In preparation of exams, I have decided to tackle four topics with 200 words apiece. This way I practice condensing my arguments and give you, the dear reader, a wider variety of complaints.

Sen. Rick Santorum is not being “smeared” by the liberal media. He is doing just a fine job of that himself, thank you. When Sen. Santorum went off on gays in an AP interview, he explicitly laid down a moral view reflecting his own Roman Catholic beliefs. Being raised Roman Catholic, I can tell you, intolerance is not one of our values.

By stressing that “homosexual acts” and not homosexuals themselves are the root of the breakdown of American moral values, Santorum is linking gays with a degraded American character. This is insulting, ignorant and dangerous speech from a man who is a “compassionate conservative.”

The other scary thing he said (besides going off on “man on dog” sex) was that Americans shouldn’t enjoy the right to privacy. He believes the Supreme Court has no job telling the people of this country that we can do what we wish in our own homes. In other words, Santorum doesn’t believe in the system of checks and balances in our government. This disregard for the Constitution is typical of Republicans who don’t like the Supreme Court when it seems to enforce a morality contrary to their own.

This scares me more than the homophobia. Of course, Santorum is not getting knocked out of the Senate like Sen. Lott, because gay bashing is fine in the Republican Party, just not racism.

Last week, Donald Rumsfeld said, “Never have so many been so wrong about so much,” in reference to anti-war protesters. To that I say, “Never have so few been so arrogant about so many.”

It began when President Bush equated millions of anti-war protesters with a “focus group.” By writing them off as self-interested, or non-representative, the President was able to forge ahead without any concern. Lack of concern helps when you also lack facts.

Weapons of mass destruction anybody? Anybody? The Army itself is saying that Americans should lower their expectations over finding weapons of mass destruction. The White House has said that the previous talk of weapons of mass destruction was a matter of “emphasis.”

Let’s not spin like Ari Fleischer. Republicans were driven crazy by the liberal “spin machine” when Clinton was president, so let’s talk turkey. As if we were from a straight-shooting state like Texas.

The president lied to you. The Bush Administration spun intelligence reports, half-truths and presumptions into a trumped-up case for war and ran with it. The American people might have accepted going to war for the stated reason that Bush wanted to kick Saddam’s ass. Instead, we came up with reasons that the international community would accept, were they true.

They were not. You were lied to. End of story.

The SUV flap is still going on in the pages of this paper. Unlike most columnists, I defended the actions of those who let the air out of tires on Langdon Street. Let me clear some things up.

Whoever did this should make some sort of public statement as to why they did it so that the vandalism is put into a political/environmental framework.

If whoever did this is caught, they should accept the fact there may be legal consequences. What they did is illegal, and if they are willing to dish out eco-pranksterism, they have to accept the responsibility.

SUVs are still terrible. New figures show that more people died in 2002 in traffic accidents than have in the last 12 years. Rollovers of SUVs and pickup trucks accounted for more than half of the 734-death increase from 2001 to 2002.

While it seems unfair, unkind and unjust, remember SUV owners, you are part of an enormous environmental problem in this country. To those who claim environmental activism on one hand and defend SUVs on the other, I say shame. You are an environmental hypocrite of the highest order.

Who is going to end the rain? There are polls suggesting that President Bush would lose to an unnamed Democratic candidate in 2004. Unfortunately, one does need to be named. The big question is, who?

My girlfriend has mentioned that moving out of this country may be preferable to four more years of Bush. I’d almost agree, if I wasn’t sure that someone, almost anyone can beat Bush on the merits.

Please, someone, anyone, step up and take him down. Bush can’t argue his way out of a paper bag, so how did he seem to win those debates with Gore?

Image is what counts in this country, so I say the next winner of “American Idol” should run against Bush.

It can’t be any worse than this.

Rob Deters ([email protected]) is a first year law student.