September 2008
Binghamton Review ? s s e n i s u B f o t u O ’ n i o G Plus:
B A C
The
of Binghamton Your Official Guide to BU ‘S
Truth and two staples Binghamton Review, April 2005
Binghamton Review Editors-in-Chief Adam Shamah Robert Edward Menje Managing Editor Rod Alzmann Copy Editor Yadin Herzel Business Manager Michael Lombardi Treasurer Daniel Rabinowitz Contributors Paul Liggieri, Nehemia Stern, Alex Paolano, Randal Meyer, Samantha Mickle, Rachel Gordon, Eugenio Campos, John Jensen Graphics Michael Saltzman Friends of the Review Dr. Aldo S. Bernardo The Leonini Family The Powell Family Mr. Bob Soltis WA2VCS The Shamah Family The Grynheim Family The Menje Family The Leeds Family The Lombardi Family
Binghamton Review is printed by Our Press, in Chenango Bridge. We provide the truth; they provide the staples.
Binghamton Review Binghamton University PO Box 6000 Binghamton, NY 13902
Founded 1987 o Volume XXII Number 1 o September 2008
In this issue...
OCCT Blues
page
8
OCCT, known more commonly as the “Blue Buses,” is 40 grand in the hole, having problems with SUNY and the IRS, and may have to shut down by September 30th if nothing is done.
10 12 14 15 18 21
The Bear’s Awakening by Rod Alzmann Russia’s return to Soviet-style politics SPECIAL: The ABC’s of BU by the Editors Your guide to Binghamton University Barack Obama’s Terrorist friends by Robert Menje Do you know enough to elect Barack Obama? LASU: SA Sponsored Terrorism by Eugenio Campos Another look at our out-of-contol Latin American Student Union. Fair and Balanced? by Michael Lombardi Media bias during the John Edwards scandal Obamanomics by Randal Meyer An analysis of Obama’s economic plan
Departments 3. Editorial 6. Presswatch 4. Letters 9. Briefs
Binghamton Review, September 2008
Editorial
H
A.G.
istorians always wrap history into neat little ages or periods. Well, when it comes to Binghamton Review, this is the dawning of a new era. You may have noticed that the Review has gotten somewhat soft over the past couple of years. You may have noticed the absence of a strong, principled, conservative voice on campus. You may have noticed a certain lack of debate and controversy on campus. That’s what happens when conservatives lay down their arms and compromise their principles. That time is over. The Review is now back and in full throttle, so proceed with caution. In 1987, two Russian expatriates, Alexander Lanzman and Yan Rusanovsky, launched the campus conservative movement when they founded Binghamton Review. The two young men had left the Soviet Union in search of a freer life only to come to the United States, the world’s last free democracy, to find that with the Marxist professors, politically correct multiculturalists, and overbearing administrators; American universities (Binghamton included) are anything but free. The Review was their means of fighting the left-wing university establishment. Conservatism, simply put, is the political philosophy that founded this great nation; the belief that when government expands, liberty is lost. It is more than just an economic and social theory; it is a philosophy of life itself. Government programs are at odds with conservatism, not because they are inefficient and ineffective, though they are, but because they turn free people into wards of the state. Conservatives’ support for a low income tax is derived not from the economic benefits of such a tax policy, but from the belief that government should not be in the business of stealing property from the people. We support the peoples’ right to bear arms not just because there are rapists and murderers out there looking for victims, but because the people should not be dependent solely on their government for protection. We oppose the university’s ‘failure to cooperate’ policy not because we want to make it harder for the university to prosecute students, but because we believe in the fundamental right to privacy and due process in one’s personal sphere. We oppose multiculturalism not because we are against diversity, but because its goal is to use government to remake society using some kind of cultural Marxist model. Now, conservatism isn’t exactly the most “politically correct” ideology on college campuses. Simply stated, we don’t care. We live in a world where
conservatives often are forced to play the role of an apologist. Don’t expect any apologies from us anytime soon. We’re going to say what we believe, and I’d be willing to bet that if you give us a fair chance, most of the time you’ll agree with our arguments. Hopefully, however, you’ll at least be tolerant of our diverse viewpoints. In 1989, the Student Association took action and attempted to silence the Review in response to multicultural outcry towards a cartoon we printed that poked fun at a proposed “Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Studies” program. BR’s editorial board was given two options: (1) They could attend “sensitivity training,” where they would be reeducated (you know, in a style similar to the Soviet reeducation camps the founding editors were fleeing) and taught how to become good multiculturalists; or (2) they could ignore the Student Association and face the consequences. BR chose the latter and suffered a funding ban that lasted until 2004. To the dismay of the campus left, the Review survived without its due portion of the Student Activity fee, finding funding elsewhere. In 1999, ten years after the “gay cartoon” incident, Linda Morales, the director of BU’s Multicultural Resource Center, helped distribute a pamphlet titled the “University Conversion Project.” The pamphlet contained such essays as “Tips on Challenging Outside Funding,” “An Introduction to Propaganda Analysis,” and “Tips on Responding to the Right Wing.” Really, this actually happened. That same year, then SA President Ben Greenzweig organized a committee to investigate the Review’s funding with the goal of finding some impropriety that would allow him to shut the paper down. He was about as successful as ethnic study majors are after graduating. The point is, no matter how hard the multis try to shut us down, Binghamton Review is never going away. We aren’t scared of the PC police. We have ideas that are strong enough to withstand whatever it is the left decides to throw at us (usually tomatoes). So cherish what you have in your hands right now: the one thing that truly stands out on this campus, Binghamton’s only true non-conformer, the last beacon of truth and reason in a place where common sense often takes a backseat to relativism and warped ideology.
Binghamton Review, September 2008
-Adam Shamah
4
Letters
to the
Editor
your printer to go back to the old paper? Thanks, A long-time fan
However, the Nazi on the cover is mildly offensive to Jews such as myself. Nonetheless, I look forward to your next issue.
The level of complete ignorance displayed by The Binghamton Review makes liberals look even better. Thanks for your help. -Anonymous
Dear Filthy Racist Scum, Apparently your parents neglected you as children and forgot to tell you that there is nothing funny about Racism. Just because you are racists and think it is funny does not mean that it is. Racism is unacceptable, and if you seriously think that you you know everything, then you are a bunch of pompous windbags. The fact that you are racists, prominently displayed in the Fascist crap you turn out, proves that you are ignorant and know nothing. Your magazine is nothing but trash, because it certainly is nowhere near good enough to be called journalism let alone news. -Anonymous
To whom it may concern, I’ve been picking up the Binghamton Review every month since my freshman year, and it’s always been pretty good. Recently, though, for your May 2008 issue, it seems that whatever printing company you use switched from the nice, soft, comfortable newsprint to some harder, thicker, scratchier paper. I mean, I guess it’s still better than that Fiesta stuff, but it’s definitely a step down from what it used to be. Not only is this paper a good deal less soft than the old paper, it’s also much less absorbent: I’m genuinely worried that some toilets on campus might clog now. Do you think you could ask
Dear Editors, This previous year, I took up an interest in the concept of civil rights and liberties. It seemed as though one could only find these in references in complicated and longwinded legal arguments. However, your May 2008 issue of Review made the concept more real and clarified it how these do matter to each individual. The article of the civil rights debacle by Randal Meyer was an incredibly passionate and articulate piece, which in context with “Welcome to Pre-School” by Adam Shamah, made me think about issues of justice and rights in a way that is relative to my own person. Thank you.
Good Evening, My name is Jeffrey Weyl and I am a past Treasurer of BR. I worked with Ephie, Adam Bromberg, Mike Malloy, and Paul Schnier. I wanted to compliment you on the most recent issue that I have viewed (May 2008). Truly excellent! Please let me know if I may be of assistance to the BR. Regards, Jeffrey Weyl P.S. I find it hard to believe that Lois DeFleur is still at BU, then again, anything’s possible in this day and age.
Sincerely, J.I.K.
Editors, I am a member of EMO. I just wanted to tell you not to make fun of the ZINE anymore because people work hardcore to put out the articles. It’s not cool to make fun of their grammar. Stop being such closed minded douche bags. Start caring about people and stop being mean. -The Spy Editors, I just wanted to compliment you guys on cleaning up the Review. At the beginning of last year, I could tell that the Review was on its way down. After the change of leadership, I could instantly tell that the Review was headed on an upward path. I like that there are no video game reviews or dumb articles about body hair. You guys are the conservative paper and I’m glad you guys are now focusing on conservative issues again. Keep up the good work. -Robert Smith To the editors, I am an incoming freshmen to SUNY Binghamton. I was wondering how I could get involved with your paper? I saw your archives on
Binghamton Review, September 2008
your website of your past few issues and I really like what you guys are doing. I think I could be a great addition to your paper. Please get back to me. Thanks a ton.
Yours truly, D. Johnson
From the Editors:
Do you think diversity is a way to manage a stock portfolio, not a university?
BR welcomes feedback and response from our readers. But keep in mind, especially if you disagree with us, we would like to hear your side of the argument. Don’t just call us “bigoted,” and definitely don’t spray paint “racist crackers” on our door (cough, cough EMO). We’re up for a debate, but please, let it actually be a debate. No throwing fits, crying, or name calling allowed. Thank you.
Need an escape from your commie professors?
-AS & REM
in the BR Office (B05, in the Union Basement)
Join
Binghamton Review BU’s last refuge for campus conservatives. GIM Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7:30pm
Binghamton Review, September 2008
6
Campus Presswatch
Usually, Campus Presswatch is where we expose writers from
other campus publications as the liars and communists they are. But, because it is the first week, we have not yet had time to closely examine any of the other publications. Instead, we have decided to bring to you brief summaries of what you can expect to find when you read some of the rags you’ll find on campus. In short, don’t expect much. Pipe Dream
Other universities have newspapers named The Collegian, or The Chronicle, we have Pipe Dream. Once called Colonial News, BU’s twice-weekly tabloid changed its name to Pipe Dream in 1970 in protest of t h e Vietnam war, and because using the word “colonial” promotes “colonialism,” which of course, is an evil right-wing western practice. So now we have Pipe Dream. Real professional name, don’t you think? All that can be said about Pipe Dream is that it is the definition of mediocre. Great photography, layout, and copy editing, but not much else. Occasionally you’ll find an interesting article or they’ll break a big news story, however; PD’s news section often has as many wire stories as original articles written by students. And, out-
side of the occasional guest commentary, don’t expect its editorial page to ever take a stand on a controversial issue. Nuance and writing about things everyone agrees about, this basically sums up PD’s Opinion page. Free Press Published by the Binghamton Media Group, Free Press was founded two years ago by an incredibly successful Student Assembly representative, Alex Rosenthal. While they publish only two issues per month, the overall content of each issue is usually on par with, and at times surpasses, that of Pipe Dream. In the past the paper has offered excellent coverage of the Student Association, but with the departure of Rosenthal and last year’s Managing Editor/Student Assembly Chair, Eric Katz, we’ll have to wait and see what this year’s reporting will be like. Prospect Whenever we mention Prospect in an issue of the Review, we get dozens of emails posing
the question, “what the hell is this ‘Prospect’ you keep referring to?” Prospect is the publication of the College Democrats, sort of. The executive boards of the two groups are basically the same. Most of the articles appear to be printed unedited, as they have dozens of grammatical errors and typos. Besides the two or three disingenuous (and sometimes totally made up) political articles they print each month, you’ll also find dating advice from fat chicks and two week old sports news. Also, the letters ‘Ask Annie’ prints are written by Annie herself. EMO Zine They don’t publish often, but when the Experimental Media Organization does decide to put something out, boy, are you in for a treat. Printed on computer paper, issues of the EMO Zine contain enough Marxist and pro-Palestinian material to keep young hippies entertained for months. While they haven’t published yet, expect more of what we’ve seen in the past: op-eds that are so ridiculous you just have to laugh at them. Israeli soldiers are stomping on the
Binghamton Review, September 2008
heads of Palestinian babies, Wal Mart is responsible for world hunger, Coca-Cola is a bigger problem than Islamic terrorism, Stalin was just misunderstood. You know, the kind of stuff you hear from your sociology professor.
Asian Outlook
And now to an even more useless paper. While it’s no longer the left-wing rag it used to be, Asian Outlook publishes sporadically throughout the year with the mission of fabricating oppression against Asians and publishing Inside BU dumb poems. On occasion they’ll publish an interesting article but The Pravda of Binghamton. it’s not worth bending over eight Inside BU is produced and distrib- times per year to find it. uted by the University administration and should otherwise be called Q-Magazine “Why Binghamton University is the best school ever.” Never will Yes, the “Q” stands for it publish anything negative about queer. In case you were wonderthe university, so it is up to papers ing, this is the publication put out like ours, Binghamton Review, to by the campus sodomites. If you get you the real news and an accu- want to read about how horribly rate picture of our university. oppressed homosexuals in Rwanda are, or how to how to look “totally fabulous” any day of the week, this
is the publication for you. The Element Magazine The Element is one of the better publications on campus. They cover a wide variety of topics such as music reviews, travel, and satire. They have a great layout and amazing graphics but at times some of their articles can be quite liberal, especially when it comes to the environment.
Agree with us? Disagree?
Write us! Email letters to the editor to binghamtonreview@gmail.com Binghamton Review, September 2008
OCCT in the hole 40k, may have to by A shut down S ‘11 dam hamah
OCCT, known to most students as “the blue buses,” has been operating as a tax-exempt non-profit organization since its incorporation in 1984. There’s one problem. In 1984, the paper work was never filed to achieve tax-exempt status. Thus, for the past 24 years, OCCT has been non-IRS compliant. Because of this, SUNY has refused to pay its share of the organization’s budget, and OCCT is $40,000 in the red. The non-compliant status of OCCT was discovered by SUNY three years ago. At the time, a memorandum with SUNY was signed by then Student Association President Michael Schiffman. The memo served as an understanding that SUNY would continue depositing its share of OCCT’s over $500,000 budget. The agreement expired in September 2007, and was never renegotiated by last year’s SA President, David Bass. Official documents were filed with the IRS last week. OCCT Service Manager Elaine Liu says they are waiting for a decision from the IRS and hopes to get the tax-exemption and SUNY funding soon. Alice Liou, the Vice President for Finance of the SA, says she doubts
the situation will be entirely resolved by the end of the month, and that the SA will keep the buses running as long as possible. She added that OCCT might also owe money to the IRS for the 24 years they’ve been operating without IRS compliance. At this point, $15,000 is spent each week to keep OCCT running.
According to SA President Matt Landau, who also serves as president of the OCCT board of directors, the buses can continue running without the university’s funds until September 30th. There is a tentative plan that will allow the univer-
sity to pay up to $30,000 in future maintenance and repair costs, which would keep the buses going for an additional month. Landau also discussed a possible contingency plan in which several bus routes would be suspended. Nothing is final, but all weekend routes would be cut, save the Triple Cities and Westside special routes, both of which run after 2am on Friday and Saturday nights. On weekdays, the Townhall Square Mall, Oakdale Mall, Binghamton, UDC Shuttle, Campus shuttle, and residential shuttle routes would be cut. The routes that would continue operating are: Triple Cities, the Westside Special, JC Westside, and LeRoy Southside. This plan would allow OCCT to keep running until the end of the fall semester. Service Manager Liu also stressed that her drivers have not been given raises this year, an issue she vehemently disagrees with Alice Liou and Matt Landau on. She claims that she has discretion over such matters, but according to OCCT by-laws, the OCCT president and board of directors handle such matters. Binghamton Review will keep our readers updated on this issue. Check www.binghamtonreview. com for any new news.
Binghamton Review, September 2008
News Briefs Landau rejects NYPIRG contract BR applauds Student
Association Matt Landau for refusing to sign off on the proposed contract between the New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) and the SA. As a result, NYPIRG can no longer transfer the money they receive from the SA into their own, off campus account with no oversight. This is the first time an SA president has chosen to do this since NYPIRG began operating on our campus. Now, with their $14,200 budget and their SA bank account, NYPIRG will finally operate as a normal student group. In other words, we win!
GOP ad accuses Obama of being to the right of McCain on immigration
The Republican National Committee is running a radio ad reminding Hispanics that while Barack Obama remained silent, John McCain “stood up” and “spoke out” for them during last year’s immigration debates. All Hispanics, apparently, are illegal immigrants according to the open borders crowd. That’s right, the party that calls itself America’s conservative party has created an ad that accuses Barack Obama of being to the right of John McCain on illegal immigration. Some of us at the Review are going to have a hard enough time pulling the lever for McCain in November, why does the RNC insist on making it even more difficult? Why doesn’t the GOP understand that the public overwhelmingly supports strict enforcement of
sider themselves somewhat liberal, while only 9% call themselves very liberal. Only 2% consider themselves moderate and 3% did not answer. The troubling part is that this is probably the first you’ve heard of this. This is a big story; an overwhelming majority of the American people support one political ideology. Why hasn’t this been all over the news? Oh, that’s right, because the ideology they support isn’t liberalism.
our immigration laws and opposes amnesty? Why do Republican strategists continue to treat Hispanics as if they are a bunch of blind sheep that all hopelessly support open border policy? Don’t they realize that most pro-amnesty zealots are going to vote for Barack Obama anyway and all this strategy does is push conservatives away from John Mc- Gun club and Cain? This country needs a presi- Western culture dent who will support the rule of club to be chartered law and, unfortunately, we won’t Several prominent campus have one no matter who wins this conservatives, including Review November. executive board members Adam Study finds majority Shamah, Robert Menje, Rod Alzof Americans consid- mann, and Mike Lombardi, are in the process of founding two student er themselves conorganizations: (1) Friends of the servative On August 20th, the Battle- Second Amendment, and (2) Bingground Poll, a bipartisan study done hamton Students for the Preservajointly by a Democratic polling or- tion of Western Culture. The first ganization, Lake Research Partners, will focus on educating students on and a Republican polling organiza- gun/2nd amendment issues as well tion, the Terrance Organization, re- as organizing shooting trips for leased its latest results. 21 pages of Binghamton students. The latter polling data on every important po- will seek to promote the survival of litical topic of the day. Included in Western heritage and traditional valthe study was the question, “When ues at Binghamton University and thinking about politics and govern- the surrounding community, and ment, do you consider yourself to hopes to earn a seat on the Intercultural Awareness Committee (ICA). be… Both are expected to be chartered at Very Conservative the end of the month, when Rules Somewhat Conservative Committee meets for the first time Moderate this semester. Somewhat Liberal Very Liberal Landau to run for Unsure/Refused.” mayor of Bingham An overwhelming 60% of ton the American people answered that That’s the rumor. Stay they are conservative, with 20% considering themselves very conser- tuned for updates. vative and 40% calling themselves somewhat conservative. 27% con-
Binghamton Review, September 2008
10
THe Bear’s Awakening
by Rod Alzmann ‘11
A Look into Russia’s Dangerous Return to Soviet-Style Politics
T
he Russian Federation, Russia, the former Soviet Union; all of these are titles of the one country that we as Americans should be most worried about over the next decade. No, I am not an old Cold-War survivor who’s crying wolf. Being born in 1989, the same year the Berlin Wall fell, and two years before the end of Soviet-style communism, I never knew what the “Cold War” was like. But I for one can tell that even amidst “global warming,” certain things are cooling off once again. Many Americans believe that the fossil-fuel-producing capital of the world is the Middle East. Wrong. It is Russia. Russia contains the world’s largest natural gas reserves, second largest coal reserves, and the eighth largest oil reserves. The Bear (the nickname Russia is occasionally referred to as) exports more natural gas than any country in the world, and is second in oil exports. Russia also has the largest amount of timber in the world and massive deposits of iron, nickel, aluminum, copper, silver, and gold. OK, enough of the geography lesson. You may be thinking, “I don’t care about what resources Russia has.” Whether you do or don’t, continue reading; this is where it
becomes relevant. Unlike North Korea, Iran, and other international anti-American states, Russia has worldwide legitimacy, as evidenced by their permanent membership on the United Nations Security Council. Not only that, the Russians currently produce approximately 1/3rd of the world’s firearms, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Russian defense expenditures have quadrupled
over the past six years, while Russia continues to house the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, and the Bear shares a distinction with the Bald Eagle as the only nations in the world with a fleet of modern strategic bombers, the Federation of American Scientists
claims. There’s some of the background needed to understand why Russia’s current foreign policy could be a real threat to America in the very near future. Now, what have the Russians done that’s so bad? Well it all started in 2000, the year Vladimir Putin became President of the Russian Federation. He claims that “no one feels safe … because no one can feel that international law … will protect them” from the United States’ foreign relations aggression. This reason, however, has no bearing on the Russian expedition that planted their national flag on the ocean floor at the North Pole, effectively claiming the Arctic, and its vast quantities of oil it supposedly contains, as their territory. Nor does US action give any validity to Russia’s recent bullying of former Soviet Era satellite states, such as Estonia, Georgia, and the Ukraine. Just last year in Estonia, the Russians waged a so-called “cyber-war,” effectively swamping a majority of Estonia’s online web-
Binghamton Review, September 2008
11 sites, including banks, parliament, and other ministries. The level of complexity of the attack meant that a highly organized militant or governmental organization could only have done it. NATO and the Estonian government were unable to make an official connection with the Kremlin, though it coincidently coincided with a blockade of the Estonian Embassy in Moscow, and
Mr. Putin and the rest of the Russian Old Guard seem to think it’s still the 1970s and 80s, when Russia did control Ukraine, the Baltic states, etc.
regions with active separatist movements: Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In May, after Russian planes shot down Georgian reconnaissance drones, Abkhazia attempted to be placed under Russian military control in an attempt to break away from Georgia. Then on August 8th, after Georgian troops launched an offensive to reclaim these breakaway provinces, Russian troops entered South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia entered Georgian sovereign cities as well and violated a ceasefire agreement signed four days after the initial invasion. The conflict is still very heated and remains unresolved, with the Georgian government asking for Russia to remove its military presence from their country, and the Russians staying put. This entire time, the United States has been issuing angry statements and heated rhetoric decrying the Russian actions. So what? This is just like a flashback to the decade long invasion of Afghanistan by the Russians at the end of the 70s, where the US took no action but to arm the Afghans with American weapons, providing little real aid. Russia is not joking around anymore. Putin and the rest of his old Soviet-era cronies are flexing their military muscle, while America is doing nothing more than shaking a finger at the Bear. Watch Russia closely over the next few years, as its actions will dictate whether we are moving forward in international diplomacy, or returning to a time when we have bomb shelters in our backyard and are waiting for world to end at any minute.
Estonia’s relocation of Soviet-era war memorials. Less subtly, Putin visited the Ukraine twice before their presidential election in 2004, to show his support for the pro-Kremlin candidate, Viktor Yanukovych. He even congratulated Mr. Yanukovych on victory before the official election returns were in. Obviously something is wrong here if the Russian president can make such statements regarding democratic elections in a sovereign state. The problem is, Mr. Putin and the rest of the Russian Old Guard seem to think it’s still the 1970s and 80s, when Russia did control Ukraine, the Baltic states, etc. These men revealed their hand with last month’s invasion of sovereign Georgia. Rod Alzmann is a sopho Georgia, a former Soviet more SOM student. He will likely satellite, which is now an indepen- be poisoned by KGB operatives. dent democratic republic, has two
Love Israel? Join
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Binghamton Review, September 2008
12
The
ABC‘s
of Binghamton
University
by the Editors Freshmen, welcome to Binghamton University. For the next four years, the southern tier of New York will be your new home. Whenever you move to a new place having help from the locals makes things a lot easier. We at Binghamton Review have created this guide to make your transition a little easier.
A is for Assholes. You’ll encoun-
decent cup on this campus
these up (cough, cough Matt Lanis for Dining Halls. Stick to dau). Everything else is important the simple food that is easily iden- too, but BU’s academic programs tifiable, because that “chicken patty are why you didn’t go to Albany. sandwich” probably isn’t chicken. is for Help. You’re going to The service sucks and be prepared to have your wallets (or your par- need it when you wake up at a frat if for Blue Buses. See page 8. ents’ wallets) raped by Sodexho’s house with your pants around your incredibly extortive prices. That’s ankles. Ladies, take note. if for Coffee. You’ll be drinking what you get when you give one is for Inconvenience. See: cama lot of it. Too bad you can’t get a company a monopoly on campus. pus parking situation, Old Union is for EMO/SAC. Hippies. renovation, east campus construcSmelly, smelly hippies. Chances tion, consent laws (just kidding). ter a lot of them during your tenure here. Eg: parking services, university administrators, reslife, Sodexho, sketchy guys at the Rat, Binghamton townies
D
H
B C
I
E
J
are, they’ll be arrested at some is for Judicial Affairs. Where point this semester for attacking you’ll go when you’re caught smokUPD officers. ing pot in your dorm room. Be smart, is for Freedom of Speech. What but if you do get into trouble contact you don’t always have in a college Peter Spaet, the Vice President for classroom. Don’t be afraid to Academic Affairs of the Student Asspeak your mind, but be careful, sociation, and he will help fight on leftist professors aren’t always your behalf.
F
tolerant of dissenting views.
G is for Grades.
K is for Keystone Light. Despite
Don’t screw the urinesque taste, BU students consume more than the lion’s share
Binghamton Review, September 2008
13 of this delightful beverage. It’s good looking and brilliant staff, the Review gross, but it’ll get the job done. has been the only beais for Library fountain. It’s con of truth and reason very nice the two or three days each on campus since 1987. semester when they actually turn it is for on, but the majority of the time it serves at the hippies’ favorite hang- State street. Binghamton’s out and protest spot on campus. downtown— is for Multiculturalism. the place you Prepare to have the long rainbow- go to forget colored dick of multiculturalism about that shoved down your throat for the “F” you next 4 years. You can’t escape it, received but if you need a refuge, come over on your physics to the Binghamton Review office. exam. is for Nazi. What the liberals Have fun, will call you if you join Binghamton but be safe. Don’t go home with any 50-year-old Review. townie men you meet at Dillingers. is for Overpriced textbooks. is for Transvestite bathrooms. Don’t buy them at the campus bookstore. Go online, you’ll find them They’re coming to Binghamton next year, so be prepared. for half the price.
Long Island, Forest Hills, or Flushing.
L
W is for Wikipe-
dia. Your best friend when doing term papers, just don’t cite it in your footnotes.
S
M
N
O
T
P is for PODS. The computers in U is for UPD. They take a lot of the library. You’ll likely spend more crap time looking for an open one than you’ll spend actually using it. And, it will probably be a Mac so you’ll have no idea how to use it anyway.
from students, but
Q
is for Queen Lois. Or so she thinks she is. Lois DeFleur is the president of this university. Don’t expect to see her…ever.
they’re the ones that keep us safe. If you ever need anything, they’re located in the basement of the Couper Administration building is for Review. As in Bingham- and are always very helpful. ton Review, the only publication on is for Variety. What BU’s stucampus worth bending over for once per month. With its ridiculously dent body lacks. Everyone is from
R
V
X
is for X-ray. What you’ll need after you get really drunk and decide that walking down a flight of stairs is not as fun as jumping.
Y is for Yearbook. Even though we share an office with them, don’t come to our office looking for it. Go upstairs to the Union office on the second floor.
Z
is for Zoning laws. The City of Binghamton uses them to keep students out of the west side, one of the few nice parts of the Binghamton area. Last year, two professors snitched on some students that somehow managed to find a house there. So, if you’re planning to move off campus, start looking early because there aren’t many nice houses to go around. We hope this helps you adjust to life at Bing.
Binghamton Review, September 2008
14
Barack Obama and His Terrorist by Robert E. Menje ‘09 Friends B arack Obama frequently criticizes John McCain for his support of a war that is killing the enemies of America overseas. What Barack Obama doesn’t want you to know is that some of his friends are known terrorists. Who are these terrorists you may ask? A man named William Ayers is a close friend of Obama. While he might not be an Islamic terrorist such as Osama Bin Laden, he is a left-wing, homegrown, American terrorist. The kind that promotes global communism. In the late 1960s, he co-founded a radical leftist organization known as Weather Underground. In 1970, Weather Underground issued a “Declaration of a State of War” against the United States government. Three of its members were killed in a Greenwich Village townhouse when a bomb they were making exploded. The intended target of that bomb was an Army NCO club dance. On March 1st, 1971, William Ayers and his Weather Underground bombed the United States Capitol building. They claimed it was “in protest of the US invasion of Laos.” On May 19th, 1972, this same group bombed
the Pentagon “in retaliation for the US bombing raid in Hanoi.” William Ayers and his group would also go on to bomb the Harry S Truman Building, which housed the United States Department of State, and several police stations across the country. William Ayers was quoted in an interview as saying, “I don’t regret
setting bombs,” and “I feel [Weather Underground] didn’t do enough.” The federal government would later go on to file charges against William Ayers, which were later dropped due to botched FBI surveillance. In 2001, Ayers published a book
entitled Fugitive Days: A Memoir. Between the covers, Ayers admits to his crimes, and describes his life on the run as a fugitive. With all this evidence, why would Barack Obama become, or even remain friends with Mr. Ayers? Why would Barack Obama go on to claim that the terrorist William Ayers is “respectable” and “mainstream”? You may be wondering how close of a friendship Obama has with this terrorist. Their relationship is so tight that Obama launched his entire political career from Mr. Ayers’ Chicago home in 1996 when Obama was running for the State Senate of Illinois. Barack Obama also served on a left-wing board in Chicago with Ayers. Besides Obama’s connection to Ayers, he has also has been endorsed by top Hamas adviser Ahmed Yousef. This is not his only connection to Palestinian terrorists. He is a close friend of former Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) member Rashid Khalidi. In 2000, Khalidi hosted a fundraiser for Obama. In 2003, Obama returned the favor by throwing a huge dinner bash in honor of Khalidi. Khalidi also served on the same board that William Ayers sat on with Obama. Obama and Ayers approved over $70,000 for Khalidi’s Arab American Action Network, a Chicago based group which has been tied to
Binghamton Review, September 2008
15 Palestinian terrorism. As you walk into that voting booth on November 4th, you have to ask yourself, “Should I vote for a man who is friends with a terrorist who bombed the US Capitol and Pentagon, and is proud of it, and other individuals who support Middle Eastern terrorism?” Robert Edward Menje is a senior. The picture of him on the back cover IS one of his finer moments here at BU.
LASU: SA Sponsored Terrorism? by Eugenio Campos ‘10
L
ast semester, I published an article in Binghamton Review about our Latin American Student Union (LASU). In it, I discussed LASU’s false portrayal of Latin culture. Since then, my character has been attacked by members of the group as they have tried to discredit my argument. In their responses, LASU members have neglected to mention the fact that for two years I was LASU’s po-
litical correspondent. I’ve personally experienced LASU’s hypocrisy and spectacular ability to chase away Latin exchange students. As an introduction to this journey toward cultural enlightenment, I would like to thank the true Latino community of Binghamton University for their support for my defense of Latin culture against the LASU ghetto-elitists whose sole purpose is to bastardize our proud heritage. LASU seems to be constantly pushing the boundaries of its extreme distaste for democracy and free speech. I was targeted by a LASU e-board member and publicly harassed in a threatening posture for exercising free speech and voicing my opinion on a student group whose only perceivable goal is to promote a sort of reverse-elitism – that is, a doctrine raising the unwed pregnant Latina with greased hair and massive name-bearing gold hoops to a status far above that of the educated well-kept Latina. Apparently these days, broken, unintelligible Spanish is on a higher academic level than its proper form, and LASU is perfectly content to publicly attack those true Spanishspeaking individuals in their own pigeon-gibberish that clearly has no word for “free speech” or “democracy.” It is no wonder why LASU
advertised their workshop following Fidel Castro’s stepping-down as “49 years of glory,” and never misses an opportunity to praise Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela as a socialist utopia. Perhaps LASU takes
The SA is pumping money into an organization run by Sharpie lip-lined chongas who have hidden terrorist messages in their tramp stamps. solace in the fact that Chavez both supports and arms FARC terrorists to kill school children in Colombia. As long as the school children are “right-wingers,” I don’t think that LASU minds. So, LASU, if your first move was to send your henchmen to harass me in public, what comes next? Will I be put into a political concentration camp like so many freedom-loving Cubans? Will you ever cease to be nauseated by the idea of a freethinking individual? The truth is, I don’t expect LASU’s anti-dissent tactics to deescalate, for
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16 that type of politics is such an integral facet of their artificial culture! Painted on the wall of the LASU lounge in the Union is a portrait of Che Guevara, who was an international terrorist responsible for the deaths of thousands. During his campaign to instill communism on Latin America, he trained and worked with Castro’s firing squads and worked closely with Castro during, and after, the revolution. A KGB official once called him “the architect of the Soviet-Cuban relationship.” He went on to assist in the killing of thousands elsewhere in Latin America and the world. Why would LASU celebrate
a man like Che Guevara? Guevara was a communist who stood for everything that America does not. Does their anti-Americanism run so deep that they’re willing to support a terrorist? LASU supported a “freedom march” a couple of years ago. Included in its manifesto was the statement, “We stand in the remembrance of Filiberto Ojeda.” Filiberto Ojeda was a convicted terrorist. Not only was he a terrorist, but he was fighting for Puerto Rican independence, something that is supported by only 2.7% to 4% of the population of Puerto Rico! LASU is also unwilling to accept that the majority of the Puerto Rican population actually opposes working toward independence from the United States. In the last status election, 50% of the population chose to keep the status quo and 46% chose to become the 51st state of the USA, while only 4% chose independence. In actual legislative elections the pro-independence party only received 2.7% of the vote. What does LASU have to gain from lying to Binghamton University about how real Puerto Ricans feel about their relationship with the United States? Clearly the members of LASU’s e-board must be shaking in their boots knowing that most Puerto Ricans don’t hate the USA. So now it’s time for the SA to take a step back A member of LASU in front of the Che Guevara mural in the LASU lounge. Photo and look closely at exactly what it is that they’re credit: Jason Liebman
funding. The SA is pumping money into an organization run by Sharpie lip-lined chongas who have hidden terrorist messages in their tramp stamps. This is a student group that blatantly promotes terrorists as heroes and is perfectly willing to harass individuals that question their antidemocratic viewpoints. If Latin culture was as poverty-stricken and degraded as LASU claims, one would think that they’d be more accepting of other groups, because they are so oppressed by the white Latin elitists with their jobs and their cell phones. But if you’re white or mestizo (basically, part of the majority of Latin America), Jewish, or gay, stay clear of LASU and its Stalinist e-board. Maybe if more authentic Latin people start voicing their opinions and make a name for themselves, Binghamton University’s Latin American Student Union will have to begin to portray an image of decent, culturally proud students, and not one of knife-toting “papis” and their diminutive “wifeys” who have no concept of true Latin culture. Once again I ask the Binghamton University community why Afro-Latin is one of the biggest events of LASU while other ethnicities in Latin America are not even mentioned. Where is the diversity LASU claims to promote? Better yet, why do our activity fee tuitions go to an organization that flagrantly supports well known historical terrorists and modern terrorists such as Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Daniel Ortega? Eugenio Campos is a junior Political Science major. This article will probably get him shanked.
Binghamton Review, September 2008
17
FREE THE ARCTIC SEVEN! You’ve heard of the “Jena Six” and the “Saint Patrick Four.” Hell, there’s even a “Binghamton Nine.” But there is a group that has so far been overlooked by the left’s criminal support network. The Arctic Seven are a band of brave freedom fighters who are being persecuted by fascist pigs in Alaska for “anti-American activity” and exercising civil disobedience. Do your part to defend these innocent bears. Send all donation checks for their defense fund to: Binghamton Review PO Box 6000 Binghamton, NY 13902 For more information, visit their website at: www.arcticliberation.com Disclaimer: This is a joke. Do not send money or it will be used by the BR staff to buy booze. Binghamton Review, September 2008
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Fair and Balanced? I
n the world of journalism, tabloids occupy the ninth circle of hell. They are most well known for breaking embarrassing stories on celebrities; people such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan are frequent fixtures. For this reason, I was greatly per-
plexed to hear a story a few months ago regarding John Edwards in my mother’s favorite tabloid: the National Enquirer. Intrigued, I found the magazine on my kitchen table and opened it. After reading the article, which describes Edwards’ sordid affair that resulted in a child, I did not know what to believe. In the wake of political scandals, involving politicians such as Eliot Spitzer and James McGreevey, anything is possible, but the National Enquirer? This is a tabloid that commands only slightly more respect than the now defunct Weekly World News, whose claim to fame includes putting pictures of Bigfoot and space aliens on its covers. Fast forward a few months to this past August, and there is Edwards on television, admitting to and telling the nation how sorry he is for having this affair. To this day he continues denying the baby his
mistress birthed belonged to him. The woman whom Edwards said he had the affair was the same whose pictures had appeared in the Enquirer, Miss Rielle Hunter. Upon hearing this I did a double-take—a publication regarded as trash by “true journalists” had broken a huge story months before any other paper. The mainstream media’s excuse was they did not have enough evidence to link Edwards to Hunter. However, the article in the Enquirer had plenty of evidence, including photographs and plenty of testimony from sources regarding the two. They were even able to go into intricate detail of how Edwards was able to hide his mistress and probable child from the world. The Enquirer managed to be spot on. How exactly was it possible that a tabloid was able to break a political scandal of this magnitude that the New York Times would not touch? My answer is a simple one: an overwhelming liberal bias still exists in the mainstream media. Last year, when Republican Senator Larry Craig may or may not have tried to solicit sex in an airport bathroom, every news outlet in the country jumped on it. The story also remained in the press for weeks and Craig’s career was irreparably damaged. What Craig did was in fact no worse than Jim McGreevey, who admitted to picking up men in highway rest stops while he was the sitting governor of New Jersey. Unlike Craig, McGreevey actually managed to garner at least some sym-
by Michael Lombardi ‘11 pathy from the press in the wake of his resignation. It also must be remembered at that time McGreevey was also in the midst of a sexual harassment lawsuit. Craig never faced anything like this and it will never be known what actually took place in that Minnesota bathroom. I am not saying soliciting of sex in a public bathroom is correct regardless of whether it was homosexual or heterosexual, but it appears Larry Craig took much more of a beating with far less evidence of any wrongdoing. The actions of either of these men pale in comparison to what Ed-
Upon hearing this I did a double-take— a publication regarded as trash by “true journalists” had broken a huge story months before any other paper. wards was able to carry out. This is the same man who was a senator, a vice presidential candidate in 2004, and a presidential candidate as recently as the beginning of this year. This is also the same man who has two young children and a courageous wife battling terminal breast cancer. What Edwards did reduces
Binghamton Review, September 2008
19 him to the lowest possible level of scum that could be imagined. The only person who can even come close to depravity of this scale is Eliot Spitzer. As we all know Mr. Spitzer’s black socks-equipped an-
The press seemed unwilling to touch the story even though so much evidence had been uncovered. tics became front page news. However, the Spitzer story had to be broken due to the fact that it was discovered by the FBI instead of some “courageous” muckraking journalist. The papers also trashed Spitzer
brutally due to the fact he had worn out his welcome in the liberal community. Nobody on either side of the political fence rushed to defend a man as patronizing and polarizing as Eliot Spitzer. With John Edwards, a different situation materialized. The press seemed unwilling to touch the story even though so much evidence had been uncovered. Edwards, unlike Spitzer, was still a golden boy in the eyes of American liberalism. When the story finally did break, Edwards didn’t face anywhere near the public scrutiny of Craig and Spitzer. To this day, the press has barely even mentioned the other investigation Edwards is currently embroiled in. He has been accused of giving his failed campaign’s funding away in assorted payouts to the people he had covering up his affair, including the mistress herself. If John Edwards contains anything that re-
sembles a soul he should take a paternity test and when it comes back positive, as I expect it to, own up to his sordid life. As for the National Enquirer, it seems they hit this story spot on. My own personal definition of journalistic excellence is the ability to report accurate news with as little personal bias as possible. With that definition in mind, in this case, it seems the Enquirer is the better media outlet. Their obsession with bizarre celebrity antics aside, they actually were able to break a political bombshell no other “respectable” newspaper would touch. Hell, if it were up to me, I would hand them a Pulitzer. Michael Lombardi is a sophomore majoring in Finance. He is John Edward’s bastard child.
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Last year, you looked at this ad and laughed, but then it turned out to be true. What’s NYPIRG doing with their $100,000 budget? Oh wait, their budget was slashed. And how come there aren’t any Pepsi machines anywhere? That’s right, Coke is still on campus. And if we recall correctly, UPD still has TASERs. In your faces, hippies. Binghamton Review, September 2008
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Binghamton Review, September 2008
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OBAMANOMICS T F E P D he
lawed conomic olicies of emocratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama
by Randal Meyer ‘11
L
ast year I was an Obama supporter. As a libertarian, I agreed with his social policies; however, my support was abruptly withdrawn when his economic platform was released. Advertised under his “Plan to Strengthen the Economy,” is this quote, “I believe that America’s free market has been the engine of America’s great progress. It’s created a prosperity that is the envy of the world. It’s led to a standard of living unmatched in history. And it has provided great rewards to the innovators and risk-takers…” This statement initially elevated my expectations of what was to come under his plan; I thought this was the kind of change I could believe in. Instead, I was severely disappointed. Labor disputes have always been a dichotomy between “evil” corporations and the American worker. Obama wants to rely on unions to make things fairer. Unions have failed miserably to keep labor in America, and they will continue to fail if nothing changes. So, what change does Obama offer? Obama “will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers, so workers can stand up for themselves without worrying about losing their livelihoods.” Think about it before applauding this “change.” It’s not collective bargaining if firms don’t
have any chips on their side of the table; it’s extortion. Firms have the right to fire workers if their demands exceed what the firm can afford, i.e. wages exceed level of productivity, and unions can stop work until a firm pays what it can afford (strike), thus there is a fair division of profits and power. Obama wants to abridge the right of a firm owner to fire union strikers whose demands exceed what a firm can reasonably offer as wages. The union would no longer have to be reasonable, it would be able to demand whatever it wants. Obama is against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and wants to change the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to make it “fair” for American workers. Free trade with no barriers to entry is good. Anyone who has taken a 100-level Macroeconomics course knows Ricardo’s Laws of Comparative Advantages. Free trade gets more products into a country cheaper, allows for specialization, and frees up capital for investment in future returns and new technologies, which, in turn, makes our economy grow. This increases employment and allows the American consumer to purchase a DVD player for twenty dollars. Here are some numbers pointing to the positive effects NAFTA has had. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative claims
that since 1993, U.S. corn exports to Mexico have increased eighteenfold, U.S. beef and veal exports have increased five-fold, soybean exports have increased two-fold, and U.S. pork exporters have had a 130% market share increase. In Canada, agricultural exports have increased five-fold, beef and veal exports have increased 26%, soybean exports have increased 15%, and corn exports have increased 125%. NAFTA has obviously produced good results for exporters
Think about it before applauding this “change.” It’s not collective bargaining if firms don’t have any chips on their side of the table; it’s extortion. and consumers. The technology and manufacturing markets bear similar numbers. Thanks to NAFTA, Canada is the United States’ #1 trading partner. This was the main assertion in the book “The World is Flat.” For some odd reason Obama thinks
Binghamton Review, September 2008
22 this is bad, and hasn’t learned from the economic history of the United States. Protectionist policies have always been bad for us, and were, in fact, a major cause of the Great Depression. Obama wants to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2012 according to a July Wall Street Journal article and, according to his website, peg it to inflation (CPI). Minimum wage hikes always sound good, but here’s the truth: minimum wage hikes between 1959 and 1965 increased unemployment among black males from 11.3% to 22.7%; more than doubling it (courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics), and a similar decrease among white males. Deere et al. in 1991 found that 27% increases in minimum wage in 1990-91 increased unemployment among black teenage males by 10%. Burkhauser et al. found that minimum wage increases of 10% in 1996-97 caused a 2-6% decrease
in employment across all groups. The Small Business Administration
ing laid an increase mum wage among firms of sizes.
states that the probability of a low wage worker beoff after in minidoubles a l l
In sum, increases in minimum wage crowd out employment and harm small businesses that are already struggling. Obama’s suggested minimum wage hikes, if consistent with every historical economic trend, will increase unemployment across all racial groups, especially among black teenage males. Obama really needs to reexamine his labor, wage, and foreign trade policies, because they will drastically harm the U.S. economy. This is part one of a three-part installment on Obamanomics. Next month, Randal will focus on Obama’s tax and oil policies. Randal Meyer is sophomore Philosophy, Politics, and Law major. Randal wants Alice Liou to “holla atcha boi.”
Courtesy of John Cox of coxandforkum.com
Words of Wisdom:
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” -Thomas Paine Binghamton Review, September 2008
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As students at Binghamton University, we should all be aware that, although we have growing Division-I athletics programs, the bookies in Las Vegas refuse to produce betting odds for our spectator sports. We at Binghamton Review, being the good bloodhounds that we are, got to the bottom of this situation and found that, low and behold, Las Vegas does, in fact, place odds on Binghamton... just, not those kinds of odds. It turns out that there have been betting sheets, office pools, and OTB stubs invoking our campus for the past few years, completely unbeknownst to all of us. We could not believe it either...
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Odds: Binghamton Review is preferred over Scott Tissue in the bathroom of the Sociology department..... 1:1 Pipe Dream’s “Pipe Bomb” edition, 2009, will not be funny..... 2:1 Maryam Belly, your VPMA, comes down on Binghamton Review for letter “M” on page 13..... 10:1 Lois DeFleur supports bringing back the campus pub, but only if she gets the first funnel..... 1000:1 All fraternities at Binghamton test 50% clean for steroid use..... 2500:1 BU dining halls rated “best in the nation” for service and quality of food..... 5000:1 Binghamton University ceases to suck..... 10000:1
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Binghamton Review, September 2008
How to read Binghamton Review on the toilet
Menje shows how it’s done.
How not to read Binghamton Review on the toilet An illiterate hippie’s response to our ideas. Yes, this is exactly what it looks like. We found it in the Union bathroom after last year’s May issue was released.
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