The Cartoons

By Maroon Editorial Staff / February 21, 2006

The suspension of two editors on the board of the University of Illinois’s Daily Illini as a result of their decision to print cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad is cause for serious concern about the extent of freedom of the press. Factual questions about the suspension aside, the idea that a publisher might suspend a...

What do the cartoons actually depict?

By Laura Hamilton / February 21, 2006

In “The Cartoons Of Muhammad Are Only Racist Islamophobia,” Rahaf Kalaaji wrote, “Like most Muslims, I wholeheartedly condemn the violence that has been part of the protests.” I applaud his explicit condemnation of the violence that has led, to name a few examples, to the deaths of at least 10 in Libya and at least...

Israel cannot afford to alienate Hamas

By Benjamin Farkash / February 21, 2006

Ehud Olmert, Israel’s acting prime minister, has announced that Israel will withhold the taxes it collects for the Palestinian Authority in response to Hamas’s ascension to power. This is just the latest in a long line of poorly considered decisions concerning Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. Given the continued support for Ariel Sharon’s Kadima party,...

Go Green

By The Maroon Staff / February 17, 2006

The University’s recent announcement that it will purchase wind-powered energy credits for the undergraduate residence halls bodes well for its long-standing commitment to the environment. At $160,000 a year, the money spent on the energy contract hardly strains a campus energy bill that already totals $1,990,000. On top of that, we applaud the fact that...

Saddam’s trial has only revived his power

By Patrick Burke / February 17, 2006

There have been many eloquent apologies for the unremitting chaos of the Saddam Hussein trail. Some believe that, even though the trial may often resemble a circus more than a conventional judicial affair, it is good to see Iraqis independently executing something non-military in nature. Despite the self-empowering effect the prosecution of its former oppressor...

The U of C has a dangerous addiction

By Patrick Hogan / February 17, 2006

From our primeval ancestors’ first ruminative munching on cacao leaves to the latest cocktails of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, people have been subject to an ever-expanding set of psychological and chemical addictions for millennia. In fact, the range of addictions on campus is almost as diverse as the student body itself. There are...

The cartoons of Muhammad are only racist Islamophobia

By Rahaf Kalaaji / February 17, 2006

It’s not about cartoons. It’s not about freedom of speech, expression, or the press. It’s not about a “clash of civilizations.” The controversy over the Danish cartoons that negatively portrayed the Prophet Muhammad is about racism, equality, and whether we as Muslims are welcome as citizens in the West. As the protests worldwide have escalated in...

Say Uncle

By Maroon Editorial Staff / February 14, 2006

The coffee shop formerly known as Uncle Joe’s has recently implemented some undesirable changes. A fee was instituted to play pool, happy hour is now called unhappy hour, and the shop was given the uninspired new name of Hallowed Grounds. The staff even went so far as to erect a sign greeting customers with the...

Don’t take our media’s freedom lightly

By Barney Keller / February 14, 2006

Before I sat down to write this column, I reread The Days are Just Packed, one of Bill Watterson’s collections of Calvin and Hobbes comics. When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was to sit in my bed and read the Sunday edition of Calvin and Hobbes. I loved that...

Bush’s fiscal policy: Spend, spend, spend

By Laura Hamilton / February 14, 2006

The President has made it perfectly clear that although he is a Republican he is not a conservative, and nowhere was this more apparent than in the recent budget proposal. The first problem with Bush’s budget is that it is $2.77 trillion. The only thing more disturbing than the size of the figure is John...

Before alcohol, there was Truth or Dare

By Leila Sales / February 14, 2006

I agree with teenaged girls on most issues. I agree with them that singing sensation Aaron Carter is totally hot. I agree with them that The Princess Diaries are the best books currently in print. I even agree with them that pencil cases are better when they’re pink and sparkly. But, sadly, I cannot agree...

The University needs to realize private jokes have no real victims

By Dana Chandler / February 14, 2006

The administration acted shamefully by excessively punishing two Hitchcock students for using racial epithets in jest. It is disturbing how the administration seems unconcerned with the intent of the statements and whether they caused anyone actual harm. The students whose whiteboard was written on were not in the least bit victimized. They understood that those...