Professional Documents
Culture Documents
THE CENTURION The Journal of Conservative Thought at Rutgers University November 1st, 2004
Liberal Edition
“All the News New Brunwick: Today, scattered bias,
That’s Fit to Slant” A1. Tomorrow, hailing Kerry A15.
Yesterday, spotty journalism A1-A15
VOL. CLIII... No. 52,928 Copyright © 2004 The New York Slime NEW BRUNSWICK, NOVEMBER, 2004 $4.50 for White Anglo Saxon Protestants, $1.00 for the Disenfranchised
please turn to A26 other countries and eveything is eventually Continued on Page A20 religious garbage.
PAGE E20 Isn’t...............................................................................................................That sad?
going to go to hell.
INAUGURAL CONTENTS
WHO ARE WE
3. The Truth Will Set You Free
4. LGBT & Conservative. A Contradition?
5. Government, Responsibility, Morality
6. Against the Grain
6. This is Conservatism
THE COMMENTARY
CENTURION 7. National Topics
8. Veal Parmesan
FOUNDED MMIV 9. Chomsky, Nader, Moore, OH MY!
10. NJPIRG's Public Relations Fraud.
11. Selective Diversity
Editor-in-Chief 12. Women Should be Conservative Coercion, Fraud and Corrpution
James O'Keefe 12. Appease the Terrorists at the NJPIRG voting booth
EIC@rucenturion.com
ACADEMIA
Art Director
Justine Mertz 13. Rutgers, Here's Your Speech Code
Artdirector@rucenturion.com 14. Feature: Behind Closed Doors
15. THE CENTURION AWARD
Managing Editor
Joseph Nedick
Managing@rucenturion.com LIBERAL BIAS Dr. Gillett of the History Department wins
our award for most decorated door.
Business Editor
16. Liberal Logic
Matthew Klimek 17. We're Not Pro-Life, We're Anti-Choice
Business@rucenturion.com 18. A Message from Our Faculty Advisor
19. What Your Professors Don't Want You to Read
Faculty Advisor 20. I Have a Dream
James Livingston
Our Socialist Faculty Advisor,
Dr. Livingston, I presume?
Honorary Contributor
Gary Cocco THE CENTURION is the Journal of Conservative Thought at Rutgers University.
Our motto is “Veritas vos Liberabit,” which means “The truth will set you free.”
Contributers T HE C ENTURION was founded in 2004 to serve as a non-partisan politically
Yoni Ruben conservative forum and media outlet for Rutgers University. THE C ENTURION
Mike Orrechio believes stongly in morality, individual achievement and tradition. Under no
Alfredo Garcia circumstances will THE CENTURION bow down to intimidation or indoctrination
Amy Castelli anywhere or anytime.
R. Bryan Karch
Send all submissions, commentary, questions, suggestions, requests for
Perfunctory Disclaimer
autographs, sexual rendezvous and death threats to mail@rucenturion.com.
"The views, opinions and representations in THE CENTURION are those of the
student organization and do not represent the views, opinions or representations Submissions may be published at editors' discretion. THE CENTURION can be
of Rutgers College or Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey." found on the world wide web at www.rucenturion.com. General body meetings
That's the whole point. shall be 9 PM on Mondays. Meeting place to be announced on the website. We
are currently looking for editorial staff and contributors. Get involved. Be
recognized. Make a difference.
EDITIO PRINCEPS THE CENTURION / NOVEMBER 2004 PAGE 2
If conservatives could take it in the 60's, they can take it now.
G
eneral George Patton once said “When certain ideological perspective. Let Rutgers be a place as
everyone is thinking the same, no one is thinking at President McCormick envisioned in his Inaugural Address
all.” Throughout my life, in all my pursuits of obtaining “where there is tolerance for the student who challenges the
knowledge, the one thing that has stimulated me most has professor’s ideas.” If our arguments are so flawed, so unsound
been a good challenge. Everyone is in agreement that the and so problematic, then let us expose them for everyone to
only way to learn is through constant stimulation. criticize. Then we will rest our case.
Conservatives and traditionalists are in this respect very There is nothing academic about an ideological majority.
fortunate in college. They are challenged. They learn material There is nothing liberal about a monopoly of thought, nothing
through postmodernism, historical revisionism and the plight enlightening about blatant partisan endorsement, and nothing
of the disenfranchised. The are forced to disect morality and equitable about discriminating against conservative students
examine the ethical obligations of the West. They are lectured and professors because their beliefs are different than your
about the injustices and struggles of those who have been own. Rutgers is a diverse research university with a goal not
victim of systems favorable to those in power. They are only to represent the citizens of New Jersey, but views and
drowned in relativism, concepts of distributive justice and theories from all over the country and the world. More
redistribution of wealth. They are taught that there is no such importantly, it is an academic institution that pursues something
thing as truth and you are not allowed to make judgments even deeper, beyond knowledge or ideology, beyond the
upon anyone or anything, except America. They are taught to rhetoric of a debate.
be sensitive and defensive, emphasizing artifice and political “Sol Iustate et occidentem Illustra.” “Sun of righteousness
correctness over fact. For Rutgers students who have not shine upon the west also." For the past 200 years and to this
taken any classes in the liberal arts, look no day Rutgers lives by that motto. Give us virtue,
further than your mandatory Expository give us justice, give us truth. So read about
Writing course. You read about the evils of "Sun of Righteousness Shine our truth to challenge yourself politically in the
capitalism and the gluttony of America. You process. Find out that although we go about it
read about the corruption of the elections upon the West also" differently, we are in pursuit of the same things
processes which elect diplomatic morons. you are. Disguising truth has helped every
You learned about the consequences of globalization, the need blood-thirsty tyrant and dictator keep the shackles on humanity
for cultural contexts and the corruption of an all men’s throughout history. Let us rock the foundations of academia
institution discriminating against women. Liberals are very and challenge the thrones that have for too long indoctrinated
unfortunate in college. They aren’t really challenged at all. us about our world and the context in which we live. As the
Have advocates for progress with an alleged pursuit of Journal of Conservative thought at Rutgers university T HE
tolerance ever attempted to understand or listen to their CENTURION will try its hardes to serve to that end. Turn the
conservative counterparts, the same way they tell their America page. You may read things you agree with and you may read
to listen to their political enemies? Have they been forced to things that you disagree with. But at least you’ll come closer
read the Nobel Peace Prize winning works of free enterprise by to realizing your own truth, and in the words of Jesus Christ,
Milton Friedman (A Rutgers graduate) or Friedrich Hayek the “The truth shall set you free.”
same way I have been forced to read the communist works of
Karl Marx? Have they studied Ayn Rand’s objectivism,
Edmund Burke’s belief in “sound practice” or William F.
Buckley’s “Up from Liberalism?” Do they see they are living
in the most fruitful and prosperous country in the world,
admiring egalitarian systems that in 20th century have lead to Cordially,
more barbaric cruelty, famine and death than any privileged
American intellect could ever fathom? Have those in academia
been challenged morally? Have they studied the principles
that this country was founded upon? Have they studied
principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and equality, and truly James O’Keefe
compared them to the principles of other societies?
Why, in a country that is at least half conservative, do we
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
not have this ratio represented in higher learning? Some will THE CENTURION
say conservatives shouldn’t have a right to express Veritas Vos Liberabit
themselves. Some say principles of limited government,
personal responsibility or of an objective standard are flat out
wrong. In the words of Michael Moore, “let’s have that debate.”
But let’s not have it through the filter of a professor who has
endorsed a certain candidate or who always comes from a
WHAT IS CONSERVATISM?
LGBT & Conservative
A Contradiction?
I
'm constantly asked how it is that I am a member of the GLBT
(Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) community, and a
conservative. That question indicates ignorance of what
exactly conservatism is. To me, conservatism is a responsible
way of life: I don’t want the government to be too involved in my
life, because I don’t expect them to bail me out. I live my life
making the correct choices, and I don’t care how people choose
to live their lives as long as it doesn’t hurt myself or others. I love
my country, and all the benefits I get from living in a powerful
democracy. I understand, however, that these benefits are not
handed to me- I need to work hard, make responsible choices, and
not break the law. These values I live by are part of the
fundamental conservative philosophy. What does this have to
do with my sexuality?
Sexual preference is a personal aspect of our lives that should
be given minimal attention by the government. I do not approve
of extremism practiced in politics. It causes an unnecessary
government intrusion on our personal lives. I don’t agree with
amending the constitution to dictate civil rights. I also don’t
believe activist government officials should issue illegal, invalid
marriage certificates to make a political point. Extremism ties up
the system and is ineffective. I believe all partners, gay or straight,
should be given the same legal rights so the government can butt Justine is responsibe for the photography
out and everyone can enjoy equality. and the cartoons seen in T HE CENTURION.
It is unfortunate that many on the far right continue to fight
against GLBT rights. I refuse, however, to deny my value system
and vote for a liberal because I disagree with the Right on this one
issue. Instead, I support GLBT inclusion within the Right. I
encourage people who are pro-gay rights to evaluate their values.
They should avoid supporting liberals only because they tend to
be more supportive of gay marriage than conservatives, and vote
for the side they have the most in common with. The GLBT
community will earn more civil rights as the demand for our rights
grows. This means there needs to be demand from all sides-not
just the left.
I hope to have the same civil rights as heterosexuals. But no
matter what, I’ll keep my conservative values.
Sincerely,
THE CENTURION
Justine Mertz
Co-Founder, Art Director
I'm defined by my values.
THE CENTURION
Veritas vos Liberabit
Not my sexuality.
EDITIO PRINCEPS THE CENTURION / NOVEMBER 2004 PAGE 4
“The United States remains the last best hope for a mankind plagued by tyranny and deprivation.” — Ronald Reagan
WHAT IS CONSERVATISM?
and foolish. We live in the greatest country on the earth, with
Limited Government, the freedom to make our own choices, to create our own
destiny. God endowed men and women with free will, and the
Responsibility, Morality ability to discern right from wrong. People must take
accountability for their actions, and accept the consequences
T
he word “conservative” seems to often trigger alarm and of those actions. Unfortunately, our society appears to be
anxiety on our beloved campus, a condition caused by drifting towards irresponsibility, as a culture of blame,
the extreme liberal bias that pervades the Rutgers capriciousness, and disrespect for human life is advanced by
administration, faculty, and student study. Perhaps the most a campaign of intimidation and fear by groups like NARL, the
disconcerting thing about the liberal bias that exists in academia ACLU, and others. Since 1973, there have been over 40 million
is that those who have an ideology that differs from the abortions performed in the United States. Only a small fraction
prevailing one are often marginalized or harassed. Conservative of those abortions were a result of rape, incest, fetal
students are often demonized or ridiculed by their abnormalities, or potential risk to the health of the
professors, who consequently offer little mother. What is plainly clear is that the murder of
perspective or balance while proclaiming their pro- innocent and defenseless human life has occurred
Marxist, liberal dogma. Being conservative is often on a grand-scale because of blatant irresponsibility
associated with being “racist”, “ignorant”, or and a failure of so many to accept the consequences
“mean spirited”. Yet, such classifications are only of their conscious actions. To those who speak of
themselves ignorant. Rutgers University is an “abortion rights” – what right do we as human
institution that regularly prides itself on its beings have to decide who should live or die? What
diversity, but what is consistently lacking of the rights of that unborn child? It is a sad day
throughout the University is an intellectual when a million people will march to defend the
diversity – or a diversity of opinion. A university senseless killing of unborn children, yet we toss
should be a place where students open themselves away human life at the rate of 4,000 per day with
to different ideas; instead, it is often a place of hardly an afterthought. We should be protecting
indoctrination, close-mindedness, and ridicule. those who cannot protect themselves, the most
T HE C ENTURION was founded to offer the defenseless and innocent of us all, the unborn child.
viewpoint that is so desperately needed to be Thirdly, conservatism embodies a strong set of
advanced on the Rutgers campus. values and morals that are vital to the preservation
As a conservative, I believe that government of our American way of life. A social morality based
acts by the will and consent of the governed. on the Judeau-Christian heritage that founded this
Government should be minimally invasive in the country is the very essence of society. Our society
lives of it citizens, and should not impose cannot function without a reasonably universal set
excessive and unnecessary taxes. Conservatives of moral principles, and to deny this is to deny the
believe in small and efficient government that humanity of mankind.
solves problems and doesn’t create new ones. As It is my hope that THE CENTURION will help to
a conservative I also believe in strong local open a broader dialogue on the ideological chasm
government, with individuals exercising their right to determine that exists on our campus. A truly “liberal” education cannot
what is best for them and their families. Sadly, our federal be attained by merely exposing oneself to a single way of
government has become a model of wasteful spending and thinking, instead, one must be open to read and listen to what
inefficiency; and since the 1960s, has become a bloated others have to say.
bureaucracy, with burdensome social entitlements that have
the potential to bankrupt this country and bring ruin and chaos
to our economy. Conservatives believe strongly that it is not Thanks for reading,
the role of the government to redistribute income, rather, the
government should help create the conditions where business
can prosper, where people can work hard and use their ingenuity
to succeed, and where entrepreneurship and free enterprise are
not punished. This is common sense for any reasonable person.
Yet, liberals believe that government – not business, and not
the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the American people, Joseph P. Nedick
drives our economy. Co-Founder, Managing Editor
Secondly, as a conservative I hold that people should be THE CENTURION
held accountable for their actions and that those who deny this
responsibility and blame society for their problems are naive Veritas vos Liberabit
WHAT IS CONSERVATISM?
biases it will become apparent that they with these ideas, not dogmatically, as is
are the true revolutionaries. They see the increasingly the case with liberalism in
Against the Grain value in having absolute standards. They
realize that a society in which each
this country, but considerately,
respectfully, and with others’ best in
generation strikes out against the values mind and at the center of his actions. I
In the liberal environment of of their parents is dangerously lacking in feel that this sort of intellectual
academia, conservatives are often stability. They alone among their peers dare stimulation is sorely missing in our
depicted as ignorant or backward. to stand for the unpopular position rather otherwise diverse field of ideologies.
Students are made to feel by faculty or than parroting the party line. They cut
by their peers that conservative values against the grain to question the
they may hold are foolish. Some come to assumptions and expose the inherent
believe that these values are truly contradictions found in many liberal
indefensible. Conversely, those who arguments.
follow the liberal trends are told that they Moreover, they do so with civility. One
are thinking for themselves and thing that strikes me about the liberal
advancing society by tearing down activist scene is the hostility and anger
conservative constructs. They are led which is often present: the raging against
to believe that any thinking person must the President and the absolute disrespect
necessarily lean to the left. shown toward his office; the hate shown
This is simply not the case. In fact, I toward conservatives by those whose Best regards,
believe it is often the case that desires we hold as indecent; the way it is
conservative values are much more acceptable to ridicule or defame a
reasonable than opposing liberal conservative in way which would be
philosophies. unacceptable if directed at any other
My desire is to debunk the typical minority. That last bit ties into the
Matthew Klimek
anti-conservative rhetoric and hypocrisy so abundant in many areas of
demonstrate why I believe conservatism liberal thought. Co-Founder, Business Editor
to be the reasonable choice. When The true conservative seeks to find the THE CENTURION
students know that they can speak out logical and reasonable basis for his beliefs Veritas vos Liberabit
confidently against the prevalent liberal and to challenge his peers and his leaders
THIS IS CONSERVATISM
THE CENTURION believes morality to be intrinsic. We believe our country to have a moral
high-ground when battling those who disagree with our principles. We believe our system
is delicately molded around a right and a wrong. This foundation is not arbitrary, or due to
specified religion (divine providence), but an optimal system governing mankind. This Maoist
system arrives itself from truths that are inherent, self-evident and dedicated to proposi- Internationalist
Movement
tions so good and right, that it will be his ultimate priority to protect them. A conservative
does not believe in resisting change, rather he believes in protecting, realizing, and aug-
menting preexisting principles. It is the realization of these propositions and truths, rather
than aiming to modify them, that will allow America to realize “progress.”
COMMENTARY
a NATIONAL TOPICS
THE ELECTION
Although we resolve to follow the 2004 Election closely, near full capacity in our oil refineries. If we obtained all Iraq's
THE CENTURION will endorse neither President George W. Bush oil, we would be incapable of doing anything with the raw
nor Senator John F. Kerry, or any other candidate for the office of crude, simply because there is no space for it in our refining
President. True conservatives stick to their principles of limited systems. Interestingly, the most outspoken foreign opponent
government, personal liberty and accountability, underlying of the war, France, receives a significant percentage of its oil
objective truth, and limited spending. resources from Iraq. No blood for oil, indeed.
It is true to say that in general, conservatives share more Contrary to the selective film editing of Michael Moore
beliefs with the Republican Party than with the Democratic Party. and the biased reporting of The New York Times, CNN and
Senator Kerry is an unabashed liberal, displaying virtually none CBS, Iraq is a country with an overwhelming majority that
of the principles that define a conservative. However, the supported regime change. Saddam’s crimes against humanity
incumbent President has also found himself departing from a few are impossible to defend. Hussein was a dictator with
of these core principles. For example, President Bush maintains a absolute control, killing those who disagreed, and murdering
record of increased government spending, soaring deficits, and more for no reason at all. As we are reminded by Locke,
has not vetoed one bill as President. In addition, the freedom is a human right, not only an American right. Giving
Constitutional Amendment banning homosexual marriage that autonomy and freedom to the Iraqi people is the truest form
he proposed to Congress boarders on radicalism. But the of political righteousness.
Democratic Party’s indecision and demagoguery is not what Ronald Reagan’s tough stand against the Soviet Union
America needs in a time of war. was the right decision to make back in the 80’s. George W.
America needs a leader with resolve, substance and Bush’s determined stance against terrorism is exactly the right
consistency in defeating a determined enemy. We make note of course to take in the 21st century. Saddam Hussein was a
our disagreements with Senator Kerry more than those of threat to peace and stability in the Middle East. He supported
President Bush not only because his policies are at odds with Palestinian terrorists and had
conservatives, but also because his policies have not been the will and the capability to
challenged by most faculty members at Rutgers University - where restart his weapons programs.
the overwhelming majority of professors are registered Many people wonder why
Democrats. Students deserve to hear both sides. The faculty’s we went into Iraq. Was it for
blind partisanship must be challenged. WMDs? Not really, but the
media certainly made it seem
that way. Was it oil? No,
THE WAR because their crude doesn’t
help us. So why did we go to
war? America removed the
The United States fought a war to remove a brutal,
most powerful and corrupt
abusive dictator from power, and our nation has succeeded in
regime in the Middle East,
that attempt. The Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein has been
gave power to back to the Iraqi
torn down, and America is safer because of it. At the time President
people, and we have rid the world of a gathering and
Bush made his decision to go to war in Iraq, politicians on both
dangerous threat. President Bush has made it clear that he
sides of the aisle stood behind him. Senator Kerry himself said
will not wait for America to be attacked again before defending
he believed that Saddam posed a real threat to the United States
our interests and protecting our people.
and the world, cautioning that “Saddam Hussein may yet have
weapons of mass destruction.”
The new Iraqi Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi, is now in office
and is making decent appeals to the United Nations. He’s getting Pre-emptive Strike Indeed
Iraq back on its feet and the country will soon be holding its first
free elections in almost thirty years.
The major media outlets are fixated on the terrorist insurgency
centralized in a few cities (Fallujah or “Sadr City” for example). W hen FDR led us into World War II. Germany never
attacked us--Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives
were lost, an average of 112,500 per year. Truman finished that
What is consistently missing on the evening news is the story
of how America’s best and bravest are helping to rebuild a country war and started one in Korea, North Korea never attacked us.
that has faced almost constant war, fear, and oppression under From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,334 per
the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. year. John F. Kennedy...started the Vietnam conflict in
Oil: Less than 4 percent of our oil comes from Iraq. Even if we 1962.Vietnam never attacked us. Johnson turned Vietnam into a
went to war in Iraq because of its oil, we are already operating at quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost an average of
5,800 per year.
COMMENTARY
WHAT IS GOING ON
AT
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
I am Blended
~R.I.P.~
Liberal
of the
Month!
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Remember, Rutgers: Plants have "rights" too
"Make peace, not war!"
COMMENTARY
WHAT IS GOING ON
AT
"Wait just a minute there Barby, let me get a pen and write that down."
NJPIRG
P
assing through Voorhees Mall, any lecture hall, or the Student deductions line. Perhaps even more distressing is the fact that little
Centers, they are hard to miss. From Cook and Douglass to or no information is given to tell parents and students what NJPIRG
Busch Campus, liberal activists of the New Jersey “Public actually is. Most incoming freshman, and dare we say most students,
Interest Research Group” are putting on their triennial campaign to pay the fee out of ignorance, not out of education. Including the fee
continue their scheme of fraud, deception, and abuse of student fee by default in your Term Bill, and by in effect discouraging you from
money. The NJPIRG referendum has descended upon Rutgers opting out of it by making the process as confusing and nonsensical
University. as possible, one must ask how “voluntary” is the donation?
Before blindly voting “yes” in the PIRG referendum, THE Aside from their morally bankrupt policy of extorting money
CENTURION encourages students to check the facts on this so- from the students of Rutgers University, NJPIRG is a shameful
called “non-partisan” public interest group. Founded in the 1970s waste of money and resources. The Centurion feels that students
by Ralph Nader and his close associates, PIRGs sprung up around have a right to know what their fees are paying for. In Fiscal Year
the country under the guise of consumer protection, advocacy for 2004, of the $475,000 expected to be collected from student fees,
the environment, and students’ issues. What has developed instead less than 50% is actually going to fund the activities that NJPIRG is
is a massive liberal lobbying apparatus that channels money from most noted for: NJ Water Watch, The Hunger and Homelessness
college students and their parents into the pockets of “professional Campaign, and its other programs. Over 30% of student fee money
advocates”, lobbyists, and lawyers hell-bent on advancing an agenda ($144,300) collected is dedicated to fund the salaries and benefits of
that is anti-growth, anti-American, and decidedly left-leaning. The NJPIRG’s “professional staff”. Another 8% ($36,420) is earmarked
group has been consistently critical of the Bush Administration’s for the salaries and benefits of NJPIRG’s Administrative Staff. An
policies, has lobbied hard against drilling in the Artic Wildlife Refuge, additional 12% (58,020) is to pay for NJPIRG’s operating expenses
and among other things, has opposed the – which among other things, includes
President’s nominees to head the EPA and professional services such as “legal services”.
the Department of Interior. You would be Before any “public interest program” has been
hard pressed to find any ideological balance launched, before any river has been cleaned,
among PIRG’s staff or student volunteers. before any whale has been saved, before any
The sad reality is that students and parents Caribou’s habitat has been saved, or before any
are being duped into supporting causes that student is registered to vote Democrat, NJPIRG
they might otherwise oppose or despise. has already planned on spending over
Unfortunately, the fee that is used to fund $230,000 just to pay its staff of liberal
the PIRGs is so carefully hidden that many professional lobbyists, advocates, organizers,
students and parents do not even know they and administrative staff. Perhaps even more
are contributing. disconcerting is that an undisclosed amount of
NJPIRG is funded through an obscure the remaining student fee monies allocated to
and little-known mechanism put in place “programming” is earmarked to pay
by the Rutgers University Senate. Of the professional staffers and lobbyists who have
well over 200 student organizations at Rutgers, only two student creative titles like “NJ Clean Water Associate”, “DC Advocate on
organizations – The Daily Targum and NJPIRG - are funded via a Forests and Artic Policy”, “NJ Consumer Protection Organizer”,
“voluntary” donation paid on each student’s term bill. In this case “DC Clean Air and Diesel Advocate”, “NJ Energy Associate”, and
of NJPIRG, the annual fee students pay from the Term Bill is others. Of the remaining $230,000 of student fee money left, how
$19.30 ($9.65 per semester). In the grand scheme of things, $19.30 much is actually going to student programming? On top of all this,
doesn’t seem like a hell of a lot of money, however, if you aggregate NJPIRG pays annual dues to USPIRG, the national umbrella liberal
that number over the entire student body, NJPIRG student chapters think-tank and policy arm of the PIRGs. In FY 2001, $57,300 of
collects close to a half million dollars each year ($475,000 in FY04). student fee money went directly to Washington lobbyists and not to
The problem is that because NJPIRG is technically an Rutgers University initiatives, community endeavors, or state-wide
“independent” organization, its use of student fee money is not projects.
subject to the close scrutiny of student activities advisors and Although we disagree with NJPIRG on most issues, we applaud
administrators. In fact, the very method in which they extort the efforts of students who volunteer and fight for the causes they
money from students is nothing short of misleading and morally believe in. However, THE CENTURION refuses to condone the
dubious. current state of affairs at Rutgers University. Money should never
Instead of using an opt-in fee on the Term Bill, NJPIRG and be the driving force behind civic-minded student volunteerism, but
Rutgers University are able to trick thousands of students and NJPIRG is trying to convince students that they must collectively
their parents into thinking that they are paying a regular part of the donate half a million dollars so that their interests will be heard.
student fee by including the NJPIRG fee as part of the bottom-line That is a total and complete falsehood. Vote NO on the referendum
figure. If you choose to opt-out of the fee, one must read the fine and visit http://www.rucenturion.com to find out how to get your
print on the reverse side of the Term Bill and follow the modestly redund.
complicated steps of subtracting the fee from the credits and
Veritas vos Liberabit
CONTRIBUTORS
SELECTIVE DIVERSITY?
GARY COCCO
O
ne thing that everyone hears about on college campuses ruining America, how he’s taking away people’s rights, fighting
all across the country is diversity. From open houses, to a war for oil, lying to the American people, letting our boys die in
freshmen orientation, to graduation day, students hear Iraq, and exporting jobs overseas to give the wealthy a tax cut. It
about how wonderfully diverse their school’s student body is, is not enough that all these are highly debatable and problematic
and how all opinions, beliefs, and cultures are appreciated and statements, but the professor will often completely misrepresent
accepted. Diversity is viewed to be a worthwhile goal because why the Bush administration acts the way it does, or why half
learning and living in a rich, diverse environment improves the this country supports him. Instead, the professor will simply
quality of our education and produces better, more worldly mock and demonize President Bush. Almost exclusively, when
graduates. No one will question the fact that Rutgers strives for explaining Bush’s rationale for his policies, complex domestic
diversity and prides itself in its current state. and foreign policy decisions are reduced to two simplistic and
I would argue, however, that our educational experience at offensive statements: first, that Bush is a complete idiot, and
Rutgers has been negatively affected because all opinion, views, second, that Bush is a Nazi.
and beliefs are not appreciated or accepted because Rutgers Left with the two answers to everything the President does
chooses to be selective in what forms of diversity it seeks. In fact, as being explained by him being an idiot or a Nazi, both the
there are opinions that are routinely mocked as professors, in general student body and those who agree with him and hold
stark contrast to creating a more diverse environment, daily make conservative views are hurt. The student body is hurt because it
a point of lecturing not on class material, but on their political is deprived of the advantages of diversity. By not employing
objectives, which almost always take the form of one voice, one diversity, but selective diversity, this university has chosen to
idea, one mind. The adherents of these mocked opinions are deny students the knowledge and open discussion needed on
personally ridiculed and must relinquish what they believe if they views of incredible importance that run our country today. This
wish to participate in class and avoid the tirades of their professors leaves students without a complete understanding of
and fellow classmates. The opinions of which I conservative ideas that significantly decreases the
speak are that of conservative. value and quality of our education. Worse,
The problem is much less the fact that students at Rutgers often learn to not just
conservative ideas are no where to be found in our misunderstand President Bush and conservatives,
classes, but instead the malicious way these ideas Intellectual but to hate them. In a political system that requires
are demonized when they are discussed. American
history is taught at this university as a battle
Diversity political participation and the acceptance of
whoever wins an election as legitimate, hatred can
between good and evil, with conservatives and undo this acceptance and ruin the fabric of
Republicans being the bad guys and liberal democracy.
Democrats, the good guys. This is especially Rutgers: 'Not in Our Name' Conservatives on campus, as a result of the
interesting since moral relativism is driven down the student’s teachings of the university they attend, find themselves the
throats, which denies good and evil. Apparently, the only thing target of the anger the student body feels toward President Bush
that can be called evil is not Hitler, nor today’s terrorists, but only and conservatives due to the social engineering done daily in
conservatives. class. With their most deeply held beliefs ridiculed and demonized
Considering the goal of diversity, how can this be? Should not in class, with their classmates viewing them as they view Bush,
conservative viewpoints, literally consisting of half the people of and with their professors encouraging and perpetuating all this
this country, be openly taught, appreciated, and discussed as and even using hatred of our President to encourage class
with every other viewpoint and culture in this university? After all, discussion, conservative students can easily feel lost and like
one must not agree with conservative views to be diverse, one their opinions and viewpoints are wrong and do not matter. This
merely must accept, appreciate, and discuss it. This creates a richer is something that the notion of diversity is supposed to prevent.
learning environment that improves students’ education and leads If Rutgers takes diversity seriously as a goal, then it must
to better, more worldly graduates. To teach, learn, accept, and include conservative thought in its umbrella of diversity.
discuss conservative viewpoints, within the framework of diversity, Otherwise, by excluding it and being selective with which forms
would greatly improve the quality of education here at Rutgers, of thought and ideas to accept, Rutgers is acting contrary to its
especially given the large number of adherents to these views in goal of diversity. Given the advantages of diversity and
our country, and the important force they play in politics. It is particularly the importance of the ideas being excluded, I
unfortunate to say that this university feels it is more important to challenge Rutgers to accept and teach conservative ideology,
force its political views upon the student body and stifle and giving it no more and no less importance than all other forms of
ridicule conservatives at the expense of the students’ educational the diverse nature of beliefs, cultures, and ideologies on campus.
experience.
Students see this daily in class. No matter what the class
material, even if it is completely remote from politics, the professor Gary Cocco is an honorary contributor to THE CENTURION
frequently finds a way to “inform” the students of the evils of the
Bush administration. Students are told of how President Bush is
CONTRIBUTORS
THE TERRORISTS
YONI RUBEN
WOMEN SHOULD BE CONSERVATIVE W henever I have heard people say, “When
we fight terrorists we are only creating
more of them” or “There are more terrorists
AMY CASTELLI today than before we attacked Al Qaida or
Saddam, I have always been perplexed. It seems
Free Palestine!
“They have gun control in Cuba. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?” - Paul Harvey
ACADEMIA
"If it were true that a heavy
concentration of industry
Rutgers, here is your speech code
Taken directly from the Rutgers "Policy Prohibiting Harassment"
is destructive to human life,
one would find life expect-
ancy declining in the more
advanced countries. But it ~Speak Softly~
has been rising steadily.
Here are the figures on life
expectancy in the United
States:
1940 - 60 years
ACADEMIA
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
The Centurion takes Pictures of Faculty Doors around Campus
"Fact is... we've never met before (Cheney sits next to guy
with 'reality' t-shirt). HAHAHAHAHA
Barbara Goff of Cook College
Damian Catera (Mason Gross) Professor Kevin St. Martin gives good
Marx in the sociology depatment
Office hours for liberals only
Bush = fascist Tony Masso of Mason Gross "Come to the end of semester screening...
Or face the Rath of Dick Cheney"
THIS MONTH'S
Dr. Stephen E. Hansell
CENTURION AWARD
GOES TO "Dick Cheney loses his head"
(Sociologist) - Simple but Effective.
WILLIAM
GILLETTE Par
tis
pin! an!
S FOR
BEST DECORATED DOOR
ISSUES
Flawed argument #1 – George W. Bush Flawed argument #3 – “Each one to his own”
For Bias
EDITIO PRINCEPS THE CENTURION / NOVEMBER 2004 PAGE 16
“Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.” - President Ronald Reagan
ISSUES Did you know? L For every 3 African American babies born, 2 died to surgical abortion
Abortion is LEGAL
Slavery was LEGAL
ON THE LEFT
reinterpretation, or rather they just are this reinterpretation—there is
Why a Socialist is the Advisor to a no difference between the perception and the practical consequences
of “original intent.”
If you believe that the founders had the last word, for example,
Conservative Student Organization you will probably not believe in the rights of privacy and sexuality
recently enunciated by federal courts. But you will nonetheless be
engaged in an argument, because you will have to defend your
interpretation of the “original” language against another interpretation.
JAMES LIVINGSTON Whether it’s the Constitution or the Bible, there are rival accounts of
the same text, and all you have is the words on the pages in question.
To convince others that your account is better than theirs, you have to
do more than recite those words.
I’m a Marxist, a socialist, a feminist, and Think of the debate about the Constitution that Lincoln changed
between 1854 and 1860. By the mid-1850s, conservatives in the
a pragmatic postmodernist. So why did I agree North had fallen back to a constitutional defense of the status quo—
to become the faculty advisor of an avowedly conservative student slavery was sanctioned by the 3/5 clause of the Constitution, they said,
organization? Two reasons. First, no one else would do it. That is not so that any ideological agitation or legislative movement against it was
surprising, of course. By now we all know that the pilot disciplines in the a challenge to the legal basis and the political legitimacy of the United
Arts & Sciences are dominated by leftists of one kind or another. Certainly States as such. Radicals in the North, mainly abolitionists, had long
departments of History, Literature, Anthropology, Political Science, since repudiated the Constitution as a blood-stained document on the
and Sociology are—not just at Rutgers, but throughout the nation. very same grounds, that it sanctioned slavery. They wanted to challenge
Departments of Economics and of Philosophy are more politically the legal basis and the political legitimacy of the United States, and
ambiguous, but they are less visible on campus and in the larger world. they did so by claiming that the Constitution was an unnecessary and
Little wonder that James O’Keefe and Brian Karch had a hard time unforgivable departure from the egalitarian principles of the Declaration
tracking down someone who would lend his or her name to their of Independence.
conservative enterprise. The conservatives and the radicals agreed on one thing—they
Second, conservatism is a valuable political resource at any time, assumed that there was no way to treat the Constitution and the
but it is especially valuable just now, at a moment of rapid change—at a Declaration as politically commensurable or intellectually continuous
moment when cloning and other genetic experiments have become documents. Lincoln changed everything by proving that this assumption
practical questions, when a century of precedent and principle in U.S. was false. From the Peoria speech of October 1854 to the Cooper
foreign policy has been overturned, when radicalism of every Union address of February 1860, he insisted that a clear
kind, on the Left and the Right, seems normal. Conservatives majority of the founders (those who actually made the
revere the past, and caution us against our American urge to Revolution, wrote the Constitution, and led the new nation
discard customs, rituals, and traditions because they do not into the 1820s) were committed to the eventual extinction of
conform to the standards of contemporary reason. They object slavery. That is why they excluded it from the territories by
to “social engineering” informed only by zealous devotion to Congressional acts such as the Northwest Ordinance—the first
the common good because they understand that unintended legislative act of the very first Congress—and why those
consequences often obliterate originally noble purposes. In founders who later served in the national government kept
short, they remind us of what we stand to lose when we want restricting its spread by legislative action.
change. By this account, both the Declaration and the
So conservatives deserve a respectful hearing from us Constitution could be cited as anti-slavery texts, and could
liberals, socialists, and radicals. But who’s a conservative these days? therefore be understood as politically commensurable and intellectually
George W. Bush wants to privatize Social Security, abolish the income continuous documents. To put it another way, the ethical ideal
tax, amend the Constitution to prohibit gay marriage, and create a new announced but not accomplished by the Declaration (“all men are
American Century by fighting preemptive wars. He is not a conservative; created equal”) was consistent with the historical reality determined
he’s a radical who wants to repudiate, not reclaim, the past. Does that and permitted by the Constitutional settlement. Lincoln was, in this
make John Kerry, a man of the Left, more conservative than his sense, deducing “ought” from “is,” value from fact—a move that neither
opponent? You betcha. politicians nor philosophers are supposed to make.
The editors of The Centurion tell me they believe in utilitarianism, Thus Lincoln had positioned himself as both a radical who would
objectivism, and original intent. How conservative are these beliefs? not compromise on the Declaration’s incendiary insistence on equality
Utilitarianism—”the greatest good of the greatest number”—would have and a conservative who would not forfeit the Constitution’s protections
scared the founding fathers, who feared an “elective despotism” because of enumerated and established rights. That position, that synthesis,
they knew that majority rule (the greatest number) was not necessarily was revolutionary in its time. Rather than insisting on an either/or
consistent with justice, and that popular government would last only if choice between radicalism and conservatism, we should be searching for
it served the cause of justice by soliciting the consent of the governed. a similar synthesis in these interesting times. At any rate, we should
Objectivism, the obscure doctrine invented by the novelist Ayn Rand, is understand that when we choose between radicalism and conservatism,
an extreme form of “radical individualism”—it is precisely what we steer our fellow citizens toward a political dead end.
conservatives such as Robert Bork, George Gilder, Michael Novak, and
William Bennett cite as the primary source of cultural decay in the late-
20 th century. James Livingston has taught U.S. history at Rutgers since
And then there is original intent. The wonderful irony of this 1988. His last book was Pragmatism, Feminism, and
concept is that it is the result of exquisitely complicated intellectual Democracy: Rethinking the Politics of American History
artifice dating back to the late-18 th century. There is no such thing as (Routledge, 2001). He has written on a broad range of topics,
original intent, in other words, in the absence of argument about it in the from the Federal Reserve to “Romeo & Juliet” to “The Little
aftermath of the founding. There has never been any unanimity about
what it was, because there can’t be. For the founders themselves disagreed
Mermaid.” He is under contract to Rowman & Littlefield for a
about the purposes of their new nation, as the conflict between book entitled The World Turned Inside Out: American Thought
“Hamiltonian” and “Jeffersonian” programs in the 1790s (and after) and Culture at the End of the 20th Century.
demonstrates. These purposes are, then, a product of continuing
"If you like liberalism, Horowitz attacks the Hayek proves that socialism Bennet reinforces a Rutgers '32 connects
You'll Loathe Acedemic Elite will always lead to tyranny right and wrong with political freedom with
Buckley" http://www.mises.org/TRTS.htm terrorism economic freedom
Michael Moore
Why the Left is a Big Fat The Savage Our Character,
Hates America Stupid White Man Nation Our future Leadership
Daniel J. Flynn Hardy and Clarke Micheal Savage Rudolph Giuiani
Alan Keyes
Flynn exoposes the How Mikey edits "Saving America from "Reclaiming America's
those films very the liberal assault on America's mayor
left for what it truly is moral destiny"
carefully our borders, language saved New York City
and culture"
40 years later...