May 2008 - Binghamton Review

May 2008

B inghamton R eview

Binghamton Review Exposes the University’s Disregard for Our Constitutional Rights Binghamton Review, April 2005

Truth and two staples

Binghamton Review Editor-in-Chief Robert Edward Menje Managing Editor Adam Shamah Copy Editors Yadin Hertzel Rod Alzmann Editor Emeritus Christopher Powell Business Manager Michael Lombardi Treasurer Michael Calabrese Staff Writers Ryan Dunham, Paul Liggieri, Nehemia Stern, Daniel Rabinowitz, Alex Paolano, Randal Meyer, John Jensen Graphics Michael Saltzman Friends of the Review Dr. Aldo S. Bernardo Mr. Michael J. Hayes Mr. Robert Larnerd The Leonini Family Mr. Michael O’Connell Mr. Tony Potochniak The Powell Family Mr. Conrad Ross The Shannon Family Mr. Bob Soltis WA2VCS The Shamah Family The Menje Family The Leeds Family Binghamton Review is printed

by Our Press, in Chenango Bridge. We provide the truth; they provide the staples.

Ipsa scientia potestas est

Founded 1987 o Volume XXI Number 8 o May 2008

Features

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Editorial: Robert Edward Menje on our fascist administration

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Campus Presswatch

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Binghamton’s Best and Worst professors

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11 31

Letters: Our crazy readers, they love us and hate us

Special: BR interviews a FIRE representative on the policy changes

Enemies of the Review beware: Our annual enemies list

Contents

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Randal Meyer on the Code of Conduct change

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Louis W. Leonini’s 2004 thoughts still apply today

10 16 18

Adam Shamah hits an overbearing administration

Nehemia Stern wants hippies to leave their little bubbles Adam Shamah kills NYPIRG once and for all

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Rod Alzmann defends property rights

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Chris Powell bids farewell to Binghamton

22 30 34 36 38

Paul Liggieri is pissed off (maybe at you)

Mike Lombardi owns the elistist Barack Obama Alex Paolano defends University Police Ryan Dunham teaches us how to be PC

John Jensen makes the case for John McCain

Binghamton Review is a monthly, independent journal of news, analysis, commentary, and controversy. Students at Binghamton University receive two copies of the Review free of charge (non-transferrable). Additional copies cost $1 each. Letters to the Editor are welcome; they must be accompanied by the author’s current address and phone number. All submissions become the property of the Review. The Review reserves the right to edit and print any submission. Copyright © 2008 Binghamton Review. All rights reserved. Binghamton Review is distributed on campus under the authority of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Binghamton Review is a member of the Collegiate Network and is a Student Association-chartered organization. Binghamton University is not responsible for the content of the Review; the Review is not responsible for the content of Binghamton University.

Binghamton Review thanks the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

Binghamton Review “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.” -Niccolò Machiavelli Binghamton University Past Editors of Binghamton Review: John Guardiano, Yan Rusanovsky, Kathryn PO Box 6000 Doherty, Ephriam Bernstein, Michael Malloy, Paul Schnier, Adam Bromberg, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000 binghamtonreview@gmail.com

Bernadette Malone, Michael Darcy, Nathan Wurtzel, Amy Gardner, John Carney, Paul Torres, Jason Kovacs, Robert Zoch, Matthew Pecorino, Michael O’Connell, Louis W. Leonini, Joseph Carlone, Christopher Powell, Nathaniel Sugarman

Binghamton Review, May 2008

Editorial

They’re

Watching

In Defense of Freedom

rarely express my views on property and property rights. Most of the time, I talk about my opinions on foreign policy and the United States’ position in the world.

Not often do I go on rants about amendment rights and constitutional law. But after the recent moves by the administration to stifle freedom through their policy changes regarding the privacy of one’s dorm, I feel that now, more than ever, this topic needs to be discussed.

No one can argue that the founding of this country was not influenced heavily by the ideas of the Enlightenment. The philosophy of John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Hobbes are present in the American Constitution.

These three men spoke heavily on the idea of social contract. Social contract is the notion that legitimate state authority must be derived from the consent of the governed. When the administration, through the power of the BU Council (an unelected council that is appointed by the Governor), decided recently that they were going to remove certain freedoms that the authors of the Constitution endowed upon us, they broke that social contract.

The fourth amendment to the Constitution plainly states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and

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Lois DeFleur is in a position to, and should, fight for the consti-

tutional rights of the students she is charged with protecting. effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported

by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Does the BU Council not know basic constitutional law? Maybe before

they get placed on this council, where they make the rules for the university, they should be forced to learn about something as simple as our fundamental rights.

Many people have said to me since I have taken up this cause, “well if you don’t like univer-

If you are reading this and you are not outraged, then you clearly don’t care about your freedom. sity policy regarding dorms, live off campus.” I do live off campus because I believe that a man’s house is his castle. I don’t want some megalomaniacal RA searching my stuff. The problem with the aforementioned statement though is that freshmen are forced to live on campus. The university forces these students (and all students) to forfeit their fourth amendment right. Is this even legal? The answer quite simply is no.

Being a university president, Lois DeFleur is in a position to, and should, fight for the consitutional rights of the students she is charged with protecting. If she neglects this duty, then she should be removed from that office by the powers that be.

If you are reading this and you are not outraged, then clearly you don’t care about your freedom. You deserve to live in chains and be controlled by a slave-master. No matter what your political persuasion, you should rise up and speak out against this totalitarian policy. This is not a partisan issue. This policy affects all of us.

If we allow this policy to stand, the administration will see that we, the students, are a bunch of pushovers. No opposition will show them that any policy they concoct can take away our freedoms without opposition. We will not stand for this! We must not stand for this!

Binghamton Review, May 2008

-Robert Edward Menje

Our Crazy Readers Respond

Letters Dear Editors,

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to the Thank you for your kind words and your interesting tidbit of information. For our readers: Ben Stein’s film is playing locally at the movie theater across from BCC on Upper Front Street.

-BR

Thank you always for your independent voice.

Your inclusion in the April issue of an article by Ben Stein on Darwinism prompts me to mention that there is a connection between his movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Al- Dear Editors, lowed , and the Binghamton campus. Richard Sternberg, It was heartening to see in your most recent issue hank you al that you’ve brought one Ben Stein aboard as a staff writer. ways for your It’s important to involve nonstudents in campus i n d e p e n d e n t traditional publications, especially those with (as those on the Left like voice to say) learning differences. who appears very prominent- Of course, during Mr. ly in that film got his second Stein’s stay here at BinghamPh.D. from our program here ton, he certainly could learn a in Systems Science. few things. He is apparently

For references, please unfamiliar with the fallacy of note the Wikipedia article: the ad hominem argument, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ since he cites personal facts Richard_Sternberg His own about Marx and Darwin that website discussing the con- are about as relevant to their troversy surrounding him is respective theories as are, say, www.ricksternberg.net Also, the call letters of the AM radio as you are probably already station from which he gathaware, the official movie web- ered those facts. It would thus site is www.expelledthemovie. behoove Mr. Stein to regiscom Dr. Sternberg appears in ter next fall for any 100-level nearly all the trailers there. rhetoric or philosophy course, where he would learn to avoid Regards, such mistakes in the future.

To give but one other exHal Lewis ample, Mr. Stein seems to beAssociate Professor of Sys- lieve that evolution by natural tems Science selection is no more than the product of Charles’s Darwin’s Dear Professor Lewis, overworked imagination. He

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Binghamton Review, May 2008

Editor could do worse than to register also for a 200-level biology course this fall (would EOP allow such a heavy course load?

Oh dear, perhaps not). He might come to realize, bless his heart, that Victorian England did not manufacture the skeleton of the four-appendaged fish found on Ellesmere Island recently.

My girlfriend tells me that someone named Ben Stein (a former game show host, apparently, and a very learned man) hosts a new documentary in which the biological establishment is mercilessly attacked for upholding bogus theories. This is clearly not the same Ben Stein, for such an august intelligence would establish in his writing some grasp of the rudiments of rational inquiry, or at least of biology; but it is an odd coincidence, don’t you think?

Best of luck, Mr. Stein, and remember: the first year is the toughest.

Sincerely, George Conn ‘08, Comparative Literature/ French No one thinks your sarcasm is funny. We at the Review are embarassed that we even printed this letter. The fact of the matter is this: both sides have valid arguments. The

thing is, one side is being si- Sincerely, lenced by the other, and that is the focus of Ben Stein’s film. Jeremy Wallace ‘84 Maybe you should see it if your parents let you out of the house Dear Jeremy, anytime soon.

Thank you for coming to our Dear Editors, event. We’re glad you enjoyed it and that you came I am a local Binghamton with an open mind. We plan “townie” and alumni who to host several more events in came to hear Dinesh D’Souza the future and we hope to see speak last week expecting to you there. We apologize that hear a racist hatemonger. I Binghamton Review was not was pleasantly surprised. He yet around during your tenure addressed several points in a at Binghamton. We cannot professional, academic way, imagine what this campus was and didn’t say anything that I like without it. would consider controversial.

-BR Thank you for enlightening me and I hope you continue doing Dear racists, what you’re doing.

I read youre lasu article from teh last issue and am rele offended. Dont badmouth othert peoples cultures like that. You shouldnt let that person right for you again. hes a racist.

Luis (last name witheld) Dear Luis, First off, are you a student here? If so, God save this university. We know five year olds with better spelling and grammar than you. Secondly, the person who wrote that article was born in Puerto Rico and is Hispanic. He is not racist against his own people despite what you think.

-BR

Binghamton Review: We already control campus.

Soon it will be the world.

Join us before it’s too late.

Weekly Meetings: Thursdays, 7:30 P.M. in our office, WB05 (basement of the New Union below the food court).

E-mail: binghamtonreview@gmail.com Website: www.binghamtonreview.com Binghamton Review, May 2008

Keeping an Eye Out

Campus Presswatch

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by

The Editors

Exposing all that is fallacious in the leftwing campus media.

Pipe Dream April 25, 2008 Andrew Epstein, the president of E.M.O., graces us with his first Pipe Dream editorial:

be to have a campus that is a “melting pot,” one where we may exchange the best parts of all cultures instead of being forced to revere one over another. This is an issue that the Review has covered extensively in the past, and one that we will continue to cover in the future. For more, keep reading the Review every month.

“The event wasn’t without audience antics as well. An anonymous student whined, ‘Why is the University shoving multiculturalism down our throats?’ Perhaps the questioner would like the race and Pipe Dream ethnicity of their professors April 25, 2008 listed on the new BU Brain system so as to ensure an allPipe Dream displays some white education.” common sense for once. May[Full disclosure: That ques- be they’re not as detached as tion was posed by the editors we thought: of this magazine.]

It’s disingenuous of you to as- “There is a fine line between sume that all people who are exercising your own freenot multis are somehow white dom of speech and inhibiting supremacists.

We oppose someone else’s, and that line multiculturalism because could have been crossed outit keeps cultures apart and side Dinesh D’Souza’s lecprevents cultural exchange. ture last week... Peacefully Ever notice how the Asians all disagreeing with D’Souza is hang out with other Asians? one thing, but actively tryOr how the blacks all hang ing to discourage him from out with other blacks? This speaking is another. A mature is the product of the multicul- response would have been to tural divide. Our goal should engage the Binghamton Re-

Binghamton Review, May 2008

view directly and to ask for a forum or a Question and Answer session where a healthy and concerted debate could have taken place.”

BR salutes Pipe Dream for its rare showing of sanity.

EMO Zine April 29. 2008 In an article entitled “Stopping Rape: What Men Can Do,” EMO/SAC suggests the following: “Don’t ever have sex with anyone against their will! No matter what.”

No shit!

EMO Zine April 29. 2008 “On November 25, 2006, Sean Bell, 23 years, old... was murdered, shot in the back 50 times by trigger happy police officers. ...The reason why this is allowed to happen is clear: the lives of black peo-

ple are worthless to a racist tion. police and a racist criminal justice system.”

The Sean Bell killing was racist? You guys do know that two of the four cops were black like Sean Bell. It’s funny when a group of white, upper-middle class kids from Long Island like the ones in EMO call black cops “white supremacists.” I guess you guys don’t consider black cops to be black. You guys must follow the Ice Cube line in “Fuck tha Police” when he says, “Black po-lice showin’ out fo’ tha white cops” which makes them white by associa-

EMO Zine April 29. 2008

EMO decides to protest grammar:

animals from prosecution in our courts, by our police or military. [sic] When an animal has violated human laws they are killed without remorse. Will the same be true for the snake-human who experiences an inexplicable urge to kill? And if we can simply kill the un-human [sic] without remorse what is protect us when we are all a bit un-human?

When the Nazi’s [sic] inhumanely [sic] murdered millions of innocent civilians, they did so out of a humanity that we still are genetically. [sic] This will no longer be the case the moment an individual with .1% of genetic Our staff ’s animality [sic] commits an WTF!?!?! inhuman [sic] crime. An abyss separates humans from animals - an abyss of absolute difference that exempts

response:

Binghamton Review’s Incoming Executive Board

Editors-in-Chief:

Managing Editor: Copy Editors:

Graphics: Business Manager: Treasurer:

Adam Shamah & Robert Edward Menje John Jensen Yadin Hertzel Rod Alzmann Michael Saltzman Michael Lombardi Daniel Rabinowitz

Binghamton Review, May 2008

Cover Story

A Civil Rights R Debacle

by

andal Meyer

The changes to the Student Code of Conduct and why you should be scared

ecently, the BU Council decided to make not answering your door for a university official a judicial offense. This seems to be a simple rule change to make it harder for us to get away with things in dorms and an attempt to increase campus safety.

However, what is it really? I shall tell you. It’s a barefaced and definite offense against our civil liberties.

What happened to the right to privacy? What happened to our civil rights? What happened to our liberties? Our dorms are our homes and castles for the larger portion of the year. We rent it from the university and are responsible for its maintenance. What gives this administration the right to demand that we open our residences based on the whim of an RA? When did we lose our Fourth Amendment rights? The university has gone too far in taking from us the one place on our campus where we can be alone and feel like we are in full control. God knows that our University Union isn’t operating as it should, as a Student Union.

The question here is whether the University Judicial

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Board should have the right to charge us with “failure to cooperate,” if we fail to comply with an RA’s demand that we exit our dormitory room. When a student walks out of his room he has to open his door. RAs and university officials categorically and habitually use that time to scan the room or suite, i.e. use the plain-view rule. If the

What gives this

administration the right to demand that we open our residences based on the whim of an RA? official perceives anything remotely suspicious, a search by UPD may ensue. By remotely suspicious, I mean something as innocuous as a Pepsi can that may be mistaken for a can of Labatt (wouldn’t happen if students drank only Coke). This is merely a means of allowing room searches without actually requiring UPD to get warBinghamton Review, May 2008

rant or establish real probable cause. Has BU Council heard of probable cause and reasonable searches?

The Student Association opposes this, our BU Council Representative Chris Powell (the only student on the BU Council) opposes this, and every student that cares about not being a slave to Big Brother opposes this. There is obviously a larger issue here than a language clarification. The Experimental Media Organization has tried to take up the issue of student power. However, their issues, such as TASERs on campus, have lately become insignificant. Nothing can be done about them because things like TASERs do not infringe upon our civil liberties. Here is a serious issue. This is about the right of people who are legally considered adults to live their lives without ridiculous and frivolous university interference. Why does the administration think it can just step over students without a response? Is this college experience teaching us how to be responsible individuals, or is it going to be like having our mothers knocking on our bedroom doors? Why doesn’t the university just re-

move our constitutional rights?

They obviously have no respect for our privacy or for our right to not be unreasonably searched in our own domain.

In 1988, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) took up a winning battle against speech codes at the University of Michigan that clearly violated the first amendment. Given the fact that President DeFleur awarded the title of university provost in 1993 to one of the Michigan administrators who defended, and tried to expand the speech codes, it is not surprising that her administration blatantly disregards the American Constitution.

Regardless of the legal and privacy concerns that are far more than apparent in this issue, the fact of the matter remains that University Officials have no idea what is behind that door. Someone who is not a resident of that dorm could be the only person in the room and refuse to exit. Guess who gets charged? The University already retains the right to enter a room in the event that an emergency is perceived by an official. Why do we need to sacrifice more liberty for no more security?

There are no private institution rights at Binghamton University, which, much to the chagrin of any libertarian, grant the institution the right to take away certain due process guarantees. This University is a state institution, a public school.

State institutions may not infringe upon these rights. Just as police are legally compelled to read us our Miranda rights

when we are charged, the University is compelled to grant us a minimal level of due process and that right to due process shall not be abridged in the face of a closed door.

The University Judicial Board doesn’t even operate on a truly fair basis. In any fair, standard trial in a US criminal court, one must be found guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt” (99% certainty required). In the UJB, university officials judge based upon “a preponderance of evidence.” That means the kangaroo courts of the UJB must be 50%+1 certain of their decisions. FIRE reports inform us that most universities use the “clear and convincing evidence” standard (75% certainty). It is unbelievable that our university does not need to establish clear and convincing evidence in order to take such drastic action as removing us from our dorms or revoking our on-campus visitation privileges. It is, however, believable that these bureaucrats, in order to make their own lives easier, would punish students on the basis that it is slightly more likely than not that they did something.

The Binghamton Pledge that is printed in the Rules of Student Conduct booklet states that “On behalf of the entire University community, it further pledges to achieve the goal of being an inclusive community within the framework of academic freedom and respect.”

Where is that respect? It should be right next to our civil liberties and constitutional guarantees which, frankly, the administration could not find with two Binghamton Review, May 2008

hands and a flashlight in the dark. Although, please note it is not the fault of the UJB directors that this system is unjust, they have to follow the policies and procedures set down by the BU Council and the administration. Thus, don’t send hate mail

It

is not surprising that her administration blatantly disregards the American Constitution.

to UJB, send it to Lois.

A relevant quote comes to mind from “FIRE’s Guide to Due Process and Fair Procedure on Campus”: “A public college or university may not decide on its own not to grant the due process rights that the Constitution requires…In sum, if your public college or university denies you basic procedural protections guaranteed by the constitution, you may have a due process claim.” Perhaps it is time we tested the constitutionality of this policy in the crucible of civil court.

-Randal Meyer is a freshman and is a former member of the University Judicial Board.

Mary Leonardo burned this article in protest because Randal is “not a lawyer.”

Cover Story

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nother day, another body of bureaucrats stealing rights away from us students. I suppose it is nothing new, as we live in a place where individual liberty is constantly being set aside for inane and illdefined concepts such as “the good of the university community.” After all, the admin-

The

administration is only interested in control.

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Welcome to pre-school

The reality is this: the administration is only interested in control. They want to tell us how to live during our tenure here at Binghamton. They will employ any means necessary to get us to act the way they want. They use bodies like Judicial Affairs to get us to behave and speak (see harassment 3a in the Student Code of Conduct) the way they’d like with no regard for freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, or any of the other inalienable rights that institutions of higher education should stand for.

Even if I believed that the administration really had our best interest in mind when they made this change, and that it wasn’t just trying to make it easier for Judicial Affairs to

istration needs to ensure the welfare of the students at this university, right?

The Student Assembly should not have even needed to pass a resolution opposing this change to the already overbearing Student Code of Conduct. This shouldn’t be a “students versus the University” issue; it’s an issue of rights, his is a col and whether we still have them.

The university should know lege not a about the Fourth Amendment and should know that our dorm day care cen rooms are our private sanctue do aries. University officials al- ter ready retain the right to enter if s there is a present danger, what not need more do they need? s or any

The University spends to so much time and effort telling one else us that we’re adults now and as our that our childhoods are over. act Why then institute a policy that parents treats us as if we are five years old? If we are adults, why do we need the university to be prosecute students, my posiour “big brother”? tion would not differ. The fact

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Binghamton Review, May 2008

by Adam Shamah of the matter is, stealing our freedom, in this case our freedom to be secure in our private place of dwelling, is reprehensible no matter how noble the intentions. As long as we are free, we can still make the choice to be responsible and to keep ourselves safe without the help of overarching bureaucrats.

Administration officials will try to flood your brain with absurd statistics on college drinking and safety and the like, hoping that you will lose sight of the bigger picture.

Don’t let them. This is a college, not a day care center. We do not need RAs, RDs, or anyone else at this university for that matter to act as our parents. We’re adults now, and should be treated that way by the institution that is supposed to induct us into the world of adulthood.

-Adam Shamah is a freshman business major at Binghamton and is Managing Editor of Binghamton Review. President DeFleur will be putting him in “time-out” after she reads this article. He will enjoy those fifteen minutes during which he will be thinking about what he’s done.

Cover Story

FIRE’s THoughts

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Recently, Binghamton Review contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and asked them to look into the policy change. Recently BR sat down and interviewed a representative from FIRE: BR: Can you explain what Americans about the threats to FIRE is and what it aims to these rights on our campuses do? and about the means to preserve them.

FIRE: The best way to answer this is just to link to our mis- BR: Can you explain briefly sion statement: what major cases has FIRE

The mission of FIRE is been involved in on college to defend and sustain individu- campuses recently and what al rights at America’s colleges were the results? and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, FIRE: Our major cases of late have been Colorado College, the University of Delaware, he mission of and Teachers College at Columbia University. Our webis to de site has news updates on our continued activities regarding fend and sus these cases and others: www. tain individ thefire.org

At Colorado College two students calling themual rights at selves the “Coalition of Some merica s col Dudes” published a satiriflyer called “The Monthly leges and uni cal Bag.” It was a parody of “The Monthly Rag,” a publication versities posted around campus by the “Feminist and Gender Studlegal equality, due process, ies Interns.” Colorado College religious liberty, and sanctity found the students guilty of of conscience—the essential violating the school’s conduct qualities of individual liberty code regarding “violence” and and dignity. FIRE’s core mis- they were required to hold a sion is to protect the unprotect- forum to discuss issues raised ed and to educate the public by the incident. The College and communities of concerned denied the students’ appeal

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and FIRE is still working on the case.

Last fall, FIRE exposed an egregious indoctrination program in the dormitories at the University of Delaware where students were forced to attend regular group and individual sessions with their RAs as “treatment” for students’

I’m

having a lawyer check it over and hopefully we’ll have a comment for you shortly. incorrect attitudes and beliefs on politics, race, sexuality, sociology, moral philosophy, and environmentalism. University of Delaware President Patrick Harker discontinued the program just hours after FIRE exposed it to the public.

FIRE is closely monitoring the situation to make sure that the program is not implemented again.

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At Columbia’s Teachers College students are subjected to an ideological litmus test.

“Teachers College’s Conceptual Framework requires that all students have a “commitment to social justice” and that they recognize that “social inequalities are often produced and perpetuated through systematic discrimination and justified by societal ideology of merit, social mobility, and individual responsibility.” After FIRE wrote to the school, Teachers College President Susan Fuhrman said that the school would consider revising the language. They have yet to take any action. FIRE is still monitoring the situation and periodically updating the public on Teachers College’s

continued recalcitrance.

BR: Why do you think that campuses, that are supposed to be liberal, academically free environments, so often infringe on student’s rights?

FIRE: Our president, Greg Lukianoff, answered this question in an article in the January/ February 2008 issue of Trusteeship Magazine. He identified four major factors: (1) ideology—political correctness is alive and well on campus; (2) bureaucracy—the expansion of administrative staff has resulted in a tendency to over-regulate student life; (3) liability—administrators often pass these codes believing that they may help insulate them

from liability if they are sued for allowing offensive speech on campus; and (4) misinformation—administrators often are not taught the philosophy behind free speech and carry real misconceptions about allowable restrictions.

BR: Can you give us a preliminary analysis on the code of conduct change at Binghamton University?

FIRE: I’m having a lawyer check it over and hopefully we’ll have a comment for you shortly.

Binghamton Review will keep our readers updated on this vital issue of liberty and, as always, will continue to fight for students’ rights.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

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Outraged at your liberty being stripped from you?

If so, come to the open forum on the issue and speak your mind.

Wednesday, May 7th at 7pm in the East Lounge of the University Union.

Sponsored by: Binghamton Review and College Libertarians.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

A BR Flashback

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by Louis W. The War Leonini on Students

This article was originally published in September of 2004. Note how it still relates to today’s situation.

ust when you thought you had Binghamton Review figured out, that crazy new Editor-in-Chief in baggy pants and spiked hair goes ahead and overhauls the magazine to confuse you even more! But fear not, fellow Bearcat, what you see here is a change only in layout, not in content. Although I have differed from my predecessor in dress, focus, and choice of pizza, I can assure you we agree on the basic assumptions that the risks of liberty are preferable to the risks of tyranny. If only someone could whisper that to our dear President Lois DeFluer and the SUNY system, because I think they missed the memo.

Indeed, for the past few years, you have probably noticed some administration boondoggles uglier than Rosie O’Donnell in spandex. Just when you thought the administration got the message after multiple letters to Rodger Summers and a revolt against presidential incumbency in the Student Assembly, they got worse. As always, both the administration of this school and SUNY fail to realize that we are

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in college and not a psychiatric institution. While they love telling us that we are adults, such proclamations of their respect towards us pales in comparison with their actions. The administration wants to tell us how to think, how to act on our twenty first birthday, and on top of it all, they sprinkle inane statistics on drinking habits around campus and then threaten to call our parents if we overdose on being normal college students! Such threats and past actions leave us at the Review with only one option; to conclude that the administration thinks of us as far less than adults.

This policy of attackthe-student began long before we graced the Southern Tier with our presence. The battles we face now are products of what has been happening since the very beginning of Lois DeFleur’s tenure in the early nineties, and the goals of aspirations of the SUNY system. Long ago, SUNY had sought to close all alcohol-related business on public campuses and Lois DeFleur set out on her mission to artificially create an “Ivy of the SUNYs” Binghamton Review, May 2008

image from its previous academic record and new initiatives in sports arenas and ugly architecture. The paths of the two initiatives have not been separate. SUNY-Binghamton was the last college campus to dismantle its campus bar after it became the obsession of the SUNY system to shut it down.

The Pub was, by all accounts, a great place to meet up with friends or professors without being shady. The graduating class of the year before had just donated a brand new mahogany bar as a class gift. None of this deterred the SUNY administration. An era came to an end all because they threatened certain funding so desired

by Lois DeFleur. But while on one end SUNY has sought to get its nose into the business of our campuses, on the other they have provided NYSSA meetings and other centrally run meetings with alcohol despite the vas majority of students at the events being under twenty one. Dare we conclude that their rhetoric is empty and their principles faulty?

The latest in the war on students back here in Binghamton is Lois DeFleur’s proposed

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changes to the times of class meetings. By spring, it is the goal of this administration to load Friday up with class times so that students can no longer schedule themselves long weekends. This is beyond paternalistic and reaches into the realm of the ridiculous. Many students like their long weekends to study, go home, see other schools, etc. To assume that we are all drinking from Friday until Sunday is where the administration is wrong from the outset. Their attitude of us is that we are beastly ogres and are not capable of handling our own affairs. The secret is out; SUNY-central and our local administration do not care about us, or our education. They are overpaid bureaucrats bent on ass-backwards and self-defeating initiatives that deny us our college experience.

In response to simi-

lar criticism last year, Rodger Summers ranted on about date rape in an incoherent letter to Pipe Dream in its November 07, 2003 issue. He wishes to divert attention from legitimate debate and throw bombs in his discourse. I actually encourage him to continue that strategy. One of the reasons to love free speech so much is that it gives fools a chance to prove their own incompetence.

But let’s not let Lois and Rodger control the debate. No one is proposing that rowdy morons who gallop along campus and downtown on a mission to prove their own intoxication and weakness of character should be ignored. There are already rules of conduct in place to deal with the. But policy should never be imposed on the vast majority because of the extreme minority. I think we can all agree that most

Binghamton students are here to learn and are often frustrated by their school’s inability to deliver on its basic promise. We here at the Review have always been among those that have fought against the administration on behalf of the students, and we remain committed to the battle. We are more than a magazine. We are a voice of reason on an otherwise scatter-brained campus. Through the use of common sense and an unyielding belief in the limitlessness of human creativity and wonder, we will continue our fight for you against those forces that wish to deny you a college experience. Raise your glass, Bearcat. It is going to be a grand year.

-Louis W. Leonini is a former Editor-in-Chief of Binghamton Review. This article was his inaugural editorial in 2004.

Words of Wisdom:

“If you’re a liberal, anything you say is protected. If you’re a conservative, anything you say is hateful.”

-“Dr. Laura” Schlessinger Binghamton Review, May 2008

16

Misplaced C Utopia

The World of

by Nehemia

Stern

O

the ampus Left

bserving the all-too-frequent liberal biased NGO –Amnesty International – declares library fountain protests, I cannot help TASERs “instruments of torture” (funny, they do but contemplate utopia. I wish the not seem to mind pepper spray or batons), then world were perfect; I really do. The the simple solution must be to deny police ofsun should always shine, and the birds should al- ficers all access to this new technology. Let us ways chirp. I wish poverty and war would end. just throw out the baby with the bath water. If Sadly, this utopian vision of the world does not Coca-Cola is accused –without any substantiated match reality. For better or for worse, the sun does evidence – of killing union workers in Columbia, not always shine, and birds die. then the simple solution must Most distressing of all (not that be to ban all Coca-Cola prode do not live in I have anything against chirping ucts from campus. It is a shame, birds), poverty and war seem to for these bourgeois protestors a utopia imple be constant factors within our do not seem to care about the society. These are upsetting hundreds of struggling Bingsolutions to com facts. Yet the depressing nature hamton families who rely on a of these facts does not make plex problems be regular paycheck from the lothem any less factual. cal Coca-Cola bottling plant.

The liberal left here on they issues of free As I prepare to leave Binghamcampus seems to believe wholeton University for sunnier pasheartedly in the grand rhetoric speech police au tures, I am beginning to realize of simple solutions. For any that concepts such as “nuance” given perceived injustice in the thority or capi and “shades of gray” fail to grand scheme of the universe, make their appearance in front do not of the library fountain. they are quick to find an equal- talism ly simple answer. In the past

The world is a comhelp anyone academic year, this campus has plex place in which “evil” and witnessed the airing of a pleth“righteousness” may mix and ora of perceived injustices. From Daniel Pipes mingle in some disturbing ways. The March to Dinesh D’Souza, and from TASERs to Coca- 19th protest stands out as one brilliant example Cola (and how could we forget the anti-war riot of how a misguided notion of utopia obscures on March 19th), the Coalition Against Hate and the nuanced complexity of reality. Amid the fake Experimental Media Organization have found coffins and the mini riot off Vestal Parkway, one no shortage of injustices for which to protest. poignant poster succeeded in catching my criti Unfortunately, the solutions for which cal gaze. “OCCUPATION IS NOT LIBERAthey advocate are facile, naïve, and just plain TION,” shouted the placards, which seemed to laughable. If they happen to disagree with Pipes be indiscriminately plastered throughout camand D¹Souza, then these speakers must be “rac- pus. The frustration I felt upon reading that placist” and thus should be prevented from speaking. ard was almost palpable. In what world do these How democratic sounding. If the obviously un- liberals think they are living? For the millions

W

. S

–

,

, –

-

.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

17

of freed slaves in 1865, OCCUPATION WAS LIBERATION. Twelve years of northern occupation (known up north as “reconstruction”) secured the freedom of multitudes. How many innocent southerners had to die to secure that freedom? Indeed, for us civil rights activists, the country could have used more “occupation,” as the Jim Crow laws only came into effect after reconstruction. Let us jump ahead eighty years.

Allied occupation was liberation for the millions upon millions of Europeans (not to mention the remnant of Jews) suffering under the brutal heel of fascism. Allied occupation brought freedom.

How many “innocent” Germans had to die to secure that freedom? The answer is very distressing.

Occupation may not be nice, and it is questionable whether it is moral. In the direst of human circumstances however, occupation has proven itself more then necessary. The so-

called “progressive” groups on campus – CAH, BPI, EMO (gosh, how many more do we need?)

– forget, ignore, or intentionally obfuscate these nuanced distinctions. The occupation of Iraq is certainly not attractive. It is a complicated war.

Yet occupation is necessary for the security of the United States of America, and it is ultimately necessary as a bulwark against ethnic genocide.

We do not live in a utopia. Simple solutions to complex problems– be they issues of free speech, police authority, or capitalism – do not help anyone. I urge those individuals and groups who care about civil rights, liberties, and justice, to slow down and reassess their solutions to the wrongs of the world. Ask yourselves in all honesty; do your solutions represent reality?

-Nehemia Stern is a graduate student at Binghamton. The “Binghamton Nine” has a warrant out on his head.

Are you oppressed?

Are you Black? Asian? Hispanic? Martian? (Anything really... just not white) Do you live in Dickinson?

Think all white people are “ig’nant”?

Do you need your own SA e-board member to protect you from whitey?

If so, join the Inter-Cultural Awareness Committee (ICA) Playing the race card since 1991.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

18

VICTORY!

by Adam

Shamah

The Death of NYPIRG at Binghamton

ince our founding in 1987, Binghamton efit in anyway, the students, but to PROTECT Review has fought for a variety of specific THEIR OWN BUDGET when it was in danger issues. We have had certain failures, but of being cut. This event alone is a perfect display we have also had our successes. Whether of NYPIRG’s priorities. They don’t care about you’re talking about the arming of campus po- benefiting students, only about maintaining their lice in 1999, or the repeal of the infamous di- own extortive relationship with the Student Asversity requirement in 1997, you can’t neglect sociation. to mention the Review’s involvement in almost Staff writers and editors of the Review all of the major issues that have hit this campus were the first on campus to point out NYPIRG’s over the past twenty years. We are much more excesses, and only after did the Student Asthan a media organization. Our job is to educate sociation, albeit slowly, begin to come over to students about things we perour side. Finally, (after years of ceive to be unjust and then taff writers slowly decreasing NYPIRG’s proceed to become proactive budget) at the student assemin fighting for change. bly budget meeting last month, and editors of

In the past few years, the SA effectively put an end to a target of ours has been the the NYPIRG on this campus when eview were wasteful “student” organithe assembly passed, by a marzation known as NYPIRG, gin of 17 to 6, my motion to the first on or New York Public Interest reduce NYPIRG’s budget from Group. NYPIRG is a not a $65,000 to $14,200 (NYPIRG’s campus to point student group in the typical budget was over $100,000 just sense. Its alleged purpose is two years ago). Also, SA presiout s to advocate in Albany on bedent-elect Matt Landau has said half of students. Most of its that this summer he will refuse budget goes towards paying to sign the NYPIRG contract excesses the salaries of lobbyists and that exempts them from several “professional staff” who work in their corporate rules that all SA chartered student groups must office. That is not how student money should follow. I only wish that the SA had listened to be being spent. We pay the Student Association the Review years ago, and saved hundreds of $170 per year so we can participate in its activi- thousands of our dollars in the process. ties on campus. Every penny of our $170 should be going towards SA programming and SA stu- -Adam Shamah is a freshman at Binghamton and dent groups that provide some tangible benefit to is Managing Editor of the Review. NYPIRG is student on campus. It should not be going to pay lobbying for his impeachment from the SA and lobbyists’ salaries. his own publication, Binghamton Review.

The largest event NYPIRG has ever held on campus was last year, when they brought in a busload of lobbyists not to advocate for, or ben-

S

S

R

NYPIRG’ .

Binghamton Review, May 2008

19

FREE THE ARCTIC SEVEN! The Arctic Seven are a band of brave freedom fighters who are being persecuted by fascist pigs in Alaska for “antiAmerican activity� and exercising civil disobedience. Do your part to defend these innocent bears. Send all donation checks for their defense fund to: Binghamton Review PO Box 6000 Binghamton, NY 13902 For more information, visit their website at: www.arcticliberation.com Disclaimer: This is a joke. Do not send money or it will be used by the BR staff to buy booze.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

20

Eminent Domain veryone knows the supposed three basic freedoms granted to us by the virtue of being alive: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Many also know that the last freedom is considered interchangeable with the pursuit of property. Logically, we can say that any attempt to take this right away from us would be akin to stealing our right to liberty, or even life. The government is, as it should be, very limited in which circumstances it is allowed to take these rights away, namely, when we take away the rights of others, or when we break the law.

What seems baffling is the lack of press coverage over the federal government’s current stance on property rights.

Private property can currently be seized for a variety of flawed reasons, such as in the event of “blight,” for “economic development” (thank you very much Kelo v. City of New London), or for “a public benefit.”

The most egregious of these property seizures appears to be the theft for “economic development.” Polls show that 65 to 97 percent of the public opposes these kinds of takings.

The Supreme Court decided in a very close 5-4 decision that private property could be taken

E

When What You Own Isn’t Really

by Rod Yours Alzmann

from one private party (or parties) to another private party in the name of the public good.

Many charge that Kelo gives governments a blank check to redistribute land from the poor and middle class to the wealthy.

What

seems

baf-

fling is the lack of press coverage over the federal

government’s current

stance

on

property rights.

Opposition to the ruling was stated by a wide variety of popular and disparate groups such as AARP, the NAACP, the Libertarian Party, and the Institute for Justice.

No one really likes eminent domain except the politicians. Libertarians and conservatives oppose Kelo-style takings because they undermine property rights; many liberals oppose them because they victimize the poor and minorities for the benefit of the more politically powerful. So who gains from this? Well first off, these undertakings often change the Binghamton Review, May 2008

zoning and usage of the land from residential to industrial or commercial property. The tax rate thus is greatly increased, as corporations will end up paying more in taxes to the government than an individual, raising government tax receipts for the area.

Another action often taken is seizure and resale by the government to pocket some quick profit. The city of Clarksville, Tennessee, is giving itself authority to seize more than 1,000 homes, businesses and churches and then resell the land to real estate developers. It seems to me this does not really serve the public good of the tens of thousands of individuals whose lives are severely altered by the theft of their land and community. Often these individuals cannot hire the lawyers necessary to wrangle the best price possible for the forced sale of their land, and end up selling for much less than they would like. The fact that the local governments are buying up these “economically distressed” properties and then reselling them for a huge premium shows, clearly, that the public is not the beneficiary here; the companies with political clout and the politicians who are too inept to balance their budgets

21

the lawful way are the winners.

Now, some may argue that seizure of private property for economic development of the area is in the public’s best interest, even if we do not know it at the time. The problem with the way the laws are currently worded is that even if the land is not seized for economic development, it can still be taken under the all-encompassing “blight” pretext. Legislators have found many ways to produce bills that appear to protect property rights without actually doing so. The most common method is not allowing property takings for the reasons of Kelo, but instead under the guise of alleviating “blight.” And, of course, most states define “blight” so broadly that almost any neighborhood qualifies.

Dictionary.com defines blight as “the state or result of being blighted or deteriorated; dilapidation; decay.” With

such a subjective definition, your dirty bedroom or messed up backyard could easily be blighted, and liable to seizure.

Four years ago, the city of Alabaster, Alabama, used “blight”

With

such a sub-

jective definition,

your dirty bedroom or messed up backyard could easily

be blighted, and liable to seizure.

as a pretext to take 400 acres of rural property, much of it owned by low-income black people, for a new Walmart.

Many of the residents had lived there for generations, and two other Wal-Mart stores were located less than fifteen miles away. Several of the landown-

ers, particularly those who lacked political clout and legal aid, ended up selling out at a huge discount to the fair market price.

None of the main presidential candidates have mentioned eminent domain and their views on it in the least, which is sad considering the clout they have over it. The next president could strengthen President Bush’s June 2006 executive order (one of his rare great ones) on eminent domain, which forbade federal agencies from initiating condemnations intended to “merely . . . advance the economic interest of private parties.” Unfortunately, Bush’s order does not actually prevent any economic development takings because government officials can always argue that their goal is to benefit the general public. A new and stronger executive order would have limited impact, but it would send a valuable signal of presidential resolve to protect property rights. Will Mrs. Clinton, Mr. McCain, or Mr. Obama have the strength of character to state their stance and face criticism from either side? Hopefully we, the people, can elect a president who will help to protect our unalienable right to the pursuit of property, and not allow this atrocity to continue unopposed.

-Rod Alzmann is a freshman at Binghamton. His dorm room has been seized to accomodate the building of a campus Walmart.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

22

Grinding Gears

by Paul Liggieri

s Binghamton University’s students near finals week and find themselves enjoying warm weather in what is normally one of the cloudiest cit-

A

This

has to be the most o v e r k i l l style to ever hit this college campus. ies in our country, I can not help but still find a bunch of stuff that grinds my gears.

I’ll tell you what grinds my gears; all of these kids who think Cornell is so much better of a university that they are seeking to transfer there. These pencil pushers somehow believe that if they transfer into Cornell, maybe they’ll earn themselves a job in a bigger cubicle. Well let me inform these individuals the truth about transferring into a university such as Cornell from a university such as Binghamton. Binghamton has currently earned itself the position as the number one public university

in the state and our ranking goes up every year. In 20 years there is a distinct possibility that our degrees will be worth just as much as those of any Ivy League school.

Those transferring into Cornell and other Ivy’s emphatically believe that their transfer will lead to treasures and immediate jobs. Let me explain what happens to kids such as these; the majority of them will land up working some pencil pushing job in a small cubicle making 50,000 dollars a year or less working for those of us who are more well rounded. I think now more than ever, one must recognize that law schools, medical schools, dental schools, and business schools are seeking individuals who maybe don’t necessarily display a 4.0 GPA, but rather a 3.2 GPA with various extra curricular activities and perhaps coming from a university where children were not born with silver spoons in their mouths. I would rather hire a “people person,” an individual who can walk and chew gum at the same time, as opposed to someone who knows how to go to the library tower and study for 14 hours a day.

But who knows, I guess the world could always use more

Binghamton Review, May 2008

The Evils of Binghamton University

followers.

You know what else really grinds my gears Binghamton; it’s the absolutely specious outbreak of plaid shorts that plagues our campus. I’m a person who likes nice things.

I happen to be a little bit of a clotheshorse and I fully admit to owning a pair of plaid shorts. But my God, this has to be the most overkill style to ever hit this college campus. I was walking to lecture hall the other day and I could not help but notice seven, yes I said seven, individuals (prob-

Listen

movie phonies, just tell me that you did not see the film, don’t play it off like you did. ably friends) walking together, all wearing plaid shorts. You would think one might seek out a little bit of individuality, or would at least be rocking a different style. What is unfortunate is that I don’t think these kids planned to all wear

23

the same shorts. Originally, I saw the plaid short look as Americana, “country clubish,” Abercrombie-like, and college orientated. Now I just see it as annoying. I mean really, it has turned into “how many of us can look and dress exactly the same without showing any individual sense of style.”

You know what else grinds my gears; when you’re talking to somebody and they dismiss your statement by saying “whatever.” There have been plenty of times where I have lost interest in a conversation or simply did not agree with an opinion, but I ardently support proper etiquette, and would never dismiss an individual by saying “whatever.”

You’re better off just listening to the person until they’re finished and saying that you respectfully disagree as opposed to being rude and immature by saying “whatever.” On the topic of how to deal with a conversation, my gears are also grinded when somebody says they saw a movie and then you find out that they didn’t. So

you’re sitting at the table talking about the movie, throwing quotes out there, and this other kid is just saying “yeah” and “oh man, great part” to everything you say, and little do you

Screw

your fancy building, and your fancy lounges, with your fancy professors, and your fancy labs with your fancy computers. know, this kid never even saw the damn movie. But then of course, that person gets called out when they look dumbfounded, or can’t quote anything. So listen movie phonies, just tell me that you did not see the film, don’t play it off like you did, there is no need to lie

about something no one really cares about.

Ah yes, the last grinding of my gears, once again, goes to those SOM kids. This petitioning stuff is really beginning to get on my nerves, as does that fact that their school receives the most amount of money, even though they have the least amount of kids. The sheer arrogance of some of these kids is absolutely unbelievable. Many of them walk around with their fancy suits, in their fancy buildings, telling me that they have a fancy presentation of some sort. I say, screw your fancy building, and your fancy lounges, with your fancy professors, and your fancy labs with your fancy computers. Sorry, I just had to get that out.

Have a good summer my fellow Binghamton students, and good luck and God bless to those who are graduating.

-Paul Liggieri is a junior at Binghamton. If you grind his gears, he will eat you as a protein bar.

Agree with us?

Disagree with us?

Write us a letter to the editor and send it to binghamtonreview@gmail.com

Letters may be submitted at any time and must be limited to 600 words Binghamton Review, May 2008

24

Binghamton Review, May 2008

Best Worst P

Best and Worst

25

Binghamton’s and

Back by popular de- EST mand, we bring to B you our Best and Worst Professors list. BR judged candidates primarily on Richard Mackenney their abilities to keep WO the classroom free of RS T politics and open to the free exchange of ideas. Generally, we stuck to liberal arts professors. Here are the Professors whose Charise Cheney classes you should

by The take, and the clowns Editors you should avoid.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

R O F E S S O R S

26

Best Dr. Richard S. Mackenney – Department of History

This “chap” from “across the pond” is currently teaching a class on Machiavelli and the Renaissance.

Whereas most history professors would use this type of class to preach about how evil Machiavelli and people like him are; Dr. Mackenney does no such thing. He doesn’t give Machiavelli a free ride, but he doesn’t apply 1960’s liberal philosophy and standards to someone who lived in the 16th century (see the “Thomas Jefferson is an evil white man for owning slaves” crowd). Also, he has been known to hold class outside on the grass on nice days. Just the very fact that Professor Mackenney seizes the rare opportunities to enjoy the weather in Binghamton secured him a spot on this list. Who doesn’t love a good Ciceroan style education and a refined British accent?

Dr. Gerald E. Kadish – Department of History

Professor Kadish is one of the last “old school” professors at Binghamton. Though his classes are all lectures, he is always willing to answer questions. He uses mostly primary source documents and information.

He is fun, intelligent, and he honestly cares about his students. He would never go on a 20-minute tirade on why Bush is the devil as the losers on the “worst” list often do. He received the most nominations from satisfied students to be the best professor on this list. Binghamton Review salutes the fair and balanced Professor Gerald E. Kadish!

Binghamton Review, May 2008

Worst

Elena Dal Forno – leaders of the College DemoDepartment of Romance Lan- crats calls someone too liberal. guages (Italian) This individual claimed that Professor Brown goes on tiElena Dal Forno is one of the rades about how the war in Afbiggest offenders on this list. ghanistan might be genocide.

The reason for this is because Clearly, there is no evidence she is an Italian professor. At at all to support this. Not even the beginning of one of her liberal groups make this claim classes, she told all of her stu- as they often do with the Iraq dents to watch the conspiracy War. Professor Brown has also theory documentary “Loose made the wild claim that there Change.” She also claimed was no connection between althat Dick Cheney orchestrated Qaida and the Taliban. Is she 9/11 and that it was a controlled serious? Osama Bin Laden demolition. The question we even admits the connection behave here at Binghamton Re- tween the two—and he runs alview is, what the hell does any Qaida. She also assigns books of this have to do with Italian that have little to do with the or the teaching of the Italian specific class that she is teachlanguage? Students are paying ing, books that simply further to learn a language, not to hear her radical agenda. this wench’s crazy hippie conspiracy theories. What next? Charise Cheney – Is she going to start claiming J. Department of History Edgar Hoover was the man on the grassy knoll? Maybe she Charise Cheney is the poster will start claiming that there child of Affirmative Action. are six Jews in New York City Never has a member of the curwho control the world (maybe rent Review staff had a profestrue). Our advice to Dal Forno, sor as unqualified as Charise stick to teaching the Italian lan- Cheney. She generally teaches guage. classes in African-American studies. She simply doesn’t Virginia M. Brown – know what she is talking about.

Department of Political Sci- In a 300 level class, she put the ence notes on the overhead and basically read them to us verbatim.

Virginia Brown is on this list Her background knowledge of because a member of the Col- the topic is almost non-exislege Democrats nominated her. tent. Clearly being black isn’t The individual who nominated the only qualification needed her said that she continuously to teach black studies. Midpushes her super liberal agen- semester in the fall, she went da on her students. You know on maternity leave. The TA, it’s a problem when one of the Laura Hill took over to teach Binghamton Review, May 2008

27

the class and the change was dramatic. Laura Hill actually knew what she was talking about… and she’s white. On top of all this, Cheney is known for making wild claims such as, “only whites can be racist.” Take Charise Cheney if you want to go back to middle school. That’s probably where she should be teaching. Clearly they just hand out PhD’s to anyone in the African Studies program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

William MartinDepartment of Sociology William Martin is a socialist in disguise. At first, he seems like a rational sociology professor (if those actually exist). In reality, his lectures force-feed his leftist agenda on his students. On one occasion, he started the class by writing “CIA+KGB=AIDS” on the blackboard. He then spent most of the class attempting to explain how the U.S.A. has spread AIDS throughout the world in an attempt to “hold the brothas down”. Martin also once claimed that Haitians with AIDS know more about the disease than American scientists simply because those Haitians have the disease. If this is the case, we hope those Haitians can cure themselves without the help of science. Another troubling event that took place in his class involves Martin showing slides of US Marines wearing swastikas. This was during a lecture about how the U.S. is “evil” and suppresses the rest of the world. We guess liberating all of Europe from the Nazis and liberating 300 million people from behind the Soviet Iron Curtain is suppression.

28

A ID Last U words s

epart Binghamton

niversity

ometimes tasks that sound simple, tasks that should be effortless, can become impossible. So it is with my final submission for Binghamton Review. I’m

S If

the whole of my life to this moment has taught me one thing it is that one must be accountable for his or her actions. sitting before my computer trying to find the correct mindset, my most important message, and the appropriate voice to represent my legacy. Many people have used their final messages to say farewells, offer thanks, revisit achievements, and lament failures, but that doesn’t suit me, so where do I go from here?

I’m not a person who has much patience for the past.

Our world is so dynamic and fast-paced that I simply don’t see the value in rehashing the instances that led up to this moment. During my time on campus I think I’ve done a fair bit of good and, undoubtedly, a fair bit of bad. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve accomplished goals, but none of that really matters. Let others judge me for how they perceive my time at Binghamton; I have nothing to glorify and nothing to apologize for. Therein lays my message. If the whole of my life to this moment has taught me one thing it is that one must be accountable for his or her actions.

Too many times in my life have I listened to people blame their mistakes on their parents, their circumstances, their government, or some other extraneous factor, and all too rarely have I heard anyone accept his or her appropriate share of blame. For instance President Bush recently blamed the leaders in the House of Representatives for a failure to propose laws and policies to counteract the recent economic crisis. Doesn’t the President have the authority and responsibility to come up with his own ideas for the Congress to consider? Is the President of

Binghamton Review, May 2008

by Chris

Powell

the United States of America not a leader?

On the other end of the political spectrum, Rev. Jeremiah Wright has recently been heard accusing the US government of creating the AIDS virus as a tool of genocide against Black Americans. Don’t most AIDS infected individuals catch the disease from either unprotected sex or intravenous

Over

the last fifty years, our country has devolved from the world’s economic and cultural leader into a society that is afraid of its own shadow. drug use? In no way do I mean to say that such people deserve AIDS, but those people did make some conscious decisions that increased their expo-

29

sure to the virus.

These extreme examples are all well and good for some good old, hyperbolic soap-boxing, but I doubt they will effectively make the point I’m trying to convey: we must all take accountability for our actions on a daily basis. How many of us have faked a computer mishap to get a deadline extended? Or blamed the system or a curve for our own failure to live up to expectation.

The examples are endless, but the outcome is the same.

Over the last fifty years, our country has devolved from the world’s economic and cultural leader into a society that is afraid of its own shadow.

Our students can’t play dodgeball for fear of “victimization.”

Our minority citizens must receive “special” treatment by colleges, universities, and employers in order to offset the few biased, ignorant individuals who still refuse to change.

Our children are being taught that not only is everyone different, but you should never be expected to change in order to

“fit in.” I’m not claiming that we should look for social hegemony among Americans, but keeping yourself relatively fit (glass house?), hygienic, and approachable seem like goals

Personal

responsibility and accountability is the bedrock for any civilized society, and I also think that America is Seriously lacking it. that everyone should be able to agree upon and achieve.

It seems as though my last article for Binghamton Review will probably be my shortest. It is disappointing to me that I probably won’t fill

much more than a single page, but alas, I have passed on all of the insightful wisdom I have gained in these four years. It may not seem like much, but I think that personal responsibility and accountability is the bedrock for any civilized society, and I also think that modern America is seriously lacking it. All there is left to do is to accept responsibility for the poorly written, long-winded, and occasionally insufferable scribblings I have forced upon Review readers for the last four years. I humbly hope that I have accurately expressed the feelings of some of my peers and helped to challenge or change the sentiments of others.

-Chris Powell is the Vice President for Finance of the Student Association and is Editor-Emeritus of Binghamton Review. We will miss him on campus but we know he will give ‘em hell in the real world.

Do you believe the world is nothing but kittens, puppies, and rainbows? Do you think showers are tools of our elite upper-class oppressors? Are you a self-hating Jew? If you answered yes to any of the above, come join EMO/SAC, located right next to those fascists at Binghamton Review.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

30

Who cares about N O the middle class?

ot bama!

by Mike Lombardi

n his multitude of florid speeches, Barack another deceptive elitist liberal. As much as the Obama says again and again how he is liberals would like us to believe otherwise, there “for” the middle class. He constantly refers is nothing wrong with gun-toting citizens and/or to his upbringing in order to identify with bible thumping. In fact I would rather associate the “plight” of the middle class in this country. with a devoutly religious Pennsylvanian gun-ownObama, like almost all other Democrats, focuses er than someone who subscribes to the views of the middle class more than any other group. They Obama’s hateful pastor and his church. I am not claim they are the party of the workingman, and even shocked that Obama possesses the gall to only they will be able to provide a voice for the make a completely idiotic comment like this. masses. Time and time again however, this has Like it or not, a gun-owning religious perbeen proven to be a complete fallacy. Obama is son is a good representation of a middle class no more for the middle class than his beloved pas- American. Like it or not, America has proven to tor Jeremiah Wright is for anyone not of African be a religious country and people’s faiths are of descent. great importance to them. Like it

This is most evident by or not, America also boasts milike it or not a lions of law abiding gun-owning Mr. Obama’s recent remarks pertaining to the people of citizens. Like it or not, through Pennsylvania. Of all states in gun owning re this statement Barack Obama the Union, few have been hit disparaged the very group people harder economically in recent ligious so often pledges to unwaverperson he times than Pennsylvania. Many ingly support. of its citizens have lost jobs to Although Obama was defeatis a good repre other states and foreign couned in Pennsylvania, he is still the tries, primarily in the manuoverwhelming favorite to gain the facturing sectors. Perhaps the sentation of the Democratic nomination for the hardest hit of all industries in presidency. Obama will continue Pennsylvania is the steel industo say the comment he made that middle class try. Thousands of jobs were lost day in Pennsylvania was a slipin the mid nineties, when the major steel manufac- up, or that he was simply misquoted. However, I turers such as Bethlehem Steel closed their doors feel if held in a deeper light, comments such as in the state. Economic issues relating to the middle these expose a person’s true character. Shockingly, class have increasingly become so important to few have questioned Obama for these comments voters in Pennsylvania. and the debacle surrounding Reverend Wright or,

Fast-forward to April of 2008 and the Dem- as he should be known, Reverend Wrong. It is our ocratic primary in Pennsylvania, which was vital responsibility, as Americans, to see past the spin to both candidates and to the Democratic party. It after a candidate makes a slip-up like this instead was during the midst of this primary, that Obama of blindly accepting the excuses Obama intends to revealed his true colors. Obama was quoted as say- force-feed down our throats. ing that residents of small town America “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t - Michael Lombardi is a freshmen at Binghamton like them” over bitterness from lost jobs. In this University. Furthermore, he is NOT a member of one statement, Obama has shown that he is just the middle class. Ladies, take note.

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Binghamton Review, May 2008

Enemies of Review

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The Enemies List Libertarian humorist P.J. O’Rourke once suggested the institution of a modern McCarthyism—one which would expose the “fuzzy-minded one-worlders, pastyfaced peace creeps, and bleeding-heart bed wetters” in our midst.

Binghamton Review is happy to implement O’Rourke’s vision at BU—minus the censorship of course.

by

The Review Staff

Matt Landau Before this March, the Review was 2-0 against the Landau family in SA elections. This bastard ruined our streak when he beat our editor for SA president.

Granted, our editor ran a joke campaign. Also, Matt is a power hungry egomaniac who will do anything to make himself feel powerful.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

Enemies

32

Andrew “Ace” Eptstein / Basheer “Berserker” Bergus These two made the list because they threatened to hurt us if we didn’t include them. If they ever graduate college (not likely), you can catch them running for President and VicePresident of the United States on the CPUSA (Communist Party of America) ticket. They will only appear on the Vermont/San Francisco ballots. We cannot go into further detail on these two individuals due to the fact that they *might* be under investigation by the FBI and HUAC… no seriously.

EMO / SAC We don’t really hate EMO/SAC. Their antics and the funny faces they make when they get pepper sprayed account for 86% of all entertainment available in the dump known as Binghamton, NY. They are on this list because they’re an enemy of everything the Review stands for: life, liberty, property, and physical attractiveness.

GSO Most people have never even heard of the GSO. They are the graduate student’s version of the Student Association. Their elected board receives higher stipends than the Student Association e-board members. They are a bigger waste of money than the French military. Like the French military, they do absolutely nothing.

On top of all of this, it is infested with dirty, smelly hippies. These douchebags are offering to pay the legal fees of the Vestal Parkway protesters with student money.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

33

David Bass Bass is on this list because of his hard work and dedication to the students. This year, his many accomplishments include… umm, well he sort… no, well he tried to… not quite, but he did lobby for… nothing. Come to think of it, he really hasn’t done anything.

Actually, he DID try to save NYPIRG’s budget, even after almost three-quarters of the SA assembly voted to slash it.

Pipe Dream Pipe Dream is on this list because of its name. While most schools have newspapers named The Collegian or The Chronicle, our school’s newspaper chooses to call itself “Pipe Dream”. Get out of the 60’s hippies.

David Redbord He would have scored higher, but, as per the SA constitution, the VPMA has about as much power as a jelly donut.

Maryam Belly Luckily, as the incoming VPMA, she will also have about as much power as a jelly donut, but nonetheless she will still be getting $4000 of our student activity fee in reparati…errrrr—stipends. Seriously though, we will be paying her to sit in an office and do about as much work as an abortionist in Oklahoma.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

On notice (better watch yo’ self): *Mary Ann Swain (Does anyone want her here?) *The Ottoman Empire *Prospect Magazine (This has got to be the most publicity they have ever had… you’re welcome) *Dick B. Small *The weather in Binghamton *Ariel Feinman *Stephen T. Colbert *The ICA *WHRW freaks (You know who you are) *Abby Milberg (just in case you don’t) *Campus parking *Linda Morales *Jimmy Carter *The East campus renovation project *The GSEU *NYPIRG (Font size proportional to budget…you’re welcome-Adam Shamah) *Pepsi (for killing 67 people in Chile) *Shitty tasting beer *The bouncer at the Mad Moose (what a tool-shed) *Communist China *Uggs *Facebook applications *M&T Bank (overdraft this bitches) *Whiny English graduate TAs *Girls who don’t know how to walk right (usually from Long Island) *Oppressed People *Jarred Weiner *The smelly state of New Jersey

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Don’t Tase Me Bro! t is truly amazing that there are some people on this campus who can simply ignore events like the Columbine High School shooting, and the tragedy that occurred last year at Virginia Tech. These are the same people who on the campus of Binghamton University would like to see our police force removed, or completely disarmed. Not just disarmed of firearms but disarmed of their non-lethal weapons like TASERs. The TASER controversy has been a very heated one, but if you just use common sense there really is no controversy.

According to the Binghamton University website, in the fall of 2006 there were 11,523 undergraduate students, 2,850 graduate students, and 551 full time faculty. With that many people consistently floating around the campus, how can anyone say that an armed police force is unnecessary? Consider how many small towns in the United States have populations less then that of Binghamton University, and they have full functioning police forces.

To disarm our campus police is more then just stupid, it is negligent. God forbid that someone on this campus snaps and decides that he or she wants

I

to go down in history along side the likes of Seung-Hui Cho and begins blowing away people indiscriminately. Our police force thanks to the likes of groups like EMO would be disbanded and it would take an extra couple of minutes for the Vestal Police to arrive. In that time perhaps many more innocent students lose their lives.

If that situation seems a little too farfetched, let us examine a situation in which only TASERs and other weapons like batons and pepper spray are not allowed. A student or an outsider decides they would like to burglarize our campus.

Our “police force” responds with radios. Perhaps they can call backup and then eventually there will be enough of them to chase this suspect down and give him or her a stern talking to. Or maybe they can take the radio and instead of calling for back up, they can throw it as hard as they can at the perpetrator. Let us all hope that the throw doesn’t cause serious injury, or else some liberal groups on campus might want the police punished for unnecessary force.

The fact is, these liberal groups on campus are afraid of the truth; they protest whatever they can, whenever they can, with little or no regard for

Binghamton Review, May 2008

by Alex Paolano

the truth. They wanted to bring down Coca-Cola as an evil corporation, but when the truth was told these groups were nowhere to be found. When Dinesh D’Souza came to speak they came with their signs, but when the floor was opened to questions few of them could voice a legitimate question.

The TASER issue on campus is just another situation in which crazy liberals get bored and need something to cry about. The facts about TASERs are out there. Just check the last issue of BR in which some wonderful students sat down with Assistant Chief of Police William Dunn to get the TRUTH!

I would like to personally condone TASERs on campus. I think we should have more TASERs. I live at Binghamton University. It is my home and I want to feel safe at my home. Now, would I feel more comfortable if my safety were in the hands of the likes of EMO or University Police?

Well, I would have to say University Police.

-Alex Paolano is a sophomore at Binghamton. He was recently TASERed by UPD just to show everyone that he’s not a bitch.

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I Was Addicted to Liberalism “It started as a high school thing.

Campaigning for Kerry in ‘04.

All my friends were doing it.

I heard the rumors about him, but I didn’t believe them.

Soon, I was supporting other Democrats.

Before long, it became a habit.

A filthy habit.

I got to college, and it became worse.

I thought that minorities couldn’t be racists,

and that Prospect wasn’t such a terrible magazine.

I wondered what was so wrong with multiculturalism,

and I thought that the VPMA was a legitimate position.

I told myself I could quit anytime.

I was wrong.

I saw the Vestal Parkway protest,

and thought it was police brutality.

I was against TASERs,

but I didn’t know why.

NYPIRG was killed, and I felt bad.

I was headed for a crash.

A

real

bad

crash.

Then I picked up the Review.”

Binghamton Review Defending the Truth Since 1987 Binghamton Review, May 2008

36

How to Speak A G Liberal

by Ryan uide Dunham

Incorrect: We’ve been married for twenty years.

Correct: We’ve been an-institutionthat-should-be-open-to-any-two-threeor-however-many-individuals-wishto-engage-in-holy-matrimony-regardless-of-gender-race-religion-bloodline-or-musical-preferences-ed for twenty years.

suffering from a broken heart; perhaps cloudy weather rained on the parade he had been waiting months to see…

Incorrect: Life can be difficult at times.

Correct: Am I depressed? Do I have the occasional suicidal thought? I am entitled to happiness, and there should be a pill to counteract any pang of depression, anger, sadness, or any other Incorrect: Dude, [insert clause here] negative feeling that may prick my Correct: Sir, Madam, or any combina- heart. The world is full of hugs and tion, or lack thereof, one has the right roses, and I am entitled to experience to choose to align with, [insert clause these joys. I will start by ingesting this here] small, blue pill that I hold in my hand.

Incorrect: Want to go back to my Incorrect: I pledge allegiance to the place? flag of the United States of America, Correct: See * and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Incorrect: The doctor said it might be liberty and justice for all brain hemorrhage.

Correct: I have the right to align myCorrect: I voted for Hillary. self with whatever flag I may choose, but still entitled to seek the benefits of Incorrect: Terrorism is a serious is- the United States of America, and to sue. the Republic for which I cannot unCorrect: Terrorism is only a serious is- derstand because I choose to wave sue upon great scrutiny. One must first my right to vote and still believe that I examine the socioeconomic factors in have the right to bitch about our govthe terrorist’s community, the political ernment, one nation under any God(s), tilt to the media the terrorist may be spirit(s), animal(s), person(s), or teleinfluenced by, and, most importantly, vision program(s), or any combination the terrorist’s psyche. Perhaps he had thereof, that I wish to worship, ignore, a troubling childhood; perhaps he is or whose stereotypes I wish to mock, Binghamton Review, May 2008

37

divisible on every social, economical, and political issue imaginable, with limited liberties and justice for all who can afford them.

And finally: Incorrect: There is so much suffering the world. War seems inevitable.

Poverty, crime, and starvation are as prevalent as they’ve ever been. Identifying ourselves by gender, race, and sexuality has only caused hatred and fear of the other. There are still borders. There are still war machines floating in the ocean, patrolling the lands, and watching us from the sky.

Every discourse seems to exploit violence and gratuitous sex to which we cannot help but be attracted. The illusion of time, our inability to accept the world as we see it—these conundrums still lurk in the darkness as we walk sheepishly through the factories and offices that surround us. We argue over trifling matters such as religion and politics, when really we should just open our arms to opposing views so that we can live together.

Correct: I need a drink. *The notion that men should approach wom-

en in such a manner blights our growth as a species; sex, in all ways, shapes, and forms, and everything associated with the activity is demeaning to women and, therefore, should be avoided so that our species can grow in numbers…

U.S. Senate MostRankings Liberal 2007

Barack Obama

1.

8. Barbara Boxer 9. Harry Reid 15. Charles Schumer 17. Hillary Clinton 20. John Kerry 28. Edward Kennedy -List compiled by The National Journal

-Ryan Dunham is a junior at Binghamton.

He is still looking for friends.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

38

An American T R J MC Hero he eal ohn

P

residential election season is upon us, and while the Democratic Party literally devours itself from within, Arizona Senator John McCain has locked up the Republican nomination for president and is ready for anything the Democrats can throw at him. That is of course, once they stop throwing things at each other.

Senator McCain has lived a life of service to his country, as did his father and grandfather before him. A man of great integrity and unparalleled valor, Senator McCain has not only been a political figure but was a beacon of what it means to be American in one of the darkest places and during one of the darkest moments, in American history.

From his years at the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner of war camp to his years on Capitol Hill, McCain has consistently proven that he cares more about his country than himself. McCain is a man who has more experience in the Senate than Senators Clinton and Obama combined, having served as a Senator from Arizona since 1986.

McCain was born into a military family. His grandfather was a naval hero of World War

II, and was present onboard the USS Missouri when the Japanese surrendered in 1945. John McCain, Jr., the Senator’s father was the commander of a World War II submarine and United States forces in the Pacific theatre during the Vietnam War. McCain himself attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and served for 22 years in the air arm of the Navy as a fighter pilot.

During the Vietnam War, McCain flew missions over North Vietnam from an American aircraft carrier off the coast of Southeast Asia. McCain was almost killed in a tragic accident onboard his carrier, the USS Forestall, when a missile accidentally fired from an aircraft on the flight deck plowed into the fuel tanks of the Senator’s own aircraft. The fiery chaos that ensured resulted in the loss of 134 men, 20 aircraft, and a close call for John McCain.

On October 26, 1967, John McCain set out on a mission over North Vietnam. He would not return for five and a half years. As he flew over enemy airspace, a surface to air missile struck his A-4 Skyhawk Fighter/Bomber, resulting in McCain having to eject over enemy territory.

McCain, knocked un-

Binghamton Review, May 2008

c ain

by John Jensen

conscious by the force of the ejection, suffered two broken arms and a broken leg. He was captured and taken to the notorious North Vietnamese prison camp, the “Hanoi Hilton.” He was denied treatment for his wounds and severely beaten until one day, several months into his captivity, an officer came to McCain with a proposition.

McCain’s father was by this time a high-ranking mem-

McCain

is clearly no fool when it comes to the economy.

ber of the naval command staff.

John McCain was to be used as a bargaining chip. Faced with a choice of being sent back to the United States or staying with his men in defiance of his communist captures, McCain selflessly chose to stay the course and continue his imprisonment until every American POW was also freed.

John retired from the Navy in 1981 after earning the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and the

39

Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery and dedication to his men and his nation.

McCain is not just a hero; he is a man whose stance on the critical issues facing America today is exactly what the country needs. On the issue of National Security, there is no stronger candidate than McCain. While he wants to ensure that America is defended at all costs, McCain has stressed repeatedly that diplomacy and coordination with the other nations of the world are key to the success of American efforts to defeat radical Islamist terrorism.

McCain is also strong on the issue of protecting the right to life in the United States. McCain, who supports the overturning of Roe v. Wade (1973), argues that if that case were overturned by the Supreme Court, he would push for the prosecution of doctors who perform abortions illegally but vows not to prosecute women.

Also, McCain is clearly no fool when it comes to the economy. McCain has come out against subsidies for big business and is in favor of making American education more competitive with the rest of the world. He is a staunch backer of free trade and the opportunity it provides for America to build a robust economy.

McCain famously quipped, “Ronald Reagan used to say, we spend money like a drunken sailor. I never knew a sailor, drunk or sober, with the imagination of the Congress.”

He is dedicated to limiting congressional spending on frivo-

lous and wasteful endeavors that do little more than bankrupt the nation and burden the working class taxpayer.

On healthcare, McCain supports a $5,000.00 tax credit

Elections are serious;

they have the potential to shape the course of the entire history of a nation. to every American family to be able to go out and choose their own health care provider. McCain realizes that many Americans are simply unable to pay for insurance because they are unable to afford it because of the heavy taxation on the working class families that McCain knows are the core of the American economy.

McCain is a strong supporter of American diversity and argues that there should be no laws against Spanish language and culture. McCain has been a supporter of gay and minority rights and feels that the matter of gay marriage should be left to the states. McCain voted “NO” on the Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage. As an Arizona senator, McCain has been a staunch advocate for the causes of Na-

tive Americans in his home state and across America.

These are just a few of the issues on which McCain has shown his ability to not only appeal to the vast majority of Americans, but also his ability to realize what America needs and set up a plan to deal with those core issues of American life.

So why vote for McCain? As college students, we are going to be the economic base of America during McCain’s years in office. We are the people who will benefit from his job creation and free trade policies. We will be the ones whose children will benefit from his efforts to expand upon clean and cheap alternative energy sources. We will be the ones to inherit a safer, stronger, and more united America.

Elections are serious; they have the potential to shape the course of the entire history of a nation. This election is no less important than any other.

This year we will help to decide where America will go in the future. We need to be certain that the person we elect to the presidency is qualified, dedicated, and knowledgeable.

John McCain is what America needs and I hope that now that you have had the chance to learn a little about him, you will go out and do your own research. You will realize quickly that McCain is the right man for the job.

-John Jensen is a junior History major at Binghamton.

He is Editor-Emeritus of Pipe Dream.

Binghamton Review, May 2008

Until now, BU Council has remained a mystery to most students at the university.

Recently, Binghamton Review obtained file photos of several members of the body:

Binghamton Review

Binghamton University P.O. Box 6000 Binghamton, N.Y. 13902-6000 binghamtonreview@gmail.com

Binghamton Review, May 2008

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