25 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(10/02/00 3:40am)
The RU-486 pill has passed FDA approval and will soon be readily available to the public. Now a woman can end her pregnancy within the first seven weeks easily and without too much hassle. This is touted as a progressive move for women's rights.\nI don't like the term abortion. Very few people have opinions about this term. Most people agree with somebody else's opinion without ever really thinking about it for themselves. I prefer the term "democratic sterilization," because this describes what abortion really is, an attempt to sterilize certain communities of people to keep the babies off of welfare. \nThe communist empire of China does the same thing, only they force abortion down the throats of women. The Beijing regime forces women to visit a family planning center three times a year, according to prolifeinfo.org. A woman is allowed one child. If she gets pregnant a second time, the fetus is forcibly aborted. And, since so many families in China have a sense of honor that calls for a son to carry on the family name, ultrasound is often used to target female babies for abortion. According to the London Telegraph, there are now 90 million more marrying-age men than women in the country. In the Zhejiang province, there are 860,000 males age 22 and older compared to 360,000 females, according to the Telegraph. You see, in China at least, they don't try to hide the fact that abortion is being used as a form of selective genocide.\nWe are a democracy, and thus must use clever psychological tricks for the same actions. Here, we brainwash women into believing it is their right to end a life if they so choose. A baby is considered sub-human and therefore subject to the whim of the mother. Eighty percent of abortions come from single mothers. Of these, 31.1 percent are black, 20.2 percent are Hispanic and 61.3 percent are white, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And 33.8 percent are unemployed.\nDemocratic sterilization is legal in this country because it is economically desirable. If we truly care about women's rights, we will stop treating single mothers as if they have a scarlet letter and start setting up programs for their aid. This doesn't happen because it is cheaper and easier to have them abort.\nThe pro-life movement has done more to encourage abortion than the pro-choice movement has. Pro-lifers are so worried about Roe v. Wade that they miss the point. I say, let the government have its laws, "give unto Caesar what is Caesar's," and let's do all we can to support mothers in trouble so they don't have to have abortions. I'd like to see the conservative Christians stop building massive churches and start putting money into programs for single mothers. \nThe pro-choice argument has been likened to the pro-slavery argument in the antebellum South. The pro-life argument should be likened to the anti-slavery movement, many of whose members were quick to point out the evils of slavery, but who refused to give jobs or equal status to freed African Americans. They helped keep slavery entrenched in the American way of life. \nAs long as pro-lifers keep shaking their heads at the pregnant mothers, and continue to give them no support, the brainwashing psychology associated with democratic sterilization will continue to work. It's the worst kind of irony that single mothers or the mothers who continue with unwanted pregnancies are the embodiment of so many "Christian" ideals such as courage, unconditional love and selflessness, and yet they are so looked down upon. \nI am not saying all of those in the pro-life movement are like this. In fact, there has been a great movement toward the programs I'm talking about. But until it becomes the staple argument of the movement, no progress can be made. I'm not saying all of those who buy into democratic sterilization are impoverished. That's simply not true. But if the ruse of democratic sterilization is to be kept up, the "right" of abortion must be given to everyone, and that means those outside the target audience are subject to the same psychological brainwashing as the poor.\nThe approval of RU-486 for use in the United States is further proof that we put finances ahead of morals. The thinking is that if we can make abortion easy enough, nobody'll get hurt. It's one more method of coercing women into selecting the lives they will keep or not keep. \nThe problem isn't with the pill. The problem is that we live in a country that believes the pill is OK to use.
(09/26/00 4:20am)
Recent events have caused me to start thinking a lot about Indiana basketball. I'm not talking about IU basketball, but the high school game I used to play. Because of the movie "Hoosiers," everyone seems to think all high school games in this state are exciting dramas played in packed houses. \n That's just not true. My senior year, we were 6-14. We couldn't have packed the house if we had played against Playboy Playmates. \n Well, that's probably an exaggeration. We probably could have packed the gym, but I doubt we would have won.\nI went to a school that was at the time the third smallest in the state, and we were just a bad team. I played as the starting center, and I'm only a little over 6-foot-4, which meant that under the bizarre measurement philosophy of the Indiana High School Athletic Association (if we list them as being taller they will somehow be taller) I was officially listed at 7-foot-6. I had a tough time when we played the bigger schools who had point guards my height. One game, when I matched up against a guy listed at 9-foot-8, I had 30-some odd points dropped on my head, that "some-odd" being in the vicinity of 18 or so.\nLooking back, I think our losing streaks might have had something to do with the team's diet. In Indiana we have a method of cooking called "country frying." This method is probably used throughout the country, but I doubt it's used in such a liberal manner as where I grew up. Back then, as now, I ate in many restaurants where the waitresses called me "hon." One particular diner in town could and would country fry anything, even a salad if one pushed the issue. \nMy buddy Bob, the team's stocky forward, and I used to eat a lot of country fried foods before games. That poor guy never could get enough to eat. He complained about small portions so much that the waitresses at the diner just cooked him a whole turkey one day. I remember when the waitress brought that big plate out to Bob with a smirk on her face. Bob remained unimpressed. "Damn it, I've seen more turkey on a chicken," he said. \nWe got beat by 44 points that night. Perhaps Bob found it difficult to make those quick cuts on the court with a belly full of red eye gravy.\nOf course, the long losing streaks had a lot of things blamed on them, for example, lack of female interest in any of the team members. In our minds, the fact that girls paid no attention to us couldn't have possibly had anything to do with our pimply faces and shoulders, our propensity for wearing the same blue jeans four days a week or our somewhat casual take on personal hygiene. The situation got so bad that one night after a particularly humiliating loss, by 35 points on our own floor, we all decided to sneak into a strip club where we knew the doorman. I clearly remember drinking cold beer and staring at those jiggly breasts, but then Bob had to put his shirt on to go inside. \nIndiana used to have an all-inclusive basketball tournament. That meant the small schools and the big schools all went for the same title. We, of course, got beaten in the first game of sectionals. I don't think anyone in the stands was surprised, or sober for that matter. We lost a lot of games. But we won a few we shouldn't have, and we were all probably better for it. We never had packed gyms, hysterical coaches or media controversies. \nThe funny thing was, nobody on the team cared that much. We were having too much fun.
(09/20/00 3:07am)
The farm I used to work on went under last year, so I was forced to find new employment for the summer. For some reason ' I'm guessing it was the pictures I sent ' the modeling career didn't work out as I'd hoped, so I ended up as a janitor in an Indianapolis factory. \nI know, it's not the most glamorous job. For a while I considered just staying here and taking a summer lecture class, but I found a viable alternative; I could just flush $400 down the toilet and sit on the couch hitting myself with a hammer for an hour and 15 minutes four times a week. I would have gotten the same effect.\nThe factory was a bit run down, as were many of the workers. For us, casual Friday meant we didn't have to brush our teeth. Since my social skills are lacking and I have only a moderate knowledge of NASCAR facts, I worked the night shift to avoid talking to anybody. \nI cleaned up after both the regular Joes on the factory floor and the bigwigs who worked upstairs in the offices. After weeks of cleaning up wrappers, cans, papers, magazines, etc, I came to a single undeniable conclusion; no matter what the social standing of the bigwigs and the average Joes, their garbage all looked the same. \nI also noticed the guys on the factory floor used specific and derogatory racial slurs ' words we all know but that my editor doesn't think are fit to print.\nI'm back at IU now, among the intellectual elite. The students and professors belong to a higher social class than the fellas I worked with. They say African Americans have a hard time adjusting to a social structure that expects them to work after so long on welfare. They say Hispanics should not be allowed into the country because they are taking jobs, and they want to speak their native language everywhere. They say homosexuals are dragging down the morality of the country. These intellectuals, undergrads, grads and professors all make eloquent points, and always begin and end these speeches with phrases such as "Now don't get me wrong, I have friends who are black." After being back for a few weeks, I have come to a single, undeniable conclusion.\nYour garbage all looks the same.\nI don't think many people in this great age of tolerance really think in tolerant terms. It has become fashionable to respect everyone's racial and ethnic backgrounds. It seems to me that what people say has changed not out of respect, but simply because they want to be thought well of. I say this because, when I look around, I see enlightened white people driving SUVs to class while the Hispanics they are so tolerant of ride their bikes to Kroger to mop floors. I see groups of African Americans who, for whatever reason, mostly associate with other African Americans. \nI don't blame them. I assume it has less to do with "reverse racism," whatever that is, and much more to do with the fact that they can't make themselves fit into the prolonged episode of "Dawson's Creek" that is IU.\nI will not pretend to be able to relate to people who are minorities. I am not one. But I can understand what it feels like to be walking around amongst the herds of sweater-vest wearing mouth-breathers. They seem offended that not everybody wants their kind of life. When they speak of tolerance and diversity, what they really want is to suck away every bit of individuality from the people of whom they are so tolerant. "I don't mind gays as long as they don't act fruity." "I can't talk to black people when they start jiving." "I wish that kid would lose that funny small-town accent." \nI ask those of you who think this way: Who designated you as the ones we have to impress? \nI'm not saying all whites are advantaged and all minorities disadvantaged. Not at all. It's just odd to hear so much talk about tolerance and diversity at a campus that is whiter than Al Gore.\nTolerance is much more than words. Tolerance is much more than a lack of negative action. You might not burn crosses, hurl stones or commit any other hate crimes, but let me ask you, what are you doing that's positive?
(09/12/00 6:12am)
Knight's in trouble again. Ouch! Sorry, I mean Mr. Knight is in trouble again. I apologize for stating the obvious; my next column may be an expose claiming the kids driving SUVs around campus don't make their own payments. At any rate, it makes for good news, doesn't it?\n I got tired of hearing about Knight at times, especially when he pointed out the high graduation rates of his players whenever he got in trouble, as if that were something spectacular. What did they come to college for, if not to graduate? I don't go to the grocery store and brag about bringing home a gallon of milk. But, he wasn't able to talk his way out of this jam.\nI don't think he's a jerk. I think he has always wanted to be a jerk but couldn't get the job done. He's as guilty of the "Sure, I may act like a jerk 90 percent of the time, but I really have a heart of gold," public image as Howard Stern is. \nIs it his fault the media are all over him? Nah. I'll let you in on a secret. It doesn't take a whole lot of talent to be any kind of news reporter or columnist, especially a sports reporter. They're not really doing anything; they just write about people who do things. I think that's why they're so fascinated by him. \nSports enthusiasm in this country has simply gotten out of hand, especially sports reporting. Before I got rid of my cable I had seven sports news stations ' they didn't even show sporting events, they just talked about them. It's really sad there are sports columnists and reporters out there, many in Indianapolis, who make a living just taking pot shots at Mr. Knight. They're the ones who are really going to miss him and his antics. Let them go talk tough about the soccer coach and see how many people rush to the newsstand. And to those columnists and reporters who didn't have enough talent to do anything but alternately suck up to and condemn Mr. Knight? Well, I'd like to recommend the same treatment for them and the horse they rode in on.\nLet's get to the bottom line. Is Mr. Knight acting any differently than he has for the last 30 years? No. So what's different? Oh yeah, IU's not winning ball games anymore. If IU had won the NCAA tournament last year, Mr. Knight could have given that kid the "Stone Cold Stunner" and nobody would have said a word. Let's be honest. Do any of us IU basketball fans really give a damn about what Mr. Knight did outside of Assembly Hall? No. We just liked to watch basketball games. If the next IU coach starts winning, the memory of Mr. Knight will disappear faster than a chocolate chip bagel at a sorority house.\nKnight was not a revolutionary leader, or a social reformer or a president. He wasn't even a general. He was a basketball coach. Let us remember that. He was just helping kids learn to play a game. I think we forgot that. \nMaybe he did, too. \nEverybody's guilty here. Mr. Knight is guilty for not living up to an obligation he agreed to take on. He's guilty of letting his players down because he felt his ego was more important than they were. President Myles Brand is guilty of not taking a stand until an incident arose that brought the cameras back to campus. The media are guilty of feigning shock and indignation to try and get reporters' precious little faces on camera. And us, hell, we're all guilty for watching.
(09/05/00 4:47am)
Independent rush kicks off today. Pledges are encouraged to stay home and do whatever the hell they want. That's right, you don't have to buy into the frat rush just to have fun. There are 35,000 18- to 24-year olds on this campus. You can have a good time anywhere. \n Since this is my last semester taking classes at IU, I think it would be helpful to some of the freshmen if I could impart some wisdom to their pledge class.\nSo here are 13 things I've learned that can help you with college, or that later part of your life that you don't yet know is going to suck.\nNumber one: You can have a pretty good time for four years or you can have a really good time for one semester. Yeah, I know, IU is 60 percent female, and beer is about as difficult to find as an eating disorder at a beauty pageant. But you have to control yourself a bit or you'll be back living in your parents' house and hawking motor oil to rednecks 40 hours a week at the Tire Barn. \nNumber two: Never, ever ride in the back. I don't care how long the walk is or how late you are; it is never necessary to ride on the back of a motorbike. It's also just good advice for life.\nNumber three: If you're really hung over, just stay in bed. If you go to class, you'll just sleep through it anyway. If it's a class that counts attendance, don't worry about it. Just make up some religious holiday or get on your computer and create a funeral slip on Microsoft Word. \nOne semester, when I majored in drinking and minored in "Baywatch" reruns, I killed my whole family off. When my professor questioned me on this, I asked him if it made him feel good about himself to pick on an orphan.\nNumber four: It's OK if a professor shows a PowerPoint slide, and it's OK if he shows a video, but if he ever shows a video of himself giving a PowerPoint slide, get up and leave.\nNumber five: Morals are for weenies.\nNumber six: You're in college now. Turn the video game system off.\nNumber seven: This one's for the eight incoming freshmen at IU that are actually from Indiana. When the kids from the East Coast tell you how podunk Indiana is, just smile, nod and walk around for a while not getting mugged. When the kids from the West Coast say, "This is as cold as it gets around here, right?" in the middle of October, just say yes. In about three weeks, they'll be crying like Bob Knight during a Roy Firestone interview.\nNumber eight: This is for all the pledges living in the dorms. I don't care what the other guys say, nobody ever lost their virginity at summer camp. They just tell you that because it can't be verified. \nNumber nine: The guys with tie-dye and torn jeans are just as phony as the guys with khakis and polo shirts.\nNumber 10: If your teeth get loose about two months from now, that's called scurvy. Eat a friggin' orange.\nNumber 11: Remember when you were 13 and you told yourself that when you got your own place you'd fill it up with video games, comic books and soft-core pornography? Now's your chance.\nNumber 12: In about three weeks, you're going to see groups of kids walking around in blue blazers and ties. Walk up behind them and yell, "Drop and give me 20!" When they all fall on their stomachs, walk away snickering.\nAnd finally, lucky 13: If God had meant for you to be a vegetarian, he would have made cows taste like broccoli.\nWell, pledge class, you're well on your way to being cynical, unproductive sophomores, juniors and seniors. Before long you'll be wearing the same jeans all week and sniffing the armpits of your T-shirts to see if they can go just one more day. We have no meetings, no formals, no set times when we can eat or shower. We don't sleep in a barracks, and we don't haze, but we're brothers nonetheless. \nI'll let you in on a little secret: Each one of you guys will have a better time than all of the frat boys combined, and you'll get to keep a little dignity, too. That just kills them. \nGood luck.