At the outset, I should confess that I’m a former smoker and, frankly, I dug it. Didn’t like the tobacco stains between my teeth, my foul-smelling clothes, or the smoker’s lines I developed after 5 years … but few things in life are as pleasurable as a cup of coffee and a cigarette in the morning, or after a good meal. Am I right, smokers? — I’m also a fan of individual liberty. I believe we should largely be able to do what we want with our bodies; after all, I don’t want some senator or congressman or bureaucrat or whoever telling me how to live my life, especially when he/she is legislating from a distance. (It’s not as though they have a true, deep-seated personal concern for my being. The, “It’s for your own good” rationale is flimsy.)

BUT…

In a *public* space, individual liberties take a back seat to the public good. Sure, I know “public good” is often difficult to pin down or agree upon. We do all sorts of nasty things in the name of public good (a.k.a. utilitarianism) that don’t strike me as good, at all. But an individual’s “rights” will and should take a back seat. Using the logic of “It’s my right to smoke,” I would answer: “Well then, it’s my right to dance a jig naked in the middle of Perkins during rush hour. It’s a public road, ain’t it?” Of course, one is more immediately dangerous than the other, but you get the point. — In private spaces (or others that allow for smoking), do what you want. In public, you’ve got to give up some rights. And this is nowhere near “oppression.” You should spend some time in California, if you think so.

If there’s anything disappointing about the “Breathe Easy” campaign, it’s in the campaign’s naivete. I didn’t develop breathing problems until I got to Oklahoma (and I’m from Dallas–not the cleanest air!), and I blame that on a number of factors. Dust. Allergens. Wind. “Gunk” in general. With respect to OSU, am I “breathing easy” when I walk by the various construction zones and get a blast of concrete dust and diesel? — Finally, if the University wants to eliminate tobacco from campus partly for our collective respiratory health, great. But they should also disclose the other various incentives (financial, public image) behind the move.

so, the question remains… does our administration want all the smokers to run about like headless chickens for hours.. trying to find a spot where they can spend five peaceful minutes with a cigarette?

As for the parking pass, Grad Students are still considered STUDENTS. Suck it up and get a student pass like everyone else who is taking classes. Undergrad students are people, too and we’ve been subjected to losing parking to staff and construction. It’s a lose-lose situation for most students parking wise and we don’t like it, but we don’t complain that we’re being abused and mistreated for it. Be happy with your health insurance and tuition waivers. Most of us have to work in retail to support ourselves and usually don’t even get holidays off, much less a doctor’s visit paid for. In the long run, I’m pretty sure not having a staff parking permit at this point in your life is going to make a drastic difference one way or the other on your future.

I guess an “opinion columnist” has to have something to complain about though, as long as it isn’t anything that actually matters.

I’m not accusing or claiming - I’m simply offering an argument that is logically possible. Probablilty, however, is an issue that I do not have evidence to substantiate.

As a combat veteran of the Gulf War/Desert Storm, it took several years for me to accept that I volunteered to defend the rights and privileges of not only those American citizens that many deem “worthy”, but also to defend the rights and privileges of those citizens who might be considered “un-American” or “un-worthy”.

This truth is Alanis Morrisette’s “Jagged Little Pill”, and it’s not easy to swallow. Eventually, we get over ourselves and remember that we must accept the existence of bad and good equally, and understand that all things are cyclic - one gives way to the other in due time to maintain a creative imbalance.

If parking is the biggest issue you raise, then I’d say the English department is doing a pretty good job.

- http://www.ratztails.co.uk

Rottentomatoes.com’s meta critic rating for Spiderman 3 was 61%, meaning that the majority of reviewers gave it a favorable review. Therefore, most professional reviewers disagree with your personal opinion about the film.

Once again the City of Stillwater is behind the times.

Slam: Emily is a brilliant writer. She is not only interning at Tulsa World before she has graduated, she has actually garnered enough rapport to be hired on as an actual staff writer, and has several front-page section stories. Let me reiterate: BEFORE she has graduated. What are you doing?? Where do you work? Walk a mile in a reporter’s shoes before you criticize.

Actually, Voltaire never said this–it is a commonly misattributed quote, and it’s already been pointed out on this forum within the last few months, due to a previous misattribution of the same quote, in another editorial. A simple google search will reveal the story behind this quote, and the true source.