Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 17, 2009

You're all revved up and ready for your first real football game of the season, and it's sure to be a good 'un. We know you're already parked on the couch with your Gators Snuggie and have your first pre-kickoff drink in hand-and we're happy for you, and we're gonna let you finish-but not before we present you with this week's edition of last-week's-Darts-&-Laurels-was-one-of-the-best-Darts-&-Laurels-of-all-time edition of…

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Marketplace of ideas good for society

By JOSH BUKARD | Sep. 17, 2009

Hilary Lehman's article on Wednesday was the epitome of journalistic arrogance. She argues that facts are "undebatable," and despite your opinions, some things cannot be questioned. Is this why we came to college? To accept what we're told? Or was it to learn how to think critically?

OPINION | COLUMNS

West outburst not worthy of attention

Sep. 17, 2009

It began as any standard Sunday night would. I headed over to a friend's house to grab some food, sip a cold beer and watch "Entourage" with the boys.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Protestors held inaccurate signs

By PAUL MURTY | Sep. 16, 2009

As I was driving to the movies past The Oaks Mall on Sept. 11, I saw a group of anti-Islam protesters complete with "Islam is of the Devil" T-shirts. The scene was appalling, and the only consolation I found was that no one honked for them or showed support.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Vaccination should be personal choice

By Caitlin O'Conner | Sep. 16, 2009

Reading the editorial about Gardasil now being required for female immigrants completely blew my mind. I don't understand how the government can do this and even begin to think it's acceptable.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Liquor Cabinet

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 16, 2009

While Student Body President Jordan Johnson can provide Fabulous Rides for those who have imbibed too much, he can't prevent his fellow SGers from driving his agenda into the ground.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Kanye promotes meritocratic system

Sep. 16, 2009

Kanye West and his enduring propensity to go off-script at inopportune television moments seems to have forced the entire mainstream media into a state of apoplexy.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Pedestrians lowest on totem pole

By Greg Ramos | Sep. 16, 2009

Somebody needs write down the hierarchy of the sidewalk, and I figure that person might as well be me.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

University money wasted internally

By Sebastian Ramirez | Sep. 16, 2009

The Robin Hood cartoon depicting President Bernie Machen is one of the best I have ever seen in this newspaper. It's a rather humorous way to touch on something so delicate as the budget cuts.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Student scalpers disgrace Gator Nation

By Kyle Krutek | Sep. 16, 2009

To everyone selling their ticket for more than $100: Stop ripping off your fellow students. Stop entering the lottery just to sell your tickets. Fellow students should not be paying your rent to see the Gators play. You're worse for Florida football than if Urban Meyer left for Notre Dame. I hope something extremely inconvenient happens to you this week.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Government should continue to fund ACORN

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 16, 2009

The Senate should not have voted to deny funds to ACORN - the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now - on account of transgressions perpetrated by a handful of employees.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Long Shot

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 15, 2009

Everyone has the right to decide what to put in their bodies, but a 17-year-old girl from Port St. Joe, Fla., is facing possible deportation for refusing a Gardasil vaccine.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Obama should nix color-coded terror alerts

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 15, 2009

The Obama administration should do away with the color-coded, terror-alert system instead of trying to tweak it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Middle Eastern children show compromise on the horizon

By Travis Hornsby | Sep. 15, 2009

What causes human beings to hate so much that they are willing to end the lives of others?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Arguing over facts prevents progress

Sep. 15, 2009

You have a right to your own opinion," my mother likes to say. "You do not have a right to your own facts."

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Bright Futures needs higher standards

By CHRIS MOODY | Sep. 14, 2009

I would like to defend Kyle Robisch and his column last week regarding Bright Futures scholarships. It seems Sarah Maloney is nitpicking the literal meanings of his words. Anyone deserving a need-based scholarship is required to have a certain GPA and SAT score. That is supposed to be the point of a scholarship - to give an incentive to be a well-educated student. What's the point in receiving a scholarship to attend the university because I can't afford it if I fail every single class I take? So cheers to you, Kyle, for making this point.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Kanye's comments break record of idiocy

By Samuel Thomas | Sep. 14, 2009

I have to admit, I usually hate everything on MTV and refuse to watch it, but when I got on Facebook and saw no less than 700 statuses along the lines of "Kanye West at the VMAs - what a terrible person!" it was of the utmost importance that I find the video online.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Burger King

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 14, 2009

A 68-year-old man was honored for 50 years of service at the same McDonald's in Missouri.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Golden rule applies to relationships

Sep. 14, 2009

I had a friend who was really into returning lost things to their owners. One of my more resonant memories of this is the time she found a teddy bear on the sidewalk.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Most scholarships already need-based

By Colleen Morrison | Sep. 14, 2009

I know the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program is flawed, but under no circumstances should it become an entirely need-based program. What Kyle Robisch fails to realize is that basically all of the scholarships available for Florida students are need-based. I worked extremely hard in high school, and it paid off in the form of an extremely high SAT score, a 4.3 GPA, passing five out of six AP exams and becoming a sports captain. However, when it came to scholarships, I received a measly $500 after applying for about 20. The vast majority of scholarships have a need-based component. I don't see how my parent's salary has anything to do with how much I achieved in high school. If we make everything need-based, it will discourage students from doing well in school and push them to attend schools that are less scholastically renowned.