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Thursday, January 25, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
Women at war
Performance in Panama proves women deserve combat awards
More than 750 women from the United States took part in the invasion of Panama, and for the first time, women, who compose 11 percent of the armed forces, took part in modern combat.
The award is given to soldiers who have been in combat. So why no badges for these 12 women?
Last week the U.S. Army said that the 12 women who captured a heavily guarded attack-dog kennel in Panama under the direction of Capt. Linda Bray were not eligible for the coveted combat-infantryman's badge.
The answer lies within Army regulations, which exclude women from combat duty. By law, women are not assigned to units such as infantry, armor and artillery. These units are likely to be engaged in combat, a duty that a woman is not allowed to perform.
The episode in Panama illustrates exactly how difficult it is to distinguish between combat and noncombat roles once the front is no longer definable.
Congressman Patricia Schroeder, D-Colo-, said, "The women carried M-16s, not dog biscuits." The women fired when necessary. In fact it was Bray who was driving the jeep that tore through the kennel's gate when her troops were engaged in hostile fire, Schroeder said.
duty and should be justly rewarded for their brave acts. Interestingly, they are eligible to transfer their unit patches from their left to right shoulders, an action that signifies having been in combat. The Army has all but acknowledged that these women did actually serve in combat but still, they are not eligible for the combat-infantryman's badge - that would imply that women are capable of combat roles.
Obviously these women performed combat
The issue goes beyond medals, patches or badges. It is the role of women in the military. If a woman chooses to, she should be allowed to serve in combat.
The age-old argument that women are too weak to go into combat also is outdated. Army studies have shown that a woman's physical strength develops rapidly through training and conditioning.
The truth is that these limitations are outdated and based on warfare that is quite different from today. Intelligence and technical skills are among the most important weapons necessary in battle.
The ban to keep women out of combat roles should be lifted. They proved they could do it in Panama, and they could prove it again if given the opportunity. The U.S. Armed Forces must give these women the awards and responsibility that they have earned.
Camille Krehbiel for the editorial board
Briefly Stated
- Where were George Bush and Ronald Reagan a few years back when Kansas City was developing a terrible drug problem?
Bush came to Kansas City in a public relations brainstorm this week that included the announcement that financing for the war on drugs would be increased by $1.2 billion.
What will this additional financing do if there is no organization to the already-vague war effort? Apparently, Bush cannot organize a war without troops being involved. The increase for the war will do no good without a plan.
■ When the men of Alpha Tau Omega paraded naked around Lawrence, they did not advance a sophisticated image for greeks in general.
Sure, the stunt was all in fun, but the point is: How can greeks continue to insist that such immature charades do not happen in their system, when in truth they do - pretty regularly.
Although many greek houses serve the community and address important social issues, each time something like the "streaking" episode occurs, Greeks need to realize they are all a part of the same system.
Diplomatic dilemma
Dole's foreign aid proposal a worthwhile risk
Last week's proposal by Sen. Minority Leader Bob Dole to make a major shift in U.S. foreign aid expenditures should be given serious consideration by President Bush and the U.S. Congress.
Dole already has created a stir in the 101st Congress, which returned to work Jan. 18.
He suggested that money for some of the United States' largest aid recipients be cut by 5 percent to allow for new aid to Eastern Europe and Latin America's emerging democracies
The five countries to suffer cuts in aid packages would be Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey and the Philippines. Israel, for instance, receives $3 billion, which is more than a fifth of the entire foreign aid budget; Egrot is scheduled to receive $2.1 billion.
The proposal, which Dole said would provide up to $400 million for other needy countries, is necessary in this world that is changing so rapidly, particularly following the recent events in Eastern Europe, Panama and Chile. Supporting the new democracies would be the best investment the United States could make.
But because there is so little room for negotiating in this year's $14.6 billion foreign aid program, the United States would have to
be extremely careful in its dealings with the five countries involved.
Israel and Egypt have made peace with each other and are strong U.S. allies. In the Philippines, the United States has both important bases and a commitment to support another democracy; both Turkey and Pakistan are of considerable strategic importance.
The proposal is a smart idea to guarantee U.S. interests in Eastern Europe and Latin America — especially Panama — but Congress will have to be careful when making a final decision.
In the New York Times, Dole said, "If the new democracies and the free market economies fail, the long-term cost to America and to the cause of freedom will be enormous. But if they succeed, it will mean that the United States could enjoy increased security, reduced defense budgets and armament levels, and expanded markets for our exports and our ingenuity."
Congress should bear in mind that the success of emerging democracies in Eastern Europe and Latin America is vital to the future security of the United States. These nations need greater U.S. aid now more than ever.
Andres Caveller for the editorial board
Pitches for wages bean U.S. pastime
There is not going to be any joy in Mudville if major league baseball players and owners cannot control their wage disputes.
It is getting to the point that I have almost taken out ads in the papers to sell my baseball cards, bats, mitt and ball. Baseball is losing something that has made it the great game that it is.
I can't quite pinpoint it, but the game is not the same as it was when, at age 6, I first wanted to play pro篮. I remember when me and my first glove and taught me to catch, throw and hit.
The latest player to reap the benefits of his talent was Will Clark, who on Monday agreed to a contract that will pay an average of $3.75 million a year. He gets $2 million just for signing his name
It is a great game. It's a game of kids enjoying the summer sun, playing a simple game for fun. But fun doesn't pay the bills. Therefore, major league players are seeking bigger and bigger salaries.
John P.
Milburn
Editorial Editor
on the dotted line. That's a pretty hefty amount for an autograph.
Though it has been argued time and time again, I truly believe the fans will be the losers. Ticket prices will rise to pay the salaries. It will cost more to sit in the bleachers at Wrigley Field and to sit behind third base at Yankee and Royals stadiums because the money to pay Bo Jackson's wages will have to be generated.
If we could turn this trend around, we might get back to the traditions of fathers taking their sons to see the greats, much like our grandfathers took our fathers to see the Mantles, Dimmagios and Ruths. But the way it looks now, the tradition is in trouble.
John P. Milburn is a Pittsburg senior majoring in journalism.
News staff
Richard Breck...Editor
Daniel Niemi...Managing editor
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Mysterious Mr. Z comments on Russia
Now it can be told
N. For weeks the Deep Thinkers of the foreign-policy establishment in this country, clustered along the East Coast and in a few urban redoubts in the otherwise unmarred U.S. interior, have been trying to solve a mystery: Who is "Z"? That was the only byline on an astute analysis of Soviet affairs that ornaments the Winter issue of Daedalus, a scholarly journal that has seldom been in such demand.
Even if the article hadn't been thoughtful, learned, or provocative
This essay was obviously based on the famous one by George Kennan, who captured the Establishment's attention with a pseudonym article signed "X" in the July 1947 issue of Foreign Affairs. He soon became known as Mr. X - and the doctrine he outlined in that article, containment, became central to U.S. foreign policy. That strategy drew both supporters and critics - including Mr. Kennan himself, who long has claimed that he was misunderstood. Whether his article was misunderstood or understood all too well, it soon became indispensable to any serious discussion of U.S. foreign policy.
— its marketing alone deserved recognition. What better way to excite interest than to remain anonymous? We all love a mystery. And there were enough tantalizing clues left to stock an Agatha Christie thriller.
U. S. citizens were confused and disoriented by the growing Soviet threat in 1947. Now we seem confused and disoriented by its sudden fading. It's just the right time for a cautionary analysis signed "Z." The historical parallel is impossible to ignore.
Paul Greenberg Syndicated columnist
So is the writer's talent for historical allusions. The formal title of this article is "To the Stalin Mausoleum," which sounds like a parody of Edmund Wilson's "To the Finland Station." And the piece has the same chatty, intimate, explanatory character of George Kennan at his professorial best, before his crankiness began to show.
The reception of Mr. Z's article has seemed uniformly respectful, as befits the work of someone who, it might be assumed, is high up in the establishment and has to write under an assumed letter. The portentous quality of the presentation, and the way it rang with historical associations, assures the essay a receptive hearing. Its high points appeared on the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times. Speculation about the author abounded. No master chef could have thought his piece of resistance would be received with any greater anticipation or appreciation.
in essence, this piece may not say anything different than what various conservatives have been saying about the best course to take toward a suddenly different Soviet Union: Take it easy. Don't assume. The monster is not yet dead, only prone. No handouts. Any aid extended should be outside party channels and designed to encourage private enterprise and real democracy. In short, there is nothing new or startling
here.
But style is almost everything it such matters. So is a talent for synthesizing vague ideas into a clear and articulate policy. Mr. Z's style combines Kennanesque common sense with enough classical allusions, and enough historical and ideological shorthand, to leave the reader assured, impressed, and yes, elevated.
The search for "Z" now has led through the academic caves of the Ozarks. Specifically, to William E. Jackson Jr. at the Fulbright Institute of International Relations at the University of Arkansas. He opined that the author was not some State Department type in mufti — but a retired three-star general and long-time student of foreign policy by the name of William Odom.
The general himself was adamant. "I am not 'Z,'" he told the Arkansas democrat Anthony Moser, "and no, I don't know who 'Z' is." But then he turned coy: "You need to talk to Bill Jackson. You can write what he says." Did pride of authorship win out over a genius for mystery and salesmanship? Or is this revelation but another turn in the maze?
Bill Jackson is a reliable source, an authoritative source, and rarest of all in a world of teak and counter-leak, a gentleman. But his thesis could be mistaken. The general told me that, not only hadn't he written the article, he hadn't even read the complete text in *Daedalus*. If William Odon isn't telling the truth, he's an accomplished actor; his telephone voice rings with honesty.
For those with a more conspiratorial turn of mind, the general's denial could be what spy runners call confirmation-through-denial. Or, as Bill
Jackson speculates, the general might be the amanuensis for a consortium of scholars who are dubious about the Soviet's changing their spots. The name of Zbigniew Brzezinski has been bandied about. Could the general be only part of "Z"?
Alas, the search for the author may yet obscure the thesis of the work. That would be a pity. The ideas of Mr. Z. Gen. Z? deserve attention even if they prove more pessimistic than fast-moving events in Russia warrant. (Mikhail Gorbachev has just come out for a multi-party system.) He is sincerely, and however slow he may be to institute one.) But in terms of American policy, Mr. Z's thoughts were eminently sound.
For the article's sake, let's hope Gen. Odom is telling the truth. The better trained parts of the media would be much more likely to pay attention to ideas that came from a lieutenant general who is not a member of the Eastern Establishment and certainly not of the Media Establishment. Nothing can take the edge off a good idea in this country like its coming from an unfashionable quarter. The people who make a profession of evaluating such ideas may be trained in every nuance of the gentleman except the instinctive democracy that judges thought on its merit rather than its source.
The mystery of "Z" may in the end say less about the sources of Soviet conduct than about the shaping of American ideas.
CAMP UHNEELY
> Paul Greenberg is the editorial page editor for the Pine Bluff (Ark.) Commercial.
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