Airline reservations
By Dick West
By DICK WEST
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The Federal Aviation Administration recently adopted a system under which airlines and private planes are required to make reservations at five of the nation's most crowded airports.
Making reservations is old stuff to passengers, but it is something new for pilots. To see how the system is working, let us wire tap one of the airport phone lines:
"National Airport reservations. I'm sorry, all of our lines are busy now. Please wait a moment and someone will help you. And thank you for calling National Airport ...
"National Airport reservations. Thank you for waiting, May I help you?"
"Would, Like Reservation"
"Yes. I would like to make a landing reservation for 11 a.m. on July 4."
"Very well sir. Will that be commercial or private?"
"Commercial."
"Hold the line a moment, please
... thank you for waiting. I'm
sorry, sir, our 11 a.m. landing has
already been reserved for July
4."
"Could you book me for a later landing?"
"One moment, please ... thank you for waiting. We have nothing available at all on the 4th, sir.
Our runways are booked solid for that date."
"Well, I've got to land somewhere."
"Have you tried one of the other airports?"
"Not vet."
"Hold the line ..."
"If you will hold the line a moment I'll see if I can locate landing space for you somewhere else in the vicinity ... thank you for waiting. There is an 11 a.m. landing available at Midway Airport in Chicago. Would you like us to confirm for you?"
"I'm afraid that won't do. My passengers will be expecting to land in the Washington area. Can you suggest anything else?"
"We can put you on stand-by sir."
"How does that work?"
"You fly to Washington on the 4th and if there has been a landing cancellation in the meantime we will have a runway for you."
"What happens if there isn't a cancellation?"
"That depends on whether your plane is equipped with parachutes."
"Well, thanks for your help, but I guess I had better try to make some other arrangements."
"You're very welcome, sir. And thank you for calling National Airport."
THE SUMMER SESSION KANSAN
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The Summer Session Kansan, student newspaper at the University of Kansas, is represented by National Advertising Service, 18 East 50 Street, New York, N.Y., 10022. Mail subscription rates: $6 a semester or $10 a year. Published second class postage paid at Lawrence, Kansas, every Tuesday and Friday for the Summer Session. Accommodations, goods, and employment advertised in the Summer Session Kansan are offered to students without regard to color, creed, or national origin.
The opinions expressed in the editorial columns are those of the editorial start of the newspaper. Guest editorial views are not necessarily the same as those of opinion expressions expressed in the Summer Session Kansan are not necessarily those of the University of Kansas Administration or the Kansas State Board of Regents.
Executive Staff
Executive Star
Managing Editor ... Don Westerhaus
Attacker ... James W. Murray
Photography ... Bill Seymour, Gary Mason
Business Manager ... Rodney Oborne
Adviser ... Mel Adams
Office Manager ... Helen Rose
We have noted a very unfortunate trend in college demonstrations. As the demonstrators point out, it seems the college administrations (and institutions in general) are not willing to take meaningful steps to correct the many acute injustices that exist in our society. This has led to a definite polarization of positions.
Things are reaching a point where the "ins" will not budge because they think, in their ultimate wisdom, they will eventually solve the problem, and the "outs," immersed in a revelation of what ought to be in society, have committed themselves to a similar unbendable position.
Letter to the Editor
Violence irks reader
To the Editor:
On May 9th, we participated, to a limited extent, in the confrontation at Memorial Field. While the announcer was reading the Senate Executive Committee "ground rules," the remark was made by a demonstrator that they were rationalizing violence into the system. This disturbed me because ultimately that is exactly what the demonstrators were doing. They were prepared to "violently defend" themselves. Is this not rationalizing?
Member Associated Collegiate Press
In this context people on both sides have gotten caught up in their own methodology and ideology (even though neither side would admit this) and they have lost sight of the higher goals and their achievement.
Both sides have so predisposed themselves to certain solutions and how they will come about, that it is almost certain that neither would be able to see a workable solution, given one.
It is obvious, as the demonstrators point out, that we are living in a society, which by its very passivity, is oppressive making reform very difficult and perhaps explaining the call for revolutionary change.
Malcom X once said that this nation is in a unique position ... she could become the first nation to have bloodless revolution. However, at "our present rate, this seems unlikely. For eighteen years, politicians have been promising the eighteen year olds suffrage. Last year, President Nixon "promised" to press this issue—what has been done?
One hundred years ago the blacks were given their freedom
In the Declaration of Independence it is written: "... when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Depotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
—where is it? It has been said that we live in an affluent society —if this is true, why do places like Watts and Harlem (to name just two!) exist?
If this is the land of freedom and justice, where is the justice when blacks everywhere are being discriminated against?
Perhaps the many riots and demonstrations across the nation are trying to tell us that something is wrong in the system—it has not and is not responding to the most urgent needs of the society. If you are not aware of the depth and urgency of the situation, start reading about it. Things don't just get better, people make them better.
Recently we saw an instance where concern for these issues became so overriding that no longer did people retain their rationality. Baseball bats with peace symbols represent a basic contradiction in purpose. If ROTC does not have a legitimate place on the campus, take college credit away from it, but to bar it physically causes more contradictions and difficulties about the meaning of freedom than we can presently talk about.
We should not get caught up in our own "thing" to such a degree that we lose our rationality. Also, if the administration wants to do
Paperbacks
BEYOND TCMORROW, edited by Damon Knight (Gold Medal, 75 cents) - A collection of recent science fiction, such writers as Henry Kuttner, A. E. van Vogt, Kate Wilhelm, Clifford D. Simak and Arthur Clarke being represented.
HAVE I EVER LIED TO YOU?,
by Art Buchwald (Crest, 75 cents)
—A collection of some recent
columns by the usually funny
Art Buchwald, who does a good
job on the nation's capital and its
various inhabitants. Pick it up
and read at your leisure, which
is the best way to read such
books.
RING OF BRIGHT WATER, by Gavin Maxwell (Crest, 75 cents)
—A reprinting of a charming real-life story about a pet otter and his human friends. The book has been made into a movie; therefore the reprint. Especially recommended for the kids.
SOUPS AND HORS D'OEUVRES, by Marika Hanbury-Tenison (Penguin, $1.75) - A book of recipes, plotless but filled with suggestions not to be read by the heavier part of the population. There are more than 750 recipes from all over the world.
something positive, poll the students to find out exactly what general student attitudes are. Regardless, do not "consider the problem to death," take action! Passivity breeds revolt.
Charles Monti, Jr.
St. Louis, Missouri, senior
Gregory Hoesli
Delphos, Kansas, senior