ThePoliticalReview

Briskly walking down the corridor of the second floor of Eads, Emily was bent on getting to Holmes Lounge before the lunch hour rush stormed in.

“Hey Emily, wait up!” called a voice from behind her. Emily turned on her heels, her spring-inspired yellow sundress twirling in her wake.

“Hey there Macey!”

“How did you do on that French test? I thought it was very hard,” said Macey as the two girls queued in line to order their wraps in Holmes.

“Really, I thought it was easy. Mais, bien sûr, la plupart des choses sont pour moi.”

“Umm… yeah…”

“No worries,” Emily chuckled. The girls ordered their wraps, complete of course with ranch dressing and a pickle on the side, paid for them and left. Eagerly they walked outside into Brookings Quadrangle where the sun shone brightly and their friend, Sanjay, was leading a tour of visiting high schoolers and parents across the lawn.

“You know, you should totally put that French to good use,” prompted Macey. “Your accent sounds totally legit and everything.”

“Well, if it means that I can have a wardrobe like Carla Sarkozy’s, just call me Marie Antoinette.”

The girls laughed before Macey asked puzzled, “Who’s that?”

“Huh, never mind. But seriously, I am so happy to see President Obama collaborating with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy in order to place sanctions on Iran. I think that Obama has hesitated long enough on the matter. In the time he’s been arranging his little six party talks Iran could have already developed WMD’s.”

Agreeing with her, Macey said, “At least, he’s promised to erect sanctions within weeks. That will teach those Iranians to proliferate nuclear energy on America’s watch.”

Emily nodded in agreement as she bit into her spinach tortilla. “Oh, I am simply loving this weather.”

“I know,” agreed Macey. “It’s time to break out the high-waisted ballerina skirts again!”

The girls high-fived each other and began to dine. Floating around the quad, was a redheaded boy, passing out flyers with a large metro train on it bearing the words “Prop A.” On his chest was a proudly pinned a button that read, “I Ride for Fun.” Eventually, he wound his way toward the girls and bore his flyer before them.

“Hey, how are you girls voting on Prop A on April 6th?” he asked.

Macey looked away discouragingly. “Don’t worry,” assured Emily the boy. “Prop A has my vote.”

“Thanks girls,” he said before trudging off.

After the boy was out of earshot, Macey ventured, “What’s Prop A?”

“Macey!” exclaimed Emily. “You can recognize any fashion logo, can quote every chapter of Going Rogue, and are friends with Senator Mitch McConnell on facebook. How do you not know what Prop A is? OMG, you need to get off of your iPad and rejoin reality.”

“Seriously though. I’ve seen flyers for it everywhere, I just don’t know what it is. Missouri isn’t considering gay marriage is it?”

“Of course not!” gasped Emily abashed. “Who do we look like, Maryland or worse, California?” She took another bite of her wrap and then put on her Rayburn sunglasses as the sun intensified. “Proposition A is a referendum being held in St. Louis County deciding whether the sales tax should be raised by half a cent.”

“Ewww… tax increase.”

“I know,” shuddered Emily. “Usually, I hiss at increasing taxes but this time I am completely on board. It’s a necessary measure that will help the St. Louis area. This mere half a cent increase will raise $75 million in government revenues annually to support the public transit system.”

“Emily, bite your tongue. The Metrolink is disgusting,” said Macey.

“Don’t get me wrong, Macey. I’ve lived in St. Louis all my life and I wouldn’t touch the stuff with a ten foot pole. However, not everyone is as lucky as us to own BMW’s.”

“Hey, I’m not that lucky. Mine’s a hand- me-down from my dad. It’s almost four years old.”

Pondering, Emily agreed, “Yeah, your car is a total antique, but that is beside the point. The public transit system isn’t just the Metrolink. It also includes the MetroBus and the Call-A-Ride bus. Thousands of St. Louis inhabitants depend on these modes of transit to get to work, run errands, and mange their daily lives. Many of Wash U’s service workers use it to reach our campus. Students here depend on it to access the greater St. Louis community for service projects.”

“So let’s say this referendum doesn’t pass. What will that mean for us?”

“Well, for us, it may mean nothing, we have cars. But the greater half of St. Louis will suffer when the metro services are not only cut back, but also increase in price. Not to mention, if this tax increase isn’t passed, many people will find themselves jobless.”

“Oh no, that’s so horrible. I had no idea this was so serious.”

“Hmmmm,” thought Emily out loud. “You know, it really is.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to vote for it then. Goodness knows what will happen if the people who need the metro system all of a sudden are walking bound. They’ll be riots, crime breakouts, just sheer madness,” stated Macey.

The girls finished their wraps and enjoyed a few more minutes of sun on the green grass. Soon, though, it became time to return to their busy days as both girls had a class at 1:00 p.m., Behavioral Ecology for Emily and Women in Cinema for Macey.

“Hey, you’re coming over to my apartment tonight to watch ANTM right?” asked Macey as they gathered their tote bags and rose to their feet.

“Wait, aren’t we watching Sarah Palin’s new show, Real American Stories?”

“Nooooo,” groaned Macey sorrowfully. “Didn’t you hear? That LL Cool J controversy caused its premiere to be postponed. Gush, who’s out of touch now?”

Emily bowed her head disappointedly and then turned her face toward the sun as it majestically hovering over the towers of Brookings. “God bless this country,” she said before walking away.

Lennox Mark can be contacted at lbmark [at] artsci.wustl.edu

Emily tilted her head back and glanced out the windows of the library, before she began to read her textbook for her Political Economy of Democracy class. Ah, to be back at Wash U.. Emily thought to herself, as she highlighted the major tenets of that night's assigned reading. She had truly enjoyed vacationing with her parents in Aspen over winter break, but now, as the last remnants of snow melted in St. Louis, Emily Porter was more than ready to return to her coursework. As a second semester junior, there was so much that needed to be done. Application deadlines for summer internships, choosing a topic for her senior thesis, and, of course, Relay for Life, would all be keeping her busy for a while. Seated bolt upright in one of the study cubicles on the second floor of the library, Emily thought she was in for an afternoon of productive activity and efficacious reading.

It soon became apparent this would not be possible when Kasper Tracy stormed into the cubicle, his eyes blazing as he dropped into the seat next to Emily and glared at her with unnecessary malice. "Well, I hope you're happy," he snapped, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Why shouldn't I be, look what Daddy gave me for Christmas," she squealed, flashing her large diamond ring on her right hand. "The question is: why aren't you?"

"Two words," said Kasper. "Scott Brown. Why the hell did my state elect a porn star? I mean, it's Massachusetts! How did Ted Kennedy's seat go to a Republican? It's disgraceful!"

"Tsk, tsk, Kasper. Your state finally does something sensible and, you are complaining. I personally think Scott Brown is just the change your state needs, and it certainly foreshadows the change of course that the country is going to take in the midterm elections. Mark you me, Democrat, we Republicans are back in business."

"You left the business for a reason, and that reason is the Bush administration," said Kasper. "I'm not saying that Obama's perfect, but the last thing our country needs right now is another Republican complaining in the Senate. We lost a crucial seat, and now, any progress is going to slow down. Health care, foreign policy, immigration- there will just be even more conflict and no consensus, now that there's a 41st Republican."

Emily bowed her head and said solemnly, "Ah Dubya, may he rest in peace." Raising her head, she looked into Kasper's reflective brown eyes and met his serious gaze. Clearly, she would get no reading done now and so she decisively closed her textbook. "Don't blame us for a lack of progress. The Democrats had a filibuster proof sixty seats and a president from your own party and all you managed to do with all that unchecked power is bankrupt the treasury with your stimulus this and bailout that. Well, now you've lost your chance.. to do more harm that is. You know it's a sad day for Democrats when Massachusetts goes red." Over the top of the cubicles, curious eyes looked up from their textbooks and in the direction of the contentious couple.

"Massachusetts would never go red!" said Kasper, aghast. "Take that back! And, look, Miss Republican, I’ve sent and received so many Bush-bashing birthday cards that the subject is stale, but please remember that Obama is not the one who killed the economy, which, by the way, will slowly improve. Let me also mention that the administration that you claim has done 'nothing' has passed a health care reform bill quite far, and will only continue to work at it until reform does happen. And you cannot complain about any national debt when Scott Brown insists that we cut government funding by cutting taxes to those who don't need it!"

A girl with thick glasses shushed them over the top of her MCAT study book.  Kasper rolled his eyes back at her and muttered something under his breath about doctors destroying the health care bill.

"Kasper, calm down. Do remember this is the library. You could at least pretend to be in here seeking an education like some of us. And as for Massachusetts, open your eyes. This was not some state senate election. This was the election to replace the great Ted Kennedy- even my people revere him. If a Republican was elected, it shows that Massachusetts already has gone red. And federal revenues will be increased under Scott's suggestions, because though we are letting people keep their tax dollars, which they should, we would also eliminate earmarks and porkbarrel spending. Brown took the seat with a decisive 52 to 47 percentile vote, which has to tell you something. Not even Obama's win was that decisive."

Kasper could hardly believe his ears. "You call 52-47 decisive? That's nothing! That means that 48% did not vote for him! That's hardly decisive. And since it was a state election, the numbers to Obama don't even compare. And there is no way that Brown will be able to lower taxes without also lowering federal revenues. Earmarks aren't an addition to taxes, they're a component! No, but Brown is all about lowering the banks' taxes- hey, why not give them another break?"

Emily flipped her thick brown curls and looked away. Admittedly, numbers and taxes weren't her forte. "So let me ask you this: If you were home to vote, would you have voted for Coakley?"

"One, I did vote, it’s something called an absentee ballot. Two, of course I voted for Coakley. What, did you think I went Libertarian? Three, what kind of a question is that? When it comes to the Senate, what matters is majority, not who looks better in Cosmo."

"Well excuse me, but I didn't take you for a straight ticket Democrat. I certainly prefer him to Coakley, but he's a bit of a stretch, even for me. I like my Republicans with a certain level of preservation for the old ways of life. And you Bay State residents are schizophrenic! You first elect Romney and now Brown, anymore of this and you guys will be flip-flopping more than my state of Missouri."

"Look, there are Republicans in Massachusetts," said Kasper."And independents. Romney is insane, and not the only Republican governor, painful as that is to admit. And, as much as I hate to say it, because I don't want a Republican senator any more than I want to know what colors are 'in' for spring, Brown is considered 'socially liberal.' If we had to elect a Republican, at least it wasn't another Romney. I mean, it's not like he's about to swap parties, not with his seriously flawed economic mindset, but when it comes to social issues like abortion, I can actually understand where he's coming from."

Emily grimaced slightly as she pondered Brown’s social stances. "You know, one would have thought that Ted Kennedy's state would want to see to it that nothing further inhibits health care legislation. But seeing as how you guys already have a comprehensive health care package, you could care less what happens in Congress. If you want to complain, I'm not the person to do it to Kasper. Massachusetts gave up on ol' Teddy's dream simply on a political whim. You can hardly blame the opposition party for taking an in where it sees it."

Neighboring students had begun to take unkindly to Kasper and Emily's relentless and unquieted discussion. Not only did they receive harsh glares and shushes that fell on deaf ears, but one engineering student even went so far as to mutter, "Damn all artsci students!" The MCAT girl was even threatening to report them to the front desk.

"I'd better go," said Kasper. He sprung to his feet and strode out of the library, still muttering to himself. Emily distinctly heard the words conservative, unbelievable, and forty-one.

Emily could not keep herself from smiling. For once, she felt as if she had won a decisive victory, not her over Kasper, but her party over the axis of domestic evil. Just as she was about to reopen her polisci textbook, the MCAT girl asked her rather rudely, "Aren't you leaving too?"

Sweetly, Emily asked, "Would you like me to?"

"As you have no respect for the sanctity of the library, yes." She glared at Emily over the top of her cubicle and pounded her highlighter on the top of her desk. There was a general murmur of agreement amongst the wing.

"Hmmm," said Emily, feigning consideration, "then no." She reopened her polisci textbook and fervently resumed her reading.

Lennox Mark can be contacted at lbmark [at] artsci.wustl.edu

Kasper stepped into the aisle of the small plane to St. Louis, holding his laptop case close as he slid down the aisle to find his seat.  One of the last to board the plane, Kasper wasn't surprised to see two other people already in his row.  He was shocked, however, to see that Emily Porter was in the window seat.

Emily sensed the unmistakable presence of worn jeans and Converse sneakers. Looking up from her copy of Elle magazine, she exclaimed, "Kasper! What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you," said Kasper, sliding past the heavy man in the aisle seat and sitting next to Emily. "Going back to WashU."

"Ah yes, summer's over and it's back to our day jobs. How did your internship go over for you?"

"It was great working with Jim McGovern. How did it go with the conservatives?"

"Delightful, but honestly I'm glad to be off the Hill for a while. I don't want to be present within a mile of the chaos when debate in Congress commences over healthcare. There's so much to consider like gays, immigrants, smokers, and of course, the most unseemly of evils: abortion."

"Oh, no, Emily," moaned Kasper. "Don't start this argument. Abortion is not evil- it's a reasonable, if not desirable, choice."

"Desirable?!" Emily slammed her Elle magazine shut on the fold-out tray so hard that a passing stewardess peered curiously into their row. "Why would anyone want to make the killing of innocent babies legal, much less federally funded?"

"Abortion is not killing babies; it's terminating fetuses that are not developed enough to be called babies, or humans. They're little more than groups of cells. I realize that it's hard to wrap your head around that fact, but if you don't then you are forcing some women into very difficult, even jeopardizing situations."

"Technically speaking Kasper, you and I are still nothing more than an agglutinate of cells, albeit highly complex. Now I'm not saying that abortion has to be infinitely illegal. There are certain extreme situations like rape and incest that warrant it. However, it is still heinous, and without the proper restrictions it's open to abuse and overuse."

"I'm not going to get into an argument about the science of the matter, because I'm scientifically illiterate," said Kasper. "But the cells that make up cognitive humans don't come along until later. I don't know what you're getting at with 'abuse and overuse' of abortion, because I'm sure that women would prefer safe sex," Emily gasped at the use of the 's' word, "to getting an abortion every other month. It's not an alternative to birth control- it's a last resort when something unplanned happens, and no one really wants one. I don't think abuse of abortion is a plausible fear."

"Oh but it is. People act more responsibly when left with tighter options. And, you have to admit, the government has a vital interest in preserving life, and that includes the potential of life as well."

"Potential," snorted Kasper. "Most fetuses are naturally aborted anyway. If you leave people with tighter options in this day and age, Em, they won't act more responsibly. There will be an abundance of teenage mothers, babies put up for adoption, not to mention an increase in world population."

Emily contorted her perfectly arched eyebrows in deep thought. "I agree with that," she said. "But the way to decrease the number of teenage pregnancies and manage the population is not by terminating life. Instead, there should be better access to birth control and sex education. We can't allow those innocent babies to suffer for the ignorance of their parents."

"They're not babies!" said Kasper, louder than he intended. The third occupant of their row, in a near stupor, opened one eye. "And there is sex ed in school, and most schools will give out some form of birth control with no questions asked. I'm with you for good education and the availability of birth control, but sometimes things fall through, and that's what abortion is for."

Emily peered out the window, wondering when the plane would finally be airborne. She was always amongst the first to claim her seat on any flight, and waiting for the roar of the turbine engines made her antsy. Turning back to Kasper, she replied, "Hmmm, we'll see what Congress thinks this November when it reviews abortion provisions in the healthcare bill. You may think it's us Republicans who mess everything up, but really it's atrocities like abortion. What would you say to the baby, seven months old, highly viable for life outside the womb, who finds out that it's to be killed, or 'aborted', as we have euphemized the word?"

"Seven months is the official cap for abortions," said Kasper. "Personally, I think that's too late, and most states agree with me. But I do think that anyone is at fault who messes with abortion rights, because it's such a personal choice. Sometimes I wonder if I should be talking about it, because I'll never have to make such a decision. This is the thing; scientifically (I hate saying that) it's not killing a baby because said baby is too premature to have any characteristics that make it human. Potential doesn't exist that early, and anyone who starts talking about what the fetus 'could' turn into is just imagining things. So many other factors create a person; practically nothing is decided that early on, and when people start dreaming and getting romantic about all these possibilities, they could very well be destroying the life of the mother instead. Think about it-- no one should have motherhood forced on them, and going through pregnancy, admitting that you're having a baby, has serious ramifications on a girl's or woman's life."

The heavy set man seated beside Kasper had apparently awoken and was intently listening to their discourse. All three passengers ignored the flight attendant's safety presentation. "You know," he began, "if I may interject, the right to choice is necessary to a--"

"Oh, stuff it you old geezer," spat Emily. She hated when people invaded her private conversations, especially if it was to speak out against her. She then took Kasper's hand gently in hers, just as the seatbelt light flashed green. "If my mother aborted me, you would feel sad, wouldn't you Kasper?"

"You wouldn't have been you," said Kasper looking into Emily's deep chestnut eyes with his dark brown ones, after mouthing an apology to the geezer. He let go of Emily's hand and fastened his seatbelt. "You would have been some cells. So, no."

Emily controlled the plethora of emotions that instantly erupted within her. She felt abashed, hurt, and angry at Kasper's curt, dismissive response, but she would never let him see it. She smiled sweetly as if he made some sort of witty remark and refocused her mind on the subject matter at hand as the taxiing plane finally brought them into motion down the runway.

"Look, Em, no matter how you put it, abortion is a sticky subject," said Kasper, easily seeing through Emily's facade. "It's hard to distinguish personal feelings from political ones, and that's one of the biggest problems. I'd be sad if you died, but if you never existed, how could I be then? You're Emily now, but we were all just cells once, and that's what I was talking about. That's what abortion's about."

"To you men, that's what it's always about, cells and science. Not the promise of life unborn, not the horrors of snipping away at human flesh. Just about disposing of some mere cells that can be then used in stem cell research. Disappointing."

"They don't have flesh," said Kasper in a singsong voice. "And you know there's plenty of women who agree with me. Are we really going to transition into stem cell research?"

Emily had intended to use this time on the plane to reimmerse herself in the fashion world, but she could never turn down a discussion with her favorite liberal. With the plane soaring amidst the clouds, she slyly smirked, "Naturally."




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