4A
Monday, November 30, 2009
COMMENT OF THE DAY »
Will Holland, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051
In response to Sarah Rosencrans’ Tuesday column, “Hollywood unfairly targets religion in movies, like ‘2012’” YOU CAN COMMENT AT OUDAILY.COM
OUR VIEW
“Emmerich destroyed the White House, U.S. Capitol, Statue of Liberty, Hollywood sign, USS John F. Kennedy, Empire State Building and all of New York, DC and LA. Does this make him anti-American?” -mythman
STAFF COLUMN
Giving to others is the best gift during the holiday season As the holiday season kicks into high gear, many people feel the urge to give back to their communities or to those less fortunate through charity work. We fully commend those who do this, giving their free time or their money to help others. It is, after all, known as the season of giving. Whether one’s charitable efforts are large or small, every little bit helps to make this season better for those in need. We encourage each of you to think about doing something charitable this year. There are opportunities to give back all around Norman through several charitable organizations. And during the current economic recession, more people than usual are having trouble affording basic necessities like food and shelter, let alone Christmas gifts. If you are more fortunate, consider this, and at the very least, realize how fortunate you are to have expensive gifts during the holiday season. Better yet, however, ask your parents to forgo purchasing you gifts this year in favor of adopting a child from an Angel
tree. This would be a great way to truly commemorate the meaning of the holiday season, which has become increasingly commercialized. Also, if you do decide to get involved, do so with a happy heart and a good attitude. We realize this is easier said than done, and we don’t mean to sound holier than thou. But if everyone (us included) took this attitude toward the holiday season, the world would be a better place, as cheesy as it sounds. And because we are college students, we are going to be the leaders of the future. Sure, adopting an Angel for Christmas or serving food in a soup kitchen may not seem like a big deal, but these efforts add up. We think it’s time we start making the world we will soon inherit better, and this is the season to do it. But don’t let this work stop after the holiday season passes. Charities and service organizations need help year-round. So do your part today.
Opinionated? The Daily is hiring columnists and cartoonists for spring 2010. Columnists and cartoonists have the opportunity to make their voices heard at OU through a forum (The Daily) that is distributed in every building on campus. For more information, e-mail next semester’s Opinion editor Max Avery at thegreatmax@ou.edu.
Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down THUMBS UP
THUMBS DOWN
The football team ended its regular season strongly with a win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday at Owen Field.
The men’s basketball team dropped three games in a row culminating in a Thanksgiving day loss to Houston before rebounding to beat Nicholls State Saturday.
The holiday movie season is upon us, featuring blockbusters like “Twilight: New Moon” and “The Blind Side.”
The holiday season typically signals the arrival of holiday weight for some, and judging by how much we ate on Thanksgiving, we are among those who will pack on a few extra pounds this winter.
Hopefully the Thanksgiving break from school has refreshed OU students and faculty members and gotten everyone ready for the semester’s home stretch.
With finals week two weeks away, it’s time to start preparing for those dreaded exams.
We have a mere three weeks left before winter break and the end of the semester.
Four Washington state police officers were shot and killed after they were ambushed in a coffee shop this weekend.
STAFF CARTOON
AJ Stafford is a psychology senior.
CONTACT US
In case you missed it, Sarah Palin is kind of a big deal now. The former Republican governor of Alaska is a political hot button during a time of volatile politics. While the Democrats may have a strong leadership presence, Republicans are scrambling to find someone to contest Democratic President Barack Obama. The suggestion of Palin as the front-runner for the 2012 Republican presidential nominee bitterly divides IAN Republicans and raises quesFULLINGTON tions about the GOP’s future. Palin, whether she will admit it or not, is on a cross-country booksigning campaign to drum up support for the neoconservative movement. She is traveling to the core red states, including Oklahoma (she’ll be signing books at the Norman Hastings location Thursday), trying to increase her political capital and keep her name fresh in the minds of Republicans for 2012. Before I go any further, there is an important distinction I should make. Neoconservatives are not the same thing as conservatives. The term “conservative” has evolved since the days of President Ronald Reagan into something completely different. What was once considered a conservative Republican, would now be borderline libertarian. Palin is pulling the party closer to the middle and farther away from the traditional conservative norm. So why the fuss? It leaves conservatism out to dry, while the neoconservative movement runs amuck. A divided GOP doesn’t stand a chance if it fails to unite. Palin is pulling the strings to a mini political ideology shift, and many are following suit. Even if Palin isn’t the nominee from the GOP, she is opening the door for more moderate, almost centrist Republicans to step up to the plate. Another neoconservative, running on tired, failed policies, would severely diminish the legitimacy of the GOP. To conservatism, this would be a deadly blow. European countries have continued to shift leftward to a point where European conservatives would be considered liberal in the United States. If we follow suit, we could lose valuable political diversity. Conservatism advocates prudency in your actions and in your words. On the other hand, neoconservatism, thus far, has thrown these principals by the wayside. Conservative economics could have, arguably, kept us out of this prolonged recession, as well as out of two mismanaged wars. Neoconservatism advocates nation-building and world-policing. It is one thing to look after your trade ties and economic partners; it is a vastly different thing to involve yourself in the affairs of other countries. Neocons maintain a very “with us, or against us” attitude about the world and tend to polarize issues. But in today’s world, nothing is ever black and white. Palin, in the eyes of conservatives, represents all of these things, which they loathe. Neoconservatives seem just as intimidating as the Democrats. While a neoconservative like Palin may appeal to the younger generations of Republicans, as the “super cool Alaskan hockey mom,” she is really just another retread of the second President Bush. Perhaps the biggest tell-tale sign the GOP is desperate for a unifying figure, is how quickly she ascended the political ladder. Palin went from the abyss to prominence in a matter of months, while it took years for Republican Sen. John McCain to finally gain the nomination. So what does this mean for Oklahoma? If anything, solidly red states will become political battlegrounds for the Republican primary in 2012. The battle for the GOP nomination may be more contested than the actual election. When Palin stops in Norman this week, expect nothing less than a circus. Democrats and traditionally conservative Republicans may mock her showing, although the more interesting aspect will be how she is received by Oklahomans. Ian Fullington is an economics junior.
T=: O@A6=DB6 D6>AN Jamie Hughes Editor-in-Chief Meredith Moriak Managing Editor Charles Ward Assistant Managing Editor Ricky Ly Night Editor Will Holland Opinion Editor Michelle Gray, Merrill Jones Photo Editors
Palin polarizes GOP, represents new generation
LeighAnne Manwarren Jacqueline Clews Annelise Russell Cassie Rhea Little Judy Gibbs Robinson Thad Baker
160 Copeland Hall, 860 Van Vleet Oval Norman, OK 73019-0270
phone: 405-325-3666
Senior Online Editor Multimedia Editor Sports Editor Life & Arts Editor Editorial Adviser Advertising Manager
e-mail: dailynews@ou.edu
The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum and OU’s independent student voice. Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed, double spaced and signed by the author(s). Letters will be cut to fit. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. All letters must include a daytime phone number. Authors submitting letters in person must present photo identification. Submit letters Sunday through Thursday, in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters can also be submitted via e-mail to dailyopinion@ ou.edu.
Guest columns are accepted at editor’s discretion. ’Our View’ is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily. Editorial Board members are The Daily’s editorial staff. The board meets Sunday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in 160 Copeland Hall. Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.