OPINION
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
Coming Friday, September 14..
Durbin: Causes in the increase in youth suicides must be addressed and overcome.
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 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2007
Chambers: Free tuition for Student Senate members is unjustified.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2007
EDITORIAL BOARD
Kansas law not a reflection of celebrity antics
Despite light sentences for the famous, consequences for driving under the influence are steep
Just being pulled over for a minor traffic violation can be embarrassing, scary and potentially expensive. Now add those infamous words,"You are being arrested for driving under the influence," and those elements of fear and embarrassment reach all new heights. Although it seems that if you're in the state of Kansas versus, say, California, and you're just the Average Joe, the consequences of your driving excursion could get very serious.
Now you always hear some lawbreaker whine that if they were a celebrity or rich, they could have gotten away with their crime. Well, as exhausted as we all are of hearing about the off-the-wall antics of celebrities, the legal cases of a few certain 'celebutantes' in California has sparked our interest in the legal system in Kansas. We
used those instances to examine some of Kansas laws.
Reasons given for the short duration of some recent celebrities stint in the pen was due to L.A.'s overcrowding in the jails and the early release of nonviolent offenders. Their actual sentences are also where we see the lighter side of California law, and either some forgiving judges or some of that celebrity status working its magic.
Nicole Richie pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs in a deal; the plea helped her avoid a potential year in jail and an actual second DUI conviction. She was sentenced to four days on jail, and served 82 minutes, in which she never even made it to her cell. According to the City Prosecutor for Lawrence, Jerry Little, the
state of Kansas prohibits you from reaching a deal so as to plea out of a DUI. He said that most states do not differentiate between drugs and alcohol, so whether you get pulled over while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, it is a DUI.
Lindsay Lohan also jumped on that second DUI train, when she was also arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance. It was her second driving arrest in four months. Ms. Lohan was fortunate enough to only receive seven misdemeanors in a (yes, the District Attorney's office offered another) plea deal in which she received a one-day jail sentence and 10 days' community service. She is again to enter into a rehabilitation program. If she had been in Kansas, however, according to the DUI statute, she
would have received no fewer than 90 days (more than likely serving a mandatory five days), a $1,000 fine and alcohol evaluation.
In our humble state, some of us have to experience the full power of the law firsthand. We aren't fortunate enough to receive plea deals and serve mere minutes compared of daylong sentences. The obvious and responsible decision is to not drink and drive. If you are so unfortunate to experience a run-in with law enforcement officials in Kansas, just know, you will serve every long, forsaken minute of that sentence. Citizens should be equal under the law, including how severe their punishments are for breaking the law. If recent events are any indication, this condition has yet to be met.
DRAWING BOARD
ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL
Staying the course not always an option Sometimes conceding an error and correcting it is the wisest choice to make
Stay the course. It's a simple and short statement that retains power. Stay the course. A statement that says to not falter, to not buckle under the pressure and to not fall into that category with all the other weaklings. Stay the course. Be strong and persistent. Never give up. Stay the course.
While I admit that "stay the course" is good advice in many situations, it is not always used justly. Recently, I watched the movie "The Patriot." It's a movie about the American Revolution and their war for independence against the British. I know the movie was written in 2000, but
sure enough, whenever the future looked bleak, the American soldiers would just plead, "Stay the course." I guess that would be good advice in this situation because we eventually won our freedom. Sometimes, when I'm really down about being in debt because college is so expensive and I'm so frustrated with everything, I just feel like dropping out of school. I have to tell myself, "No, Jesse, stay the course. It will be better in the end. Just stay the course." And that statement reinvigorates and compels me to stay in school and work harder. But really, is "stay the course" a good motivational statement for America's war in Iraq?
Why isn't recognizing one's fault a strength? Why do we have to persist in winning, heeding no attention to the possible outcomes, positive or negative? If we did, wouldn't that be a giant leap for mankind? I know America loves its winners, but
some of the best sports movies end with the protagonist or protagonists losing. However, through all their struggles, they learn something about themselves. They walk away with a clearer image of themselves and begin to move on and head in the right direction. They recognize their faults and where they screwed up, but instead of being stubborn and arrogant about it, they come to terms with it and improve upon themselves. If I saw this in a leader, I would blindly follow him or her, because only a real man or woman would have such humility. But to constantly use that statement during the course of the war in Iraq was irresponsible and a complete misuse of such a statement.
MOUNTAIN DEW AT MIDNIGHT
I, for one, do not support the war in Iraq. I support our troops but it makes me angry of the deceit that brought us into this war. President George W. Bush and his administration proclaimed that Iraq had weapons
or mass destruction. To this day, no weapons have been discovered in Iraq. This war has had no good results other than ending a tyrant's oppressive regime. But now we're stuck in Iraq and this is the part where I'm torn. I want the troops to come home, but I have this notion that as America, we shouldn't abandon those who want our help. That wouldn't be very humanitarian of us, would it? The last time we isolated ourselves from the world, Hitler rose in power and nearly took over all of Europe. The only problem is that only half the people in Iraq want our help and the others wants us to leave. Should we stay the course? This is a question I just cannot seem to answer. I'm not adept in politics so I have no answers or solutions for this problem. All I know is that I want peace.
Brown is a Lee's Summit, Mo., junior in journalism.
Campus road rules work both ways
Both drivers and pedestrians to blame for congestion
At the University of Kansas, there are many battles going on.
At the University of Kansas, there are many battles going on. There's the academic struggle to survive and keep that GPA higher than your shoe size. There's the struggle to get that one guy or girl you like to ask you out because you're too shy to do it yourself. There's the struggle to come up with a biweekly witty column every two weeks. No, wait, that's just me.
One of the biggest battles on campus is Man vs. Machine. And by man, I mean pedestrian, and by machine, I mean motorized vehicle.
Now, the University of Kansas is a college campus and there are a lot of students and professors walking around. By walking around these people become pedestrians. 'Pedestrians' a term coming from the word 'ped' meaning foot and 'strians' meaning some sort of chord progression-sounding thingy. So, it always amazes me when someone zips around a corner of a parking lot, almost hits me and looks at me like I just fell out of the sky. He mouths words at me which I'm pretty sure are something like, "Hey, have a nice day!"
A lot of people would blame near-hits on people who talk on their cell phones while driving. This is a common variable but I've found the one factor in every near-hit case that causes all near accidents: the car is being driven by a person.
Now, it would be nice of people to drive more carefully in
parking lots, not stop haltway in the crosswalk and not hit people, unless those people are wearing Ugg boots. However, courtesy goes on both ends.
Pedestrians need to make sure to look both ways before crossing the street, especially if they're not at a crosswalk. Hey, Jayhawks jaywalk; just do it jay-smartly.
Also, at night, cars really can't see you. It's almost easier to see a ninja in the night.
Although occasionally you can get away with darting in front of a car, you are most certainly suicidal if you do it in front of a bus. It takes a lot to stop a huge bus. Do not run out in front of the bus, unless you really, really don't want to go to COMS 130. Ever again.
In addition, your fellow students ride the buses and are in just as much of a hurry as you to get to class on time. It's annoying for them to have to sit on the bus for ten minutes because of the cattle, I mean students, constantly clogging the crosswalks. It makes the buses late, it makes your fellow classmates late and it makes the drivers cranky.
It's especially annoying on the hill between Watson library and Stauffer-Flint Hall. It's hard enough for the buses to get enough momentum to get up the hill without them getting stopped halfway up it because of students darting into the crosswalk.
So, drivers be courteous and be more aware of pedestrians. Pedestrians, be courteous and be more aware of cars, especially buses. And, my professors, please be courteous and be more aware that I'd like 'A's this semester.
Hartz is a Stilwell junior in creative writing.
FREE FOR ALL: 864-0500 OR KANSAN.COM/FACEBOOK
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.
I just listened to frat guys debate for 10 minutes on how to pronounce 'salad' correctly. is there any way we can ban them from the libraries? I feel stupid just being in their presence, haha see, it's affecting me already!
How can Student Senate possibly hope to get an accurate vote count on the clickers without clickers?
Free for All, I said to myself a million times last week that I wasn't going to call or post but, babe, I just couldn't stop thinking about you. So, I've come crawling back for more of your sweet lovin!
Say it with me people: Saddam Hussein and Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
Hey, everybody who told me to "never forget". Thanks. The biggest terrorist attack in America's history almost slipped my mind, but you really helped me out with
your slogan you probably say without even thinking about it.
Thank you to the guy who bought me and my friend lunch at The Underground today just because we were in military uniforms. I'm glad to know that even college students appreciate what we are doing and it makes me even prouder to defend this country.
country!
McLovin does work. DO WORK,
SON!
I just saw McLovin running up the stairs in Templin.
I'm a hot guy and single.Call me.
Question: what kind of bear is the best?
(Editor's Note: I'm partial to the Kodiak.)
TALK TO US
Erick R. Schmidt, editor
864-4810 or eschmidt@kansan.com
Do work, son!
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Eric R. Schmidt, Eric Jorgensen, Daria Slipe, Kelsey Hayes, Bryan Dykman, Brandon T. Minister, Angelique McNaughton and Benjamin R. Smith