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THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAS
TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015
PAGE 4
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opinion
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
FFA OF THE DAY Relationship goal: find someone who treats me the way Kanye treats Kanye
According to this box of mac and cheese I'm a family of four.
Mayweather is cool and all but July weather is by far the best
Of course the A/C goes out when it's going to be 80+ all week...
When your mom is only in town for the weekend :'(
Flash just went off when trying to send a Snapchat to my roommate of this guy I think is sexy and he asked if I took his picture...#lie-ielie
If a license plate starts with MG or SG, watch out. Stands for municipal / state government which means dey undercover cops.
If the weekdays were all one family, Monday would be Meg.
I need to marry a doctor so that I can make her order for me at restaurants. Every time my food comes, I can say "Ah, just what the doctor ordered."
The pH of blood is about 7.4.. So technically we're all basic
If I had a dollar for every FFA
Missy was in ..Oh man oh man oh
man on man on man
Last week of school drags on forever!
To the person questioning why we need knees: try walking without them or getting anywhere or sitting down. Then you'll find out.
I ran out of deodorant 2 weeks ago but its too close to the end of the year to buy another stick
First sunburn of the year and it's as crappy as I remember
I don't even care if my papers sound intelligent anymore, I'm just ready to graduate
Those brown rye chips in Gardetto's and chex mix are the bomb. I just found out they sell bags of just the rye chips and am in heaven!
Can I just fast forward 10 years and see how things work out?
Sorry boys, but I already got my eyes on a guy who's not interested.
I saw a squirrel fall out of a tree yesterday so I guess it was a Monday in the animal kingdom too.
Death penalty should be avoided for Tsarnaev
When I found out about the Boston Marathon bombings, I was sitting in my high school American History class. Our teacher informed us of what had happened and we followed the story. Two years later and I'm still following the story.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston bomber suspect, went from the sidelines of the 2013 Boston Marathon to a 2015 courtroom. His trial has garnered national attention and his impending sentence divided the country. From the beginning of the trial, the debate has not been whether Tsarnaev is guilty or innocent — it is whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison. His older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who the defense credits with orchestrating the bombings, was killed in April 2013 following an intense manhunt through Boston.
At this point, 53 percent of Americans said that Tsarnaev should receive capital punishment, according to a poll by
CNN Points. During the sentencing phase of the trial, the prosecution worked to further their case by bringing in victims and medical professionals who were at the crime scene to describe the after-effects of the bombings. The prosecution's goal throughout the sentencing phase is to paint Tsarnaev as a cold-blooded killer who deserves death row.
STEVEN SENNE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Defense attorneys Miriam Conrad, left, and David Bruck leave federal court in Boston Monday during the penalty phase in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tsarnaev was convicted of the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three and injured more than 260 people in April 2013.
The state of Massachusetts disagrees. According to a poll by The Boston Globe, about less than 20 percent of the Boston residents agree with the prosecution. The same poll found that 63 percent of Bay Staters side with the defense and agree that Tsarnaev should be sentenced to life in prison. Bill and Denise Richard, whose 8-year-old son was killed in the bombings, have also agreed that the death penalty should be avoided.
While the prosecution has made many poignant and indisputable points during the trial process, the jury should listen to those opposing the death penalty.
Those against a life sentence argue that Tsarnaev's death would provide closure for Boston residents and bombing survivors. Since 2013, the city has seemed confident in its ability to move on without Tsarnaev's death. In a poll taken by The Globe less than six months after the bombings occurred,
only 33 percent of residents preferred the death penalty. Since the beginning, putting Tsarnaev to death has never been a top priority for Boston. It isn't even a priority for the survivors. Bombing survivor Rebekah Gregory said Tsarnaev's execution would not provide any kind of closure.
The Richard family said if a death sentence is handed down, their family would never be able to move on. The couple predicts that a
death sentence would bring more appeals and further media coverage. Seeing Tsarnaev in the spotlight during additional legal processes would hinder any attempts their family has made toward moving on.
While most of America has spoken out in favor of the death penalty, the city of Boston and survivors should be the ones receiving attention and consideration from the jury. Tsarnaev should be
sent to a maximum-security prison where he can live without the fame that would accompany an execution. The execution of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would not work to mend Boston or provide closure for the victims. Therefore, the death penalty should be avoided in favor of life in prison.
Maddy Mikinski is a sophomore from Linwood studying journalism
People are defined by more than just a label
It's not difficult to understand that each of us wants to be acknowledged and accepted the same as every other person. This includes everyone: whites, blacks, Hispanic, male, female, gay, transgender, slim, athletic, curvy - the list goes on. We must remember that these words, however, do not define us, but are rather characteristics that, among other things, shape us as individuals. When we dwell excessively on these labels and how to achieve equality, we lose the importance of the person behind that label.
Monica Saha
@sahahahahaha
A common sentiment offered to individuals who are battling the road to
acceptance is "you are so brave." Alison Piepmeier, director of the Women's and Gender Studies program at the College of Charleston, said in her article about suffering from a brain tumor, "I'm not simply brave because I have a tumor." She writes how she feels less human when hearing these words. For Piepmeier, when individuals say, "She's so brave, I could never do that," it translates to, "I'm glad I'm not going through a medical nightmare like that." She feels she is just an ordinary human wanting her cancer cells to die.
Sometimes, over-emphasis on equality or acceptance for one group can inversely discriminate the other. For example, in 2004, The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty responded to the trend
of editing models to look "perfect" and "unnatural" by launching its worldwide marketing campaign to celebrate all women having the confidence to be comfortable with themselves and their bodies. Recent online blogs like EliteDaily advocate for "thick thighs" and assert that it's actually better to have broader bodies. Meghan Trainor's 2014 hit "All About That Bass" depicts men preferring a curvier woman. She sings, "You know I won't be no stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll." Despite intending to promote inclusivity, these examples show that being bigger is better than being skinny. But people need to realize that all shapes are beautiful.
Last week on "20/20," Diane Sawyer interviewed
former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner on his gender transition. As he told Sawyer, "I'm not stuck in anybody's body. I'm just who I am as a human being." A plethora of celebrities and individuals applauded Jenner for his bravery and courage to go through this process. Jenner did indeed achieve a brave feat and gave courage to others who might be struggling with similar issues. It's important to know, however, that Jenner reminded us that he is just a human being. We should not define individuals with one- or two-word labels. We should not forget that every individual will accomplish many more great feats and that one big announcement does not determine who they will be forever.
We are a society that obseses over labels. We might describe people by saying, "She is lesbian" or "He has cancer," to those who do not know them. This is the root of the problem. Instead of using labels, we need to be aware of how we talk about one another. We are defined by our personalities rather than the colors of our skin, health conditions, genders, etc. This world will be a better a place when we can acknowledge that we have the same end goal: to be respected and accepted by our peers.
Monica Saha is a graduate student from Overland Park in the pharmacy school
Apr./28th/2015
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THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
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Cho, Stephanie Bickel and
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