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Wednesday, April 10, 1991 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
Star Wars revisited
Nuclear-powered rocket may thrust arms race into space, but at expense of safety on earth
The Pentagon is developing a nuclear-powered rocket that would lift weapons into space as part of the Star Wars program.
The rocket would include a nuclear reactor.
Government officials are interested in the rocket because it would "pack more punch" than a conventional rocket, producing more power to keep the rocket in the Earth's orbit
But the real benefit of a nuclear-powered rocket, according to officials, is that it could lift about 70 tons of weapons. The nation's largest conventionally powered rocket, Triton 4, only can lift about 20 tons.
In response to Cold War tensions, President Reagan introduced the Star Wars program in 1983. The plan was to send armaments into space to destroy enemy nuclear missiles as a large-scale defense system.
Now, in an ironic response to perestroika, glasnost and thawing relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Pentagon is developing a nuclear-powered rocket that can carry more weapons.
The operation was cloaked in secrecy until the Federation of American Scientists disclosed the Defense Department's activity.
The federation is a private group based in Washington that has opposed the Star Wars anti-missile program.
The federation is concerned about the rocket's radiation release into the Earth's orbit. It contends that the rocket will produce a cloud of radioactive material from its exhaust. The federation also contends that the planned rocket would be so hot that it would operate near its melting point, increasing the risk of catastrophe.
Even a slight chance of a nuclear meltdown should deter the creators of a nuclear-powered rocket.
A malfunction in the space shuttle Challenger killed six astronauts and a New Hampshire schoolteacher. A simple malfunction in a nuclear-powered rocket could have even more devastating consequences. The risk is not worth what could be gained: the efficient placement of nuclear weapons in space.
U. S. tax dollars are paying the monetary cost of the development of a nuclear-powered rocket
But the world may pay the price of a nuclear disaster.
Jennifer Schultz for the editorial board
Faulty leadership
Gates and his racist officers should be removed
He is chief of the nation's second-largest police force. Some of his officers beat and kicked or watched the beating of a motorist and then joked about it.
a motorist and then joked about
Fortunately, it was videotaped.
To outraged citizens in Los Angeles and across the nation, the responsibility for the March 3 beating of Rodney King rests with police Chief Daryl Gates.
Chief Gates should be fired or should step down.
By ousting Gates, Los Angeles and its police department would be showing the nation that the department is taking steps to repair its damaged reputation and gain the community's trust and support.
Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, who is trying to mend the split in the city since the beating, said at a news conference last week that Gates should step down.
Then on Thursday, Gates was ordered by the Police Commission to take a two-month paid leave of absence, giving several groups time to investigate King's beating.
But the City Council voted Friday to return Gates to work.
Gates had a chance in the aftermath of the
King beating to try, at least, to assure the public that he would not allow this sort of behavior from his police officers.
But Gates' response to the beating was deplorable and serves as an excellent example of why he should be removed from the department.
In a news conference March 18 Gates said,
"We regret what took place. I hope he (King)
gets his life straightened out. Perhaps this
will be the vehicle to move him down the
road to a good life instead of the life he's
been involved in for such a long time."
Some of Gates' police officers should be the next ones to go. The department needs to clean house and fire officers who have racist mentalities.
In tapes of communications between officers on the night of the attack, some of the officers were heard swapping racist jokes and boasting to other cops about the beating
Now is the time for the Los Angeles Police Department to make an example of Gates, Los Angeles citizens and the nation should not tolerate a police chief who allows his officers to hand out their version of curbside justice and take the law into their own hands.
'Exit' makes a sudden entrance into blase Senate election circle
Rich Bennett
The fact that thousands in students are being accused by people evenly dispersed throughout campus only can mean one of two things: Either the Gideon Bible people have returned, or it is student election time. And because the aforementioned accosters are not wearing overcoats or antiquated hats, it must be the latter.
Staff columnist
During last year's election, KU students had five fabulous coalitions to choose from. This meant hours of deliberation on behalf of voters, trying to decide which coalition had the best issues, the most qualified candidates, and most importantly, the prettiest signs. Using this strict criteria, voters elected the presidential candidate from a coalition cleverly named after the ever-popular pronoun You. The less popular pronouns be, she, me and I followed closely behind.
This year, however, only two coalitions have decided to enter the field, and I don't mind telling you I feel gypped. Don't get me wrong. It's not that the candidates that are running aren't well-qualified or anything logical like that. But anyone who knows anything about the recent history of Lawrence elections knows that to have a good, healthy election you have to have lots of candidates, ideally 40 or 50, such as in the recent Lawrence City Commission elections.
I have no real qualifications, but I do have plenty of experience in losing elections. I ran for a Student Senate
It it's obviously too late to add that many candidates at this stage in the race. So, as of right now, I am not sure how to proceed for president of the student body.
seat last year and lost by a handful of votes. I ran for president of my residence hall two years ago and lost. I was, however, my class treasure in junior high school and feel that my experience will serve me well if elected.
My first move is to pick a catchy coalition name. I'll need one that indicates what I stand for and at the same time is guaranteed to be ingrained deep in the memory of potential voters.
But because I've been told I can't use anything of a sexual nature, and because all the effective pronouns are male, I've chosen Exalt as my coaIon name.
With Exit as my name, I won't need fliers, recycled or otherwise, at any point during my campaign. My campaign signs are up already and can be spotted above the backs of doors all over campus, and, for that matter, the majority of the free world.
I thought about choosing Campus/GSP as my slogan, and rely on KU On Wheels to relay my coalition name to the public, but I didn't just have the kick. Erik
Let's face it, neither coalition has come up with one new idea for this year's campaign - environmental improvements and blah and improvement improvements and blah and
'With Exit as my name, I won't need fliers, recycled or otherwise, at any point during my campaign. My campaign signs are up already and can be spotted above the backs of doors all over campus, and, for that matter, the majority of the free world.'
blah and blah. Anyone with a brain larger than a Cheerio knows there is very little Student Senate can do about these issues.
I intend to deal with brand-new issues. For instance, what about the fact that Wesco Hall is slowly falling down the hill it now sits upon. This is no joke. Since Wesco was built, it has sunk two inches closer to Molt Hall. While members of other coaltions will be hopelessly trying to phone in their enrollment, I'll be working to stop Wesco in its tracks.
I will deal with issues that can be dealt with. I won't, however, do anything foolish like concede that there is no realistic way to stop tuition increases. Read my lips, "Tutition will not increase." Everyone one knows that this statement is a blatant lie, but to admit otherwise is politically foolish. Just ask my campaign manager, Walter Mondale.
Anyway, as my candidacy is off to a late start, I must hit the campaign trail. I'm not sure how well I'll fare. I'm confident that polls will indicate I'm in the lead.
■ Rich Bennett is an Overland Park junior magoring in journalism.
U.S. needs to accept moral responsibility for its actions
Most people who are not engaged professionally in politics or international business would admit readily that meddling in the affairs of a sovereign nation is out of bounds.
But this time, it is different. The extenating circumstances include more than 40 days and nights of rigorous bombing and a plea from our commander-in-chief for the people of Iraq to overthrow their leader.
We have assumed a moral obligation to help defend the civilian population of Iraq. This happens to translate into assistance for rebels who are fighting overthrow Saddam Hussein as Kurds and Shite Muslim civilians currently are being massacred in Iraq.
We are burdened with this moral millstone because the horrible turmoil and violence now under way is a
Jeff
Listerman
Guest
columnist
direct repercussion of what we, the United States, and our allies have wrought.
If we had not destabilized Saddam and then insinulated our support for the rebels with President Bush's call to arms, it is highly unlikely that the revolt in Iraq would have broken out. But it was a very northern and southern cities.
We are directly responsible for this chaos. Still, we have not taken responsibility for our actions.
Some U.S. government officials
have claimed that we are aiding the Iraqi masses through the International Red Cross. This is propaganda designed to placate and deceive. Perhaps some Red Cross aid that is not sucked up by Saddam's militia may help some civilians in and around Baghdad, but it will be allowed to reach any areas near those populations that need it most.
Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf admitted to David Frost the other night on TV that he was "suckered" into allowing the Iraqi military to fly its helicopters, which it has since militarized and used systematically on the Iraqi people. Why have we not demanded a renegotiation of those terms? Some sources also claim that Saddam's air force is flying fixed-wing aircraft in direct violation of the cease-fire agreement. Why are we
not putting more effort into enforcement and verification of the agreement? I am afraid that we have let the joy of a victory with so few U.S. casualties obscure the fact that inimobility children are being slaughtered in Iraq.
These sorrowful events, along with the recent executions of Palestinians in Kuwait, make for a hollow U.S. victory. If we are genuinely concerned for the welfare of the Kuwati people under Iraqi occupation, where is our compassion for the Palestinian, Shifites and Kurds who are suffering right now? And what about those Palestinian who continue to suffer under the Israeli occupation of the West Bank?
We must face these questions and face the fallout of our bombings.
Despite the balking, rhetoric and ambiguity, the administration's posi-
tissue is nauseatingly clear. It is prepared to stand on the sidelines of a bloodbath and do little more than cry, "Foul!"
The truth is the White House hopes that Saddam Hussein, the man Bush repeatedly has compared to Adolf Hitler, will crush the uprisings in his country. The administration further hopes that Saddam Hussein was leaving the Sunni Muslims in power as a buffer against Shite domination from Iran.
I am not concluding that Sunni rule, without Saddam Hussein, would be without any benefits.
But who exactly would benefit, and how much would change if Saddam's entire cruel and regime remained intact? I also do not mean to imply that the Shites would rule Iraq more humanely. These are the
unhappy dilemmas one faces when meddling in another country's affairs.
But wait a minute! "Then why meddle in them?" you ask. Because we have to finish what we started. We cannot just bomb the hell out of their country and then leave them in the lurch.
Understand that I am not necessarily advocating that we throw direct military support behind one faction or another. But we do wee the people of Iraq a guarantee that we will not let Saddam use his airplanes and weapons — regardless of whether they are Sunnis, Shiites or Kurds.
Jeff Listerman is a Lawrence senior majoring in ceramics.
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Loco Locals
by Tom Michaud
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