wednesday, august 1, 2007 the oberlin herald way we …nwkansas.com/obhwebpages/pdf pages - all/obh...

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 THE OBERLIN HERALD 5A

Along the SappaBy Steve Haynes

schaynes@nwkansas.com

Way we treat friends not friendly

Farm Bill decisions affect all

On the PotomacBy U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran

jerry.moran@mail.house.gov

Oberlin Arts & Humanities2007-2008 Schedule

Season Ticket Events:

September 8, 2007 7:30 p.m. Sat. ........... Jerry BarlowGateway Theater Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar

October 20, 2007 7:30 p.m. Sat. ........... SW NE Community Theater Gateway “Curious Savage: Stage Presentation

November 11, 2007 2:00 p.m. Sun. ........... Stanton Nelson Gateway Youth Pianist

December 2, 2007 2:00 p.m. Sun. ........... Oberlin Area Concert Band & Clueless High School Christmas Concert

January 26, 2008 7:30 p.m. Sat. ........... The Cartwright BrothersGateway Comedy

February 23, 2008 6:30 p.m. Sat. ........... Allegro Chamber Trio Gateway (Dinner Theater) Dinner-6:30, Theater-7:30

March 30, 2008 7:30 p.m. Sat. ........... KU Dance Group GatewayApril 27, 2008 2:00 p.m. Sun. ........... Local History TourGateway Dresden, Clayton & Jennings

YOUR MEMBERSHIP ALSO SUPPORTS:

November 24, 2007 Sat. ......................................... Holiday Arts & Crafts ShowSpring, 2008 Sat., Sun. ........................................... High Plains ArtFestSpring, 2008 ........................................................... Senior RecitalMonthly, (call 475-2707 for reservations) ............. Anna Seeber Shaw Basic Drawing Workshop................................................................................ Series

For Program information call Ella Betts (785-475-3557) or Mary Henzel (785-475-3329)Information also available at www.oberlinarts.orgSeason Tickets:1. $60 Each, all season ticket events; one Dinner/Theater2. $125 Family, all season ticket events; all school age youth and two Dinner/Theater3. $65 Single Family, all season ticket events; all school age youth and one Dinner/TheaterTickets will be mailed to you if the mail-in form below is completed with payment enclosed andreturned to Oberlin Arts & Humanities, Ella Betts, 601 N. Penn, Oberlin, KS 67749

SINGLE EVENT TICKETSAVAILABLE AT DOOR

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••Name___________________________________ Address___________________________State type of ticket as above

1. $60. x______ tickets $_______________ $75. (1 ticket) Patron $________________2. $125. x______ tickets $_______________ $100. (1 ticket) Benefactor $____________3. $65. x______ tickets $_______________ $500. Corporate (includes 4 tickets)$_____

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••For more information or to purchase tickets, contact:

Gary Fredrickson .... 475-3135Christie Morris ........ 475-2070Kay Gaskill ............. 475-2832

JoAnn Neidenthal .... 475-2966Ron Jansonius ......... 475-2648Rhonda May ............ 475-1500

Joy Russell .............. 475-3371Mary Henzel ............ 475-3329Ella Betts ................. 475-3557

Volunteer NeededVolunteer Needed

Volunteer NeededVolunteer Needed

Dave OlsonVolunteer Needed

Volunteer NeededVolunteer NeededVolunteer NeededVolunteer NeededVolunteer NeededVolunteer Needed

Doug Horn Doug Horn

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Travis RaileVolunteer Needed

D. SolkoI. Ray

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Myrna JonesVolunteer Needed

The ReichertsVolunteer Needed

ShrinersShriners

shrinersteer NeededHirsch

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AmericanLegion

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AntiqueClub

Olson/ShaughnessyM.Jones/G.Stapp

Carnival Schedule ------ Volunteers are still needed!Call Vicky Ray at 475-3351 or Stop by Ray Jewelry

BaseballToss

BirthdayWheel

Break-APlate

Darts

DuckPond

HiStriker

KidGame

KidSwings

LollipopTree

MoonWalk

OuthouseAlley

SodaCan

Sinko

Plinko

Ric-O-Chet

KiddieCars

Train

Tickets

TuesdayAug 7

E=Early 7 p.m. to 9. p.m.L= Late 9 p.m. to CloseV= Volunteers NeededB= Working Early & Late

WednesdayAug 8

ThursdayAug. 9

FridayAug. 10

SaturdayAug. 11

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Volunteer NeededVolunteer Needed

Stacy HilemannTyler Bruggeman

Pam SimonssonPratts

Pam SimonssonShelby Hackney

Good SamGood Sam

GunClub

Shelby HackneyVickie Lippelman

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PEOClub

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C&J SimonssonHirsch

I. Ray/D. MooreShaughnessy/Farr

Janice ShobeMarilyn Horn

Stacey HilemanT. Ashley

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L. GlazeFaith Lutheran

GunClub

H&J VotapkaVolunteer Needed

Vickie LippelmanVolunteer Needed

ModernWoodmen

M. JonesVolunteer Needed

Farmers Bank& Trust

DPWDPW

AlifBe Khe

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AmericanLegion

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ZetaNu

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T. PhillipsVolunteer Needed

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Antique Club

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TheBank

Faith LutheranChurch

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Oberlin Knights

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PEOClub

S&M SlabaughMyrna/E. Carlson

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Dave OlsonVolunteer Needed

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Doug HornRick Pauls

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StanleyHardware

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ShrinersVolunteer Needed

Faith LutheranChurch

PiAlpha

AmericanLegion

M&K WassonM&K Wasson

Volunteer NeededLisa Paulson

J. Cundiff/CarlsonE. Smith/I. Rayl

Decatur County Amusement AuthorityGames not listed have already been filled by Volunteers

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“Farming looks mighty easywhen your plow is a pencil andyou’re a thousand miles from a cornfield.”

President Eisenhower’s wordsare a fitting reminder as Congressworks to draft a farm bill that willhave lasting effects on the liveli-hoods of the farmers and rural com-munities I represent. As the farm-bill debate takes shape in Washing-ton, farmers across the country areworking from dawn until dusk, har-vesting the wheat that will soon bea loaf of bread on a table in NewYork or San Francisco.

The farm bill is a complex legis-lative package that funds everythingfrom conservation practices toschool lunches. In fact, the lion’sshare of the new bill, about 66 per-cent, would go to Food Stamps.

The last farm bill, drafted in 2002,put into place a safety net to supportfarmers when growing conditions ormarkets fail. Critics of that policyclaim that too much money is beingspent to support farmers. Yet thesecritics fail to mention that the farmprogram has come in about $25 bil-lion under budget since that bill wasenacted five years ago. This leavesthe Agriculture Committee with 42percent less money to work with.

Another fact omitted by critics offarm policy is that American farm-ers are supported at much lower lev-els than those in other countriesaround the world. In 2005, Ameri-

can farmers received around $44 peracre, compared to European farm-ers at $390 per acre and Japan at awhopping $4,442. Couple the lowsupport level with the foreign regu-lations and tariffs imposed on U.S.commodities abroad, and it is easyto see why it’s difficult for Ameri-can farmers to compete in the world.

The benefits of the farm bill areevident in the prices Americans payat the grocery store — be it inKensington, Md., or Kensington,Kan. In 2004, the average Americanspent about 7.9 percent of their bud-get on food, whereas Germany camein at 15.9 percent, Japan at 17.6 per-cent and India at 46.1 percent.

In addition to food and fiber,American farmers are also now be-ing called on to help meet ourcountry’s energy needs. Farmers aredoing what they can to decrease ourreliance on foreign fuel. While striv-ing for energy independence, weshould not act to increase our for-eign sources of food by ending thevital safety net in the Farm Bill.

In few other professions is one’svery livelihood at the mercy ofMother Nature. Be it snow, freezes,floods, fire, tornadoes or drought,our farmers face serious obstacles intheir quest to meet the challenge ofnot only feeding and clothing theirown families, but also the familiesof millions around the world.

As farmers in Kansas harvest theirwheat and begin to prepare for thenext crop, we in our nation’s capi-tal are planting the seeds for the nextgeneration of American farmers andworking to provide stability to arisky profession so integral to ourcountry. I can only hope that thefarm bill we debate today does notsimply write off the very future ofAmerican agriculture.

I will continue to be an advocatefor agriculture policy that uses tax-payer dollars responsibly, is morefree-market oriented and less tradedistorting, allows producers to earna reasonable living and helps to pre-serve the rural communities that wein Kansas call home.

Talking with people in the UnitedArab Emirates, and in other coun-tries that consider themselves ourfriends, a couple of themes emerge.

One is that our friends want a dia-log with us, not just a one-way rela-tionship where Washington givesorders and our allies follow.

The other is that right now, wetreat our friends poorly.

The first complaint you heararound the world. We have a lot offriends, and they tend to think wetake them for granted.

It’s common in Latin America tohear people complain about the rem-nants of “gunboat diplomacy,” ev-erything from the U.S. ambassadorordering a candidate to make aspeech to our aid policies.

In Abu Dhabi, capital of theU.A.E., one minister complainsthat, coming up to the invasion ofIraq, the U.S. seemed bent on a self-determined course.

“Nobody was willing to listen tothe advice from the region,” he com-plained.

Worse still is the treatment wegive our friends when they comehere.

The furor over the Dubai Portscontract last year is a case in point.The firm, an international power-

house in the port business, con-tracted to run several U.S. ports. Apolitical furor in Congress forcedthe Arab company to withdraw,though both it and the country as awhole are firmly on “our side.”

“The people in charge here under-stood the political atmosphere,” oneminister said. “I don’t think it hasaffected the formal relationship be-tween the two countries.

“It may have affected the people.It could have an effect on privaterelations.

“There has been a drop in travel(to the U.S.). The scrutiny in issuingvisas, the treatment at the airports...

“I’d hesitate to go now. Nobodywould like to humiliate himself.”

Much of the damage from thiskind of treatment won’t show up foryears. Wherever you go in the Arabworld today, as in many parts of the

Second and Third worlds, you meetpeople educated at American uni-versities.

These are people who knowAmerica and Americans. By andlarge, they love us. The next genera-tion may not be so friendly, becauserelatively few of them will come toschool here.

“With the restrictions on visas andthe hassles at the airports,” saysAbdul-Aziz Abdulla al Ghurair,speaker of the U.A.E. parliament,the Federal National Council, “withthe FBI watching, parents don’twant to take the risk of sending theirkids to the U.S.

“It has created choices for parentsto send their kids elsewhere. We arebuilding more universities here.

“I am sad and disappointed. I wantmy kids to study in the U.S.”

Part of the problem is the Ameri-

can tendency to see things in blackand white. We were attacked bypeople from an Arab country, so allArabs must be bad. All Muslimsmust hate us. That is essentially rac-ist thinking.

And if we keep thinking that way,it may come to be. Certainly, theway we treat our friends is not win-ning us any.

“In general, the Americans arevery nice people,” the speaker says,“very straightforward and veryfriendly. I wish they would get awayfrom thinking of stereotypes for anyregion of the world.

“In the U.S., Muslims have beenlabeled as bad boys. In a billionpeople, you will have some crazies,but you can’t just label everyone.

“You have to let people know thatnot all Arabs are crazy.”

He went on to talk about diplo-matic relations.

“You should give from your righthand without the left hand knowingwhat you are doing,” he said. “Weare all keen to have even a better re-lationship with the U.S. We expecta two-way relationship.”