The war continues

Everyone is getting on board.

As many Illinois residents know, Governor Rod Blagojevich recently signed a bull that outlawed smoking in all public places in Illinois. It is a part of the ongoing effort of many states to place more regulations on smokers and tobacco users.

Recently, presidential candidates in both parties, have indicated that they support this movement.

Democrat Hillary Clinton said she supports smoking bans in public places across the country, while Republican Mike Huckabe echoed her sentiment.

Could a national ban be too far away?

Smokers beware. Local officials have been joined by national figures. The nation’s war against tobacco is still underway.

Freedom or Finally?

It seems as if one of the biggest cities in the nation has been listening to high school teachers all across American. Baggy pants that show boxer shorts or thongs may be banned in Atlanta, according to a proposed amendment to the city's indecency laws.

The proposed ordinance would also bar women from showing the strap of a thong beneath their pants. They would also be prohibited from wearing jogging bras in public or show a bra strap.

The proposed ordinance states that "the indecent exposure of his or her undergarments" would be unlawful in a public place. It would go in the same portion of the city code that outlaws sex in public and the exposure or fondling of genitals.

The penalty would be a fine in an amount to be determined, Martin said.
Any legislation that creates a dress code would not survive a court challenge, Seagraves said.

Atlanta would not be the first city to take on sagging pants.
Earlier this year, the town council in Delcambre, Louisiana, passed an ordinance that carries a fine of up to $500 or six months in jail for exposing underwear in public. Several other municipalities and parish governments in Louisiana have enacted similar laws in recent months.

Is this protecting public decency, or robbing individuals of their freedom of expression?

Bush using Vietnam

On Wednesday, President Bush dove directly into a topic that his administration has been avoided since the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003. While critics have likened the war to the Vietnam Conflict, The President made his case for continued reconstruction of Iraq by using the wars aftermath as a cautionary tale. Then, as now, Bush said, "people argued the real problem was America's presence and that if we would just withdraw, the killing would end." He then listed the tragedies that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia -- the Khmer Rouge slaughter in Cambodia, the harsh communist rule in Vietnam. "The price of America's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like 'boat people,' 're-education camps' and 'killing fields.' " Likewise, he argued, innocents will pay if a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq empowers Al Qaeda”.

Do you buy the analogy? Is protecting Iraqi civilians reason enough to ask American troops to continue to sacrifice? Do we owe them that?