BACK TALK
Entries from October 22, 2006 - October 28, 2006
Activism and the American College Student
According to CM reader Janelle, "California college students would love to have some sort of protest so crazy it would invoke the wrath of the Governator, or even better--the federal government. Similar to the Kent State shootings in 1970, but perhaps without the deaths. I know quite a few people who admire the protests of the 60's and 70's and sort of look upon such racous [sic] radicalism with admiration and would see a Kent State- like scenario as a badge of courage." Quad blogger Seth Simmons adds, "I think a bunch of the leftist professors on campuses across the nation are upset that students today are generally far more conservative than their 1960-70s counterparts. And even the lefty students who protest are considerably less radical (in action, not belief) today." An interesting thought, one I thought I might look a little into.
Cody Beckman
2 Comments
1 Reference
An American Soldier Talks About Iraq
Yesterday in his column Best of the Web Today, James Taranto reasserted his support for the war in Iraq, recalling his March 4, 2003 speech in which he refuted a number of myths regarding the war. In today's Best of the Web, Taranto posted a comment he received in reply to yesterday's column. The letter is from an American soldier in Iraq, who writes at length about what America needs to do to win. I am reposting here the unabridged version of that letter.
There's been a lot of discussion back home about the course of the war, the righteousness of our involvement, the clarity of our execution, and what to do about the predicament in which we currently find ourselves. I just wanted to send you my firsthand account of what's happening here.
Radical Islam finds US 'sterile ground'
From The Christian Science Monitor:
The Islamist radicalism that inspired young Muslims to attack their own countries - in London, Madrid, and Bali - has not yielded similar incidents in the United States, at least so far.
Howard Dean, Political Gladiator
In in appearance on MSNBC, DNC Chairman Howard Dean was asked why he refused to debate GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman on the cable news networks. His answer: that "the spectacle of the debate overwhelms the desire to get the message out." He then criticizes television news in general as "infotainment."
Wait a sec. Anyone who knows anything about the media or watches any cable news networks knows that the whole reporting system is shallow, raucous and over-simplified. The roles of the DNC and RNC chairmen--go on and score some political points--were practically made for the cable news networks.
But enough of that. You want to know the real reason Howard Dean won't face Ken Mehlman? He can't pronounce "gladiatorial conquest" to save his life. Watch it at the link above. It's hilarious.
Harvard gets some religion--maybe
The Washington Post published an editorial by the president of the University of Notre Dame concerning the newly proposed policy at Harvard that would add a "Reason and Faith" course to the core curriculum (hat tip: Rebecca). President Jenkins writes:
The Harvard committee rightly noted that students coming to college today struggle with an academy that is "profoundly secular." This was not always the case, at Harvard or at many other universities. For centuries scholars, scientists and artists agreed that convictions of faith were wholly compatible with the highest levels of reasoning, inquiry and creativity. But in recent centuries this assumption had been challenged and assertions of faith marginalized in, and even banished from, academic departments and university curricula. Requiring courses in "Reason and Faith" would be a welcome step toward reintroducing faith to the academy.I agree. The religious component of higher education never should have been discarded in the first place.