UConn's Spring Bashed

The numbers of arrests and amount of damage done at this year's UConn Spring Weekend is nothing compared to what can happen at a really good soccer match, so what's the big deal?

Well, these are our children (the boomer generation's children anyway) who are behaving dangerously, imbibing large quantities of that sinful malt beverage (Keystone Light), and generally acting like idiots.  No one wants children to get hurt, so the concern is warranted, even if the media coverage isn't.

Why doesn't the UConn and Storrs community come up with a less costly, safer alternative, rather than just letting the students morph into alcoholic cavemen for a weekend?

Hold a big concert or other event where the alcohol is limited to a particular area of the stadium and costs too much for the students to buy in large quantities.  Students can dance, drink a bit, and laugh.  There's nothing wrong with blowing off a bit of steam before finals.

The cost of police, fire, ambulance and clean up crews for a controlled event would be far less than letting the students regress into beasts and run loose.

Of course, the students could stand to show a bit of restraint and self-respect in their celebration.  College students are supposed to be the best and brightest, not the drunkest and dumbest.

No Limits on Child Sexual Abuse

“Memories fade.” That is what the Hartford Archdiocese has said in its opposition to extending the statute of limitations in civil cases involving child sexual abuse.

It is a sure bet that the victims’ memories have not faded. Not one bit.

Child molestation victims who look for evidence that would help them bring a civil suit against their attacker currently have a time limit to do so. If they find the smoking gun on their forty-ninth birthday, they are a year too late, and the one who abused them is off the hook.

That is one of the big problems when dealing with child molesters, especially the priests that are so often in the news. They are secretive, quiet, careful, and in many cases, someone the child trusts, making it all the more difficult for the victim to come forward. And in the cases of the priests, the accused have the machinery of the Catholic Church working hard to help them keep things quiet.

The Church argues that extending the statute of limitations will bankrupt them. If they think that older civil cases will force the closure of churches and the loss of assets, they must think they are going to lose a lot of cases brought against them. Why would they think that?

As in the case of murder, there should be no statute limiting civil action in child sexual abuse cases. The damage is permanent, and so should the justice be.

Blumenthal for Senate

Richard Blumenthal is Connecticut’s best choice for the U.S. Senate.

Blumenthal’s service to the country and to Connecticut is admirable:  honorable service in the Marine Corps Reserve, member of the Connecticut state house and senate, and his five-term service as State Attorney General, which he continues even as he runs.

What he will contribute the most as a U.S. Senator is his drive toward not only shaping law, but enforcing it.  It does no good to enact legislation with no teeth.

While he lacks the flash of Linda McMahon, the bluster of Peter Schiff, and the small town earnestness of Rob Simmons and Merrick Alpert, Blumenthal has shown he has conviction and an understanding of the problems our state and nation face.

I Wish I Could Write Like Maureen Dowd

Maureen Dowd has a turn of phrase to die for.  My last nine years of technical writing experience has obviously blunted my ability to one day craft a phrase like Dowd's that is as lyrical as it is stinging.

Part of it is practice, obviously.  If I wrote opinion columns instead of engineering manuals, I might at least stand a chance.  Part of it too is material.  Being a part of the Washington press corps, and among the D.C. news elite would be enough to give anyone ammunition to write something sensational.

As a person, she's a tough nut to crack.  Her feminist viewpoints may rub some the wrong way, but she does, after all, have a woman's point of view.  And as a woman in a generally male-dominated job, maybe she needs to speak just a bit louder to be heard.

Equally at home criticizing President George W. for being lazy, and President Bill Clinton for being a lying womanizer, no one seems immune from her gaze.  If she has an agenda, it seems to be to provide a wake up call to those who go through life half asleep.

And maybe that's the way a lot of columnists should operate.  Call out those who have it coming, regardless of their politics or prior good deeds.  Praise those who deserve it.

And always do it with eloquence.