Opinion
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United States First Amendment
Coldham: Two rappers prove why they remain at the top
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
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A few minutes ago I thought about how awesome it'd be to be paid for sex. Then I realized that already exists — and it isn't too great.
I'm in the mood for another National Championship.
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The less motivated I am to write this paper, the more I want ice cream. I wish I could write my paper about that.
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Second game of the year and we already made number one on Sportcenter's Top 10.
KU football sucks again and basketball is still good. All is right with the world. The year the football team did well I thought the apocalypse was coming
Does anyone remember the Pizza Street commercials with the little devil child?
She's a dwelling place for demons!
If you have not seen "Forrest Gump",you are not American.
I think this Christmas I am going to put some mistletoe in my back pocket so I can tell everyone to kiss my ass. KU students are horny.
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A third of the FFs yesterday were about sex. On that note, I can't wait to have sex with this guy. I like.
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Free White Owl!
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My boyfriend's dog watched us have sex and then humped me.
Whenever I'm feeling down, watching "Veronica" Mars always makes me feel better.
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Know what the perfect cure to a terrible football season is? Jayhawk Basketball!
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I still can't believe I met hot girls in Manhattan.
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Hey bikers on Jayhawk Boulevard: If you want to be treated like cars then you too should yield to pedestrians. Just a thought.
A few weeks ago I came home to find my roommate set the heat to 80 degrees. I had a nightmare shortly after that my electric bill would be $106.
It's $107.04. FML
Wetlands deserve protection
EDITORIAL BOARD
The University should quit hiding behind neutrality and stand up for the protection of the Baker Wetlands
The land owned by the University is located at 31st Street and Haskell Avenue, and is part of 573 acres of wetlands. It is being threatened by the proposed South Lawrence Trafficway, the construction of which would damage the ecosystem.
The land belonged to Haskell University until the 1950s,when the federal government deeded the land to the University, said Lynn Bretz, director of communications for the University
"Under the terms of the deed, the land is supposed to be used for the public benefit," Bretz said.
The University has not yet taken a side on the issue. The side it should take is using the
Howard Tinq/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
"The University understands and respects the interests of all parties," Bretz said. "It is a controversial issue dating back more than 20 years with strong and legitimate opinions on all sides."
If the University understands all sides of the issue, then it should be knowledgeable enough to take a position.
Lawrence is ridiculous, said Jason Hering. Hutchison senior and president of Eco-Justice on campus. Hering said the city conducted a study and that the majority of the traffic is local.
The trafficway would connect the K-10 and the Kansas Turnpike. Those who support its construction think it would make the two highways work more efficiently and would remove traffic between them from Lawrence.
The argument that the trafficway would increase traffic flow in
"The need for this is not there," Hering said.
KANSAN'S OPINION
to start using the land for research it would show the University's effort to not have the trafficway built.
Hering also said the University has taken a stance of approval for the trafficway by not taking action. He said if the University were
Bretz said the University itself doesn't conduct research.
"The University recruits and hires expert research faculty and staff scientists," Bretz said. "They determine what they research."
As a top research institute, the University should be encouraging students and faculty researchers to use this property for educational purposes. Herring said Eco-Justice has teamed up with Wetlands Preservation
Organization at Haskell.
at Haskell.
"The reason we are so concerned is because we still use the wetlands," Milicent Peplion, president of the WPO, said. "The 20 acres KU owns is right behind Haskell."
There are always students on the land whether they are praying or meditating, researching or studying or just taking a walk, Pepion said.
Pepion said she originally got involved to help bridge the gap between the University and Haskell.
"It's KU students and Haskell students coming together to stop the SLT," Penion said.
The construction of the trafficway is something that will take away an area filled with tradition still used today. The University should quit playing it safe, take a stance and encourage its faculty to begin research in the area. Students from the University and Haskell need to keep working together to protect the wetlands.
— Kate Larrabee for The Kansas Editorial Board
POLITICS
The G.O.P. is back.
JAMES FARMER
Republicans gain momentum with recent wins
It wasn't supposed to happen this way. One year ago, the media were fanatically sounding the death knell for the Republican Party. The rising minority and youth vote were supposed to bury the party for years to come. One book even declared "The Death of Conservativism."
President Barack Obama carried Virginia by six percentage points in 2008 and this year the Republican gubernatorial candidate won by 17. Obama carried New Jersey by 16 points and this year the Republican won by four. That is an astounding 23- and 19-point swing respectively — and all in only one year. No matter how you spin it, that's bad news for Democrats.
The celebration didn't last long. This year, the Republicans took back Virginia with a vengeance and upset the incumbent governor in the dark-blue state of New Jersey.
The mainstream media have always been excited about the idea of a rift from within the Republican Party. On a tough night for Democrats, this manufactured story became big news. It centered on the upstate New York congressional race where the Republican candidate was forced to drop out of the race due to extraordinary opposition from
leading Republicans.
When major national GOP figures clamored to endorse the Conservative Party candidate over the Republican, it was said that the Republican Party no longer accepted moderates. Suspicions of a battle between the moderate-wing and the right wing of the party seemed to ring true. But in reality, what happened in this race was a sign of unity, not division.
Because it was a special election, there was no primary process. Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate, would have never won a Republican primary. The reason Scozzafava was attacked by Republicans is not because of her stance on any one issue. She was pro-choice, for card-check, for higher taxes, received financial support from labor unions and had close ties with ACORN. It is because she embodied all of these characteristics at once that she was attacked by Republicans.
If you find that argument
unpersuasive, all you need to know is that after dropping out of the race she endorsed the Democratic candidate. Enough said.
So how does anybody reach the conclusion that Republicans attacking Scozzafava is a sign of division from within the Republican Party? The idea that Republicans refused to endorse her simply because she has an "R" next to her name shows courage, discipline and unity of purpose.
Aside from the bizarre special election in New York, the similarities between events leading to the Republican Revolution of 1994 and now are striking. In 1994, Republicans picked up 54 seats in the House and 8 seats in the Senate. These sweeping victories put the GOP in the majority in both houses of Congress.
Virginia and New Jersey showed the limits of Obama's influence. It remains to be seen whether congressional Democrats will be able to show enough humility to vote against the highly unpopular government takeover of health care. To do anything different is to repudiate the lessons of history. That's the right idea.
Compton is a Wichita senior in political science.
FASHION
Though trendy, leggings are not for everybody
In the 1957 film "Funny Face," Audrey Hepburn dances around in a black turtleneck and a pair of matching skinny pants. In 2006, Gap used footage of Hepburn in its ads for their version of the skinny black pant. Today, women can be seen emulating Hepburn's look by wearing leggings as pants.
But, along with the return of '80s fashion a few years ago, leggings are back, and now the cool kids are wearing them, too
In the mid '90s, my mother dressed me in leggings all the time. Back then, leggings were about as cool as bicycle shorts, also a staple in my adolescent wardrobe. None of the hip, Abercrombie-wearing kids would dare wear them.
Although it seems as if every girl on campus owns at least one pair, wearing leggings as pants has developed some opposition. The hatred may be fueled by misunderstanding — and abuse — of this trend.
To clear things up, tights as pants is not the correct verbiage. Of course, most men have never worn tights or leggings, so the confusion is understandable. Nonetheless, if women wore sheer pantyhose to class, their naughty bits would be on display for everyone, and the student body would be complaining to a different tune.
The real opposition to leggings as pants, is that, like any trend, wearers ignore the fact that they don't look good on everyone. If you wouldn't normally dress in tight, form-fitting pants or dresses this look isn't for you.
No matter how popular leggings are, if they don't flatter your figure, don't wear them as your solebum cover. If you're comfortable leaving no part of
your lower body to the imagination, go for it.
If you're still undecided about this look, consider trying a pair of knit skinny pants. They have the fit and comfort of leggings, but pockets and a zipper to keep the look of pants. Splurge on a pair from Marc by Marc Jacobs at Bloomigdales.com or a more affordable pair by Jolt available at Macy's and Von Mau.
Don't make your classmates or professors uncomfortable by wearing ill-fitted leggings that show off your panty line, give you a muffin top or create some camel toe. If this happens to you cover it up, or try going up a size. If you don't have the shape to pull them off as pants, you can still wear leggings tastefully by pairing them with a long shirt that goes past your crotch and rear area.
When worn properly, leggings can work wonderfully in your wardrobe. On cold days pair them with a dress or skirt to keep you warm and look season appropriate. If you want something comfortable to exercise or lounge around in, leggings are the perfect fix. And if you're going to the Border Showdown football game, wear them under jeans to protect you from frost bite.
Esposito is a Overland Park sophomore in journalism and film.
Follow Alexandra Esposito at twitter.com/TheHemlineKU.
Getting it right
There is a T-shirt that says, "I reject your reality and replace it with my own." I remember when I thought this was cute, but now it has just become annoying. And worse, it's represents something that's very popular to do: Don't face what you don't like, and instead ignore the truth and make up your own. Realty does not work that way.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The short version of what I found is: not really. Most polls still put him within a few points' of election levels, unless your source is known for a right-wing slant.
Chet Compton wrote in "Politically Correct: Obama's grade card" on Tuesday that the president's approval rating was plummeting. Being curious, I checked.
This may be the science major in me talking, but you should be looking for the least biased source. If you don't like what it says, too bad.
I particularly enjoy the comparisons of both our current
president and our previous president to Hitler. A note to the tea party protesters: It is logically impossible for Obama to be a Nazi-hippie-Communist. Socialist-Kenyan-Indonesian Jew. Could you at least whittle it down to a set that theoretically possible?
Sept. 11 truthers: I give you more leeway because the George W. Bush administration did nail many of the historically agreed signs of a fascist government. However, at no point did Bush and friends implement policy with the express purpose of killing people. And the cunning required to do what you say is like a child making crayon drawings suddenly recreating the "Mona Lisa."
In short, you can have opinions. But they should be subject to facts; not the other way around. Ask yourself, "If everyone stopped believing in it, would this go away?" If the answer is "yes," you are doing it wrong.
Jason Forson is a graduate student from Kansas City, Mo.
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