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Show OPINION Page 7 .Monday, October 16,2006 y: . ttiE CHRONICLE'S VIEW'-/' , ! Where is the the Ute student section was a sad sight in Laramie on Saturday afternoon. Without cheerleaders, the band, Crimson ' V' Lme or even Swoop to coordinate its efforts, the • ? ; double-digit strong contingent whimpered the !:V school's song six times in succession. • - - ' Later during the 31-15 drubbing at the hands of V ' . the Homecoming-inspired Wyoming Cowboys, th6 * 'r beleaguered section switched to two alternating ,, ;' .chants. ; . •:;'..". "Er-ic Wed-dle!" and "Fi-re Lud-wig!" ' ; • X. ' ' .V- When the Utah players moped over to the sec- •: '• :§ tionfor a fmal serving of"Utah Man" with their ' : :V heads hung in shame and their helmets held at .'.,;, their numbers, it looked like a funeral ceremony. ' ." k Fittingly so, perhaps, since the loss likely marked * \i\ the end for the U's hopes of taking the Mountain ' ir'i'West Conference title and the demise of the fer- . -. - i. ' vent fan support that had accompanied our brief : ^flirtation with pigskin fame. : . Laramie isn't as far away as Pasadena, yet the • * * Ute support staff showed up with horns* pompoms and batons six weeks ago against UCLA. The :> atmosphere that those people provide is important * to the U's performance, and they didn't even care \( enough to make the drive. Granted, Wyoming isn't as cozy a destination as •;; Southern California, but it seems quite clear that "support" for the Ute football team hinges squarely v ; on the success of the Ute football team. When the >7; "Mighty Utah" offense became "Anemic," so did ' $•'the Student Section. And that spells bad things for . **;. the current coaching staff. The masses are fed up with the current direction ;v v * of this Ute football team, and the body language of V ;...• the players suggests that the same can be said for , -;•*, them as well. . - /,, Andy Ludwig—to the common football observer - .-:- who couldn't possibly understand the intricacies • ;••"» of Ludwig's mind, at least—seems as predictable as • ^.:=the sunrise. • A , Nobody on the Ute coaching staff ever takes • y<: responsibility for anything that happens, either. 1 *>•••'The Ute coaches would be well served to confront - : ;-'' problems head on—with slightly more emotion '• f ^' than a'grazing cow—and own up to their short- <*-'Comings. That way we're at least assured they're *'•• aware that they have shortcomings and that they're seeking solutions. Their lack of passion and responsibility trickles *•' •iff- jiown to the players on the field. Their play then,,,.., • in*loses the interests of the fans. All of a sudden, there's little life to a program that was thriving mere months ago. ' NORTH KOQBA, PUT AWAY YOUR TOYS THIS INSTANT OR YOU WILL NOT <3£T ANY DINNER.'// URIC EVANS/ The Daily Utah Chmnicte Who's ready for a draft? \ The threat of North Korea is that big Y et another disastrous situation looms overhead for the American people and the international community, the newest in a recent line of headaches. First was Afghanistan, then Iraq, and next came Iran. But these problem areas did not disrupt the typical American's everyday life. They are significant issues that are costing lives on both sides of the dispute, but we have not yet had to experience the lifestyle our grandparents had to survive during the last world war and our parents during the Vietnam War. Do we realize the implications it may have in the near future if North Korea is not dealt with strongly? According to William Pingree, a professor of politics at the U, the issues in North Korea and Iran are linked. Iran is watching closely how the international community reacts to Kim Jong II and his obvious defiance. And just how will the world react? North Korea's "declared successful" nuclear bomb test defied previous sanctions imposed by the international community—sanctions that were ratified by all nations except China. China did tell Kim not to test nuclear weapons. But, big surprise, Kim rebelled and went ahead with .-Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Utah • Chronicle Editorial Board. Sighed editorials, editorial columns and 1 letters lo the editor are strictly the opinions of the author. The forum , created on the Opinion Page is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Material defamatory to an individual or group because of race, ethnic background, reli.; gion, creed, gender, appearance or sexual orientation will be edited or will not be published. All letters to the editor will now be published ,- online at www.dailyutahchrQnicle.com. Letters that the editor deems , best represent those received will be printed in the newspaper as well as online. SHANDETTE WOODWARD the tests—throwing sand in China's face. Now, with China coming over to our side, additional sanctions are being discussed, which Kim says would constitute an act of war. Are the sanctions an act of war? It depends on the intended sanctions. President Bush is encouraging six party talks, which would include North Korea, South Korea, the United States, Japan, China and Russia. However, if North Korea does not comply with Bush's request, there has been talk of a blockade, which is pretty clearly an act of war. Pingree has said that the chance of a draft is currently 50-50. But with an outbreak of war with North Korea, he predicts that the probability would increase to 70-30. I'm surje there are many who instantly cringe at the thought of the United States picking another fight, but have you considered what may happen if we don't deal with North Korea fiercely? Iran is paying attention. If we act weakly, it would only embolden Iran to continue its path of nuclear weapon discovery, which has a high possibility of throwing us into a war with Iran. If that happens, you might as well say "auf wiedersehen" to most guys on campus. Men between the ages of 18 and 30 will be targeted for a virtually guaranteed draft—and being in a university won't help you. Previous wars were careful when it came to drafting married men and men e'nrolled in college, but they wouldn't have that luxury this time. And what happens if, God forbid, Iran and North Korea join forces? ' Political consultants and theorists have not yet defined the possibility of this happening. Then again, who predicted that Kim—with his small and starving country—would be so insane to defy the entire world? Pingree has high hopes that the six party talks will actually take place and North Korea will be brought in line. Hopefully, through diplomacy, we can strive to avoid more wars. If North Korea continues on this path of lunacy the chance of one or two wars is just around the corner, and a draft, which affects your life and mine, is definite. letters@chronicle.it tah.edu LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Thank you, Exxon Mobil—you're the tops!. '•:'•: Editor: •; •: I am writing in response •: to Aaron Zundel's column ;: ("Let's skip a payment to ;: the gas pump pimps," Oct. ;: 16). Zundel's idea that gas ; 1 purices will dramatically ;" 5&;op if we all boycott the ; • "big oil" companies for a ;' tfay is based on pure liberal ; • ignorance. I say "liberal '. • ignorance" because nobody ;; Who has an elementary !; Imowledge of economics I; can be a fiscal liberal. It is '; amazing to me that oth'•; erwise intelligent people '; c?m be so ignorant when it •: cpmes to the economy. If •; an oil company has trouble •" "selling gas to us, they simply sell it to other oil companies throughout the world. Big oil has survived the wrath of hurricanes, terrorists and jealous liberals. It will easily survive a pathetic one-day boycott in Utah. For most of the year, Utah enjoyed some of the lowest prices in the country. Nobody noticed. Now that prices in Utah are higher than the national average, you whine and- cry. Prices have dropped dramatically in recent weeks, even in Utah. It's not the high prices that upset you; it's the fact that others are paying less that makes you mad. You can complain about the cost of gas, but nobody is forcing you to buy it. You choose to buy it because you value the gasoline more than you value your money. I recently saw a man at a local gas station exclaim, "I don't want to pay $2.80 for gas!" As he was saying that, he grabbed the nozzle and started filling up. Obviously, he DID want to pay $2.80 for gas, or he wouldn't have. He realized the tremendous value of gasoline and the many advantages it brings into his life, so he willingly paid the $2.80 per gallon. And he still would have purchased the gas if the Online poll v What do you think of Kyle Whittingham's pe as U football head coach this season? ;;f^* 374: Total polled ! 118: Adequate. He just doesn't have the players. 95: Horrible. Where'd Meyer go, again? 87: Who's Kyle Whittingham? I 74: Great. Criticisms are unsubstantianed. This week's question: What vote online at www2 l pinion of Larry H.'Miller? ahchronicle. com RYAN PERKINS/ The Daily Utah Chnniett price had been higher. How high? Nobody knows, because in the history of this plane'tv the price of gas has never been high enough for the people to stop buying it. If the price of gas were to jump to $5 per gallon, we would keep buying it. I know this because gas in most of Europe is currently around $5 per gallon, and the Europeans continue to buy it. So why don't big oil companies charge us more? I guess they're just nice guys. Or it's the free-market capitalism keeping prices so low. So, instead of complaining about gas prices, you should write big oil a thank you note for giving us the option of purchasing their gas at a price much lower than we are willing to spend. Your beloved Bill Clinton made a valiant effort to raise the cost of gasoline well above $5 per gallon by signing the Kyoto Protocol, raising serious doubt into his claim that he didn't inhale. You libs loved him for it. Now, when prices near $3 per gallon, you blame President Bush and swear he is the devil. What really upsets you is that Clinton can't take credit. A common complaint is that big oil is enjoying record-breaking profits. Why is that a bad thing? I thought profits were good! This is yet another example of liberals' hatred of success and love of poverty. If Sam Walton's original store had been a failure and he had to file for bankruptcy, you libs would love him. Wal-Mart has been a huge success, so you hate it. Somehow, libs believe that being a drag on the economy is honorable. Instead of complaining that big oil is making so much money, maybe you should buy Exxon stock and enjoy the wealth. Kellen Wilson Senior, Finance and Spanish Zundel's attitude toward gays is absurd Editor: While Aaron Zundel's column ("Do unto others," Oct. 13) was well meaning and I commend him for his intent, his comment regarding the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community being "overly whiny and sensitive" was way out of line. He should take his own advice of imagining "living in a culture where you're looked down upon by just about everyone." If he did, he wouldn't find it hard to understand why a community such as that might be seen as oversensitive. I'd venture to guess he's alluding to the LGBT community being "whiny" about slurs or the use of the word "gay" as an insult. How would he, or anyone for that matter, like it if every- one went around saying "that's so Utah," or for the LDS crowd "that's so Mormon" when they really meant "that's so stupid?" I advise Zundel to think a little more before he suggests people be more accepting when he's obviously having a few issues with that himself. Hannah Epperson Sophomore, Linguistics |