OPINION
7A
FRIDAY MARCH 28, 2008
FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
GUEST COLUMN
D.C. trip reaffirms student's patriotism
You can't tell from my skin, but I got a wicked tan over the break. I, along with 19 other students in the University Scholars program, traded sunscreen for business suits to soak up the rays of justice exuded by the Supreme Court. A part our curriculum included a trip to see the Court in session. Our instructor, law professor Steve McAllister, has clerked for and argued in front of the Court. He is, by all legal and societal standards, a badass.
Using his awesomeomeness, he secured us seats for the hottest case of the year - D.C. v. Heller. This case explored the scope of a handgun ban in the district and relates directly to the 2nd Amendment - the right to bear arms. The outcome, which won't come for months, could change personal weaponry law all over the nation, including on this campus. Onlookers and news teams littered the Court's stone pavilion like they were vying for tickets at Allen Fieldhouse when we arrived. People camped for days to get a seat. We just waltzed right past them into the backdoor entrance. For once, our real IDs actually got us into the best club in town.
If you can imagine ten elderly people all playing Whack-a-Mole, you've got the basic gist of Supreme Court operations. The Court seats no jury and hears no witness testimony. The lawyers just stand before the Court and try to pop out points before the justices begin slamming them with questions. These interrogations remain critical, contradictory, and surprisingly candid. When attorney argued that someone could quickly load a triggerlocked handgun during a home intrusion, John Roberts responded cheekily, "So, you turn on the lamp and put on your reading glasses, and then what?"
After the case, we met Justices
Clarence Thomas and Ruth Badar Ginsburg. His booming laugh and her demure wit couldn't contrast more, but they both share the rare modesty of someone who not only respects doing their job, but what their job does. Thomas, whom the media often polarizes, told us of his duty to extract his personal prejudices from his vote. Being a Justice, he sees himself as a civil servant to Americans. Witnessing real patriotism like this - not the hooky Old Navy T-shirt variety - but unbiased dedication to a government's purpose, knocked me right out of the fancy ceremonial chair in which I was sitting. As a voter chipped fresh off of the electorate block, I have been suckled on political cynicism: Lewinski. 9/11. Abu Ghrab. If these abuses of power hadn't punctured my political optimism, the Iraq War's recent 5th year anniversary certainly could. I hardly expect to find my faith in democracy restored by the cosmetically and politically conservative Court.
Yet, seeing the purpose of the founding documents - equal justice under the law - beating at the heart of a living, breathing person made me forget every American Idol episode and momentarily proud to be a U.S. citizen. Maybe the government is wire-tapping our phones. Maybe the Electoral College is a joke. But our Constitutional liberty seemingly muted these days by tyrannical executive power and muddled legislation still echoes through the marble halls of the Court. At least the Court is still for the people and run by the people, the most qualified ones, in fact. After all, Clarence Thomas did pick us to win his NCAA bracket. He clearly knows what's best for this country.
Katie Oberthaler is a Wichita sophomore in English.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Twenty members of the University Scholars program traveled to Washington, D.C., during Spring Break. They are pictured standing in front of the Supreme Court building.
COMMENTARY
Tyler Doehring
Ignorant word association can be dangerous, deceptive
The word "illegal" has been drilled into the American psyche in relation to Mexican Immigrants so much that it now seems to exclusively mean an immigrant of Mexican origin. It is almost as though "Mexican" should be listed under "illegal" in the dictionary. This abuse of language fuels a broad racism that renders any resident of a Latin American background suspect by virtue of their obvious association with a burgeoning criminal class.
The mechanism by which this phenomena occurs, either inadvertently or on purpose (in terms of policy and it's reiteration by the ever-ready echo of the media), works in two manners: By essentially linking the concept of "the criminal" with that of "the Mexican", the qualifiers "illegal", "immigrant" and "Mexican" are obliterated, leaving any person bearing one or all of these traits susceptible to the judgement that
should be reserved for actual illegal immigrants. However, with the repetition and emphasis on the word "illegal" the image of a Mexican immigrant, legal or not, has somehow become synonymous with that of a rapist, murderer or terrorist. Because of this heavyhandedness in our general view of Mexican immigrants, as betrayed by our language, a stereotype of the worst kind is created, wherein a diverse ethnic and economic group is simplified and placed into the 'bad' category of people, if not downright evil.
The question should arise, then: what criminal act do these people engage in that so vilifies them? And what is so evil about it?
On a spectrum of criminal severity, the act of sneaking into a foreign country in search of work falls somewhere between speeding and not using a turn signal, the major difference being that the latter two are selfish acts, while the former is an act of virtue. When an immigrant risks his life in search of a better future for himself and his family, he is positively exuding the characteristics of a true American. This is precisely the grit and self-determination our country was built on, and yet this act is looked on with scorn. It's as if the statue of liberty should read: "Give us
your tired, your poor, your hungry-
unless they're Mexican"
It's bad enough that we lack the ability to deal with the immigration problem, that we also have to revert to inculcating our population with a sense of racism to smokescreen our ineptitude. Of course this serves us in the long run, as it has long been understood that the capitalist model, in order for one dog to stay on top, the lesser dogs must be kept on the bottom. Since the inception of Mexican "democracy" our political and economic policies have existed to make sure that Mexico and her citizens stay more than just geographically on the bottom, and we continue to let this reality remain unchallenged.
What is needed is a truly healthy relationship with our downstairs neighbors, one that fosters trust, cooperation and mutual respect. In order for this to happen, our attitudes are going to have to change from the ground up, because policy-makers will always be in the service of the economy. Nowhere but in their pocketbooks is it written that this sort of economic and racial inequality must exist.
Anderson is a Perry junior in creative writing.
Empty phrases invite conformity, exclude reason
NICK MANGIARACINA
After watching George Carlin's recent HBO comedy special "It's Bad For Ya," I fully understood why people try to shut me up.
One of Carlin's finest moments comes when he says, "Bullshit is the glue that holds society together." Likewise, truth is what tears it apart — because it forces people
to recreate the worlds they live in. People don't want to do this because it's too easy to flee to the comforts of tradition and to surrender to the sofa of conformity. Blind acceptance requires no thought.
In elementary school, I learned people didn't want to hear the truth unless it positively affected them. I learned this lesson after getting punched in the face several times.
Still though, I persisted on in attempting to be as truthful as possible. I couldn't shake the "Honesty is the best policy," maxim.
Years later I began developing an aversion to the sugar-coated land of euphiemisms. The sickness set in during high school as political
People love phrases like "God bless America" and "Proud to be an American." But they don't mean anything. Carlin compares "Proud to be an American" to phrases like "Proud to be Irish." He argues that pride should come from your accomplishments, not from something you were born with.
correctness, manners and groupthink dominated the landscape. As Carlin puts it, "It's bullshit, folks. It's all bullshit, and it's bad for va."
These phrases are vague feelgood abstractions that people crowd around because they can't think of anything better — or even anything at all.
The tragedy here is that a comedian is the one airing these issues. Life in this country has become so absurd that the people making fun of it are the most reasonable.
Americans don't question things anymore. Try questioning anyone or anything, and you will be branded radical, crazy or too critical. By comparison, I am too critical.
But I fail to do my job if I'm not critical though. I must make up for the hoards of people who are not critical about anything. It pisses people off, but my goal in life is not to have everyone like me. I am the "fly on the horse's back," as Socrates said. I keep people moving forward — regardless of whether they like it.
Socrates was assassinated. Truth comes at a high price — as is anything that is scarce.
Toward the end of his special, Carlin cuts to the core theme of his routine. Without questioning, there is no human progress.
As Carlin defines it, inventing new toys or gadgets don't count as progress. These things don't teach us how to live a better life. They don't make us freer. They don't make our lives better. We can only learn that from other people — if we're willing to set our beliefs aside and listen to the voice of reason.
Mangiaracina is a Lenexa senior in journalism.
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To the white guy who called his black girlfriend "chocolate": That is really offensive, and you should learn to respect other races.
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Since when did the Student Senate elections turn into the parking commission
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Thank you to all the business majors who stole our parking spaces at the Union last night. I'm glad you didn't get your extra credit.
Since when did the Student Senate elections turn into the parking commission elections?
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