What Benjamin Burwell doesn't realize is that the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment" in Florida has nothing to do with gay marriage. In Florida, same-sex marriage is already banned by two state laws and a state court decision.
I will vote against the marriage amendment simply because of Benjamin Burwell's ridiculous column. Essentially, what is a marriage? It is a couple's declaration of commitment. For some it is toward the church, but for all it is toward the government. Therefore, whatever the pope said about marriage doesn't matter to a majority of people. What right does he, or any church, have to define such a term in a country of free thought and religion?
The saying goes, "you are what you eat." Well if that's the case, everyone should be having an identity crisis.
On Friday, Florida4Marriage.org submitted the last few thousand signatures required to get a proposed state amendment banning gay marriage on the November ballot.
U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey still isn't sure if the interrogation practice known as waterboarding - where an individual is strapped down with a rag placed over the nose and mouth while water is poured over the rag to simulate drowning - constitutes torture. That is, unless he were to be subjected to it.
Shakespeare once wrote, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Truly it is the substance of the rose - not the name given - that makes it the beautiful flower it is. But what if we took the opposite approach? Would calling a dandelion a rose make it smell sweet? Of course not. There is much in a name.
UF has to cut $16 million come July 1, when officials project the total drop in recurring state support will be $47.2 million.Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University expects to lose another $4.6 million this year, and Florida State University anticipates a reduction of programs and a hiring freeze because of new cuts in the $16 million to $18 million range. The Board of Governors, facing $147 million in cuts to the state university system this year alone, gave university presidents the go-ahead last month to lay off faculty members, slash enrollment and take other actions to salvage their budgets.
Do you keep up with the news? Are all your friends tired of hearing you talk about the upcoming election or the latest campus scandal? Would you like to have a say in what goes into the Alligator?
The editorial condemning the Writing on the Wall Project was actually proof of its importance. As the editorial stated, we don't live in a perfect world - the sad truth is that discrimination and intolerance are still very prevalent and very real threats everywhere and to the Gainesville community. An even sadder truth is that while some will experience intolerance, there will always be some that never will.
It's not my problem if irresponsible people have to try to finish their essays one hour before their class.
Kudos to the Alligator. Finally an objective analysis of the transgender ordinance and what it really means. Everything else I have read has been slanted and inciting.
Ryan Nelson, UF alumnus, former Writing on the Wall, staff member
I think you guys were too hard on the Writing on the Wall project.
In a perfect world, our wall would end racism and cure intolerance. Obviously, that is a ridiculous goal, and that has never been our intention.
Imagine that one day you are strolling toward University Avenue, about to grab a bite to eat before your 1:55 class, when it hits you: that first paper is due in an hour.
The recent ruling of the Gainesville City Commission to approve an ordinance protecting transgender residents from discrimination at local businesses was not a revolutionary move - the commission is just keeping up with the times.
Last week, the usually tranquil sprawl of grass on the Plaza of the Americas was disrupted by a pile of cinder blocks more commonly known as the Writing on the Wall Project.
I don't understand why students are so disturbed by the decal increase. Owning a scooter is a luxury. If you can afford to spend $1,500 on a scooter, then you can afford to pay more than $100 for a decal. If you want to be "green," buy a bicycle. A nice, used road bike costs $150 from any of the local bike shops, and it gets infinity miles per gallon with zero emissions.
I'm surprised that so few realize that there is already a easy way to get your WebMail account integrated with Google's Gmail. If you set up a Gmail account and then go into the settings, you can set Gmail to check many other mail services, including UF's WebMail. Gmail will check these other accounts, download their messages into your Gmail inbox and also allow you to send mail from any account that you have linked to Gmail. So instead of waiting for UF to make the switch to Gmail, you can make it happen for yourself in a matter of five minutes.
This letter is in response to Carly Hallam's piece about anti-male advertising. Having worked in the advertising industry for nearly a decade, I've got a possible paradigm shift for Ms. Hallam to consider. Imagine networks have been airing a female-centric show. The show appeals to stereotypical aspects of females. Women will watch this show. It allows them to satisfy their instinctual urges without fear of being judged. Now, after all these weeks, comes the finale of this show. Women around the nation gather, laughing and de-stressing all at once. Advertisers fill the show with inside jokes for those who have made the season a regular entertainment event.Women take a step back and chuckle at just how fun it can be to give in and admit that sometimes, you really like fulfilling the more silly of the stereotypical traits for which your gender is known.
Solutions by The State News
