Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Robertson’s words hurt the cause

By Paul Runnestrand | Jan. 18, 2010

If you listen to geologists, they will tell you the reason the massive earthquake occurred in Haiti last week had to do with seismic activity, fault lines and tectonic plates. At first glance, it’s a believable explanation. But the Rev. Pat Robertson proposes another answer that deserves consideration. Not consideration of its validity but rather consideration as to why in the world he would say such a thing.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Infidelity should not be normalized

Jan. 18, 2010

My colleagues at the Alligator, Amelia Harnish and Jared Misner, wrote a defense — or at least a justification — of infidelity in their Jan. 14 Avenue column at www.bit.ly/secretscrewing.

OPINION | COLUMNS

If we ignore them, they’ll go away

By PAUL MURTY | Jan. 14, 2010

People of UF: In my first official column as the Friday columnist for the largest student-run newspaper in the country, I want to touch on a very important issue on campus — the provoking and condemning preachers. This isn’t a blanket statement for all preachers on campus, but only those who are hatefully insulting for the purpose of garnering attention.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Plenty of options for helping Haiti

By ASHLEY ROSS | Jan. 14, 2010

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday is the worst to shake the country in 200 years, claiming the lives of up to 50,000 people and affecting more than 3 million people world wide, according to the American Red Cross. The disaster has left a country already stricken with political instability, poverty and humanitarian conflict in an even more devastating state. So, in the wake of the tragedy, it’s important for us to ask ourselves: What can we do to help?

OPINION | COLUMNS

‘Jersey Shore’: The new Roman Empire?

Jan. 13, 2010

Much has been made of the fall of the Roman Empire in the media over the last few years, especially as our own American empire has come under deservedly intense scrutiny.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Torture never justified in war

By Nick Miner | Jan. 13, 2010

There are a good number of people who believe in the hypothetical situation that torture is justified in the ticking time bomb scenario. That is, a nuclear or biological weapon is about to detonate and kill thousands, maybe millions of people.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Census questions display ignorance

By Lily Bruns | Jan. 12, 2010

When I saw a link for the spanking new “race and ethnicity” guidelines from the U.S. Census Bureau plastered across the ISIS homepage, I had to check it out.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Politics hard to parody

By Sterling Barnard | Jan. 12, 2010

When Time Magazine declared the age of irony dead following the Sept. 11 attacks, its conclusion was right, even if it was working from faulty premises.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Dems use double standard on racism

By Jenna Kilic | Jan. 11, 2010

As the song from the musical “Avenue Q” states, “Everyone’s a little bit racist sometimes. Doesn’t mean we go around committing hate crimes...Maybe it’s a fact we all should face: everyone makes judgments based on race.” I don’t care whether you’re black, white, Hispanic, Asian, biracial or multiracial. At some point in your life, I’m sure you’ve had racist thoughts. If you’ve read this far, you probably agree (though wish you didn’t) or shaking you’re head in outrage because you’re a P.C., apologist liberal who’s a closeted racist. For a while now, we’ve allowed liberal Democrats to define racism. When it benefits them politically, they’ll throw the label at someone, but what happens when it’s one of their own? They quickly excuse to save the squeaky-clean facade they perpetuate.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Carpe diem doesn’t solve problems

Jan. 11, 2010

I’m starting to cringe whenever I hear “carpe diem.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gay marriage views influenced by statistics, representation

By Will Penman | Jan. 10, 2010

I found a chart online recently consisting of two pictures. The top picture had a map of the United States with states highlighted where gay marriage was legal: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire. Pretty simple picture — five states. The picture below it was the same map but with a lot of states colored. That one? States where it’s legal to marry your first cousin.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Political gaffes grow more rampant

By Ryan Spencer | Jan. 10, 2010

It was a banner week for bipartisan tomfoolery, culminating on Friday and coming from both Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele and Democratic strategist James Carville.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Obama faces tougher crowd than Bush

By PAUL MURTY | Jan. 7, 2010

I can’t help but wonder why President Obama has received so much more heat from certain members of the media and from certain factions of the country than any public figure I can remember. The recent attempted bombing by a Nigerian terrorist has prompted those members of the media to come out from the woodwork to –- yet again –- criticize Obama. This time it is because he took 72 hours to publicly respond to the situation, after consulting with security teams from Christmas until Dec. 28.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Capital punishment inhumane, unethical

By Ryan Spencer | Jan. 7, 2010

John Walsh Needs to Keep His Mouth Shut. It’s not that his crime-fighting endeavor “America’s Most Wanted” hasn’t proven to be successful — it has, most recently with the capture of Jupiter massacre suspect Paul Mehinge — but rather that he, in his position of influence as a popular television host, should stop trying to be judge, jury and executioner, as he did recently when he called for capital punishment for the above suspect.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Last decade produced culture of fear

Jan. 5, 2010

Last decade was not a fun decade in which to grow up.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Congress should reinstate estate tax

By BRIAN MILLER | Jan. 5, 2010

On New Year’s Day, the estate tax, an essential part of the U.S. tax system for almost 100 years, disappeared because Congress failed to act in December.

OPINION | COLUMNS