While watching the House Appropriations Committee interrogate Graham Spanier on TV yesterday, there has been one word that has been tossed around endlessly: shame. It is true that in recent years, society has largely lost any sense of shame, as evidenced by the "shameless" nature of certain entertainment programs (note: the final episode of Temptation Island airs Wednesday, so set your VCRs now).

Would I talk about Cuntfest in front of my parents? Probably not. In front of my friends? You bet.

The reason for this is the same reason why you can serve anatomically correct gingerbread men and women at Sex Faire and not at Grandma's Thanksgiving dinner — it's simply not appropriate in the context. Events such as Cuntfest and Sex Faire are appropriate to the slightly more liberal climate of a university campus (and Penn State is by no means a bastion of radical thought; ask a liberal student, if you can find one), but not so much in rural Appalachia.

But then, it was John Lawless and the media who brought these events to the commonwealth and indeed, the nation. Graham Spanier did not, the students did not and the organizers of these events did not. We have nothing to be ashamed of. Can Lawless say the same? I would also like to thank Rep. Kathy Manderino for being well prepared and intelligent in her questions and responses. Maybe there is some hope for Pennsylvania after all.