4
Tuesday. April 1, 1975
University Dally Kansan
KANSAN
Editorials, columns and letters published on this page reflect only the content of the articles.
opinions of the writers.
Death with dignity
Along with the brilliant progress of medical science in recent decades, there has developed a critical problem: delaying the death of a person clearly destined to die of a terminal illness.
Although a patient may be unconscious or only partly conscious, his body can be kept functioning for an extended length of time by resuscitation, heart pumps, drainage tubes, stimulants, respirators, oxygen tanks, intravenous feedings and other methods. The difficult issue that confronts the attending physician and catheterized family members is at what point the 'heroics' should be stopped, and furthermore, who should make the decision.
Delegate Ira M. Lechner has recently introduced the so-called "Death with Dignity" bill in the Virginia House of Delegates, the first attempt in the country to meet this problem with legislation. This bill would affirm a person's right to refuse "heroic or extraordinary mercy" given him dead. There was no reasonable doubt about his chance of recovery. This right would be made in a "living will" while the person was of sound mind but could be revoked at any time. The hopelessness of the patient's condition would have to be attested by three physicians.
Clearly, this bill isn't an endorsement of enthuasia, the practice of allowing the attending physician, a spouse or some other person to decide that the case is hopeless and that the patient would be better off dead than alive. Surely the measure would help alleviate problems related to emotional and financial strain on families with a patient undergoing life-prolonging techniques. Doctors would be spared the burden of having to decide alone when the plug of the respirator should be pulled. And patients would be able to die with "dignity."
Delegate Lechner no doubt has excellent intentions in her "Death with Dignity" bill, but I wonder how it will work in practice. In theory, such a practice appears to be the panacea everyone has been seeking. But when the issue of life is at stake, there often is a change in attitude of the people involved in the specific case.
In our society, where the majority is against capital punishment and for abortion, it seems likely that "death with dignity" bills will have little difficulty being accepted. What remains to be seen is whether these measures are the answer to problems related to death-delaying techniques and, furthermore, whether they are the first step toward a new outlook on euthanasia. Only time will tell. —Stephen Buser
We must protect our national honor, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, peace is at hand, we are about to turn the corner, we're simply launching a rescue mission, we're not invading, just incursing, we're not incursing, we're just interdicting, we've got to prevent a blood bath, all we'll need is $300 million more, we only need 300 thousand more troops, all we need is a blank check, we've got to win their hearts and minds, we've got to make the world safe for freedom, a communist victory would be a national disaster, and now for today's body count, the enemy suffered severe losses while ours were moderate, if we don't stop them here, next they will be invading California, we must end communist terrorism, we must support self-determination, don't forget the domino theory, we must honor our commitments, this is not an invasion, an incursion or interdicting, it's just an airlift mission, our arms aid is not to continue the war, but to secure a generation of peace, if we fail in Cambodia and Vietnam, Congress is to blame, this is a recording, this is a recording, this is...
darry
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Letters to the editor should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 words. All letters are subject to editing and condensation, according to space limitations and the editor's judgment. Students must provide their names, class designations and home towns; faculty and staff must provide their names and positions; others must provide their names and addresses.
Harris fueled by dreams
By KEN FULTON Kansan Staff Reporter
Political analysts are generally sharp observers, and the first thing they notice about Fred Harris, former Oklahoma senator and Democratic presidential candidate, is that he has his own luggage and hands out his own press releases.
What they tend to miss is that his poor-boy, low-key campaign is part of the populist image Harris hopes to ride to the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976.
Harris, whose presidential campaign in 1972 ran out of steam and money in just six weeks, says the new campaign finance law has been the "most massive change in my lifetime." It allows him to run for president in a showstring because serious presidential hopefuls qualify for federal funds under the act.
Harris has been billing himself as the "citizen candidate," and his record in Oklahoma gives credibility to the title. He worked with his state's oil barons to become a senator. Then, in a surprise against Oklahoma's power cliques and championed legislation to help the poor.
Staying with friends while campaigning in New Hampshire, Harris, 44, has attracted only moderate attention with the success of his campaign, Harris, who is a former Democratic national chairman, has taken the most liberal positions of the declared hopefuls. For him, issues are the real focus of the campaign.
WHILE IN NEW YORK last month, Harris concentrated on unemployment, contending that "a job ought to be a right—an
enforceable personal right." He went on to predict that the official unemployment rate would rise to 10 per cent and that it would encourage employers and new job seekers were included in the statistics. But Harris isn't just complaining; he has some solutions of his own. He advocates a large tax cut, selective controls on prices and wages in major industries, and a price of domestic crude oil and vigorous enforcement of antitrust laws.
Harris, like most other announced presidential candidates, has been critical of his opponent in the Kissinger for what he calls attempting to "manipulate a balance of power." Harris has said he would "defy anyone to challenge" a principle in our foreign policy."
Harris' wife, LaDonna, is a Comanche Indian and president of Americans for Indian Opportunity. Harris supports his wife's efforts to improve conditions for Indians, and he has written an article in the November 1974 issue of Progressive tracing recent activities of the Northern Cheyenne Indians in Montana.
Harris' low-budget campaign is marked by refreshing simple language, cumbershed by a large entourage, security men or advance
And he's thinking of changing other campaign norms. For example, he says he's not in secret Service protection.
"About all they can do is keep the drunks off you," he says.
He says he doesn't think it's his obligation to cater to the press if his campaign becomes a big operation.
follow me anyway," he once told newsmen.
"IF I M NO. 1, you're going to
He expects to capture a quarter of the vote in the New Hampshire primary. In Wisconsin, he expects to be in the top two. In California, he expects his populist views to win the primary and propel him into national prominence.
Harris is unabashedly immodest about his chances for victory, even though the experts don't think he is a serious contender.
He says, "Experts are always wrong—not sometimes wrong—but always wrong."
World of words hides reality
By STEVEN LEWIS
Contributing Writer
But, of course, no such Utopia exists. Instead, we are immersed in a bewildering sea of words almost every minute we are awake. It is predominantly through words that students try to understand the world of the past, present and future.
Think for a moment what the world would be like without words. There would be no Bible, no politicians, no University of Kansas and, alas, no Kansan contributing writers.
SINCE WORDS ARE so important, it seems that one of the goals of education should be to make students keenly aware of the relationship of language to reality. Unfortunately, that would be a major concern at the University of Kansas.
That there is no natural relationship between language
So what? Everyone knows that, nevertheless, much more is being permeated permeates the world today indicates that the world of words and the world of things that exist are educated and upheld alike.
and reality is perhaps the most important bit of wisdom that anyone could master. We can tell lies, write great books of wisdom, and be the future only because words exist in a world of their own.
For example, President Gerald R. Ford recently warned that our reluctance to continue military aid to Southeast Asia has we were again becoming an "insistonist" country.
THE WORD "ISOLATION-IST" tends to send bad vibrations through the bodies of Americans. Apparently, President Ford was counting on
The 1975 nonverbal world of jet airplanes, Mineid oil and multinational corporations tells us that President Ford was talking nonsense. Furthermore, Americans have experienced the cruel reality behind "peacekeeping" actions — not as easily as敷戴 today by abstract principles about Southeast Asia as we once were.
We can do just about anything we want with words. Words can make violence seem noble, mischief seem contradiction, seem harmonious With words, we can build euphonious delusions.
THE GREAT PHILOSOPHER Nietzsche used words to "prove" there is no God. The great philosopher Descartes used words to "prove" there is a God. The
great philosopher Zeno used words to "prove" that a turtle, if given a head start, could never be beaten in a footrace by a man, no matter how fast the man ran.
Just as mathematics is useful only if tied carefully to the world outside our heads, so the language of everyday life must be used with the external world if we are to talk sensibly about that world.
IT'S TOO BAD the great philosophers of the prescientific era weren't more aware of the limitations of language. It's too bad many people who read these great philosophers today aren't more aware of the limitations of language.
Recently, some talk has centered on the need to improve the writing skills of KU students. A more pressing need, however, is that of educating students in how the world of
words gives us a distorted view of the world outside our heads.
WHEREVER WE SPEAK, we chop the always-changing and infinitely complex world of nature into neat and deceptive words. We then often react automatically to the word instead of considering the complex facts in nature behind the word. Our reaction to words like "displaion" or "communist" and "science" may render us helpless to make intelligent evaluations based upon careful consideration of relevant facts.
We need to become fact-minded instead of word-minded. This means we must train ourselves to look for the facts, if any, behind the sea of words. To do this way, we can avoid letting mere words manipulate and elude us.
Readers respond
To the Editor:
After reading the article entitled, "Cadets drill at Clinton," in 'moday's' Kansan, I was impressed with the compliance that flagrant journalism can convey to the student public.
The article implies that freshmen cadets were abandoned on a useless hill, exposed to cold weather. Where else can one effectively observe surrounding land formations, if not on a high hill? Concerning the wind and cold, on the Army can control these.
For the sake of fact, no one fired a continuous 25-round automatic burst because only 15-round clips were issued. This hard on the weapon and on the combat a combat situation. We fired in approximately four- to five-round bursts.
OUR ARMY MAJOR is not only quoted out of context, but the "Dick and Jane" dialogue concerning the map symbol representing a town and sarcastic. The map symbol representing an "uninhabited building" such as a barn is a simple unfilled square. The major is training and depicts this town is to teach good map reading.
THE ARTICLE implies that as professional officers our only concern will be map reading and mapping in our company will strongly
disagree. This was merely a segment of required training. We familiarized ourselves with map-compass techniques, and with the M-16 weapon. We flew in Army helicopters, practiced company organization and leadership.
In a time when we are striving for excellent instruction, improved student relations and college assembly recognition, we can't afford the extra attention in the student press.
William A. Jenks
Emporia Senior
Army ROTC Information
Center
ROTC, religion, Reagan debated
Murders
To the Editor:
First, to Tom Billiam, and to all those who advocate the death penalty, ask yourself this: When is it moral for a死者 to be held for a member of that group to do alone? If society decrees that murder is morally wrong, how can it claim the right to condemn a man to death? For, in a situation of all the individuals within it. If a thing is wrong, it is wrong, and vox populi can't change it.
This letter is in response to two editorials and a letter to the editor appearing in the Kansan in the last week.
Secondly, I would like to comment on Patrick Murphy's assertion of the need for rights for the fetus. I would suggest
that he and all of his lk读 "Our Gang," by Phillip Roth. It is the next logical step in the illogical rattings of a vocal minority that is determined to believe upon the majority.
Finally, I would like to point out to the outraged writers who have flooded the letters page with missives crucifying Steve Lewis for "Biblical balderdash" and he looked by the Christian world as infallible, such notables as Albert Einstein, Robert Goddard and the Wright brothers would surely have been burned as heretics. Also, proof of Lewis' statement that the Bible serves to impede the maturation of mankind can be seen in Riverside in the pamphlets of the Doomsayers.
Surely you've seen the Doomsayers, the well-groomed people with the 100-wat smiles who were placing themselves in midnight slums of manhole shafts and fares sheds in seneser and shaving leaflets in the faces of passersby. If the passery refused the leaflet, a "Lord, forgive him" expression would appear on the Doomsayer's face and assault his next innocent person with renewed person.
AND THEREIN lies the problem. If everyone allied himself with the Doomsayers today, civilization as such would grind to a hail, effectively ending the world. In
the end, the Doomsayers would force the human race to Armageddon (and "armagedon" tired of waiting for it). Instead, mankind must resolve to work against the problems of the world, or the Doomsayers will be right, although through no fault of their own.
James J. Murray
Lawrence Freshman
Reagan
To the Editor:
I can accept liberal-based opinions I've been accepting them for the last the ee years, as the Kansan never attempts to present the conservative viewpoint—this is an educational system of quality of views); but I will not accept outright misrepresentation of Reagan's stand on current issues.
Steven Lewis' so-called "analysis" of Ronald Reagan (March 19 Kansan) is a typical example of shoddy, yellow journalism substituted for factual appraisal.
**Contairy to Lewis' statement,**
Reagan doesn't advocate
"renewed American military
involvement in Southeast Asia." What Reagan in fact urges is that the U.S. fulfill its obligation under the treaty for $1.4 billion in military aid for Indochina—of which only $700 million has been spent.
Lewis goes on to "analyze"
Reagan's economic behavior. He is correct in saying Reagan "blames federal deficit spending on social programs;" but it does not mean major inflationary influence of government spending has been military spending" shows that he—not Reagan is "short on facts." From 1964 to 1974 the military budget increased from $80 billion to $80 billion while the budget decreased from programs mushroomed from $40 billion to $120 billion (source: Newsweek magazine).
AS A SUPPORTER of the Pentagon, Reagan "reveals himself clearly as a living dinosaur." Lewis says. Well, better a living dinosaur than a dead one. Somebody should tell us why all love and sunshine, and in such a world a military establishment is an absolute necessity. Our nuclear parity (or as Lewis calls it, "keeping up with the Russians") is the main reason we remain free. And in light of the fates of such countries as Czechoslovakia and Poland, the premiums don't seem too high.
LEWIS CONCLUDES that Reagan "will be around just in case his country wants him in '76." At a recent gathering of farmers and ranchers, servative sentiments were made quite clear: we want him.
Ronald E. Morris Valley Falls Junior