4a Opinion Friday, April 13, 2001 Perspective First Amendment sabotaged as bill heads to House For comments, contact Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill sought to ban soft money to political parties and make it nearly impossible to run ads against candidates 60 days before an election. I was generally supportive. I'll admit it. When I first heard that the McCain-Feinold campaign finance After all, who hasn't once been tempted to toss a brick through their television after one-to-many commercials either savaging the other guy's record or showing a candidate surrounded by children and puppies, pontificating about "the future," and promising prescription drugs for granny and a new toaster in every kitchen? And wouldn't it be great, I thought, if the Sierra Club could no longer run ads telling sope that republicans want to pollute the air, poison the water and kill off endangered species? Wouldn't it be great if that notoriously sickening NAACP ad — suggesting George W. Bush didn't care about the lynching of James Byrd Jr. — was banned under McCain-Feingold? And those 1998 Democratic National Committee radio commercials telling African Americans that "every time you don't vote, another Black church burns," hinting that Republicans were closer Klausmen. Right on, McCain! We need to stop these big-money special interest groups from hijacking the political process. We need to restore people's faith in their elected leaders by giving individuals a voice again. John McCool columnist opinionkanan.com But wait. Aren't these special interest groups simply groups of "individuals" who gather together in support of a common cause? You might not realize it, but if you're a member of the Sierra Club, the NAACP, the National Organization for Women, or even the National Rifle Association, you're part of a special interest group that lobbies Congress, runs ads and voices its members' concerns on key issues. And though it would please me to rid the airwaves of anti-Republican ads, McCain-Feingold also would cripple the political activities of organizations I support, such as the National Right to Life Committee and my beloved National Rifle Association. That's a trade-off that should frighten everyone, no matter your political persuasion. Frightening is, I think, an appropriate adjective for what's occurred in the U.S. Senate: Limiting the rights of individuals and groups to voice their opinions about candidates is an assault on the First Amendment of the most pernicious sort. By banning political ads 60 days before an election, the Senate is muzzling free speech at its most critical moment — the time when people start forming their opinions about candidates and decide whom to vote for. The self-serving egomaniacs in the Senate are trying to hijack the political process by passing what amounts to a Senator-for-Life Act. And under the guise of "reform," they're holding an illegal constitutional convention to change the First Amendment What the Senate is doing is creating an environment so poisonous to dissent that it will virtually ensure the re-election of incumbents because outsiders won't be able to buy airtime or raise money to oppose them. But wait — there's more. Just recently the Senate passed an amendment to McCain-Feinbold that actually "raises" the spending limits for incumbents if they face a wealthy opponent. So they're not only rigging the system in their favor, but they're exempting themselves from the rules if their opponent is not beholden to special interest money. The worst part, though, is that, generally, the American people don't seem to care. We go ballistic when potholes disrupt our daily commute, but can't be bothered with blatant assaults on our free speech. The damage having been done in the Senate, McCain-Feingold now goes to the House. Before it's too late, call or e-mail your representatives and tell them the Bill of Rights is not theirs to rewrite. McCool is an Evansville, Ind., graduate student in history. Student Senate Campaign at KU... Graham Moyer/KANSAN Heard on the Hill What should be done to improve campus safety? "If every person had armored cars, we could drive around and not worry about anything." J.T. Gertken Hutchinson senior "I think we need more campus patrolling at night, especially during finals." Tara Schram Overland Park senior "Have more police cars patrolling the campus." Nimalal Sanganee Lenexa graduate student "Everything that can be done has been done." Chris Holzwart Fort Collins, Colo. senior Perspective Men's magazines foster unrealistic expectations T don't know when being a guy became so dif ficult. 1 Maybe I am over-reacting, but lately it seems as if being a male has become as hard as being — dare I say it — a woman. I have always been thankful ever since watching Brady Bunch reruns in elementary school to be a guy. I could never imagine myself going through what Ian did. I thanked the powers that be everyday. I didn't have to worry about how I dressed or how to act That I had a crush on a girl. That was what girls worried about. But somehow, between Happy Days and Dawson's Creek, being a guy got a whole lot harder. The qualifications for being a male used to consist of having a pair of testicles and killing large animals for dinner. Throughout time, though, being a man has become a complex task. Stereotypes of manhood include providing for the family, not asking for directions, repairing the car, watching sports and, of course, staring at girls' breasts. All of sudden, we are expected to dress trendy, know what kind of coffee table goes with a beige ottoman, know what kind of wine to order with portobello mushrooms and satisfy our women with every position in the Kama Sutra. We are expected to be the über-male who likes puppy dogs and ice cream but has a six pack and a limitless libido. Granted, that basically describes me, but I am standing up for the other guys who aren't as viscous as I am. Elli Borja columnist opinion@kansan.com Eric Boria I think men's magazines are to blame for these unreasonable expectations. When Maxim first came out, it was a pretty cool magazine. It was unapologetically male and it made being a guy cool again. It was so popular that dozens of other men's magazines spawned out of nowhere. Now there are as many men's magazines as there are women's magazines. Go to any bookstore and you will find a slew of men's magazines with the same content: Maxin, Stuff, Gear, Loaded, Men's Health, Men's Journal, Esquire, FHG, MQA, Arena, Details and the list goes on. This is unacceptable. Women's stereotypes demand that they be preoccupied with clothes, kitchen appliances and relationship advice. Now you can take any Glamour or Cosmopolitan off the stands and switch all the pronouns from female to male, and you have a men's magazine. Men's mags all pander to the same target group of young males, so they end up all being the same. They all contain pictures of scantily clad women and advice on how to lose weight, seduce women and get ahead in life. I make Poindexter from *Revenge of the Nerds* look like James Bond. Also, I have become more self-conscious about my body than most girls because all the male models in the magazines look as if they were chiseled from stone. I, however, look like I was molded from a can of cottage cheese. It would also be pretty cool if I could afford one of the new cell phones, electronic organizer or car the magazines advertise. But unfortunately my $5-per-column salary is just enough for me to pay for an a *Minute Abs* video. Some of the articles are entertaining, but for the most part, it's just plain crap. I tried following the tips from various men's magazines, but they just don't seem to help. I guess the men's magazines are looking out for their fellow dudes and are just trying to make a better world for those blessed enough to have both an x and a y chromosome. I just hope I can live up to the expectations. Editorial U.S. apology should have come sooner President Bush's stalling in negotiations with China will hurt American interests. On Wednesday, China released the crew of a U.S. Navy spy plane after its crash landing there nearly two weeks ago. Borja is a Springfield, Mo., sophomore in journalism. On March 31, a U.S. Navy spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter in international airspace off the Chinese coast. The Chinese fighter was lost. The U.S. plane declared an emergency and landed at the nearest airfield — on the Chinese island of Hainan. China had refused to return the plane or the 24 crew members until the United States apologized. That release could have — and should have — happened much sooner. We believe the U.S. government should have issued a full apology, and should have done so sooner. The Bush administration hesitated to apologize because it did not believe the U.S. pilot was at fault but eventually issued a carefully worded letter of regret. The administration's thinking is understandable. The U.S. government should not apologize for something that is not its fault. In addition, the Bush administration apparently views China as a potential adversary on the rise. It does not want to give the Chinese the power of a U.S. admission of wrongdoing. This is understandable but shortsighted. China is the biggest threat to U.S. safety in the world; hedging an apology means China, which has not returned the plane, can take apart and examine our most sophisticated spy equipment. Moreover, the Bush administration unnecessarily delayed the crew's return. The crew could have been home in just a couple of days. The Bush administration is celebrating its foreign policy triumph. It got the crew back while fulfilling only a part of China's demands. But technology, not pride, keeps America safe from attack. Chinese leaders have our technology, and thanks to the rift the standoff will open in U.S.-China relations, they will have more reason to use it against us. They also will have the confidence of knowing that they outmaneuvered the new U.S. administration in the first of what will likely be many tests. And America will be that much less safe. Sleep tight, George. Brendan Woodbury for the editorial board free for all 864-0500 864-0500 Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slanderous statements will not be printed. For more comments, go to www.kansan.com. - 图 To whomever left the really mean message on Galen and Curtis' door in Lewis Hall: At least they're comfortable with themselves enough to tell people about their sexual orientation. Could it be that you're not with yours? Guess who doesn't care whether it's VOICE or Delta Force on the ballot? Yeah, that's me. - Yes, it sucks that parking isn't free on campus, but it's really uncool to take it out on people trying to make a living. --- B Hate kills people. This is a message for everybody who was passing out those red and yellow fliers. What you were telling me was, "Here, throw this away." 图 I have one thing to say to Mitch Trope: One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up getting governed by your infierns. Hey, if you wanted to catch some drunk drivers, you know what those cops should do? They should go stop by the Burrito King, because after a good night drink, there's nothing better than a little Burrito King because it makes you feel so much better. - I just wanted to say thank you to the people in food services in the Kansas Union. Everyone there is really friendly, and the food is really good, and the Starbucks coffee is awesome. Thank you guys for doing such a great job. 图 Two days without the Free for All? What's up with that? No one's going to read the UDK now. To Drew Gooden: Sit on the bench and make millions of dollars or come back to the University of Kansas? Seems like a no-brainer to me. Hey, where's my Free for All? 图 --- - I'm afraid of that bloody fist that Delta Force waves around. I think those VOICE coalitioners would eat their own children. Does anyone else think it's funny that the ad for the KU Pre-Dental Club says that you'l have free pizza and soda? 图 What does it take for my beloved Royals to beat those Yankees? Our pitchers throw like little leaguers. Yeah, I've been compelled to vote for anybody who's running against those little blue meanies who were all over campus today harassing and accosting people. I think it's really ridiculous, and it makes me very upset and angry. It's not right. - I got something you can vote for: These nuts. How to submit letters and quest columns **Letters:** Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 letters. Words must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions. 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