In the days following the first presidential debate of the general election, I had a lot of explaining to do.
It is my first year here at UF, and I already know the horrors of Student Government elections. I asked some of my friends who had gone here if there was any way out of listening to the pointless nagging of students running for Senate, and all I got were suggestions to just avoid them. This was hardly sufficient for me, so after some investigating, I found my answer in the election codes. If you wear a "No Campaigning" sign or something to that effect, candidates are forbidden to talk to you and risk a fine if they do. With that news, I implore you all to liberate yourselves from the time-wasting politicos.
I'm sick and tired of the notion that America was founded on Christian values. In fact, the Constitution has clauses that attempt to bar any religion from entering government. Before you fall back on "In God We Trust," you should know that the phrase did not become the nation's official motto until an act of Congress in 1956.
Despite the flood of fliers, stickers and screen-printed, UF-colored T-shirts, the Alligator Editorial Board has respectfully declined its option to endorse any Student Government party for the fall election.
Usually picking the stories for the next day's edition of the Alligator is a relatively painless process.
With the passage of the economic rescue plan, the federal government has mobilized more than $700 billion to quell the parallel crises in housing and finance. While this massive allocation may mitigate the turmoil in the credit markets, there are broader economic ramifications to consider.
In Thursday's Alligator, Phil Kegler insisted that offensive coordinator Dan Mullen was not responsible for the Mississippi loss. While Mullen had nothing to do with the multiple drops, fumbles and the missed extra point attempt that lost us the game, Mullen did call to run tailback Jeff Demps up the middle and for two consecutive attempts into the end zone on the final drive instead of sticking with the quick option slants that got us into range.
I'll come right out and say it. I'm a Christian and I don't want gays to have the right to marry. Hate me or like me as you will. Marriage is supposed to be a sacred bond between man and woman in a one-to-one ratio. I want to see that bond protected.
Students for a Democratic Society is at it again, and this time its target is hand scanners at the gym.
Look, I know this is a football school. I know you want the women's soccer team to feel all warm and fuzzy. I know one or two people out there might even care about golf. But honestly, basketball season is only one month away. You are allowed to put in an occasional article about what's going on outside of Tebow and the gang.
As a first generation American, I have never allowed my father's Lebanese and Arab ethnicity to influence my political views as an American. This has changed, however, in this election. Sen. Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, simply has a misguided foreign policy in the Middle East. While most Americans will agree that going into Iraq was a mistake, life is once again returning to normal in the streets of Baghdad. In the last eight years, democratic governments have been institutionalized in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, and a respect for human rights has emerged in American allies in the region, including Egypt and Jordan.
With the endless supply of political volunteers on campus during the past few months, you'd have to be living in a cave not to know that today is the last day to register for the Nov. 4 elections.
Every time I read the letters to the editor section of your paper, I'm forced to allow Student Government more time in my mind than it deserves. Someone even got closer to the point Friday by mentioning the frivolous spending of money by not only SG but governments in general.
Reading Michael Belle's column on Student Government, I found his comments regarding the shortcomings of district senators to be highly misguided. If Belle is looking for evidence of district senators' awareness of issues within their ZIP code, he need look no further than the Student Senate's recent resolution supporting the annexation of the area around Southwest 20th Avenue.
I couldn't help but laugh at the editorial submitted Thursday by Michael George about voter registration volunteers avoiding him because he was wearing a McCain-Palin shirt. It's entirely possible they did not pursue him because someone with enough interest in the election to own a shirt featuring the name of one of the candidates may be more likely to have already registered. It's also possible that in the crowded Turlington Plaza area, they simply missed him. Either way, it's irresponsible to allege a conspiracy based solely on anecdotal evidence.
For starters, we'd like to award UF and the Gainesville area for their efforts to "go green" with a we-don't-know-what-sustainability-means-but-we'll-do-it-if-Luda-does LAUREL. The local community has made sincere efforts to be environmentally conscious, and we're all for communities that are pro-Earth.
After reading the articles on our Student Government candidates raising a couple thousand bucks for their ever-important T-shirts and buttons, I couldn't help but think about how much money Americans waste by giving to political campaigns. For the 2008 election thus far, all of the candidates have raised over $1 billion (McCain = $230 million, Obama = $454 million). Why?
Reclining on your couch, 36 years from now and 360,000 Chinese yuan in debt, you learn that the oceans have accelerated their flooding of coastal regions across the world. Suddenly, a deafening roar shatters all of your windows and throws you from your couch. A few miles away, a dark and expanding nuclear mushroom cloud beckons for your life.
I'm against Amendment 2 because I believe Florida should stand up for the gay community.
Wes Hunt's rambling denunciation of the ignorant voter was hilarious but misguided. The essence of democracy is choice - including the choice not to participate in the political process or to select the dumbest candidate.
Solutions by The State News
