Opinion

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Jason Collins' coming out sets the right example for LGBTQ individuals

Guantanamo Bay remains a stain on the reputation of the U.S.

Tuesday morning, a reporter asked President Barack Obama for his views on the latest developments at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, where at least half of the 166 prisoners have been leading a hunger strike to protest their decade-long, due-process-free incarceration. The president responded unequivocally, “The idea that we would still maintain forever a group of individuals who have not been tried, that is contrary to who we are. It is contrary to our interests and it needs to stop.” Unfortunately, President Obama’s eloquent words have not been matched by the corresponding course of action. Indeed, the policies pursued during his presidency have served to bolster, rather than eliminate, the principle of due-process-free detention.

UW's surplus issue is one of transparency

The state’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau released an audit report April 19, which revealed the University of Wisconsin System had a budget reserve fund of over $1 billion. This surplus has sparked some very heated discussions over the past few weeks, mainly due to the fact that tuition rates  have been increasing by 5.5 percent each year for the past six years, all while the UW System has been amassing a seemingly large reserve.

Dove beauty ads bring strength to women

“The idea of beauty is our own to conceptualize,” is what we hear at the end of one of Dove’s “Real Beauty” ads. For those of you who have not yet seen these ads, let me enlighten you on a particularly important one. This most recent ad is an extremely moving “Real Beauty Sketches” video in which well respected forensic artist, Gil Zamora, sketches a series of women who are hidden behind a curtain. The first sketch drawn is based on each woman’s description of her physical appearance. The second sketch, however, is based on a stranger’s descriptions of these women. The point of this social experiment is to show women they are too hard on themselves. Later in the video, you see the stranger’s descriptions create much more realistic and “beautiful” sketches of each of the women. As the sketches are revealed to each of the women, they realize the impact their negative self image has on the sketches. Warning: This may induce tears, especially if you are one of many women who suffers from having a poor self-image.

Media coverage of critical events overshadowed by trivialities

Some celebrities are great people. They’re brave, they stand up for what they believe in and they use their status to help those who can’t help themselves. Unfortunately, we are rarely given a glimpse into this side of Hollywood because media publications are so incredibly focused on eye-catching headliners and trash news. I will admit that I do love some good celebrity gossip, but it’s really sad that we can’t look past the gossip sometimes and just tell a great story.

UW surplus should stop rise in tuition

A lot of people are upset following last Friday’s news that the University of Wisconsin System ended last school year with $1 billion to spare. Normally a money surplus is a good thing, but this raises a puzzling question. Why is tuition going up if the university is rolling in Benjamins? The UW system explained that it needs extra money in case of unforeseen expenses or research funding shortages. This is understandable, but it sure as hell doesn’t explain why our tuition rises every year. In response to the surplus, students, UW leaders, state legislators and Gov. Scott Walker have called for a tuition freeze and I completely agree. Tuition is way too high and certainly should not be going up.

Solidarity must overshadow judgment

If you have not yet watched the video of the crowd singing the National Anthem before the Boston Bruins game this past week, be sure to do so. There are few videos of recent memory that have evoked such powerful emotions of pride, sadness, unity and hope. As I heard the 18,000 voices belt out our national anthem in the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy, I could not help but feel my eyes start to water. This rendition of the national anthem showed the world what the United States is at its best—a people united together, supportive in the face of adversity and determined enough to be defined by our shining moments and not our darkest ones. In stark contrast, the public and news media assumptions in the aftermath about who the unidentified perpetrators of this horrible crime were left me feeling ashamed.

An extremely sincere thank you to UW's underappreciated

As a college student, I often get asked which class or which professor I enjoy most. While I’ve definitely had a number of great people influence my education and my world view, I’ve always held a special appreciation for a different group of individuals and this piece is dedicated to them. I extend my gratitude and appreciation to the janitorial, custodial and general maintenance staff that work in the student dormitories and campus buildings. You guys have always shown the most consistent kindness whenever I have interacted with you. Your responsiveness has been uncanny whenever I send in general maintenance requests. Your politeness has been thoroughly refreshing through numerous experiences I’ve had with you on campus.

Immigration crucial for America

“Give me your wealthy, your well-educated and your well-connected,” reads the inscription at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty. Okay—I made that up. But one could be forgiven thinking that, given the country’s current political discourse on immigration reform. The real inscription on Lady Liberty reads, in part, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.” That creed—part of Emma Lazarus’s poem “The New Colossus”—greeted more than 12 million immigrants who passed through Ellis Island on their way to a new life in America.

Letter: Budget Repair Bill still rattling state

Across Wisconsin, many of us felt the spirit of radicalism in the air during 2011. Gov. Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill spurned an outburst of political protests from educators, students and legislators, throwing Madison into the national spotlight. Although we are two years from the protests, the topic is as relevant as ever.

Commencement speaker decision proves divisive

Last year around this time, The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board penned “UW needs to pay commencement speakers.” The column was primarily in response to the announcement University of Wisconsin -Madison Alumnus Carol Bartz was to be the spring 2012 commencement speaker. The editorial board was not optimistic that the former Yahoo and Autodesk’s CEO would deliver a rousing address. Somewhat paradoxically, this year’s announced commencement speaker, Anders Holm, did not have his credentials so stringently examined by this board.

Boston bombing should prompt unity, not racial violence

It’s not over. Although the second suspect of the Boston bombing has been captured and the first suspect is dead, we have a long way to go to recover from this most recent tragedy properly. The 19-year-old second suspect was found bloodied, hiding in a boat after an exhausting and intense manhunt.  It is great he was captured, but now the hard work begins, such as determining the brothers’ primary motivations for the bombing.

Equal pay act opponents can't stop living in the past

As I was browsing through recent news stories in search of a topic to enlighten my readership with my opinionated blathering, I came across a headline that rather excited me. It stated Wisconsin’s Senate is considering re-enacting the Equal Pay Enforcement Act, giving citizens more opportunity to receive damages upon realizing they are discriminated against by their employers. It would allow them to sue in state court to receive the pay they deserve. This law would mostly benefit women, as they are the most common victims of pay discrimination. It just warms my heart to know our state Legislature is considering taking equality seriously and even considering the heretofore inconceivable idea that women are equal to men. Our laws are obviously on the cutting edge of social progress. Good job, Wisconsin.

NRA money defeats background check act

What a sad day Wednesday was for American democracy. In a 54-46 vote, the bill to extend background checks to private sales and gun shows failed. It was six votes short. Even with a majority in the Senate, it didn’t pass the 60 votes necessary, which is a whole other issue. Wednesday, we saw money triumph over all. As President Barack Obama said in his speech following the failure to pass the bill, 90 percent of Americans were for this common-sense law. Why? Because it’s common sense! It in no way infringes on our Second Amendment rights and 90 percent of America knew that, even some proud National Rifle Association households. Our democracy—or representative republic—whatever you want to call it, is supposed to be representative of the people and it failed us Wednesday. You would think after the bombing that occurred in Boston, seeing so many Americans suffer and grieve  again, love could triumph over money. You would think seeing people come together in a time of tragedy, you would think, would show the Senate that America isn’t about money. No, the majority of us have our heads and hearts in the right places. Humanity could triumph over money. Well, say good-bye to that, because we just got completely screwed over. I feel like I just stepped into a time machine to an old familiar time when America was run only by the rich, white men. Oh, wait. Nope, I’m still here. We’re still here. And that’s troubling.

We must remain positive in times of terror and tragedy

It is hard to be positive in the world we live in. While I could give a thousand examples of the destruction of our society and all the horrible things that happen in our world, that’s not the point. As I’m sure you all know, tragedy reigned over the Boston Marathon Monday. There’s no need to go into details here, but if you are unaware, two explosions occurred near the finish line of the marathon killing three people and seriously injuring upwards of 175, according to the New York Daily News. While this is a horrifying event, as are any and all tragedies of this nature, it makes me wonder how we’re supposed to keep going and leading normal lives in the wake of all the dangers in our world.

Worldwide violence is often overlooked

Tragedy opens a window into the soul of a people. In the midst of the horrific bombing attack at the Boston Marathon, and despite the possibility of more bombs detonating, scores of first responders rushed to risk their lives in the service of complete strangers. As just one of many examples of such selflessness and heroism, Dr. Natalie Stevens, who ran in the race, convinced the police to let her through the snow fences lining the streets. Stevens then administered CPR to a fallen woman and used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding of a man who very well might have died had she chosen instead, quite sensibly, to stay out of harm’s way.

Support for opiate abusers is much-needed

With Wisconsin’s richest citizens barely making ends meet under the tyrannical fist of socialism, the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance had the gall to give Dane County an $80,000 grant to counsel and treat opiate addicts. Why, one may ask, should we take precious money that could be going to more important things like rich people and instead put it toward helping heroin addicts? Well it’s actually a good idea and, in fact, more efforts should be made to reach out and treat those suffering from drug addiction.

What Christianity teaches about tragedy

In his first homily as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis remarked, “When we do not profess Jesus Christ, we profess the worldliness of the devil, a demonic worldliness.” He wasn’t just talking about some abstract notion of the evil in humankind. He was referring to Satan, a recognized figure in Christian scriptures and a facet of theology since the beginning of the Catholic Church. Pope Paul VI remarked in a 1972 address, “The devil is the enemy number one, the source of all temptation… He is the sophistical perverter of man’s moral equipoise, the malicious seducer.” The church recognizes there is evil in the world. It attributes some of it to fallen human nature: to misguided, misinformed or downright malicious mortals. But it also attributes some evil to Satan, a spiritual and diabolical force who has it out for humans. If we look at Monday’s tragedy in Boston, we can see that yes, indeed, there is evil out there. This article is not intended to allege that the bombing was the direct work of Satan. Rather, I think we can learn a few lessons from Roman Catholic theology about the war between good and evil.

Doubting America's economic downers

A recent Gallup poll found 53 percent of Americans think China has the world’s No. 1 economy; less than a third think America has the leading economy. In 2000, just 10 percent of Americans misidentified China as the world’s leading economic power.

Seeking a middle ground in the affirmative action debate

Within the spectrum of most social issues, I fall into the moderate-left or the firm-left camps.  But there is one very salient issue of our time to which I often waver: affirmative action.