December 1993 - Binghamton Review

1itngbamton Volume VI, No. 4

A Choice. Not an Echo

l\tbttw December, 1993

J}m!lfJamlOU ltbitlu I shall do Iwthing in tTUllice, what I ÂŤ7Il dealing with is too important

for malicious intent.

Editorial Board Bernadette Malone Edi tar in Chief Mark Schmidt Executive Directar Joshua Trapani Publishing Editar Cara Donlon MLmaging Editar Mitchell Berger Copy Editar Scott J. Epstein First Citizen Dr. Herb London Advisor Prof. Aida Bernardo Faculty Advisar Letters to the Editor should be addressed to: Binghamton Review SUNY Binghamton P. O. Box 6000 Binghamton, NY 13902-6000 Contributors: Mike Valdman, Brad Levine, juliet Shields, Nathan Wurtzel, Joseph Curran, Thomas Quinlan, Peter Karpien, Mordecia Horowitz, John Carney, Rich Wong, jennifer Shekalus, Lloyd Danders, Mike Darcy.

Alumni Board: Michael Malloy, Andy Schulz, Brian Sullivan, Katrina Schwing, Kathryn Doherty, Mathew Carr, Peter Kaplan, Adam Bromberg, Paul Schnier, john Maggio, Dave Holland, Alexandra Aueone, Richard Carr, Paul Scalese, Va n Rusanovsky, joseph Rosenthal, Billy Schor.

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CONTENTS From the Editor............ Page 3 The Right Side .............. Page 12 For the Record ............ Page 24 Pink Studies ...... ,...................................... Page 4

by John Carney Mob Justice ............................................. Page 5

by Michael Darcy

Walden 11/ ................................................ Page 6

by Mark Schmidt Marriopoly ............................................... Page 8

by Scott J. Epstein NWROC's Kampf ..................................... Page 9

by Mordechal Horowitz NYPI RG at 20 ......................................... Page 10

by Mitchell Berger Wurtzel Predicts ..................................... Page 16

by Nathan Wurtzel ROT- 13 .................................................... Page 22

by Dan Cullen Guns and Poseurs ................................. Page 23

by Cara Donlon The Binghamton Review is an independent journal of news, co~en­ tary, and analysis published monthly. Binghamton students receIve the Review free of charge. .

All submissions to the Review become the property of the RevIew. The Review reserves the right to edit and print any submission All opinions expressed are those of the author's and do not necessarily represent that of the Review

Binghamton Review

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FROM THE EDITOR .

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ide from the mere inconvenience of being forced to take courses one has no interest in, where is the harm in the Diversity Requirement? After all, who can rgue with a frie ndly word like Diversity? Why is the Harpur College Council fighting amongst themselves, trying to decide whe ther our current Diversity Requirement is just? Because it ain't about Diversity; it' s politics.

The sheer hypocrisy of the requirement stinks of political extortion by special interest groups: The administration uses "academic freedom" rhetoric to excuse the pitiful lack of all-college requirements a t Ha rpur, and the n approves a requirement with a very specific agenda. They trust us to take wha tever courses we think are appropriate for our individual development, and yet they demand that we take Diversity. The admffijstration is very clearly implying that we are not mature e nough to decide if we need Diversification.

Or maybe they think we're not smart e no ugh to realize that we need it.

A small, strident band of faculty members and studen ts have raised objections against the current Diversity Requirement beca use it is too inclusive. How can Diversity be too inclusive, you ask? By allowing the presence of European and Middle Eastern studies, according to the plaintiffs. [t is their resolution to capture the word Diversity as a euphemism for People of Color Studies, a nd prevent courses like La tin Literature and Modern Jewish History from sa tisfying the Require ment.

But most students know as little about La tin Literature as they do about social change in Puerto Rico. Wh y ca n' t both courses continue to be offered and let the student decide willch is more deserving of his time? Beca use the Victimology Squad knows most of us would rather spend our tuition dollars on reading the classics than hearing about how the U.S. military-industrial complex oppresses the Third World. That makes them nervous, because if no one wants to take their classes, they don' t have much of a career in their field of chosen study.

If this were a free-market kind of university, Victimology courses would be crushed by the competition. The Administration senses this, and is now considering forcing students in to these unappealing classes in order to keep the Victimology Squad employed. If the well-intentioned Administration hadn' t assumed the task of social-engineering in the first place, they wouldn't be at the mercy of affirmative-action hires, overgrown hippies and their ego-stoking student disciples.

Diversity, in its true form, is lea rned in the dormitories a nd dining halls, not Lecture Hall One. Most would agree that open-mindedness and toleration are important qualities to possess both in college and in the workplace. But they are not requirements. If you are a decided racist o r sexist, the consequences of your self-imposed limitations are unfortunate. But as long as you don't violate another's legitimate Constitutional rights, the law can't touch you. And neither should the Administration of a state university.

Binghamton

I~eview

PINK STUDIES

N

John Carney

4

ext semester the Engli sh depart ment is offering Queer Readings for Beginners and Androgyny in Modern Fiction. Tltis is not a joke.

J f these courses were a mistake, or if they had somehow slipped thro ugh the system, Binghamton University could be forgive n. They are not fluke s or mistakes; every new liberal arts course must be reviewed by the Harpur College Co uncil.

That mea ns the best and the brightest tltis unjversity has to offer tltink it is a good idea to teach things like Queer

Readings. Scary.

How does this happen?

Most of the members of the HCC got their degrees before the decline of American education. To understand how a group of otherwise intelligent professors and deans can approve classes in Androgyny or other Pink Studies, we have to tu rn to the sociology of Binghamton University.

Ask a Harpur College dean or department chair to expla in the term "liberal education ." Chances arc you'll be told it has something to do with liberating the young mind from the

Hinghamton

shackles or ignorance , prejudice and tra dition.

Maybe they'll even tell you liberal education is about hlrning students into Liberals.

O perating under such a model, the HCC thinks it has a duty to crea te Pink Studies classes. When the purpose of a liberal education is see n as de co n str ucting American traditions, the more ridiculous or obscene a course is, the bettcr it must be. Students must be "liberated" from their cultural bia ses, and what bette r way to do this than subject them to Pink Studies.

At first, the idea seems ridiculous.

Who would ta ke such co urses? Just as the Deans a re about to give up hope, a funny smell floats down the corridor.

The loser class begins to mobili ze shortly after rec e iving their first disappointing grades. It is at this time they realize they're being

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Continued on page 18

MOB JUSTICE

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the woman around dow nhe originators of the make a m ocke ry o f their tow n lJin gh a mto n for a unive rsity strove to ow n cause a nd demonstra te crea te a n institution short time, but apparently the d an ger posed by those realized that he wasn' t winwh o will abu se the freewhich provid ed an o pennin g any friend s, so eve nness to ideas, and a forum doms provided by the open tually left he r alo ne . Asfo rum of the uni ve r sity . fo r th o u ght provok in g sault, it should be noted, not Th e wo me n who particispeech . The sa me ca n be said fo r th e fo und e rs o f only in volves physical inpated in the incident occurjury, but also the intent to mod e rn uni ve rsities. In rin g in th e Mini- Ma ll deed, most of today's uniph ysica ll y inju re. Th e showed a level of irresponwoma n went on to add that sibility w hich is tolerated a t ve rsity admini s tr a tio n s her assailan t was a worker make grea t efforts to mold no other place outside the in our ow n Mini -Ma ll! university se tting. This toltheir in stitutions into open Up o n h ea rin g thi s, th e e ra nce exists beca use th e forums in which nea rly a ny wome n took it upon them- administrators wish to creidea, no ma tter how shockselves to ensure that justice a te a n e n v iro nm e nt in ing, may be expressed . was ca rried out. And so, on Ringhamton Unive rsity w hich those with unorthoth e followin g d ay, a bo ut is no exce ption. While in dox o pinio ns feel comfo rttw e nty o f th e m a rc he r s a bl e ex press ing th e ir most in sta nces this situation march ed to th e Mini-Mall benefits university students, thoughts. While this is ce rarmed with a mega phone, tainly an appropriate condithere do exist eleme nts who and descen ded upon the tio n fo r a u nive rsity, th e would abu se the ope nness alleged a ttacke r, accosting Take Back th e N ight-e rs provided by unive rsities.

Aga in, Bin gh a msh o uld kee p in mind th a t thi s to n Uni vers ity is co nditio n ex is ts no exce ption, and events occurring in Besides spoiling the apbeca u se uni ve rsity stude n ts a re earl y Novem ber petites of hundreds of believed to be maoffered the shlde nt tu re e n o u g h to body o f thi s ca minnocent bystanders, use their freedom pu s a n o pp o r tuthe women of the night respon sibly. nity to witn ess such abuses.

While many managed to make ca mpus w o m e n As car e full y d oc um e nte d by a re s ure ly di smockery of their own Pipe Dream, one o f g u s te d by th e cause ... marchers' actio ns, the members o f the o th e r fee l th a t "Ta ke Back t h e N ig ht" m a r ch th e y ac te d rethe man while he was per- sponsibly. Erin Cahill admanaged to incense he r felfo rmin g hi s d uti es to dressed some of the negalow marche rs into a fre nMa rriott. tive reaction to the marchzied sta te of revenge. She Besides spoiling the apers. In a recent edition of related a story in wh ich she petites o f hundreds o f innoth e Pipe Dream, s he rewas "assa ulted" one night by a ma n bra ndishing his cent bysta nders, the women of th e ni ght ma nage d to pe ni s-the ma n follo wed Continued on page 18

Michael Darcy

a

Binghamton

l~pview

5

WALDEN

I

Mark Schmidt

deally, a ll students would progress at the same rate and also have a family support network to foster positive ideals within themselves. This achievement, due to naturally existing inequalities, ha s always been quite impossible, but one of the latest fads in academia, supported by politically correct educators and administrators, seeks to alleviate this dilemma: Outcome Based Education.

The most fTightening aspect of the Outcome Based Education movement is the ideology which guides it. It is Based primarily on the work of B. F. Skinner, a

perts," like himself, have the ability to make decisions and formulate policy, to "shape behavior as a SClUptor shapes a lump of clay," a view Skinner expressed in his work Waldell Two. For Skinner's experiments with rats and other anima ls, the business of behavior modification is fine.

Human beings, contrary to popular belief in animal rights circles, are not the same as rats. Individuals tend to resist the tyranny of the absolute rwer, which in the case of OBE would be a Skinnerian "educator/' imbued with the belief, according to William F. Jasper, that "life liberty and the pursuit of ha ppiness" are outmoded goals with no place in twe nti eth cent ury society.

While the tota lita rian ideals expressed

by Skinner appear somew ha t unreal to the average college student, the dogma of psychologist Benjamin Bloom, also seen as a role model for ad herents to OBE, has virtually become a religion among many educators at all leve ls. The bible for Bloom's adherents is his work Taxomony of Educational Objectives . In this book Bloom classifies two domains of thinking:cognitive

The focus of learning has in many cases shifted from the acquirement of knowledge to the acquirement of positive emotions concerning oneself. behavioralist who believed that all human actions could be manipulated by "conditioning" in order to receive a "desired" outco m e.

Skinner's views exemplify the typ e of Icftauthoritarianism facing the modern academy. Only "ex(;

III? and affective. The cognitive realm of thought deals with rational thought processes, and is classified as a "lower" order ofthinking;the" affective" domain deals with feelings, ideals, and values, and is classified as a "higher" level of thinking.

When a stude nt achieves the highest level of cognitive development he will " formulate subjective judgment as the end product resulting in personal va lues/opinions with no real right or wro n g answer."

Phrased differently, the ultimate goal is moral relativism. This movement toward subjectivity ensures that each student, although expressing a different opinion, can never be corrected for being wrong, and thus, according to OBE logic, main路tain his self esteem. \Nhile scared of offending students' self-esteem by telling them that they a re wrong, proponents of OBE forward a curriculum of "values clarifica tion " in which they are quite content to inform students' as to what is right. Th is includes discouraging academic achieveme nt by stressing "cooperative lea rning," training students for "global citizenship," and most importantly(!)" All students make environmentally sound decisions in their personal and civic

Hin~hnmtol1 I~f'vif'w

lives." No, these ideas were paddled across the Atla ndissolution of the traditional not glea ned from George tic to d iscover Ame rica is family, they have re-created Orwell' s 1984, but from the su ppose d to make stuthe fa mily in their own politiPennsylvania Sta te O BE. de nts perform bette r, or ca lly correct im age, "valu es Magic l;arden sounding ide- sho ul d J say" coope ra- cl a rifi ca tio n" and all . Sudology as id e, OBE pro po- tively" to achieve politidenly Dan Q ua yle' s co mnents are quit e ser io u s, ments cuncernin g "family valca lly desira ble llutcomes. working for th e "to tal reues" are vindica ted, as his deThe obvious p roblem structuring of socie ty" ac- crea ted by all this nontractors in the O nE camp supcording to OBE pote ntate se nse, which is truly se riport " social workers becoming Shirley M' Cune . ous, is that the sta te and partn ers with parents" requirOJ3E is part of the seUthe educational esta blishin g pare nts to take 'e ffective esteem move me nt that has parenting" classes, and requirment replace the pare nt. wreaked ha voc o n th e ing community service [o r The Behavioral Teache r American educa tional es- Educa tion Project, thanks both children and parents. Altablishment. Th e focus o f to fundin g from the U.s. though these s tudents are learnin g sure to has In h a v e man y positive iHI~ QU~i(ON REU'iT~"O OIOCIPL.IN5: cas e s I HA'J~ HER~ f:>.. 6u~I-\~(" rl)t..L- OF feelings GOOO p.,"?L.~~ e.UT AL-<:'O ONE: 6t>.D ab o ut s hift e d ONe.: Wl-\~T c:,I-\OL\\...O % OON~ At30DT from th e th e mil1l? ... M~.IOA\)Y? acquir e selves ment of as indikn o wlviduals, e dge to socially th e a cwe will fac e a quirement o f positive generaemoti o n s tion of concernpol i tiing onecaIIy self. This correct has manirobots who fest ed ith ave self in the fo rego ne traditional studies, promulgation o[ such works Office of Ed ucation, e mas Before the Mayf!ouJPr, and p hasize d th a t teachers but ca n recite how much rainforest is lost e very day. in the legitimizatio n of charshould" ... hmction as a reMany of the ideals fueling latans like Leona rd Jefh路ies. spo nsible agent of social In this mann e r, pse ud o- cha nge." Does this mea n the O BE cnlsade have worked th e mselves into the superscholarship and rapacious, tha t critics on the righ t racist bombast, a re put forth structure of the contemporary h ave bee n co r rec t in as fact for the mere be nefit claiming that many on the university, most notably the self-es teem movement. Stuof making ce rtain g roups le ft have bee n o ut to dedents have wa tched as "trawithin socie ty fee l be tte r stroy the fa mily? It is alditional" scholarship has been about their collective histomost too perfect-w hile ries. Somehow this knowlmany lefti sts and libe rals swept aside, mostly for gende r a nd e thnic studies which edge that one's a ncestors have presided over and built th e pyra mid s o r seemed to encourage the Continued on page 19

Binghamton ne1liew

7

MARRIOPOLY

I

Scott J.

Epstein

s Marriott Corporation the root of aU evil? Arc they trying to poison us with the "food" they serve?

Are the m ea l plan s th e worst gouging in history?

The answers to these que stion s depe nd largely on where you live. Well, not the second one-Dining Services food sucks no matter where you live. nut the vallie of th e mea l plan s available differs radically for students living on and off campus- a situation which illustrates much about the nature of markets and monopolies.

The administration requires all on-campus students (except those livin g in the apartment com -

munities) to buy one of the three standard meal plans.

Marriott charges a base price of $580 per stude nt per semester in "operating costs," on top of which, one purchases "spending money," in one of three predetermined amounts (more can be purchased later). The administration has guaranteed Marriott $1160 per student per yea r, befo re Marriott has moved one molprulp of food. If th e $580

8

se mes terly fee is, in fact th ei r "o perating costs," (which includes all salaries, including the managers') then Marriott has already made their money for the se m es ter. Further, th e "spe nding money" which one is forced to purchase is at Marriott's disposal, to be invested as they see fitand the dividends go to Marriott. If the prices in the dining hall do, in fact, reflect the cost of the food, then Ma rriot recovers up to ten percent off of every piece of food consumed-by investin g the" spe nding money" intelligently, they earn additional income. And the lo nger they hold that money, th e m o re they co llec t, which m ea ns that they have a strong incentive to encourage s tudents to "spe nd " that mon ey as slow ly as possible. Thi s mea ns that lousy se rvice, substandard food, and poor menu selections arc actually in Marriott' s in terest.

This is called a roerrive monopoly, in which a company is given exclusive control over a market, almost always through gove rnme nt power, as is the rase with Marrio tt. The Univers ity government, i.e., the administra tion, has not only guaranteed Marriott an excl usive monopoly to serve food

on campus, but they have guaranteed Marriott income, to the extent of $1160 per student per year, plus the interest earned on "spending money."

But all thi s changes when one moves off campus or to one of the apartment commlmities. The offcampus meal plans arc almos t unbelievable d eals.

One plan, the cre di -dine 300, works almost exactly like an on-campus plan, except that the" operating fee" is only $100, a nd the plan requires an initial deposit of only $200. 'Ih e other plan cha rges "full price" for food, but can be purchased for a mere $25, and the plan adds te n percent to the deposit.

True, the food is still substandard, the se rvice lousy and th e m e nu selection poor, but at least its cheap.

But why the difference?

The second a student has access to a stove-the second the administration guarantee falls-Marriott finds itself in direct competition with Wegmans (and Price C hoppe r, and Portobello's, etc.). Without the protection of its coercive mo nopoly, Marriott must make itself attractive to offcampus students. All thi s with just the removal of coercion. Now imagine what on-ca mpus dining might be like if the ca mpus were open to other private companies.!!

Hinghamton Rpvipw

NWROC's T

he issues regard ing the diversity require me nt have been placed before us as being a part of the racial debate between "students of color" a nd "evil white people." A bri ef analysis, howeve r, makes it obvio us that the real issue is not race, but a desire by certain radicals to enforce their values on the rest of the ca mpus community . Alejandro Moya, Studen t Associa tion Vice President in ch arge of Multicultural childishness, has made clear in his various editorials th at the real goal of establishing "diversity" classes is to promote and indoctrinate students in the views of the radical left.

Many decent people support the concepts of diversity and multiculturalism. There certainly is an advantage to bein g able to understand the different ways that cultures view the world. Being exposed to the diversity of people's id eas a bo ut th e world, society, and themselves would ce rtainly contribute to the purpose of undergraduate educatio n, which is to lea rn how to think. Courses in which students critically compare and contrast vari ou s cu ltures would be an excellent contribution to the educational process.

Howeve r, those people

KAMPF

demanding multi culturalism on th is campus are not believers in crit ica ll y analyzing a nd comparing cultures. Hather they view these classes as a place to indict Western society and culture for the evils of the world. In the early half of the 20,hcentury, Communists tried to rise to power by creating a fictional st ruggle be tw een th e middle class and the working class. With tha t version of Comm unism being consigned to the trash bin of history, these radicals now espo use an equally fictional "race war" between Whites and People Of Color.

Multiculturalism is see n not as a way of expanding educa tion, but as a tool of power, where various IIvic_ tims" force their viewpoin ts on others via the classroom.

As most sensible students would never enroll in these courses, they are forced to by diversity requirements.

Intellectual diversity has nothing to do with a selection of classes, of course.

Moya reveals his opposition to true diversity of ideas when he complains that one of the members of the committee was a member of the Na tio nal Association of Scholars. His complaint is that anyone who is not a "progressive" is by definition immoral and possesses illegitimate views. The true

goal of diversity classes is to use the coercive power of the University to quash any intellec tual dissent from radical leftist political points of view. This debate is often made in terms of race, but only certain People of Color are acceptable to radi- Mmdechai cal lefti sts. Whether a n Horowitz eco n o mi st like Thomas Sowell o r Supreme Co urt Justice Clarence Thomas, anyone who believes in the power of the individual to control their own destiny is una ccep tabl e a nd condemned as a "race traitor."

It is the very idea of the individual that horrifie s these people. Individuals are illegitimate in leftist theology. People are defined solely by their membership in a race, their sexual orienta tion, national origin, and some times economic class.

Individuals do not exist; only groups are allowed to have opinio n s. And only tho se gro ups d e fin e d as "oppressed" have morally co rre ct opinions . These opi nions, of course, are those of the radical left.

Th e co nce pt of individual merit is anathema to leftists, and is decried as racist and Western . Rath e r than individual earning rewards (such as income from a job or a scholarship for academic excellence), they believe that all such rewards

Continued on page 19

Binghamton

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NYPIRGAT20

N

Mitchell Be rger

ex t time yo u are w alkin g by the N YPIR G (Ne w York Public Inte res t Re sea rch Group) o ffice in the stude nt union yo u might stop in and wish the group a happy twentieth birthday.

Turning twenty encourages bo th the members of an orga nization a nd outside obse rve rs to consider its past, prese nt, an d fu t u re. At NYPIRG's " pa rty," the 20'" Annive rsa ry Fa ll Co n fere nce h eld in the stud e n t union November 6-7, about 300 s tud e nt s fr o m N YI'IRG's nine tee n sta tew ide ch a pte rs cele bra ted "20 years o f activism," discussed Gl rren t projects, and ex pl o re d p oss ible futu re goals. This confere nce a nd oth er info rm atio n shows tha t NYPIRG me mbers a rc justifiably proud of some of the ir group's e nvironme ntal victories and services to NY college students. At the sa me time, though, parts of the con fere nce revealed disco ncertin g radical tre n ds w ithin the group.

NYP IRG is a "no t-for profit, nonpartisan research a nd advocacy organi7.ation" acco rd in g to its mi ssio n statemen t, "Environmen tal p reserva tio n, co n s um e r protectio n, hi gh er educa tion, gove rnme nt accounta bUi ty, and social Justice are NYP IRG's principal areas of co n ce rn ."

Bin g h a m to n

chapter leader Ka tie Ryan stresses one o f NYPIRG's goals is "to counter the socie tal message that the re is no thing you ca n do" as a stude nt. Each of NypmG's ch apters includes a full-time coordinator, project leade rs and voluntee rs. A student boa rd of directors elected fro m the nineteen ch apters presides over NYPTRG's c u rre nt 70,000 me mbers and works with a full-time non-st udent staff. At the cnnIerence, NYPIRG Executi ve Direc to r Jay Ha lfo n noted that he was hired by a nd is acco un ta bl e to NYf'IRG's student boa rd of d irectors. Rya n sta tes her "so le co n ce rn o n thi s campus ...is to train stude nts to be activists." As NYI'IRG in te rn s or pro ject volunteers, students" get expertise outside the classroom in working for social change," as Halfon puts it.

But the question is what kind of "expertise" for w hat kind o f "socia l ch a n ge."

Events like the Confere nce arc im porta nt in assessi ng w h at NYI' IRC has done a nd w hat it may do in the h lture.

Although NYI' IR(~ has ma ny co nce rns it is probably most fa mous on ca mpus fo r its environ mental issues. Seve ral co n ference wo rks h ops foc u sed on NYPIRG's past a nd on-goin g ad vocacy o f lead re-

moval and opposition to incineration. O n these e nviron mental issues NYPIRC; has had la udable and non partisa n successes.

At the con ference two Was hin g to n County wome n w ho opposed an inci ne ra tor in Washington County were honored by NYPIRC; for "Outstanding work in the Community."

They and others organized grass-roots efforts in assodation with NYI'IRG to defeat three seperate incinerator proposals. NYPIRG conte n ds, according to Ryan Ryan, that inci ne ration is a "costly, short-term solution" tha t com petes with recycling and releases lead and other heavy metals into the a ir. O n a l ocal level, Binghamton's NYI'IR(; led th e effort to defeat the Broome County Incinerator last year.

Local citi7ens, Ryan argues "did not want their commun ity polluted by people who did not have the slightest inte rest in their hea lth a n d welfare in min d." This cri ticism and others were mistakenly leve11ed a t business and the "p rofit motive" by Ryan and other speakers at the confe re nce. A more accurate explanation, alluded to by Rya n in an interview, is inertia: businesses like individuals are used to dealing

Continued on page 15 7()

Binghamton 1{l'view

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June 30-July 1............. Washington, D.C.

November 3-4............. Washington, D.C.

~ mail to the leadership Institute, 8001 Braddock Road, #502, Springfield, VA 22151:-Or fitx to (703) 321-7194;: call (800) 827-LEArii I [] I would like to receive my free copy of the Leadership Institute's 1994 Leadership Training I Catalog. Please send it to the address below: I Name (please print) I Ad~s I City State Zip

I

Phone ( - )

X'9.t~.:l.

University

.I I I I I

I

L - & ~ InsiiUtewasfo1D1CkKl in 1979 as a non-partisan, non-profit, ecfuCiiional f01D1da1ioali1S elassified by the IRS as a SOl (eX3) orgm,jzation, .J and neither orcs nor 0 sea candidates or sed 1 . tion.

â&#x20AC;˘

1

POLl NOVEI'IIIER

M.'rri"t/ worlrers can even cook-you want them to run the school?

Top Ten Slogans of NWROC 10. Have soapbox-will travel.

9. "Unite the stuggIe [sic] to win the fight!"

8. "No free speech for fascist [sic]."

7. By any idiocy necessary.

6. Hey, hey, ho, ho, we put on a real freak show.

5. When's the bus back to Albany?

4. Tune in, drop out, join NWROC. 3. Fraternity, Equality, Automatic Weapons.

2. What do you mean, ULED are Workers too?

And Number One ...

1. @#$% A!!

12

Something we can agree with.

We represent the lnllipop People!

Binghamton Review

17

â&#x20AC;˘

1

.1993 If she really believed it, she'd shut up.

MmJechai Horowitz refused a date by an NWROC member.

Binghamton Review

NewsfJash-Obstructed Vision Causes Racism During the November 17 disruption of the Harpur College Council meeting, an ally of NWROC made the astonishing claim that Dean Brehm's inability to see through the back of her head proves her racism. He was referring to the Dean's request at the November 10 HCC meeting when she asked students seated behind her to move into her field of vision. Referring to their position, she told them "I can't see you." The NWROC affiliate quoted this as an example of the Dean's "blatant racism" because those students seated behind her happened to be "of color."

We suppose this means that all people who lack eyes in the back of the head are inherentlyracist.

13

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Binghamton Review

NYPIRG Continue d from page 10

wit h problems like garbage in a certai n way a nd recyclin g requ ires more creativity a nd e ffort tha n incinera tion. O ne o f NYI'IR(;'s p rojects on ca m p us is designing a Sta teWide Recyclin g Survey that seeks to answe r w hy bu sinesses do or do not recycle.

In the lo ng-run these e fforts w ill be eve n more help ful th an o ppositio n to inci neration.

Anothe r ma jor NYI'[J{(; effort conce rn s lead removal. Duri ng th e Plenary session a nd confere nce wo rkshops like " Lead Poisonin g Preve ntion" a nd "Twe nty Yea rs of Activism: NYPIRGs history a nd mission" speakers noted NYl' lRGs efforts in th is area. O n cam p us, lead poisoning is also pa rt of NYP IRC's health ca re the me since lead poisoning ca uses severe bra in da mage in children un der six. NYPIRG lobbied fo r the 1992 Lead Poisonin g Prevention Act requiring ma nda tory scree nin g of childre n a nd p regna nt wome n fo r lead poisonjn g. Additionally, NYP IJ{G supports Ilill 159 in the State Se nate requirin g certi fication for businesses tha t remove lead. This wou ld e nsu re more complete lead remova l from builrungs a nd make New York eligible for part of the $430,000,000 federa l fun d to su pport lead re moval.

NYPIRG also helps stude nts by providin g access to a small claims court clinic. Stude nts having legal problem s, for in stance a d ispute with a landlord, ca n stop by and ge t advice or eve n speak to a n a ttorney.

NY I'I RG assists with the NY I'I RG-SA Book Fixchan ge. Stud ents ca n obta in used books or offe r th em to othe r stu de nts by posting a note with the title/a u thor of the book o n the billboa rd d irectly across fro m the minimall. Rya n observes that students can ge t the books they need through the excha nge a t a p rice much lower tha n w hat Barnes & Nobles offe rs. Finally, th rough its "MORE IN ' 94" program NYPIRG works to keep TAP (Tuition Assissta nce Pwgram), Fina ncial Aid a nd tuition at reaso nable le vels.

Stude nts discussed their pla ns fo r More in '94 at the con fe rence. Last yea r NYPIRG shldents actu ally met w ith Gove rnor Cuomo a nd pe rsuaded him and the legisla ture to freeze tuition a nd restore fu nds cut from TAl' and fi nancial aid . Too ba d New York' s h igh taxes d id n' t co me up.

Some o f the radicalism a t the con fe re nce con trasts lmfavorably with these non-partisa n successes and service s. For exa mple, NYPIR(; is pa rt o f the NY Campaign fo r Ge nuine Accountability in Education, a coalition w hich attacks the SAT' s for allegedly "damaging ed uca tion," " Hurtin g Students o f colur a nd Low-Income Stu den ts," being inaccurate and subjective and failin g to "provide accountability."

NY I'IRG cla im s, for instance, tha t " askin g a chil d to choose w heth e r a sa ucer or a table goes with a cup will favor the child from a family th a t ca n afford sa ucers." With d ue sy ma pthy for the "sauce nally-disad va ntaged," a fa mily that ca n a ffo rd a table probably ca n a fford sa ucers . Mo re ge ne rally, no se rious a ptitude test can a sk que stions tha t do no t require some people to deal with conce pts they may dislike or be unfamiliar w ith. A "climactically challe nged" person in Arizona may have to a nswer a question a bo u t snow or a libe ral writer might be fo rced to consider a question in sta nda rdw ritten English. Surely with tho ught these d isa bilities ca n be ove rcome.

O bvio usly, the se a n d o ther s pecio us claims w ere no t subs ta ntia ted w ith scie ntific evidence or expert testimony du ring the confe rence, in terview or o n assorted informa tion shee ts. At the co nfere nce, stude nts a ppla uded sta ff a ttorney Chris Meyers for slightin g SA'lvs as "tests tha t prove absolutely nothing about your in tellige nce but dete rmine your entire ed ucation." His commentsa nd NYPIRG s rusda in from the SAT's are connected with N Yl' lRG s q ue st for "achievement" or outcome-based ed uca tion .

Continued on pag e 20 Hin&ham loll 1~l'v il'W

1!i

1994 PREDICTIONS

A

Nathan Wurtzel

16

s the New Year ap proaches, this notso-famous prognosticator takes ou't his crystal ball and tells you what is to come in the 12 months ahead, January 1- The Florida Sta te Seminoles win their first national football championship, defeating Notre Dame by a score of 102-7 in the Fiesta Bowl.

2The newly-formed N CAA Committee of Diversity strips the Seminoles of their title dting insensitivity to Native Americans.

6- Two me n are injured in a bar brawl in Liechtenstein.

President Bill Clinton sends 15,000 Marines to deal with the crisis.

9- Saddam Hussei.n is implicated in a plot to assassinate former President Gerald Ford.

12- Florida State changes their nickname to "The Ragin' Grapefruit." The NCAA restores their title.

16- Several thousand protesters converge on Tallahassee, claiming that grapefruit have been unfairly stereotyped as "aggressive" a nd "hegemonic" by Florida State University.

29- New York Governor Mario Cuomo announces that he is still deciding whether to run for reelection.

February

2- Dr. Jack Kevorkian is named to head the National Health Board.

7- President Bill Clinton sends 22,000 Marines to the Canary Islands when a car runs off the road, slightly injuring one pedestrian.

10- The CIA uncovers an Iraqi plot to kill Beavis and Butthead.

21 - The White House hires Lorena Bobbitt for the position of Wh ite House gardener.

27- Vice-President Albert Gore is seriously injured when attacked by a spotted owl.

March 1- Governor Cuomo holds a press conference to announce that he will soon hold a press conference.

12- At Antioch College in Ohio, 12 male students are expelled for failing to ask permission to hold a door for a female.

14- First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton angers Sesame Street viewers by fordng Oscar to move from his garbage can in to government-subsidized housing.

20- Rush Limbaugh marries White House Spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers.

26- President Bill Clinton sends 67,000 Marines to invade the Vatican City because flit's there,"

April 1- Preside nt Bill Clinton lowers taxes, cuts spending,

and reduces the size of government.

Universities across the fruited plain begin to admit students and hire faculty on the basis of merit. Ralph Nader purchases an eighteen wheeler and a radar detector.

3- The University of North Carolina Tar Heels win their second consecutive national basketball championship, defeating Georgetown 929l.

4- The Committee of Diversity strips North Carolina of the title, claiming that "Tar Heel" is offensive to Africa nAmerican podiatrists.

10- Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi Secret Service are implicated in a plot to kill Barney the Dinosaur.

18- North Carolina changes their team nickname to "The PC Establishment."

The NCAA immediately restores their title.

30- Governor Cuomo announces that he will soon make an announcement.

May 1- President Bill Clinton announces at a press conference that "from now on, parades will be held today, instead of July 4."

3- Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy drives off another bridge and acddcntly drowns passenger Shanne n Doherty. Se n. Kennedy's popularity rating instantly doubles.

12- President Bill Clinton

Hinghamton Review

attempts to drive off a bridge while travelling with Roseanne Rarr-Arnold.

17- Dan's Bake Sale 11 draws 435,000 Rush I.imbaugh fans to Fort Collins, Colorado. President Clinton se nds in 114,000 Marines to "kick some conservative butt."

23- A student at the University of Pennsylvania is expelled for calling members of a sorority " bluefooted boobies." Feminists explain that this term is offensive to women because " the female blue-foo ted booby is forced to carry her hatchlings around on her feet all day, thereby being oppressed by the dominant male blue-footed booby establishment."

27- The Michigan Wolverines announce they will change their name because "Wolverine" offends many rodents that the animals feed on. Suggested substitutes are the "Two Mommies," the IIGuiniers," and the "Brady Bills."

31- A new law requires all male blue-footed boobies to attend sensitivity training classes.

June 9- Ross Perot chokes on ills own rhetoric and is narrowly saved when a visiting Mexican businessman applies the Heimlich maneuver.

12- The Ira4i government is caught red-handed while trying to kidnap Macaulay Culkin.

15- Senator Paul Simon and songwriter Paul Simon team Hinghamton

up to record a new album, Pnrs/ry,Sfnogp, Rosrmnry, mill Tnxps.

21- C;overmlr Mario Cuomo

holds a press conference to announce that he might run for reelection if "everybndy asks real nicely."

26- President Rill (linton names Gennifer Flowers to the new Cabinet-level post of Secretary of Recreation .

30- President Clinton sends the Sixth Fleet to the Atlantic with orders to "attack and destroy that SenQursf I )5 V subma rine."

July 2- Chelsea Clinton petitions the Supreme Court in an attempt to divorce her pare nts.

9- Rush and Dee Dee l .imbaugh agree to adopt Chelsea Clinton.

13- President Clinton is attacked by what he identifies a "giant swimming rabbit," which turn s out to be a playht! Secretary of Labor Robert Reich with sun-block on.

16- The NCAA announces tha t Duke will no longer be allowed to compete in athletics unless they change the "Bl ue Devils" nickname, which the Committee of Diversity says is offensive to cryonically-frozen Satanworshippers.

21- MTV urges viewers to "Free Your Mind ." Viewers comply by changing the channel.

August 7- Ross Perot vaporizes while at a fund-raising appearance. Witnesses report hearing a giant sucking l~rvipw

sound immediately prior to the billionaire's disappearance.

'10- Actress Jane Alexander, head of the National Endowment for the Arts, announces she has approved a S550,OOO grant tn a pair of performance artists whose act consists of watching music videos and grunting "heh-heh."

16- President Bill Clinton sends 210,000 Marines to attack Antarctica, rationalizing that we "should win."

21- Vice-President Al Gore is admitted to Bethesda Naval Hospital with a case of food poisoning after eating a stalk of organicallygrown celery.

24- An episode of NBC's Blossom is pulled from the airwaves when Blossom urges viewers to "respect your parents, stay away from drugs and alcohol, and abstain from premarital sex."

29- Governor Cuomo re-

lentlessly attacks his Republican opponent. The Republican party suddenly realizes that they haven' t nominated anybody.

September 1- Hours before the college football season begins, Tennessee is banned from competition by the Committee of Diversity, which states that "Volunteers" is offensive to people who have to be forced to do things.

5- At Antioch College, 371 male students are expelled for failing to ask permission to sit next to women in clilss.

9- Se n. Alfonse D'Amato

77

PINK STUDIES Continued from page 4 "oppressed." Grasping pa pe rs weighted down with red ink, the losers straighten their nose-rings and march into the offices of their advisors and academic departments.

Outside the English department th e line would go all the way down the han, except that these kinds of people do not stand in line s. The foul-balls just kind of mill outside the office, waiting for someone to pay attention to them.

In the best of world s this is how thin gs would stay. The losers wou ld wander aimlessly while everyone else went about educating and being educated. But this is Binghamton University's English Department, so things go a bit differently.

Some of the faculty recognizes themselves in those losers. Some sort of strange class-allegiance is formed (losers of the world lmite!) and Pink Studies is born.

Pink Studies takes a lot of pressure off the faculty . It is hard to be intelligent or inte resting. Students gravitate to the best professors, leaving the loser professors with empty rourses. Pink Studies brings the loser students (who are too lazy or stupid to think in real classes) to the loser professors (who arc also too lazy or stupid to think in real

MOB JUSTICE Continued from page 5 sponded to the related question, "VVhatever happened to irmocent until proven guilty?"

Her response was that, "We all know that people are guilty of actions before it is publicly demonstrated that they are guilty." If only Erin were present at framing of the Co nstitutio n-the American taxpayers would have saved billions on their court system.

Erin seems to be suggesting that there exists no possibility of mistaken identity.

What of the eyewitness testimony of the attacked woman's roommate?-The alleged

18

classes), saving everybody the trouble of thinkin g at all.

To pass Pink Sh.dics, all you have to do is tow the Politically Correct line. Homosex uality is okay. Pedophilia is probably not as bad as everybody says. Heterosexuality is very, very bad. Ma rriage is even worse.

Queer Readings is th e ultimate usurpation of th e Dea d, White, Male cannon.

Madonna's Sex is one of the texts. This book is bad pornography. It is boring, cliche and the pictures aren't very good . nut in the search to replace Dead White Males, the Pink Studies folks have taken their sloga n from NYC s Times Square: I jve \-\lhite Girls!

This sort of pc. literary theory has been done to death. At this point it is passe. No one really bclievesall the Europea n pseudophilosophical nonsense on which these course are based. llinghamton University should begin to celebrate the individual and the difference one man ca n make. There isn't much chance of this, but one can always hope.

Someone once said, "] study war so my children can study politics, so their children ca n study poetry." The English professors at Binghamton University have added one more part to those words: they studied poetry so we could study pornography.!

victim claimed to be alone during the attack. Discrepancies such as this may only be adequately addressed in a controlled forum conducted by m a ture, responsible adults. Such forums do not include the Mini-Mall.

The women of Take Back the Night and other victim groups should realize that though they may not have a legal obligation to curb their speech, they do in fact have a moral obligation to do so. They would also do well to remember that in the world beyond the confines of this and other campuses, such irresponsible behavior is not tolerated.!!

Bin ghamton

l~eview

WALDEN

III

Continued from page 7 in many cases are rife with dubious scholarship. Being open to the argumen ts of another, serious d ebate, and in many cases the pursuit of the tfllth have bee n buried in a sea of subjectivity. Seldom is a statement by an undergraduate in the humanities not preceded by "I feel," or " I think;" in many cases students are absolutely wrong, completely lacking facts, and basically spouting the latest PC chic, but rarely are they blatantly told that they are wrong. Unfo rhmate1y in many subjects, especially ones which are " gender and ethnically" sensitive, there are no co mpletely "wrong" answers, save a "traditio nal" interpreta tion. .

The integrity of the university itself ha s b e en challenge d by this move m en t.

Harvard instructor William Cole h as said that a generatio n or two ago, a student who mentally dropped out of a class settled for a "gen tleman's e " Now he says, sub-par students get a "gentlcperson's B," and inti-

mates that a "gentleperson's A-" is not out of the case, mostly in the humanities. This is a sad reflection indeed on the state of American hi gh er education;the fe el-good movement has come so far tha t professors are often fearful of giving students grades which they deserve. "Rela tivism is the key word today," says Cole . "There's a general co nception in the literary-academic world that holding things to high standards-like logic argument a nd havi ng a n interesting the sis-is patriarchal, Euroce ntric, and conservative. If you say 'This paper is no good because you don' t support your argument: that's almost like being racist a nd sexist."

Both the culture of complaint and the machinations of radical authoritarians within our ed ucatio nal system have bro ught this situation about. The mission of education is becoming that of building self-estee m a nd m odel "persyns." If the continuing surge of OBE is not stopped, the Orwellia n nightmare and Skinnerian dream of a perfectly planned society may be wrought, in which case this critique would be ce nsored, beca use it wasn't confined to the parameters of "newspeak." Think about it.!

NWROC Continued from page 9 should be distribute d among the "op _ pressed." The fact that ti, e individuals themselves may never have faced any sort of discrimination is irrelevant; only group membe rship is important.

Radical groups such as the Na tio nal Womens' Rights Organizing Coa lition (NWROC) want to eliminate the individual's d e mocratic right to dissent.

Their call for violence against all who oppose their agenda is a threat, not just to hypothetical "fascist," but to anyone who values freedo m.

This debate sheds light on another campus issue. While the officia l campa ign against allowing ULED access to gun s was based on the claim of racism, they have now Hinghamton

r~l'Vipw

le t slip that their goal is to replace ULED with student-run Thou ght Police, who will physically assa ult anyone who disagrees wit h the views of th e radical left. As NWROC stated at its rally, they need to eliminate ULED so they can " ... build an atmosphere where anyone who is racist, sexist, or h omoph obic does not feel [physically] safe on this campus."

Th e true issue in the debate over multiClllturalism is not one of white vs. black (or a ny other color), right vs. left, o r even Western Culture vs. some o ther. Rather it is one of freedom against totalitarianism. It is about the desire of certain groups to impose by force their views on the rest of the world.!

19

NYPIRG Continued from page 15 Under this program, SAT's would be replaced by student portfolios and essays that ask open-ended ques tions . Judging by NYPIRG' s aversion to any substantial educational standards such rigorous essay questions would probably include "What five things make you smile a nd why?" or "'A'hat can we as individuals do to make the world a sunnier place?" Fortunately, some of NYPIRG's educational information is now printed in other languages to help those who will be left unable to seriously read or think after]8 years of "ope n-education."

Radicalism was also appare nt in the " Women in the Movement for Social Change" and "Lesbian, Cay and Bisexual forces in Social Change" workshops. At the feminism workshop, conference leaders praised one of the Washington County awarded receipients who advised students to "disobey the rules to be successful."

Women were urged to "stop being polite" and students discussed how to make feminism a more " inclusiv e" move me nt . A speaker who introduced Staff Award winner Carly Pitkin, who ha s clashed with the US Army and other authorities over Native American issues, felt compelled to praise Pitkin for "never (being) afraid to fly in the face of convention .. ." Another speaker noted that "the vast majority of talen ted environmental activists we work with are women." This may be true but so what?

Why is a person's race or gender seen as more relevant than their achievements by radical groups? And what does feminism have to do with NYPIRG's mission?

These questions are equally applicable to the Gay Rights conference where Queens staff attorney Michael Hewitt criticized NY~IRG for not allowing canvassing on the i~sue and said "NYPIRG should take a stand on this." Presumably he me t his stand.

Hewitt asserts "ultra-right wing groups

20

have been fighting against human rights movemnets for years." Hewitt argues that abortion is one such right and that gay rights is connected to other radical issues: "if one fall they all fall."

In a banner display where members illustrated their ideas of NYPIRG past and present both of these causes were represented along with "gun-control," "animal rights," and "legalization of marijuana."

Pratt Institute declared its goal as having "Brooklyn secede from the United States."

There were sca ttered applause.

Binghamton's chapter goal was to rid the world of smoking.

Rya n observes in an interview that the conference is a "forum of ideas" and the group need not necessa rily endorse any particular position. Nevertheless, as Hewitt observes, the inclusion of a conference or workshop confers some "legitimacy." Ryan states that "we don' t work on animal rights." Gay rights is "not an issue we work on currently and we have n' t in the past."

She notes "We do not have any stance on abortion ." This is currently true but leaves o ne apprehensive about the future of NYPlRG in some respects. "You can never say positively that we' re never going to work on this or that issue," Ryan concedes.

Endorsement of these radical issues, to any extent, renders NYPlRG a partisan organization and detracts from its ability to help students and foster positive changes.

As Ryan noted, "NYPIRG is here on this campus ... as a resource for students ... by becoming involved you not only learn valuable skills to effect change on your community and campus but you can really take control of the world as you see it."

On NYPIRG's twentieth anniversary it is appropriate to celebrate some of its past achievements and give some advice for its future: continue to work for the student and public interest and not for the special interests of a few radical members.!

Binghamton Rroil'w

1994

"

Continued from page 19 succumbs to popula r prc ssurc and a nnounces his candidacy for Gove rno r.

14- NASA's Mars Explo re r is found in the backyard o f Press and SlIn-Bulle/in columnist David Rossie, apparently confused by its instruction to seek out "strange lifeforms."

20- After 20 month s of the Clinton administration, une mployme nt is at twelve pe rcent, the deficit has !,'Town to $447 billion, infla tion is at eleve n perce nt, a nd th e President's approval ra ting is a t 32 pe rcent.

The Preside n t holds a press confe re nce to announce that this is "Reagan's fault."

October 2- Vice-Preside nt Albert Gore is hospitalized with a concussion and bruised ribs when a stack of environmental regulations falls on top of him .

10- First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton finally announces that she has determined "the meaning o f being human in this postmodern age" (expanding the welfare state) and appoints Michael Le rner to head the new Agency of Meaning.

14- The New York Governor' s race heats up as Mario Cuomo suggests that challenger Al J)' Amato has mob tics.

16- D' Amato strikes back, gently pointin g out that Cuomo made the allega tion a t a Be nso nhurst rally surro unde d by me n wearing black shirts and fedoras.

20- Iraqi thugs attempt to kidnap Gove rnor Cuomo, but nab Mel Brooks by mistake.

24- Bugs Bunny re runs are pulled from the airwaves whe n the FCC decides tha t Wile E. Coyote is offe nsive to "losers."

29- In spired by a n Iowa school district, Hillary Rodha m Clinton announces a list of no n-o ffe n sive Hallowee n cos tumes .

Unacce ptable costumes include such "easily o ffended" targets as witches, gypsies, and Pat Schroeder.

November 4- In a last ditch attempt to win the election, Gove rnor Cuomo promises a middleBinRhamton Hl'view

class tax cut.

8- Re publicans pick up cleve n Se na te a nd 77 House scats. In New York, [)'Ama to unseats Cuomo by one vote, w hich is glee fully cast by talk show host Bob l;ra nt.

9- Preside nt Bill Clinton a ngrily orde rs the armed forces to attack Ame rica's taxpayers, citing that they are "un grateful" for his reforms.

22- The ghost of Lee Atwa ter visits Haley Barbour a nd tells him to ge t with it. Barbour signs up for guitar lessons.

24- In re taliation for losing con trol o f the Ho use and Sena te, Preside nt Clinton cancels Thanksgivin g. Realizing tha t his grip on Ame rica is weake nin g, Cli nton brings in Boris Yeltsin as a special advisor.

30- The Louisia na legislature o rde rs the New O rleans Saints to change their nickname, saying that the monike r is o ffensive to sinners, atheists, and the Guillotine.

December 2- President Clinton holds a press confere nce in the Rose Carde n. He doesn' t address the media, but climbs o n top o f a ta nk a nd shakes his fi st at a picture o f Ronald Reaga n.

7- Hillary Rodham Clinton d ecla res tha t "one na tion, under God" w ill be deleted from the Pledge of Allegiance, to be re placed by "one nation, unde r Bill." Ge nnife r Flowers objects vehemently, sayin g that's he r job.

12- Ru th Bade r Gin sberg cha rges Clare nce Thomas w ith sexual harassme nt. Anita Hill an grily tells Ginsberg, "Hey, false charges are my gig!"

19- Afte r more than a yea r o f deba te, Binghamton Unive rsity announces that the dive rsity requirement w ill consis t o f o ne "sensitivity" class ta ught by LOllis Farrakhan and Howa rd Stern.

25- The occupants of the White House awa ke n to find coal in their stockings."

31- Individuals across the la nd look a t their calendars and find the most encouraging news of the yea r: only 750 days le ft in the Clin ton presidency!

Have a grea t holida y sea son a nd a ha ppy New Year. Hang in there, folks !~

27

ROT-13

C

Dan Cullen

rime is an inherent part of socie ty, and as com p u ter techno logy brea ks open th e doors o f convenience, crime is sure to follow close behind . Com pute r crimes include everything from stealing telephone calling card numbers to placing bogu s ATM machines in malls, a nd gainin g access to the banking accounts of unsuspecting users.

While th ese crimes of f ra ud a n d th eft wre ak havoc on unsuspecting victims, a greater da nger exists.

This grea te r d anger is the illicit alteration or destruction o f comp uter data. An example of this was whe n Robert Morris, a graduate student of Cornell University, se nt a "wor m" into Interne t and paralyzed app roximately 6,000 com put-

\-\U\4- HUH!

22

continue to protect against the ft and va ndalism.

The Clinton admirustration has pla ns fo r this technology. Under their proposal, a standard set of compute r codes would be used to e ncrypt compute r da ta and would be placed under the control of a n age ncy cho sen by the Attorn ey Gene ral. This wo uld hc1p Hght the proble m o f people committing nefarious acts against others, but would be in direct viola tion o f the individual privacy p rotected by the Fourth Amendment.

"This syste m of codes is like th e lock boxes re al-esta te age nts use. The lock box, with key inside, ha ngs on the house door. The agent has a se pa ra te key th a t opens the lock box...and the Clinto n admin is trati o n wa nts gove rnment to hold th e keys to eve ryo ne's lock box" (Reason, 11 fJ3). [t is admira ble for the Presid e nt to be con ce rn e d with the dan ge r s o f co m puter crim es, but thi s is so me thing \-IUH-~UH! citize n s ca n a nd should do for themselves. By protecting our da ta we ca n preve nt crimes and mai ntain o ur privacy. Exercise yom righ t of cryptography.!,!

ers nationwide. O ne doesn' t need to be a computer scie nce expert to rea li ze the da nge rs wh ich exist from compute r hackers w ho are able to break even the most secure compute rs.

The furor crea ted by Mr. Morris se nt gove rnme ntal compu ter ma nage rs o n a frenzy luokin g for stm nge r computer security systems.

As we become mo re relia nt on elcctroruc in formatio n, o ur need to p ro tect confidential information increases, a nd the best way to ga in thi s pro te c ti o n is thr o ugh cryp togr a ph y.

(Cryptogra phic systems alter data into a secret code, allowing users to give access only to those they wish.)

Cryptography e nables users to "lock" their valuable personal da ta. This is the pe rfect hi gh-tech way to

HUH-HUH HUH-HUH

GUNS AND POSEURS

O

h, the utter foolery.

Only at Binghamton could a militant group of rabble rousers wreak havoc in the early 1990s. Or, better yet, a group of visiting mercenaries whoteally have no idea as to what silly little things they spout, but fully grasp the concept of skipping class at SUNY-Albany. How shameful that the administration and the students of this campus stood idly by and allowed NWROC to interrupt a solemn Veteran's Day ceremony and a Harpur College Council meeting and vote, incite near-riots in the dining halls, threaten and humiliate students of every background, and blatantly violate the SA Charter by holding a closed meeting and using physical force to keep out its opposition-all within one week!

Through the funding of a Trotskyist organization based in Detroit and under the sponsorship of our own Women's Center, this rowdy bunch of' undesirables demanded the inane: Open admissions and free tuition to all minorities, a campus run entirely by the students, a diversity requirement that would bar courses on the subject of Western Europe and, of course, no guns for ULED. Hiding behind a warped

and distorted view of democracy, these ignorant creatures refuse to allow their challengers to speak, labeling anyone who counters their arguments as racist, imperialist, and fascist They use language and actions that intimidate and stifle, and they're getting away with it. They barge into meeting rooms accompanied by microphone and amplifier, mounting tables and screaming like banshees while the gathered administration sits by and does nothing. But, what can they do? NWROC has already insinuated that they are not above violence; they've referred to AK-47' s, punching, militant action, and "the necessary use of physical force" in their speeches and flyers. They are terrorists, and with terrorists negotiation is impossible.

The students on this campus are generally opposed to NWROC and its antics, so why is this bombast allowed to continue?

Who's worse-NWROC or the campus population that sits back and permits such idiocy to prevail? And, where is our friend President DeFleur? A simple statement denouncing militant action by a "studentrun organization" would be the very least she could

Binghamton Review

do-but then she might jeopardize her political p0sition with the angry misguided mob ... and Lois would hate to do that.

Along with the Deans of Harpur College who also lack backbones, the presidentandheradminisaation have let the students down yet again-the students they II exist for."

Everyone seems to have the same sentiments about NWROC-they dislike them. Pipe Dream and the SA both denounce NWROC. They are not respected or endorsed (except by the Women's Center, which ought to be ashamed of itself for bringing such a group to this campus. Perhaps next time they'll use a little thought and research when sponsoring an organization...) yet they are tolerated. LASU offers their office for a meeting place and refuses to allow people to attend a publicized NWROC meeting-even LASU's own members! Ridiculous? Amazingly so.

Why, then, are we tolerating this menagerie?

Newsflash: TlUS NOT 1968. Deviant militant behavior is no longer in vogue.

In our silence we fuel NWROC and support their lunacy, and that's unacceptable. Oh, the utter foolery...!

Cara

Donlon

23

FOR THE RECORD Dualities like gender or race are not apposite but true counterparts, the same and yet differmt, and not to be seen as some existmtial competition-we could do without that. Better yet, we could get along without that.

-Neil Peart Actually, I like how it makes my liberal friends freak out.

- James Earl Jones, on his voice-over for the Rush Umbaugh Show The act of consmsus is the negation of leadership.

-The Lady Mnrgaret Thatcher The best kind of communists are former communists.

-Prof. Richard Hofferber!

Romance... is rape embellished with meaningfullooles.

- Andrea Dworkin No ship of all that under sail or steam Have gathered people to us more and more But, Pilgrim-manned, the Mayflower in a dream Has bem her anxious convoy into shore.

-Robert Frost

It cannot be inferred to be impossible that a woman should be a Homer, or an Aristotle, or a Michael Angelo, or a Beethoven, because no woman has yet actually produced works comparable to theirs in any of those lines of excellence. This negative fact at most leaves the question open ... But it is quite certain that a woman can be a Queen Elizabeth, or a Deborah, or a Joan of Arc, since this is not inference, but fact.

- John Stuart Mill

tuitous acts of violence, indulge our puerile dreams of power, to give in to our most craven fenrs.

Perhaps more than anything else, the horror story or horror movie says it's okay to join the mob, to become the total tribal being, to destroy the outsider.

-Stephen King Modern art is what happens when painters stop looking at girls and persuade themselves that they have a better idea.

- John Ciardi

We fear change.

-Garth Algar Then there are those special perils, the awfu l bores. These are all the more difficult to circumvent because-unlike the the shools that lurk hidden by at least afew inches of water- the bores are more like stalagmites, rising directly betwem you and your objective: the \ . bar, the beautiful widow, your best friend.

-William F. Buckley, Jr. Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

-Isaac Asimov The horror film is an invitation to indulge in deviant, antisocial behavior by proxy- to commit gra-

The unspeakable little drugged monstrosities who resort to vialence- imd who have progressed, without significant opposition, from campus sit-ins to arson to such an atrosity as mass terrorimtion and the bombing of public places-should be treated as the criminials they are, and not as political "dissenters."

-AynRand It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.

-Abraham Lincoln

Love is not the dying moon of a distant violin-it's the the triumphant twang of a bedspring.

-5. J. Perelman

Join the Jitngbamton l\tbtttu Meetings every Thursday night 8 p. m. in UU 104