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Wednesday, January 28. 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Kill the death penalty
Death to the death penalty.
This should be the decision and vote of Kansas legislators. They should block Gov. Mike Hayden's possible victory over reinstating the death penalty and retain the value of every human life.
Hayden staunchly supported the death penalty by lethal injection in his gubernatorial campaign in the fall. After just a few weeks in office, Hayden wants to swiftly sign a bill that would legalize the death penalty in Kansas.
This is barbaric. An "eye for an eye" should have disappeared with progressive civilization, even though emotionally, this feeling always will remain.
Former Gov. John Carlin veted bills reinstating the death penalty four times while he was in office. Kansans were safe under the Carlin administration.
Aside from the moral aspects, reinstatement of capital punishment is too expensive.
The death penalty could cost the state and county governments as much as $7 million a year, according to David Gottlieb, KU professor of law. Gottlieb estimated that the state could spend more than $50 million on death penalty expenses before executing the first convicted murderer.
The state would have to develop an elaborate court system, costing much more in dollars and time than the present system. Financial resources would be diverted from existing state programs, including welfare and education.
Gottlieb said recently that capital cases involved more pretrial procedures. Jury selection becomes a longer, more complex process, and trials take longer, costing the state more money.
Then, after sentencing, the
real battle would begin. Appeal and defense costs would swallow the state's money. The Board of Indigents Defense Services estimates that trial costs for the defense's services could amount to $31,000 a case — six times the present maximum allowance.
But that's not all. Building a maximum security prison for 100 prisoners on death row could cost more than $7.5 million.
The state would pay heavily — morally and financially — if the death penalty is reinstated.
Hayden would be the first to admit that all state departments need to cut their budgets and carefully spend each dollar. And yet while slicing the budget, Hayden wants to reinstate an expensive measure that would drain present resources.
Where's the money for this luxury item?
The death penalty decision should not be decided on money alone. It should be shot down on a much higher cost — that of human life.
All human life has value — even the life of someone found guilty of first degree murder. Regardless of how heinous the crime, society does not have the right to kill. Instead, it has a right and a responsibility to punish in a civilized manner. That punishment should be an isolated life behind bars.
Unfortunately, people make mistakes. Questions and doubts often linger after judges and juries make court decisions. Sometimes the guilty flirt with justice and escape. Sometimes the innocent become trapped. The death penalty leaves no room for mistakes.
Kansas already has progressed from the uncivilized time of legalized death. The state should not turn its back on progress.
Remember the shuttle
On this, the first anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, NASA has not and should not abandon its space program. However, it should be cautious as the plans for the next flight are made final.
Many startling revelations have come about in the last year, including the fact that warnings were neglected and faulty parts were used in the Challenger flight.
The space shuttle tragedy was followed by the failure of the Titan and Delta rockets. Suddenly, the U.S. space program was not as strong as people had thought.
In a split-second, a failed booster rocket shocked the world and brought the space program to a standstill. Investigation after investigation followed in an attempt to find the cause of the explosion.
Workers now are making modifications recommended
by the Rogers Commission, which not only investigated the faulty booster rocket, but the safety of the entire shuttle system.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration has conducted a self-analysis of the space shuttle program and more problems, ones that did not result in the explosion of the shuttle, were found. NASA also has attempted to bring credit back to itself by eliminating top executives who were in charge of the Flight 51-L.
Now, a year later and under new leadership and precautions, the morale of the space program is said to be on the upswing, and repairs are being made to get the shuttle back into space by 1988.
As the morale across the country picks up, this date should always be in the back of our minds.
Frank Hansel
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Another "no" to capital punishment
Last year proved to be a historic year in Kansas. Voters approved constitutional amendments to begin a lottery and to allow pari-mutuel betting. We passed a measure that will exempt restaurants from demanding club memberships from guests who purchase liquor by the drink. Also, Kansas voters dictate
Frank T.
Housh
punishment. In the United States, human rights apply to all people, even those who have been convicted of a capital crime. We cannot surrender our rights and allow our government to commit state-sanctioned murder.
Guest shot
Add to this a new governor and many new legislators, and Kansas government has clearly taken a new shape. But perhaps the most vitally important and historic of all potential issues to be addressed is the reinstation of capital punishment. We must act now to stop our representatives from bringing the death penalty to Kansas.
property value reassessment to ease the burden of the farmers and the industrial sector.
The death penalty is an assault on human dignity and a violation of human rights. The United Nations has declared capital punishment to be cruel, inhuman and degrading
The death penalty does not deter violent crime. The U.S. Supreme Court and the United Nations both have determined that there is no conclusive evidence to indicate that the death penalty deters violent crime, and the facts show this to be true. According to a 1976 Supreme Court study, the murder rates in states that have the death penalty, compared with those that do not, show that the threat of murder by the state does not deter a murderer from committing his act. Indeed, there have been cases where crimes have been followed by slight increases in a state's homicide rate. The death penalty offers a potential murderer attention and fame that never could be attained by life in prison.
alsc cost taxpayers $1.8 million. This is twice as much as it costs to keep a person in prison for life. Clearly capital punishment is not the bargain many think it to be. Further, Kansas is in a declared state of fiscal debt, a situation that requires all Kansas residents to cut spending and bring us back into the black. How can we justify spending millions of dollars for capital punishment when social programs have been cut to the bone and students in Kansas must do without classes that no longer are offered due to a reduced educational budget?
The death penalty costs more than life imprisonment, and is not an inexpensive way to deal with violent crime. A 1982 New York study concluded that the average murder trial and the accompanying stage of appe-
The death penalty, as it exists, is discriminatory. In the United States, blacks and other minorities face a greater likelihood of execution than whites. A 1978 study from the Center for Applied Research at Northwestern University showed that since 1930, 90 percent of the men executed for rape were black. In Texas, blacks who kill whites are 87 times more likely to receive the death penalty than blacks who kill blacks. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall maintains that the death penalty is unjust, declaring, "It is evident that the burden of capital punishment falls upon the poor, the ignorant and the underprivileged
members of society."
The death penalty is a fatal and irreversible punishment. According to research by Amnestey International, since 1900, an average of one convicted murderer a year was later found to be not guilty. Consider that an innocent person put to death can be punished in the same way that as the number of state executions rise, so does the probability for error.
The death penalty cannot be justified on any terms. No government can be permitted to take the lives of its citizens under any circumstance. The United States is the only Western industrial nation which still sanctions the death penalty, doing so in 37 states in the Union.
Kansas has for a long time proved itself to be a progressive state government concerned with the preservation of human rights. We must not allow a long tradition of concern for the sanctity of human life to be erased. Alert your legislator to your views on the death penalty and let us reaffirm our desire to maintain dignity and human rights in Kansas.
Frank T. Housh is a junior in philosophy and vice-coordinator of the Lawrence chapter of Amnesty International.
'The Mad Evangelist of the Airwaves'
I'm not a big fan of evangelists, but, as evangelists go, I always thought Oral Roberts was OK. He seemed like a nice enough fellow; sincere in his work and his faith. I had given him a "7" on my
Bob Hart Columnist
evangelist scale, slightly below Billy Graham and far ahead of Jimmy Swaggart.
So what's the deal. Oral?
I think I have an open mind when it comes to religious matters. I think it's possible that God speaks to certain individuals from time to time. I believe the children in Yugoslavia say they have seen the Virgin Mary on a hilltop. I have seen lots of Shirley MacLaine movies.
Why, then, do I think that Oral Roberts has been wrapped in crazy foil and baked on high? Well, for starters, my personal understanding of God does not involve large sums of money in exchange for life. Not once did my Sunday school teacher mention that I would need to organize a fundraiser to continue my earthly existence.
Then there is that precise amount — $4 million. God must have a pretty high opinion of al' Oral to demand that much. Or maybe that is just the goatee rate
for all evangelists. Do college students go for $4,000? KU parking cops for $400?
Let's just suppose for a moment that Roberts fails to raise the total amount by God's deadline. If he doesn't die, he's going to have some explaining to do, not 'he'? Boise the money or not, I hope.
Raise the money or not, I hope
Oral Roberts lives. This could open up a whole new career for him, not unlike that of the fictional newscaster played by Peter Finch in the movie "Network." Oral could be bigger than Phil and Oprah combined, if he gets a good agent and the right format. Every week, "The Mad Evangelist of the Air"
waves" could feature a different celebrity guest whose continued good health depends on raising a set amount of money. Would the public rally to save Bill Cosby? Probably.
Think it over, Oral. Crazy evangelists make a lot more money than sane ones.
Hoping for a military-free government
Guest shot
After World War II, many countries became independent of imperialist rule. They faced many problems, including political crises, social turmoil, poverty and military
Tae You Paek
coups. Although these problems afflict most new nations, former colonies have more trouble guiding themselves through them. My country, South Korea, has undergone a similar experience.
South Korea has developed remarkably since 1948, but many political and social problems remain unsolved. In many cases, I have become aware that such things are due to political immaturity and poor political performance.
There are many elements which help to make a country politically unstable. One element is military
They believe themselves to be a unique group that can eliminate all political incompetence and social instability. This is completely wrong. Without a doubt, political ambitions are their main reason for intervening.
Becoming involved in politics is simple. The generals take massive political power through a military coup. Eventually, such an acquisition cannot gain national credibility or political legitimacy. Therefore, their attitude toward politics cannot be justified. The only way they can restore their prestige is to give up political goals and devote themselves to the country's military affairs.
rule. Why then does the South Korean military, or more accurately a few generals, intervene in politics?
Military rule has had a negative effect. For example, a military coup inevitably provides other generals with an appropriate power for control of the country, a vicious circle.
What can be done to eliminate these situations? Two possible
I think, however, neither would be effective in South Korea because of the military's use of physical force. To keep the military out of politics does not imply that South Korea may reach its highest democratic level, but it may mean a partial fulfillment of democratic ideals and a possibility for political development.
answers are to increase civilian power and to try to make the military desirable enough to dissuade them from seeking political power.
Two groups have not recognized the military rule. One is the opposition party leaders. They have made a tremendous effort to revitalize South Korea's democracy through raising the people's political consciousness. The other is college students. Their demonstrations have been frequent and intense. They seem interested in the broad goal of advancing democracy than in a more specific, self-centered goal.
Traditionally, the United States has expected its allies to pursue democratic practices, and South
Korea is no exception. It appears, however, that the United States has abandoned all possibilities of democratic development in my country. The United States doesn't have any interest in who controls South Korean political power. Its social stability is social stability. Obviously, the priority is the national interest of the United States, not a mature democracy in South Korea.
I still keep a romantic view that a true democracy will come to my country in the near future. What I mean is greater civilian power and balanced development in all areas. To achieve this, many young Koreans have left to study in other countries. They hope to someday take back some of the technology and ideas from these nations to help South Korea. There is also another group of young Koreans who still remain in South Korea, choosing to try to help the country within.
Tae You Paek is a graduate student in political science from Seoul, South Korea.
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed