August 4, 2006
DI Column Up: Iconoclastic Reactionaries
You can read my latest and last DI column for the summer here.
Enjoy.
P.S. Yes they mispelled my name. Again.
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The problem with the battle of the iconoclastic reactionaries
Jon Bambenek
Posted: 8/4/06
If society is "a group of reasonable beings united among themselves by a love having the same object" as St. Augustine suggested, we are witnessing the very violent murder of American society in our day and age. Political discussion has become so unreasonable, and the public mind so small, that we can no longer discuss ideas or events, we can only discuss people. We have become so fractured that in no way can Americans be described as having a love for the same object. This campus, a place of supposed open discussion, is no exception.It is on the twenty-four hour news channels and the blogs, which have done little but to exacerbate the problem, where people can no longer challenge ideas, they must attack the people behind those ideas as absolute moral evils to be annihilated.
Likewise, instead of presenting messages, we present messengers. Cindy Sheehan lost a son in Iraq; therefore, her ideas are beyond reproach. Ann Coulter is right because she sells lots of books. Yet neither advance ideas; they are defined by what they are against.
When people talk about privatizing Social Security, the voices that challenge the policy on economic grounds are drowned out by the voices who claim that it is a sinister plot to kill off old people. For those who discuss immigration reform, those who disagree with amnesty are not people with a different perspective, but xenophobes who are stirring anti-immigrant furor. Individuals who voice criticism of the war in Iraq, no matter how legitimate, are labeled as traitors and terrorist sympathizers.
Have we run out of ideas? Have we, as a country, become so superficial that we've bought into the idea of style over substance so completely?
The lines have not only been drawn with politics, but with race as well. There are African Americans, Caucasians, Latinos, and nowhere does anyone talk of simply "Americans" without qualifiers. We have black culture, white culture, and Latino culture, but nowhere do we have a common culture. We are not a society; we are several societies that by an accident of geography occupy that same chunk of dirt on a map. And like all divisions, we look upon the "other" with suspicion, disdain and fear.
There exist millions of little lobbying groups insisting that politicians give them what they want, or they'll declare that politician as a target to be destroyed. No one, at least those who show up on TV and command a small army of bobble heads, can fathom this simple idea: There are 300 million people in this nation, and sometimes their needs and wants matter too. Policy and politics are more than single issues considered in a vacuum.
In an arena where there is only good and evil with no middle ground, no real synthetic thought can take place. We are left with the Roman Colosseum, not a public square. It is the perennial battle of the iconoclastic reactionaries of all political stripes. The solution to bridge one warring faction with another is not moderate thought, but simply thought itself.
That leaves one of several options to us. We either learn to grow up and discuss ideas like adults, we retreat into our "communities" and the nation splinters, or we pick up guns and the last man standing wins. I'd prefer if we just grew up. © Copyright 2006 The Daily Illini
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 28, 2006
DI Column up: The politics of pejorative in the stem cell debate
My latest DI column is up called "The Politics of Pejorative in the Stem Cell Debate".
The politics of pejorative in the stem cell debate John Bambenek Posted: 7/28/06After Bush vetoed recent embryo-destroying stem cell research funding, various quarters predictably became unglued. Cries of “fundamentalism” and dire predictions of death and destruction became the norm in the mainstream media. For as much as those quarters claim to have the intellectually superior position on the issue, they only seem to be practicing politics by pejorative. Instead of attempting to deal intellectually with the issue, they deceive.
First, Bush’s veto does nothing, absolutely nothing, to prevent embryo-destroying stem cell research. State funds, local funds and private funds can be used to fund this research. Bush’s veto prevents federal funding for the research. That’s it. For all the time some spent shaking their fists in self-righteous indignation, they could have worked a few more hours and sent the money to Merck to further their life-destroying research. There is a clear difference between not supporting and preventing something from occurring.
Second, there are many forms of stem cell research, and the embryo-destroying research is only one form of it. Only recently has the media realized that much misinformation has been accepted on the issue. Adult stem cells have produced cures. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood have produced cures. Embryo-destroying stem cells have produced no such advances. As a result, private money is forthcoming in unimaginable amounts for adult stem cell and other viable stem cell research. It is the embryo-destroying research community that is begging for federal funds because no intelligent funding source sees viability in the research. That is why this fight is occurring over embryo-destroying research, not because there is some conservative plot to kill off everyone by denying medical research.
Third, those who claim that embryo-destroying stem cell research could produce valuable cures are largely ignoring the real debate and pretending it doesn’t exist. The question is not what the results could potentially be, but whether the means justify the end. Some sciences, for their part, almost stubbornly refuse to integrate any real moral or ethical calculus into their research. Some adamantly refuse to have any a prior restrictions on their work, even if it involves destroying life. Sure, embryo-destroying stem cell research could produce cures, much like Nazi human experimentation could have produced valuable advances in medicine, but at what cost? Do we, as a society, want to be in the business of growing embryos to harvest them for parts for the “more valuable” members of society?
It is long past time to push through the extremist rhetoric and deal intelligently with this issue. No real political discussion can take place when knee-jerk reactionaries emerge from the fever swamps and take to the airwaves to impugn the motives and character of all who do not conform to some prefabricated political thought. There are ethical alternatives that are producing results with stem cell research. There are serious ethical and moral concerns about life-destroying stem cell research. Much can be said about Bush’s first use of the veto, but temper tantrums do little to advance the debate.
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© Copyright 2006 The Daily Illini
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July 21, 2006
DI Column Up: How to End Catch-22 Voting
My latest column is up over at the DI. Basically on why Illinois needs an open primary system.
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Column: How to end Catch-22 voting
John Bambenek
Posted: 7/21/06
Is anyone truly happy with their parties' candidate for governor this year? Both Rod Blagojevich and Judy Baar Topinka have approval ratings that rival the president's for the gutter. How these unpopular candidates got on the ballot deserves a good look. What's more disturbing is that the only difference between the candidates is the letter after their name. They are almost identical when it comes to policy and they are both just about as transparently corrupt.One of the biggest reasons that low quality candidates end up on the ballot is because of the low turnout for primaries. Primary elections require voters to pick what party they belong to, then vote for which candidate should represent their party during the November elections. The problem is that most voters don't consider themselves as belonging to a political party.
This is further exacerbated by the fact that once you declare which party you are voting for, that fact becomes a public record. Some people do not vote in primaries for fear of public reprisal for picking up a ballot for an unpopular party. Others don't want to be harassed by that party for donations. The principle of private voting is violated by the primary system.
The result is that only the party-faithful vote in large enough numbers to matter during a primary, which generally means the party ends up anointing the victor before the election even takes place. Most Republicans despise Topinka, but her victory was a forgone conclusion, so they didn't bother.
The second problem is that there are only two parties to choice from. While third parties can get on the ballot, the system makes it much harder for them to do so. Many Democrats aren't fond of Blagojevich (or Governor Smith if you prefer) but they feared if they split ranks with him, they'd lose control in 2006. Party over principle.
While Topinka may be despised, she was viewed as the only "electable" candidate. As a result, the parties held their nose and picked those candidates, and now the voters get to choose between corrupt candidate A or corrupt candidate B.
Some view the solution as having a viable third party. The result, in a state that has brought political corruption to an art form, would likely be having three despised candidates to choose from. Having easy ballot access for third parties and independents is nevertheless a good step.
The solution begins with an open primary where voters can pick from the entire field of candidates regardless of party. This would keep what happens in the ballot box private and alleviate the concerns of those who don't want to show their political cards. Political party membership had relevancy about 50 years ago. It has no real practical implications anymore.
An open primary would allow candidates to have relatively free access to the ballot and with increased participation that would likely follow, two truly representative candidates would be chosen to compete against each other in November. Voters should never have to face the choice between bad and worse in general elections.
Posted by John Bambenek at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 14, 2006
Tin Foil Hats and Net Neutrality
My latest DI column is up on Network Neutrality.
Tin foil hats and net neutrality John Bambenek Posted: 7/14/06 Network neutrality is a sham issue that deserves to be put to the violent death of all such faux rallying cries. After a great deal of research and after interviewing Frannie Wellings, government relations manager of FreePress, I have found nothing to base the charge that evil big business is plotting the demise of the Internet and with it the free world.What is clear from studying the issue is that the push for network neutrality is being driven by regressive politics and paranoia. These can be summarized by three components.
The first is the theory of the stupid consumer, the belief that the consumer lacks the motivation, intelligence, or moral wherewithal to advocate for their own interests in the marketplace. Basically, consumers are too stupid to realize they are getting the shaft and they need the benevolence of a federal agency to make sure consumer's values are respected (usually without even having to consult with consumers to know what those values are).
The second is that of perennial suspicion of any corporation. Usually when an entire group is generalized by the actions of a small minority, it is called stereotyping. When the group being stereotyped is corporations, it is called "progressive politics." Corporations are evil by definition, so they must not be allowed any freedom. In short, it's the legislative codification of rank bigotry.
The last is that corporations exist solely to stick it to consumers. Supply and demand is cast aside as an archaic concept. There is no such thing as a free exchange, there is only the continuous attempt by big business to pillage the countryside. The fact that Internet service providers have shown no inclination to start regulating what Web sites their consumers are seeing doesn't matter. They'll do it eventually because they hate society and their board members weren't loved enough by their mommies.
Never mind that it was corporations that built the Internet into what it is today. If it was left up to the government, we'd still be using Gopher. Ironically, up until about ten years ago Internet service providers exercised complete control over what services were available and what merchants you have access to online. That model was abandoned by the very same corporations that are now demonized. No consumer wanted it, advertisers stopped paying for it and it fell apart. The eminent return of a business model that was trashed a decade ago is absurd. It was Internet service providers that led the charge to open the floodgates, not the government and not partisan organizations.
The fact that the net neutrality debate is being driven by militant left-wing organizations makes the entire proposal suspect. Having attended FreePress events, I know their definition of a free media is one where society universally accepts and believes the regressive political agenda. If the Electronic Frontier Foundation were pushing this, or another organization that has some credentials in technology, the debate would have credibility. The fact that the organizations pushing this are purely partisan smacks of a political agenda.
The net neutrality debate is nothing more than the attempt to build a bogeyman and then demand the government do something about it. I'd prefer my congressmen deal with real problems instead of invented nightmares.
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 7, 2006
DI Column Up: Vote Yes To Help Champaign's Poor
My latest column is up. It's on a referendum to increase the township tax rate to increase the budget to for general assistance. It's also a swipe at the News Gazette.
Column: Vote yes to help Champaign's poor John Bambenek Posted: 7/7/06 Come November, a referendum on the ballot will ask voters if they support increasing the property tax rate levied to support Champaign Township. The increase will fund greater support and general assistance to the poorest members of our community. The News-Gazette editorial board has come out against this increase.After interviewing Township Supervisor Linda Abernathy at length, I was unable to find any significant waste or misuse of spending. The township has only two functions - general assistance to the poor and property assessments.
The general assistance provided by the township is welfare of "last resort," meaning that it is available to only those who are getting no help anywhere else and have no assets to their name. In short, they are the poorest of the poor in the community, many of which are living on streets and under bridges.
While there has been an increase in spending under Abernathy, there was one fact that escaped the News-Gazette editorial board. The court had ordered the township, along with other government agencies, to spend the cash they had on hand instead of saving it in their general funds. In addition to the court-ordered draw down of funds, there has been an increase of the number of unemployed people seeking assistance. Somehow helping more poor people doesn't quite seem like rampant spending abuse.
The argument is that the township is a "relic of a bygone era" (much like one can describe the News-Gazette) and the functions should be assumed by the county government. One could argue that the states could be dissolved and the functions be assumed by the federal government, however, we constructed the U.S. system of government to include state governments. The same is true of townships. State law establishes townships and what functions they should perform and there is no movement to dissolve townships. Saying that the township should be deprived of needed funds because we can redo our governing structure is nonsensical.
It is true that the township operates largely invisibly to most voters; however, that is a sign that it is doing what it is supposed to do and not acting like an agency out of control. The township performs two functions and two functions alone. They haven't tried to expand their power or interfere with voters' lives. Ms. Abernathy was easy to reach and willing to spend about an hour on the phone for an unscheduled interview. That's hardly the behavior of an unaccountable bureaucrat. It is clear that those who think the township is unaccountable are just too lazy to pick up a phone.
While the city of Champaign is busy trying to figure out how to use eminent domain to take over utilities so that they can expand their base of power into areas they don't belong, the township is providing assistance to people who have no where else to turn. If providing help to these people is expensive, it is only because as a society we've pawned off our personal obligation to help those in our community on the government.
This is one of the very few tax increases that I support and find no fault with. Come November, join me in voting yes.
Posted by John Bambenek at 1:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 5, 2006
DI Column Up: Welcoming in our New Health Conscious Overlords
I'm also late on posting my latest column, "Welcoming in our new health conscious overlords" on the Champaign-Urbana smoking ban. I was on vacation, sue me.
Column: Welcoming in our new health conscious overlords John Bambenek Posted: 6/30/06 Capitalism has failed in Champaign. More than a hundred years of economic prosperity in the United States has proven to be a sham right here in the twin cities.Generously, the elites from the Coalition to Protect People from Themselves (as the Champaign-Urbana Smoke Free Alliance was known before they apparently got a public relations consultant) have lobbied for city regulations because we can't trust evil mega-corporations and Big Liquor to meet the demands of their customers. That whole supply and demand thing is really a device by Big Business to keep us "sheeple" as little more than indentured servants pulled around by the whims of board room elites.
Using statistics only slightly cooked to make their point, they showed the city councils that more than 76 percent of people in Champaign-Urbana support governments taking control of all decision-making powers of consumers. Now, at long last, I can enjoy the local hookah bar without having to suffer through the evils of second-hand smoke.
Cigarette smoke is the only weapon of mass destruction that we have to fear. Patrons of campus bars need not worry about the alleged public health concerns of roofies, or for that matter, the entirely mythical raging venereal disease epidemic on campus. It is of critical importance that we fight to stop second-hand smoke so 18-year-old freshmen can binge drink in Kam's without having to worry about lung cancer when they are passed out in a pool of their own vomit.
The several smoke-free establishments already in Champaign-Urbana are not enough for the coalition. It is important that every establishment caters to the desires of clients who will never frequent them. We need to make C.O.'s as comfortable for 50 year-old townies as possible. We'd hate for them to be coughing while they are busy ogling at freshmen girls in tight, black bar pants.
During the intense lobbying, name calling and threats, the coalition refused to let the matter be considerded in a referendum. They're afraid that Big Liquor and Big Burger would hoodwink the 76 percent of people who allegedly support a ban. See, we just can't trust those lemmings, I mean voters, to be able to figure out a ballot. So not only has capitalism failed, democracy is a failed and antiquated concept here in our little patch of cornfield.
I look forward to the future campaigns of the coalition who will not stop with simply banning smoking. After all, consumers are too stupid to be able to make any economic and life decision for themselves. The brave new day when all restaurants and grocery stories only offer organic and vegan fare will soon be here. Soda will be banned from vending machines to be replaced with fair-trade lattes.
There is too much variety in life and too many choices to make. It is high time that government did something about this and set a "one size fits all" standard upon our private lives. Long live the new oligarchy.
Posted by John Bambenek at 10:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 29, 2006
Column : "Is Manliness a Virtue?"
This column has actually been up awhile but I was at a conference in DC and had the most insane travel experience getting there andback (stranded over night both ways, spent one night in the terminal at Detroit... etc). I never got around to posting my latest column at the DI, here it is:
Column: Manliness: Is it really a virtue? John BambanekPosted: 6/23/06
I just celebrated my first Father's Day as a father this year. That single day, once a year, is the solitary break from the typical societal hammering of fathers and men in general.
Take a look on any television show that features a father. Usually the father is a bumbling boob struggling to keep up with his much more intelligent wife. There exists not one single show that depicts an involved and intelligent father.
While Miller Lite commercials and puerile shows like "The Man Show" celebrate what they consider manliness - what they are really celebrating is boyishness.
This boyishness has been enshrined into the gold standard of male sexual expression by feminism.
Feminism, at least the branch typically described as feminism, holds two lies as truth: The first is that all men are basically as mature as a typical seventh grader, or more coarsely, they think only with their penis.The second is that women can achieve fulfillment and happiness by imitating these "men". The problem is that neither of the above are true.
What has happened is that by holding up seventh-grade sexuality as the model to be imitated, many of the boys emulate what has been expected of them. It became socially acceptable for "men" to bound from bed to bed.
With this, along came date rape, objectification of women and the decline of any real commitment in marriage. The reason abstinence education "doesn't work" isn't because of abstinence. It is because in every direction society is telling boys to sleep with anything that walks.This is most decidedly what manliness is not. Despite the claims of the "adult" entertainment industry, manhood is not glorified penis-idolatry. I enjoy meat and beer as much as the next guy, but that doesn't make me a man.
Manhood involves responsibility, taking on not only the responsibility of a job, but of raising children. Real men are directly involved in their children's lives and don't relegate the duties of parenting to woman.
Manhood involves being able to relate to a woman as a human person, not as a collection of a preferred set of genitalia. Real men can realize that women have intelligence and talents that are useful outside the home. They leave pornography to the boys.
They live lives with a purpose. While boys are running around looking for ways to amuse themselves, men are at the very least providing for their families.
More often, they are pursuing some noble end. The Founding Fathers were men. Hugh Hefner is a boy.
They love their wives. By love, I mean completely and for reasons going far beyond sexual gratification.
They don't view marriage as a relationship where they are recipients of benefits, but as a relationship where they invest their heart and soul into the woman they love, who in turn invests her heart and soul back.
Manhood should not be confused with boyishness and at least one day a year society seems to know the difference. Manliness is a virtue and a pillar of any good society and it is about time we stopped idolizing boyishness.
Posted by John Bambenek at 1:57 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 16, 2006
DI Column Up: Cashing In / How to Become an Illegal Immigrant
You can read it here, or quoted below:
During last semester's immigration protests in Champaign, the migrant community wanted to be accepted as Americans and treated as equals. The United States Senate has gone well above and beyond anything they asked for.The Senate bill will not only grant amnesty, it will actually reward immigrants for braving the desert illegally. Far from being treated as the equals of Americans or legal immigrants, the package offered to them surpasses even the rights and privileges enjoyed by citizens who have lived here for decades.
First, under the bill, illegal immigrants will need to pay three out of the last five years of back taxes to the government. Or, to put it another way, every illegal immigrant gets a two-year break from paying taxes.
Second, the bill would require that they are paid the "prevailing wage" (much higher than minimum wage) for agricultural work. Also, they are granted job protection measures in federal law far beyond what is available to normal Americans and legal immigrants who can be fired for any reason or no reason at all.
Third, they can be paid Social Security benefits based on their employment in the United States while using forged Social Security numbers. With 40 million people having used the Social Security number 000-00-0000, it is clear this measure will generate massive fraud and accelerate the bankruptcy of Social Security.
Many pundits have complained that the proposal to lavish money on illegal immigrants is pandering at its worst. However, instead of complaining about legislators trying to buy new voters, there is a far better solution to this congressional excess. Become an illegal immigrant, too.
Here's how: Take a vacation to Mexico and stop by a U.S. embassy there. Renounce your citizenship and give them your passport. Then travel back to the United States using your driver's license or birth certificate. Congratulations, you are now an illegal immigrant - your La Raza membership card is in the mail.
To take advantage of the two-year tax holiday, return to your job and get a new W-4. In box 7, write "exempt." Do the same for your Illinois W-4. This will stop all tax withholding from your paycheck. Alternatively, get your employer to pay you on a 1099, which has no tax or other withholding. Stop filing tax returns.
Then apply for the amnesty program which will require you to pay back taxes for three of the last five years (which you've already paid). You have now legally evaded taxes for two years.
Now, as an illegal immigrant from Mexico, you can demand affirmative action to get into grad school ahead of those equally qualified (or even a little more qualified). Out-of-state students take note; you can now demand in-state tuition.
Some might say this is cheating the system. I say it is demanding your fair share. The defining image of this nation is an outstretched hand waiting to be paid. It's time we all cash in on the entitlement culture before the government's checks start to bounce.
Posted by John Bambenek at 3:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 13, 2006
DI is back!
The Daily Illini is back in print for the summer. Look forward to my columns on Fridays, and for the record, my first column (6/16) is a satire for those who are satire-impaired.
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June 10, 2006
Quote from me Featured in "School Reform News"
The June 2006 issue of School Reform News quotes this column I wrote on Champaign Unit 4 Schools. (Page 6, "In Other Words").
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May 3, 2006
DI Column up: Academic Serfdom
You can read it here. For the record, I booked this topic a month ahead of time, so it's not to jump on the Billy Joe bandwagon.
I eagerly await the response of the unofficial John Bambenek fanclub.
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April 26, 2006
DI Column Up: Pro-Choice Education
You can read it here. It is in response to this and this. Essentially, cops are being put in the schools in Champaign.
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April 24, 2006
On responding to the critics
Of all the columns I've ever written, the column on Intelligent Design (where I say ID is not science, that evolution might be sufficient to explain to origins of life, and so on) has generated, by far, the most response. The response largely confirms my thesis, that at the mere mention of Intelligent Design, minds snap shut. In this case, they snapped shut so fast, they didn't even get to the part where I said ID isn't science and insist that is what I was saying.
That aside, I think I've learned a valuable lesson, to not waste time on the knee-jerk reactionaries in the blogosphere. The gay marriage debate has shown me that it is still possible to disagree with one another and still have an intelligent discussion. However, it is pointless to try to argue with the zealots that troll the fever swamp of prefabricated thought. If they want to comment here, fine. For my part, I'm done with them.
Posted by John Bambenek at 9:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 19, 2006
2 DI Columns Up: "Public Good?" and "Social Justice for Immigrants"
Today, the opinions page is the John and Brian Pierce show, with two columns each from both of us. Public Good? is a point-counterpoint on gay marriage as a prelude to the panel discussion on gay marriage Brian and I will be on Thursday, April 20th at 7pm in the Union - Illini Room A.
The second article, Social Justice for Immigrants is an article defending enforcement of immigration laws from a social justice perspective.
I'm sure the hate mail will be flowing freely as apparently I generate the most letters of any other writer for the DI.
UPDATE:
For instance, hate mail like this. Oh wait, that's really warm and compassionate... my bad.
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DI Letter Fun
There were two amusing letters the past few days. This one continues to attack me for a position I don't hold and tries to make an attempt to call me a heretic at that. This amuses me.
First, the Church has authority to declare teachings that require obedience in the areas of faith and morals... only. Even if the documents in question were meant to authoritatively establish evolution as a theory of creation, they would still not be binding under the authority of the Church.
Two, I never, at any point, stated I (1) believe in Intelligent Design or (2) that evolution was wrong, or (3) that Intelligent Design is scientific. In fact, for the later two, I said the exact opposite.
Three, the talk I reference in my column was held at a Catholic Church, and for that matter, not one that is known for heterodoxy.
Once again, illiteracy seems to reign.
The second letter criticized an earlier editorial for the various anti-war groups hording annual township meetings to get impeachment and anti-war referenda on the ballot. The idea that the DI (who ran out Acton for publishing politically incorrect cartoons) is the ideological soulmate of the OBO is amusing.
Posted by John Bambenek at 10:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 17, 2006
Thought-blocking Pettiness
When I wrote on intelligent design last week, I knew I was in for some fan-mail. The interesting part about the fan-mail is that instead of effectively criticizing my article, it actually proves my point.
The column takes no position on intelligent design, namely it does not defend it as science (and, in fact, outright says it isn't science) but suggests that it should not be treated as a forbidden question to ask. There is no indication to the intelligent reader that the position is to remove evolution and replace it with ID. That is, unless the reader is encumbered by thought-blocking pettiness.
In fact, the column even goes so far to suggest that evolution as a theory of creation may be proven true over time. However, the search for truth is not aided by insisting assumptions go unchallenged and that certain questions must not be asked.
However, when the responses came in through the blogosphere or through e-mail or the paper it became clear why many people are concerned about the level of literacy among undergrads, the the common citizens, and for that matter the PhD holders.
Skipping past the absurdity of making an "intelligent defense" of science using ad hominems, it is clear that those authors are not actually responding to what was said in the column but engaging in trench warfare at the mere mention of intelligent design. It demonstrates not that science is defensible, but that the modern state of "science" militantly demands certain questions and fields on inquiry should be banned. ID may or may not be science… but is it true?
The behavior exhibited by those who man the trenches at the moment ID is mentioned is not that of a free, open, and inquiring mind, but the behavior of a mind that snaps shut like a steel trap when their assumptions are challenged.
And now, there's even a T-shirt to commemorate the event....
Posted by John Bambenek at 9:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 13, 2006
DI Column up: "Unchallenged Assumptions"
You can read it here on the restriction of discussing intelligent design in the University because it challenges established orthodoxies. It so far has torqued 4 grad students into sending letters.
Posted by John Bambenek at 11:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 5, 2006
DI Column Up: We Still Don't Need a Weatherman
You can read it here.
I'll be going to their meeting on academic freedom this afternoon because they are scared silly about Horowitz's campaign and how it is going to "silence" their voices.
Posted by John Bambenek at 9:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 30, 2006
DI Column Up : Do The Math
The latest column I have done for the DI is up Do The Math. It's a point-counterpoint against Eric Naing who believes that seperation of Church and State means we cannot allow people to choose any religion.
Posted by John Bambenek at 5:55 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 15, 2006
Column up: The Politics of Belligerance
You can read it here.
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March 2, 2006
More Wikipedia Fun
Why is it every time I write a controversial column for the DI, someone tries to delete my wikipedia biography?
Posted by John Bambenek at 5:56 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 1, 2006
DI Column Up: Lent and the Carnival
ATTENTION Dawn Patrol Readers: This is the article Dawn is referring to.
You can read it here. I'll have some pictures from Sex Out Loud later today probably.
UPDATE:
There really weren't any pictures worth taking. Table of condoms and genital shaped chocolates really. Everything else was just stupid.
UPDATE 2:
Thanks for the link and kind words, Dawn Eden!
Posted by John Bambenek at 7:11 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 26, 2006
My Column Next Week: Sex Out Loud
Here's a heads-up to what I'm writing on this week, the annual festival of debauchery, Sex Out Loud. Below is the email they sent out, read for yourself.
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Dear Organizational Representative,
Please forward this to your organization, coworkers,
friends, classes, staff or faculty:
The Fourth Annual Sex Out Loud! Sexual Health Awareness Fair
will be taking place on Wednesday, March 1, from 9a - 3p in
the Union rooms A, B, and C.
This exciting, free event provides an open and safe
environment for people to learn about, discuss, and explore
sexual health information and resources. This year's event
will feature a live DJ, a teen dating violence skit
performed by the Teen Awareness Group, an excerpt
performance of the Vagina Monologues, interactive games and
activities, prizes, and information on topics including:
Abortion
Abstinence
BDSM
Birth Control
Body Image
Body Modification
Emergency Contraception
Healthy Relationships
HIV/AIDS
International Women's Rights
Intersexed People and Sexuality
LGBT Issues
Men's Health
People with Disabilities and Sexuality
Sex Toys
Sexual Myths and Facts
Sexually Transmissible Infections
Violence Against Women
Women's Health
And Much More!
Sex Out Loud! is cosponsored by:
Annie Hopkins, Rehabilitation/Disability Studies Student
Champaign County Health Care Consumers
CIL-KY
Greater Community AIDS Project
Fantasy's
Feminist Majority
Interfaith Religious Leaders
Kim Rice, Sexuality Educator at McKinley Health Center
Lamba Pi Upsilon
Men Against Sexual Violence
New Life Tattoos
NOW, UIUC Chapter
Office of Women's Programs/CARE
Planned Parenthood of East Central Illinois
PRIDE
Pure Romance
Rape Crisis Services/A Woman's Fund
Reverend Karen Bush, United Church of Christ
Sexual Health Peers
Sexual Orientation Diversity Ally Committee, Counseling
Center
TAG
Tim Shea, McKinley Church
Help support sexual health awareness and come to the Fourth
Annual Sex Out Loud! Sexual Health Awareness Fair on March 1
in the Union.
Thank You!
Megan Kough
President Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance at the
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
Posted by John Bambenek at 10:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
DI Article Up: Race-Baiting for Fun and Profit
Here it is. I think it kinda sucked. I was tired.
Posted by John Bambenek at 10:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 15, 2006
DI Column Up: False Religion
Oh yeah, I have a column up,False Religion. Take a look.
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 14, 2006
DI: Editors who ran cartoon suspended
Yes, it's true. Yes, it's a sham.
Here is the Publisher's note.
Posted by John Bambenek at 9:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
DI: My Comment up about the cartoons
You can read my comments on running the cartoons in the DI. It's the second blurb, the attribution is on the second page (i.e. it starts with journalists and telling stories).
Posted by John Bambenek at 10:06 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 13, 2006
Editorial up: The Edit Board Revolts over Cartoons
I'll let you read it for yourselves. There's an all-staff meeting this evening, high comedy will likely ensue.
UPDATE:
The editor-in-chief and opinions editor wrote a response that did not get published. Perhaps a strange technical glitch...
UPDATE 2:
The response is now published.
UPDATE 3:
Additional thoughts from another DI staffer up at the Next Frontier.
UPDATE 4:
As far as the Sabir issue is concerned, yeah wrote a letter and yeah, he's Acton's friend. But he's also the student body VP and a Muslim. He's the best pick for public voice here, and it wasn't like he didn't come down hard on Acton.
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:44 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 9, 2006
DI Reprints Mohammed Cartoons...
I got wind of this early, but today the Daily Illini reprinted the infamous Mohammed Cartoons and as was expected, they were flooded with phone calls, letters, etc. The news has broken nationally with the old editor and chief posting updates.
Personally, I don't know how I feel about it except to say that the new editor meant to prove a point and got the reaction he wanted. At some point I'll write on my opinions of the mischaracterizing of free speech (private citizens influencing others to not run things is not a free speech issue, certainly not in terms of the 1st Amendment), but the situation is pretty deep in all the issues it covers. I'm trying to put together a panel discussion on the issue, we'll see where it goes.
Michelle Malkin plugs it and more on the issue.
UPDATE: Here is the Chancellor's response.
UPDATE 2: Here's a brief quote from the AP article out on the subject (Not known is it is linked online anywhere yet)...
AP-IL PROPHET DRAWINGS DAILY ILLINI Student-run newspaper reprints some of Danish newspaper's cartoonsCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - The student-run newspaper that serves the University of Illinois community on Thursday ran reprints of some of the cartoons whose publication has sparked outrage and violence in many parts of the Islamic world.
The Daily Illini, which is independent of the UI, ran only six of the 12 cartoons first published in September in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten, but led with the one that has caused the greatest furor: a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb as part of his turban.
Posted by John Bambenek at 5:14 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 8, 2006
DI Column Up: Mass Taxing District
My weekly DI column is up at the DI.
Despite claims to the contrary, I'm not a libertarian. The CU-MTD is just a waste of money.
Posted by John Bambenek at 3:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 1, 2006
DI Column Posted: A revolution of mediocrity
You can read it here.
Posted by John Bambenek at 7:25 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 30, 2006
Letter for the College Dems
You know, this letter actually made me regret taking out one of the original punch lines in the article... I was going to make reference to this campus' College Dem chapter as the "Donkey Punch" chapter. Last semester they wore shirts that said "Donkey Punching our way to victory". If you don't know what a Donkey Punch is, look it up, it isn't good. The College Repubs had a field day in the paper and on campus with it. But in short, I figured not to include it because I'd be sinking to their level. I still think that was the best idea, despite their flailing letter to accuse me of misinformation for not presenting their spin. How exactly is a pension system made stronger by not funding it again? Dare we talk about Rod wh is under federal investigation (probably several)?
===
If you want to talk about indiscretions, we should talk about your clubs fetish with deviant sexual assault by glorfying donkey punches...
And the Republican party is not "mine", I don't identify them. There is no misinformation in my article, you just take pause with me not buying into the DNC party juice. If you want to talk about extortion, you do know Rod is on Fitzgerald's hitlist after he wraps up the Plame Non-Crime prosecution, don't you?
Posted by John Bambenek at 10:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 21, 2006
2 DI Letters Yesterday
I'd link to them, but the DI's website sucks. One was basically, "well why didn't Bush just go to FISA?" It's an interesting question, and entirely independent of the issue at hand, whether it was legal to do what Bush did. Why didn't he go to FISA? Some say FISA was getting less cooperative but in the end, because he didn't have to.
The second letter accuses me of factual inaccuracies while not understanding the difference between data-mining and eavesdropping. Just because a call was monitored by this program doesn't mean that it got flagged for analsys.
At least this time they actually read what I wrote before responding.
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 18, 2006
DI Column Posted: Connecting the Dots
You can read it here.
The editor who worked on this, a liberal, particularly had a problem with my description of abortion as "the right of women to kill their babies for reasons of convenience". She didn't want to get drowned in another sea of letters like my last column caused.
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 12, 2005
Wow, 3 Letters...
3 letters to the editor were posted in response to my column, The wrong question. I guess no one dares let me step off the plantation unchallenged.
First, this one where I owe the world an apology. This kind of letters irritate me, not because they disagree, but because of the hysteria that they represent... I have an opinion, why should I apologize for it. I'm not talking about killing off the Jews. Second, as far as the Catholic and Orthodox churches, some local churches did bless same-sex relationships, they NEVER, however pretended that they were equivalent to marriage, and it apparently had little to do with sex. If this book is trying to make the point the Catholic Church did same-sex marriages, I won't bother reading the rest of the book for the simple fact is that the author has to try and twist facts. Read this review on Boswell's book for more.
This guy misunderstood my point entirely. I was suggesting we talk about what we want marriage to be in general, I was less advocating a specific position (though I have one). As far as social recognition of marriage and the benefits conferred, yes, that is EXACTLY my point. Societies shouldn't be in the business of recognizing useless institutions.
I'm not sure what this guy is responding to. In short, because *I* would be in the category of unmarried if I was arguing that. But here's the thing about fertility, you never really know most of the time. Couples have gone upwards of 10 years before having their own child. If someone chooses not to have children because of their life circumstances, they can change their mind in one cycle. No amount of mental wrangling will allow for gay couples to produce their own children.
Lastly, somehow people thought I was eliminating love from the equation of marriage. What part of life partner and loving relationship implied love had no role?
Posted by John Bambenek at 9:07 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
December 2, 2005
Column Posted: The Prada Punditry
Read it here.
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:06 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
November 18, 2005
Column Posted: "Menial Concerns"
You can read my latest column, this time on the Chief Illiniwek controversy, here.
One minor correction, somewhere in the process of editing, the third paragraph talks of the US Department of Civil Rights. What I intended to refer to was the Campus Dialogue on the Chief, but that part of the editing I wasn't involved with and they thought I refered to a US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights investigation (not US Department of Civil Rights).
Sorry for the confusion.
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 12, 2005
Column Posted: The Democrat's Plantation
You can read it here.
Posted by John Bambenek at 7:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 5, 2005
Column Posted: Fatherless in America
You can read it here.
Posted by John Bambenek at 7:37 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 28, 2005
DI Column Posted: Broken Promise
You can read it here
Posted by John Bambenek at 12:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 14, 2005
DI Column up: Creating a Crisis
Read it here.
Posted by John Bambenek at 4:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 7, 2005
DI Column up: Overthrowing Oceania
You can read it here
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 28, 2005
What is it with Anti-semites?
David Green, local anti-semite, writes in to the DailyIllini on the occasion of Simon Wiesenthal's death to spew his hateful diatribe. He has nothing against Wiesenthal, he just can't stand to let them man pass in peace without taking a swipe at the Jews and the US for being evil regimes. He much prefers us to be happier and more just regimes like Soviet Russia, Saddam's Iraq, the Taliban's Afghanistan, Hitler's Germany, or some other of the joyous left-wing paradises out there.
For reference, this was the column he was writing in response to.
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 23, 2005
DI Column Posted: Don't Get Stuck on Stupid
You can read it here.
You can see my the snippet of the e-mail Kagan sent here about the alleged racial cleansing on New Orleans.
If you'd like to read about the many conservatives who have been silenced or discriminated against nationwide, I encourage you to check out FIRE
Posted by John Bambenek at 8:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 21, 2005
National Conservative Coming Out Day - Summary and Pics
Well the National Conservative Coming Out Day has come and gone. For about the ten or so conservatives that were there, there were about 100 or so protesters. Most of the time they sat there with their backs turned, held up signs, and were quiet. There were members of I-Resist (who isn't a legitimate organization anymore apparenlty) with a megaphone that kept making noise. One picture below is a guy who yelled "stop being a dick". PRIDE was there trying to say they didn't like the stereotyping but in their press release they stereotype conservatives as wanting women in the kitchen.
My article in the DI on Friday will have most of my opinions, but here are some parting pictures of the event which was, all in all, uneventful. Pictures are in the full entry, click on it. My favorite is the 5th picture of the girl protesting intolerance and bigotry by wearing a shirt that has a racial slur on it.
The all of about 6 conservatives up there, outnumbers by probably even the number of cops on the scene.
Can't have a coming out without a closet door, I guess.
Some of the hundred some odd protesters.
One of their signs.
Nothing like protesting bigotry and intolerance while wearing a T-shirt with racial slurs.
This was megaphone, stop being a dick, guy.
Posted by John Bambenek at 6:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 19, 2005
DI Responses: I am amused
I make points, the lefties bring ad hominems. I'm amused.
Another column kinda in response
and
Posted by John Bambenek at 9:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 16, 2005
DailyIllini Column up: The War on Free Speech
You can read it here...
Or you can comment below.
Posted by John Bambenek at 7:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 14, 2005
DI Letters to the Editor
I got two DI letters to my last column. Neither address the fact that it was, in fact, Mayor Nagin who left 500 buses to get destroyed instead of evacuating his people.
What does this have to do with anything? Nothing.
Jason, a history major, has never read anything that has filled him with such anger as when I call someone who is a communist a commie. I got a good laugh at least.
Posted by John Bambenek at 12:23 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 9, 2005
DailyIllini: Column up "Misplaced Blame"
"Misplaced Blame" is up.
Got some mail on it too. Enjoy, send comments.
Posted by John Bambenek at 7:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 6, 2005
DailyIllini: Best. Ambassador. Evar!
I forgot to put up a link to my DI column that ran Sept. 2nd. Here it is.
Posted by John Bambenek at 11:33 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 30, 2005
DI Point/Counterpoint Published: Expelling Radicals
My latest for the DailyIllini is up. It was on the question of expulsion of radical Islamic preachers who advocate and stir people up for terrorists acts, as Britain and France are already expelling them.</