As far as memory serves me, Easter holiday breaks have consisted of that extra Monday off that at least allowed me to return to Seton Hill University (SHU) in a timely manner. My Maryland home is five hours away and traveling is bothersome on Easter Day.

This year, however, classes resumed on Monday, and I was faced with the dilemma of arriving at SHU at three o’clock in the morning.

Arguments were heard last week by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the detainment of Osama bin Laden’s former chauffer, Salim Ahmed Hamdan. Hamdan appealed the case from an inferior court which upheld the Bush administration’s policy that Hamdan would not be tried under the rules stated in the Geneva Convention.

The inferior court ruling argues that the detainees of are not conventional war combatants and so should not be eligible for the protections and rights guaranteed under the rules of the Geneva Convention. Conversely, the argument looms over a larger issue than Hamdan’s innocence. It is an argument about the power of the president, the courts, and congress and their roles in the government.

In an historic agreement, President Bush promised to aid India with its civilian nuclear energy needs, while allowing the Asian country to develop weapons.

The agreement states that India must separate its military facilities from nuclear ones, and open 14 of 22 civilian facilities for inspection by the international community.
India’s concessions include the ability to buy nuclear fuel and reactor components from other countries such as the United States.

On January 31, 2006, President Bush outlined the issues that were going to be important to his administration for this year. His speech attempted to re-launch his presidency after political scandal, delayed emergency response during natural disasters, oil price hikes, and a stagnant economy.

Throughout the course of 2005, Bush’s approval ratings have sunk as low as 39 percent. Although the ratings have jumped about 10 percent, the rest of his term remains stagnant with approval.

Last month, a panel of students addressed the issue of athletics and its relationship to academics on this campus. It seems the unspoken myths and assumptions about athletics and academics had been spoken.

There seems to be a bigger picture here about how we establish identity on this campus for the better and the worse. There is a belief on campus that there are two kinds of students: those who participate in athletics and everyone else who are mainly identified by their major, if nothing else.

Chief Justice nominee to the Supreme Court, John Roberts, sat in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 13 as part of the confirmation process.
When asked about his judicial philosophy, he replied with a baseball metaphor.
“Judges are like umpires. Umpires don’t make the rules; they apply them,” said Roberts.

So is Roberts safe?
Has Bush’s play been called?
Will he make it to the bench?