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Friday, April 3, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Benevolent snitching
KU students are paying special attention to the hazards involved in drug use and are expressing their concerns by voluntarily "snitching" on drug violators.
This action has long been sought by law enforcement officials and is vital in any efforts to curb widespread drug use. An article in Friday's Kansan disclosed that arrests for drug violations have increased this year. The increases have not been attributed to increased use of drugs but to more students and living groups reporting drug violations.
Students' concern with drug use has been heightened recently as a result of numerous national and local endeavors to spell out its physical and mental dangers. Many residence halls, fraternities and sororites have been a part of the drug education program provided by KU police.
Activity in such programs and willingness to police drug abuse indicate that many students are doing what they can to turn themselves and their peers away from drugs. It also indicates that students' perspectives on drugs have changed.
Most students are not willing to play biological roulette by swallowing, injecting or inhaling chemicals known to have a harmful effect on the human body. Concerns at the University include educational success, which often is precluded by fitness, both mentally and physically.
Drug abuse does not fit in with these interests. Therefore, students are feeling free to assist in the endeavor to eradicate drug abuse by reporting violators and are giving a more benevolent meaning to the term "snitching."
The roar of a thunderstorm was not enough to deter NASA from launching its $78 million rocket last week. Once again, NASA paid dearly for a mistake that should have never happened.
Credibility crashes
NASA launched the Atlas Centaur, which was carrying an $83 million military communications satellite, last Thursday into the deadly lightning.
Seconds after lightning flashed near the rocket, its electrical system lost control and the rocket left its course, leaving NASA officials little choice but to destroy the rocket.
Officials still are unsure whether the lightning, or some other complication, caused the failure.
The U.S. space program has been plagued by setbacks after
the space shuttle Challenger blew up seconds after launching last year.
Each time NASA prepares the launch pad, it puts its reputation on the line. The space program has been fighting to regain its momentum and continue research. It should do everything within its power to see that the environment is favorable for a launch. If heavy rains and lightning are anywhere in the area, NASA should delay all scheduled launches.
The space program will not bounce back if it keeps experiencing costly failures. NASA never will be able to guarantee successful launches, but the program will continue to suffer if failures occur because of mistakes that could and should have been avoided.
A few good men
What do Soviet spies in Moscow have in common with the U.S. Marine Corps? They both spend a lot of time "looking for a few good men."
The U.S. government has been re-learning a tough lesson this past week: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The lesson is coming in the form of a widening investigation of information gained by Soviet spies with the help of members of the Marine guard at the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
Apparently, the Soviet spies worked their way around the embassy's elaborate security measures by cozying up to some Marines. At least two Marines have been charged with suspicion of espionage and a third has been arrested because he is "suspected of having associations with Soviet women on several occasions" and failing to report them.
The trade the guards made seems simple enough. In exchange for sexual favors from undercover female KGB agents, the Marines gave the agents access to embassy offices. It is thought that the KGB agents obtained the names of U.S. intelligence contacts and were able to read messages from Washington at the time of the Reagan-Gorbachev march in Reykjavik, Iceland, during these romps through the embassy.
It is embarrassing that the U.S. government has to pay such a high price for its tendency to be more concerned with the details than with the basics. Before installing sophisticated equipment to ward off spying attempts, the government should have spent more time training its guards.
After all, what good is new technology when it easily can be circumvented by one of the oldest tricks in the world?
News staff
News staff
Frank Hansel ... Editor
Jennifer Benjamin ... Managing editor
Jul Warren ... News editor
Brian Kelleher ... Editorial assistant
Sandra Engelland ... Campus editor
Mark Siebert ... Sports editor
Diane Dulmeir ... Photo editor
Bill Skeet ... Graphics editor
Tom Eblen ... General manager, news adviser
Business staff
Lisa Weems ... Business manager
Bonnie Hardy ... Ad director
Denise Stephens ... Retail sales manager
Kelly Schuster ... Campus sales manager
Duncan Calhoun ... Marketing manager
Lori Copple ... Classified manager
Jennifer Lumianski ... Production manager
David Nixon ... National sales manager
Jeanne Hines ... Sales and marketing adviser
Opinions
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The Miami Herald
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WHOSIERS
Reagan persuasive in Central America
President Reagan appears to be persuasive in making his case on the threat of communism in Central America to the American people — the Central American people that is. According to the results of Gallup
Paul Campbell
Columnist
polis taken in four Central America.. nations, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica, concern about the Sandinista regime is at an all-time high.
In a 1985 Gallup poll, people in these nations were asked what country constituted the biggest military threat to them. While the United States was cited about 5 percent of the time, Nicaragua was the winner, with about 50 percent of Guatemalans and 90 percent of Costa Ricans responding that the Sandinistas were
the biggest threat.
With the continued military buildup in Nicaragua, unprecedented in Central American history, this expressed dread cannot have been alleviated. A recent Gallup poll produced responses to these follow-up questions.
On the question of "How justly does the government of Nicaragua treat its people?" the range for response of "very justly/somewhat justly" was 8 percent in Costa Rica to 24 percent in Guatemala. The response "not justly at all" ranged from 27 percent in Guatemala to 56 percent in Costa Rica.
In response to "Do the majority of Nicaraguans support the Sandinistas or the contras?" the Sandinistas received 12 percent of the vote in Costa Rica to 23 percent of the vote in Guatemala. The contras received from 46 percent of the vote in El Salvador to 75 percent of the vote Honduras.
Between 84 to 91 percent of those polled in the four nations said yes to
"Can Central Americans depend on help from Uncle Sam in the event of future military attack?"
On the question of "Should Nicaragua's neighbors support the contra effort?" those answer yes ranged from 54 percent in Guatemala to 74 percent in Honduras.
While polls themselves are telling, they should not be taken as the only indicators of opinions that are prominent in these Central American nations. Polls of this sort are not permitted in Nicaragua.
The Sandinista rule in Nicaragua, which has been wearily watched by its increasingly nervous neighbors, is augmented on by leaders in Costa Rica.
Sandinismo.'
In 1983, after watching the build-up of the Nicaraguan military machine, former Costa Rican President Laís Alberto Monge compared the threat posed by the autocratic Somoza regimes and the totalitarian Sandinista rule by saying that "in 40 years of Somocismo, we never had the threat that we have in four years of
President Oscar Arias, who was elected to replace Monge, said that his northern neighbors, the Sadinistas, had "neither a true interest nor will for peace in Central America."
This message also will be expressed directly by a senior State Department official who will come to the University of Kansas soon. Assistant Secretary of State For Inter-American Affairs Elliot Abrams will speak on "Central America: What Are the Alternatives?"
Abrams is a 1973 graduate of Harvard Law School and also earned a master's degree in international relations from the prestigious London School of Economics. Since 1985, he has served as President Reagan's primary architect for United States policy in Latin America.
As he speaks to the University audience, one only can hope that the assistant secretary will have some of the persuasive power, which has been successful in Central America, over the nation and the Congress.
Mailbox
Times have changed
To the "handful" of alumni who complained about the class of the pompon girls. 1. Am ashamed of you! Please tell me you have better things to do than criticize a group of girls who are respectfully entertaining their peers and sports fans of all ages. True, KU is rich in tradition, but the ankle-length skirts and overcoats you are imply are difficult to perform in with today's competitiveness and athletic ability required.
Times have changed. They're always changing. When I was a KU cheerleader, we attended a major cheerleading camp in Memphis. That is where KU's "tradition" was thrown in our face, and the president of the Association informed us we "did not have the T & A for today's collegiate cheerleading."
KU is getting wonderful press lately. We need to show potential students that we don't have corn sticking out our ears.
If you still feel the need to “concern” yourself with the program, please choose one of two options: A. Donate to the financing for camps, new uniforms or, better yet, join! B. Lighten up. it’s just cheerleading! This is a big division I university. We have great sports and better fans! Enjoy the games and don’t lose anymore sleep over goofy things!
Alexis Faulkner Prairie Village senior
Blame is misplaced
I want to respond to Barb Heck's opposition to the Crimson Girls as quoted in an article in the April 1 issue of the Kansan and also take the opportunity to present my feelings to the University of Kansas Athletic Corporation. The blame for the rude behavior during the Crimson Girls' performances is misplaced. Certain dance movements do not cause rude reactions; immaturity, immorality and peer pressure breed rude behavior.
I fully support spirit squad coordinator Elaine Brady, Dana Smith, Ann Pinkerton and the remaining Crimson Girls. When I want to see stunts effectively sparking team enthusiasm and crowd spirit, I watch the strong and agile cheerleaders.
The "barking hound" syndrome reflects poorly on the University and the male population that conducts itself as adults. The unruly fans are nothing more than children seeking attention with inappropriate and inhuman actions. Lacking self-control, these children need supervision. If I had my choice, I would have the school hire a few nannes to patrol the stands — a slap upside the head, a crack of a ruler across the knuckles or a forceful yank of the earlobes in front of one's peers should effectively curb the rude behavior.
Dance, like cheerleading, is an art. Dancers, for me, generate mood swings from serenity to vivacity. I watch dance to harvest the physical
and emotional electricity that drives dancers to do their best. My suggestion to Heck and the viewing public decide what you want out of a performance and concentrate on finding it. You may have to look beyond the surface of the performer.
As for the Kansan, the editors have undeniably failed to present an unbiased view of the Crimson Girls. The editors' failure to photograph the models' full bodies lends to the comotion about the uniforms, and generally degrades the female models as people. I can't help but swear every time I see the photo of three Crimson Girls cropped at the neck. Whatever the motivation or intent, you erred
The editors of the Kansan are no better than the "barking hounds." both focus on the flesh before their eyes, indifferent and insensitive to the girls' personalities, feelings, expressions and total physical attributes. The Kansan owes the Crimson Girls an apology.
Paul Flake Prairie Village law student
Paul Flake
Keeping up the fight
It was very nice to see the Kansan give front page coverage to the Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week "Nightwatch" vigil. I think the vigil was one of the most important events to happen on campus in a long time. The fact that 25 to 35 people attended, even though the temperature was in the 20s, shows that the people of the
University of Kansas and citizens of Lawrence are not about to give up the fight against oppression.
In a time when open bigotry and prejudice are rapidly on the rise, the ideals behind the vigil need to become a daily part of everyone's lives. All people, no matter what their race, color, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, political beliefs, physical abilities, marital status, economic status, hair color or shoe size, need to speak out against all types of oppression. This can include anything from correcting someone when they say the word "mankind" instead of "human being" because it doesn't promote ideas of male domination, all the way to boycotts and protests of openly racist organizations.
But let us also remember that with our responsibility to speak out, we must also ensure against oppressing and controlling the will we become as wrong as they are.
The one thing the Kansan forgot to mention was that Todd Rowlett, secretary and public events coordinator for GLSOK, almost single-handedly was responsible for coordinating "Nightwatch" Todd, we all applaud your honorable work.
Kevin Elliot office manager, GLSOK
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed