'Blue is the New Black' wasn't the ill-conceived article that Maureen Dowd wrote attributing President Obama's newfound unpopularity to his race instead of his policy, though the title may have applied....
' In a choreographed stunt, a campaigning Bill Clinton answered MTV's now-famous 'boxers or briefs?' question with a convincingly abashed 'boxers.' In February of last year, President Obama chose not to answer the same 'humiliating' question, refusing to sink to 'that' level. His next comment was a demonstration of the brand of professionalism he intended to bring to the campaign trail.
An epidemic of 'recent outbursts' has united the traditionally disparate politics, entertainment, and sports sectors of our news media. The statements that Joe Wilson, Kanye West and Serena Williams recently shared with us were unprepared, but have left a greater impression on both journalists and readers than more polished ones, including President Obama's health care speech last Wednesday, managed to.
'People were passionate,' Congressman Joe Wilson said to Chris Wallace of Fox News, regarding his outburst at Wednesday's speech. In fact, Wilson's 'You lie!' was just one discernable voice in something of an uproar that ensued after President Obama promised that his proposed health care reform bill did not guarantee insurance to illegal immigrants.
Health is a science; health care is a business. There are innumerable intermediaries between the patient and his care: insurance policies, pharmaceutical companies, technicians and technology, doctors and hospitals. To what extent is it wise to further incorporate the government, which is ailing itself, in the progression from sickness to health?
In short, President Stanley's plans are ambitious, considering his intended improvement of the reputation and resources available to Stony Brook, but conservative considering his limited commitment of University funds and the refreshingly unspectacular nature of his plans.
If you consult the internet more than you do your textbooks for class, you're in good company. Since our wireless internet service is patchy at best, Stony Brook provides updated resources and a smoothly run service for on-campus computer and printer use: SINC Sites.
I hope to see little of my own name in this section this semester, and to replace it with yours. Twice a week I plan to see the world as you do, and to watch you present that vision to the Statesman audience.
President Obama is in a bind. If he acknowledges that the atrocities perpetrated on terrorism suspects by the CIA during the previous administration constitute torture, he will be taking moral and legal responsibility for prosecuting them. If he continues to describe the waterboarding, insect, walling, and sleep deprivation practices as "harsh interrogation techniques" and not "torture," he cannot fairly or meaningfully prohibit their use in the future.
Watching change happen often makes us think we can affect or even effect it. The Obama psychology, environmentalist campaigns, and protest against Stony Brook tuition hikes all invoke the power of individual initiative in righting a perceived wrong. The internet, a truly democratic medium, has allowed for and advocated this mentality, often without users being completely conscious of it.
