Professional Documents
Culture Documents
February, 2005
PAUL ROBESON
"TO YOU MY BELOVED COMRADE"
By Rutgers' Most Beloved Alumnus, RC '19
ut in the Soviet Union, Yakuts, Nenetses, Kirgiz, Tadzhiks - had respect and were helped
to advance with unbelievable rapidity in this socialist land. No empty promises, such as
colored folk continuously hear in the United States, but deeds. For example, the transforming of the desert in Uzbekistan into blooming acres of cotton. And an old friend of mine, Mr.
Golden, trained under Carver at Tuskegee, played a prominent role in cotton production. In 1949,
I saw his daughter, now grown and in the university - a proud Soviet citizen.
Today in Korea - in Southeast Asia - in Latin America and the West Indies, in the Middle East
- in Africa, one sees tens of millions of long oppressed colonial peoples surging toward freedom.
What courage - what sacrifice - what determination never to rest until victory!
And arrayed against them, the combined powers of the so-called Free West, headed
by the greedy, profit-hungry, war-minded industrialists and financial barons of our
America. The illusion of an American Century blinds them for the immediate present
to the clear fact that civilization has passed them by - that we now live in a peoples
century - that the star shines brightly in the East of Europe and of the world. Colonial peoples today look to the Soviet Socialist
Republics. They see how under the great Stalin millions like themselves have found a new life. They see that aided and guided by the
example of the Soviet Union, led by their Mao Tse-tung, a new China adds its mighty power to the true and expanding socialist way of
life. They see formerly semi-colonial Eastern European nations building new Peoples Democracies, based upon the peoples power
with the people shaping their own destinies. So much of this progress stems from the magnificent leadership, theoretical and practical,
given by their friend Joseph Stalin. Slava slava Stalin, Glory to Stalin. Forever will his name be honored and beloved in all lands.
Yes, through his deep humanity, by his wise understanding, he leaves us a rich and monumental heritage. Most importantly - he
has charted the direction of our present and future struggles. He has pointed the way to peace - to friendly co-existence - to the
exchange of mutual scientific and cultural contributions - to the end of war and destruction. How consistently, how patiently, he
labored for peace and ever increasing abundance, with what deep kindliness and wisdom. He leaves tens of millions all over the earth
bowed in heart-aching grief. - "To You Beloved Comrade, New World Review, Vol. 21, No. 4, April, 1953, pp. 11-13.
It is estimated that Joe Stalin slaughtered between 20 and 50 million people (50,000,000) during his 26year reign of terror (1927-53) in forced labor camps ("Gulags"), purges, show trials, forced famines
Over six million Ukrainians starved to death in the 1930s as a result of Stalin's forced collectivization (aka stealing) of the national harvest.
The Weak and the sick in the forced labor camps were executed by Stalin's KNVD unit. A hundred
thousand P.O.W.s died in constructing White Sea Canal, which went to waste after completion.
Over 35,000 officers, not incuding four fifths of the naval high command, were shot or imprisoned
during Stalins purges in 1937. This left the nation grossly unprepared for Hitlers invasion.
Revisionists like Paul Robeson have denied and even condoned such atrocites. But a 1937 USSR
census (censored by Stalin) reveals a sudden drop in Russia's population by millions.
PAGE 3
The Soviet Republic should be made more secure against class enemies (anyone with property) by isolating them in
concentration camps. How can you have a Revolution without executions? - Vladamir I. Lenin
CONTENTS
THE CENTURION has had the honor of being accepted
THE
RUTGERS TOPICS
CENTURION
FOUNDED MMIV
Editor-in-Chief
James O'Keefe
EIC@rucenturion.com
Art Director/Webmaster
Justine Mertz
Artdirector@rucenturion.com
NATIONAL TOPICS
15. Harvard, Tsunami, Iraqi Elections
16. Death of Santa, the CIA
17. Condi Rice, W.A.R. Notes
Executive Editor
Kian Barry
Executive@rucenturion.com
Managing Editor
Joseph Nedick
Managing@rucenturion.com
Business Editor
Matthew Klimek
Business@rucenturion.com
Director of Investigative Reporting
Greg Walker
Layout Editor
Matt D'Amico
Rutgers Topics Editor
Ariah Laing
CENTURION
COMMENTARY
18. A Ruined State: A Success Story
19. Laci and Connor's Law
20. Affirmitively Racist
21. Budget Deficit: Point/Counterpoint
22. Conservative Diversions
24. Faculty Lacks Diversity of Ice Cream
Preferences
Visit www.rucenturion.com to
watch the award presentation!
Contributions Editor
Karen Milideo
Marketing Director
Michael Ng
That's because the views, opinions and representations of Rutgers College and
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey are predominantly left-leaning.
Be Sensitive!
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PAGE 4
"The essence of political tragedy is to make the perfect the enemy of the good." Aristotle
FROM THE EDITOR
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PAGE 5
What is beauty? According to Donald Rumsfield its the smell of napalm in the morning. Professor Swanson, Rutgers Philosophy Dept.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
That's Ignorant
THE CENTURION
SAC BOX 191
STUDENT ACTIVITY CENTER
613 GEORGE STREET
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901
animal rights
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mail@rucenturion.com
PAGE 6
It doesnt take much to become a Big Man On Campus these days. At Rutgers University, all you have to do is murder cops. New
York Post, January 22, 2005.
AT RUTGERS
WHAT IS GOING ON AT
COP-KILLER COMES
Reported by Matthew Klimek and James O'Keefe
TO RUTGERS
n August 27, 1964, two Lodi, NJ, police officers, Peter Voto and Gary Tedesco, entered
a night club to investigate a disturbance. Inside, a man name Thomas Trantino and an
accomplice assaulted the officers, disarmed them, and then commanded them to strip to
their underwear. Trantino and his sidekick then taunted and pistol-whipped the officers
before finally shooting them execution-style. One of the officers brothers found the two
slain policemen at the scene. Originally condemned to death, his sentence was commuted to
life when the Supreme Court overturned the death penalty in 1972. Since 2002, this cop-killer
has been walking the streets on parole. Within 18 months, Trantino was under arrest again
for charges that he assaulted and restrained his girlfriend. He was acquitted. A conviction
would have put him behind bars for the rest of his life. Following his release, Trantino had
some difficulty securing work but he has now found a job, one that brought him to RutgersCamden on January 22. The Friends Transitional Support Services, a Quaker organization
that reaches out to ex-inmates, was
looking for a program director. They
chose Trantino. Now, the FTSS and
Prof. Drew Humphries, director of
the criminal justice program at
Camden, have cosponsored a panel
to discuss How to Survive on Parole and Probation.
Of the thousands of NJ parolees,
who should they chose as their public liaison but Trantino. Humphries
was quoted as saying in the Star-Ledger that the panel was meant as an
open forum for discussion, no matter how controversial. Rather it
would seem she means as controversial as possible. Leah Morris, an employee of the Office of Public Defender, sat on the
panel with Trantino and Humphries, though she was not acting in any connection with the
office. The discussion was held in a university auditorium, which the two sponsors leased
privately from Rutgers. No representative from the New Jersey State Parole Board was
present at the event. Their delegate withdrew when the board learned that Trantino would be
on the panel. Edward Bray, Parole Board spokesman, told the Philadelphia Enquirer, Its
inappropriate for one of our officers to be sitting with a parolee... and be expected to treat
him as a peer. State law enforcement officials were outraged, and pleaded with the University
to cancel, but to no avail. Hes not someone we want to put up as an example of a good
parolee, said Bray. Dr. Humphries would disagree. Tommy Trantino is on the panel
because hes a role model for those who have come out of prison and are looking to turning
their lives around, she said. Tommy is a very peaceful person. Hes done a good job. I dont
think hell turn into an ax murderer.
And what if he were to turn into an ax murderer? How would that be any different
than what he already is: a first degree double cop killer? If the purpose of this panel was to
build a positive rapport between parolees and the community, why did the sponsors choose
the perpetrator of a premeditated murder which left two families and an entire community
bereft, and who is now freely walking the streets after narrowly escaping his capital sentence,
as their lead man? To the Camden department of criminal justice, exactly what is their
definition of the word justice? Still, Trantino wishes someone from the Parole Board had
been present. Im willing to talk to those police officers, he said. Im willing to go in to
their training and talk to them. I used to talk to the police in prison and I have no problem
with police. No, he only executes them. We recognize that Tommy is a controversial figure
and for many people its rubbing salt in very tender wounds, said
Continued on next page
THIS MONTH'S
CENTURION AWARD
GOES TO
DR. DREW
HUMPHRIES
OF
RUTGERS CAMDEN
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 7
Any informed conservative is reluctant to condense profound and intricate intellectual systems to a few pretentious phrases; he prefers
to leave that technique to the enthusiasm of radicals.- James Kirk
COMMENTARY
Humphries. But the difficulties of people in parole and probation is important work,
so we do it. More important, presumably, than the dignity of these two officers and
the difficulties of their families following their loss. Two public servants, Voto and
Tedesco, lost their lives, but their murderer not only still has both his life and his
freedom, but is honored as a role mode. Of the law enforcement community, Trantino
said, Its a club... The way they survive is, when Tommy Trantinos name is mentioned, they snap to attention and say RRRR.
This report includes material compiled from various sources including: The Bergen Record, The Daily Home News, The StarLedger, NorthJersey.com, The Philadelphia Enquirer, and The Courier Post. Articles are from 1963 newspaper archives.
AMERICANSOEMBARASSED BY AMERICA
A S
THEFACEBOOK.COM
S EEN
N HTTP://RUTGERS.
he Americans Embarassed by America represent an angry group of Rutgers students that are disgusted with the
apparent growing fascism in the country. THE CENTURION sympathizes with their concerns. We realize that the process of
leaving the country may seem overwhelming, and students might not know where to start. We'd like to provide these students
with the proper resources so they can begin renouncing their US citizenship, and move to the socialist utopia of their choice as
soon as possible.
Maryann Celis,
Future Brit
Chris Haines,
Future Guatemalan
Adam Cooper,
Future Canadian
Andrea Didonato,
Future Frenchy
Larry Greenstein,
Future New Zealander
Chris Calla,
Future Italian
Mike Brennan,
Future Dijiboutian
Merideth Wood,
Future Australian
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 8
WHAT IS GOING ON AT
Wal*Mart: Rutgers Against Low Prices
The Department of Labor Studies and employee relations at Rutgers joined in on the action of hating
Wal-Mart for stupid reasons late last semester by conducting a study and concluding that big box
retailers such as Wal-Mart pose a significant threat to New Jerseys supermarket industry. Naturally,
because Wal-Mart has made such a large amount of money and has been so economically successful, it
has many enemies in the Academy where anti-globalization, anti-consumerism, and anti-capitalism are
prevalent. But would an academic study at a respected school like Rutgers start making accusations
against the company without backing them up? Of course, idealism over realism is the liberal way.
The Rutgers study stated that big boxes like Wal-Mart use sharp-elbowed tactics (no specifics of course), questionable labor tactics,
(none given there either) unfair competition (we think this may just be snobbery against capitalism) and even stated that New Jerseys supermarket
industry is imperiled. No facts were given to support these statements, only an array of data regarding employment opportunities from New Jerseys
small businesses. The study concluded, If the supermarket industry is unable to compete with bog-box stores another of New Jerseys traditional
and long-standing source of quality employment and economic vitality may be in jeopardy. Indeed. The Apocalypse is coming. Or is it?
1) Wal-mart supplies its shoppers with goods at lower prices, enabling those without money to have a better way of life.
2) An expansion of Wal-Mart throughout New Jersey could save consumers billions of dollars, ultimately creating jobs
3) 90% of Wal-Mart Employees have health insurance
4) Wal-Mart is not unionized which means pay does not start at minimum wage.
5) Retailers provide jobs, not careers. Even so, two-thirds of Wal-Mart managers come from hourly employees
6) The majority of beginning employees are either teenagers or the elderly, and arent supporting families.
By concluding from Big Boxes bigness and successes in the free-market, the liberal researchers at Rutgers have joined the rest of the media in
portraying Wal-Mart as evil. Just one question to the Rutgers researchers: When will a study been done on the effects of Starbucks dominance?
THE CENTURION
/ FEBRUARY 2005
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 9
"If your Republican dont talk to me or you will die. Now f*** off!!" - Tabitha Rice, rutgers.thefacebook.com
RUTGERS TOPICS
Awards
LIBERAL OF THE
MONTH to:
THE CENTURION
WHAT IS GOING ON AT
TABITHA RICE
For manifesting intolerance and insensitivity of opposing
views through the display of a CENTURION overwritten
with the word DIE and destroying conservatively
oriented posters on doors. A member of the CENTURION
staff filed a "Bias Incident Report" concerning this
instance of hate speech and threatening language, the type
of activity often attributed to conservatives. University
speech codes prohibit graffiti, threats, poster vandalism,
intimidation, and hate messages made by Tabitha, which
detract from the constructive atmosphere of the community. This months award is bestowed upon Tabitha
Rice for disregarding the standards of tolerance and
multicultural respect of various orientations, that are
expected when one is dealing with the diverse
members of an inclusive learning environment. Her
actions have allowed us to demonstrate the existence of
our restrictive speech code. A member of the CENTURION
has filed a formal complaint and seeks redress for her
damning actions, good thing our speech code doesnt
allow for free speech.
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 10
L O VE IS IN THE AIR
AT
Threat # 1
"You need to call me within the
ORIGINAL DEAL: "Id be glad to sign on as "The upcoming issue has another next two hours to assure me that
your faculty advisor...one conditionyou run column from me....but young James [THE CENTURION editor] cant
my column of 750-1200 words in every wants to renege on the original change what Ive written. If he
issue...Ill do whatever I can to shape it, withdeal by running a reply."does, I resign as your advisor".out, however, telling you all what to think, write, politicsandletters.blogspot.com,
Sun, October 24, 2004 6:30 pm
Threat # 2
say, etc. - September 12, 2004
Nov. 24th
"Bull****. Translation: I dont
Threat #3
believe you. If you want to play
"Enough B.S. You all are pretty funny in your tortured efforts to
games with me, OK, but keep
be faithful to the truth as you understand it.... I reiterate: youd
three simple facts in mind. First,
better call me before 9:00 AM tomorrow. "-Tue, 30 Nov
you and I had a deal. Second,
(If you Must)
you are evading me and trying to
200400:34:19 -0500
renege on that deal. Third, if you
do [print a challenge to my
Normal Person: I dont know
Threat #4
column], not only do I resign as
"If you wanted a completely conservative
advisor, I go to the student
publication, you should have acquired a conservaPostmodernist: The instability of
government and explain your
tive advisor who wouldnt violate your rule of
your question leaves me with several
chicanery. You are behaving
uniformity. You couldnt, so youre stuck with me
contradictorily layered responses whose
dishonestly, and you should be
and our original agreement, unless you violate it
interconnectivity cannot express the
ashamed of yourself. You can be
[violate = printed challenge]. Then I resign and go
logocentric coherency you seek. I can
funded by private sources, so I
to the student government, and explain in exquisite
dont understand your motives.
only say that reality is more uneven and
detail what liars you are." Tue, 30 Nov 2004
Youd better call me now." its (mis)representations more untrustworthy than we have time here to
November 29, 2004 10:23 PM
explore.
Normal Person:
We should listen
to the views of people outside of
Western society in order to learn about
the cultural biases that affect us.
Pre/post/
spacialities of counter-architectural
hyper-contemporaneity (re)commits us
to an ambivalent recurrentiality of
antisociality/seductivity, one enunciated
in a de/gendered-Baudrillardian
discourse of granulated subjectivity. -
TO TROOPS:
"No one in the United States
should try to overhype this
election."
LOVE,
Sen. John Kerry,(D-MA) on
Meet the Press
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 11
I applaud the court for determining that race may be considered among many factors in the college admissions process.
Dr. Richard L. McCormick
RUTGERS TOPICS
THE CENTURION
http://www.wnjpin.state.nj.us/coei/presentations/census_presentation_files/frame.htm#slide0281.htm
http://www.census.gov/pubs/2003pubs/c2kbr-34.pdf
**
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 12
Student body diversity is a compelling state interest that can justify the use of race in university admissions.
-Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor
RUTGERS TOPICS
equal employment opportunity, which requires employers to eliminate
Continued from Previous Page
In Order to Become More (Racially) Diverse, Rutgers Needs to
Use Much More Reverse Racism in the Hiring Process
7:1
White
14:1
13.9
Black
14
12
10
7.5
Ratio
6
4
1
THE CENTURION
2
0
Population Ratios
153,188,000 : 20,527,000*
14,552,860: 1,046,877*
http://uhce.rutgers.edu/eeo-aa.html
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/NJ/
16.5%
White
Other
Black
77.3%
83.7%
Asia. While they have the same skin color, their lives would have
been remarkably different.
Diversity also means differing ideas about any and all aspects of
life, whether on topics of race or religion or gender or politics. As
THE CENTURION showed in its December 2004 issue, conservatives
are highly underrepresented at Rutgers. If Rutgers wants to combat
a lack of diversity, it ought to be presented as welcoming to those
whose political ideas are right of the average RU professor. Keep in
mind that President Bush got 46% of the vote in New Jersey4. If
Rutgers is interested in creating more diversity among the faculty,
maybe a committee should go in search of conservative professors.
In fact, perhaps a chart should be made of all the different kinds of
people that exist in the state, and hire from each category! Of course,
that would be impossible. So what should Rutgers, an institution
that thinks it values diversity, do?
How about hiring the best qualified candidates, instead of giving
extra points to those who are minorities or women, as if they need
it? As if they arent smart or skilled enough to get a job? And if
certain candidates dont happen to be smart or skilled enough, what
then? Should Rutgers reject them? Absolutely. Its not racist, nor is
it sexist, to reject an applicant who happens to be a minority or a
woman. If Rutgers would simply be fair in its hiring practices,
instead of tipping the scales to make up for the past, the resulting
faculty would, on the whole, provide the best possible education to
the students, who are paying good money for it.
***Office of Institutional Research and Planning
*Stastical Abstract of the United States
**New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
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PAGE 13
"American English is saturated with 'the language of oppression.' The language of diversity makes people uncomfortable. Words like discrimination,
oppression, dominance, subordination, heterosexism, racism or male privilege often cause negative reactions." - The Rutgers Diversity Factor
RUTGERS TOPICS
Language Reform
he Rutgers University administration has become obsessed with advancing a way of life that emphasizes skin
color and stereotypes instead of academic and intellectual diversity. Assuming that skin color determines how one acts
and thinks, Rutgers has no less than 33 distinct offices, committees, programs, projects, caucuses and councils to beat the
importance of skin color, tolerance, and multicultural sensitivity into the heads of students from the moment they
arrive. Every facet of the university seems to be jumping on the political correctness bandwagon. So much time and money
has been spent drafting speech codes and developing sensitivity initiatives, that students are left wondering if the madness
will ever end.
r
La der
ng yo
div u u
ers age r co
ity G py
fac uid of
tor es th
Dr. Cheryl Clarke
.ru tod e R
Director, Diverse Community Affairs and LGBTQ Concerns
tge ay ut
cclarke@rci.rutgers.edu
rs. ! - ger
ed
s
u
Ms. Barbara A. Wright
Ms. Isabel Nazario
Executive Director for Intercultural Initiatives
inazario@rci.rutgers.edu
PAGE 14
"Since we all have learned the terminology of oppression simultaneously with learning the English language, we cannot unlearn it without making a
conscious effort. Available in print or electronically, the 4th edition of The Diversity Factor Language Guide is an aid in the unlearning process."
Id rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory
than to the faculty of Harvard University. - William F. Buckley
NA
TIONALTOPICS
NATIONAL TOPICS
sels to the area to help with immediate aid. Private donations topped
an additional $350 million and continue to rise.
Private corporationsyes,those horrible, greedy, money-grubbing
corporations have also joined in the relief effort. Pfizer has given
$35 million in cash and pharmaceuticals to the effort. Bristol-Myers
Squibb has donated another $5 million in cash and medication to
the effort. Coca-Cola has donated $10 million, and
Exxon-Mobil has donated $5 million. Dozens more have
contributed millions of dollars in money and goods for
the relief effort. All told, this adds to well over half a
billion dollars in aid. Stingy just doesnt seem to be the
right word here. An accusation of financial stinginess is
not the only way in which the tsunami tragedy became a
political issue, but it is the most glaring example. When it
became clear that initial pledges may not have been sufficient, nations and people worldwide were quick to respond;
there was no need to begin pointless accusations or make a mockery
of the tragedy by turning it into a political issue. It is much more
productive to help those devastated by the tsunami by focusing
squarely on that goal, rather than on petty comparisons and accusations amongst the developed world.
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 15
"I am not religious, but I have a great respect for religion." - F. A. Hayek
NA
TIONAL TOPICS
may also be a door for reform. It will take more than municipal
elections to reform Saudi Arabia and likewise, no one will be fooled
by meaningless elections under despotic rulers. Regardless, in Iraq
and Palestine, advocates of a free society are optimistic and terrorists
have suffered a crushing defeat. One day, historians will look back at
January 2005, and see it as the month that would eventually transform the Middle East forever. The Islamic fascist dogs bark, but the
caravan rolls on.
HO, HO...NO!
Oddly enough, there was a phrase around Rutgers in December
that would justifiably warrant a burning effigy in your name, a
phrase that was even more taboo in Academia than Im so glad
Bush won! Should you be cursed enough to be like at least 76.5
percent of the United States population, you celebrate a holiday
every December 25. Dont make the same mistake I did and utter
the words Merry Christmas. Apparently these few arbitrary sequences of sounds, when said consecutively, illicit an uncomfortable atmosphere.
The fact of the matter is that Christmas nowadays is not overtly
religious. Universally, Christmas is a day of relaxation, goodwill,
and peace. The Christmas season brings out the best in all of us:
generosity, forgiveness, charity, and hope in the future. Neither of
MEDIA THREATHENING NATIONAL SECURITY
the two biggest symbols for the holiday molds the atmosphere
into a religious one. The Christmas tree is no longer a symbol of
Recently, the Washington Post exposed a secret CIA battlethe Christian faith. It has evolved to be more of a seasonal object.
field group, the Strategic Support Branch, an otherwise covert
Santa Claus character origin as Saint Nicholas is now only found in
group created after September 11, 2001. The Strategic Support
songs. Santa is not a missionary for the Christian faith. He does not
Branch was created to expand the Pentagons ability to collect
scream from his sleigh, The power of Christ compels you! to
human intelligence from spies. This unit had been clandestine in
motivate anyone into joining the Christian faith. Perhaps the ACLU
Afghanistan and Iraq, and was largely responsible for interrogawill contend that he is prejudiced against those who are naughty.
tions that led to Saddam Husseins capture. They increase the
Well, I, for one, admire a person who does not positively reinforce
militarys ability to collect real time information. Now,
negative behavior. Once again, I am a conservative fighting the
Democrats on Capitol Hill are insisting on hearings about the
battle of personal responsibility.
units secrecy and plan to expose the Strategic Support Branch.
According to 2003 Statistical Abstract of the United States from
These hearings, which are being pushed for by congressional
the Census Bureaus website, people who identified themselves as
Democrats and the Washington Post, would likely put American
non-religious are very much on the rise: 13.2 percent of Americans
Soldiers and Iraqi citizens at risk. Currently, Iraq is being infilin 2001 as opposed to the 7.5 percent in 1990. This could be justitrated by foreign fighters and terrorists who seek to derail any
fied by the leaps and bounds of science in the past couple decades.
democratic future for the Iraqi people. Whether one agrees or
After all, many hold fickle relationships with faith because perhaps
disagrees with the rationale for war in Iraq is trivial at this
the relentless sword of scientific criticism might damage it tomorjunction; the U.S. cannot morally leave an exposed Iraqi people to
row. However, it is this movement towards an absolute dissoluthe mercy of Islamic fascists from Iran and Syria who seek to
tion of religion that is causing current litigation that is anti-religion
impose a Taliban-like regime. Furthermore, one of the objectives
instead of being tolerant to all religions.
of a war with Iraq was to build a state in
These secularists are renaming Christmas "Santa Claus Violates Seperation of which western ideals such as liberty,
trees into trees of life, giving trees,
separation
Church and State," says school board. equality, andflourish in aof church and
and especially holiday trees. I find it quite
state would
region marred
hypocritical and ironic of such sensitive people to get up in arms
by dictatorial governments. However, when Democrats demand
over something so trivial as beloved french fries, but at the same
to expose secret military organizations, it is more difficult for U.S.
time not thinking twice about having the impudence to relentlessly
soldiers to protect Iraqi civilians and western values. If the U.S.
attempt to rid society of a season that has limited ties to my relilearned any lesson from Vietnam, it was that politicizing a war
gion.
only makes America weaker and makes our troops unable to fight
The ideal world for secularists would be total separation of
a productive or comprehensive war. Impeding the capabilities of
church (ironic, because in their utopia, Christianity is not included)
our soldiers is not only counterproductive to Iraqi freedom and
and state. Christmas is just a small step on their agenda. With the
American interests, it is immoral and hurtful.
destruction of a religious backing comes the destruction of solid
moral fiber. I find the purpose of religion nowadays is not to
explain the wonders and mechanics of nature, but rather to show
guidance towards truth: to reaffirm that some things are right and
some things are wrong. Mandating a change in the holiday which is
enjoyed by people of all faiths using false pretenses for your own
Inclusive
political gain is wrong. Free Exercise of religion just does not
Inclusive
Inclusive INSENSITIVE
seem all that free.
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PAGE 16
The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it. - President Thomas Jefferson
COMMENTARY
By AMY
CASTELLI
Ted Rall - Universal Press syndicate - depicting Condoleezza Rice proclaiming herself Bush's "HOUSE
NIGGA." A black man demands that Rice "HAND OVER HER HAIR STRAIGHTENER." His t-shirt
reads "YOU'RE NOT WHITE, STUPID." The caption below the frame reads "SENT TO INNERCITY RACIAL RE-EDUCATION CAMP."
THE CENTURION
/ FEBRUARY 2005
PAGE 17
We Americans understand freedom; we have earned it, we have lived for it, and we have died for it. This nation and its people are
freedoms models in a searching world. We can be freedoms missionaries in a doubting world. Barry Goldwater
COMMENTARY
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PAGE 18
The principles embodied in the Constitution are enduring, and that to whatever extent we deviate from them, we put our liberties at risk.Sean Hannity, Let Freedom Ring
CONTRIBUTORS
THE CENTURION
For the sense of legality, the federal government needs to make a decision as to when a
human life starts and must relate the beginning
of citizenship to some physical transition period other than birth. Arguably, no such distinct transition period exists. Some reformers
propose a Human Life Amendment, which
would define a person as a human from the
moment of conception. However, such a regulation would bring drastic and often unwanted
implications including homicide investigations
for miscarriages and the illegalization of many
forms of birth control that prevent embryonic
implantation. A better solution would be to
create an amendment that would instead find
some sort of compromise, giving citizen rights
to the unborn that can at least survive on their
own (with medical care) if they were to be violently separated from their mother. Current
research suggests that preterm infants as young
as 23 weeks of gestation can routinely survive
when provided with proper medical care. Expanding such a limit on citizenship would not
have a profound impact on abortion or contraception law involving fetuses under such an
age. Younger fetuses could still be protected
against non-maternal violence under the current
law. Abortion law would still remain distinct
and then could later be reviewed for legality on
a basis of social, moral, and religious grounds
throughout the country without the fear of creating additional inconsistencies with the law.
It is only after inconsistencies between the
definitions and rights of citizens, persons, and
humans are resolved that issues of abortion can
adequately be discussed as a moral, social, and
religious issue. It is time to put a stop to laws
that contradict and specifically exclude previous laws, thus creating a tangled web of potentially unenforceable nonsense.
/ FEBURARY 2005
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
A New Life
Has Begun
PAGE 19
Affirmatively Racist
By Kian Barry
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the leader of the modern Civil Rights movement in the 1960s exclaimed, I have a dream that my four little children
will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of
their skin but by the content of their character, in a speech he delivered
from the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963. Kings dream is trampled
daily by a form of racism that was not practiced during the time of Jim
Crow. This new for m of discrimination is misnamed as Affir mative
Action, when there is nothing positive about it. In order to redress
grievances of past years of vile discrimination and segregation, this process
calls for the reverse discrimination of white Americans. By providing
preferential treatments for certain racial backgrounds and supporting racebased affirmative action, colleges and other public institutions practice
inherently racist policies.
Affirmative Action is effectively defined as an active effort (as through
legislation) to improve the employment or educational opportunities of
members of minority groups or women. The problem that occurs at the
onset of this program is not that it is beneficial to minorities, but that it
hampers non-minorities in an attempt to do so. It is impossible to justify
the blatant discrimination against white Americans simply because of the
color of their skin. This program makes clear that it is more important to
have an ethnically diverse student body or place of business than to have
the most qualified applicants assume their rightful positions.
In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), the Supreme
Court debated over the constitutionality of a procedure that the University
of California- Davis Medical School used in order to admit their class of
one hundred students yearly. Bakke claimed that he deserved admittance to
the Medical School based on his qualifications and that race should never
play a part in the application process. He claimed that the special admissions program operated to exclude him on the basis of his race was in
violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, a
provision of the California Constitution, and Section 601 of Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, which provides, inter alia, that no person shall on
the ground of race or color be excluded from participation in any program
receiving federal financial assistance. Moreover, the University had set
aside 16 seats yearly for minority students regardless of the class that
applies to the school, thus placing a quota that allowed minority students to
apply in a field of 100 and non-minorities to apply for a school with a total
of 84 available seats.
While addressing the existence of the quota system at the University of
California, the Court held in concurrence with the Circuit Court of Appeals that it was unconstitutional to specifically denote points for race or
set aside exact seats for minority applicants in one class. Conversely, however, the Court found that it was constitutional for the University to take
race into account in a qualitative, rather than quantitative manner, in the
acceptance process. Justice Powell wrote the opinion of the Court, and
Exclusively on www.rucenturion.com!
"A Solider's Prespective" By Anthony Gioia
Republican and a Democrat were walking down the street when they
came to a homeless person. The Republican gave the homeless person his
business card and told him to come to his business for a job. He then took twenty
dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person.
The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to another homeless person, he decided to help.
He walked over to the homeless person and gave him directions to the
welfare office. He then reached into the Republicans pocket and got out twenty
dollars. He kept 15 for administrative fees and gave the homeless person five.
Now you understand the difference between Republicans and Democrats.
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 20
[Liberalism] is sustaining the majority of intellectuals, but that proves to be easier than holding together the world. William F. Buckley
CONSERVATIVE POINT...
By S. Hamlin
sphamlin@hotmail.com
VOLUME I, ISSUE III
The year 1994 was a revolutionary one for the Republican Party and for
conservatism as a whole. Two years after suffering a humiliating defeat
from Bill Clinton, important officials in the Republican Party decided it
was time to recognize their traditional conservative roots. In their famous Contract with America the House Republicans pledged to pass
the The Fiscal Responsibility Act which promised to create a balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto
to restore fiscal responsibility to an out-of-control Congress, requiring
them to live under the same budget constraints as
families and businesses. This act was a clear recognition of the importance of fiscal responsibility, the
notion that it is wise for a government to have a
balanced budget. Proponents of the ideals of the
1994 Contract With America supported fiscal prudence beyond immediate economic calculations. Fiscal irresponsibility, demonstrated by large deficit
spending, threatens our national security and national
independence.
The more that the government borrows the
harder it gets to borrow, because it becomes harder
to pay back loans. This phenomenon directly affects
the value of the dollar; because the value of the
dollar is related to how much faith the holders of the
dollar have in the government that issues it. Due to
the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush administration,
the dollar is actually being beaten by the Euro. According to numbers from January 2005, the Euro is
worth 1.32 U.S. dollars. This may have a significant effect on retirees
savings as well as on the saliency of US salaries, savings, and investments.
Another impending American fiscal problem is the existence of
dramatic trade deficits. According to recent figures released in January
from the US Commerce Department, the United States is in the red $60
billion dollars in the import/export numbers. This has deep implications. Firstly, it shows the overall trend of importation. Consequently, it
illustrates how dependent America is on outside countries, even those
with undesirable governmental systems. Oil from the dictatorships in
the Middle East makes up a large percentage of the trade imbalance.
Communist China contributes 19.6 billion more to that imbalance. Should
either of these areas decide to cut ties with America, we would become
immediately and painfully aware of our dependency.
Beyond these calculations, great stewards of fiscal responsibility
like Dwight D. Eisenhower saw more dangerous foreign policy implications. The material foundation of our national safety is a strong and
expanding economy. This we haveand this we must maintain. Only
with such an economy can we be secure and simultaneously provide for
the well being of our people, Dwight Eisenhower proclaimed in his
1959 State of the Union speech. In Eisenhowers mind, the Cold War
was going to be a long struggle that required sustainable spending.
In the end, our seemingly solid economy and defense is more vulnerable than meets the eye. Fiscally irresponsible behavior cannot continue.
By Mike Orecchio
The United States Budget Deficit is rapidly shrinking! And you had no
idea. This accurate statement remains unannounced by the mainstream
media. In the first three months of the current fiscal year, expenditures
by the federal government increased by 6.1 percent while tax collections
grew by a whopping 10.5 percent. With more money coming in than
going out, the deficit shrinks. This can be largely credited to the Bush tax
cuts for small business and capital formation. From the latest economic
releases, business investment has increased a staggering 15%. Coupled
with a 20% rise in 2004 corporate profits, this has
created many new jobs. Bushs economic policies
have led to new jobs, more profits, more growth,
and more tax dollars. This is a pro-growth economic policy, which will continue to shrink the deficit. At this pace, the deficit will be on the right track
and should be near 3% of our national GDP at the
end of 2005.
Lies about the U.S. budget deficit have passed
as conventional wisdom. On January 29th, 2005, a
Goldman Sachs senior economist was quoted in the
New York Times as saying, foreigners are continuing to eat our lunch. Is this man referring to the
Europe with an average unemployment rate of more
than 10%? Polands unemployment rate is pushing
19%! Not to mention their ultra-sluggish economic
growth, which barely approaches 2%. Amazingly
enough, these hypocrites now argue for the need to
slow down the economy because it further expands
our trade deficit. To them, prosperity is horrific! Americans borrow,
guzzle, and thrive too much for a media that must continually turn opulence into depression with deceit and misrepresentation of facts.
The economic data has no bias. The private domestic economy, which
is measured as a part of real GDP, the true steam behind the American
economy, increased 5.4% in 2004, 2% more than in 2003. Business investment more than doubled the gain in 2003. Moreover, 2.3 million
payroll jobs were created this past year. Inflation is almost nonexistent,
mortgage rates are still at record lows, the unemployment rate is a mere
5.4%, and personal income is up approximately 5%. The New York
Times will undeniably spin these very strong results.
Even though strong economic growth is bringing the budget deficit
down and import demands up, skewed conventional thought continues
to portray the alleged double deficits as a sign of weakness rather than
strength. But if deficits are really that awful then why is the United
States economy so strong? The United States budget gap is smaller that
the budget deficiency in both Europe and Japan. And if our allies in
Europe and Japan have any economic growth, the United States trade
gap will narrow considerably. What they need is a taste of Bushs progrowth cowboy-capitalism. Meanwhile, with a solid American economy
featuring strong investment returns in the stock market, the budget deficit is shrinking by the minute.
mykeo@eden.rutgers.edu
THE CENTURION / FEBRUARY 2005
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
PAGE 21
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