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(10/29/09 4:00am)
I am writing in reference to Tuesday's maddening column, "Rules
for reading Targum columns." Regrettably, the writer fails in his
attempt to emulate the singular style of the late, great William
Safire. He takes his source material — Safire's much-emailed "How
to Read a Column" — and futilely attempts to adapt it to apply to
our own periodical, careless of how insulting to writers it becomes
as it progresses. Where Safire's wit was biting, the column borders
on cruel ("the smartest students are too busy" to write columns).
"How to Read a Column" was an original piece of work, and the
author copies it, point for point. What's more, he feels he must
put Safire into plainer terms for us, his peers. Frankly, it is
disappointing to me that such a sophomoric piece of writing —
whether it be poor satire or harsh criticism — could go to print.
Maybe, to use the author's criteria, his dubious alliance with The
Daily Targum as the associate news editor afforded him free reign
of the opinions page — or perhaps he was just available this
week.
(10/28/09 4:00am)
They may seem like a handful of idiots, if particularly
obnoxious ones. It is tempting to just ignore them. Unfortunately,
history has proven time and again that even the most outlandish
ideologies of hate can rapidly evolve into something that extends
far beyond mere words. Likewise, mere words are an insufficient
means of responding to those who would incite the world to hate. We
cannot afford to wait until demagogues — even those as ridiculous
as the Westboro Baptist Church — become too powerful.
(10/27/09 4:00am)
This past weekend, the members of the Rutgers University Student
Assembly returned from their three?day retreat, which had been
scrutinized as a poor use of resources. The initial $20,000 price
tag led to confusion regarding the interests of the assembly during
these precarious economic times. It was understood that the retreat
would be taking place away from the University, that it would
involve providing members with food and lodging and, rather than
being considered an opportunity to improve student government, the
retreat was regarded as a vacation for its members.
(10/25/09 4:00am)
Members of the New Brunswick Campus community should know
Rutgers Health Services and Rutgers Occupational Health in New
Brunswick continue to offer the swine flu nasal spray vaccine. We
have not yet received the injectable vaccine.
(10/22/09 4:00am)
I am writing to publicly address the concerns that have been
raised recently in regards to the Rutgers University Senate's
report in response to Charge S-0802, "Policies on Participation in
Blood Drives." As the author of the report, which was approved by
the University Senate's Student Affairs Committee on Sept. 25, as
well as the University Senate's Executive Committee on Oct. 9, I
stand behind the report and its findings when it comes to blood
drives and the Rutgers University Nondiscrimination Policy. I still
plan on presenting this report before the Senate at our meeting and
also intend to support this measure when it comes up for a
vote.
(10/22/09 4:00am)
Apathy is a powerful weapon. It has halted social movements, won
elections and silenced voices the world over. It is exactly the
tool that must be used to silence hatred.
(10/21/09 4:00am)
Each year dozens of centers, departments and student
organizations at the University come together to organize blood
drives and other events that encourage students to donate blood and
give back to the community. But some students are limited in the
ways that they can contribute, with the Food and Drug
Administration currently prohibiting men who have had sex with men
from donating blood. More specifically, any man who has had sex
with another man since 1977 — the beginning of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic in the United States — is ruled out based on his risk for
HIV and other diseases that may be transmitted by blood. Those
diseases, of course, are tested for prior to transfusion, but this
population continues to be deferred for blood donation in the
United States. Though supporters argue that this precautionary
measure can help decrease the risk of false negatives on HIV tests,
the law contains no restrictions on many other high risk sexual
behaviors. Conceivably, a heterosexual person who has had
unprotected sex with multiple partners can give blood while a man
who engaged in protected sex with another man three decades ago
will be barred from doing the same.
(10/20/09 4:00am)
So the Westboro Baptist Church is coming to town. Oh no! They
hate homosexuals, Jews, blacks and America? Break out the
pitchforks and torches! Drive them out of New Brunswick! Invite
your friends, let's make a party out of it!
(10/19/09 4:00am)
On Oct. 28 the University community will once again be tested
for its resolves to rise above hate. There has been a lot of talk
about how to respond to this. Do we counter Westboro Baptist
Church's rally? Do we do nothing and ignore them? What to do is the
big question. Here are some proposals I have been thinking about of
how to respond that are longer lasting than a counter rally and
better than provoking confrontation with the representatives from
the group.
(10/18/09 4:00am)
Next Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. the radical and hate inspired
Westboro Baptist Church plans to protest at the University. The
so-called "religious organization," infamous for protesting the
funerals of American soldiers with signs reading "God Hates Fags,"
"Thank God for IED's" and "God Hates America," plan to protest
outside of the University's Hillel House at 93 College Ave. But
this group is not a political group, they do not wish to protest
policy or even the existence of Israel; no, this group is
protesting the existence of the Jewish people and the University's
acceptance of homosexuals on campus.
(10/18/09 4:00am)
As a correspondent for The Daily Targum, I strive to keep my own
opinions in check so that I may act as an impartial observer when
sharing the news. However, my opinion is suddenly too overwhelming
to keep to myself, and I am sorry to say that it is our very own
publication that has awakened within me such a sense of
disgust.
(10/15/09 4:00am)
By now, many New Brunswick residents have become at least
vaguely familiar with the city's upcoming ballot question. The
decision on whether or not to change the council to a ward system
has gained an undeniably large amount of recognition, especially
relative to past local government issues.
(10/15/09 4:00am)
Normally, I commend students who have the courage to write for
their school newspaper, but after reading Jenna Greenfield's
column of October 13, "Partying to Oblivion," I was absolutely
disgusted. For the entire piece, Greenfield managed to lambast
her peers on their "sad, exceedingly pathetic existence," while
apparently she leads a life without fault. I understand her
concern for students who may engage in unhealthy behaviors, but the
way to create change within a community is not to place blame
upon the people themselves. Her piece was also written in an
extremely verbose manner, making it both difficult to comprehend
and not at all suited for its intended audience to peruse lightly
while eating lunch or riding the bus to class. Jenna, I urge you
to reconsider the harsh and demeaning words you originally wrote
because they are offensive and derogatory. You are more than
welcome to express your opinion, but until you can honestly say
that you commit no wrongdoings, you do not have the authority to
condemn the actions of others. Those who live in glass houses
should not throw stones.
(10/12/09 4:00am)
This is a belated response to the "Marriage decaying in society"
column on Sept. 30. I recognize that the art of writing is not
simple. At its easiest, when hypomanic or mildly drunk or, even
better, both, the words seem to fall onto the paper like rain. At
the other end of the spectrum, writing can become demonic — a
winding trek through a desert of ideas or a troubling exercise of
what you feel you can do vs. when it is actually due.
(10/11/09 4:00am)
Why does The Daily Targum's editorial board feel it necessary to
call out home-schooled children when discussing social interaction?
If the premise behind the article "Interaction vital for
home-schooled students" on Oct. 8 was to state that students in
general need to interact with other students, why publish the
misleading headline? It seems as if there is constant cynicism when
discussing those children and parents who choose to practice home
education and that contempt is unwarranted.
(10/08/09 4:00am)
In my tenure working as a NYC Teaching Fellow in the South
Bronx, I have seen plenty of humbling and discouraging school
experiences.
(10/07/09 4:00am)
It should go without saying that journalistic integrity should
be of the utmost importance to a newspaper. Whether or not you have
a circulation of more than 100,000 papers or leave them on the
corner of university walkways, blatant disregard for facts should
not be tolerated. While it is commendable that the author in
yesterday's article "Congress reviews Senate bill allowing guns on
trains" was trying to portray both the pros and cons of a heated
and passionate gun control debate, publishing quotes that have zero
backing whatsoever should not be the policy of The Daily Targum.The
writer quotes a student who is a native of France, and has clearly
never studied or even read a morsel of literature about gun control
laws. The student makes two ridiculous claims, both of which the
Targum decided to publish. The first is that European Nations do
not allow their citizens to bear arms, thus constituting a lower
"crime" rate; and the second that the majority of crimes in the
United States are because of guns.In a 2006 study, two prominent
Harvard criminologists, Don B. Kates and Gary Mauser, found that
European nations with stringent anti-gun policies had substantially
higher murder rates than those nations with less stringent
policies. According to the study, Norway, which has the highest
rate of gun ownership in Western Europe, possesses the lowest
murder rate. In contrast, Holland's murder rate is nearly the
worst, despite the lowest gun ownership rate in Western
Europe.These simple facts, solely about European gun ownership,
circumvent the common liberal mantra that more guns equal more
crime. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Russia, which essentially
bans all private gun ownership, has a murder rate four times higher
than that of the United States. Within the United States alone, the
31 states that allow citizens to carry concealed weapons have on
average 24 percent lower violent crime rates than those states that
have banned concealed weapons licenses.Furthermore, the claim that
guns are used in the majority of crimes in the United States is
absurd. According to the Department of Justice, less than 9 percent
of violent crimes are committed with a gun, and most of those 9
percent of guns were purchased illegally. In fact, history proves
that less stringent gun laws translate into less crime.The war
against guns is an unjust war that perpetuates crime and only
disarms the victim. Instead of the government frightening the
general public about firearms, they should be teaching gun safety
and proper usage. Congress approving a bill that will allow guns on
trains will not only be a victory for gun rights and the
Constitution, but for passengers who can now rest peacefully
knowing that criminals are not the only ones with weapons on
board. Aaron I. Marcus is a School of Arts and Sciences first-year
student majoring in political science and history. He is also the
co-founder of the New Jersey political blog
www.livingjersey.wordpress.com.
(10/07/09 4:00am)
It's that time of the year to raise our voices in Trenton. I am
not saying go out and protest in Trenton, but register to vote this
week and vote on Nov. 3 for the governor's election. Last year was
the first time young people voted more than people 65 and older,
and that made us a big, powerful group of constituents. We have to
prove that the 2008 election turnout was not a fluke. This election
is as important as than the presidential election. Our voting
ultimately affects student aid, finding jobs, putting money into
the University budget and a lot more.I urge every student at the
University to register to vote and go to the polls for this
election. The deadline to register is next Tuesday, Oct. 13. Time
is of the essence, so stop for two minutes and do it today! Many
students registered last year, but should re-register if they've
moved or would like to be able to vote near campus. A person can
register wherever they currently reside, including the dorms. All
students should also consider the "Vote by Mail" application, which
allows you to mail in your ballot instead of going to the polls on
a busy Tuesday. To register for either, stop by our voter
registration tables all over campus this week. Tables will be near
the student centers of Busch Wednesday, Livingston Thursday and
College Avenue Thursday through Monday. It is time to make
politicians pay attention to us! Mohit Bhake is a School of Arts
and Sciences junior majoring in political science and economics.
(10/06/09 4:00am)
I understand that The Daily Targum stands as a student-run
publication, from funding to reporting and editorial. This speaks
much to the integrity of the paper and the ability for student
voices to be heard in the community. In this way, the Targum is an
invaluable resource. However, the tendency that student reporting
leads to publication of arbitrarily presented student opinion is
something that prevents me from really using or viewing the Targum
as a legitimate news source. I understand that it is supposed to
represent the voices of the student body — but merely quoting
random students for the sake of "student opinion" detracts from
rather than bolsters many of the paper's articles. Let me be more
specific.
(10/01/09 4:00am)
Again I encounter another social commentary written by a
self-indulgent college student assuming moral authority in
Tuesday's letter "Pop culture obsession distracts from real
issues." This author declares that we must reject entertainment and
entertainers. He claims that mankind had always revered its leaders
but now admires entertainers. Our society in particular worships
jugglers as opposed to kings and this makes him angry.Why worship
jugglers who waste time entertaining rather than pursue meaningful
endeavors? We must follow those dedicated to attaining excellence
and improving humanity. We should admire those who want to heal the
world and make it a better place for you, me and the entire human
race. Entertainers never strive for excellence and never wield the
power to inform. Their agendas never involve raising awareness of
such humanitarian issues as famines and genocides in Africa or
inadequate government responses to natural disasters. Entertainers
and social awareness are mutually exclusive. Why admire "jugglers"
such as Chris Rock, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby? Entertainers
neither subversively nor overtly spread important political,
cultural or social messages. We shouldn't waste time listening to
artists like Fela, U2 or Manu Chao. Public Enemy is no friend of
mine! In addition, no storyteller ever helps one understand the
everyday struggles and embody the hard-knock lives of others.
Rappers don't do this and neither do country nor blues nor folk
singers. If you don't know, now you know — entertainers deserve
neither your adoration nor attention. Also troublesome is the
author's view of entertainment that in this, arguably,
post-postmodern era is glaringly anachronous. He neglects the
variety of roles entertainers assume in various cultures.
Entertainers transmit history to unite communities and allow people
to explore their own heritage, identity and existence. The author
claims entertainers simply offer hollow entertainment and those who
follow them are ignorant. But the author unwittingly illuminates
ignorance embodied by those who make pretentious, condescending and
therefore inherently audacious statements concerning complex
subjects they don't understand. We need not eschew entertainment
but rather demand education from our entertainers. Entertainers
have always maintained important roles in most cultures because
entertainment and education have been inextricably linked, from
Homer to Homer Simpson. The author feels sorry for those who
perceive entertainers as role models. Wu Tang explained the concept
of writing rhymes with a liquid pen among other Socratic
philosophies, so I strive to be an entertainer to disseminate
knowledge efficiently to the sprawling, fertile masses. As ODB
said, "Wu-Tang is for the children, as am I, and the children hate
boring, pedantic diatribes." I feel sorry for he who considers
himself an intellectual authority but can't write a paragraph free
of grammatical and reasoning errors. Without addressing the
specific misused terms, paradoxical phrases and logical fallacies
rampant in the author's misguided rant, I have effectively proven
that an aspiring entertainer may be intelligent, thoughtful and
useful, though I concede that attacking a clumsily written student
article may not be the most meaningful endeavor. Jon Horowitz is
a Rutgers College alumnus from the class of 2005. He was a Spanish
and economics major, New Brunswick resident and Highland Park
raised.
