the.Hillsdale.Forum

VOlume IX, Issue IISEPTEMBER 2008

in.this.ISSUE sOUND bITES

VIEW FROM THE INSIDE:

BACKSTAGE,BEHIND the SCENESBEST PARTIES

and theof the

2008 RepublicanNational Convention

FULL COVERAGE PAGE 6

the Devil Went Down to Georgia:

MATT COLE

STAFF WRITER

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

JAMES NESBITT

STAFF WRITER

Hillsdale studentsreturning to campushave discovered a lot of changes this year: a newlydesigned quad, freshly paved parking lots, andthe first full year of a newstudent union and cafeteria, but, another change hasconfronted some students:an increased level of lawenforcement by MichiganState Police. During theweekend prior to the start of the semester, between 12 and14 students received minor in possession (MIP) citationsfrom area law enforcementofficers, according toDirector of Security MikeWertz. Police issue these citations by administering breathtests to students, whichamounts to a search andseizure of evidence.When an officer wishes to enter private property to search andseize, he first needs toget a warrant. But a few police officers have ledsome students to believethat this requirement doesnot apply when citizensare walking on the streets.One of these students, whoasked to remain anonymous,recalled her exchange withstate troopers Keith Pillar and Britt Owen, whostopped her while she waswalking down HillsdaleStreet: “I asked them, ‘Do

BYPASS THE BREATHALYZER

Russia’s Return to Imperialism

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

The Most ConservativeMovie You MayNever See

PAGE 10

Eye On the Statehouse

PAGE 3

Obama’s RadicalStance on Abortion(And its Survivors)

PAGE 2

Two Students Face-Off About Palin’s PregnantDaughter

PAGE 9

At the end of the Cold War,western nations held their breathin hopes that a new democraticRussia would allow its historicallyimperialist governing-style to fall by the wayside.To the dismay of democraciesaround the world, Russia has proven that old habits die hard:on August 8, 2008, Russiainvaded a former Soviet satellite,the Republic of Georgia.Russia’s foreign policy has beenconsistent since the end of WWII:invade smaller, weaker, nationsin order to exploit their resourcesand labor. While Georgia is justanother benchmark in this age-oldtradition, it is important understandthe history of both nations in order to better answer the questions: WhyGeorgia? Why now? Georgiaﬁrst began major relations withRussia in 1800 when the nationwas willingly absorbed into theRussian Empire in order to receivemilitary protection against Turkeyand Iran. After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Georgia re-declaredtheir independence; unfortunately,their freedom was short-lived,as they were invaded by the RedArmy in 1921 and forced intothe newly-formed Soviet Union.For the next 70 years, Georgia became just another additionto Soviet expansionism,contributing troops to bothWorld Wars, while acting asthe birth place of Joseph Stalin.In 1991, as the Soviet Union

MR. O’REILLY

: You had neverheard those comments?

SEN. OBAMA

: I hadn’t heardthose comments.

MR. O’REILLY

: He wasselling them in the lobby at thechurch.

SEN. OBAMA

: What can I tellya?

MR. O’REILLY

: How manytimes did you go to church amonth?

SEN. OBAMA

: You know,I’d probably go twice a monthsometimes.

MR. O’REILLY

: And he neversaid inﬂammatory stuff?

SEN. OBAMA

: He didn’t saystuff like that, all right.

MR. O’REILLY

: Did he saywhite people were bad?

SEN. OBAMA

: No. What hesaid was racism is bad.

MR. O’REILLY

: But not whitepeople are bad?

SEN. OBAMA

: There wasno doubt that what he saidwas racism was bad. Therelationship was ruptured, I’mnot a member of the church.

MR. O’REILLY

: Right.

Barack Obama, in an interviewwith Fox New’s Bill O’Reilly, onthe “offensive comments” made byReverend Jeremiah Wright:

news

SEPTEMBER 2008

CALVIN FREIBURGER

staff writer

After Jill Stanek, a nurse at ChristHospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois,exposed how doctors at thehospital were leaving newbornswho survived abortions to starve todeath, thestate senateconsideredlegislation protectingthe rights of such “born-alive infants” in 2001 and 2002.Both times, then-state Senator Barack Obama opposed it. Heinitially dismissed objections to hisstance on the grounds that he wouldhave voted yes if the bill included

I have to take a breathalyzer?’ The police told me, ‘Michigan law saysyou need to take a breathalyzer.’”MCL §436.1703(6) states that an“ofﬁcer who has reasonable causeto believe a minor has consumedalcoholic liquor or has any bodilyalcohol content may require the person to submit to a preliminarychemical breath analysis…Aminor who refuses to submit toa preliminary chemical breathtest analysis as required in thissubsection is responsible for a statecivil infraction and may be orderedto pay a civil ﬁne of not more than$100.00.”There is a hole in what policeare telling students, however.Although police are able to citethis law to convince students tocooperate, they cannot actuallyenforce it. In September 2007,Judge David M. Lawson of theUnited States Eastern DistrictCourt of Michigan ruled in

Platteet al. v. Thomas Township

et al.“that Michigan Complied Laws§436.1703(6) is unconstitutionalon its face because it is repugnant tothe Fourth Amendment…Governor

mip FROM PAGE 1

Jennifer Granholm, [her] servants,agents and employees, and thosein active concert and participationwith [her], are restrained andenjoined from enforcing or imposing sanctions under MichiganComplied Laws §436.1703(6), andfrom enforcing any policy or ruleenacted under the authority of said statute.” This ruling requires police to obtain a warrant beforerequiring pedestrians to submit toa breathalyzer test.Officers have been citing MCL436.1703(6) and warning studentsof the penalties for not submittingto a breath test, but they have not been disclosing to students the factthat this statute is not enforceable.Faced with the intimidatingcircumstances of the situation, theofficers’ suggestions, and lackingthe knowledge that citizens mayrefuse to submit to a breath test before a warrant is obtained, manystudents decide to cooperate. “Ididn’t know about the [the court’sdecision]. The officers told methat if I cooperated and paid myfine, the school and my parentswouldn’t find out, so I took thetest,” said one student confronted by Michigan State Police.

language guaranteeing it wouldn’t be used someday to undermine

Roev. Wade

.Considering that reversing

Roe

would not ban abortion, but simplysend the issue back to the democratic process, we could conclude fromthis that leaving newborns to a slow,agonizingdeath was of less concernto Obamathan thenightmarescenarioof Americans voting on abortion policy. This excuse didn’t reflectwell on him, but it was nothingcompared to the revelations tocome.In late August, the National Rightto Life Committee unearthedrecords showing that in 2003,Illinois lawmakers had tried again,this time with the very languageObama claimed was the originaldealbreaker. Senate Amendment001 said, “Nothing in this Sectionshall be construed to affirm, deny,expand, or contract any legal statusor legal right applicable to anymember of the species homo sapiensat any point prior to being bornalive as defined in this Section.” Atthe time, Obama chaired the HealthCommittee, which unanimouslyadded the previous language— only for Obama to vote no on the bill anyways, killing it before itreached the Senate floor. Why? As

A New Extreme on Abortion:

Obama’s Infanticide Problem

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5THIS ISSUE ULTIMATELY IS ABOUTABORTION AND NOT LIVE BIRTHs -BARACK OBAMA

“”

NO MORE PADDY-WHACK for KILPATRICK

Detroit’s Mayor Falls From Grace and into a Heap of Trouble

NATE ANDERSON

staff writer

After deliberation a Detroit jury decided not to give thedog a bone. The two-termmayor encountered a series of allegations and accusations of misconduct since his election in2001. These included invitingstrippers to the mayoralmansion, numerous accusationsof corruption, an extramaritalaffair, and ultimately, avowed perjury as well as assaulting a police officer.Mayor Kilpatrick held up for the months despite the mountingevidence against him. The tide began to finally turn when textmessages surfaced in Januarythat explicitly evidenced anaffair he had long since deniedunder oath. The mayor finally pled guilty to three charges; sixfelonies were discarded as partof the plea bargain. To the cityof Detroit he owes four monthsin prison, a million dollars, hisfuture pension, law license,and five months of probation.Shortly after the agreement thedisgraced mayor chose to gracethe people of Detroit with his presence, giving an address thatthe

Detroit Free Press

describedas “part-apology, part campaignspeech.” He gallingly declared,“Our challenge now is to putthe anguish and the turmoil of recent months behind us… Tothose who have supported methroughout the years....I thank you with all my heart ...I knowthat supporting me has notalways been easy, but it has not been boring either.” Accordingto the

Detroit Free Press

he proceeded to crack a smile.Governor Granholm, who themayor stalwartly supported,demonstrated her eagerness tolook past the affair. “It’s veryimportant for us as a state and asa city to turn this page together.There is much work to do. It ismy profound hope that we cannow write a new history for this great but embattled city.”Fewer and fewer Americanscan remember the day that theword “great” every applied tocity of Detroit, at least without being followed by the wordsriot or ﬁre. Detroit may have burned some time ago butMayor Kwame Kilpatrick didworse than ﬁddle as it continuedto smolder.

photo courtesy of City of Detroit

While Western speculationabounds, North Korea vehe-mently denies that their leader,Kim Jong Il is gravely ill and/orrecovering from a severemedical ailment.Actor Matt Damon recentlytold the Associated Press that hebelieves that Sarah Palin facingdown Russian President Putinwould resemble “a really badDisney movie;” this, from theactor who supported the movie“Jersey Girl.”Sports star and cancer survivorLance Armstrong has decided toget back on the bike in attemptto win his 8th Tour de France.Another political genius: JoeBiden, who told supporters at aWednesday rally that, “HillaryClinton is as qualiﬁed or morequaliﬁed than I am to be vicepresident of the United States of America.”

During the New England Patri-ots’ opening game, quarterback Tom Brady tore both the ACLand MCL in his left knee, likelyending his season and requiring6 to 9 months of rehabilitation.In an less than surprising an-nouncement, Apple unveiled therevamped iPod Nano at a pressconference last Tuesday. In avariety of colors, it features athinner design, wider screen, andshufﬂe sensors similar to that of the iPhone. During the presen-tation, Steve Jobs declined tocomment on his health.Ron Paul refuses to endorseJohn McCain’s bid for thepresidency.The United States has seen asharp decrease in citizenship ap-plications after hiking the appli-cation fee to combat costs. Thenew price of freedom? $675.

NEWS

SEPTEMBER 2008

Emilia Huneke-Bergquist

Julie Robison

EditOrs in Chief

Dave Wasmer

AssOciate EditOr

Heather Shell

COpy EditOr

Nate AndersonMatt ColeCalvin FreiburgerMartin Kraegel IIINathan LichtmanChristina Miller James NesbittScott RozellLizzy Shell

Staff Writers

Kate Martin

DC COrrespOndent

theHillsdale Forum

staff

Guided by theprinciples of liberty,freedom, and justice,

The.Hillsdale.Forum

is a monthly student-run publication ofHillsdale Collegestriving to inform andeducate its readersabout today’s ever-changing Conservativepolitical climate.

HILLSDALEFORUM@GMAIL.COM

STATEHOUSE

E Y E O N T H E

James nesbitt

staff writer

Michigan legislatorshave introduced amyriad of bills dur-ing the most recentlegislative session.Some are wise, someare dangerous, andsome are just plainsilly. This month’shighlights are:

From the dream pipe:

House Bill 4454

Primary Sponsor:

Jacob Hoogendyk (R-Kalamazoo)

Text Excerpt:

This bill would prohibit a person from “[requiring] anemployee to do any of the following as a condition of employment or continued employment:(a) Become or remain a member of a labor organization.(b) Pay dues, fees, assessments, or other similar charges to a labor organization.(c) Pay to a charity or other third party an amount equivalent to or pro rata portion of dues, fees, assessments, or other charges required of membersof a labor organization.”

Analysis:

This bill would allow Michigan workers the choice to participatein a union. This provides an incentive for unions to provide a meaningfulservice to their members and ends their monopoly. The bill would reducelabor costs for Michigan businesses and increase Michigan’s economiccompetitiveness with other countries and other states.

Last Action:

7/23/08—Notice given to Discharge Committee.

From the sewer pipe

Senate Bill 1306

Primary Sponsor:

Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit)

Text Excerpt:

“In an action to foreclose a mortgage or land contract of residential property…the court, on motion of a defendant, shall order theaction stayed for 2 years after the entry of the stay order.”

Analysis:

This bill would deny banks and other lenders to reclaim their rightful property. Although evictions are sad things, residents do notrightfully and legally own their homes until they have repaid their loans.This bill would send the clear message that the state of Michigan doesnot respect property rights. The end result will be a dearth of investmentin Michigan and an increase in low-income citizens without access tohome-ownership.

Last Action:

5/7/08—Referred to Committee on Banking and FinancialInstitutions.

Note:

The Moratorium Now! Coalition is organizing a rally in Lansing onSeptember 17

to demand a hearing in committee for this bill. Bad newsfor Hillsdaleans of the United Methodist denomination: this coalitionis housed and supported by the Central United Methodist Church of Detroit.

“UNITES”

While the Hillsdale ChristianFellowship/Intervarsity (HCF) program at Hillsdale College hashad a substantial presence for manyyears, the group has recently putsome effort into centralizing andexpanding its ministry on campus.During its kickoff on the 28th of August, various student leadersincluding David Stehlik, SarahGillary, Shannon McCleary and NateJerauld explained the function of thegroup’s various arms. The primaryalteration comes with the additionof “Frontlines.” In an attempt to provide go-to Bible studies for eachdorm, HCF opted to imprint itsstamp onto student-initiated groups.Involvement thus far has proved all-inclusive, involving over a dozensmall groups, from studies of “MereChristianity,” to a Christian videoseries and old-fashioned reviews of books in the Bible. HCF providesloose oversight, encouraginggroup leaders to meet with thePastor of the Pine Ridge Churchand HCF afﬁliate, Steve Bricks.Vision Team member and leader of the Foundations ministry, DavidStehlik, described HCF and Pastor Bricks’s role as helping to “cast thevision for small group leaders whocontrol their own curriculum.” “Werecognize the common purpose,” heemphasized.The “Foundations” ministryencompasses the prayer and fastingelement of HCF. The group is open toany student, or at least any willing toforego a few trips to SAGA. Stehlik especially encourages students toaccept a 15 meal plan instead of the

Nate AndersON

staff writer

customary 19 meals, donating thesurplus ($140) to the HCF treasurer.“In the time that you would usuallyfill yourself up physically you canfill yourself up spiritually,” heexplained.Replacing and altering the former Crossroads meeting is “Unite.” Theservice runs just one Thursday amonth, and is meant to be a type of umbrella gathering of all the smaller ministries. As before, it will consistof praise and worship, as well asa guest speaker. AIA (Athletesin Action) and “The Well,” acontemporary worship service, willcontinue under the HCF banner.The administration has markedlysolidified the sprawling campusministries. Groups that attemptto incorporate outside leadership, beyond Intervarsity, are generally prohibited from using campusfacilities, unless they reach anagreement with the campus ministry.UCO, or University ChristianOutreach, an Ann Arbor-basedministry, attempted to negotiate the placement of a charismatic worshipand prayer service on campus. Thegroup was ultimately barred from becoming an official campus club,due to its outside leadership. Thegroup eventually located off campus,with UCO leader, Mike Shaugnessy,nonetheless reporting that he was“very happy” with negotiations.It remains to be seen whether theadministrations efforts to provide acomprehensive worship experiencefor Christian students will payoff. Toeing the line between baseuniformity and baseless acceptance promises to provide a challenge for many years to come.

HILLSDALECHRISTIANFELLOWSHIP

Just as last year’s CCA onthe lessons and legacy of the Vietnam War coincidedneatly with the nationaldebate on US policy in Iraq,this year’s opening CCAon the Cold War also ﬁndsa parallel in current events.Russia’s aggressive responseto Georgia, regarding the breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,

MARTIN KRAEGEL III

staff writer

C C A R E V I E W

has sparked speculation that arenewal of the Cold War may beimminent, while tensions betweenthe West and Russia have reachedlevels not seen in years. Newmissile defense systems to be placed in Poland and the CzechRepublic, while ostensibly aimedIran, have been viewed by Russiaas threatening to their power,along with the United States’ goalto include countries like Georgiaand Ukraine into NATO. Former President of Russia, and former member of the KGB, Vladimir Putin, still seen as the real power inthat country, has been adamant aboutnationalizing Russia’s oil industry,using its energy resources asleverage in Europe, and projecting power in the region economically.Some speculate he has his sightson a renewed Russian empire.Russia-U.S. relations have become a campaign issue in the2008 election as well. Both major presidential candidates havecriticized Russia. Republicancandidate John McCain echoedJohn F. Kennedy in proclaiming that,“Today we’re all Georgians,” andvowing that the United States willstand by Georgia in facing Russia.Examining the issues andhistory involved in the Cold War and its lessons for today, CCA I,entitled “The Cold War: Historyand Controversies,” held fromSeptember 7th to September 11th included speakers: TatianaYankelevich, director of the AndreiSakharov Program on HumanRights, speaking on “Life Behind