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Monday, June 09, 2025

Opinion

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Ben Carson, partisan politics, scrutiny

Most politicians go to great lengths to cultivate a carefully constructed image. Donald Trump has made himself the candidate who says what others are thinking but are afraid to say. Jeb Bush has made it a point to distance himself from his brother’s policies.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Relax, Jeb Bush is still going to be president

Back in the early days of the 2014 football season, the Green Bay Packers were 1-2. Fans were upset. Head management started updating their resumes. Things were not looking good. After receiving a loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions — yes, you can understand the Pack’s frustration — quarterback Aaron Rodgers told the cheesehead faithful to "R-E-L-A-X." Rodgers calmly told the media and Green Bay nation everything will be all right. And he was right. The team finished 12-4, captured first place in the NFC North and went to the NFC Championship.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Homecoming 2015 Edition

Homecoming is many things for many people. It’s a time for reflection and nostalgia; a time for celebration; and, if you’re going to Gator Growl, a time for mediocre "indie" acts, former CW stars and rappers who released their best work 10 years ago. OH! *cue Andrew Dice Clay hand motion* Just kidding, T.I., we loved last year’s "About the Money," and we still love you.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Tuesday’s elections were not a death knell for liberalism

On Tuesday, news outlets were littered with headlines like "Liberals Are Losing the Culture Wars," "America may be in a reinforcing feedback loop of growing inequality and Republican rule" and "Houston decided it has a problem: Its LGBT nondiscrimination law." The weak attempt at humor in the last headline aside, all three of these articles were written in response to the Nov. 3 election, which was mostly concerned with local affairs and citizen initiatives. As the doom and gloom of these headlines illustrate, it was not a good day for progressive causes, which means it was an even worse day for Democratic politicians.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Ann Coulter should not speak at UF

On Monday, a fellow opinion columnist wrote about how he felt Ann Coulter should be a guest speaker on campus. While I would concede there is a need for more conservative speakers, I could not disagree more. Coulter is the last conservative speaker we need.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Maybe neither religion nor atheism is all that bad

According to a report released by the Pew Research Center on Tuesday, Americans are becoming less religious. An NPR report summarizing the findings included tidbits like "The share of Americans who say they are ‘absolutely certain’ that God exists has dropped 8 percentage points, from 71 percent to 63 percent, since 2007," and "The percentage of adults who describe themselves as ‘religiously affiliated’ has shrunk 6 points since 2007, from 83 percent to 77 percent." We could go on, but you get the idea.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

American policy of procrastination

We’ve all done it. There was some major paper to write or exam to study for that was left until the last minute. With all the time beforehand to do so, we procrastinate out of laziness, fear or even a mixture of the two. Now, a rushed essay or some crammed studying may not be such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. However, if we continue to add to a society of lazy individuals waiting to make the world a better place on a day that will never come, we will create — and have already created — very serious issues for society as a whole.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Strongly held opinions are fine, but chill with reactionary ones

From the first time the written word was translated to celluloid and up to the present, the phrase, "The book(s) was/is/are better" has long been a rallying cry for disgruntled literary fans. While there are many instances where an adaptation did justice to the source material — or in the cases of films such as "Blade Runner," "Fight Club" or "Jaws," surpassed it — there are just as many that not only failed to render the material in a compelling manner but managed to actively disrespect the original text. Films with this distinction include "Watchmen," the most recent adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" and "The Scarlet Letter."


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Islam: Is there a need for reformation?

In light of all the strife and tragedy that has emerged from the Middle East, many people look to Islam as the foremost cause of all this. Comedian and late-night talk show host Bill Maher professes quite frequently that Islam’s dogma is uniquely violent and backward. "When there’s this many bad apples, there’s something wrong with the orchard," Maher recites on his show.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Courage and the fear of movie theaters

Since my mother’s application of the Mozart effect to me in utero, I’ve come to fruition as a reasonable man in most aspects of my life. I find a symmetrical existence in the virtues of temperance, modesty and magnanimity to name a few. (I took an ethics class one time, and I own a thesaurus.)


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Editorial: Mutual respect ought to trump differences

Last week, The Atlantic published a video titled, "What Will This Era Be Remembered For?" as one part of a series of videos covering last month’s Washington Ideas Forum 2015. In the video, policy leaders such as U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro responded to the question by expressing hope that their respective areas of political interest would undergo meaningful progress.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Controversial Ann Coulter must speak at UF

I want to make my intentions perfectly clear: I want Ann Coulter, the conservative firebrand and provocateur, to speak at UF. In fact, the event should be required for everyone to attend. If a student values his or her education, listening to Coulter speak is a must.


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