The Wake

Government has an obligation not to inhibit the collection and dissemination of news…. I’m convinced that if reporters should ever lose the right to protect the confidentiality of their sources then serious investigative reporting will simply dry up. The kind of resourceful, probing journalism that first exposed most of the serious scandals, corruption and injustice in our nation’s history would simply disappear…. And let me tell you, reading about one’s failings in the daily papers is one of the privileges of high office in this free country of ours.” -Nelson Rockefeller, 1972.“Hogwash.” -James MagnusonJournalists are outraged. The bellowing of ink-stained wretches are reverberating in every corner of this great land of ours. This may come as no surprise to some. Journalists are in the business of selling outrage, and have been ever since the days …

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Re: Tom Meyer, who wrote: “When I looked up the definition of marriage on dictionary.com, it read 1. a. “The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife.” The key here is that it is between and man and woman. Not a man and man, or woman and woman.”Using a version of logic in which controversial issues can be solved by consulting dictionary.com creates a conundrum of downright royal proportions. If he had bothered to read the entire dictionary entry for “marriage,” rather than choosing the definition that best fit his existing beliefs, he would have discovered that marriage is:4. The combination of the king and queen of the same suit, as in pinochle.The key here is that it is between a king and queen of the same suit, not between …

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“Drinking parties busted”; “Drinking citations increase in the past week”; “Student Dead after reportedly drinking heavily at a fraternity.” Any of these sound familiar to you? They should, they are all media headlines from the past two weeks. Cracking down on underage drinking has become a high priority for law enforcement agencies around the country. Does this mean that underage drinking has increased? Absolutely not. The difference is that now people are beginning to realize the extent of the problem. Drinking for college students is considered a right of passage, much like the right to drive and vote; it’s just acceptable after a certain age. While it is easy to drink responsibly (and fun to do after finals), many fail to see the dangers of careless consumption. Sadly, many …

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“I have lived within the monster and know its insides; and my sling is the sling of David,” said José Martí, a Cuban poet, journalist and activist, near the end of the 19th century in reference to the United States’ government. Martí feared that if Cuba successfully broke away from Spanish rule, then the U.S. would annex his home country. Martí ultimately died in this fight for Cuban independence and racial equality in May of 1895. Three years after Martí’s death, the Spanish sunk the USS Maine in February of 1898. This act officially began the Spanish-American war and the certain usurpation of Cuba by the U.S. The U.S. would win in 10 months time, gaining Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam, and Cuba as its prize. None of these islands were represented at …

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The University of Minnesota’s Police Department website still shows photos from the night of April 12, 2003. Street signs pulled down, dumpsters on fire and a car being turned over are shown in color prints. Still don’t remember this night? It was the evening of the hockey riots. For various reasons after the hockey (and alcohol) induced madness, a policy forbidding rioting was put into the University of Minnesota’s Student Conduct Code. The policy prohibits the incitation or participation of riots “on campus, in areas proximate to campus, or…in response to a University-sponsored event.” While most of us probably haven’t seen a copy of the SCC, we all became subject to it when we joined the U of M student body. Currently there is no university policy or body …

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Ninety to ninety-five percent of domestic violence victims are women, while up to ninety-five percent of domestic violence perpetrators are men, according to the Bureau of Justice.Each year, between 50,000 and 100,000 Lesbians and as many as 500,000 gay men are battered, according to the American Bar Association website.Although same-sex battering mirrors heterosexual battering both in type and prevalence, its victims receive fewer protections, according to the American Bar Association Journal.Each year, an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed to family violence against their mothers or female caretakers, According to the American Psychological Association.The Defense of Marriage Act (introduced on May 7, 1996) does two things: It defines “marriage” and “spouse” for federal law and gives states the right to ignore same-sex marriage-like relationships that another state may recognize. In Minnesota in 2000, there were …

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‘Woo’ upon ‘woo’ upon ‘woo,’ the sounds of a university education. University of Minnesota students pause their important cell phone conversations to pick up pompoms and can after can after can of Busch Light this past Saturday morning to attend the homecoming parade. Male-to-male high-fives, in response to female coeds walking past, echoed down University Avenue. A giant yellow foam hat, presumably won at a county fair carnival, shone like a beacon on a young scholar’s closely-cropped head. The hat attracted gaggles of U of M students like a lighthouse’s beaming light, bringing lost ships to shore. The air was fragrant with the scent of manure, which steamed from the apples left by UMPD horses. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak dodged the forgotten clumps in a noble effort to campaign for reelection. He shook hands with …

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I recently sat down after a long, long night of work and began reading an article in the September issue of Cosmopolitan titled, “How Cosmo Changed the World.” I was expecting an article on fair trade lipstick or the subsidization of tampons. The article is, according to the subtitle, a celebration of the fact that forty years ago Cosmopolitan became the “fun fearless magazine” that I “couldn’t live without.” Yes, now I remember: Every month, toward the front of the mag, Cosmo has a short bio and pic of a “fun fearless female.” This woman, they claim, has it all and still dares to be original; she drives a hybrid, started an international children’s charity, and is coincidentally gorgeous and/or famous. Now I vaguely remembered flipping through the publication a week earlier, and thought …

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There are people out there who are attracted to humans of the same sex. Gasp! It’s true. And believe it or not, some of them want to get married. Shriek! Tell me why I should care. I have searched, and I can’t find a decent argument against gay marriage. Perhaps I will see the light when I read what’s on the other half of this page. But for now: Go rainbow! During this gay debate, it’s important to realize that true homosexuality is not learned, it’s genetic. One of the many studies confirming this was conducted in May 2005 by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Those Swedes found that gay men, like women, reacted to chemicals put off by other men, while straight men only reacted to chemicals from females. Like Ron Burgundy said, …

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The issue of a gay marriage ban is one charged with emotional rhetoric and heartfelt arguments from conservatives and liberals alike. For such issues, I suggest that we set sentiments aside and focus on details and realities. This is difficult because strong sentiments aren’t easily ignored. However, the best results are achieved when the debate is about outcomes and consequences rather than fairness and hurt feelings. When I looked up the definition of marriage on dictionary.com, it read 1. a. “The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife.” The key here is that it is between and man and woman. Not a man and man, or woman and woman. This is not a trivial or a semantic difference. There are many reasons the union between a man and a woman in …

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I was asked to write about my experience being evacuated from Tulane University in New Orleans. Fortunately, out of consideration for my audience, I’ve come to realize that my story is rather boring and elicits little more response than, “that sucks.” I didn’t lose my house, my college is relatively undamaged, and all of my stuff is safe and un-looted in my dorm room (albeit totally inaccessible). So, rather than ramble on about how much water there was, and how much it really sucks to be here, I’ve decided to share with you the feelings of my non-freshman Tulane friends. To begin, there’s no reason why I should be here in Minnesota for this semester, on the complete opposite side of the country from my intended college. And, as expected, many returning Tulane students are …

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We’re all waiting. It’s not a question of if, but when. Soon, $3 will be the standard for a gallon of regular-grade gasoline. The tempers of drivers will no doubt be just as explosive as the gasoline itself. Why don’t those jerks in Washington do something? Cheap gas is a God-given right. Exactly how much have prices really “sky-rocketed”? What role does the government play? What is the holistic effect of burning mass amounts of fossil fuel? Why are gas prices rising? More importantly, is that so bad? One cause of rising prices at the pump that is often overlooked by the media and politicians is inflation. According to the Department of Energy, the average price for a gallon of “regular” in Minnesota on Aug. 29 was $2.55. This seems like lot compared with a …

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Everyone keeps saying that all of the tragedy down South is costing us more in the North. For gas, that is. While it’s insensitive, Katrina is thought to be the cause of creeping pump prices, and the question of when—and if—they’ll go down has no certain answer. According to www.knowledgeproblem.com, gas prices are largely determined by high world-crude-oil prices. If this is true, we should be blaming China and India for getting greedy and wanting to use gas as much as we do, not pinning the pricing on the swimming refineries. The problem with raising gas prices is that it will raise the price of everything. Airplane tickets, cab rides and public transportation are obvious targets, but the cost of everyday items will swell as well. Clothing and other merchandise—especially those delivered in the interest …

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I remember registering for classes as an incoming CLA freshman: English Comp 1011, English Lit 1905, German 1022, second semester chem. All I needed to choose was a math class. My advisor told me, her voice heavy with disdain, that I didn’t place high enough on my math test; I’d have to petition and take a class in GC. Petition? That sounded like a pain. Furthermore, what the hell was GC? My advisor explained that GC was sort of the junior primary for grown-ups, for those good enough to graduate high school, yet not quite ready for college — sort of a reduced load. Lighter workload? I didn’t know that students were only supposed to be in GC for about two years, so I began college jealous of all the kids who got …

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I could not have possibly known how intensely introverted I am without going to Coffman Memorial Union at lunchtime. I used to know just how much of a self-conscious ball of anxiety I was, but I thought I had changed since the fourth grade.I had some time between classes the other day so I decided to go chow on my old favorite: Einstein Bros. puff of delight called the chocolate chip muffin. Last semester I devoured the chocolaty mess—eventually transporting the entire napkin dispenser to my table—twice a week between classes.“What can I get you?” the employee asked.“Banana chocolate—oooh!” I said, veiling my eyes with my hands, screaming at myself on the inside for ordering something other than the chocolate chip muffin of the Gods.Slowly, I began again, enunciating each syllable because I …

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