4 Wednesday, January 23, 1991 / University Daily Kansan Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Israel earns praise Government's restraint in face of Iraqi attacks helps keep fragile U.N. coalition in one piece The Israeli government's reported initial restraint in entering the Persian Gulf War placed the interests of the Middle East crisis ahead of its own immediate agenda. The civilians of Israel who have been the victims of random Iraqi missile attacks are calling for revenge. The Israeli government's restraint thus far clearly counters the will of the people. The government appears to recognize the long-term effects on a worldwide scale and has placed the effects of those consequences over the pride of their country. With a past record of aggressive military action in Lebanon and the West Bank, Israel's lack of immediate retaliation has demonstrated trust in the United States' vow to protect Israel from Iraqi attacks. And the United States did follow up on its word. Saturday, the U.S. stationed its own military and civilian technicians to man the Patriot missiles already owned by the Israelis, but inoperable because of lack of training. The implications of Israel entering the war are complex. Fears of a U.N. coalition weakened from deep-seated Arab-Israeli conflicts have been abundant. Although some Arab government leaders have made verbal commitments to continue affiliation with the allied forces should Israel become involved, many Muslims within these countries have pledged their support to Iraq. They see Saddam Hussein as a hero for standing up to both Israel and the "Western imperialists." It is difficult to speculate an outcome if the Israelis retaliate with indiscriminate attacks on Iraq, but it almost certainly will affect Arab support for the coalition. The allied forces must continue to recognize the importance of Israeli restraint, and the Israelis must realize that not entering the conflict at this time is the greatest contribution they can give against Saddam Hussein. Juli Watkins for the editorial board Unfair decision Norplant-device punishment targets women only A California judge's recent attempt to make an example out of a woman convicted of child abuse was creative but unjust. Judge Howard Broadman handed down an unusual punishment to a 27-year-old mother of four. She was convicted on three counts of child abuse. Darlene Johnson, the mother, was sentenced to a year in jail and three years probation. According to Judge Broadman's decision, after her year in jail, Johnson must practice birth control. The sentence requires Johnson to have a Norplant device, a hormonal form of birth control, implanted in her upper arm The Norplant device, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, will prevent pregnancy for about five years. While Judge Broadman was dealing with the sensitive issue of child abuse, he went too far to make an example of Johnson. This punishment lacks consistency and is laced with discrimination. The obvious question is what fair and equal punishment exists for men in the same situation? The Norplant device can't be ordered for men who are convicted of child abuse. The sentence targets only the female population. Court ordered sterilization was declared unconstitutional in the case of Buck vs. Bell. In that case, permanent sterilization was ordered for a nonconserving patient. The punishment should fit the crime and not the sex of the person. While no easy answers exist for dealing with child abuse, overly creative punishments lack uniformity. These brainstormed punishments draw attention away from the significance of the crime by having people focus on the bizarre sentence. The cycle of abuse will not be broken by Johnson's inability to have more children. This should have been Judge Broadman's goal. Amy Zamierowski and Tifany Harness for the editorial board vocal people, who have expressed anger and confusion toward the anti-war protesters. First, many people with whom I've spoken are concerned that the radical peace activists are unsupporting of protest groups or are for knowledge's sake alone, would have been in order before accusing us of this. At each protest, there have been speakers stressing the need for supporting our troops. Prime-time newscasters have underlined this in their reports of protests around the country as well. Second, not all protesters believe that we are in the gulf for economic reasons alone, and we do not carry signs and take part in "No blood for oil" chants. It was unseasonally warm during the weeks before Christmas. For that, my new friend and I were thankful. He said he was especially grateful because he was on the road. A traveler. He approached me as I was stepping from my car and asked if I had a dollar to spare. He wanted to buy a bowl of soup. I gladly obliged, it was the Christmas season after all, and he tried to leave. But then he began to speak Homeless man shares riches I stopped and leaned against my car, books slung over my shoulder, and pretended to listen. I had more knowledge than listen to a homeless man ramble. Lastly, please be patient with us and understand our need to demonstrate. I may be one of a minority, but it's But I didn't leave. I was somehow enthralled by this man standing a few feet away. Everything he owned he either wore or kept in a bundle in a shopping cart parked a few feet away. I began to listen. And I began to realize that he and I weren't so serious. His eyes, cloudy blue now, brightened when he spoke of his youth. He was from a small Texas town where he was the star center for his high school basketball team. The team reached the championship in his leadership, he said. But the team was soundly defeated by a team from Amarillo. screamed and played until he was exhausted. And when a parent told him it was just a game he said, "but it was the state championship." Rod Griffin Associate Editorial Editor It was a heartbreaking defeat, by his account. He cried and yelled and He laughed when he told the story, and I laughed with him. I know what its like to lose the state championship. I wasn't the star center; I didn't even play basketball in high school. We devoted fan of my small town's team. He was awarded a basketball scholarship to a Texas junior college, he said. For almost a year he went to college. Life on the court was good. But off the court things weren't going so well. But there was an oil boom in Texas and work was plentiful, so he did all right. But the oil industry eventually went bust, and the work went with it. "I just wasn't cut out for school," he said. He dropped out of college. And he hit the road. His eyes dimmed again as he told of his travels. "It's hard to be on the road with no money and no L.D.," he said. He spoke of being harrassed and attacked by police by police and spending time in jail. "Jail a kinda bad place to be," he said. "But when you哎n’t got no money or I.D." He trailed off, ya. "And what that’s like, don’t you?" he asked. I didn't,but I nodded in affirmation. Then his eyes brightened again, and he began to talk about the good things in his travels. He began to quote the Bible, very loosely, but he kept it under control. He repeated he had heard at missions, he said, and he took them to heart. He spoke of faith and hope and of who had the right to judge another based on the condition of his life. But his faith and hope were not entirely in a diety. He had as great a faith in people. Someone always was there to lend him a hand when he needed it, but then they weren't easy to find, said he, but he knew where to look. And with those words my dollar was more than returned. This man, who seemed to have nothing, shared with me some of his wealth. - Rod Griffin is a senior majoring in journalism. Protester opinions vary This letter is directed to the silent populations, as well as the more my constitutional right to vocalize himself, and bring him up as until all troops come home safe. Debbie Streifford St. Louis senior 400.000 is significant I am disgusted, yet not surprised, by the editorial I read in the Jan. 18 Kansan. After five paragraphs that said plenty, while said nothing, the writer said, "Whether we believe that sending troops to the gulf is our responsibility is, at this point, obvious." I am appalled that insignificant was even mentioned. Wake up, this is war! More than 400,000 U.S. lives are not insignificant. I'm sick of armchair anti-protesters saying support war while they do Anti-war demonstrations are not a disservice but the greatest service for the troops and their loved ones. Maybe if this movement had started early during World War II, they would have come home in one piece, including my uncle Ron. nothing but sit at home watching Cable News Network. Revised KU calendar includes ulcer week, Jordan bus route I you've consulted one of the free 1991 calendars that the Kansas Union distributed at the beginning of the year then you have a vague idea of what's on tap this semester. Sure these calendars list holidays and major events of the next five months, but they don't reveal those dates directly; they're man to you, the Ku Klux Klan. That's where I, your friendly neighborhood columnist, enter the picture. Below is a schedule which goes above and beyond the duties of your normal, everyday Union calendar. J. T. Marshall Manhattan junior January Rich Bennett Staff columnist 31. You and your friends are buried in 17 feet of snow as you anxiously await the KU-OU game. 29. Kansas Day is conducted to honor the classic film "Kansas"; starring Andrew McCarthy and Matt Dillon. 23. You add classes such as The Art of Handbell Ringing and Directed Study in the Ouija Board since you couldn't get the classes you needed for your major. 24. You've gathered all the money you need to purchase the 1991 Miata you have your eye on, but instead buy your textbooks for spring semester. February 27. KU Parking Services votes to cut the current allotment of yellow spaces in half, bringing the number down to three. 16. Oklahoma leads for 39 minutes and 59 seconds only to be shot down, 89-88, by a Doug Eilstun three-pointer at the buzzer. 17: You and your friends begin camping out for next season's Kansas-Okahoma match-up. 2: "People Who Are Ordnarily Mature Adults Watch An Oversized Rodent Crawl Out Of A Holt For The Next Six Weeks Day." 8: KU on Wheels names a bus route in honor of sophomore point guard Adonis Jordan. 14: St. Valentine, the saint of colored candy hearts, is remembered. 20: Spring officially begins, meaning the weather in Kansas undergoes a drastic change from humid and mudgy to muggy and humid. 24: Timetables, equipped with centerfolds, are issued. March 5. You decide you're tired of staying home for Spring Break and vow that this year you're going somewhere out West. 8: On your Western Civilization midterm you are asked to answer the essay question "Describe the allegoric effects Cheez Whiz had on you." In the first half of the 12th Century through the end of a wart hog." 10. Your goal of vacationing out West is realized when you and your family visit an aunt in sunny Bird City, Kan. 4: The University Daily Kansan delivers a crushing blow to a leading Student Senate coalition when it endorses them for the coming elec- 8. KU officials decide to double the lighting inside the military science building by placing a candle in every room. April 15: File income tax returns. 17-20: Kansas Relays are conducted. 21. The IRS calls to inform you that you can't claim the unused Kansas Relays pass you received with your ticket package as a tax write-off. May 6: Stop Day. All studying stops. 7-16: Exam Week is renamed Ulcer Week. Ulysses the Ulcer, the Ulcer 16: Armed with the phrase, "I'm sorry this book isn't to be used next semester," the bookstore gives it a new name and pays $97.50 for five months ago. 9. Ulysses the Ulcer is found hanging from the Campanile by his eyelids 17. You realize the chemistry book you just sold back to the bookstore will be required for a class you're enrolled in next semester. 19. Thousands of adults who represent the future of the United States celebrate the beginning of their country by extremely tumbling down Mount Oread. KANSAN STAFF - Rich Bennett is an Overland Park senior majoring in journalism. CHRIS SIRON Editor RICH CORNELL Managing editor TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser Editors Week mascot, hands out antacid on campus. Education News Melanie Mathes Editorial Tiffany Harness Planning Holly M. Neumur Campus Jennifer Reynolds, Palm Solner Sports Ann Sommerlath Photography Thomas Thomson Graphics Melissa Unterberg Features Jill Harrington JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser AUDRA LANGFORD Business manager MINDI LUND Retail sales manager Home Remedies Campus sales mgr. **Copiness** Weihhe Regional sales mgr. **Camihew Dresch** National sales mgr. **Jennifer Claxton** Co-op sales mgr. **Christine Musser** Production mgrs. **Rich Harshbarger** Marketing director. **Aalie Sader** Creative director. **Kaiden Gahm** Classified manager. **Chrish Hays* Classified manager. **Kim Crowder** 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. The letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be photographed. The Kansas reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest column and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansas newsroom, 111 Scalffer-Finch Hall. WHAT, AND PLANS WHO DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO TAKE A SHOWER? NO THANKS I'LL- By Tom Michaud