Window on the West column
by Mary Rupert
Some short items while I contemplate the nearly fall weather.
Law enforcement chases
Law enforcement chases came to an end in 2014 in Kansas City, Kan., after an innocent bystander, Graciela Olivas, lost her life. There was a new policy at that time not to pursue these chases, for the protection of innocent residents who could be caught in the middle of them.
But there have been chases recently in Kansas City, Kan., on July 21, Aug. 17, Sept. 1 and Sept. 3. In the last chase, a suspect drove the wrong way on a busy interstate highway. Some of the chases were high speed. They all involved chases that started in Missouri and were continued across the state line into Kansas.
I understand that there are good reasons for chasing suspects, but I think the safety of bystanders and other drivers on the roads should be given a higher priority.
If the chases continue, maybe there should be a gate built across the interstate highways about a tenth of a mile before you reach Kansas, so that it can be closed on fleeing suspects. Then the Kansas side wouldn’t have to be involved in law enforcement responding to these chases, medical emergency personnel wouldn’t have to respond, mostly Missouri bystanders would be involved, and the Missouri taxpayers could pay for the whole thing.
In the eye of the beholder?
Seems to me (a graduate of both K-State and KU) that a big controversy at the K-State halftime show last weekend was much exaggerated.
When a marching band performance was presented and announced as Jayhawk vs. the starship Enterprise, then that’s what it was. Anything else is in the eye of the beholder.
The pictures served as a Rorschach test of sorts, telling us what was on the minds of those who interpreted it as something that was obscene or NSFW (not suitable for work) viewing. Apparently there were a lot of people whose minds were on sex during an evening football game.
K-State has announced internal sanctions, including a fine, for the incident. Some observers speculated that the K-State band was responding to off-color chants heard previously at the games. Both schools could probably do with a little less rivalry, but what else do the students have to do, except study?
To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected].