This Week In ASUCD - Issue 1
This Week in ASUCD
Every Monday the Aggie runs a story on the latest happenings at ASUCD Senate. It took me about four years to realize this, because the article is always written with maximum confusion. I think it suffers from a misguided quest for "objectivity," where they have misconstrued "fair and balanced" as "completely lacking in substance." Its like, more bland than C-SPAN.
Consequently, I decided I'm going to try to write an update every Friday on the general happenings of ASUCD within the last week.1
The ASUCD headlines this week of course were the Winter Elections. Fourteen candidates (Six Leadites, two Focites, two "Ignites," four independants) ran for six positions. Several weeks of campaigning culminated this week in online voting Wednesday through Thursday. Reportedly turnout was rather low for a winter election. Some have speculated that this is because the F.U.C.K. party convinced everyone to trust in ASUCD candidates again last winter, and then dashed their hopes when their elected candidates "defected" from the party -- thus leaving everyone bitter and cynical this election.
While Michael Molner was projected to win by expert analysts, as one conservative candidate invariably gets elected, few would have expected his first place finish. Molnar also prefaced the official results announcement by declaring all over the wiki in the hour before announcements that he had been the subject of "negative campaigning" and "bullying tactics" by Lead inner party member James Schwab. These claims were subsequently deleted from the wiki by others by some sort of black magic such that now I can't link to these earlier versions. Schwab notes that Molnar was referring to Schwab's bringing up the Molnar quote referenced here. This may be a foreshadowing of a very tense Senate term. See also: a webpage dedicated to "Molnarisms"
Lead took four seats, Ignite one (Molnar), and Focus one. Lead now controls the presidency and two thirds of the senate, meaning that Lead can do literally anything they want.
Schwab further notes "I think this election may be scandal free."
Earlier in the week the ASUCD Supreme Court issued their verdict on Case 29, Laabs v. The California Aggie. They basically found that (1) The California Aggie DOES need to follow at least "reasonable regulations with respect to the time, the place, and the manner2" in which ASUCD says their paper is to be published; (2) The California Aggie DOES need to obey the decisions of the Media Board, which has been delegated oversight over them and tasked to deliberate on any significant operational changes; (3) to quote the United States Supreme Court in Joyner v. Whiting3 "A college newspaper's freedom from censorship does not necessarily imply that its facilities are the editor's private domain;" (4) Basically the United States Supreme Court pwned Daniel Stone and the ASUCD Court merely provided choice excerpts.
The California Aggie allegedly does not intend to cover this case in the paper.
On Thursday morning the California Aggie ran an editorial accusing Mayor Ruth Asmundson of delaying the bill to allow the return of interned Japanese in order to pass it at a time politically beneficial to her, and that such political use of such a bill was in poor taste. The editorial was notably harsh, likely because former Editor-in-Chief Stone (& Opinions Editor before that) was for once not watering opinions down in hopes of getting letters of recommendation. By Thursday evening Ruth Asmundson was at the ASUCD Senate meeting explaining to them how she wasn't evil and has supported students. In response, Schwab commented "[former ASUCD President] Kalen Gallagher did more for students!"
Mayor Asmundson also mentioned created a position in the city of Omsbudsman. Omsbudsman, Asmundson ... they're very similar. A coincidence? You decide.
Also at Senate, the Tapsy Ticksy director made a report. Interestingly, she reports that there are ongoing taxi wars between Tipsy Taxi and local taxi services, with commercial cabs regularly trying to ram Tipsy Taxi busses(!!). Senators Kalfayan & Higgens questioned the director at length regarding their goals of lowering the Tipsy Taxi charge back down to $1. The director noted that among other things, changing the price again will likely just confuse riders, as "drunk people and confusion go hand in hand."
Sen. Avi Singh humorously proposed we levee a $1 fee on all undergraduates and offer it to the City with "Hey City of Davis, I hear you have a budget problem ... here's 20 Gs!" to which Director of the Office of External Affairs Greg Russel immediately responded "Avi do not treat the City like a whore!!" Much lulz were had by all.
Meanwhile elsewhere in the MU, the ASUCD Entertainment Council was putting on a free show.
1Persons are encouraged to bring our attention to ASUCD events which take place of which they suspect an EMOSNAIL correspondant is not aware, such that it may be included in future issues of This Week in ASUCD.
2Healy v. James, 408 U.S. 169, at 192-193
3Joyner v. Whiting 477 F.2d 456, 462 (4th Cir. 1973)
Today in Woodland
I ran into former ASUCD President Sara Henry at the Fat Cat Cafe. Enactment of the "Student Bill of Rights" is her only accomplishment to be recorded in history (via Daviswiki at least). Incidently apparent complete absense of this Bill of Rights two years later is the subject of ASUCD Court Case # 32, which will be heard next Tuesday. She was also known for trying to remove me twice (the fact that Focus controlled 2/3rds of the Senate & thus could remove people all on its own probably made this particularly tempting to her). Two years later she is working in a family law clinic, and I'm working in the civil division of the local courthouse (ie the division dealing with family law, among other things), and so it seems I'm still handling Henry's cases.
Later, it was noticed that a girl in the Courthouse lobby reeked of marijuana. She was subsequently arrested, and confessed to having smoked out about half an hour previous, and then driven to the Courthouse. I believe some marijuana was found on her as well. In addition to possession, and being under the influence, she may be charged with driving under the influence of controlled substances, and having controlled substances within a courthouse is a felony in of itself. I remand to the honourable blogocratic Judge roter_terror for further speculation on what she ought to be charged with. Presumably the girl in question was not Sara Henry.
Today I got to venture down to "the Bunker," where older cases are archived. Its under the sheriffs station that adjacent to the Courthouse. The hallways under it have manila coloured floors, walls, ceilings & furniture -- its like seeing everything in sepiatone.
Also I put this case back in the vault today. Its more than a foot thick.
This Week in International Politics
Rumour has it there was a coup in the Phillipenes, but every news article I've found about it mentions the coup in passing and then goes on about the government response for several pages. While the government may have responded shadily, I am always rather suspicious that the underreported side of the story has more value than given credit for.