THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
OUR OPINION
Wal-Mart overpowers efforts to deny permit
Watching the protracted battle between the city and Wal-Mart was like witnessing David take on Goliath, but this time Goliath got his way.
The unfortunate reality is that while the city fought hard, it wasn't enough. The city was armed with little more than a claim that Wal-Mart was a department store, not a variety store, and therefore did not fit the zoning laws for the site at Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive. Wal-Mart, the largest owner and manager of retail space in the country, had inexhaustible funds to use for legal battles and a precedent of building whenever and wherever it pleased.
After thousands of dollars of tax payer money spent by the city to stave off the corporation's seven law suits, the city had no choice but to reach a settlement with Wal-Mart. No one knows the exact amount, but by the end of 2003, the city already had spent $35,000. In the end, an agreement was made stating that in the next six months plans for a smaller-scale, aesthetically-pleasing store will be submitted and, upon approval, the law suits will be dismissed and a court trial avoided.
And what has anyone gained from the whole experience? Having the ability to drive to the store five minutes faster for a $3 gallon of pickles. Those who argue in
Issue: The City Commission's recent decision to compromise with WalMart
Stance: The city fought admirably, but it was only a matter of time before the retail behemoth got its way.
favor of the store say competition is the basis of capitalism and that Wal-Mart simply has a successful business model. But this argument neglects issues such as ethical business practices.
We may not personally know the employees of Wal-Mart's suppliers who get laid off because the company can't handle the prices they are forced to sell their goods. We may not hear about the Wal-Mart employees who can't afford a doctor's visit because they don't receive health care. But it does happen all the time. So the next time you buy that cheap pack of Oreos from Wal-Mart, ask yourself, is it really worth it?
As the city knows, it's not easy to do what's right, but it's worth fighting for.
Malinda Osborne for the editorial board
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Details of Schiavo's death deserve recap
I would like to thank KU Students For Life for bringing Bobby Schindler to campus last week. Please know that those who were there were affected by what he had to say.
For those of you who were not there, I would like to summarize Schindler's talk. First, although Terri Schiavo's case was very much a pro-life issue, it was also very much a disability rights issue. Media coverage tended to focus its attention on the support given by pro-life groups, but failed to give adequate coverage to the more than 25 local and national disability rights groups that also supported Schiavo's family in their fight to keep Terri's feeding tube intact. The media also tended to focus on the fact that Terri was considered to be in a persistent vegetative state (PVS), a prognosis that is very subjective and misdiagnosed 43 percent of the time, according to Schindler.
The definition of PVS only requires that a patient have no meaningful interaction with her environment. It doesn't take much imagination to consider how widely "meaningful interaction" can be interpreted. Imagine that all of the death row inmates in this country had a 43 percent chance of being innocent. I think it is obvious there would be an uprour about the injustice of such a possibility.
Let us go further and imagine that the attorney representing those death row inmates was also the judge hearing their cases. This is what happened to Terri Schiavo. She was appointed an attorney who just happened to be the judge who heard her case.
I would like to clarify one thing about Terri's condition. She was not on life support. She required no assistance to keep her heart pumping or her lungs breathing. What she did require was nourishment provided by a feeding tube because of her inability to swallow due to brain injury. Furthermore, there is no substantial evidence that Terri would have wanted to die this way. She had no written directive or living will, only the word of her husband, who did not mention any of Terri's wishes until 1998 — eight years after her collapse. By this time, he was already cohabitating with another woman after swearing under oath to care for Terri through sickness and in health. I cannot pretend to know Michael Schiavo's motives, but I do believe that Schindler and his family are sincere in their fight against the euthanasia movement. Their organization, the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation, is not for profit. All fees paid by KU Students For Life to bring Schindler here went directly to the organization.
If a society is judged by how it treats its weakest members, then the United States is failing. As Schindler stated, the majority of Americans may have believed that it was right to remove Terri's feeding tube, but 100 percent of Terri's family did not want her to die. All they wanted was to be given the responsibility of caring for her for the rest of her life when it became obvious that her husband would not.
Micah Shilling
Ozark, Mo. graduate student
Jonathan Keeling, editor
864-4591 or jkealing@kansasan.com
Bjorn Bickel, managing editor
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Central American tourism alters native landscape
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser 884-7686 or jweaver@kansan.com
I love Central America. The people are friendly, the scenery is amazing, and traveling around is always an adventure. I would recommend a trip to Central America to anyone.
on a zip line. They expect to see volcanoes, beaches and all the "postcard" creatures — parrots, monkeys, tree frogs, ocelots, and iguanas — during a week's vacation, all the while relishing in the luxuries of home.
COMMENTARY
Maybe that is the problem I first visited the region in 2000 and have returned six times since. Each time, I relish in the natural and cultural wonders of the area while I'm surprised by how much changes, thanks to travelers just like myself.
Maybe that's the problem.
I fear that these countries are losing their essence — the culture and the places that make them distinct — while they find greater and greater economic success. I can appreciate Central Americans' complaints of ugly Americans who travel to their lands without ever coming to appreciate them for what they really are.
The blame rests on both sides of the equation. As long as we continue to demand that our trips to Central America be more like a guided tour at the zoo, there will be locals who compromise the natural and cultural heritage of these areas to reap profits.
The countries of Central America are much less developed than the United States. What we would consider disrepair in terms of buildings, roads, sidewalks and vehicles is deemed normal and totally acceptable there. There is a general sense that both individuals and society as a whole cannot afford the luxury of improvement. You'd think that any opportunity for economic development, regardless of what it is, would be welcomed.
I'll continue to suggest Central America as a travel destination, but I'll be sure that my recommendation is to experience it for what it really is. There is a world of fascinating people and beautiful scenery to behold. We can contribute to the support of ecotourism over industrialism without insisting that our destination simply be a small version of the United States.
So, you have to hand it to places like Costa Rica that are taking advantage of ecotourism. Countries looking to pull themselves out of the Third World often tap into their natural resources by harvesting them or paving over them, and it takes a bit of foresight to consider nature as an industry itself. Granted, some areas of Costa Rica are being developed rapidly, but others are being preserved to attract tourists.
York is a graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology.
HEATHER YORK opinion@kansan.com
Nonetheless, in order for people to embrace the preservation of nature with an eye on economic development, the "eco" can't be separated from the "tourism". Along with the advent of ecotourism has come the increase of things that are just too American. Every time I visit, it seems that Central America has more U.S. food franchises, hotels and casinos; more billboards in English, and more things to attract the Spring Break-minded rather than the nature hike minded. A stroll through untouched rainforest is not enough. Tourists now want to cruise through the canopy
PAGE 5A
Its increasing popularity as a vacation destination illustrates the success of ecotourism there and has been serving as an example for its less-developed neighbors. For example, Nicaragua now offers financial incentives for the establishment of property related to tourism. I applaud this. The natural areas of Central America are beautiful but endangered and deserve all the preservation efforts they can get. Ecotourism just may be the answer.
Free for All Call 864-0500
I just wanted to say that the comic today in the newspaper today with "it absurdly" and David
Bowie was totally sweet.
Kansas Algebra Program is the biggest waste of money I've blown off at this school. Yes, even worse than the books.
"Labyrinth" and David
way ticket to sexville.
way ticket to sexville.
A girl dropped money on campus today. And three guys found it but didn't give it to her, even though it would have been a one-
way ticket to sexville.
I've had an abortion and you don't know me. So who are you to judge?
If I see one more Spangles ad advertising an event that occurred already, I'm going to lose it.
Can somebody please fix the Web site that the E's menu is usually on? I'm sick of going down there and having to gamble on wheth-
having to gamble on whether or not it's good food.
er or not it's good food.
Hey Spangles:You guys opened four days ago. Drop the TV commercials.
KJHK News to not get high or turn down the suck
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SUBMISSIONS
COMMENTARY
Families struggle for closure
"Closure, in my view, is an over-rated word for families that suffer those tragic losses," said Larry Thomas, assistant director, KBI Special Operations.
In talking with the family of Shannon Martin during the past few weeks, I heard wonderful and funny stories about her underscored by the loss that is still present in their lives.
COURTNEY FARR opinion@kansan.com
Though I may never understand their loss, I do empathize with it. My older brother, Justin Farr, died of a drug overdose almost nine years ago. His death still shapes and affects decisions I make today.
"People think...that we've found closure," said Staci Wolfe, Shannon's older sister. "We all, my mom and my sister (Sher) and I will talk about how that's the dumbest thing we've ever heard."
In 2003, I traveled to Costa Rica on study abroad. Justin's death fueled part of that semester. So many of his dreams and goals went unfulfilled. I didn't want to miss out on my own dreams.
"It's worse today than it was the first year, the second year, the third year, the fourth year," said Jeanette Stauffer, Shannon's mother. "I think of all the things that Shannon would have been able to do and I miss her more."
I met Stauffer in Costa Rica. I went to Golffor several days and attended the opening of the murder trial. When I met Stauffer, I saw a reflection of my own mother: the grief, the desire to understand, and the good recollections of a child now gone.
"When justice is done, that's some satisfaction (for victim's families), but they still have a hole in their heart and that hole will never be filled," said Thomas.
"I tagged along with her my whole life. Part of me died when I heard she was murdered," said Sheri Martin, Shannon's younger sister. "But part of her has been absorbed into me. I can't tell when one begins and the other ends."
"This word closure absolutely drives me nuts," she said. "There's no closure until I'm six feet under."
My older brother was my hero growing up. He was just too cool.
Wolfe said she sees people all the time who were touched by Shannon: friends, people she worked with, students from organizations Shannon was in. During Christmas, she said she saw five of Shannon's closest friends.
Last week, I went with Wolfe to Shannon's grave. I had never seen a headstone like it. Engravings cover each side. Shannon with her dog, Brutus. A Monarch butterfly.
"It was really affirming," she said. "You can just tell there is a little bit of Shannon in them."
Wolfe planted flowers around the headstone. At one point, she paused with her hands buried in the dirt
"Shannon taught me that you really have to pack in the dirt," she said. "So I was listening to her."
Farr is a Scott City senior in journalism.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor at kansan.com.
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