4A the university daily kansan opinion EDITORIAL BOARD thursday, february 5, 2004 Inadequate punishment sends wrong message Yet again, the victim is the accused. Not much has been covered by The University Daily Kansan about a local court case that likely strikes a chord intimately with many students: rape. In early January, two of the three men convicted of raping a 13-year-old Lawrence girl received little more than a slap on the wrist for their crimes. A fourth man has not been convicted. Douglas County District Judge Paula Martin ordered probation and 60-day jail time for Brian K. Ussery, 19, and William N. Haney, 19, rather than the usual 13-year prison sentence. By calling the victimized girl an "active participant," Martin sent a message to females in the community that OURVIEW The justice system should take rape charges more seriously and punish offenders accordingly. if you're drunk, you are fair game. And just as appalling, a statutory rape charge apparently doesn't deserve much of a punishment, either. According to a study by the U.S. Justice Department's National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics released on Jan. 26, 3 percent of college women say they have been raped or been victims of attempted rape. Of that number, 90 percent of campus rapes are committed by offenders that the women know. The statistics likely only show a sliver of the true number of rape victims because many women are ashamed or too frightened to press charges. And with the watered-down punishment handed down by Martin, the justice system does not seem to be on the side of those women who do have the courage to come forward. Martin has done a grave disservice to Douglas County by reviving the notion that a woman who puts herself in a bad situation deserves what she gets. If our justice system desires to eliminate the stigma attached to rape victims and dissuade future offenders, it needs to remain consistent by giving adequate prison sentences. Connor Meigs for The University Daily Kansas WAKE UP! Terrorism carries diverse meanings Terrorism. This word has bombarded its way into the American psyche since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. The U.S. government and the media are quick to tag the label of "terrorism" or "terrorist" on just about any hostile action taken against a U.S. ally or interest. Before the word "terrorism" gets blown out of proportion any further, readers should be informed of what the word really means. According to the Fourth Edition of Webster's New World College Dictionary, terrorism is the "act of terrorizing; use of force or threats to demoralize, intimidate, and subjugate especially such use as a political weapon or policy." Now that the definition has been addressed, it should come as no surprise that the word "terrorism" could be maintained so easily. So what qualifies a person as a terrorist, or an act they commit as a form of terrorism? The United States has plenty of enemies at home and abroad who view this country as being terrorist. Sept. 11 provided proof of that and will forever be remembered as one of the most horrendous days in U.S. history. It was hard to fathom that terrorists could strike our country with such great magnitude, killing thousands of innocent people. Now Americans understand first hand the anger, helplessness and shock that terrorism causes. The tricky spin to terrorism is that those who inflict terror do not view it as such. The hijackers of 9/11 became martyrs for their actions, receiving praise from supporters, while the U.S. government was quick to call them terrorists. With that in mind, were the American colonists' terrorists or heroes? The colonists did not want the British to meddle in their affairs, so they took the necessary actions to get their point across by using force. so-called Islamic radicals do not like the United States forcing Western ideals COMMENTARY Brandon Cobb opinion@kansan.com down their throats, so they use force as a way to get their point across. I am not saying that their actions are just; but it is something to think about. Our ally, Israel, has to deal with Palestinian suicide bombers on regular basis. The United States is quick to condemn the suicide attacks but rarely talks about the constant harassment and military force the Israelis use against the Palestinians. Palestinians want their own sovereign country but lack the military might of the Israelis, so suicide bombers use themselves as a weapon to get their point across. Are they terrorists? The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq used brutal force with a massive bombing campaign called "shock and awe" to liberate the Iraqi people and rid them of Saddam Hussein. Now that the dictator has been ousted, the remnants of his regime constantly ambush U.S. soldiers because they do not want them there. Are they terrorists for fighting for their own land? Instead of losing more troops and Iraqi citizens, the Bush Administration should realize that not everyone in Iraq wants the United States' help. This country is the last remaining superpower in the world and if it does not stop playing bully, more violent acts of terrorism may occur in the future. Cobb is a Kansas City, Kan., senior in political science. PERSPECTIVE Unity larger issue than race Somewhere Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesus are shaking their heads and crying, while Malcolm X jumps for joy. The two aforementioned leaders, Jesus and King, fought for all of humanity. It is evident in King's work that he and Jesus shared views. They wanted to unite humans and show equality. They thought that humans should focus on what we have in common and forget the foolish things that separate us, i.e. race. While most people would agree with them, there are some out there, who, like Malcom X and other race favorers, see our differences. Though this is visible in society, I never thought it would infiltrate our colleges and be represented as a good philosophy. After reading an opinion column Monday I realized that many don't object to such racial segregation. I am not a Christian and I agree with some of the broad statements made in the article's conclusion, but the premise of the article—that Christianity has its roots in white supremacy—is ludicrous. Brian Pearson, the author of "Always Remember to Question Your Faith: Christianity has Roots of White Supremacy" said that some of what churches and religions say is "unclear" or "contradictory." I agree. Yet, he then rattled off a Ph.D. author and divulged her racially-charged theory GUEST COMMENTARY Kenny Nicely opinion@kansan.com about the cross and its symbolism. This theory likens the cross to black genitals. The problem is that most of the Bible is a metaphor and subject to interpretation. I'm sure if you were to ask a KKK member he could find a way to twist it to suit his cause. Most would realize that these manipulations are nonsense. Pearson stated that the cross theory was "out there." The article then took a turn for the worse when he began to argue for this position. How does he do so? To make sense of the theory, he injects race. He says that Jesus was a black man who was killed by the white Romans. What relevance does Jesus being black have to what he thought or why he was condemned? And let's not forget those oppressive white people, oops, I mean Romans. The whites killed Jesus because he was black? Are you serious? No one cares about the skin color of Jesus or King, and if they do, they certainly don't agree with their teachings. Jesus and King wanted us to get the point, not bicker over who came from whose camp. They praised equality and the Golden Rule, not the advancement of a singular race like Malcom X. So when I look at a black, white or Asian — woman or man — I look inside them. I look to their message and find beauty instead of doing what's easy and focusing on their exterior. During this month, Black History Month, I choose to disavow those leaders who sought power for themselves, and focus on those who ruled men without power. I will honor and respect King and Jesus for their views. Their teachings are our only hope. I respect Pearson's right to have an opinion. I spoke with Gabriel Roland, Kansas City, Kan., senior, who said if I wrote something he'd want me to say "it's important to know where people are coming from." He's right. Does it matter that Roland is black? No. I'll take this message and extend a hand to Pearson. I value hearing an explanation of what he wrote. Nicely is an Olathe junior in psychology and Spanish. Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded. Free for All Call 864-0500 For more comments, go to www.kansan.com I would just like to remind everyone that freshmen are not the only people living in the residence halls. So if you want to complain about something that residence halls are doing don't call them the stupid little freshman. - I just ran out of gas trying to find a spot on Daisy Hill. I don't think that that is supposed to happen. Has anyone else seen the stupid Quiznos commercial? I am never eating there again. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Kansan should keep level of professionalism On page 8A of the Feb. 2 Kansan, in the article "Protesters Question Moore," the expletive fuc* is represented completely in the text of a quote. Last week, a student quipped for the Kansan that paying for printouts was "really a pain in my ass." These words hold no shock value; they merely make the Kansan appear crass. I realize, of course, that these are examples of quotes — that should make no difference. You work hard to produce a newspaper that is professional. Has the policy of the Kansan changed to allow such language, debasing the quality of the final product? I know that I'm not the only alumna (and current student) to notice and wonder. Jen Humphrey 1996 graduate journalism and English HOW TO SUBMIT The Kansan welcomes letters to the editors and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Meghan Brune or Johanna M. Maska at 864-4924 or email at opinion@kansan.com. KANSAN Michelle Rombeck editor 864-4854 or mburhenn@kansan.com Andrew Vaupel managing editor 864-4854 or vaupel@kansan.com Meghan Brune and Johanna M. Maska opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com Danielle Bose business manager 864-4358 or adddirector@kansan.com Stephanie Graham retail sales manager 864-4358 or adsales@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson general manager and news adviser 864-7867 or mqlbison@kansan.com Matt Fisher sales and marketing adviser 884-7666 or mfhuser@kansan.com Editorial Board Members Editorial Board Members Kendall Dixi Ananda Flandre Lynzee Ford Laura Francoviglia Anna Gregory Amy Hammontree Kelly Hollowell Teresa Lo Stephanie Lovett Mindy Gaborne Patrick Ross Ryan Scarrow Sara Behunek Kevin Flaherty Bendran Gay Zack Hemenway Alex Hoffman Kevin Kampwirth Amy Kelly Cameron Koelling Courtney Kuhlan Brandi Mathiesen Travis Metzel Mike Norris Jonathan Reeder Erin Riffey Alex Smith V ---