Celebrities: Above the law
By KATIE GOODRICH
Reporter
KIGI6@PSU.EDU
I struggled to pinpoint a valid
topic for an opinionated article. I
struggled until 1 checked the latest
development in the celebrity-criminal
news and discovered, much to my
surprise, that Kiefer Sutherland
will serve 48 days in jail for his
recent DUI conviction. He will
have to surrender (report to jail) on
December 21 s '.
I am glad to see that Sutherland will
have to serve more than a few hours
in the slammer as a consequence of
his actions. His recent conviction is a
violation of probation he was placed
on for a DUI in 2004.
According to the website, Criminal
Law-Free Advice, the mandatory jail
time for a second DUI offense in the
state of California is 90-120 days.
Obviously sentencing
guidelines don’t apply if your last
name is Richie, Hilton or Sutherland.
In fact, if you compare
Pennsylvania DUI sentencing to
that of California, the Golden State
sentencing guidelines would appear
to be tougher.
National insecurity: constitutional ignorance is not quite bliss
By MARTY SANTALUCIA
reporter
MFSSO7S@PSU.EDU
Beginning in this editorial and
continuing into my next, I am
going to present three situations
which seem to portray American
apathy toward the rights granted to
us in the U.S. Constitution. I came
to write about this topic because
this Wednesday marks the one
year anniversary of George W.
Bush signing into law The Military
Commissions Act of 2006. This is
an act that can only be described as
one of the most forward and outright
sanctioned attacks on the American
people’s Constitutional rights in
recent history, and the chances are
that many reading this are unaware
of what it even is.
On October 17, 2006 The Military
Commissions Act was signed into
law. Strategically pushed through
Congress by the doomed Republican
majority less than a month before
the 2006 elections, the act called for
several terrifying concessions on the
part of the American people. Glaring
from the pages of what was the latest
national security related piece of
legislation was the suspension of the
writ of habeas corpus.
Roughly translated from Latin to
mean “you must have the body”,
habeas corpus has been a part of
Western law since it first appeared in
Worthless lectures: a
By TOM BROWN
Guest Reporter
TRBSO76@PSU.EDU
As many of you are aware, the
Pulitzer Prize winning, national
best-seller “Enrique’s Journey”
was added to the core curriculum
for incoming freshmen this year.
Although I’m in my second year,
I delayed my
freshman English
requirement, so I
had the pleasure,
or perhaps
displeasure, of
reading this work
Actually, I did
enjoy the book
It is a heart-
wrenching tale of
a boy’s struggle
to immigrate to
the United States
illegally in search
of his mother.
Despite any
All three celebrities (I use that
term loosely) committed the same
crime—they were all on probation
for DUI when they were arrested
a second time for the same charge.
Let’s pretend that the three celebrities
were living in Pennsylvania; for
violating their probation with a
second DUI offense, they would be
looking at five days to six months
in jail. In addition, in Pennsylvania
sentencing is based on BAC.
California sentencing does not base
sentencing on BAC.
This seems more stringent in my
opinion.
With the information given we
have to wonder why Sutherland is
sentenced to 48 days. Hilton spent
about 23 days in the clink and Richie
spent a whopping hour and a half
behind bars. According to an August
article on People magazine’s website,
non-violent female offenders
sentenced to 30 days or less are
usually booked and released within
12 hours. Richie barely spent two
hours in jail, and I’m sure that isn’t
the norm for Los Angeles County —
unless of course you are a Hilton,
Richie or Sutherland.
Let’s move beyond the glaring issue
the English Magna Carta of 1215.
The writ was initially comprised
of several separate clauses, which
together stated that the government
could not hold its citizens in prison
without the detainee knowing why
they had been arrested and allowing
them to challenge their incarceration.
In 1787, habeas corpus came to
the New World as one of the only
rights guaranteed to the American
people in the actual body of the
U.S. Constitution. Alongside the
guarantee of this right, however,
were two conditions under which
the Congress could suspend it.
“The privilege of the writ of habeas
corpus shall not be suspended,
unless when in cases of rebellion
or invasion the public safety may
require it.” (U.S. Const, art. I, § 9)
Only twice in the history of the
United States has the national
situation degraded to a point that
actually allowed the suspension of
habeas corpus. The first time was in
1861 by President Abraham Lincoln
in an effort to quell southern rebellion
and protect Washington D.C. during
the early years of the Civil War.
Ten years later in 1871, President
Ulysses S. Grant also suspended the
writ to quell rebellions in the south
during the period of reconstruction.
In suspending habeas corpus for
this third and most recent indefinite
period, Mr. Bush has arrogantly and
illegally ignored the constitutional
personal biases about immigration,
Sonia Nazario wrote with vivid
clarity, which made for a good read
across the board.
Now, on to my point, Nazario was
invited by Penn State Harrisburg
faculty to speak on campus about
her hit piece. She accepted the
offer.
of celebrities being above the
law and focus on something a
tad more serious. According
to the website Alcohol Alert,
there were 1,719 alcohol
related traffic fatalities in
California for 2005. Hilton,
Richie and Sutherland aren’t
lucky because they merely
got a slap on the wrist; they
are all lucky because none of
them killed an innocent person
while they were selfishly
disregarding the law. It’s
important to know that the
same year, California had the
highest amount of alcohol
related traffic fatalities
and Pennsylvania ranked
fourth. Perhaps neither state
is handling drunk driving
correctly?
The following is a poem that
circulated through e-mail.
We all need to remember that
when
you get behind the wheel
while intoxicated, it’s
not just your life you are
endangering —no
matter what your last name
may be.
fail-safes protecting our rights as
American citizens. In an all-out
attempt to grab power and vastly
expand the Presidency, he has
suspended habeas corpus for anyone
his administration deems an enemy
combatant - you, me, or anyone
else.
On September 28, 2006, when
The Military Commissions Act
passed the Senate, there were no
American rebellions being carried
out. Again on September 29, when
the legislation passed the House,
the borders of our country were not
compromised to an invading force.
And finally: on October 17, all was
calm as President George W. Bush
signed into law the first suspension
of habeas corpus in 135 years, the
first time that a suspension had ever
been unconstitutionally carried out.
The government of the United States
could legally imprison both citizens
and non alike without justification.
More horrifying than the actual
allocations of this law, however, was
the utter lack of public response. Be
it from the media or the citizenry,
the issue was in and out of the news,
and therefore the publics mind,
within a week. The only conclusion
one can come to is that something
has gone horribly wrong when a 790
year old protectorate of the average
citizen is stripped away and no one
as much as blinks an eye. If anything
deserved weeks of unrelenting
Don’t get me wrong; Nazario has
clearly proven herself a superb
author —her presentation on the
other hand, not so hot.
Why, you may ask, would I say
such terrible things about such a
brilliant journalist? My answer
is quite simple: I left the Student
Center on Monday night not feeling
one bit smarter than I did before I
walked in the door. This I believe
constitutes a failure on the part of
At this point,
I suppose
we should
all be saying
“Wow! What
an incredible
opportunity
to have
the presenter.
So, let’s discuss why Nazario did
such an awful job—the biggest
reason has to be that she added
nothing! I, along with roughly 50
of my peers, sat through a one hour
synopsis of “Enrique’s Journey.”
This baffles me.
someone with
such acclaim
speaking on
our campus!”
Unfortunately,
I’d say that it’s safe to assume
that Nazario was well aware of her
book’s status on campus when she
in my opinion
at least, this
wasn’t quite
the case on
October 8,
arrived,
I’d be willing to bet that when the
PSH faculty invited her to speak,
MOM
I went to this party mom
I remembered what you said
You told me not to drink mom
So I drank soda instead.
I felt real proud inside mom
■ The way you said I would
Even though all ray friends mom
Told me that i should.
1 know I did the right thing mom
I know your always right
Tim finally ending mom
As everyone drove out of sight.
As I got inside my car mom
I knew I’d get home in one piece
‘Cause the way you made me feel mom
So responsible so sweet.
I started to drive away mom
As I pulled into the road
The other guy didn’t see me mom Not to drink and drive
And hit me like a load. If they’d often take the time mom
I lay there on the pavement mom I’d still be alive.
I hear the policeman say My breath is growing short mom
The other guy was drunk mom I’m becoming very scared
Now I’m the one to pay. Please don’t cry for me mom
I’m lying here dying mom ‘Cause when I needed you, you
I wish you’d get here soon were there.
How come this happened to me mom I have one last question mom
My life bursted like a balloon. Before I say good-bye
There’s blood all around me mom I didn’t even drink fnom
Most of it is mine So why am I the one to die.
1 hear the paramedics say mom This is the end mom
I’ll die in a short time. I wish I could look you in the eye
He didn’t know where he was going mom To say these final words mom
He was probably at the same party as I I LOVE YOU & GOOD-BYE
media coverage it was, and still is,
this - not a politically embarrassing
election which still sits more than a
year in the future.
The problem seems to be rooted in
an impatience that has come with the
world of instant gratification. Public
attention can only be held, especially
on less savory issues such as politics,
for a very short amount of time.
Take for example, the length of the
average campaign ad since the first
“I like IKE” commercial of 1952.
Many advertisements featured a
speaker, who was either the candidate
or a supporter, talking about their
particular views for a whole minute,
sometimes longer. Compare this
to the 2004 election, in which no
aired commercial lasted more than
30 seconds. This could easily be
related to the increasingly high cost
of television air-time, however; as
seen with the most recent campaign
finance reports, running for President
seems to requires you to “have more
money than God”. The truncation of
political advertisements is because
past that 30 second mark, the
American public starts to consider
it a boring TV show, and you loose
them. It is this mentality that makes
fighting for Constitutional rights so
unappealing.
Fighting in a system, especially
one as large and complex as the
United States, requires time and
energy. Both are valuable resources
aste of time
they at least hinted at the fact that
her book was required summer
reading for incoming students.
From that detail, couldn’t Nazario
have inferred that a large majority
of her audience had already read
the book?
I’m no Pulitzer Prize-winner, but
I feel like these are fairly simple
inferences,
Moving on, I’m going to pretend
that I’m the presenting author for
a minute. I’ve written a national
best-seller, so clearly I’m a talented
writer. I’ve been asked to speak
on the campus of an accredited
university. I’ve been told that the
faculty enjoyed my book so much
that they assigned it as summer
reading for all incoming students.
Most of the students have probably
read my book. What do I talk
about?
Well, if it was me, I would have
gone into some detail about how I
actually wrote the book.
I’m sure that Nazario gathered a
THE CAPITAL TIMES
There’s one big difference though
mom
He’s going to live while I die.
Why do people drink mom
It can ruin your whole life
I’m feeling sharp pains mom
Just like a burning knife.
The man who hit me mom
Is walking, it’s no fair
I’m lying here dying mom
While all he does is stare.
Tell my brother not to cry mom
Tell dad to be brave
For when I’m in heaven iporn
Write my name upon my grave.
Someone should have told him
mom
that the American public would
much rather invest in their jobs and
family. To me, this always comes
back to my favorite quote by Jon
Stewart “moderates have shit to
do.” Unfortunately, there is little
- too little - left to put towards
maintaining the legal strongholds
that buttress our way of life.
Those in office have learned of
this public exhaustion and taken
advantage of it.
Ideally, this piece would end with an
enlightened and easy answer to the
problem of our perpetually besieged
rights. Unfortunately, one does not
exist. The only way to reverse the
current damage to our system is
through constant maintenance by the
citizenry ofour country. This includes
doing anything to get involved with
the system that ultimately dictates
how you go about your life.
Currently, there are hundreds of
proposed bills aiming to undo the
crimes committed by The Military
Commissions Act, to restore the writ
which makes possible your freedoms
of speech, press, and
religion, however; the public is
uninterested in the issue, and so they
sit.
I encourage you; I implore you to
spend half an hour and look at the
true state of our country.
Look outside of the media and see
the real danger we are in, and then
get up and do something.
lot more information then what she
actually included.
How did she weed out what made
the cut and what didn’t? What was
the editing process like? The book
was initially a series of newspaper
articles, what changes, if any, were
required to convert the story into a
single work?
I’ll admit, I didn’t stick
around for the Q&A afterwards, so
perhaps some of these questions
were answered.
However, I feel that these are the
kinds of topics that should have
been integrated into her initial
presentation
In closing, let me reiterate that I
don’t wish to take anything away
from Nazario’s accomplishments
with “Enrique’s Journey.”
It is an outstanding piece of
journalistic writing. However,
I feel that Penn State students
could have definitely benefited
from a much more insightful and
analytical presentation by Nazario,
October 15, 2007
President's
Corner
By MARQUES STEWART
SGA President
MESSI69@PSU.EDU
Always remember that the good
of Penn State Harrisburg is in your
hands.
Let us cut straight to the chase.
I really do not like to sugar coat
anything.
There are rumors of impeachment
floating through the school. You
should know that I represent the
Penn State Harrisburg campus fully
- whether it is attending meetings,
class and/or working in the office
until 1 or 2 a.m. I am here to
represent YOU.
Many believe the rumors of the
“unconstitutional proceedings” that
are stated in my impeachment letter
are bogus. In the upcoming weeks,
you shall be given information about
the impeachment, once it is made
public in the Student Government
Association meeting. Meetings are
held every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in
roomTL 128.
Now, please backtrack and
remember one of our goals for this
year is to unite the campus as one
by promoting diversity, clubs, co
chairing events, increasing student
participation in events and increasing
school spirit. Let us not allow this
minor tribulation of impeachment
have an affect on our campus. We are
here to unite the campus not divide
it, no matter who wants us to part.
Always remember that we are ONE
UNIVERSITY.
Down to some SGA updates:
Please read below some of the
Constitutional Amendments that
are up for approval. If you have any
questions or concerns about them,
please e-mail messl69@psu.edu.
The Pennsylvania State University
Constitutional Amendments
Whereas The Student Government
Association (SGA) is the
representative and collective voice
of the Student Body, the SGA works
with various campus organizations to
provide all students an opportunity to
become involved in academic, social
and extracurricular activities.
Whereas the Constitutional allows
the Association to operate in an
effective manner.
Be it resolved, The SGA should
focus on the development of
leadership, community service and
communication.
Section 3 Vice President
(D) All clubs are required to have
a member of their executive board
that is not a member of SGA, meet
with the Vice President at least twice
a semester. All clubs must have a
member of their executive board
attend two ICC (inner club council)
meetings within the fall semester
and two ICC (inner club council)
meetings within the spring semester.
Section 7
Communications Director(Update)
Shall serve as a spokesperson for
the SGA.
Section B(ADD)
Webmaster
Shall create and maintain an active
website and display show casings
of the Executive, Legislative and
Judicial bodies
Article IV
Section 2
(P) Cannot accumulate an excess
of two unexcused SGA meetings per
academic semester while in office.
Two late arrivals will equal one
unexcused absent.
Before I close, a tip of advice I can
give you on overcoming challenges
is to BE STRONG. As long as you
have the support from others, you
will make it through.