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Page 2 • Thursday, October 2, 2003
The Pendulum Kstablistiwl 197+
‘Mischievous’ behavior
picks up before fall break
Enough symbolism. Rather than taking home a
metaphorical piece of Elon at commencement, stu
dents decided to reel in something tangible. They stole
the “Elon” from the “Town of Elon” sign outside the
cemetery on Oak Avenue. But this is just one event in
what Elon Police Chief La Veil Lovette said has been a
siring of “mischievous” behavior. She said the police
have been receiving more calls about fighting, looting
and general bad behavior than they have in the past.
And for the most part, the actions are inexplicable.
But with fall break looming, the possibility of more
nonsensical calls is almost definite.
It’s tough to address this sort of behavior without
being too preachy, but the simple fact of the matter is:
We’re all adults, and as.such, we’re expected to act
like them. Consequently, when we overstep our
bounds, we will be punished like them. The “Booze It
and Lose It” campaign racks up six DUI’s each time a
checkpoint is established.
So }x;rhaps a word of advice: Put down the keg,
pick up a }Ten, and write this down. Don’t drink and
drive.
College is a time to have fun, and you should enjoy
your time while you’re here. But temper your fun and
act responsibly. As adults, we have an obligation to
ourselves and to others.
The Pendulum
Colin Donohue, Editor-in-Chief Nick Paiatielio, Sports Editor
Lindsay Porter, Managing Editor Jeff Heyer, Photography Editor
Steve Earley, News Editor Urn Rosner, Asst. Photo. Editor
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Brittlny Dunlap, Opinions Editor Copy Editors
Kaitiyn North, A & E Editor Annette Randall, Bus. Manager
Mary-Hayden Britton, Features Matt Ford, Online Editor
Editor Janna Anderson, Adviser
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The Pendulum
Opinions _
Democratic race full of Bush bashing
Leigh Wiley
Columnist
Look out Dick Cheney.
Watch your back Colin
Powell.
And, above all, take
cover President Bush.
The nine democratic
candidates for president in
2004 all seem to think that
the path to the White
House is paved with Bush
bashing.
First up is Carol Mosley
Braun. The only female con
tender for president, Braun is
adamantly against the war in
Iraq, which she calls a “misad
venture.” Soldiers are dying,
children are starving and it is a
“misadventure.” Little Ms.
Sensitive this woman is not.
But as a candidate, she must
have an idea of what she’ll do if
she becomes president. And of
course Braun does. She plans to
stay in Iraq.
Just until the job is done of
course. Which, at the rate we’re
going, will be 2638.
Up next is newcomer Wesley
Clark. While Clark is the most
adamant Bush basher, he also has
a stable plan for the economy. He
plans on taking back Bush’s
high-profit tax cuts and using the
money to create jobs. How he’ll
create jobs hasn’t exactly been
described yet, but Clark’s only
been a candidate for about two
weeks.
And now for Gov. Howard
Dean of Vermont. Just three
weeks ago. Dean looked like the
front-runner for the Democrats,
Leigh Wiley
first in both the Iowa and New
Hampshire polls.
Dean states that he would not
hesitate to send out the troops to
defend America,
like Bush did last
year. However
Dean claims that he
will tell American’s
the truth about
what’s happening in
the war.
This would be
the first time a presi
dent has done that
since ... hang on, NONE of them
have ever done that.
Thanks for the thought,
though, Dean.
And if you’ve been missing
some of Bill Clinton’s immaturi
ty, then Sen. John Edwards of
North Carolina is the candidate
for you. His Web site boasts a
game called “Boot Bush,” where
you can use a boot to actually
kick Bush across a map and into
Texas.
I don’t think we even need to
go over this guy’s plan for the
economy or Iraq; he could win
on that game alone.
Rep. Dick Gephardt of
Missouri could be shot down just
because he shares a nickname
with Nixon.
But Gephardt is looking for a
vote where most other candidates
seem to have ignored- the agri
culture vote.
Of course, the number of
farmers has declined in the past
50 years, so maybe he’s barking
up the wrong tree.
And hey. I’d vote for Sen. Bob
Graham of Florida, simply
because he’s got Jimmy Buffett
on his side.
Sen. John Kerry of
Massachusetts has set his main
platform to help out retired veter
ans, who got hit pretty hard by
some of Bush’s cuts. His plat
form also seems to involve
another Internet game where you
can hit Bush into the history
bucket.
And Rep. Dennis Kucinich of
Ohio claims he’s the Progressive
choice. He is straightforward
and plans on fixing Social
Security. Barring, of course, that
any one really remembers what
the purpose of Social Security
actually is.
Now we’ve got Sen. Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut, who
plans to help small businesses
instead of corporations like Bush
has done.
Hate to tell the guy that there
really aren’t any small business
es left to save.
And last but not least is the
Rev. A1 Sharpton. He has four
clearly outlined and carefully
thought-out plans for his plat
form: The right to vote, the right
to health care, the right to educa
tion and the rights of women.
Step out of the 1800s buddy,
we’ve already got those rights.
But all in all, it looks to be an
interesting race. Not one candi
date really sees eye-to-eye on
any issue.
Well, except for the issue of
what to do to Bush.
Contact Leigh Wiley at pendu-
lum@eIon.edu or 278-7247.
Instant messaging is not a distraction
Elizabeth Colquitt
Columnist
Yes, you have a new instant
message.
Whether it’s your lazy suite-
mate wanting to know where
you’re going to eat, or a friend
back home wanting to see what’s
up, you know pretty much all of
your friends have a screen name.
You also know that you spend
at least 10 minutes a day reading
other people’s away messages.
Be honest with yourself.
It may be impersonal, but it is
also very useful and entertain
ing. Lengthy phone calls to all
your friends out of state are
great, until your cell phone bill
comes with an extra zero on the
end.
Instant messaging also lets
you talk to people in your room,
and find out what others are
doing all at the same time. It’s
also a way to get to be better
friends with people you may not
feel comfortable calling because
an IM is a pretty casual way to
say hey.
While some complain it is a
distraction, in the end it is up to
you whether or not you sign on.
If you have a lot of work, then
put up an away message. It’ll
give me something to read while
I’m online.
Contact Elizabeth Colquitt at pen-
dulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.