Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: In light of tragedy, we must remain vigilant

Mar. 23, 2016

Istanbul and Ankara in Turkey and, now, Brussels: three major cities devastated by terrorist attacks in the past two weeks alone, resulting in the deaths of so many innocents and leaving countless more injured. In fact, since November’s attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, hundreds of terrorist attacks claimed by groups such as the Islamic State, al-Shabbab and al-Qaeda affiliates have wreaked devastation in communities and cities across the world. These desperate times call for us to stand together in solidarity, in unity and in peace, much like the vigils and demonstrations of empathy we’ve so graciously seen in broadcasts and on our news feeds. Unfortunately, this is not all we’ve seen.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: West University Avenue could be made safer

Mar. 22, 2016

West University Avenue provides us UF students with an outlet from being constantly contained on campus. Restaurants serve as alternatives to what many call “on-campus dining.” Some students make their ways to University Avenue on the weekends to relieve the stress the everyday weekday grind brings. More than anything, University Avenue is significant because it’s a walking distance escape from school, opportune for fleeting moments. But it could use some improvements, and some only require reprogramming and little bit of paint.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: A teenager's death, a community's shortcomings

Mar. 22, 2016

Sunday’s events have left many of us here at the Alligator heavy-hearted. We’ve reported on more student deaths and tragedies this semester than we can care to count, yet 16-year-old Robert Dentmond’s death is particularly troubling for us to discuss.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Cuba is not 'opening up' to the U.S.

Mar. 22, 2016

In 1854, U.S. diplomats wrote to Secretary of State William Marcy in the Ostend Manifesto that the U.S. should try to either purchase Cuba from Spain or declare war on Spain and seize Cuba. Beginning with the tenure of Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams, the U.S. tried to take possession of Cuba to extend economic control over the region and expand U.S. slave territory. As Adams declared, the acquisition of Cuba was “an object of transcendent importance to the commercial and political interests of our Union.”

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A bitter reminder: response to "Casual sex is not self-discovery or empowerment"

Mar. 22, 2016

Transphobia and slut-shaming do not make someone a better feminist. In fact, saying that the victories won by transgender people somehow undermine one’s status as a white, cisgendered woman is a severe step in the other direction.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: What Obama's visit should entail

Mar. 21, 2016

The Obama administration’s foreign policy struggle with the Middle East — concerning a chaotic Libya, Saudi airstrikes and the blowback of incessant drone strikes (not you, Iran nuclear deal; keep on keeping on) — took a back seat this week to the so-far successful and front-page detente with Castro. So much so, in fact, the president’s daughters will be spending their Spring Break in Cuba.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Why don't we have a UF yearbook?

Mar. 21, 2016

To many, the thought of a school yearbook connotes images of mediocre Photoshop skills, pubescent faces on a blue background and sensationalized editorials about irrelevant varsity teams. For me, simply looking at one brings up long suppressed anxieties about collecting scrawled signatures and maintaining subjective relevancy. Yet regardless of whether those old middle and high school yearbooks instill angst or nostalgia, we can’t deny their ability to reflect the past in shocking (and often uncomfortable) clarity.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Take your insecurities and Burnham down

Mar. 21, 2016

I’m in a state of emotional distress. Let’s see how this goes.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Myths Un-Mythed - electability

Mar. 21, 2016

We live in a world full of myths. Never mind the tales of wizarding, wand-wielding British schoolchildren or the large, bearded serial home invader who descends into our chimneys every Christmas Eve, hoarding our good cookies and seducing our children with presents crafted through elven labor. Those aren’t myths; they’re objectively true phenomena.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: The curious case of Benjamin (Button) Carson

Mar. 20, 2016

A little more than a week ago, the country stood in awe as former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson rose from the dead — or at least partially awoke from his constant state of slumber — to endorse Mein Drumpf as the Republican nominee. While some are caught up in whether this is a Chris Christie-like attempt at securing a vice presidency or cabinet position, we at the Alligator have taken this opportunity to look back critically at Carson’s campaign. After intensive study and research, we’ve conclusively diagnosed him with the Benjamin Carson disease.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Casual sex is not self-discovery or empowerment

Mar. 20, 2016

"There is no sexual relation.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Accent needs to do its job

Mar. 20, 2016

According to its website, Accent Speakers Bureau, the Student Government group that brings speakers to campus, “strives to bring controversial and influential speakers to the university, with the intent of further educating the student body, outside of the classroom, on current hot topics and controversies.” If this is the group’s mission statement, Accent is clearly not doing its job.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Media still treats Sanders terribly

Mar. 20, 2016

The liberal media made up its mind a long time ago: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. While former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s candidacy was laughable from the beginning, support for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has increased steadily. His legitimacy has increased with time. While he will never have the kind of name recognition Clinton has, Sanders’ support has grown from five-person crowds to sold-out auditoriums. Yet, this means nothing to the liberal establishment.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest column: Cop and Shaq shoot it out in Florida

Mar. 17, 2016

This is going to be an amazing year for the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, and we want to thank everyone for making that possible. One of the greatest things I have learned from the CSPOA is the proper role of law enforcement. As a young child, I grew up with two Florida Highway Patrol officers as parents and a longtime friend who was a Marion County deputy sheriff. Though I never worked the beat, I did hear stories and saw how they carried themselves.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: In honor of a Tampa deputy, hero

Mar. 16, 2016

We at the Alligator would like to dedicate this editorial to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Deputy John Robert Kotfila Jr.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: The major problem with populism

Mar. 16, 2016

Until this election cycle, populism, the strategy to appeal to the general population, was a term mostly directed to the dusty bookshelves of American history or parties only present in European politics, like Podemos.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: This is not the end of Marco Rubio

Mar. 16, 2016

Marco Rubio: The GOP’s golden boy, the Republican pride of the Sunshine State, the Florida-born master of politics, carefully set up by those before him to lead a new generation.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: A hero webs a comeback

Mar. 15, 2016

With Florida’s presidential primaries and Gainesville city elections finally over, we can take a sigh and briefly shift focus toward a non-political issue worthy of discussion: Spider-Man. For those actually invested in the real world who may not have heard the breaking news from last week, Marvel Studios released a new trailer for “Captain America: Civil War,” which featured the return of everyone’s friendly, neighborhood web-slinger. This is now the third movie installment of Spidey, which automatically raises a number of concerns for all of us, particularly for an anxious opinions edito — uh, many staffers at the Alligator.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: The legitimacy of political science

Mar. 15, 2016

If asked about their latest views on quantitative easing in the Federal Reserve, most people wouldn’t have an opinion. The same thing can be said about the latest breakthroughs in particle physics, medical technology or any area of science for that matter. On the other hand, if politics comes up, people will adamantly share their opinion — informed or not — on what they believe to be right.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Take a chance, give audiobooks a try

Mar. 15, 2016

When I was in elementary school, I spent a lot of time in the car. Whether it was driving my siblings and myself to the various interests that occupied our time, such as dance class or soccer practice, driving us all to school and back every day like an absolute saint, or driving the family off across the country on vacation, my lovely, self-sacrificing parents did a lot of driving three young, talkative, easily riled-up kids around. Not to sound like someone who despises technology — because I don’t — but they managed to do this day in and day out without the helpful distraction of an iPad for small, sticky fingers to latch onto. I applaud their self-control, and I must remember to call home more often.