Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Summer Finale Extravaganza

Aug. 5, 2015

Greetings and salutations, Gainesville! We welcome you to this most August occasion by which we end our Summer circulation of the Alligator and prepare our inkstained (not really because everything’s digital nowadays) hands for the coming of our Fall semester. But before we go, we must leave our valued audience for our even more valued swimsuits and margaritas and leave you with this final summer edition of…Darts and Laurels.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Paynes Prairie: A breathtaking site that should remain state property

Aug. 5, 2015

In storytelling, it is a common occurrence for the protagonist to gain insight or make a personal breakthrough by retreating to nature.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Conservatives taking on a war against abortion

Aug. 3, 2015

Taking the war on women to the next step, conservatives are pushing for low-income women to be denied healthcare.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Students entering homeless week struggle, but have strength

Aug. 3, 2015

Ah, the last days of the Summer semester are upon those among us still attending, and we now stand upon the precipice of a difficult time for some students. I’m not referring to the distinct lack of sunshine over the past week, nor do I speak lightly of nights many will spend studying for their finals or finishing their final projects.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Donald Trump’s the worst, yet he’s the favorite?

July 29, 2015

Dear readers, we can all agree that Donald Trump is the worst, right? I don’t ask that question as if it’s a matter of relativity, or in a “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” type of way: Is it not universally accepted that Donald Trump makes Kim Jong-un look like a reasonable human being in comparison? At least Kim acts within the established parameters for how a statesman ought to behave in North Korea (that is to say, like a petulant child). No such boundaries exist for the Trump.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Windows 10 and being a heartless ass

July 29, 2015

Greetings and salutations friends! Today we stand upon the precipice of a new day, a glorious beginning, and the furious onset of an all new, never-before-seen edition of…Darts and Laurels.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How to detail your car and tips for keeping it clean so it lasts longer

July 29, 2015

Just like with anything else you own, if you take care of your car it will look newer longer and its aesthetics will last longer. Here is a simple list of ways to detail your car and tips for keeping it looking fresh.

OPINION | COLUMNS

MTV Documentary addresses white privilege

July 27, 2015

When I first heard about MTV’s documentary about being white in America, I was skeptical of how well the issue would be handled. But Jose Antonio Vargas’ “White People” pleasantly surprised me, spurring conversations that need to happen more often.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Shooting on campus a small but scary matter

July 27, 2015

News of a shooting on campus is a guaranteed recipe for fear and trepidation in the nation’s heart, and even more so locally when news of the shooting is as close to home as Murphree Hall at UF.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest Column: Access Party working to give students the change they voted for in Spring elections

July 27, 2015

The Student Body demanded change in the Spring election.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the Editor: Shootings around the country a tragedy

July 27, 2015

What occurred in Lafayette, Louisiana, was a tragedy. But what is occurring in its aftermath across the nation is simply atrocious and despicable.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Ambiguity as foreign policy can result in trouble

July 22, 2015

In the early 2000s, the refrain “We will not negotiate with terrorists” proved popular among conservatives. With the nation still reeling from the pain of the Sept. 11 attacks — and our military then deeply embedded in Iraq and Afghanistan — this oft-repeated mantra served no purpose other than to undermine the multitude of criticisms lobbied against President George W. Bush’s “War on Terror.”

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Honorable sacrifices and bad parenting

July 22, 2015

We’re nearing the end stretch of the summer semesters and I’m sure you readers are aching to make the days count. Let us keep those spirits up with another riveting edition of…Darts and Laurels.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Who wants to hack your car? I don’t know, but I’d rather not give them the option

July 22, 2015

I’ve always feared a "Minority Report" situation. You know, when Tom Cruise tries to make a run for it, but the bad guys are in the government so they take control of his car? They lock him inside his own car, lock all the controls and set the car to return to police headquarters. Tom is forced to kick out a window and huff it on foot in traffic.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The sad state of the Democratic primary race

July 20, 2015

In the Democratic primary race, as of today, there’s Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and everyone else. While the coverage of Sanders’ campaign is exciting, what he doesn’t have is the idolization that a lot of people have for Clinton. Her supporters are willing to look past her flaws and assume good intentions. No amount of argument will convince them there’s a possibility the emails that we should be most concerned about were not released to the State Department.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Limit our own gun rights

July 20, 2015

Guns are a pretty hot topic. They shoot things. They often harm things. And they have a distressing habit of occasionally bringing harm to those we’d prefer stay safe.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Dealerships are cool, but I'd rather spend an afternoon in a junkyard

July 15, 2015

Some enjoy the occasional browsing of a dealership filled with straight, organized lines of shiny new cars with no more than 10 miles on the odometer, and I have to say I enjoy it as well.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cherish every moment, because life is fleeting

July 15, 2015

We’ve all heard that death is as much a part of life as, well, actually living. At some point in our childhoods, our parents pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, braced for the flurry of questions and tears, and imparted this lesson to us, their children. It might be spurred by a death in the family (in my case, the family dog), or it may emerge totally unprovoked. Regardless of whatever form it takes, the “death talk” is a universally shared experience, and represents a watershed moment in one’s childhood.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Dog Poop and Giant Robots

July 15, 2015

Right, Gainesville, so a lot big things, a lot of cool things and a lot of stupid things happened this week, and it’s that time of the week when we at the Alligator give you some highlights with this week’s edition of …

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why people wear makeup is no one’s business

July 13, 2015

Despite the pop-song cliche that women are beautiful “just the way they are,” this often does not mean they are beautiful just as they wake up in the morning.