a patriot's weapon of choice

I'm baaaaack

2008-04-09T19:49:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if anyone still reads this blog, but I've recently decided to resurrect it. I used this mostly for local politics when I was at UNCG, and I guess I kind of left it behind. Now that the local political scene is heating up again, I thought I'd keep this blog updated a little better.

My main blog is still at thatpoliscinerd.livejournal.com, but I've gone back and posted the most recent posts from my LJ that were related to local issues. I've also noticed that a lot of local blogs use Blogspot, whereas most of my LJ friends are cross-country.

Anyways, good to be back.

Pat McCrory and illegal immigration

2008-04-09T11:44:00.000-05:00

Perdue and McCrory in Greensboro from YES! Weekly:

McCrory is an interesting kind of centrist candidate. His rhetoric on immigration appeals to a certain conservative and nativist sentiment that runs strong in this state, but his advocacy of mass transit makes him more progressive than many prominent Democrats in the state. And with Charlotte’s new light-rail system, he has a record to match.

“I think the more choices you have, the better,” McCrory told the audience at Embassy Suites. “You put bike paths and pedestrian paths where you think they might be needed, not just today, but for the future.”

In discussing gangs, he made a connection between illegal immigration and criminality, and demonstrated a cognizance of recent events in the Triad.

“We have a serious gang problem right here in Greensboro,” he said. “You also have international gangs. In Charlotte we had a shootout with an El Salvadoran gang, all illegal immigrants. Let me repeat, all illegal immigrants. And thank God, they missed and our police didn’t.”

Later I asked McCrory if he agreed with the five leading candidates — Democrats Perdue and Moore; and Republicans Fred Smith, Bill Graham and Bob Orr — that undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to attend North Carolina community colleges.

He clearly is: “I am opposed to it. They’re illegal.”

I took the question a step further and asked if he also would be in favor of denying undocumented immigrants access to emergency rooms, and the mayor drew a distinction.

“I believe in helping people for their health and safety,” he said. “I would not deny anybody help for their health and safety.”

My response to the article:

"McCrory is an interesting kind of centrist candidate. His rhetoric on immigration appeals to a certain conservative and nativist sentiment that runs strong in this state[...]"

I think your wording here attempts to denigrate McCrory's stance on immigration. While it is true that some conservatives' immigration views stem mostly from blind xenophobia, the same can not be said for McCrory.

As mayor of a large southern city for the past 12 years, McCrory knows firsthand how dangerous illegal immigrants can be. We here in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem areas would do well to remember that we are having an increasing problem with gangs whose membership consists soley of illegals. Violent crimes against honest, hard-working Americans are disgusting enough when committed by their follow citizens. When these same crimes are committed by people who shouldn't even be here, the blame shifts partly to a government who has no desire to enforce their own laws.

I am aware that most illegal immigrants are NOT gang members and are only interested in making a better life for their families. I have no problem with people from other countries wanting to move to America for better opportunities; that is why we have a LEGAL path to citizenship. By crossing the border and living here illegally, these people have already shown that they are capable of breaking our laws, and for some of them, more violent crimes are an easy progression.

One of McCrory's biggest concerns is North Carolina's crime rate, and I dare say he's had more first-hand experience with that than any of the other GOP candidates. McCrory's immigration stance is firmly connected to his fight against crime, not simple conservative "rhetoric".

And with a month to go...

2008-04-05T16:38:00.003-05:00

(Yeah, that's right. I'm spending my Saturday afternoon reading polls.)

Pat McCrory Ups Lead to Double Digits!!!

Check out the crosstabs on page 4. McCrory leads Fred Smith 35% to 23% in REPUBLICAN voters alone. Why is that so great? Because NC Republicans can't count on the unaffiliated voters like we could in past years.

For those of you unfamiliar with the NC voting system, if you're an unaffiliated voter in this state, you have to chose whether you want to vote in the Democratic primary or the Republican primary. Any other election year, this gubernatorial race would pull a lot of unaffiliated voters to the Republican primary, especially those around the Charlotte area (where McCrory is currently serving his record mayoral 7th term).

However, thanks to the current never-ending power struggle that is the Democratic presidential nomination, North Carolinians have (mistakenly) convinced themselves that their vote is needed there. You see, our primary happens so late in the year that there's already clear winners by the time anyone even reaches us, so people around here are pretty sure that *we* are going to be the state that decides it all.

Yeah. Just like every single other state before was going to be "the state that decides it all". Obama's going to win NC -- truth is, NC didn't like the first Clinton, and most of it was probably thanks to Hillary (the 2nd most unpopular thing about Bill's presidency after Monicagate). Aside from that, it's kinda annoying to me how many North Carolinians are getting star-struck about this primary. Guess what people -- they never cared about you before, and after the primaries, they're going to forget all about you. NC is a Republican state, and chances are it's going to stay that way in 2008.

I'm not an unaffiliated voter, but if I were, I'd focus more on the gubernatorial race. I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- McCrory is the only electable Republican when you pair him against Perdue (or Richard Moore, as it seems many North Carolinians are coming to their senses about Perdue). I know that Ryan thinks both Smith and Graham "have the ability to win this thing by signing a check", but I think the people of NC are smarter than that. If McCrory's only downfall is that Smith has more money than he has good sense, then I think it's time for me to get out of politics altogether. It's a shame Ross Perot didn't use that check-signing power to win in 1992.

I think I just dated myself. Or maybe outed myself as the only 8-year-old that kept up with politics.

Enough politics for today. UNC's playing tonight, and I have to go support them (even if it WILL destroy my bracket).

(www.patmccrory.com)

Pat McCrory is the man

2008-03-18T12:18:00.001-05:00

I'm super busy right now, but I'm too afraid that the primaries are going to sneak up on me without having posted my support for the only Republican gubernatorial candidate that has a chance against Beverly Perdue.

PAT MCCRORY FOR GOVERNOR

North Carolina has had something like two Republican Governors in the past 100 years. Just a few years ago, Mike "Tax-Hike" Easley was one of the most unpopular guys in NC politics, but the slew of bumbling idiots on the Republican side made it easy for him to hold his position for another four years.

NOW, Easley's Democratic Lt. Governor, Beverly Perdue, thinks it's her turn. I'll be completely honest with you: I voted for "Bev". In fact, I was a big proponent of her running for governor (especially since I couldn't stand anyone on the Republican side). But that was before she took a complete nose-dive over to the left. Now, every other commercial on local television is Bev talking about how all North Carolinians have a "right" to healthcare, or complaining about the "greedy" lenders that dared to foreclose on the homes of people that refused to pay back the money they owed. I've spent the last month begging my parents (who are registered Democrats and therefore must vote in the Democratic primary) to vote for anyone BUT Perdue. If nothing else, the name recognition will do us in.

Pat McCrory is the only Republican candidate that has a chance against Bev. He's been mayor of Charlotte (easily NC's most liberal city) for 7 terms now -- a record, mind you -- and during those years, he actually brought crime DOWN 33% even as crime rates nationwide were skyrocketing. Home values have actually gone UP in Charlotte... which is a refreshing change.

The other gubernatorial candidates know he's the best chance we've got, and they've been shamelessly attacking him. I can promise you right now: if you nominate Bill Graham, Fred Smith, or Bob Orr as the Republican candidate, WE WILL LOSE TO BEVERLY PERDUE. He may not be as socially conservative as they are, but social issues aren't a part of his agenda. Look around you, North Carolina -- is our greatest threat right now gay marriage? Do we really want a governor that's going to make taxes and the economy take a back seat to school prayer?

I've already emailed the campaign to see if I can help out in any way, and I've offered to use my vacation time to volunteer. This is a man I truly believe in. Check him out.

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

2006-11-07T09:50:00.000-05:00

Not the best picture in the world, but give me a break. In case you can't tell, that's my ballot this morning, with a vote for Republican (and person friend) Michael Moore, Republican Phil Berger, and a vote AGAINST illegal alien Republican Vernon Robinson (for more information on that, see the following column).

In case you don't know what my predictions are (that I've been spouting for the past five months), here we go. I see the Democrats taking control of the House, but Republicans keeping the Senate, and guess what guys -- IT WON'T BE THE END OF THE WORLD. On a more local level, Berger will keep his seat, Cole will keep his seat (sorry Michael, the guy owns this town... but I'm PRAYING for an upset!), Belinda Foster will LOSE her D.A. position to Berger Jr. And I'm hoping this is a given, but Brad Miller will keep his seat.

Go vote. Vote Republican, unless you live in the 13th district, or you have Libertarian candidates with a chance in hell. Don't forget, it's not just your right, it's a privilege.
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RINOs Against Robinson

I get called a rhino more often than I care to admit.

No, it’s not because I’m covered in gray, scaly skin. Nor is it because I have a huge horn at the end of my nose.

It’s an acronym. RINO stands for “Republican In Name Only”, and it isn’t a term of endearment from my fellow Republicans. John McCain, one of my political heroes, is called a RINO on a regular basis by his political opponents within his own party.

The truth is, there are real RINOs out there, but John McCain isn’t one and neither am I. We are both simply Republicans who do not blindly follow party lines. I wish I could say there are more of us out there, but looking at this year’s election from within the 13th district, I can tell there are not.

For four years now, I have dedicated my 13th district voting habits to keeping Brad Miller out of office. Aside from the fact that I rarely agree with his stance on the issues, I am appalled at the way he continually ignores his non-big city constituents – and he even drew his own district!

But I just cannot bring myself to vote for Vernon Robinson. This man has been an embarrassment to North Carolina Republicans for too long, and anyone who has seen the Miller-Robinson debates should agree with me. He sticks like glue to the Republican platform, boasting his pro-life, pro-war, anti-immigration, anti-gay agenda at every chance – yet with no real plans or solutions. When confronted about his lack of solutions, he merely warns us that we should worry about getting Miller out of office first.

First? With an attitude like that, one could end up with Ted Kennedy for a congressman. I think first we should worry about having a competent replacement.

To make up for having absolutely no political strategy (not to mention original ideas), Robinson uses the shock factor to get voters’ attentions. His “Twilight Zone” ad (which recently made MSN.com’s list of the country’s top three most ridiculous political ads) bombards the viewer with thoughts of living in a society where illegal Hispanics run amuck, citizens routinely burn American flags in their front yards, and homosexuals are allowed to marry. Oh no wait, my mistake, they are “mocking holy matrimony”.

Whenever Robinson is asked to give a possible solution to an issue, he criticizes Miller’s record. If pressed for a real answer, he sometimes loses his cool. In one debate, Robinson actually attacked the moderator’s religious denomination, because he pressed him too hard for clarification to an answer.

Hoping to reach the small-town constituents that Miller often neglects, Robinson is stressing his anti-illegal immigration stance. He thinks if people who aren’t from around here want to live here, they should legally move here.

Well, Robinson and I do agree on that. And that’s one of the reasons I am so against him. You see, Vernon Robinson lives in Winston-Salem. He ran in the 5th district two years ago. Having lost hope there, he turned to the 12th district, but realized Ada Fisher had a far better chance then he did. Shortly before the cut-off date to apply for a place on the primary ballot, Robinson chose the 13th district as his best bet for political support.

Fellow 13th districters, it’s time we secure OUR borders. People shouldn’t be allowed to freely run where ever they see opportunity. Do we really think Robinson has our best interests in mind? The man would run for office anywhere he saw the opportunity. People like Robinson may call me a RINO, but maybe I’m not content with just voting for whatever random joker the GOP can dig up.

Let’s send a message to the Republican Party this year. We won’t stand for these jokers anymore. Join me in “deporting” Vernon Robinson back to the 5th district where he belongs!

And two years from now, join me in getting Miller OUT of the House… but not before we have a competent replacement.

Lynne Stewart only gets 28 months for aiding terrorists

2006-10-16T16:02:00.000-05:00

Lawyer Gets Prison Term in Terrorism Case

Lynne F. Stewart, the firebrand lawyer who was charged as a terrorist for helping a client in prison on terrorism charges to communicate with his followers, was sentenced today to 28 months in federal prison, far less than the 30 years the government had sought.

“I still believe it was justifiable — but perhaps not in the way that I did it,” Ms. Stewart said in an interview with The New York Times before her sentencing. She was speaking of her actions in June 2000 to violate strict prison rules, known as special administrative measures, by publicizing a message from the sheik to his militant followers in Egypt.

There was never any question during the eight-month trial that Ms. Stewart had broken the rules by releasing the sheik’s statement, which said he no longer supported a cease-fire by his followers in Egypt.

But in his remarks, the judge demonstrated that he did not believe Ms. Stewart represented the threat the government described.

There was “no evidence that any victim was in fact harmed” by her actions, the judge said. He cited her 30-year career as a government-appointed lawyer to “the poor, the disadvantaged and the unpopular.”

“It is no exaggeration to say that Ms. Stewart performed a public service not only to her clients but to the nation,” he said, adding that she did not choose her cases to become wealthy.

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Whoop-dee-freaking-do. Lots of people don't choose careers that will make them wealthy -- does that mean we should give them a free pass on terrorism?

The thing I hate about internet news sites, as I just discussed with one of my co-workers, is the fact that WHILE I'm posting this blog, the wording changes on the New York Times article. Five minutes ago, this same article described the sheik as "urging" his militant followers to end the cease-fire... now it just says he let them know he no longer supported the cease-fire. Wording is everything, and heaven forbid the American people really know what kind of danger this woman was dealing with here.

Since there was no evidence that anyone was harmed as a direct result of Ms. Stewart's actions, maybe we should change all of our laws around. Maybe, the maniac that walks into a federal building randomly shooting around people shouldn't be punished as long as no one is hurt. Hey, in fact, if the maniac is an elementary school teacher, we should actually praise him, because after all, he does a great service to the children of his community, and he didn't choose his career for wealth.

It's one thing to act as a defense attorney for terrorists -- it's another thing completely to aid them in their jihad.

After the hearing, a beaming Ms. Stewart spoke outside the courtroom, where dozens of her supporters and reporters had been waiting for her.

“This is a great victory against an over-reaching government,” she said, holding a bouquet of flowers she had been handed.

That's disturbing.

How I learned that not all old white men are evil

2006-10-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Last night, Howard Coble spoke to the UNCG College Republicans. And all I really have to say about it is, I have a new favorite congressman.

I'm usually not a big fan of people who get elected year after year after year, because it usually means they're getting elected simply because their name is so well known. With this thinking, I never gave Coble a chance; never bothered to find out where he stood, or even why he is so popular in Greensboro. Besides, it's not like he's my congressman, so why waste my time? Just another old, white, male, habitual politician.

I guess last night I learned not to judge a book by its cover. When Howard Coble entered the room, he went up to every single person, shook their hand, and asked what high school they attended. He then proceeded to tell each of us what our high school mascot was. I was so sure he HAD to get one person's wrong, even to the point where, when he told me I was a "cougar", and defiantly responded, "Nope!... oh wait... yeah, I am..."

Okay, sure, I had heard he was charismatic. But when he got to the front of the room and announced that most Republicans didn't like his stance on a lot of issues (and furthermore, he didn't care), I refused to believe it. There is no way, I told myself, that a North Carolina Republican would have gotten re-elected so many times by NOT following the party lines.

He began his speech by laying out what voters had informed him were the most important issues in this year's midterm elections: Iraq, immigration, and enery. Starting with Iraq, he stated without hesitation: "I think it's time to get out of Iraq."

My ears perked up.

He went on about how everyone thought invading Iraq would be a great idea a few years ago, but he described out post-entry strategy as sloppy.

"I don't think there even was one," he continued. "And maybe part of that is my fault for not asking enough questions."

Representative Coble went on to say he actually did ask a great deal of questions at the time, such as "What's going to happen to us when we get there?" He remembered speaking with an Iraqi man only months before we made out move, and the man begged him to help his country, to get Saddam out of power. Coble asked the man, "If we do go over there, and if we do throw out Saddam, are your people going to thank us, or attack us?" He said at that point, the man looked to the ground and admitted that he couldn't be sure. "That's what scared me," Coble told us.

People who accuse him of wanting to cut and run aren't seeing the big picture, according to Coble. "We've been there for over two years, that is NOT cutting and running." He continued to say that he didn't think it would be wise to immediately pull out tomorrow, but he didn't want our troops to be stuck there eternally.

I was disappointed in his immigration stance. He informed the group that he was glad we had approved the 700 mile fence along the Mexican border. I'm still wondering why they think that waste of money would do any good whatsoever, but no one asked me...

He also talked about how our local businesses would all go under if we deprived them of the cheap labor, which is why we need a guest worker program. This should include, he added, a clause that makes the employers offer a health care plan, since their medical bills fall on the tax payers' shoulders when they can't afford to pay for hospital vists and such.

On the topic of energy, Coble stated that even though he routinely urges people to take public transportation, he realizes we are addicted to oil. However, our two largest suppliers are friendly -- Canada and Mexico. From there, the future is bleak, with our next biggest contributors being Saudi Arabia (a convenient friend) and Venezuala (whom he described as being "in bed with Castro"). He said he has consistantly voted in favor of drilling at Anwar and in the gulf, and even though that would only produce one million barrels a day, that would be a step in the right direction.

"I don't want to be the bearer of gloom and doom," Coble stated as he was wrapping up, "But I do not think this midterm election will be favorable to the party nationally." He attributes this to Iraq, and says the election was headed that way even before the Foley fiasco.

He also thinks subjective hosts on both sides of the political field have damaged the Republican party. Liberal pundits make everything the Republicans do seem completely evil and disasterous, while conservative hosts like to pretend "Baghdad is all roses". The people are smart enough to realize that things aren't going so well over there, so they're more likely to believe the liberal pundits.

Coble went on to say that partisanship at this time in the U.S. House of Representatives is the worst he's ever seen. But is it all bad? I think Coble made the best quote of the night when he told us, "I believe the constituents are best served when the major parties are breathing down each others' necks."

And me? I think the constituents are best served when they have such a wise, attentive representative such as Howard Coble.

When Mark Foley reads, he doesn't use a bookmark... he just bends the pages over!

2006-10-09T12:25:00.000-05:00

If I had a nickel for every email, facebook message, or text message I'd gotten regarding Mark Foley and how he's going to be the downfall of the Republican party, I'd have... well, I mean, I'd have like 30 cents. But still, that's six messages too many. But I'm sorry, I guess I just don't see it as that big of a deal.

*cue gasps*

Yeah, I said it, and it's something that's been irking me for quite some time now. I'm sick of everyone talking about how Foley is a pedophile, and how different this would be handled if it were a 16-year-old girl involved, as in, he would be in a jail right now had he sent those IMs to a girl.

Are you kidding me? You honestly think they would have been MORE severe on him had he sexually harrassed a girl?

Now is where I'm sure about 80% of you will stop reading, because it's inconvenient for you to read something you don't like. The majority of females in this country, regardless of their age, race, and/or sexual orientation, will be sexually harrassed at SEVERAL times in their lives, and not a damn thing will happen to the harrasser.

That statement didn't come from NOW or any other feminist organization. It came from first-hand experience, and just plain common sense.

When I was 14, there was a 30-year-old (at least) manager at the local Food Lion who used to wait until I was on an aisle by myself and approach me, making sexually explicit comments to me. It was embarrassing, and I never told anyone, I just started requesting we use a different grocery store. The argument could be made that I looked older than 14, but I certainly didn't look 18.

These boys were 16 and 17. I've read the infamous IM conversations that are circulating. The boy in question sure didn't seem offended or uncomfortable by the remarks. In fact, he even started some of the dirty talk. I've been involved in conversations that you don't feel like pushing any further, and you certainly don't lead on the other person like that.

I read that it was pretty much common knowledge that Foley was homosexual, and some of the male pages have now come out and said that he made them feel uncomfortable at times. So how much of that was actually him making unwanted advances, and how much was just their own homophobia?

When an attractive girl gets a job working in any type of office setting, there is always the possibility that she will receive unwanted advances, even if it's something unspoken like a stare. It would be ridiculous if everytime something like that happened, she complained to Human Resources. There are laws to protect a girl who has the guts to do that, of course, but the majority of the time, it goes unsaid.

At the age of 19, I was left alone in the office with my married employer for the first time. He had me come in his office, made small talk with me, and then started making comments and asking questions that I did not feel comfortable discussing with anyone, let alone a (supposedly) happily-married, 40-year-old man. I left his office that day and never came back, never returned any of his calls (or those of anyone else in that office).

My point is, that is the correct way you react to unwanted advances. If any of you have read the IM conversations between Foley and this 16-year-old boy, you should know that the tone is clearly consentual.

Furthermore, the way the Democratic Party is handling this news is quite disgusting. They are using this opportunity to frame themselves as the new family-oriented political party, since the Republican Party is so obviously full of pedophiles. But given the fact that we know this information has been "common knowledge" for some time now, what does that say about the Democrats' family values? They are so worried and frightened for the children of America, and yet they hold on to this information until a month before a crucial congressional election. Concerned for the welfare of these pages? Hardly. The Democratic Party is looking out for their own interests, as usual.

But maybe the Democrats are right -- maybe they are the more moral party, in light of this new information. Let's see, in our party we have an unmarried man who sends flirty messages to boys who are at the legal age of consent. Meanwhile, they have a man who is married and has a child receiving oral sex IN THE OVAL OFFICE, who, rather than come clean when caught, tries to argue the semantics of the term "sex" in front of the entire nation. Yeah, that's right, cheat on your wife, completely forget about your daughter, get some on the job from your employees, and lie about it for as long as possible. Great role models, those Democrats.

To pretend that the Foley scandel is any more horrendous than the Clinton scandel is pure homophobia. The only thing that interests Americans so much in this ordeal is that *gasp* a male is hitting on other males!

And the same can be said of those former pages that said he made them feel "uncomfortable". I have no doubt that they knew of his reputation and simply couldn't believe that a gay man WOULDN'T be obsessed with them. These kinds of guys are the same ones who, in a matter of years, will be oogling the sexy secretaries and the pretty interns. They'll do the same things to those girls that they feared Foley was doing to them and won't even think twice.

I say, if we're going to make an example of Foley, we find every single politician in Washington who's ever done something similar to a young page of the OPPOSITE sex and kick them out of government.

Would anyone be left to run America?

Ode to Condi, and an open letter to Slick Willie

2006-09-26T14:11:00.000-05:00

Why do I love Condoleezza Rice, you ask?

Because that woman has balls.

Rice hits back at Clinton claims

Ms Rice responded: "What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years.

"The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false - and I think the 9/11 commission understood that."

She also disputed Mr Clinton's statement that he "left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy" for incoming officials when he left office, including "battle plans" to go into Afghanistan, overthrow the Taleban regime and launch a full-scale search for Bin Laden.

"We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al-Qaeda," she said.

"For instance, big pieces were missing, like an approach to Pakistan that might work, because without Pakistan you weren't going to get Afghanistan."

And she went on to question the value of the entire argument.

"I think this is not a very fruitful discussion," she said.

"We've been through it. The 9/11 commission has turned over every rock and we know exactly what they said."
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Oh Bill, Bill, Bill.

You almost did it. You almost had the conservative trust.

While I've never been a fan of yours, I have been shocked in the past few years to hear quite a few of my conservative couterparts admit, "Ya know? He's not such a bad guy."

And then, you do this.

In a way, I'm relieved. At my Christian elementary school, I heard several murmurs that you may be the anti-christ. After all, he(she?) is supposed to be extremely charismatic, and you do have a knack for wooing everyone you come in contact with (sidenote: now is NOT the time for a blow job joke!). At least now you've managed to piss off a large portion of the population.

But really, you made yourself look like more of an idiot than anyone on Fox News could ever do by themselves. Not only did you defend yourself so voraciously that you even started attacking the current administration (did you FORGET what channel you were on??), but you were so angry that half of America thought you were about to have a heart attack, and the other half thought you were about to start crying.

And to top it all off, the Secretary of State called you a liar. Ouch.

I know the whole thing was planned. I know you were just waiting for Wallace to ask the right question. But if you're smart enough to know the question was coming and to plan a response, why the hell couldn't you be smart enough to realize you're arguing on a network that is only being watched by Bush fanatics?

It's the same reason I don't go to Socialist gatherings and try to sway their ideology. No Bushie watching Fox News heard your hissy fit, gasped in awe, and changed parties.

In other news, I'm sure your wife is angry at you now as well. After all, she was going for that moderate image, and you were pretty much the most conservative thing in her life. Let's hope she finally divorces your sorry, cheating ass.

Don't Ask... They're Telling

2006-09-22T11:08:00.000-05:00

My mom called me yesterday around noon with the update I was waiting for. “Matt just got arrested,” she informed me.

I knew it was coming, but it was hard for me to keep up with the events while sitting at my desk at work. My mother was watching it on the news, and taping it for me as well. “They told him if he didn’t leave, they would arrest him, and then the police moved in,” she told me as she watched it all unfold.

I was sad – sad for Matt, sad for America, sad that our society is still so unbelievably discriminatory that something like this would even happen. But at the same time, I was proud of him for having the guts to stand up for what he believed in, and for helping to bring about the change that we all know is coming.

You see, my friend Matt Hill Comer was arrested because he wanted to serve our country; he was denied that right because he refused to lie about or hide his sexual orientation.

At a time when America is sending our troops out on multiple tours because we’ve bitten off more than we can chew, at a time when people are murmuring about reinstating the draft because we have such a shortage of enlistees, our government is turning down able-bodied young men and women simply because they refuse to mask their homosexuality.

While discussing this issue, my mother brought up the typical anti-gay argument. “I know ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is seen as an attack on homosexuals,” she told me, “But really, doesn’t it apply to everyone? I don’t personally WANT to know what someone’s sexuality is. Gay, straight, foot fetish, beastiality… it’s not like that has any effect on anything you do in the military.”

But it is an attack on homosexuality. There is no problem with soldiers sitting around talking about their girlfriends or wives back home, but let a gay man try to say the same about the partner he has left behind. Is their commitment any less significant? Why should a gay man or woman be forced to tip-toe around their personal lives, while everyone else speaks openly about theirs?

"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" doesn’t pertain to everyone equally, and that’s where the real issue is. Society has embraced the idea that we should all keep quiet about our sexuality, and that sounds nice, but you can’t stay completely quiet about those things. Two men might kiss each other goodbye in the morning just like their straight next door neighbors, but the woman across the street will only be offended by one couple. The woman who puts pictures of her and her girlfriend on her desk will be doing no differently than the woman who puts a picture of her and her boyfriend up, but only one will cause controversy in the office.

When Matt and the other potential enlistees walked into the recruiting center yesterday, they told the recruiters they were gay, and they intended to enlist. They were refused. Had they walked in and stated they were straight and wished to enlist, there would not have been an issue. How is that equality?

Upon being told that they could not join, the protestors warned that they would be staging a sit-in, and they were refusing to leave until they could join. Police were called in, and Matt and the others were led away in plastic tie-cuffs.

Who was in the wrong here? The protestors knew they would be arrested for trespassing if they refused to leave, but they did what they had promised to do. They made their statement. The recruiters did not have the power to let them join, and the police had to respond to the trespassing call and arrest the defiant protestors. No one involved yesterday had much of a choice. It was all a small-stage production of the inequality that occurs silently every day that a homosexual is unable to participate in the same activities as their straight counterparts.

I respect Matt and the other protestors for having the courage to follow through with this plan. Change is coming, I know it, they know it, the rest of the world knows it. But it can’t come soon enough for those who are currently experiencing this discrimination.

The moral here is that it is impossible for a black person to be racist, right?

2006-09-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

Today, a "Unity March" will be held in downtown Greensboro.

What is a Unity March, you ask? Well according to Channel 8's Noon News:

"The goal of today's Unity March is to eradicate racism. Participants are urged to shop at only black-owned businesses..."

Wait, what?

They are going to eradicate racism.... by ONLY shopping at black-owned business.

American Heritage Dictionary
rac·ism (rszm)
n.

1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

The amount of stupidity in this world hurts my head.

My very educated mother just served us... nachos?

2006-08-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, good news.

The war in Iraq is over.

There is peace in the Middle East.

Cancer has been cured, as well as the AIDS virus.

Racism, sexism, and poverty have been completely eraticated worldwide.

I'm just assuming all of this, of course. I mean, it must be true, since the media can find nothing better to report on than a 10-year-old murder case and the fact that "OH MY GOD, PLUTO ISN'T A PLANET??"

Does anyone really care? Do we really have nothing better to do with our time than bicker about a rock that's circling the sun a few million miles away?

Apparently not.

The court system gets it right, for once

2006-07-27T07:59:00.000-05:00

Andrea Yates found not guilty by reason of insanity
-------------
You know, I've heard some of the most ignorant statements from people since this verdict has come down. I know you've all heard them too.

"What's wrong with our legal system?"

"She's getting off easy."

"How can we let a murderer just walk away?"

The irony of it all is that I think this is the first time I've heard a court award a "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict CORRECTLY.

If anyone was ever insane, it was this woman. Before this incident, Andrea Yates had been hospitalized several times for mental reasons and had tried to commit suicide twice. She told her psychiatrist that she did not feel her children were maturing properly due to her inability to be a good mother, and reportedly she was haunted by visions that her son would eventually become a gay prostitute. An extremely religious woman, Yates was extremely disturbed by the idea that her parenting skills could (in her mind) ruin her children's lives, and she apparently believed that if she drowned her children at this young age, in their innocence, they would all be sent to heaven.

No sane person calmly fills a bathtub and methodically drowns their five children, one by one. In fact, if I remember the early reports of the incident correctly, I believe she enlisted her oldest son to help her complete the task. How can anyone say she wasn't insane?

If you want my honest opinion, I believe the husband was at least partly responsible for this even happening. No "loving husband" is unaware of his wife's psychosis and doesn't help her through such a hard time. Yates was reportedly suffering from postpartum psychosis, and seeing as how her youngest child was 6 months old, I would think Mr. Russell Yates had plenty of time to recognize his wife's problem.

Aside from all that, in the past five years since this incident occurred, Russell has divorced Andrea and remarried! Hey Rusty, could you have moved any faster? What happened to sticking by your wife during such a difficult time? And I was of the impression that he was a nice Christian man. Didn't Jesus preach against divorce? Maybe this is another one of those cases where we're picking and choosing what parts of the Bible to follow. I love that.

In all honestly, I cannot personally blame Mr. Yates for divorcing his wife, but his decision to do so and then turn around and remarry so quickly proves to me that he was not nearly as devoted to her as he would have us believe. I would go so far as to say that he contributed to her psychosis by the way he treated her during those last few months. From the day this incident occurred, I knew I didn't like that man, and that was before I ever dreamed I would one day be referred to as a "feminazi".

But in regards to Andrea Yate, I finally have to commend our legal system for doing the right thing. She is not getting off easy, nor are we letting her walk. She needs to be in treatment, and I doubt that she will ever recover from her disease and what she did. If revenge is what you're looking for, you're looking for it in the wrong place. I don't think this woman even truly understands what she did; how can you expect her to pay for it?

To say that she really wasn't insane is to completely disregard the physical, mental, and emotional ordeal a woman goes through during and after pregnancy. The feeling of emptiness and unfitness right after birth, and the realization that these children's lives are in ones hands is just too much for some woman. And more woman go through these issues that you can even imagine; not all of them kill their children, but in some cases their disease can drive them to do so.

Kudos to the jury for having the ability to look at this case in terms of understand, not just black and white issues like the first jury. And while I don't think Yates will ever fully recover, I hope she is at least better off where she is now then where she was 5 years ago.

Bush to Alzheimer's Patients: Maybe You Should Have Stayed Embryos

2006-07-19T15:57:00.000-05:00

Bush Vetos Stem Cell Bill

WASHINGTON - President Bush cast the first veto of his presidency Wednesday, saying legislation easing limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research "crosses a moral boundary."

"This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others," Bush said at a White House event where he was surrounded by 18 families who "adopted" frozen embryos not used by other couples, and then used those leftover embryos to have children.

------------------

I never know what to say about this issue. Bush's position just seems so... wrong. I mean, how can he claim that this research is "taking... innocent human life", when it could potentially save the lives of so many. And how is THIS crossing a moral boundary when abortion has already been legal for so many years?

There are certain types of birth control that routinely flush out cells with the potential of becoming a fetus. These birth controls are hardly even controversial. Why then is stem cell research such an evil thing?

Voting Rights: Not Such a Black and White Issue

2006-07-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

"House Renews Voting Rights Act provisions"

The House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act for 25 years, rejecting contentious efforts by Southern Republicans to dilute the landmark law.

Three provisions of the act are set to expire next year: requirements that states and counties with a history of discrimination clear any changes to their election process with federal authorities, that federal observers be present if there is evidence that voters have been intimidated, and that counties with significant non-English-speaking populations provide bilingual ballots.

....

Conservatives introduced four amendments to weaken the act, and all were rejected by large bipartisan majorities. One proposed eliminating the requirement for foreign-language ballots. Another would have created an easier method for states to escape federal oversight.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga. (Blog author's note: No relation), argued that his state has overcome its documented history of discrimination and asked the House to amend the act to ease requirements for states that must have all voting changes cleared in advance by the Department of Justice. He said Georgia still is being punished for racist practices that it has eliminated.

....

Before the amendments were rejected, a number of Democrats said they would not pass the legislation if it was changed in any way.

"Do not accept any of these amendments, I beg you," said Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. "We cannot afford to go back at this point."

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco said "any one of (the amendments) would be a weakening of the Voting Rights Act."

....

"We are fed up and the nation should be fed up," Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, said during a recent conference call. "This handful of shameful retrogrades tried to strike at the heart of American democracy.

"We have well-documented testimony regarding discrimination and a continuing need for the protections."

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., gave an emotional speech on the House floor Thursday about discrimination he experienced and held up photos of several black men, including himself as a young man, being beaten by Alabama state troopers in 1965 while marching for voting rights.

"We've made some progress; we have come a distance," Lewis said. "The sad truth is that discrimination still exists. That's why we still need the Voting Rights Act, and we must not go back to the dark past."
-------------------

I have to admit at this point that I have only been lightly keeping up with this issue over the past week. I recently began my first full-time job with a downtown Greensboro law firm, and I've been attempting to get my schedule at least semi-regulated.

But one thing about this whole ordeal baffles me: If the Southern Republicans are concerned that they are being "punished" by being forced to clear all changes with the Department of Justice, and if the Democrats (and other Republicans, as is surely the case) are concerned that not renewing this act would set civil rights back several decades, why was an obvious compromise not even discussed in this article? Why was there no proposed amendment by either side to make all states run changes through the Department of Justice?

This is something I asked in my Election Laws class a few months ago while studying the Voting Rights Act. It seemed odd to me that only states with a history of discrimination should have federal oversight when changing their election procedures. In fact, as much as I am for smaller government, I also realize that a huge part of the Florida fiasco in 2000 was due to a discrepancy between the Florida statutes and the federal regulations. I understand that the federal government has many important things to do already, but do we really want to cut corners with the procedure that chooses our leaders?

Anywhere there are humans involved, corruption is inevitable. This means regardless of what color they are, how much money they make, what area they live in, or what history they may have as a people. Thirty years ago, Southern states were blatantly disenfranchising people on the basis of their skin. Thirty years from now, a state with no history of doing such a thing may suddenly develop a discriminatory voting procedure.

Representative Westmoreland is right: Until this act applies to everyone, Southern states are being punished for the sins of their ancestors. But Representative Conyers is just as right: Any dismissal of this act would result in our country's civil rights "go[ing] back". So why not move forward instead? Moving forward would be to realize that all humans will make mistakes, whether those mistakes be subconscious or vicious in nature.

Moving forward would be to pass an amendment applying all provisions of the Voting Rights Act to all states in America. I'm rather shocked that our partisan-minded Congress couldn't even compromise enough to see that.

Quite fitting, considering I was just talking about him...

2006-06-18T23:36:00.000-05:00

This was in Sunday's News & Record. I cut out the last two panels, because they were no where near as funny (and true) as this one.

a list of politicians who need to leave me alone

2006-06-16T14:03:00.000-05:00

Oh it's that time of year again. The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and politicians are wasting huge sums of money sending out mailers that no one will ever read. I gave the Republican National Committee $10 three months ago; within a week, they had already spent at LEAST that much sending out more crap to convince me to give more. Sorry buds, I think you just showed me you're not that hard up for my money.

Vernon Robinson
Number one on my list of stupid politicians that I wish would leave me alone is Vernon Robinson. Oh man... what can we say about Mr. Robinson? Let's start off with the fact that he doesn't belong in our district. The 13th district encompasses parts of Raleigh, Greensboro, and several unfortunate small Republican-majority towns that serve to make the district seem not quite so gerrymandered. Vernon Robinson is from the 5th district, but was forced out after losing the lesser of two evils contest between himself and Virginia Foxx. I'll be talking about her in just a second.

Robinson made a name for himself in 2004 with his over-the-top ads attacking fellow Republican Foxx, and because of such, he ran away with the 2006 Republican nomination for the 13th district. The people who voted for him weren't looking for a representative -- if they had been, they would have chosen someone who lives in the area and could therefore "represent" us -- and they weren't looking for someone who could beat current Representative Brad Miller. They were looking for a fight. Mr. Robinson has reduced politics to entertainment, and he's made me consider voting for Miller. In fact, the only way I won't vote for Miller is if there's a Libertarian running for the seat, in which case I am definitely voting Libertarian. I refuse to support Robinson's embarrassing search for fame.

That's what I keep reminding people. If Robinson really cared about us, he wouldn't just be hopping from district to district. He ran in the 5th district in 2004, announced that he'd be running in the 12th district until he realized Ada Fisher would be the clear winner there (she is the greatest woman ever, by the way), and only THEN did he latch on to the 13th district. Do you really think he's going to get the DC and fight for us? I don't.

The man was also known in 2004 for his absolutely annoying and non-stop phone ads. Because apparently the way to get people to vote for you is to drive them absolutely insane. And Reidsville is no exception. We received three phone calls from him all within the first week of his winning the nomination. And being that I'm the only registered evil Republican here (my parents are both Democrats and my sister is Independent), I'm the one who gets in trouble. Thanks Vernon.

Virginia Foxx
I would like to enter into evidence the following documents my mother received in the mail today:

Okay, the letter isn't even the funniest part. The best part is the cut-and-paste newspaper headlines she included with it:

Okay, so she's campaigning hard, even though she knows the 5th district is in no danger of being lost to a Democrat -- if it was going to happen, 2004 would have been the year. But if you'll remember correctly, I said that my mother is a registered Democrat. In fact, she has been a registered Democrat for over 30 years now. She has never, ever been a registered Republican, nor given anything to a Republican campaign. Why would Foxx think my mother would give her money?

And you know, that's not even the weirdest thing. I mean, you read the letter, and it seems like it could be written for a Democrat that needs to be swayed. The thing that really cracked me up so much that I had to text everyone I knew was the fact that Reidsville hasn't been in the 5th district for six years now.

The woman is either randomly mailing every voter in the state, or she's using the old district lines. Either way, I'm glad our tax dollars are being spent so well.

Nelson Cole
Some of you might not know of Nelson Cole, and that's not surprising. He's one of Reidsville's State Representatives. But that isn't the reason you wouldn't know him. You wouldn't know him because he NEVER SHOWS UP to the General Assembly.

And you know, you hear that about a lot of politicians, but last week I was in Raleigh and I sat in on the House session, and Representative Cole was THE ONLY REPRESENTATIVE NOT THERE. That is sad. And embarrassing. But being that he's a Democrat, I don't expect too much more.

He sent my father something in the mail today, a card asking which issues were most important to us and how he should vote for them:

I'm trying to find room on this card for a little message I composed for Representative Cole:

"Representative Cole,

Hi, I'm the daughter of the constituent to which you sent this card. I hope you don't mind me answering, since he doesn't pay too much to politics, and I do. I couldn't help but notice that you ask us to list our most important issues in order of importance, and then how you should vote on them. I thought writing you this note would be a lesser waste of my time, and that's saying a lot. You see, I actually have to go to work for a living, unlike yourself. I don't have time to fill out silly little cards that I know you're not going to pay attention to. And even if you DID pay attention to these cards, it wouldn't do anyone a lot of good, since you actually have to show up at the General Assembly to vote for things. I just thought you'd like my fifty cents on the issues that I think are really important. I hope you lose the election. Have a nice day!

Melissa Westmoreland"

I just can't find the room on this card. I'm a little upset.

My friend Michael Moore is running against Cole this election. It's the first time a Republican has run against this guy in as long as I can remember. I hope to God he can do something.

Now if only I had a job....

2006-05-21T01:44:00.000-05:00

On May 12, 2006, I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Okay, "graduated". I still have to finish this 3-hour online course, but I'll be done by July.

I must say, delivering that commencement speech was the most terrifying moment of my life. I don't mind talking in front of large crowds -- in fact, I absolutely adore it -- but I was so convinced that something big was going to happen. It's one thing to get booed and protested against when you're a real politician, but being booed at my own graduation is completely different.

Luckily for me, as I somehow found the courage to walk to the microphone and say my name, the audience actually cheered. Between my relief and the odd scene of people actually standing up and waving their arms in celebration, I accidently laughed, which was picked up by the microphone. Right before I began speaking, someone near the front row muttered, "Douchebag". If you watch the video, you can actually see me glance over to them quickly. I mean really, how old are we?

I delivered my speech, and while no one made any loud comments, there were some reactions from a group of girls in the business section that I could see out of the corner of my eye. Thank goodness I learned long ago (back during the elections, specifically) to look past a group of people when speaking to them. I watched my speech later on television, and I was a little disappointed with it. I think you can hear the fear in my voice. People keep telling me that no one noticed, and that I only notice because I've heard myself speak many times, but I wish I had been on top of it. Still, I've gotten a lot of praise for it, and it looks quite nice on my resume. Come on, how many people get to speak at their college graduation?

I realized later, as the words I recited actually sunk in my way home, that I sincerely meant everything I said. I've never been able to fully understand the person with no drive, with no ambition. How can you not look out at the world and just want to spend your life trying to make it better? As corny as it sounds, at least once a day I ponder how I am making the most out of my time here. If we do only live once, why are we not trying to make the most of our lives? Why are we not experiencing everything? I've heard some people give this reasoning for why they experiment with drugs, but for me, that is why I don't waste my time with drugs. I want to make an impact on the world, not waste my life stoned in front of the television.

I have a lot of seemingly impossible dreams and goals, but regardless of what happens, there is one thing I would really like to accomplish: I would like the chance to speak to adolescent girls on my experiences as a teen. My recent interest and study of women's issues has really shed some light on the way society is raising our girls. I'm not sure they would all listen, but I think if I had the chance, I could really touch some of their lives.

And with that, I leave you with a transcript of my commencement speech to the Class of 2006. It was my first commencement address, but it won't be my last. Mark my words.

Melissa Westmoreland's Address to the UNCG Class of 2006

Good morning, my name is Melissa Westmoreland, and I bring greetings from the Class of 2006.

Graduation is always a bittersweet event. I have dreaded it each year, because I know it means I have to say goodbye to all the friends I've made in the classes ahead of my own. On the other hand, I've always been so happy for them, because I know graduation signals the culmination of many years of hard work. That's sort of where I'm at right now. I love UNCG, and I can't even imagine leaving it, but then again, I'm excited about what the future may hold.

I did have a bit of trouble writing this speech, because I'm in the same boat you all are. I have no experienced words of wisdom to give you, no advice on how to survive the "real world". In fact, I'm probably just as nervous about it as all of you. But I think the best part of graduation is not knowing what lies ahead of you

So I have decided that, since I can't really give you any advice on how to land your dream job, I would leave you with something more along the lines of a plea: Please, whatever you do, do something GREAT.

I can't tell you how many times over the past few years someone has told me that it's so nice to see a young person who is so involved. The sad truth is, a lot of people have given up on our generation. And really, who can blame them? We are the MTV generation. We've grown up with video games to entertain us, we can get pretty much anything we want on the Internet, and text-messaging and AIM have replaced any need for real conversation. The stereotype of a typical college student has gone from that of a passionate political protestor to a couch potato who will go to great lengths to keep from having to move one inch. Our generation is defined by convenience, laziness, and apathy.

Now, I don't plan to abide by that definition, and I trust that none of you do either. This is our chance to prove them all wrong, to prove that we ARE motivated, that we CAN accomplish great things. This is our chance to make a difference in the world. I hate cliches, but I believe with all my heart that we can do anything we put our minds to.

We, my fellow UNCG graduates, are the future. Society might have lowered its standards for our generation, but I have not. I want to see our graduates excelling in every field, curing cancer, solving world hunger, bringing peace to the Middle East! You might think I'm exaggerating, but that's really just how much I believe in the power of us. I want to see a UNCG graduate in the White House.

I know we each have our own personal dreams and goals, and I know a lot of us only reveal them when we're around our closest friends. And I understand that, seeing as how dreams can sometimes be very personal things. But please don't let them die. This is it. Your chance. We are in the best years of our lives. We are living in an amazing time. We are graduating from an excellent school. Use it all to your advantage.

Last, but certainly not least, never forget where you came from. Your dreams may pull you all over the globe, but never let UNCG slip from your mind. If you happen to be in the area one day, take some time to stop by. I can't tell you how many alumni I've talked to who told me that they wished they hadn't waited so long to come back for a visit. You guys know how much construction goes on around here. If you go longer than five years without a visit, you won't be able to recognize the place. But don't you worry, parking will STILL be horrid.

UNCG has given me some of the greatest memories of my life. I feel like it is my home, and all of you my brothers and sisters. I hope every one of you can say the same. Thank you so much for sharing your lives with me, and may you all have the best of luck in pursuing your dreams. Thank you.

Everything is following into place...

2006-05-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

It's my last week at UNCG, and as sad as I am to be leaving, I can't help but be ecstatic that everything is working out in my favor.

I've been recommended by the head of the department for a job researching the NC state legislature. And it that pulls through, one of my favorite professors has asked me to be a research assistant for him over the summer. And I was also given the contact information for a local law firm who prefer to hire post-undergraduate/pre-law school students, and they tend to be pretty conservative too!

I'm also thinking my GPA will go up significantly this semester. I had a 3.3 after last semester, but I know of at least 3 classes in which I will get a 4.0, and in the other three I'm hoping for at least an A- or a B+.

I've already talked to two of my three potentional law school recommendation writers, and they're glad to help me out!

And on top of all that, I will be able to participate in my departmental graduation! I'm so glad I talked to Dr. Prysby, I would have never even known that I would be recognized, and would probably have missed it altogether! So after my speech at the big commencement on Friday, I get to go ACTUALLY walk!! :)

I think it finally hit me today just how much I am going to miss my professors...

THE RIGHT ANGLE: Goodbye UNCG - Opinions

2006-05-05T15:57:00.000-05:00

THE RIGHT ANGLE: Goodbye UNCG - Opinions

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the planet. But my exam "week" has literally been more like an exam month. I knew signing up for 18 upper-level Political Science classes was a mistake, but you do what you gotta do to graduate. I'm amazed it didn't go to hell before now.

Currently, I have an exam and a paper due TOMORROW. A Saturday. It's enough to make me want to convert to Judaism, so I could complain. But I really can't, I just want a break more than anyone can even understand.

So I guess the basic purpose of this post was to link to my last Carolinian column. I've been meaning to go back through and post all of my old columns in their respective weeks, now that the online Carolinian site has that handy Blogger button. But I was just stopped by a student in the library (my new home) who asked me if I was sad to be leaving. And while my normal reaction is a quick and sincere "yes", I hesitated. Probably because right before he asked me this question, the student commented on the fact that I was the most hated person on campus.

Well, I can tell you one thing: I WON'T miss being the most hated person on campus.

I won't miss wondering if every person who glares at me is just generally sullen, or wants to punch me in the face.

I won't miss people recognizing me outside of school IN PUBLIC and trying to start a fight.

I won't miss all the random IMs I get from people, sending me a link to see what someone has been saying about me on their blog, or on facebook. And you know, it's one thing when I either don't know the person, or it's someone who has a reason to hate me. But I was recently informed of this little posting on a facebook group's message board:

Believe me ... Melissa and Daryn are difficult people to deal with and still be civil (Melissa and I are both in Women and the Law together).

Now, I've had much worse things said about me, but I just can't fathom why this kid would have anything bad to say about me. I've been nothing but nice to him in class as far as I can remember, and I'm generally too tired to start a fight that early in the morning. I think what gets me is he could have just gotten the whole "they're both difficult" point across without trying to reassure everyone that he has it on good authority because he takes a class with me.

Oh, that's brings me to another thing I won't miss: College Democrat emails. Yes, it is a given that the two groups will talk about each other behind their backs, but to send it out in an email? Do you really think, out of all the people on the email list, that I won't know at least a handful of people who are willing to keep me updated on what they say?

I definitely will not miss the pettiness that is college students.

I won't miss killing myself just to get by. I got off easy only having to hold down 3 jobs this year. Last year, I had 5 at one point, and one of them didn't even pay. I won't miss the fact that no one understands my situation because their parents are helping them out (if not paying it all), or they were able to get enough grants, or they have loans that won't need to be paid off until after graduations. I was not awarded that luxury, so I am SO looking forward to not having to work constantly.

When I'm running off 2-3 hours of sleep (and I felt lucky to get that), it's not hard to think of the bad things about UNCG. But then I start thinking -- really thinking -- about leaving this place for good, and I'm not sure it's really sunk in yet. As much as I hate to admit it, I love UNCG. I love my friends, I love my professors, I love the sense of family I get from this place. I'll even miss class (but only the PSC ones). Yes, I've had some horrible times here, but the good has always outweighed the bad. And there is no doubt in my mind that the experiences and opporunities I've had here have made me a better person, and I couldn't have gotten them anywhere else.

I have no regrets.

The Carolinian, the teacher, and the slut

2006-04-17T23:13:00.000-05:00

'Hey, whore!' - Opinions

Yesterday, Tuesday, I was standing on the sidewalk in front of my house in the late afternoon. It was one of those gorgeous North Carolina spring days, crisp and warm. The sun was still out so I decided to pull on some of the vines that insist on murdering my roses as soon as it gets warm enough for the blossoms to grow. I was still wearing my clothes from school: blue jeans, boots with a heel, and a long-sleeved T-shirt.

I stood up for a moment to rest my back, facing Walker Avenue. My house sits on the corner of Walker and Mayflower Street, one block from campus. As I stood there, a car drove by with two young guys in it, headed west, away from campus. The passenger leaned of his window and yelled at me, "Hey, whore!" and the car kept driving.

I like living where I live, near college students, close to where I work. I'm a doctoral student at UNCG, and teach here too. I have a part-time job as a lawyer downtown. I'm 29 years old. I don't mind the parties in the neighborhood, and throw a few of my own. I get along well with my neighbors, both students and professionals. After attending institutions of higher education for 9 of the past 12 years, there is one thing that I have never gotten used to: how college men and women treat college women.

When the college guy in the car looked me in the eye and called me a whore yesterday, I laughed at how ridiculous the situation was. But just a few minutes ago, I saw a news clip of the Duke lacrosse team on television and I don't think his name-calling is ridiculous anymore. Perhaps the connection between one idiot on Walker Avenue and 45 idiots in Durham isn't apparent to everyone reading this column, so please give me a chance to elaborate.

I went to school with those idiots in Durham (Class of '98) and there are two things I can tell you about Duke and UNCG. First, they aren't any smarter over there in the Gothic Wonderland than we are here. Duke students, for the most part, simply have less to worry about (e.g. money). Second, Duke students don't treat college women any better than we do.

I'm teaching a course this semester on political rhetoric and my students are the absolute best. They are brilliant, and hard workers. Last night, I found out that one of my superstars, a male student, sat in a bar this week and called a woman a slut because she had slept not only with him, but also with a friend of his. (The "slut" in question was not there.)

A woman that was present for the conversation pointed out the obvious, that the speaker had slept with the "slut." It takes two, in case he had forgotten. When I heard about this conversation, I was so disappointed that my most forward-thinking, kind-hearted, and ethical male student could say such terrible things about a college woman.

I mean, really. If a woman that chooses to have sex with you is a slut, and a woman pruning her roses is a whore, then a woman that your sports team hires to dance topless at a private house party can be no more than a prostitute asking to be beaten, strangled, and raped. Right?
-----------------
I should have known better than to take a break from writing this paper to read the Carolinian. I always get mad about something, although I've never been angry about it in this way before.

Most people know how I feel about women's issues, and if you don't, all you need to know is that I am very passionate when it comes to that topic. The labeling of any woman as a "whore" or "slut" has always bothered me, no matter what context. In fact, I came very close to writing a similar column about the Duke rape. I'm so sick of people discussing this case and saying things like, "Well, she WAS an exotic dancer in a room full of boys," as if that justifies everything.

I have my own personal experiences with issues similar to the one Katie brings up, and I rarely choose to talk about them, instead letting them boil up inside of me, one on top of the other. It takes a certain mood, when I'm already fed up with people at this school and life in general, for me to finally break, and just let it all go.

I always think back to my first Women's Studies class with Dr. Showden, when it finally dawned on me how differently women were viewed by mainstream America. Watch C-Span for a while, and look at how disheveled some of the men are, even on the House and Senate floors. Imagine if a women tried to do the same. It doesn't happen. Studies are already coming out about how much more motivated women are today as compared to me. We're trying harder, and we're pushing the boundaries, because we're working with what we're given. And still these horrible stereotypes abound that women are little more than sex machines for men.

Most interesting to me about the column is the part where Katie tells the story about the boy calling the girl he and his friend both supposedly slept with a slut. Now, I say supposedly here, not because I doubt it happened, but because you can't HELP but doubt it happened. It's all part of the double-standard. Boy One has sex with a girl, Boy Two claims to have sex with the same girl, mostly to help pad his own "stud" reputation, and BAM, the girl's a slut. Nevermind what the real story may be. Nevermind that one or even both of the boys may be elaborating just for fun. Before it's all over with, they're telling their friends how they both did the same chick, and what a slut she is, meanwhile subconsciously (or blatantly) competing for who can get the most tail.

I'm not saying that the girl in question is entirely innocent. Maybe she did sleep with both of them. But I happen to know that more often than not, boys lie about sex to their friends. I can't even count the number of times it has gotten back to me that I supposedly slept with someone, when that couldn't be further from the truth. And while I usually just laugh it off by saying, "Yeah, in his dreams," it infuriates me like nothing else. WHY would this person go around telling people this? WHY would other people feel the need to spread the word? WHY and HOW does it eventually get told to someone who lets it get back to me? That's the vicious cycle of lies we live in, and that's what leads to most girls having "that" reputation.

Going along with that, I couldn't help but wonder how this teacher came to know about the two boys and The Slut anyways. Are there actually people who talk about their sex lives to their professors? How sad and disgusting. Those of you who read my old blog know that I'm in the process of writing a book, and I was going to touch on the issue of female stereotypes, but I think I have enough fodder there for a second book.

My thanks for out to Katie Rose Guest for writing this column. I'm glad I'm not alone here.

For those of you just now joining us...

2006-04-12T04:23:00.000-05:00

Today, April 12, 2006, Erskine Bowles will be inaugurated as president of the UNC system. Most UNCG students couldn't care less, except for the fact that all of our main roads will be blocked off. Some of us are skeptical, however. How did this failed politician become an expert on education overnight? Is he really the most qualified candidate for the job? And why is Mike Easley such a fan of the spoils system?

We may not get any answers to our questions, but until we do, check out the first thing you see when you walk into UNCG's Elliott University Center:

A student who witnessed Bowles' reaction to the sign said he did an obvious double-take by actually walking back under the banner and re-reading it. The witness said he then "chuckled". You know, he looks like the kind of guy that would "chuckle".

Erskine Bowles will be inaugurated today at 11am in the Aycock Auditorium, following what I'm sure will be a thrilling parade at 10am. And you best believe I'm gonna be there. Check for updates later.

(Many thanks to Laura Poole, Laura-Kathryn Fuqua, Ryan Radford, Daryn Iwicki, Natasha Sell, and Philip Blattenberger for helping the dream of a banner become a reality)

I am just too excited to express right now...

2006-04-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, as of yesterday, the rumors are true...

I, Melissa Westmoreland, have been selected to be the student commencement speaker for the graduation of the Class of 2006! The committee said they felt I was best able to represent my graduating class.

I am too excited!!! :)

Is it possible to ruin my reputation here... MORE?

2006-04-07T00:25:00.000-05:00

FAUX NEWS: College Republicans kick off 'Morals Week,' state strongly: "We're not homophobic. Faggots." - Life

Last week the College Republicans held their annual "Morals Week," described by some as "the only week out of the year when they admit to legislating morality." This year the College Democrats also held a Morals Week, which they used to challenge the idea that the Democratic Party has no original ideas of their own.

On Monday the College Republicans kicked off their week with "Red State Day," celebrating the fact that 31 states were "red" in the 2004 election, meaning they voted for President Bush.

"In 2004 Bush won by three percent of the popular vote," said Patrick Tutwiler, President of the College Democrats. "All 'Red State Day' is celebrating is the fact that Republicans are rednecks that live in the middle of nowhere, whereas Democrats tend to live in larger cities where they're exposed to people of other races and last names."

"Red State Day" showcased speeches from seven local and state government leaders and climaxed with Vernon Robinson, a candidate for the US House of Representatives. Robinson, like many major speakers invited by the College Republicans, is against gay rights, something he used much of his speech to illustrate.

The UNCG College Republicans have in the past declined to adopt a stance opposing gay rights, even holding a joint event with PRIDE last semester, but their choice of speakers led some to question the ambiguous message.

College Republican Philip Blattenberger explained, "We're not against gay rights, it's just that most prominent Republican speakers are, and we support their message. I mean, we don't support THE MESSAGE, but we invite them to say it. That is, not to say that specifically, but to say the other things that they say. I'm not homophobic."

Melissa Westmoreland, College Republicans president, explained why Robinson was invited as a speaker. "We were just amazed that we found a black Republican, they're like an endangered species. I think they're actually outnumbered by pandas."
------------------------
You know, at least last year, they changed my name to "Ulissa Eastlesswater". I knew, the second I saw that article, that there was going to be trouble. And here we go. You gotta love having Facebook messages waiting for you when you get home:

In Regards to your constant publications in the
Carolinian if you do not wish to be referred to by
a "racist" stop referring to
African-Americans, in particular your fellow UNCG
students, as animals. Specifically Page 10 of the
most recent published Carolinian you were quoted
saying "We were amazed that we found a black
Republican, they're like an endegered
species. I think they're actually
outnumbered by pandas."

Thank You

I wrote back and explained that it was a Faux News article, but maybe I should have included an explanation of what the word "faux" means, using very small words.

All's fair in war, I suppose

2006-03-30T01:55:00.000-05:00

At the risk of being compared to Ann Coulter (again), today I learned that she does make some true statements. The left, upon faced with opposition from a woman, will resort to childish name-calling.

Earlier today, the Anti-War Coalition gathered outside of the Elliott University Center to urge that the "war pimps" (that's "military recruiters" for those of you who don't speak Hippie) leave campus. Now, the College Republicans had planned to bring officer recruiters as part of Morals Week today, but those plans fell through. So along with fellow CRs Daryn Iwicki and Ryan Radford, I pinned a yellow ribbon to my shirt and went out to see what the big deal was.

As I discovered last September, the Anti-War Coalition is little more than an offshoot of the International Socialist Organization: same members, same events, same purpose. And as we all know, socialists know how to protest. Sure enough, several of the were dancing in a circle banging drums, basically just making as much noise as possible. It was classic. Daryn, Ryan, and I approached the group, yellow ribbons in hand.

Now, I stood back a moment take it all in, because it truly was a work of art, right out of PCU. And Ryan tells me that when he first entered the group and started trying to give out yellow ribbons, he was met with the usual, "We support the troops, we just don't support the war." Apparently, it wasn't until they saw me that they freaked out.

About the time I caught up to Ryan and Daryn, and nicely informed the AWC that we had not brought any recruiters, I was told by many in the group that it was time for me to leave. And as I laughed and started to walk back toward the EUC, a white male from the group (not that that tells you anything, since they're all white males) grabbed a bullhorn and began that universal chant of protest:

Hey hey! Ho ho! This racist whore has got to go!

The first time he said it, I think I just assumed he said "war". By the second and third time, it became more apparent. And tonight, the two people who were there with me confirmed what I thought I heard.

That's right, you silly leftists, you. Go ahead and pick on the girl in the group. I know it makes you feel like real men.

Discrimination?

2006-03-28T22:32:00.000-05:00

The Reginald Jones speech was a HUGE success!

I only have one problem...

WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE CAROLINIAN?

No seriously, if they were there, I hope someone will please tell me.

Attack of the bored college students?

2006-03-24T10:42:00.000-05:00

Hahaha... jeez. I just want to thank whomever was involved in actually causing me to laugh at 8:30 in the morning.

Not to get ahead of myself, but this is good stuff. Take a look. THESE are the College Republican fliers we've been putting up to advertise Reginald Jones' speech:

(the bottom reads "3/28/06... College Republicans and Young America's Foundation")

But this morning, I'm greeted by some new posters:

The poster with Reggie's picture on it is ours, I just wanted to show how this person overlapped the fliers, to make a point, I suppose.

The stupidest thing ever, though, is on the bottom of their flier, where it reads "Jennifer Incorporated, we play with words too." THAT is what made it so hilarious. I was angry when I thought it was the College Democrats mooching off our ideas once again, but once I realized it was some poor soul with nothing better to do with her time, I found it amusing once again.

Seriously, if our posters make such an impression on you that you spend your own time and money making these things, haven't we accomplished our goal?

MORALS WEEK 2006 IS UPON US!

2006-03-24T02:49:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far along, but we STILL need everyone's help and support in the coming week!

Morals Week will kick off Monday, March 27 with Red State Day. We will be hosting several local politicians in the Elliott University Center Auditorium at 3:30pm. Here is the line-up of speakers as discussed at the last meeting:

Opening by Melissa Westmoreland (CR President) and Daryn Iwicki (Vice President)
Guilford County GOP Chairman Marcus Kindley
NC House Representative Candidate Michael Moore (District 65, and NO not THAT Michael Moore....)
NC Attorney General Candidate Bob Crumley
NC State Representative Jim Rumley (NC-59)
***Intermission***
NC State Representative Dale Folwell (NC-74)
NC State Representative Laura Wiley (NC-61)
NC State Representative John Blust (NC-32)
US Representative Candidate Vernan Robinson (US House NC-13)

There will be refreshments served, and we will allow time before and after the event (as well as during intermission) for everyone to talk to the candidates and Representatives. This is going to be a great event, so I urge everyone to come out! It will begin at 3:30, but I am asking as many people as possible to arrive at 3:00 or 3:15, just to make sure everything is set up and the guests have students to greet them. The event will run until 6:00pm. Please come out and show your support!

Tuesday, March 28 will be the keynote Morals Week event everyone has been waiting for: Equality Day! Entertainer/Entreprenuer Reginald Jones will be speaking on affirmative action and many other issues in his speech Betrayal: Sold Out by the Civil Rights Movement. Mr. Jones is a very intelligent and powerful speaker, and he is also very entertaining and engaging. You don't want to miss this controversial event being held at 7:00pm in the Science Building Auditorium!

Wednesday, March 29 will be Support Our Troops Day! We will be handing out yellow ribbons around campus that day and will hopefully have some recruiters with us. That evening, we will feature a speaker from the Marine Corps discussing the importance of supporting our troops at 7:00pm in the Claxton Room of the EUC.

Thursday, March 30 will be Pro-Life Day! The College Republicans will be holding an information table in the EUC Commons Area (in front of the food court), and that evening, we will be featuring a speaker from NC Right to Life in Graham 204. You don't want to miss these events!

I'm very excited about these events, and I'm sure you all are as well! See you next week!

Melissa Westmoreland: Too Hot for Publication!

2006-03-21T15:43:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have noticed that my weekly column did not appear in the school paper this this week. The column I penned for this week was deemed a "conflict of interest", as it dealt with issues within Student Government, of which I am a Senator.

However, a news article entitled SGA Meeting Erupts with Racial Tensions was published, laying out the basic issues in a very well-written and unbiased way. Since the issues are now out in the open, I would still like to publish the column I had intended to run this week here on my blog. I would ask that you all help me spread the word about what is REALLY going on in Student Government. Our rights are being threatened, and the students deserve to know that truth. If you agree with me on this issue and you have a blog, please post and link this column! Thank you!!

The Hanging Chads of UNCG
The rights to vote and speak your mind may be endangered freedoms in our own Student Government
I’ve spent the better part of my four years here trying to get more students involved in on-campus activities and student organizations. Chalk it up to my Type A personality, but I have never been able to understand why a student wouldn’t want to make the most out of their time here. However, after the last few weeks at Student Government Association meetings, I am beginning to understand.

For those of you who don’t know, the validity of the SGA elections had been contested due to the fact that no graduate students were able to vote. Based on this information, a motion was made at last week’s meeting to hold new elections. Of course, there was a great deal of debate over the issue, mostly concerning the specifics of the election. Eventually, it was decided that the election would be re-opened for all students, since the issue was the election process and not the results.

I can’t say the amount of debate surprised me, as pretty much all SGA issues are carefully considered and discussed before their decision. What surprised and bothered me was the nature of some of the arguments. Rather than showing concern that a few thousand students had been left out of elections, several SGA members accused those students of “not caring” enough about SGA to event warrant receiving a vote. Opponents of new elections actually argued that “if those students wanted to vote, why aren’t they [coming to SGA meetings]?”

According to this argument, I suppose the US Congress should take away the vote from everyone who’s not willing to watch C-Span every day. Clearly, there were graduate students who DID care to a point, since we know that some tried to vote and discovered they could not. To me, the fact that they aren’t willing/able to actively participate in a Student Government meeting does not negate the fact that they should have the right to vote.

Among the people who were against new elections was our very own SGA Vice-President Donald Hughes, who argued that, according to SGA Election Guidelines, anyone who was unable to vote should have given written notice to the Elections and Publicity Chair within 48 hours of the election. This completely ignores the fact that most students in this school who do not participate in SGA (and even some who do) would not know the specifics of the Election Guidelines. How would those disenfranchised students know the exact procedure they were supposed to go about to regain their voting rights? Of course, to be fair, Hughes’ track record on fair voting rights isn’t so great: at the last meeting before Spring Break, he completely rejected a motion to extend elections for 36 hours, so that the first-year students who had been unable to vote for the first 36 hours of the election could have a fair amount of time to do so.

Luckily for all of you, the majority of the Student Government IS concerned about the rights and voices of students, and the motion to hold new elections was passed with a safe majority. Soon after this motion was passed, however, another basic right was touched upon by SGA. Senator Larry Watson stood and addressed the fact that some SGA members had been writing negative things about the group in their blogs, and that these people were, basically, calling all African-American members of SGA “ignorant”. He then used this opportunity to use the N-word several times, saying that is what the blogs are essentially saying. Hughes then took that opportunity to read from some of the blogs, and to say that he was going to take the negative blogs to Student Conduct and let them handle the situation.

Call me crazy, but I always assumed that freedom of speech was protected by the Constitution. Those students have just as much right to write about SGA in their blogs as all of you have to write about me. In fact, if we’re suddenly going to start taking all negative blogs to Student Conduct, then quite a lot of my readers are going to be in trouble. One blogger in particular has called me a “stupid pirate hooker.” Now, I suppose the “stupid” part could just be an opinion that I’ll let slide, but last time I checked, I am neither a pirate nor a hooker. I can’t wait to bring THAT one to Student Conduct.

The point I’m trying to make here is that the Internet, right now, is probably the most popular venue of free speech. Issues that would normally be written in a letter to the editor are now “blogged”. Because people know that their views will be published through this method regardless of what they write, they are likely to make opinions seem like facts. Also, blogs are usually open to public comments, and anyone who had a problem with what was written could have commented and defended their point-of-view.

Ironically, for the past couple months, VP Hughes has been trying to get more non-SGA members to come to meetings. Senior Christopher Biggers attended his first SGA meeting that very night, and he was completely turned off by what he witnessed. “This is the most unprofessional thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he told me while Hughes complained about the blogs. “Why are we bringing up [personal] issues in SGA?”

The goal of SGA is to conduct business that will benefit the students of UNCG. Both VP Hughes and Senator Watson were correct in saying that people who have issues with them should address them in person, but they did not follow their own advice by bringing up these issues during a meeting. I know that SGA is full of people who truly care about the university, the students, and the organization itself, and UNCG is lucky to have these people. Hopefully, with their help, SGA will be able to get back on track, and continue to work for the good of UNCG.

Happy St. Patty's Day

2006-03-18T00:22:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm Irish. A Kennedy, to be exact (and no, I'm not joking... it's one of the horrible ironies of my life). But St. Patrick's Day has never really been that exciting for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the beer and all, but I never have anything green to wear. That's more of a summer color for me.

Also, it's full of disappointments. Many of you may remember that the Caf served fried chicken and watermelon on Martin Luther King Day. Imagine my disappointment when I went there today and they weren't serving whiskey.

I'm just saying, if they're going to celebrate one stereotype, they need to celebrate them all.

Looking like a "celebrity"

2006-03-17T10:47:00.000-05:00

Is anyone here keeping up with American Idol? I've never been impressed by the show, especially after the first season, when I realized it was completely fixed.

I like to watch the auditions, because you always get a few characters, but aside from that, all American Idol does is annoy me. As do most Idol viewers and their obsessive "I'm-going-to-drop-out-of-life-to-watch-this-ridiculous-show-every-night" attitude.

Unfortunately for me, Idol is news, and it's one of the first stories covered every morning when I wake up. Okay, so maybe America's still at war. Maybe there are people dying of famine and disease all over the globe. Apparently, I HAVE to know who got voted off.

So when I was approached in the hall yesterday by a fellow Pi Sigma Alpha-er and asked if I had been watching Idol, I had to say now, but I knew what was going on. She replied, "I was thinking about you the whole time I was watching it, because one of those girls really looks like you. In fact, her name's Melissa, and the whole time I'm just like, "That looks JUST like Melissa Westmoreland!"

Melissa McGhee. Of all the people in the world, I look like Melissa McGhee.

I miss the days when people used to compare me to Sarah Michelle Gellar. I am now stuck with ugly Idol loser Melissa McGhee.

Exercising my right to freedom of speech. I hear it's protected by the Constitution.

2006-03-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

Last night was by far the angriest I've ever been at a student Government meeting. Of course, I say that every week, and every week, it is true. Let's recap:

1. Senator Mike Madren made a motion to hold new elections, because it has been proven that the last elections were flawed. To be more specific, not only were first year students (freshmen, transfers, international) not allowed to vote on the first day and a half of voting, graduate students were not allowed to vote at all throughout the entire voting process.

Now, last SGA meeting (two weeks ago, before Spring Break) we decided to not hold new elections, but that was before we learned that graduate students were not able to vote. Upon hearing this news, and hearing that the candidates agreed to hold new ones in light of the news (which I now know may or may not be true), I naturally assumed that a new election would pass in SGA with little problem. After all, we are a democratic organization, and why wouldn't we be concerned that there were a few thousand people whose votes were not included?

I have never been more wrong in my life. Donald stood up and read from the Election Guidelines that in order to be contested, the problem must be brought to the attention of the Elections and Publicity Chairperson within 48 hours. He claimed he just wanted us to know that information, and then sat back down.

Begin endless debate. The pro-new election Senators argued the point I just made, that as a democratic body, we should care about everyone's vote. The anti-new election Senators argued that SGA will never be taken seriously if it doesn't abide by its own rules, which was a valid argument. However, they soon crossed the line. One Senator stood up and mentioned that, if any graduate students had tried to vote and, upon finding out that they couldn't, didn't bother to contact anyone in SGA, then they must just not care. The argument being, of course, if you don't care that much, you lose your right to vote. Another anti-new elections Senator (we'll call them Anti-Democracy-ers) added that, if the students who were left out didn't care enough to come to meetings, they clearly don't care about SGA.

Now forgive me if I'm wrong here, but I missed that point in America's history where voter eligibility was based on level of concern. I consider myself more concerned than the average citizen, so does that make me the model, or does my vote just get to count twice? Of course, these arguments sparked some very passionate debate, which went on for quite some time. At one point, an unfriendly amendment was proposed for the original motion, stating that, instead of redoing all elections, we should just redo elections for graduate students. When it finally came time to vote on adding this amendment, Donald commented that he didn't even know if there was such a thing as an "unfriendly" amendment. What was his point in saying this? I have no idea.

The amendment was voted out, and Donald left the room. We had a role call vote on the motion for new elections, which passed with a pretty safe majority.

2. During Special Orders, Donald stood up and started reprimanding certain people in the room for writing about him on their blogs. He then pulled out PRINTED COPIES and proceeded to read sections of them to us. Among these was a fellow LJ-er who wrote: "All I have to say is Fuck Donald, and Fuck this damn election. FUCK SGA[.]" Donald reported to everyone that he would be taking these blogs to Student Conduct, which is hilarious. I doubt my blog was in there, because I haven't yet said anything on here that I haven't said to everyone else in the world, but I wish it was. I could use a good first amendment rights battle.

I would also like to add here that when I stood up and said I wasn't sure whose blogs he was reading from, I MEANT IT. I only recently learned where the "Fuck SGA" comment came from, and I didn't know if my blog was involved. I didn't want to stand and pretend like I knew everything, so I said I wasn't sure which blogs he was referring to. I did NOT appreciate being called a liar, and being laughed and talked about while I was trying to finish my statement. I am NOT a liar, and I take great offense at being called that. I AM TAKING YOU ALL TO STUDENT CONDUCT HEARINGS. HOW DARE YOU VOICE YOUR OPINION ABOUT ME IN PUBLIC?!?!?!

LOL... sorry... couldn't help that one.

But honestly, if Donald's going to go apeshit over people writing about him in public, he needs to get out of the public eye. Do you have any IDEA how much stuff I found written about me DAILY by people I don't even know? He should be glad he knows the people making these claims. I get all kinds of personal attacks, ranging from attacks on my physical appearance (fat, ugly) to attacks on my beliefs, to blatant lies about me. Contrary to popular belief, I am not dirty, nor a pirate, nor a hooker. Nor any combination of those three. Almost every week, there's some kind of "attack" on me in the paper, usually on my views (aka, my "pale, pale politics"), and more often than not, a misguided assumption of my views (hating Angela Davis does not make me a racist).

3. Senator Larry Watson stood up following Donald's comment and addressed where Sam had made these comments on his blog, and he somehow got out of the blog post that all African-Americans in SGA were ignorant. He then used this opportunity to yell the N-word several times and complain about slavery (which I really thought we had gotten rid of a while ago). Relevance to the topic at hand? Not a lot. But SGA is always better with a little bit of theatre.

Senator Joshua Henson then stood to speak. Now, I'm not sure what point he was going for, because Larry spent most of his time trying to argue with him. It started when Henson announced that he considered himself black, because his grandmother is black. I agree, I consider myself Native American, even though I don't look like it, but it's safe to say I haven't had any of the same discrimination as them. However, Josh has a disability, for which he HAS faced discrimination, and he brought that up. Larry didn't care, as he just kept up his "You don't know what it's like" argument.

4. The sad irony of this all, is for a month now, we've been urged to bring new students into SGA. I did so last night, as I brought in Chris Biggers, a senior in the International Studies department. Chris has never read one of my articles, nor was he entirely sure what we were arguing about (I had to keep updating him on the election situation, and the blog controversy). He is also a strong Democrat, and I'm not sure why that might be of relevance here, but I just wanted to throw that out. However, Chris was appalled at what he saw at that meeting. He couldn't believe Donald felt it necessary to bring up personal issues in the middle of a meeting which would have been handled in private, and he (correctly) noted that all it served to do was increase hostility between SGA members for the remainder of the meeting. At the end of the meeting (he was only there for the last half), Chris remarked to several of us, "I am so glad I'm not in SGA." Thank you, everyone who helped drive more students away.

5. During the Announcements time, I announced that Morals Week is coming up from the 27th to the 31st. Sam stood up and stated that the Democrats are ALSO holding a "Morals Week" during that same time.

GREAT ORIGINAL IDEA, GUYS! WHERE DID YOU EVER COME UP WITH THAT ONE?

I told him it must be really well-organized, since they clearly just decided to do it to piss us off at the last minute. He replied with some stupid excuse that I didn't listen to. I was already dreaming about those post-SGA Stella drafts.

Besides, everyone knows Democrats don't have morals. Discuss.

The Right Angle (3/14): It's Only College

2006-03-14T15:16:00.000-05:00

THE RIGHT ANGLE: It's only college - Opinions

"You shouldn't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive." -- Ryan Reynolds as Van Wilder

I have to say, I never expected to begin one of my columns with a quote from a National Lampoon movie. But sometimes you find yourself in a stupid situation that can only be explained through a quote from a mindless college movie. That's where I'm at right now.

I've always been amazed by the number of college students who take themselves too seriously. For four years now, I've heard that silly statistic about how 60 percent of women meet their husbands as undergrads, and for four years, I've been urged by my fellow coeds to hurry up and find one. Now, I'm not sure what the real statistic is, as I've heard several different numbers from several different people, but numbers like that tend to send women into a panic. As a result, I've seen many desperate female college students spend more time trying to attract a mate than actually preparing for their own futures.

I'm not saying that doesn't work for some women, but if they're going to get terrified over that statistic, they should pay attention to the others. 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. With that in mind, do you really want to spend your college years stressing out over some guy? I'm almost 22 and single, and the last thing on my mind is marriage. Don't take insignificant things too seriously this early on in your lives. Years in the future, you'll look back and realize how trivial it all is in comparison.

Recently, I've encountered another group of people who take themselves too seriously. After the last issue of the Carolinian, a certain Opinions columnist (ahem) was accused of "leaking" information about one of the SGA Vice-Presidential candidates. Because I repeatedly refused to "reveal my source", I've been constantly answering to student journalists trying to guess my source and my motives. I can't even tell you how many times I've been referred to as Judith Miller. And I really can't do anything but laugh about the situation.

We are in COLLEGE, people! I realize this is supposed to be practice for the real world, but there comes a time when you must draw a line. Everyone wants this to be such a bigger deal than it actually is. The truth of the matter is, the information I gave the Carolinian was public information which can be obtained by doing a simple Google search. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the equivalent of leaking the identity of a CIA agent. The identity of my "source" is unnecessary, and seeing as how the information was already public, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I don't even think it's possible to "leak" public information.

Among the students who want this to be so much more than it actually is was a WUAG reporter who had already decided what "really" happened. He went around the school interviewing students he thought were involved in a manner which can only be described as harassing, and attempted to prove his own story through very leading questions. I'm sure this is a good technique to use when you're involved in a real news story, like the Judith Miller case, but on a college campus you're not going to win any Pulitzers.

I try to not take myself too seriously. I'm the first one to make fun of myself, my columns, and my own beliefs, but even I found myself getting caught up in the campus drama. I let it interfere with my schoolwork, as I got stuck in a wave of non-stop interviews and meetings, trying voraciously to save my reputation. And then one night, a friend of mine told me, "You think this is bad? Wait until the New York Times is gunning for you."

In an instant, things were put into perspective for me. If I worry so much about what the college media says about me now, how am I ever going to make it in the real political world? That's when I realized how ridiculous it all is. I'm no Judith Miller, and this isn't going to ruin anyone's life. We are in college to learn about and prepare for the real world, and we can't let extracurricular drama control our lives.

So the next time you find yourself in a situation that seems to be taking over your life, try to put things in perspective. While boyfriend/girlfriend drama might seem like the most important thing in your life right now, when you're applying to grad school years in the future, you'll wish you hadn't let a stupid fight result in an F on that midterm. Chances are, these are the best years of your life, and you shouldn't waste them stressing over the little things. And so, I'll leave you with one more quote from Van Wilder: "Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."

Write that down.

The Right Angle -- 12/6/2005

2005-12-07T03:27:00.000-05:00

Turning the Tables
Liberals call for an end to the separation of church and state

Once upon a time, the ACLU wasn’t just a big joke. I don’t know a whole lot about that, because that was obviously long before I was born, and you should only write what you know. So I’m going to write about the ACLU being a big joke.

A few months ago, Michelle McCusker became pregnant, and as a result, lost her job. The ACLU says the institution that fired McCusker practices gender discrimination and that her rights have been infringed. In most cases, I’d be inclined to agree. The catch? McCusker was an unmarried teacher at a Catholic school.

In case you missed the significance of that statement, Catholics don’t believe in premarital sex, something that’s pretty much a prerequisite to McCusker’s situation. Therefore, allowing this woman to teacher small children about the Catholic religion might not be the best idea. These parents are paying to send their kids to a school where, ideally, they will receive a good, religious-based education, and not end up in Ms. McCusker’s predicament. But it’s hard to achieve that goal when one of the teachers is walking around pregnant, unwed, and refusing to get married.

I support any woman’s right to not get married, and even their right to have children outside of wedlock. But this is different. This school’s handbook warns that all teachers must “convey the teachings of the Catholic faith by his or her words and actions.” When McCusker took this job, she was aware that she would have to abide by the handbook and its restrictions on virtually everything that goes against the Church’s teachings.

Enter – surprise, surprise – the ACLU. They make the argument that this policy discriminates against women, because men can’t get pregnant. I find their argument laughable, and I’m just waiting for the day when the ACLU tries to sue some sort of God-figure for placing the burden of child-bearing upon women.

Their main argument is that male teachers could still practice premarital sex and get away with it, while female teachers risk getting pregnant and losing their jobs. The school responded by claiming that they would fire a male teacher if they found out he had gotten a woman pregnant out of wedlock. But the ACLU’s assertion is that the woman’s sin is much more visible, therefore, the rule discriminates against women.

To which I intelligently reply: DUH. It’s the Catholic Church, people. It’s been a patriarchy since Day One. I know that, and most of the rest of the world knows that. And even though the ACLU is suing the actual school for having discriminating policies, what they’re doing in affect is suing the Catholic Church for having these policies. And forgive me if I’m mistaken, but is the government now allowed to tell churches what they can and cannot preach?

It just seems to me that this reeks of a breech of the separation of Church and State that everyone likes to scream about. Funny how every time someone on the Right wants the government to be more moral, the Left cries out, “Separation of Church and State!” but look at what happens when the roles are reversed.

This could create some potentially harmful precedents if the ACLU wins the case. Which church teachings are next on the list? Does the teaching of salvation discriminate because it preaches that atheists are going to hell? Maybe God needs to check with the ACLU before He publishes any more controversial material. We don’t want to offend anyone, you know.

If you ask me, this woman is just looking for someone to blame. That’s what our society does, it teaches you that nothing is ever your own fault. In this case, it’s teaching Ms. McCusker that it’s not her fault she chose to not obey the school’s handbook; it’s the institutions fault for just being so darn strict!

If McCusker really wanted to avoid all of this trouble, perhaps she should have called on the ACLU earlier. You know, to sue the Catholic Church for not allowing her to use birth control while having her forbidden premarital sex, and not allowing her to have an abortion. Or maybe, if she’s going to work for a religious institution, she needs to stop picking and choosing which of the Church’s laws she follows.

2004-09-08T00:12:00.000-05:00

The Right Angle: Oh No, A Republican!

I am a rarity on UNCG's campus. My binder is covered in (gasp) Pro-Bush bumper stickers. I have your basic Bush/Cheney stickers, some anti-Kerry stickers, and even a few stickers supporting Republicans in local elections.

I'm merely stating my opinions, something other students do everyday, something we have been encouraged to do for as long as I can remember, but apparently my opinions are WRONG. I know this by some of the looks and comments I have received. I had one student get in my face and call me a "white racist bitch." Until that moment, I was unaware that political affiliation determined whether or not you were racist.

I understand that there are people out there who feel that Bush has personally attacked them in one way or another. In the past year, I've been accused of being racist, homophobic, and closed-minded.

But in reality, which of us is more closed-minded? None of these people actually asked me about my views. They don't know that I don't support Bush's marriage amendment, or that I was rooting for John McCain in the 2000 primaries. The only thing they know for sure is that they don't like my binder.

In a lot of ways, I feel that my political affiliation is no different than race and/or sexual orientation. Honestly, I WISH I were a liberal at times. I've tried to get into that kind of mindset, but I just can't do it. This is how I am, and you are judging me for something I have no control over.

I want to take this moment to thank the few people who have commented positively on my Bush gear. Thank you for being different, for respecting and sharing my views. Thank you for letting me know that I'm not alone.

I also want to thank the people who don't necessarily agree with my views, but who commented on my "bravery". Even though you don't share my point of view, it's nice to hear words of encouragement every now and then.

Maybe you've seen my binder, my pins, or my Bush visor. Maybe you have an opinion on them, maybe you don't. Maybe you've wanted to tell me that you share my support, but you're too shy. If you agree with me, please let me know. Tell me you like my pins, ask me where I got my stickers, anything.

If you disagree with me, let me know that you support my right to freedom of speech. Tell me that you think it takes guts to tote my right-wing propaganda around this campus. Tell me why you disagree with Bush's policies, and ask me what I think of the controversial issues.
And if you really hate me with a passion the second you see my Bush gear, please try to keep it in. Yelling obscenities at me will not make me change my mind, and calling me hurtful names will only make me NOT want to support whomever you do.

I'm not trying to convert you. I just want a little respect.