4 University Daily Kansan Opinion Wednesday, June 25, 1986 Registered beer The verdict on Kansas's drinking age law came in this month, just short of the law's first birthday on Tuesday. The verdict was thumbs down, but the people who make and enforce our laws have refused to recognize it. The verdict came from the mouth of the state's top liquor official, John Lamb, director of the Department of Revenue's Alcoholic Beverage Control division. "There isn't a weekend that goes by that we're not out at a keg party." Lamb said, "and we're finding that 95 percent of the people at those parties are underage . . ." We recall that the Associated Students of Kansas predicted just such consequences in hearings last year when the Kansas Legislature was preparing to raise the drinking age to 21. Of course, federal highway funds were at stake and that made the final vote a foregone conclusion. More young deaths on our roads were a possibility, but the loss of money was a certainty. So the law was passed and the underage kids who no longer can drink in taverns are getting beer elsewhere. No surprise here, Mr. Lamb. And you can bet, Mr. Lamb, that keg parties big enough to draw the attention of the ABC are only the foam on top. In light of the keg parties, Mr. Lamb has made a proposal. Is it to let 18-year-olds back into taverns? No. Mr. Lamb has proposed that every keg of beer sold in Kansas be registered to the buyer. The best place for the ABC to track down those registered beer cans will be along the roadside or in wrecked cars. Shawnee County Sheriff Ed Ritchie summed it up recently: "It ited to be, these kids went to a tavern, and when they were getting shaky, the bartender shut them off," Ritche told the Topeka Capital Journal. "Now they're going out to keg parties in the country where there's nobody to shut them off, and once it gets dark nobody knows how much they're drinking, and they get into trouble." Presumably, cases will be next. And then beer sellers will be saying, "Excuse me, sir, but I'll need your name, address, two pieces of ID and a signed statement of just exactly what you intend to do with this six-pack." The lawmakers have sent you in the wrong direction, Mr. Lamb. Don't ask them to send you deeper. Mailbox Memorial not to war As a Vietnam veteran who shares your (Christian Colbert's) indignation over the present U.S. foreign policy that advocates the indiscriminate use of American military force — our youth — to enforce blind arrogance, i sincerely appreciate your column (Kanese, June 18). In your case, the memorial has given you the power to do — not only raise your consciousness about the past, but to make you think about the present. However, I do have a bone to pick with the person who chose the headline for your article, and because I do not know who that is, I hope you will pass along the following: the KU Vietnam Memorial is not, never has been and never will be a WAR memorial. It is, has been and will be a memorial to remember the courage, honor and sacrifice of those KU students who gave their lives in the war. We are also reminded and headlines such as those accompanying your column give the wrong impression. If the person responsible for the headline had been with me in Chicago last weekend for the homecoming parade, he could clearly understand what I'm talking about. Thomas Berger Chairman, KU Vietnam Memorial Committee Cow story done badly Of all the disgusting things I've seen in newspapers over the years, "Cow-tippers never cry over spilled milk" is the most offensive. I don't object to Kansas coverage of this activity, although I question the wisdom of placing it on the front page. I do, however, object to the tone of the article. I was distinctly left with the impression that the writer, Piper Schofield, thought cow-tipping was amyusing. A paltry four inches of column space buried on page five was devoted to the welfare of the tipped cows. Is cow-tipping something that the Kansan endorses? Surely the Kansan has better sense than to print articles written in such bad taste. I sincerely hope that your audience will appreciate the increase in this so-called sport. Loyola M. Caron Research assistant, KU Space Technology Center According to Bill Sheeley, quoted in the cow-tipping story (Kansas, June 18), "Some of them (cows) sleep standing up on their so are stupid." Well Bill, some of them (students) push keepings cows over they are so stund. Stupidity is relative You know, now that you mention it breaking a cow's leg or making a pregnant cow lose its calf sounds pretty exciting. How does one get started? Tell me, Pusateri, when you drive around looking for fields with cows in them, do you write the address down? Do you take notes as to how many cows are in the field? Do you keep files? Which breed do you buy? Does your owner everaken tickets? If not, this Stephenian Quincy sounds just about your speed. Just think, if you two were married, you could have a cow chip throwing party at your wedding reception. Pretty snappy. What is wrong with people today? Are they so bored with life (or are they just boring?) that they have to do things like push over harmless animals for kicks? Or are they just stupid? I always though a college education was supposed to make one smarter. Obviously not. The saddest aspect of this story is how cutesy a senior reporter from what is supposed to be one of the better journalism schools in the country has made this childish prank sound. Keep up the good work, Piper, and you'll have a job with the L.A. Times in no time. Brian Courtney DeSoto senior News staff News staff Clindy McCurry Editor Kady McMaster Managing editor Brian Miller Editorial editor Grant Butler Campus editor Dawn O'Malley Sports editor Shauna Norfleet Photo editor Susanne Shaw General manager, news adviser Business staff David Nixon Business/production manager Beverly Kastens Retail sales manager Denise Stephens Campus sales/back office manager Gerald Cameron Classroom manager John Oberzan Sales and marketing adviser Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words and should include the writer's name, address and telephone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, include class and hometown, or faculty or staff position. Guest shots should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The The Kansan resse to the right to reject or edit letters and guest shots. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The University Daily Kansan (USPS 650-640) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Staffer-First-Hall, Lawen, Kanze, 66045, daily during the regular school year, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and finals periods, and on Wednesday during the summer session. Second-class postage paid at the University Post Office, Kansas City, Missouri, Dwayne County and $18 for six months and $33 a week outside the county. Student subscriptions are $3 and are paid through the student activity fee. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the University Daily Kansan, 118 Stauffer-Flint Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 66045. M4M1N50965 Anti-abortionists spreading violence The recent bombing of an abortion clinic in Wichita is merely one of hundreds that have occurred since 1981. The anti-abortion movement is responsible. With a threatening mentality, its members are determined to legislate morality by any means. In the name of God they are unarmed and untitled throughout the land. Sadly, this will continue until women in this country are forced to incubate fetuses against their will. The bombing and burning of abortion clinics is only part of the antiabortion movement. Its members are also skilled at verbally and physically harassing women and doctors entering abortion clinics. This practice has led to many violent incidents. "Fanatics have instituted a reign of terror against women nationwide," said Eleanor Smale, press director at the National Organization for Women. The harassment is so bad in some Christian Colbert Staff nurse areas of the country that women need male escorts to enter clinics. The harassment is directly linked to top leaders of the anti-abortion movement. Anti-abortion leader Joseph Schedler was arrested for conspiracy in a disturbance at an abortion clinic and was top leader, Joan Andrews, is in jail in Florida for her anti-abortion activities. When anti-abortion leaders aren't rejecting the democratic process by resorting to violence, they are making a mockery of the process. For example, they target candidates for defeat solely on the candidates' positions on abortion. Sen. Jake Garn, R-Uah, was dissuaded by this practice that he quit the anti-abortion group he had been involved in. When all else fails, anti-abortionists invoke the name of God to strike down pro-choice advocates. In Los Angeles, a fanatical preacher is imploring his congregation, and anyone else, to pray for the death of Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, who has voted consistently in favor of legalized abortion. The preacher also tells his plane that carried the message: "Pray for death: baby killer Brennan." The message originally read, "Pray for the death of baby-killer Brennan," but the pilot wouldn't fly until it was changed. Coleman McCarthy, a columnist for the New York Times, accurately described the movement's members: "They are selectively franck about protecting life before but cancel all the tickets after that." The anti-abortion movement is plagued by an irrational, hateful and intolerant mentality. Its members resolutely claim they are concerned about life, but, ironically, they contradict their claim with hatred and acts of violence. They make propaganda films about the silent screams of fetuses but ignore the screams of the 3,000 children born into poverty every day President Reagan epitomizes the anti-abortion attitude. He speaks of his concern for life, but his miserable fate is partly attributable to grams that are vital for newborns. Reagan's social spending policies are causing more and more babies to die in their first year of life. The children's Defense Fund says that infant mortality rates are rising or less prenatal care for poor women. A close examination of the anti-abortion movement reveals that it is vitrous. If its impulses were channeled at reducing the suffering of women, then its members could truly claim to be concerned about life. KU group aids prisoners worldwide Suddenly your cell door opens and a crumpled postcard is tossed on the floor. Even if it isn't written in your language, you recognize the address, USA, and you realize that someone thousands of miles away is aware of your imprisonment. Someone is working for your freedom. You have new reason to hope. Imagine being punched out of a car at 3 a.m., tied up and blindfolded, interrogated and tortured for reasons unknown to you and, finally, being thrown into a small, dark cell. Years pass and you still don't know why you're imprisoned. You aren't even sure if anyone knows where you are. Your hope of ever being free begins to die. Such letters come from Amnesty International. Amnesty International is a worldwide people's movement. It doesn't endorse any political, social or economic system. Instead, it works to abolish torture and the death penalty, to obtain free elections for prisoners and to free prisoners of conscience — everywhere. Once the facts have been established, Amnesty distributes them to its members — more than Prisoners of conscience are men, women and children who have not used or advocated violence but have been imprisoned because of their beliefs, color, sex, ethnic origin or language. In the prison world, a badly played a role in the release of almost 20,000 prisoners of conscience. It's hard to say how large a role Amnesty has played because most of the governments involved aren't open to investigation. Their decisions are unpredictable and unexplainable. However, Amnesty has been assured by prisoners and the authorities that the prisoners free them made a difference in prison conditions and in their eventual release. Amnesty's strategy to free prisoners is simple and effective. It begins by investigating thoroughly all reports of human rights violations. The research department's staff of 150 gleams information from all over the world and takes great pains to insure that the information is valid. Inaccuracy in any of Amnesty's published reports has yet to be documented. Bill Foreman 500,000 in more than 150 countries. Many of these members belong to community groups. Community groups "adopt" individual prisoners and work for their release as if they were members of those communities. The groups receive pictures and all the information available on their prisoners. Guest columnist Groups usually become emotionally attached to their prisoners. In the past, we in the Lawrence group have celebrated the birthdays of our adopted prisoners. We also have sent care packages to them every January. Every January we receive a thank-you card from the wife of a former prisoner in Czechoslovakia. She doesn't know packages. She writes, "Thank you to the unkown senders." "When the first 200 letters came the guards gave me back my clothes," reported Julio de Pena Valdez, a former prisoner of conscience of the Dominican Republic. "Then the next 200 letters came, and the prison director came to see me . . . The letters kept arriving, and the president called the prison and told them to let me go." The letter or telegram is the official tool of Amnesty, and it works. Amnesty's approach to freeing prisoners is an ingenious idea because it breaks down an over-dependence on the court and managesable pieces. A small group So far, the Lawrence adoption group has worked to free three prisoners. All three have been released. Now we are waiting for a new assignment. Our efforts to gain the release of prisoners has meant tirelessly writing letters to anyone we thought would be in trouble. We've called for release — politicians, newspapers, prison officials . . . Hope is symbolized by Amnesty's trademark, a lighted candle wrapped in barbed wire. a song by Peter Gabriel expresses Amnesty's hope. The song, which tells the story of seven black men killed by police in a South African deserthood center, goes like this: of people in Lawrence cannot alleviate the suffering of thousands of innocent prisoners. However, it can help free a labor organizer in Czechoslovakia or a teacher in Paraguay. And if the group cannot free them, it will at least offer them hope. 'You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire. Once the flames begin to catch Amnesty needs more candles Please join the fire. Foreman, a senior in philosophy and English, has been a member of the KU chapter of Annmoy Inter Service and served as its president last year. I 》