Can Pro-Life and Marriage Go Hand-In-Hand?

The man who wants to keep the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman now is taking the necessary steps to intervene between the rights of a husband and wife. If our country wants to preserve the biblical sacredness of marriage, revoking the rights of a spouse in favor of parents is hypocrisy.

The Terri Schiavo life or death case returns to the news as President George W. Bush and the Republicans try to pass a bill that would reinsert Schiavo’s feeding tube. According to MSNBC, On March 18^th, Michael Schiavo, Terri’s husband and legal guardian, requested the removal of her feeding tube. As the bill to prolong Terri’s life passed through the Senate, Democrats are scrambling to stop the bill from passing through the House of Representatives. Now President Bush waits with pen in hand to sign the bill as soon as it reaches his desk.

The Republicans in our government, backed by our president, are attempting to overrule Michael Schiavo’s legal guardian status and side with Terri’s parents. With a legal marriage comes guardianship. Married couples become the decision makers for each other, not their respective parents.

Michael Schiavo has publicly stated that before his wife’s brain damage, she confided in him that she would not want to live if ever left paralyzed in a vegetative state. As this man is the legal guardian of his wife, his voice becomes the voice of his wife. We see the intervention of the U.S. government because we are dealing with conflicting feelings over the life of a human.

Here is the perfect chance for Republicans and Democrats to make advancements in the issue of pro-life versus pro-choice. President Bush continues to follow his religious-born ideal of pro-life. However, the Bible never stipulated whether the parents or spouse should have control over the other spouse when in a vegetative state. (Dramatic gasp.) President Bush may have to come to his own conclusions. In this case, he will put aside his deep feelings for the sacred bond of marriage in favor of his pro-life beliefs.

There is the possibility for exceptions to rules. If there is to be the exception to allow Schiavo’s parents to take control of their daughter’s life, then this must lead to further exceptions. When and if the bill to reinsert Schiavo’s feeding tube passes, homosexuals should then allow to legally marry. The laws passed in several states that have outlawed gay marriages must be overruled. Our president cannot show a strong stance on an issue, if in one instance he makes a rejection and then makes an exception.

As the 2004 Presidential Election neared, both candidates took their stances on defining marriage between a man and a woman. As our country elected President Bush, he was in control to ensure the blessed union of marriage. Now as a conflict arises between guardianship of parents versus married couples, President Bush and Republicans want to break the cherished bond of marriage. Who would have thought that both 2004 Presidential candidates were “flip-floppers?”

Purses, Sunglasses, and Dogs that Fit into Hand Bags

Thanks Louis Vuitton. Thanks Versace. Thanks Armani. You men and other high-end designers have successfully made the women within the University of Miami bubble more interested in you than the real men on campus. You successfully created a world where a majority of women and some men wear to class what they will wear to a South Beach club that same night.

The designer fashion trends spread way beyond UM’s women and men, who are commonly known as metrosexuals. Since we live in one of the largest cities in the country, with late-night, hot-spot South Beach as our neighbor, it is inevitable that the need to dress to impress will carry over from the clubs to the classes.

As a male student sits in class next to a woman with a designer bag, wallet, and sunglasses, there can be an immediate intimidation factor. Is this a woman who needs everything laid out on a red carpet? Will she only take interest in me for my bank account? I have no money in my wallet but dining dollars on my cane card, will she enjoy a romantic meal together at Chartwells? These questions and others similar may run through the heads of some men.

Without a doubt, there are men with deep wallets who are fearless when it comes to the stigma of the fashion designers. However, for those who are not in this monetary situation, women with an exceedingly large amount of designer paraphernalia create an invisible wall to a group of men.

It doesn’t help the situation if the designer bag is a cheap knock off. First, men generally cannot tell the difference between a real and fake Louis Vuitton purse. And second, if you have a fake purse, you probably want a real one and a man who can give you one.

When a man sees groups of women pile into taxi cabs headed for South Beach each weekend, he may begin to wonder if these women are the majority. Let’s face it; the appeal of Miami draws large crowds, so inevitably the majority of women one encounters at UM want to experience the thrilling night life. If a man chooses to limit his association with “designer women” be it by choice or intimidation, finding women other than Paris Hilton look-a-likes becomes a great challenge.

The fact exists that private institutions, like UM, attract more affluent students. Therefore, we see this large portion of “designer women” enter every year as freshmen. The typical, “I’m a college student and don’t have any money,” image declines in private colleges. Instead the, “I’m a college student and can go to South Beach every weekend,” image abounds.

This article published in "The Hurricane"

Chartwells: It’s Not the Food, It’s the Hours

This article is in reference to the dining hall service at my university.

One of the highest forms of flattery when you write commentary is suggestions from your readers about writing on a certain subject to get the word out. Numerous friends and readers have expressed their frustration to me about the Chartwells dining service. Since I agree with the criticism, I have decided to make Chartwells the subject of this commentary.

Charties or Fartwells? Call it what you will, but it still is Chartwells. Generally, the food at the dining halls goes down relatively well, but once it’s down, it just does not stay down. The fact that after meals, students sprint to the bathrooms speaks for itself.

Putting the quality of food aside, the hours of operation at the dining halls are suitable for Seinfeld’s parents’ retirement village at Del Boca Vista. The hours of each meal do not cater to the needs of the students, who the dining hall is working for. I cannot remember the last time I was awake for breakfast. If you have no classes before eleven, you cannot eat breakfast because the dining hall is closed for an hour to setup for lunch. Two days a week, my classes begin at two. No matter what time of day it is, even if I have just woken up, I just cannot eat a burger or hotdog for breakfast.

During the weekends, breakfast should be served all day. Let’s do a reality check: the number of people awake during breakfast hours on the weekend is usually very slim. Additionally, Chartwells closes at seven on weekends. On the weekends, most students are ready for lunch at seven. Last weekend I walked into Chartwells at 6:45 PM for my first serving of food. As I went for seconds, the clock showed exactly seven and all of the dining stations were closed. All the food was gone except for jello and pudding. For the amount that is paid for a meal plan, students deserve the opportunity for seconds.

The dining hall is on campus to feed the students. The life of a college student is drastically different from the life of high school students. For most college students, everything is usually done later. We sleep late, we go out late, we are up late doing work, and most of all, we eat late.

When a student is at the mercy of a meal plan, his or her schedule seems to revolve around the hours of Chartwells. However, the hours of operation should be more flexible to cater to the needs of students. Additionally, Chartwells should continue to serve food, even beyond closing time, to those still dining. Like restaurants, closing time would mean locking the doors to further patrons, but the diners already inside would not be shoved out.

I understand the difficulty of the logistics and organization of running Chartwells, however the Chartwells issue should be investigated by Student Government, since they are the ones who can intervene on behalf of the student body. The last thing we at UM want is for its students to become either malnourished or in need of fluids from dehydration.

By the way, Chartwells closed during the week of spring break. I had to eat out for every meal; I didn’t complain.

This article published in "The Hurricane"

Do You Remember that Hurricane Named Charley?

I live four hours north-west of UM in Sarasota. Each time I drive home, I must travel through the cities of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte that were ravaged by hurricane Charley. As I drove from Sarasota back to UM at the end of our month-long winter break, I once again drove through two cities that made national news about five months ago.

Much has occurred in our nation and throughout the world since hurricane Charley touched land in southwest Florida. President Bush was elected to a second presidential term, a tsunami devastated Southeast Asia, and Iraq successfully held democratic elections, to name a few major events.

As November rolled in, the hurricane season finally blew out to sea. The various news broadcast networks now had other current events to report on rather than hurricanes. The media spotlight was turned off in southwest Florida just when those without homes began their rebuilding process.

Five months after hurricane Charley disappeared from Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, do Americans realize that light posts on I-75 are still bent in half? Or that piles of rubble the size of a two story house still exist where houses once stood? Five months from now will all of the victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami be identified? Will all of the structures be rebuilt? Will anyone remember these tragedies or even care?

Although the hurricane and tsunami left different death tolls, the harsh reality of each’s effects are equally felt by those directly affected. The news broadcast media subjugates these once major news events until they are replayed for the “year-in-review-montage” that every news network plays the week before the New Year.

Instead of reporting on news of entertainment value, such as award shows, sports updates, and celebrity break-ups, news networks should report on truly informative news. News shows should update the nation on topics of important concern. As I have opined before, news networks have lost some sense of the real news stories. The citizenry needs to be enlightened on the daily happenings concerning pertinent human affairs. No one would probably ever let me run a news network; I would air too much real news. Leave the entertainment updates to ESPN and E!.

This Article Published in "The Hurricane"

What do Golden Globes and Prince Harry Have in Common?

One morning during my winter break, I sat watching one of the major news networks, though it could have been anyone of them, for about an hour and a half. It was your typical news show where two anchors report the latest news events. I had hoped to start my day by informing myself on the morning’s developments in our nation and our world. To my astonishment, I was not informed of any ongoing crises in this world. Had the Iraq War finally ended? Were the tsunami ravaged regions finally rebuilt? Was California given a break from the snow and rain? Had no shots, explosions, or other violent acts been committed within this nearly two hour period?

For this short period of time, our world was in a state of peace. With no urgent news at hand, the news anchors were finally able to focus on the real stories. I had grown tired of hearing about the reality of death and destruction. So, I listened intently.

Television viewers were informed on the secrets of the French physique, Prince Harry’s Nazi debacle, the weekend movies to see and not to see, and all the latest gossip over the upcoming Hollywood movie awards. As I sat learning that French women savor their food in moderation, “Elektra” suffers from the curse of Ben Affleck, and Prince Harry is the world’s biggest moron (despite a fine education), I realized that all of the stories of death and destruction were just “filler” for these pressing news stories.

How can anyone possibly worry about the newest death toll in Iraq when Jamie Foxx received three Golden Globe nominations? The report on how important fashion is at these award ceremonies enlightened me to the life of a show biz star. But wait, no more diets- French women are encouraging people to eat the foods that they enjoy. (The only catch is not eating until explosion.)

Once this news program ended and the next one aired, the temporary world peace came to an end. The anchor reported on the court-marshalling of U.S. Army Spc. Charles Graner Jr. for his role in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, the latest developments in the Iraq war, and the rising waters in South California and the mid-west. As I watched and listened to the stories I originally tuned in for, depression began to set in, once again. Finally, watching the news wasn’t entertainment or a joke anymore. Without haste, a beautiful news bunny and hunky reporter returned to report on the And 1 street basketball team; the peace had returned.

In the end, Charles Graner Jr. became the scapegoat in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, as there was a failure by journalists to question the roles of top Pentagon officials. While the real news was swept under the rug, we at least know how French women stay thin.

This Article Published in "The Hurricane"

Where is the Voice of Our Generation?

As the United States prepared itself for the 2004 presidential election, I did as well. From the moment I realized that I would be eligible to vote in the 2004 election, I began to tune myself into the issues that concern our country and the rest of the world. Like many young apathetic students, I felt I never had time for the daily events of the world and our nation. Once my country officially recognized me with the right to vote, I understood that I could no longer hide behind a veil of ignorance.

With knowledge of current events, I find myself at a crossroad. As I witness my country use its military might for both “presidentially-assured, positive” destruction in the Middle East and for selfless aid in the Southeast Asia region, I cannot help but ponder over the hypocrisy of our country’s choices. These are the two faces of American foreign policy.

So, I write here today to ask college students a simple question; something that the citizens of the ‘60s did not think twice about. Why is it that in our current time of war, we seem so indifferent to make our youthful opinions known? Do we not care about life beyond our country or our state or our city or our college? Are we satisfied with the policies of our country? In a military quagmire that slowly begins to mirror the Vietnam War, why are we miserably apathetic? Do we need a draft before we begin to strongly protest the Iraq war or how our government is handling its world power? Where is the outrage?

The nation is divided in half between red staters and blue staters. Fifty percent of the U.S. wanted change, but in the end more was lost than hours in lines at the voting booths. Was that fire for change left at the voting booth? The flame ought to burn brighter than ever. Not even those who pushed for round two of our current administration could possibly be satisfied with the current mess we are in now.

As we continue the process of burying our service men and women, we at home in the U.S. sip Starbucks and listen to our iPods. I ask that you turn off that iPod, put down that PDA, and hang up that cell phone. It is not too late to turn on a news broadcast, read the newspaper, and search the Internet. It is time to educate ourselves of the current events in this nation and beyond. College is the time to form our own opinions. This country is built upon freedom of speech, religion, press, and the right to assemble. Never forget this and never allow anyone to impede upon these unalienable rights. Make your youthful opinions known; peacefully protest, write articles, send letters, create songs, start web blogs. Let your voices be heard; there is always someone who is listening. This is how we make change in America happen.

This Article Published in "The Hurricane"

Can the Southeast Asia Earthquake Unite the World?

Readers of my commentaries, which have been graciously published by The Hurricane, know by now that I focus on social and political issues. But now I am about to embark on presenting the most brilliant revelation UM has ever heard. Space aliens; we need an alien invasion. This moment of extreme clarity came to me while I was watching the 1952 movie adaptation of H. G. Wells’s novel, “The War of the Worlds.” Since 9/11, I have been pondering on what it would take to better our world, and at last, this stunning 1950’s visual effects movie has given me the answer.

We need aliens from another plant to infiltrate the earth’s atmosphere and wage a war on what billions of humans call home. How could an alien invasion possibly help the world’s current violent condition, you ask? Like in “The War of the Worlds,” an alien invasion would cause all nations to put aside their cultural, religious, ideological, and political differences in an effort to defeat the enemy aliens. As the aliens begin to wreak havoc, a world coalition of militaries, which would be called the World Military Defense (WMD), would fight off our foes.

An alien invasion could be a solution to many of our planet’s problems. The Iraq War would come to a quick halt as insurgents and coalition fighters now point their weapons to the skies instead of against each other. Osama bin Laden would hide in a cave and make threatening videos against the aliens. Greed and animosity amongst people would gradually cease to exist. All human efforts would be directed towards overcoming the enemy aliens. People will realize that there is no longer a place for the trivialities of human differences.

But, then, reality hit me during the last weekend of 2004 as territories in the Southeast Asian region were ravaged by a tragedy of biblical proportions. A 40-foot tsunami, one of the most devastating natural disasters in world history, not space aliens, is beginning to unite the world, at least temporarily. Over 40 nations and counting are focusing their attention to the heavily damaged countries as they donate millions of dollars and military aid to the relief efforts.

We cannot stop the catastrophic forces of Mother Nature. We can, however, make sure that humankind never allows itself to create a disaster of mass destruction.

We should only be satisfied when all nations and all people unite for making the planet a better place to live. The tsunami was an unfortunate cause for the planet to come together to provide aid, but the war in Iraq and on terror continues to go on. Suffering and death goes on unabated. Bombs continue to explode in Iraq. We can come together for a natural disaster such as this tsunami, but still the rest of the world remains the same. I still believe we will need the aliens.