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. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 T Follow Opinion on Twitter. @kansanopinion WWW.KANSAN.COM PAGE 5A --school. To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500. --school. It's sad knowing how much is in my bank account right now. But then I realized I'm a college student who gets no help and pays for everything including Could you just let us out of class early so I can get out of this dungeon and get some sunlight before my next three-hour studio? Come on. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. I'm Ron Bourgendy. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. Too bad it's Burgundy. editor's note: You stay classy, San Diego --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. I just divided by zero. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. Oh. My. God. I think I just agreed to hook up with a KSU student. And I'm totally sober. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. If everyone just accepted everyone for who they were, and quit trying to change everyone to fit who they think everyone should be, this world would rock. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. I had a goal to get this paper done before class this afternoon, then it was before work, then it was before midnight, now it's before it's due in 7 hours. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. Dang, I hate when I start watching a movie before I go to bed. I'm so tired. But I can't watch! --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. "Netflix Watch Instantly" will be the reason I fail school. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. I have the best boyfriend ever Sometimes I wonder how I got into college. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. You must be a freshman. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. Drinking a half pot of coffee at 9:30 p.m.? Gotta be an engineer. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. I just want to date a football player --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. Your music sucks ... not everyone in the Budig Computer lab wants to listen to metal while they study. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. Chiefs for the Super Bowl! Today, I was walking on campus, and I just thought to myself, "God, I love KU" --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. --that when you intend to party, it is important to do it carefully. No. I appreciate the Harry Potter reference, but no. EDITORIAL BOARD Safety should always be in mind when partying After a freshman student recently sustained serious injuries after diving into a man-made pool at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, it is important for students to once again remember Obviously, a large part of collegiate life revolves around having a social life, but every year, the dangers of don't want to do or not, the best defense is to know how to handle a questionable situation before a serious problem arises. No one wants to lose the respect of his or her friends or peers,but use good judgment before you find yourself in a dangerous predicament. partying rear their ugly little heads. In turn, we are again reminded to be that much more cautious and aware of the dangers that can develop when we are "just having a good time." No one wants to lose the respect of his or her or peers, but use good For any college student it is important to know your limit. Whether you are being pressured into doing something you just judgment before you find yourself in a dangerous predicament. Experimentation with drinking is a social norm in college culture, but that just means you are that much more at risk for being put into a situation that may compromise your safety. "Raging" and "partying are familiar weekend events that all types of social groups partake in when college rolls around. In order to prevent an accident from happening, here are some common sense tips: — Both boys and girls, don't accept drinks from a stranger. — Don't leave a drink unattended. — If you absolutely have to go out alone, let a roommate or someone know where you are going and the time you intend to be back. — Don't abandon a friend who has had too much to drink. — Stick with what you know when it comes to choice in alcohol — Trust your instincts. If you don't feel comfortable, leave, or as our parents would say, "Just say no!" In the end, smart people sometimes still make poor decisions. College is a time of substantial life lessons, but it is essential that we be cautious as we stumble through them. -Stefanie Penn for The Kansan Editorial Board CARTOON WE'RE LOOKING FOR TALENT, ETHICS, LEADERSHIP. IN SHORT, WE'RE SEARCHING FOR THE PLATONIC FORM OF A PHILOSOPHER-COACH. NICK SAMBULAK GUEST COLUMN Time for death penalty to die This past Thursday marked the first time a woman was put to death in the United States in five years. A decade after successfully plotting the death of her husband and stepson, Teresa Lewis finally received so-called justice. This execution has not come In 2009,52 inmates were without some outcry from international sources, which use Lewis' low IQ to argue lightening her punishment to life in prison executed in 11 states, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice. Currently, 35 states allow the death penalty, with the most usually occurring in Texas. However, while the number being executed seems fairly low, the total population of inmates on death row is much instead. However, among those who spoke out against her execution was America's favorite anti-Semite/conspiracy theorist, Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who complained of the West's double standard about executions. About 6,000 miles away in Tehran, a woman sits on death row. This woman, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, was sentenced in 2006 for adultery. Unlike Lewis' painless execution, Ashtiani would have been stoned to death had it not been put on hold since July. Is dying really much of a punishment for these people? He's alluding, of course, to a current situation in his country of Iran. For Mr. Ahmadinejad, these two crimes are apparently comparable, and he finds it outrageous for our media to decry Ashtiani's execution and not Lewis. While obviously spouting entertaining, anti-American rhetoric like usual, he does make me wonder again if it's time we rethink our capital punishment laws. higher. death row, all waiting an average of 10 years, like Lewis experienced. This may not seem like a big deal until you take into account the massive cost required. higher. As of January of this year, there were more than 3,000 inmates waiting on According to the Death Penalty Information Center, it costs California taxpayers $90,000 a year to keep a convict on death row, nearly double the average cost of a normal inmate at $47,000. With 697 criminals currently residing there, this adds up to $62,730,000 a year - simply so we can kill them. Beyond the economic reasons to abolish the death penalty, one must not forget the moral and political implications of it as well, which for many people is the driving force behind their protests. In fact, the death penalty was suspended by the Supreme Court in 1972, which said the penalty violated the Eighth Amendment by being cruel and unusual punishment. Sounds like a pretty big waste of money to me, especially in this economy. Of course, being the violence- fueled culture we are, the death For a country that prides itself on being fairly advanced, this makes us seem pretty damn backward among the rest of the world. Beyond all this, though, there's always been one point that has upset me about the death penalty, and it's the main reason I want it abolished. penalty resumed only four years later. Our use of it to this day makes us one of only 58 countries and the only other permanent member of the U.N.Security Council besides China to still use it on a regular basis. Is dying really much of a punishment for these people? These are society's scum, either having taken others' lives or committing treason against the U.S., yet they get a chance to really escape what they've done. Instead of suffering in a prison cell, dealing with other inmates and living with their actions, they instead only live in confinement on death row for a few years and then it's over. This seems much more of an escape than a punishment, and while unconstitutional, I'd rather see them suffer far more. So while we hope Ashtiani does not have to suffer death by stoning in Iran, I say it is time to change our own system as well. Punish these people with something far worse than the freedom of death, and stop wasting money to support them in such bad economic times From Uwire. Zachary Davis for The Daily Reveille at Louisiana State University. HUMOR Cartoons provide fun time and short escape from life Man, you know what more boring than watching a bunch of "Grey's Anatomy" or "The Secret Life of the American Teenager?" I would know, because I was both of those things once. And as Doctor Teenager, I have a prescription for you: cartoons. Nothing! Both of those shows are melodramatic and poorly executed renditions of what it's like to be a doctor or a teenager. In my professional opinion, people - especially college students - need to just relax every so often and watch a cartoon. They are not tigh class. They are not usually a straight narrative. They are low-key, and they open your mind. Also, cartoons are all the hipster-rage. Cartoon Network, in particular, is in a sort of cartoon-renaissance - not unlike the cartoon-renaissance Nickelodeon was in when we were just impressionable children watching those horrifically disgusting "Ren & Stimpy" cartoons. Cartoon Network is churning out stuff that's absurd and hilarious enough to interest a 30-year-old. In April, they premiered "Adventure Time." "Adventure Time" is a lot like if you let an 11 year old who's played tons of Zelda and Mario have a bunch of Mountain Dew, and be DM a game of Dungeons & Dragons. The show's about a kid and his magically-stretchy dog who live in The Land of Ooo and fight dragons and monsters to save people. Cartoon Network has since premiered "Regular Show" and "MAD" Hilarious comedians Maria Bamford, Steve Agee and Brian Posehn have already stopped by to lend their voice talents to the show. I don't want to confuse, scare or make you spit your coffee all over the underground, but the That sounds so much more interesting than watching Sandra Oh scowl for forty minutes, right? BY CHANCE CARMICHAEL "MAD" is Mad Magazine's contribution to the renaissance. It's a sketch-show that lampson pop culture and celebrities in several different styles of animation. It makes up for the awfulness of "MAD TV" in every way possible. Cartoon Network also has "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and Chowder" which are too pretty fun to watch, and Disney seems to have finally made a stomachable cartoon in "Phineas and Ferb" (remember "Kim Possible" and "The Proud Family"? Those shows were pretty awful, you guys). The best part about most of these shows is that they're 12-to 15 minute ventures that don't require a lot of time or effort. They are funny, they are colorful, they are creative, and I believe that whether you're a business major or a fine arts major they will inspire you. Either way, there's nowhere else on earth you can see a gumball machine boss around a blue-jay and a raccoon. Thank God for cartoons, or TV land might just collapse in on itself from boringness and mediocrity. I'm looking at you, "Two and a Half Men" and every show Seth MacFarlane has ever made. Carmichael is a junior from Chatterbox "That argument only works if you ignore the scientifically proven benefit vs risk of both fields. All drugs and mainstream practices are vetted for scientific plausibility, so if there is risk, it is taken with the knowledge of the benefit probability. The same can't be said for fixing imaginary energy blockages upon which chiropractic is based. If there is no benefit outside of placebo, then ANY risk, especially that results in death, is far too high. Not even remotely comparable with recognized scientific medical practices." — "Tin_Man" in response to "Chiropractors break the back of honest science" on Sept. 28. "Your PC movement is taking all of the fun out of free speech and in the end the masses of the internet will prove to you that nothing is safe from ridicule." — "jschlag" in response to "Word doesn't belong in Free For All" on Sept. 28. "Neither political party has the guts to do what must be done that is,cut government spending in all departments while incentivizing businesses (something the legislation does claims to do,I grant you) to grow by lowering taxes and deregulating nonsensical rules that only lead to more bureaucracy." HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Send letters to kananopdesk@email. 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. Alex Garrison, editor 864-4810 or agarrison@kansan.com CONTACT US Nick Gerik, managing editor 864-4810 or ngerik@kansan.com Erin Brown, managing editor 864-4810 or ebrown@kansan.com David Gawthrop, kansan.com managing editor 864-4104 or akcwthrop.kansan.com Jonathan Shorman, opinion editor 864-4924 or ishorman@kansan.com Emily McCoy, Kansan TV assignment emilyncoy@kansan.com 864-4810 or emccoy@kansan.com Shauna Blackmon, associate opinion editor 864-4924 or sblackmon@kansan.com Amy O'Brien, sales manager 864-4477 or aobrien@kansan.com Joe Garvey, business manager 864-4358 or jgarvey@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser 864-7667 or malikson@kansan.com Jon Schlitt, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jschlitt@kansan.com 9 THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Alex Garrison, Nick Gerik, Brown, David Browne, Jonathan Shorman and Blackaurm.