Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Alligator Columnist plans to build dinosaur park

By Ryan Spencer | Mar. 14, 2010

Abandoning the typical weeklong alcohol/Gatorade cycle set against a backdrop of sandy shorelines (or, less frequently, powder-laden slopes), I sipped not on ‘tron, but water, and did so in the confines of my own backyard. Had I adopted a new sense of responsibility for my health? Was it a case of middle school-reminiscent yardwork mandated by my parents, or was it perhaps HGTV-triggered gardening mania? Don’t be ridiculous — I’ve got two words for you: dinosaur cage.

OPINION | COLUMNS

US should fight discrimination

By NICHOLAS SMITH | Mar. 4, 2010

I know I will probably catch some criticism for writing about this, but I feel it needs to be said. Wednesday, Sen. Joe Lieberman introduced the first “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal bill. Although the bill lacked any Republican support, it was still a step in the right direction.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Alligator readers quick to attack writers

By PAUL MURTY | Mar. 4, 2010

You’ve got to love Monday morning. Most spend it with a bitter sense of injustice at having to wake up after a relaxing weekend. I partake in that activity with the added sense of injustice at having to go to Orgo 2. This particluar Monday, however, I was greeted with a new sense of wrong.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Student Government should stop dodging Reitz questions, get down to facts

By Will Penman | Mar. 3, 2010

If I were in Student Government, I’d shake my head this week wondering why the Reitz referendum didn’t pass. But it wasn’t clear who the referendum represented.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Undead McCain pushes vitamin bill

Mar. 3, 2010

With most of the national political spotlight soaked up by a lurching, half-hearted détente concerning health care, Sen. John McCain sneaked a bill onto the Senate floor last month that could drastically reshape the entire supplement and vitamin industries. Washington insiders, speaking anonymously and way off the record, believe that this never would have happened if McCain were still alive.

OPINION | COLUMNS

‘Wasteful’ spending not always bad

By Joshua Lee | Mar. 2, 2010

As I grow older and have more things to pay for, I find that money has taken on an increased significance in my life. When I was younger, having money was never really that big of a deal. This was because it was my parent’s money and I was a greedy little candy addict. When I did have some coins and bills, it barely stayed in my pocket before I blew it on some chocolate or Twizzlers. Nowadays, I still live off my parents but have come to appreciate the almighty dollar a little bit more. However, when I hear about people blowing millions of dollars on comic books, as two anonymous buyers did for the original Superman and Batman comics last week, I am not stunned at how people can spend so much money on so little. Rather, I applaud someone for spending the money on a hobby or personal dream, as long as it does not hurt someone else.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Americans should give gay couples a chance at marriage

By Jared Misner | Mar. 2, 2010

Two capital cities will make history this week as they join the exclusive club of five states and seven countries that allow same-sex marriages.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Web documentation desensitizes us

Mar. 1, 2010

Are we fostering a “culture of personal documentation” — that is, a culture in which we must record, document and publicize the events in our lives instead of merely experiencing them?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Partisanship plagues US political system, personal lives

By Brittany Fox | Mar. 1, 2010

It’s more widespread than Olympic fever. It’s more of a heath risk than H1N1.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The case for urban agriculture

By K. RASHID NURI | Feb. 28, 2010

In his State of the Union address, President Obama enumerated ongoing problems requiring his attention: health care, the economy, job creation, environmental issues and lack of renewable fuels. In doing so, he suggested that increasing agricultural exports would help solve some of these problems.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Our generation too quick to diagnose

By Ryan Spencer | Feb. 28, 2010

Last Thursday, just when I was about to align myself with the Editorial Board’s defense against elder generations’ grumblings about the lay of the 21st century land, I stumbled upon a preview of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Now, I’m standing with our Golden Folks on their side of the issue, although their stance in this matter has less to do with our generation’s intelligence and more to do with society’s ever-flaccidifying grit.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Politicians shouldn’t favor extremism

By PAUL MURTY | Feb. 25, 2010

As many of you may know, the Conservative Political Action Conference occurred in Washington, D.C., this past weekend. A variety of conservative-leaning Americans attended the conference, such as anti-homosexual rights advocates and anti-liberal media activists, setting up booths to promote a plethora of causes.

OPINION | COLUMNS

America has chance to prove itself

By Eric Tegethoff | Feb. 24, 2010

As one of the most important battles in the war on terror rages in the Taliban stronghold of Marja, Afghanistan, another battle is being fought on American soil over the fate of suspected terrorists.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Votes are representative of agreement

By Matt Christ | Feb. 23, 2010

The topic for today is voting. Or, more precisely, not voting.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Aptitude tests are an unreliable method of gauging worth

By Will Penman | Feb. 23, 2010

For the job I’m going to have next year, I had to take a computer skills test this week. There were ten questions, each one testing a random aspect of using computers.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gators shouldn’t support sweatshops

Feb. 22, 2010

Today and tomorrow, we’re going to have an opportunity to vote on a ballot question to register the Student Body’s opinion on whether UF should affiliate with the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights advocacy group that works against sweatshops through factory monitoring and investigations. If UF affiliates with the WRC, it will help ensure that UF apparel isn’t made with sweatshop labor.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Celebrities held to double standards

By Ryan Spencer | Feb. 21, 2010

An issue that plagued me considerably last year has recently resurfaced with the addition of wide receiver Donté Stallworth to the roster of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. Stallworth, who nabbed passes for the Cleveland Browns during the 2008 season, was arrested in March of 2009 and charged with DUI manslaughter after hitting 59-year-old Mario Reyes. This event garnered a modest amount of media coverage and paled in comparison to the circus surrounding the Michael Vick case. It’s this disparity in coverage and, more specifically, public outrage that’s at the root of my dismay.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Baseball season offers relief, hope

By PAUL MURTY | Feb. 18, 2010

It’s that time of year again. The smell of freshly cut grass is in the air, and the faint crack of a wooden bat can be heard in the distance, or at least in your heart. That’s right — it’s baseball season. The happiest time of year for me. Not only is the Gators baseball team getting ready to open its season — one that offers the hope of another trip to Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series — but major league teams are reporting for their first workouts.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Student Government flier scandal has heroes, villains

Feb. 17, 2010

I thought nothing had the ability to drag me kicking and screaming away from a television when high-stakes international curling was on, but the substantial debate surrounding the Student Government elections at UF this year managed to do the trick.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Student Alliance party represents necessary change in politics

By Rafael A. Yaniz | Feb. 16, 2010

“It’s time.” That simple phrase means more than just a great video produced by the Student Alliance party. It represents a fundamental change from politics as usual in Student Government. When 80 percent of students do not vote in SG elections, it’s not hard to wonder why they feel SG is out of touch at best and disingenuous at worst when it comes to hearing student voices.