Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reader fails to detect sarcasm

By Caitlin Niblick | Dec. 6, 2009

Thank you, Mr. Maple, for bringing Tiger Woods’ affair to light for everyone who had unfortunately missed out on the “media sleaze machine” coverage. I’d have to say that yours was by far worse. Not only did you cite the same news sources you bashed, but you also managed to do so in a way far more offensive than the mainstream media. You refuted the media’s attack on Woods’ affair with a cocktail waitress by saying his actions were only really wrong because he didn’t choose the right type of woman to sleep with.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Dec. 3, 2009

So you’re finally ready to dump all the knowledge you (hopefully) absorbed over the semester in a cathartic flurry of finals, term papers and unnecessarily harsh “Rate My Professors” rants?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Obama is right to weigh options in war

By Nick Miner | Dec. 3, 2009

In a recent interview, Dick Cheney attacked the president for “agonizing” over the Afghanistan strategy, saying: “Every time [Obama] delays, defers, debates, changes his position, it begins to raise questions: Is the commander in chief really behind what [the military has] been asked to do?”

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Indian Burn: American Indians need health care reform

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Dec. 2, 2009

The health care system that American Indians rely on is a patchwork of half measures and empty promises.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Tiger’s choice of mistress was subpar

Dec. 2, 2009

True to his reputation as the hardest-hitting driver on the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods spent the majority of his Thanksgiving holiday entering a world of pain. The grimy details that are now oozing out of the celebrity guerrilla media sleaze machine only amplify the deliciousness of this sordid Tiger tale.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Bible shouldn’t be followed selectively

By NICHOLAS SMITH | Dec. 2, 2009

Bible shouldn’t be followed selectively

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

H1N1 vaccinations went smoothly

By Ginny Switt | Dec. 2, 2009

I would like to commend the UF Student Health Care Center for a very organized H1N1 flu shot procedure. The online sign-up system was very easy to find and use. I printed out the forms and had them with me. A tent was set up outside, and it took me exactly 30 seconds to check in. Arrows clearly directed me to the correct location in the infirmary, and the entire vaccination procedure took less than 5 minutes. Kudos to the staff who organized what could have been a madhouse with long lines into a very streamlined program.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

U.S. should withdraw from Afghanistan

By PAUL MURTY | Dec. 2, 2009

The decision to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan is irresponsible on the part of the administration I helped put in power. Granted, President Obama always said during the campaign that he wanted to focus on Afghanistan because it was the forgotten war during the Bush administration, but that doesn’t make this a correct decision.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Christians should preach love, not hate

By Nichole Newcome | Dec. 2, 2009

This is in response to Shaelyn McDaniel’s letter, “Author misinterprets the Bible’s message.”

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Drivers should consider feelings of fans when making bad decisions

By Lars Rodriguez | Dec. 2, 2009

A notice to the University Athletic Association:

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Author misinterprets Bible’s message

By Shaelyn McDaniel | Dec. 1, 2009

This is in response to Ioulia Boyd’s letter, “Christian, liberal values OK.”

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Gators should set better example

By Nicole Martingano | Dec. 1, 2009

You drink, you drive, you lose... lose the Southeastern Conference?

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Blood screening keeps public safe

By James Medley | Dec. 1, 2009

This World AIDS Day, I reflect on the number of people in the U.S. and abroad who contract HIV daily. It’s a staggering number. I also remember those who are currently living with HIV, a disease characterized by stigma and social blame. While originally considered a disease of gay men, many today are living with HIV for reasons beyond their control — including receiving tainted blood transfusions.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dunlap should play in Saturday’s game

By Samuel Thomas | Dec. 1, 2009

While it is sorely disappointing to find out about Carlos Dunlap’s DUI, The Gator Nation should not be quick to judge, and he should certainly remain eligible for the game on Saturday.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Alligator should have reported on crash

By Vlad Korepanov | Dec. 1, 2009

I am curious as to why there was no mention in the Alligator of Bernie Machen’s hit-and-run incident and subsequent criminal charges. He received a notice to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge after hitting a parked car and not leaving insurance and contact information as required by law. Something like this is newsworthy, especially given the fact that he refused to admit fault until police got involved and escorted him back to the accident scene.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Gainesville gives alumni warm welcome

By Ed | Dec. 1, 2009

Last Saturday’s festivities were a tremendous send-off for a unique senior class. My wife hadn’t been back to the university in 16 years, and the students and fellow alumni we met were all very friendly. We got to tour the dorms still there, the Heavener complex, and met Alberta at a volleyball game.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Church sets bad example

By Robert Hewitt | Dec. 1, 2009

Being accosted by crazies of all types, usually benign, is normal in a college town like Gainesville. However, when it’s virulent hatred that evokes remembrance of Nazis persecuting Jews and other minorities, silence is not always the best response.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Lessons come from experience, not advice

Dec. 1, 2009

Over Thanksgiving, I got to spend a week with my 19-year-old sister, who’s a sophomore at a state school in the Midwest.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Blind Faith: U.S. should remain skeptical about troop increases

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Dec. 1, 2009

In his Tuesday night speech, President Barack Obama outlined his strategy for the war in Afghanistan.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

D-U-Idiot: UF's prominent figures should set example

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Dec. 1, 2009

Carlos Dunlap, Gators star defensive end, looks sad, resigned, and a little pathetic in a mug shot taken early Tuesday morning after police arrested him on one count of DUI.