What's to become of them

By Carly Hawkins - Columnist

I've found myself over the past few weeks thinking a lot about the people who don't reach the goal they've set for themselves. In terms of politics – the one who loses the election.

I've got a picture of John Kerry on my bulletin board. There's a bit of Bush in the foreground, giving his speech – I've got him covered up – but the photographer got a pretty good shot of John Kerry in the background as well, wearing all the What Ifs in an expression on his face. I have it not only to remind myself that I never want any one I work for to have that look, but also because I feel terribly for him.

This is the same guy that was so important to our collective consciousness just six months ago. And then all the sudden it was November 3 and the papers wrote their obits for a failed campaign and that was it. Kerry is, like the other failed candidates of the past, just supposed to drop off the radar. Where his every sentence had implications on foreign policy, on Social Security, on women's rights for nearly a year, now it's barely noticeable when he says something on the floor of the Senate.

I imagine that it's hard for him to come to grips with such a drastic change in role in the world. Hell, it's hard for me – I have yet to take my Young Voters for Kerry Edwards sticker off my car. So I was thinking – why does it have to be this way?

Americans, as I noted a couple of weeks ago while jinxing the Illini, love their sports. We live for the competition, which I fear is part of the reason elections and their horse-race mentality are so appealing, rather than, you know, practicing democracy. At the same time, when it's over, we promptly forget the losers. Someday soon, obscure 2004 trivia is going to include “John Edwards” (failed veep candidate) right alongside “the Cardinals” (most disappointing World Series appearance ever).

Having played (stop laughing!) competitive sports, I understand the rivalry and the innate need to sing “na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye” as loud as possible as the losing team as you triumph. I get that you no longer get to trash talk after you've lost, because the other team always has the comeback “but, who got the trophy?”

The thing is – that's sports. And it's funny and largely harmless because – it's sports. This is politics, and while a dishearteningly large portion of our population finds it distasteful, politics is what is running the world. Politics is why I'm typing this while connected to free internet in my apartment, politics is why public schools exist, politics is why I have a road to drive on when I go to get some dinner here in a second. Politics is more than petty partisan bickering – every once in awhile, something gets accomplished. Something great and world changing and good. So shouldn't politics be above these superfan antics?

Apparently not. Because in our current political climate, failed candidates that try to have any effect on the process, on behalf of the people that DID vote for them, get drowned out with a loud chorus of “We are the Champions.”

It is argued that John Kerry is “just” a senator from Massachusetts now. I disagree. There are over 59 million of us who had enough faith to punch the hole beside his name last November.

I wrote hopefully, back then, about the possibility that Bush would try to reach out, across the aisle, across the border between red states and blue states. It's clear now that it's not going to happen, and we need to have someone out on the front lines, someone with nothing to lose, to speak on behalf of all of us out here who, yes, STILL DISAGREE. Another three and a half years of this Administration running unchecked will be irreparable.

In other words, it's time to let John Kerry out of shadows of the back of the caucus room. Let's not be ashamed of our loser. I still believe he would have been a good president – let's give him a chance to continue to speak on our behalf. He knows this country better than any other elected Democrat, and he should use that knowledge to help the Party.

Besides, if Bob Dole can become cool after losing to Bill Clinton, anything is possible, right?

Guest Commentary

By Micheal Tosh

Two years ago a small conservative club called the Society of Conservative Students formed on the UIS campus. The group was formed by conservative students on campus to educate about and promote conservative ideology. Although the club is relatively small, it has become a very active club on campus and now the SCS has begun to gain national recognition by large conservative organizations.

On April 1-3, 2005, members of the SCS, along with members of the College Republicans, attended the CLP National Activism Conference in Arlington , Va. The CLP conference was hosted by the Leadership Institute. The Leadership Institute is one of the largest conservative organizations in the United States and is active in all 50 states.

The conference featured nationally recognized speakers like author and columnists Michelle Malkin, hip hop producer Reginald Jones and former WWF wrestling champion Ultimate Warrior. Pat Coyle of the Young America's foundation and Morton Blackwell, founder of the Leadership Institute, also spoke at the conference. In addition, the conference held workshops on creating and maintaining conservative organizations on college campuses.

The Leadership Institute gave a scholarship waiving the entrance cost of the conference and provided free lodging to the members of the SCS and CR's in an effort to help bring in the state capital school. The ICCB assisted by providing funding for the travel expenses. The conference provide an excellent learning experience for conservative students and the Leadership Institute is currently assisting the SCS in improving the club with suggestions on the club website www.scsrightwing.org and ideas for possible conservative speakers to bring to UIS next year.

The SCS is also in communication with the Young America's Foundation, who have also expressed interest in assisting the club with bringing in conservative speakers in the future. As an added bonus, the members of the two clubs spent time visiting nearby Washington , D.C.

The Society of Conservative Students hopes the attention of national conservative organization will increase interest in the organization. This semester the club has attended the CLP conference, started re-organization of their website, had t-shirts made and took a road trip to see Ben Stein in St. Louis .

In addition, past events of the club include a trip to the Sean Hannity book tour, endorsement of Howard Dean in the Democratic primary as a joke, the “Adopt the Chief petition” (withdrawn at the request of members of the Blue Crew and realization the point had been made), and co-sponsored the Alan Keyes speech on campus. The club hopes to become even more active next year and hopes to provide a political balance in a school that can boast Colorado professor Ward Churchill as an alum.

Us against the world

By Jason Stuebe - Sports Editor

I'm sitting here caked in mud, certainly not as much mud as some folk, but definitely enough to be classified as “caked.” The reason I have yet to wash the filth from my slightly sun burnt body is because life is just too damn good right now to mess it up with a shower.

And you know what, my Springfest team didn't even win - how's that for not making any sense?

There was one thing that I discovered though as my Old Skool Cappie Crew faced off against the Trojans in a do-over after a rules infraction during the tug-of-war competition: it was us against the world. Well maybe not the entire world, but the better part of everyone at Springfest.

See, my team had been fairly competitive all week long, hovering in the top three, then top two, and at one point during the day on Saturday in the lead, then came the always interesting mud tug-of-war, a do or die situation for our squad.

We breezed through the first round and then met up with the fiery and tough Trojan team who beat us, though all was not right – they had some extra help for whatever reason. After a few minutes of deliberation it was verified that there were some extra people on the other side and a re-pull would be necessary, much to the chagrin of most other competitors.

I was mad.

I was fired up.

I was pissed.

They were pissed.

So was my team, and we loved every minute of it. There was something about that one minute in time with a hundred or so people rooting against us at the top of their lungs. It proved to be the catalyst that harnessed our inherent anger into a team effort that could not and would not be beat…at least until we faced our arch rivals PXII who rightfully so went on to win the whole shabang.

The point is not about who won and who lost but rather how the competitive human psyche feeds on hate, or if that's too strong of a word for you, let's call it ‘the lack of love.' I would dare say that deep down in everyone's competitive mind, they want to be booed and jeered. The reason that is could be that you always win or are always on top, or in our case just used the rules to our own advantage. Whatever it is, it never fails that most competitive spirits thrive on hate that is a function of one's success or good fortune.

The late Dale Earnhardt did. So did John McEnroe and the Bronx Bombers. What is it about everyone cheering for the other guy that makes one's competitive fire burn even hotter?

One thing that I can tell you that it's not about is proving anyone wrong. Last Saturday, it wasn't about showing other people up and rubbing it in. Not in the least bit. I think more so it was a matter of proving it to ourselves. Proving that we could do it, and whether you cheered us or booed us you couldn't ignore us.

Regardless, in many ways I think there was a deeper meaning to be had in that thought ‘us against the world.' After all, isn't that essentially the slogan for us, the next greatest generation? Maybe I'm going all sappy here wrapped up in the fact that in less than three weeks the four greatest years of my life will be over; but wouldn't you consider that in all reality once we leave the nest of education and life experiences built here it will indeed be ‘us against the world?'

I guess in the end Aldous Huxley had it right, “better to be hated for who you are than loved for whom you are not.” And who we were amounted to second place - boos and all; but I don't know that I would ever trade the three point margin second place finish with the people we had for a thousand first place finishes with someone else. As always, go Stars!

What's to become of them

Guest Commentary

Us against the world