OCR Text |
Show Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 Page 10 Views&Opilli011 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com OurView 114K 60P FOR v`1512E131G13ANKERS.WE 11-11 LOTS OF TA)CFAWER NO QUESTION TAKE RISKS. ITS WI-IAT WE DO. MONEY BAILOUT WED US IN THE NICK OF TIME. Editor in Chief Patrick Oden It's an everyday thing News Editor Rachel A. Christensen T he concept of a "Sustainability Week" is inherently untenable. The planet we are confined to has a finite carrying capacity. While it's probably beyond the scope of modern science to determine exactly what that capacity is and express it as a number, we can all agree that with a global population of 6.797 billion, we surely must be nearing that capacity. It is not difficult to calculate the number of glasses of water in the Nile and divide that by the number of parched throats in the region. To continue down our ruinous path with respect to a host of issues as divergent as overuse of antibiotics and overfishing is to court disaster in the form of mass die-off. Ecological calamity has never threatened our earth more urgently or on as many fronts. Laugh if you want at the plight of the pygmy rhino - or any of thousands upon thousands of threatened and endangered species - and dismiss it as insignificant. Or disregard the disturbing reports of enormous swarms of jellyfish choking out the schools of fish, which Japanese fishermen have depended upon for centuries. After all, you'll always just be able to eat fish by opening up a box and nuking a few frozen bricks of Alaskan whitefish, right? The rush of roughly 2.36 billion Chinese and Indians to emulate our American lifestyle of disposable luxury and conspicuous consumption demands that the citizens of the world's wealthiest country take a leadership role in global stewardship. Sadly for our national pride, this will mean wresting that role from many other countries, which have left us looking like a thoughtless dinosaur, or rather, a spoiled child bereft of foresight. This means sustainability 365 days a year. This means riding your bicycle to school, not putting a "bikes are the answer" sticker on your Subaru wagon. This means personal responsibility, a concept that most in heavily Republican Utah claim to pay fealty to. Apropos of that, it also means voting for candidates who will take real steps to introduce sustainable practices at all levels of government and not dismiss any and all legislative efforts to curtail environmental devastation out-of-hand. Please use Sustainability Week as an opportunity to learn more about the concept of sustainability and steps you can take in your own life to be more sustainable. But do not confine your efforts to one week out of 52 in a year. Unlike most of the issues that consume us, this one actually matters. Assistant News Editor Catherine Meidell Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Greg Boyles Sports Editor Tim Olsen Assistant Sports Editor Graham Terry Copy Editor Mark Vuong Photo Editors Pete Smithsuth Tyler Larson Ask Miss Jones Dear Miss Jones, Dear Odd One Out, Do you remember on "Bambi" when it's spring time and everyone is "Twitterpated?" Well, let's just say I can relate a lot to Welcome to Utah; the land of if you're not dating or that particular scene. Let me explain: My roommates - bless their lucky hearts - all have boyfriends with whom they are very much in love with. Since the happy couples couldn't stand to spend a second apart, the boyfriends are always at my apartment. Don't get me wrong. I like having them around, but sometimes I feel a little bit depressed about it, since I'm the only one in the apartment that's without a man in her life. And hav- ing PDA-ing lovebirds hanging out in my living room only reminds me of what I am lacking - a good man. Which brings me to another problem: I am not very good at nabbing a man. I'm timid and socially awkward when it comes to talking to guys, so let's just say that guys aren't exactly lining up at the door for me. I'm more than aware of my dating handicap and have all but given up on dating, but when I see my T engaged, you're an outcast. I know your pain. I've been single for most of my life. I've dated a lot, but for the most part I've avoided longterm, serious relationships. For a while I was happy with that life. I would jeer at my roommates who didn't go a day without seeing the boy they've been dating, and I openly mocked my girlfriends who got engaged after four months of knowing the boy and three months of dating him. I lost many good friends this way, and while at first I was content with my relationship status, I soon became bitter and cold. In my senior year at USU - what should have been my greatest hour - I found myself alone in my room with a pint of delicious cherry chocolate Aggie Ice Cream. I didn't do anything productive in my life that year - sure I graduated from school, but I don't remember going out once. roommates, my friends and even my little sister happily in the arms of steady boyfriends, it drives me absolutely nuts. Miss Jones, how does a single person keep her sanity when she is surrounded by disgustingly happy couples? Listen, my tag line "with as many times as Miss. Jones has been around the block, her directions must be good" isn't just some made up phrase; it's true. I've been through more happiness and more grief than you can imagine. So heed my advice: don't fret over your current status and don't be openly bitter about being the odd one out. The way I Odd One Out see it, with your roommates' boyfriends you have a great Victory for Rule of Law he American system ofjustice has won an important vote of confidence from the Obama administration, signaling an overdue return to due process and the rule of law. By deciding to move the trials of five Guantanamo detainees accused of orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to New York City for trial in a civilian court, the administration reaffirmed confidence in a system ofjustice that has repeatedly shown itself capable of handling terrorism cases. That's what happened with the terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, Zacarias Moussaoui, and scores of other terrorism suspects tried in open court. Some 347 convicted terrorists are being held in American prisons after facing justice in U.S. courts, by the count of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. There is every reason to believe that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his cohorts will eventually join them. The obligation to stand trial in an open court of law is a defeat for the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, who once expressed a desire to plead guilty in the military commission system established in Guantanamo. Because the trial venue has been discredited around the Islamic world _ and among U.S. allies _ fulfilling his wish would have solidified his status as martyr on behalf of a distorted version AboutUS of Islam. Wisely, the plea was disallowed. Mohammed and the others will have to face a judge and jury, hear the evidence against them, and be given the opportunity to offer a defense _ all the features of a legal system that they reject precisely because it is emblematic of the rule of law and a civilization they despise. Trying the accused conspirators in New York obliges them to return to the scene of the crime, a fundamental tenet of American jurisprudence. It gives the trial a transparency it never could achieve in Guantanamo and offers families who lost loved ones the chance to see justice done. From the outset, the decision to create a separate system ofjustice rested on the mistaken notion that Americans could not simultaneously uphold the rule of law and remain safe from terrorism. As a result, mass murderers and common criminals were elevated into a special class, an exalted warrior status they do not deserve. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder made a valid distinction between this set of accused conspirators _ accused of the mass murder of civilians _ and others like Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the alleged mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, who are accused of violations of the rules of war. He and another group of Guantanamo detain- itt7Zoof 47,c/delft -X-,iate Sarah rosin: =Going Rogue" opportunity to meet handsome, single men. People always want to be the matchmaker so express that you're interested - if not directly to the boyfriend then at least to your roommate so she can mention it to him. Having the boyfriend bring over a boy should help with your timid socially awkwardness - this way you're in your own home and therefore in a more comfortable environment. If you aren't comfortable with that then get ready for a splendid but lonely life - sitting in your home with your eight cats, Internet stalking your ex-boyfriends and crying yourself to sleep for the next 55 years. Good luck and remember: "With as many times as Miss Jones has been around the block, her directions must be good." E-mail your questions to be answered by Miss Jones to statesman . m Jones@gmai l. com a\ I al ,95 P i rogue bein9 more i mpos i ng -(1 Web Editor Karlie Brand About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 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 (none of which is published). 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 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu , or click on www.aggietownsquare.com for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. (Link: About Us.) Online poll If you could live in any period of time from history, what period would it be? stomp stomp ees will also be brought to the United States, but instead of civilian trials they will face military commissions. These panels have been revamped by Congress, which has barred them from using statements obtained from harsh interrogations and made it harder for them to use hearsay evidence. Still, they fall short of conventional standards of due process. Trying terrorists in this venue remains problematic. Given the extensive fear-mongering over the issue of trying terrorists here at home, it took courage for the Obama administration to step forward. Within minutes of Holder's public announcement, House Minority Leader John Boehner repeated charges that the administration had acted irresponsibly and put Americans in danger. Boehner should have more faith. The American system ofjustice has served this country well for more than 200 years and will no doubt show that it is up to the task of dealing with the likes of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. This column first appeared in the Nov. 16 edition of The Miami Herald. • The Iron Age. • The Bronze Age. • The Dark Age. • The Gilded Age. • Modern times. Visit us on the Web at www.aggietown sq uare. com to cast your vote. |