Thursday, June 19, 2014 The Micihigan Daily - michigandai!y.cnm Edited and ma naged by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu Thursday, June 19, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com MAURA LEVINEI It's time to stop 'GoT' season four finale IAN DILLINGHAM AARICA MARSH STEPHANIE SHENOUDA EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIA L PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely theviews of their authors. Alleviating injustice Michigan must provide better protection sexual assault survivors L a st week, the Michigan legislature recommended a $37.5 billion budget for the state that included $3 million allocated towards prosecuting sexual assault cases from unprocessed rape kits. Similarly, the state government recently put time limits on the retrieval and processing of rape kits. While it's commendable that the legislature is taking several steps towards the protection of sexual assault survivors, the fact that several thousand rape kits are still unprocessed five years after being found is deplorable. The state - and the University - must work harder to ensure sexual assault survivors receive justice. U.S. President Barack Obama gave America a harsh reality check on June 10. In the wake of two new public shootings in the past couple of weeks, Obama said in a tired, frustrated voice, "We're the only developed country on earth where this happens." He went on to say that Congress refuses to budge on the gun control laws and that, "This society has not been willing to take some basic steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who can do unbelievable damage." During his presidency, Obama has witnessed countless deaths of innocent Americans inflicted by other civilians. 't'wenty children and six educators alone were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a year ago. Obama feels trapped - unable through the powers of the president to use the tools necessary to make "as big a dent as we need to." Though his speech was political in asking Congress to finally relent and pass some legislation that will aid in restricting gun use, it was also social. Obama pleaded with the American people to change in order to alleviate the violence. He said, "The only thing that is going to change is public opinion. If public opinion does not demand change in Congress, it will inot change." Unfortunately, Obama is right. First of all, Americans have a warped conception of what the Second Amend- ment really means. When the Founding Fathers wrote that the people should have the right to "keep and bear arms" they weren't talking about free gun ownership across a vast country with few restrictions. They were referring to the chaos that ensued before the Revo- lutionary War and the fear of not being able to protectoneself. The Constitution writers were concerned with small mili- tias being able to support themselves and carry weapons for protection. They never dreamed that America would grow to the size it is today. The territory west of the Mississippi and south to Texas was acquired long after the Founders wrote the Second Amend- ment. Had they known that this amend- ment would be interpreted so loosely and affect so many people in the future (across such a vast geographic region), they would have amended the language to make it safer and more specific. The point of the Bill of Rights was to protect people - not to put Americans in dan- ger or fear of frequent mass shootings because of a loophole in the language. Yet indeed, Americans have wrongly interpreted the meaning of the Second Amendment to satisfy a desire to own weapons freely. The problem isn't that people own weapons - the problem is the lack of restrictions. Each state varies, making it easy for someone to get around the system. The ambiguities in the organization also allow for a vibrant black market, which funnels guns to anyone who wants one. Congress needs to crack down on this aspect of the legislation to bring order and discipline to America. While we live in a "free country" that does not mean you can do whatever you want. Second, we have a deep cultural issue embedded in America now that the mass movement of public shootings has started. When I was little, Columbine was the big name that everyone talked about it in fear. It was rare and exceptional and horrifying. Children nowadays are growing up in a society where school shootings are the norm. They might hear about one every couple of months. That's a frightening world to grow up in. The Tipping Point, as Malcolm Gladwell has so eloquently explained, is a phenomenon whereby changes are influenced by mass culture and by an effect that spreads ideas, desires and movements like a virus across the country or acros s the world. He uses this Tipping Point to explain the steep drop in the New York City crime rate in the 1990s and the huge popularity of Hush Puppies shoes in the 1990s. But his theory could also explain the growing prevalence of mass public shootings. People see the horror on TV and get the idea that they can do the same. They're only egged on more when they see the shootings pick- ing up in frequency. Before you know it the idea of a mass shooting doesn't seem so unrealistic because we have become used to it. As disgusting as that sounds, it makes it easier for criminals and crazy people to pursue a mass shooting when ten years ago they may not have because it simply wasn't "popular" yet. I don't know the answer to this problem. It's clear that the growth rate of the mass shootings is continuing to escalate and that several factors - including gun control - need to be tackled before that rate can decrease. But it also takes human will and cultural norms to change. People need to start reporting bizarre behavior of their neighbors and discourage the violence that has become so mainstream and accepted in American society. As Obama put it, we are the only country that puts up with this and it's time that we stop. Maura Levine is an LSA senior. Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister In 2009, Michigan State Police were informed of 11,000 unprocessed sexual assault kits in an abandoned Detroit Police Department crime lab. Since their discovery, about 2,000 kits have been processed with another 8,000 to be tested "soon." While it's admirable that the legislation allocated funds to both speed up the processing of rape kits and prosecute offenders, still having the majority of abandoned kits unprocessed - some kits dating back to the 1980s - is a disgusting failure by the state government. Given the large percentage of rape cases that go unreported, leaving over 10,000 kits unprocessed only further affirms the lack of sexual assault convictions. Not only does this emotionally traumatize survivors, but it allows serial rapists - like the i00 already identified from 1,600 rape kits - to continue their patterns of sexual assault. Given the vast number of cases in an abandoned storage facility, the state government must remain vigilant of similar potential oversights at other locations. The volume of unprocessed rape kits is unacceptable, yet efforts made by politicians demonstrate initiative to prevent this injustice from ever occurring again. The state legislature passed a bill that will limit rape kit retrieval and testing to further support survivors. Law enforcement officials must retrieve the kits within 14 days of receiving notice from health department agencies. The law enforcement agency must then submit any sexual assault evidence for lab analysis within 14 days of possession. Then, the evidence must be processed within 90 days by the labs. Enforcing this new protocol will guarantee future survivors the safety of knowing their efforts to prosecute are pursued with due promptness. Given new legislation to more effectively prosecute rape cases and increased sexual assault awareness surrounding recent campus events, it's imperative that we educate women about rape kits. Sexual assault cases are oftentimes difficult to process given the potential for no evidence.A rape kit can solve this difficulty by providing survivors the ability to store evidence that can then be used to prosecute aggressors. Through educating and providing resources to women, genuine strides can be made to end the consistency of sexual assaulters going unpunished. A hug end: Sinc "Game more tl "GoT" tory flo silent< day n the ex the cla on ste throug earbud new lists g ing "ts Daener dest bit even s as HB( crashe than I Throne cultura fact th spendt three m death s In m was a s wind se the sea paths - Arya tr on a sh dor Cle lives, a cathart nister v storylin ing all Stark's SW1(1, risxyand wall), received a new jolt of life. And Sp p a a n the emotional appeal of the show is l y popUlar season as strong as ever, as Daenerys heart- s with satisfaction breakingly chains her beloved drag- ons and Tyrion faces another family betrayal. ByCHLOE GILKE But amid the excitement, there DailyArts Writer was a palpable sense of hesitance and fear. Sure, this season of"Game e its humble inception, of Thrones" was action-packed, but of Thrones" has become how long can it sustain this degree han just a TV show. During of vigor? Although Lady Stoneheart, season, an entire dormi- a resurrected and vengeful Cate- nor can fall lyn Stark, was supposed to appear on a Sun- in this episode (as per the pages of ight, with George R. R. Martin's "A Storm of ception of G Of Swords"), she was noticeably absent. sh of steel Fan favorites Sansa Stark and Petyr el playing ThrOflS Baelish were entirely missing from ;h attentive Season 4finale the last two episodes of the season. s. A dozen And, the tragedy of poor Reek has Buzzfeed HBO remained undeveloped for several o live, list- weeks. Obviously, the writers are relve times choosing to save some of the events ys Targaryen was the bad- of the third "Song of Ice and Fire" tch." "Game of Thrones" has book for future seasons, but under- urpassed "The Sopranos" lying that decision is a troubling O's most-viewed series, and thought. As GRRM takes his time d the HBOGo site more times writing the sixth book in the series, 'd like to count. "Game of there's a very real possibility that the es" is a Gregor Clegane-size show could catch up to the events of l phenomenon, fueled by the the novels, and "Game of Thrones" at its hungry viewers must could run out of material to adapt. most of the year waiting for The finale was also ashowcase for sonths of million-dollar fiery another flaw that haunted the fourth pectacular. season. Jaime Lannister, former any respects, "The Children" chivalric Kingslayer, has never been satisfying capper to a whirl- the same since his disturbingrape of eason. Some characters ended his sister/lover. Again, the violence son by starting down new of this scene was not present in the - Tyrion escaping in a barrel; book, and continues the disturbing ading Jaqen's coin for a spot tendency "Game of Thrones" has zip. Beloved characters (San- toward gratuitous sexual assault. gane, Jojen Reed) lost their Nikolaj Coster-Waldau did won- nd there was no shortage of derful work with the additional ic villain deaths (Tywin Lan- material he was given, but Jaime's was slain on the toilet). A few sugary-sweet brotherly caretaking es that have been languish- toward Tyrion seemed insincere season (Jon Snow and Bran considering his past transgressions. dull adventures north of the In the finale, Cersei spited her father Tywin by gleefully admitting to the "twincest" affair, but the follow- ing passionate scene between the siblings was viscerally unsettling. Hopefully, time heals the injury to what used to be one of the most unique relationships ontelevision. Tyrion's heartbreaking journey from circling the outskirts of Lan- nister approval to being impris- oned was one of the best threads of the season, but his raging murder spree in this episode was unnerv- ing. Tyrion ruthlessly choked Shae, a kind prostitute and the supposed love of his life, with a necklace. Though Shae was a relatively minor character, her confidence with Tyrion was refreshing and his ten- derness toward her always sweet. Between the loss of Shae and Jon Snow's spunky lover Ygritte, "Game of Thrones" may actually run out of unconventional and interesting female characters before the book material runs dry. Tywin's death was no surprise, but since he was the instigator of so much of the Lan- nister conflict, I worry that the show might have offed a crucial catalyst just to add to the body count. The fourth season of "Game of Thrones" took interesting risks, but with mixed results. Every epi- sode was punctuated by stunningly directed action sequences and buckets of carnage, but cheap gasps don't always make for groundbreak- ing television. The best parts of the season - Arya and The Hound's fraught friendship, Tyrion's struggle to prove his innocence, Dany learn- ing that there's more to being a true Khaleesi than some cool CGI drag- ons - used minimal shock tactics. "Game of Thrones" may sit atop the Iron Throne of prestige television for now, but to remain the nonpareil that it is, "Thrones"has to step up its game. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MEDIA BY READING THIS PAPER.