The real truth
The Women's Resource Center and abortion
By Lama Hassoun
An article in last week’s Torch by Lee Lukoff attempted to address the issue of abortion and portrayed the Women’s Resource Center in a poor light. “The inconvenient truth,” in reality, is that the author had very few facts to support his argument and lacked the appropriate knowledge to render proper judgment. As an employee of the Center, I felt personally attacked by Mr. Lukoff in his effort to depict us as baby-killers.
The Women’s Resource Center did not coin the phrase: “abortion is a reproductive right.” In a democracy, the government’s role is to protect people’s rights. One of these rights is a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. A woman cannot be forced to have a child. A woman cannot be forced to have an abortion. Contrary to conservative opinion, we remain Pro-Choice; the key word is choice. The Pro-Choice campaign is centered on helping women make mature decisions. The National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) website states, “While it’s critical to promote policies that help prevent unintended pregnancies and make abortion less necessary, NARAL Pro-Choice America also fights to protect the right to safe, legal abortion.”
Congressman/obstetrician Ron Paul fails to use a medically correct term, thereby discrediting himself. The term partial birth abortion cannot be found in any medical school textbook, and the correct phrase is late term abortion. It is important to note that late term abortion is illegal in nearly all states, thereby making his whole argument irrelevant. These abortions usually only occur if the woman’s life is at risk, or if the baby has no chance of survival, such as in the case of anencephaly and some other birth defects. The central stance of Roe v. Wade is that abortions are permissible for any reason a woman chooses, up until the “point at which the fetus becomes ‘viable,’” that is, potentially able to live outside the mother’s womb. Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) and most abortions occur at 12 weeks.
Furthermore, the author condemns us for inviting Dr. Judith Arcane, a former member of Jane Collective, in April 2006. Dr. Arcane is a professor, poet, writer, and a pacifist. Her membership in Jane Collective is only one of the many amazing things she has done. At a university such as ours, an exchange of ideas is not only guaranteed, but also encouraged, thereby prompting us to bring in such experts. Using more reliable sources than Wikipedia, the Jane Collective was indeed a secret abortion service from 1969 to 1973.
According to the members of the organization, during that time, if a woman needed an abortion, “for whatever reason, you took your life into your own hands - and you were terrified, absolutely terrified. All you knew is that you might die, that this person didn’t know what he was doing and you were going to pay hundreds of dollars...to bleed to death in some hotel room.” When it was discovered that most abortionists were not licensed physicians, the women of the collective took it upon themselves to learn and perform the abortions.
I would be surprised if Mr. Lukoff has ever attended a WRC event, or if he bothered to visit the Center before attacking it. If he had, he would know that, although it is controversial and significant, we spend more time discussing sexual assault, sexual health, dating violence and harassment, than we do discussing the issue of abortion. Our first priority is ensuring the safety of the student body and the availability of our resources. We raise awareness about sexual harassment on campuses (according to the Journal of American College Health, 1 in every 4 college girls has been raped) and about health issues, such as eating disorders. We encourage female empowerment and support women’s rights, from equal pay in the United States to the right to drive in Saudi Arabia. We are a center where women of all races, religions, or sexual orientations feel welcome because of our ability to understand their struggles. On any typical college campus, sexual activity is abundant and events like I heart Female Orgasm and The Vagina Monologues help to ensure that students are aware of the importance of having safe sex, and of the resources available on campus.
Although his article lacked unbiased statistics, mine will not. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 10-22 million unsafe, back-alley abortions worldwide annually. These abortions are usually done under very unsafe conditions and usually involve health risks to the mother. The United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks reports that unsafe abortions kill 90 African Women per day, leading to more than 30,000 deaths in Africa alone per year. There is a significant drop in deaths from abortion in all countries which legalize it.” In some countries, such as Nicaragua, doctors continuously warn of the dangers of an abortion ban.
Had Mr. Lukoff attended The Vagina Monologues in past years, he would realize that the central issue is not abortion. It is an international event that seeks to raise money and awareness about violence against women. In I heart Female Orgasm, there is an underlying message of female empowerment and sexual health. Mr. Lukoff may not find these awareness campaigns significant, but we, the employees of the WRC and many men and women on this campus value them greatly. I’d like to personally invite Lee Lukoff, the College Republicans, and the entire student body to come to our events, including our Open House on March 1. The Vagina Monologues and I heart Female Orgasm are on March 9 and March 15 respectively.
Excuse me sir, may we scan you?
By Thomas Gibbs
For me, one of the most exponentially annoying and irritating ways of traveling has to be by way of the airport. The security at every airport has not only gotten tighter than a sumo wrestler in leather pants, but the very ideal of having privacy has been thrown out the proverbial window. They inspect you from head to foot in order to make sure that people like the little old lady in a wheelchair isn’t sheathing a dagger underneath her skirt in order to hijack the plane. Then they made it so that people boarding the plane can only have certain liquids and foods with them at all times (for God knows what kind of damage a man wielding a bottle of Coke and a bag of Mentos can do on a plane). But now the ultimate act of doing away with both confidentiality and dignity has been released onto the airports: human scanning.
Remember how passengers have to have their luggage scanned for deadly or illegal objects before they’re allowed to head into the boarding section of the airport? Well now the lucky travelers at the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona get the option of being scanned themselves! Yes, just like the luggage you bring with you, airport security will be able to bring you up to a screen where you’ll be in full frontal, as well as rear, view of those inspecting for weapons and chemicals and such that you may be hiding. The machine is X-Ray of course, so decency will no longer be quite as decent as more and more of these machines pop up across the country. The procedure, which takes about a minute, requires that the passenger being inspected hold out their hands while the machine scans and develops pictures of whatever is underneath their clothes. It’s also important to note that people who are boarding the plane can also see this, as well as the pictures that come out; if that’s not embarrassing, I don’t know what is. Of course they give you a lovely block that helps cover up the unmentionables of the human anatomy, so at least it’s not (and forgive me for this pun) “X-Rated.”
Is this our future? Are we going to object ourselves to being viewed at by complete strangers in order to keep our airways safe from another terrorist attack? Of course there always is the option of being patted down instead of being viewed, but really, is that any better? You can either be felt up or viewed. Doesn’t that sound more like a strip joint than an airport? Well as long as they add in the two drink minimum, I supposed I can accept it for the time being.
W.I.L.T.
Debt: Bondage of the masses
By Eric Rollins
I’ve recently heralded the current credit system we have in this country and criticized a few pseudo-conservatives who feel only a one-for-one gold-backed system can save the United States from financial ruin. What credit allows for, when used by a non-government corollary like the Federal Reserve (who are not opportunists like the executive branch), is the control of potentially harmful business cycles. When an economy slows down and everyone gets freaked out, the Fed is there to loosen interest rates and make lending less risky and gets the movement of the dollar going again. I also said that the survival of the dollar on straight credit is also due to its international dexterity.
What I didn’t mention, and I choose to do here, are the costs to the normal functions of society. Credit makes the psychological state of this country nervous, depressed, and hopeless in some respects. Also, on the other end, the existence of such a strong credit system allows people to not learn from any mistakes due to their materialism, as if the social cost of not having something we see as basic today (car, cell phone, hi-def TV’s, cable TV, etc.) is more important than the financial consequences.
First, psychologically, credit is ravaging. What seems to always happen is people end up sacrificing their present lives for the past or the future. It’s often both, but one or the other can be harmful enough. I know it’s common practice now, but working today to pay off the boat you bought last year makes your current predicament less effort-worthy. There is something less romantic about working now for dividends to be experienced later or before- it makes every day seem less important. I think working for things that have happened in the past is worse than working towards the future; it allows for a bit more hope, but it depends on what you are working towards.
The ruling system is that we need to spend to keep everyone else going; our consuming habits as a whole is the grease the keeps America’s gears turning at the rate they do. And we all know that a slowdown in profits at any level just won’t do for the powers at be that dictate our tastes from the boardroom. So our paychecks go to two places, sacrificing the present payments (for future or past) or to things we consume to satisfy our damaged psyches.
What happens because of this is permanent physical and psychological indebtedness to somebody or something. It’s usually to some company, who itself is indebted to a few high profile customers that they serve. This is another example of a cycle that continues permanently; there is a feeling that at the end of the day there is somebody or some corporation that is sitting pretty without debt or tension, but it’s not true: we’re all in it together and no one is off the hook. You’d think if we are all having the same problem we’d try to band together, but obviously that’s not the case.
One of the major reasons people don’t have a job in their prepared field (via education) or in their dream field is because they are mired in debt, either theoretical or physical debt. The first problem (the physical debt) comes from various loans you had to take out to get a degree and the second (theoretical) comes from the fear of not having the goods you need to survive socially. Everyone has to be cutting edge or at least relevant when it comes to sacrifice-the-present-type goods. The big three categories are transportation, entertainment, and communication. These are not wants anymore, but needs, and they are not cheap needs.
Time is the worst victim in all of this on a primordial level. There is no time to even notice this kind of seclusion because...we are always working. We are always working because we are always in debt. When you aren’t working, you are just kind of putting around pissed off or are too busy forgetting the day by indulging in any of the big three to notice or care. That type of mass ignorance is scary and is the worst byproduct, in my opinion, of this credit age.
So, are we trapped indefinitely? I think there is a decent majority that is, but for those who can see it, manipulate it well. Our culture is stuck in its ways, and some get so engrossed in it they never see past the clouds. Outsiders try to throw in abscess culture with energy saving cars, art house movies, and indefinable music, but things more or less stay the same. Maybe changing to a gold-backed currency would alleviate the pressure of credit and debt on society. On that note, although it makes an economy more balanced and tempered, unforeseen things always pop up with a massive system like credit, and I think the effects on society are too big a price to pay for a smooth economy.
Stabbing tragedy
A shameful by-product of community
By Nate Silva
As this week begins to unfold, we find ourselves in an extremely bittersweet state of confusion on the UMass Dartmouth campus.
This past weekend began with the Black History Month Ball, an event celebrating the diverse and progressive qualities that this university so greatly enjoys, but before the same weekend could conclude the very same area of campus played host to a shocking portrayal of violence that thankfully failed to result in any fatalities.
The result? Sadly, not the hopeful and confident outlook that one should gain from attending the celebration of the Black History Month Ball, but a feeling of insecurity and imbalance surrounding our community. A shadow now looms over Friday’s celebration of our peers, and there-in lays the true tragedy for us all at UMass Dartmouth.
Negative effects of such a terrible turn of events are not limited to the injuries of the affected students—instead we as a campus are further tested in our ability to endure some of the worst consequences of living in a community. They say that when you remain open to your surroundings, you are forced to take in the good with the bad—and in the case of this past weekend it can be far too easy to forget the celebration our community enjoyed last Friday night.
Being part of a university environment has that quality to it—our students and faculty must go on no matter what occurs and in the so called “real world,” the sad fact remains that the events which are bad tend to get far more attention than those that are good. You even see this when you watch the community news on television. Often you will see something along the lines of: war, war, scandal, murder, rape, triple homicide and lastly, the weather.
Classes play one of the most obvious forms of our education, but the community element here offers something more. Denizens of UMass Dartmouth gain much needed joy from dances and concerts and sorrow from events such as the one that thundered its way to the lead position of the front page of this week’s newspaper. We are required in life to endure things that happen around us, an unfortunate but necessary lesson that all should gain from their time here at UMass Dartmouth.
Don’t be too confused however by Sunday’s violent display—the UMass Dartmouth campus remains a strong example of a vibrant and safe environment for us all. As such, the subject that was arrested in relation to Sunday’s crimes was not a student, and a look back at near all such violence that occurs on this campus is a result of the outside world coming in uninvited.
This is not a coincidence, but rather a true look at what we all enjoy here at UMass Dartmouth. The world surrounding us is indeed a scary place to exist in, making the education we gain here far more important than a name and degree listing on our resumes.
Do not ignore Sunday’s tragedy. Know that it plays a part in our surroundings, but do not misunderstand our university when you are done examining. If we are to judge the community that is UMass Dartmouth following this past weekend, we should weigh it by celebrations such as the Black History Month Ball and the ideals that it represents for us and not the ever-present danger of the outside world.
So take the good in with the bad, but do not forget that in the end, the goodness remains.
SOUL SIGHTINGS
March is already here
Don't forget these important dates
As I sit here writing this bi-monthly article, I try to reflect on the activities at UMass Dartmouth and to give students and faculty opportunities of what UMD Hillel offers here on campus. I cannot believe that the month of March is finally here, and in a few weeks will be Spring vacation when many students will head south to catch some sun while others will stay home to work or to catch up on studies. Whatever your pleasure, it is important to seize the day to make the most of your lives here at school and to do your best in class and with friends and family.
For Jewish students, it is also the month of Adar, when families look forward to this month’s holiday of Purim which will be celebrated this year on the March 3 and 4. This holiday is especially fun for Jewish children, who dress up in costumes depicting their favorite character from the Biblical book of Esther. This holiday celebrates a time in history when the beautiful Queen Esther in her native Persia saved her people from a wicked person named Haman who had plotted to kill all the Jews.
The book of Esther, commonly known as the Megillah of Esther is read in the synagogue at this time and when the name of Haman is read, his name is blocked off with noisemakers. We are reminded at this time that we must also be aware of the many Hamans in the world who have tried to destroy the Jews. Those students who would like to hear the Megillah reading can come to Tifereth Israel Synagogue in New Bedford on Saturday, March 3 for the service and delicious refreshments of Hamantashan. It will be an enjoyable evening that will include the parade of costumes of the children, the USY carnival, and wine tasting of kosher Passover wines. Children on Purim remember their Jewish heroes and also help their neighbors. It is customary to give baskets of food (shalach manot baskets) to neighbors and friends at this time.
On the evening of March 4, right after Purim, there will be a special concert at the Zeiterion Theatre at 7 p.m. Chava Alberstein, the renowned folk singer from Israel will be in New Bedford. There are still tickets available at the Religious Resource Office for students and/or faculty who would like to go to the concert. Following the performance there will be a reception sponsored by Hillel in the Crapo Gallery of the Star Store across from the Zeiterion.
At the end of the month, on Tuesday, March 27, the Center for Jewish Culture/Hillel and the Women’s Resource Center will again sponsor its annual Women’s Seder in South Alcove of the Campus Center at 5 p.m. This year’s Seder will be a multicultural one and we hope that many students and faculty will take part in this educational and worthwhile event, which will unify many diverse groups on our campus. This year’s speaker will be Deborah Rohrer, a lawyer in Fall River, who specializes in human rights and social justice issues. The holiday of Passover will begin on April 2, and many Jewish students will prepare to go home to observe Seders at home with their families. Any Jewish student, who will not be going home and would like to have a Seder with a local Jewish family, should contact Cindy so that arrangements can be made to celebrate this important holiday.
May I remind all Jewish students who would like to visit Israel this summer to check online for the birthright Israel program. It is a wonderful experience for young adults ages 18 to 26 to visit the Holy land and to learn about Israel. Students are always welcome to come to learn Hebrew informally on Thursday mornings at 9:30 a.m. at the Religious Resource Office.
B’shalom,
Cindy Yoken, Hillel Director
Mitt Romney for President: Pretender or contender?
By Lee Lukoff
Liberals in Massachusetts will tell you that Mitt Romney has absolutely no chance in becoming president. The Facebook group has already been created, “Romney: not a Governor, certainly not a president.” Critics cite his flip-flops on issues such as gay rights and abortion, and they have every right to criticize him on these issues. However, Romney is increasingly strong on domestic issues, an area in which Republican Presidential Candidates have lacked in the past. Critics also cite the fact that he was planning to run for President his whole life. This is simply nonsense. If Senators George Allen or Bill Frist had chosen to enter the race, Romney would have been dead on arrival. In my opinion, his strong stance on domestic issues will make up for his evolving views on social issues especially since Republican voters have voted for candidates in the past (Reagan and Bush Sr.) who were pro-choice but became pro-life before the general election.
Now when Romney critics cite the fact that Romney did nothing as governor, they are simply avoiding the facts of the past 4 years. In 2002 When Romney entered office he inherited a $3 billion dollar budget shortfall. Unemployment was hovering at 6% then and today it’s at 4.5%. As jobs were leaving the state and heading for greener pastures, a strong executive was needed to put Massachusetts back in the game. What Romney did as governor should be commendable; he immediately restructured government, streamlined spending, eliminated unnecessary bureaucracies and implemented policies that attracted new businesses to the state. He balanced the budget 4 years straight without raising taxes.
While he was notorious for being out of Massachusetts more then being in the state as Governor, Romney accomplished more then any of his predecessors. Massachusetts became the first state to have market-based universal health care without a government take over and without raising taxes. Our education system has been strengthened and our public schools rank #1 in all 4 standardized tests that the nation measures. I find it highly hypocritical for students at UMass Dartmouth to criticize a governor who enacted the John & Abigail Adams Scholarship for all MA residents who received a high score on the MCAS. Romney showed leadership characteristics that no other Republican Governor showed, and as a result he was elected Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association.
Now that I have proven that Romney performed as a governor, I will explain to you why he will take the Republican Nomination. The Bush Administration has created almost a universal disgust both domestically and internationally and reforms are needed in our government if our country is to advance into the future. As his latest campaign ad tells, “These are critical times we face; we’re under attack from jihadists, we face tougher competition than we’ve ever known before, coming from Asia. We’re spending too much money here. We’re using too much oil here.” As they have in the past, Republican voters will vote for Romney because he’s not part of the Washington scene and he shows characteristics that are necessary for a Chief Executive to have especially in these times when distrust in government is at an all time high.
Aside from his four years as governor Mitt Romney in his life has turned around more then just the state of Massachusetts. After simultaneously graduating from Harvard Business & Law School he turned around Bain Capital a 1,000-person business-consulting firm that was on the brink of bankruptcy.
When you order Dominoes Pizza this weekend, you have Mitt Romney to thank. Dominoes Pizza was one of the firms Mitt saved from bankruptcy while at Bain Capital. In 1999, after the Salt Lake City Olympics were heading for the crapper, Romney became CEO and turned around the most successful Olympic games in American History.
Romney is a contender for president because Americans have always been weary of Presidential candidates who are sitting members of Congress. No Congressional Representative has been elected President since 1960 when JFK beat Nixon. Since Romney isn’t part of the beltway scene, he’s received endorsements that will prove to be valuable in the upcoming primary. His endorsements include former Speaker Dennis Hastert and South Carolina Senator Jim Demint and over twenty other congressmen from all over America.
Romney’s promise as a candidate is shown by his early fundraising abilities that put him head and shoulders above the pretender candidates like Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Jim Gilmore, Tommy Thompson and Ron Paul. He’s raised over $7.5 million dollars which two years before the election has allowed him to place television ads in key primary states to boost his name recognition.
Romney is also well known in three separate regions of the country from his work as governor, CEO of the Olympics and his upbringing in Michigan, where his father, George Romney, was a former Governor and CEO of American Motors.
Lastly, critics may tell you that Romney is so far behind in the polls at this point he can’t beat challengers with more name recognition like John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. It’s absolutely absurd to listen to any polls a year before the first primary event in New Hampshire. Remember at this point in 2003 Howard Dean was considered the front-runner for President.
In a contest where money is necessary to move on past the first set of primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, don’t be surprised if the under dog Mitt Romney takes home the nomination.
James Cameron should stick to Hollywood
By Ben Tansey
I’m writing this on Sunday morning. Tomorrow, according to the press, James Cameron will announce that he has found the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. And that Jesus is still in it. Maybe you should read that again. After all, it may be the most earth-shattering assertion since...well, since the man from Galilee first said what he said. For 2,000 years, western civilization has been defined by this single belief: that Jesus Christ was the son of God, that he died on the cross for the sins of mankind, that he rose on the third day and ascended to heaven. Everything we are as a people, as a culture, revolves around this belief.
Whether any given individual is a Christian or not, he lives as the product of a Christian society, in which Christian moral teachings are held to be supreme, whether they are believed to be inherently divine or not. He is immersed in it in a way that is inescapable, so that it is part and parcel of his nature, whether he likes it or not. So, to make the understatement of the last two millennia, what Mr. Cameron has to say is hardly without consequence. While it is obviously far too early (as of the time of this writing, the official announcement has not yet even been made, though it will have been by the time you are reading this), to make any judgment, much of what Cameron has to say, scientifically, seems to be spurious at best.
He claims to have DNA evidence proving that the body he has found is the body of Jesus Christ. What, exactly, he is going to compare this DNA to for confirmation, he has kept in the dark. He says that the tombs he has found are marked with the names Jesus, Mary, and Jonas. These are, of course, some of the most common names of the region at that time, and would prove nothing by themselves. And as for the claim that these are Jesus’ remains, how, exactly, those remains could have survived for the last 2,000 years seems to defy explanation.
Unless the corpses have been mummified (Cameron has released no information regarding this) such a feat would be, seemingly, impossible. Indeed, the tomb they are buried in is far too elaborate to have been afforded by Jesus’ family, or by the early church, and the stone coffins that the bodies are buried in is indicative of a Roman, not Jewish, tradition. It is worth noting that Cameron’s director in this venture, Simcha Jacobovici, was also behind The Exodus Decoded, an earlier work of biblical archeology, for which the historicity is, to say the least, highly controversial. He is also a devout Jew, for whom disproving the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth is a duty of faith.
However, for all involved, whether they are Christians, Jews, or anything else, the importance is far more than one of historical curiosity. For nearly half a century now, the west has been living through, surprisingly quietly, one of its defining moments as a civilization.
The culture war is more than a few spats about the legality of certain substances or behaviors. It is a conflict over whether the defining ethic of our culture in the west should be the moral teachings of the Christian faith, which have sustained us for the last two millennia, or some sort of as yet ill-defined secular philosophy of “do what thou wilt.”
Don’t be surprised if the hard evidence for what Mr. Cameron and Mr. Jacobovici have to say turns out to be false. For all their talk of reverence for science and reason, there are ideologies on both sides of the aisle, and anti-Christian ideologies are no different from any other kind; their belief in strict adherence to reason ends where their strict adherent to their own doctrine, religious or otherwise, begins.
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