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Friday, August 15, 2025

Opinion | Columns

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Pirates should become sea protectors

As an unabashed supporter of all things pirate, news about pirates fighting the Mafia has left me nothing short of ecstatic. Additionally, as a shaper of public opinion and a veritable wellspring of brilliant ideas, I have an actionable plan that solves a pressing global issue in one fell swoop.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Remember the 5th of November

Four hundred and four years ago today the infamous Gunpowder Plot to blow up the English Houses of Parliament was foiled, and co-conspirator Guy Fawkes was consequently executed. Though I do not condone acts of violence, this event serves as an important reminder for us all to stay vigilant in the face of tyranny. During the pre-revolutionary era in America, colonists celebrated Nov. 5 to express their anger toward the authoritarian government back in England, providing the foundation for the American Revolution. Today it is celebrated to express opposition to an increasingly belligerent government that not only puts our liberties at risk but also undermines the very principles this country was founded on.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Column doesn’t present all facts

Paul Murty's Monday column was so shamefully dishonest that I felt I had to respond. He claims the Republicans are not listening to voters, when it is the Democrats in Congress who have pushed through multiple 1,000-plus page bills they haven't read (and have broken campaign promises by not giving the public time to read them, either). The latest Pew poll shows only 34 percent support for the new congressional health plan, with an opposition of 47 percent. And the opposition is growing. Mr. Murty, it is not the Republicans who are ignoring the will of the people.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Web has become double-edged sword

Forty years ago, Leonard Kleinrock sent the first message over what is now known as the Internet. The message - the word "log" - was to be sent from a computer terminal at University of California, Los Angeles to another terminal at the Stanford University Research Institute, but it wasn't a complete success.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

‘Halloween ain’t what it used to be’

Halloween evolves for each of us as we go through life more than perhaps any other holiday. Thanksgiving is always about food, family and football, and how one celebrates Christmas as a child usually has lifelong repercussions on your religious or commercial meaning for the holiday.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Nation still devoted to consumption

I may or may not be the vegan mentioned in Wednesday's column, "Being eco-friendly isn't always easy." Regardless, I think to view the carbon footprint exercise as a demonstration of the futility of lifestyle choices is way off the mark.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

People in relationships shouldn’t settle

I think that, in some cases, one of the most ethical, selfless things you can do in a relationship is end it. And I think one of those cases is when you realize that, by staying with your significant other, you'd be settling for them.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Obama should get his hands dirty

If Dick Cheney didn't earn the title "Darth" that New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd bestowed upon him when in office, he's certainly earned it throughout his personal life. His raspy, shallow voice that pines to whisper, "Luke, I am you father" is quick to criticize the current administration.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Government needed for health reform

While I believe that Neal Wheeler has the kernel of a good idea in his letter to the editor, he becomes increasingly more ignorant as the piece goes on. His idea that the government can't be counted on to fix everyone's problems is very true. The government can't, in fact, fix everything. Perhaps the government has tried too hard in the past to fix all the problems in American society, but this doesn't extend to health care.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

UF should have sent text about threat

This past week revealed a disturbing trend at UF, something that the entire Student Body should be concerned about. Apparently it is becoming common practice around campus for students and bystanders to leave suspicious-looking backpacks lying around public areas and for the Gainesville Police Department bomb squad to respond accordingly.


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