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(11/06/06 3:22am)
always try to be punctual when attending my classes. One day last week, I failed abysmally, strolling in a little past the range that might be generously considered "fashionably late." As I struggled to take my seat without much disruption, someone I didn't recognize looked in my direction and said, within earshot of maybe 10 others: "There's that radical neocon madman." \nI suppose you take your compliments where you can. And despite my usual injunction to harbor allegiance to principle first and last, experiences like this on the eve of an election invariably lead to people asking about my politics. So if last week I implored my fellow citizens to distinguish party from principle, today let me connect the two. \nI am a single-issue voter on the most pressing issue of our time. (Hint: That is not raising the minimum wage.) At a point when America and civilization have half-understood enemies credibly promising more unspeakable violence against half-forgotten allies, the level of Democratic unseriousness -- their eagerness only to rush for the exit -- is simply unworthy of an opposition party, let alone a majority one in this exceptional nation.\nDemocrats are not the only ones who waste time worrying what the enemy will do to us rather than the other way around. Many conservatives who never had the stamina for a long fight don't inspire much confidence either. And for that very reason, one day before the election, it seems that Democrats are winning the debate. \nThat is not to say they are winning the argument: The electorate is demoralized not because Old Glory has been carried to Iraq, but because the citizens aren't convinced (understandably) that it has been carried as well as it could have. That hardly amounts to an endorsement of the Democratic position that the flag should be removed from the field. \nYou go to war with the president you have, and this one hasn't been perfect. But the Bush administration has it right on the essential point: We are engaged in a just war and have no intention of quitting it. Some of us still refuse any "course-change" short of surging our troop levels -- at least until the enemy realizes that it is the weak horse in this race. I would prefer to speak of country instead of party and would hide my face if anyone ever credibly accused me of confusing those categories. But you can't take politics out of politics, runs the old adage. So call me a radical neocon madman if you must: At least I would use American power when the principles we hold most dear are under siege. \nI would never be caught saying that a vote for Democrats is a vote for terrorists. But who can deny that a vote for Democrats is a vote for America to become a couch-potato nation -- self-absorbed and consuming on credit, with a chronic case of attention deficit disorder? If that is the kind of country you want, then, by all means, do likewise, and be a couch potato on Election Day.
(11/06/06 3:21am)
In January, WIUX student radio finally moved to an FM frequency after nearly four decades of attempts. But there was barely any time to break out the Keystone before the Federal Communications Commission announced that it would allow WYGB, a country music station, to take control of WIUX's 100.3 FM frequency because of its higher broadcasting priority.\nRegardless of what you think of country music (there are some very strong opinions among the editorial board), there are many other stations that can be picked up in Bloomington that broadcast only country. There are few stations besides WIUX, though, that broadcast rock, jazz, hip-hop, funk, punk, ska, techno/rpm and local music. Nor are there many other stations that offer such diversity as news, sports, interviews, sex advice and creative writing shows. Nowhere else on your dial would you be able to find programming like "The Bananaphonetics Show," "Butt on Door" or "Forty Minutes to Locate Canada." \nBut it's not just its unique programming that makes WIUX such a diamond in the rough. Part of the beauty of the station is that it is student-run. DJs don't have to answer to "The Man," and the freedom of the station is not compromised by ties to massive media conglomerates. What's more, it gives students interested in the field a unique opportunity to learn the ropes and test out their creative juices before they enter the radio job market. \nEven so, moving off of an FM frequency does not spell the end for WIUX. The station managed to survive for nearly 40 years as an AM station, and if the FCC has its way, the station will most likely continue much the same as it has in previous years. But honestly, who listens to AM radio anymore? While AM does have a few devotees, we remain fairly confident that significantly more IU students and members of the Bloomington community have their radio dials set to FM than AM. By switching back to AM, WIUX risks losing advertisers and backers. In addition, the station might lose a good portion of its accidental audience, who, unaware of its existence, stumble upon it while flipping between "SexyBack" and "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk."\nSo how does the FCC justify this injustice? WIUX is a Low Power FM station, and it is the organization's policy to allow Low Power stations to be kicked off the airwaves if construction of a new station would cause interference with the signal. WIUX has apparently gotten in the way of "Korn Country," a station broadcast out of Columbus, Ind.\nIf the FCC intends to suppress the values of individualism and creativity within the IU community, as well as undermine the years of hard work that the station's staff and supporters put in to obtain their prided FM frequency, then it's on the right path. However, the organization has a duty to serve us, and allowing WIUX to lose its FM frequency would not complete that task. We are confident that this is not the FCC's intent and hope that it will reconsider.\nInfo on petitioning the FCC is available at http://wiux.org/new/public-comment.
(11/06/06 3:16am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma said Friday he was optimistic that Republicans would retain control of the House after Tuesday's election, but the outcome was too close to call.\nHouse Minority Leader Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said Democrats would do something Republicans have not done over the past two years if his party regains the majority.\n"We will listen to what the people of Indiana want," he said.\nThe chamber has been narrowly divided between the parties for several years, but Bosma said there are more competitive races this time than he could recall in his 20 years as a state representative. It was too early to predict the outcome of eight to 10 races, and that might still be the case come Tuesday, he said.\nRepublicans have a 52-48 advantage, and their motto is "56 in '06." Bosma said getting to 56 was a best-case scenario at this point.\n"I'm not going to make a prediction. It's too close to call," he said.\nOver the past two years, House Republicans helped balance the state budget for the first time in years and took steps to create jobs and reduce corruption in state government, Bosma said.\nHe also noted that they have made a series of pledges for the upcoming session, which include incentives to promote alternative fuels, improving the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and taking the next step toward a constitutional ban on gay marriage.\nBut Republicans also made some difficult choices as far as some voters are concerned, he said.\n"Hoosiers want change until you give it to them," Bosma said. "People want straight talk until you give them straight talk. So that is a bit of a difficulty for having to make tough decisions."\nHouse Democrats have attacked Republicans on two of those tough decisions -- supporting legislation that led to statewide observance of daylight-saving time and leasing the Indiana Toll Road to a private, foreign consortium. Both were initiatives pushed by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, and both have proved unpopular with many Hoosiers.\nBosma said the move to daylight-saving time has helped improve the state economy.\n"It's tough medication for many Hoosiers, but it's medicine that had to be swallowed for all of us to move into this century," he said.\nBut Bauer said the time change has created more confusion than before.\nAfter the law was passed in 2005, 17 counties in northwestern and southwestern Indiana petitioned the federal government to move from the Eastern Time Zone and join 10 counties in the Central Zone. Eight won approval, but the move angered many people in some counties, and now six have requested that they be moved back to Eastern time.\n"As my colleague, state Rep. Russ Stilwell, says, 'It used to be that people outside Indiana were confused about what time it was in Indiana. Now it's people inside Indiana who are confused about what time it is in Indiana,'" Bauer said.\nBauer also said that under a Republican governor and GOP-controlled legislature, the state had sold off public assets and programs to private entities, some based overseas; funding for some schools was cut; providing health care coverage to 850,000 uninsured Hoosiers was not considered; and the BMV was revamped to be a "model of how not to serve the public."\nHe said House Democrats promised to reduce the impact of property taxes, find more money for public schools, seek affordable health care for all Hoosiers and remove the sales tax from gasoline, among other things.\n"Above all, we promise to listen to the people of Indiana and return balance to state government," he said.\nIf the House is divided 50-50 after the election, the party that wins the secretary of state's office will control the chamber.
(11/03/06 9:53pm)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The leader of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals, a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, resigned Thursday after being accused of paying for sex with a man in monthly trysts for the past three years.\nThe Rev. Ted Haggard, a married father of five who has been called one of the most influential evangelical Christians in the nation, denied the allegations. His accuser refused to share voice mails that he said backed up his claim.\nHaggard also stepped aside as head of his 14,000-member New Life Church while a church panel investigates, saying he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations."\n"I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity," Haggard said in a written statement. "I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date."\nHe also told KUSA-TV late Wednesday: "Never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife."\nThe allegations come as voters in Colorado and seven other states get ready to decide Tuesday on amendments banning gay marriage. Besides the proposed ban on the Colorado ballot, a separate measure would establish the legality of domestic partnerships providing same-sex couples with many of the rights of married couples.\nMike Jones, 49, of Denver told The Associated Press he decided to go public with his allegations because of the political fight. Jones, who said he is gay, said he was upset when he discovered Haggard and the New Life Church had publicly opposed same-sex marriage.\n"It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex," said Jones, who added he isn't working for any political group.\nJones, whose allegations were first aired on KHOW-AM radio in Denver, claimed Haggard paid him to have sex nearly every month over three years. Jones also said Haggard snorted methamphetamine before their sexual encounters to heighten his experience.\nHaggard and his attorney, Martin Nussbaum, did not return calls Thursday night from the AP.\nJones said he had advertised himself as an escort on the Internet and that a man who called himself Art contacted him. Jones said he later saw the man on television identified as Haggard.\nHe said he last had sex with Haggard in August and he did not warn him before making his allegations this week.\nJones said he has voice mail messages from Haggard, as well as an envelope he said Haggard used to mail him cash, though he declined to make any of it available to the AP.\n"There's some stuff on there (the voice mails) that's pretty damning," he said.\nHaggard was appointed president of the evangelicals association in March 2003. He has participated in conservative Christian leaders' conference calls with White House staffers and lobbied members of Congress last year on U.S. Supreme Court appointees after Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement.\nAfter Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, Haggard and others began organizing state-by-state opposition. Last year, Haggard and officials from the nearby Christian ministry Focus on the Family announced plans to push Colorado's gay marriage ban for the 2006 ballot.\nAt the time, Haggard said he believed marriage is a union between a man and woman rooted in centuries of tradition, and research shows it's the best family unit for children.\n"Homosexual activity, like adulterous relationships, is clearly condemned in the Scriptures," the evangelicals association says on its Web site. The Bible says homosexuality is a sin that "brings grave consequences in this life and excludes one from the Kingdom of God."\nHaggard's resignation from the NAE seems unlikely to do lasting damage to the organization, an umbrella group for a diverse and independent-minded membership. At his own church, Haggard's decision to step aside, if it became permanent, would have a more profound effect.\n"One would hope and pray that this matter would be resolved expeditiously and quickly and he can be restored back to being the pastor of the church and the leader of the NAE," said Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative Washington think tank.\nNew Life Church member Brooks DeMio, 44, said he thinks Jones is a liar and can't believe Haggard would engage in sex with a man.\n"He loves the Lord. Homosexuality is a sin, and that's not Ted," DeMio said. "His desire is to serve other people and uphold the word of God. ... I don't know him well enough to give a complete character description, but I know him enough to know it's not true."\nCarolyn Haggard, spokeswoman for the New Life Church and the pastor's niece, said a four-member church panel will investigate the allegations. The board has the authority to discipline Haggard, including removing him from ministry work.\n"This is really routine when any sort of situation like this arises, so we're prepared," Carolyn Haggard said. "The church is going to continue to serve and be welcoming to our community. That's a priority."\n--Associated Press writers Dan Elliott in Denver and Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report.
(11/03/06 6:02pm)
On Oct. 23, the Indiana Daily Student reported that, in the last nonpresidential election, out of 1,281 registered voters in the entirely on-campus Bloomington Five district, only 17 people turned out. Now, the district's large proportion of nonresidents certainly limits the number -- but just 17? Something needs to be done. We can no longer tolerate the apathy our fellow Hoosiers seem to display. Although voting is important and should be done by each and every student without enticement, a call for incentives might be in order.\nOur first idea was the treatment of the polls as a blood drive. Parallel to the care that blood donors receive, each student would be given a complimentary sticker that says "Be nice to me, I voted today!" plus a juice box and a banana. They would then be told to sit down for a little while in order to give their bodies time to adjust. This year, that might take longer than usual.\nNext we entertained the thought of having Pizza Express sponsor the event. Voters gets free condoms thrown at them by the one and only Expressman. If the blood drive-like sticker was not enough to entice the student, perhaps a button that says "I get it (well-informed, objective political news) every night" would suffice.\nOur third idea included three baseballs, an overly large target, a tub of water and Purdue Pete. Each voter gets three chances to dunk the ol' Boilermaker mascot himself. Not a good shot? Don't worry. Even if students missed with the baseballs, they would be allowed to run up and hit the target anyway -- doing your civic duty should have its reward. After dunking Pete, the Hoosier would be allowed up to six minutes of heckling -- 12 if Purdue wins the Old Oaken Bucket.\nWith recent news about BYOB parties, the idea of handing out wristbands that would admit students to consume beer at frat houses crossed our minds. Then we remembered these wristbands were only for the 21 and older crowd. What incentive could we offer to the under-21s? Taking a cue from Colonial-era elections, we could just get them a keg ... of root beer, of course! Yeah, root beer ...\nOur final idea included IU's own Coach Hep. We would run numerous ads featuring him urging the students to meet him at the polls. After the students were done voting, they would be able to pick up their T-shirts signed by him that say "Coach Hep got me ... to vote!" If he can breathe life into Indiana's defense, he can do anything. \nEven though we know our ideas were nothing short of incredible, we really shouldn't have to offer incentives to get you to vote. We at the editorial board take voting very seriously and believe students should contribute to the democratic process without being bribed -- you're citizens (mostly), make those politicians work for you. \nNow, come Nov. 7, get out there and vote!
(11/03/06 11:47am)
WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush headed west to stump for Republican candidates Thursday after reaffirming his confidence that the GOP will maintain control of both the Senate and House in next week's elections.\n"I don't believe it's over until everybody votes," Bush said Wednesday in an Oval Office interview. "And I believe that people are concerned about the amount of taxes they pay, and I know many people are concerned about whether or not this country is secure against attack."\nThe president was campaigning in Montana and Nevada Thursday before spending the night in Missouri in advance of appearances there Friday.\nSen. John Kerry, meanwhile, Bush's opponent in the 2004 race for the White House, was regrouping a day after apologizing to service members for remarks that many interpreted as an insult to U.S. forces in Iraq -- and which knocked him off the trail, at least temporarily.\nKerry had been campaigning actively for Democratic candidates coast-to-coast but canceled appearances in three states after a furor generated by his remarks Monday evening at a California college.\nThe Massachusetts senator's future role in the run-up to next Tuesday's election was uncertain as Democratic Senate candidates from Montana to New York distanced themselves from his remark.\nRep. Harold Ford, seeking to win a Senate seat for Democrats in Tennessee, was among those calling for Kerry to apologize to the troops Wednesday a few hours before he did so.\nKerry apologized to "any service member, family member or American" offended by remarks deemed by Republicans and some Democrats alike to be insulting to U.S. forces in Iraq. Kerry has characterized the remarks as the result of a botched joke.\nBut six days before the election, he said he wanted to avoid becoming a distraction in the final days of the battle for control of Congress. He added he sincerely regretted that his words were "misinterpreted to imply anything negative about those in uniform."\nIn a brief statement, Kerry attacked Bush for a "failed security policy." Yet his apology, issued after prominent Democrats had urged him to cancel public appearances, was designed to quell a controversy that party leaders feared would stall their drive for big gains on Nov. 7.\nWith polls showing the public opposed to the war in Iraq, Democrats have expressed increasing optimism in recent days that they will gain the 15 seats they need to win control of the House. Democrats must pick up six seats to win the Senate, a taller challenge, and both parties made last-minute efforts to increase the number of competitive races.\nDemocrats cringed at the prospect of Kerry becoming the face of the party for the second consecutive national campaign. "No one wants to have the 2004 election replayed," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., like Kerry, a potential contender for the 2008 nomination.\nCongressional candidates in Iowa and Minnesota swiftly made plain that Kerry was no longer welcome to appear at scheduled rallies, and the senator scrapped an appearance in Philadelphia.\n"It was a real dumb thing to say. He should say sorry," said Democrat Claire McCaskill, running in a tight Senate campaign in Missouri.\n"Senator Kerry's apology to the troops for his insulting comments came late, but it was the right thing to do," said Dana Perino, the deputy White House press secretary.\n"Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words," Bush said in an interview with conservative talk-radio personality Rush Limbaugh.\nFirst lady Laura Bush, campaigning in Ohio, did not refer directly to the Kerry flap, but said Americans discussing the war in Iraq -- especially politicians -- should be careful what they say.\n"Responsible candidates understand that the men and women of our military are risking their lives for us and that we must conduct our debate here at home in a way that does not jeopardize our troops in harm's way," she said, calling for "conversations conducted with civility and respect."\nKerry stirred controversy when he told a group of California students that individuals who don't study hard and do their homework would likely "get stuck in Iraq." Aides said the senator had mistakenly dropped one word from his prepared remarks, which was originally written to say "you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq." In that context, they said, it was clear Kerry was referring to Bush, not to the troops.\nDemocratic officials said the leaders of the party's campaign committees had relayed word to Kerry for him to avoid becoming a distraction.\nDemocrats have privately told outsiders they have locked up 10 of the 15 GOP-held seats they need and claim to be on track to defeat four Republican incumbents.
(11/03/06 5:12am)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady. The unbeaten Indianapolis Colts versus the New England Patriots, who have only one loss.\nThe hype versus the reality.\nThere are plenty of subplots to Sunday night's game between two of the NFL's best teams -- Adam Vinatieri's first against the team for which he kicked two Super-Bowl-winning field goals, Manning's struggles against the Patriots and Brady's growing comfort with his new receivers.\nFloating above all that is the perception that it might be the NFL's biggest game so far this season.\n"You would love to hype this thing up like it's the AFC championship, but it's really another game on the schedule," Brady said. "We're really not even halfway through the year."\nWell, what about his matchup with Manning, the NFL's top-rated quarterback? Brady, after all, is coming off his best game of the season -- 372 yards passing and four touchdown strikes in a 31-7 rout at Minnesota.\n"If that's what it takes to get people to watch the game or whatever, that's fine," Manning said, "but it will be about a lot more than that. It's about who blocks better, who tackles better."\nThere's no denying the game is more important than most. Plus, they'll have a good surface to play on: The Patriots put new turf up the middle third of the field, replacing the slippery, sandy surface Patriots safety Rodney Harrison said, "was terrible, to say the least."\nIndianapolis (7-0), New England (6-1) and Denver (5-2) represent the class of the conference. The only NFC team with an equal or better record than those three is Chicago (7-0).\nThe Patriots lost to the Broncos 17-7 in the third game of the season. The Colts came from behind last Sunday to beat the Broncos 34-31 on Vinatieri's 37-yard field goal with two seconds left.\n"That was the first time that I have had the opportunity to really help the team out," said Vinatieri, who signed as a free agent after 10 years in New England. Could it come down to that Sunday?\n"It would be fun if it was that way," he said.\nA New England win would tie the Patriots' best start through eight games. They were 12-1 in 2004 on their way to their third championship in four seasons.\n"If you think things are going well and you need a measuring stick, this would be the game," Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel said.\nA victory by the Colts would make them the only team to start consecutive seasons at 8-0 since the 1929-31 Green Bay Packers did it three years in a row. It also would give Manning and Tony Dungy the franchise record for most wins by a quarterback-coach tandem at 56-16. Johnny Unitas and Don Shula were 55-20-3.\n"It's such an important game, and it's been an important game every time we play these guys," Manning said. "What's happened in the past is really kind of irrelevant, and who plays the best this Sunday night will win."\nThe teams will meet in Foxborough for the fifth straight time, including New England's wins in the 2004 AFC title game and the 2005 first-round playoff game.\nRecent history is definitely on New England's side. Brady is 6-1 against the Colts; Manning is 3-10 against the Patriots, often looking confused by the defensive alignments.\nMidway through last season, Manning threw for three touchdowns and 321 yards in a 40-21 win in Foxborough that ended the Colts' six-game losing streak against the Patriots.\n"He wasn't befuddled last year," Harrison said. "Maybe he struggled at particular times. We look for his best on Sunday."\nManning couldn't have been much better last Sunday when he threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns and led the Colts to score on all five of their second-half possessions to overcome a 14-7 halftime deficit.\nDungy said Manning has improved since throwing an NFL record 49 touchdown passes in 2004.
(11/03/06 4:53am)
This is the most important game of the season, period. It is so important that I had to emphasize the period ... period.\nFactoring in a massacre at the hands of Michigan, the Hoosiers have two games left to clinch a bowl game. The first game is set for Saturday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who are 0-5 in the Big Ten so far this season. The second and final game of the season stacks IU against in-state rival Purdue. The Boilermakers have had the Hoosiers' number for quite some time. That number is four -- as in four straight Old Oaken Bucket victories.\nNormally, no ordinary Hoosier squad could respond to a Big Ten must-win game, but as we've seen in the month of October, this is no ordinary team. In fact, the Hoosiers are two road wins away from starting the season ordinarily and ending it extraordinarily.\nWe've also seen what the IU football team can do to opponents it should beat. I am nailing this declaration to the entrance of Memorial Stadium. This Hoosier team has two legitimate chances to clinch a bowl game. If the team can't do it, these players, their coaches and this season will have failed. Simply put, if the Hoosiers clinch, they're champs. If they don't, they're chumps.\nI know what you die-hard fans who have endured more than a decade of IU football disparagement are thinking: This team has already surpassed expectations. They're growing, they're learning and they're built for the future -- isn't that enough? \nNo, it's not. \nIf you want to be satisfied, grab a Snickers bar. If you want to be celebrated, grab a seat, and cheer this team on until your face has turned crimson.\nSpeaking of seats, Bloomington Herald-Times football columnist Chris Korman wrote last week that there are plenty of good ones left on the IU bandwagon. This is the same bandwagon that is usually dark, desolate and appropriately full of spider webs by the time Halloween hits the football season. This year, as we round the corner to November, IU is 5-4 and the bandwagon is building a crowd -- warming up the engine and waiting for one more win. Of course, as seen Saturday, that crowd will never build to 50,000.\nNonetheless, the IU fight song will continuously blare throughout Bloomington if the football team can secure a bowl berth. That is what this team has accomplished so far, highlighted by an upset against Iowa and a smackdown of the Spartans. If the Hoosiers leave Bloomington bowl-barren, then what was it all for? Well, OK, we helped cause Michigan State head coach John L. Smith to be fired. So we've got that going for us, which is nice.\nThe goal has been clear since the start of spring: play 13 games. If IU cannot win one more game for the remainder of the season, they'll finish another year without a bowl game and without a winning record. Once more, the Hoosier Nation will be without football in December, marking the 13th year in a row.\nSo what will it be, gentlemen -- 13 games or 13 years?
(11/03/06 4:52am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Adam Vinatieri is ready for anything he might encounter Sunday night in New England -- cheers, jeers, chants and taunts, even a last-second kick. He's content with it.\nFor the first time in his 11-year career, Vinatieri will play at Gillette Stadium not as one of the Patriots' revered stars, but rather as one of those dreaded Indianapolis Colts. He figures fans will respond accordingly.\n"I might have a few people give me a few cheers at the beginning, but I'm expecting once the game starts they are going to try to take the edge, and that is probably yelling at us like every team does," he said.\nIn 10 seasons with New England, fans embraced Vinatieri.\nBut when the NFL's best clutch kicker left as a free agent in March, the reaction was split. Some fans felt betrayed more by Vinatieri's decision to join the Patriots' bitter rival than by his departure. Others blamed the team for allowing him to walk away.\nSunday's game gives New England fans another chance to flaunt their unique homecoming salute.\nLast spring, when Johnny Damon returned to Fenway Park as a member of the hated New York Yankees, fans booed, chanted "traitor" and wore T-shirts that read:\n"Looked Like Jesus."\n"Throws Like Mary."\n"LOYAL Like Judas."\n"Johnny B GONE!"\nIt's doubtful Vinatieri's return will create that much animosity because the Colts-Pats series pales in comparison to the deep hatred between the Red Sox and Yankees.\nAs, perhaps, a subtle message that he's still a New Englander at heart, Vinatieri walked into the Colts' locker room Wednesday wearing a Red Sox hat. Ex-teammates expect Vinatieri to get a warmer reception than most former players.\n"I don't think he'll get booed. He's done too many good things here," punter Josh Miller said. "I'm sure if he does get booed, every person that's booing would love to have him over for dinner."\nVinatieri has tried to downplay the tension by constantly describing his departure as a business move for both sides.\nEarly in training camp, though, he referred to New England only as "my former team." He also acknowledged the Patriots had opportunities to re-sign him, and when they opted out of the sweepstakes, he wasted no time in joining another Super Bowl contender.\n"I don't think it was a lack of interest. I just think their philosophy is what their philosophy is," Vinatieri said Wednesday. "I don't want to say that they probably didn't want me back, I just think that their decision-making ... I don't know."\nVinatieri's tone has changed over the past couple of months as he's grown more accustomed to life in Indianapolis.\nPatriots coach Bill Belichick hasn't said much about one of his more controversial decisions. When asked about his own memories of Vinatieri this week, Belichick responded in his customarily short manner, failing to mention either of Vinatieri's Super-Bowl-winning kicks or the two kicks he made in a snowstorm against Oakland that ignited the Patriots' first Super Bowl run.\n"He made a lot of good plays for this team," Belichick said. "They were all important."\nOther Patriots remember Vinatieri more fondly.\nHe's played phone tag with punter Miller, Vinatieri's holder the last two seasons, and safety Rodney Harrison said he still respects the kicker who helped New England earn its reputation as this decade's most formidable team.\n"The respect and love is always there for him, and I know the fans love him a lot," said Harrison, known best for his hard hits. "He's directly responsible for us winning three Super Bowls."\nSo far, the decision has worked out for both teams.\nVinatieri has made 14 straight field goals and was voted AFC special teams player of the week after making a last-second field goal at Denver Sunday to keep the South Division-leading Colts perfect at 7-0.\nRookie Stephen Gostkowski is 6-of-9 on field goals and 21-of-21 on extra points to help the Patriots (6-1) take early control in the AFC East.\nIf it comes down to another last-second kick on Gillette Stadium's newly installed grass, the Colts will take their chances with Mr. Clutch -- something the Patriots haven't forgotten.\n"I don't want to put him in a position to kick a game-winning field goal," four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. "Obviously, you want to keep Adam out of that situation, because the odds are not in our favor. We all wish Adam success, but not this week"
(11/03/06 4:49am)
The IU women's soccer team exited the Big Ten Tournament early Thursday night after losing to Michigan 2-1 at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa. The Hoosiers got on the board first with a goal in the 16th minute of play; however, the Wolverines rallied to overcome the deficit, spelling the end of IU's 2006 Big Ten season.\nJunior midfielder Bev Markwort put IU ahead early in the contest when her shot on goal deflected off a Michigan defender and past Wolverines goalkeeper Megan Tuura. Junior forward Lindsay McCarthy nearly gave the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead when her shot on goal hit the crossbar and then hit the post. Senior midfielder Carrie DeFreece tried to chase down the errant shot but was unable to do so.\nThe Wolverines tied up the score in the 20th minute and took control of the game in the 29th minute, when they netted a goal off a corner kick. The Hoosiers finished the season with a 9-7-4 record overall and a 5-5-1 record in the Big Ten including the tournament. They will now have to wait to see if they can get an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. The field of 64 will be selected Sunday.
(11/03/06 4:32am)
The IU board of trustees is scheduled to discuss IU's progress on the search to find the next leader of the University and will vote on a number of new degree programs and building approvals at its business meeting today at the IU-Purdue University Fort Wayne campus. \nSue Talbot, IU trustee and chair of the presidential search committee, is slated to present a report on the progress of the search for IU's next president. Talbot will discuss the search committee's current priorities for the University. \nThe potential of outsourcing auxiliary operations on IU's campus will also be discussed, according to the office of Terry Clapacs, board vice president and chief administrative officer.\nThe trustees will vote on the creation of nine different degree programs, four of which will be available at the Bloomington campus. The degrees that could be offered at IUB are a B.A. in American Studies, B.S. in Arts Management, B.A. and B.S. in Human Biology and M.A. and Ph.D. Second Language Studies on IU's Bloomington campus, according to the agenda. \nAlso to be voted upon are several design approvals including construction of a student housing facility at IU-Southeast. The facility will house about 400 beds in five lodge buildings as well as two and four-bedroom units, according to the meeting's agenda. This construction project will be the first of two phases and will cost an estimated $20,100,000, according to the agenda. Bonds, which will be repaid by the revenue generated from the student housing, will be the major source of funding for the project.
(11/03/06 4:28am)
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran test-fired dozens of missiles in military maneuvers Thursday that it said were aimed at putting a stop to the role of world powers in the Persian Gulf region.\nThe show of strength came as Iran remains locked in dispute with the West over its nuclear program, which Washington says is geared toward producing atomic weapons but Tehran says is only for generating electricity. The maneuvers came three days after U.S.-led warships finished naval exercises in the Gulf that Iran branded as "adventurist."\nState television reported that several kinds of missiles were tested and broadcast footage of them being fired from mobile launchers.\n"We want to show our deterrent and defensive power to trans-regional enemies, and we hope they will understand the message," the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, said in a clear reference to the United States, Britain and France, who were among the six nations that took part in the Gulf maneuvers earlier this week.\nIranian state radio said: "The maneuver is aimed at providing security in the region without the intervention of trans-regional powers, which are trying to justify their presence by portraying the region as convulsive."\nIn Israel, Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said he was not surprised by the missile tests and warned that to leave Iran unchecked would pose a risk to the world.\n"Iran is following a direct line after North Korea. Therefore this problem is not Israel's but that of the entire world," Ben-Eliezer said, referring to North Korea's recent nuclear test and its frequent launches of long-range missiles.\nIran's Shahab-3 missile is believed to be based on a North Korean missile design, although Iran denies this.\nThe Iranian missile tests "should bother not only Israel. It should bother the Arab countries, Islamic countries, the Gulf region, North Africa and Europe. We are always warning the world about this phenomenon called Iran," Ben-Eliezer said.\nIran already has held three large-scale military exercises this year. It often uses maneuvers to test weapons developed by its arms industry.\nSafavi said the maneuvers that began Thursday, named "Great Prophet," would take place in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and several provinces of Iran. He did not specify how many troops were involved.\nState TV reported that among the rockets fired was the Shahab-2, which has a warhead that can distribute 1,400 bomblets at the same time.\nState radio quoted the air force chief of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Hossein Salami, as saying: "A large number of advanced missiles, different in range, warhead and kind, were successfully test fired at the same time."\nThe U.N. Security Council is considered imposing sanctions on Iran, which has ignored demands that it cease uranium enrichment, a process that can produce the fuel for nuclear reactors or material for bombs.\nIran insists it does not seek to produce nuclear weapons, but only to produce its own nuclear fuel.\nThe U.S.-led maneuvers that finished Monday focused on surveillance, with warships tracking a ship suspected of carrying components of illegal weapons. The nations that took part were Australia, Bahrain, Britain, France, Italy and the United States.
(11/03/06 4:26am)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen killed the Shiite dean of Baghdad University's school of administration and economics on Thursday -- the 155th Iraqi academic murdered in sectarian violence and revenge attacks since the 2003 U.S. invasion.\nIn another attack against majority Shiites, a motorcycle bomb struck a crowded market in Sadr City, killing seven people and wounding 45, police said, just two days after the U.S. lifted a military blockade of the Baghdad district on the orders of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.\nThe rigged motorcycle was left in a section of the Mereidi market that specialized in the sales of secondhand motorbikes and spare parts. The attack raised the total number of people killed or found dead around Iraq on Thursday to 49.\nSadr City is a stronghold of the militia, which is loyal to radical anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Associated Press Television News footage showed mangled motorbikes and large pools of blood on the ground.\nMahdi Army militiamen came to the scene of the bombing and dispersed a crowd of onlookers for fear of a second blast targeting rescuers and police as has repeatedly been the case in past bombings.\nThe U.S. military also confirmed Thursday that a kidnapped soldier was an Iraq-American man who was married to an Iraqi woman. Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell identified him as Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, a 41-year-old reserve soldier.\nThe military spokesman said there was "an ongoing dialogue" in a bid to win the soldier's release, but he would not say with whom or at what level.\nTwo Iraqi lawmakers, meanwhile, said al-Maliki plans to reshuffle his 39-member Cabinet, possibly this month, in a bid to salvage his government's faltering image as it faces criticism that it has been ineffective amid the spiraling sectarian violence.\n"The prime minister is considering a reshuffle within the next few weeks," Ali al-Adeeb, a lawmaker of al-Maliki's Dawa Party and a close aide to the prime minister, told The Associated Press. "It will cover about a third of the serving ministers, including one with a security brief."\nHassan al-Suneid, another Dawa lawmaker and a close al-Maliki aide, also said he expected the reshuffle to take place within a month. "It will take place after consultations with the political blocs in parliament," he said.\nThe statements coincided with sharp criticism of al-Maliki's 5-month-old government for its perceived failure to make progress toward crushing the Sunni-led insurgency and disband Shiite militias blamed for much of the violence. Al-Maliki also is under fire for doing too little to improve services and create jobs.\nThe government's main backer, the United States, has added to the pressure, presenting al-Maliki last week with a timeline to end the violence and achieve reconciliation between the country's various religious and ethnic groups.\nIraqi President Jalal Talabani said Thursday his country could send U.S.-led troops home in two to three years, once Iraq has set up its own domestic security forces.\n"Two to three years are needed to build our security forces and say bye-bye to our friends," Talabani said in English at a conference during a visit to Paris.\nThat contrasted with an estimate late last month by Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, that it will take 12-18 months to get the Iraqis fully in control of their own security.\nThe Shiite university dean, Jassim al-Asadi, was driving home after picking up his son from school and his wife from her teaching job, when a group of armed men pulled alongside, spraying his car with bullets, police Lt. Ahmed Ibrahim said. Al-Asadi's wife and son also were killed in the attack, Ibrahim said.\nIraqi academics, along with doctors and other professionals, have become the frequent targets of threats, kidnapping and murder, with at least 155 killed since April 9, 2003, when Saddam Hussein was ousted, according to education ministry statistics.\nThousands of others have fled the country, starving Iraq's education, legal and health care systems of much needed expertise and deepening a pervasive sense of hopelessness.\nThe shooting came after Monday's killing of a prominent Sunni academic following a pattern of tit-for-tat sectarian attacks since the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra.
(11/03/06 4:19am)
"Exploratory": the nice term I get to use here in Bloomington to say I have no clue in what I'm going to major. It's already time to schedule for next semester, and I'm excited and petrified. I know to avoid the mistakes I made this semester. I won't be scheduling any more classes in areas I already have enough Advanced Placement credit in, and I know my schedule can't be as random and unfocused as it was this semester. So, as I try to determine the path the rest of my life will take, I can't help but think: How did it get this way? I used to be so sure I'd do something great. \nLet me put it like this: I used to be smart, especially in elementary school. I rarely had to try. I was confident I was the smartest kid in the world. I was the kid who got to check out books from the entire library instead of just the section for kindergartners. I had dreams of becoming proficient at every profession you can think of. I was unfocused, but at least I had ambition. That would soon change. \nIt was easy to exploit my rapid mental maturation in grade school, but in junior high other kids started catching up. In addition, I was one of those students "smart" enough to know middle school didn't matter and lazy enough to act accordingly. The future was always very far away. I maintained this sentiment throughout high school.\nUnfortunately, the future is now. I know I don't need to decide exactly what I'm going to do, but picking classes that are actually relevant to a certain field is important. Declaring a major will move me away from my University Division adviser to someone in a specific department who will know more about my class choices and what I should take. Most students can get by taking general education courses until they decide what to do, but I already have AP credit in most of those areas. I need to start taking classes toward a major, or else I'm essentially wasting my time. This semester, I have a few classes in the latter category. For example, no offense to my Y100 class, but I already have credit for Y103. Sure, all my classes are great and interesting, but honestly, only two of my courses are worth anything when it comes to a potential degree. One fulfills my freshman topics credit and the other takes me one step closer to my Spanish minor. I'm glad this column is online because otherwise a few of my professors might read this.\nSo it's time to schedule. No more procrastinating (that is, writing this column). Time to decide how I'll be spending 15-19 hours of my life per week next semester. After a long afternoon of deliberation, I'll no longer be exploratory, undecided or lost in a huge bulletin of class offerings. I'll be a lawyer. Or a doctor. Or something.
(11/03/06 4:14am)
The IU campus is filled with a population that often stands out in the cold, rain or other unwanted weather so it may breathe that sweet, winding taste that is tobacco smoke. Having been a cigarette smoker in my lifetime, I'm not critical of this group, which is simply exercising its own rights as American citizens. Being addicted to nicotine is no crime, and many on this campus are ... or are they?\nA common trend that can be observed on campus is the practice of lighting up a cigarette, taking a puff and immediately allowing the smoke to fill the air without so much as the slightest inhale. Continuing this pattern throughout the cigarette, the smoker finishes and throws the butt to the ground, moving on with his or her life. With second-hand smoke in the lungs of the passersby and the smoldering filter on the ground, that smoker thinks nothing of the possible harm that is caused by this "habit."\nIt's understandable why so many would take part in this practice. It can be difficult to strike up conversation as new students or easy to be left out of talks with friends and business partners when on cigarette breaks. According to Dr. Sheila Bonas of Coventry University, smokers are socially conditioned to view smoking as a positive because they see parents or role models partaking in cigarettes. In social settings, people tend to associate smoking with other activities, such as going to bars or drinking coffee, and are compelled to do so when these activities are going on. It's no wonder that some IU students are compelled to "fake" smoking and not inhale. The action is a social instigator. \nThe dangers involved are exponential, and it might be that such non-inhaling smokers are unaware of the harm they might be doing to their own bodies or to the general population. \nIn a 1983 British Medical Journal study by Nicholas Wald, Marianne Idle, Jillian Boreham and Alan Bailey, it was found that among light smokers who are self-proclaimed noninhalers 14 percent of each milligram of carbon monoxide inhaled was transferred into carboxyhemoglobin, the compound formed when carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin in the blood, as compared to the only slightly higher percentage of (19 percent) of light smokers that do inhale. Carboxyhemoglobin results in the inability of blood cells to combine with oxygen. It's simply untrue that by not inhaling, smokers are protecting themselves from health risk.\nAccording to the American Lung Association, second-hand smoke is responsible for approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700 to 69,600 heart disease deaths in the United States each year. The current Surgeon General Report explains that short exposures to second-hand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier and reduces heart rate variability, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack. \nScience proves that the risk for the smoker is high despite misconceptions about health risk, and second-hand smoke facts still hold true. Noninhaling smokers should be privy to this information before they continue to light cigarettes in the name of social gain.
(11/03/06 4:12am)
After 50 years on television and 35 on "The Price is Right," TV game show great Bob Barker has decided to retire. The 82-year-old Barker began hosting "The Price is Right" in 1972 and has been its host ever since. Now that he's retiring, he plans to spend time working with his foundation, DJ&T, on animal-rights causes. The foundation's objectives are to fund low-cost spay/neuter clinics and voucher programs as a way to help relieve animal overpopulation, which can lead to the cruelty of animals. Fremantle Media, which owns the show, has been looking for his replacement for two to three years and is considering all options.\nDespite all the negativity around his 1993 sexual harassment scandal with "Price is Right" model Dian Parkinson, Barker's image has won the hearts of over one million Americans. His longevity has won him top daytime show ratings, 17 Emmys and a 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award. His contributions to society will be part of the legacy he leaves behind. \nShows like "The Price is Right" have brought millions of families together daily, just as oldtime radio did. It put hope in American hearts that we, too, could win nice cars, appliances, trips and cash. The show also had great diversity in its audience. You could see the Texan college student next to the ladies of the RV club: a true description of the melting pot of American society. Game shows like "The Price is Right" portray the American Dream. After the game show scandals of the 1950s, these dreams slowly faded away. It is shows such as "The Price is Right," "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" that connect us to our past. However, as the years go by, these shows lose their momentum.\nTV shows are susceptible to change, but when game show hosts change, it can have a large effect. For example, ratings for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" declined slowly before host Regis Philbin left the show. However, when it was redistributed in syndication with Meredith Vieira as its host, it was barely on the map. Did the show become less interesting? I don't believe it did, but America's love for Philbin could have had a big affect on the decline. In comparison, will "The Price is Right" be the same way? Who can honestly fill the empty void in the hearts of Americans that Bob Barker has created? \nI can remember as a little girl, staying at home when I was sick and watching the show with my lovely, late grandmother every morning. There was not a single show she missed and not a single moment that didn't fill her life with joy. She would constantly yell at the television that the contestant bid too high or too low and that the first showcase was better than the other. It is these fond memories that will live on forever in the hearts of millions of Americans.
(11/03/06 4:11am)
As an absolute admirer of House Minority Party Leader Nancy Pelosi, whose political reputation has been defined by her determination to climb the ranks of her party through any possible means and by her unwillingness to compromise, I have one thing on my mind as the midterm elections approach. \nIf the Democratic Party is able to take 15 or more Republican seats, as most analysts claim they can, Pelosi will replace the scandal-strained Dennis Hastert as Speaker of the House. As the first woman to lead a major political party in either house, Pelosi has been carrying on her family's tradition of "fierce partisanship" since 1987 as the representative for California's 8th District. \nDeemed too liberal, too elitist and relentless by critics, Pelosi is a favorite target for conservative name-calling and has endured numerous Republican attempts to paint her as the face of liberal extremism. According to the New York Times, some Republican strategists are attempting to peg Pelosi as the "personification of liberal lunacy, an Armani-clad elitist who will help push lawmakers toward an agenda of multicultural, tax-raising appeasement." \nThe GOP's Web site has even recently run a "research briefing" attacking Pelosi, claiming she "does not understand the WOT (War on Terror)." This wave of GOP attacks against the integrity of the congresswoman seems to be one of many last-minute appeals to American voters. If the Republicans cannot convince voters to support the GOP as they head to the polls, perhaps they can attempt to persuade the public not to support the Democrats based on the future House Speaker. Resounding throughout the Republican camp seems to be the question "Is America ready for Speaker Pelosi?" Thankfully, Americans will decide, for Republicans have many reasons to fear "tough-minded tactician" Pelosi. \nShe has been hard at work in the House ushering in a new era of Democratic Party unity that is almost a replica of recent Republican Party discipline. Democrats have been united more often than they have since Eisenhower was president. According to the Washington Post, under Pelosi's leadership House Democrats have "the most unified voting record in 50 years," and though the party is not often united in voting, this year it has voted along party lines 88 percent of the time. A major improvement for this "fractious" party that has recently been plagued by serious doubts of decisiveness and strength. \nMore threatening still is how she fueled her rise to political power: massive fund-raising campaigns. According to the New York Times, "She has raised more money for Democrats in this election cycle than any other candidate except Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton -- just over $50 million." She is a serious threat to the GOP, and her position as Speaker would confirm that they are now facing a Democratic Party that is well-funded, extremely united and represents a new kind of American majority: a Democratic one. \nSo is America ready for a serious Democratic Party and, more importantly, a Madam Speaker? I say they are both long overdue.
(11/02/06 5:01am)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Roy Wadding sits down at a bar, he makes sure to scan the draft selection before ordering a beer.\nHis eyes zip from one tap handle to the next, searching for something different, something he has never tried before.\n"I see something new, and I gravitate to it," the 51-year-old Tampa, Fla., man said recently at Winking Lizard Tavern in Columbus.\nSuch is the power of an eye-catching tap handle.\nBreweries have tried for decades to attract attention by making tap handles larger and more colorful, but the microbrewery movement has brought a proliferation of artsy and exotic ones. Some are full-fledged artwork, a small brewery's main advertising and a way to entice beer drinkers to sample a specific brand in the competitive craft market -- specialty brews typically made in small regional or local breweries -- which grew 11 percent in the first six months of this year.\nTake Goose Island Brewing Co. in Chicago, for example. It has a long ceramic handle sculpted in the shape of a squawking goose. Three Floyds Brewing Co. in Hammond, Ind., has one with a 22-karat gold crown. Wychwood Brewery Co. Ltd. in Oxfordshire, England, has a bug-eyed hobgoblin hugging a giant sword. And Wellington Brewery in Guelph, Canada, has a rubber boot.\nYou name it, and it's been fashioned into a tap handle: Orca. Saxophone. Bloody hatchet. Pelican. Lightning bolt. Rocket ship. Hockey glove. A turtle floating on a raft. Frog leg. Lighthouse with working light. Lobster claw.\nWith so many craft beers available, breweries are designing the tap handles to distinguish themselves from their peers in some bars that can feature 20, 50 and even 100 or more different beers on draft.\nThe U.S. government began requiring bars to identify the beer they were selling only after Prohibition because of concern that some drinkers were paying for one brand and ending up with another. Breweries created "ball knobs" emblazoned with their logos and brands to serve as tap markers.\nThose knobs evolved into handles. Some breweries got creative, such as Hamm's adding its mascot -- a black and white bear -- to its tap handle. Others jumped on sports themes, with Anheuser-Busch Cos., using baseball and Labatt using hockey.\nBut the tap handles really got inventive with the craft beer movement in the late 1980s and 1990s when microbreweries and brewpubs popped up across the country. Knowing they didn't have the advertising budgets of major brewers that produce Budweiser, Miller and Coors, the craft brewers tried to attract attention anyway they could, including making unusual tap handles.\nToday there are 1,371 craft breweries in the country, with annual retail sales of craft beer hitting $4.3 billion last year, according to the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo. While craft beers hold only about 3.5 percent of the overall beer market in the United States, the segment of industry is growing.\nCraft beer sales are up 11 percent in the first six months of this year, following increases of 9 percent last year and 6.9 percent in 2004.\nCompanies that produce tap handles, including Tap Handles Inc. in Renton, WA, and Mark Supik & Co. in Baltimore, agree that customers are asking for more custom handles, which can cost anywhere from $15 to a couple hundred dollars depending on the number ordered and complexity. The small breweries are especially interested in producing something different.\n"They are relying on that handle as their primary advertising vehicle," said Mark Gentzen, general manager for Tap Handles, which produces about 200,000 a year. "If you're a Budweiser fan, you've already made up your mind, and the tap handle itself doesn't need to be as exotic. But with smaller microbrews, you may have never heard about them, and you're making a decision at the point of buying the drink."\nYet even Anheuser-Busch, the maker of the country's best-selling brand, Bud Light, has created quirky handles for its line of seasonal craft beers that include Beach Bum Blonde Ale and Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale. Jack's features a large scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head.\n"We know there is a lot of clutter in the draft market and a lot of taps," said Pat McGauley, vice president of innovation at Anheuser-Busch. "It's really important to have your tap stand out."\nBreweriana collector George Baley, who wrote the book "Vintage Beer Tap Markers: Ball Knobs, 1930s-1950s," estimated that there are between 25,000 and 40,000 different handles.\nExperts aren't sure what the future holds for tap handle innovation. The handles can't get much bigger or wider since they have to fit into a confined space.\nNot all beer drinkers, though, are taken in by tap handles.\n"It's the coldness and the cost. I could care less about the handle," Tonya Vance, 42, of Columbus said at the Winking Lizard Tavern.\nBaley, the collector, agreed -- to a degree.\n"It probably helps the first time that you drink the beer because you wouldn't have tried it," he said. "But if you are a connoisseur of beer, you're going to find one that you like, and it isn't going to matter if there's a funny picture or character on the handle"
(11/02/06 4:40am)
Immediately, I began to drool -- saliva flowing like warm Velveeta. \nThere it was -- the holy grail of interior decorating, at Goodwill of all places: the perfect couch. Its cushions were plump and supple, like sitting on an enlarged beef shank. Its upholstery was lush, exciting me to the point of severe crotch tingles. And as a denim teepee began to rise in my jeans, under which tiny gay Indians undoubtedly canoodled in buffalo-covered boxer briefs, I knew this was the couch of my dreams. \nThose dreams, that is, in which I routinely fondle the OxiClean guy, a man whose wildly passionate detergent commercials make me want to pour salsa down my pants and invite him over for chips.\nThough smitten, the couch's $60 price tag was simply too hefty. Thus, I decided to wake up ridiculously early the next morning for the biannual 50 percent-off sale.\n7:45 a.m.: the butt-crack of dawn. \nNot surprisingly, I was the first loser to arrive. It was seven games of cell phone "Snake," in fact, before I had company ... very obese company. \nIndeed, she was the grandest woman I had ever seen, so big even a family of Mormon cannibals would have to ask for a doggie bag. Nevertheless, I started an amiable conversation.\n"So, are you here for anything in particular?" \n"The gold couch," she said, "It's mine."\nI gulped.\n"The one in the back?" I asked apprehensively. "I'm actually here for that couch, too."\n"I don't think so," she said bluntly, with a voice so deep I crapped my pants. "That's my couch."\nWith that, she pulled the Bible out of her purse and began to read. Ten awkward minutes passed. Finally, in an attempt to prevent confrontation, I said: "Ma'am, I know you want the couch, but I've been here since 7:45."\nShe grunted and flipped a page.\n"So," I began, "what's going to happen if I run back there and get it before you?"\nShe looked up, giving a glare as dark as oil. \n"Then you will have spilled the devil's blood ... you scrawny little cracker."\nOh, hell naw. \nEnraged by her ridiculously malicious and defamatory slur, I put on my diva pants and responded with immediate sass. \n"Well, just make sure the devil doesn't get any blood on my couch!" \nWhen her friend arrived, minutes later, their collective jabs worsened. \n"This white boy thinks he's gonna steal my couch. He's a racist."\nOK, I know racism and prejudice exist in the world. As a gay man, it's all too familiar. But what I hate, especially as an intelligent, equality-promoting Democrat, is being accused of faux racism. In this case, race had nothing to do with the situation.\nI had arrived first -- period. \nIf anything, backing down would have been prejudiced, allotting special treatment. The fact is: I don't back down to any sass-talking nutcase, regardless of race. \nEven now, months later, as I write this column on my couch, I feel pride in my actions. Sitting down, I remember I stood up for equality.
(11/02/06 4:39am)
On Monday, Ehud Barak, former prime minister of Israel, spoke at the IU Auditorium. His take-home message stressed that nothing should weaken our resolve and sense of purpose in our mission to defeat terrorists unconditionally. Then he added a more humanitarian dimension -- we must never forget the "poor of the Earth," those suffering with AIDS, those without access to education or basic human needs, those on the other side of the gap in living conditions. For Barak, not only must we fight terrorists, we must develop a "world community" characterized by trust and cooperation and help those who are left behind. \nI whole-heartedly agree with the first part of his message. Terrorism and the mindless killing of innocents (or any human life for that matter) is wrong.\nBut rather than separating the call to remember the poor of the Earth and foster worldwide civility and community as a different task, I believe we need a stronger link between these charges for the world's leading nations.\nPut simply, the best way to fight terrorists is not to "fight" at all.\nBarak repeated war supporters' favorite fear message: If we're not careful, the terrorists will destroy our freedom, liberty and democracy ... they threaten our way of life ... our children and their futures are at risk of perilous danger. But honestly, is the world's richest, most militarily powerful country truly on the brink of disaster or destruction thanks to actions of a handful of extremists in the world? No.\nWe should not simply carry on our business naively thinking terrorists are figments of our imagination. But the true threat to our way of life, democracy, freedom and "the children" is the cycle of violence in which we participate. The side we label "terrorists" are not the only ones committing acts of terror. As long as we perpetuate violence, we will be stuck fighting the so-called war on terror as participants in the terror.\nRather than responding with violence, what if we responded with compassion? What if, as Barak said, we were willing to lift up other people's children as we lift up our own? That would be a radical switch from treating other nations' dead children as "collateral damage" in the struggle for freedom and democracy. What if instead of training the young minds of our armed forces to see the "other" people as evil things to be eradicated at any cost, we taught them to value life and to cultivate hope and trust through humanitarian missions?\nBuilding schools and hospitals, not destroying vital infrastructure. Feeding the hungry, not terrorizing communities with raids and bombs. What better way to subvert violent dictators, terrorists and unfavorable regimes than with such compassion and benevolence?\nUndoubtedly, we'd persuade more people to the side of justice and freedom if we didn't simply claim the title of "good guys," but we acted like the "good guys," like stewards of good will and trust rather than veiled terrorists behind the mask of democracy.