Photo by Matthew Brady, The Spectator

After all the hype on campus and in the media, the Redhawks weren’t up to the challenge in any aspect on Tuesday. The men’s basketball team was obliterated 123-76 in its cross-town rivalry game with the University of Washington Huskies, the worst loss of the season by far.

The game started out horribly for Seattle U; none of the players were able to make any shots, and the Huskies had 18 before the Redhawks were able to get any points on the board. UW dominated the entire first half, putting up a staggering 61 points to the Redhawks’ 20.

UW forward Quincy Pondexter went into the locker room at halftime having scored more points than the entire Redhawk team. He ended the game leading the Huskies with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
“We pulled out everything we had in the bag and couldn’t get a shot up,” head coach Cameron Dollar said. “You just gotta give them credit. I mean they came out, they punched and they did their job.”

The Huskies dominated on both sides of the ball. The Redhawks struggled on defense, allowing Husky players to score on almost every possession in the first half, as well as on offense, where frequent turnovers and a lack of offensive rebounds only compounded their poor shooting percentages. Dollar made frequent substitutions in an effort to get the game moving, but it seemed that none of the Redhawks were able to make anything happen.

“I can’t say we were too nervous, we were just too hyped,” junior forward Charles Garcia said. “We should’ve let the game come to us.”

Garcia looked frustrated throughout most of the game, missing many easy shots and committing five of the Redhawks’ 29 turnovers. He didn’t score for most of the first half, and his performance even prompted Husky fans to chant the ABC’s at him and yell “there are scouts here.” Like he didn’t know.

“We just gotta keep playing, play by play,” sophomore guard Cervante Burrell said. “Even though we got down by 20, 25, 30, we still gotta keep fighting, that’s what we did in the second half.”

Seattle U improved significantly in the shooting department in the second half, but both teams had trouble with fouls, seemingly going back and forth to each other’s free throw lines repeatedly. More than half of the team fouled out, leaving the Redhawks with only four players on the court for the last two minutes of the game.

“It was kind of funny,” Burrell said about playing with only four. “As bad as we were losing, I felt like that was the highlight of the game.”

Bank of America Arena was emptying out with 10 minutes left, as the Huskies continued to keep their 40-point lead. The Redhawks were finally able to somewhat keep up, but the hole they had dug for themselves in the first half was just too deep. Most Seattle U fans were gone long before the game was over, leaving only a small group of RedZone members to cheer.

The Redhawks leading scorers were Burrell and Garcia with 18 and 20 points, and even they struggled with only 6 of 24 and 4 of 18 two pointers, respectively. Overall, the team was just 30.3 percent on two-pointers and 26.3 percent on threes, the lowest percentage of twos in a game so far this season.

“We gotta get back to work, forget about this one and get ready to go for Idaho.” Dollar said. “We’re burning that game film. We aren’t looking at this one.”

After the loss to UW, Seattle U’s record falls to 9-12. The Huskies record stands at 13-7.
The Redhawks take on the University of Idaho Jan. 30 at KeyArena. Tip-off is at 7:10 p.m.

Photo by Braden VanDragt, The Spectator

Does University of Southern California football have any coaching staff left?

After former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian left last year to coach the Huskies and brought defensive coordinator Nick Holt with him, head coach Pete Carroll was the last man standing in terms of the big coaching positions.

Count another steal from USC for the state of Washington. After a weekend of rampant speculation, Carroll announced Monday he would officially be taking on the role of head coach for the Seattle Seahawks, replacing Jim Mora after only a year.

It seems the recipe for failing Washington football teams is to nip talent from USC.

There is no question that it was time for a change in Seahawks leadership. The team just finished the 2009 season 5-11, an abysmal record for a team that was in the Super Bowl only three seasons ago. The Seahawks lost their last four games in a row by a combined score of 123-37. The players looked unmotivated, and it seemed Coach Jim Mora blamed everyone but himself for their losses. A lack of motivation, an aging roster and questionable play calling has plagued these Hawks for too long.

The decision to hire Carroll, however, has caused a fierce debate among Seahawks fans, some of whom are questioning Carroll’s ability to coach effectively in the NFL. Before his time at USC, Carroll coached both the New York Jets and the New England Patriots, where his overall record of 33-31 was better than the reputation he gained. His Patriots team slid pretty significantly in his three years as coach, and he was eventually fired. The issue some fans have is whether or not we will see college football legend Pete or NFL failure Pete when he comes to Seattle.

That’s a question we’ll have to wait at least a year to have answered.

After leaving the NFL, it could be argued that Carroll turned over a new leaf. His USC Trojans were a dominant force in college football for almost 10 years. He led them to seven straight Pac-10 titles, six BCS bowl victories, two national championship game appearances and two national championship titles. His record at USC was 97-19.

In addition to the statistics, Carroll brought excellent recruiting abilities to the school as well as a personality that inspired his players to work their hardest. Players felt connected to him: Mark Sanchez, one of Carroll’s recent star quarterbacks now playing for the Jets, still called him “coach” at a press conference last weekend. It’s clear Carroll cares about football, about his players and, most importantly, about winning.

Will his college coaching, recruiting and inspiring abilities transfer over to the NFL, where he’s dealing with 25-year-old millionaires? Only time will tell. One thing’s for sure: The players will respect him. This isn’t just any coach, it’s Pete Carroll.

Seahawks fans need to understand that despite his questionable NFL record, he has had years of success leading a team that has produced more NFL recruits than any other in the Pac-10. He’s won a few, lost a few and gotten right back up to win some more. He has the inspiration and enthusiasm the Seahawks need.

I’m just saying we should give Pete a chance.

Laser artist Dan Corson. Photo by Clara Ganey, the Spectator

In a paved-over, fenced-in empty lot that most people consider an eyesore, local artist Dan Corson saw an opportunity for eye-catching art.

The lot on Broadway Avenue between East Denny Way and East John Street has been transformed from a black pit into a feast for the eyes, a huge 65-by-125 feet field of fluorescent green and orange fiberglass poles with multiple beams of laser light shining through. The end result is a trippy, constantly changing spectacle that can be seen every night from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. until Thanksgiving.

The art is aimed at giving the lot some character in advance of construction for the new light rail station, which will begin in a few months. Sound Transit and the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce reached out to local artists to try to find something to fill the space, and Corson jumped at the opportunity to bring to life an idea he’s had for a while.

“This is a project I wanted to do and has been on my back burner for a while,” Corson said. “It kind of afforded me the opportunity when I had the scale, the dark contrasting asphalt, and because it’s completely isolated…you can’t have people and lasers in the same space.”

He began by drilling thousands of holes in the pavement for the fiberglass poles and then with the help of volunteers hammered 3,300 poles into the ground. The poles range in height from two feet to eight feet to create an undulating field, and when the lasers move up and down through the poles, beautiful effects are created.

The whole process took Corson four months—from the initial planning stages of programming the lasers and getting all of the necessary permits required to ordering the parts and installing the piece.

“There were lots of hoops—getting electricity to the site, getting access to the site, allowing us to drill over 3,300 holes in the ground,” Corson said. “All sorts of approval processes—there’s a lot when you’re working with an agency like Sound Transit.”

The project suffered some other bumps in the road as well. The first shipment of poles weren’t the right sizes, so Corson actually created two different versions of the project: one that was up over Halloween weekend with smaller poles that Corson compared to a “lawn” and the new one that’s on display now with poles twice as tall.

“This is kind of the lawn on steroids,” Corson said.

The final version of the field was installed last week during what Corson called “terrible conditions.” But the pouring rain, wind and cold didn’t stop the project, and it was ready to go for the scheduled opening Sunday.

Overall Corson said the project went very well, and he is pleased with the result.

“Sound Transit, while sometimes a big organization that can be very challenging [for artists to work with], they were great,” he said.

Wrong.
Lurking behind this simple explanation is a bill that would contribute deeply to the current budget crisis in Washington state. If I-1033 were to pass, the state would be essentially locked in to our current budget. The problem is that Washington’s budget right now is the worst we’ve had in years because of the recession, and being locked into that budget would mean that even after the recession is over, state lawmakers would be unable to make necessary adjustments. The thousands of teaching positions lost due to the recession wouldn’t come back, even if the state starts making the money to support them.

Passing 1033 would mean that after inflation and population growth adjustment, any extra money the state government makes would go to reducing people’s property taxes. The kinds of people who benefit most from state-funded programs are precisely the people who aren’t going to be paying property taxes: children and lower-income adults. 1033 is taking money away from worthwhile public programs and giving it back as a tax break to wealthier people. It’s simply not fair.

Eyeman’s initiative uses the same proven-to-fail formula that was used in Colorado’s “TABOR” law, which resulted in huge cuts to public schools, roads and even vaccines for children. Colorado voters repealed the law in 2005, proof that the general idea behind this initiative won’t work. It will make it significantly harder for Washington to dig itself out of the recession, and in the meantime force us to cut essential state services.

Tim Eyman has made a career out of getting extremely controversial initiatives on the ballot. His initiatives have prohibited affirmative action in state colleges, tried to drastically cut social programs, tried to repeal a measure that prevented housing and job discrimination based on sexual orientation and just last year tried to open carpool lanes to all vehicles. Most of his initiatives have failed, and the vast majority are way too conservative for our state.

I-1033 is the same. There is absolutely no reason for our state to essentially lock itself in a recession and be forced to make cuts in social programs only to benefit the rich disproportionately. Vote no on I-1033.

Many of Seattle’s record shops participated in the event, including Sonic Boom Records, Easy Street Records and Everyday Music. Festivities included exclusive Record Store Day releases from world-renowned bands like Sonic Youth and the Flaming Lips, in-store performances from local bands, T-shirt silk-screening and discounts on records and CDs.
“There’s tons of exclusive releases, some of which were sold out in 10 minutes,” said Jason Hughes, owner of Sonic Boom Records. “We’re having big sales; we’re donating money to Seattle city schools … We’re trying to give back to the Seattle music community.”

The small Capitol Hill Sonic Boom store was crowded, full of people browsing the racks of records and CDs-some of which were on sale for less than $2. Some were also cutting through the crowd trying to get a spot next to the makeshift stage for the in-store performance of indie rock band Telekinesis. Sonic Boom also had the help of Cheryl Waters, a KEXP DJ who was keeping the shoppers happy with fresh tunes to browse through music to.

“I think it’s really cool that there’s a day when everybody comes out and supports great music,” Waters said. “I love community record stores because they have a real relationship with our listeners … [the stores] will recommend things, and you can just have a real one-on-one relationship with the music.”

Record store owners and artists have said Record Store Day is meant to promote awareness of independent record stores in a time when they are often thrown to the wayside in favor of easier and cheaper digital distribution or big-box retailers like Wal-Mart.

Tea party protesters gather to voice their collective dissatisfaction with taxes. Tea parties were named after the Boston Tea Party of 1773.

As tax day came and went last week, it seemed to bring out the crazy in some Republicans and other anti-Obama people who wished to protest the fact they have to pay taxes to the government that protects them.

“The American taxpayers are the Jews for Obama’s ovens,” read a sign being held at a “tea party”-the name given by right-wing media outlets like Fox News to a nationwide series of protests during tax week. “No Taxes. Obama Loves Taxes. Bankrupt USA. Loves Baby Killing,” read another, seemingly written in a stream-of-consciousness format.
Republicans have also been sending tea bags through the mail to Democratic senators and congressmen, evoking images of the Boston Tea Party. “Tea bag Obama” is the title of a Facebook group encouraging people to mail tea bags to the White House. “Our establishment will know that our freedom to succeed can no longer be sacrificed at the risk of our future,” reads the description.

Regardless of the questionable word choice using the phrase “tea bag,” it boggles the mind that these rabid Obama-bashers are so angry about paying their taxes, something that every American has done for hundreds of years. What, exactly, are they protesting? The Boston Tea Party was about taxation without representation, about England unfairly placing taxes on Americans who had no say in the way the country was run. How do these protesters expect to not pay taxes but still enjoy the parks, schools, roads and protection the money from these taxes support?

The simple fact is that most Americans are paying less taxes under Obama than they were under Bush. Unless these protesters are making hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly, it’s likely they will receive a tax cut in the new budget. If the signs are any indication however, the main point of protest is their tax dollars being used to help other ordinary Americans, instead of big corporations. Where were these people holding “stop the bailouts” signs when the Bush administration was doing just that to AIG and Citi?

The socialism argument is stale. Our government has used elements of socialism for a long time. While Obama’s plans may do some to expand the socialist elements of U.S. government, the idea that we’re about to become a socialist nation is absurd. In an even more bizarre twist, quite a few of the signs call Obama a facist and compare him to Hitler-which obviously invalidates the socialist argument.

If Republicans and Fox News want something about Obama to protest, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to criticize the new president. When the main stories about your political party are whackos with signs fueled by a biased cable “news” channel, maybe it’s time to stop and think about the messages you’re sending.

The Fenimore Hotel, often referred to by SU students as the "crack house," sits adjacent to Campion Hall. Photo: Braden VanDragt

Empty beer cans and used syringes litter the sidewalk and street. Homeless people loiter, panhandle and sometimes sleep on the sidewalk. People yell to upstairs apartments at all hours of the night, and all of this is only what is most easily observed.

The apartment building immediately west of Campion Hall—separated from the residence only by a fence—has been dubbed the “crack house” by students who have reportedly seen everything from drug deals to fights. But just how much validity do those rumors have? Is it mere hyperbole or is significant crime actually taking place?

An investigation by The Spectator has shown the “crack house,” which is officially named the Fenimore Hotel at 510 Broadway, and the entire 500 block of Broadway is a hot spot for crime, drugs and violence and is a regular stop for Seattle Police, whose officers responded to more than 200 calls to the block in 2007 and 2008 alone. During that time, there wasn’t a period longer than a week without at least one police visit.
“The 500 block of Broadway has been a source of on-going narcotics calls, vice activity and violent crimes,” reads a police report by officer Michael Conners. “I have contacted many admitted drug addicts and prostitutes who tell me they come to this area with the sole purpose of purchasing or using narcotics, and to engage in vice activity.”

An itemized police report of 2007 and 2008 calls to 500 Broadway alone shows almost daily calls for the detox van, seven narcotics-related calls, 10 assault calls and 36 “disturbance” calls, an umbrella term including violations like “aggressive panhandling.” These numbers only include calls to specific addresses and could be higher due to calls to the block in general.

In addition, documents from the Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development indicate 24 medical aid responses in the same time to the block, including two overdoses and two attempted suicides.

Business owners on the block are very aware of the crime, and some point fingers at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Center, not the Fenimore Hotel, as the main source of crime and disturbances. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a nonprofit daytime homeless shelter and soup kitchen that provides a warm place for the homeless. Larry Walter, executive director of Mt. Carmel, and Josh Kroeg, a live-in staff member, agreed that the center attracts a large amount of the negative behavior even after it closes for business for the day.

“The staff people live here, and they were at one time these same [homeless] people,” Kroeg says. “They might have friends out there and then after hours when we’re closed their friends might want to come over. They’re the same people as the drug addicts and alcoholics in here [during the day].”

Tenants living in the apartments on the block also contribute to crime. In addition to the Fenimore Hotel, which is owned by Linda Onishi and her family, there are other buildings on the block owned by Daniel Rubin and Yasuko Conner. Rubin says the Ohashi family brings in low-income tenants who create problems for the immediate neighborhood. The rent at the Fenimore Hotel for a studio is around $300 monthly, hundreds lower than anything else close by. A studio in the adjacent building rents for $800.

“Those kind of people are bad for the area,” Rubin says. “We want a younger crowd.”

In addition, Gideon Oyeleke, owner of American Healthcare Services, says the Fenimore Hotel isn’t managed effectively, and the landlord is oblivious to the problems going on in the building. Fire Department inspection records show issues like holes in the floor of the shared bathrooms on each floor as well as leaky pipes.

“The owner doesn’t do a lot of supervision,” Oyleke says. “They do whatever they want up there.”

One of the largest problems affecting the Fenimore Hotel and the block is drug dealing and use. Drug arrests are concentrated at the Fenimore Hotel more than the other apartments and are documented in police records.

“There was an open brown paper bag on the floor that contained additional green leafy buds consistent with the appearance of marijuana,” reads a police report by officers James Britt and Sam Byrd. According to the report, after the suspect had been arrested “[the suspect] stated he had been selling marijuana for two years to ‘make ends meet.’”

“There are drugs being sold out of the Ohashi’s,” Rubin says. “There are people always coming up to the windows and yelling up for drugs.”
Rubin and Conner are anxious to remove the Fenimore Hotel and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel from the block. There have been efforts to sell the entire property to a developer to build a medical complex, but the Ohashi family has been resistant to the idea.

“Developers want it. It’s going to happen. It’s just gonna,” Rubin says. “They’re going to knock the whole block down.”

“We would like to get rid of the Fenimore,” Conner says.

Onishi declined to comment on her family’s plans for their property but did say that her brother, Monte Ohashi, has been living in the apartment building.

As for the crime on the block, Onishi says, “I don’t know; I don’t live there.”

Mike Sletten, director of Public Safety at Seattle University, says the parking lot in the middle of the block is often what draws emergency personnel. He notes that since a community task force led by a Seattle Police crime prevention team focused their attention on the block, illegal activity has decreased. Improvement has been noticeable, he says, since last spring, and the area draws the attention of Public Safety around twice a month.

Romando Nash, director of Seattle U’s Housing and Residence Life, says complaints from residents about the area have dropped in the last two years.

There are also reports of violence on the block, and while they are mostly between the homeless and loiterers, there is a documented case of a resident of the apartments being involved in an altercation.

After refusing to give a stranger a cigarette, “the male then hit me several times in the face with his fist,” a resident of the Fenimore Hotel said in a statement to SPD. “I chased him [away]…I returned to the corner and was trying to get in my building when I saw him coming toward me with a two-by-four.”

Daft Punk's huge pyramid from the "Alive 2007" tour. Image courtesy Andreas Herten.

Throughout their career, Daft Punk has become famous for not only their music but also for its accompanying art. “Interstella 5555” was a modern day animated rock-opera set to the music of their sophomore record “Discovery,” and their recent world tour is best remembered for its extravagant light display and gigantic flashing pyramid.

Pacific Science Center and its fantastic laser artists and staff have attempted to continue that tradition with its own artwork, and the result couldn’t be better. Laser Daft Punk opened at the Seattle Laser Dome April 2, and the show features mind-bending visuals and enough pounding bass to rumble the entire building.

Led by John “Ivan” Borcherding, the laser theater supervisor at Pacific Science Center, a team took six months to research, plan and design the show. Part of that time was spent deciding on Daft Punk, a band which they arrived at through a mix of surveys and audience members’ suggestions.

“All the information that we put together, everything was telling us that our audience wanted to see Daft Punk,” Borcherding said. “It was time to do laser Daft Punk.”

The show takes the usual laser show formula of huge spirals, beam effects, animations and flashing lights and gives it a distinct feel that’s unlike any other laser show around. The Daft Punk tracks are varied and well sequenced, and the fast-paced throbbing electronic music feels better paired with lasers than classic and modern rock—long the dome’s staple genres. That could be because Jennifer “Mercedes” Bentz, chief projectionist and laser artist, said she tried to extract the feelings and intricacies of Daft Punk’s music and create laser art that expresses them.

“We’ve been doing lasers for so long that we start to feel what the lasers are projecting,” Bentz said. “That’s what we try to produce on the dome, so it feels like this is what you should see if you were listening to the song.”

“As an audience member you look at the imagery on the dome, and it should appear that the music is coming from the laser images, so we try to express that,” Borcherding added.

Five people contribute art—the individual shapes and general imagery—to the show. The nightly “laser artist” then decides what to do with those images and can tweak how big they appear and do things like strobe effects and fog based on the audiences’ reaction to different parts of the show.

“If you come back and see Laser Daft Punk next week you’re going to see some of the same animations and some of the same shapes,” Borcherding said. “But they’re going to be performed differently depending on how the audience responds and also if it’s a different laser artist performing.”

Daft Punk and their huge laser robot heads join the likes of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Beatles and Radiohead as bands that have had laser shows set to their music at the dome. The Daft Punk show is also one of the first to be created entirely by the Pacific Science Center, which has been making original shows for five years. They’ve become world-renowned in that amount of time—Radiohead actually approached them when their album “Kid A” was coming out to organize a premiere there complete with laser show.

As for what’s next for the Seattle Laser Dome, only time will tell. The audiences will determine the next show again, and dome visitors are encouraged to share their opinion on what band it should be with the laser artists performing their show.

Diners at Barrio are seated among over 350 candles. Photo credit: Clara Ganey

This article originally appeared in the January 21, 2009 issue of The Spectator

From the front, new Capitol Hill Mexican joint “Barrio” keeps a low profile. Dark, tinted glass runs along the sidewalk, and it’s quite easy to walk right by the place without even realizing what’s there. From the side however, it’s a different story.

The simple black “Barrio” written on the wall stands in stark contrast to grandiose 8-foot tall wooden doors covering the entire entrance. Like something from a medieval castle, the huge doors swing open to reveal a dark, candlelit restaurant that will challenge anyone’s expectations of Mexican food.

Diners are seated among over 350 candles, some arranged in a huge wall bisecting the room, others in circular towers floating above the tables and booths. There’s not a light bulb in sight, and the waiters have to pass out small flashlights for easier menu reading. The smells wafting around are not those of lard and greasy meat but instead those of hand-made tortillas and zesty spices.

The word “barrio” in Spanish means “neighborhood,” which also describes the philosophy the owners and managers have about the restaurant’s food, drinks and atmosphere. Barrio’s Web site calls the restaurant an “approachable and inviting representation of modern Mexico.” It’s a place that avoids the usual tex-mex fare of places like Tacos Guaymas and La Cocina and instead opts for something more authentic, an example of what an upscale restaurant would be in a place like Mexico City.

“You’re not going to find refried beans here,” said Leigha Bone, one of Barrio’s managers. “We’re into fresh, local ingredients incorporated into traditional Mexican food.”

Barrio’s diverse menu contains everything from fresh chips and salsa to grilled ribeye steak and braised short ribs. While it might seem like a bit much to wade through at first, the waiters won’t hesitate to suggest things or explain any of the eatery’s many options in greater detail. The prices also vary: go during happy hour for $2 tacos and $5 margaritas, or opt for the more expensive dinner menu, where entrées range from $10 to $20, and drinks from $5 to $10.

Well worth the money, the dishes succeed in tinting traditionally Mexican food with a Northwest flare and flavor. The food is familiar but simultaneously exotic, combining the usual fare with exciting twists. The coconut rice served with the tacos and some other dishes has a noticeable sweetness that works extremely well, and the tacos themselves are full of juicy meat of all varieties. The marinade on the steak lends a spiciness to it that is reminiscent of the best fajitas. Also on the must-try list are their chips, which are handmade on-site in three different varieties: corn, yucca, and plantain and served with the diner’s choice of two salsas.

The cocktail menu is also extensive, containing the usuals like margaritas and piña coladas, and also lesser-known cocktails such as the “sangre de agave,” which contains both rum and tequila and is rounded off with lime juice and cassis. Just like on the food menu, there’s something for everyone, and the bartenders serve the drinks on the stiff side.

According to their Web site, Barrio’s vision is that of community, a place that “thrives off the street energy and relaxed locale of the neighborhoods we are pleased to call our Barrio.” The restaurant embodies those principles nicely, as the prices are very approachable for food of such high quality and the atmosphere makes it perfect for that special occasion or event when one wants to eat good food but still be able to relax while doing so.

Barrio is located on 12th Avenue between Pike and Madison. A second Barrio is scheduled to open in Bellevue later this year.

“Kill him!”

The words, directed at Sen. Barack Obama, rang out of a viciously angry supporter’s mouth at a Sarah Palin rally for the John McCain campaign. Later, someone screamed out “terrorist!” when Obama was mentioned. Palin did nothing to stop the dangerous hatred that was being spewed by her supporters. She, along with John McCain, simply continued their rally like nothing was happening, giving total credibility to the rumors that were quickly being spread throughout the crowd. As the election is looming and McCain is falling behind in the polls, he seems to be adapting an “anything goes” campaign. If what it takes for him to win is to imply that his opponent is a terrorist, and “doesn’t see America the way you and I see America,” then he is going to jump at every opportunity, evidently.

John McCain, you are playing a dangerous game, and you know it. Attempting to instill fear of a possible leader in thousands of Americans is playing with fire, and in a country with a history of minority power figure assassinations, I will hold you and your campaign completely responsible if anyone tries to hurt Obama.

The general public’s fear of terrorists is immense, and the religious right’s hatred of them is even more so. Suggesting that Sen. Obama is a terrorist conjures up the worst in people, feelings of the complete and utter helplessness that many felt on the morning of Sept. 11-a fear and hatred that may be comparable to how Americans felt during the Cold War. Could you imagine Richard Nixon calling John F Kennedy a communist during the 1960 presidential election? He wouldn’t have dared to bring up those feelings.

Barack Obama has made some low blows, but they aren’t even in the same ballpark.

Luckily, while these speeches and ads may lend to passionate rallies, they aren’t registering with the average voter. Recent polls show Obama with an even larger lead than when McCain started doing this hugely negative campaigning, and another poll states that “six in 10 of those surveyed said that Mr. McCain had spent more time attacking Mr. Obama than explaining what he would do as president.” Obama’s favorability rating, on the other hand, is 50 percent-higher than it’s ever been so far in this campaign.

It’s clear that voters want the candidates to talk about real issues-such as the entire economy going down the toilet, or the fact that the average retirement savings account lost thousands of dollars in the last two weeks. If all McCain can do is talk about how terrible of a person Obama is and suggest that he has a terrorist for a best friend, than he is not fit to be the president of the United States during this crisis. He is proving now that he doesn’t have the leadership skills or ideas that it takes to lead our country, and that he was irresponsible and sexist in his choice of a running mate.

His response to all the negative press and criticism has been to briefly remind his crowds that Obama is a “decent family man” when they start seething with anger, and then get right back to attacking him. Obama simply attended William Ayer’s birthday party years after Ayers’ involvement with the Weather Underground -a huge leap of logic is required to arrive at the campaign’s insistence that Obama “started his political career in Ayers’ living room.” Barack Obama is not a terrorist, and continuing to suggest as much is going to him killed and the McCain campaign held responsible in many peoples’ eyes.