Bombs, not Idiots

Garrett Shaw

            Well, the war has begun, and still are people being, in my opinion, rather stupid about it.

            It was a few weeks ago that I saw green signs all over the place that encouraged people to skip school to protest the then possible war in Iraq.  And the school endorsed these signs.  I find this odd, disturbing, and rather ironic.  Why, as an academic institution, would this school be endorsing people to skip classes?  Is it not the schools responsibility to educate us as students?  I find it highly counter-active to encourage students to skip class when there is already a serious focus into the education given here.  I also find it rather ironic that a cry from the liberal side of the political spectrum is that we need better education and that we need to learn about other cultures to better understand them, yet it is mostly the left-leaning individuals who are fervently against the war and apparently want people to skip class.

            But now the war has begun, and any half-wit with a gripe against the rightfully elected President, George W. Bush, has grabbed a sign with catchy slogans such as War Never Solved Anything Except Nazism, Communism, Fascism, and Genocide and We Dont Like George W. Hitler and started marching in the middle of the street.  And then have the gall to complain when the police tell them to get out of the street because they dont have a permit and they are blocking traffic.  I dont care who you are or why youre protesting, you do not make other peoples lives miserable.  If you want to protest, gather up some money from a non-left wing extremist group who hates America, go print up some signs, and then get together some place out of the way so you dont block people from getting to where they have to go.  And heres another piece of irony.  These protestors for peace are some of the first ones to attack the police.  Not very peaceful anymore, are you?

            Then there are the idiots who say its only about oil.  Wrong.  First of all, Iraq is a member of OPEC.  OPEC controls the prices of crude oil.  Only if we made Iraq drop out of OPEC would the oil be cheaper, but if we did that, the other members of OPEC would probably make the prices of their oil skyrocket and screw over the rest of the world.  And how about Central Asia?  There is a huge amount of oil in these mildly stable, non-Anti-US, non-OPEC member countries.  Wouldnt you think it would be a lot easier to get oil from there?

            Im just waiting until these extremist idiots to start calling our troops Babykillers, despite the fact that our bombs are precise to within a few feet of their target, and air strikes have been diverted when the Iraqi army started piling civilians into their bunkers.

            If you dont like the war, because you dont like President Bush, youre a fool and idiot.  If you dont like the war because you dont like war, then kudos to you.  But please, if youre going to protest, do it intelligently, and dont make a pain out of yourself.

No Thuggin, Please

Garrett Shaw

            In the last couple of weeks, there have been rumors of a dress code being instituted here at the college.  These rumors are false, but I almost wish they werent.  Id like to see a dress code with one rule: No one should look like a thug.  As I walk around campus, I see dozens of people dressed like they are right out of a rap video.  That is no way for a professional, or quasi-professional, in pharmacy, health sciences, or any other sort of intellectual position.  People should not be wearing jeans that could fit two offensive linemen inside.  Pantyhose or stockelcaps or whatever they are called should not be worn as headgear.  If your religion calls for you to wear something on your head, wear a yarmulke, or a turban, or something more appropriate.  Boots should be properly laced and tied, so that you or someone near you doesnt trip and injure themselves.  As a school where students are supposed to be professional, rolling out of bed and going to class in pajamas is bad enough, but the stereotype of a Thug is far worse than that of the stereotype of Lazy college student.  And while all people who dress like a thug, doesnt necessarily act like one, incoming and prospective students should not be worried that a large number of their soon-to-be classmates are really the scum they look like.