Opinion

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Tea party opposition lacks ideas, creativity

Last Thursday millions of Americans showed up to Tea Party rallies across the nation to demonstrate their grievances against and frustration with the federal government. The locally organized Tea Parties were a tremendous success. The Wall Street Journal reported many locations saw a dramatic increase in turnout. Tea Parties, which began little over one year ago, are now a national movement to be reckoned with as many political pundits analyze their potential impact in the upcoming midterm elections. Even former governor Tommy Thompson used the event to announce he was not going to be running for Senate.

Seek to discourage sexual violence on campus through bystander intervention

Bystander intervention is a strong peer to peer tool that students can use to intervene when they see an unsafe situation. There are many ways you can step in to divert potential harm to one or both parties, and it is especially useful in preventing occurrences of sexual assault and dating violence on the UW-Madison campus. Stepping in can be a difficult thing to do, but there are several ways that you can make a strong stance against unsafe situations. Taking a stand against questionable behavior is one way that you can support others in making healthy decisions.

Instead of criticizing environmental opponents, seek to understand, educate

Environmentalists frequently lament the lack of environmental conscience in those whose lives they deem ""unsustainable""—""How can they be so selfish?"" we ask. This is the battle being fought today. A division of ""us"" vs. ""them"" occurs, and the ""others"" are frequently chastised as reckless and irresponsible. ""This is their fault!"" it often goes. I will argue, however, that a socially just and effective environmentalism—something the movement's founders envisioned—is incommensurable with this division.

Earth Day must change, become more inclusive to reach wider audience

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The daylong teach-in was founded by Wisconsin's former governor and senator, Gaylord Nelson, after whom our Institute for Environmental Studies was named.

Religions do not need National Day of Prayer

Last Thursday, a federal judge in Madison ruled it is unconstitutional for the federal government to endorse a National Day of Prayer. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb brightened the day of First Amendment fans across the country with her ruling that characterized the current National Day of Prayer as a government endorsement of prayer. In her ruling, Crabb wrote, ""The same law that prohibits the government from declaring a National Day of Prayer also prohibits it from declaring a National Day of Blasphemy.""

ASM representatives only exist on paper

Sometimes, campus politics are like a giant game of ‘Where's Waldo.' And not those first few easy pages.

Arizona immigration legislation lacks reform

Last Tuesday the Arizona House of Representatives approved anti-illegal-immigrant legislation that, pending approval of the state Senate and the signature of Governor Jan Brewer, will set the bar for immigration reform and the treatment of illegal immigrants nationwide. The legislation has been lambasted by a New York Times editorial for being ""mean-spirited,"" an editorial which went on to argue the legislation ""would do little to stop illegal immigration"" but would rather, ""lead to more racial profiling, hobble local law enforcement, and open government agencies to frivolous, politically driven lawsuits.""

Editorial Cartoon: April 19, 2010

Women and men must work together to fight sexual assault

A movement to end all forms of sexual violence through education and activism... sounds empowering, right? And it is! But at the same time, it's a terrifying prospect, a concept that is intimidating to most men. Consequently, many men choose to remain uninvolved and distance themselves from the process of ending sexual violence. Why is that? Several factors play a role in creating an atmosphere of fear and resistance.

Keep access to 911 calls open to the news media

Last week, the state assembly passed a bill banning the release of 911 call recordings. If it goes on to gain the Senate's approval, Wisconsin could become the fifth state exempting audio of 911 tapes from the public records, following Missouri, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Rhode Island. Even though the new measure is backed by families of the victims, who are the most relevant party in cases of emergency, public rights to access these records should not be abridged.

NatUp campaign needs true grass roots organizing to succeed in the future

After record participation in the 2010 spring election, the NAT is down. Following weeks of intense debate the University of Wisconsin's student body voted down the ballot initiative that would renovate the Natatorium and add about 54 dollars to student's segregated fees in the future. The proposed facility would have everything from an all-purpose indoor turf facility to expanded fitness areas. The upgrade may certainly be a worthwhile proposal, but as many on this campus would never see nor pay for these renovations, it's not hard to see why it failed to pass.

UW, state should follow Austin's lead on energy

What can Madison learn from Austin, Texas? A lot, perhaps, when it comes to producing clean energy.

ASM vote just the beginning

The results are in. In the elections for the Associated Students of Madison (ASM) Student Council that closed Wednesday, MPOWER lost, and so did Rec Sports' plan for the Nat. The best part of the election? The record turnout of 34.5 percent of the student body. Such high turnout is unprecedented. True, 65.5 percent of the student body didn't have an excuse not to vote—the election was online, took two minutes, offered information on the candidates and about the ballot and was open for three days. Cheers to those of us who managed to find two minutes over three days to vote for fellow students who allocate $38 million in our own student segregated fees.

Leinenkugel brewing up a failed campaign

Wisconsin's 2010 U.S. Senate race is shaping up to be nearly as interesting as a Minnesotan election. Last Friday, Dick Leinenkugel––yes, one of those Leinenkugels––suddenly resigned his post as Wisconsin's Commerce Secretary to announce he will run for Senate. The Menomonee Falls native is part of the fifth generation of the Leinenkugel Brewing company, and since 2008, oversaw Wisconsin's economic development policy.

Ideas on sex must change

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, bringing needed attention to the issue. However, I don't think sexual assault is something we should be thinking about and fighting against just one month out of the year. As a nation, we need to be fighting against societal notions of gender and the violence pervasive in American culture that leads to sexual assault. Gone are the days when women were taught that sexual assault was confined to serial rapists in dark alleys. Today we know that the majority of sexual assault occurs between acquaintances in perceived ""safe"" locals. Sexual assault occurs in marriages and committed relationships. Women (and men) are battered and forced to have sex with someone who is supposed to love them.

Increase graduates to stabilize economy

Last week, UW System introduced a proposal calling for a dramatic increase in the amount of college graduates among the state's public institutions. The plan, known as the Growth Agenda for Wisconsin, looks to establish a more economically viable state where half of all Wisconsin adults have a college degree.

Just do (more of) it

First it was New Era. Then it was Russell. And this past Friday, Chancellor Biddy Martin decided to drop yet another contract with an athletic apparel company — Nike. The reason: Nike neglected to reimburse Honduran factory workers for $2 million in unpaid wages. The hope: By dropping the contract, UW-Madison will force Nike to reconsider its abhorrent labor practices. However, no matter how much financial weight UW-Madison may carry, it is nowhere near close enough to effect real change in Nike's labor policies.

Movement requires effort and persistence

A movement to end all forms of sexual violence through education and activism…sounds empowering, right? And it is! But at the same time, it's a terrifying prospect, a concept that is intimidating to most men. Consequently, many men choose to remain uninvolved and distance themselves from the process of ending sexual violence. Why is that? Several factors play a role in creating an atmosphere of fear and resistance.

Noise permit a waste of time better spent partying

We like, we like to party. Scratch that, Vengaboys, we here in Madison love to party. To be exact, we love a nonstop party, the kind whose fun is not hampered and cut short by the men in blue. Noise complaints from angry neighbors often alert the police of said nonstop joy that occurs at our parties, creating a mess of tickets and fines that make the fiesta almost not worthwhile. Almost.

Nat upgrade not worth seg fee hike

Although Chancellor Biddy Martin declared this the Year of the Humanities, today we vote on the remodeling and expansion of the Natatorium. The Nat is an object of aesthetic scorn among students and faculty for its uninviting exterior and apparent lack of up-to-date workout equipment. But during a time of already rising segregated fees and a rough economy, we cannot possibly condone the construction of a replacement athletic facility that will rely on the lopsided blitz of a financial plan proposed by NatUp 2010.