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EDITORIAL: The elections may be over, but that doesn't mean it's time to stop paying attention to politics. Make sure leaders keep their promises See kansan.com for more opinions and Free for All comments
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8,2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
PAGE 7A
》 OUR VIEW
Election not only time to care about politics
Stumping, mudslinging, Decision 2006 and Indecision 2006 are all yesterday's exhortations and the election excitement (tedium, for some) has already faded. But why not pay attention to the next two years of bungles (or accomplishments) to guide you in your decisions for 2008?
With that stack of Western Civilization books to read or beers in your refrigerator to drink, maybe you lacked the time to take notice of this season's squabbles. But you could hardly avoid it when your cell phone rang, the caller ID said "anonymous" and then a recording of Paul Morrison or some other gruff voice commanded you to vote for him or her.
If you had paid attention the last two years, you could have snapped your phone shut. You would have already known whether to vote for the candidate. Advertisements and news reports bombard us with (dis)information about challengers, but usually you can make a
decision based on whether or not you approve of the incumbent's conduct during his or her term.
From Jack Abramoff to torture, Kansas abortion clinic medical records to Mark Foley, bad John Kerry jokes to the Kansas Board of Education, everyone has experienced abominations to their values since 2004.
That's why it's important to base your vote on a politician's conduct through an extended period of time. No pre-election opinion section contains all the relevant information in its two-page spread to produce an informed citizenry in one day.
EXCUSES FOR NOT VOTING
Whether or not you enjoy the media's election-season horse race, pick up The Kansan every day and look for political news and opinions to better inform you for 2008. We will continue to cover politics as long as you continue to read about it.
- Steve Lynn for the editorial board
DAMN.
SAID "GET OUT AND BOAT"
GOVERNOR
KATHLEEN
SERBELIVE
-DEMOCRAT
JIM BARNETT
-REPUBLICAN
CAN'T PUT AN "X"
IN A BOX
THAT'S WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTS YOU TO DO, STUPID
Grant Snider/KANSAN
COMMENTARY
A size 00 won't make you feel better
I have always joked that models and Disney characters are a size negative-two. With the idea of "vanity sizing," that might actually become a true statement.
The basic concept behind vanity sizing is that some clothing manufacturers are thinking about releasing sizes lower than zero, a.k.a. negative numbers. They believe shifting the size scale will make overweight women feel better about themselves. So, I'll feel better when I go from a size eight to a size four.
Although my size may go down, my body weight is not going to go down. I'm still going to notice my pudgy tummy sticking out over my size four jeans when I sit down. The fat mentality is going to shift along with the sizes. Soon a size six will
be seen as fat and size negative-two desirable.
Seeing a smaller size on a tag is not going to make you healthier or make you feel better. When a woman who's trying to lose weight gets to wear a whole size or two lower than she does now, the happiness comes not just from the number, but from the knowledge that she worked hard to lose that weight. Going down a size can give a woman a sense of accomplishment, but that sense is gone when vanity sizing comes in.
In addition, a Kansas article, "Fashion industry offers negative-sized clothing," mentioned that according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only four states have obesity levels
BY JENNY HARTZ
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
of less than 20 percent of the population. So if we try to make women feel skinnier with vanity sizing, where's the incentive for them to work out and eat healthier?
I think instead of trying to make women's clothing seem smaller we should try to change the measurements of women's clothing so women can find a better fit. If I had more size options for jeans, I could probably find a better fit more eas-
tly. This would make me feel good about myself.
It takes forever to find a pair of jeans that fits well, regardless of size. There are all sorts of problems with not just your waist size, but also your height and thighs and booty. A size nine might fit your waist but be two inches too short. And a lot of women are very reluctant to go up to that size 11 because that is going into, gasp, double digits. Bras are probably the only piece of clothing women don't mind going up a size in.
My roommate, Kelly Gibson,
suggested clothing manufacturers
size women's pants like men's pants,
where you measure your inseam
size and waist size. That would be
brilliant. I could find jeans for my
short little body that would actually accept the fact that I may be small but I also have three sets of hips. Most short jean sizes, especially in the petite section, assume if you're really short, you must be really skinny too. Not so. I have big bips and I cannot lie. You other brothers can't deny ...
With more measurement options, we could find the perfect fit and feel like we are perfect just the way we are. And Princess Jasmine can go eat a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts so she can fit into a size one pair of jeans instead of hoping for vanity siliz
Hartz is a Stilwell sophomore in creative writing.
FREE FOR ALL
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
Here kitty,kitty,kitty. Bring on the Wildcats.
present.
Todd Reesing is so cool he even knows the claps to the fight song.
To be in a fraternity do you have to play Frisbee?
The Bitch'n Moan section in Jayplay makes me not want to read The Kansan. Those people are rude and absolutely not helpful.
Remember, remember, the Fifth of November.
This is to the girl that raced me back to Lawrence from Leavenworth: One, I think you are cute. Two, what are you doing on Thursday?
Yes, I have a something
Why is there a big, ugly used thong behind Anschutz on Sunday
I'm walking by this girl and she's talking on her cell phone and I know something her boyfriend doesn't even know: She's cheating him with his brother.
Jesus votes Democrat
The girl who always talks on her phone on the Legends 8:10 bus is so annoying that I'm boycotting
By senior year I'm going to have a really firm butt from walking up all these stairs.
I saw Bush in Topeka and now I love him and want to give him a
present.
GUEST COMMENTARY
hug.
Why am I, an undisciplined, semi-practicing Muslim at best, so fond of Salman Ahman, a musician inspired thoroughly by Islam?
Pakistani musician bringing message to KU
It is not because his band has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, nor because he commands the kind of following in South Asia that Metallica once did here.
In September 2006, he was personally invited by Bill Clinton to speak at the Clinton Global Initiative panel in New York, where many prominent personalities like Bill Gates and Queen Rania were
Having performed with the likes of Pearl Jam and Iron Maiden, this U.N.-appointed Good Will ambassador is often compared to U2's Bono, and is the recipient of UNESCO's "outstanding achievements in music and peace" award.
Rather, it is his persistence in spreading goodwill about Islam, regardless of the hostility that such a task necessarily attracts in recent times.
His peaceful approach was so out of the ordinary that the former Pakistani government called it radical, banning him from Pakistani television and radio. Now, however, he is working in collaboration with Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff to bridge the gap, not only between India and Pakistan, but also between mainstream America and American Muslims.
Additionally, Salman has agreed to bring his guitar along and give an hour's performance. Considering that he is often hailed as the best guitarist from South Asia, this could be quite a treat. And before I forget, this event is free for KU students and faculty, so I hope to see a lot of you there.
In a time when Pakistan and India are trying to outdo each other in the nuclear arms race, this Pakistani is emphasizing the need for peace between the two nations and was quoted as saying, "we don't have clean water, health or employment. How can we afford a nuclear bomb?"
the bus.
He has been grilled by correspondents from CNN, NPR and Bill Maher from Politically Incorrect. Attendees can do this too, to find out the cause for which a guitarist/medical doctor puts his stellar career on the line.
Pakistani Student Association, he is coming to the Kansas Union on Nov. 13. Attendees will be treated to one of his internationally-acclaimed documentaries, two of which have been aired by BBC and PBS.
Ahmad, creator and lead guitarist of Junoon, the most popular rock band in South Asia, performed at the University of Kansas in 2002 in front of an audience of more than 1,000 people.
With the help of the University's
Hissan Anis Lahore, Pakistan, law student and member of the Pakistani Student Association
COMMENTARY
No ideology dominates America today
BY ALEXANDER JOHN CRIST
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
As for the Dems, you get the vibe that they don't know what to do with regard to Iraq, but let's be honest: Setting up a brand new government and military in a country that sees you as an occupying force and is over-run with militant fanatics with guns while trying to get out at. the same time is complicated.
I hate to crib from David Brooks, but I'm going to go ahead and do so: We're entering an era without any predominant political ideology.
Phrases like "cut and run" pigeon-hole them, but with a little more stretching room in Congress they'll be able to figure something out and get their game together.
Whether America switches to a liberal ideology depends upon the Democrats finding a decent message, and the Evangelicals. The latter came out of nowhere for a lot of us in 2004, but now it looks like — politically at least — they're losing steam, primarily because they don't feel Bush is doing enough for them.
Brooks, in The New York Times last week, was talking about how from FDR to LB) we had a predominantly liberal ideology, with the New Deal, Social Security and the progressive legacy of civil rights. From Nixon to Carter we had what the latter referred to as "malaise" (good word — look it up) and a national sense of disillusionment with no dominant ideology.
It also helps (or hurts) when you have something come up like megachurch preacher Ted Haggard buying methamphetamine and maybe seeing a gay prostitute.
Now, because I'm writing this the day before the elections, and because this is appearing the day after the elections, I'm in a bit of an awkward situation. I don't know how things went yesterday but I'm going to go out and make a risky forecast that the Democrats will not lose.
》 TALK TO US
Crist is a Marysville sophomore in political science.
Then from Reagan to sometime quite recently we had a trend toward conservatism. The past six years, however, seems to have drained it. We're back to not a blank slate, but a slate full of useless senators who aren't getting re-elected.
If I'm being rough on the Republicans, it's because the Democrats look like the uncharismatic loser at the party. The Republicans, meanwhile, are represented by the really drunk guy who lit a cat on fire and then vomited all over the kitchen. He's just a more interesting target.
So why the flux? Cliché time: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But since this is a democracy, we have to settle for enough power, which corrupts enough. Let's look at the recent quamires: Mark Foley, the initial response to Hurricane Katrina, the deficit, Iraq and Bush being a tool. Whether or not you can blame them on the GOP is not the question — because it has Congress and the presidency.
Jonathan Keeling, editor
846-4534 or akil@iansan.com
Gick R. Schultze, managing editor
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Dave Rulgh, associate opinion editor
864-4924 or drulgh@kansan.com
Gabriella Souza, managing editor
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EDITORIAL BOARD
Jonathan Koaling, Erick R. Schmidt, Gabriella Souza, Frank Tankard, Dave Ruigh, Steve Lynn, McKay Stangler and Lois Mora
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