Opinion
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009
United States First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Thompson: Obama should focus more on gay rights COMING WEDNESDAY
FREE FOR ALL
To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500.
People who don't use ketchup on Tater Tots are commies.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
I would argue that people that use ketchup ARE commies. I'd rather have my Tater Tots dead than red!
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
F-ed in the A, that's what I did to that paper. And vice versa, sadly.
My roommate and I are harvesting strawberries simultaneously on "Farmtown."
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
PAGE 7A
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
I thought it was called "Farmville." I can't believe I just wrote that.
Its not that I don't have a heart; I just don't care.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
I'm thinking I need a chem limeade from Sonic!
It's 11:26 at night. I have an exam at 8 a.m.I have yet to study. Oh, for the love of Facebook
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
The old woman just fell. I swear I didn't trip her.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
First you were topless wrestling with me, then you're telling me you're not ready for sex. Stop being a tease!
Christians can teach in college when scientists can teach in churches.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
What's up with those creepy displays on the fourth floor of the Union? The newest one is apparently a ghost.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
"Darwin the Dinosaur" + pot brownies = the best idea I have EVER had.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
I got pepper sprayed this weekend. Beat that.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
I'm eating a multi-grain Pop-Tart. It feels wrong.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
Dear SAE, Thank you for building your Homecoming float at 12:30 a.m. on a Sunday. I love having my sleep disrupted.
So my boyfriend says no sex until we know each other better. My vagina just cried.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
How do you tell somebody they smell like diaper?
--knowledge of incoming students so that the administration does not need to make assumptions about how much alcohol education students have. She also said she found the classes to be extremely informative, even for someone such as herself who was familiar with alcohol education.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Required alcohol class needs improvements
To address the serious alcohol problem at the University, the administration has mandated that virtually all incoming, degree-seeking students under the age of 21 must take an online alcohol class that aims to inform them about responsible drinking.
In contrast to some policies proposed to address alcohol problems at the University, the new initiative to educate students is a step in the right direction, although it does need improvement.
These classes, called AlcoholEdu, are not perfect. The skits and short videos included as part of the course will win no awards for acting or best screenplay. Some of the material borders on downright cheesy. It is also possible for some students to just choose not to watch the video portions.
"The videos you could just mute," said Claire McInerny, Overland Park, freshman. "Everyone I talked to said they were on the phone with someone or just watching something on TV."
Diana Robertson, director of student housing, said the goal of these classes was to increase the baseline
"I learned a lot," she said. "I assumed that I knew more than I did going in."
The length of the program detracts from its effectiveness. The length of the initial class is fairly long, estimated to take most
KANSAN'S
OPINION
Mlcnyrner agrees to an extent. "I understand why the University did it, and I thought there were good things in it about what to do if someone has alcohol poisoning."
Mcnernny said. "I wouldn't have known what the signs were if I wouldn't have watched it."
students two to three hours to complete.
One of the longest parts of the course is the survey portion.
The course tries to tailor its content to different groups of students based on their responses about previous alcohol education and their drinking habits. However, this relies upon students answering the questions honestly, which will not always be the case. Students will most likely answer lower than the true amount they actually consume or not pay attention to their answers whatsoever.
The course tries
"The survey was the longest part, and you had to do it twice," McInerny said. "Everyone I talked to said they just went through and clicked buttons, because it took
so long."
The administration is using AlcoholEdu to collect information they can use to target initiatives addressing the roots of the University's alcohol problems.
This is done by compiling answers from the surveys that students complete during the course. Again, this information will not be valid, because of the likelihood that students will not answer honestly.
The University's administration should be commended for requiring better alcohol education for incoming students. However, this program is still obviously flawed and the University needs to continue examining ways to realistically improve how it reaches students.
— Caitlin Thornbrugh for The Kansan Editorial Board
Josh Goetting contributed reporting for this story.
POLITICALLY CORRECT Good or bad: cigarette tax increase
Gow. Mark Parkinson said he would consider a new tax on cigarettes to offset the $1 billion deficit the state faces this fiscal year. Here's what three of our political columnists think about the proposal:
BEN COHEN
The slight raise in taxes on tobacco products isn't exactly something to be concerned with. To start, there's the whole "Smoking will kill you anyway" thing. Preachy, and basically every smoker I know has heard this and made their peace with it.
It's easy to get scared at the thought of higher taxes. There are some ethical questions at the very idea of sin taxes, those assigned to things such as tobacco, alcohol and pornography, but I look at that the same way 1 do most taxes: a primary way for the city to collect revenue.
The increase back to .11 percent on tobacco products isn't even new — it's a return to rates we had four years ago, which had been decreasing slightly each year.
This isn't going to sway anyone who already can't stand the thought of raising taxes (or in this case, restoring them), but it's the only way I know how to look at this.
Cohen is a Topeka senior in political science.
DANTHOMPSON
The health benefits of any such increase must be carefully weighed against the drawbacks, including the reality that the tax's greatest burden falls upon those who can least afford it. Caution and skepticism are always in order when the government proposes to use taxes to encourage certain types of behavior.
Such an excise tax on cigarettes is regressive and, some would argue, paternalistic, but it saves money. Ultimately, and unambiguously, it saves lives.
I oppose a tax on sugary drinks, for example, because it crosses the line between prudent health policy and worrisome paternalism. But a pack of Marlboros, unlike a 20 ounce bottle of Coca-Cola, contains a singularly pernicious health hazard.
Smoking cigarettes, in economic terms, produces an enormous negative externality, not only in the form of second-hand smoke, but also in the billions of dollars in increased health care expenditures that we subsidize as tax-payers.
— Thompson is a Topeka senior in economics.
There are many problems with a sin tax. First, sin taxes are terribly regressive (placing a much greater burden on the poor than the rich). Not only do more poor people smoke, they spend a much greater percentage of their income on cigarettes. Studies show those who are encouraged to quit smoking tend to be in middle or upper income brackets — making it even more regressive as time passes.
Despite President Obama's pledge not to raise taxes on people earning less than $250,000 per year, he signed a bill hitting smokers with the single largest tobacco tax increase ever.
Secondly, the government becomes addicted to the revenue the sin tax yields. But when people quit politicians must either increase the tax again or search for new behaviors to demonize and tax. So it's no surprise that Congress is now considering a soda tax and an alcohol tax.
It's time for the government to kick their habit and "butt" out.
WHO DO YOU THINK IS POLITICALLY CORRECT?
Go to Kansan.com to vote and send your topic ideas to pc@kansan.com.
Compton is a Wichita senior in political science.
HUMOR
Accepting the f-bomb
Let's say you're a young comedian, and you've just landed your dream job. A spot on "Saturday Night Live." And on your first episode, you get to star in your own sketch, something that can take years to happen for other cast members, if it even happens at all.
Your character is a biker chick who says "frickin", "freakin", "friggin" or variations of other words (a hilarious character indeed).
Now, let's say you let your guard down, and about 12 friggins into the sketch, that ugly monster of a word emerges from its dank cave in the recesses of your brain, punching the little voice in your head that's chanting. "Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it," directly in the throat and soiling the ears of all who tuned in to the show. What would you do?
That's what Jenny Slate did on the season premiere of SNL last month. She puffed up like a blowfish, performing the facial expression equivalent of Ashlee Simpson's bizarre jig during the SNL lip syncing fasco of 2004.
Here's the odd thing, though. NBC said Slate will not be fired. And the Federal Communication Commission didn't even fine NBC since the profanity occurred late enough at night, according to various entertainment blogs. Nothing real came of the unfortunate utterance.
You'd probably make a face that says, "I'm so dead."
In their state of silent disbelief, those audience members probably thought they had seen Slate's last moments before SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels personally dumped her lifeless body into the East River. And with good reason — the last cast member to say the f-word, Charles Rocket, was fired.
So why all the shock about something that most people say every day? Why all the hallabaloo over a four-letter word?
We here at the University of Kansas are no strangers to the
strange emotions evoked by the f-word. The controversial kickoff chant that contains the word has put students at odds with the campus leaders who don't want folks watching football games on television to think we're vulgar, unwashed hooligans.
What I find to be interesting is that the focus seems to be on that one little word and not the fact that the chant endorses forcible decapitation. If we chanted "I do say, give that gentleman a severe case of cranial avulsion," the University would point to it as an indication of the student body's improving vocabulary skills.
There seems to be a dissonance between the values we assign certain words and the impact they have on the real world. We can talk all we want about removing skulls without consent, but the moment a dirty word gets thrown in, people react in horror.
But what really happens when somebody says the f-word? Do our ears bleed? Are we struck by lightning? Do puppies stop being cut? No, no and — thank God — no.
Bad words are bad only because we say they are bad. It is a self-fulilling prophecy, like somebody who haspremonitions ofbecoming a hobo deciding to major in English. The only negative result of somebody saying a bad word is the controversy that surrounds it. If we followed the teachings of George Carlin, the patron saint of cursing, wed let words just be words and worry only about the important things in life.
The key is to just not give a fuck.
Nichols is a Stilwell junior in creative writing.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER TO Climate change all too real for some countries
Perhaps Mr. Compton's assertions in his column last week "Climate Change: A History of fear" are correct, and climate change is the load of bolonney. But the people of Tuvalu, Kiribati, Nauru, Barbados and several other low-lying island nations would disagree.
Vast portions of Tuvalu and Kiribati have become inhospitable, forcing internal migration. The land is full of salt-water, turning the vegetables and food people have traditionally lived off into husks of their former selves.
The islands have become increasingly crowded, and emigration from both Kiribati and Tuvalu will soon become necessary according to their governments. The United States last week signed an agreement with the nation of Kiribati to provide for future common defense and the protection of marine life in the country. Shouldn't that extend to ensuring the future of their homes?
Did the U.S. Marine Corps loses 990 men storming the beaches of Kiribati during World War II just so the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change could predict it would sink 150 years later?
The people of these nations will lose their loved ones, their homes and their traditions. Climate change is an issue of humanity. People fear action because it may just be alarm. Go to these places and look where people used to live — they lie under the tide.
Furthermore, if Mr. Compton is indeed afraid for the people of the U.S. then maybe he would have noticed the record droughts the states of California and Georgia are experiencing.
The drop-off in precipitation on the North American continent has contributed in part to alterations in weather patterns, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Even a two-degree change in temperature will affect the tidal patterns globally.
Sean Elliott is a sophomore from Stanley.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES
Send letters to opiningkanan.com
Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown.
Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
Jessica Sain-Baird, managing editor 864-4810 or jain-baird@kansan.com
Brenna Hawley, editor
864-4810 or bhawley@kansan.com
Jennifer Torline, managing editor 864-4810 or jtorline@kansan.com
Haley Jones, kanson.com managing editor
CONTACT US
Michael Holtz, opinion editor
864-4924 or mholtz@kansan.com
Maria Korte, sales manager
864-4477 or mkorte@kansan.com
Caitlin Thornbrugh, editorial editor 864-4924 or thornbrugh@kansan.com
Lauren Bloodgood, business manager 864-4358 or bloodgood@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser
adviser
864-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com
Jon Schitt, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or schitt@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
members of the Kansan Editorial Board are
Jessica Saini, Jessica Saini-Bard, Jennifer
Tortline Haley Hale, Thamnion Thirthburnu,
and Martin Holtz.