Opinion

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Willful ignorance is not a valid excuse

Last summer, I enrolled in a philosophy course here at University of Wisconsin-Madison entitled “Contemporary Moral Issues.” The course, as its name suggests, involved students reading academic papers about rational arguments for the ethical permissibility or unacceptability of a number of policies, such as capital punishment, abortion, voluntary active euthanasia and the consumption of meat produced by factory farms. I came into the class with fairly strong beliefs about most of the subjects, with little expectation of having my mind changed.

Rebranding American exceptionalism

With the ongoing events in Ukraine dominating headlines, we at The Daily Cardinal feel it’s important to take a step back and observe the situation not only in Eastern Europe, but throughout the Middle East and elsewhere, from abroad and, importantly, honest perspective.

The r-word continues to marginalize people with cognitive disabilities

Robbie is a six-year-old kindergartner at a Madison school. He loves all things Disney, will embrace any opportunity he can get to show you his Spongebob backpack and will pout excessively when you end his Dora the Explorer episode early. If you offer him a hug, you can be sure to get a long, sloppy kiss on the cheek with it. By many standards, Robbie is a typical kindergartner with the lone exception being he has Down syndrome.

Education progression relies on technology

If you’re reading this, chances are you are educated and come from a relatively well off family. Maybe you are reading this on a phone or tablet that you own. It is also very likely that this access to technology and the learned ability to effectively wield its power gives you a better chance to be economically successful, politically acute and socially adept.  

Letter to the Editor: Madison Common Council actions must be better scrutinized

While I appreciate Patricia Johnson’s coverage of the buffer zone ordinance aimed at pro-life free speakers in Madison (see March 10th, 2014 issue), it appears that Ms. Johnson was not aware of an important recent development in the case when she wrote the piece.

Rather than divest from ASM, students should divest from fossil fuels

Spring is on its way, and with it comes a newly elected body of student government! Yay? Come on, you know you didn’t care that much. But when you think about it, they control the money, so it matters where that money is going. What does it say about us if fossil fuel companies profit from our investments? Well, let’s see what these new Associated Students of Madison people had to say. I was fortunate enough to attend last week’s ASM election results and after all the winners were announced, the press was given an opportunity to ask their questions. Now, it was my turn. I’m not a journalism major. I’m just a modestly concerned student filling in for someone. I also happen to believe in climate change and, being bitter over this polar vortex crap, decided to first ask them their stances on campus fossil fuel divestment. Anyone? Their silence felt like when some of Ellen’s jokes fell flat at the Oscars, but she still got laughs out of pity. She knows she wasn’t on her game that night. She knows.

Let's address climate change

Whether you like him or not, it’s hard to argue with the fact President Barack Obama’s first term as president was actually fairly successful. He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, nominated two Supreme Court Justices to the bench, repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, passed a massive economic stimulus package and, of course, was the first president in decades to accomplish real health care reform—just to name a few. However, as he himself admits, there’s one significant item on his agenda for which he’s failed to gain traction: global warming.

Porn acceptance questioned

My name is Wilder Deitz, and I am a student at UW-Madison. As much as I appreciate your bringing the issue of pornography to light, there were several aspects of the recent opinion piece that I take issue with. There is much foolishness and posturing present on both sides of the pornography debate,  so I will try to be as direct as possible. 

Penokee Range Mine endangers local environment

In 2011, Gogebic Taconite, a Florida-based mining company, proposed building the world’s largest open-pit taconite mine in the Penokee Range within the Lake Superior Basin. Since then, northern Wisconsin has experienced severe controversy regarding the potential effects of the mine on the environment and people of the area. 

CPAC expectations unreliable

The United States should practice better sustainable living

Five months ago I still lived in Freiburg, Germany. I was lucky enough to live in the world-renown Vauban neighborhood. It is touted as a premier example of sustainable development encompassing innovative planning and building practices for environmental, social and economic sustainability. This includes everything from passive building to natural drainage ditches (yes, the ditches are a big deal) for excess greywater. It was a level of sustainable living unlike any other. Every detail is considered to lower energy use, car use, increase livability and attract all segments of society. It’s a true culture of sustainability, which extends well beyond the edges of the neighborhood as it becomes a ubiquitous quality of German culture at large. It makes advocates of sustainability like myself giddy.

Vladimir Putin’s aggressiveness mimics Nazi invasions of the 1930s

Democracy has no place for corruption: Scott Walker must go

We are lucky to live in Wisconsin right now. Why? In New Jersey, the voters are stuck with Gov. Chris Christie for another four years. Here, we have a chance to bring justice to Gov. Scott Walker by voting him out this fall. It really is a shame the George Washington Bridge scandal was brought to light two months after Christie’s election, because now the blindsided people of New Jersey have to accept that they were used as pawns by their governor all for the sake of the man’s presidential aspirations. After all, there is no way the voters would have given Christie a second term if they knew about his behind-the-scenes political operations. In that East Coast blue state, they believed they elected a bipartisan leader, when in reality, he turned out to be just as corrupt as the next Republican. #Nixon.

US lacks easy solution to Ukraine crisis

Thanks, Obama! Russia invaded the Ukraine over the weekend, and as is their favorite pastime when things run amok, Republicans in Congress have fired a barrage of obtuse and scornful quotes at President Barack Obama for his failure to do, you know, whatever they’re complaining about on that given day. Most recently, they’ve rebuked the president for not being assertive, for weakening the country’s military, for failing to lead the international community and so on—what Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called “a feckless foreign policy where no one believes in America’s strength anymore.”

China helps North Korea despite human rights violations

On Feb. 19th, the United Nations provided a report on inhumane atrocities taking place in North Korea. According to the report, Kim Jong-un’s regime is conducting systematic human rights abuses against its own people that are as horrible as those of Nazi Germany during World War II. The report was developed in accordance with testimonies and public hearings. Such crimes against humanity include arbitrary imprisonment, torture, deliberate starvation and execution without trials. It has been long known by South Koreans and those who care about the issue that the notorious North Korean regime is conducting such atrocities, but it is the first time the international community has officially addressed the issue.

Vote 'yes' to the Rec Sports referendum

If you haven’t already, go vote in the spring student elections! Vote “yes” to pass the Rec Sports Master Plan, which would create four brand new Rec Sports facilities across campus. Vote “yes” to make exercising and intramural sports more comfortable and enjoyable for the many future generations of University of Wisconsin-Madison students to come. And most importantly vote ‘yes’ because that’s the Badger thing to do. I already know what you’re thinking: Why should I care about something I probably won’t even get to enjoy during my time in college? Well, I argue, because it’s the right thing to do. As UW students, we pride ourselves on being the best at many things. Madison has been voted the best college football game-day town, “Jump Around” has been ranked as the best college football tradition, Wisconsin is recognized as one of the top party schools in the country, the school’s academics are documented as some of the most elite in the nation. The list goes on and on. I don’t see why we can’t add one more perk to the list of UW’s luxuries and have the best rec sports facilities in the Big Ten, too.

Current US foreign policy has failed to retain legitimacy

As you have probably heard by now, a former Soviet satellite country, Ukraine, has fallen captive to the kind of protests that ran rampant throughout the Middle East over the Arab Spring and Summer.

Being a student at UW-Madison is worth the Wisconsin winters

Spring continues to tease its arrival.

Letter to the editor: The UW Athletic Department should contribute more to Rec Sports facilities

“Students received an email today suggesting that Athletics should pay for more of this project because students supported Athletic Department finances back in the 1990s. It’s my view this is a little like asking the Physics Department to pay for improvements in Chemistry, just because they both study science. Rec Sports facilities are designed for and used primarily by students and this is an appropriate use of student segregated fees.”

Porn is the new norm

The piece written by a Duke University student/porn performer shocked the Internet for a few days and swept through our daily conversations. While many praised her writing and her confidence, I would like to urge everyone to get over the shock of pornography.