Forum
A5
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Randiah Green Editor-in-Chief
Chelsea Howell Sales Manager
Vincent D. Scebbi Managing Editor
Jessica Stallkamp Forum Editor
- in our opinion -
Bringing the range home Armed with a hunting knife in Oklahoma, Justin Martin, 24, and an accomplice pounded on Sarah McKinley’s door in the middle of the night on New Year’s Eve with intent to steal pain medication. Martin probably didn’t expect the teenage, widowed mother to be standing near the front door with a 12-gauge gun. His accomplice probably didn’t predict he’d witness the death of Martin from a gunshot wound. McKinley wasn’t going to let a pain medication addict endanger the life of her or her infant son. The 18-year old mother heard Martin knocking on her door, retrieved her gun, gave a bottle to her infant son and asked a 911 dispatcher for permission to shoot if the man broke into her house. While the dispatcher didn’t grant McKinley permission, she did encourage McKinley to do what she must to protect her son. That’s exactly what McKinley did. The above is a story of the right to bare arms used the way it should be. This story could have easily had a different conclusion − at worst, the teenager and her infant son would’ve died. However, McKinley activated “mother wolf” mode and greeted Martin, and the new year, with a gun. This story is an example of how some basic self-defense training could prevent situations from escalating, reduce fears about a break-in scenario and save lives. According to a Blade article, there has been a spike in the number of women getting concealed carry permits. Even Ladies Night at Cleland’s Outdoor World has seen an increase in the number of female attendees. These increases represent the unwillingness of women in Toledo
to become another murder statistic or heartbreaking news headline. If anything, the classic stereotype of women as defenseless and vulnerable is being shed as more women find they enjoy firing away at what used to be a male-dominated sport. McKinley lives in an area where three deputies cover 12,000 square miles and it’s not customary for one to lock his or her door. Last year, Toledo had a total of 18,670 property crimes and was considered safer than only five percent of cities in the United States, according to the city crime rate analyzer Neighborhood Scout. Maybe owning a gun makes sense in a city as dangerous as Toledo. But maybe it doesn’t. The use and purchase of a firearms shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially if there are children in the home. A 2008 article on the website Momlogic.com stated over 500 children die annually from accidental gunshots. They also relay several tragic stories, including an incident involving a 2-year old Tampa boy who shot himself in the chest with a loaded gun he found in his parents’ couch. Purchasing a gun doesn’t have to be a response to the crime-fest the world is lately; it can be a source of entertainment and fun. When guns are safely kept and owners are properly instructed on how to use it, shooting can be a fun sport, like hunting. Whether for protection or recreation, the keywords are responsibility and education. Guns are only dangerous in the hands of dangerous people.
Strip club going into Headliners places like churches and schools that allow the talented to perform, but often times they’re required to heavily censor their messages. Headliners is a place where people from many demographics can gather, and school and church platforms don’t quite offer that. Venues offer a unique experience from other nightlife establishments. There are some bars and clubs that allow people to perform, but they’re not focused around the entertainment in the same way a venue is. At a bar, the focus is the atmosphere and the drinks and the music in the background is a part of that, but at a venue the stage is set around the music. The fans and the artists are intertwined. It’s not about enjoying some music while getting a good drink; it’s about going to watch your favorite band perform. There’s a lot of talent in Toledo that needs to develop, and removing this venue would keep them from doing that, effectively immobilizing them. The economy is tight and record deals are harder to come by. Most bands rely on selfpromotion and word of mouth to get their message across. Headliners has a community where this is easily achieved, but turning it into a strip joint would hurt it. Some may argue that not building a strip club is preventing some talented strippers from securing a job, but there are strip clubs all over the area and only one Headliners. Headliners should stay what it always has been: a key location where the entertainmenthungry can get their fix of laughter and decent music in one place. There’s no other platform like Headliners that offers such a diverse array of talent, and the removal of this would be a huge loss to the fading Toledo community. So, the girls at this new strip club should keep their shirts on, because this venue isn’t taking off.
Headliners, a popular music venue on North Detroit Avenue, will possibly be converted to a strip club according to WTOL News 11. Apparently, there’s more money in naked women dancing than clothed people. Headliners has long been a sanctuary to bass-thirsty fans spread all across Michigan and Ohio areas. From T-Pain to the Misfits to comedians like Mike Birbiglia, Headliners has long been the go-to spot for quality entertainment. When Friday and Saturday nights come, music fans can rely on the Headliner’s website to see which artists will soon be in town. For a cheap fee, they can gather with friends, fill themselves up on decent drinks and dance the night away to the sounds they think embody this generation. While there are other venues in town, Headliner’s has been a staple in the community, and to part with it would be a loss to the many music fans who appreciate it. Other venues, such as the Omni, are incomparable to Headliners’ sound system and rooms. It’s not just young teenagers who can appreciate what the venue offers. Many older Toledo residents can recall nights they spent watching their favorite musicians pour their hearts out at the venue. Aside from seeking well-established entertainment, Headliners is also a good starting point for fresh bands to debut. It offers a comfortable, local setting for them to promote their music. They can develop themselves musically by learning which techniques “pump up” their audiences and which songs the fans really seem to crave. In essence, it’s a great spot for artists to develop their identity, to “tune their voice.” There’s very few locations in Toledo that allow the musically gifted to do this on the levels they can at Headliners. Of course, there are
Selling our democracy We are in the midst of a primary season where Republicans vie for their party’s endorsement to challenge Barack Obama for presidency. We have seen Republican front runners rise and fall and campaign contributions ebb and flow. Rick SantoBraeden rum raised Gilchrist over a million dollars the day after he tied Iowa’s caucus, but this is only a drop in the bucket. President Obama has set a goal to raise over a billion dollars for his campaign. The New York Times predicts overall spending by all candidates in 2012 will reach $8 billion, up from $5.3 billion in 2008. The stakes are very high as the political left and right fight for the future of our country. I’m confident the 2012 election year will consist of record spending because it’s the first presidential race since the 2010 landmark case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. This Supreme Court ruling allows people to express their freedom of speech in the form of campaign contributions. Also, it grants corporations and unions the same rights as individuals to give unlimited contributions to candidates who are in their best interest. I think this decision is dangerous because the only people who have the deep pockets to take advantage of the Citizens United ruling are big businesses. This judgment gives corporations another
way to lobby Washington. Money is essential to running a strong campaign. The decisions about who runs and who wins increasingly come down to fundraising. It’s likely the elected candidate will want to repay his supporters. I want to know that my elected officials have my interests in mind and not some international company seeking record profits. The problem is made worse by the lack of transparency. Anyone can donate to a candidate, but their names have to be disclosed. However, you can get around this by donating anonymously to a specific Political Action Committee (PAC) that represents your candidate. Hundreds of millions of dollars are funded into PACs to run ads promoting or attacking candidates. This money has to be coming from somewhere. If I believed in a candidate, I would directly donate to their campaign. If I wanted to keep my connection secret, I would donate to a PAC. Campaigns have often been full of spin and misinformation, but PACs are not officially tied to a candidate so there is no accountability. These PACs are able to run ads saying whatever they want; they don’t have to be truthful. This leaves a very bad taste in my mouth as any issue can be spun as either Satan’s work or the best thing ever. Laws that protect the environment, public health, worker safety and economic justice but hamper profits could be whittled away. I don’t have the time to research every new initiative. The only way to reverse the ruling of Citizens United is a constitutional amendment. Getting there is hard. An amendment requires the
approval of two-thirds of Congress and three-quarters of all the states. There are websites with more information on proposed amendments and ways to pledge your support. Publically financed elections (PFE) offer an alternative. This system allows candidates to run for office using public funds rather than relying on wealthy private donors. By cutting the direct link between campaign donations and political favors, PFEs would ensure that politicians are accountable to the public interest rather than special interests. Following campaign contributions from a local election to the presidency is an indicator to how a candidate will perform in office. The neighborhood grocer and doctor won’t take advantage of Citizens United. This is about big, out-of-state, and in many cases, foreign companies that could try to buy our election process. I want to be able to see the connections between a candidate’s promises, campaign contributions and what they finally do in office. Publically financed elections would level the playing field, giving voters the opportunity to make a decision based on the merits of the candidates rather than their fundraising abilities. I want equality to be part of our democratic process. I want to see the end of disclosure loopholes. I want to feel confident my voice is heard in our democracy. — Braeden Gilchrist is an IC Columnist and a senior majoring in mechnical engineering.
SG: the facts, as I’ve been told This past Tuesday, Jan. 17, I was allowed to present an alternative to the current Student Government model to alleviate what I saw as flaws that do not encourage student participation. After my speech there was Q&A which consisted Jantzen for the Ridenour most part of dissecting my column, which is entirely my own opinion. I was informed of several facts for what I can only assume was for the sake of my personal benefit. I would hate to think it was a personal jab of some sort in hopes of retaliation. Such behavior would be un-
becoming of student leaders. So first I will give my opinion, then the facts: OPINION: Only a small population of UT students knows about SG, therefore only a small population benefits from what they do – which, I have been told by them, is a great deal. OPINION: A relatively large number of students, some SG members and alumni included, agree that SG does nothing of relevance. FACT: The SG President receives free tuition. (I didn’t know that.) FACT AWAITING CONFIRMATION: SG president also receives a monetary stipend. FACT: The University of Toledo gives SG $48,000 annually. I didn’t know that, but I was informed that it wasn’t
a large amount of money and that the head football coach makes more than that in two months. So, I will leave you with the facts and hope you consider my opinion. I strongly encourage every UT student who pays tuition and general fees and is dissatisfied here at UT to go to SG meetings every Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. in the Student Union Building, room 2592, to see for themselves what exactly SG does for them.
— Jantzen Ridenour is an IC columnist and a senior majoring in religious studies.
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