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Debatathon finally finishes

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA SARVET

The Pioneer Log opinion

March 2, 2012

99 Problems is answered by an LC student who is not a trained professional. This students advice should be taken with care and your own judgement should be used.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA SARVET

BY JAKE BARTMAN
Staff Writer

The cancellation of the March 1 Republican primary debate is, to anyone watching, pretty justified. Indeed, its been a mark of the partys absurdity that it has had so many thus far. Nineteen debates have pitted the Republican Party against itself so divisively that youve got to wonder whose idea the whole debatathon was in the first place. So it was Romney that at last withdrew from the thing, bringing Santorum and Paul with him. Romney, I salute you. At last, one of you silly people figured out that youve been doing yourself more harm than good. Anyone will tell you that Romneys decision was made largely in order to save face after being beaten around by

none other than nefarious Newt. Gingrich is undoubtedly the most masterful debater (master-debater?) of the bunch, and hes still in the race thanks in a large part to his debate performance. Gingrich was the only one not to withdraw from the debate; this left stumpy Newt alone on the stump. Too bad CNN cancelled the debate, because lack of competition certainly wouldnt have deterred everybodys favorite ex-Speaker. Why should the cancellation concern any of us liberal-minded hipster-folk? Well, frankly, I dislike Newt more than just anybody, except that ass-clown Santorum, and Id hope you do, too. So I enjoyed seeing him snubbed, as a snubbing it certainly was. And, honestly, as far as Republicans go, Im a tad partial to Romney. Its the hair that gets me. Its just so nice. If I were a Republican (read: ignorant), Id

throw my lot in with him. Then again, since Im not ignorant (read: a Republican), I should probably support Newt and Ass-Clown, because Id certainly feel much more at ease if my candidate of choice was faced with either of them. But I just cant bring myself to. Ive too little faith left in the people of this country to trust that they wont elect Santorum or Newt, insane as that would be. Also notable is that special emphasis will now be placed on the primarys March 19 debate, which will take place in no other city than sunny Portland, Ore. Im of the conviction that no better time might be found for that girl whos always getting naked and hula-hooping to practice her arts than downtown on March 19. What will the delagates think? Stay weird Portland. What silly times we live in.

Dear 99 Problems, I have been having some issues with my friend group. They are so sweet, but they, like many others at Lewis & Clark, are not the most open minded when it comes to religion. One of my biggest worries when I came to LC was whether my faith could continue to grow. So far, the school has been helpful and I have not had any major issues. While I figured that my friends would be the easier thing to handle, it has been rather the opposite. They are not exactly rude about it; they simply do not understand. I have some friends who go to church with me, but I am not as close with them as I am with my other friends. I do not want to lose my friends and I have talked to them about religion and they ask me questions and are politely curious, but some of the remarks they make, I just dont think that they realize all of the little things that offend me. Do I talk to them again? Do I spend more time elsewhere? I love them, and this is the only issue, but it is really hard to take sometimes. Thanks, Faithful friends? Hey Faithful Friends, First off, I salute you. It must be hard to stay committed to your faith in an environment that is largely non-religious. However, Im sorry to hear that your faith has led to difficulties with your friends. Its always tough when our friends do not understand or appreciate something that we consider very important. But at the same time, we cant expect every friend to share our interests and values completely. The fact that our friends have different opinions than us can be a challenge, but it is also one of the biggest reasons that were interested by them. It sounds like your friends are making a good-hearted effort to try and understand your faith, but if they dont completely grasp what religion means to you, dont hold it against them, just attribute it to differences in personality. That said, you dont want to be in a situation where you feel insulted or mistreated. If your friends say things that offend you, let them know. Your friends sound like good people and Im sure that the last thing they want to do is make you upset. Most likely, they just dont have a good idea of whats okay to joke about and what really gets to you. Try and clarify this for them. You dont need to get angry about it, but you also shouldnt let them go on insulting you without knowing it. Youll have to be patient with them as they attempt to learn how to be more sensitive, but Im confident that together, you can work towards an environment in which you both feel more comfortable. In addition to this, you might also want to seek out someplace where you can meet people that share your feelings toward religion. There are several religion-oriented clubs on campus that Ive seen mentioned in the Opportunities and Announcements emails, such as the Life club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Dinners with the Rabbi. You can probably find a group suited to you (or even start one!). If you need more information about the different options, you can always talk to Jason Feiner, the schools Director of Student Activities. Best wishes. -99 Problems
Send one of your very own 99 Problems to piolog@ gmail.com. Submit by Monday at noon for next weeks issue. We accept both anonymous and formally signed letters, but keep them under two hundred words.

Response: Too liberal for the primary, too conservative for the election article
It seems that while Cassie Bishop is not a fan of ads that attack rather than promote, she sees no issue in writing articles that do just that. Ill do my best not to hate on this well informed 19-year-old. Ron Pauls message that the conservative movement, as we know it today, is a sham should not be that difficult to understand. He has written many books detailing why this is the case and how he plans to fix it. His YouTube channel has dozens of videos that expound his own philosophical heritage exactly what Ms. Bishop yearned for. So what do all these videos and books say? They tell us that Pauls conservatism is founded upon principle and the belief that individuals should have the most control over their decisions and actions. By extension, his opposition to throwing more and more cash at government programs stems from a genuine distrust that the money is being well spentthat it isnt having its intended effects. Its not that he is against education. Hardly! Its that hes against taking peoples money wholesale, shuffling it around, then providing a service with limited alternatives and little recourse if customersread students and parentsare not satisfied. Ditto for almost every other issue. Whats more, even if Paul disagrees with your behaviors, he will not use governmentespecially federal governmentas a means to stop you from seeing them through. He has repeatedly said, All voluntary associations, whether theyre economic or social, should be protected by the law. Let me illustrate: Is Paul a pot-head? No, but pot-heads love him because he knows its not governments business to prohibit smoking weed. Is Paul for gay marriage? Not exactly, but neither is he against ithe just has the balls to say government needs to stay out of it. That is what conservatism used to mean: stay out of it and stop spending my money in ways that I dont want it spent. It also used to be that people discussed the topic in earnest. Sadly, instead of delving deeper, below the veneer of contemporary American politics, we have yet another analysis that avoids Pauls ethos altogether kinda like what Fox News has done. Then again, Im sure Ms. Bishop will stick to taking that position, too. Garik Lawson Asplund

Letter from the Editor

Response to Mr. Asplunds letter regarding my GOP article Too liberal... the election Firstly, the claim that I verbally attacked when that was the very thing I took issue with: if I were more than a young liberal arts student writing her own ideas down for the small contingent of dedicated Pioneer Log readers, then yes, I did exactly what I was arguing against. The fundamental difference between me bringing to light the shortcomings of a practice employed by all politicians as well as the laughably weak GOP prospects is something that I do not feel I need to explain nor defend. These men are incredibly influential internationally and, while Im touched that someone cared enough about my article to respond to it, Im far from internationally recognized. My words carry much less weight and while Id like to think that Santorum, Perry, Paul and all the crew would read the Pioneer Logs opinion pieces about them, that likelihood is comical. In a more overarching theme, I was not criticizing Ron Paul as a candidate. My argument was limited to criticizing his campaign ad, apart from when I said he sucks, but that was in relation to his campaign ad, too. I think all of the GOP candidates are running on pretty ridiculous platforms, but my article did not delve deeply into this on an individual level. I merely illustrated the reality that theyre going to get screwed in November because of this. Like I said before, I am a just relatively well-informed 19-year-old who was angstingout: dont hate. Cassie Bishop

The Pioneer Log accepts and encourages letters to the editor from all students, staff, faculty and community members. Submissions should be kept under 350 words and sent to piolog@gmail.com by Monday at 6 p.m. for the following issue.