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(04/22/15 3:15am)
There is a lot to be said about Rand Paul’s unique positioning in the 2016 presidential race, and most of it is pretty bad. Believe it or not, he has some jewels of wisdom buried beneath his incoherent foreign policy views, his incompatible stances on government interference and gay marriage, his sympathies for the anti-vaccination crowd and his various conspiracy theories.
(04/15/15 4:06am)
In a debate during the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, President Barack Obama was asked if he would be willing to meet with the leaders of rogue nations. His simple answer, “I would,” was criticized by both Republicans and other Democrats alike. His main opponent, and future secretary of state, Hillary Clinton called it “naïve” and “irresponsible,” while President Bush likened any negotiations with Iran to world leaders appeasing Nazi Germany before World War II.
(04/08/15 4:17am)
Are you a liberty lover? Do you want to “defeat the Washington machine and unleash the American dream?” If so, you’re in luck because Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, announced Tuesday — to no one’s surprise — that he’ll be running for president.
(04/01/15 4:24am)
The rhetoric of public education discussion largely revolves around the debate of whether or not schools need more funding. This simple dichotomy ignores is the more pressing issue of inequality that pervades our public school system. In the U.S., the quality of a public education is largely dependent on the wealth of the school district.
(03/26/15 3:25am)
The American Jewish population has long been a strong Democratic base. Despite ranking high in most measures of social class — a distinction that usually indicates conservative tendencies —Jews are remarkably liberal. This is even more noteworthy considering Republicans are becoming the most staunch, unequivocal supporters of hard-line Israeli policies, most clearly embodied by their backing of newly re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, irrespective of his racist remarks during his campaign and his stance against a Palestinian state (as well as his subsequent flip-flopping on the issue).
(03/18/15 1:13am)
The shocking footage of fraternity members in Oklahoma belting out their racist theme song has prompted universal condemnation. It has aroused bipartisan disgust and criticism in a spirit of unanimity that has become increasingly rare.
(03/04/15 12:32am)
Editor's note: Harper Neidig is an alumnus of the Delta Chi Fraternity at ASU.
(03/01/15 11:27pm)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned speech before Congress is straining the bipartisan support that Israel has enjoyed for so long in domestic U.S. politics. Netanyahu circumvented the standard diplomatic channels by neglecting to consult with the Obama Administration when planning the speech, instead having the Israeli Ambassador arrange it directly with House Speaker John Boehner.
(02/24/15 11:32pm)
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, in an attempt to out-stupid our own Gov. Doug Ducey, recently announced that he wants to cut $300 million in funding from his state’s public university system. He also wants to change the mission statement of the University of Wisconsin so that it would no longer promote the “search for truth,” or seek to “improve the human condition,” but rather aim to “meet the state’s workforce needs.”
(02/17/15 11:20pm)
At the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this month, President Barack Obama gave a speech that ruffled some feathers. In it, he sought to caution those making sweeping judgments about people who practice Islam, reminding us that horrible atrocities have been committed in the name of all faiths. Obama pointed to examples such as the Crusades, Jim Crow and slavery, all of which used Christianity as a justification for terrorism, subjugation and slaughter.
Indeed, Christianity has had dark episodes in our nation’s history. In his first memoir, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” the former slave observed that the most pious slaveholders tended to be the most cruel, claiming “that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes — a justifier of the most horrid crimes, — a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds, — and a dark shelter under which the darkest, foulest, grossest and most infernal deeds of slaveholders find the strongest protection.”
Douglass’s observation can be used to explain the rationale of religious zealots throughout human history: If God is on my side, I can do no wrong. There is no faith that is immune to this exploitation of its teachings. Nobody would claim that Buddhism is a religion that advocates violence, and yet, in Myanmar, Buddhist monks lead massacres against Muslim women and children.
But this is not to say that religion — any religion — is inherently evil or dangerous. Adhering to a religious doctrine is a noble endeavor that requires one to be disciplined, compassionate and honest to yourself and others. Religion is the inspiration for charitable and humanitarian efforts all over the world. Every faith has its modern day saints, religious figures who sought love and peace and tolerance. The most revered of these are household names: Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi.
In the U.S. and other Western nations, however, we do not tend to view Islam from this perspective. It’s rare that we discuss Muslims outside the context of national security and terrorism. Organizations like al-Qaida and the Islamic State have distorted our thinking about a religion that has 1.6 billion followers – five of whom have received the Nobel Peace Prize since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
We constantly demand that anyone who considers themselves a Muslim to condemn violence perpetrated by those who distort their faith in distant lands; while no one asks Christians to condemn atrocities committed by other Christians. This prejudice is not just confined to conservatives, as liberals have been known to justify anti-Muslim views by arguing that Islam advocates for the subjugation of women, irrespective of the fact that majority-Muslim nations around the world have elected seven female heads of state before the U.S. has been able to elect one.
No one can deny that Islamic extremism is a problem. But by attributing responsibility of this problem to an entire group of people that make up one-fifth of the world’s population, we will only exacerbate the issue.
The emergence of extremism in Muslim communities is one of the long-term effects of Western actions in the Middle East and not an inherent characteristic of Islam. There would not be a fundamentalist government in Iran today if we had not overthrown their democratically-elected leader in the 1950’s in order to install a pro-U.S. monarch. Similarly, extremist causes would not enjoy as much popularity today if we did not invade Iraq without cause, abuse prisoners in Abu Ghraib, detain Muslims indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay, torture innocent people or tacitly support Israeli and Saudi human rights abuses.
By fostering these misconceptions of the Muslim community, we avoid taking responsibility for fostering an environment where extremism is seen as a viable option. Leaders of groups like al-Qaida and ISIS have little regard for the teachings of Islam. They merely seek to exploit the faith of their followers to cement their political power and justify their atrocities. The villains of the world are not picky. For sadistic mass murderers and antebellum slaveholders alike, any god will do.Reach the columnist at hneidig@asu.edu or follow @hneidig on Twitter.Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
(02/11/15 1:11am)
It’s no secret that in the U.S. the wealthy are given special treatment. This holds true especially when it comes to politics, as our democracy has been steadily taken over by the highest bidders.
(02/04/15 1:12am)
Over the years, Sen. John McCain has shown himself to be multi-faceted. He has always been outspoken in his moral convictions and has never hesitated to break from party lines when his conscience dictates. A former prisoner of war in North Vietnam, McCain defied his Republican colleagues and condemned the CIA’s use of torture when the Senate released its horrifying report detailing the brutal and ineffective techniques that had been employed.
(01/27/15 12:48am)
ASU has recently become the target for conservative outrage over a course being offered this semester called “U.S. Race Theory & the Problem of Whiteness.” Last week, journalism student Lauren Clark appeared on the show “Fox & Friends” to express her shock that anyone would dare suggest that white people are to blame for social injustices.
(01/20/15 1:00am)
On Friday, Gov. Doug Ducey kicked off his term by unveiling his proposal to solve Arizona’s $1.5 billion budget crisis. Instead of proposing something bold, like asking for money to help chip away at the billion and a half dollars that the state desperately needs, Ducey – keeping with his pandering, party-pleasing pledge to never ever ever raise taxes – wants to cut spending to public universities by $75 million.
(01/16/15 12:00am)
Officers in the New York City Police Department recently concluded a work slowdown as an unofficial protest against Mayor Bill de Blasio. They believe that the mayor’s comments in support of demonstrations following the non-indictment of the officer who killed Eric Garner led to the horrifying murders of Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos — two officers in Brooklyn — by a deranged gunman on Dec. 20. Tensions rose between the police department and the mayor’s office, with officers turning their backs on de Blasio during public appearances and ultimately conducting a work slowdown where they declined to pursue low-level crimes.
To think Mayor de Blasio and everyone protesting police violence are to blame for an insane man murdering police officers is unfair and unreasonable. Violent, unstable people do not need a reason to do violent, unstable things. When John Hinckley attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan, he did it in an effort to impress the actress Jodie Foster; however, no reasonable person would blame the actions of such a mentally ill man on Foster.
The tantrums by the NYPD stem from comments the mayor made about telling his son to “take extra care” when dealing with the police. Mayor de Blasio committed an unpardonable sin by advising his biracial son to be respectful toward police officers and is now facing the wrath of those very same officers.
The irony doesn’t stop there. In reaction to this perceived affront, officers chose to do exactly what critics have been advocating for years: ending heavy-handed policing. After years of policies like Broken Windows and Stop-and-Frisk, a police slowdown should come as a relief to many New Yorkers. The problem with overzealous policing of low-level crimes is that it disproportionately targets minorities and poor communities.
The Stop-and-Frisk program was especially disastrous, and Mayor de Blasio’s efforts to end it are one of the NYPD’s grievances against him. According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, around 90 percent of the people subjected to Stop-and-Frisk were black or Latino. Minorities were disproportionately targeted even in predominantly white neighborhoods. Plus, weapons were found in less than .02 percent of all searches. This goes to show that these policies are not only discriminatory but also ineffective.
Consequences of this type of aggressive policing can even be found here at ASU. Back in May, English professor Ersula Ore was videotaped being thrown to the ground and arrested during an altercation with a police officer who had stopped her for jaywalking. It defies reason to suggest that such heavy-handed enforcement of low-level crimes creates a safer community for us, when in reality it leads to minorities bearing the brunt of these efforts.
By turning a blind eye toward low-level crimes, the NYPD is doing what they should have been doing all along. If this had always been their policy, Eric Garner would probably still be alive. But because he was a big African-American man suspected of selling loose cigarettes, officers believed that he was enough of a threat to merit a fatal chokehold. If Officer Stewart Ferrin hadn't thrown Ore to the ground over a minute jaywalking incident, he would still be employed.
While it is thoroughly unprofessional for those particular police officers to believe that being criticized is reason enough to neglect their duty, it’s important for us to consider adopting police slowdowns as actual policy. For all its rhetorical appeal, being “tough on crime” has been shown to produce disastrous results, from being used to justify unnecessary deadly force and adopting unconstitutional programs that terrorize communities.Reach the columnist at hneidig@asu.edu or follow @hneidig on Twitter.Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.