
seems that any pope would believe the same things. However, this is not completely true.
while he was the leader for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which enforces and interprets the laws of the Catholic Church.
A new pope with antiquated views will mean a throwback to the same old antiquated Catholic church. If anyone was hoping for some sense of progressiveness in the Catholic church, they had better not hold their breath waiting for the next pope.
He is completely opposed to birth control and the possibility of women entering the priesthood, and is a strong supporter of Catholic priests remaining celibate.
The former pope, John Paul II, was thought to be progressive. For example, he was the first pope to accept Darwinism and said that evolution was a fact of nature.
He is also opposed to homosexuality, has said that anyone who supports euthanasia and abortion should "be denied Communion," and has called rock music "the vehicle of anti-religion," according to the BBC.
The Catholic church's view on birth control has the potential to be changed but this
The BBC said that there were few recent Catholic controversies that had not elicited a strong response from Ratzinger.
These facts may not seem strange as it
will not occur under Pope Benedict XVI's reign. According to Thomas Burch, a professor at Georgetown University during the 1960s, Pope Paul VI, Pope John XXIII's successor, had asked for a committee to find a way to change the church's stance on birth control.
The committee had voted for birth control to be allowed by the Catholic Church, but at the last minute it was repealed. Since that time, this issue has remained in the forefront of debate everywhere, with numerous Catholics wanting it to be
allowed.
While Catholics and non-Catholics may argue that they will not be affected by this new pope's views and that it poses no threat to them, they should consider this: Pope John Paul II helped to overthrow communism and improve relations among countries and religions.
This pope will have an effect on the world, however little. But the kindness and goodness of people will always have an effect on the world as well. What people of all faiths and people that have no faith at all can do is to live up to their understanding of what good is and the rest of the world will follow.
Gaby Souza writing for the editorial board.
Media creates more fear in public than government
▼ WORDS ON PAPER
For all the supposed outrage over the USA Patriot Act and its efforts to curtail freedoms, America's youngest citizens, the ones who have the most to lose, seem to care little whether the government limits the rights available.
JONATHAN KEALING jkealing@kansan.com
A recent study commissioned by the John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation revealed startling facts about how high school students view the First Amendment. According to the study, a full one-third of high school students believe the First Amendment goes too far.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, on abridging.
exercise thereor; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances;" the First Amendment says.
There doesn't seem to be much room for interpretation there.
Really, the First Amendment guarantees just four rights: free religion, free speech, free press, free assembly. If the future of America believe that those basic rights go too far, what else will they sacrifice?
Disdain for the extent of the
Disdain for the extent of the First Amendment was not the only fact revealed in the study. It also said nearly three-fourths of high school students are either indifferent to or take for granted the First Amendment.
More than speech is in danger at the moment. Across the country, Americans view the media with at the very least contempt, and at the worst downright disgust. Taking a cue from society, courts are taking a narrower and narrower view of the privilege provided to
reporters.
It's a frightening commentary on society if so many Americans have such a basic misunderstanding of the foundation of society.
Seventy-five percent of students think flag burning is illegal and half believe the government can censor the Internet.
Federal and local judges have thrown several reporters in to jail for refusing to reveal confidential sources. Even those that don't end up in jail find themselves the subject of an ever-increasing number of subpoenas and summonses.
The framers of the Constitution guaranteed an independent media in order to safeguard the public. Now, though, the people are more suspicious of the media than they are of the government.
The framers of the Constitution guaranteed an
the constitution guaranteed an independent media in order to safeguard the public. Now though, the people are more suspicious of the media than they are of the government.
With these facts in mind, Americans must stem the erosion of awareness of civil rights. It is the responsibility of every American to convey the significance of the Bill of Rights to students. The Knight Foundation survey also said that Americans with the most appreciation for the First Amendment have one thing in common: They participated in student media.
With America's declining
With America's declining view of the media, these programs are becoming increasingly endangered, the survey said. If this trend continues, America's history of an independent media is increasingly endangered.
Unless Americans take action, our rights and our traditions will continue to disappear through laws and regulations like the USA Patriot Act.
- Kealing is a St. Louis sophomore in journalism. He is the Kansan associate sports editor.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
To the students in the Oread neighborhood,
Students should heed other residents trying to live in surrounding community To the students in the Oread neighborhood.
On Sunday night, one of you roared through the intersection where our rental house sits. You then returned to execute a pair of fast, loud, out-of-control, 360-degree "donuts" in the SUV your doting parents probably purchased you to make sure you made it through your four years at KU safely.
Well you may be safe and sound, but those of us who share this residential neighborhood with you are not.
You see, last night you ran over and killed our beloved cat, Hank, taking his sweet, innocent life in a matter of seconds. And all you did was paal out in your gas-guzzling SUV and speed away without a care in the world, leaving my distraught wife and myself to lift our beautiful cat off the roadway and try to bring him back to life.
Living in a college town and, worse, a student neighborhood has its perils.
And I was able to forgive you and your peers when you lopped off the passenger side mirror of my car one weekend night.
Or woke up our infant son with your 4:30 a.m. partying, screaming and drunk dialing on our front porch. Or the times you stole our potted plants, tipped over our son's stroller and urinated on the side of our house.
I wrote those all off to the miscreant spirit of youth, and tried to look the other way. And I looked forward to the aftermath of graduation and the peace and quiet that would ensue.
But that will all feel hollow now, thanks to last night. Our cat was a random victim of casual SUV
With all this city's fuss about roundabouts and traffic calming circles, why is it so hard to get someone to put up a four-wav stop sign at intersections where cars zoom through residential streets at 55 mph?
violence, and probably not the first or last animal or human to be thrown into harm's way on the busy streets of this neighborhood.
I don't know what the point of this letter is other than to grieve for the loss of a kind, gentle, noble animal, and express concern for the lack of respect and apparent lack of values I've seen in the students with whom I share this corner.
Or why can't we get the police to set up a speed trap here vs. the tonier streets of West Lawrence, where you're apt to get waved down for doing a mere 30 mph in a 20 zone on Maine Street to pad the city coffers. But good luck try getting an officer to show up to quiet down a late night party in Oread.
I'd like to believe that universities can still be the place where great young minds are nurtured and young adults emerge to help lead this country and this world out of the darkness, cynicism, greed and materialism into which they have receded in recent years.
But this morning, I have very little hope for anything other than the day we can move out of this neighborhood and live as far away from my current neighbors as possible.
This letter is dedicated to Hank, whose life was an ongoing lesson in bravery, tolerance and love.
We could all learn a thing or two from him
Kevin Rose Oread neighborhood resident
Free for
All
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Call 864-0500
I just got my first pit sweat of the year. It's officially summer.
When it hits 90 degrees, I'm jogging naked.
I'm hung over and I just throw up an entire Chipotle burrito. What a waste.
Is there anybody who comes to this school for academics and not sports?
Hey, I was just wondering if you can take a 40 in Saferide? Oh wait, this isn't KU Info.
Boy, oh boy, do I miss the hot dog cart.
it's never a good sign when you're so hungry that you have to resort to
eating croutnuts because there's no other food that you can get to.
*If I were Catholic and I became Pope, I would name myself Jesus II.*
Does anyone else agree that Starts The Party is the best band around?
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Andrew Vaupel, editor
864-4810 or avupel@kansan.com
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Laura Francoviglia
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Erick Schmidt, Devin Sikes, Gaby Souza,
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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
David Archer, Viva Bolova,
John Beyerley, Chase Edgerton,
Wheaton Elkins, Paige Higgins,
Matt Hoge, John Jordan, Kyleoch,
Doung Lang, Kevin McKernan, Mike
Mostaffa, Erica Prather,
SUBMISSIONS
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