4A the university daily kansan
opinion
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thursday, September 4, 2003
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Michelle Burhenn
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Getting beat by a goblin does not stop the movement of tectonic plates.
If an individual were taking residence inside an automobile, would they be considered homeless?
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You know those T-shirts that say "Not everything is flat in Kansas?" For the sake of irony, a woman with a AA bust should buy one of those shirts and wear it around everywhere.
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How come whenever I tell people that KU is the only school that I got accepted to, they always want to know which other schools I applied to? How is this any of their business?
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Two black mystery shoes showed up in our room over Labor Day weekend. We were wondering if there was a magic Labor Day shoe fairy.
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To the fratties who uprooted a tree on Tennessee: Get a grip. Come on.
I love the handicapped bathrooms. They are so big and spacious, and you have that great bar to hold on to.
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Is it wrong that I sit outside of Hash and act like I live there because the people there are so damn cool?
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My ceiling is falling down. Water is pouring from the top of it. Water is actually coming up from the ground. I love the Towers.
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My roommate told me about how she saw an A.C. Slater look alike on the bus. I just want to marry him. So if you look like A.C. Slater, give me a call.
Giris, no matter how hot you are, smoking will always make you ugly.
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When I am bored and sitting in the nosebleed section of Budig 120, I have the urge to jump out of my seat and spread my bat wings and soar around.
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This is a reply to the guy who thought the Free For All was immature. If you don't like it, don't read it, you piece of dookie on a stick.
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Nick at Nite is going to start showing re- runs of Full House. What?
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Lawrence has diarrhea in its water. Pass it on.
The Pearson Hall urinal has been broken and has been running for three days solid. We checked it out and we have used 95,000 gallons of water and that is 1,360,000 cups. If every person got five cups a day 272,000 people could drink. Basically Lawrence could drink for three days on the water we weasted all because maintenance didn't come fix the urinal.
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Jennifer Wade for The University Daily Kansan
Where do religious representations belong? Nowhere near government Answer lies in Constitution
Religion, or its artistic representation, has no place on the grounds of a government building—end of story.
mert building
The removal of the 10 Commandments statue from an Alabama judicial building should serve as a reminder to Americans. Our government does not and should not allow the promotion of any religion, be it through laws, funding or within its buildings
But the U.S. government does not prohibit religious expression in this country, nor should it. Americans are allowed to practice any religion they choose, or none at all. The purpose of separation of church and state has always been to respect the freedom of religion, not to infringe upon it.
religion, not to migrate religion. The best way to preserve religion is to have a government that does not endorse any. According to the Americans United for Separation of Church and State Web site (www.au.org), as soon as government money or rhetoric is used to support a church, the citizens' incentive to promote and maintain their churches begins to dissipate. Truly, religious Americans should understand and support the separation of church from state.
Now, not many Americans are advocating an official Church of the United States. However, lobbying for prayer in school and retaining "God" on our money is comparable to asking for a religious place within government. If religion is to be separate from state activities, allotted prayer time and the acknowledgment of a higher power on our currency run contradictory to that principle.
The point here is principle. If we, as Americans, start letting the church-state line blur, we are not allowing freedom of expression. We are allowing the religious
voice to be heard where it does not belong. Freedom of expression means people are allowed to practice the religion of their choice; it does not mean the majority religion should be allowed to display and promote that religion through government means.
If you are a person who identifies with a religion, ask yourself these questions: Do I have the right to expect my country to favor my religion over all
Face-Off is a project of the Kansan editorial board. Two editorial board members argue opposing sides of a hot-button issue that affects students at the University of Kansas.
This section is designed to help students understand opposing sides of an issue and make informed decisions.
Readers who have a suggestion for a topic that could be used in Face-Off or wish to join the editorial board, please call Louise Stauffer or Stephen Shupe at 864-4924. E-mail suggestions to opinion@ kansan.com.
religion over all others? Should I defend the making of laws that support my religion or support religion over non-religion in general? Should I support legislation or actions that give obvious preference to religious-minded people like me? The answer should be no on all counts.
If you like living in a country that establishes your religion by law, then perhaps you should consider living in a theocracy, not a democracy. Otherwise, it is time that all Americans recognize the value of a country that keeps religion far from law-making, or as the case may be, our judicial buildings.
Amanda Flott for the editorial board
It may be entirely true that Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama was out of line in placing a more than two-ton monument to the Ten Commandments outside his courtroom. It may have been an insensitive and callous act that could needlessly alienate good, upstanding Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans and Zoroastrians.
Let me start right off by saying that I will concede a pawn.
It may have been all those things and more. But the question is: Does that mean the monument can be removed? Can a federal court rule on this matter?
I would argue no. When issues such as these arise—and they seem to do so with increasing frequency of late—opponents of the Ten Commandments/prayer in schools“under God”in the Pledge of Allegiance all rally to one ubiquitous banner: “the Separation of Church and State,” and enlist the help of activist judges.
One would think that such an important phrase would be inscribed in our Constitution in at least one, if not several, places. Whoever thinks that would be wrong.
The phrase comes from a letter of Thomas Jefferson.
Our founding father considered religion a personal matter to be undertaken wholly by the individual and who was appalled at the thought of the federal government interfering in any way with those individuals, or their states, in religious matters. The relevant text of the First Amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Returning to Moore, let me play the devil's advocate against myself by assuming the action was callous. Let us even assume that good taste and prudence would require him to move it. One may consider Moore's actions to be distasteful to any measure one might choose. The great thing about this country is that distaste does not constitute law.
None exists. Thomas Jefferson would spin in his grave to think that his words were being railroaded by federal courts into equating such things as monuments and prayer in schools with establishing a national religion.
Where, I would ask, is the Constitutional justification for forcing Moore to move his monument by command of a federal court?
There is simply no parallel to be drawn between Moore's monument and a Congressional establishment of an official religion.
Matthew Pirotte dissenting
Marriage in college: Is now the best time to do it?
Marriage. Whether the word strikes fear into your heart or conjures up daydreams of joint bank accounts and inlaws, one thing is for sure: Marriage is the most grown-up thing a person can do.
COMMENTARY
Here's what else I know: An important event happened between high school and college, and it shows no sign of stopping. People I know started to get married. While I was still trying to figure out how many days I should wait by the phone when a guy said, "I'll call you," the girl across the hall from me was designing her engagement ring on online.
Louise Stauffer
opinion@kansan.com
married?
As a freshman, I thought the few people my age getting married were freaks.
Like a science experiment in a petri dish,
I watched them with interest to see how long they would last.
I still wonder: Why do we want to get married?
long they would be. Now I am a senior, and it seems this marriage idea is more than a risk some are willing to take. Like lemmings, couples are taking the big leap and grabbing up gold or platinum rings. The thought of getting married
doesn't even make me cringe anymore.
This has caught me by surprise. I always assumed my friends, and yes, even I, would balance our checkbooks properly and know how to sew on buttons before thinking about choosing a life partner.
the partner.
Apparently not. I know of at least 15 acquaintances who are married or engaged, and I am willing to bet that none of them know how to darn socks.
I asked Joyce Davidson, staff psychologist at Counseling and Psychological Services, located in Watkins Memo
rial Health Center, why marriage was so appealing to college students.
She didn't tell me they wanted security. She didn't tell me they wanted children. Instead, she said high-energy young adults are constantly meeting people, which increases their chances of meeting someone they think will be a good match for them.
She also said that the desire to continue relationships after college could spur talk of marriage.
before starting a file with some data. But she cautioned against waiting too long to marry.
more stress; but it's important to have a strong sense of self and established life goals before starting a life with someone else.
"A person can get very set in their ways," she said. "They're not quite as flexible."
It's a valid fear for some when they realize that every night will be like trying to pick a film for two.
"Sometimes not committing puts on more stress," she said.
Think about renting a film with your significant other. Unlike renting a movie you like, it takes twice as long to find one you both like. Girls: For the record, most guys hate Hugh Grant.
to pick a mini for two.
I've decided to hold no prejudices about college-age marriages. Only you know when you're ready to enter a permanent union.
Only you know when you're really in love and want to come home to the same person every night. The "one" may appear at age 20 or age 80 — who knows?
The important point is to make the best choice for your well-being. Not for a ring, a fantastic wedding or because you're afraid of being alone. Self-alienation is the greatest form of loneliness, and that can strike whether you're married or not.
So, while marriage may be the most adult decision you make, it doesn't mean you have to know everything, like fixing a leaky faucet.
After all, there's always your spouse.
- Louise Stauffer is a Holland, Mich., senior in journalism and English. She is Kansan opinion editor.
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