Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

World events don’t need US’ blessing

July 28, 2014

America must come to grips with an uncomfortable reality: Our world influence is beginning to wane. The two main crises that have dominated the airwaves for the past few weeks, the Malaysian Airline downed by Russian-backed Ukrainian separatist forces and the latest chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have made this development perfectly clear. We have overstretched, overreached and overplayed our influence for too long.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Step out of the way, government haters

July 23, 2014

As late July turns to August, a few events are certain: Fall semester starts in just four short weeks, Gator football kicks off and the home stretch 2014 election begins. With the election looming, along with the glut of negative advertising, constant phone calls, campaign emails and fundraising requests, it’s time we broach a serious topic.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Mouthing off to oral sex stereotypes

July 21, 2014

Call me a traditionalist, but I don’t normally take sex advice from Greek life-inspired websites.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Americans should show more compassion to immigrant children

July 21, 2014

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’” Matthew 19:14.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Is it possible to categorize the right?

July 21, 2014

Because the political right is full of an interesting bunch of characters, many in the media struggle to properly identify and categorize its different ideological camps. The right is said to be made up of mainstream, business-friendly, Tea Party, libertarian, neoconservative, religious-minded or simply extremist groups.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Israel should not be criticized for defending itself

July 16, 2014

Tuesday’s Alligator column voiced misconceptions regarding the situation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. The real problem is not Israel, but Hamas.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Florida and Georgia’s commonality: Lousy governors

July 16, 2014

Florida and Georgia are rivals on a sizable scale. The annual football game between UF and the University of Georgia in Jacksonville can resemble preparations for a large war between two enemies, but it seems that the two rivals have more in common than we think.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How to do the walk of shame — minus the shame

July 14, 2014

It’s 8:37 a.m. when you wake up and look around, thinking, “Wait, that Southern Tide poster isn’t mine. Whose room is this?”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Republicans can’t ignore Palin and D’Souza’s siren song

July 14, 2014

In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus must avoid the mythical sirens who lure sailors to their doom on the rocky shoreline of their island. Though the songstresses are enticing, Odysseus and his crew, with the assistance of some beeswax with which they filled their ears, force themselves to ignore the dangerous distraction in order to preserve their best interest.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Speaking out against Israeli attacks

July 14, 2014

The situation in Palestine that has taken place over the past four weeks has brought us to speak out against the unjust collective punishment being levied on the Palestinians by the state of Israel.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Truck drivers need a chimney sweep

July 9, 2014

A bizarre and nearly inexplicable trend is spreading across the country, and it’s destined to deal a blow to progressives and environmentalists throughout the U.S. It’s known as rolling coal, and it might the dumbest protest movement in the history of our great nation.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Drivers: Share the road with cyclists — it’s the law

July 7, 2014

On June 29, an older man in a red Jeep laid on his horn behind a Jimmy John’s bicycle deliverer on University Avenue.

OPINION | COLUMNS

NSA needs overhaul, culpability check

July 7, 2014

Two months ago, PBS’s “Frontline” chronicled the conception of the National Security Agency and how the institution continues to affect our daily lives in a must-see documentary called “United States of Secrets.” While watching this special, one automatically envisions the Orwellian future illustrated in “1984.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Language, power and the politics of gay slurs

July 7, 2014

Words have power. This power is the reason “f**k” needs to be censored. It’s the reason being called a “whore” hurts. It’s why phrases like “That’s so gay,” and “Don’t be such a f****t,” are offensive.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Suing Obama: Symptom of DC insanity

July 2, 2014

In an effort to save American democracy from the evil tyrant, “King Obama the First,” Speaker of the House John Boehner revealed that he plans to sue the president for overstepping his constitutional authority.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Late Periods: Keep calm and carry on

June 30, 2014

I always look forward to my annual doctor’s appointment. I went to one a couple weeks ago, and it was a welcome reminder that my blood pressure is good and my allergies still suck. It was enjoyable, that is, until my doctor insisted on running a pregnancy test.

OPINION | COLUMNS

America should stay out of Iraq — among other things

June 30, 2014

America is suffering from what political scientist Greg Weiner calls “narcissistic polity disorder.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Before adopting, consider all possibilities

June 30, 2014

Two weeks after adopting Archer, our eight-week-old boxer puppy, my boyfriend and I came home from the UF Small Animal Hospital without him.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Time to reflect on history of Iraq War

June 18, 2014

Iraq, a country that for mind-boggling reasons the U.S. invaded in 2003, is in a state of disarray. In recent weeks, a terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has taken control over large swaths of the country, including Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Reacting to Cantor loss: Conservatives stuck in the past

June 16, 2014

A house divided cannot stand. If this is true, why should a homeowner, in order to strengthen his or her house’s foundation, rip out its beams, floorings and piers?