Eye of the hurricane – Pass
America’s failure to adequately respond to Hurricane Katrina was one of the lowest points of the last eight years. So with Hurricane Gustav on the way, it was heartening to see that our leaders seem determined not to repeat the past. The Republicans delayed the opening of their convention, with frontrunner John McCain dramatically ripping up his speech and declaring “”It’s time to take our Republican hats off and put our American hats on.”” Barack Obama, meanwhile, suggested that he might rally his followers via e-mail(or text message) to volunteer to help in the event of another catastrophe. You could chalk it up to political calculations, but it’s a far cry from the Bush administration’s pathetic helplessness in the face of Katrina. For getting their priorities straight, at least, the Republicans and the Democrats both get a Pass.
A stale mate – Fail
At first, John McCain’s decision to pick a woman as his running mate seemed laudable. Unfortunately, it seems likely that’s the only reason Sarah Palin – whose major credentials are being mayor of a town with a population of less than 9,000 and governor of Alaska for less than two years – was picked. It may well be, as David Brooks argued in the New York Times yesterday, that Palin “”has experienced more of typical American life than either McCain or his opponent.”” But she has no foreign policy experience, so we can only guess how she’d handle the Iraq War or any number of other foreign problems. There’s no reason to believe that she’d be remotely qualified to serve as president if anything happened to McCain – which ought to be a major concern, considering his age. For degrading his candidacy with a shallow political stunt, McCain gets a Fail.
Opening up the people’s court – Pass
A Phoenix television station is trying to make it easier for the media to cover court cases. Station KNPX has proposed that judges be required to state a reason before they can exclude cameras from the courtroom. The proposal has drawn fire from critics who fear, perhaps not without reason, that every court case will now be splashed across YouTube, but a judge should not have the power to keep the public from knowing about an important court case without some explanation. As KNPX attorney David Bodney argued to the state Supreme Court, under the current law, the important facts about cases involving official corruption or other issues of public concern could easily be kept from the public. For striking a blow for the right to know, KNPX gets a Pass.
Rain, rain, go away – Fail
The storm clouds burst over Tucson again Labor Day weekend, giving us a welcome drenching. Unfortunately, that also meant the usual round of random floods across town. Several Fourth Avenue stores saw their merchandise soaked Sunday night, and there were reports of cars being caught in floodwaters across town. There were no reported injuries, but we have to wonder why Tucsonans forget how to drive in severe rain every monsoon season. It’s as if the entire town suffers collective amnesia. As anyone who tried to brave the Tucson roads this weekend could attest, the unsteady drivers on the road were more alarming than the lightning. For failing, once again, to heed weather warnings, Tucson drivers get a Fail.
Editorials are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Andi Berlin, Justyn Dillingham, Lauren LePage, Lance Madden and Alisa Wilhelm.
