Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Vatican views of LGBT: a good start

Oct. 16, 2014

I have been a Roman Catholic all my life. For 18 years, I went to church almost every Sunday without fail. While attending Mass, I realized that Catholics are especially resistant to one thing: change. I have experienced the same liturgy, the same teachings and the same traditions year after year with little hope of something different. The various popes have always looked the same and represented the same values. That is, until the selection of the current pope.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor

Oct. 16, 2014

I appreciate the Alligator’s coverage of peta2’s “I, Chicken” virtual reality exhibit and would like to point to a correction in the article. Due to the inclement weather Tuesday, our team had to take down the exhibit.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Friends with benefits benefit from dialogue

Oct. 16, 2014

When Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake did the friends with benefits thing, they made it look easy. If only real life were that fair.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

UF gets it right with Fuchs presidential selection

Oct. 15, 2014

On Wednesday, the UF Board of Trustees selected Kent Fuchs to be the university’s next president. Fuchs currently serves as the provost of Cornell University, one of the nation’s premier institutions of higher learning.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We can do more with modern technology

Oct. 15, 2014

Last Wednesday, rockstar astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson gave the keynote address at a conference for the information security industry. I refer to him as a rockstar because he’s the only astrophysicist I know by name. I’d imagine I’m not alone.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Choice between life and death requires careful consideration

Oct. 14, 2014

Brittany Maynard will die on Nov. 1. The Oregon resident will take a doctor-prescribed pill to end her life.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Fox News gets it wrong, discourages youth voting

Oct. 14, 2014

Last week, on Fox News’ “Outnumbered,” hosts Harris Faulkner and Lisa Kennedy Montgomery had a conversation about America’s youth voter population. Faulkner and Montgomery expressed concern that young people are uneducated about political issues and, therefore, would cause harm to America by voting.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Try a pumpkin spice condom today

Oct. 14, 2014

October is here, and you know what that means. No, we’re not talking about candy corn, haunted houses or ancient ritualistic pagan sacrifices. We here at Trojan are proud to announce our new pumpkin spice condoms.

OPINION | COLUMNS

FSU, officials: justice system mockery

Oct. 14, 2014

Last week, The New York Times released a damning report on an institutional failure by Florida State University and law enforcement officials in Tallahassee. The report looks at various offenses allegedly committed by FSU football players, and the actions — and more often than not, the inactions — taken by the university and law enforcement. The allegations include from sexual assault, theft, abuse and an ongoing BB gun fight between football players who terrified innocent bystanders.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Memorial should inspire veteran commitment

Oct. 13, 2014

This week in Washington, D.C., a new memorial honoring disabled veterans opened to the public. According to the Sun Sentinel, the memorial was funded by Florida heiress Lois Pope, who raised “$80 million, including some of her National Enquirer fortune.” The donations included $3 million from former presidential candidate Ross Perot and $270,000 from the Florida Disabled American Veterans.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Grad assistants left out of UF president search

Oct. 13, 2014

As representatives for UF’s 4,000 graduate assistants, we received last Monday’s presidential search update with great concern.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Recent vandalism at Emory AEPi matters

Oct. 13, 2014

This summer, while working for a startup in Tel Aviv, I took a weekend to travel to Jerusalem and visit the Holocaust memorial. There, I walked by black and white photos of charred synagogues, Jewish-owned storefronts with shattered windows and signs calling for boycotts of Jewish businesses.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The DEA has gone too far; it’s time to end the ‘War on Drugs’

Oct. 13, 2014

The Drug Enforcement Administration has frequently displayed reckless disregard for the lives of any person associated with drugs. The agency’s thoughtless behavior recently reached a new low.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Connections matter: Keep home roots

Oct. 13, 2014

When freshmen embark on the first semester of their college careers, one of three things undoubtedly occurs: They forget their families at home exist, they become incredibly homesick and call them every night or they cheerfully manage to keep up relationships with their families while also balancing and enjoying school like an ultimate pro. Kudos to those who can swing that. We’ve all been through that tough first break from the comfort of home, whether it’s hardest breaking away from your family, your friends or just your pet. College is always an adjustment period.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We should all be proud Americans

Oct. 12, 2014

Last week, Twitter caught on fire after “That’s So Raven” star Raven-Symoné did an interview with Oprah Winfrey and said she did not want to be labeled an African-American, but rather, just an American.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Florida public records fees must be kept in check

Oct. 12, 2014

In the technological age of the 21st century, access to public records and information should be a fairly straightforward and efficient process. Unfortunately, in Florida, the methods of obtaining public information are anything but.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Medical marijuana amendment concerns about consequences, meaning unfounded

Oct. 12, 2014

On Oct. 8, Lindsay Alexander wrote a column opposing the approval of Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana in Florida. Alexander’s concerns about Amendment 2 are misguided.

OPINION | COLUMNS

‘Dropped complaint’ vs. ‘false accusation’

Oct. 12, 2014

By now, we’ve all heard about the sexual assault complaint that was filed against UF football player Treon Harris last week and later dropped by the accuser.

OPINION | COLUMNS

War in Afghanistan: 13 years is too long

Oct. 9, 2014

On Tuesday, members of UF Students for a Democratic Society held a rally with anti-war groups from Gainesville — Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, UF Students for Justice in Palestine and UF College Libertarians — to protest our continued occupation of Afghanistan.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Scalia, SCOTUS and Warren Buffet in Darts & Laurels

Oct. 9, 2014

It’s been a newsworthy week. We went from heralding backup Gators quarterback Treon Harris’ commandeering of a clutch win against Tennessee to vetting details of his sexual assault investigation. Wearily, we’re happy to bring you a We-hope-the-investigation-is-carried-out-fairly-and-hopefully-this-is-the-last-time-a-Gator-is-accused-of-sexual-assault edition of...