4A
Thursday, April 20, 1995
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE: EARTH DAY
Earth Day to celebrate 25th
This Saturday will mark the 25th anniversary of Earth Day.
Dav.
After 5 billion years of existence, the Earth may not even take notice.
We should, though.
Otherwise, as comedian and social critic George Carlin once said, the Earth might just shake us off like a bad case of fleas.
Alarmist nonsense, some say. Earth Day is nothing but a self-serving event for fanatical environmentalists patting themselves on the back, right? This planet has been around long enough; a little pollution in our air and rivers won't do any harm. Environmental laws and the Environmental Protection Agency are needless and expensive.
As a result of this mentality and the recent cries from Congress to cut back on just about everything, regulations that have kept this country from becoming one big toxic landfill might be in jeopardy.
To wit: Republicans are trying to gut the Endangered Species Act as well as other beneficial and logical legislation needed to prevent future degrading of the environment. Some
City businesses need to take the earth off their back burner and protect the Kansas River and the city's greenspace
of the laws may need tightening, but getting rid of them is not the answer. Locally, the Kansas River is now one of America's 10 most endangered rivers, according to a National River Conservation Organization.
What does that mean? Dredging, damming, chemical runoff and waste discharge from cities have caused the river to exceed the recreation-use criteria established by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Therefore, dangerous chemicals like chlordane and atrazine, potential carcinogens, are now a part of our community's drinking water. Dredging already happens along the Kansas River, and there are businesses now asking for permits to dredge even closer to Lawrence. It's a natural reservoir of sand, they say. It's worth a bundle.
It's not worth the price to the city, or to the country, if the environment continues to take a back seat to business.
MATT GOWEN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE ISSUE: REPUBLICANS DELIVER
House should be commended
Regardless of partisan political beliefs, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives should be commended for their extremely active first 100 days in office.
While some issues have provoked heated debate from both sides, Republicans were able to bring many points from the Contract with America to a vote in the House. Many Democrats jeered the failure to pass key term-limit legislation, but Americans should remember that Republicans did not guarantee passage of any of the points on the Contract. By pushing Contract legislation to a vote, Republicans fulfilled campaign promises while forcing a refreshing amount of efficiency.
Republicans have transformed the House into the populist forum it was designed to be. Much of
In 100 days, House Republicans have fulfilled promises and have been efficient in passing legislation
the hastily passed legislation now will be examined more fully and carefully by the Senate, as the founding fathers wished.
It should be noted that this activity has occurred as many top Republicans have declared their candidacy for the Presidency. Faced with the impending '96 election, House Republicans should be congratulated for working on current issues instead of concentrating on projected campaign issues. While elite Republicans have begun campaigning for the incredibly distant '96 election,.most party members have remained firmly grounded in the present, an accomplishment in itself.
STANTON SHELBY FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
STEPHEN MARTINO
Editor
DENISE NEIL
Managing editor
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
CATHERINE ELLSWORTH
Technology coordinator
Editors
JENNIFER PERRIER
Business manager
MARK MASTRO
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
News...Carlos Tejada
Planning...Mark Martin
Editorial...Matt Gowen
Associate Editorial...Heather Lawrenz
Campus...David Wilson
Colleen McCain
Sports...Gerry Fey
Associate Sports...Asian Malik
Photo...Jarrett Lane
Associate Photo...Paul Kotz
Features...Nathan Olson
Design...Brian James
Freelance...Susan White
Business Staff
Campus mgr ...Beth Poth
Regional mgr ...Chris Branaman
National mgr ...Shelly Falevits
Coop mgr ...Kelly Connealy
Special Sections mgr ...Brigg Bloomquilt
Production mgr ...JJ Cook
...Kim Hyman
Marketing director ...Mindy Blum
Promotions director ..Justin Frosolone
Creative director ..Dian Gler
Classified mgr ...Lisa Kuiseth
Jeff MacNelly / CHICAGO TRIBUNE
For most of my life, I've respected the police. But after my recent experience with both police and KU parking, I wonder whether that trust was misplaced.
Guilty until proven innocent: Assumptions destroy trust
One evening in February, I looked out the door of my dorm and saw a KU police cruiser and a parking truck, both with lights flashing, hovering beside my car. The officer was looking at my license plate and talking into his walkie-talkie. Not wanting a ticket, I walked down to my car. When I got there, the parking employee rolled down her window and asked whether I owned the car. I said yes. She then told me my parking ticket had come up stolen. I told her I had bought it at the parking office, and she said I could go to the office the next day and clear it up.
As for the parking department, the error was not in the computer. It was a human error. I understand that. But instead of zooming off into the night, maybe an employee who works for a department that makes more than $1 million a year — yet can't guarantee I get a parking spot for the permit I bought — could have gotten out of her car and said, "Mr. Anderson, I'm sorry."
I thought, sure, no problem, must be a computer error. Then the officer got out of the car.
I hope in the future that the KU police will remember that the citizens they are supposed to serve and protect are more cooperative when treated with respect. Justice isn't served when those same citizens have to wonder who protects them from the police.
"Where did you get your parking permit?" he said.
and I expect you not to bullshit me," he said. "We got a deal?"
Of course it wasn't his fault, he told me, he was just doing his job. He gave me his card, told me he owed me one, and I should call him if I ever needed anything.
He asked me to get into the car.
Then he read me my Miranda rights.
This was going to take longer than I thought.
"You better let me take a look at it."
Then, he locked the doors.
I was a middle-class 19-year-old with no criminal record, sitting in a locked patrol car at 10 o'clock at night, five inches from a shotgun and two feet from a pretty damn tough-looking cop. I was scared.
"Now, I'm not gonna bullshit you.
cer came back and told me a mistake had been made. The parking employee had "pushed the wrong button."
Mark Anderson Is a Lawrence sophomore in civil engineering.
I don't want to be owed one. All I ask for is respect. It's no wonder that police don't get much cooperation in places where serious crimes often take place. The officer made me doubt myself, and all it involved was a parking permit. An apology doesn't make up for the intimidation and manipulation I had been subjected to.
"OK," I said
Then the good cop-bad cop routine started. I told him I had bought the permit. He said if I told him the truth he would be my friend, but if I "bullshit" him and made "this whole damn thing into a circus," he would be mad at me and "stick it to me." Again, I told him I had
bought it. But at that point, I was even doubting myself. The way I said it, it sounded untrue. But if I had told him I stole permits for a living, he wouldn't have doubted me for one moment.
Finally, after I realized that I was about to be arrested for being in possession of my own permit, I remembered that I had the canceled check in my room. The cop unlocked the doors for me, and I went up to my room to get the check. The cop looked at my check, then got out of the car to talk to his supervisor, who had pulled up next to him earlier. A parking truck also appeared out of nowhere, and a conference was held somewhere out of my sight. When it finished, the offi
Guns can't be blamed for society's violence
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Although I am a registered Democrat, I feel compelled to express my annoyance at the Kansan's predictable and conformist ultraliberal stance on the subject of gun control.
In two recent articles, Matt Gowen, with what I am sure is the consensus of the rest of the inexperienced and naive staff, bashed state and legislative efforts at restoring constitutionally insured gun ownership rights for private citizens.
by the Kansan is nothing but thinly veiled fascism.
There is certainly no easy answer to the problem of violence in our society, but the solution advocated
The editors on the newspaper staff would have everyone believe that we are all idiots only capable of accidentally shooting ourselves or a family member in a fit of rage over some trivial domestic dispute.
There is no doubt that there are those paranoid and uninformed few who, in an effort to "protect" themselves and/or others, make fatal mistakes and wind up on the news evening only to become "poster children" for organizations like Handgun Control Inc., but they are the exception, not the rule.
Legally purchased guns have no doubt ended up in the hands of
criminals in this country, but they were bought originally, and subsequently sold, in good faith.
Not until legislative and judicial efforts in the United Sates target and consistently punish crimes committed by criminals with handguns will any reduction in violence occur. Making the average citizen more vulnerable with "big brother" legislation by behind-the-lines politicians is not the answer.
God willing, none of you who wrote or support the opinions of the Kansan will ever get your hands on a gun and shoot someone while participating in your inlienable and peer promoted right to binge.
H. Dean Colfax
Lenexa senior
Watch out for The Man: He could foil your graduation
As we approach the end of another spring semester, many KU students look forward to that long-awaited date of graduation. It seems appropriate that I take this time to warn all prospective graduates, about a nemesis that threatens all of our futures. The nemesis goes by such
names as Big Brother or the Establishment.
I like to call him The Man.
In case you are still not sure who I am referring to, here are some hints: The Man is employed by KU and does most of his work from various campus offices.
Still not sure? Here it is plain and simple: The Man is that counter-person in the Office of Student Financial Aid who says in the condescending tone of a third-grade teacher, "I'm sorry, but we need you to fill out just one more form and then our committee will review your file and then we'll notify you in about three to four weeks."
The Man is the dean for your respective college or school who sends you a letter that says, "After a review of your records, we found that you took more than one introductory economics course. I am available to discuss the implications with you." Even though he has had these records for three years, at least he signs it, "Sincerely."
And, of most importance to applicants for degree from KU, The Man is that graduation counselor who says with a smile, "Oh, it looks like you need just two more hours of junior/senior courses." Some of you are probably wondering what can be done about this tyrant who rules and in some cases ruins our lives?
I am sorry to report that the answer is nothing.
As much as I hate to admit it, The Man is good. He does not discriminate on the basis of race or sex. He does his job with such quality and consistency that his decisions are rarely overturned and almost always final.
The Man's secret to success is that you never get to confront him directly. When you try to arrange to meet with him, he usually is on another line or out of the office.
Trying to explain your dilemma to one of the pawns who guard his labyrinth is about as useful as trying to contact him through those modern, automated phone services he uses in order to speed your call.
However, all hope is not lost. It is possible with perseverance and patience to survive. I choose the word survive carefully because you never defeat him, for what The Man giveth, he can quickly taken away.
It is important to remember that the key to survival is early detection.
Therefore, I warn all of you to carefully read those requirements for graduation. Make an appointment to see the adviser you met three years ago. Such precautionary plans should limit your confrontations with your nemesis.
Believe me when I say, "I'm sick and tired of being hassled by The Man!"
Tim Muir is a Lenexa senior in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
MIXED MEDIA
By Jack Ohman