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Monday, February 18, 1991 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Victims of the war
Lack of compromise, 'winner takes all' attitude about war in gulf will yield more civilian deaths
last week, Saddam Hussein placed some rather large conditions on President Bush's demand his "unconditional" withdrawal from Kuwait.
And so it looks as though the Persian Gulf War will continue until one side is willing to give up without compromise.
Saddam's offer included a demand for allied forces to leave the Persian Gulf. Bush flatly refused the offer
The repercussions of this "winner takes all" attitude means the loss of many innocent lives in Iraq. Bush has said that the next phase of a U.S. military attack will be a heavy ground war in the deserts of the gulf. Whether we fight from the air or on the ground, it is naïve to think the allied forces can bomb and shoot around non-military Iraqi people.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Iraqi civilians have died already from air attacks alone. Last week there were reports that a U.S. fighter plane's bomb struck an Iraqi bomb shelter, killing about 400 citizens. This
week, a British bomb missed a military target in Baghdad and hit an apartment building and marketplace, killing 130 civilians. Iraqi prisoners of war have reported that the Iraqi army is burying its numerous dead in mass graves in Kuwait and hauling bodies back to Iraq in refrigeration trucks.
Many people in the United States support the war on the condition that U.S. military "shoot around" as many Iraqi civilians who seem to have little support for their leader. But if Saddam continues disguising Iraqi civilian shelters as military targets to vilyf the United States and gain the support from his people, innocent people cannot be spared from the wrath of war.
Pentagon officials said a massive ground attack on Iraqi troops may begin soon. This ground war surely will result in one thing — mass destruction and death. U.S. leaders should not pretend otherwise. U.S. citizens should know that many innocent Iraqi people will die in the process.
Carol Krekeler for the editorial board
Classes on holidays
An ill-planned decision taints spirit of holiday
xienuating circumstances.
That was the excuse offered last week by the instructor of a University public administration course. Barbara Romzek, also director of the public administration department, scheduled class on Martin Luther King Day while other students, faculty and staff observed the civil-rights leader's birthday.
True, Romzek had to juggle dates when planning the meeting time of her class. Students of the class are serving as interns in various city governments across the United States. They met in class from Jan. 21 (King's birthday) to Jan. 25. They will gather twice more this year for week-long sessions
And Dave Spencer, the invited speaker on Martin Luther King Day, couldn't come to the University any other time, Romzek said last week.
Speakers of Spencer's caliber are difficult to bring to the University, Romzek said.
Romzek should have tried harder. She already has arranged for Spencer to come here next year, during the regular spring semester schedule. She could have planned similarly for this semester.
Instead, Romzek ignored a University policy and now may face disciplinary action. Last week, Jacob Gordon, presiding officer of University Council, requested that the University Senate Executive Council write a letter to Chancellor Gene A. Budig asking for clarification of the University's policy for Martin Luther King Day.
Gordon's well-founded concern is that exceptions to University policy concerning official holidays, if they exist, negate the spirit of such holidays.
The administration should rule that exceptions to observance of holidays cannot be made and should ensure that violations do not take place again.
Rich Cornell for the editorial board
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Pizza didn't lessen goal
In his letter, T.C. Sykes expressed his skepticism of the sincerity of the Homeless Campaign's efforts for the Lawrence Safehouse. It seems that Sykes missed the point. The Campaign had two distinct goals — to raise money and to highlight the plight of the homeless and to raise money for the local homeless shelter.
In no way did anyone feel they were attempting to live an authentic homeless lifestyle. We knew that if it got too rough outside we could find solace in a nice, warm bed. The point was not to suffer but to raise awareness of suffering. Instead of coming out of narration, sitting in a box and talking about determination determine the level of our commitment, Sykes decided to offer an uninformed condemnation on the basis of a pizza box.
Mike Elliot overland Park senior
Next time, I challenge Sykes to put a little effort into investigating people's motives before passing judgment.
Japan shouldn't pay
In justifying this war, Bush stressed that this war is not for oil but for liberating Kuwait. Nevertheless, his administration told Japan that since Japan benefits from Middle East oil, the United States is fighting for this cause. Japan should bear the cost. This is an inconsistent and deceiving behavior.
Why should Japan give economic aid or share, as the U.S. administration wishes to call it) for a war started by Saddam "insane" and an incompetent administration that supplied the madman with weapons? If the United States really wants to be a respected leader, then it should take responsibility for its own negligence. Don't go begging from other countries that are injured by your negligence or of this condescending view that the United States is fighting for other countries' oil. The United States imports more oil than Japan and Germany combined, and it is the most inefficient energy consumer in the leading industrialized nations.
Junsuke Otsuka
Tokyo law student
It is regrettable that Japan pledged an additional $9 billion so Bush could play his Nintendo game. I curse the Japanese government and the pro-U.S. businessmen for supporting killing as an energy policy. I would have supported the economic aid if it were
given to the U.S. for the homeless, Medicare, education and energy research, rather than to be given to ingrate warmongers.
Too many abatements
In the article pertaining to tax abatement in the Feb. 13 issue of the Kansan, I will incorrectly cited as having expressed a concern at the Lawrence City Commission meeting about the quality of jobs to be provided by Galt Plastics. I did not comment on the quality of jobs but did express a concern about the nonbusinesslike approach that we take to granting tax abatements and the increasing number of tax abate permits granted. During those months, we have granted 12 tax abatements to manufacturing, service and warehousing companies for an estimated tax subsidy of more than $5 million. From 1979 to 1988, we granted 16 tax abatements to manufacturing, retail and service companies.
Allen Ford professor, School of Business
Survey reveals students' war concerns
Have cruise missiles and carpet bombing in the Persian Gulf charmed KU students, or are they applauded by the showers of blood now raining down from the largest air assault in the history of World War?
Military glory — that attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood, that serpent's eye that charms to destroy.
Abraham Lincoln
During the second and third week of Operation Desert Storm, a student survey was conducted in the Kansas Union. The questionnaires were distributed at the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship book table between 11:30 AM and 12:45 PM Jan 21 and 28. Ninety-five KU students completed the follow survey.
Are you for or against the current military action?
- Do you have any ethical concerns about our action? If yes, please list one or two
How does your understanding of state policy decisions or questions relate to the war?
KU students were eager to answer the questions posed by this survey. Some were full of support, and others were ashamed of our military actions. Seeing students' faces as they were asked to relate their view
Ed Killeen
Guest columnist
of God to their view of the war was very revealing. For some it was an instant connection, and for others it posed a great stumbling block." "I don't understand God," was one reason which many seemed to share.
Ed Killeen is a junior majoring in art and design.
Of the 95 students polled, 51 percent were in support of the military action taken by the United States, 41 percent were opposed and 8 percent supported. The voting is just a sample of the ethical concerns expressed by students polled:
In answer to a third question — "How does your understanding of God relate to your decisions or questions about war?" KU students will have wide variety of views about God in relationship to war. For example:
Are we killing innocent Iraq? Are the Israelis suffering or being killed because of war?
Saddam Hussein made a minority saddam of Iraqis with nerve gas. He has been taking Iranians hostage for eight years. He took over Kuwait
violently. The people were tortured, beaten, killed and the women were raped. I think God would agree that he must not be allowed to hurt again.
In times of war, college students are faced with issues of life and death, and this war is no exception. Knowing who is in control of this world and of our lives brings hope to students with friends and families overseas. "... You crowned him with glory and honor and put every
thing under his feet. In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with the crown of grace because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:7-9)
Other Voices
Money ruining baseball
The free enterprise system usually works beautifully. Then there are those times when capitalism overextends itself and threatens the public. Ray Leonard coming back from retirement for the fifth time.
Consider baseball. It was a nice enough game until CBS got the dope idea that it could use the World Series as a springboard out of the ratings cellar. The network agreed to shell out $1 billion for the rights to the game for four years. ESPN ponied up another $400 million or so for most of the other games.
The money went straight to the baseball owners' heads. Pretty soon they were making millionaires out of fellows who weren't even good backup catchers or better back catcher bats 214 for Seattle last year and was rewarded with a three-year $3.6 million contract.
The only good news is that the New York Yankees lead the league in stupidity when it comes to signing players, spending $14 million on two pitchers who combined to win games while losing 28 last season.
It is now possible to see why Hall
of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer is trying a comeback. He can't afford not to.
From the Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail
Ah, the smell of hypocrisy on the desert winds.
Saudis try U.S. culture
In Saudi Arabia, American troops can't have magazines containing pictures of normal American women. The ban doesn't just cover girlie magazines, but Newsweek and Time and other publications available in millions of households across America.
The Saudis seem to be afraid that their patriarchal, monarchial culture will be tainted by notions of freedom, equality and democracy that their American protectors embrace.
But the Saudis are not afraid of everything, it appears. The best-selling record album in Saudi Arabia's music shops in recent days has been 2 Live Crow's "As a Friend," which has been the album so explicit that a federal judge in Florida declared it obscene . . .
Vicksburg (Miss.) Evening Post
KANSAN STAFF
CHRIS SIRON Editor
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Managing editor
TOM EBLEN
Editors
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Retail sales manager
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Photography. Keith Thorpe Marketing director.耿 Einblinder
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Home Remedies
THE CURRENT POSTAL
RATE CHANGE HAS
MEANTRELINQUISHING
CERTAIN CHILDHOOD
POSSESSIONS... SUCH
AST THE PIGGY BANK
MY GRANDMOTHER CAME
MICHAUD 1991
By Tom Michaud