Us

Who are we and what makes us? Choices, our choices define us. As we saw from guest speakers at the World Affairs Conference, our decisions shape us.

Tips for MIPS-Final Draft

Underage drinking is a problem across our nation, underage drinking is a problem across our state, and underage drinking is problem across our county. In the broad spectrum, our state Nebraska showed from 2006-2007, 32.4 % of those between the ages of 12 and 20 had consumed alcohol in the past month. For that same group, 21.7% had admitted to binge drinking. Yes, underage drinking is a problem, and it needs to be taken care of.

Buffalo county is notorious for housing a large drinking population. UNK has been blessed with the saying “Can’t spell drunk without UNK.” One would expect this, a city with a university at its heart. College and drinking seem to go hand and hand, and responsibly this isn’t a problem. Youth consuming alcohol isn’t responsible, and the problem still stands.

Buffalo County’s response? Tough love. If one has the misfortune of being caught in the act of consuming an alcoholic beverage while being underage, kiss a weekend goodbye. Buffalo County says to lock’em up, the slammer will teach them to think twice before downing a beer. Here in our county, being caught means an almost automatic weekend jail sentence.

What does this say to our youth though? Drinking is irresponsible, and only for the mature, learns from this, and grows to be an up-and-coming fair citizen to be proud of? No, this teaches youth, don’t get caught. Youth only think a weekend in jail would be terrible, so instead outsmart the cops, and drink responsibly, hidden in basements or friends’ apartments. Is this what we want to convey to our youth?

Why not use these mistakes as a learning experience, or a chance to give back. Incorporate more community service, steep punishments of, but a way they “work” off the crime. Or add diversion programs to the punishment. Some of these juveniles don’t understand why they shouldn’t drink at a younger age or don’t know the effects they are trigger off for the rest of their life. The easy “lock’em up and throw away the key” sentence only tells them to be smarter when they drink, not to stop the drinking.

Buffalo County, listen up. Our style of rule over these youth is not something we want to teach them. Rehabilitation will mould them into those upstanding citizens we dream they can become, not incarceration. Responsibility is what we want and need, and through teaching, not jailing, we will achieve this.

MIP'in

Buffalo County, what's up with your policy on jail time for minors? Couldn't we more effectively use these opportunities, yes opportunities, to get these kids to learn from MIPs? I think so. This two day jail time has gotta go, nobody's learnin nothin'.

I'm Just Sayin'

As my roommates and I were reminiscing about previous evenings out and about, we came to a conclusion. It seems if there is a less attractive woman about, she is stereotyped as a lesbian. And if we flip it, good looking men are questions to be gay. Why the jump from the sexes? Gay men seem to be a bit more clean cut, with a balanced wardrobe and lesbians with butch haircuts and boots on. I'm not the bigot looking at them this way, but the common perception is out there, I'm just sayin. . .

The Addiction Continues. . .

I am only a man, a man with good intentions, a man who wishes to better himself, a man who knows failure but refuses to quit. (Errr. . . Quitting is the point, so a man who can quit, for good reason, but for other reasons doesn't. Quitting, right.) The addiction is in full force now, consuming my entire body of thought. I have chosen out of free will to put down this beast and drink no more. Coffee that is, (if you thought booze was being involved here, that'd be crazy. A 22 year old college student living in Nebraska of all places, booze is not an addiction or necessity, but a way of life. Back to the point,) Coffee is done, but the grip of the drug holds tight. There is no way around these never ending urges to take the grounds and use it as the childhood "Fun Dip." The demon within cries out to brew a concentrated batch and shoot up to get the instant high. The pain is incessant and dulling, I have shrunk to a feeble skeleton of a man. My hair has fallen out and my mind strains to keep on the simplest of tasks. The drug has taken hold, and the ride out is through a fiery hell to freedom.

Congratulations!

Last week man, woman, and child were witness to one of the greatest moments in football history, if not in all of sports history. A battle was fought, and one man rose above the rest to stamp his name into the history books. Congratulations to Peyton Manning, a quarterback we will forever remember now. That last pass, turning into an interception returned for six is ultimately what he can thank for this. Yes, I am saying Peyton is great because he screwed up.

For some time now, Peyton has been compared to Brett Favre, arguably the greatest player we've seen in a long time, and arguably is invincible. Favre holds what seems like hundreds of records, breaking one every time he steps onto the field (I would too if I'd played for 20 years. . .). Speculators and analysts both could agree that although he has many records, Peyton has more then fair odds to surpass him. But we could never put him into the likes of Favre, until now.

With that pick'six, Peyton did what I never thought I'd see, screw up BIG TIME. The man we see as emotionless and cool headed constantly, lost his rhythm, and lost the game. He pulled a Favre, and in Favre fashion. In the biggest game of the season with his team, his fans, and his endorsements all weighing down, he blew it. It was a very bold move by Peyton, to "throw" the game like that, just to be in the club, but I'm sure his team understood. Not just anyone can be considered a phenomenal player while still be labeled as a screw up, but now Peyton can.

I had lost hope, that all the gunslingers, risk takers, and gamblers had faded away, and Favre was the last of his kind. This re-energized me as a football fan, that I can still turn some football on, and see a royal mistake happen. So congratulations Peyton, you passed through the ranks, and now sit atop the mountain of successful failures. Oh, and I guess the Saints did alright, Brees had a heck of a game, but he's no Peyton.