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Show Page 3 Friday, September 29,2006 Editorial The Signpost Signpost Viewpoint Drug abuse close to home A15-year-old boy said to his older sister, "I want to do all the things you've done." He wasn't referring to travels or degrees or volunteer-work. He was referring to drugs. "I just think it's great," he said, "how you've done it.and then quit. That shows strength of character. You're wiser for having come back from all of that. People who haven't made those mistakes don't really know how to appreciate what they have." His sister looked at him in shocked silence. "Well," she saidfinally."But some people never come back." That 15-year-old boy grew to be a man who possessed a brilliant mind, • loved to read and discuss philosophy, movies and books. Pie would have turned 30 today, but he never made it past 27 because he died of a drug overdose on his mother's birthday. He had struggled with drug addiction for years, been clean for nine months and then shot up one last time to prove to himself that he was over it. Some people never come back. And nobody saw this coming. They thought he had beat it. Not long before they would not have been surprised at the news of his death, but after nine months, his friends and family had relaxed, so his death blindsided everyone who knew him - good job, new apartment, new girlfriend, everything had worked out nicely for him; he was wiser as he wished. Chances are, most Weber State University students know someone who is a drug abuser and may not realize it. Many WSU students are or have been drug abusers. They understand the pain and frustration that comes with this addiction on both sides. Students who may feel trapped to their addiction may find it easy to think their friends may not be understanding if the abuser were to ask for help. The truth is, no one likes to watch a friend suffer, and humanity has an addiction of rallying to a cause to help those who face tribulation. Anyone who feels caught in this trap should be aware and find comfort and even strength in that WSU offers support programs for drug abusers and their families. Friends and family can also turn to WSU to learn more about how to help their addict loved ones. The Health Education Drug and Alcohol office is located in the Student Services building, suite 150 B and offers counseling and classes to help educate students about the effects of drug and alcohol abuse. For more information visit http:/ /departments. weber.edu/heda/ or call 626-7179. WSU students have somewhere to turn when they need help. And WSU makes it possible so its own community doesn't have to face this struggle alone. Is domestic spying in the interest of the public or politicians? By Jamie Livengood Neiv5 Service McClatchy-Tribune Records released in June revealed that the Department of Defense monitored the e-mail of student groups at several colleges that coordinated protests against the Iraq war, on-campus military recruitment, and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy applied to homosexual members of the armed forces, according to a report in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The surveillance was conducted after the department received tips through Talon, a system that allows civilians and members of the military to report suspected terrorist activity, and confirmed that the events planned by the students might in fact pose a threat to security. Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, private citizens have been asked to lessen their expectations of privacy in exchange for increased feelings of security. The most notable controversies have been fought over warrantless wiretapping programs and the continuation of the Patriot Act. Many people are willing to give an inch in the way of constitutional rights if it leads to the actual prevention of an attack or feeling safer walking down a city street. But when the government starts equating liberal-leaning college students with suspected terrorists, the line becomes blurred as to whether domestic spying is in the interest of the public or the politicians. Domestic spying as a means of political advantage is nothing new. President Nixon kept an infamous "enemies list" of figures who were openly against the Vietnam War or his administration. The purpose of the list, according to a well-known memo from Nixon aide John Dean, was to look into ways of using "the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies." The Bush administration is not gunning for vocal critics, and even if there were a personal enemies list, it's extremely unlikely that a lowly student protestor would ever end up on it and receive an unfortunate tax audit. However, the prospect of landing in a database meant to stop terror- ists and having your private communications monitored as part of an investigation you're not even aware of is similarly unpleasant. The surveillance of protesters' e-mails calls to mind another Nixon scheme: the Houston Plan. He wanted to suppress anti-war dissenters by gaining information through covert means like wiretapping, mail interception and burglary. Apparently, the government currently relies on surreptitious wiretapping and e-mail surveillance as part of investigations into terror suspects. Hopefully, it will take a lesson from history and stop short of authorizing breaking and entering as a legitimate intelligence-gathering method. Of course circumstances are different. Nixon was merely out for political enemies, and the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency are out to stop terrorists. The problem is that stepping on the rights of suspected terrorists opens the door to also stepping on those of mere protesters of the Bush administration's policies who are somehow caught in the mix. The Chronicle of Higher Education included in its report an excerpt from one of the student e-mails under surveillance by the Department of Defense. A protest organizer at the State University of New York-Albany called for his fellow students to deliver a petition to the administration, participate in a drum circle at a rally and ride their bikes to demonstrate "solidarity with Earth Day." That doesn't exactly sound hostile or threatening. A Pentagon spokesman told the online magazine Inside Higher Ed, "There are intelligence analysts out there who make the judgments based on years of experience on whether or not they need to proceed with a threat as verified or not verified." The Department of Defense receives and investigates civilian tips about suspicious activities, but it doesn't reveal any criteria for deciding whether the tip is credible. It's hard to say what could land you on a watch list. Student protest organizers are being investigated as criminals for doing the most American tiling they can do: exercising their First Amendment rights. Mars sees black or white I urn writing in response to Brandon Mars' article "Why do conservatives still take Scan Hannity Seriously?" featured in the Sept. 27 Signpost. I'm no fan of Hannity either, but I think Mr. Mars should know that he resembles the "chauvinist pig" in many ways. Both Mars and Hannity see everyone as black or white (red and blue in political terms). They assume the America is so polarized that there is only left and right, nothing in-between. The fact is, people are dynamic. We judge evidence and weigh the issues on our own accord, not that of some political leader. Many, including myself, agree with conservative as well as liberal The f^y • ATTENTION, PLEASE! THEPRE5IPENT6 0FTHE US. AND IRAN WAVE K E N FOLJNP WANDERING IN THE AISLES! WILL THtU? MOTHERS PLEASE PICK THEM UP AT THE FRONT PESK? f§tiik y Round Six: on video games.... Are video games the defining break between men and women? By Cynthia Loveland managing editor | The Signpost I have never really understood the video game addiction. I understand it to some extent, of course. I acknowledge that video games can be fun. I've played video games before, and enjoyed them, but after a few minutes or hours, I get bored and turn them off, neatly wrap the cords around the controllers and tuck everything away. Men don't do that. They don't have mat little internal timer that tells them it's time to stop playing and start doing something else. Men will play the same video game for days on end, stopping only long enough to inhale an entire bag of Doritos and plunge back into their virtual reality fight, car chase, football game or otherworldly adventure. I've stopped by friends1 houses at 8 a.m. to find them bleary-eyed in front of the television, almost crying because their thumbs keep locking up. Guys. The opposable thumb is what separates us from the "lower beasts." Please don't take it for granted. Darwin is shaking his head at us right now. When they decide it's time to stop playing, they leave the controllers strewn out all over thefloorbecause they know they might start playing again at any minute. There is a living, breathing example in this roomrightnow. As I put this page together, one of the copyeditors will be playing a video game, stopping only long enough to eat and edit the pages. Sometimes he will try to do all three at once. When he reads this, he will make a face, scribble out these lines and pen a red-ink rebuttal to my statement. Then he will pick the video game up again and start to play with a By David Fairchild editor in chief | The Signpost Face it; video storylines disappeared. games today "Donkey Kong 64" kept the suck. N64 alive while Mega Man 64 I like was an embarrassment. video games Story lines degraded with with good each Sony Playstation system. graphics. Game Cube became a joke, I've except for "Metroid" and the p l a y e d X-box put out Halo, which is every boring and would have ended major up in the bargain bin in the days s y s t e m , of nintendo, but since most of including today's gamers don't remember " P o n g , " the days of good games, they which most just accept that crap games are gamer would the best. look at and say It used to be a person could "That's a game?" pay $25 for a game cartridge and I loved "Space be entertained for days weeks addiction. Invaders" and or months. Now games can cost We get addicted to practical "Asteroids" on the Atari system. $60, but if you want to enjoy it, things like shoes and purses, I invested countless hours you have to pay $20 a month jewelry and jackets. And for into the original Nintendo to play online. One game costs those men who think we spend system on masterful games such some gamers over S200 and it's too much on these things, how as Zelda, Mario, Mega Man, Kid still a piece of crap online. And much do you spend on your Icarus, Strider, Blaster Master, Some games, like Conker's Bad video games? Dragon Warrior and Final Fur Day for the X-box and Game I knew a man who would go through at least a game a week Fantasy. There were good games Cube is not only a remake of the ($50), and a new game system with a solid stories, bright colors N64 version, but has even fewer every other month ($200-$400). and a good ending, something attractions to it. Did game designers think we When he wasn't buying a new worthy of making my mother something about wouldn't notice? Xbox game, he was buying a PC scream game ($20-550) or upgrading throwing the god-awful box out When you won a game in ihe his computer ($100-51,000). the window and running it over old days, you got a cinematic And guys don't wait for sales, with a bulldozer and mounting ending before getting the words they march right out, plop the the game paddles on her wall "game over." Now you win a cash down, tell the cashier to like the head of some animal she game and you get slapped in keep the change, and walk out just shot. the face with watching a person with their new system. Turbo Graphx and Sega game walk away from afightwhile ihe His wife would buy expensive systems bombed. words "go to hell" flash across bedding or kitchen decorations The Super Nintendo brought the screen. More and more I in protest. the Donkey Kong Country series, find myself dropping my paddle But what it all comes down Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat saying "That's it, that's what 1 to that video games are the and more everything. It had worked for?" And I'm starting to way men virtually release their better graphics and still had appreciate the idea of mounting pent-up frustrations. With that game paddles as a trophy over in mind, I guess it can't be an good stories. The Nintendo 64 came out my own bed. entirely bad thing. and everything went to hell as You can reach reporter Cynthia 3D graphics moved in and solid You can reach reporter David sidelong glance here and there to punch home his disapproval as I don't delete the specified lines. Nice try, Matt. I have never met a woman w h o suffered f r o m video g a m e Loveland by calling Who do you think won this round ofThe Ring-Round Six: on video games....? Vote for David or Cynthia online at wsusignposl.com Letters to the editor principles. Then there's the stereotyping. Hannity stereotypes democrats as elitists and those effected by Hurricane Kairina as being lazy. There may be some who fit these profiles, but definitely not all of them, probably not even most. Mars is no different in his stereotyping of die Utah population. In his article, Mars said "I don't believe everything that Fox News spoon-feeds me like most people of this state." Sadly, Mars presented no empirical data supporting his claim that the majority of Ulahns a) watch Fox News and b) are incapable of processing their own opinions. It can just as easily be said that Liberals are spoon-fed lies from CNN. WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY. Signpost Fairchild by calling 626-712 1 626-7614 (How many murders happened in the Su- false on. There are many Utahns, Chrisperdome again?) Mars also claims that tian and Non-Christian, who long to see Utah is where "people side with the Re- a balanced future for this country. Both publicans on any issue, no matter what." Sean Hannity and Brandon Mars need I'm from Utah but I strongly disagree to stop assuming that every American is with a lot of Republicans and their posi- a drone with no opinion. They need to tions. Infact, I'm LDS and I agree with stop being so upset when those around the Democrat model of reducing abor- them wont conform to their ideal image tion rather than banning it altogether. of themselves; let us have our opinions Where do Ifitin Brandon? Am I just a and you can have yours. And most of all, freak Mormon who somehow was born they both need to stop assuming that they without the 'sheep' gene that you imply know how everybody feels just because we have? Considering that Utah was one of what 2 or 3 people say. If you want my of the closest states to stopping a ban on opinion, ask me, not Dr. Laura. - Graeme Abraham, senior criminal gay marriage to be added to our constitution, I'd say Mars' stereotype of us is a justice Thank you for your patience Dear s t u d e n t s , faculty a n d staff, I want to thank t h e entire c a m p u s c o m m u n i t y for your s u p p o r t a n d flexibility during the disruption caused in Parking Lot A-6 o n Thursday. It's not often that Weber State has the o p p o r t u n i t y to get national television coverage, b u t ESPN's b r o a d c a s t trucks on c a m p u s did present s o m e challenges, especially in t e r m s of fewer parking spots in a high d e m a n d area. To everyone i n c o n v e n i e n c e d by Thursday night's game, 1 a p p r e ciate your patience a n d u n d e r standing. Again, thank you. Sincerely, Jerry Graybeal Wildcat Athletic Director The Signpost is published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during Fall and Spring semester and Tuesdays during the Summer Semester. To subscribe contact Georgia Edwards at 626-7974 or gedwards@weber.edu. The first copy of The Signpost is free, each additional copy is $.50. The Signpost welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include name, address, telephone number and the writer's signature. Anonymous letters will not be printed The Signpost reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Letters should not exceed 350 words. Bring letters to the editorial office in The Stewart Library room 69, mail to:The Signpost, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84408-2110. Attn: Editor in Chief, email thesignpost@weber.edu |