Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

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.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Fool's flu: UF shouldn't require medical notes for exams

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Dec. 1, 2009

Your mother’s incessant nagging is no longer the best reason to get a flu vaccine. Now it’s grade concerns that will push students into the vaccine lines. (Let’s face it — health worries are never on the top of the list.)

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Premium Price: Taxpayers shouldn’t pay for lawmakers’ insurance

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Nov. 30, 2009

While Florida lawmakers and top state employees are criticizing Congress’ efforts to extend health care to more poor people, they have fought to protect an entitlement of their own: free insurance premiums.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Say what you would regret leaving unsaid

Nov. 30, 2009

I like this question, even if it’s a little morbid: If you knew you were going to die this evening, and you couldn’t talk to anyone between now and then, what would you most regret not telling someone?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Republican Party needs to realize all politics are local

By Nick Miner | Nov. 30, 2009

The Republican Party has recently drafted a Purity Resolution. If passed, any candidate seeking support from the Republican National Committee would be required to support at least eight of the 10 resolutions named by the committee.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Islam on Campus gives thanks

By Ismail ibn Ali | Nov. 29, 2009

In the name of God, the most beneficent, the most merciful.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

UF should name gate after Tebow

By Victoria Shelly | Nov. 29, 2009

It is my opinion that Gate 15 of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium should be renamed Gate Tebow. If you’re with me, Gator Nation, let’s let the university know.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Moms use kids to indoctrinate

By Cori Kate | Nov. 29, 2009

I give a nod of agreement to the Wednesday column, “Kids Should Not be Billboards.” I am a student and full-time employee who works at a business on University Avenue. While working, I watch mothers pushing strollers (complete with babies) along our sidewalks, donning these “Islam is of the devil” T-shirts. It disappoints me that people feel more comfortable hiding behind their months-old children to spread a discriminatory message. These mothers are persistent, walking with their babies in cold, rainy weather. They approach passers-by with pamphlets and smiles. But why use the infants? Should we be more inclined to trust their message because they are responsible for a tiny human?

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Bad Blood: FDA should not restrict gay men from donating

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Nov. 29, 2009

If you’ve just been in a horrible car accident and you’re bleeding to death on a surgeon’s table, would you refuse a blood transfusion from a gay man?

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Christian, liberal values OK

By Ioulia Boyd | Nov. 29, 2009

Unlike Ashley Stringfield, I believe that being Christian means believing in all progressive values, including being pro-choice and embracing equal values for all. I think it’s a travesty to say that there is something “inherently wrong” with being Christian and supporting these values.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Old Florida needs to let go of old ways

Nov. 29, 2009

The Gulf of Mexico may look calm from the porch I’ve perched myself on for the Thanksgiving holiday, but a contentious political storm is slowly brewing over efforts afoot in the Florida Legislature to repeal a ban on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

OPINION | COLUMNS

UF needs textbook rental program

By Kristin Klein | Nov. 29, 2009

The typical undergraduate student at UF spends nearly $1,000 every two semesters on textbooks. This is not earth-shattering news if you are a student. It is no surprise that textbooks are expensive, and these prices continue to soar. In fact, the Government Accountability Office estimates that over the past two decades, college textbook prices have grown at twice the rate of inflation. With recent legislation to raise tuition and narrow the scope of Bright Futures in Florida, university students and families have an even greater burden to bear. It’s evident that the last thing students need is exorbitantly priced textbooks. To help lower the cost of textbook prices, I suggest we implement a textbook rental program.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Kids should not be billboards

By Kevin Olivier | Nov. 24, 2009

I find it hard to believe that anyone can fight for the continuation of this fearmongering by the religious extremists going on in this city. They claim it’s “freedom of speech,” but I call it mental terrorism.