It’s no secret anymore that the GOP has been in a major identity crisis since the utter catastrophe that was George W. Bush’s presidency. With Congressman Ron Paul’s visit to UW-Madison I feel it’s the perfect time to comment on not only Paul, but also with the very character of the Republican Party itself.
As many Wisconsin residents and UW-Madison students are aware of by now, U.S. representative and presidential hopeful Ron Paul will visit the Madison community this Thursday for a town hall-style event at the UW-Madison Stock Pavilion.
The recent shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman has grabbed the country in rapt attention, especially because the perpetrator of the killing has not been detained yet. This is because Florida’s ‘Stand your ground’ law grants immunity to people who have used deadly force in their own defense. The lack of substantial witnesses in this case has also compounded the applications of the law, because there is no concrete evidence proving Zimmerman was not acting in self- defense. A similar incident occurred in Slinger, Wis. earlier this month in which a 20-year old man, Bo Morrison, was shot dead by a homeowner, Adam Kind, upon whose porch the former had intruded after partying at a neighbor’s house late after midnight. Wisconsin’s Castle Doctrine was invoked in this situation, and Kind has not been detained in relation to this shooting.
Last Thursday, The Daily Cardinal, Badger Herald, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison.com, UW-Madison and other news outlets broke headlines on a report detailing an unfortunate alleged racial incident against two black female students walking through frat row.
People are often surprised when I tell them I am in a fraternity. I joined Delta Upsilon my freshman year and lived in the house last year, but I am no frat star. In the past two years, I’ve been to maybe three DU events, however I am close to active and inactive members. Considering I am a non-white member of an allegedly racist fraternity, I can speak to last week’s racial incident with some clarity. There are three things that I am sure of: excessively punishing DU is a mistake, disciplining the individuals involved needs to be firm and fair and DU’s proximity to the end of Frances Street is a factor that has been ignored.
I take great offense with the term “modernizing.” I keep hearing this term with every single proposed development plan for the city of Madison, especially in the 100 block of State Street. Though a development plan was just put on hold, I still agree that the city should modernize. However, I believe this should be done without destroying the overall character of the city.
Last month, the killing of 17-year-old Treyvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. caused a national uproar over the laws that protect the man who murdered the teenager. Martin was shot on his way home from a convenience store without reason by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch leader. The teenager was armed with only iced tea and candy, yet Zimmerman may escape criminal charges for the murder. In fact, due to Florida’s twisted self-defense laws, Zimmerman wasn’t even arrested after he killed Martin.
The GOP has been blaming President Obama for the high gas prices. But they should look at their supporters and lobby groups first to see the real problem.
Numerous lawmakers throughout the state of Wisconsin will be up for recall this spring and summer. In about 60 days, two more names may—somehow—be added to that list.
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