10
Wednesday, July 29, 1987
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
SUMMER
WEEKLY
EDITION
Opinions and Editorials Don't judge a can of tuna by its label
A reporter's obligation?
A newspaper is in black and white.
But the issues that face the people who create the newspaper are not.
Such was the case last week when Alan Montgomery, a reporter with the Hutchinson News, spent 45 minutes trying to talk a wanted gunman out of killing himself.
Montgomery met with the gunman, Kenneth Haney, after Haney specifically requested over the phone not to involve the police. But Montgomery and other staff members called the police anyway.
In the process of the 45-minute conversation, even though Montgomery thought at one time that Haney might kill him, Montgomery took a picture of Haney in his crazed, suicidal state — the reporter was still getting his story.
Then Montgomery met the gunman in person. He told two girls nearby, while Honey was unaware, to get away from the area and to call the police.
Haney told Montgomery that when Montgomery left, he would kill himself. Montgomery continued to talk, but he became physically tired and was convinced he could do nothing more. He left. About a minute later, Haney shot himself.
Haney is dead, and the reporter who was trying to get a story became the story. But questions remain. Was Montgomery right to use his position as an aide to the police by calling them when his source asked him not to? If so, was he right to take Haney's picture in a situation when a man was simultaneously vulnerable and dangerous? Should Montgomery have tried harder to talk Haney out of killing himself?
Montgomery said, when later interviewed, that he thought his main obligation was to protect the neighborhood and the two girls from Haney. He did.
Was he acting within the bounds of journalistic ethics? It's questionable. But he was acting within the bounds of being human — an area which is not black and white, but rather very, very gray.
Check fine print on lease
It's that time of year again. Students scramble through the classified ads looking for suitable places to live, and landlords consider disconnecting phones to halt the continuous inquiries.
When the decision is made, and a lease must be signed, one needs to consider the responsibilities.
When a contract says that rent must be paid within the first five days of the month, it means just that.
If the lease states that the renter cannot remodel or otherwise change the appearance of the property, it means don't paint one wall of your living room black before checking with the landlord.
Security deposits usually are required to insure that the landlord is not left to pay for damages caused by a tenant. Every year, many students decide not to pay their last month's rent and instead, allow the landlord to keep their security deposit as payment. If there is no damage to the property, some landlords are
satisfied with that type of payment. As of July 1, however, leaving a rental property with an outstanding bill of more than $150 is a class E felony. If this occurs, a landlord could then sue for the last month's rent and also keep the security deposit.
Choosing a landlord goes along with choosing a place to live.
Check with previous tenants for more information than the landlord provides. Does the landlord spray for bugs if they are discovered? Will he fix a clogged sink or backed up toilet?
Perhaps one of the most important things to remember is not to sign anything that doesn't make sense. If a landlord draws up a ten-page rental agreement although most are only two to three pages, take the time to read it. If there are questions, ask the landlord, parents or a lawyer.
As responsible tenants, take the time to know what you're getting into.
State aid for AIDS drug
U. S. District Court Judge Richard D. Rogers recently ordered the state of Kansas to pay for the drug AZT when physicians prescribe it for their patients.
The drug is costly, but it is necessary. Even though Kansas pays for many drugs under the Medicaid program that help acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients, the state has declined to pay for AZT because of the costly price tag. The drug can cost up
to $188 for 100 tablets, which is an eight-day supply.
AZT is not a cure for AIDS, but it does help to slow down the disease and prolong the lives of many AIDS patients.
Before the court ruling, Kansas was one of only six states that refused to pay for AZT. Although the number of AIDS cases in Kansas, 81, is not as great as in many other states, it is about time that the state provide some financial aid.
News staff
John Benner .Editor
Dawn O'Malley.Managing editor
Jane Zachman.News editor
Pam Miller.Campus editor
Paul Baldwin.Assoc. Campus Editor
Tim Hamilton.Sports editor
Darcy Chang.Photo editor
Connie Sheridan.Graphics editor
Tom Eblen.General manager, news adviser
Business staff
Lisa Weems ... Business manager
Lisa Osmert ... Retail sales manager
Sally Depew ... Campus sales manager
Dan Pennington ... Classified manager
Greg Knight ... Production manager
Chuck Robtbut ... National sales manager
Jeanne Hines ... Sales and marketing adviser
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It's in these days of corporate takeovers that I feel like running down to the courthouse to make sure Beatrice Foods hasn't somehow become the owner of my house.
To keep abreast of multinational conglomerates, their tactics, and their advertising, one need not read the writing on the wall, but instead read the fine print on the label.
I spent a few hours in some local stores, picking up packages and putting them down, and came away with a wealth of information. One thing I learned is not to investigate too many packages at an online store, buying anything. When I did this at one store, a guy wearing sunglasses followed me around until I left.
But before I was hounded out of the stores, I made a few notes.
❖ 9-Lives cat food is produced by the Starkist tuna company. This doesn't bother me that much, because I suppose tuna by-products exist just as do beef by-products. However, I couldn't help wondering if the company ever got confused and mislabeled cans. Maybe Starkist would find that people prefer the feline variety.
- Boric acid, an ingredient in several brands of disinfectants for use on cuts and scrapes, is also the active ingredient in Roach-Pruf. Apparently, a clean roach is a dead roach.
--gloves and brassieres. I'm stuck for any analysis of that fact that wouldn't be at least vaguely obscene, so I'll lay off.
● A major ingredient in virtually every brand of toothpaste is hydrated silica — sand, in other words. We've all accidentally got sand in our mouths, and we shouldn't put it there on purpose unless it minty fresh.
- Everyone knows that Playtex makes rubber
- StaticArm, that stuff you spray on your pants or skirt to keep it from clinging so oh-attractively to your legs, is produced by Alberto Culver and the spray people. I foresee a new skirt-style bad.
*Spray cans of K2R spot remover are marked "Not For Export." I think that the Soviets really had wanted to steal our closely guarded spot-lifting technology, they would have done so by now.
*The alcohol content of popular brands of mouthwash averages an astounding 16 percent. Teetotalers might prefer Listermint, at 7 percent alcohol, and boozoers should try regular Listerine at 27 percent.
- The S.C. Johnson Co. makes floor wax, of course, but they also produce Edge shaving cream. Soon, I expect Gillette to market a competing shaving cream whose selling point is that it
does the job without that annoying waxy facial buildup.
Most health and beauty items and household cleaning supplies have names designed to get the consumer to forget about what a drag it is to do various chores.
*Who wouldn't like a Fresh Start, a Snuggle and a Carress, some Joy or Jest, good Cheer, and a Cake*
Let's on the money they spend on advertising. I would think big companies like Clorox and Proctor and Gamble would get someone to edit their packages. It must have been embarrassing when those first bottles of Liquid Plumr or first tubes of Camellia came off the assembly line with misspeelled labels.
*However, to the Lever Brothers Co., cleaning agents are four-letter words: Wink, Dove, Surf.*
*Speaking of Proctor and Gamble, what's the rationale behind owning all the "competing" types of hand soap? They manufacture Sateguard, Ivory, Coast, Lava and Zest. The first four of those, strung together, sound like a volcanic disaster in Africa.
The Clorox Co. makes Clorox, of course, and they also make Tilex. But they don't manufacture Windex, a free-agent signed in 1967 by Drackett Products Co.
All of this information may or may not be valuable to the average consumer, but it may save the eyesight of some of the more avid label-readers. I just will be happy if this column appears with my name and doesn't instead say, "by-y-y Mennon."
State can't outlaw cake and tax it, too
So now there is a tax on marijuana
What will they think of next?
The state enacted a law that placed a tax on the sale of marijuana July 1. If a person is arrested for selling the herbs, his tax records would be destroyed and his taxes would "he" also be charged with tax evasion.
The tax is set up so drug dealers may register anonymously and pay an annual tax on their goods. It seems the only way to enforce the law is to find and arrest those who sell marijuana.
In order to get those who sell pot to register and pay the tax, the law adds that those who sign up will not be arrested on the basis of their registration.
Does this sound a bit confusing? I thought so, too. Why does the state even find it necessary to place a tax on an illegal drug? Are law enforcement officials not adequately eliminating the sale of marijuana? Do they actually believe that all people within the state who sell marijuana are going to aggressively approach the registration table and sign up to pay the tax? There's no doubt in my mind; I'm sure all the drug dealers in Kansas are honest businessmen who do their darnest to abide by the laws of our state.
What about those who buy marijuana? It seems that they should be held responsible for nurturing the illegal business. I think marijuana buyers and users also should be responsible for paying some sort of sales tax. It's only fair.
The new law brings with it much controversy and confusion. To advocate the taxation of an illegal substance makes it appear as if the state is loosening up on the prohibition of marijuana. Kansas lawmakers have finally acknowledged the fact that the sale of marijuana is a thriving business in the state. They also have realized that the state can profit from the business.
So, in the end, the state is making money from the sale of marijuana. Perhaps, if the amount of money generated by the pot tax is great enough, the state eventually will even encourage the sale of the illegal drug and, God forbid, legalize the dreaded substance!
I'm sure that many drug dealers are sitting home right now pondering feverishly over this issue.
"Gee, Fred, do you think we should go down and register for the pot tax today?"
"Well, Barney, I don't know. We've been in this business for more than a couple a years now, and those nice policemen haven't bothered us once. I wouldn't worry about it."
Not to take the situation lightly, but the new pot tax just seems impractical. Basing a law that is concerned with the selling of illegal drugs on the streets is one way to crack Crocket and Tubbs would think it is a great owe.
"Fred, you always come up with a good answer.
Hey, throw me a lighter, will va."
But, who knows, after a year or so of the law being in effect, it will be more clear whether it will have any real effect on the marijuana industry, the state or "referer madness."
Feminists need more than symbolism
Feminists subscribe to two myths. One is that they understand men far better than men understand women or non-feminists understand women. The other is that women have something physical in common, beyond a more obvious or a more subtle bond.
Sisterhood, as a sacred bond, rightly involves the ubiquitous call for peace, the understanding of all mankind, et cetera. But often it has taken a leap of faith in sisterhood to recognize that I have anything more than biology in common with most women and it always takes a degree of dishonesty to assume that I understand the et cetera of all mankind, in this case men.
--in the carnival of life, men are inevitably somewhat like freaks to women and vice-spear. A freak is someone outside a certain social circle. Literally, a carnival freak is outside society, someone impossible for those within to imitate.
Ilsabe
Isabe
Schlingensiepen
Staff Columnist
I single out men as freaks here, (although it could work the other way), because a number of left-wing radical feminists tried for a long time to imitate them. Even if they were only trying to understand and care for men more, if still didn't work. It ended in mockery, bad acting and confused men.
In essence, I think these feminists were trying to discover whether there wasn't also a masculine side to their femininity, whether the sisterhood
could find some unbreakable bond, in the yet unsolved mystery of sexual identity.
In the 70s, however, the key to everything was sexuality. It was probably also a key to women rallying together and a catalyst for political change. But assuming sexuality speech for itself, women related on symbolic speech, precluding argument over finer points. For example, where would their place in politics be?
By the early 80s however, sexual identity already failed to justify the symbolism of the women's group. At that time, I attended a youth conference where the meaning of our symbolic bond was similarly absent. I remember standing there with eyes closed and hands held, as anonymous others draped crepe paper over our shoulders,
making a rainbow. I admit it made the little hairs
on my back stand on end as the orange column
following the red column, lifted the rainbow over
our heads.
But this had no more to do with religion than sacred, that is, mysterious and symbolic; sex had to do with the political progress of women. Progress came more often through the profane. And the nasty reputation of feminism today comes from a radical idealism, but from its insistence on divine rights.
Perhaps the only problem of feminism is that its leadership hasn't changed much since the 78s. The old radicals have aged and mellowed into demigoddesses. It's no wonder young women find little to imitate in feminists who are still more concerned with what a women's sacred identity is, than with what politics is, or should be, in order to include her.
One such leader, Eleanor Smeal, believes the answer to our problems would be for feminist women to compose exactly half of the next U.S. Congress. She's wrong if she means political insight is passed through the X chromosome. On the other hand, she introduces a thought-provoking point beyond feminism. Even politics divided into male and female doctrines would probably argue points less moot than liberalism and conservatism currently do.