Vol. I, Issue I
MAY MMXV
WILL TEAR US APART!
EF ATURE
: RACE n o s u g r After Fe ITY in L A U Q E N and I sh Cohen o J y b a c Ameri
SPECIAL ISSUE! STUDENT GOVERNMENT GONE WILD! Inside the ASUC
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
MAY MMXV
EDITOR’S NOTE You hold in your pretty little hands the voluptuous product of a unique and Promethean cadre of students. A happy band of writers, editors, humorists, photographers, scholars and honey-penned libertines, the newly redesigned California Patriot Magazine strives to provide the discerning Berkeleyite with that much-needed tonic to the humdrum monotony of sober academia: novelty. Part Harper’s circa 1890, part Punch magazine, our newest and most delectable issue serves a decadent platefull of political satire, reasoned opinion, art, culture and lifestyle tips in one singular package that any true college fellow would loathe be without. Of particular note, this issue, are two pieces concerning the recent student senate elections and all the absurdist drama that it yearly brings to campus. Sproul Plaza flooded with eager faces of campaign volunteers and candidates, all wearing that same caffeinated, electric grin. A carnival-like atmosphere dominated traditionally by two major parties, the field has been recently invaded by a third rising power. The once-satirical now almost entirely sad & serious Squelch party, having lately tasted the maddening nectars of victory in recent years, today entertains ever-greater ambitions. Luckily, they’ve learned from their 2013 presidential disaster — a foray that effectively split the “reasonable and sane student” vote allowing the comparably hyper-progressive CalServe party a near sweep of the executive offices. But so much for student “sandbox” politics. Also, be on the lookout this issue for our feature piece on Ferguson and race relations in America — that oh so treacherous and delicate subject today — written by a most welcome guest writer to the publication, Josh Cohen. So, sing O goddess, of the wrath of sanctimonious college students, and enjoy, dear reader, the printed fruits of our California loom! Most Sincerely,
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Brendan M. Pinder Editor-in-Chief
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Brendan Pinder Managing Editor Lauren DiMarti Assisstant Editor Joseph Benapfl Online Editor Jacob F. Grant Staff Writers Nihal Singh Connor Witt Josh Cohen Kerida Moates Christopher Shoup Alexander Salazar Layout & Design Brendan Pinder
MAY MMXV
table
of
CONTENTS HOW TO WIN FRIENDS & INFLUENCE PEOPLE (ON THE WAY TO CLASS) by Jacob F. Grant 6 FEATURE: RACE & INEQUALITY by Josh Cohen 10 PHILOSOPHISTRY: MUSINGS ON PHILOSOPHY, MAN & SOCIETY by Nihal Singh 14 LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES: ARE MILLENNIALS DIGITAL NATIVES OR DIGITAL REGRESSIVES? by Alexander Salazar 17 FROM THE FIELD: WHEN THE BUSINESSMAN COMES TO BERKELEY by Nihal Singh 20 LETTERS: PROGRESSIVE INTOLERANCE by Kerida Moates 21 COMMUNITY: HOUSING IN BERKELEY: RENTERS’ PROP 13 by James Chang 22 TWO MINUTE NOTE: AN ILL-INFORMED DEMONSTRATOR IS A BLUNTED SWORD by Christopher Shoup 26 ODES TO THE CAMPANILE: A CENTENNIEL by Staff 29 LETTERS: A TENUOUS CONNECTION: UNITED AUTO WORKERS & THE STATE OF ISRAEL by Connor Witt 30 DIVERSIONS ................................................. 8 LIFESTYLE .................................................... 13 CULTURE ..................................................... 19 LESSONS in VERSE .................................... 24 CHEERS & JEERS ...................................... 28 California Patriot CaliforniaPatriotMagazine@gmail.com www.CaliforniaPatriot.org The California Patriot is a non profit publication produced by the students of Cal. The opinions expressed in articles, features, photos, cartoons, ads, or editorials are solely those of the individual author(s) or sponsor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or the Staff. Cal is not responsible for the content of the California Patriot, nor is the California Patriot responsible for the content of Cal.
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CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
MAY MMXV
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
Nihal Singh
N
ihal Singh is a junior studying Political Philosophy and minoring in History. He left the Chesapeake Bay for Berkeley to better understand the arguments and interests that animate the California Left. He is a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Executive Council at Berkeley. In the summer of 2014, he founded the ISI Burke Society, a literary and debate society for the study and propagation of the principles and virtues that make America free, prosperous, and secure. A student of percussion, string, and vocal music of the Sikh and North Indian classical tradition, he has performed across the world for the past fifteen years.
Kerida Moates
K
erida Moates is a sophomore studying History with a focus on Russia. While originally from rural northern California, she has grown to love the urban Bay Area. Kerida considers herself to be a moderate Republican, but prides herself on her ability to form opinions without always following the party line. In her free time, Kerida enjoys rollerskating and jogging.
J
Josh Cohen
osh Cohen is a graduating senior, double majoring in Political Science and Media Studies. He is originally from the South Bay. Politically, he identifies as a liberal communitarian, but can always be counted on to make a good argument on either side of an issue and often enjoys playing devils’ advocate.
Additional Contributors 4
Alexander Salazar • Jacob F. Grant • James Chang Christopher Shoup • Lauren DeMarti • Joseph Benapfl Connor Witt
DING! “INCREASEERSPREN EVENUE!” LOW
S R O N O D D E V O L E B R U O FOUNDER’S CLUB
Mr. Preston B. Hotchkis, Mr. Kenneth E. Jones, Mr. Reed Robbins, Mr. and Mrs. Kenny Jelacich
REAGAN CIRCLE
Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Gallo, Micah, Tiffanie, Peter and Marco Gallo, Mr. Robert Garthwait, Mr. Daniel M. Guggenheim, Mr. Michael Magnani, Mr. Michael Novogradac, Mr. Joe Paris
LINCOLN CIRCLE
Mr. Robert Calcagno, Ms. Joan Clendenin, Mr. Michael Posehn, Ms. Christina Willerup 5
perform a yearly twoStudent campaigners isting larger-than-life ho of al tu ri ng lo kee w rial patrons... effigies of their senato
CE N E U L F N I D N A S D N E I R F N I W O T W O H ) S S A L C O T Y A W E by Jacob F. Grant PEOPLE (ON TH
I
f you are a social media user (fittingly, there is only one other industry that refers to its customers as “users”), you have no doubt witnessed a slew of overly-saccharine posts and photos, the byproduct of the upcoming student body elections. As students announce their candidacy for ASUC (pronounced “A-suck”) elections, your Facebook friends change their profile pics to images of people you have never heard of before and extoll the virtues of young, brighteyed, idealists who want to change the world and who still think politics is the way to do it. But like an overused meme of Sean Bean and a big-ass sword, this social media onslaught only portends the worse that is yet to come.
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If this is your first ASUC election season, brace yourself. The elections are the second greatest exercise in petty, inane, pointless bullshit at this school, made in an attempt to win a spot at the first greatest exercise in petty, inane, pointless bullshit at this school.
honing all year to the test: the fervor of the ASUC flyering outdoes even the craziest CalPIRG advocates, and every candidate wants to be your friend— at least long enough to walk you to your class. The ferocity with which candidates and their supporters pursue
“Work there long enough, be pretty enough, be committed to The Cause… and you might even be a candidate yourself one day. It’s like the
CIRCLE OF LIFE, BUT FOR PARASITES.” As election week draws near, the social media barrage will be compounded by on-campus campaigning. It’s time to put the bitch face and anti-flyering ninja skills you’ve been
potential voters is matched only by that with which they savage one another. The length and pettiness of the list of grievances filed by the candidates and parties against one
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE another make Obama and the GOP seem like a couple of swell pals. Let us all take a moment to say a prayer of support and gratitude for this year’s non-partisan Elections Prosecutor (a major improvement over last year’s ultra-partisan Elections Prosecutor). Having to explain why silently viewing a photo on a laptop doesn’t constitute “active campaigning” would surely test the patience of even the most long-suffering saint. But despite all the stupidity, there are still ways to make the best of a bad situation, and one can definitely find a few silver linings in ASUC elections. For starters, whether this is your first or final year at UC Berkeley, this is a great way to make new friends. Once a candidate has asked if they can walk with you to class, blow off your lecture and just keep wandering the campus with them at your side. Depending
on how desperate they are for votes and how much of a long shot their candidacy is, as long as you feign interest in their “platforms” (and pretend that they matter), they will never leave until you either go to class or confirm you will vote for them. Trust me, I’ve tried to get rid of them, but it’s impossible: I once had a Senate candidate follow me to dinner at Cafe Durant (and yes, we had a lovely meal, during which we discussed the problems with the room reservation system). You might also use this election season to get your foot in the door (and your nose up the ass) of campus politics. A few weeks of wearing a t-shirt with someone’s face on it and you might be invited to work in the office of your candidate—assuming you picked a winner. A few years of that and you’ll either be a regular politico or a total
FEEDING TIME at the ZOO
MAY MMXV libertarian. If a few years in ASUC doesn’t instill a healthy cynicism of government, nothing else will. Work there long enough, be pretty enough, be committed to The Cause, and come up with your own pointless platforms and you might even be a candidate yourself one day. It’s like the Circle of Life, but for parasites. Whether you’re a naïve, doe-eyed freshman or a cynical, coffee-fueled, what-the-hell-am-Igoing-to-do-after-graduation senior, my sympathies go out to you this ASUC elections season. And if for some reason, you, like the poor ASUC Elections Prosecutor, absolutely must deal with this rubbish, I recommend drinking heavily and kissing ass. After all, whether it’s Anna Head or the Rayburn building, there’s nothing pretty about politics.■
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CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
MAY MMXV
BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES AND NOW, A POEM
FOr Home-Made Absinthe
O Masters!
1 terrifying bottle of 190 proof Everclear 1.5 oz Wormwood (artemisia absinthium) 1 tsp Coriander seed 1/8 oz Fennel seed 30 g Anise seed 1 tsp Mint 1tsp Cloves 1/4 oz Hyssop Thyme Cardamom Angelica
O Masters of the bit and byte! Lay down thy law, divulge the Light! Now cast we down the dusty arts, Which once we wrongly held as right! Our brave new world to us imparts The worthlessness of souls and hearts. Rejecting the unquantified; Behold! Another start-up starts! Well-warranted in all thy pride, You wizards of the math applied; Your young recruits filled ev’ry place, And in they image, multiplied! O welcome conquerors, erase The inexact, the things of grace! Remake the world, so imprecise, Into a perfect interface! O, Man, now purged of cultured vice, Bussed home from work, craft beer on ice! Drink up in bland contentment in Your algorithmic paradise!
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Proceed to chop and grind the herbs above and evenly distribute them into sealable glass jars. Fill each jar with the terrifying Everclear and store in a warm, dark room for up to 2 months. Using a cheesecloth or filter, drain the contents and dispose of the herbs. Boil the liquid to achieve a “distilled” clear absinthe blacnhe. Bottle again with only wormwood until a lovely green tint becomes apparent. Serve and enjoy (or not).
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
MAY MMXV
FOR IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION BY THE ASUC SENATE!
A Resolution : Condemning the Annual and Systemic Appropriation of Irish Culture, and the Marginalization of Irish-Americans and Ireland-folk WHEREAS the annual antiquated celebration of St. Patrick’s Day each 17th of March has its origins in the subjugation and devaluation of the traditions and hxstory of Irish people, hereafter referred to as “Irish-folk” or “Irishmxn;” WHEREAS the modern American capitalist culture of conspicuous consumption has marketed products that are blatantly offensive and hurtful to said people including the sale of green garments, shamrocks, images of leprechauns (hereafter referred to as “Celtic Elf-Shamans”); AND WHEREAS modern observance of St. Patrick’s Day evokes triggering emotions for people of all faiths— rooted as it is in the oppressive Catholic-reactionary regime— and celebrating the life of known bigot and anti-Semite St. Patrick; WHEREAS the branding of this day as a celebration of the aforesaid St. Patrick glorifies a figure tied to the decimation of the natural ecosystem and environment of Ireland by forcibly exterminating countless species of invasive snakes; WHEREAS the capitalist exploitation and degradation of the leprechaun as a gold-greedy imp misappropriates the Celtic Elf-Shaman as a free market, capitalist crony; WHEREAS mocking stereotypes of Irish identity creates a culture of toxicity and internalized oppression in which academic, personal, spiritual, social, and professional success becomes nearly impossible for those so affected as well as for Irshmxn allies; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the ASUC president write a strongly-worded letter to the UC Office of the President that all midterms between the 17th and 25th of March be hereby postponed until our community's most rancorous grievances be assuaged; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that until such demands are met, all academic activity (i.e. midterms, papers, projects, problem sets, and the like) be immediately proscribed; BE IT FURTHER, FURTHER RESOLVED that the ASUC Student Store, the Golden Bear Café and all ASUC-owned commercial affiliates place an indefinite moratorium on all sale of green products or those deemed sufficiently triggering by the ASUC Student Union; BE IT PENULTIMATELY FINALLY RESOLVED that all fraternities, sororities, co-cops, or private functions that so appropriate Irish-folk culture be most soundly censured; BE IT ACTUALLY 4-REALZIES RESOLVED that the ASUC President additionally pen another strongly-worded letter to the UC Students Association urging all UC and CSU campuses to adopt similar legislation in the statewide fight for Irishmxn justice.
#stpatrifada 9
INEQUALITY
RACE &
much s a s n i a m e y still r t i l a u er, is q v e e n w i l o a h i , c n a Act, r solutio s t e h h g i T . R l m i e v l the Ci g prob r n i e t u f n a i t s r n a o e c 50 y it is a s a e u eted. s c s a i f i n t l o t u t m u a hot b hen by Josh Co
T
he 2014-15 school year coincides with the anniversary of some of the most cons e qu e nt i a l events in American history. In 1964 and 1965, the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Acts were passed in order to promote racial equality. Yet during the past year, we have seen many demonstrations which emphasize that Black equality has not yet been achieved, including in our own city of Berkeley. Given that a half-century has passed since 1965, a fresh look at the state of our nation’s struggle against economic and social inequality seems prudent.
robust public transit infrastructure, and stronger health care coverage are all common policy areas of focus, and all should help. However, Black Americans are often hamstrung by where they live. A bare majority live in the South, the region most opposed to government spending, which limits Black economic mobility. More can be done in all three of these areas, but the path since 1965 has been one of progress.
but it is not the whole story. Simply put, Black women are more likely to choose to have children while unmarried. This is a cultural challenge which must be addressed within the Black community. It cannot be fixed by elected officials or policy change, although President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative was a noble, if ultimately minor, attempt. True cultural change is essential for reducing racial disparities.
Family Values second and equally important obstacle to economic mobility exists within the family. In the 1960s, future senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan published a much-derided report declaring the Black family as a major obstacle to economic suc-
A Matter of Geography ocial equality, of course, was the main focus of the Civil Rights Movement. Thankfully our days of mandated segregation are over, but de facto segregation exists in many metropolitan areas. In major cities both Northern and Southern, ra-
A
S
A BARE MAJORITY live in the South,
the region most opposed to government spending, which limits Black economic mobility. High poverty rates have been a feature of Black life as long as America has existed. Presently, the Black poverty rate is 2.2 times higher than it is for Whites. This is a welcome change from the 1960s, (when it was 3.7 times higher), but it is far from equal. Policymakers for the most part are working on these issues. Access to higher education, more
cess. Attacked as racist at the time, today it appears prescient. A whopping 67% of Black children lack a two-parent household; among Caucasians that rate is 25%. Yet researchers have consistently found that two-parent households produce better outcomes for children. Some blame can be assigned to America’s incredibly high incarceration rates, which often break up Black families,
cial groups live clustered together. This is not inherently bad. However, as the sociologist William Julius Wilson has observed, Whites who become middle class are far more likely to leave their poor neighborhoods than Blacks who reach the same income level. This means that children of the Black middle class are often educated in worse schools, live in higher-crime neighbor-
hoods, and have less cultural capital and networking opportunities than White middle-class children. The legacy of discrimination in many White neighborhoods deserves some blame for this, but plenty of Black families choose to remain in the inner city when they could leave it even today. Perhaps the most significant challenge in creating racial equality
tend college. The simplest solution is for colleges to simply look at family income while ignoring race. The ideal answer requires just a minor tweak. Looking at wealth instead of income more accurately allows a college to see which applicants grew up with the means to succeed and which ones made it on their own. This is also a fairer way to help Black applicants. Black families, even
Instinctively coming to the defense of criminals like
MICHAEL BROWN without even learning the facts only serves to discredit the movement for reform.
is access to education and employment. Many have tried to improve college admissions through racebased affirmative action, which puts a band-aid over the wound without truly fixing it. The current system of affirmative action among many schools, public and private, allows colleges to accept middle-class students from underrepresented minority groups and act as if they are fixing the problem. The child of a Black lawyer in Piedmont is accepted to Harvard while the teenager who managed a 3.7 while his brother encouraged him to join a gang is denied. Poorer students no matter their race lose out under this system, while colleges win, as they can trumpet their racial diversity without actually doing the hard work of recruiting deserving students who are the first in their families to at-
those with higher incomes, often have little wealth because they have not had generations to accumulate it. Employment is the trickiest area of all. As psychologists have documented, every individual is subconsciously biased in certain ways. But racial quotas or affirmative action are not effective or fair ways to fix biased hiring practices. Realistic remedies require acknowledgment of our biases. Employers should analyze nameless resumes (so racial stereotypes don’t come into play) and then make sure that Black applicants who are interviewed don’t get hired at lower rates than White applicants who make it to that same stage.
S
Policing Tactics ocial equality also relates most closely to the protests last fall
over policing tactics. Like the rest of us, police officers are biased and should be aware of it. Better training, body cameras, and a more anti-racist culture within police forces like Ferguson’s can only help, but recognizing the sacrifices many police officers make every week should go hand-in-hand with criticism. Instinctively coming to the defense of criminals like Michael Brown without even learning the facts only serves to discredit the movement for reform. When a man like Eric Garner who was killed in an illegal chokehold while being arrested for a minor crime is compared to a teenager who legitimately made a police officer fear for his life on the same day he robbed a store, all but the most extremely anti-police students and Berkeley residents are alienated from a movement they may have supported or even become involved in. Any conversation about race is controversial and fraught with peril right from the start. Many on the right want to ignore race altogether, while many on the left argue that any criticism of their remedies or of Black culture is racist. Even at Berkeley’s supposedly open campus, these conversations are lacking. We can all learn from one another. It has been fifty years since the Civil Rights Movement. It’s time for Berkeley students and policymakers alike to talk. And not by writing “Race Together” on a coffee cup. ■
Lifestyle TAKE UP
NAUTICAL PRINTS.
tennis lessons, but defer always to badminton at a garden party.
Always more nautical prints.
If in a pinch — finan-
the
Fraternity Man’s
GUIDE
to being even more of a waspy snob than usual
cial or otherwise — and you find yourself with only boxed wine for guests, try using it to refill old, empty bottles that once held pricier stock. Your jolly crew won’t likely know the difference. And if someone does, you can always pretend it was a test of their refinement!
LEARN
— actually, learn — how to tie a Half Windsor knot.
THOUGH POSHLY WORN
IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS! Buy
a membership at the Cal Sailing Club and learn something truly useful. (And with a 3-month membership fee of just $99, the cost is practically plebian!
in days gone by / The hat — both cap and formal / On modern heads, to modern eye / Appears a tad abnormal. / The vast amount of all who try / To out-fedora Clark Gable / Will not be praised as homme urbane / But earn a... different label.
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Philo-sophistry
Musings
A
Of Philosophizing from the Void s a matter of historical reckoning, it strikes me as singular how great a proportion of moral philosophy’s most refulgent lights—each espousing an understanding of what it is to lead the good life—were ignited from the most quotidian of kindling. Far from suggesting that the religious, political, social, and economic tensions that the likes of Socrates and Sophocles grappled with were paltry problems, I contend only that such conflicts arise wherever men consti-
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on Philosophy, Man and Society by Nihal Singh
tute themselves into a body politic, and that certain offerings in the face of the contentious constants of human events remain ever lucent. After all, strife, half-baked beliefs, and pompous men are the
stuff of human affairs; true philosophical insights that transcend historical happenstance and partisan identities are few and far between. In arguing thus, I do not mean to slight the contributions of ideal theory, but only to draw attention to the transcendent wisdom of the just, the beautiful, and the good that came from such honest efforts at engaging real moral and political problems. It is telling that Plato himself favored the rich human drama of the dialogue for his philosophy. By this device, he demonstrated how even an interlocutor’s vainglory
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE could provide traction for a limited being’s ability to interface with the ideal. This is all by way of saying that positively painting one’s philosophical creed is a daunting task, especially before a looming easel. With the clash of swords clanging in the ears, the politic tongue is loosened. It nimbly parries, adroitly thrusting at an opportune moment. The haughty canvas confounds the tongue, twisting it in knots. Its expansive facade threatens to swallow the fire and conviction of battlecries, rendering them trite velleities. Perhaps such misgivings are for the best, for it is surely the height of hubris to look upon the void and thunder, “fiat lux!” On the Shoulders of his Forefathers
W
ere man to stand upon a void and thunder “fiat lux,” at best, the universe would roar with laughter. At worst, it would instantly strike him down with a thunderbolt of swift theodicy. Fortunately for man, he need not necessarily stand upon a void, but may choose to stand on the shoulders of his forefathers. The newborn child does not spurn the clothing, shelter, and medical attention of his father’s civilization. He takes in the bodily nourishment that is placed before him, and soon learns to avail himself of the sounds and signs whereby he may communicate his needs to those around him. As his cognition develops, he comes to form beliefs
about his relationship to the other members of society and the nature of man. Acting upon these beliefs, he refines them on the basis of how they comport with reality, on the basis of how efficacious they are in advancing his ends in a manner consistent with his conception of the good, or at any rate, the desirable. There are none so ungrateful as to deny that humankind is collectively heir to a rich material patrimony. As fire, iron, and electricity were harnessed to do man’s bidding,
MAY MMXV ments to sing—require something more. For such endowments to endure, they must be relearned and relived by each subsequent generation. These gifts have not weathered the vicissitudes of time by mere chance, but because each generation produced a few individuals who were attuned to the value and fragility of this patrimony, and hence assumed the responsibility of undergoing its rigorous pedagogical process, whereby brutes are made
“With the clash of swords clanging in the ears, the politic tongue is loosened. It nimbly parries, adroitly thrusting at an opportune moment.”
each generation took up these tools and turned them to their own ends. Would that all men avail themselves equally of the non-material boons of their forefathers! Man’s Intangible Inheritance s the wisest man I know is wont to remark and I am wont to quote, civilization lives in the memory of her people and so ceases to be when her songs are forgotten. While those components of heritage that are tangible—forts, manuscripts, musical instruments—may be preserved by careful maintenance and documentation, those assets which are intangible—the knowledge of how to build forts, of how to interpret texts, of how to allow instru-
A
men. and the best men are tooled to become demigods. To imbibe tradition thus is not to follow servilely in the footsteps of the dead; rather it is to give due deference to the rights of the living and of the unborn. [Please modify the featured text accordingly.] What is preserved at the core of a culture’s canon—in the loftiest of its aesthetic and ethical precepts— is a highly practical methodology whereby one may identify, reproduce, and advance what is valuable. The prudent musician hones his craft by carefully studying the repertoire of the masters. He learns the music, sees it for what it is, and finally revels in blissful union with it. Having assimilated its syntax,
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CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE graces, and idiom, he may, in maturity, bear fruit of his own. For his diligence as an apprentice, he is rewarded with the knowledge of how to innovate responsibly, of how to create heritage himself. Would that today’s aspiring statesmen and philosophers inculcate the prudential humility of musicians.
whether for profit or for engaging in philanthropic work. As conceptions of the good vary greatly, toleration and prudence suggest that government is best restricted to acting equally upon all, forcing them only to contribute towards protection from threats from without and within, and towards the enforcement of contracts. These are the fundamenRespecting Political Patrimony tal perquisites of social life, and the istory, often the stock for phil- force that undergirds popular conosophical extrapolation—both sent on such state functions is legitresponsible and tendentious— sug- imately brought to bear only upon
H
MAY MMXV an inscrutable raincloud. Hence, the true political philosophy honors the highest aspirations of man and his origins by honoring his capacity to learn, to reason, to choose, to reflect, and to improve. As such, man is best left at liberty to structure his life project in a manner consonant with his ethical precepts, benefiting his fellow men in the process of advancing his own interests. Happily, the room for individual attainment such a culture af-
“TO THUS IMBIBE tradition is not to servilely follow in the footsteps of the dead; rather it is to give due respect to the rights of the living and the unborn.” gests that man is both self-interested and amenable to improvement. It is the classical liberal tradition that best reconciles the ever-grasping nature of man with the weal of all men. Both life and the right to navigate its course, unmolested by other men, originate with man’s Creator. Insofar as man does not physically harm his fellow men, he retains the moral authority to follow his individual preferences, passions, endowments, and insights in the pursuit of his betterment. Such autonomy allows men to come together of their own volition to pursue their common aims,
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those who transgress against society. Coercion necessarily supplants decision through reasoned colloquy where the state arrogates even a marginally a greater ambit. While the indiscriminate force that gravity consistently exerts upon all earth’s denizens allows its most enterprising to calculate how to make journeys to other celestial bodies, the arbitrary fiat of overreaching government—whether motivated by envy or a commitment to equality—may thwart an individual’s ability to plan and attain smaller goals in even his own life. He is left with no binding court of appeals, as is the beachgoer before
fords militates against a pernicious shackling of the individual’s soul, a malaise that manifests itself as moral atrophy in the body politic. Would that all human beings—men and women—approach this venerable tradition of moral philosophy concerned with making the most of real human problems with an earnest love for wisdom qua wisdom, even if its first preceptors admittedly were dead white men! ■
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
MAY MMXV
A CAT of many colours
LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES:
I
Are Millennials Digital Natives or Digital Regressives? by
Alexander Salazar recall a remark made by my Economics professor that college lectures were conceived in a pre-Guttenberg world. Today, for better or worse, they exist in a post-Guttenberg one. I think he was trying to convey the old and tactile nature of learning in the past would eventually have to be reconciled with the modern realities of learning today. In an environment now characterized by bits and bytes, the modern student must adopt or adapt to these changing mediums and attempt to learn in a perpetually connected world. I personally dread attending lectures surrounded by computer screens. While sometimes intrigued by the raving Yelp review of the trendiest bistro in San Francisco or the newest vegan curiosity in Oakland that flit by on computer screens around me, I can’t help but feel a desire for that rare experience in the classroom today – complete and unadulterated focus upon the lecture at hand. Again, I’ll admit, I’ve been from time to time quite distracted by students making online purchases of handbags
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and poofy boots. Perusing the internet to conduct market transactions is indeed a fine manifestation of the friction-reducing powers of the high-tech age. But sometimes extricating oneself from the myriad diversions of the internet can rid us of some of the more negative consequences of being increasingly disconnected from reality, if only from the reality of the classroom lecture. Such observations of the consistently plugged-in nature of my peers seem to indeed belie the idea millennials are the “digital natives” they are so often purported to be. The ease at which users can now navigate high-tech devices is, today, largely owing to the genius of seamless user interfaces. Such increasing elegance and simplicity of design – while speaking to the considerable talent of its creators – may, in fact, be contributing to the slacker and vapid character that aging baby boomers so often like to project onto our purportedly entitled generation. Seduced by the saccharine ecstasies of instant gratification and the ability to retreat at will from interpersonal interaction, our use (or overuse?) of technology can reinforce a narcissism that, although natural during the course of youth, muddles the educational mission of the college lecture. In a world so often characterized by both the older and younger generations as one where everyone is special and unique, it is rather tragically amusing to witness a veritable ocean of open and identical Mac laptops in a lecture
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hall, many of which are being used to scroll endlessly down the same identical BuzzFeed article. While I would never shrink from identifying my peers’ obsession with Macintosh computers as an admirable evidence of the capitalist consumer voting with their dollars for a superior product, such strangely pervasive conformity does seem to make absurd our generation’s ubiquitous mantra of the value of individuality and uniqueness. The political economist Thorstein Veblen once coined the term “conspicuous consumption” to critique the perceived excess surplus production that capitalism engenders. While I do not agree that the desire for attainment in the free market necessarily brings about vice, it does seem that the inheritors of affluence are indeed prone to the vice of conspicuous distraction. This generation cannot merely rest on the entrepreneurial grit of the past and purport to be worthy de facto of a college education and the status a degree confers. But if the anecdotal evidence does not lend some veracity to this notion, some numbers will. The OECD recently administered a test titled the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. The test concluded U.S. millennials rank the lowest in numeracy, literacy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments. Japan’s and Finland’s millennial cohort, on the other hand, scored the highest in these
categories. Sadly, according to the data, the U.S. millennial workforce barely fares better than Italy and Spain. Now, the occasional midday siesta may not be a bad thing, but the delusion that by merely existing, one is entitled to a college education is a claim somewhat unbefitting of a generation so willing to squander it away on their laptops. The affluence our current generation is in part a product of the post-war boom and the expansion of easy credit; and today that gift is being used to fund degrees with no appreciable return on investment beyond affording four years of myopic bliss often devoid of critical thought or the cultivation of marketable skills. As the economy relatively recovers and college costs increase, the supposed universal utility of attending lecture, let alone earning a college degree, is a question worth reexamining in this digital age. The perceived “boom” in opportunity around the Bay Area rests upon the diligence of our generation to take stock of our educational attainment and realize the ephemeral distraction of our devices will not shield us from the realities of the world. ■
Culture FOREIGN REVIEW At the Movies
Yves Saint Laurent France
W
ell, it was certainly something to look at. A French language biopic following the professional rise and personal decline of fashion house designer Yves Saint Laurent, its nature is not unlike Disney’s 2015 remake/regurgitation of Cinderella: alll glitz and less substance. Certainly watching a heartbreakingly gaunt and immaculately dressed Pierre Niney pacing about opulent corridors and poolside topiary is worth the price of admission (as are the decadent party scenes and satisfying cameos of Andy Warhol et al.), but don’t go in looking for very much of a plot or overall message.
Relatos Salavajes Argentina
A
rgentinian film Relatos Salvajes (Wild Tales) is precisely what it says: a series of wickedly humorous and equally terrifying separate stories, each about twenty minutes in length. One of the most exhilarating films of the year, Relatos Salvajes evokes a distinctly Tarantino feel, complete with violence, revenge, explosions, snappy one-liners and people just behaving badly in general. Don’t be fooled, this is no gratuitous action film. Director Damián Szifrón uses these seemingly unrelated episodes to highlight the heightened and pervasive issues of class conflict and governmental decay within modern Argentinian society. However, the film remains subtle but clear in outlining this theme, choosing to express these modern frustrations in the form of a two-hour cinematic cartharsis.
Kumiko the Treasure Hunter United States
P
art foreign language film, part American indie art film, the Zellner brothers’ bizarre story follows the fantastical odyssey of a 29-year-old Tokyo woman who is hell-bent on travelling to Fargo, North Dakota to find a buried suitcase full of money. Gradually losing her hold on reality, we see the world through Kumiko’s eyes — an experience which is, at times surreal and terrifying but eventually ends somewhere between frustration and boredom for the viewer. As the films plods on, the pilgrimage becomes less a fascinating glimpse into an alternate reality and more a tiring enslavement within the mind of a character with whom it is quickly becoming all but impossible to associate. The film does, however, present a host of gorgeous images and Zellner shows a mastery of mood throughout.
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From the Field WHEN THE BUSINESSMAN COMES TO BERKELEY by Nihal Singh
I
t was a sad day for free speech in Berkeley the evening of December 11th. That night, a sizable band of protestors descended onWheeler Auditorium, where billionaire investor Peter Thiel was sharing his insights on vying modalities of business and development at a ticketed event hosted by The Berkeley Forum. Faint, but rapidly rising, chants from the protestors outside elicited several comments from a bemused Mr. Thiel during his prepared remarks. Not long after a resounding “F— YOU,” directed at Mr. Thiel disrupted the question and answer session, event staff monitoring the situation requested the attendees help in securing the venue’s entrances. Not an inconsiderable number of audience members sprang up in response and accordingly fortified the doors, but soon after they returned to their seats — the threat of immediate breach having been diffused — the protestors stormed into the auditorium. The protestors proceeded to fill the aisles and converge on
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the stage, chanting slogans including “black lives matter” and “our university.” A taken-aback and audibly outraged audience countered with calls of “go home” and “Peter Thiel matters.” Mr. Thiel was escorted to safety, and the remainder of the event was cancelled. Ironically, his talk—generally based on his recent book, Zero to One—championed business “creation” over “disruption.” Even more ironically, Mr.
Thiel expressed his gradual disaffection with politics in favor of productive enterprise, through which he interacts with a diverse group of people in a socially useful manner. Those taking to the streets as of late, incidentally providing a sine qua non cloak for the rioting and looting of Berkeley businesses by a repudiated few, would do well to follow Mr. Thiel’s lead. ■
HOUSE TRAINING
Letters PROGRESSIVE INTOLERANCE Two years of tireless work for the ASUC, leaves one student with little but disillusionment.
B
erkeley — the place where liberal-minded 18 year olds flock to spend the next 4 years of their lives fighting for the greater good and judging their peers by their perceived level of privilege. Strange, how often these young progressives who believe they are so open-minded, prove to be quite the opposite. And where better to find such closed-mindedness than in the group of people who wish more than anyone else to impress their moral standards upon the rest of the student population – the ASUC? Now, you may ask, who am I to make these harsh judgments regarding our eminent student government? Well, let me explain. Over the past 2 years, I have worked in ASUC senate offices, helped with senate campaigns, and contributed to a campus political party – all the while, remaining open about the fact that I am a registered Republican. Yet, in regards to my job, my voter registration should mean very little, right? Unfortunately, it seems to mean quite a lot. For almost instantly, the assumptions begin to proliferate. According to many, I laud a high degree of privilege because of my party affiliation, because I am white and straight. I am somehow immune to the many micro-ag-
gressions faced every day by other less-privileged individuals. It is as if my identity is determined for me and my life assumed to be free of struggle because I choose to hold a different political opinion. As someone who comes from one of the poorest counties in California and who had to struggle through a low-performing high school under constant sate audit to get into Berkeley, these sorts of flippant assumptions work to erase my own personal history, deciding for me that my life must have been charmed from the start. This sort of thinking, though absurd, is not uncommon within the culture of our supposedly open minded ASUC. Don’t get me wrong – I understand that I’m not going to agree with every bill written by senators who are elected by Cal’s largely left-leaning population. But within the organization, I experience – to use the popular term – my own share of micro-aggressions every day. By micro-aggressions, I simply refer to the stereotypes that are regularly perpetuated about Republicans everyday by our own student representatives, and, in turn, the stereotypes by which my peers within the ASUC choose to judge me. So allow me to dispel a few myths: Not all Republicans are racist, sexist or homophobic. In fact most, including myself, are just as tolerant as the other side. Remarks
by Kerida Moates
such as “I would never feel comfortable supporting a Republican” running for student senate are saddening in an organization whose goals are often nonpartisan, in the interest of all students. In fact, I’ve found that by attempting to contribute to student government, I’ve become more of a hindrance to those with whom I have to work. Over this past year, I’ve increasingly become frustrated with the lack of inclusivity demonstrated by those that pride themselves on being the most inclusive. What incentive do I have to help those that consistently put me down, whether intentionally or not? In the end, I’ve learned that while I do have skills to offer, they simply may not be applicable in such a setting. ■
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Community HOUSING in BERKELEY: Renter’s Prop 13 by James Chang
I
f you are against the government increasing your grandparents’ property taxes then you should support rent control. It’s only fair. Saying that we are protecting one class of taxpayers and not the other is biased, and being against rent control only hurts the most vulnerable of all taxpayers, the middle and working classes, who are also becoming a larger share of the renting class. Property values are getting higher and we should not split communities against one another by saying who deserves tax relief on their home and who does not. Rent control operates kind of like Proposition 13. In a rent controlled unit, the rent values are set at market value to the initial renter, but the cost difference between rent control and Prop 13 is that the initial rent control prices do increase based on annual cost of living adjustments. Rent control units need an annual cost of living adjustment because what most people don’t know is that rent control guarantees a return of profit for property owners. Therefore, rent control isn’t against the market system; it is pro-business because the prices of rent control cannot hurt the property owners’ renting business. The new movement towards increasing affordable housing is a step in the right direction for housing advocates who believe that local economies should be mixed-income, diverse, accessible and won’t
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push people out of their towns. However, affordable housing is not enough; in the Bay Area, affordable housing could mean charging rent at 30 percent of annual median income. Note: According to the 2012 U.S. Census housing report, the median income is over $70,000 a year, which means if one is a college graduate making a teacher’s salary, one cannot afford to live in an affordable housing unit unless the affordable housing unit is designated for those who are low income. When it comes to housing and taxes, no matter the system, people are going to take advantage of it. Yes, we millionaires occupy low cost rent control buildings, but big profit companies also don’t have their property taxes increased and adjusted. While taking advantage of the system is wrong, this does not mean that we should pit communities against each other when we are trying to reform policies like Prop 13 and rent control. At the end of the day, these policies are meant to protect citizens most affected by the smallest increases in taxes and fees in their daily lives. It is time for people of all political and economic background to reinvest in our current communities and support rent control because it is Prop 13 for renters and because it is fair. ■ James Chang is a graduate of UC Berkeley and a current Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board commissioner.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Takara Sake Tasting Room and Sake Museum 708 Addison St Berkeley, CA 94710
T
akara Sake USA Tasting Room is perfect for an evening in Berkeley’s stylish 4th street shopping district. Just a block away from the intersection of University and 4th, a mere $5.00 will take you on a bibulous journey through the history and art of sake making. With 6-7 small glasses of sake and a self-guided tour through the museum included, be sure to ask the bartender which flight you’d like to try, as there are a variety of sets. Doubly convenient, just across the street is Sierra Nevada’s own beer tasting bar, dubbed the Torpedo Room. By the time you’ve made both visits, you’ll be tipsy enough not to care how exorbitantly expensive the rest of downtown is!
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
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CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
Lessons inVerse Election season yearly sends A slew of bright-eyed, eager friends Who, as in sport, Your favors court— At least until campiagning ends
There once stood a phalanx of students Who fought for the right to be heard. But now their descendants, Like superintendants, Fight to censor and silence a word.
For the partier with nowhere to go: Choose a co-op if you’re in the know. But if smoking or dancing Does not sound entrancing, Perhaps you should stick with frat row.
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MAY MMXV
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
MAY MMXV
Be gone, O Plato, Kant and Mill! Depart! Descartes and Toqueville! We’ll suffer not the likes of these: Nay Locke! Non Proust! Die Socrates! Relieve us of this useless shite— The syllabus is much too white! Instead of all your hoary men, Seek P.O.C.’s— Cherchez la femme! In “History of 6th Century Greek,” Let’s read the extant texts we seek By minorities and those oppressed Like ______________________. Or how about queer womyn’s works? Whose work abounds in ancient texts, like: Sappho, Sappho, Sappho, Sappho, Sappho, Sappho, Sappho, Sappho, Alright, there seems a dearth of texts Preserved by ancients of that sex, Perhaps ‘tis better then to nix, All literature pre-’66 So let the new UC begin With hist’ry sponged thus by our pen!
Once long, long ago was created The body called ASUC But unlike intended Most functions they’ve ended Content now with controversy
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2 Minute Note AN ILL-INFORMED DEMONSTRATOR IS A BLUNTED SWORD by Cristopher Shoup
I
have very much enjoyed my time at California’s flagship university since transferring here in the summer of 2013. One of the reasons I was excited to move to this city was Berkeley’s storied tradition of protest, political action and outrage against injustice. However, my enthusiasm for this aspect of Berkeley culture quickly soured into mild bemusement at the actions of those who have dusted off the guidon from the half-century-old Free Speech Movement and begun championing their own causes with little more than their own bright-eyed enthusiasm. What has been sorely lacking in every one of the larger demonstrations I have seen is regard for the actual circumstances surrounding their pet causes.
While I expect some groups with long histories to have a bit of institutional momentum keeping them from having particularly nuanced approaches on issues, what surprises me most of all is when groups spring up with a deeply flawed understanding of the cause for which they are demanding action. This has been the case with the student movement against University of California President Janet Napolitano’s now rescinded tuition increase proposal. “Education for all!” demanded the protesters while chanting the woefully unoriginal “Hey hey! Ho ho! Napolitano’s got to go!” Why? You ask, are groups like By Any Means Necessary and The Revolutionary Communist Party and others join-
tery cult habituys m ed cr sa ’s no ita ol Members of Nap vocatPresident’s visage, ad C U e th of es ag im n ally do ises on Sproul Plaza. ra e fe d an s ke hi on ing tuiti
ing hands with students to demand the removal of the UC president and the immediate and unconditional condemnation of her proposal? Because, they say, education should be for everyone and not just the rich. Whether or not one agrees that education should be available to everyone regardless of their ability to pay is actually a great place to start when discussing why the student protests here are so completely lacking in a nuanced understanding of what they’re arguing against. The proposed tuition increase – which, I cannot more emphatically restate, has since been squashed – was to slowly raise tuition over the next several years for those who are not receiving financial aid, all in an effort to increase the amount of financial aid available. Students who receive financial aid would have been under no increased burden; only those who fail to qualify would receive a tuition increase. While the effectiveness of the measure could easily have been debated, what could not be argued is that, clearly, the students ranting about how the UC regents want to wage a campaign of class warfare in favor of the rich quite simply do not understand what they are yelling about. Napolitano and the
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
Regents of the University of California who voted in favor of the plan understand that raising tuition is the only way to increase access to the University system for the poorest students in the state and refill the coffers of the University’s financial aid system after several years of tuition freeze. This has been difficult in a political climate where tight budgets constrain the ability of the Governor and legislature to fund the University of California while also
services (including financial aid), or the unpopular move of raising tuition. As a result, Napolitano is put in a precarious situation by the state legislature’s inability to increase funding for the University System, which, in 2014, received less from the State than in 2001, and her progressively-minded desire to help the disenfranchised. UC students are, generally, intelligent and passionate individuals who are not afraid to take a stand
“Protesters must ensure that their argument is
COHERENT and in possession of the salient facts when
shouting them from the steps of Sproul Hall.” providing for the state’s other needs. President Napolitano found herself in a tight spot with no money and a desire to increase the number of students from disenfranchised families. With rising labor costs looming, President Napolitano is forced to choose between maintaining a tuition freeze and decreasing
against perceived injustice. However – since so many on this campus fit that description – protesters must ensure that their argument is coherent and in possession of the salient facts when shouting them from the steps of Sproul Hall. If, as I pass, I see BAMN, RevCom and your group shouting about how the University is becoming a refuge for
MAY MMXV
the rich, at the expense of the poor, as I read a Daily Cal article detailing that the tuition plan is meant to increase access to lower income families, I will dismiss you as uninformed morons. Likewise, the very people you need to convince the most, like Janet Napolitano and the regents, will assume the same thing and disregard you completely. Your message will go unheard, your protest will be mocked and you will be ignored. I don’t say any of this to discourage the enthusiasm students feel for demonstration and political action. That is what made me fall in love with this campus, even as a conservative Republican. Political action and the voices of the many, even when they are ideologically dissimilar from my own, only add to my knowledge and understanding of the world. But if you don’t have a clue, you paint us all as fools. So, finally, I urge every potential activist to find a cause about which you feel passionate and demonstrate and make it happen. But first, make sure you know what the hell you’re talking about. ■
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CHEERS & JEERS JEERS! to the needlessly mysterious campus organization known in whispers
as The Californians. Great was thy parentage in days of Cal gone by, but like blasted progenitur of a lusty Olympian, thou art less than thy origins! Alone tasked with the choice of biannual commencement speakers and of late plagued by less than inspiring selections, we say “No more!” to your archaic tutelage! Either increase thy number and representation or surrender the right!
CHEERS! to the campus Black Student Union for its timely demand that Bar-
rows Hall be renamed for FBI-designated terrorist and cop-killer Assata Shakur. At last! A fitting modification that will christen a building as hideous and terrifying as Barrows Hall with a namesake to match! Perhaps we can rebrand Evans after Muammar Gaddaffi.
JEERS! to the UC Student Association for their further caricaturizing of the UC
by calling for university divestment from the United States. The inane jokes the world makes about Berkeley students being ill-informed space cadets will now be even more difficult to dispel!
CHEERS! to Chancellor Dirks’ praiseworthy leadership and vision in leading
the creation of the Berkeley Global campus in Richmond. Be not swayed by the rabble of professional protesters blissfully unaware of the administration’s already extreme efforts to ensure a positive community impact. Perhaps, we suggest, those opposed should take to reading up on what the university is actually doing, but then again, that would spoil all the fun now, wouldn’t it?
JEERS! to the shameful lack of diversity present among the campus’ collection of
decorative bronze statuary. When, Berkeley, shall you cease reinforcing the arcane patriarchies of the past? Not only is our campus overpopulated by male forms, but we find the underrepresentation of females and nudes (these not mutually exclusive) entirely apalling. Bring a swift and long-awaited end to the unwanted dominance of anthropomorphic and cis-bronze privilege today!
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CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
S
APRIL MMXV
ODES to the CAMPANILE
ather Tower, otherwise known as the Campanile, was completed in 1917 and remains perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the University today. Designed by master architect John Galen Howard, it is the third highest bell and clock tower in the world, standing at a prominent 307 feet high. In the fall term of this school year, the Campanile celebrated its centenniel one hundred years after the cornerstone-laying ceremony, presided over by then UC President Benjamin Ide Wheeler. “O stone, stand fast, look high,” he intoned on March 18th of that year; and since then, the tower has been the muse of many a poet. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of our beloved Campanile, the California Patriot is proud to feature a series of poems inspired by that eternal monument to the pursuit of ideas.
Sings the Song of Bells Resounding Do you hear the leaden song of the Campanile’s bells? Do you hear the bold and sonorous call? Indeed it is the deathless urging voice of this university; Of towering and patina-ed watchful giants left by long-passed benefactors’ hands Who lived and loved within these bounds In these sacred, vibrant bounds, this pomerium containing multitudes Of ghosts of men and women who walked and dreamed and thought here They who knew the pitiful mirage of death Who sing from out across the yawning gap of Time Who sing and sing for you! In hour and out hour, Sounding through the air Humming past the marble columns, Rock from true stuff craven. Vibrating in the billowing air and moving all, Yes, even the very nuclei of atoms! Electrifying all to touch the souls of youth, sinewy and hungry Ring out to the sea and to the rocks and mountains, deserts, valleys and canyons of this great state of California Sounding out to all: “This the ivory city on the hill. These our native sons and daughters. These your dreams and these your aspirations! Here, the very Athens of the West! We eternal bells resounding. Though made by human hands, We still have been here always Though lately given voice by these smelted, ringing chimes. We the thousand voices of the past call out and thunder, Never to abate!” -B. Pinder
WESTERN SENTINEL At dusk your cool masonry, Vermillion and alight With the Golden Gate’s close. Punctuating the sky with an august thrust and gentle chimes. Standing firm, your gaze pointing across Berkeley grounds and the glassy bay A constant truth overlooking fog of mystery. -Alexander Salazar
(UNTITLED) Lay open crimson gates! Let loose your golden glow – Entreated by the tow’r above, To beg attentions carnal, pale From the sea below! Force balanced in a muted lay? In California’s eye A gateway to the briny sea A spindle toward the sky. -Unattributed
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Letters A TENUOUS CONNECTION: UNITED AUTO WORKERS & THE STATE OF ISRAEL?
D
espite what one may think from the name, the United Auto Workers Union is not simply made up of auto workers. It in fact actually houses the University of California’s Student Worker’s Union. This is important to mention because last year, on December 4, a poll was conducted by the Union to its members on the topic of divestment from the state of Israel. Earlier in the year there was a large protest on Sproul supporting the same. However, this did not start with the beginning of this last academic year, with ASUC senate bills on the topic passed as early as 2010, all with the intention of persuading the University of California to divest or remove and dissolve ties with the state of Israel. In such, Berkeley students and the ASUC have had a decent history of pushing for this. The ASUC’s recent passing of a resolution urging divestment from Turkey is part of a larger string of divestment votes at Berkeley and throughout the UC system. In February, the UC Student Association itself passed a resolution supporting divestment from nine nations, including Mexico, Russia and -- just for kicks -- the United States. However, Israel remains the primary object of their scorn. With swastikas being sprayed on Jewish fraternities in Davis and a general rise of anti-Semitism at home and abroad in Europe, Israel and American support of the same
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has again come under attack. The origins of the matter of course date back to the late 1940s with the creation of the state of Israel, when the British Mandate for Palestine ended and the state of Israel was created. Since then, there have been growing and ever-present tensions between the primarily Jewish state and its surrounding Arab neighbors. During a confrontation in 1967, the Israeli government invaded and occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since then, it has extended its direct political influence to the Gaza Strip in an ongoing occupation until the 1990s. Since then it has been governed de-facto by the Hamas. There has been sizeable fighting along the border in recent years, culminating in the Israeli invasion earlier this year. One might reasonably ask, however, how on earth this relates to the United Auto Workers Union. The argument for divestment stands as such, stated by the UAW 2865 website itself, quoting Palestinian trade unions: “We call for a final end to the crimes and oppression against us. We call for: Arms embargoes on Israel, sanctions that would cut off the supply of weapons and military aid from Europe and the United States on which Israel depends to commit such war crimes… [and] Boycott, divestment and sanctions, as called for by the overwhelming majority of Palestinian civil society in 2005.” What is essentially meant
by Connor Witt by this statement, is that the UAW stands in solidarity with the Palestinian unions who are subsequently pushing for the United States and other nations to dissolve commercial ties and aid to Israel in the belief that Israel is using these materials to impose their will upon Palestine and the Gaza Strip. Additionally, they cite war crimes and human rights violations by the Israeli Defense Force in recent Gaza conflicts as their reason for divesting. However, things are not exactly as they seem. A divestment from Israel does not mean peace. In fact, the argument could be made for quite the opposite: without Western support financially and militarily, Israel could fall prey to the surrounding hostile countries in the region and forces such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. Additionally, with continuing unrest in the Middle East, the question remains as to whether the U.S. would find it in any way valuable to abandon their strongest ally in the region, a relative haven in a region dominated by anti- American sentiment. However, if the UAW poll, multiple protests and groups dedicated to divestment are any indication, a definitively anti-Israeli sentiment is on the rise, and only time will tell the outcome of such attempts of undermining the sole democracy in an otherwise backwards land. ■
CALIFORNIA PATRIOT MAGAZINE
APRIL MMXV
“I find that the three major administrative problems on a campus are
SEX for the students,
ATHLETICS for the alumni and
PARKING for the faculty.”
— Chancellor Clark Kerr — 31
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