Opinion
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
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--iPad, you complete me.
True Life: We suck at football.
--iPad, you complete me.
--iPad, you complete me.
Took off last night's outfit this morning. Money and a lighter fell out of my bra.
I'm beginning to think that eating that whole can of queso was a bad idea.
--iPad, you complete me.
I could never live alone. My roommates went home for the weekend, and I stayed up half the night worried.
--iPad, you complete me.
I met this really cute guy my weekend, pretty sure I won't see him again ... the usual.
--iPad, you complete me.
Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the testosterone this morning!
--iPad, you complete me.
I have officially accomplished nothing this weekend.
--iPad, you complete me.
In my pants
--iPad, you complete me.
This year is going to shape up soon, I just know it - sports, school, and socially.
--iPad, you complete me.
Basketball season started the moment the game clock hit zero on Saturday's game.
--iPad, you complete me.
I'm half-centaur.
--iPad, you complete me.
--iPad, you complete me.
Facebook wants me to reconnect with all my one night stands. Excuse me, but
Where's my damn
Whataburger? I'm moving
back to Texas.
--iPad, you complete me.
--events of the summer (as I'm sure you often do) what comes to mind as the most important? The oil spill in the Gulf? The New York City mosque debate? Angelina's return to Jersey Shore? All wrong.
It's my birthday,my boyfriend broke up with me.
--events of the summer (as I'm sure you often do) what comes to mind as the most important? The oil spill in the Gulf? The New York City mosque debate? Angelina's return to Jersey Shore? All wrong.
When Pam gets Michael's old chair, I get Pam's old chair. Then I'll have two chairs. Only one to go...
--events of the summer (as I'm sure you often do) what comes to mind as the most important? The oil spill in the Gulf? The New York City mosque debate? Angelina's return to Jersey Shore? All wrong.
Every time I walk into Wescoe,
I feel like a mouse in a maze,
only when I get to the middle,
there's not a slice of cheese
waiting for me, only my
classroom.
--events of the summer (as I'm sure you often do) what comes to mind as the most important? The oil spill in the Gulf? The New York City mosque debate? Angelina's return to Jersey Shore? All wrong.
I definitely just told my roommates I was going to coffee and instead went and had sex in a truck. Life = interesting
--events of the summer (as I'm sure you often do) what comes to mind as the most important? The oil spill in the Gulf? The New York City mosque debate? Angelina's return to Jersey Shore? All wrong.
Did my little brother really just drunk text me?
--events of the summer (as I'm sure you often do) what comes to mind as the most important? The oil spill in the Gulf? The New York City mosque debate? Angelina's return to Jersey Shore? All wrong.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
China should be seen as a partner, not a threat
When you sit back and reflect on the current events of the summer
As Chrystia Freeland, a contributing columnist for the Washington Post, recently wrote, "When future historians look back to the summer of 2010, the event they are most likely to focus on is China's emergence as the world's second largest economy"
Add this new economic ranking to the list of what China already has—the greatest population, largest standing army, most internet users—and you'll see why the American public is beginning to question China's rise.
In fact, a Washington Post/ABC News poll done in February asked respondents if the 21st century world affairs will be more of an American Century or more of a Chinese Century; 43 percent said a Chinese Century compared to 38 percent for an American Century. Clearly Americans sense the global power scale tipping. But that's not all. According to a 2009 survey done by the Pew Center and the Council on Foreign Relations 53 percent of the general public said they viewed China's emerging power as a "major threat"
So not only does a growing
Let's Talk Foreign Policy
BY MEGAN ADAMS madams@kansan.com
portion of America think this is China's century but also that China is a "major threat" to the United States.
Even on Jayhawk Boulevard the country's influence is growing. Here at KU we have a surprisingly large Chinese presence—both in students and organizations.
Iasked Alan Li, the president of KU's Chinese Students and Scholars Friendship Association, for his reaction to Americans viewing China as a threat.
The Lawrence Journal-World reported that in 2009 we were host to 676 Chinese students, tripling the 2006 figure.
"I think it's understandable for people and analysts to think that as China's regional and worldwide influence grows with its strong economy. But I think it is highly improbable that there will be any military conflicts between the two" Li said.
And experts agree, a military conflict is almost entirely out of the question because of our strong economic interdependence.
So without the worry of military
conflict, why be afraid of China?
Sure we have pretty significant differences (take, for instance, communism versus a democracy) but that hasn't stopped the United States before. To this day many of our most reliable allies around the world have non-democratic governments.
In fact, seeing China as a threat could hurt America's ability to tackle a wide range of international challenges.
The U.S. and China both desire to face issues such as nuclear proliferation, climate change, and poverty. Though we might disagree on how best to solve there is some common ground. Without cooperating with China our ability to help the world falls short of its potential. As President Obama stated in a 2009 speech on China, "[I believe in] a future when our nations are partners out of necessity, but also out of opportunity."
Try reflecting on your own attitudes towards China as you most certainly will personally encounter the country in some way as our countries become more tied at the hip. Check out an event through KU's Confucius Institute or take a class. At the very least, there's always Wikipedia.
Megan Adams is an Overland Park junior in international studies and political science.
CARTOON
"LOCAL RESIDENTS SAY PARKING IS A PROBLEM.
...BUT THESE SPOTS ARE REAL CLOSE TO THE GAME!"
NICK SAMBALUK
TOLERANCE
Scheduled Quran burning exhibits bigoted, hateful view
By now, I'm sure almost everyone knows about the controversy surrounding the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero, but how many people know about the "International Burn a Koran Day" that will take place Sept. 11? It is within our First Amendment rights to express when, how and what we believe. However, it's mind boggling to see that the bigotry of yesteryear still plagues our society and our views.
If a group of Muslims were to publicly plan to burn Bibles, it would be blasphemy and surely a sign of underground terrorism. The media would be spending hours covering the story. But this little church in Gainesville, Flia., is getting nothing short of a pat on the back and open support. They haven't received any angry media coverage in defense of Islamic communities, nor have they received any backlash from other Christian organizations. Instead,
From Japanese prison camps during the '40s to Jim Crow laws of the '60s to the Quran burning that will take place in just a few days — we can see that America is still as narrow-minded as it was when our grandparents were children.
It's ridiculous that we have heard next to nothing about this Quran burning. Just last year, the nation was in an uproar over the University of Texas in San Antonio's campaign, "Smut for Smut," a program where one could exchange religious texts for porn.
The media won't eat up Quran burning because bashing Islam has become socially acceptable. According to an Aug. 10 CBS poll, 45 percent of Americans said they have an "unfavorable" view toward Muslims. And according to an Aug. 19 TIME poll, 62 percent of Americans said they don't personally know someone who is Muslim.
Let me remind you, freedom of and from religion are also provided in our First Amendment.
they have received more than 7,000 fans on Facebook and a book preaching the evils of Islam.
It's easy to target someone and something we don't know a thing about. In fact, Muslims make up less than 2 percent of our population. We are afraid of something we are completely oblivious to.
to. Not only has anti-Islamic sentiment spread since 2001, but also stereotyping has become a commonality among all faiths. More and more Christians are viewed as intolerant and unloving. Muslims as radical and violent and Mormons as cultic and creepy.
But this goes beyond religion no matter what faith you belong
Yes, it was Islamic extremists that attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, but let us not forget the Mormon compound in Texas that held 400 children prisoner or the more than 200 abortion clinics that have been bombed by different Protestant organizations.
I'm not trying to undermine the significance of Islamic extremism, and I'm not saying we should ridicule Quran burners, but before we strike the match, we should be a little more open-minded to the people we're affecting, not just the people who have affected us.
There is ignorance among us all, some more than others, but we shouldn't let the foolish acts of few define the character of many.
Mariah Najmuddin for The Oklahoma Daily at The University of Oklahoma.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Senate's large responsibility demands public scrutiny
For Student Senate President Michael Wade Smith and Vice President Megan Ritter, accountability is the buzzword of choice.
That impressive showing, however, belies a more troubling figure. Turnout for last semester's election barely broke 10 percent.
Having swept the 2010 elections with some two-thirds of the vote, it would appear that Smith and Ritter can claim an emphatic mandate to advocate KUnited's agenda.
With a revamped website and public pledges to pursue their campaign platform items, Smith and Ritter aim to make transparency the centerpiece of their tenure. It's part of a broader effort to promote increased interaction between the Senate and the student body.
Thus far, Smith and Ritter's tenure has not witnessed any disillusionment with the Student Senate.
As with our national politics, campus politics are defined by a tendency to assume the fundamental nobility of the governed. Where there are problems, asperion is cast solely on the governed.
With their emphasis on public responsiveness, the two leaders have set an admirable pleasant tone. But accountability is a two-way street. In order for leaders to submit themselves to public account, there must be an engaged public.
The dismal turnout in this year's election indicates the absence of a public partner in Smith and Ritter's effort to forge better Senate-student relations.
No explanation withstands a moment's worth of scrutiny, though. The inconvenient truth is that our cluelessness as to what it is KUinited plans to do is
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Take KUNited's campaign platform. Can you name any of its central components? Besides, that is, the much-toued call to expand the constantly congested Wescoe Underground.
Ignorance of KUnited's agenda can be chalked up to any number of factors. One can blame Smith and Ritter for not trumpeting their ideas loudly enough or a variety of other explanations.
Campus Watch
BY LUKE BRINKER
our own fault. Absent a student body that demands attention to issues confronting the Student Senate, campus politics will continue to be characterized by a disconnect between leaders and students.
Disinterest in the Student Senate can't be blamed on the body's irrelevance. With its responsibility for approving funding for the many student groups that enlist the campus atmosphere, the Senate is crucial to the functioning of a dynamic University community.
Moreover, the Great Recession, which has strained University resources, serves to underscore the centrality of the Senate in making critical decisions about politics - which political scientist Harold Lasswell defined as "who gets what, when, and how."
The backlash against the spring 2010 proposal to lower financial support for campus media represents a notable exception to the trend of student apathy. When funding for multiple sources of campus media was threatened, students demanded that Senate leaders continue their support.
And in the face of opposition to the proposed cuts, the Senate dropped its proposal.
That episode highlighted two salient facts. First, student apathy is not static. Given a prominent issue that has direct implications for them, students will raise their voices. Second, such pressure influences Senate decisions.
In light of KUNited's dominance of the Senate, the check and balance provided by an active student body is more essential than ever.
For both the Senate and the University community, though, it would be far better if that give and take were not delayed until the onset of the next crisis.
Brinker is a junior from Overland Park in journalism.
Responses to the news of the week on Kansan.com
Chatterbox
"It's not chivalry when you are expecting something in return. Being a gentleman shouldn't rely on whether a woman is willing to get into bed with you or not; it should rely on the values of the man. As for the self-confidence of women, they are not the only ones that need to learn to be confident with themselves. Men need to learn that it doesn't take being able to get a woman into bed to be comfortable with yourself, its the little things in a relationship. The sex is just a nice added bonus."
—"ajharris85" in response to "Chapelle was right" on Sept.6.
— "xz007" in response to "Government expansion limits choices" on Sept.r 2.
"When we're more worried about consistency of ideology over taking care of others, then maybe our ideology wasn't too great to begin with. I'm a poor college student, but I'm willing to give so that some homeless person who may or may not mistreat their body daily can get taken care of without being saddle with unpayable debt. Because at the end of the day, a human life is a lot more important than my pocket book."
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Barbara Jamison Nick Gurk, Erm Brown, David Cawthon, Shawn Alohman and Shauna Blackwell.