10
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2008
Sty? Satlg (Ear Uni
Established 1893,
115 years
ofeditorialfreedom
WARREN GARRIS
GUEST COLUMNIST
UNC class of 2008
E-MAIL: WGARRIS@EMAIL.UNC.EDU
Equality
needs to
reach gay
Americans
UTTTe hold these truths
%/%/ to be self-evident,
T that all men are not
created equal, that they are not
endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness.”
Is that not
what our great
Declaration of
Independence
GUEST
COLUMNIST
clearly states? No? Did I get it
wrong? Wait. Let me check a few
books. Hmm... odd. That can’t
be right. Give me a minute to
consult Google. Ah, interesting.
Seems 1 did get the statement
wrong. Well, please excuse my
confusion.
Try to understand that with
the recent developments in
California, Arizona, and Florida
to ban same-sex marriages. I was
under the impression that states
were forging ahead with their
duty to not uphold justice and to
not champion freedom. Silly me.
But wait. Now I am truly lost.
Asa gay American citizen, how
can I claim that the decisions
of states discriminating against
same-sex marriages champion
my “unalienable rights” to “liber
ty and the pursuit of happiness?”
If anything, these decisions
erode my rights by asserting that
my loving commitment to my
partner is not worthy of govern
ment recognition and the finan
cial advantages it awards to mar
ried couples merely because my
commitment happens to involve
another male.
Oh, and then there’s Arkansas,
which recently passed legislation
prohibiting unmarried couples
from adopting or fostering chil
dren, an obvious swipe at my
kind and me. Hold up, Arkansas.
It’s not enough that you won’t let
me marry, but now you prohibit
me from raising a child too? Why
is that exactly?
Is it because the love I can give
a child is solely dependent on the
genitals of the person I love?
When I shower my child with
my love by teaching her how to
ride a bike or to play the violin,
by praising her when she wins
a basketball match or a spell
ing bee, by building up her
confidence if she makes a bad
grade or confronts a bully, by
educating her about tolerance
and respect, love and forgive
ness, all of that is inconsequen
tial because I give my heart to
a wonderful human being who
just happens to have the same
body parts as me, right?
Let’s take a moment. Let’s
take a moment to realize that
America is in a period of transi
tion, as seen in the election of our
new president-elect to the White
House, yet while transitioning we
are unfortunately retarding its
progress by curbing civil liberties.
We Americans congratulate
ourselves for advancing racial
equality, ydt oddly enough, we
are turning our backs on general
equality. We cannot claim igno
rance of the issues and accept the
exclusion of American citizens
from the fold of fairness.
As Mr. Obama’s election
shows, anew day is dawning in
America. We Americans need to
make preparations that enable
us all to walk proudly into that
new day, anew day where see
ing our own love and our own
humanity in each other will cre
ate a more just nation; a more
united nation; a nation that will
greater exemplify our cherished
principles of resolve, responsi
bility, equality, and humility; a
nation that will see these prin
ciples touch our lives in precious
ways simply because we will
have truly recognized the value
of loving and being loved, the
value of being human.
ALLISON NICHOLS
EDITOR, 962-4086
NALUSONOE MAIL. UNC EDU
OFFICE HOURS:
MON., WED 2-3 RM.
ERIC JOHNSON
PUBLIC EDITOR
ERKJOHNSONeUNC.EDU
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Alex Lee, lobin@email.unc.edu
Dining quality important
Locally grown options should take back burner to taste
Nutritious, quality food
must be Carolina Dining
Services’ first priority.
While increasing the use of
locally grown food is important,
a greater effort should be focused
on food quality.
Mystery meat, soggy pizza
and pasta are too often the
only things on the menu, and
patrons’ initial impression of the
nice facilities and the “Carolina
Diner” wear off quickly once
they sample the food.
Dining services should place
Re-Centering
High time for permanence in poverty center leadership
A change in leadership
for the UNC Center
on Poverty, Work and
Opportunity is just what is
needed to ramp up its anti-
poverty efforts.
The center has struggled in its .
three-year existence because of a
lack of sustained leadership.
The hiring of UNC law pro-
fessor Gene Nichol as the new
director is a good step forward
for the center.
Nichol has said he plans to
make a long-term commitment
New approach for gay rights
Saturday’s protest against
the passage of California’s
Proposition 8 was a tremen
dous success by all accounts.
Not just because it was the
largest gay rights protest in
North Carolina’s history, but
because it represented a shift in
the way gay rights advocacy is
conducted in North Carolina.
The huge outpouring of sup
port in favor of gay rights was
the result of the work of just a
few passionate individuals using
social networking sites and
e-mail lists to spread the word.
The 1,000-plus protest didn’t
need the resources of a large non
profit organization.
These organizations are no
longer the sole gatekeepers to
social change. Now individuals
can guide the agenda, and we’re
not afraid to ruffle a few feathers
along the way.
Equality North Carolina, the
state’s leading LGBT advocacy
group, initially hesitated to sup
port and publicize the protest,
as it conflicted with its “2008
Equality Conference and Gala.”
“Equality N.C., HRC (Human
Rights Campaign) - they like to
be in control of the message for
LGBT issues,” said Will Elliot, an
organizer of Saturday’s protest.
But this time they weren’t.
And the protest was a huge suc
cess, proving that we no longer
have to rely on organizations
such as Equality N.C.
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columns with local relevance cantered around a theme of their own choosing on a biweekly basis.
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must attend a one-hour meeting on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday of each week to brainstorm and pitch ideas. Each board
member can expect to write at least three editorials a week.
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Applications are due at 5 p.rri. Nov, 24. Contact Editor Allison Nichols at allisoncnicholsWgmail.com with questions.
Opinion
HARRISON JOBE
OPINION CO-EOITOR
HJOBEeEMAIL.UNC.EDU
GREG MARGOUS
OPINION CO-EDITOR
MARGOUS.GREGeGMAIL.COM
a priority on nutritious food
that also tastes good.
Furthermore, Carolina Dining
Services should extend the hours
of operation for its facilities,
Besides Alpine Bagel, there are
no options for late-night dining
on campus. It’s hard to believe
that on a campus with thou-
sands of students, the late-night
options would be so limited.
In addition, locking students
into a meal plan forces students
to deal with the current quality
of the food served in the dining
to the center and its goals,
That’s exactly what’s needed.
Nichol, as he has said he
would, should focus on expand-
ing opportunities for students
to volunteer at the center.
There’s already a strong dedi-
cation to public service and
social justice at UNC. The center
should harness this passion to do
work throughout the state.
The center began under the
leadership of former Sen. John
£dwards in 2005. Asa visible
figure on the national stage he
HARRISON JOBE
Opinion Co-Editor from Greensboro.
E-MAIL: HJOBE@EMAIL.UNC.EDU
Representatives are rarely
held accountable by these orga
nizations. If an organization like
Equality N.C. vocally opposed a
representative’s vote, its access
to that politician could be com
promised.
And trust me, gay rights orga
nizations have let the Democrats
get away with a lot in the legisla
ture’s long-standing tradition of
ignoring LGBT issues.
For example, late last spring
the legislature took up the pas
sage of an anti-bullying act.
Half a dozen Democrats
decided not to show up to vote
on this issue, and the bill failed.
The votes were there for the
passage of this historic legislation
it was the senators who were
missing, several of whom were
running for office this cycle, that
made the difference.
And this is despite the fact that
Public Policy Polling showed that
72 percent of North Carolinians
supported this explicitly LGBT
inclusive anti-bullying bill.
We’ve also got to stop prais-
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
USAANDRUKONIS
BEN BUCK
JAMES DING
MICHAEL LEWIS
ANDREW STILES
SARAH WHITWORTH
halls with no recourse.
Allowing students to cancel
their meal plans without steep
financial penalties would force
dining services to make sure
their patrons were satisfied
with their dining experience.
Focusing on local foods is
important because it helps the
local economy and environment,
Any transition to a more locally
based dining services program
should be a long-term goal,
But dining services has more
pressing issues to address.
provided strong early momen
turn for the center,
But soon his political ambi
tions took precedent and he
focused on a presidential run.
Since then, the center lost
much of its early momentum
and saw another director leave
his position.
It needs a strong long-term
commitment and dedicated
leadership. Hopefully, Nichol
can provide both and help get
more students involved in its
anti-poverty efforts.
ing the Democrats in the N.C.
legislature for keeping a bill to
constitutionally ban same-sex
marriage in committee.
Don’t be fooled. The only rea
son this bill stays in committee
is because the General Assembly
would be forced to discuss gay
rights if it was put to a vote.
Additionally, the Democrats
have yet to take up the task of
updating N.C. law to reflect the
Supreme Court’s ruling that anti
sodomy laws are unconstitutional,
a ruling that took place more than
five years ago.
If there’s one issue that N.C.
legislators don’t want to bring
up, it’s gay rights.
They’re afraid to they’re
under the illusion that we are
still the North Carolina of the
Jesse Helms era.
This is where we come in to
prove that North Carolina has
come a long way. We have to
start holding our representatives
accountable. Advocacy organiza
tions aren’t going to, and they cer
tainly aren’t going to push for the
progressive changes that we want
including same sex marriage.
Politicians need to know that
they won’t automatically earn our
vote simply because they have
labeled themselves Democrats.
Advocacy organizations still
have a role to play, but the era of
individual activism has arrived.
This weekend’s protest
proved it.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“The black community had some
disdain for how Homecoming was
run this year, ; but we just need to
...figure out how we can improve
the process in years to come ”
DONOVAN LIVINGSTON,
MR. BSM AND A HOMECOMING CANDIDATE
FEATURED ONLINE READER COMMENT:
*Please tell me this is satire or a
guy who lost a bet or at least a
hoax by a Duke student.”
ON LETTER TO THE EDITOR "SINGING OF ALMA MATER
SHOULD BE CLASSY, NOT RUDE"
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Schools need to educate
on the realities of racism
TO THE EDITOR:
Mr. Stiles’s disregard of the stu
dents’education (“Small. Ignorant.
Cowards.,” Nov. 10) ignores the
underlying problem and one of the
significant purposes of President
elect Obama’s campaign. These
students have made it to a higher
education institution, but have yet
to take advantage of it.
Though’ what they deserve is
for their names to be revealed,
what they need is for the school
do its job and expose them to the
realities of racism.
These boys will not develop
morals from financial, verbal or
any other form of punishment.
They will learn them from
embracing the America which just
elected Barack Hussein Obama to
be its next president. If they don’t
have any interest in becoming a
part of the community they have
insulted, they don’t have any need
for higher education.
Allen Spicer
Senior
Economics, Entrepreneurship
Students shouldn't care
so much about trivialities
TO THE EDITOR:
Chill out, people.
I’m sick of reading letters
to the editor and editorials
where people are getting angry
about the stupidest things and
demanding “justice.”
My biggest complaint with
this whole school is that every
body is obsessed with pretending
they’re an obnoxious adult.
You run around trying so hard
to be boring, serious, politically
correct adults that nobody laughs
off the absurdities in their life.
Instead you can’t let anything
trivial go, you over-dramaticize
every problem and you auto
matically assume that every
thing that doesn’t subscribe to
your specific, politically correct
viewpoint is some abhorrent
injustice that must be stopped.
Yesterday’s letters to the editor
epitomized this pathetic trend.
For example:
“DTH should cover football as
much as basketball”: Only a small
group of people actually make a
living from sports. For the rest of
us, it’s just entertainment.
Which is more important to
cover? Neither, they are both
just games.
“Condom advertisement was
offensive and crude”: Guess
what girls? You are beautiful.
You should take it as a compli
ment that guys fantasize about
you 24/7; it’s not an insult. And
yes lust is the best way to get
our attention, advertisement or
otherwise.
“Singing of alma mater should
be classy, not rude”: Seriously,
man? Everyone knows it’s all in
good fun, and if it gets the kids
more excited then it’s a good
idea.
The list goes on. The point
is: chill out, get over yourselves,
and learn to accept the fact that
other people don’t see things the
way you do. Please stop getting
so worked up.
Stephen Bloemeke
Junior
Communication Studies
EDITOR'S NOTE: Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily represent the opinions
of The Daily Tar Heel or Its staff. Editorials reflect the opinions of The Dally Tar Heel edlto
rial board. The boar<t consists of seven board members, the associate opinion editor the
opinion editor and the editor.
t Batty (Tar lAtd
Student Television will
continue, despite setback
TO THE EDITOR:
I wanted to congratulate
Andrew Dunn on a very profes
sionally written, comprehen
sive article covering the Ernie
Gilbert embezzlement case
(“Student charged in embezzle
ment,” Nov. 17).
I extend an additional thanks
to our Board of Directors, Student
Congress, Student Legal Services,
the UNC Honor Council, Student
Activities Funding Office and the
Chapel Hill Department of Public
Safety.
Your help has proven elemen
tal to the success of this investi
gation so far.
We have already set our admin
istration and oversight levels
beyond what they once were.
Our Board of Directors, a con
stitutionally recognized group
authorizing all major STV pur
chases, is meeting regularly.
Student government’s execu
tive branch and STV are begin
ning talks with SAFO on how
to best restructure funding for
organizations like our own.
I am honored to manage a bril
liant and dedicated group of stu
dents this year. I invite you to tune
in as we soon begin broadcasting
from a completely renovated pro
duction center. We will continue
bringing you 24 hours a day of
original, student-run and student
produced programming.
Thank you for your under
standing and support as we con
tinue to move Student Television
forward.
Eric Ellington
Station Manager
UNC Student Television
Silent Sam is more about
sacrifice than racism
TO THE EDITOR:
Last week, I was showing our
beautiful university to a friend. I
was dismayed to see food splat
tered on the front of Silent Sam’s
pedestal.
I realize that many in North
Carolina would like nothing better
than to see Silent Sam tom down.
I also realize that some would
argue that the men he enshrines
deserve to be forgotten.
However, I believe Silent Sam
rightfully stands as a monument
to more than 1,000 students and
alumni who fought or died defend
ing their homes and this state.
I urge you to remember that
these people, despite what they
believed about slavery, might have
been your ancestors. They might
have fought alongside or to defend
your ancestors and this state from
a horrifyingly destructive war.
I refuse to believe that the men
Silent Sam memorializes sacri
ficed their education, their future
and their lives simply to continue
the abhorrent institution of slav
ery that still casts a shadow on
our society. Rather, 1 believe they
fought because it was their duty to
defend their home just as Sam’s
inscription reads.
In future, try to remember the
perspective of those dead students
and citizens of North Carolina and
don’t defile their memorial.
William McLeon Harris
Sophomore
History, Political Science