Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 5A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FREE FOR ALL
--no fun.
To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com, call 785-864-0500 or try our Facebook App.
Ivoted!
I pulled an all-nighter for no reason. Sometimes I don't understand myself.
Wanna screw? Really, I have a screw I found. Do you want
Everything is better naked!
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge the Student Senate campaigners!
My parents are coming in town tomorrow... Now I can't drink!
The KFC Double Down sandwich actually makes me a little ill to think about.
Commercials don't usually have an effect on me. Right now, however, I REALLY want some Cheez-its.
Taylor Swift, you are a menace, stop causing car accidents from people looking
--no fun.
--no fun.
I once beat a robot in a fist fight
Bringing up the religion vs science debate in class is the biggest mistake you will ever
--no fun.
I just saw Taylor Swift in Lawrence! Apparently, Justin Bieber's memorial service is here in Lawrence and she was here to mourn the loss.
--no fun.
I have five eggs in my basket. If I get five more, I can purchase a mystery egg!
Will you tell me how you became a prince in the town called Bel-Air?
Dear Kansan staff, could we maybe get harder puzzles? Because breezing through the crossword, sudoku and cryptoquip in 10 minutes is
I'm pretty sure you have a girlfriend, but I'm still going to check you out in Biology.
It's a boring class and you are beautiful.
It's hard to Facebook stalk a person when you only know their first name.
I'm happy I'm an atheist.
EDITORIAL CARTOON
MARIAM AIFAN
LGBT ISSUES
Battling with and under the'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'policy
W What comes to your mind when you hear the word "patriotism"? Personally, I think of soldiers who are defending my freedom to be myself. Those soldiers are fighting for all people: white, black, disabled, poor, rich, gay or straight. However, the irony isn't lost on me; a soldier can be anyone, but not everyone can be a soldier — at least if they value expressing their sexual orientation.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) was put into place in 1993 at the beginning of Bill Clinton's first term as president.
This legislation was considered a compromise that would allow homosexuals to serve in the U.S. military as long as they did not discuss their sexual orientation.
This means that a soldier can't commit homosexual acts or admit to being in a gay relationship or marriage.
If another service member discovers a soldier is gay or there is "admissible evidence," it is very likely that the soldier will be discharged.
Although heterosexual soldiers can admit to being in a relationship or married with no issues, homosexual soldiers cannot.
To some, DADT was a step up for gay rights; to others, it was yet another setback. I see it somewhere in between.
Presently, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, more than 13,000 military personnel have been discharged based on violation of DADT.
That means 13,000 people have been trained using millions of tax dollars and government services, only to be stripped of the ability to actually use their training to defend our country.
Why is it that heterosexual soldiers are allowed to get it on without worrying that their behavior will result in a discharge, but, heaven forbid two male or female soldiers get together?
I find this frustrating as all check.
Queerly Speaking
A personal life is called so for a reason: It doesn't involve others.
BY LAUREN BORNSTEIN
It is only by treating homosexual relationships as different than heterosexual relationships that problems arise.
How is simply admitting to homosexuality going to screw up the military mindset?
In reality, the only difference between gay and straight soldiers is who they love.
There are seven values followed by the Army, the military branch with the most discharges. They include loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. I don't see the honor or respect in DADT.
"In reality, the only difference between gay and straight soldiers is who they love."
Therefore, to be successful, a soldier's mind needs to be focused on the goal at hand, not on their fellow soldiers' personal lives. This is something I can agree with.
It should be understood that when you become part of the military, there is a strong one-for-all and all-for-one mentality.
As a soldier, the mission is your only task. Protecting your fellow soldier is a must. Nothing less will be tolerated.
But, the principles of selfless service and duty remain essential
It's not easy for me to admit, but I believe that to repeal DADT right now would throw off the training of our current soldiers.
We are in the middle of a war, and our soldiers need to be completely focused on that.
Even though DADT makes me angry and it is a bad policy, I don't want to sacrifice our soldiers' safety and the completion of their mission by causing a disruption.
For the sake of full disclosure, this may be because I am personally affected by the military. My twin brother is a soldier in the Army.
I have kept in touch with him through the occasional phone call and frequent letters sent via snail mail.
By talking with him and some of my other amazing veteran friends, I have an inside look of what it is like to be a part of the military.
I know that my twin loves and supports me 100 percent; he did before he joined the Army, and he still does after all he's been through.
My relationships with my brother and friends have proven to me that the military is not anti-gay, and neither are the majority of the soldiers.
What I have come to understand, however, is that, regardless of whether heterosexual or homosexual, a soldier's personal life is the last thing discussed in the military world.
Soldiers are trained to put aside their emotions and feelings and focus on the task at hand.
Being a patriot is not about always abiding by the government's decisions.
I believe that DADT is unpatriotic. As Americans, we should use the freedom that allows us to express our opinions and do what we can to change DADT.
However, any frustrations with this policy can — and should — be directed toward the government, not our soldiers.
Stand up to our politicians for this unfair policy, but commend our soldiers for still being willing to fight for our freedom, even under a policy they know is unfair.
Bornstein is a senior from Lawrence in womens studies
The Government Accountability Office reported that it costs $95.4 million for recruiting and $95.1 million for training replacements for the 9,488 troops discharged from 1994 through 2003. The Blue Ribbon Commission places the total closer to $363 million, which includes "separation travel" once a service member is discharged, officer training and other associated costs.
Quick Facts about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
- Women in the military have said that all it takes to initiate a DADT investigation is a rumor about being a lesbian. These rumors can simply be a result of a woman rebuffing a man's advances, if she doesn't wear makeup, doesn't discuss a boyfriend or simply looks "butch."
- Allies of the U.S., such as Great Britain and Israel, allow openly gay and lesbian members to serve in the military.
Agree or Disagree? Vote on a poll at Kansan.com.
GENDER ISSUES
Race shows high-heeled men can help women heal
With the weather warming up, it's a great time to spread our activity.
ism outdoors. In fact, it isn't an uncommon sight to see flocks of people pounding the pavement to raise money for various causes.
Benefit races are a wonderful way to spread awareness and attract large crowds. However, many of the feminine issues races are filled almost entirely with women. Pictures show hordes of women proudly donning pink race shirts — but there is scarcely a beard to be found. Alternatively, male-issue races, such as the PACE (Prostate Awareness and Cancer Education) race, tend to attract a more balanced gender profile.
Sex and Sensibility
My favorite charity race and the one that totally blows away any form of gender isolation is the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" benefit. It's a benefit to raise awareness about rape, sexual assault and gender violence. However, it's marketed mainly toward men.
A bunch of men running around in high heels draws a lot of attention, which outweighs any negative effects of its cutesy nature. It's simply clever marketing, and it's marketing that finally ly being used for a great cause.
So many advertising campaigns use gender stereotypes simply to push certain products, which is a strategy that just seems exploitive to me. Take for example the latest Axe commercial, which uses the phrase "women get bored easily" and shows a man playing peek-a-boo to get a woman's attention to sell the company's new hair product.
You could argue that using high-heels as a symbol for women isn't modern or feminist enough, but I think it fits pretty well. High-heels are one of the many items women are tied to if they want to be considered beautiful by mainstream society.
BY MELISSA LYTTON
That any man would put him self through that pain for a mile for a woman's cause is amazing.
These events are ways of starting to take ownership of discrimination and hatred as a society rather than turning our backs on problems that don't directly relate to our specific demographics.
However, women often pay the price for this, as evidenced by blisters and foot problems
the organization's website says, "sexualized violence does not just affect women". Although this is true, it is often overlooked; sexual violence affects the partners, boyfriend, sons and fathers of victims. That's what makes this event — as well as any gender-based event that is supported by the opposite sex — so important.
The "Shoes" walks are scheduled year round. There are a couple throughout Kansas and Missouri, but no events are organized around Lawrence. It would be easy for the student body to organize an event and raise a lot of money for an issue that affects us all and is especially prevalent in the college demographic.
Sexual assaults have unfortunately hit close to home with the recent serial assaults during school breaks. There's not much we can do about the attacks themselves, but we can raise awareness and come together as a community to fight back.
Plus, we can have a little fun outdoors while doing it.
Lytton is a senior from Kodiak,
Alaska, in creative writing.
Socialism's limiting factors discussed
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
As individuals, we have our own bodies with which we produce our own labors. This natural form of private property serves as individual motivation to advance oneself. It is not the government's place to limit our intrinsic right to personal achievement. We are born with an innate power of self-governance and, therefore, only we as individuals have the right to limit our success. This is not a right bestowed upon us by any man or government, but by God himself.
The affluence of the U.S. comes from the combination of 300 million Americans working toward their individual goals. Having personal motivation to work creates limitless potential for individual success. This moves our country forward toward a unified prosperity. A prosperity in which those who are less fortunate and in need of charity will find help, not through big government or entitlement programs, but rather through individual philanthropy. Allowing for more focused and
personalized assistance, it uses individual discretion to extend a hand beyond the reaches of the government.
By stripping away the individual's right to self-govern and limiting personal success and achievement, you inherently destroy one's ability to prosper. This is not only a crime against the individual; it is a crime against everything America stands for.
In a socialist system, big government favors the interest of the state over the individual through government appropriation of private property. This redistribution of wealth doesn't create equal grounds off which to succeed, just highly limited amounts of equal success. Consequently, personal motivation to work and produce is lost. Lack of motivation results in an inefficient system of labor, in which spending exceeds production. In turn, this gives rise to an unstable and bankrupt society in which there is nowhere to turn for help and survival becomes the prime motivation.
Joel Cundiff is a senior from Overland Park.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES
Send letters to opinion@kansan.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.
CONTACT US
Stephen Montemayor, editor-in-chief 864-4810 or smontemayor@kansan.com
Brianne Pfannenstiel, managing editor
R64-4810 or hefannenstiel@kansan.com
Jennifer Torline, managing editor 864-4810 or itorlinesikans.com
Lauren Cunningham, kansan.com managing
editor 864-4813 or kuchenm@kansan.com
Vicky Lu, KUJ-HTV managing editor 864-4810 or vlui@kansan.com
Emily McCoy, opinion editor
864-4924 or emccoy@kansan.com
Carolyn Battle, sales manager
864-4477 or cbattle@kansan.com
Kate Larrabee, editorial editor 864-4924 or klrarabee@kansan.com
Cassie Gerken, business manager 864-4358 or cgkerken@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news
Jon Schitt, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or ischitt@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of The Kansai Editorial Board are Stephen Montemayor, Brianne Phamnetlestil, David Ripley, Jennifer Worsham, Emily McCoy, Kate Lair笼, Stefanie Finn, James Castle, Michael Holtz, Caitlin Thornbrugh and Andrew Hammett.
---