A street-crossing epidemic

There is an epidemic happening on the university campus. This is an epidemic that may even be deadly. If nothing else, this epidemic is extremely annoying, and there seems to be no end in sight; in fact, it is being encouraged. The epidemic I am writing about is the lack of understanding of how to cross the street.

This sounds fairly crazy and a bit confusing considering we are in college and learned long ago to look both ways, then cross if no car is coming. When exactly did this process become never look up from your phone and walk in front of cars because there is a sign up that states yield. While walking from 20 after the hour until 30 after the hour, I can understand letting the herd cross the street all at once. However, when students think they have free rein all over campus to just walk into the street when there is a crosswalk, they don’t understand who will win between a human and a car. Just so everyone is clear, the car will win every time. I almost feel as if there needs to be a tutorial students should be required to take in order to ensure that they know how to traverse the cross-walk. As I write this letter, I am in disbelief that it has gotten to this point.

Just so everyone is clear, when going from class to class, you must not walk into the crosswalk when a car is coming. It is much easier for a pedestrian to stop walking than it is for a car to stop accelerating. This is strictly common sense, and only entitled little brats look at the street as their own. I beg you, please use the crosswalk as if you are back in your hometown. If you walk out in front of a car there, what do you think they response would be? This is the response you are getting here also, you just can’t tell because you are so engrossed in your device that you could care less. Look up, look both ways, be a human.

— Josh Hoard

Observe Armistice Day

Bells worldwide were rung on the 11th month, the 11th day, at 11 a.m. 1918 to celebrate and recognize the end of World War I, “the war to end all wars.” To commemorate that peaceful pledge, bells were rung around the world on Nov. 11 for more than 35 years. Congress declared Nov. 11 “ … a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’ ” Then in 1954, Congress changed the name of the day to Veterans Day.

Veterans for Peace is made up of veterans of the armed services. To recognize the day as Armistice Day rather than Veterans’ Day is not at all intended as a slight to veterans. However, it appears that right now the country needs to recommit to a path of peace. We are engaged in the longest war in U.S. history, we just bombed a hospital, killing patients and staff and zero combatants, and Congress just approved a $30 billion increase to an already bloated military budget. The wars of the last 75 years have killed many more civilians than soldiers.

If we want peace, we have to work for peace, and a good time to recommit to peace is on Armistice Day.

Veterans for Peace is sponsoring an Armistice Day Observance in Iowa City at 10:45 today to be held at the Clinton Street entrance to Old Capitol. Bells will again ring at 11 a.m. It’s free and open to the public.

— Ed Mary Flaherty