SPARTAN DAILY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2006 — VOLUME 127, ISSUE 45 — THESPARTANDAILY.COM SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934 Movie review: New Russell Crowe ick ‘Crunch Time’: Democrats’ victory, Rumsfeld’s ‘A Good Year’ fails to live up to its name, page 5 replacement opens door to new opportunities, page 2 Speaker “It was a lot harder Students explores than I thought.” —Justin Rowland, Iraq war, senior, psychology react to Prop. 83 Blames media for pledge ban negative Bush image Some say ‘God’ is nondenominational By Adam Browne Showing sportsmanship Daily Staff Writer By Phil Bennett al amendments. Danny Martinez, a work- Daily Staff Writer “To me, freedom is choosing to er for Republican Assembly- On Saturday, student leaders either say the pledge or not,” said man Van Tran, spoke to a at Orange Coast College of Costa Nick Mikulka, an SJSU alumnus political science class Mon- Mesa triggered a furor by ban- who majored in radio, television day a ernoon about proper ning the Pledge of Allegiance at and lm. “I think it’s a slap in the debate skills, obscenity laws their meetings, saying they see no face to what America is to ban and the war in Iraq. reason to publicly swear loyalty to any form of speech. If you don’t “I support the military, God and the U.S. government, ac- want to say it, don’t say it — it’s and I say that you know what cording to CNN.com. your freedom.” you’re getting into when you Some San Jose State University Others attribute the recitation become a soldier and go students expressed diverse reac- of the pledge to one’s patriotic ob- o to war,” Martinez said. tions. ligations. “However, I have bad knees, “Since when is the Pledge of “Nobody is forced to stand so I didn’t go to war, but I Allegiance equivalent to swearing up, take o their hats, place their have friends in the military loyalty to God or the U.S. govern- right hand over their heart and to in Iraq now.” ment?” said Valerie Bourland, say the pledge,” said Webster Lin- He said the media have an SJSU alumna who majored in coln, a sophomore majoring in clouded the reasons for go- accounting. “It is a pledge of al- psychology. “It’s just not Ameri- ing to war. legiance to the United States of can to not say the pledge.” “ e media has portrayed America — a pledge of loyalty Not all students feel such an President Bush as an idiot to a country, not to the govern- obligation. and a liar concerning our ment.” “It’s just the Pledge of Alle- reasons for war, because the Some students said that if the giance,” said David Oyhancabal, a army didn’t nd the weapons pledge is banned, then U.S. mon- freshman majoring in art. “Who Hussein supposedly had,” ey will need to be changed. cares if someone wants to say it or Martinez said. “However, I “If the fact that the word not? It’s their right.” think he had bad intelligence ‘God’ appears in this pledge is Lincoln said that because from the CIA documents he what bothers people, then they “God” is generic, not all students was given.” are also boycotting currency regard the pledge as furthering a Chris Bialecki, a junior PHOTOS BY PEARLY CHAN/ DAILY STAFF — it says on every piece of U.S. particular religion. majoring in criminal jus- ABOVE: San Jose State University students participate in a game of wheelchair basketball during the Disability Sports Expo in currency ‘In God We Trust,’ ” “ e use of ‘God’ doesn’t as- tice, said it was nice to have the Spartan Complex on Monday. TOP: Carter Phan, a junior majoring in kinesiology, reaches out for a ball filled with bells in Bourland said. sociate the pledge with any spe- a Republican speaker there a game of Goal Ball in the Spartan Complex on Monday. The object of the game is to stop the ball from crossing the goal line Vanessa Abiva, a freshman ma- ci c religion,” Lincoln said. “If to present the issues to the while being blindfolded. joring in marketing, said people it said the prophet Muhammad, class. should quit protesting about this Jesus the Christ, Buddha, Sa- “He was informative subject. tan or whatever, then people … when he spoke about the war “It’s just wasted time and mon- might have a legitimate argument in Iraq and the ideas behind Sports expo showcases ey,” Abiva said. “ e words have against it.” why it happened,” Bialecki been around for ages, so Ameri- Lincoln said people should said. “I really hadn’t thought cans should just accept it.” nd other things to protest or do about the war’s multiple wheelchair basketball However, some students said better things with their time rath- agendas going on behind the this issue must be addressed. er than protesting the pledge, like scenes.” By Stefanie Chase “You can’t just say ignore it, be- solving world hunger. Martinez said the job in Daily Staff Writer cause, if you replaced ‘God’ with Some students said the remov- Iraq is far from over. “Sport (cup) stacking,” free nger foods, ra e ‘Allah,’ how much rioting would al of religious connotation from “We should stay in Iraq prizes and a full sheet of cake greeted visitors as that cause?” said Michael Silveira, the pledge will not in uence indi- and nish the job we started they entered the sixth annual Disability Sport a junior majoring in physics. vidual freedoms. to do,” Martinez said. “We Expo. Some students attribute the have to train the Iraqis to e expo started out as a “meager Saturday af- personal decision to constitution- see PLEDGE, page 6 defend themselves and make ternoon event,” said Nancy Megginson, kinesiol- sure they can thrive without ogy professor of the class coordinating the event. our intervention. en we Megginson added that now, the event is three can leave.” hours long, and many more people come to par- Kathryn Wood, a politi- ticipate. e expo provided wheelchairs to those Rainy Monday cal science lecturer, agreed who needed them for some of the sports. The image with Martinez and added Featured sports included boccie ball, sitting of Tower Hall that if they pull out of Iraq volleyball and wheelchair basketball. appears as a without completing the mis- Each sport was allotted a 30-minute timeframe reflection in a sion, there will be a civil war in which anybody could play the sports, and a puddle near that will likely destabilize the ra e was conducted in between each sport as the the Dr. Martin region and ruin our connec- next one was set up. Luther King tions with Saudi Arabia and e class, Kinesiology 159, “sport and adapted Jr. Library its oil. activities,” hosted the event in collaboration with after one of Bialecki agreed that the Randy Peo, a non-student participant in the Disability the adapted physical activity club. Monday’s rain United States should remain Sports Expo, tries his hand at timed cup stacking as Sally “I have to give credit to the students in the class storms. committed to training the Singh, a junior majoring in kinesiology, looks on in the Spartan Complex on Monday. see EXPO, page 3 see MARTINEZ, page 6 Ground breaks on Martin Luther King Jr. memorial By Stephen Manning “We give Martin Luther King man who redeemed the promise of Congress to sharply limit develop- Associated Press his rightful place among the many America.” ment of the parkland. WASHINGTON — Martin Americans honored on the Na- e King memorial, slated to e stage in front of the crowd Luther King Jr. belongs among tional Mall,” President Bush told a open in the spring of 2008, will be was lled with King’s fellow civil American icons like omas Jef- crowd of about 5,000. the rst monument for a civilian rights leaders such as Jesse Jack- ferson and Abraham Lincoln, na- King’s memorial, he said, “will and black leader on the large park son, celebrities like Oprah Win- tional leaders said Monday at the unite the men who declared the at Washington’s core. It is also prob- frey, politicians including Illinois ceremonial groundbreaking for a promise of America and defended ably among the last monuments on King memorial. the promise of America with the the Mall following a 2003 vote in see KING, page 6 JORDAN MCKONE/ DAILY STAFF SPARTAN DAILY QUOTE OF THE DAY: 2 Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely. TUESDAY — Auguste Rodin NOVEMBER 14, 2006 OPINION CRUNCH TIME Bush losing control over both houses, calls for new strategic plan When hundreds of thousands of people hit the allies, severely hurting relations with traditionally new party in control of the law making. cized Gates in the media, but I think it is far too soon streets around the world telling President George W. strong friends. The French, Germans and Russians all Bush should be lauded for his willingness to bring to judge how Gates will do in his new job. Bush not to go to war with Iraq, he didn’t listen. publicly denounced the plans before the war began. in a new perspective into the Pentagon. Frankly, there are few who could do a worse job When hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf In Great Britain, perhaps the United States’ great- The hawkish Rumsfeld was either completely than Rumsfeld at this point. Well perhaps former Coast, nearly displacing the entire city of New Or- est ally in the war, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s reputa- oblivious, or willfully put a false spin on the situation FEMA director Michael Brown would have made leans and raising questions about the country’s priori- tion was marred by his unwavering support of Bush in Iraq.