Editorial

Justice is losing

If George Bush is against quotas and opposes affirmative action, why then did he nominate Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court? He nominated him because he is black. Which is the right thing to do, there should be black representation on the Court, but replacing Thurgood Marshall with a conservative like Thomas is a travesty of justice.

If Thomas is appointed he will instantly become one of the most powerful men in America, and it cannot be said that he has shown the aptitude or experience to wield that power. There must be other, more moderate black candidates with higher qualifications. Thomas is simply the person Bush could find to best further his own cause. He is a clone of all the other conservative republican Supreme Court appointees.

Thomas was not a great scholar or a long-term lower court justice. When Bush called him "the best person for the job," he must have been joking. It seems odd Thomas is now the prime candidate and was not even on the list of alternates when Bush selected David Souter. Thomas is a product of timing. He is conservative, black and politically correct.

The Court would be better served if a black who is more liberal, was nominated. Thomas has openly opposed civil rights. He once said, all civil-rights leaders ever do is bitch moan and whine. He has accused black leaders of creating a cult mentality that has hypnotized black Americans into a mindless political trance. He has attacked affirmative action as more hindrance than help, and he sees welfare as an unnecessary encumbrance.

The beauty of the American system of justice has always been its checks and balances. If the pendulum swings too far left it will move back to the right. The fear is if another conservative justice is appointed to the Supreme Court we will move too far right to ever come back. If that happens, then the freedom and liberty this country was founded on will be lost.

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Vol. 89, No. 61 (USPS 661-700)

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Separating 'young' from 'old'

By Jo Pydynkowsky

Guest Columnist

It's the same old song, just when you start getting your stride, right around 40, someone comes along and infers you are "old." It makes me wonder. When is the break-off point between young and old?

You are "young" when: "mommy" is the largest word in your vocabulary; you look up at someone's face and forget what they're saying because you are counting the hairs in their nose; candy is your main desire; and when you are terrified to go home because you received a "D" on your report card.

That's "young" with a capital "y". But, there is another young, with a lowercase "y".

This state of mind is unfathomable and still under study. You are this when: the most valuable item in your pocket is your comb; your car is an extremity and necessary for catching girls; night time is party time and day time is a bummer; creative writing becomes a survival tool (writing excuses takes genius); and when you believe your parents are the hardest responsibility you'll ever have to handle. I love the last one.

I know what "old" is, and I am not there yet.

I think you are "old" when: the things you did as a child are being taught in history class; the kid you used to hang out with is now president of the largest corporation in the world and doesn't remember your name; sitting still for longer than five minutes puts you to sleep; people ask you about "the good ol' days"; and when you have to plan ahead to take a walk because it takes all day to get around the block.

There is one more thing. I think "old" is when you close your mind to new ideas because they don't fit your idea of proper. You have then become what you hated about your parents and it is over, and you are "old."

MY DAD 5AY5 My mom s 14ouLD RUN P - 02 ovE.R NOR

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