OPINIONS
August 27-September 2, 2009 • The Journal
Page 5 • www.webujournal.com
Gorlok Gauge If the health care reform passes, who wouldn’t you want on your death panel? Pretty much any Republican.
Jenn Proffitt Junior, Journalism
I don’t even want to think about that. There’s just so many people. My mom. Cody Jackson
Sophomore, Media Communications
I don’t know ... Glenn Beck.
Ashleigh Jones
Probably the government all together.
Ricky Eaves
Senior, Interactive Digital Media
Freshman, Business Administration
Teabaggers’ health care hypocrisy
For most, the big story this summer has been the health care debate. But for me, the most memorable event of the summer was a Tea Party protest I attended. For those with limited exposure to politics, the AMIR Tea Party movement is KURTOVIC made up of people who disagree with everything President Barack Obama does. That may be simplifying the issue, but it’s not far from the truth. The Tea Partier’s ethos can be summarized with a phrase often seen on their signs. “We want our country back.” The teabaggers’ modus operandi are public protests. They like to protest tax hikes which haven’t happened, socialist health-care which isn’t being considered and government spending which probably saved their jobs. The Tea Parties got their kick-start when CNBC commentator Rick Santelli went on a rant on live TV criticizing the Obama administration’s plan to refinance home mortgages. He claimed the plan would promote bad behavior. And CNBC commentators know a lot about bad behavior. This is the same cable network whose reporting on the financial markets before the crash was about as valuable as investment advice from Bernie Madoff. Ron Paul supporters staged Tea Parties as early as 2007, but Santelli’s rant on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade was the call to action some had been waiting for. The Tea Party movement was born. So, when the St. Louis Tea Party coalition decided to protest in front of the Service Employees International Union office in the Central West End on Aug. 8, I had to be there to witness it for myself. The
St. Louis Tea Party Coalition was protest- Of course, there is nothing wrong with good knowing they helped a like-minding the SEIU because a black conserva- donating money, or asking for donations, ed patriot. I remember donating money tive, Kenneth Gladney, was allegedly as- to pay medical bills. This summer Webster for that little girl because it made me feel saulted by SEIU members at a health-care University staff were collecting money to good, selfish as that may sound. But the town-hall meeting by Rep. Russ Carna- help pay for the operation of a little girl. idea of their tax money paying for medical han, D-Mo. Gladney was selling Gadsden I didn’t know who she was or what was coverage of all Americans gets them angry flags, yellow flags depicting a snake and wrong with her, but donated all the cash enough to protest. the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me.” Gadsden I had on me simply because I would want I have never witnessed people so exflags are a historic symbol from the Ameri- people to do the same for me if ever I was cited about working against their own selfcan Revolution popular with the Tea Party in need. My little donation probably can’t interest. folks. Charges of racism and hate crime pay for more than 15 minutes in the hoswere being hurled at the SEIU. The man pital, but with enough people giving a little who allegedly assaulted Gladney is also money, maybe she would have a better Amir Kurtovic, a senior journalism major, black, but racism knows no colors for the chance. And that, unfortunately, is lost on is the news editor for The Journal. Tea Party faithful. these Tea Party people. At the protest Bill Hennessy, one of They are decent people, as was demContact the writer: the leaders of the St. Louis Tea Party, got onstrated by the donations to help with editor@webujournal.com the crowd hyped up when he claimed that Gladney’s medical bills. It probably felt the White House was directly responsible for the assault on Gladney, who was in attendance in a wheelchair. Supposedly too weak from medications to address the crowd, Gladney had his lawyer read a statement. But what happened after that amazed me. Gladney’s lawyer asked the protesters for donations to help pay his client’s medical expenses. It turns out that Gladney was recently laid off from his job and lost his health insurance. My hypocrisy sensor was going crazy, but the crowd of anti-ObamaCare protesters didn’t miss a beat. Money was exchanged for Gadsden flags, and the lawyer thanked them for the donations. So to recap the story … An unemployed man loses health insurance, goes to protest against health reform, gets injured and has to go to the emergency room. He can’t afford the bill, asks for donations from people actively involved in trying to defeat Obama’s plan to AMIR KURTOVIC/ The Journal make health insurance cheaper and availMembers of the St. Louis Tea Party coalition protest in front of the Service Employees International able to everybody, and they happily give Union office in the Central West End on Aug. 8. money to the man in need.
Bar on campus may be cure for dry times In downtown St. Lou-
is, there is a severe lack of things to do. Sure. A couple thousand Cardinal fans may linger around the ballpark or get rowdy at a dive bar, but beyond that, there really isn’t anything to ANDREW do. There is little reaROACH son to stay downtown. In many ways, downtown St. Louis is like Webster University’s campus. It gives students no reason to stick around. Webster Groves is a quiet, quaint little suburb of St. Louis, so the introduction of more college town elements might be unsettling to some of the local population. But what the WU campus needs is life. Energy. A pulse. While reading last week’s issue of The Journal, I couldn’t help but fixate on one of the little known facts about WU. It was the tidbit about the Brown House, an old pub formerly located where the Emerson Library stands today. I had heard the rumors, but a confirmation of what my fellow commuters and I could only dream of was extremely intriguing. How unique. Yet, it seems only fitting that a wet campus have a bar on the premises. I understand the issue has become more complex in recent years, with all of the concerns regarding under-aged drinking and promis-
cuity, but let’s be honest. Keeping pubs off-campus won’t help or hurt the chances of these inevitable activities. Now, I’m not suggesting there be an unruly, drink-slinging safe haven for minors. I’m not even suggesting that a bar is the answer. What I am proposing is an influx of on-campus life. WU is, in large part, a commuter school. From my experiences as a commuter, I have learned the most common procedure for students like myself is driving to WU, attending classes and g o i n g home. When speaking with students and friends that have lived on campus at one point or another, the reaction is always the same. It doesn’t feel like college. For legal drinkers, there is legitimately nowhere to unwind. There is the Roadhouse and Weber’s Bar and Grill and that’s it. If you’ve ever been to these places, you will undoubtedly feel a lack of connection to the university. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there are no other options. Where do students congregate? The
dorms? Marletto’s? The library? For one dreadful semester, I attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. They called it “The Little Apple.” It was certainly little and it was definitely backwards. However, the town had one thing going for it and that one thing was Aggieville. Aggieville was a little part of town dedicated to the local Manhattanites, the university and its students. It included shops, restaurants, clubs and bars with specials for the struggling college student. It nestled the main campus, so it was the logical place for students to go and unwind. At night, Aggieville was alive and vibrant. I want to stress I am not implying a six-block area be constructed on WU’s campus for the sole purpose of entertaining students. That is obviously unrealistic and impractical. But a sudden increase in on-campus activities would be beneficial for all parties involved. From the university’s perspective, the idea should be to attract as many students to WU as possible. For prospective students
I’m not suggesting there be an unruly, drink-slinging safe haven for minors. ... What I am proposing in an influx of on-campus life.
that intend to live on-campus, avoiding boredom is likely high on their priority list. The shops, restaurants and pubs are things the university should not be expected to put up on its own. I understand this, but gauging interest in outside investors wouldn’t hurt. Improving the on-campus life for students works in the WU’s best interests. Increasing enrollment is always a priority for universities and there is no better way to do so than to excite prospective students. Just imagine finishing finals on a Friday and being able to walk to the Brown House for a celebratory beer. Or typing the last word on a 15-page research paper at 2 a.m., then strolling down to the 24-hour diner with your friends for that bite to eat. It’s not as far-fetched or unreasonable as one may think. Bettering the life of students is not such a tall task. All the students need, for those living on-campus or commuting, is something to do, something to be excited about and a reason to stick around.
Andrew Roach, a senior journalism major, is the copy editor for The Journal.
Contact the writer: editor@webujournal.com
ANTEBELLUM
BY MATT BLICKENSTAFF Managing Editor
They finally did it. The powers that be in Webster University’s School of Communications gave an unhinged, lefty revolutionary his own weekly column. It’s certainly consistent with the times. There’s no shortage of mad prophets on today’s airwaves. CNN’s got Lou Dobbs, MSNBC has Keith Olbermann and Fox News sports a rotating carousel of shrieking pundits from Fox and Friends in the morning to Huckabee at bedtime. It’s only natural WU would seek to cash in on this ubiquitous trend. Of course, the written word has a few limitations when compared to its cable news counterpart. I can’t rely on volume to make my point. What’s the written equivalent of an O’Reillyesque shouting match? All caps? Neither do I have the luxury of sound bites and video clips. Quotes don’t stack up to the incomparable glee of watching politicos shove their shoes directly in their gobs (a feat made more incredible considering their heads are usually planted firmly up their asses). But, it’s not all bad — I do get to use emoticons. : ) Despite my primitive medium, it’s the message that matters. Content, after all, is king and I can deliver the goods. But if the infinite proliferation of blogs, columns and talking heads has taught me anything, it’s this: You’ve got to have a hook. Glenn Beck’s nightly apocalyptic fiction rivals Orson Wells’ infamous “War of the Worlds” broadcast for pure panic inducing capacity. Instead of grabbing canned goods and scurrying to the bomb shelter, Beck’s listeners grab their AR-15s and head to town hall meetings. Sean Hannity, having outgrown his meager one-hour time slot, created his own nation: Hannity’s America, where the citizens are as straight and white as the picket fences encircling their two story homes. And then there’s honcho numero uno — Bill O’Reilly. Bill-O’s pugilistic approach to journalism has elevated national discourse to an entirely new level (perhaps volume is a more accurate description). O’Reilly’s an undeniable trendsetter whose effect is abundantly clear at tea parties and town hall meetings alike. I’ve had no shortage of inspiration from my illustrious predecessors and their successes provide me with a few vital lessons. 1. Fear is a surefire way to snag an audience. 2. When reality sucks, simply construct your own and … 3. Any argument is winnable by sheer force of will, simply by supplanting facts with enough outrage. So brace yourself WU, for the latest in political devolution. I’m going to scare the crap out of you weekly with absurd hyperbole and halfbaked conspiratorial paranoia. I’m going to bend reality and facts until they fit neatly into my meticulously constructed world view. And I’m going do it loud, loud,
LOUD!
Contact the writer: editor@webujournal.com