Opinion

Opinion

OP-ED: What's Up with the 2007 Farm Bill?

By Andrew Wolf | April 16

This year, a bill will pass that affects the food we eat, the people who grow it and the impact this food has around the world. Each year, U.S. taxpayers spend $20 billion to subsidize 25 percent of the nation's commodity farmers who grow crops such as corn, wheat and soybeans.

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Opinion

Letter to the editor

April 16

Ms. Hanson's article is disingenuous about the risks posed by studying abroad. Granted, being away from home and the comforts of the United States can "seem" very scary, but there are relatively few cases of crime or violence against students studying abroad when you take in the full volume of students going abroad.

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Opinion

My Philosophy: Protect Citizens, But Let Them Be Free

By Erin Wildermuth | April 12

I am a philosophical anarchist. The idea of a group of people coming together and imposing their will on others is morally abhorrent to me. It is probably morally abhorrent to most people. However, public opinion changes when that majority claims to be working towards the common good, when they are acting on behalf of the state.

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Opinion

My Philosophy: Big, Benevolent Government

By Jong Eun Lee | April 12

I support democracy and I support the treasured American principle for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." However, I also believe in the role of a benevolent big government to promote this principle in our society. I am aware that most Americans are individualistic and reluctant to trust the power of the government.

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Opinion

CORRECTION from April 12

April 12

A headline accompanying a jump of an article titled "Student safety top priority abroad" incorrectly stated "AU doesn't buy insurance for students studying abroad." In reality, while AU does not purchase the specific SOS type of insurance mentioned in the article, it has "always purchased health insurance for our students that covers accidents and other medical emergencies, that includes medical evacuation when required," according to AU Abroad Director Sara Dumont.

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Opinion

Staff editorial: Drinking Age Proposal Is A Catalyst for Debate

April 12

John McCardell, president emeritus of Middlebury College, recently began advocating for a qualified lower drinking age. People ages 18 to 20 would be given a "drinking license" similar to a driver's license after completing a required alcohol education class.

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Opinion

Letters to the editor

April 12

More Rove protest reactions I would like to point out something that the heated emotions surrounding the erstwhile citizen's arrest of Karl Rove may have caused people to overlook. The protesters who laid down in front of Mr. Rove's car and made such a big deal about being forcibly removed by Public Safety and the Secret Service seemed to forget one very important fact: The job of the Secret Service is to protect certain people.

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Opinion

Staff editorial: Health Center Reforms: A Good Place To Start

April 12

In response to many complaints and based on the success of a similar program to gather student feedback on the low-flow showerhead controversy, the SG has launched a section of its act.ausg.org to gather student feedback about the Health Center. The Health Center also began using a comment box in mid-February to gather student feedback.

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Opinion

Staff editorial: At Rove Event, No One Group Was To Blame

April 5

More than 80 protesters tried to stage a citizen's arrest of White House adviser Karl Rove after he spoke at a College Republicans event Tuesday night. About 16 of the protesters laid down in front of Rove's car as he tried to leave campus, causing Public Safety and Rove's Secret Service detail to break up the protest.

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Opinion

The Wrong Side of History

By Paul Perry | April 5

There are certain issues and stances on which we look back and wonder, "How the hell could people have ever felt this way?" From the big, scary phenomena such as slavery and genocide, on down to lesser concepts such as the denial of suffrage for women and African Americans and Prohibition, we wonder how society, as a collective, could have ever deemed such practices to be feasible and just.

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Opinion

Letters to the editor

April 5

MC Rove comes to AU I would like to take this opportunity to respond to widespread campus concerns following the protest of Karl Rove's presence at the College Republicans' event Tuesday evening. As one of the students who participated in the actions to detain Karl Rove in a citizens' arrest, I speak for all of us in saying we take seriously campus concerns about AU's image in the media and student behavior during the protest.

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Opinion

Campus Voices: Protesters vs. Organizers

April 5

This is an Official Arrest Warrant for Karl Rove Tuesday night was a travesty. A fugitive from the law snuck onto our otherwise safe campus, took part in a clandestine meeting and was then able to escape into the dead of night. For those not in the know, that night the College Republicans hosted White House Chief Political Officer Karl Rove in a secretive closed event.

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Opinion

Staff editorial: Freedom to Marry Event Should be Applauded

April 2

Queers and Allies celebrated Freedom to Marry Day Thursday, which allowed two people of either gender to participate in a mock marriage ceremony. Later in the day, Bon Appetit provided food and cake for a mock wedding reception. The event provided a way for students to bring attention to the issue, which usually only receives press during presidential election years.

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Opinion

Staff editorial: 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Creates Grisly Catch-22

April 2

Last Sunday, the Undergraduate Senate voted to reject AU's policy of allowing military recruiters on campus because of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The university is unlikely to adopt the Senate's recommendation because due to the Solomon Amendment, the university would lose all federal funding if it denied recruiters access to campus.

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Opinion

The Iraq War and Foreign Aid: One and the Same

By Jared Kotler | April 2

Many people in this country and around the world believe the Iraq war was an unnecessary war led by a government that thought it was its duty to export democracy around the world. Unfortunately, these same people don't see how the exportation of democracy abroad isn't any different than foreign aid.

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Opinion

Letters to the editor

April 2

Sexual Assault Reporting Dear Editor in Chief: We are writing to provide clarification for some of the statements made by JoAnna Smith, president of the Women's Initiative, in an article published on March 29 ("Sex assault reporting may violate law").

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Opinion

Our Financial Cancer

By Tom Noble | April 2

We've all heard the phrases tossed around about how "lazy" and "apathetic" our generation is. We only want to play video games, take drugs and go out clubbing. God knows I have heard old people say these things. The fact is our generation faces many difficult choices involving entitlements, job security, climate change and America's place in the world.

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