1994_10 The Daily Collegian October 1994

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OPINION
Tuesday, October 11, 1994
THE GLASS HOUSE
Elections prompt
couch potatoes to
read ail about it
Tlvfc slew of political ads fea-
tiiringKathleenBrovvn/Pete Wil¬
son, Prop. 187 and all the rest
have most channel surfers con¬
vinced that they don't know
who's right or what's best. That's
because most TV addicts are vot¬
ing (if, indeed, they're voting at
all) based on the name calling,
false accusations and dirty poli¬
tics that fuel most commercial
breaks.
Ifs time to get off your beer* against.
You can't
make a de¬
cision on
the issues
based on
c lever
graphics ancTtricky lingo. However,
thaf s just what the beaurocrats
want. They know that most voters
will not take the time to read be¬
tween the lines and find out for
themselves just what they're up
By Stephen Walsh
talk.
judge pub¬
lic officials,
even
though the
"evi¬
dence"
usually
flows from
tabloid-
style ad¬
vertising,
which isno
better than
locker
room jock
drinkin', talk show watchin' butt
and figure it out for yourself.
Step back and look at those
ads. Aren't they a bit suspect?
Pete Wilson and Kathleen Brown
are masters at this manner of
slight-of-hand. They slam their
competitors in tight little
soundbites that, when you look
closely, don't tell you much of
anything.
Politics is too much flash and fluff
and not enough blood and guts.
Candidates win elections thanks to
lobbyists, Larry King and MTV.
They show their "talents" by re¬
gressing to classic movie rolls co-
starring some chimp, or playing the
sax on Arsenio Hall, as you may
remember. They should earn our
confidence for what they know, not
how they smile. We are so quick to
The game has been played for a
long, long time and it isn't going to
change. That's why we need to con¬
stantly question authority, read the
fine prjntand speak up when some¬
thing ain't) right.
November is just around the cor¬
ner, my little ombudsmen. We have
about a month to decide who will
represent us in Sacramento. Be it
Democrat or Republican, voters
should rest easy knowing they chose
the right leader for- the right rea¬
sons.
I'm a believerin our political sys¬
tem, but I have much to leam. How¬
ever, in the short time I've been
watching and playing the game,
' I'vetriedtottainmyselftodiffer-
entiatebetweenerhplynoiseand
intelligent ideas. Every now and
again, those tricky little advertis¬
ing weasels slip one by me, and J
catch myself siding with a
soundbite.
Last Saturday, I registered
about 25 voters at the Fresno fair.
I was surprised that these people
had never before registered to
vote. Some of them were at least
in their 40s or 50s. If system fails
them when they need it most, I
reaUyhavenosympathy.Itcomes
down to a firm "I told you so"
when that happens.
If you do your homework and
get the real story from both sides,
you'll be rewarded. You may not
like what you find, but thaf s just
the sort or anger and frustration
these "leaders" should be con¬
fronted with. We have to make
them accountable for their ac¬
tion^.
Take the ads lightly. They only
show a small potion of the pic¬
ture, and that may not even be a
true representation of the facts.
Dear Editor,
-LETTERS TO THE EDITOR-
While women are pro¬
gressing toward some
degree of equality in the
workplace and in educa¬
tion, their lives and t£ie
lives of their children are
being threatened by an
increasingnumberofvio-
lent crimes committed by
their spouses or boy¬
friends.
Although domestic
violence ijb increasingly
recognized as a serious
crimerand many states
have passed laws to pro¬
tect women from abusive
mates, some police and
judges continue to view
spousal abuse as a purely
private matter. The vast
majority of domestic dis-
putesstill do not result in
arrest, despite evidence
that arrest is the best de¬
terrent.
A1989 study reported
that in Washington D.C.,
in more than 85 percent of
the family violence cases
in which a woman was
found bleeding from
wounds, police did not
arresther abuser. Women
.victims may be doubly
jeopardized if they try to
protect themselves. Abat-
tered wife who kills her.
husband to protect the
lives of her children and
herself is more likejy to be
convicted of murder than
the husband who beats"
his wife to death.
Enforcement officials la¬
ment that women fail to
prosecute their abusers, frus¬
trating any efforts to take
action against them. But, in
many cases,.when a women
does seek help_irom the
courts, she is faced withhav-
ing her motives examined,
not the merits of the case.
Iri domestic violence
cases, abused women find
little support, (netting away
to a safe haven is necessary
when battering has oc¬
curred. Yet' there are three
times as many animal shel¬
ters as there are battered
wohjen shelters. Friends,
ancjiamily often misunder¬
stand the cycle of abuse that
occurs in a family and either
blame the woman for the
abuse or give inappropriate
advice. ThusAmany battered
women lead isolated lives
of shame, humiliation and
fear.
Domesticviolenceagainst
women also .effects the chil¬
dren. According to one re¬
port, the most common rea¬
son that young men, aged
12-20, are in jail for murder
is because they killed their
mothers' batterers. The sons
of the most violent parents
have a rate of wire-beating
10 times greateFtriahTKatoTV
the sons of non-viojent par¬
ents. ' L
I>omesticviolenceagainst
women also affects society.
Itfcestimated that wespend
$5 to $10 billion a year on
health care, criminal justice
and other social costs of do¬
mestic violence. And, do¬
mestic violence spills over
into the workplace, not only
putting the victim at risk,
but her co-workers as well.
Labor unions are re¬
sponding to this crisis in
many ways. Many labor
unions are working with
management to provide
protection lor me victim at
the workplace. For years
unions have been negotiat¬
ing Employee Assistance
Plans (EAPs) which provide
freecounselingfor the whole
family.Some unions are con¬
ducting education pro¬
grams about the issue and
are training their represen¬
tatives on how to detect po¬
tential domestic violence
and provide assistance. In
adcUtion, unions are proVid-
ingj-esources and financial
support tolocal'shelters.
We all can and must work
toward eUminating domes¬
tic violence from our soci¬
ety. Individually, we can
provide support for an
abused woman by believ¬
ing, encouraging, listening,
supporting her feelings
without judging her, reas¬
suring herihat theabuse is
not her fault and giving her
the time she needs to make
her own decisions. /
As a nation we can estabn.
lish programs and policies
for   protecting   abused]
women and their children.
This may include training
programs for law enforce¬
ment to help them better
respondto violence against
women; effective treatment
programs for spouse abus¬
ers; increased shelter space
for victims, of domestic vio¬
lence; and early interven¬
tion programs.
Some of these efforts will
be established through
the recently passed Crime
Bill. In addition, many
states are passing laws-,
against stalking and are -
requiring stronger en^
forcement measures for
abusers. This is a good
beginning. We can al¬
ways do more.
Catherine O'Reilly
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
DITOR
DITOR,
JEDITOR
ENTERTAIlsBEM EDITOR
ADVERTISlfc «NAGER
BUSINfis nNAGER
RODUCnCB lVa#IAGERS
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