WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2004
OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Senators skirt issues by looking busy
Most humans, and most animals I suppose, learn motor skills early in life.
Yet while torrents ravaged large parts of Asia and the Indian subcontinent, leaving millions homeless, and negotiations to stop the terror campaigns in Sudan's Darfur region collapsed, and violence continued in Chechnya and the Congo and turned reflexive in Gaza; while a Reuters report foretelling an increased dependence on foreign oil, and a possible and imminent "large-scale attack" on U.S. soil by terrorists, and in Iraq more bombs killed more civilians and more soldiers, our U.S. Senate voted last week on a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as exclusively heterosexual, thereby banning same-sex marriage.
So much for keeping an eye on the ball.
What our congressmen did learn early in life, like a high school student watching the minutes steadily tick away toward lunch, is how to look busy.
A review of the Congressional Record found an article from June of this year titled "Celebrating The Oak Tree," in which a representative extolled the beauty of a big tree in Brunswick County, Virginia.
"Long may the great Brunswick County white oak stand," he concluded.
Back to the gay marriage ban: all four senators from Kansas and Missouri — all
perspective
Wheaton Elkins
opinion@kansan.com
Republicans voted in favor of the amendment. However, a July 12 New York Times article quoted a conservative Christian lobbyist who said many conservatives were unhappy with the amendment proposal.
Unfortunately, many conservatives appearing on TV exude something between affected outrage and outright homophobia when speaking about the ban.
Democratic officials are little better. With a mixture of obfuscation and hypocrisy, they seem to decry a ban on gay-marriage and, at the same time, gloat that their state defines marriage as between a man and woman. At least right-wing idiocy is transparent.
What is really frustrating, though, is the number of horribly convoluted issues affecting Americans — the war, terrorism, the economy, employment, health care costs that deserve most of our representatives' attention, and which render this issue of gay-marriage less urgent.
In local news, the Lawrence Journal-
World reported Sunday that the Kansas Arts Commission was looking for a state poet laureate. This gives me the chance to vent my government frustrations and apply for this important position simultaneously. I have composed a political quasi-sonnet:
This Amendment will stick it to gays, Thought senators, many with gall,
Though senators, many with gun-
Though it was fear of those same 'evil'
ways.
That happened to start it all.
That happened to start it all.
The Amendment defeated, silence gave way
To Republicans crying, "Now what?!" As Democrats joined with "Hip-hip-hoooray!"
And patted each other's butt. Very important tasks were in
Line, about which senators spoke,
But before they began, all hundred of them.
Saluted a tree made of oak.
(Last two lines unfinished.)
I wonder if I'll get the job...
If you have strong feelings about this amendment, you could write to your representatives. I want to write mine and tell them other problems require their immediate attention, but I'm not certain it will do any good: some days I think ol' Uncle Sam fell asleep with the gas on.
Elkins is a St.Joseph, Mo., junior in English.
Decline right, but don't complain afterward
As the 2004 Presidential Election approaches, it is becoming increasingly tougher to figure out who really cares about our country.
I am not talking about the candidates running for election, I am talking about the younger generation who gets to vote for the first time.
For some reason, maybe because of the current state that our country is in, people are "declining their right" to vote. That is the line I heard the other night while with some friends.
My friend then said, "It's not like one vote is going to make a difference." That response is becoming more and more popular as the election draws near.
People who are declining their right to vote should also have to decline their right to complain. People feel that because they are a citizen of this country, they can complain about anything and everything they want. That is true, it is a free country and people can say what they want.
However, there is one day every four years when your opinion really matters. That day is when you go to the polling place and vote for who you think should run this country.
So, why would a person decline to participate in an election? What does a person gain from not voting? All the person has then is their right to complain.
perspective
Daniel Berk
opinion@kansan.com
There are a lot of uncertainties surrounding our country right now. These are uncertainties that are not going to go away overnight. The only way to try and eliminate these is by electing the person whom you feel is the most qualified.
There are people who live their life in fear every day. Uncertainty about the future of our country and the threat of another terrorist attack is a good reason.
Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 highlighted many things that are wrong with our country. People sat in a movie theatre for two hours and now think they know everything that's wrong.
There are real problems happening and all the younger generation wants to do is complain. Complain about higher gas prices or other petty things.
The response I have heard most regarding the film is that the country is in bad shape and that something bad could happen soon. Yet half of those people I talked with still do not want to vote. People want the problems just to go away with no effort.
Since the movie was released June 25 it has grossed almost $94 million. This shows an obvious concern for our country. People are obviously worried about the events currently happening.
The only true way to eliminate problems is by paying attention to the election, and researching all the candidates. A movie cannot tell you who should run the country despite how well it was made. The only person who can is you.
Whether the movie is based on fact or falsity is not the point. The movie was done from an obvious bias and people need to realize that. There are bigger problems and I challenge every one to research those problems.
If this is the first time you have been privileged to vote, exercise your right. Absolutely no good can come from complaining, but some good can come from voting.
Berk is a St. Louis junior in journalism.
Free forAll Call 864-0500
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Hey, guess what? Mo Ricca from The Daily Show on I Love the '90s is wearing a Rock Chalk shirt. That's awesome.
It's Lil' Flip not Will Smith. Clover! (giggle)
Whoa, is this thing still on during the summer?
I'm drunk. I'm in Manhattan. I'm dressed like a sheep. Everyone else is drunk. I'm scared.
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Girl: Hi, Sarah, this is Amy. Oh she wants to talk to you. Boy: Hello? Hello?
Hey to the guy who wouldn't make out with me on Mass. Street, I'm not as wasted as you are. You should have taken advantage of that.
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Hi, this is to all of you who come into a restaurant on Wednesday, order wings and decide that it's really cool to pay in exact change in pennies and not tip. I'd just like to give a big "F you" to, especially that 20 y'all group of you. Yeah, good times, see if I give you service again. Better watch out, those wings, I might spit in your food. Thank you and have a nice day.
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To those of you who left your waitress a tip saying "make sure you watch your customers," I've got a tip for you: make sure you watch your waitress. Don't think you can treat people shitty, especially people serving you and expect something not to happen. That's the tip of the day.
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Lance Watson, you've been in college one year and you're going to preach to us about college life? Yeah, read your article in three years, buddy.
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There's a guy on EI Entertainment on I Love the '90s 1993 and he's wearing a Rock Chalk Jayhawk T-shirt and I want to know where he got it and if he graduated from KU. Goodbye.
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Yeah, I was walking to class this morning and I saw the weirdest thing. The Chancellor had his dog in front of Budig Hall and his dog took a crap on the lawn of Budig Hall. I just thought it was kind of funny because he looked up to see if anybody noticed. But then he cleaned it up, so he's a good chancellor because he cleaned it up. But, yeah, all right, bye.