Wanna wake up with the King?

Officials for the Arizona Student Unions announced last week that Burger King will be replacing McDonald’s in the Student Union Memorial Center. Is this a capitulation to the monarch of fast food? Or was it time for the Golden Arches to hit the high road?

Whew. It’s about time. Nothing against McDonald’s – in terms of value, it was hard to beat. But because it was by far the cheapest joint in the union, I found myself eating there all too often, and now I’m physically unable to shove down a double cheeseburger no matter how hungry I am. Granted, Burger King may not have been our dream replacement for McDonald’s, but as Mick Jagger reminds us, we can’t always get what we want. So until the inevitable happens and we all get sick and tired of Whopper Juniors, “”Long live the King.””

– David Francis is a pre-business sophomore.

Yes, I saw “”Supersize Me,”” and yes, I was thoroughly disturbed. But, when one is a starving college student, desperate times call for desperate measures. Ramen noodles can only get a person so far. So, McDonald’s and their 99-cent cheeseburgers kind of grew on me. On a good day I could even get a yogurt parfait for a dollar along with my cheeseburger and free water. Burger King does not have as many cheap options. Their Whopper Jr. for a buck doesn’t compare to the simple genius of the McDonald’s cheeseburger with its rice-like onions. Keep the McDonald’s for the sake of future starving students.

– Joyanna Jones is a journalism senior.

To keep and bear arms

The aftermath of the devastating school shooting at Virginia Tech have prompted activists on both sides of the gun control debate to push their agendas. In the small town of Kennesaw, Ga., though, every head of a household is required to own a firearm and ammunition. In light of mass shootings in Virginia and elsewhere, is mandatory gun ownership a good idea?

While I am personally an ardent supporter of Second Amendment rights, including the right of non-militia affiliated individuals to own firearms in this country, I certainly do not believe that every person should be legally required to own one. The town of Kennesaw, Ga., passed this ill-conceived “”must-own”” legislation as an overreaction to a gun ban passed in Morton Grove, Ill., in the 1980s. There are a multitude of legitimate reasons why a person may not want to own, or should not own, a gun. Someone may not be comfortable around firearms, may choose not to own one with children in the house, or they may have a better use for a couple hundred dollars (rent, groceries, diapers, etc.). While outright prohibition of firearms is an egregious violation of the Constitution, mandatory gun ownership is just as much of a betrayal of individual rights.

– Kara Karlson is a journalism senior.

It’s a silly law, to be sure, but it has wondrous potential. A society in which gun ownership is mandatory has the potential to create the ultimate culture of fear – and fear, after all, is the best way to coerce people into behaving morally. It’s like an alternative version of “”be nice or God will send you to Hell,”” except that in this case, “”God”” is replaced with “”your next-door neighbor.”” What better way to keep citizens in line? Also, consider the end of the world. We may scoff now at Kennesaw’s seemingly silly law, but when the zombie apocalypse rolls around, they’ll be the ones laughing – and getting to keep their precious, juicy brains.

– Taylor Kessinger is a sophomore majoring in physics, math and philosophy.