Post-election reflection: What defines you?
By Nick Kurtz
I still have my “I voted” sticker on. I woke up early to vote for my candidate at the end of an “epic campaign during one of the most tumultuous times in American history,” so says The New York Times. And while I realized just how historic this election was, a part of me felt relief that it was simply over. Or is it?
I have never been too interested in politics – mostly because this was the first election I could vote in, but the other reason was how negative, blaming and mean-spirited political commercials could be. Even if my candidate’s commercial is on TV, rather than strengthening my decision, these commercials make me inclined to vote for no one at all.
Whether Democrat or Republican, John McCain or Barack Obama, all candidates try to gain last-minute votes by ripping down their opponents and engaging in name calling previously confined to third-grade recess. Multi-million dollar commercials on national TV should not be reduced to messages that basically say, “Can you believe he did this?” or, in essence, “He smells funny.”
So when I dropped my ballot in the box this morning, I hoped all the squabbling would disappear. I was wrong.
I completely forgot about an even more bloodthirsty commercial battle that has no foreseeable end in sight – the Mac vs. PC war. Commercials like “Hi, I’m a Mac” or, “I’m a PC” have only escalated, and what began as a friendly competition has turned into the battle I thought ended on Nov. 4.
Just as you are either a supporter of John McCain or Barack Obama – sorry to Ralph Nader and Mickey Mouse – nearly all of us support Mac or PC – sorry to OSS.
Regardless of where you stand, do commercials that tell of dirty secrets and immoral voting or poor usability and system glitches really strengthen opinions? These commercials spend 100 percent of their time talking about what the other party or company does wrong. How are we to know what is right?
So this was the “epic campaign” the New Yorker prophesized. No matter where your beliefs lie along the political spectrum or whether you run Vista or OS X, we are living in defining times. Make sure that definition is defining you, not someone else.
This is the opinion of Nick Kurtz, an SJU sophomore.
In Defense of Cihacek
By Kelsey Gustafson
I received an e-mail from Brian Cihacek last night in response to my previous post, “Cihacek’s ‘04 Senate Controversy.” He sent me a brief statement commenting on the 2/24/05 Record article I posted a link to, and also told me about a letter to the editor written the following week. I’ll be posting both those here, and I encourage anyone who read the 2/24/05 article to read these as well.
Here is Cihacek’s statement:
The cult of the political pundit argues that the American population loses interest if answers are too long or too fraught with nuance or too intellectual. These pundits push for a ten word answer which is oversimplified to speak to the largest audience in order to influence the voter to their position. The unfortunate fact is the life and how we live can never be put into a ten word answer and trying to create a situation in ten words is both disrespectful and degrading. Read the rest of this entry »
Cihacek’s ‘04 Senate Controversy
By Kelsey Gustafson
I received an e-mail recently from a student who read my article about Brian Cihacek’s mayoral campaign. It looks like Cihacek came under a bit of controversy while on the St. John’s Senate. I in no way mean to persuade anyone’s vote one way or the other (and in fact was very impressed with Cihacek when I interviewed him). I just thought it fair to pass this along.
The Record: SJS Treasurer Impeached
Have a good week, everyone!
What does it mean to be a Johnnie?
By Greg Cooke
Recent events have really caused me to stop and consider what it means to be a Johnnie. Read the rest of this entry »
Princess Kay at CSB
Abbie Dunham
very time Jill Warren cracks open her freezer for a midnight snack, she is greeted by her own smiling face staring back at her carved out of a 90 pound block of butter. Read the rest of this entry »
A shrinking world, growing diversity
By Molly McCue
When Silu Ma, an international student from China, first came to Minnesota, he didn’t know how to ask where the ketchup or napkins were because there were no words for those things in Chinese. Ma is now a senior and has gotten used to being a college student in America. The students who started this semester, however, are still adapting. Read the rest of this entry »
An extra hour until ‘Piano Man’?
By Kelsey Gustafson
I was recently made aware of a public hearing that will be held during this week’s St. Joseph City Council meeting to discuss the possibility of a 2:00 a.m. bar closing time. The hearing will be held Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of the hearing will be “to accept input from not only (alcohol) license holders but residents and interested persons as well.” Although statements will be heard, a decision will not necessarily be made at this week’s meeting.
It is my understanding that representatives from both student senates will be attending the forum. Because this seems to be a topic that college students would be interested in, I thought I’d pass the information along.
Exact details can be found on p. 73 of the St. Joseph City Council meeting agenda for Oct. 16. For more, see: St. Joseph, Minnesota — Welcome to the City Website for St. Joseph!
Potter ignite wood-fired kiln
By Doug Trumm
The shed that houses Johanna Kiln, the largest wood-fired kiln on the continent, does not look very
impressive from the outside. It’s nestled in a grove of trees between the SJU Power Plant and Lake Watab, and many who pass it don’t even realize it’s there.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Maathai draws big crowd at SJU
By Doug Trumm
On Sept. 30, St. John’s School of Theology’s presented its Dignitas Humana Award to Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. Maathai gave a lecture titled “Environment, Democracy and Peace: A Critical Link” after receiving the award.
A lot of folks are visiting this site
By John Buethe
Upon reviewing the stats for this site this evening, Oct. 12, I see there have been over 300 visits to the blog in the last couple hours. Thank you for taking the bait and clicking on the “More…” button. We plan on sending more of those “Major headline” emails to cover community news that happens after Friday publication.
Please continue to visit this site. Post your comments, tell us how great we are or rip us a new one. I don’t care. Just help make this site as interactive as we envision it.
