Centurion, December 2005

THE CENTURION
Volume II, Issue IV The Journal of Conservative Thought at Rutgers University December 2005
Veritas vos Liberabit $1.00 2005 THE CENTURION, INC.
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Special Christmas Special Christma Special Christma Issue II
THE CENTURION is part of the Collegiate Network
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
3. Contents
4. Letters to the Editor
5. "I Have a Dream"
RUTGERS TOPICS
6. This Month at Rutgers
8. Rutgers Against The War- Rebutted!
9. RCGA Allocations, Zofnger
14. Knight Control, DevCo, Top 5 Dicks
15. Christmas Caroling, Anticapitalist Activities
COMMENTARY
16. Brutus
17. Be Pro-Life: Support the Death Penalty
18. Gay Marriage Amendment Point-Counterpoint
19. A Very Special Liberal Holiday Carol
20. France is Our Oldest Enemy
21. Moral Relativism: Friend of Oppression
22. Wishing Godspeed to James O'Keefe
10. Pentagon Peepers, Fools, Danger of Prayer, Brown Irony
11. NYCLU Strikes Out, Welfare Reform, Contractor Corruption
12. 9/11 Connections, Secondhand Smoke, National Grapevine
13. Political Cartoons
OUTSIDE THE IVORY TOWER
December 2005 Issue, printed December 9, 2005.
Don't let them fool you by playing
dead. Rutgers Against The War is alive
and up to no good and and . Page 8
The French ag... symbol of
one of our worst enemies.
Page 20
Experience Christmas carol-
ing with your favorite campus
conservatives. Page 15
How is supporting the death
penalty pro-life? Find out on
Page 17!
THE
CENTURION
FOUNDED MMIV
Editor-in-Chief
James O'Keefe
While Directors, Ofcers, Members, Writers, and Staff of THE CENTURION at Rutgers,
Inc. may be students, faculty, or staff of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, THE
CENTURION at Rutgers, Inc. is a corporation separate and distinct from Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey. Although the decision to publish work is made by Ofcers of
THE CENTURION, the views, opinions, and representations herein are those of the several
authors, and are not necessarily those of THE CENTURION at Rutgers, Inc. The views,
opinions, and representations in THE CENTURION are those of the student organization
or the individual authors, and do not represent the views, opinions, and representations
of Rutgers College or Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey."
Disclaimer
VOLUME II, ISSUE IV THE CENTURION | DECEMBER 2005 PAGE 3
Board of Directors
Jeffrey Erickson
Anthony Gioia Karen Milideo
Faculty Advisor
Harry W. Power, PhD
Photographer
Craig Urbanowicz
Art Director
Justine Mertz
Special Thanks
The Leadership Institute The Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Layout Editor
Daniel Francisco
Learn the words to the liberal
holiday song that will soon be
sweeping the nation! Page 19
Quotes from around
the nation in National
Grapevine. Page 12
New Pentagon spy
powers! Page 10
THE CENTURION is the Journal of Conservative Thought at Rutgers University. Our motto is "Veritas vos Liberabit,"
which means "The truth shall set you free." THE CENTURION was founded in 2004 and incorporated in 2005.
At the University, protocol should require a full examination of disciplines in which truth is uncertain, even if
those areas of debate are provocative, controversial, or conducive to potentially offensive discussion. However, dis-
course at Rutgers is stied in the name of political correctness, which compromises the pursuit of truth. Therefore, we
assemble a monthly publication exposing student, faculty and administrative corruption at Rutgers. We shall not falter in
our pursuit of justice.
We adhere to American founding principles and those of scal and moral responsibility. We maintain a belief not
simply in human rights, but human duty. We advocate a strong national defense and limited government intervention in
the private sector. We believe strongly in the right of Americans to bear arms; in equality of opportuniy, not outcome;
in family, in valuable and sensible tradition, and in a higher being.
Send all submissions, commentary, questions, suggestions, requests for autographs or sexual rendezvous, and death
threats to mail@rucenturion.com. THE CENTURION welcomes unsolicited submissions of writing, artwork and graphics.
Work submittetd in this fashion becomes the property of THE CENTURION at Rutgers, Inc. and may be edited for length,
grammar, and content. Please contact THE CENTURION regarding the procedures for submitting work for publication.
THE CENTURION can be found on the web at www.rucenturion.com. General body meetings are at 9 PM on Tues-
day in room 439 of the Student Center on the College Avenue Campus. We are always seeking additions to our editoral
staff!
Managing Editor - External Affairs
Wesley James Young
Managing Editor - New Brunswick
Roger Masi
Business Manager
Mary Salvagio
Executive Secretary
Natalie Poole
Publisher
Matthew Klimek
Executive Editor
Dan Whitney
Contributors
Kian Barry
Josh Curran
Candice Greaux
Ashley Little
Greg Walker
Jordan Young
David J. Maxham III
Copy Editor
Ariah Laing
God is a being that is beyond our capacity to under-
stand. Ruling Him out because our scientists do not
understand how He could possibly exist is taking the
same easy way out that Michael asserts that the pro-
ponents of Intelligent Design are taking.
It is possible to acknowledge our ignorance in many
areas, and to acknowledge that there are scientic ex-
planations for many phenomena, while still believing in
a supreme creator. These two ideas are not irreconcil-
able, and should not be treated as such.
In regards to Natalie Pooles commentary on Intelligent De-
sign being taught in the public school system (which was just
approved to be included as part of the biology curriculum
in Kansas), I think this comment posted to slashdot.org
Kansas Board of Ed. Adopts Intelligent Design @ Tuesday
November 08, @09:26P is particularly relevant:
From the rst chapter of Carl Sagans The Demon-
Haunted World: In a typical passage Hippocrates wrote:
Men think epilepsy divine, merely because they do not
understand it. But if they called everything divine which they
do not understand, why, there would be no end of divine
things. Instead of acknowledging that in many areas we are
ignorant, we have tended to say things like the Universe is
permeated with the ineffable. A God of the Gaps is assigned
responsibility for what we do not yet understand.
One cannot simply just chalk up what we *currently*
dont understand to the actions of a supreme creator-its
just too easy a way out.
Thank you for taking the time to hear me out.
Michael Woods
THE CENTURION would like to thank Protest Warrior for
the use of their slogan, and to say that we admire them
for the ne work they do counterprotesting against the
extreme Left. We encourage our readers to take a look
at their website at www.protestwarrior.com. We hope
that you enjoy it as much as we have.
We at Protest Warrior have taken notice of the illustration for
the back cover of your November issue of THE CENTURION. I
cant speak for the rest of the organization, but as an individual
PW, Id like to say thanks for taking notice of us. The slogan you
chose is one of our best, in my opinion. Good luck with all your
endeavors at Rutgers.
All the best,
Woodrow Major
Protest Warrior subchapter lead, Murray State University
letters to the editor
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
intelligent design
Address all mail, submissions, letters to the editor, etc., to
THE CENTURION
SAC BOX 191
STUDENT ACTIVITY CENTER
613 GEORGE STREET
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901
or send via email to: mail@rucenturion.com
THE CENTURION reserves the right to publish or not publish
anything submitted. Opinions represented in endorsed commentary do not
necessarily represent those of THE CENTURION.
protest warrior
hate mail from chicago
send thoughts to
mail@rucenturion.com
letters will be printed as sent
Leave Comments at Centurionjournal.blogspot.com
etters will be printed etters will be printed
Visit our website at www.rucenturion.com
danielle strikes back
I just wanted to thank you so very dearly for including an
excerpt from my F*** THE CENTURION facebook group.
I do love that you forgot to include my prediction that you
a**holes would publish it for the cheap content. Im still
very attered that you thought to include me on one of your
rst pages. Im actually going to tear the page out and send
it home to Mom and Dad. Seriously!
Your writers like to conquer bias so much on campus
that I thought Id point a little something out to you: anyone
with even the tone of disagreement to your publication is im-
mediately shot down and insulted on your pages, usually with
little basis, and yet, whenever someone sends in something
supportive, you applaud them. I understand the nature of
your publication to be severely anti-"liberal", but I cant help
but wonder how fair your investigative journalism is if you
are not exercising what you seem to preach. Yes, there are
stupid liberals, but there are stupid conservatives, too. How
about some expository pieces on that? How about insult-
ing your conservative contributors who dont know how to
capitalize I or say stupid s***?
Please, humor me some more. It would tickle my fancy
in ways you couldnt believe.
Danielle Reisch
Danielle accuses us of shooting down anyone who
disagrees with us, usually with little basis. Unfortu-
nately, we are forced to shoot down most of the letters
that we receive from students who disagree with us
because, like Danielle, they resort to ad hominem
attacks rather than presenting arguments in support
of their position.
Many liberal students seem to misunderstand the
ideas and goals behind THE CENTURION, a misunder-
standing aided, perhaps, by the prejudices of those
we oppose on the extreme Left. We welcome com-
ments from those who disagree with us, as a major
purpose of THE CENTURION is to educate students about
conservative philosophy and ideas. If you disagree
with an article you read, tell us! Send us a letter
explaining why you disagree, and the editors will do
their best to respond to your arguments. That is, after
all, why we exist in the rst place.
Danielle was given the opportunity to do just that.
In response to her letter, which was received in early
November, our Executive Editor sent her a lengthy
email addressing her concerns and encouraging her
to respond in an intelligent, civilized manner. This
e-mail was sent on November 10th.
As of press time, no response had been re-
ceived.
from anarchists, with love
For a good laugh, you might check out the Rutgers CENTURION
online, the campus journal of RU students who want to grow
up to be Karl Rove someday (note how its not afliated in any
real sense with the university). Of course, if they were to just get real sense with the university real sense with the university
thrown in jail NOW, in six months they could say they were
ahead of Uncle Karl himself. Perhaps they could even set up
their own prison gang, acting as shock troops and asserting
their might so that when Karl arrives he isnt unmercifully
a**-raped 24 hours a day for his entire sentence. Having seen
their pictures, though, Im going to guess that none of the
Young Republicans at THE CENTURION knows how to le a
toothbrush into a shiv. Too bad for Turd Bloosom; he should
pick his acolytes more carefully.
Anyway, I have changed my mind about THE CENTURION
entirely: those guys (and they are all guys, save one or two
masochistic female hangers-on) are really trying hard to be
amusing and agitating. But, they are strictly bush-league, pun
intended, and they spend most issues groping blindly for
something--anything!--that readers might respond to. Cant
say if it is working--but they keep cranking it out, bless the
little dimwits, whether anyone reads it or not. Id say the
best indicator of their total irrelevance is that they keep
throwing jabs at university president Richard McCormick
and he doesnt respond. Obviously, hes too frightened of
the little Bolsheviks to do anything. No, wait; that doesnt
seem right. I guess he just doesnt notice. How it must hurt
to be common.
Josh Fennell
Graduate Student, University of Illinois - Chicago
dumbocracy.blogspot.com
THE CENTURION, and their minions from the Rutgers Repub-
licans, have been harassing all non-Republicans since their
inception before the 2004 election.
Last spring, during a week-long campus event called Tent
State, THE CENTURION/Republican tent gave shelter to all the
sexist asshole macho guys who were harassing women near the
Womens Center tent. They also are openly racist, really sex-nega-
tive, homophobic (one of their members used to be a lesbian,
but somehow they convinced her to rennounce who she is in
order to serve privilege & hierarchy), they have ties to groups
like The Protest Warriors, and they get huge support from the
coffers of the Good- Old-Boy network of rich conservotrons
infesting this land. Also, their newspaper SUCKS!
They need to know they dont know what theyre dealing
with. Liberals and commies on campus might bend over back-
wards to accomodate them, with some capitulation to fairness
or free speech or whatever, but anarchists know better. These
privileged-as-fuck conservative kids are the college branch of
American fascism, and they shall be dealt with as such.
They have already been exposed for the frauds they are
numerous times, but, you know, privilege doesnt die from reason
alone. The right wing controls the presidency, the courts, the
Congress, the corporations, and a whole hella lot in between. And
so these little crybabies want to control academia, too!
Well, bring it on, young fascists.
Anonymous Posting
http://www.infoshop.org
There are eight women recognized as staff mem-
bers of THE CENTURION, an ofcial student group at ofcial ofcial
Rutgers College. Mr. Fennell needs to get his facts
straight.
Ah, those capitulations to fairness and free speech!
Always getting in the way!
FROM THE FOUNDER
M
uch has changed since the time of Edmund Burke. While prudence, honor,
restraint, reverence, self-discipline, liberty and conviction will always be
conservative, modern conservative declarations seem to directly con-
tradict these classical virtues. There is no better time than now to explore how these
themes have changed and how these virtues clash. This is a time when Peter Lawler
believes the Republicans will become two parties split between anti-libertarians and
libertarians. Former Soviet political prisoner Natan Sharanskys The Case for Democracy
is the neo-conservative version of the Declaration of Independence; calling for the
promotion of democracy for oppressed peoples throughout the world. Fiscally, our
Republican allies are anything but conservative. As the Wall Street tycoon once said,
our trade decit and its scal decit are at nightmare proportions.
But our universities are also at a crossroads, becoming what David French calls
"islands of repression in a sea of liberty." Professors have seemed to have gured out
answers to all of lifes great questions. The Academy is, without a doubt, the lefts last
vast impenetrable fortress. It is an ideological monopoly on truth, which, as Victor
Davis Hansen has said, has adopted a therapeutic curriculum in pursuit of political
objectives. The pseudo-religious rhetoric of diversity has replaced the great rhe-
torical social questions of Plato and Aristotle; the relationship between God and man,
virtue and vice, heroism and cowardice, and beauty and
wisdom. These questions have been replaced with an
obsession, not of veritas, but with skin color.
Rutgers Professors and staff gave 104 times more
money to John Kerry than George W. Bush in the 2004
election cycyle. One Hundred and Four to One. This ratio
is comparable to the political diversity present under
the rule of Genghis Khan.
In our beloved Academy; a supposed citadel of
intellectual brilliance, its commanding ofcers have
become intellectual sloths; unchallenged by any prin-
cipled conservative opposition and unbridled to invite
speakers to campus to compare Bush to the Ku Klux
Klan, or rant about how the war to liberate the middle
east is morally bad in a class completely unrelated to
international relations or its relating philosophies.
From a journalistic standpoint, THE CENTURION is
an avowedly conservative magazine. We implore our
detractors who demand political balance to weigh us on the scale against other student
publications including The Medium, the Green Print, Green Print Green Print The Review and The Review The Review The Caellian. Lets
not forget The Daily Targum, a newspaper from which I was once red. Worry not my
Leftists; the academic fulcrum still tips in favor of you; if not in print (well take this
potential newfound conservative leaning as a testament to our success), then decidedly
so in the classroom. THE CENTURION arrived on the scene last November to a blaz-
ing re, extinguishing it with guerilla tactics; awards on doors, sensitivity complaints,
racist cereals and needed muckraking against local political cronyism. This sardonic
approach seems to have had more efcacy and inuence on our student body which
cares as much about truth as Muslims care about Jesus.
On our campus common sense is blurred by obfuscation; the p.c. patrol, the
diversity police, the self-esteem deans, the speech codes, and the professors violating
core tenets of academic freedom, etc.
I founded THE CENTURION because I have a dream...
I have a dream where diversity refers to more than just the melanin in ones
skin; where conservatives are not to be called fascists for advocating pluralities of
methodologies, perspectives and common sense views.
I have a dream that Lucky Charms is thought of as a breakfast cereal rather than
a symbol of Leprechaun oppression.
I have a dream where the banning of offensive Grease Trucks sandwich names
is of little consequence compared to the rapes of women off campus.
I have a dream someone realizes Rutgers nancial woes just might be due to
dozens of committees and caucuses devoted to advancing our common purposes
as well as pork programs and counselors and their Deans that believe self-esteem is
more important than the process by which you earn it.
I have a dream where we realize guns are no more responsible for Columbine
than spoons are responsible for Michael Moores obesity.
I have a dream where we lay our presents under Christmas Trees, not holiday
shrubs.
I have a dream at least one building or program or committee or scholarship will
be named after our Rutgers Nobel peace prize winning graduate Milton Friedman,
RC 32. His axiom that political freedom requires economic freedom is a lesson
learned only by visiting the graves of the innocent women and children butchered
to death by bloodthirsty tyrants; economic atrocities condoned by the applause of
Paul Robeson's supporters.
I have a dream where bureaucrats, uneducated in matters relating to lifes great
questions, stop putting restrictions on what I can or cant say, stop enacting policies that
arbitrarily prohibit behavior, and stop making value judgments on what I believe.
I have a dream where conservative faculty are free from ideological witch hunts;
where political opinions and/or skin color is prohibited from being considered in the
hiring of university professors.
I have a dream where the unfair employment practices and accusations against
one of our nations most gifted sociobiologists because of his conservative leaning,
is prosecuted by the fullest extent of the law.
I have a dream where they will introduce a biology prerequisite for womens
studies classes.
For we the conservatives, ironically, have become the modern day Henry David
Thoreaus, albeit in a less revolutionary way. For we, the
silent majority, stand athwart history yelling stop in
a place and at a time when our professors and peers
call for radical change.
None of us knew each other a year ago. A man I
considered my best friend last year betrayed me over
chalk yielding, gown wearing overly ambitious students
buying into their own hype. I have met others since
then. The unappreciated wisdom of the encyclopedic
Wesley James Young; whose civility is only matched by
his compassion. The southern legal language of Jeff
Erickson. The untapped artistic genius and patience
of Justine Mertz. The editorial prowess of my suc-
cessor, Dan Whitney, who spent late nights (and their
accompanying early mornings) at production meetings
curbing his enthusiasm, as well as the timely alarm on
his wristwatch. The honor in Alan Marreros eyes. The
steadfast morale of Greg Walker. The Enigmatic Matt
Klimek, consummate but withdrawn...
We publish onward, not in the name of our friendship, but for the love of our
cause. We have nothing to offer but a slightly nave, scant knowledge of modern
conservatism from our readings in outside publications, books and recently, online
journals. The intellectual sloths and anonymous cowards at the pulpit in the ivory tower
at Rutgers who read this sentiment will post on their blogs, with relief, our efforts are
not nearly enough to dethrone them! For we do not have the required experience, can-
not battle student apathy and have not read as much third-rate Marxist hogwash.
But our superior ideas have been time tested, consecrated by the blood of martyrs,
victorious in the world of reality strife-torn by a century plagued by revolution. Our strife-torn strife-torn
naivet is offset by our courage, bound not for each other but for our cause on a
campus that unites in condemning us. I have been hated more in the last year of my
life than in the past 20 years of my existence combined, and most likely more hated
than you readers. And if that seems somewhat dramatic, youre damn right it is. So
entrenched are we in our cause, Matt, Justine and I forfeited characteristics of coyness
and prudence long after we received the anonymous death threats, to prove a point
that we werent even certain would turn out to be effective.
Transcending all of this; we decided to do something about which we cared.
We challenged people to see our version of the truth. It is my contention we have
succeeded.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, leaves us about the hottest thing in town.
I Have a Dream
Justine Mertz
Hey, Rutgers! Decorate your holiday trees, unity trees, culture trees
and giving trees with holiday decorations! But be sure not to violate
the Rutgers Holiday Decoration Fire Safety Guidelines. (http://www.rci.
rutgers.edu/~emergsvc/Holiday.html). There you can nd regulations for
your articial holiday trees! No ammable decorations, combustible tree
skirts or decorative gift packages may be placed on or under an articial
holiday tree!
After youve decorated your holiday tree with holiday decorations, you
can visit the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum and its annual holiday
boutique. You can then stop by the Rutgers University Library during its
holiday schedule, take out your favorite book on Jesus and bring it to the
Annual Holiday Lunch Buffet at the Rutgers University Inn.
Do you sense our sarcasm? Saying Merry Christmas has become
subversive, offensive, taboo; but it shouldnt be. The Christmas tradition is
well founded in American culture. However, modern academics secularist
demands to remove Santa Claus because his jolliness violates the separation
of Church and state may attempt to lose the name Jesus, but they will never
shed His lasting message.
There remains one bastion of sanity, though, as The Glee Club, in all of
its patriarchial glory, will host its annual Christmas Concert December 15
th
in Kirkpatrick Chapel.
We'll be there... in our blazers.
Culture Jam, an organization grossly overfed money from our tuition,
sponsored the speech last month of one Reverend Billy Talen of the
Church of Stop Shopping. Peppering his colorful speech about the evils of
holiday splurging and the exorcisms he performed on Coca-Cola machines
on his trip to that accredited institution of science, the University of
Guelph in Ontario, with random spasms of Amen, hallelujah! the Reverend
delighted the crowd.
Warning of the impending shopocalypse, Reverend Billy also
congratulated activists with the successful banning of Coca-Cola from
Rutgers campuses, never mentioning the fact that the universitys decision to
switch from Coke to Pepsi had less to do with activism than it did with the
additional $2 million dollars Pepsi offered Rutgers. He also forgot to mention
that Pepsi is every bit the multinational and entrepreneurial conglomerate
that Coca-Cola is.
We asked Reverend Billy why he felt we had scored such a victory, replacing
one giant with another. His response? Well, maybe its not a victory, but its
a start. Call us skeptics, but we just dont see it.
Pepsi products were served at the event alongside piles of mostly uneaten
pizzas from Gerlandas. Later in the evening, we found out that the good
Reverend had actually performed an exorcism on a Coke machine and several
California Starbucks locations.
Mark 8:33 revised;
May Stalin be my light / Let not the fascist lead me
Step back Conservative / Never tempt me with material things
What you offer me is evil / Drink the Coke yourself.
AT:
Merry Holiday!
Historically, colleges and universities have tried to keep criminals off
their campuses.
But at Princeton University, our neighbor, a group called the Walid
Shoebat Foundation tried to invite some self-avowed terrorists to speak on
campus. The name of their event, which was canceled two days before its
scheduled occurrence on the 8
th
, was called Inside the Mind of a Suicide
Bomber," and featured three terrorists who have been guilty of attacks
against innocent women and children in Israel and the Middle East.
The people they invited included two leaders in the PLO, and another
terrorist who tried to lynch an Israeli soldier. Princeton University cancelled
the event due not to safety concerns, but rather because these individuals were
being proclaimed (albeit self-righteously) as terrorists, and such language is
inammatory. Event organizers vowed to ght the Universitys decision.
The fathers of the children that were butchered by these barbarians may
now nd solace that Walid Shoebat, Zak Anani and Ibrahim Abadallahs
feelings were not hurt.
Rutgers University Health Services (which received a 98 out of 100 score
on the most recent report card issued by the JCAHO), published in
the Mechanical Malfunctions subcategory of The Male Body: an owners
manual for care and maintenance, If you think youll ejaculate (come)
too quickly, distract yourself with thoughts about something other than the
sex-batting averages, that chem test coming up, anything! A distraction can
help you last longer.
Another bit of insight in the 4-Door, 2-Door, [sic] or SUV: Does Size
Really Matter subcategory includes, Its the motion of the ocean, not of
the size of the ship that really matters.
Finally, in the Accessories subcategory, they recommend [Using]
avored condoms or avored lubricants for oral intercourse.
We just thought you would like to know this vital information from our
accredited and award-winning department.
Reverend Billy when he is not performing
exorcisms on coffee cups
=
Professors across the country have been caught red-handed trying
to indoctrinate students with their personal beliefs, so now they have
resorted to using the red pens in their hands. A recent 2004 survey, (printed
in the December 2005 Playboy), found that a third of college students said
they had pretended to hold liberal beliefs to get a better grade. For example, in
a class entitled Third World Women in the Rutgers Sociology Department
proctored by Ms. Schuster last spring, students were required to answer a
question worded, Explain how President Bushs policies in Iraq have led
to a loss of rights for women. The discipline of sociology, riddled with
the Marxist, fatalistic doctrine that a citizen is completely at the mercy of
her society and cant do anything about it, provides many biased questions
such as these, ranging from the environment to corporate responsibility to
the endless tirade about how the West is supposedly responsible for every
misfortune in the Third World.
We all condemn statistical bias and survey bias, but we should heed
the push-polling analogy from sampling - where the respondent wishes
to please the questionnaire with the right answer - and apply it directly
to the humanities and social sciences.
What is the point of an open-ended question if it already suggests
an answer?
Aye, there's the rub!
THIS MONTH AT RUTGERS
...
Howard Wineberg of the Sociology Department refused to call
Stephen M. Quackenbush by his real name in his criminology class.
While checking attendance, Howard
Wineberg, PhD exercised caution
with the sufx of Stephens surname -
Quacken...Im not saying that last part
- while at other times calling Stephen
Quackenkerry.
Yes, Dr. Wineberg, he is your
president, too.
During the summer of 2004, when the constitution for your beloved
publication was being written, high school pals R. Byran Karch and
James OKeefe approached nearly every professor in the History and Political
Science Departments in their search for an advisor. None of the 100K+
salary-earners wanted to associate themselves with our publication. One
gave a rational reply: My political work requires that I remain a bit more
neutral than your club would permit [sic] so I have to decline your offer.
This was followed by another NO, and a What youre doing doesnt
seem appropriate. Another quite ignorantly said, Philosophy majors dont
belong in politics.
As fate would have it, a Marxist signed on as the rst faculty advisor
of THE CENTURION. What ensued was a comprehensive debate on the
contract, libertarian philosophy and utility. As it turns out, the self-described
pragmatist - who believes America is the most socialist country on the
planet - signed on in a manipulative attempt to convert us politically.
This month heralded the anniversary of the threats and obscenities
from the fabulous Dr. James Livingston of the History Department, the
rst faculty advisor of THE CENTURION. We remember his glory with a quote
over the phone to the very mellow Matthew Klimek and his nal e-mail to
our organization, verbatim:
The proletariat again organized in Murray Hall, and we again donned
our blazers. However, there was no talk of economic oppression,
corporate greed or the downside of capitalism; rather, the talk turned to the
idea of a University-wide book-swap and a coat drive.
This book-swap is a good idea, as students are constantly being ripped
off by rising book prices and the reigning bookstores in New Brunswick. A
book-swap would provide a forum for students to trade books at a similar
price, preventing the expenditure of students money. Though still in its early
stages, the book-swap shows promise, with ideas ranging from a massive
listserv to a website, from signing people up via clipboard to tabling at Brower
Commons. Unfortunately, the challenges facing such a system are signicant;
it does not seem realistic to believe that a book-swap would work effectively
for all 28,000 Rutgers students.
The latter half of the meeting focused on providing coats for the less
fortunate. One student exclaimed that he was ready to get up early and hand
out coats to needy people on George Street. Not only did this student have
coats, but also had shirts and pants for distribution.
Enough B.S. You all are pretty funny
in your tortured efforts to be faithful
to the truth as you understand it.... I
reiterate: youd better call me before
9:00 AM tomorrow. Tuesday, 30
November 2004 00:34:19 - 0500
(To Matt Klimek after he asked Dr.
Livingston why he is such a bitter
man on the phone):
Matt, dont f*** with me.
politicsandletters.blogspot.com
The recent vandalism of the cross that stood on the front lawn of
the Trinity House on College Ave. simultaneously demonstrates the
attackers own intolerance and paranoia of the Christian faith, and their
ignorance of it.
Trinity Houses message, We hope, was an expression of their
condence and trust in the grace and power of God rather than in man. The
vandals twisted this message to read, We hope were right, in an attempt
to portray Christianity as a vain and foolish faith.
The staff and students of Trinity House turned this despicable act into
an opportunity to show the true nature of Christianity by showing no hard
feelings toward the attackers, even inviting them for dinner. As Christ told
His Father to forgive those who put Him to death, so the Christians at Trinity
House have extended forgiveness and Christs love to those who demonstrated
their hate and intolerance against the Cross and its message of hope.
It takes a bigger person to forgive and love someone who has wronged
you than it does to anonymously attack the property and earnest beliefs of
people with whom you disagree.
At this semesters involvement fair, 52 students signed requests to
be refunded the $8.95 they had unwittingly paid to NJPIRG student
chapter through their term bills. Thats a total of $465.40! Their requests have
been forwarded to the NJPIRG
ofce and THE CENTURION will
be waiting to see if they are
fullled.
Dont forget to opt-out of
the NJPIRG fee by checking the
circle on your Spring Term bill,
and save your money from being
sent to high-dollar lobbyists in
Washington!
...
A Bunch of RAW Sewage
In his journalism
c l a s s e nt i t l e d
Media and Government
with Instructor Dina
Long, Ryan Yacco was
required to write about
a Pundit, contrasting Eric
Altermans conception of
such in his book, What
Liberal Media?
Mr. Yacco wrot e
about the Editor-in-Chief
of THE CENTURION.
Both of these ideas are admirable, as they apply to students regardless
of where they stand politically. While our economic views happen to conict
with those of the Anti-Capitalists, we share common ground in the ght for
lower book prices and clothing the needy. Surely, students of all political views
can agree with these worthwhile goals.
You may have read our op-ed in The Daily Targum on November
22nd that responded to Mike Yaccos depiction of our editors at the
organization of anarchists in Murray Hall on November 12th. (Anti-capitalist
forum draws support, contention, Nov. 14th).
O'Keefe: Imagine the conservative editors of THE CENTURION denying
entrance of do-rag wearing African-Americans to our general body meetings
because such uniforms are in order to intimidate people. Imagine our staff
writers telling them their reputation proceeds them.
Normally, we dont use the pejorative term African-American. Not only
does the term convey an imprecise cultural and geographic meaning, it is
not as eclectic as the term black, which refers to Caribbean, African and
other black populations. Furthermore, we believe that we are all Americans,
regardless of our racial or ethnic origins. However, the Targum is appalled by
the use of the term black, as it tells its biweekly columnists every semester,
and uniformly uses African-American. For this reason, we used African-
American in our op-ed. To our surprise, the Targum editors went against
their own policy by changing African-American to black, just for us.
It is worth noting that even the anarchists disagreed with correspondent
Mike Yaccos approach; the article in the Targum was quite misleading;
the purpose of the gathering was an attempt to strategize and meet other
people. (infoshop.org).
Although the editors kept true to their word in publishing our editorial,
for which we express our gratitude, they are neglecting their responsibilities
as objective journalists by changing phrases in their op-eds.
The Targum changes "African-Americans" to "Blacks," just for us!
As reported in the September issue, THE CENTURION is hard at work
getting the home of the Economics Department, New Jersey Hall,
renamed to Milton Friedman Hall, in honor of the Nobel Laureate and
Rutgers class of 32 grad. We submitted our proposal to the University
Naming Committee on November 28 and the committee met on December 1
to consider it along with other proposals for name changes at the University.
The next step, according to Chairwoman Karen Kavanaghs ofce, is to
get the input of the Economics Department. Make sure to show your
appreciation of this great economist by urging your professors and deans
in the department to support this proposal!
By: Tony Gioia BB
T
he student organization Rutgers Against the War (RAW) has been busy
on campus trying to convince students that military recruiters are out to
dupe them. Their goal is to have the recruiters kicked off campus, thereby
limiting your exposure to career opportunities available to you. RAW has
a number of arguments that they have put forth in a recent pamphlet, but
these arguments are all incredibly slanted versions of the truth. As a veteran
of the U.S. Army myself currently receiving benets from the VA, I thought
Id set the record straight for our readers.
RAW claims that the college money the military offers is NOT FREE.
Duh. In order to qualify for GI Bill benets, servicemembers must opt in and
pay $100 per month for the rst 12 months they are in the service. In return
for this, they receive between $30,000 and $50,000 for school or training when
they have completed their service. Now, like any deal that one may strike with
an employer, there is a contract involved in this. The VA will supply the money
for school if the servicemember completes one full tour of duty (there are
exceptions that allow for lesser time to be completed in certain cases) and
receives an Honorable Discharge. If, however, the servicemember commits
some form of misconduct, or if there are extenuating circumstances early
in his tour of duty that require him to be discharged early with a General
Discharge (which, while under honorable conditions, is NOT an Honorable
Discharge), then those benets may not be available. This is not the military
breaching its half of the contract. It is the servicemember breaching his
half. As an aside, most of the veterans in RAW and IVAW (Iraq Veterans
Against the War) did not receive Honorable Discharges. Is it any surprise,
then, that they are disgruntled?
RAW goes on t o say
that there is less than a 50%
chance that veterans wi l l
receive educational benefits
even if they do qualify. This is
a distortion of a statistic. If a
veteran meets the qualications
I just laid out, he will receive
benets if he chooses to use
them within 10 years after his
discharge from the service. The
fact that just under 50% choose
to use the benets has nothing
to do with the VAs willingness
to supply them.
RAWs ant i - r ecr ui t er
pamphlet states that recruiters
will promise National Guard and
Reserve recruits, as well as those
who sign up for certain jobs, that
Continued on next page
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The pacist actually
refuses to defend
what defends him;
his country. In the
final analysis this
is the most basic
immoral position.
- Gen. George S. Patton
...
RCGA Budget Woes
T
he Engineering Governing Council has been working with the RCGA
for months and, by some accounts, years to get 100% of student
fees paid by School of Engineering students afliated with Rutgers College
given back to the EGC for allocation to Engineering Student Organiza-
tions. Currently, the EGC only receives 45% of those students fees, the
other 55% being used by the RCGA to support Rutgers College Student
Organizations.
On December 6, the matter came up for debate before the RCGA
body. EGC President Nakul Raykar made a presentation at the beginning
of the meeting detailing why the money was needed to support engineer-
ing organizations. When the bill calling for the fees to be transferred to
the EGC hit the oor, however, the School of Engineering envoys were
broadsided. An RCGA member proposed an amendment to the bill calling
for 100% of the fees instead to be kept by the RCGA, and for all engi-
neering organizations to have to apply to the RCGA for future funding.
Amazingly, this amendment was deemed friendly by the original author,
and the original bill was changed without debate. After extensive pleading
by the EGC representatives, the matter was eventually tabled indenitely
until further discussion has taken place.
It should be noted that the Livingston College Governing Association
and the Douglass College Governing Association have both passed bills
granting 100% of the student fees from their afliates back to the EGC.
However, the amounts represented by those bills is dwarfed in comparison
to the amount over which the RCGA has control. Over 91% of School
of Engineering students are afliated with Rutgers College. If the RCGA
decides to enact the bill in its current form, the EGC will lose control of
over $18,000, leaving the students they represent with little to no control
over the way their money is spent.
T
o be fair, not everything the RCGA did on Tuesday, December 6
th
was off the wall. There was one point where THE CENTURION was in
agreement with the body.
Also on the RCGAs plate was a resolution calling for the immedi-
ate resignation of George Zofnger either from the Rutgers University
Board of Governors or from Devcos Board. This came on the tail of an
executive order issued by New Jersey Governor Richard Codey prohibiting
presidents, governors, and trustees of state schools from doing business
with the institutions they govern.
Bernard Spigner, Director of Communications and External Affairs
for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, was on hand to speak
on Mr. Zofngers behalf. He pointed out inaccuracies in the wording of
the resolution and argued that no conict of interest existed in Zofngers
serving on both boards. Ultimately, however, he was unable to convince
the RCGA members. After a small but noteworthy amendment to the bill
calling for all members of the Rutgers Board with similar conicts of in-
terest to also resign, the bill passed.
All that remains to be seen is if Mr. Zofnger will heed the call of his
critics to step down.
O
n Tuesday, December 6
th
, the Rutgers College Governing Association
voted unanimously to pass the allocations budget for the Spring 2006
semester. While this may not seem like a notable issue, there is far more here
than meets the eye. Literally. Because youre not allowed to look at it.
The RCGA budget process lacks a basic transparency that all processes
for allocating public funds need. Once the Allocations Committee completed
their budget recommendations, they presented it to the RCGA body for a
vote. However, when members of the body were given the nal draft of
the budget on November 30
th
, they were told that the information in front
of them was for their eyes only. They were explicitly directed not to reveal
information contained therein to anyone other than voting members of
the RCGA.
What does that mean to you? It means that you have no control
whatsoever over how your money is distributed to student organizations.
There may not be anything unfair about the allocations in the spring budget,
but if there is, you have no way of knowing and therefore cannot inform
your elected representative of your concerns.
The only reason The Cent urion could get from members of the RCGA
about why the process works this way is that it would be too difcult to
take grievances from over 200 organizations if they feel that the budget
allocations are unfair. However, even the budget of the United States, at
something approaching 1 million times that of the RCGAs budget, along
with being far more controversial, has this transparency. At every step of
the budget process, the public, press, and federal agencies are able to lobby
they will never see combat. This is just plain false. I have spoken with many
recruiters over the past 10 years, and never once did any of them tell me that
there was no way I would ever be in a combat zone. My Army MOS (Military
Occupational Specialty) was 27D Paralegal Specialist, hardly a combat
arms job. However, I was not under any delusions about the possibility of
going to serve in combat, should the need arise. It is the job of the military
to ght and win Americas battles. Every servicemember knows this, and
we all sign the contract with that in mind.
One more point made by RAW is that the military insists on strict
discipline, and those who do not like to get bossed around should not
join. Once again, duh. However, I think these people might be in for a
rude awakening when they get out into the real world after college. They
will go work for bosses who will tell them what to do day in and day out,
and they will have dress codes with which they will have to comply lest they
lose their jobs. The military may be a bit stricter on the enforcement of its
discipline, but this is out of necessity. When a salesman breaks the rules in
his workplace, he loses a sale. When a soldier breaks the rules of his, people
die. Discipline saves lives. I guarantee you that anyone in the military who
gets into a combat situation spends the rest of his life thanking his drill
sergeant for instilling discipline in him during boot camp.
Having military recruiters on campus provides the students of this
campus with a very positive option for their future careers. Next time you
see one, whether or not you believe youll ever join, make sure you thank
him for his service. They are recruiting the young men and women who
will continue to secure your liberty.
Continued from previous page
By: Tony Gioia BB
their elected representatives to offer amendments. They can also urge those their elected representatives to offer amendments. They can also urge those
representatives to vote against the budget once it is complete if there are
contentious inclusions therein. Apparently, it is possible to get a budget
approved, even with people arguing over it.
Admittedly, if the budget had been defeated, it would mean that
organizations would have to wait for their money for spring events. A
number of members of the RCGA were willing to take the issue of
transparency in the budget process up next semester; however, none were
willing to consider an emergency meeting of the allocations committee, and
subsequently the RCGA body, to attempt to do the right thing now. Our
elected ofcers are not interested in sacricing their time to make sure that
the students of this school are properly represented. Perhaps we should all
keep that in mind the next time they ask us for our votes.
Smokers are currently the target of a proposed law in the state legislature.
This law would ban smoking in public places like restaurants and bars. At Gi-
ants Stadium, a new policy tries to prevent something else from happening in
public prayer. Five men who tried to pray at the Giants-Saints game earlier
this year were arrest-
ed by state troopers
and stadium security
(Newsday 11-3-05).
Just as second-hand
smoking has side ef-
fects for those who
dont smoke, praying
in public has side ef-
fects on those who
arent religious. It
can lead people to
believe in organized
religion, belief in
a higher being and
can cause religious
thoughts, something that denitely must be kept away from the public at
least, thats what the new policies in place at Giants Stadium tell us. If you
want to pray at Giants Stadium from now on, youre not allowed to pray at
your seat or anywhere in public (Home News Tribune 8-23-05). You can
only do it in a designated area in a cinder block room without any windows
or ventilation, out of sight of the general public. George Zofnger (whose
name weve been seeing a lot recently) apparently agrees with the ban. He told
a reporter from the Associated Press that I think we did this thing exactly
right. This comes on the heels of the 2000 Supreme Court Ruling on Santa
Fe Independent School District vs. Doe, which made it illegal for students
to lead prayers in schools, and after the East Brunswick, NJ football coach
was nearly forced to resign for leading his team in prayer before a school
football game, as had been done at that school for decades.The Constitution
guarantees the freedom of religion, but it is now clear that too many people
are beginning to mistake that for freedom from religion.
NATIONAL TOPICS
OUTSIDE THE IVORY TOWER...
A CENTURION CC reporter and two friends ENTURION ENTURION take
time out from the football game to pray in the
Meadowlands' designated prayer area.
A NEW PAIR OF PEEPERS AT THE PENTAGON
The Department of Defense is attempting to expand its authority with
regard to domestic intelligence gathering as a result of a proposal put forth
by a presidential commission on intelligence. The commission, which was
co-chaired by conservative retired appellate judge Lawrence H. Silberman and
former Democratic Senator Charles H. Robb, recommends that a Pentagon
agency called the Counterintelligence Field Activity, or CIFA, be empowered
to engage in domestic criminal investigations and covert operations against
threats within the United States.
The predictable outcry about civil rights violations has been raised, with
some justication. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in particular has opposed
the legislation currently supported by the Pentagon. We are deputizing the
military to spy on law-abiding Americans in America. This is a huge leap
without even a [congressional] hearing, he said recently.
While he exaggerates the extent of the new powers, his point remains a
valid one. Such an unprecedented change in the jurisdiction of the military
requires careful consideration, not just by a
presidential commission, but by the elected
representatives of the people who serve in
Congress. It is necessary in this age of ter-
rorism to empower the military to collect
intelligence on domestic threats in order
to protect military installations, as well as
to give the necessary information to those
who will be called upon to respond to a
terrorist threat or attack. However, in our
haste to feel secure, let us not forget that,
as Benjamin Franklin said, Those who would give up Essential Liberty to
purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. We
must take the time to ensure that the powers given to the Department of
Defense will not strip us of our essential liberty.
THE DANGER OF PRAYER
OH, WHAT FOOLS...
If one happened to read the Wall Street Journal on or about the twenty-
eighth of November, then one would have noticed an interesting article on
blogs. The article begins by relating the story of a fourteen-year-old girl from
California and her indiscretions. Apparently, this girl decided to do some
things of which her mother did not approve.
This in and of itself would not be unique, if
it were not for the fact that the mother found
out about her daughters indiscretions by
reading the blog of one of her friends. The
article goes on to mention that other teenag-
ers who have faced this situation have been
appalled by the actions of their parents. The
teenagers have construed this as an invasion
of their privacy. The provocative language
they use and the topics they discuss are of
the sort they would not feel comfortable talking about with their parents
(sex is always an awkward topic around ones parents). Some parents refrain
from reading blogs at their childrens insistence, while some children do not
mind if their parents read their blogs. The interesting thing is that those
who do not complain have nothing to hide from their parents. If children
are so inclined as to think that their thoughts, views, and not so innocent
activities should not be known to their parents, then they should refrain
from making public displays on the internet. To quote the Bard, "Oh what
fools [these children] be."
IRONY IN BROWN
It always astounds me when irony occurs in real life. When providence
brings a literary device to life, one has to sit back and give a brief laugh in
response. It would seem that Mister Michael D. Brown
(former FEMA head) has taken it upon himself to create
a consulting rm to help companies prepare for disaster.
Mister Brown has said to the Rocky Mountain News,
Look, Hurricane Katrina showed how bad disasters
can be, and theres an incredible need for individuals and
businesses to understand how important preparedness
is. Brown is facing criticism for the fact that he has
shown himself to be rather out of touch with matters
that are within his sphere of responsibility. His admit-
ted lack of awareness (especially when marooned hurricane survivors are
involved) has lessened his credit in the eyes of others. He has conceded that
mistakes were made during his tenure, and stated that he was planning to
retire before the arrival of the hurricane that led to his most dishonorable
discharge. The least Brown could have done was retire during the hurri-
cane, instead of taking actions that make one wonder about his competency.
This author sincerely hopes that Mike Brown is better at warning others
about disaster than he is at handling one himself.
Recently, the House of Representatives introduced an extensive bud-
get cutting bill, 71 pages of which are dedicated to changes in the welfare
system. These changes, which have
been under major scrutiny from
members of the Left, would require
the majority of welfare recipients
to spend 40 hours a week engaged
in activities outside of the house.
Of those receiving welfare, 70%
would now have to work at least 24
hours a week (formerly 20) with the
remaining 16 hours (formerly 10)
being composed of other activities.
Measures would also be enacted to
not only ensure that states are meeting the proper requirements, but also
to give the states a larger degree of freedom in determining what activities
can constitute the remaining 16 hours.
A simple trip to Newark, Irvington, East Orange, Camden, or a plethora
of other localities will provide tangible proof that our nations welfare sys-
tem is grossly ineffective. After decades of spending taxpayer dollars and
NATIONAL TOPICS
NYCLU STRIKES OUT
On December 2
nd
, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled that the subway
searches the city has implemented to help protect the citizens are legal. The
NYCLU (New York Civil Liberties Union) brought suit against the city in
August, as several riders felt that their right
to be free from unreasonable searches and
seizures was being violated. The judge said
in the ruling that, The risk of a terrorist
bombing of New York Citys subway system
is real and substantial. He noted that since
the NYPD uses a random system to decide
who is searched, and gives anyone who does
not wish to be searched the option to leave
the subway, [The searches are] a reasonable
method of deterring (and detecting) a terrorist bombing of the New York
City subway system. This is a great victory for advocates of public safety, as
the NYC Subway System is one of the largest mass transportation systems in
the world, with 4.5 million people using it daily and 1.4 billion people using it
each year (Dow Jones Newswire 12-2-05). Yes, it may be a bit inconvenient
for people to have to spend an extra 60 seconds of their time to have their
bag checked, but in times of crisis it is sometimes necessary to curtail certain
liberties, even if it means delaying a weary subway traveler. Would the NYCLU
rather the searches be ruled unconstitutional only to have a Manhattan-bound
rush hour train blown up under the East River?
Another argument that has been used against the searches is that they
dont do enough. On the NYCLUs website, it argues that in a subway sys-
tem that has over 1,000 entrances and that remains open 24 hours a day, it
is easy for anyone to evade the NYPD checkpoints and enter the subway."
This may be true, as there are more entrances to the subways in NYC than
there are airport checkpoints at all of the airports in the country (according
to NYCLU.org). In a city as vast and as populated as New York, it is impos-
sible to have any foolproof method of protection, aside from searching
everyone who enters, which is not feasible. The searches are meant to be a
deterrent, and not the foolproof method that the NYCLU is seeking. If
the NYCLU had their way, terrorists would be able to walk into our subway
systems, no questions asked.
NO ROOM FOR THE SLOTHFUL
political maneuvering, we nd ourselves in basically the same situation. The
most important thing to keep in mind when considering welfare is that the
point of the system should be to get people off of welfare. Our nations
success has been made possible largely due to our founding principles of
self-reliance, not dependence on government.
In a poignant assessment of the situation, Robert E. Rector, a senior
research fellow at the Heritage Institute, said that, as opposed to the 2080
hours a year that a full-time job entails, the typical poor family only works
800 hours a year. Thats why theyre poor.
Though some may be taken aback by such a notion, it issimply the truth.
Anti-capitalistic psychobabble and conspiracy theories aside, in this society, if
you do not work full-time, you do not stand a chance of independently sup-
porting a family, and are almost certainly destined for a life of reliance upon
others. Alternatively, in the very same society, full-time employment presents
an unrivaled opportunity for one to take complete control of his life.
It is clear that simply throwing heaps of money at the welfare problem
(or almost any problem, for that matter) is not going to yield the proper
results. All politics aside, proactive measures need to be taken to construc-
tively reform welfare into a productive system that genuinely helps our
poor make their way out of poverty. Actions toward reforming welfare,
such as those being taken in the House, are a rm step planted squarely in
the right direction.
Sorry, sloths, the House has no
more time for you. Time to get a
job.
MORE BUCK FOR YOUR BANG
After the September 11
th
attacks, the federal government hired Unisys
Corp. to improve security in the nations transportation system. The plan
was for Unisys to link, via a computer network, the Transportation Security
Administrations security centers with the thousands of employees at the
hundreds of airports within the United States.
The contract with the TSA, originally for $1 billion, has fallen far short.
The network is not quite halfway done, and the government has already
been charged $940 million. Govern-
ment auditors contend that Unisys Corp.
inappropriately labeled lower-level em-
ployees as experts in their elds, and
subsequently billed the government a
much higher wage than those employees
actually earned. Unisys Corp. says the
experience and duties of those employees
justied the expert rating.
Tim Conaway, managing partner for homeland security at Unisys, oversees
the contract. He stated that there certainly was no attempt here to commit
any type of misdeed of any form.
One major problem with auditing the company is that the TSA had so few
contract oversight agents. When the contract was granted, they only had 25.
Currently, they employ almost 250. This increase is helpful, but such abuses
should never have been allowed to occur in the rst place.
When contractors are hired, it is the governments responsibility to make
sure they are getting the most bang for their buck, and not wasting the peoples
money on corporations that overcharge. In this case, the government failed
in its duty for almost three years. Fortunately, the errors were discovered in
time to launch an investigation and to renegotiate the contract. In the future,
however, the government must take further steps to prevent these kinds of
abuses, or else corporations will continue to take advantage of government
funding to line their own pockets with undeserved wealth.
So if I imagine defrauding
the government, and I talk to
Unisys...wow! It really works!
the Raritan
NATIONAL TOPICS
A Preponderance of Evidence
By: By: Ashley Little
Statistics Don' t Lie About
Tobacco, People Do
It is often said that there are three kinds of lies- lies, damned lies, and sta-
tistics. One statistic that is most often perpetuated by public health ofcials,
anti-smokers, and now legislatures is that secondhand smoke contributes to
lung cancer, asthma and other life threatening illnesses. The fear and disgust
from secondhand
smoke has grown
so hysterical that
New Yor k Ci t y
banned smoking
in all work places
including bars, res-
taurants, and night-
clubs in 2002. Now,
the New Jersey leg-
islature is pursuing
a smoke-free work
place law. What is
most alarming is
where the evidence
that secondhand smoke is harmful is coming from. The catalyst to the
anti-secondhand smoke movement was a study done by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992 which concluded that the widespread
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) presents a serious and
substantial public health impact and in adults ETS is a human lung car-
cinogen responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually in
the U.S. nonsmokers. However, U.S. Federal Court Judge Osteen threw out
the report in 1998 based on a thorough review conducted by Congressional
Research Service. Judge Osteens ruling proclaims, EPA publicly committed
to a conclusion before research has begun; excluded industry by violating
the [Radon] Acts procedural requirements; adjusted established procedure
and scientic norms to validate the agencies public conclusion, and aggres-
sively used the Acts authority to disseminate ndings to establish a de facto
regulatory scheme intended to restrict Plaintiff s products and to inuence
public opinion. In laymans terms, the whole report was completely and
utterly trumped up in order to give the public what they wanted to hear, and
it worked. Despite the fact that it was legally thrown out by a federal court,
this very same report is the Bible for anti-smokers and the most respected
of health organizations like the American Lung Association and American
Heart Association.
Heres how the EPA got their phony numbers in simplest terms. There
is a 25% higher risk of dying of lung cancer from being regularly exposed to
secondhand smoke. For those regularly exposed to ETS, the death rate from
lung cancer is 1 in 80,000. For those not exposed, it is 1 in 100,000. In other
words: For every million people exposed to ETS, there will be 12.5 deaths
from lung cancer; for every million people not exposed to ETS, there will be
10 deaths due to lung cancer. This is statistically of no signicance (Penn &
Teller, Bullsh*t, Season 1, Episode 5). To make matters worse, the American
Lung Association and American Heart Association have inated the number
of deaths linked to secondhand smoke from 38,000-50,000 each year. How
did they inate these numbers? Its a projection based on the mortality rate
"EPA publicly committed to a conclusion
before research has begun; excluded
industry by violating the [Radon] Act's
procedural requirements; adjusted
established procedure and scientific
norms to validate the agency's public
conclusion, and aggressively used the
Act's authority to disseminate ndings
to establish a de facto regulatory scheme
intended to restict Plaintiff's products and
to inuence public opinion."
W
hen 9/11 occurred, President Bush said that America would not
tolerate any country that was harboring terrorists. He soon followed
through on his promise and America went to war with Iraq. Some feel that
President Bush sent our men and women overseas to advance his own
agenda. Contrary to this belief, there is ample evidence that certies that
Iraq provided a safe haven for terrorists; therefore, the war is justied. The
following are just a few points that are from the article The Mother of All
Connections by Stephen F. Hayes and Thomas Joscelyn.
An Iraqi member of al Qaeda has admitted to working with Iraq, speci-
cally with Iraqi Intelligence, and to executing missions for Osama Bin Laden
in Oman, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He also plotted to blow up the Pakistani,
American, and British embassies with chemical weapons. This is just one
example that proves Iraq supported terrorism.
Another blatant example of Iraq supporting a terrorist is in the Inter-
nal Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) documents. These documents state that
the Iraqi regime provided sanctuary and nancial support to an Iraqi who
participated in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center.
Bin Laden, a philanthropist of terrorists and tyrants, had meetings with
Iraq. He felt that Iraq should procure mines with biological warheads from
China and wanted to have al Qaeda training camps within Iraq.
Iraq embraced terrorists with open arms. They gave terrorists nancial
aid to fund their attacks and allowed them to train on their territory. And
yet with all this evidence some still question the validity of the war against
terrorism. If we did not go to war, do the naysayers not think that more
terrorist acts would not occur in our homeland just like 9/11? Was it not
a success to help the oppressed Iraqi people to establish a democracy and
imprison a tyrannical leader, Saddam Hussein. Thank God that there are
men and women that are willing to ght for Americas security and the
freedom of the oppressed!
By: By: Elizabeth Farkas
Continued on next page
Words and asides from beyond the Banks of
In her new Movie Documentary, Madonna renounces the ma-
terial world, saying we are enslaved by it and it will ultimately
be our undoing. She made this statement from her mansion in
England Jay Leno
Having gone to jail to protect the condentiality of her source,
Judith Miller is, in the eyes of her New York Times colleagues, not
merely the brave journalist she is, but one of historys great cru-
saders for freedom... Mark Felt, aka Watergates Deep Throat.
Clearly, leakers and the reporters who protect them occupy a spe-
cial place in the Gray Ladys heart. Unless, of course, they go by
other name of Karl Rove. American Enterprise Magazine
"If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the
Iraq theater of operations during the last 22 months, that gives a rearm
death rate of 60 per 100,000. The rearm death rate in Washington D.C.
is 80.6 per 100,000. That means that you are 25% more likely to be shot
and killed in our Nations Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun
control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.
Conclusion: We should immediately pull out of Washington, D.C."
NATIONAL TOPICS
heart disease and other causes of death, not hard data.
Now you might be saying to yourself, Surely there must be other
studies out there that prove secondhand smoke is lethal or contributes to
health problems. Another favorite
study of prominent health organiza-
tions was conducted by the World
Health Organization (WHO), which
contradicted itself in a press release
in 1998. The press release proclaimed
Passive Smoking Does Cause Lung
Cancer, Dont Let Them Fool You.
Meanwhile, the actual clinical re-
port concludes our results indicate
no association between childhood
exposure to ETS and lung cancer
risk. We did nd weak evidence of a
dose-response relationship between
risk of lung cancer and exposure to
spousal and workplace ETS. There was no detectable risk after cessation
of exposure. Nevertheless, the WHO continues to deny the ndings of
their own report, and other organizations use their rallying cries (or lies) to
perpetuate the anti-smoking bans across the country.
In this same vein governments could pass legislation on any repugnant
human behavior without looking at the data. There is a much more compel-
ling argument for restaurants not to serve high calorie foods, since obesity is
the second leading
cause of death in
the U.S. after tobac-
co consumption.
Why not legally
force McDonalds
to stop ser vi ng
burgers and fries
and only serve sal-
ad and fruit? How-
ever, you will never
see that law passed because people will argue it is discriminatory towards
overweight people, those who like rich foods on occasion, and it infringes
on business owners rights. Well, is that not the same argument for allowing
people to smoke wherever they choose, for potential employees to decide
where to work, and for the business owners to decide whether or not they
want to change to a non-smoking establishment? Ultimately, there is no
conclusive evidence that secondhand smoke is responsible for harmful health
effects. None. Any report that has been drawn up has thereafter been shot
down by another report that found either the methodology or the data not
credible. For local and state governments to use favorable numbers in
order to push through legislation is nothing more than using public fear to
win political favoritism. It is not enough to outlaw something simply because
you do not like the sight or smell of it. If we are to truly live in a free and
democratic society, then citizens have a right to decide what substances they
wish to use as long as they do not put others in harms way. Until there is
evidence of the latter, smoke free workplace laws are an infringement on
peoples right to use a legal substance in public establishments.
Continued from previous page
Elizabeth Farkas is not a conservative. However, she does consider
herself a responsible yet unapologetic liberal, a Tibet supporter, and
fourth year student of history and political science. She can be reached
with comments, questions or complaints at niltak484@yahoo.com
James O'Keefe and Jason Cochran
just want to be able to enjoy their
tobacco. Is that so much to ask?
"If we are truly t "" o live in a free and
democratic society, then citizens have a
right to decide what substances they wish
to use as long a to use as l to use as l s they do not put others in
harm's way. Until there is evidence of the
latter, smoke free work ll place laws are an atter, smoke free work atter, smoke free work
infringement on people's right to use a
legal substance in public establishents."
Courtesy of U.S. Business & Industry Council Educational Foundation
COMMENTARY
W
hen I was a freshman, the idea of a cash-free university debit card
appealed to me. With a mere 5 dollar management fee, and a begin-
ning minimum deposit of 50 dollars, an unlimited amount of money with
a minimum of 25 dollars can be deposited throughout the semester. If
stolen, this card can be deactivated and the university can be liable for up
to 50 dollars. What the freshman version of me failed to understand is the
relatively small number of places where Knight Express is accepted.
There are essentially no establishments outside of university control
where Knight Express is accepted. The options include the student center
stores, the SAC, the Rutgers Bookstore, and the horrible idea of purchasing
a meal with cash at a local restaurant. I have no choice in where to spend
my money with Knight Express. In essence, Rutgers controls where I eat,
buy books and buy basic necessary items via Knight Express.
Knight Express is simply a method to control where we eat and who
gets our money. Rutgers Dining Services owns a number of franchise food
venues, so my money is not necessarily going to independent owners. Rutgers
owns the SAC and the Rutgers Bookstore, and while New Jersey Books has
lobbied for students to be able to use Knight Express at the store, Rutgers
has continually denied Ed Mueller, the owner, this request.
I see no venues on Easton Avenue or George Street that accept Knight
A
t press time for the November issue of THE CENTURION, Christopher
Paladinos salary at DevCo was not available. According to www.guid-
estar.com, Palladino is earning $297,000 per year. Paladino, being president
of DevCo, controls his own salary. $297,000 seems a bit high, not only
because the average CEO of development corporations earns roughly
$100,000, but also because Paladino is proting off of his LLC real-estate
holdings. Will Paladino reduce his salary once 76 Louis Street and his other
real-estate cash cows are bringing in a million dollars per year?
When attempting to nd information from the New Brunswick Hous-
ing Authority, the mainframe of the site contained little information, while
the links to other pages had been hacked by a Turkish hacking society. As
of press time, the site has been taken ofine entirely. Why does a Turkish
hacking group have a stake in disrupting the service of the New Brunswick
Housing Authority?
Zofnger might have an interest in the New Brunswick Housing Author-
ity. John Clarke, Executive Director, used to work for Constellation Bank,
which at the time was owned by Zofnger.
Clarke was making $105,000 per year. This is
not necessarily a conict of interest, but, ac-
cording to New Brunswick Housing Authority
resolution 157, Clarke is allowed to take all
necessary actions to make low income hous-
ing projects work. This project, named Hope
VI, is a project that leases and buys land from
property owners with public funds. Zofnger
is buying properties through his LLC in the 4th
and 5th wards, areas that are known to be a New Brunswick redeveloping
target in the future. Could Zofnger be buying properties in those wards to
receive a markup from New Brunswick funds though Clarke?
Certainly something to think about.
By: Roger Masi
Express. Not the popular Nuebies, not Stuff Yer Face, not the grease trucks.
Rutgers has control over which businesses can accept Knight Express,
and there are no off-campus locations to which Rutgers has granted that
privilege.
Rutgers has helped the economic development of New Brunswick
through public funding, but they refuse to grant individual businesses
the right to accept students Knight Express funds. The bigger picture
here is control; the administration wants to control which businesses can
thrive and survive. If Rutgers really cared about book pricing, they would
foster the competition between Rutgers Bookstore and New Jersey Books
through Knight Express. Competitions between businesses reduce prices;
monopolies do not.
If Rutgers cares about the economic development of New Brunswick,
the prices of our books, and our choice of where we spend money, then
Rutgers should begin to allow individual stores like New Jersey Books and
Skinny Vinnys to accept Knight Express. Unfortunately, it seems that Rut-
gers cares too much about funneling our money back into its own system.
Until this cash cow is confronted with student outcry, the choice of where
to spend our money will not be our own.
What's Going On With Devco?
By: Roger Masi
WANTED
THE CENTURION's
Top 5 Most
Dicks
1. Rutgers President Dick McCormick, for
being a puppet of Democratic politicians.
2. Senator Dick Durbin, for likening the U.S.
military to those of Stalin and Hitler.
3. Professor Dick Dienst, for advocating the
repeal of the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.
4. Vice President Dick Cheney, for selling
Iraq to Halliburton...and eating babies.
5. Ron Jeremy...need we say more?
George Zofnger
COMMMENTARY
KAREN MILIDEO
By: Greg Walker BB
Centurion editors singing to the deans!
The reception was positive in
President McCormick's ofce.
Behold, a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son, and they
shall call his name Emmanuel, which
being interpreted is, God with us.
- Matthew 1:23
Centurion editors singing to the libs!
The reception was riverdancing in front of
Demarest Hall.
Dean Tolbert exhibits true altruism.
L
ast Wednesday, December 7 dnesday dnesday
th
, we, the staff of THE
CENTURION, donned our Santa hats and grabbed our
lyrics sheets and hit the streets to spread Christmas cheer.
Our rst stop was the atrium of the Rutgers Student
Center, where we caroled, treating everyone present to
some Christmas classics and the more upbeat Feliz Navi-
dad. Students clapped along and some made requests. dad dad
The most popular request we got was Carol of the Bells.
We then made our way to Bishop House, home of
the deans, and sang classic Yuletide favorites like ic Yuletide fa ic Yuletide fa God rest
ye Merry MM Gentlemen and Gentlemen Gentlemen Hark! the Herald Har Har Angels Sing to Dean Tolbert and the friendly Bishop House staff. There we made known that we were also collecting
donations for the Salvation Army, and Sal Sal Dean Tolbert generously obliged us. The reception was even friendlier at the housing ofce in Clothier, where we
graced the staff with a rendition of Adeste Fidelis. Wherever we went, we made sure to greet everyone with a smile and "Merry Christmas" wishes.
Some of our favorite administrators were nowhere to be found, however. Among those we missed were ever. Among ever. Among Area Director Kelly Hennessy and nessy nessy , of course,
University President Richard McCormick. Instead, we were given the opportunity to sing for President McCormick's ne secretarial staff. rial staff rial staff On our return trip,
we caroled at the bus stop outside the SAC, where the disappointment was audible when we nally decided to move on.
After a good time at Mike Wilson's "Michael Moore Hates America" speaking event, we decided to do the Christian thing and spread the cheer to those
we might not always get along with: Demarites. We lined up in front of Demarest Hall and started to sing; certain listeners began break-dancing to the carols.
Smiling, we sang several more carols in response to calls for an encore. As we left, we presented several copies of THE CENTURION as presents to our Demarite
friends. Apparently under the impression that there was free marijuana in every issue, one individual excitedly tried to take the whole stack! Thankfully, we
were able to let him know that the marijauna-free issues were for everyone. Nothing warms the heart like the spirit of giving!
Anti-Capitalists Don't Believe in Capitalism...or Rules
By: BB Daniel Francisco Daniel Francisco
A concise list describing misconduct and oddities at rst meeting
First and foremost, I would like to make the following sentiment clear: Having attended their last meeting, I nd the
agenda of the anti-capitalists admirable and generous to our community, and I applaud their efforts. I also would
like to stipulate that Ryan Yacco, correspondent for the Targum, had no ill-intent toward THE CENTURION in his
article. However, there are some problems that were never highlighted and misrepresented our publication.
-A handful of people that were barred from the meeting were not
CENTURION members. CENTURION CENTURION
-After moving to another room, we were blocked by an individual
referred to as "Tom" in the Targum through physical means. "Tom"
was valiant enough to violate re codes and Rutgers scheduling policies,
however his bravery failed him when submitting his last name to the
Targum correspondent.
-We peacefully obliged their request, and only then did we snap two
pictures of "Tom" in order to defend ourselves with the RUPD. The
anti-capitalists, however, lied to the police, suggesting that the reason ant ant
they wouldn't allow us entry was becuase they would they would we were harassing people
and shoving cameras in their faces, as quoted in the Targum. The
failure to respect the chronol fail fail ogy of events completely d ure to respect the chronol ure to respect the chronol istorts the truth. ogy of events completely d ogy of events completely d
-Whether the pretense for barring us from the meeting was our opinions
or our attire, it was illegal.
-The Targum described an individual that attempted to re-enter the
meeting. He was not a member of THE CENTURION, as we collectively THE CENTURION THE CENTURION
respected the wishes of the RUPD ofcer.
-Late attendees to the rst meeting were admitted through "Tom's"
post only becuase they were not wearing blazers...could they not have had
the same opinions as us? We thought liberals opposed proling....
-The Targum stated at the conclusion of the article that the group failed to
obtain room permits. The scheduling rule book from OSLIP concerning
usage of rooms for meetings clearly states that Rutgers buildings are not
open for public use. Not only were these individuals wrong in denying us
entry, but as an unrecognized Rutgers afliate group, they had no right
even using the room.
-Some members withheld their last names in the rst Targum article but
gave them in the following week's article... Why the initial fear/concern?
-CENTURION members have been admitted to subsequent meetings without CENTURION CENTURION
blazers, proving previous discrimination based on attire.
The incidents at the initial meeting were upsetting, however, the
topics discussed at the last gathering were commendable. Should
this group become a recognized organization at Rutgers, we wish
them the best of luck in their noble attempts to help the New Bruns-
wick community. We only ask that they remain open-minded and
accepting of different peoples at their meetings, as they may nd
that their opinions are not so different from ours. ifferent ifferent
constitutions, and those who stood athwart the Constitution felt that
it was necessary to further limit the new federal union in order to pre-
vent a tyranny of the majority; therefore, they added the Bill of Rights.
Professor Zinn seems to enjoy casting doubts upon the rights of the
people. He also implies that the contract clause is made to benet the
rich over the poor. Why Does Professor Zinn feel it is necessary to bur-
den a book on history with his political pontication? History is about
facts and the objective review of them; it is not a tool by which a self
appointed censor can disseminate enough information and fact to drive
the audience to his preconceived notions. Only those who are in favor
of Platos noble lie would advocate this view of history. Oh wait - the
noble lie was a completely false history. This is more along the lines of
what the court historian in some regal autocracy would have done.
I hope that my efforts to, in the words of this columns namesake,
lead the minds of [you the readers] to a wise and prudent determina-
tion have succeeded. I would still suggest that you check this book out
from the library and read it for yourselves (I am not so bold as to think
that my words are sacrosanct). Be-
fore I depart, I feel that I must live
up to my preceding words and actu-
ally mention something I nd right
(within context, of course). So I
must express my admiration for
the excellent amount of business
that Professor Zinns publishing career (he has written other books)
has brought to the paper and publishing industry. As a bibliophile, I am
pleased when someone helps these industries turn a prot.
"...those who stood athwart the Constitution ""
felt that it was necessary to further limit
the new federal union in order to prevent
a tyranny of the majority."
P
rofessor Howard Zinns book, A Peoples History of the United
States (mentioned in the movie "Good Will Hunting"), is the States States
authors successful attempt to represent history within a bi-
ased setting. His bias is not accidental; it is deliberate and calculated to
achieve his aims. A small measure of praise must be given at this time
to acknowledge the fact that Professor Zinn is at least being honest
with his audience when he admits that he is deliberately emphasizing
some points and not others simply because
it is human nature to do so. As he would
put it, It is as natural to [the historian] as to
the mapmaker. However, doing something
simply because it is natural is not the wis-
est course of action. We are endowed with
many natural impulses, but Providence has
seen t to grant us the ability to restrain them. It is a natural thing to
desire that your view be impressed upon others, but you should not use
the selective dissemination of fact to do so. It was a well-established
tradition that those in power would advocate a more advantageous ver-
sion of history (such as imperial histories and Churchills histories, to
name a few), but such days are gone (and
if they are not, they should be).
This book is more that just a clip
show of history; it is the authors person-
al siege tower from which he can re his
arrows of political attack. At one point
he turns a skeptical eye to national inter-
est in such things as capitalism and ter-
ritorial expansion. Later on in his book,
Professor Zinn discusses the birth of the
Constitution, and his feelings on the mat-
ter obfuscate the truth once more. He
talks at length about how the Constitu-
tion served the economic interests of
the founding fathers and about Alexan-
der Hamiltons undemocratic ideas. He
makes out the freedom guaranteed by
the Constitution to be a pittance given to
keep the people at bay. What he forgets is
that the Constitution was composed of
many of the rights that the state govern-
ments had incorporated into their own
COMMENTARY
Brutus
Wes l ey James Young
comments on things righ comment comment t
and wrong.
To my readers:
It is my privilege to write an introduction for this new addition to THE CENTURION. THE CENTURION THE CENTURION
Named after one of the Anti-Federalist authors, it is my desire that this column
serve as my reections on things that I nd right and wrong within this sphere we
share. With that spirit in mind, and with the intent of honoring the historical
origins of this columns name, I shall dedicate this rst article of mine to the history
book,"A Peoples History of the United States "" ." A Peoples History of the United States A Peoples History of the United States
Felicitations,
Wesley James Young
Conservative Reections on Tings Right and Wrong
By Wesley James Young
b
c
I
am the most ardent supporter of the pro-life movement on this
side of the Vatican. I love life. Life is awesome. Life is the greatest
gift anyone has ever been given or ever could be given. And be-
cause I love life so much, I support the death penalty both morally and
legally. Yup. I support the death penalty for a plethora of reasons, most
importantly because I believe in the ultimate sanctity of human life. To
me, no punishment short of death is just for those who take the lives
of others. There is no greater sin of mankind than murder.
I would like to dispel the belief that enacting the death penalty is
tantamount to murder. Let us reserve the word murder for the blood-
thirsty, sinister deaths that men bring upon men in complete disregard
for the sanctity of life. That coldhearted and evil act is not equivalent
to the humane execution of a man for his crimes against the law of the
land and the human race. An execution that relies on reasoned punish-
ment and sound judgment in order to redress for sins as a means of
retribution and deterrence is logically acceptable.
A murderer not only disrespects his God, his society and its laws,
but his victim and himself as well. He reveals a lack of reverence for
all life, including his own, when he takes it upon himself to determine
who may remain among the living. This violent impudence absolves
the killer of his right to existence in a civilized society and dissolves the
social contract built on the approbation of the rights of others. By re-
linquishing his belief that life is of great importance or of importance
at all, he decides his own fate.
In Atkins v. Virginia (2002), the Supreme Court held that the ex- Atkins v. Virginia Atkins v. Virginia
ecution of persons that qualify as mentally retarded was a form of
cruel and unusual punishment. In contrast, the Court ruled in Gregg
v. Georgia (1976) that the death penalty was v. Georgia v. Georgia
not a form of cruel and unusual punish-
ment, and is thusly lawful. The contradic-
tion between these cases is startling. In the
United States of America, a land where the
Constitution guarantees that there be no no-
bility and that the law of the land apply to all
citizens equally, we now have different classes
of people. The Supreme Court has decided
that ones IQ determines whether one can be
killed for a crime he commits.
This travesty produces several abhorrent
results. First, it is absurd that a punishment
can be more cruel or unusual towards one person than it is towards an-
other. Furthermore, to create different laws for different persons ques-
tions our entire system of government and our emphasis on one unify-
ing Constitution. Justice Scalia, who authored a dissent in Atkins wrote, Atkins Atkins
This newest invention promises to be more effective than any of the
others in turning the process of capital trial into a game. Defenses are
no longer based on whether or not a man committed a crime, but on
whether or not he was intelligent enough or sane enough to understand
what he was doing. Yet the crime remains the same. In our system of
justice, we are supposed to punish based on the act, not on the traits of
COMMENTARY
Respect Life: Support the Death Penalty
By: Kian Barry
the perpetrator. This decision spits in the face of moral justice.
For a grand total of four years in its storied history, the Supreme
Court has found the death penalty unconstitutional. It reversed its anti-
death penalty decision in the aforementioned Gregg v. Georgia in 1976. Gregg v. Georgia Gregg v. Georgia
The Court held that with careful and
judicious use, the death penalty could
be employed. The language of the 5
th
and 14
th
amendments, which state that
no person could be deprived of life,
liberty, or property, without due pro-
cess of law, is a key tenet of the ra-
tionale for the constitutionality of the
death penalty. Since the amendments
read that a man may not lose his life
(life being stated very specically),
without due process of law, it very
clearly implies that he might be de-
prived of his life if he is afforded said
due process of law. Additionally, it is difcult to reason that a punish-
ment commensurate with the crime committed is cruel, or that such
an historically accepted practice is unusual. It seems that the death
penalty is undoubtedly constitutional.
Last year, the Court ruled in Roper v. Simmons by a thin 5-4 margin Roper v. Simmons Roper v. Simmons
that those persons who commit a crime under the age of 18 may not
be sentenced to death. Even with the understanding that most rights
are granted to an individual at 18 under our judicial system, and real-
izing that it would be unreasonable for us to impose the death penalty
on three year olds, I must strenuously dis-
agree with this Court decision. The age of
18 does not magically bring maturity and
sound moral judgment. It would be unrea-
sonable to believe that the average 12 year
old does not know that murder is immoral.
So why should those who completely un-
derstand the unlawfulness and immorality
of murder go without the same punish-
ment as like-minded persons that happen
to be several years (or even merely several
months) older? There are so few cases that
fall into this category that it would be per-
fectly reasonable for the Court to decide on an individual basis as to
whether or not the child could have reasonably prevented himself from
committing murder.
The death penalty as it stands exists in 38 states, the federal govern-
ment, and all branches of the United States military. Its imposition is
both lawful and moral. This divisive issue splits people of all ideologies
and religious backgrounds. However, I will stand with the belief that
the death penalty does, however ironically, support the sanctity of life
My appreciation for the blessing of our existence forces me to support
the death penalty.
"Let us reserve the word "" murder for
the bloodthirsty, sinister deaths that
men bring upon men in complete
disregard for the sanctity of life.
That coldhearted and evil act is not
equivalent to the humane execution of
a man for his crimes against the law
of the land and the human race."
Kian Barry says no punishment
short of death is just for those
who take the lives of others.
N
ever before in the history of man has the institution of marriage been
one that required dening. Marriage has traditionally been dened
as the union of one man and one woman as a
consummation of their love for one another.
The implication of marriage is, God willing,
that the couple will attempt to have children
and raise a family. Today, however, the institu-
tion of marriage, as well as our idea of a family,
is being threatened. Gay rights activists have
sought the legalization of gay marriage. Con-
servatives across the country have supported
the implementation of an amendment to the
United States Constitution that reads, Mar-
riage in the United States shall consist only of
the union of a man and a woman. Neither this
Constitution, nor the constitution of any State,
shall be construed to require that marriage or
the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon
any union other than the union of a man and a woman.
Mr. Gioia contends that conservatives should not support this amend-
ment because we believe in the fundamentals of democracy and federalism.
True, limited govern-
ment and federalism
are key tenets of a
socially conservative
outlook, but no precept
is more important than personal morality. The allowance of gay marriage
would have a profound impact on the morality of the American marriage.
It is reasonable to believe that morals should govern issues morality. Mr.
Gioia expressly tells us that he nds homosexuality immoral, and seemingly
concedes that we are helpless to legislate on this issue. He cannot rely on a
substantive due process argument because he does not reject all legislation
on the topic.
For the Federal Gay Marriage Amendment to pass, it would have to
be supported by at least 290 congressmen, 67 senators, and 38 states. Our
amending process was made exceedingly difcult for the purpose of weed-
ing out causes that are not greatly supported throughout our nation. This
process represents the ultimate in democracy, where the vast majority of the
countrys beliefs and morals are codied into enforceable law. Without this
amendment, we give activist judges free reign to legislate from the bench and
disregard the mindset of our moral nation. With power that state statutes
and even the federal Defense of Marriage Act cannot wield, this proposed
28th Amendment to the United States Constitution would instill a sense of
family and a reasonable denition of marriage across our great nation.
Traditionally, the issue of marriage has been one legislated by the states.
However, that relationship of federalism was concocted and afrmed without
the issue of gay marriage in mind. If states are allowed to decide the issue of
gay marriage themselves, the issue becomes far more complex because the
Constitution states that Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to
the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. This
would mean that if a couple were to get married in a state where gay mar-
riage was legal, their marriage would maintain legal status in a state in which
gay marriage was illegal. Thus, it becomes clear that without amending the
Constitution, a state legislatures decision on gay marriage will be useless. I
cant imagine anything less democratic or respectful of states rights.
COMMENTARY
A DEBATE ON THE ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
WHY CONSERVATIVES SHOULD OPPOSE IT
"Today, however, the institution of
marriage, as well as our idea of a
family, is being threatened."
By: Anthony Gioia
I
t has been proposed in recent years that the U.S. Constitution be amended
to dene marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and
that the amendment further restrict the
legal benets associated with marriage to
such a union. Social conservatives have
been mostly supportive of this amend-
ment, but should they be? The tenets of
conservatism and limited federal authority
do not support the institution of such an
amendment. Conservatives should not
support such legislation, even if our moral
values are in accordance with what is stated
in the legislation.
I know there are many liberals who will
blast me for this, but let me be clear. I do
not believe that homosexuality is moral.
Nor do I believe that Christian churches
should endorse gay marriage.
The conservative ideal for government is that it legislates only out of
necessity. That government is best that governs least has always been
our motto. The only laws we should enact are those that provide necessary
public facilities and services, and those that prevent people from infring-
ing upon the rights of others. Gay marriage causes no infringement upon
anothers rights.
Furthermore, the Constitution provides for equal protection under
the law for all citizens. Therefore, the benets of government cannot be
selectively withheld. Benets granted to married couples by various state
laws include next-of-kin status for hospital visitation and medical decisions,
joint insurance policies, separation and divorce protections, tax benets,
and inheritance benets. These benets are intended to protect the rights
of the individual in the relationship.
Granting benets under the law to married couples does not endorse
the relationship. The government is not and should not be in the business
of giving its blessing to proposed marriages. That is the role of the couples
families and religious communities. Many a couple has been married against
their parents wishes, but the State does not prevent it. Why, then, should
the State be involved in preventing a marriage of which Christian churches
may not approve?
Even if one believes that government should be involved in dening
marriage, the job of doing so should not be that of the federal government.
The states are far better equipped to legislate the will of their citizenry
than is Washington. Many states have already made amendments to their
constitutions providing for the denition of marriage. However, other
states have sought to reect the views of their constituencies by legalizing
gay marriage. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution would violate the
rights of these states to legislate in favor of their citizens.
If conservatives do not follow through on our views of what govern-
ment should be, we run the risk of becoming that which we hate. Luckily,
it does not look like this amendment will happen anytime soon. While the
amendment might meet with approval by the states (3/4 of which already
have similar amendments), it has so far been unable to garner enough sup-
port in either house of Congress. In July of 2004, a 50-48 vote defeated
a call for cloture of a libuster preventing the vote on the amendment;
in the House it was defeated by a vote of 227 to 186 (290 are required to
pass). Let us all pray it remains that way.
WHY I SUPPORT THE AMENDMENT
By: Kian Barry
HAPPY B-DAY, JESUS!
On the twelfth day of winter holiday, my signicant other gave to me...
Twelve bureaucrats a-yapping,
Eleven bong hits,
Ten liberals a-leaping,
Nine persons engaged in rhythmic self-expression,
Eight patriarchally oppressed women a-milking,
Seven endangered swans a-swimming on federally protected wetlands,
Six Clintons a-laying,
Five golden symbols of female oppression.
Four recall votes,
Three French riots,
Two bloody Stalins,
And an avian minority in a non-denominational tree.
Check out Wesley's actual recording of this song,
as well as James' radio program that aired on
Dateline: Washington on the Radio America Net-
work in Washington D.C.! Simply go to
www.rucenturion.com.
books, arts, and
conservative philosophy
F
rance helped the struggling American colo-
nies break away from Great Britain, mak-
ing independence possible with generous aid,
including soldiers and warships. Thus began the
Franco-American friendship. Fighting as allies
in World War I and World War II, France and
the U.S. have cooperated throughout their mu-
tual history. While there may have been
disagreements, the enduring bond of
friendship remained. Since the very
founding of the United States, France
has been a staunch supporter and valu-
able friend.
This is the commonly known his-
tory of Franco-American relations.
Unfortunately, its completely and ut-
terly false.
In Our Oldest Enemy: A His-
tory of Americas Disastrous Relationship With
France, John J. Miller and Mark
Molesky expose the plain truth be-
hind the supposed friendship be-
tween the U.S. and France. Draw-
ing on examples from history, with
quotes from high-ranking ofcials
from both nations, they reveal a much darker
and much less friendly relationship between the
two nations.
The French held Americans in contempt
before there was even a U.S. to hate. During
the French and Indian wars, French and Indian
forces repeatedly massacred colonists, civilians
as well as soldiers. Even after accepting surren-
der terms guaranteeing the safety of American
militia, the French were unable and even unwill-
ing to stop their
Indian allies from
slaughtering and
scalping Ameri-
cans and from
taking prisoners
in violation of
the rules of war.
Despite knowing
their allies were
difcult to con-
trol (indeed, the
French common-
ly used threats of
Indian violence
in their communications as a method of convinc-
ing colonists to surrender), the French continued
to employ them in combat, directly causing the
deaths of thousands of Americans.
It is true that later, during the Revolutionary
War, the French sent aid to the desperate American
colonists. French motives, however, were far from
altruistic. While King Louis XVI was reluctant to
encourage a revolt against a fellow monarch, the
opportunity to hurt his old enemy, the British,
was too tempting to ignore. Unfortunately for the
American colonists, French aid would prove unre-
liable (a trend that would continue throughout the
next 200 years). Admiral Charles-Hector dEstaing
consistently refused to take orders from American
ofcers, whom he considered beneath him. In
one notable battle, dEstaing, who was supposed
to be ofoading troops to support an American
assault on the British in Newport, Rhode Island,
instead broke off the attack and sailed for Boston
in order to repair his eet. This shocking
abandonment of his supposed allies
turned a potentially war-ending victory
into a crushing defeat, and the British
very nearly trapped the beleaguered the
American army on an island.
Miller and Molesky do not stop
there. During World War II, the Vi-
chy government ruled France after the
French surrendered to Nazi Germany.
Despite the common belief to the con-
trary, Vichy France was not a puppet government
erected by the Nazis. When Prime
Minister Reynaud resigned as public
pressure for an armistice increased,
he was replaced by Marshal Henri
Ptain. Rather than send their gov-
ernment and as much of their military as pos-
sible into exile, as Poland, Belgium, Holland, and
Norway had done, the French chose to violate
their explicit agreement with Britain not to uni-
laterally sign an armistice. Rather than retreat to
Frances North African colonies with a contingent
of troops and about a thousand combat aircraft,
France instead surrendered the northern half of
the country in exchange for civil control over
the south. The French government, relocated to
Vichy, was expected to help the German war ef-
fort, but was allowed to keep its naval eet and
its many colonies. Unfortunately for the Allies,
the Vichy government went far beyond its obliga-
tions. French factories churned out German war
materiel, and 10,000 French volunteers fought for
the Germans against the Soviet Union, many as
part of the S.S. In fact, French S.S. troops were
among the most fanatical anti-Semites of the war,
and France collaborated in running a concentra-
tion camp called Drancy near Paris. When the
Allies attempted to land at North Africa, Vichy
forces resisted and inicted signicant casualties
upon those sent to liberate them. Even Charles de
Gaulle, leader of the Free French who continued
Our Oldest Enemy: A History of
America's Disastrous Relationship
With France
By John J. Miller and Mark Molesky
Dan Whitney is Executive Editor of THE CENTURION
to resist the Nazis, hoped for an Allied defeat in
North Africa. Well, I hope the people of Vi- North Africa. Well, I hope the people of Vi-
chy throw them into the sea, he said. You cant
break into France and get away with it.
These few examples are merely the beginning.
In their revealing expos, Miller and Molesky -
nally show everyday Americans the truth about
our French allies. The French, we nally real-
ize, are nothing less than one of the worst en-
emies the United States has ever had.
Author John J. Miller reading THE CENTURION
DAN WHITNEY
Watch Wesley James Young,
the man of the hour, walk into
a lecture called "I <3 Female
Orgasm," sporting a "NO FAT
CHICKS" T-shirt.
WWW.RUCENTURION.COM
THE LARGEST GATHERING OF
CONSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS EVER
FEBRUARY 9-11, 2006
JOIN THE RUTGERS DELEGATION!
www.CPAC.org
contact: Natalie Poole
RUREPUBLICANS@HOTMAIL.COM
books, arts, and
conservative philosophy
I
n examining cultural relativism, we must rst
ask ourselves whether or not certain cultur-
al differences ought to be tolerated to such a
point where we approve of cultural traditions
that seem to us unjust or even ethically evil.
Among these we nd genital mutilation, the
Hindu practice of suttee burning women at
the stake and making women cover their faces
like Cousin Itt from the Adams Fam-
ily. The Multiculturalist connoisseurs
and anthropological relativists would
say yes, while the conservative intellec-
tuals Allan Bloom, Robert Bork, Wil-
liam Bennet, or neo-cons, as they
are called, would say no.
So is it morally justied for us to
rescue Afghan women from their so-
ciety? Absolutely.
Those who oppose the neo-con ef-
forts of George W. Bush, Paul Wolfowitz and
the rest of the gang include author Lila Abu-
Lughad in her essay, Do Muslim
Women Need Saving? Lughad
uses the justication that particular
cultural traditions that we west-
erners denounce, like the practice
of stoning a woman to death because she left
her home without the company of a male rela-
tive, are ignorant because our disapproval itself
contains hidden Western prejudices about the
history of exploitation and racism that indirectly
led to such savagery in the rst place. Lughad,
similar to most postmodernists, prefers an histori-
cal and political view of any region to a review of
its religious or cultural aspects. Lughad describes
how U.S. involvement is responsible for stonings
and burnings due to our sup-
port of the Taliban during
the last twenty-ve years in
our effort to ght the Sovi-
ets. If Lughad is arguing that
brutality against women un-
der Sharia Law been caused
by the Americans, then arent we obligated to x
this? Even if it is our actions and not religious
extremism (thats a big if ) that explains ston-
ings and burnings, they certainly dont justify
such brutality. Lughad justies not brutality but
the wearing of cultural dress; this focuses on the
wrong issue. It is not the burqas and
other forms of cultural dress
we hope to save Muslim wom-
en from, it is their right not to
be butchered, not to have their be butchered be butchered
lives taken from them when
they speak their minds in the
home or in public. Living in
the free world, Lughad takes
those rights for granted. Sav-
ing women from oppressive
tyrants does not constitute western imperialism;
it is a conrmation of the fundamental rights of
all human beings. Lughads argument ignores ex-
treme forms of brutal-
ity in its attention to the
burqa, and then focuses
on the question of mor-
al relativism.
The notion that truth is a reection of a cer-
tain cultural bias the idea that what is right and
what is wrong differs from culture to culture, from
era to era, from person to person, et cetera can
be rst understood in the context
of David Humes distinction be-
tween facts and values. We know
for a fact that the world is round,
but whether or not the world is
lovely is a different thing entirely,
and arguably of little importance.
The Comedian George Carlin
made our egocentrism poignant
to a modern audience with his
hauntingly wise rebuttal of envi-
ronmentalism: The planet Earth
is ne, it doesnt care what color
or shape it's in; it is dependent ra-
tional animals like human beings,
not a chunk of rock in the cos-
mos, that are emotive enough to
make those determinations. The
planet will be here for a long,
Why We Fight: Moral Clarity and
the War on Terrorism
By William J. Bennett
James O'Keefe is a Rutgers College Senior majoring in philosophy.
A Treatise of Human Nature
By David Hume
long, LONG time after were gone, and it will long, LONG time after were gone, and it will
heal itself, it will cleanse itself, cause thats what
it does. Its a self-correcting system. The air and
the water will recover, the earth will be renewed,
and if its true that plastic is not degradable, well,
the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a
new paradigm: the earth
plus plastic.
But some emo-
tions and values can
and should be univer-
sal. There should be
standards of judgment
among people, ideas and events to prevent harm-
ful perversion. Otherwise personal liberation will
become on one hand the Sartre-inspired Marx-
ist doctrine of everybody determining their own
truths, and on the other the extreme libertarian-
ism of Ayn Rand, where public virtue is ignored.
Both bring about an inability to make
universal judgments on anything, and
we are forced to accept the extremist
behavior of others. And since we are
indifferent to extreme forms of tol-
erance, we become... bored. Worse,
without a moral standard upon
which to rely, we need to be given
one from the cultural elites that be-
gin to develop an excessive amount
of dominance over our values. These
elites may be professors at a University where the
young-uns lack a common moral foundation, or
worse, elites that serve selsh purposes, like the
pigs George Orwell told us about
on that farm of his, where society
as a whole lacks a moral founda-
tion.
Individualism has to be restrained in order
to avoid undermining the traditional values of
the community. To preserve these values, some
universal truths are required to govern the com-
munity. This philosophy has been attributed to
Pope Benedict XVI, whose philosophy echos Al-
lan Blooms sentiments:
Truth is not determined from what is popu-
lar in a democracy, truth is discovered by leaving
your cave and discovering what is eternal. With-
out God, you run the risk of tyrants making that
determination. Without a compromise where in-
dividuals slightly subordinate themselves to their
communities, communities will be governed by
tyrants that replace God. The people should gov-
ern themselves and be given the right to do so
from a divine authority.
When you deny objective values, you create
what may be called "men without chests," as C.S.
Lewis put it in his short book The Abolition of
Man. Curious how we expect "virtue and enter-
prise" of these men when the organ that pro-
vides such services has already been removed.
JAMES O'KEEFE
Their view
of women's rights
Our view Our Our
of women's rights
"The planet Earth is ne, it doesnt
care what color or shape it's in; its
dependent rational animals like hu-
man beings, not a chunk of rock in
the cosmos, that are emotive enough
to make those determinations."
Till we meet again
The Editors and Staff of THE CENTURION bid a fond fare-
well to James OKeefe, the man who gave us a medium
through which we can express our views in this often-
hostile university campus environment. James is the sort
of man you never forget. His devotion to the cause and his
care for fellow writers cannot be ignored. Everyone will
remember his brilliant moon-walking skills acquired
without a single lesson! and we shall laugh about his
absentmindedness for years to come. James, make sure
you dont leave your phone somewhere in Switzerland!
And make sure to pack it before you leave!
James founded THE CENTURION because he felt there
was a voice on campus that was not being heard. Many
a time conservatives have voiced their opinions from the
comfort of an armchair, but James, discontented as he
was, dared to follow in the footsteps of William F. Buck-
ley, Jr., and chose to ...[stand] athwart history yelling
Stop, at a time when no one [was] inclined to do so...
Others quickly joined him in his quest, and so we stand
today. Thank you, James. We are grateful for the oppor-
tunity to continue the important work that you began,
and we pledge to do our part in the struggle for ideologi-
cal balance here at our beloved Rutgers. Until we meet
again, dear friend.
- The Editors and Staff of THE CENTURION -
V E R I T A S
THE CENTURION ENTURION ENTURION
Volume II, Issue IV The Journal of Conservative Thought at Rutgers University December 2005
Veritas vos Liberabit $1.00 2005 THE CENTURION, INC.
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