Published since 1915 by the students
of Xavier University
Published since 1915 by the students
of Xavier University
— STAFF EDITORIAL —
It seems that today’s society is shifting its distribution of prejudice. In the not so distant past, we were battling issues of race. Today is different. While race still looms in the distance, there is a new concern that faces the American population: homosexuality, specifically America’s seemingly innate fear of people grouped as homosexuals. The Newswire feels as though this is silly. What is there to be afraid of?
Recently Ted Strickland, the Democratic candidate in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, was accused of hiring and taking a vacation with an accused pedophile. Everyone freaked out. Why? Because there was the chance that Strickland had a relationship with said associate. Well, chances are it’s not even true, but accusations like that have the potential to ruin a career, as was the case with former New Jersey Governor James McGreevy, who resigned after accusations and later confirmation of his homosexuality hit the streets.
Yesterday violence erupted in Israel as Orthodox Jews protested a planned gay pride parade scheduled for Friday. Fires were set, police were confronted and even stabbings were reported in Jerusalem as members of the community voiced their disgust for their homosexual neighbors.
Again this brings us back to the question of “why.” It is understandable that members of religious communities do not support homosexuality, as it is in direct contradiction to their beliefs, but is there a need for absolute hate? Does homosexuality make people any less human? Though some would claim so, it’s doubtful.
Here in America homophobia runs rampant in the media, drawing strength from conservative groups and individuals around the country. Just recently the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Reverend Ted Haggard, resigned amid a row of accusations that he has had a long term relationship with a gay prostitute drug dealer. Here in Ohio Jean Schmidt has been running negative campaign ads which focus solely on Victoria Wulsin’s support for the legalization of gay marriage, because obviously that makes her a bad politician.
Another thing that has given homosexuals a bad rap is the American media’s inability to separate homosexuality from pedophilia. There is a difference. Not all homosexuals act like pedophiles, and vice versa. So why should we automatically condemn homosexuals as perverted child molesters and sex mongers? The Newswire says we shouldn’t. Instead, we should accept homosexuals as human beings (because they are) and let them live the same way they let heterosexuals live. There is no reason to be afraid of gay people. Any perceived “danger” which one might feel because of gay people is just society making you afraid of something that isn’t scary, just like when society made you think that the Detroit Tigers were going to win the World Series in three games.
Pat Stevens
Asst. Op-Ed Editor
7:00 PM- I kick off my election coverage viewing by tuning into Fox News. I know they are going to start things off with a bang.
7:06 PM- “…Hopefully we’ll be able to, uh, we’ll be able to, uh, explain it to you. Assuming we understand it,” states Britt Hume, Fox News’ election coverage anchor, at the beginning of their broadcast. I guess understanding things and being articulate are characteristics of the liberal media.
7:12 PM- It just occurred to me how much easier writing this column would be if Dan Rather was still employed by a news organization. He always had several ridiculous moments every election night.
7:16 PM- It might be too early to say for sure, but Britt Hume looks like a sure bet as the heir to the throne of Dan Rather.
7:19 PM- Does anyone know how old Wolf Blitzer is? It’s absolutely impossible to pin it down. He’s like the Dikembe Mutombo of the television news media.
7:22 PM- CNN proudly demonstrates their fleet of bloggers that they will be employing in their coverage throughout the evening. I was under the impression that organizations such as CNN dismissed bloggers as biased, unreliable and unqualified, but here they are utilizing them in their election coverage. Good to see the media uniting.
7:24 PM- Immediately after showcasing their legion of bloggers, CNN cuts to a panel of analysts who proceed to question the value of bloggers as newsmen and lament the increasing impact that bloggers have on politics. That’s weird.
7:30 PM- Roughly two seconds after the polls close in Ohio, CNN projects Ted Strickland as the winner of the Ohio gubernatorial race. Ken Blackwell has to be enormously disappointed he couldn’t disenfranchise enough poor people to pull this election off. 2004 was a much simpler time for Ohio Republicans.
7:33 PM- If you are an aspiring broadcast journalist who is worried that you lack the requisite amount of charisma necessary to be on television, just watch Britt Hume for five minutes. It’s entirely possible that he might be a robot dressed in a gray suit.
7:38 PM- BREAKING NEWS! Fox News is reporting that George Bush has a low approval rating in Ohio. I wonder if people who get their news exclusively from Fox News are unaware that Bush has been getting killed in opinion polls for well over a year.
7:44 PM- I was under the impression that Anderson Cooper only appeared on television with an unbuttoned collar and rolled up sleeves. Seeing him in a suit is weird.
7:46 PM- Wolf Blitzer excitedly reports that they about to show us “actual numbers!” I wish Anderson Cooper would introduce his panel of analysts by exclaiming that what he is about to show us is “mere speculation!”
7:53 PM- Someone should really check Britt Hume’s pulse. I don’t like to speculate about anyone’s possible medical condition, but I think he is in a mild coma.
7:57 PM- I just asked my roommate to microwave me a Hot Pocket while he was in the kitchen. He responded by telling me to perform a sexual act on myself that even Ted Haggard would be uncomfortable with. Alas, I remain hungry.
8:00 PM- The Democratic challenger for Senate in Maine, __ Hay Bright, looks exactly like Harry Potter. This fact is especially disturbing, because Ms. Hay Bright is a middle aged woman.
8:04 PM- Britt Hume calls Sherrod Brown a “true blue Democrat.” I feel as if this is a good a time as any to point out that I thought Sherrod Brown was black for quite awhile.
8:08 PM- Fox News projects Ed Rendell as the winner over Lynn Swann in the Pennsylvania governor race. I know it’s hard to believe that appearing in The Waterboy doesn’t guarantee success in the political arena, but I think its time to accept it and move on.
8:14 PM- At this point, it is obvious that the most pivotal race of the evening is the Virginia Senate race between George Allen and Jim Webb. One would think that using ethnic slurs at political rallies would have effectively crippled George Allen’s chances in this race, but conventional logic doesn’t often apply in Virginia.
8:18 PM- Former presidential candidate Howard Dean is interviewed on CNN. He’s not offering any Chappelle’s Show worthy sound bytes, so I’ll make this observation. Shrieking “hyah!” basically ended Howard Dean’s political career. George Allen calls an Indian a “macaca” and may still win reelection. I hate politics.
8:22 PM- Britt Hume takes twenty seconds to explain that a check mark next to a candidate’s name means they are projected to win the election. Things like this really make me wonder what the IQ of the average Fox News viewer is.
8:29 PM- There is something strange about Fox News’ election coverage. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but something is amiss. It’s seriously affecting my ability to make inane observations about their broadcast.
8:34 PM- I switched back to CNN to see if Anderson Cooper has managed to look more “of the people” yet. I wonder how badly he begged his producer to let him wear one of those field vests with all the pockets.
8:41 PM- the camera just panned over the CNN newsroom and one of the researchers was wearing a yarmulke. This of course demonstrates that CNN is being controlled by the same liberal Jews that ruin Mel Gibson’s life on a daily basis. I’m switching back to Fox News out of protest.
8:44 PM- I just figured out what was bothering me about Fox News’ election coverage. Geraldo Rivera is absolutely nowhere to be found. Fox News without Geraldo is like Scientology without Tom Cruise. I don’t know what Fox News is trying to pull, but I don’t like it one bit.
8:46 PM- I called my friend Karl to point out Geraldo’s absence, though he seemed to be more concerned with Bill O’Reilly’s absence from the broadcast.
8:50 PM- A Fox News reporter brings up all of the turmoil surrounding the disenfranchisement of voters in several lower-class districts in Ohio during the 2004 election. He then reports that there were voting irregularities today in the wealthy district of Shaker Heights, so now they have to keep the polls open there until 9:00 PM. Look, the State of Ohio may have disenfranchised poor voters in recent years, but they have made up for it today by making it less convenient to vote for rich people. Justice has been served.
As selected by the Newswire staff
1. Unnumbered spaces in R1, R2, C1, etc. These parking spots are ideal, but you have a better chance of getting subbed in the basketball game to run the point for the Muskies than you have of getting one of these spaces.
2. Ledgewood Ave. The spaces are certainly limited, the legality of parking here is somewhat questionable, and you have to parallel park. However, the short walk to almost anywhere on campus is tough to argue with.
3. South Lot This parking lot on Dana Avenue is a highly convenient place to park if you have a class in Elet Hall. If your desired destination is a more centrally located place, such as Gallagher, bring comfortable shoes.
4. Portland, Oregon If you park in Oregon, you can reenact the many virtual journeys you made playing the game “Oregon Trail” in elementary school. Plus, Oregon is only slightly further away from campus than other parking lots made available to students on game nights.
5. Norwood Plaza parking lot This lot is near a vacant building that used to be Soupie’s Bar and Grille. Parking here will allow your car to absorb some of the legendary mystique of Soupie’s, although during this process your car stereo may be absorbed by a thief.
“I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy…” This is part of the creed I recited several times a day while I was in the U.S. Army Ranger School. Moreover, like many other impressionable young men, I believed it.
Last week though, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki ordered U.S. Forces to shut down checkpoints around Sadr City and halt the operation aimed at finding a kidnapped U.S. solider, and our commander-in-chief acquiesced. Why? Give me an irrefutable tactical or strategic justification for this abandonment of our principles. I don’t think anyone can.
Some supporters of the president have intimated that the soldier deserved his fate because he snuck out of the Green Zone without authorization, only to be kidnapped shortly thereafter in Baghdad’s Karada neighborhood. The soldier was undoubtedly foolish, but he is still one of ours.
U.S. servicemen have been suffering the foolishness and bad decisions of this resident and his Secretary of Defense for the last five years. I believe that loyalty should be repaid in kind. And what did we gain from this betrayal of the American soldier? According to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Prime Minister Maliki got to look like he was actually running the country.
Here’s some simple advice to the Prime Minister. If you want to look like you’re in charge, get rid of Sadr and the Medhi Army. Anything less than that and you will always be an invalid in your own office, dependent on the whims of warlords for your survival.
My battalion received a warning order in 2003 to capture Sadr, and the order was rescinded. Apparently someone thought we could control the delusional drug addict. Once again, in 2004 after the fighting in An Najaf and Karbala subsided, Sadr was allowed to remain. The cancer that remains unexcavated consumes more of the host.
As for our president, what did he get out of this Faustian pact? Perhaps he gets to hold Iraq together for a few more weeks and steer his party through the November elections. Then what? Do we continue our failed strategy? “Search and destroy” and “in and out” didn’t work in Vietnam, and of course it hasn’t worked in Iraq.
There are almost 50,000 cops in New York City, but the American military is supposed to hold down Iraq with 140,000. It’s a sick joke. It would take at least half a million U.S. soldiers to stabilize Iraq, based on population-to-peacekeeper ratios established by the French in Algeria in the 40s, the British in Malaysia in the 50s and NATO forces in Bosnia and Kosovo.
To paraphrase Mao Tse Tung from his 1937 treatise on guerilla warfare, the people are the sea in which the insurgent swims. Our inability to protect the people and keep out the insurgents means every aspect of Iraqi daily life is now in their grips. Unfortunately, it may be too late.
Like most Americans, I have that 1968 kind of feeling. Even if the president changes our Iraq policy after the election, anything less than passing some form of conscription and pumping the active-duty Army up to well over a million soldiers is a half measure.
No, I suppose what we’ll do is adopt some form of ‘Vietnamization,’ and the results will be just as unsuccessful. And when Iraq is fully engaged in civil war, not only will we have to answer for wasted American lives and resources, we’ll have to prepare for what comes next. That is the guarantee of increased incidents of terrorism around the world as a result of a further destabilized Middle East.
-Jason Blindauer
Class of 2001
Note about the author: Jason Blindauer is an XU graduate, class of 2001. He was an infantry officer in the U.S. Army until May 2006. He served in Iraq in 2003 (OIF I) and 2005 (OIF III). He currently works in Dallas, TX.
I am a minority student here at Xavier Univesity. No, I don’t like the Burger King. I am a commuter student. I am not able to sleep in my nice warm bed until 5 to 10 minutes before classes start. I wake up two hours before my classes start, rush through my morning routine, fight traffic for 45 minutes or more, then arrive on campus 20 minutes before my classes start to participate in the commuter sport – parking.
There are very few spots that could be considered close to class buildings, and commuter students are often seen driving through the lots trying to find parking. I am not afraid when a car drives slowly behind me, stalking me to my car. I know the driver just wants my parking spot. It’s part of the life of a commuter student at Xavier.
However, the inadequate parking situation becomes even worse when the basketball team plays. Half, if not more, of the parking close to class is cut off and the Cintas lot is completely closed after 5 p.m. We are to park behind Cohen, in a dimly lit and remote area that is roughly a 15 minute brisk walk. This situation causes night classes to run behind, simply because many of these students have to make that walk so that the basketball team has an audience.
At a university that is supposed to pride itself on academics, not sports, this is unacceptable. Every student needs access to those resources that make it possible for them to maximize their learning. For commuter students, one of those resources is parking. I realize that this is not a huge concern for resident students, and therefore is not a concern that is widely addressed. However, we pay tuition as well and deserve the same opportunity to learn.
Perhaps Xavier should do as UC does, and build a parking garage. Half or all of the R-1 lot could be converted to a C lot. As Xavier’s student and commuter population grows, the parking needs to expand.
-Staci Martin
Class of 2009
It’s that time of the year, commuters! The time where, in addition to traffic, you now get to fight the elements to make your way to class. You may believe that you are equipped to make your way, with your scraper and your special tires and such. However, when you are in class and that huge snowstorm hits, be prepared. Your teacher won’t let class out early because most students can just walk to their dorm rooms.
The university won’t have a place for you to stay – unless you count the couches in the GSC. You could stay with complete strangers with that bag Campus Police told you to pack during orientation. Or you can risk it, trying to drive home. In the meantime, residents are having snowball fights and thinking it’s a great party.
That is why some of the commuter students have come together and created the idea of the commuter house. This could be a place with a few bunk beds, a kitchen, bathrooms and a TV. A place where commuter students – and only commuter students – could go if there was an emergency, or just to hang out during the day.
This is not a cheap way to get a dorm room. We’re not asking for a place to live on campus. We’re asking for a safe place to stay in case of emergency.
It would be open through the school year, but students could only stay there for a few days throughout the whole month, and with an excuse that is qualified as an emergency if there is not inclement weather. The center could be staffed by commuter students, and we could use one of the empty houses. No longer would the best advice be to pack an overnight bag.
While Commuter Services has gotten much better, they are still not able to provide the full amount of services that commuter students need.
Until Xavier is able to come up with a solution to the commuter’s ailments during winter, we must fend for ourselves. So what’s a commuter to do?
-Stephanie Ibemere
Class of 2009
by James P. Konerman, M.D.
Medical Director/Physician, McGrath Health & Counseling Center
MRSA INFECTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY
MRSA stands for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.
Staphylococcus Aureus is a common cause of boils and skin infections. This variety (MRSA) is resistant to many common penicillin like antibiotics. It can cause life-threatening infections and death. This organism used to be found only in hospitals and nursing homes. Patients would get infected after being in those facilities for awhile.
Now, we’re finding that it causes more than 50% of community acquired skin infections. It has been a growing problem for sports teams. The best protection is handwashing! Shared athletic equipment needs to be cleaned with antiseptics. Athletes need to shower frequently, especially after using gym/exercise equipment.
Many times the initial infection site looks like a big pimple or spider bite. If you think you have a problem, see us.
McGrath Health & Counseling Center
(513) 745-3022
Matthew Finger 
Op-Ed Editor
Pat Stevenson
Asst. Op-Ed Editor
The Xavier Newswire
3800 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45207-2129
On-campus location:
The Publications House,
3739 Ledgewood Dr.
Telephone: 513.745.3607
Advertising: 513.745.3561
Fax: 513.745.2898
www.xu.edu/newswire
