Bringing passenger trains back to Midwest will decrease inter-city congestion, boost economy OPINION
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
JESUS MEETS HAMLET IN NEW ADAPTATION Not for the easily offended, ‘Hamlet 2’ succeeds in making fun of everyone
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THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Madison City Council voted Tuesday to temporarily suspend the vending license of the operator of Jin’s Chicken & Fish, a popular downtown food vendor catering to the late-night crowd. The council suspended operator Jeff Okafo’s vending license for six months after Okafo amassed 29 parking tickets and became confrontational with parking enforcement officers, according to a complaint filed with the city’s Vending Oversight Committee in July. At the meeting, Okafo said all his tickets were paid for and pleaded for council members to allow him to keep his vending
license for the successful vendor’s truck on North Frances Street. “This is what I do for a living ... I deal with the late-night college crowd, I deal with the students and that’s my job and I enjoy it,” Okafo said. “It’s my business, it’s my life, it’s what I do.” Despite Okafo’s statements, city ordinances allow for the suspension of a vendor’s operating license if parking tickets and other violations become problematic to their duties as a vendor. VOC member Rosemary Lee said in addition to parking violations, Okafo has a history of being caught driving with a revoked driver’s license, further warranting his suspension. jin’s page 4
Three-time candidate Nader says U.S. politics under ‘corporate domination’ By Hannah McClung THE DAILY CARDINAL
Ralph Nader, a 2008 independent presidential candidate, said Tuesday he is focusing on the mobilization of young voters and the reestablishment of democratic principles in his third official bid for the presidency. In a phone interview from Washington, D.C., Nader said he hopes as a third-party candidate to encourage people to demand a return of public accountability in government. According to Nader, the two main parties have turned the government in Washington, department by depart-
ment, into “corporate domination.” “[Corporate domination] is a violation of democratic principles and has become of the GM, for the Exxons and by the DuPonts,” Nader said. Nader said he is trying to connect with the perceived concerns of young people coming out of college who are hit with huge student loan debts and interest rates. He said students need to realize how much political significance they have because students turn out to vote less than non-students. “We want to expand the spec-
dailycardinal.com
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
City suspends Jin’s Chicken & Fish operator’s vending license By Abby Sears
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KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison senior Sol Grosskopf (left), an alternate delegate, and Scott Southworth (right), a delegate from District 3, are representing Wisconsin at this week’s Republican National Convention.
Wisconsin RNC delegates say McCain-Palin ticket best for state By Devin Rose THE DAILY CARDINAL
ST. PAUL, Minn.—Wisconsin delegates to the Republican National Convention said Tuesday the party’s presumptive presidential candidate, John McCain, is a great leader who will uphold ideals and values that the state’s residents cherish most.
nader page 4 MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL
“Wisconsin voters don’t like egotistical politicians,” said Scott Southworth, a delegate from the 3rd Congressional district. “Wisconsinites want people with ideas, but they want to be talked to, not at,” he said. Southworth stressed the election of McCain would benefit the Dairy State by “ensuring that Wisconsin families can raise their kids the way they see fit, worship God the way they see fit and buy the things they want and need without extraordinary taxes.” Sol Grosskopf, an alternate delegate from the 8th district, said he agreed and added the country has historically been shaped by its “oddball” politicians like Democratic U.S. Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl. “I honestly think Wisconsin wants to have an interesting pol-
itician that’s not always polished and defined,” Grosskopf said. Grosskopf, a UW-Madison senior from Shawano, Wis., said he believes McCain understands that government should be limited in people’s lives and may often be a problem rather than a solution.
“Wisconsinites want people with ideas, but they want to be talked to, not at.” Scott Southworth delegate Republican National Convention
“In reality, the individuals should be making choices for their lives and not some delegates page 3
Arrested RNC protesters charged for actions By Devin Rose THE DAILY CARDINAL
PHOTO COURTESY NADER FOR PRESIDENT 2008
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader said students have the ability to play a bigger role in government.
ST. PAUL, Minn.—Over 100 people arrested while protesting in St. Paul, Minn., on the Republican National Convention’s opening day were formally charged with felonies in court Tuesday, police said. According to St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington, 120 protesters were charged with felonies, which included aggravated criminal damage to property and assault. Another 103 were charged with misdemeanors for actions such as unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct, and 51
were charged with gross misdemeanors, Harrington said. Police arrested 283 people after protesters smashed windows at Macy’s and a downtown bank building, and dozens were pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed in 90-degree heat, according to CNN. An estimated 10,000 people marched from the Minnesota State Capitol to the hosting Xcel Energy Center. “We are here ... in solidarity to say ‘no’ to the Republican agenda,” said Angel Buechner, a member of the Coalition to March on the RNC and the Welfare Rights
Committee of Minnesota. “We’re going hungry, we’re losing housing, we need jobs.” Most attendees said they do not approve of the job President George Bush has done in office. “There are so many issues on which the Bush administration is wrong,” said Mary Jo Nissen, 58, of St. Louis Park, Minn. Nissen said she is especially concerned about ending the war in Iraq and the torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Janine Wahrendorf, 23, of Germany said she thought it was protesters page 3
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”