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September 11, 09 Vol. 9, No. 2

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Ind

yAn Indy Encore with President Bowman

Compiled by Indy Staff

During the summer of 2009, that which now fades away into our memory banks, the Indy was honored to be able to interview ISU President, Dr. Bow-man. As an public ser-vice encore to those that may have missed the interview, we have chosen to run it again. So with out further ado... “Play it again, Sam.”

-President Bowman Pg 1-MAP Grants Pg 2-Transhumanism Pg 1-Vampires Pg 2-Music: Horehound Pg 5-He Said, She Said Pg 6-War of Words Pg 8

While volunteering at the Indy table during Festival ISU, I expe-rienced some hissing matches with a few members of the Daily Vidette staff. These humorous little raisings of back hair and a bearing of teeth left me with a need to express my opin-ions on the downfall of the Vidette and why I believe, following the title, that the Indy is a better newspaper than the Vidette. The response is that the Indy has heart. Before I begin to explain why I have chosen to dissect Illinois State’s flagship newspaper I shall begin with an allegory that will help place some of my frustrations into a perspective that all ISU students can appreciate. To the south east of Bloomington, IL there is another university that gar-ners much of the higher education attention both from within the state of Illinois and the nation as a whole. As the flagship school in Illinois it is well renowned for its achievements in both academics and athletics and thus, much like ISU’s flagship newspa-per, receives a disproportionate share of the state’s educational funding and attention. Something that I, all my fel-low ISU students, and ISU alumni are keenly aware of is that although the orange and blue may have more pres-tige and brand appeal at the apparel store, the education that we receive here in Normal is in no way of a lesser quality than the education we would

receive in Urbana, Chicago, or any other city within the state of Illinois.

In fact, recent revelations of prefer-ential admission based on political affiliation at Goliath University has al-lowed many of us outside of that false spotlight to stand a little taller know-ing that we were accepted to OUR school based on our academic merits and not in consideration of who we know. So how does this David and Goliath allegory apply to the Daily Vidette and ISU? Well much like UIUC and Goliath, the Vidette holds a po-sition of esteem on the ISU Campus. Since 1888, the Vidette has been the voice for the ISU campus, a fine tradi-tion to which I bow my hat. Five days a week, the Vidette offers the student body a glimpse of all the news that is, or is not, fit to print so that we may pass away our free moments and lecture classes filling in the Sudoku or crossword from the answer box beside it. Beyond the value of the Sudoku puzzles, the Vidette provides disposable reading material during bowel movements (perhaps another allegory that could be made latter), as a makeshift umbrella during the the prairie rains, and as lining for the cat box if the edition makes it to our off-campus house. But with all of its flaws, much like our neighbor to the south east the Vidette’s position of high can take a few hits and still per-severe based on ‘tradition’. That said, I will not knock its false prestige and

claim that the Vidette does not live up to its potential or reputation. Perhaps the most important starting point is to explain how I, a member of the Indy staff, a publication full of flaws and typos, can dare cast stones from such a thin glass house? Well quite simply, we are a group that works from the heart, not the pock-etbook. Everyone on the staff at the Indy is a full-time students or an em-ployee in the community who works hard to assemble the Indy during our free time. From the writers who do what they do for the shear enjoyment of the art or for the need to express themselves to someone like myself who spends hours in a computer lab to layout and create an imperfect but presentable product works there is not a penny received for our services. We are all doing it because we love it and believe in what we do. On the other hand, the Vi-dette offers their staff a paycheck. Although this does not lessen their drive or commitment to the art, it does mean, that in theory, the Vi-dette should not face the problems of scrambling to get enough articles to send to the printer. So in theory, as from our Goliath example before, we should be able to expect that each is-sue of the Vidette that hits the stands each morning should, at a bare mini-mum, mirror the prestige and profes-sionalism that comes with a paid staff. It does not however do that. Many ar-ticles are from the Associated Press or news that was old two days ago, re-

Why I Think the Indy is Better Than the Daily Vidette. Stephen Kraniotis &

Phillip Earhart Since the dawn of our time on Earth, however we may have arrived here, it is certain that human beings have strived towards perfection. But what is perfection, and is it even hu-manly possible to achieve such a sta-tus? Is our genetic makeup capable of such excellence, and if so, should we capitalize on these opportunities to create a new species of super-hu-mans? How would you feel if mankind took over the reins of evolution from here on out? We would choose our own path of advancement, and move along the phylogenetic tree. To elimi-nate aging, be free of disease, and of unwanted emotions, while enhanc-ing our cognitive, physical, and tech-nological capabilities. Though this may sound like the premise of a sci-fi novel, many of the world’s brightest minds are currently working towards a future just like this. All of these thoughts and concerns embody the basic principles of transhumanism. Nick Bostrom, philosophy professor and director of The Future of Humanity Institute at the Universi-ty of Oxford, states, “Transhumanism is a grassroots movement that advo-cates the voluntary use of technology to enhance human capacities and ex-tend our health-span…Only recently, however, have we begun to under-stand the technological prerequisites for enhancing human nature and to

Transhumanism

Vidette continued on page 3 Transhuman continued on page 3

Continued on pages 4 and 5

Dear President Bowman,

The Indy staff would like to thank you for granting us the opportunity to in-terview you. Please feel free to answer these questions in any way you like.

Thank you so much,

The Indy

1. Upon accepting the position of president of Illinois State Univer-sity, what were your initial goals for addressing the complexities of ISU mission and community? How have those goals been met in your tenure as president? Have any of these goals changed? My top goals have been and

are paying competitive compensa-tion in order to recruit and retain top-caliber faculty and staff members, advancing our academic enterprise while increasing the academic qual-ity of our students, and creating and maintaining high-quality facilities and technologies for our students, faculty and staff members. In the fall of 2005, I unveiled my Salary Enhancement Plan—an ef-fort to bring faculty and staff member salaries closer to comparison group averages. Since then, more than $3 million has been added to faculty and staff member salaries in addition to the merit-based raises that are associated with each fiscal year. In 2005, salaries for full professors lagged 14 percent behind comparison group averages

while today it is about 10 percent. For associ-ate professors, the lag percentage in 2005 was over 10 percent compared to 6 percent today. For assistant pro-fessors, the 2005 lag percentage was 2.2 percent while today, assistant pro-fessor salaries approximate compari-son group averages. Administrative/ Professional salaries are at or above comparison group averages, and Civil Service employee salaries are about a percent higher than peer group aver-ages. Ten years ago, Illinois State was thought of as one of many other public universities after the land-grant University of Illinois. Today, Il-linois State has clearly separated itself qualitatively from the directional in-

stitutions. We have more nationally recognized programs than ever be-fore and our faculty and staff mem-bers are receiving more national and international honors and attention than ever before. We have advanced a tier in the U.S. News & World Report College Rankings and have continued to advance in the sub-categories of that tier each year. The high school grades and standardized test scores of our incoming freshmen are at historic highs and our graduation rate stands at a historic high of 69.9 percent, the second highest graduation rate in Il-linois public higher education. Despite a very challenging economy, Illinois State has benefitted

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Lisa Shelton Funds allocated to the Illinois MAP grants have been cut from the state budget under Governor Quinn. 150,000 students in Illinois utilize this resource. Students and their families are searching for alternative resources of supplementing the funds for their educations. The recession has affected so many aspects of our society. We have seen an unemployment rate surge. We have watched company after company collapse under the pressure of an unsure economic state. We have watched big businesses get their bailout. Where is the bailout for stu-dents? In anticipation of the 2009-2010 school year the ISU?s financial aid office sent out letters warning students about the contingent plans of eliminating the MAP grant for the spring semester. This comes as a shock to the 16 percent of ISU’s population receiving the financial award. Many students feel that it is wrong for the state of Illinois to foster dreams in the lives of students and rid them of the resources to do so. It is wrong for people to expect students

to pay for college out of pocket and dive into a job market that can’t pro-vide for them. When a resource as large as the MAP grant is eliminated, it causes several other problems. It lowers stu-dent’s chances of winning an outside scholarship. With a significantly larger number of applicants competition only gets stiffer. Losing this resource also in-creases the likelihood of students tak-ing out more student loans and put-ting themselves in debt. An estimated 62 percent of students graduating from state universities last year used student loans to pay for school. An ISU supplemental grant has been credited to students in an effort to offset money lost from the MAP grants. President Al Bowman is working closely with state legislators to get full funding for the spring se-mester. ISU’s student body as a whole is working to have their voices heard. The student government is organiz-ing a Lobby Day for students. In Octo-ber, students can go to Springfield to approach state legislators with their concerns.

Katie Rossi Summer is over; the school year is in full swing. You have exams, quizzes, homework, and possibly a job consuming all of your time. It’s all you can think about. You are so ec-static that unlike many of your peers you don’t need to worry about how your education will be funded, you received enough financial aid that school will cost you next to nothing this year. August 18 rolls around and you receive a letter from ISU’s finan-cial aid office. You open the letter to find that everything has suddenly changed. Your heart beat begins to accelerate, and your palms are sweat-ing. You feel a wave of panic crashing over you. This is how many students felt after receiving a letter in which the first sentence reads, “We are writing with important information regard-ing the current State of Illinois budget and how it impacts Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants for the coming year.” This news has affected stu-dents throughout the campus and the state. According to the letter the financial aid office sent out on August 18, the state’s budget will not fund the MAP award in the spring semes-ter. Scholarships.com reports that this is a huge blow to many of the thou-sands of college students through-out the state. The MAP award plays a large role in the aid received for many students. This huge cut can be detri-mental to the amount of returning students in semesters to come. There are a few options for those of us who were affected by the new budget. The first thing that can be done to help provide funding

for this grant would be to contact a state legislator. http://directory.usay-foundation.org/IL.html, has a list of county representatives, the governor, and senators for our state. Informing them of the importance of this grant and its role in your future plans for your education may aid in pushing for the necessary funding. After doing that, schedule a meeting with your Financial Aid counselor to discover alternative methods for covering ex-penses such as Private Loans or Fed-eral Direct Parent and Student Loans. For most of us, loans are not the best route so looking into scholarships on websites such as scholarships.com and fastweb.com can provide schol-arships or grants you qualify for after submitting a profile of sorts. You can also visit the financial aid office on campus to look into scholarships of-fered by the university and keep in mind to apply often and early. After searching facebook.com, it is visible that this is clearly an issue concerning many students as previ-ously stated. I typed in MAP grant and found a group of over 200 members entitled, “Where did my MAP award/grant go?!! Let’s get it back!!” Joining a group like this and being proactive by mailing a state legislator as well as State Governor Pat Quinn really can make a difference. We all have a voice and each individual counts especially when this affects students receiving financial aid so greatly. The Financial Aid Office claims to not process any loans for the spring until after Novem-ber 2 to be sure that budget changes have, or have not been made. If fund-ing is approved, students can contin-ue to spend their money relentlessly at 707 instead of being frugal in order to pay off new debts.

The Indy Talks... About MAP Grants (or lack thereof!)Lost Without a MAP Lost Without a MAP: Another View

Magan Belcher Before 2005, if you were to tell someone you liked to read vampire novels, you would more than likely have been labeled a “freak.” Nowadays if you say that you read vampire nov-els, you’re just like millions of other teenage girls (I guess a few guys) who are caught up in the vampire craze. According to the LA Times, Twilight, a movie that was based off the popular book series where a teenage girl falls in love with a teenage vampire, made $70.6 million in its debut weekend. The TrueBlood series, based off the Sookie Stackhouse novels in which a Louisiana waitress finds herself in the middle of the vampires “coming out of the cof-fin” had 3.7 million viewers tune in for the debut of season two. It doesn’t end there. The CW is releasing another teenage vampire dra-ma entitled Vampire Diaries, which debuts this fall. But of course when you throw teen-age girls into the mix of a fan base, you are bound to have some epic battles, usually through blogs or other media outlets (i.e. the boy band battles of the 90’s, Pepsi V. Coke, and Sodom and Gomorra). In fact there are entire sites and blogs dedicated to “Twilight v. True Blood” with teenage girls’ blogging, “I heart Edward Cullen” or “Eric and Bill do not approve of vampires who sparkle.”

While it’s true that both these novels have a similar storyline with a human falling for a vampire, both stories are aimed for entirely different audi-ences. Anna Paquin, who plays the main character Sookie Stackhouse in True blood, has been quoted many times as to saying that Twilight and True Blood are trying to appeal to completely different age groups. “It wouldn’t be appropriate for teenagers to be watching our show. I wouldn’t have been allowed to” she explains. But yet we still see millions of teenag-ers and adults alike tuning into HBO on Sunday nights to watch Sookie’s latest saga or the group “Twilight

Moms” following the books as ea-gerly as their teen-age counterparts. It seems that the tales of Anne Rice and other vam-pire novelists were aimed more to-wards the adult genre and vam-pires were always blood thirsty. But with Twilight and True Blood alike, these vampires are a more people friendly and steer

away from the former ‘Buffy’ folklore of vampires. So whether we like it or not, it looks like vampire books, mov-ies, and TV shows are here to stay. That is until some other mythical creature takes the reins of the teen market.

Vampires:The coolest thing since sliced bread

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September 11, 2009 IndyIndy news 3

systematically think about the risks and opportunities.” Just because we someday could have the knowledge and power to fundamentally improve the human race, is it ethical and should we do it? The future of the human race is in our hands, but are we reaching for something that we were never meant to grasp? Without a doubt, the im-plications of this ideology be-coming reality are immense. Being given the gift of a lon-ger and healthier life seems like a dream come true, after all, the human race would be in much poorer condi-tion without our medical and technological advancements. How, you may ask, do trans-humanists plan on achieving this utopia? Research in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and artifi-cial intelligence, has already begun to lay the foundation for what will give rise to an altered human form. It is a well-established idea that technology is advancing at an exponential rate. Moore’s Law, a long-term trend of computer hardware, states that the number of transis-tors that can fit onto a chip

has doubled every two years. This exponential growth will allow future advancements to come sooner than we would expect. Progress in nanotechnol-ogy, the study of the control of atoms and molecules, will open opportunities science has never dreamt possible. For example, the ability to manipulate single atoms may allow for molecular machines to one day enter the human body in order to seek and destroy viruses, cancers, tox-ins, or even repair DNA. We are reversing engineering biology at a much faster rate, and will soon know precisely what processes to manipu-late in order to achieve these goals. Ray Kurzweil, inventor and futurist, states, “Nanobots in the capillaries of our brains will interact with our biologi-cal neurons to vastly expand our biological intelligence.” As a prominent figure in this matter, Kurzweil has authored several books on the topics of transhumanism, artificial intelligence, and the techno-logical singularity. Together, all of these tech-nologies bring to our aware-ness some very interesting possibilities. However, if the

path of human progress does indeed unfold in such a direc-tion, we should use it to our benefit instead of attempting to abandon the inevitable. These advents could lead to a more advanced civiliza-tion, able to pursue what the previous generation thought impossible. Human ingenu-ity may usher in a new era of consciousness and some

believe we will in essence become gods, a thought that would certainly frighten reli-gions across the world. Our involvement in creating the ideal being could, however, lead to our demise. The in-tricate ways in which nature operates may prove to be far

more complex than we could have imagined. The advancement of our spe-cies through genetic modi-fication is within arms reach. However, it is our human emotions that provoke an uneasy feeling when we real-ize the possibilities that our technology can bring us. Fear, one of our most primitive and critical human emotions, is prompting us to ask the ques-tion, “Just because we can do it, should we do it?” Skeptics of the transhuman-ism movement argue that creating a race of superior humans will eventually create animosity between natural born humans and post-hu-mans. This species of ‘post-hu-mans’ could potentially view the normal born humans as inferior, and chose to elimi-nate them or vice-versa. As bioethicist George Annas puts it, “It is ultimately this predict-able potential for genocide that makes species-altering experiments potential weap-ons of mass destruction, and makes the unaccountable genetic engineer a potential bioterrorist”. Also, due to the vast and uneven distribution of wealth around the world, these technologies will only be available to a small minor-

ity of the world. This could create serious resentment that would certainly prompt conflict and potential war.Other skeptics of the trans-humanist movement such as the naturalists and humanists believe that we should em-brace our natural existence, our flaws and our limitations, and lead a life of simplicity and acceptance. Also, many religions do not agree with many aspects of transhuman-ism. Some argue that chang-ing our genetic makeup is tampering with the will of God, and many believe that it is not our right as humans to “play God” because it goes against the laws of nature. There is no doubt that our species has improved and advanced because of our technological innovations. However, does transhuman-ism take it one step too far? Is conflict inevitable between normal born humans and super-humans? These ethi-cal questions and potentially perilous outcomes of trans-humanism leave skeptics with a fear of the future and a looming sense that our own knowledge and creativity might be the most hazardous threat to human existence.

Vidette from pg 1

Transhuman from pg 1

written with an interview of a professor that happens to be in the field. Although it claims to be “Illinois State University’s Student Newspaper”, it is dif-ficult to find content that is what one would label stu-dent oriented. To prove this point, I cut up a Vidette into its various pieces. First I sepa-rated everything into two ba-sic categories; ‘news’ and ‘ad-vertisements’. From the issue of Friday August 28th (Vol. 122: 10) I found that only 6 of 12 pages are actually ‘news’. That means another six full pages are advertisements. Since stating that the ads are student oriented is more ob-vious than reminding some-one you work for the Vidette when you are wearing a Vi-dette shirt at Festival ISU, I will move on to questioning of what value these ads are to students. Beyond that, I have to ask who gains from these ads. Based on the six pages from Vol. 122:10 and its rates for advertising (http://www.dailyvidette.com/files/Rate-Card09-10.pdf ), I estimate that the Vidette can earn be-tween $1000 and $5000 daily from printing ads. Add this up at five issues per week, 16 weeks per academic se-mester, and two semesters per year. Perhaps it is not the “Students’ Newspaper”, but “Sami’s Newspaper” or “Young America’s Newspaper”.

So how can we ex-pect revenue to affect the Vidette? Perhaps much like the political based admis-sions example from the east, we can expect no critique of those that advertise in the Vidette. In fact in the par-ticular issue examined, there is no mention of two of the biggest issues facing the stu-

dent body at ISU; textbook prices and housing concerns. In the following issue the Vi-dette did address textbook concerns, however there was no mention of problems en-countered with e-texts that continue on campus (cost the same, cannot be re-sold, and students lose access after a short period of time). Also the article was too late for students to make informed decisions about the current semester. Perhaps this is not a coincidence based on the large number of advertise-ments from the mini-corpo-rations that offer housing for students and the book stores

that are supposedly offering us the lowest prices possible but can afford to give away t-shirts and door prizes (30% markup seems a little exten-sive to me). In reference once again to Vol. 122:10, a full three pages of the six pages of ads are for these housing mini-corporations. Although I wouldn’t agree with this as-

sessment, perhaps the Vidette finds it acceptable to pro-mote the shady 10-month-before-move-in lease signing practices that have become the twisted norm of local col-lege communities. Perhaps it gives the Vidette some semi-prepared material for its an-nual signing day circus issue. As troubling as the housing problem is, I can give the Vidette credit here for re-porting on the signing day ‘event’ as it is a truly local issue. However this is not always the case with the Vidette. A disturbing occurrence in the Vidette is the publication of articles from a wire service, or

worse, a retelling of a nation-al story with the inclusion of local opinions. While some of the former leave you search-ing for the campus connec-tion, the latter can offer a unique view that does apply to campus. However in order to do this some of the articles ‘borrow’ quotes from articles that I have read earlier on-

line (on MSNBC for example). Maybe it is time to close the Google page and hit the street with a notebook. Per-haps then the instructors that s h a m e l e s s l y promote as-sociation with the Vidette as

the pinnacle of ISU journal-ism experience won’t have to look the fool in front of their students. My intention in ex-pressing my views here is not simply to criticize the Vidette for its limited short comings, but to challenge the staff to confront some of its short coming and to rise up to the level of prestige it deserves. I would like to see less ads for the vampires that continue to feed off of students while they try to change affect local policies with their financial influence (I reference the re-cent example of the local de-veloper hoping to tear down

our new affordable dollar the-atre for yet another expensive high-end student living com-plex). How about some news that is fresh and investigated locally instead of transform-ing a story from the AP with an interview to added in? In place of these ads and re-prints there is so much promise in articles that ad-dress the needs and concerns of the local student popula-tion. For example, why has there not been any mention of the many problems with the e-books on campus? I am not in any way associated with the Communications Department, and yet I have heard there has been a huge problem this semester. What about the cost of textbooks and the other options avail-able? What are the mark-ups on textbooks? I have heard 30%, is this true? What about addressing the problems with having students sign leases so far ahead of time and the propagation of the housing shortage myth? At last look there are at least 3 for rent signs still in my neighbor-hood alone. So Daily Vidette Staff, keep up the good work that you do but step it up so that you can say with pride that you are ISU’s Student News-paper, not Young America, Sami, the Alamo, and College Station’s Newspaper.

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September 11, 2009 IndyCampus news4from the construction of new facilities and the rehabilita-tion of older buildings. We are in the process of building a new Student Fitness and Ki-nesiology/Recreation Build-ing. We have completely remodeled our largest class-room building (Schroeder Hall) and are in the process of enhancing Stevenson and turner Halls. We have remod-eled five residence halls and are beginning the rehabilita-tion of the Watterson Towers complex. Through an inno-vative partnership with the University Foundation, we opened a new Alumni Cen-ter just last year. We have also improved Milner Library, oth-er classroom buildings and many recreation and athletic facilities.

2. Under the President’s Goals on the ISU website, one can find that you intend to “Refine the University’s fi-nancial aid investment to en-sure that it facilitates student recruitment, access and af-fordability.” Could you elabo-rate on how you envision ful-filling this particular goal? State support for public higher education has dropped dramatically in the past decade. For example, even if the Governor’s pro-posed FY2010 budget for Illi-nois State is not amended, the operational spending author-ity would be about the same as it was in FY2002. Since FY2002, Illinois State has lost tens of millions of dollars in spending power and we’ve had to absorb a larger share of the costs the State used to provide for things group health care insurance premi-ums, veteran’s tuition ben-efits and the Monetary Award Program (MAP). Because of this, Illinois State, along with all public and private univer-sities, has increased tuition significantly over the past several years. I still strongly believe that an Illinois State University education is an affordable investment, and we get independent verifica-tion of that from publications such as Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, which for six straight years has ranked Illinois State in the top 100 public universities nationally for quality and affordability. The fact that our application numbers continue to increase each year also indicates that people consider Illinois State an affordable investment. Still, we must be careful to keep Illinois State affordable and accessible to the stu-dents who have the least abil-ity to pay. Last year, Illinois State added $5 million of its internal funds to supplement the state’s Monetary Award Program and the Federal Pell Grant program. Because we

did that, more than 1,500 students from families with a combined annual income of less than $40,000 were able to attend Illinois State. Most of those students come from underrepresented groups, and demographic data show that the numbers of these groups is rising rapidly. In or-der to attract and retain those students, we must be able to offer financial incentives, so my goal in to infuse even more funds into the MAP sup-plemental program (over $6 million this fiscal year) to help these students attend Illinois State.

3. In regards to ISU’s push to better itself through Educating Illinois program; how are individual depart-ments asked to demonstrate their commitment and prog-ress to the program? Is there a rubric to measure progress on a common scale? As you know, Educat-ing Illinois is the best example of our institution’s commit-ment to shared governance. The plan was written, and has been revised several times through the efforts of our faculty, staff members and students. It is the plan from which all other University strategic plans emerge. All

departments create strategic plans, and all must be aligned with the mission, vision, val-ues and goals of Educating Illinois. Each year, through a process called program re-view, the departments dem-onstrate in writing how they have helped achieve the goals of Educating Illinois. The pro-gram review is a public docu-ment that is presented annu-ally to our Board of Trustees. In addition, the Educating Illi-nois website includes a “dash-board” which tracks Univer-sity-wide accomplishments related to Educating Illinois.

4. What is the role of the ISU president in fundraising for athletics and subsequently how do ISU athletics promote our standing in the overall reputation of Illinois State in

the Illinois Higher Education community? Athletics fundraising is part of my portfolio, but the major responsibility for those initiatives falls on the shoulders of our very capable Athletic Director, Sheahon Zenger, and his staff. Thirty years ago, the state provid-ed over half of the funding needed to operate a public university. Today, it is about 25 percent. That dramatic decrease in taxpayer support means private fundraising for public institutions has be-come critical. The role of the public university president in private fundraising has also greatly increased. Individu-als and companies capable of making large contribu-tions expect to meet with the president and discuss their contribution. That is equally true for potential donors who want to contribute to athlet-ics. In terms of the role of athletics in the court of public opinion, my goal is to help Illi-nois State achieve excellence in all of its academic and non-academic programs and I want us to reach national prominence in as many areas as possible. While our funda-mental purpose as a univer-sity is teaching and research,

the byproducts of that core mission provide tremendous benefits to our students and to society at large. Our ath-letic programs allow us to enhance the educational ex-periences of student athletes. Athletic competition fosters life-long learning, training for leadership, the ability to work in teams, competitiveness, self-control, and discipline. Our athletic pro-grams also have an impact on our ability to build a sense of community. Athletic pro-grams help create a campus identity that distinguishes us from other universities. Ath-letics also helps sustain alum-ni loyalty, and over the long run, contribute to the finan-cial strength of the institution and its national reputation.

5. Some argue that stu-dent athletes are members of the university community solely for the entertainment they provide to the commu-nity, students and alumni and the financial benefits that they bring to the university. Although ISU may not fit into a large school persona that comes along with this athletic enigma, what is ISU doing to promote successful student athletes outside of the arena and in their futures after the rigors of collegiate athletics? While the mission of a university is educational, co-curricular, extracurricular, cultural and athletic activities also play an important role in creating and maintaining a successful collegiate envi-ronment. The quality of our athletic programs helps cre-ate a positive image for our University, and brings new visitors to our campus com-munity. Although athletics at Illinois State University is not the cash cow associated with other universities, the funds raised by athletics help sustain their programs and facilities, since they do not receive state funding in the same manner that academic programs receive them. Our student-athletes are students

first and they compete in the classroom and laboratory as well as competing on the field of play. Their public vis-ibility also makes them great ambassadors for the Universi-ty. Here is some information about our student athletes that you may not know:• ISU Athletics set a new department GPA record in Spring 2009 with a com-bined 3.13 GPA for the semes-ter• It marked the third-straight year that the Red-birds set new standards for department GPAs• The ISU Athletics De-partment has contributed at least 2,000 hours of com-munity service in each of the last four years, including a department record 2,518.5 hours this past year.

• ISU Athletics has a re-cord 254 student-athletes on the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or higher) during the fall 2008 semester• In the spring 2009, ISU Athletics had a depart-ment record 44 student-ath-letes earn 4.0’s

6. ISU has made a con-scious effort to examine itself in order to promote tolerance and community cohesion. What progress has the uni-versity made over the 2008-09 academic year, and what is in store for the near and far fu-ture? One of the best ways to create and maintain a wel-coming environment for un-derrepresented groups is to help those populations be successful on campus. I am pleased to say that through the efforts of the Julia Visor Center and other programs, our graduation rate for Afri-can-American students has hit 52 percent, compared to the statewide average of just 35 percent. For this fall’s class, the percentage of students admitted from underrepre-sented groups has risen dra-matically from last year—a 22 percent rise for African Amer-icans and 32 percent rise in Hispanic students. During my State of the University address last fall, I announced the creation of two action committees. One committee inves-tigated methods to increase the recruitment and retention of students from underrepre-sented groups. The other ex-amined the campus climate for diverse populations. Both committees did an excellent job, and have forwarded re-ports that will soon be avail-able online. I am currently examining the recommenda-tions from those reports, and with the input of our shared governance leaders, will an-nounce several new initia-tives during this fall’s State of the University Address.

7. Many public admin-istrators are influenced in their early years by either a mentor or a teacher. Who was the most influential per-son in your academic career and how have their lessons boiled over into your present career? My father’s influence has touched nearly every phase of my life. It was his belief that hard work trumps nearly everything. He was able to carve out a successful profes-sional career and family life during a period in American history when that was partic-ularly challenging for African-Americans. Since my father served as a faculty member and dean of men at a small

September 11, 2009 IndyIndy news 5

Lyra Johns Dead Weather combines legend Jack White of The White Stripes, Alison Mosshart of The Kills, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age, and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs. I had heard about this band through fan-dom wire. Being a Kills and a Raconteurs fan, the idea of these groups teaming up made me giddy. I didn’t know what to expect. I tossed the knowl-edge of their sound aside and anticipated some-thing new, risque, totally off kilter from what I knew and loved. Each interview I read made me think this supergroup was aiming for something bigger and better. When I finally listened to the album, I was a bit disappointed. Jack White’s blues is a major structure for Horehound. The first song opens with one of his telltale riffs. A couple of songs in and Alison Moss-hart gets to speak. Her basic rock beats and bluesy riffs leak through, making their place on this album. This is where the White Stripes frontman excels. He weaves the gritty electro-distortion of Mosshart’s

character to elevate his work to higher credibility amongst his demographic. Instead of a split style, the tracks blend together. Each wail floats into the next, just to open you up for a slight diversion. Although a fan of White, I grew tired of his artistic trademark on Horehound: the generic blues chords, the crunch-ing grind of the bass, the singer’s whine. Even when Mosshart sings, it’s in his tone, accompanied by his basslines, his anthemic chant of the chorus. It’s like listening to a teenager, you appreciate that there’s noise to drown out their complaining. Though what he lacks in variety he makes up for in reputation: by continuing to maintain his essence of creating raw power via Gretsch. As their debut, The Dead Weather are what’s expected from the collaboration of these two inde-pendently unique groups. White’s sound is worn for this age, and it would have been more appreciated had he tried to build above his foundation. Check this out if you appreciate this genre.

Music Review: Horehound by The Dead Weather

seminary, I was fortunate to grow up in an apart-ment in a residence hall. Essentially, I’ve spent my entire life on a college campus. Understanding academic culture is second nature for me and it has served me well during my professional career.

8. What was your favorite childhood book and how has that manifested itself in your adult life? During my freshman year, I stumbled upon Erving Goffman’s Stigma and it had a profound impact on my understanding of the development of so-cial identity. At a critical point in my search for an understanding of my “place” in the world, his book helped me understand that the stigma associated with being a member of a marginalized minority group heavily influences one’s sense of self. nt an immediate terrorist attack that would kill thousands of innocent Americans? This scenario was pure propaganda designed to rally moral sup-port of a human rights atrocity. The reality of tor-ture is that it is a very ineffective means of intelli-gence gathering. Intelligence agencies use torture only when they are too incompetent to use more humane methods, such as legal spying and infiltra-tion. Under torture, most people will say anything to make the pain stop. They will claim to be Osama’s right hand man, even if they are really just a student or a humble farmer. They give the name of every person they have ever heard of as fellow terrorists.

They will confess to crimes they never committed, warn of attacks that were never planned and fill hard drives and record rooms with bad intelligence. D e s p i t e eight years of torture committed during the Bush era, there is no e v i d e n c e that any in- tel l igence d e r i v e d from torture a c t u a l l y prevented a terrorist attack or resulted in the capture of a terror- ist. Torture is a g a i n s t both U.S. and interna- tional law. Obama so far has been sloppy and indecisive on justice and restor-ing Amer- ica’s moral creditability on human rights. On the same day that the CIA torture memos were released, Obama promised immunity to all torturers. He then went to the CIA and assured his support despite their crimes. Hours later, Obama was forced to bite his tongue as Americans screamed outrage upon hear-ing the extent of the torture. Prosecuting the criminals responsible for such atrocities is an urgent need. The criminals in ques-

tion are not only guilty of horrid crimes, but they are extremely dangerous since they are currently active members of the military and CIA. Even if le-gal prosecution is not currently possible, the least Obama could do is force known torturers to resign from their positions of power. Human right atrocities are not something a country can shake off. The damage done is not limed to the physical and emotional scars of tor-ture’s victims. America was once the global leader of human rights. Now it has the reputation of a bru-tal violator of human rights, on par with counties like China and Iran. Recovering from such crimes will require investigation, legal justice and a trans-formation of the CIA, the military and the executive branch. Obama is at risk of losing an opportunity to assert justice and restore America authority as the global leader of human rights. He already allowed the proposed truth commission to die on the sen-ate floor. If Obama continues to ignore demands to shine truth and justice upon the secrecy and crimes of the Bush administration, he will commit one of the greatest errors of his presidency. We must pres-sure Obama. Young progressives are his strongest supporters. In this time of economic turmoil and decline, we are the demographic he cannot afford to ignore.

Do you want to write a review?Indynews@hotmail.com

Photo Corner. Baja California Sur, Mexico; Xmas 2009: Casey Reynolds

September 11, 2009 IndyIndy news6

Blair Stiles There is an enigmatic quality to romantic relationships that has eluded me for years. Name-ly, the bond that transcends lust and amusement but goes deeper into the two people engaging in the relationship. A rope that ties them emotion-ally, intellectually and physically together. Like any inquisitive, nubile female tip-toeing on youth and womanhood I have had my peeks at a life shared with someone that goes beyond the platonic bonds most commonly shared on this campus. My friendships have always sustained me. And the re-lationship I have with myself has recently become fulfilling the more accepting I get of my idiosyn-crasies. Possibly that is the reason why I broke any romantic ties I had in St. Louis before I pulled up to Atkin to begin my term. But, for those who did not, those who still participate in an exclusive relation-ship during a time that is, as one friend so dutifully stated, “An independent era that we are allowed to grow. If there is a chance for growth, why stay in a relationship and chance growing apart”?

In order to have my questions answered, I corralled a group of girls from my floor and asked them rather prying questions as to obtain an an-swer as to why they were either single or decided to stay in a relationship. In my case, being single represent the ultimate freedom of choice. It’s self-ish, yes, but I prefer to do what I want, when I want without having another person hinder me. I felt if I had continued with my relationship, it would have marred the experience of going out and socializing with the largest gathering of my peers I have/will ever encounter. College is a vector for personal growth, not only does it enable you to train for an occupation that may be ultimately be your career, but it also shapes part of who you will become. When you answer to only yourself, you learn how to live your life according to what makes you happy. It seemed to me, that if I had a significant other, I would be living with them in the back of my head, causing me to constantly evaluate my actions. Col-lege is not an experience I am willing to share with a lover. Being single has its advantages, most nota-bly the chance to truly not have to answer to any-one and do what feels right, regardless. You have the opportunity to flirt and fully comprehend your romantic aesthetics, most obviously as is a time for going out, meeting people who could poten-tially become your friends for life (that is what my Dad says, anyway) and expand your horizons. It is more than an education you require here. No one grades you on your life here, but there is a learn-ing curve that comes with choosing to be single or with someone. But, as one lady brought up, with the freedom comes the chance of being taking ad-vantage of, say, by that dude you met at that rad party who did not think your encounter would stop at musing about his major. A note to ladies, if he should not inquire about who you are and where you are going, you should put down the cup and bail. Face it, we’re all sexual beings, and this is col-lege, sex will happen. College students are going to see someone they find sexy, and if they’re confi-

dent, go get it. It must be stifling to become attract-ed to someone and remain loyal to your boyfriend or girlfriend because, they’re all a person knows at this juncture. What if the relationship at present fizzles and you’re left pondering what would have been with the babe on the quad? But, a disadvan-tage of being single is the opportunity for some men to assume if you are down with the party, you are also down to sleep with them. This is quite com-mon. Men aren’t known for their impressive conver-sational skills, naturally. They are problem solvers, and by God, they will solve that problem of you still wearing your pants at the end of the night. Man, it must be nice to go home with somebody you know for a cuddle sometimes... ...but what if you’ve only, uh, cuddled with one person your entire life? How do you know that is it for you? My roommate is a curious minx. She is, as most roommates are, the polar opposite of me. Where I believe defiantly in independence and liv-ing an unshared existence with a male at this point in my life, she’s been with her man for a few years

now and plans on marrying him. He lives a floor below and they see each other every single day, of course. Where I admire her utter love for her beau, I wonder how much is naivety and how it is shared amongst my young female peers. As a product of divorce, I have seen what twenty

years of marriage can do to two people who are not meant to be after all. I know that it is never ‘love conquers all’ because sometimes, it is not where it used to be. I also do not understand her position, for I have no idea what it is like to have a loyal beau at my side. Her argument is that it is beneficial to have the comfort of him there with her. If she ever doubts herself and in need of someone to bolster her confidence, she can skip down a flight of stairs and find it hanging out on a futon playing Halo. If I am feeling down, sometimes it isn’t that easy to pick myself up again. But as a young woman, it is in-tegral to be able to function on your own. Although I do not doubt Emma’s capacity to learn how to be on her own, I wonder about those girls who truly depend on their boyfriends for happiness. I also wonder about that naïve group who gobble up romantic anecdotes like ‘love conquers all’ with as much fervor as Emma does gummy bears. Several taken ladies noted their only qualm about having a boyfriend was the guilt experience when making guy friends, or the difficulty of such. Girls who had boyfriends at separate colleges ac-knowledged that the distance was a vector for jealousy. Since they could not actually see their boyfriend’s behavior or actions, it was hard to verify the truth. This is where trust is created, and these crucial moments where Facebook alludes to a devi-ant act and all a girl can do is trust that her dude was a good boy, as she is just trying to be a good girl herself. The lack of intimacy due to the distance adds to the frustration of a long distance relation-ship. There is also the factor that a beau can act as an anchor for one’s journey. When a girl is single, she tends to flit from one pseudo-relationship to the next without developing a foundation for how to “be” in a committed relationship. Often times, fear is a guiding factor for those single ladies to pre-occupy themselves with “me” time and not allow themselves to give up a bit of their soul to someone. Development would happen in either case, single or established romantically. There is an edge with being single for a while, getting to know yourself, and then going into a relationship that I feel would designate the single girl for a more meaningful relationship in the future. Whereas the girl whose string is attached at her boy’s hip may not know herself enough to ever find happiness outside the relationship. For her that might be enough, but for most of us, I’m betting it’s not. Whatever the secret is to having a healthy intimate relationship, time will tell for me. But, I’m betting I won’t know until I’m out of college. But, hey, I am still naïve enough to believe in love at first sight.

To Date or Not to Date in College, That is My Question

He Said, She Said...

Outlaw29, In grabbing the mantle and bully pulpit for male perspectives on sex, I address matters that are put before me through my public interactions. So it was the case over the summer when a dear relation confided her lack of consent in a sexual liaison. She claims rape and I support her assertion. As a man who imagines himself to be a protector of a clan, Redbirds, my reflex was to determine: Who did it? , How can I get him back? , And how can we get the police involved? As I calmed my bloodlust, I real-ized that my friend needed support not a vigilante. “What are we going to do to put your bound-ary back together, Honey?” In making such a state-ment I hoped it let her know that my strength to kill could convert into strength to care and be support-ive of her decisions past and present. As her heal-ing continued my sense of responsibility for the event deepened and a profound grief emerged in my emotional energy. My workplace became the backdrop giving inspiration to the rapist. When the coitus became rape, and the perpetrator conclud-ed the act, an inquiry fol-lowed. The guy wanted to know how many other employees she had con-jugal relations, and asked if she had done it with me. I can recall thinking “Oh, man, this is all my fault. The guy thought he was compet-ing with me.” Charles Darwin was first to observe that females control the development of a species. The physical traits females find desirable shapes the behavior and physical development of the male in a species. Males de-velop sexual ornamentation to attract females and must court desire through preening behaviors. It was Darwin’s observation that unconscious drives of a female species were dictating the development of male courtship. Males have to compete against each other to ful-fill their biological destiny of gene reproduction. In human beings, our sexual ornamentation is inter-nalized. Language skill, and displays of artistic abil-ity are the ornaments males utile to attract females in our species evolution. Competition is an instinct for men, evidenced biologically in that a majority of our sperm is for fighting the sperm roadblocks of other males en route to fertilizing an egg. On some level of the con-scious and unconscious psychological operation, us guys are always attempting to prove himself as superior to the next man in order to attract women and engage coitus. Relative to my friend’s confes-sional, I determined that her assailant was trying to prove himself a better lay, that he imagined I was. The evolution of intimacy in my interactions with ladies has come from internal soul searching and a knowledgeable understanding of boundaries. When other men see the affect I have that charms yet teases it can inspire a poor mimicking. Now I’m reconsidering how I utilize the skill set of flirting or being any fun with women in my communications at work. Rape is a weapon of war, and can be dev-astating to an individual or a relationship. I wish I could forget the whole affair. Sex is such an awe-somely fun thing when given care. I just cannot get the sympathy to understand a guy needing to force such an interaction. A rapist just decides to take someone’s fun. It’s like shooting a puppy dog, just plain sick. All I can reinforce is that no means no in any situation, whether penetrating or not penetrat-ing, be gentle with the fun.

Rape Me

Write a Letter to the Indyindynews@hotmail.com

September 11, 2009 IndyIndy news 7

Socialism, Big Government, and Rationing It is worth looking at the per-spectives of doctors for an answer to these charges. One such doctor, Obama’s former physician David Scheiner, is speaking out publicly against the public option and in fa-vor of single payer health care (a.k.a. Medicare-for-all). On the charge of socialism, Scheiner says that a single-payer health care system - which is far more progressive than what Democrats are pro-posing - still relies on “private doctors, private hospitals, pri-vate clinics, private compa-nies making the [medical ma-chines], the only thing that’s national is the insurance.” At best, then, to claim that the system is socialized is an ex-aggeration, if not an outright distortion. On the issue of “ra-tioning” health care, Scheiner explains that under private health care, “Every patient I see, the insurance people are in the room watching me tell-ing me what I can do and what I can’t. Medicare [as a single-payer system] has never in-terfered with me...Medicare doesn’t tell us which hospital to go to, doesn’t tell us which specialist we can use. It’s ex-traordinarily rare that it ever denies a procedure. Private

insurance is doing this all the time.” Addressing anxiety over “big government,” Scheiner fires back that “we [already] spend $400 billion a year in handling administrative costs of health care that would cover the 50 million who are uncovered” under Medicare-for-all. In short, Medicare-for-all would probably cost less

than private health care. While rational citizens are free to disagree about the merits and drawbacks of a Medicare-for-all, Scheiner’s comments at least demon-strate what one would ex-pect from those contributing to a productive health care debate. The use of concrete evidence, statistics, and rel-evant personal experiences are a way for doctors to add nuance to the debate over

health care, whereas the ab-stract attacks on Obama as “Hitler” and the Democrats as “socialists” do nothing to en-courage respectful debate. While the mass media and town hall crashers play an integral role in demoniz-ing Medicare-for-all, polling firms also play a vital role in limiting debate. I’ve seen lit-

tle evidence in the polls I read of any questions probing the public on whether they support Medicare-for-all, in contrast to the more limited public option supported by Democrats. What very little survey data I can find on Medicare-for-all polling sug-gests that people do support it, despite the media black-out. Polling from as far back as 2007 shows that 64 percent of Americans support “a na-

tional health insurance pro-gram for all Americans, even if this requires higher taxes.” A July 2009 poll from the Kaiser group finds that 59 percent of Americans support “having a national health plan in which all Americans would gettheir insurance through an expanded, universal form of Medicare-for-all.” What’s truly fascinating is that the Kaiser poll finds that, when the words “single-payer” are added to the same question, support drops by nearly 10 percent. This is a strong indi-cation that political officials and media are able to ma-nipulate public opinion and demonize a program, not in substance, but through buzz-word phrases. Mass media, pollsters, Republicans in Congress, and town hall crashers are creat-ing a perfect storm in order to demolish health care re-form. Unfortunately, the use of name calling and slogans is replacing reasoned, open debate on how to move for-ward. Of course, it’s not too late to promote a respectful dialogue. The sooner we re-alize the toxicity of today’s mudslinging, the quicker we can promote a real discussion of the problems that burden the American people.

War of words from page 8

Amanda Clayton You may not realize but its time to look for an apartment for the 2010-11 school year. Yes it may seem early but you have to jump when these companies say “jump” if you want a decent apartment for next year. You may hear your friends talking about how bad the service of one company is... but 10 bucks says the next per-son you talk to had a great experience with the same company. Each company has good and bad things about them such so don’t worry so much about what you’ve heard. Just schedule some showings and find the apart-ment that is right for you. Beware; you will be looking at some luxury apartments that are way too expensive for your parents’ budget and some cheap apartments that are too disgusting for you to live in. Get ready to make a lot of grown up decisions in a short amount of time. The people you de-cide to live with can change your life in more ways than you think. A good room-mate can help your study habits, your eating habits,

and your social life… or they will ruin your life. You’ll have roommates to always stumble home with at three

in the morning from a party or those same roommates could start a fight with you each night. If you have too many friends to live in a 4 bedroom apartment then rent a house for next year! You have at least two years of apartment living to choose different places and people

to live with so mix it up a little. But make your decision carefully so you don’t end up in a horrible living environ-

ment. Choosing where to live can expose you to a whole new side of Illinois State. Where you chose to live means you need to decide if you will drive or walk to class. If you drive are there enough parking spaces at your apartment for each

roommate to have a car at school? How long will it take to get to class now? In the winter do you need to get up

earlier and scrape off your car? How much are the park-ing passes to park on cam-pus? When you go out on the weekends are the parties walking distance or do you have to pay for a party bus? Will your friends ever want to come to your apartment if you live far away?

You are giving these companies hundreds of dol-lars each month so you need to have the balls to ask the companies the tough ques-tions and to tell your friends your honest opinion so no one walks all over you. How many bathrooms are there and who has to share with whom? Do you have to pay for laundry or do you get a unit in your apartment. Do you have to pay for utilities each month or do you have an allotment to use. What about cable, internet, and furniture? This part of col-lege can be exciting but also very stressful because these choices can affect a lot in the next coming year. Talk to your parents and make sure you know what you are get-ting yourself into before you get way too excited and sign on the dotted line.

First site- (309)888-4444 firstsiteapartments.comSami - (309)888-4600 sami.comYoung America - (309)454-2338 yareality.comJunction- (309) 454-5599 junctionplace.info

Sophomores, Listen Up!

Commitment

could take five minutes to brush teeth

couldn’t take

five minutes to call and say hello

Poet’s CornerAlex Neal

Best of Me

she got the best of meshe didn’t get the best of youhow so?

College Blues

college is one giant high school the same clicks and drama, excepteveryone drinks, and no one gives a shit about hall passes

Asteroid Base

how’s the view?watching the earth riselonely, isn’t it?should be asking yourselfmakes you say that?

September 11, 2009 IndyIndy baCkpage news 8

Anthony DiMaggio Public opinion on health care reform is shifting rapidly. Publicdisapproval of Obama’s “han-dling of health care” rose from 42 percent inJune to 52 percent in July ac-cording to a Quinnipiac Uni-versity poll. As the New York Times reports, “President Obama’s ability to shape the debateon health care appears to be eroding as opponents ag-gressively portray his over-haul plan as a government takeover that could limit Americans’ ability to choose their doctors and course of treatment.” This ten percent change in opinion in less than a month is dramatic considering that public opin-ion scholars rarely find such large shifts in such a short pe-riod. What is it that accounts for this dramatic change? The primary factor is probably not the substance of health care reform itself, since no bill has yet emerged from Congress. Five proposals are still float-ing around in committees, and information on which will win the day is scant. This sug-gests that some other factor is at work in changing public attitudes. A more likely cause is the effort on the part of Republicans in Congress and town hall crashers to muddy the reform debate. According to an Au-gust USA Today poll 69 per-cent of Americans report following the town hall skir-mishes either “very closely” or “somewhat closely” in the news. Most of those ques-tioned feel that “angry at-tacks” on members of Con-gress are a sign of “democracy in action,” although most re-ject the “shouting down” of representatives as excessive. About a third of Americans say the demonstrations “have made them more sympathet-ic to protestors’ views.” While the attacks of town hall pro-testors may not be convinc-ing everyone, they are clearly making an impact on a large

number of people. There’s much dis-agreement about whether the town hall skirmishes are degrading the quality of de-bate on health care. It is un-deniable that those who are protesting Obama and the Democrats are guaran-teed the first a m e n d m e n t right to speak up against government and that they are entitled to be as rude as they like in public forums. Whether this kind of discourse is harm-ful to a vibrant democracy, however, is another question. Modern political phi-losophers often stress the need for open dialogue in the effort to promote democracy. An individual’s belief system, they contend, is enriched when that person seriously wrestles with the competing claims of others. Hans-Georg Gadamer argues that we need to “put ourselves in someone else’s shoes” if we want to cre-ate a “genuine human bond” with others. Jürgen Habermas laments those who pursue a “one sided dominance” of dis-cussions, since this approach instrumentally uses others simply to win a debate. Those who are interested in “ratio-nal expressions,” he argues, express “a willingness to ex-pose themselves to criticism.” There is little indica-tion that the screaming and shouting in town hall meet-ings constitutes an open dialogue on health care. Sar-ah Palin’s fabricated claims - disseminated faithfully by conservative media - that an emerging health care bill will establish “death panels” that allow the state to kill elderly people - do little to encour-age democratic debate. Town hall crashers often attack health care reform by relying on emotion over substance. Demonization of the Obama administration for promoting “big government,” “socialism,”

health care “r a t i o n i n g” and “death panels” does much to incite pub-lic outrage, while dis-tancing town hall crash-ers from a p ro d u c t i ve discussion of reform. Aside from hateful rhetoric, we should con-

sider some of the forms of coercion that are emerging from the town hall meetings: - A health care protestor in

New Mexico has encouraged those who read his Twitter comments to take their guns to town hall meetings and toshoot ACORN and union members if they are pro-voked. - A St. Louis man who attend-ed a local meeting to protest health care reform initiated an unprovoked attack on a black minister who attended the meeting. The minister criticized the man for selling buttons depicting Obama in blackface, and was pushed to the ground and repeatedly punched in the face. The beat-ing continued, despite the as-sailant being informed that the man was a minister and that he wasn’t going to fight back (see Don Fitz’s “Health Care Foes Start Violent Fray in St. Louis”). - An anti-Obama protestor at a health care town hall meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire stood outside the meeting with an anti-Obama placard and a 9mm openly strapped to his leg. When asked if the gun was loaded, the protestor responded: “Well, who would be silly enough to carry an unloaded firearm?”- Protestors across the country - echoed by Rush Limbaugh - now compare Obama to Hitler in town hall meetings. Dem-onstrators carry signs reading “Hitler Gave Great Speeches Too,” and “No to Fascism.” Lim-baugh claims that Obama’s health care logo “looks damn like the Nazi logo” and that there is a “similarity between the Democratic Party of to-day and the Nazi Party in Ger-many.” Most of the town hall protestors may be peaceful, but the combination of ir-responsible rhetoric (claims that Obama is a Nazi, for ex-ample), when mixed with vio-lent actions, are a recipe for fascism. These developments are a danger to democratic discourse. While the liberal com-mentators at MSNBC stand behind the president and the “public option,” Fox News pundits lambaste not only

Obama’s plan, but single-payer health care. Very little effort is made to explore the differences between the pub-lic option and single-payer, as they are lumped together as a singular “socialist” threat. My review of all Fox News programming from July 29th to August 11th finds that 18 programs referenced single-payer health care, most of them failing to distinguish between Obama’s proposed reforms and single-payer proposals (single-payer pro-posals, to date, do not seri-ously enter into Democrats’ plans). Some examples below are instructive: On his July 30th program, Sean Han-nity linked “the single-payer system” with “rationed care.” On the July 29th Your World with Neil Cavuto, Republican Congressman Bobby Jindal warned “If what they [Demo-crats] really want is another step towards a single-payer system, I don’t think you can get bipartisan agreement on that. So long as they continue to insist on a government-run health care plan, I think that is going to continue to cause problems for conserva-tives, for Republicans.” On the August 5th On the Record, Greta Van Susteren prodded Obama’s former physician - who supports single-payer health care - about “whether [Medicare] might interfere” with patients getting medi-cal service (Medicare is a single-payer based program). Regarding the public op-tion, Fox is similarly vigilant in its rhetoric. Reporter Trace Gallagher expressed this ap-proach best when he admit-ted - after cutting away from Obama’s town hall meeting - that Fox would continue its reporting of Obama’s speech if there was evidence of “any contentious questions [and] anybody yelling [against the proposal].” Ofcourse, demonization and incitement are not the only ways to kill discussion on single-payer care. The most popular way to do this is sim-ply by refusing to mention it as an option - a tactic pre-ferred by mainstream media (for more see the FAIR study: “Media Blackout on Single-Payer Healthcare”). It also doesn’t help public debate that many con-servatives are taken in by rac-ist and xenophobic charac-terizations of the president. Distortions disseminated by conservative media take a dramatic toll on Obama’s reputation. As of April 2008, an estimated 10 percent of Americans, (and an alarm-ing 23 percent of Texans) be-lieved Obama was a Muslim. A poll from July of this year

finds that Republicans widely embrace the “birther” con-spiracy theory - which claims that Obama is not a U.S. citi-zen. Amazingly, 58 percent of Republicans said that Obama was either not a citizen or that they were unsure of his citizenship. A responsible refram-ing of the public debate on health care requirestackling a number of issues: Death Panels Reporting needs to consis-tently emphasize the fact that there are no “death pan-els” in the reform proposals. Sarah Palin popularized this claim when she implied on Facebook that Obama and the Democrats are out to kill her baby and parents: “The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with down syn-drome will have to stand in front of Obama’s death panel so his bureaucrats can decide, based on subjective judg-ment of their level of produc-tivity in society, whether they are worth of health care. Such a system is downright evil.” The claim caused quite a stir in the media. In reviewing Fox News shows in the week following Palin’s statement, I found that Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Neil Cavuto, Sean Hannity, Bret Baier, and Laura Ingrahim were all sympathet-ic to the claim that Democrat-ic health care reform would either impose death panels or something similar to it. Death panel claims are not substantiated in reports on health care reform. The New York Times reports that “there is nothing in any of the leg-islative proposals that would call for thecreation of death panels or any other governmental body that would cut offcare for the critically ill as a cost-cutting measure.” The end of life provision in ques-tion - which was eventually jettisoned from Congressio-nal debate because of the death panel fiasco - merely required that patients speak with their doctors about how best to obtain service if they or a family member are ter-minally ill. As the Wall Street Journal reports, “Tucked in-side a sweeping House bill to overhaul the health system is a provision that would re-quire Medicare to pay phy-sicians to counsel patients once every five years. During those sessions, doctors could discuss how patients can plan for such end-of-life decisions as setting up a living will, ob-taining hospice care or estab-lishing a proxy to make their health decisions when they are unable to do so.”

War of the Words: How Town Hall Crashers, Media, and Pollsters are Transforming Public Opinion

See War of Words pg 7