It'stimethatAmericanspaidattentionto what'sreallygoingon

America is the land of the free and the home of tn, brave, right? Maybe?

nerable is really naive. Did you know that a bullet cuts down ;tr '.merican child every 92 minutes?

Reich.

It seems American~ used to be apathetic. Now they just don't care.

Ha! We are all disconnected people. Only in America can our nation's JIM SNOOK leader exchange jobs with his intern. lie about it to his followers and get away squeaky clean. America i~ the only place where a mayor can get caught on camera smoking crack and then be re-elected. Only in America can the very people who hold our nation's fabric together, teachers, get paid pennies compared to our mult1million dollar athletes. Does our great nation have its priorities straight? Who knows?

We are living in the richest and most powerful nation in the world and living among us are three types of people: people who make things happen, people who watch things happen and people who don't know what the hell is happening.

They say that only 20 percent of the population has a clue. Do you? America has been shocked by seven examples of school violence in seven different schools resulting in 17 deaths of kids and innocent bystanders over the past year. Yet many farnilies don't recognize the problem, which is not only in urban areas but now in suburbs and small towns across America Anybody who thinks that they are not vu!-

Sagittarli.-(No'f. 22-Dec. 21)

You wilt~ yourself coming into a large~t of money. Be S1JtC to tell everybody that you have money. then give it away, because you area nice person. You like animals.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

The holiday season will bring a greal amount of financial problems. Fmd a Sagittarius and take all of their money. Offer them your pet.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

You just found yourreal lover. Don't screw this one up. Follow your heart and it will lead you to happiness.

A Philadelphia y,,omanbought a gun from a straw d~aler. S!1ewent home and shot her three triplets before killing herself. A straw dealer is somebody .vho buvs guns in bulk and then sells them on the streets for ;;ome major money. A Jamaican drug dealer shot my friend, Ian, \ 1 ·10 lives in Fishtown, last semester. My friend Ian is lucky to be alive. And for the would-be assassin, he was caught t '1ePhiladelphia police and is in jail, right? Wrvng! The Pliiladelphia police didn't catch him or even attempt to find the fugitive. Philadelphia is a city filled with history. There are so many places to go, people to see and things to do. Philadelphia is filled with culture. But with culture comes conflict. Did you know that Philadelphia is the only city in the US sued by the Justice Department for brutality and corruption?

You wonder why the city is so chaotic? \Veil. the answer is simple: when the going gets tough everyone leaves! There is another problem that is affecting our cities and our society as a whole. This problem costs more than the commerce, interior and state departments combined. This problem is the war on drugs.

It is my understanding that in a war, a country declares war, then mobilizes men and weapons and there is an all-out effort to win. Sadly, this has never been the case with the drug war. Do not tell me that the nation that won World War Il, won the Cold War with communism and put a man on the moon cannot stop the river of illegal drugs being brought into this country. If we had fought World War Il like we are fighting the drug war, the US would now be part of the Third

So who's to blame here? Well, the blame is widespread. We have our president, double-talking slick Willie, unwilling to assume leadership for reform, and we have a Congress so concerned with appearing tough on crime that it is unwilling to analyze alternative approaches. Why is nobody suggesting alternative approaches? Because to do so is like committing political suicide. Just ask Jocelyn Elders.

Today. neople concern themselves with being normal rather tlw, .1atural.Most people don't think they merely rearrange their prejudices. We all have our own story and come from different backgrounds. That's what makes America great. We are the melting pot of the world.

Life h an art. Be original, colorful and expressive. Do not be afraid to tesl nf v colon; on the canvas of life.

People today are quick to judge and blame others for their failures. 'Thou shall not judge lest ye be judged." Do not blame others because when you blame others, you give up your power to change and change is a special chance for growth and learning.

Whenever there is forward movement, there is bound to be turbulence. We can't make a new start but we can start now to make a new end.

JimSnookis a sophomoremajoringin English/communication. Heis thephotography editorof Loquitur.

I

Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)

Finals will leave you in a world of confusion. My best advice is to l forget everything. Go out and drink a few beers and enjoy college.

IAries (Mar. 21-Apr. 19)

You are a spring person, but do not let the nice weather fool you.

I Make sure to wear lots of layers.

Taurus (Apr. 20,May.20) l

You are like a car: really reliable. So don't be surprised when your friends keep coming up to you asking for advice.

VJrgO(Aug. .23-SepL22)

Never look back, because what's Gemini (May.21-June 21) in front of you is all that matters.

You are the best. Don't let any- Libra (Sept. 23-0ct. 23) body tell you otherwise. Unfortu- The things that make you the nately, your truck will blow up from the speeding blue bullet. happiest should not be overlooked. Indulge every once in a while. You

Cancer (June 22-July 22) might have fun and that is good.

Outlook: quiet while you are Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) ahead. Smoking kills. Be sure to Take lots of notes in class. Your keep in touch with your old friends. bio. test will surprise you. Make

Leo (July .23-Aug.22) sure to take a bath.

Be sure to understand what you are doing in life. Try to understand -Horoscopes by Jo6 EIIIOlt.l.Dquitur claims no responsibillty for that your time is limited in college. Joli messing up your life.