Bravo to the end of the legislative session. Perhaps the most important part of this news is the end of the onslaught of crazy legislation. What are among the things that the Republican majority succeeded in passing this year? A law that made the Colt Single-Action Army revolver the state’s official firearm and a state Tea Party license plate that has the words, “Don’t Tread On Me” on it. Another spectacular “accomplishment” of the legislative session was passing a $538 million tax cut all while cutting from the state’s Medicaid program and from higher education and K-12 education. Now we have the rest of the year to try to recover our image after the constant headlines we’ve received.
Boo to the death of an Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker and a photojournalist in Libya. Tim Hetherington, co-director of the 2010 documentary “Restrepo,” and Chris Hondros, a photographer for Getty Images, were killed in a battle between Libyan rebels government forces. While these are not the first journalists to die on the job, it doesn’t make hearing news like this any easier. These men paid for their devotion to their jobs with their lives. Often times reporters run around state capitols or city streets to bring you the news. Other times many journalists put their lives on the line. Let us be grateful for Hetherington and Hondros’ commitment to journalism.
Bravo to ASU’s new veterans’ center. The center, which will be named after Pat Tillman, will come to the Tempe campus next fall. The announcement for such a center was fittingly made at Pat’s Run last Saturday. Located on the first floor of the Memorial Union, the center will give the 1,800 veterans at ASU the health, educational and support services they need to transition back into civilian life. We are better off for their service and should help make their time at ASU a memorable one.
Boo to all the coverage of the royal wedding. England’s Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married on April 29, just in case you didn’t know. But you probably did, considering no one can stop talking about it, even though a wedding is trivial news compared to everything that is occurring around the world. Two good-looking people are getting married at a pretty church. That stuff happens every day, and we’re over it.
Bravo to the ASU women’s softball team for taking last weekend’s series against defending national champions UCLA. The Sun Devils dropped a tough first game but were able to bounce back and shut out the Bruins on Saturday and Sunday. Freshman pitchers Dallas Escobedo and Mackenzie Popescue picked up the shutouts. Strangely enough, ASU dropped in the national polls from No. 1 to No. 2 on Tuesday, but with the depth that this year’s squad has, expect them to be back at the top in no time.
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