On Feb. 10, mass media were embroiled with an intense debate. The debate was about the United States government’s possible drone strike on a U.S. citizen who lives abroad. The target is not just an ordinary U.S. citizen, but a terrorist affiliated with al-Qaeda who happens to hold a U.S. citizenship due to his original place of birth.
Last Monday the Cardinal opinion staff’s own Michael Podgers wrote an article criticizing a program put on by Badger Catholic during Valentine’s Day. The program, run outside of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, featured men giving away roses to women that had notes in them. In his piece, Mr. Podgers criticized Badger Catholic for reinforcing outdated gender stereotypes, and demeaning women by self-determining for them their inherent dignity.
This week I have chosen to address an issue of 'softball' politics in order to get at something much larger. I take issue with the name of a street in Madison. On the surface this may seem like useless complaining, but I assure you I have a point. We have many streets named after the founders. The city itself is named after James Madison. However, there is one particular founder who we should not be naming streets after: Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.
As I was reading Theresa Cooley’s opinion piece “Come one, come all—It’s just casual sex” in The Badger Herald last week, a particular comment caught my eye. “A student from the 19th century came back,” it said, a reference, I suppose, to Ms. Cooley’s Biblical references and religious perspective on sex.
Mr. Podgers, the Rose Campaign last Thursday (Feb. 13) was trying to accomplish a good, to challenge a mindset that limits sex to pleasure or an action that is not completely giving of one’s self. You incorrectly identified the goals of the campaign by Badger Catholic and claimed the idea that the men involved were imposing views on women through the passing out of roses with short notes attached.
We should be pissed that black men in America today stand a one-in-three chance of going to jail. We should be pissed that the unemployment rate for blacks in Dane County is at 25.2 percent, compared to 4.8 percent for whites. We should be pissed that the achievement gap between white students and black students in Wisconsin is the widest in the nation. In fact, we should be pissed that the widespread ignorance of these facts is the key explanation as to why we’ve never reached full racial equality in this country. The first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one, and sadly, too many white people reject the idea that they have a privilege based on the color of their skin and that it is fueling the fires of racial injustice.
Allow me to begin with another healthy dose of honesty: Madison and race relations have not been going too hand-in-hand lately. In fact, this is an inherent understatement: A precedent has been set for the underrepresentation of people of color in the university and the city itself, while Black and brown people continue to systematically overpopulate the prison system in the county as well as the low-class/impoverished living conditions so subtly buried beneath the transfer points. (There have been several recent articles detailing these issues in full, notably from Rev. Alex Gee in The Cap Times last December.)
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee, charged with drafting a new diversity plan, released preliminary suggestions Feb. 18 for improving aspects of diversity and inclusivity at the university. While we are glad these plans are in motion, we believe the success of the plan depends on campus input and making sure this draft—no matter how rough it may be—is available to the campus community.
When we say Wisconsin, do we really say it all? Or in other words, as a community, are we really doing everything we can to foster inclusivity for all groups and ideas, and additionally, what else needs to be said about this issue?
We all have individual desires, concerns (fears even) and spectrum of sexuality goes beyond the gay/straight/bi triptych. Each of us arguably has an unique sexuality. Religion, class, gender identity, cultural and racial identities and life experiences all play unique roles in shaping sexuality and how it blossoms. There are two things that many students may struggle with while on campus within the context of sexuality: stigma and shame.
The Daily Cardinal asked for the campus' input on the current social climate at UW-Madison. These are the responses we received. If you want to contribute to the discussion, email actionproject@dailycardinal.com, and we will publish your input.
The Daily Cardinal is pleased to announce the first of three special issues this semester dedicated to exploring topics challenging to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the surrounding community. The publications will form a series we call The Daily Cardinal Action Project, an effort to inform the campus community about pertinent issues and spark action.
My name is Chris Hoffman and I’m running to be the District 5 County Board Supervisor because I want to represent your voice. County government offers opportunities for professional development and networking that are hugely underutilized by students. This is one of the primary reasons I am running: when elected, I will act as a liaison for students who want to further their involvement in local government. Increasing student involvement would be accomplished through student appointments to county committees and internships. Giving students these skill-building experiences is important for ensuring a long-lasting, strong connection between students and their county government. I understand the importance of utilizing the County committee system via my own appointment to the County Environmental Council. However, there is one pressing issue that I will address further: campus safety.
Putting together a piece for your enjoyment and consumption this week, I found myself oddly strapped for ideas. My liberal, opinionated self somehow was totally transformed into a normal human being. Last week, I wrote about #SochiProblems, and the week before, it was the minimum wage—what else is there to opine to my vast readership?
Nearly four years ago, a deft, bold stroke of a pen enacted a law that turned newly elected Gov. Scott Walker into perhaps the most divisive man in Wisconsin history. Today, he is one of the most highly revered politicians in the country and on the short list for a 2016 Republican Party presidential nomination.
Have you ever wondered what $1 million could buy? Yeah, of course you have. According to the Barenaked Ladies’ hit song “If I Had $1,000,000,” you could buy an exotic pet (yep, like a llama or an emu) furniture for your house (maybe a nice Chesterfield or an ottoman) or a fur coat (but not a real fur coat, that’s cruel).
Many people love to oppose guns, as they are our society’s weapon of choice. However, this opposition is rooted in pure fallacy. More than half of the households in the United States own a gun and many people without a weapon feel as if this endangers them or provides an unnecessary threat. On the other side of the argument, one can envision someone in the south in a rocking chair chewing tobacco while holding a 12-guage simply waiting for the first sight of his land being trespassed. This is not exactly a great ideal for what people should think about when looking into gun control. But, as it turns out, you are safer living next to the crazy man in the south than in certain parts of Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and other big cities.
Some may have noticed that a group of men were passing roses out to women passing by the St. Paul University Catholic Center on Library Mall. These individuals were taking part in a small campaign being spearheaded by Badger Catholic, a spirituality and faith organization on campus according to their website, called Roses in Library Mall.
Hurrah! The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi last week (cue Olympic Fanfare), demonstrated our strong international unity while at the same time put on our ardent nationalist spirit. Of course, with the honor of the attention of the entire world, no other nation has the ability to express its pride and history more than the host nation, which, in this case, is Russia.
Solutions by The State News
