Opinion
United States First Amendment 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.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010
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I wish I could make my Facebook status SUPER SINGLE
--prize.
I am done playing this game where you get what you want then leave ... It's over... either treat me right or go find someone else.
--prize.
Rock A Thon! Savin the ta-tas!
--prize.
I know all the major chords, eff her gently, and a blues progression... still not enough guitar to get me laid.
Camouflage pants are for fifthgraders, not college students.
I am currently reading about African witchcraft. Be jealous.
--prize.
I'm too sexy for my shirt, too
sexy for my shirt, too sexy for
my shirt... I'm too sexy for my
nants
--prize.
--prize.
Katy Perry is basically a slutty Zooey Deschanel... and has more fans. Coincidence?
I once had sex with a set of brothers right after each other. Skanky? Yes. Something to brag about? Definitely.
--prize.
Is it bad that I faked having a sore throat and pretended to not be able to talk, just so I wouldn't have to speak to my roommate?
--prize.
Those religious people tricked me by telling me it was a basketball schedule when it really was just biased literature. Never again, I say. NEVER AGAIN!
--prize.
Stranger things have happened than a red-haired, green eyed girl not being sexy.
--prize.
Just found out my roommate just had a booty call with her long-time ex... I got to babysit her frog during the hook up
I'm such a baby, yeah, the dolphins make me cry.
Ben and Jerry, you are the only two men in this world that I could ever love right now.
--prize.
My mother is making my life Hell
--prize.
You ever notice how much kids suck? Give me three minutes in Olmac's temple and I'll punch every temple guard in the face and still come out with the
--policy currently states:
EDITORIAL BOARD
Hazing code needs clarity recent enforcement welcome
The University of Kansas has placed the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity on probation for two years following the recent hazing investigation. However, the current hazing code implemented by the University remains somewhat vague. If the University expects these regulations to be helpful, there needs to be a more specified explanation of what constitutes hazing.
University officials determined that through August and September, FIJJI was in violation with the hazing code and there were several forms of hazing that took place. Officials concluded that FIJJI endangered the physical health of pledges, bestowed extreme embarrassment or ridicule, and enacted personal servitude.
The code as it stands now is rather ambiguous and does not specifically establish what is a violation of the hazing code. A portion of the University of Kansas'
"Hazing includes, but is not limited to, any action, activity or situation which recklessly, negligently or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health, welfare or safety of a person..."
More details should be added to this code to help decipher what actually violates this hazing policy.
The strong initiative the University took on the recent FIJJ case should not go unnoticed and this type of call-to-action enforcement should be displayed across the Greek community. This is not the first time an incident like this has happened on our campus.
In March 2009, Jason Wren,
19-year-old freshman from
Littleton, Colo., was found dead at
his fraternity house, Sigma Alpha
Epsilon. The finalized autopsy
Officials need to be more consistent when it comes to administrating the hazing policy at the University.
When this happened, the University did not take action against the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity for any violation. Alcohol policies were changed, but the University took no other action toward the fraternity. While it was assumed there was not any hazing involved, the University should still conduct investigations for all matters, even if they are just speculation.
It is important to continue the robust enforcement of hazing and to expand on the definition. Unfortunately, more situations may arise where investigations by University officials must be had, but they all should be handled in the same manner and the rules should be equally enforced.
— Stefanie Penn for the Kansan Editorial Board
CARTOON
MAN, THOSE "OBAMA" COSTUMES ARE SELLING FAST! THE 'PELOSI' ONES TOO. THOSE MUST BE SCARY!
NICK SAMBULAK
LGBT ISSUES
Those working against equality share responsibility for deaths
If you happened to pick up the paper a couple of weeks ago when my last column was published, you may recall that it was about the recent epidemic of gay youth suicides across the country and a couple of resources that exist to help LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project and the It Gets Better Project.
When I went to the online version of the column to see if there were any comments, there was one — a commenter suggesting "another pathway to consider" for troubled gay or questioning teenagers. The alternative posed was Exodus International.
I was appalled. For those of you not familiar, Exodus International is, in their own words, "nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization promoting the message of Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ" (emphasis theirs). It is one of several "ex-gay" organizations that claim to turn gay attraction straight.
Most of these groups are based on religion and/or the junk science of conversion therapy that says same-sex attraction can be changed. These groups have predictably poor success rates and often count celibacy as "success." (One wonders at the humanity of those who call others' living a life devoid of the joys of emotional and physical intimacy a success.)
"Most mainstream mental health professionals dismiss attempts to eradicate homosexual desires or to change someone's sexual orientation as quackery that is potentially harmful," says the New York Times.
BY ALI FREE
afree@kansan.com
This harm can be damaged
We live in a culture of homophobia—gays and lesbians, not to mention all the people of various other sexual orientations, are still widely regarded as abnormal, wrong and deviant. They are still not allowed to live lives of dignity and basic respect for they are discriminated against in schools and places of work, and they are not allowed to formalize their love and commitment in marriage.
self-esteem, even higher guilt and anxiety, depression, and suicide.
I was shocked by the suggestion, but even more so by the last line of the comment: "And remember, there are people who are concerned for the elimination of bullying and promoting safe environments in school, on ALL sides."
Publicly and privately, explicitly and implicitly, they are told that they are not normal and they are not worthy of the basic human rights afforded to everyone else.
Do we really wonder why so many are driven to the extreme of suicide? Can we really expect someone who is continually told by society that they are unacceptable to keep his/her/hir head up and endure it, day after day?
This comment reminded me of what National Organization
for Marriage (one of the "pro-family" groups that campaigns vigorously against gay marriage) Chairwoman Maggie Gallagher said about one of the recent suicides: "I do not think the absence of gay marriage is the cause of these tragedies or its presence will resolve them ... My heart goes out to the family of the young man. God bless him and them."
The two statements reflect a harmful ignorance. No doubt the commentor had good intentions, as did Gallagher. But that is precisely where the problem lies
precisely where the problem lies — sometimes, intentions don't matter.
Everything that acts against legitimizing non-straight sexual orientations, every single person and organization that operates under the assumption that being gay is a choice, everyone who advocates that religious doctrine so contradictory to the realities of life should be held as the immutable standard, shares responsibility for these deaths.
Everyone who refuses to speak out when they see discrimination, everyone who stays out of political or social movements for change, shares responsibility for these deaths.
Do something. In the face of beautiful, innocent kids taking their own lives, we can't afford to be passive. We cannot stand by and watch. We must all work to create a more open, tolerant society in which sexual orientation of an individual matters no more than eye color, because it doesn't.
Free is a sophomore from Blue Springs, Mo., in women's studies.
CONSERVATISM
Government waste indicates inability to solve problems
Hypothetically, if a teacher said that attendance to class every day was a requirement to get a grade in the course, mostly everyone would attend class.
Essentially, their time and effort were wasted because they could have missed a few classes here and there.
Let's pretend that on the last day of class, the teacher decided to revoke this rule due to too many people not attending class. Some students would be relieved by this rule because they've missed classes and can get a grade. The other students would be angry because they put in extra effort and time to attend class.
This idea about wasted time is something that came to mind when I read a recent article claiming that stimulus money was given to dead people. In the article, a report by the Social Security Administration's inspector general claimed that "about $18 million went to nearly 72,000 people who were dead." To me, this is extremely insulting because this money represents peoples' long hours of working. It represents wasted time that can never be returned to them.
The government simply cannot be trusted or relied upon by anyone because it has bad discretion. If the government really wanted to take care of people, the money should have been handled better and spent for better use.
Consider what happened during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
For many years, there has been a lack of funds for infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and dams. It's surprising that with years' worth of tax money
BY SETH ROBINSON
srobinson@kansan.com
that infrastructure is still underfunded. The flooding in New Orleans didn't happen because of the rain; it happened because of faulty infrastructure.
According to The Washington Post, the flooding also happened because "Congress authorized the Corps to protect New Orleans against a storm only up to Category 3." Katrina of course, was higher than a category 3. In this situation, the government should have stepped aside and let private engineering companies do their jobs building safer infrastructure.
The government also used poor discretion balling out General Motors. The bailout eliminates competition in business. To be fair, every business in this country should get taxpayer money when they go out of business. It's the same idea as giving your favorite basketball team five extra minutes to win the game without the other team guarding. Everybody in business needs to have a level playing field.
With Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security facing financial trouble, the government really has failed to show it can handle your hard-earned money effectively.
Robinson is a civil engineering major from Houston, Texas.
Chatterbox Responses to the news of the week on Kansan.com
"Perhaps it was because of the misleading title (and I realize those aren't usually picked out by the actual authors),but your article certainly sounded like advocating belief in evolution is the sole source of electability. Your focus on that issue may have been what confused many readers (such as myself.) In any case, I can sympathize with the incredulity of some of the candidates running this election season. Apparently, public discourse has been reduced to unfaceted populism and invocations of the 1950s red scare. At least people aren't being blacklisted this time around... that I know of.."
— "Xz007" in response to "Defending evolution litmus test" on Oct. 20.
"I find it horrifying to think that there are people out there that actually think the government can or ever could run efficiently. No, instead we should just give up our control and allow the government to regulate. When was the last time the government came out with a balanced budget? Its been nearly a decade since our last year in the black. If the United States were a business (to which Mr. Scott would surely demonize) it would have failed and gone bankrupt long ago.
It is a sad day when we have people actually attempting to defend the government's continual inefficiency and ineptitude. When the United State Postal Service needs a bailout just to survive, you know that there is no way the government could ever actually control or what Mr. Scott calls "regulate" any type of private business."
— "Roohawk008" in response to "Society continues to stereotype government" on Oct. 20.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Alex Gairson, Niki Gerik, Erin Brown, David Cawthon, Jonathan Shorman and Shauna Blackmon.