Deathwatchers: the fans
The recent execution of Charles Brooks Jr in Texas
proves we haven’t come much further in stopping the most
gruesome of spectator sports — capital punishment
Students — mind you. students — carrying bloodthirsty
signs with such humane sayings as Kill 'em in vein' and
"Justice finally prevails' gathered outside the prison to
experience the aura of the spectacle
It is difficult to be unemotional about this issue It is more
difficult to read the play-by-play in the papers The execu
tioner's friends are given all the coverage they want Why?
Because violence sells
Capital punishment is real violence It is more entertain
ing than the violence we watch on television Brooks was an
actual citizen gone wrong
Capital punishment is clean, quick and appeals to a
bizarre medieval sense of justice
It also appeals to the baser interests
If the sign carriers in front of the prison were any
indication, some consider capital punishment great sport
The Supreme Court made their decision to allow state's
to reinstate the death penalty in 1974 Each state decides the
method The people decide to watch or read about it
Each state's vote against capital punishment, something
rumor has it Gov Vic Atiyeh is considering reinstating, is the
only end to capital punishment
Until it is outlawed the media should refrain from the
sports-like coverage of executions
Making a difference
Ray Hawk as been a force for good at the University for
the last 32 years This month he retires However, he will
continue to aid the University as a volunteer in the University
Relations office
Hawk has always enjoyed working with and for students,
something a bit unique among veteran administrators who
can at times forget the students they serve
Hawk has also been a friend to the University He has
been a public servant in the best sense of the word — more
than considerate of the students, the University and higher
education in the state, in that order
What Hawk has done here has made a difference The
Emerald continues to appreciate his support of its move to
become an independent publication in the early 1970s
We ll miss him
I
letters
opinion
Real violence
Preachers
Do the preachers in the EMU
courtyard bother you? They
bother me I made a conscious
decision years ago to leave or
ganized Christian religion To
have these men (I've never seen
a woman there) telling me how
to conduct my religious life irri
tates me
I do not begrudge them their
beliefs Let them live and believe
the way they want, as I expect to
be able to live and believe the
way I want
If I want to hear a preacher I
can go to church anytime I
avoid such places for a reason
These men who preach in the
courtyard are infringing on my
choice
America believes in free
speech Does that mean I need
to have this version of Chris
tianity shoved down my throat?
Margaret Laurlne
junior, elementary education
(X. OK. KNOCK rr OFF, WALTER.'
»/
Troublesome
As a member of the 'trouble
some ’ law school faculty, I feel
that some response is required
to the statements of Mr L L
Stewart before the American
Association of University
Professor's meeting last Satur
day
According to the reports of
his remarks, given in the Emer
ald on Dec 6, Stewart stated
that professors who publicly
take controversial stands are
doing higher education a dis
service, ’’ and he "pointed to
the University law school faculty
as a good example' of faculty
who cause problems.
In 12 years as a member of the
University law school faculty, I
have frequently observed my
colleagues taking public stands
upon any number of issues. In
fact. I have watched them
provide literally thousands of
hours of voluntary service to the
state in a variety of law reform
and law improvement activities
These activities include legal
research, publication, speaking
and service for a variety of pub
lic bodies and private public
interest groups, providing legal
drafting and assistance for the
legislature and state adminis
trative agencies, and involve
ment in public interest litiga
tion This, I believe, has been a
substantial contribution which
ultimately benefits all of the
people of this state, including
Stewart
These activities, however, are
only possible because law
faculty members take public
positions on matters relating to
law and legal activities These
public positions, of course,
could always be viewed as
"controversial” by anyone who
disagreed with that position To
suggest that this activity is im
proper is ridiculous and reflects
a serious lack of understanding
of the public service obligations
for higher education faculty in
general and law faculty in par
ticular
Fredric Merrill
professor, law
Life dilemma
Once again we are torn
between the two different view
points on abortion: pro-life/an
ti-choice, or pro-choice/anti
life
Eichner's letter Mother
hood" (Emerald, Nov 29) is an
excellent defense of freedom of
choice, with strong supporting
data However, instead of il
luminating why woman's choice
is superior to unborn life, he
qualifies life, showing that
wanted babies mature into more
productive adults than do their
unwanted counterparts Yet,
the abortion issue concerns the
value of life itself, not compari
sons of one life over another
Be practical," you say. "this is
the real world " So it is, but
since when do we sell our
humanity to the heedless cog of
efficiency?
To approach our dilemma
from another angle It seems
reasonable to assume that the
developing embryo is indeed a
human being, since despite
what "it" does or does not look
like, it is impossible to pinpoint a
transition from a nondescript
fetus into an unborn child If the
expectant mother believes that
her womb cradles a human life,
should she not place that life
above her own choice?
"But my choice doesn t just
reflect my unwanted child " You
are qualifying life again Life
itself transcends choice "But
we must choose that life " No —
we must be alive before we can
choose. "This is a free
country!" Freedom of life over
freedom of choice Please
John Gibbons
junior, English
Old-age funds
If you think the problems with
Social Security are going to
disappear then you had better
think again Current fiscal prob
lems are just the beginning
According to the Nov 8 issue
of US News and World Report,
"lower birth rates are expected
to shrink the number of workers
under Social Security, forcing
them to pay astronomically high
taxes if the system is to remain
self-financed "
Those currently receiving
checks have little to worry about
(except those healthy enough to
last until the turn of the century)
but people my age (I'm now 20)
certainly do.
When those now in their early
thirties start retiring there will be
one recipient for every two
workers! When the system was
established there were sixteen
workers for every one recipient
Oh well, perhaps the national
birth rate will increase but since
it's now at a low level of 1 7
percent it will take a lot of doing
to make up for the past decade
of sub-replacement levels
Of course, those who raise
families at least will have
someone to rely upon, if worse
comes to worse But who is go
ing to care for those who want to
retire yet have nobody to rely
upon except the government?
Think about it because that's a
question my generation will be
faced with In a matter of years
Eric Stillwell
political science
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