Opinion

Correction for March 19

Due to a printing error in the March 19 issue of The Eagle, the articles "Economy changes abroad plans," "AU seat vacant in local commission" and "Stimulus package may help AU students" did not jump to their assigned pages. Full versions of all three articles are available online at www.

Consensus sought on touchy subject

Suppose some politician responds to a question on gay marriage by answering "I passionately support civil rights of individual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, but I also strongly support preservation of traditional marriage." How would the interest groups react? Both conservative and liberal groups would likely accuse him of political inconsistency or worse, outright moral hypocrisy.

Don't stop believin' in AU basketball

With 40 seconds left in AU's March 8 Patriot League semi-finals game versus the U.S. Military Academy, everyone in Bender Arena was on their feet. Brian Gilmore had just scored a three-pointer to tie the game, 60-60, and most of us were suffering minor heart palpitations.

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs up to ... ... daffodils. These cute and cheery blossoms bring joy to even the coldest, most desolate heart. The girls love them, and the boys love what happens after they give them to the girls. Springtime at AU has never been so endearing. ... the Rude Mechanicals' production of "Romeo and Julian.

Eagle Rants

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Eagle is not responsible for any of the statements made in any Eagle Rant. I've been at this school for three years. In that time, I have never seen a more inept Student Government than the Cutter administration. Does anyone know what he has been doing/accomplished? 2Fix doesn't.

AU unrepresented

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission is best known on campus for being that group that slows down construction on campus by introducing endless layers of extra red-tape. Of course the Ward 3D commission is a bit more than that. Made of small sub-districts within D.C., there are multiple commissions throughout the city - each responsible for giving residents a more direct say in their government. Too bad AU students have no representative in our local commission.

Letts lockdown

The double swipe system recently installed in Letts Hall was installed to keep bad people out of residence halls. Instead, it only kept a few students with physical disabilities from getting to their rooms. The students, unable to swipe their AU identification cards at the second swipe terminal in Letts, would have been forced to wait for assistance to get through the locked doors.

Correction for March 2

Due to an error in The Eagle's printing process, a portion of "Former Miss America speaks on body image" did not appear in the March 2 edition. A full version of the article is available at www.theeagleonline.com. The Eagle regrets the error.

Letter to the editor: More balance for Israel-Palestine reporting

I would like to bring to the attention of The Eagle as well as to the AU community certain comments that were made in The Eagle's article "Prof questions U.S.-Israel bond: Harvard author discusses book at AU." A student commented in the article that "'A lot of people in the club [Students for Justice in Palestine] don't think that Israel has the right to exist,' he said.

Letter to the editor: Knepper refuses to let his straw man die

Some of your readers may recall a letter that I previously sent to your paper in reply to an Alex Knepper column. In it, I take him to task on the straw man that he sets up, which stated that liberals cared less about victims of bigotry in non-Western countries than about the comparatively less severe discrimination in the West.

Editorial cartoon

Awkward little sis comforted by family

I love my little sister. I have loved her with wild protection since before she was born. But, would I be her friend if she were the new kid in class? Ann doesn't have many friends at school. She does not go to giggly sleepovers; she is not invited to the movies.

You're in college, now act like it

I wish you were a more interesting student. You sit in my class 28 times during the semester and say nothing. Or if you do ask a question, you want me to repeat something so you can write it all down. Or you want to tell me that the reading or movie I assigned sucked.

Letter to the editor: Shelly's "Progressive" column induces eye rolls

Being at AU for four years now, I'm no stranger to rolling my eyes when another misguided "progressive" colleague, seemingly unaware or indifferent to the eugenics, racism, social planning and contempt for individual freedom synonymous with the word's history, proceeds to attack conservatives for being both "mean" and "stupid.

Liberals keep the victimized down

In my previous column, which AU Queers and Allies advocacy co-coordinator Matt Bulger compared to Mein Kampf after dismissing my points and calling me an "Uncle Tom," I outlined why I, as a gay man, can feel at home in the Republican Party. I took great pains to drive home the point that I do not define myself by my sexuality and thus don't begin examining each political candidate's platform with my only thought in mind being, for example, "Okay, what does Mitt Romney think about my sexual orientation?" (Alright, maybe Mitt Romney was a bad example: it depends on which day you catch him on.

Letter to the editor: "Privileged" Knepper is blissfully ignorant

It has been said that ignorance is bliss, and local neo-con Alex Knepper certainly may be a living example of such an idea. In his latest article, Liberals keep the victimized down, Mr. Knepper uses out of context remarks made by myself and the president of Queers and Allies, an organization we were not representing at the time when the statements were made on a previous article, in order to further his quest to belittle and demean any person or organization that does not equate itself with his very narrow-minded version of reality.

Dumb, mean GOP proving irrelevant

Barack Obama's first month as president has provided fresh evidence that may help resolve one of the most vexing political questions of our day: do Republicans do what they do because they're not particularly good people or because they're not particularly smart people? The last eight years has seen a pitched battle between these two camps.