Stanford Report, February 22, 2006

Cardinal Chronicle

BY MICHAEL PEÑA

U.S. Sen. RON WYDEN, D-Ore., told law students Feb. 17, "I think it's possible to fight terrorism ferociously without throwing civil liberties in the trash can." Wyden spoke about alleged domestic spying by the National Security Agency at the opening of a Stanford Law School conference titled, "Spies, Secrets and Security: The New Law of Intelligence." Wyden, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said that PRESIDENT BUSH, as commander-in-chief, needs flexibility in dealing with terrorist threats during a time of war. "But I think that all of the flexibility that the president is going to need should be accompanied by a new accountability," he said. The conference continues today at 12:30 p.m. with sessions on reforming and demystifying intelligence followed by a panel on the "new" Patriot Act.

The annual JEOPARDY!-style contest that pits Law School faculty and staff against students goes down tomorrow in Kresge Auditorium, from 6 to 8 p.m. The 11th annual Battle of the Brains contest will benefit the Stanford Community Law Clinics and the Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation. This year's host is JENNIFER MASSEY, a finalist from the second season of the reality show The Apprentice. The event has brought in more than $24,000 in contributions by law firms, said coordinator and second-year student JENNY ALLEN. The Stanford Law Student Association is the event's organizer, with support from the Stanford Quiz Bowl. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted at the door.

Much more was said at San Francisco's first-ever Swearing Festival on Saturday night than can be repeated here. The irreverent affair was held at the Edinburgh Castle pub, where the stream of profanity that poured from patrons' mouths could be measured in pints. The evening included swearing contests, a sing-along and a panel forum that included JONATHAN HUNT, a lecturer in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric. The three-person panel discussed the current state of profanity in the culture and media. Saying that he gained expertise solely by reading up on the subject in the days prior, Hunt echoed an opinion by U2 lead singer BONO, who described curse words as the "percussive side of language." Citing studies that point to profanity's likely repository deep in the cerebral cortex, Hunt said patients with brain injuries were fully able to "curse a blue streak—but they don't have the ability to retain anything else."