NEWS / WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
"It's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry."
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Author Joe Moore
FACT OF THE DAY
Emperor Penguins are biologically equipped to handle temperatures that reach minus-76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
National Geographic
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According to an annual survey done by PNC Financial Services — the fifth largest bank in the country it would cost you a mere $23,439 to purchase all the gifts from the "12 Days of Christmas" song this year.
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What's going on?
WEDNESDAY
December 1
The Academic Achievement and Access Center is presenting a workshop about preparing for finals from 5 to 5:30 p.m. in Wescoe Hall, room 4008.
The Student Involvement and Leadership Center is hosting an international internship fair from 6 to 8 p.m. in the fourth floor lobby of the Kansas Union.
THURSDAY
December 2
Student Union Activities is hosting a holiday open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the fourth floor lobby of the Kansas Union.
The KU Libraries' department of instructional services is presenting a workshop on making charts and graphics with Excel 2007 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Anschutz Library instruction center.
SUNDAY December 5
KU School of Music will present a Holiday Vespers concert from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Lied Center.
FRIDAY December 3
The KU Department of Dance will present "New Dance Concert" at 7:30 p.m. in Robinson Center, Elizabeth Sherbon Dance Theatre, Studio 240.
- Student Union Activities will host a showing of the movie Eat, Pray, Love' from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Kansas Union, Woodruff Auditorium, level 5.
MONDAY
December 6
There will be an informational session about the Peace Corps from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Pine Room in the Kansas Union.
The KU School of Music will present a Percussion Ensemble from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Swarthout Recital Hall at Murphy Hall.
SATURDAY December 4
The Department of Visual Art will host an open drawing workshop from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Art and Design Building room 405.
Student Union Activities will host free cosmic bowling from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in Jaybowl, 1st floor of the Kansas Union.
TUESDAY
December 7
■ Ellie Woods makes her way to Lawrence as the popular "Legally Blonde" film moves to the stage at the Lied Center. The show is from 7:30-10 p.m. Student tickets range from 21 to 24 dollars, available by calling 785-864-2787.
Examine the Stages of Stress, the dangers of it in our daily lives and how to easily reduce it. The session, held from 9:00a.m. to noon in room 204 at Joseph Pearson Hall, will help show methods to lower stress levels while enforcing a healthy lifestyle.
GOVERNMENT
Ban puts pressure on Republicans
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Gay troops can serve openly in the armed forces without harming the military's ability to fight, the Pentagon's top leaders said Tuesday, declaring the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell law" should be scrapped and pointing to a new survey to show most troops won't mind.
President Barack Obama, citing the troop poll, urged the Senate to repeal the ban before adjourning in the next few weeks, but there is still no indication GOP objections can be overcome with just a few weeks left in the postelection lame-duck session. Still, the survey did put new pressure on Republican opponents, led by Sen. John McCain, who say efforts to repeal the law are politically motivated and dangerous at a time of two wars.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the ban on openly gay military service "requires people to lie," and he called for quick Senate action.
"We spend a lot of time in the military talking about integrity and honor and values. Telling the truth is a pretty important value in that scale." Gates said as he released the Pentagon study showing that most people currently in uniform don't care about the ban.
Senate Democrats plan to force a vote in December. Senate Republicans were generally silent following release of the Pentagon recommendations for repealing the ban.
Although historic, Tuesday's recommendation that the military for the first time allow openly gay people came with a caveat that also frustrates many supporters of
repeal. Gates wants an indefinite grace period while the Pentagon prepares for the policy change and phases it in.
"It would be unwise to push ahead with full implementation of repeal before more can be done to prepare the force, in particular those ground combat specialties and units, for what could be a disruptive and disorienting change," Gates said.
Critics led by McCain say the Pentagon's report doesn't address risks to morale and fighting mettle. Gates countered: "I obviously have a lot of admiration and respect for Senator McCain, but in this respect I think that he's mistaken."
Obama has called it a top priority to repeal the 1993 law that bans openly gay service. But gay rights groups have complained that he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have
A defense policy bill that would overturn the law — pending certification by the Pentagon and the president that doing so wouldn't hurt the military's ability to fight — has languished in the Senate since it passed the House this spring.
In the meantime, a federal judge ordered the Pentagon to stop enforcing the law because it was unconstitutional. The Obama administration is appealing that decision.
"Given the present circumstances, those that choose not to act legislatively are rolling the dice that this policy will not be abruptly
gays if they were allowed to serve openly.
"We spend a lot of time in the military talking about integrity and honor and values."
done too little to see it through, focusing their postelection efforts instead on tax cuts and a nuclear arms treaty with Russia before Republicans gain congressional strength when lawmakers return in January.
In the report, the study's cochairs, Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson and Army Gen. Carter Ham, wrote, "We are both convinced that our military can do this, even during this time of war."
Gates said he didn't think the Pentagon would have to rewrite its regulations on housing, benefits or fraternization to accommodate
ROBERT GATES Defense Secretery
overturned by the courts",
Gates said.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said repealing the ban was discussed during a two-hour meeting Tuesday. h o t w e e p
Adam, Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday he agreed with Gates that "this is a policy change that we can make and we can do it in a relatively low-risk fashion," given time to prepare forces and leaders for new rules and expectations.
Obama and lawmakers and was the sole focus of a session Monday with the military service chiefs. He declined to provide more details.
Advocates for repeal said Congress was running out of excuses to change the law before
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the courts do it for them. The Justice Department is fighting the recent federal ruling that the 1993 law is unconstitutional.
"For senators who were on the fence — Republicans as well as Democrats — this report should address most if not all the concerns that they have raised," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a pro-repeal advocacy group.
The Pentagon survey found that some two-thirds of troops don't care if the ban is lifted. Of the 30 percent who objected, most of them were in combat units.
Opposition was strongest among combat troops, with at least 40 percent saying repeal would be a bad idea. That number climbed to 58 percent among Marines serving in combat roles.
A summary of the report said 69 percent of respondents believed they had already served alongside a gay person.
In its decision, the Court said it would issue an opinion on the interpretation of Rules and Regulations later this week.
STUDENT SENATE
"It fits the description with what we were planning on doing anyways," said Megan Ritter, student body vice president.
Senate will need to be moved into committee as a whole, a lengthy procedural tactic, to draft the bill tonight. Moving into committee as a whole would allow Senate to vote on the bill immediately after its drafted.
Bill drafted to reform Exec Staff
The Court of Appeals unanimously decided not to issue an injunction that would have prevented Student Senate from drafting a proposed bill tonight.
The bill outlines a plan to restructure the Student Senate Executive Staff.
The Court did, however enjoin Student Body President Michael Wade Smith from combining, adding or changing the names of executive staff positions without formal legislation.
According to Smith's interpretation of Senate's Rules and Regulations, the student body president is allowed to change the job descriptions of executive staff members as he or she sees fit.
"The various interpretations still stand and I think that's an issue that needs to be taken care of soon," said Harris.
Aarron Harris, a non-traditional senator who requested the injunction, said the student body president was only allowed to make short-term changes to executive staff. He said legislation was required for the types of permanent changes Smith wanted to implement.
after the court announced its decision. Smith did not attend the hearing.
— Michael Holtz
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