Published since 1915 by the students
of Xavier University
— STAFF EDITORIAL —
A Matter of Morals
As President Bush has reiterated, the United States finds itself engaged in a historic ideological struggle between good and evil. Like all of us, he has certainly been wrong before and will certainly be wrong again, but he is right about this.
In the oft-mentioned but vaguely-defined War on Terror, the forces of good are doing battle with the forces of evil. The President is right when he says that the forces of evil aren’t always easy to identify; sometimes they wear American flack jackets and Military Police helmets.
The President is right when he says that we must fight the forces of evil all over the world; sometimes the battlefield is an office at the Department of Justice or a conference table at the Department of Defense.
The President is right when he says that this war against an evil, multi-headed monster has to be waged on every front imaginable—especially where policy decisions are made. In a war that pits competing ideologies like good and evil against each other, the most important weapon is the moral high ground.
Every time a decision is made to limit the rights of enemy detainees, the forces of good lose a little high ground; every time a decision is made to expand the definition of “alternative interrogation techniques,” the high ground gets a little flatter.
The nauseating images of prisoner abuse that emerged from the Abu Ghraib detention center in Iraq were portrayed as the sick fetishes of a handful of hillbillies working “the night shift” at the prison, despite verifiable evidence (some written in the hand of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld) of a “whatever-it-takes” atmosphere that condoned and encouraged the same acts depicted in the guards’ photos.
The crime for which those guards were punished seems to be the production of evidence, and not the despicable acts themselves. Indeed, what is striking about the pictures is the level of comfort the guards exude while in the presence of naked Iraqi men being attacked by prison dogs.
At the heed of the recent HBO documentary “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,” the Newswire wonders whether that visible comfort with disturbing circumstances is truly the product of a few sick minds, or of a sickening culture, designed to extract the most information from prisoners as possible with minimal regard for human dignity.
The harvest and analysis of intelligence is certainly crucial to stopping the forces of evil before they can do further harm; it may be the most important fight in this “War.”
The Newswire has argued before, as now, that there are good and evil ways to gather this intelligence.
When this country buys expedience in interrogation by disorienting an already naked prisoner by placing a hood over his head, we sacrifice some of our goodness.
When this country buys efficiency in intelligence extraction by keeping a prisoner awake for weeks with the threat of electrocution, we sacrifice some of our decency.
When this country buys anything by denying our enemies’ inherent humanity, by resorting to “alternative interrogation techniques” and by torturing our prisoners, we sacrifice our moral high ground and blur the lines between the forces of good and the forces of evil.
A Piece of Opinion: Do You Have Your Ticket?
Matthew Finger
Op-Ed Editor
This week, the Xavier student body will elect a new set of Student Government Association executives. It doesn’t matter who will win, however, because they’re all the same, though minutely different, and they’re all not going to change anything, just like the last executives.
Why do I say this? Well, I’m glad you asked. Each ticket’s platform is full of lots of cute little ideas to improve student life. In all honesty, a few of them might. Giving graduate students tickets to basketball games, a crosswalk between the Commons and the mail center and some small improvements might add to the already spoiled lifestyle of Xavier students. But on the whole, the tickets are bogus.
They all repeat the same issues as the other platforms—suggest action that the executives have no authority to do, make promises that can’t be kept and the biggest joke of them all: undertake projects that are already in motion, claiming those ideas as their own invention. Basically they’re imitating actual politicians.
Anyway, that’s enough chit-chat. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and tell you, the Xavier students, what’s going on with your elected officials.
Parking is a huge issue right, especially for me since Campus Police just invoked their tyrannical power-trip and ticketed me. For the record, they’re not real cops. But despite this fact, there’s nothing we can do about it.
Campus Police is their own entity and there is little, if anything, that the executives (all of the tickets have parking on their platform) can do about parking, especially at basketball games. Hoops is the life-blood of this university and, as depressing as it might be, student fans come second to paying fans.
The Meyer/Borton/Scanlon (MBS) and the Smith/O’Brien/Sandmann (SOS) ticket both have off-campus/out of area shuttles on their ticket.
Brilliant idea, except you have to fix the on-campus shuttle first, since I know for a fact that we are wasting a crap load of money on the shuttle, since the driver is ALWAYS sitting at the end of my street sleeping. That’s your tuition money at its best.
Next, we have sand volleyball courts (MBS and SOS) and a rock/rope course (MBS) on campus. Um, right. Unless the tickets have been talking to the wonderful people in charge of Xavier’s 10 year plan to renovate campus, there’s no way that anyone is going to put sand volleyball courts on campus, and there’s an even smaller chance that anyone is going to be playing cliffhanger in O’Connor.
All the tickets, this time including Byrd/Baker/Gamboa (BBG), have off campus dining, in some form, as a top issue. SOS wants board points at restaurants like Chipotle, Wendy’s and Papa John’s, while BBG and MBS have a similar plan to contract restaurants for off-campus meal plans. Well, for one, this is neither original nor creative, especially considering that it has been mentioned before and is, in my humblest opinion, not possible at this time.
If you want off campus meal plans, you need to start with smaller establishments such as Betta’s. Also, if you’re going to choose restaurants for off-campus dining, at least pick one in the area—Chipotle is all the way over in Oakley and unless you’ve already taken the shuttle steps as aforementioned, getting there is a large obstacle for most students.
All Card access to residential halls (SOS and MBS) is already in progress, so there is no reason to think that these tickets thought of the idea themselves. The same applies for a “dead day” before exams which would allow students a day to rest/study as needed. This idea is already in motion, so MBS should take a day and think of something new.
BBG wants new jerseys and equipment for club sports. What BBG doesn’t know is that club sports need more money, not just new jerseys and equipment. Many clubs need money just to pay referees and league fees, and without that money having a jersey would be useless because they have nowhere to wear them (I think the equestrian club would agree with me on this).
The MBS ticket also wants websites for every club/organization. Good luck with that. I’ve been trying to get Doug Ruschman to create a website for the lacrosse team for six months. It’s up to clubs to create their own website at this point.
MBS and SOS want a spirit week before the Crosstown Shootout. We had something like that, it was called Homecoming. No one cared and it was a waste of money. Nice try.
All of the platforms want to edit course selections or revolutionize something academically within the university. They don’t have the authority, so I don’t know why they are making such claims. All that academic stuff is out of student jurisdiction. This isn’t a school where we get to make our own majors. No one gets to have a major in Dana Gardensology.
I could go on forever if someone would let me, but unfortunately your time and attention span are limited. If you got this far, I applaud you and appreciate your die-hard resolve to educate yourself on the falsities of Xavier politics.
Just remember, no matter the outcome of the election, you are being lied to. Fight the man, or woman, depending on the winning ticket.
Xavier does New York — Newswire Style
Patrick Stevenson
Asst. Op-Ed Editor
Sunday, 5:45 AM- My alarm goes off. The things I do for you loyal reader(s).
6:34 AM- After showering and slugging down 8 oz. of coffee, I pick up Matt and we depart for the airport. This is far too early in the morning for me to be driving at high speeds.
6:39 AM- We pass the greatest graffiti tag ever, located on I-71S. It reads “Habeas Corpus: RIP 1215-2006.” By far the most overly intellectual vandalism ever committed near Cincinnati.
7:17 AM- Matt and I finally go to check in for our 7:51 AM flight to Chicago, where we will catch a connecting flight to LaGuardia in NYC. We are both as excited as college students can be before dawn on a Sunday.
7:19 AM- The United Airlines employee informs us that our flight has been cancelled due to bad weather in Chicago. On an aside, this United employee’s name is Vince Coleman, the name of the St. Louis Cardinals leadoff hitter a few years back. Matt doesn’t seem overly interested in this observation.
7:37 AM- Vince tells us that the only way he can get us to NYC today is to fly us into JFK International, which is a lot further away from our hotel than LaGuardia. We are displeased.
7:41 AM- I am jonesing for a McGriddles right now like its crack cocaine.
7:44 AM- Vince announces our new flight will depart CVG at 2:30 PM this afternoon, take us to Dulles International near DC, then arrive around 6:00 PM at JFK. I’m glad, I’d much rather spend a morning in a CVG terminal than spend an afternoon walking around Manhattan.
8:04 AM- Matt and I go to Damon’s Grill for breakfast, where we both order the Cheesy Bacon Potato casserole. I almost think a McGriddles would be healthier.
8:39 AM- As intrinsically delicious as that Cheesy Bacon Potato casserole was, knowing that Xavier University would be picking up the tab for it makes it that much more scrumptious. Thanks alumni donors!
8:55 AM- After thanking our waitress and saving our receipt, I spot a white haired man dressed in a white suit who looks stunningly like Colonel Sanders walking toward a newsstand. Matt and I proceed to follow him around the terminal for the next 20 minutes because we have nothing better to do. I’m really glad I woke up before 6:00 AM for this.
10:10 AM- Finger has fallen asleep on the floor of the terminal and I am toiling away at the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. I a related note, I am quickly discovering that I am probably not smart enough to complete this puzzle.
10:17 AM- Colonel Sanders has sat down near us. He is reading the comics. I wonder if he knows a 4 letter word for “Roman road.”
10:56 AM- A bird just landed on a chair near me. I don’t know what to think about this.
11:26 AM- An airport employee sits next to us and proceeds to throw crackers to the bird. She explains to us that the bird is “like her pet,” and she “feeds it everyday.” Umm.
11:32 AM- The crazy bird lady tells me that she doesn’t know the bird’s gender, but she calls it a “she.” I’m beginning to fear for my life.
11:44 AM- Just to recap: We are in a terminal lobby at CVG. There is a bird that lives in this lobby. Airport employees feed the bird regularly and speculate as to its gender. No one seems to think that the presence of a bird inside of this airport is a problem. Right.
11:51 AM- Quoth Matt Finger: “Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherf*cking birds in this motherf*cking airport!”
12:02 PM- After almost 5 hours in the lobby, Matt and I decide to go through security to wait outside of our gate. After essentially removing a layer of clothing to pass through the metal detectors, I am told that my toothpaste and deodorant cannot be carried on the plane, and must either be checked or thrown away. Damn terrorists.
12:17 PM- After being ravaged by Homeland Security employees, Matt and I sit down to do some reading before our 2:37 PM flight. Had our flight not been cancelled, we would be arriving at LaGuardia right now. I hate Chicago because of this.
1:24 PM- I am listening to some Bloc Party on my iPod without a care in the world when Matt taps me on the shoulder and informs me that our flight to Dulles has been cancelled. So now, after six hours at CVG, we have no flight. Screw you weather.
1:43 PM- As we wait in line attempting to somehow get the hell out of this godforsaken airport, a father walks by with his son, who he has tethered to a leash. This makes me feel slightly better.
2:19 PM- After waiting in line for 45 minutes, we finally get rerouted to LaGuardia via Columbus. Our flight departs at 4:40, but I’m extremely skeptical at this point.
2:27 PM- To reward ourselves for our patience, Matt and I consume overpriced sandwiches. Beware of condors.
2:59 PM- I’ve been fending off a caffeine crash for the last 90 minutes, and I think my body is starting to lose the battle. I’m so cold. I don’t want to feel like this anymore. Matt says that when he becomes a veterinarian he will buy me head shots.
3:29 PM- The United States government confiscates Matt Finger’s toothpaste. The Transportation Security Administration: defending us from clean teeth since 2006.
3:37 PM- Alright CVG, you win. I give up. You have so thoroughly kicked my ass during the 9 hours I have been waiting here today that I barely even know what part of the country I am in. This airport has totally crushed my spirit. If this is a boxing match, CVG airport is Ivan Drago and I am Apollo Creed. I has broken me.
4:27 PM- Matt and I despondently sit in the gate lobby outside of our gate. Then, as if by some miracle, our flight is called to board. I am stunned, overjoyed, and relieved.
4:29 PM- Elatedly, I walk down the jetway to enter the vessel which will whisk us away from this Dante-esque netherworld. Then I see the matchbox with propellers that’s supposed to take us up into the air. Now I only fear death.
4:41 PM- It occurs to me that this is the 1st time I’ve been on an airplane since Snakes on a Plane came out.
4:53 PM- At long last, we have liftoff.
5:20 PM- We touch down in Columbus, OH, only to be informed that there are no gates for us to use. I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but God does not want us to get to NYC.
6:05 PM- After getting off the plane and making a brief stop to rest, Matt and I prepare to go through security for the fourth time today.
6:07 PM- I am informed that not only have I been selected to have my bag searched, but also to be patted down by a 230 lb. man. America rules.
6:21 PM- Matt gets frisked as well. The United States government has searched our bags four times today and patted us down one time each. It’s clear that we are being racially profiled.
6:57 PM- I ask the gentleman next to me in a Troy Smith jersey who won the OSU-Wisconsin game tonight, and he jubilantly tells me OSU won. Wait, Ohio St. won a home game against a Big Ten rival and everyone jumps on their bandwagon? That never happens.
7:10 PM- We board for our flight to LaGuardia. Supposedly, there is a snowstorm bearing down on Manhattan which may or may not arrive before we do. This could end poorly.
7:18 PM- I find an unfinished crossword in my seat pocket. Jackpot.
7:22 PM- Liftoff number 2.
8:46 PM- Our pilot informs us that we will be one of the last planes to land at LaGuardia tonight because of the snow. At this point I’d rather land on an icy runway than spend another second in a goddamn airport.
8:55 PM- We touch down at LaGuardia without incident, though we are informed we won’t have a gate for another 20 minutes. I hate everything.
9:15 PM- We get off the airplane and enter the terminal. Over 14 hours later, we have arrived.
9:43 PM- Our cab driver, Louie tells us that he and Shannon Sharpe are boys, and shows us Sharpe’s phone number to prove it.
9:47 PM- Louie runs down the list of celebrities he’s driven around NYC, which includes Scarlett Johannson (“nice girl”), Sharon Stone (“bitch”), Chloe from “24” (“nice but quiet”), Diana Ross (“big bitch”), the voice of “Sponge Bob” (“weird”), and Dan Marino (“huge hands”). I feel insignificant.
10:01 PM- We arrive at our hotel in Midtown Manhattan, which is two blocks from Times Square.
10:14 PM- We check into our hotel room, which is straight out of “Lost in Translation,” drop off our stuff, and immediately head out to wander Times Square.
10:21 PM- A guy comes up to Matt and I and asks: “are you guys looking for girls?” Matt hesitates way too long before answering no.
10:25 PM- If you’re ever wondering how or why America consumes two-thirds of the world’s energy, just check out Times Square at night. It’s absolutely preposterous how many lights there are.
10:26 PM- There’s a 15-story high picture of Diddy giving the black power salute on the side of a building. I am fascinated by this place.
10:36 PM- Another gentleman asks us if we would like to hire prostitutes. maybe the pimps of NYC are active salesmen. Or maybe we just look pathetic and lonely.
10:42 PM- The quest for New York pizza begins, as we walk around several blocks to find a pizza place that’s still open. For the “city that never sleeps,” there sure are a lot of closed pizza joints.
11:03 PM- We finally find an open pizza place, and order two enormous slices. If you’ve ever been to New York, you know the surge of anticipation that comes with watching a guy named Fredo cook you a greasy, cheesy, fantastic-looking slice of pizza. Unless you’re Zak Woods, you just don’t get that feeling watching a Skyline worker throw together a three-way.
11:09 PM- Gloriousness is experienced in cheese and tomato sauce form.
11:17 PM- We complete our pizza, and fatigue sets in hard. Being in airport for 14 hours will do that to you I guess. Thanks for reading this far if you did.
See their pictures in The Gallery!
Terror Under the Big Top
Every year when the circus comes to Cincinnati, people fill the stands to partake in the “innocent” enjoyment of this age-old American tradition. However, in the last few decades, the Big Top has received massive criticism for its cruel treatment of animals.
This unethical conduct, however, may not be apparent to the show’s spectators; the real cruelty goes on behind the scenes. In so many ways the circus violates the Jesuit mission of peace, justice and compassion. How does this industry obtain animals such as elephants, lions and tigers in the first place? Most times, these animals are stripped away from their wild, open, natal habitat and forced to live the rest of their lives in miserably small crates.
To make matters worse, the training to which these animals are subjected usually includes the use of bull hooks and electrical rods, inducing torture on these creatures so that they will perform silly tricks for our ignorant amusement. While being transported from one venue to another, animals are generally caged and chained in train cars, which are usually unheated, unventilated and unpastured.
It would be comforting to think, then, that after all of this torment the animals are placed in some sort of sanctuary when they have grown too old to perform. Unfortunately, these animals may be sold to other road shows or sometimes even to slaughter houses after they have exceeded their prime performance age.
While many people have grown up enjoying their visits to the circus, it is not worth the suffering of beautiful creatures. The circus will be coming to Cincinnati on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Please choose to stop unnecessary animal cruelty by not attending performances cruel to animals. Advocates for Animals at Xavier will be hosting an informational table in the Gallagher Student Center on Thursday, March 1 to educate others and answer any questions regarding the cruel treatment of animals in entertainment.
Jacki Sprinkle and Doug Kramer
Class of ‘09
Matthew Finger 
Op-Ed Editor
Pat Stevenson
Asst. Op-Ed Editor
The Xavier Newswire
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