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Show 70 Friday, Sept. 2,2005 797-1762 statesman@cc.usu.edu www.utahstatesman.com Donations needed: even from students ^ NOW CALL TO ORDER THE COMMISSION INVESTIGATING TH£ Utah Statesman Staff Editor in Chief The weather in Logan has been pretty comfortable lately. The hottest it's gotten has been the mid to high 80s. New Orleans on the other hand, has hit 90 degrees, and taking into account the humidity, hurricane survivors are describing the muggy air as hellish. But heat is only part of the Brooke Nelson News Editor Aaron Falk Assistant News Editor Marie MacKay Features Editor problem. Add to it the fact there Steve Shinney ... _ — has been no running water or Wjtonai -E electricity for days, looting and violence have erupted in trie streets with troops only now arriving and there is nothing to be done with dead bodies but leave them in the streets or shove them in corners. The city and victims are desperate for relief. It's easy enough to think we understand the scope of suffering as we watch the dramatic images on our TVs from our homes. But it isn't real enough. Although we can only relate to the victims on a certain level, we can still do our part to ease the pain and bring relief to those who so badly need it. We encourage Utah State University students to do what they can to aid in the fundraising efforts meant to help hurricane victims. Yes, we have all just spent more money than most of us would like to admit on fees, tuition, books and housing. But since when is true service convenient? Officials are saying even small amounts of cash are useful because cash vouchers are being given to refugees and survivors to purchase water, food and clothing. Even in face of such a large human tragedy we are not helpless. To find more information about donating, contact one of the following organizations: Red Cross: 1-800-HELP NOW, National Organization of Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster: est-donata@dhs.gov LDS Church Humanitarian Center: www.lds.org Operation Blessing: 1-800-436-6348 America's Second Harvest: 1-800-344-8070 Assistant Features Editor Emma Tippetts Olir V l 6 W Sports Editor Andrea Edmunds Assistant Sports Editor Bryan Hinton Diversions Editor Matt Wright Homeland security should have focused on homeland As we see the devastation from Hurricane Katrina - caused first by nature and now by looters, shooters and carjackers - ifs time to state the obvious. We need a larger vision of homeland security, as well as a better focus on the American homeland. This week have recalled not only the panic of 9/11 in New York City but the chaos of April 2003 in Baghdad after the United States ousted Saddam Hussein - and the looters took charge. There was warning from on high but not much doing. On July 16, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Republican of Arkansas and new chairman of the National Governors Association, took note of heavy deployments of state National Guard units to Iraq. NatlView &herVgices__ _ ~ ! " I f we had a major natural disaster, we would be stretched thin," he warned. " A l l governors right now are worried about the long-term impact of long deployment." But it doesn't appear that governors did much about tnese concerns beyond griping to the press. The Louisiana Guard, for example, has > NEW ORLEANS about 11,000 members, of see page 7 7 Stop the purple people eaters A lot of us have been looking forward to a new school year. Many are anxious to see old friends, some look forward to meeting new people, and a few out there actually enjoy learning. For most though, summer just seemed too short. As for me, I look forward to reading the "Letters to the Editor" in each edition of the Utah Statesman. Over the summer, I read a small town's newspaper in my hometown that also had such letters. It seemed every other week, the same man would write about how the U.N. needed to be destroyed for invading our personal privacy. He made John Bolton look like a pushover. His last article was on how the U.N. was tampering with our supply of health vitamins. You better keep an eye on your Flintstones. In fact, with the frequency of his letters in comparison to other letters printed, an outsider might think all of town was out stockpiling guns to soon declare all-out war against the U.N. Ifs not that the editor was biased and published his clips while cutting out others. It's just that not many other people wrote. We all know we live in a red state, the reddest of red no less. But we also attend a college university, which on average tends to be a bit more blue. That can lead to disagreement. But out there among the labels of red and blue, I believe most of us are purple. We can often see good on both sides of a debate and recognize that compromise is not a sign of weakness. We've all seen the debates on television between opposing pundits. In an effort to appear to be fair and _ balanced (unless you're Fox News Jon Cox or Dan Rather - then you just don't bother), all we ever see are two raving lunatics yelling at each other, one ultraliberal and the other ultraconservaMiddle tive. No point is ever conceded. Ground Meanwhile the rest of us are only left with a headache. Unfortunately, many who write letters to the editor tend to make outlandish claims similar to such political pundits. In a way, I admire them. They believe in something strongly enough to sit down and write it down. The rest, whether we agree or disagree, usually just keep quiet. But in so doing, I am afraid a vocal minority can overcome a silent majority. I remember one such column. Rart of it read, "Liberals who disagree with the war are no different then the thugs who threw dirt on the bones in the mass graves" (Oct. 29, 2004). Another not-so-friendly piece read, "I've heard enough stories to make me question whether or not a bunch of trained chimps are calling the shots for registration" (Nov. 12, 2004). Most of us believe that we have made mistakes in the Iraqi War but an immediate pull-out wouldn't solve anything either. Not many of us enjoy wading through long lines at the Registrar's office, but they seem nice enough; we certainly wouldn't call them chimps. We live in a country that is becoming more and more polarized, so it seems. If you watch TV or read a newspaper, you would think the purple people have all been eaten. Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said that maybe Democrats • PURPLE see page 17 whom 3,000 are in Iraq. And yet, of the remaining 8,000 in the Pelican State, fewer than half were on duty the day Katrina struck. Does that IOOK like good leadership from Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco? M One H might also ask: Where was President Bush as the storm brewed? And Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff? Katrina was identified on Aug. 24, and so national authorities had five days to prepare for its impact on the Gulf Coast. Perhaps Diversified energy for U.S. a must Television news programs have conveyed the havoc and the heartbreak caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and surrounding areas. Thousands are missing or dead, millions have been forced from their homes and billions of dollars worth of property has been destroyed. And a city with a rich history now finds most of its neighborhoods awash in contaminated water. The devastation is )QtffefVoices so great, the problems spilling into states outside Katrina's path seem trivial. But over the next several months, they are sure to take a toll as well. Among the most notable impacts is the reduced supply of gasoline, fuel oil and natural gas, which in turn increase the pressure for a more sensible national energy policy. The United States is heavily dependent on the Gulf for energy - it accounts for more than 25 percent of the oil and about 20 percent of the natural gas produced here, and its offshore facilities handle about 10 percent of the oil imports. The hurricane not only cut off nearly all the oil and gas production and tne imports, it shut down eight major refineries and many important pipelines. One of those pipelines reopened Wednesday, but it remained unclear how long the rest of the Gulfs energy infrastructure would remain sidelined. Nat'lView Gas stations reacted immediately, boosting pnces in some areas well above $3 per gallon. Although wholesale prices dropped back a bit Wednesday, some analysts predicted that most drivers would be paying $3.50 per gallon within weeks. An extended run of record-high gasoline prices could be devastating to the economy, as higher energy bills force cutbacks in other spending. We may be able to dodge that bullet, though, if the administration and foreign suppliers can fill the gap in crude oil supplies and the Gulf refineries can be brought quickly back to life. The Bush administration has offered NERGY IF TCR90RI9T9 CARED ABOUT PROFILING see page 7 7 Copy Editor Lindsay Kite Photo Editor Michael Sharp Assistant Photo Editor Jessica Alexander Editorial Board Brooke Nelson Katie Ashton Aaron Falk Bryan Hinton Marie MacKay Michael Sharp Steve Shinney About letters • Letters should be limited to 350 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or email address as well as a student identification number. Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups — or more than one individual — must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters — no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 319, or can be e-mailed to editor® statesman.usu.edu or click on www.utahstatesman.com for more letter guidelines and a submission box. Online poll Will the new library increase the time you spend on campus studying? • Absolutely - I can't wait to have a place besides the Merrill to study(42%) • Maybe - it depends on what the food is like at the new cafe (17%) • No - I have all the resources I need to study at home (33%) • Study? (8%) Visit us on the Web at www.utahstatesman.com to cast your vote. 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