4
Thursday, December 9, 1993
OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
Jackson should return home to face the music
A 13-year-old boy who claims he was sexually abused by Jackson believes so. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has stepped up its investigation into the charges. Pepsi has dropped sponsorship of Jackson.
Is Michael Jackson dangerous?
And Jackson has admitted his addiction to pain killers.
The never-ending tabloid story to discern fact from rumor has proved to be a thriller, and the key player is still missing. Jackson's disappearance from the country and, most importantly, Los Angeles county gives credence to the rumors that the "king of pop" isn't just a child's friend, but a molester.
Until Jackson comes out of hiding, his innocence will be doubted. If he has any desire to save his name and career from destruction, he will come home and face the charges.
As the 13-year-old boy's attorney said, "By hiding Jackson and delaying the suit, Jackson's lawyers are making him look like a criminal."
If Jackson is as innocent as he and his publicist claim, he would be willing to submit to such a search and clear his name.
The L.A. police have given him until Jan. 1 to return home for a search of his genitals because the boy has described markings on them.
Until he does this, his image will be overshadowed by the doubt. And no one will know how dangerous he is.
TERRILYN McCORMICK FOR EDITORIAL BOARD
Killer-turned-songwriter should not earn royalties
Rock band Guns n' Roses is once again the focus of a major controversy. Their new album, "The Spaghetti Incident?" includes the controversial song, "Look At Your Game Girl," which was written by convicted mass murderer Charles Manson. This raises the question of who should receive profits from the song. The decision is clear: Whoever receives the profits, it should not be Manson.
Law enforcement groups and victims' rights advocates have scorned the decision to record the song as an attempt to glorify Manson and his crimes. Axl Rose, lead singer of the band, defended the decision by detailing the methods the band used to downplay Manson's part in the song. The song is not listed on the cover and Manson's name does not appear. Rose also plans to donate all personal proceeds from the song to an environmental group.
Rose's profits are not in question, however. It is the proceeds which would normally be directed to the songwriter that are of concern. We feel that Manson should not be allowed to receive the profits.
DAVID BURGETT FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Since Manson is sentenced to life in the California state prison system, the royalties should go one of two places. The first choice would be to give the money directly to the state, perhaps to be redirected into the prison budget. The second choice would be to move the royalties directly into a victims' fund which would help support crime victims in the state. This way, both Guns n' Roses listeners and Californians would benefit from the decision to include the song.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER :
DAVID BURGETT, JR CLARBORNE, CHRISTIAN CORNISH, CARSON ELROD, TOM GRELINGER, MATT HOOD, MANNY LOPEZ, COLLEEN MCCAIN, TERRILYN McCORMICK, MUNEERA NASEEK, KIRK REDMOND, CHRIS REEDY, MIKE SILVERMAN, EISHA TIERNEY, AND DAVID WANEK
KANSAN STAFF
KC TRAUER, Editor
JOE HARDER, CHRISTINE LAUE Managing editors
TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser
BILL SKEET, Systems coordinator
Editors
Assistant to the editor ...J.R. Claiborne
News ...Stacy Friedman
Editorial ...Terrilyn McConnell
Campus ...Ben Grove
Sports ...Krist Fogler
Photo ...Kip Chin, Renee Kneeber
Features ...Erzra Wolfe
Graphics ...John Paul Fogel
AMY CASEY
Business manager
AMY STUMBO
Retail sales manager
JEANNE HINES
Sales and marketing adviser
Business Staff
Campus sales mgr ... Ed Schagger
Regional sales mgr ... Jennifer Perrier
National sales mgr ... Jennifer Evanson
Co-op sales mgr ... Blythe Focht
Production mgrs ... Jennifer Blowey
Kate Burgese
Marketing director ... Sheilly McConnell
Special sections mgrs ... Judith Standley
Creative director ... Brian Fusco
Classified mgr. .. Gretchen Kooterlainch
Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of Kansas must include class and hometown, or faculty or staff position. Guest columns should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be pleased to answer questions. The Kansan reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansan newroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
College years provide best opportunity for dating not
The end of the semester is here, and it's time for the long-awaited and much-anticipated, "Dating Column." This is my small effort to report on the state of dating at the University of Kansas. So here it is.
You, the reader, are probably dating, while I, the writer, am definitely not. OK, now the focus of this piece has shifted from KU as a whole to my own pathetic situation, which is kind of funny in a sick way.
I am not dating because I am the most inpt dater on the face of the planet. Actually, that is misleading because it suggests that I go on dates and somehow fail while on them. Unfortunately, I don't get that far. I am disturbed by a self-diagnosed alient called "Canta Talka to a Girla Ima Interested Ina Interrupts." This condition has hindered me for the past year and, because of recent developments, is starting to worry me.
Perhaps you have read that, college is the best time of life to meet someone because you'll never have the same amount of people with the same interests in the same place again. I have concluded that if I'm doing this
badly now, then what happens when I graduate? I'll tell you what's going to happen — I'm going to be in more trouble than someone swimming in a pool with Jaws. Something has to be done, but what?
Perhaps I should explain the source of my problem. First, I made the mistake of dating someone while in high school and continued dating her into college. This is bad because I've spent the last 11 months answering the popular question, "Are you and (ex-significant other) still dating?" I tell them, "No," and they always say, "Oh, I'm sorry." I want to say, "Why? It's not like she moved to France, met a waiter, and I decided to barricade myself in my room or anything." I also never
had to play the singles scene in high school (or junior high, or elementary school), and when you try to figure it out in college, it's kind of difficult. One might savit it's nearly impossible.
Second, I don't know about you, but when I come upon someone that I may be interested in, my mind hits me with a barrage of questions. Is she dating someone (or in the worst case scenario — married)? Does she hate men? Does she hate me? "Does she have a shadow of interest in me?" Can NEVER tell. A girl could walk up to me, give me her phone and social security numbers and a two-page essay on why she'd like to get to know me better, and I'd still be clueless.
So I did what no one should do — I asked my "successfully dating" friends for advice. This is bad because "friends" can give you no advice on this subject that could possibly work. They mean well, but it doesn't help to listen. The most popular idea was to walk up and talk to someone RANDOMLY. Yeah, right. My good friend Alison had a suggestion along those lines too. (Incidentally, Alison and I would never date because, as I've found out from personal experience,
if the relationship goes sour, there's virtually no way to fix the friendship.) She suggested that I just call the girl I was interested in. Yeah, right. That would sound something like this:
INTERESTING GIRL "Hello?"
ME: "Uh, I'm uh, well, uh,..." CLICK! Amazingly enough, this great advice hasn't panned out (Yes, it shocked me, too). So I continue to be clueless and dateless (a double-whammy). And my quest goes on. I may wait until it becomes typical for women to ask men out, instead of vice versa. I can't wait until it's somewhat unusual for a guy to ask a girl out. This probably will happen sometime next month. But it may happen later (like never). But hey, I'm still young. There may be hope. So I, like everyone else, will have to adapt. What a rip-off.
Anyway, I truly hope you can study as little as possible and still do well on finals. Have an exemplary holiday break and a safe New Year's. May you have much time to sleep, and most importantly, have a great dating life.
Chris Ronan is an Overland Park pamph- majoring in broadcast journalism.
Final column yields three tips for readers left behind at KU
As a college student, we have spent many years doing higher education-type things, such as skipping classes and drinking lots of Jagermeister. This has made for a very fulfilling and very numb four years.
Since this is our last column, we have decided to offer to you — our readers — some very important words of wisdom, such as, "When you say Budd backward, it sounds like you are saying 'get up' with a cold."
As a senior who is graduating, we would like to say one thing to the rest of you who have to put up with "graduation requirements" or "ARTS forms" or "dorm food". Ha.
COLUMNIST
With that in mind, here are some other interesting dinner conversations. So come on in — the thinking is shallow and plenty safe.
Sometimes the Parking Department gets a bum rap. Or maybe we are just making that up. At any rate, one thing
1. The Parking Department is evil.
We have received many phone calls and many letters from people saying,
"Todd, why don't you write something about the Parking Department, which is evil?" To which we eagerly respond, "Ahhh, yes; but have you been in the Enrollment Center laterly?"
1. The Parking Department is evil.
about the Parking Department is clear with profits from illegal parkers (i.e., us), the University of Kansas is indirectly funding the Nicaraguan Contras. Seriously.
Parking Department employees are also very helpful, in that they like to take your money.
STUDENT: I would like to pay my parking fines now. Do you have an installment plan?
EMPLOYEE: (blank stare)
STUDENT. Also, I would like to inquire about where the hell I am supposed to park during basketball games if I have to study, which I'm paying $2.3 million to do here at KU.
EMPOWER: (growing begins)
STUDENT: Also, in the interest of
NAFTA and international good will, I
am advocating that people pay their
EMPLOYEE: (EKG flat)
fines in pesos. Can you direct me to the nearest Mexican ATM?
STUDENT: Also, is that 666 on your forehead, a tattoo or a birthmark? If it is a birthmack, I would just like to say I enjoyed "The Omen Trilogy" and would very much now like to pay my fines and be on my Christian way.
2. A common misconception: Western Civilization classes are very important.
The Western Civilization department's recipe for well-roundedness:
1 student, slightly inebriated 25 hours online and
35 books,very long and very dry 27 authors,very boring and very dead
In a large mixing bowl, pour in authors and 1/2 cup political correctness. Add four tablespoons righteousness and bring to a boil. Stir in books. Let sit for two semesters. For best serves, serve over a bed of holier-than-thou. For those special occasions, add a touch of Waste-o'-Thrum.
3. The library: a place to find books on sex, or a place to have sex on books?
After numerous consultations with the Parking Department, the library has revised its overdue fines policies, in that it now costs the financial
equivalent of campus fees per book per day late. (And what are these "campus fees" anyway? We don't remember anyone asking us to pay for buses that make walking along Jayhawk Boulevard seem like you are sucking on the tailpipe of a Sherman tank.)
Hint: Instead of paying your fines, have sex! It's all the rage now, and library employees enjoy finding used condoms, which can also be used as bookmarks! By having sex in the library, you are saying in your own little way: "Hey, library! I am not paying my fines because I would rather have sex! I am even going to check out more books and return them up to three months overdue so that I will be fined again!"
We certainly hope that you have learned from our experiences and that someday we will hear about a black hole forming above the Parking Department and sucking the employees from it like they suck the life from students.
As for now, we have one last thing to say: "Pass the Southern Comfort."
Todd Puntney is a Manhattan senior majoring in Journalism.
Liberals slant Finance Committee's budget
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I am writing in response to Lance Hamby's article on the Student Senate Finance Committee's biased opinions on conservative issues. I was a member of the Finance Committee this year and am part of it no longer. I'd not attend meetings any more because I feel the committee expresses too liberal views and my "ye" or "nay" wasn't important. My
views are more conservative than some and apparently too conservative for the committee.
The issue of the KU Federalist Party not receiving any allocated money for their advertising isn't the first time the committee has taken money away from such groups. I can recall meetings when the committee has passed bills and distributed funds to groups expressing more liberal intentions. The
I agree with Mr. Hamby in that the Finance Committee "demonstrated the ugliest stereotypes of a politically correct student government," and is geared toward groups and individuals with which they agree, discounting the views and opinions of the rest of the KU students. After all, I thought Student Senate represented the student body. The committee needs to watch its spending and give every group equal opportunity to express their views.
Finance Committee overspend early in the year, diffusing money to all groups with which they agree, leaving themselves with a smothered budget. They allocate way too much money to groups with which they agree and cut funds to groups that might nudge the right hand of the political chart.
Tv Shafer
Dallas freshman