hillsdale forum

Fall 2006

the
Volume IV, Issue I

the
Dilemma of
Higher Education

by StephAni Francl
The election is over and the
Democrats have taken the Congress.
The war in Iraq forced the unemployed,
disgruntled citizens of America to
speak out via the election against their
dominantly Republican government,
or so says the opposition. But the
war in Iraq is not the only issue on
the ballot these days. While jobs and
the war are important, these topics
jeopardized the election commercials
at the expense of other very important
issues, such as education.
Politicians commonly use education,
and more recently higher education
issues to get the American public up
in arms concerning the future welfare
of our country. If the children of
today lack proper education, the
adults of tomorrow will fail to
carry on the American dream. We
poor college students deserve the
subsidization of the government
to ensure the continuation of our
beloved democratic-republic. Both
Democrats and Republicans have
dumped millions and millions of
dollars into the system in order to
impress the local voters.
Our very own President Larry Arnn
pointed out the problem in his recent
essay, “The Crisis and Politics of
Higher Education” published in
the Claremont Review of Books
and Imprimis. (Currently, the
essay can also be accessed via the
Hillsdale College home page.) He,
being a true believer in Hillsdale
College and the idea of remaining
true to one’s founding, noticed that
“since September 11, 2001, defense
spending has risen 47 percent, while
higher education spending has risen
133 percent.”
Complain as they may about spending
on the war in Iraq, the Democrats in
conjunction with the Republicans
have blown the lid off of education
spending in the last six years, and it
doesn’t help the national deficit.
All this money going out makes
one wonder what the institutions of
higher education are doing with the
funding. The Intercollegiate Studies
Institute took up this very question in
their recently published study “The
Coming Crisis in Citizenship” in
which they examined what was being
learned by students at 50 institutions
of higher education nation wide.
-continued on page 3

H
In this issue... *%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%
No Soap and Toothbrush
#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@
The Ballots Have Been Cast!
!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%
Needed Here --Who Got Elected--
#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@
... ?

forum
!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%
One Student’s --Where Do They Stand--
#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@
Examination of
!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%
?
Hillsdale’s --What’s on the Line--
#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@
“Clean” Campus
!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%
-page 7-
#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@
!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*%#@!*% full story pages 8-9
2 news Fall 2006

As Hillsdale College students, we all know the meaning of busy. From writing a paper to
reading a book, there are a million things that come ahead of watching the news, which is
why we’ve decided to bring the important stuff to you!

After making racist remarks that air in the new Borat film, two North
In Germany, for the low cost of $25, one Carolina fraternity brothers are suing the makers of the film, claiming
can hire Bernd Dressler of the Separation they were tricked into making the remarks.
Agency in Berlin to break-up with one’s
significant other. The more elaborate
breaking-up packages can go as high at Democracy, Hugo Chavez-Style: For workers
The average American at Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, sup-
$65, but one must have at least three rea- with AIDS will live 24
sonable reasons for breaking up before porting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
years, and spend over isn’t a choice; it’s a direct order. On one poster,
Mr. Dressler breaks up with your sig- $600,000 on treatment.
nificant other for you. Talk about cold. highlighted in capital letters, it says “He who
is not with Chavez should not be in PDVSA.”
It encourages workers to be vigilant of their
The FBI is now investigating Ernest Charles Pusey, 111, is colleagues and to turn in anyone who does
the Los Angeles police after Florida’s only living World not appear to be “identified with the process.”
viewing a videotape released War I veteran and received his
on YouTube.com that shows of- long-delayed medal for his
ficers repeatedly beating a sus- service on the battleship USS The Supreme Court contin-
pect in the face while he cried Wyoming nearly 90 years ago. ues to hear arguments to up-
out that he could not breathe. hold the disputed “Partial-Birth
Abortion Ban,” weighing in
It is now under speculation that the mass surrender of 500 on the constitutionality of a
Can you name all the Supreme Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners in November 2001, during the law banning a surgical meth-
Court Judges of the Roberts opening phases of the Afghanistan war was a ruse. It led to a od to terminate a pregnancy.
Court?: Samuel Alito, Stephen prison riot in an aging fortress in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan,
Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which was suppressed by a band of American and British com-
Anthony Kennedy, Chief Jus- mandos. Only 85 prisoners survived to be captured; among
tice John Roberts, Antonin Robert Gates became the
them was John Walker Lindh, the so-called “American Taliban.”
Scalia, David Souter, John Paul new nominee for the office
Stevens, and Clarence Thom- of United States Secretary of
as. (No, this is not news, just Defense after Donald Rums-
something you need to know) The number of overseas feld’s resignation earlier
After a Huston landscaping graduate students going this week. He is currently
business refuses to do busi- to school in the US has president of Texas A&M and
Whitman College cancelled ness with a homosexual cou- increased after the three was the 15th director of the
classes Thursday so that stu- ple, they are kicked form the year decline following Central Intelligence Agency.
dents could attend a sympo- Assoc. of Professional Land- September 11th in 2001.
sium on race and diversity scape Designers, and sent
after several pictures of stu- hate mail and death threats.
dents wearing blackface made In California, Orange
it onto the internet causing Coast College votes not
a campus wide controversy. Al Qaeda says they will not rest until our pret- to recognize the Pledge
ty White House is a ugly black pile of rubble. of Allegiance, and
bans it from meetings.
 h
forum news
-education from page 1
theHillsdale Twenty-five of the schools were
forum selected based on information from
the National Center for Education
Stephani Francl Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary
Emilia Huneke-Bergquist Education Data System. The other
25 percent were elite schools hand
Editors-in-Chief
selected based on the US News
and World Report’s rankings of the
Julie Robison nation’s colleges (which we’ll come
Copy Editor back to later).
These schools were selected to
show both a broad overview of what
Gina Gallutia
America’s college student is learning,
Brian Johnston as well as the difference between an
Stohn Nishino “elite” education and a non-elite
Jeremy Marshall education. The results are astounding.
G. Stolyarov II The college with the most “value
added” (Value added is the increase in
Staff Writers
knowledge of graduating seniors over
incoming freshmen.) was Rhodes
College, and the second, Colorado
The Hillsdale Forum is a College. Ranking at 50, 49, and 48
student publication distributed respectively were Johns Hopkins
University, UC Berkley, and Cornell
four times throughout the
University. All of these come in well
school year. behind Utah State University (14) and
the University of New Mexico (7).
Questions? The areas of question addressed in
Comments? the study included common historical
and political topics such as the
Submissions?
Jamestown Colony, the Form of the
US Government, Women’s Suffrage,
Contact The Hillsdale Forum: and World War II. Students showed
an increased value added in many
hillsdaleforum@gmail.com of the categories, though the largest
“decrease” in value added came on
the subject of Marbury v. Madison.
However, the topics that showed
improvement, albeit only a little
“The Coming Crisis in
Citizenship”
Of the 50 schools sur-
veyed, 16 schools’ se-
niors scored lower than
College seniors failed
freshmen showing a
the “Civic Literacy
Exam” administered
negative value added.
by ISI with an average
score of 53.2%.
All statistics courtesy of ISI.
were disturbing: the Origin of the
Doctrine of Separation of Church and
State, Plato’s Republic, the Founders
Understanding of Moral and Political
Knowledge, the Enumerated Powers,
and Traditional Just War Theory.
The fact that these “value added’s”
are improving is encouraging, but
here is the discouraging part: In
each of these categories, incoming
freshmen got less than 39 percent
of the questions correct. And the
seniors who improved on the subjects
improved by, at most, a margin of 3.2
percent.
From the recent election results, it
will be no wonder to you which was
the least understood category from
the list: Traditional Just War Theory.
Today’s voting citizen’s grasp on
just war theory shows in the wishy-
washy voting tendencies displayed in
the last three elections which relied
heavily on the war issue.
Thank Heavens for Hillsdale College,
which, like it or not, now forces each
of its graduating students to take
a course on the US Constitution; at
least we know our stuff.
However, this is not recognized
by the general population or by the
general media. In the US News
and World Report’s rankings of the
nation’s best liberal arts colleges,
Hillsdale doesn’t even make the top
100. We fall somewhere in the top
120. This, in itself, is frustrating,
but the methodology of the rankings
will make one pull their hair out
Civic learning is
significantly great-
er at schools with
traditional core
curricula.
3
in aggravation. The most heavily
weighted criteria used by US News
is what is titled “peer ranking.” Peer
ranking means that the president,
provost, and admissions dean of each
college sends in their ideas of how all
of the other colleges in their category
rank on a scale of one to five with five
being the best. Hillsdale’s number:
2.2. Though frustrating, Hillsdale’s
rank among the other liberal arts
colleges is not as important as the
actual task undertaken by the college.
The fact is that Hillsdale College
was founded in 1844 to “furnish to
all persons who wish…a literary,
scientific or theological education
as comprehensive and thorough as is
usually pursued in other colleges or
theological schools in this country,
and to combine with this, such
moral, social and artistic instruction
and culture as will best develop the
minds and improve the hearts of the
students.” The most recent anthem of
Hillsdale – “Educating for Liberty”
– takes up this challenge in a modern
day battle cry. Hillsdale College,
though imperfect, fulfills its mission
and its Articles of Association; if only
the same were true of the schools
shown to be struggling to “add value”
to their students.
Civicly educated citi-
zens are more active-
ly engaged in voting,
volunteer community
service and political
campaings.
ISI‛s American
Civic Literacy
Program‛s
Findings
4 debate Fall 2006

A Travesty of Mercy: the Andrea Yates Story of other human beings. That is, every suffers from “mental problems” that where individual rights are honored
by G. Stolyarov II human being must not infringe on prevent this control, she inhibits and enforced, we should implement
When a wild or domesticated animal other human beings’ lives, liberty, and her ability to lead a life proper to measures to punish infringers so as
loses control over itself, enters a rage, property. This responsibility is the a human being—to the extent that to prevent further violations. The
and kills or maims a human or another fundamental imperative underlying all these problems are present. If these deterrent effect provided by permanent
animal, that act is sufficient for the civilized human interaction; without deficiencies harm only the individual punishment will discourage many
animal to be rightly put to death. The it, rights could not be honored and and no one else, then the individual still would-be violators from ever resorting
animal has shown irrefutably that it would remain in perpetual jeopardy. maintains her essential humanity— to crime. Even animals are subject to
cannot exist in a civilized setting; it Furthermore, because individual for she still has enough self-control the effect of deterrence; a hungry wolf
cannot behave without aggressing on rights are eternal and inalienable, the to fully respect the rights of others. will not attack a flock of sheep if the
individual humans’ lives and property. responsibility to honor individual rights However, if an individual with “mental shepherd aims a gun at the predator.
The animal is not given any second is likewise eternal and inalienable. problems” harms other people, she “Mentally troubled” humans are far
chances; it is not “rehabilitated” and It does not depend on the internal or should be punished to the extent that more intelligent than the animals—
no one entertains the delusion that just external condition of the individual in she violates their rights. Their rights so their ability to understand and be
because the animal killed or injured question. are sacred and immutable—and it is affected by deterrence should be even
someone already, it greater.
will not kill or injure If the deterrent
anyone again. Andrea Yates: A Timeline effect fails
Yet when a human in a given
being loses control 1993— Andrea and Rusty Yates Wed situation and
over herself, enters 1993-2000— The couple have five children, four boys and one girl the permanently
a “depression,” and 1999— Andrea seeks psychiatric help for the first time, and is placed on medication. damaging crime
systematically drowns June 20, 2001— Off medication for only a few days, she takes her children into the bathroom is committed
her own five children, and drowns them. Hours later, she confesses to Huston police. nonetheless,
she is not only spared July 2001— Andrea indicted on first-degree murder charges in all five deaths. permanent
execution—she is not August 2001— Yates pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, and the prosecution reveals that they punishment for
even locked away in intend to seek the death penalty. the criminal
prison to suffer for her September 2001— Jury finds her competent to sand trial. will minimize
vile and murderous March 2002— After a half hour of deliberations, a jury sentences her to a life sentence with no parole future crime by
acts. Instead, she is for forty years ensuring that
absolved of any guilt March 2002- 2004— Yates moves back and forth between prison and psychiatric facilities the offending
in the brutal murder January 2005— A Texas Court of Appeals reverses the capital murder conviction person never
and put in a mental January 2006— The re-trial begins and Yates pleads not guilty by reason of insanity in the murders violates another
hospital, where she February 2006— Yates is given bail on the condition that she submit herself to an institution until trial. person’s rights
receives food, lodging, Later this month she turns down an agreement giving her only 35 years in prison. again. Thus,
and medical care at June 2006— The re-trial beings. the principle
taxpayers’ expense. July 2006— The jury returns with a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. of permanent
This—in its stark punishment
Information compiled by Laura Weisman of Chron.com
essence—is what the for permanent
“not guilty by reason violations of
of insanity” verdict given to child Honoring individual rights is easy; her responsibility to honor them. Any rights leads to a worst-case scenario
murderess Andrea Yates means. a person in a vegetative state can time she forfeits that responsibility, of one criminal incident per violator
The bizarre argument underlying this manage it perfectly. Such a person she also forfeits the higher standard of and a best-case scenario of none due
verdict is that because Yates allegedly will not kill other people, injure them, treatment pertaining to human beings. to the deterrent effect.
did not have control over her own restrain their freedom, or steal their With lesser violations of rights— Mercy and help offered to those who
thoughts, emotions, and actions during possessions. Violations of individual especially those where the harm can could not restrain their active violations
the murders, she can be absolved rights are always active; they require be compensated for by fines or other of others’ rights constitute a bizarre
from guilt and punishment for those an individual to move her body in reparations—the offending party need attack on the civilized imperative of
murders. It is questionable that Yates some way as to deprive another of life, not be permanently restrained, because honoring all individual rights. Mercy
even committed the murders without liberty, or property. The responsibility the damage can be undone. However, to those who killed “in cold blood”—
knowing their full implications and to honor individual rights is in essence where the damage is permanent, the though still unwarranted—makes
wanton evil. However, even if we a responsibility not to act in certain punishment for the damager should be more sense. The “cold-blooded” killer
accept that premise, it follows that her ways. permanent as well. Two categories of knows the evil of his deeds, but he still
punishment should only be greater than The human being not only has rights infringement meet this criterion: has control over his mind and body—
it would have been otherwise. responsibility over her actions; she has murder and permanent injury. his ideas and his actions. There exists
Every human being has the inalienable responsibility for being responsible If we, as civilized, moral people, are an extremely slim chance that he
moral responsibility to honor the rights over her actions. If an individual concerned with attaining a society
-continued on page 11
 h
forum spotlight 5
Czech Republic: modern example of democratic influence
against the communist regime that was
by StephAni Francl violating their natural rights.
The Czech Republic, formerly a part of They followed in the footsteps of the
Czechoslovakia, has much in common American people who consented as a
with America. It is a democracy. whole to fight for their unalienable rights
Vaclav Havel, quite like our George in 1776. Both peoples, 200 years apart,
Washington, was the extraordinary fought, by choice, making a statement
statesman who, in 1989, led the charge to the world that they would not be
against the oppressive communist trampled. And they won. We won. Our
regime. The Czech people now love heritage left it to us, their posterity to
their freedom and covet their rights. preserve the sacred, secured rights and
Beyond being a European nation that to pass them on to our offspring.
as a whole loves America and looks to “I remember when I first heard someone
it as a fellow bastion of democracy and say ‘What about Havel for president,’”
freedom, the Czech Republic has paved Oldrich “Olda” Cherney, former head of
the way for the founding of democracies security under President Vaclav Havel
in the modern world. and Executive Director of the Prague Built nearly five-hundred years ago, the historic Charles Bridge is still
Churchill claimed that, “Democracy Securities Studies Institute recalled in the only way to cross the Vltava River into Old Town Prague.
is more vindictive than Cabinets. The an interview this June. “I thought it was press.” Olda countered. The Velvet “basically sacrificed his life” to lead
wars of people will be more terrible than crazy!” Havel was an idea man; a man Revolution was not velvet; “it was not the revolution; he gave up his privacy
those of kings.” The lines have blurred that could lead in the intellectual world gentle.” While there was no bloodshed, – everything. The principles Havel
between the soldier and the civilian. In of political wrote and lived by in 1989

“
a monarchy, the king hires soldiers to philosophy are the same principles Havel
fight for him against his adversaries, but and theory,
in a democracy the populous supports but Olda
I remember the first time I heard still writes and lives by today.
He has become something of

the war effort through their investments, t h o u g h t
their votes, and their enlistment to H a v e l
fight the war. “Democratic institutions would never
gave expression to the will-power of take on the
millions,” Churchill explained during leadership of
World War I. The expression of the the country.
people’s will was displayed in the Czech The
Republic as the citizens peacefully recovery of
demonstrated in December of 1988 the government by the Czechoslovakian
Oldrich “Olda” Cherney addresses a group of students “‘Velvet Revolution’ is a
at this years Geostratic Journalism Course in Prague.
someone say ‘Havel for Presi-
dent,’ I thought it was crazy!
-Olrich Cherney
people was unique
because of the lack of
bloodshed throughout
their revolution. It began
on November 16, 1989,
and the government
takeover was completed
by December 29, 1989.
In just over a month, the
Czechoslovakian people
had, through words
backed by the ideals of
the populous, mandated
that the oppressive
Soviet government be
abolished.
It was termed the “Velvet
Revolution.” Yet those
involved in the efforts
remember it differently.
sound bite” made up by the
it was a battle – the final battle – for the
opinions of the people. Olda clarified,
“It was a revolution of minds, of
attitudes.” As Kristi, a fellow Czech
who works with the People in Need
Foundation explained, “[Havel] was
the unification factor.” Czechoslovakian
opinion changed gradually throughout
the mid-1900’s, seeping into various
parts of society a little at a time and
culminating in the revolution of 1989.
Jaroslav Kurfürst, the Deputy Chief of
Mission at the Embassy of the Czech
Republic in Washington DC who was
in college at the time of the revolution
summarized Czech emotion: “Havel
was a hero for me.”
Kristi explained what sets Havel apart
as a statesman: “He has the talent to
look at things a different way.” Havel
believes that the people are generally
good, Kristi elaborated, and as such
he is very much an idealist. Havel
”
an institution in the Czech
Republic.
Havel made a difference in
Czechoslovakia and in the
world not because he is any
greater a human than you or I.
Havel has made a difference
in the world because, like
our Founders, he chose to sacrifice
his own comfort and ease to live by
the principles in which he believed.
And what makes Havel and the Czech
Republic’s story so exceptional is the
fact that the changes of the world,
and specifically the change of the
world toward democracy, allowed for
a bloodless overturning of a nation’s
regime.
It was democratic ideas, thoughts,
and attitudes creeping into the minds
and hearts of the Czech that forced
the Soviet government to leave their
offices. Winston Churchill explained
of unjust rulers such as the Soviets
were in Czechoslovakia: “They are
afraid of words and thoughts! Words
spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at
home, all the more powerful because
-continued on page 6
Photos courtesy of Stephani Francl.
6 opinion Fall 2006

And it was all yellow...

the fight against tainted journaism continuesoutlet and stay wary of glossy pictures
by
Julie RObison
Government policy tends to be a very question the government: why does the more people became informed. The and technical terms that can portray
convenient scapegoat for America’s questioning stop there? One cannot only only downside was that, in the articles, a very different picture than the actual
problems. However, the problem may question the government but everything the line between fact and fiction became circumstance.
not lie solely within the government but and everyone! Nothing very smudged. In the movie A Few Good Men, when
the way the government is portrayed to is too sacred to be H e a r s t Lieutenant Kaffee demands the truth
its citizens. tampered with. What reportedly said from Colonel Jessep during a trial,
The media, it can be argued, can be more people need to realize is to illustrator Jessep tells Kaffee “You can’t handle the
deceptive than even the government’s that the media is fallible Frederic truth.” Americans need to realize that it
most wily ways. This is because the as well. It is viewed as Remington is insulting that the media would not be
U.S. population more readily listens to a legitimate and noble “You furnish wholly truthful because it implies that
the media than to their own government. institution in American the pictures the media does not believe Americans
The media is looked at as an ally with society. In reality, the and I’ll furnish have the capacity to handle the truth.
the people, exposing The Man’s corrupt media is just another the war.” Not only can Americans handle the
policies, conniving under dealings, and facet of commercialism, This lurid truth, they should demand it and expect
general mishaps. It has come to be the selling ideas and stories sensationalism nothing less.
general consensus that if news is printed to the American people and type of
or said on the air, it must be true. This at the expense of what investigatory -From Page 5
is the downfall of American liberty and is pure and true in this reporting set a they are forbidden. These terrify
freedom. Americans are constantly on country. The media needs to fear the new standard for American journalism. them. A little mouse - a little tiny
guard against the government in case of people; it needs to feel an obligation to tell Today the legacy of yellow journalism mouse! -of thought appears in
the utmost truth, no matter carries on as the press continues to the room, and even the mightiest
what the circumstance, show bias and misrepresent facts; from potentates are thrown into panic.”
because it should know that the War in Iraq to Hurricane Katrina to The free elections held in May of
if it doesn’t, people will find the tragic death of Terri Shiavo, what 1989 saw the Czech people vote a
out and call them on it. America is experiencing is modern-day majority of non-communists into
This is not the first time the yellow journalism. During the 2004 the legislature. It was not just
media has had a significant Presidential Election, 60 Minutes ran the government that changed – it
role in shaping Americans’ a story concerning President Bush’s required a change over a period of
thoughts. A little over a service in the National Guard. The time in the mindset of the people
hundred years ago, a new slanderous story was based on four to prepare them for democratic
phenomenon in the world of documents which later proved to be freedom.
an infringement of rights and have since news broadcasting was introduced to the bogus and resulted in the firing of three When the revolution officially
let down their basic defense system, public. It was called yellow journalism CBS executives and Dan Rather stepping began on November 16, 1989,
giving themselves over to the Media and it was sensational. Yellow down as CBS’s evening news anchor. the people were ready, and within
Machine. journalism is journalism that exploits, A new epoch has begun in American four days, over 100,000 people
Americans, earnest about not being distorts, or exaggerates the news to politics as President Bush’s presidency converged on Prague to demonstrate
blindly misled by authority, have the create sensations and attract readers. It further reflects his lame duck status, the to the government that they meant
tendency to overcompensate by putting was especially influential on the Spanish- War in Iraq continues, and Democrats business. The communist regime
their trust elsewhere. They allow their American War, gain control of was ending. The world had
own judgments to be replaced by the significantly the House and changed.
opinions of political pundits. The c h a n g i n g the Senate.
media has become a tool of society; A m e r i c a n Nonetheless, it is
specifically, television, as it is prevalent policies and not too late to set Stephani Francl, a senior from
and omnipresent to nearly all Americans. p r e j u d i c e s a new standard Central City, Nebraska, and former
Television has been lulling Americans from then in the American editor in chief of the Hillsdale Fo-
to sleep with lies and half-truths for on. Yellow media by breaking rum, went to the Czech Republic
the last half of the century. They have j o u r n a l i s m the cycle of faulty this summer with the Collegiate
become programmed, accepting and was created by journalism. It Network’s Geostrategic Journalism
Course. She spent a week in Prague
not questioning many of the stories Joseph Pulitzer starts with the
studying international journalism
heard on television. It has been drilled and William American people and affairs at the Prague Securities
into Americans for so long to always R a n d o l p h demanding the Studies Institute, which was founded
(all logos courtsey of cnn.com, msnbc.com, Hearst as their papers competed for sales. truth, not a hyped or puffed up story. One and is directed by Oldrich Cherney.
foxnews.com) With newspaper prices dropping to the should check and double check sources
point where anyone could buy a paper, the media cites as their information
 h
forum
Monday...Tuesday...Hillsdale Days!
by
Julie RObison
In my first few weeks at Hillsdale, one
# !
of the things that surprised me the most
was the apparent lack of swearing on
campus. I was walking down the hallway
with two friends when I let an expletive
slip. One of my friends stopped in her
tracks.
“What did you just say?” She asked,
her eyes widening and narrowing in the
%
same glare. I looked around nervously
to see if there was actually an evil
minion looming in the shadows who had
said the word in my voice. The moment
was awkward, but we continued walking
without further incident.
I did not always swear. My parents
used the traditional fear tactics; if they
ever caught me saying bad words,
my mouth was promptly washed out
with soap or my tongue scorched with
Tabasco sauce. Back then, however,
&
bad words were calling your siblings
derogatory names like “Stupid,” telling
anyone to “Shut up,” or using the ever-
forbidden word of “Crap.”
We lived in a Golden Age. I remember
in the fourth grade having to read a
passage about beavers aloud to the
class. I said the word “dam” and my
classmates snickered into their books
as they incorporated beavers and dams
into our daily classroom conversation.
We all know that swearing is rude…but, what about all the other little tips
and tricks we need along the walk of life? Never fear, with the Hillsdale
Forum’s Pocket Guide to Manners and Etiquette, you’ll never be without
your best behavior.
Never carry on a private
conversation in company.
---
Be on time, and if you know you’re
running late--make a phone call.
---
Do not start or end a realtionship
via text message or instant message.
---
If you need to ask someone if it is
trashy, don’t wear it.
---
Should you excuse yourself
midmeal, place your napkin in the
chair, not on the table.
opinion
“What are dams?”
“What are dams made out of?”
“Why are dams called dams?”
Our teacher shushed us and tried to
move on with the lesson but it was too
late: we had caught the Bad Word Bug.
This infectious disease followed us
through middle school and junior high,
where we experimented with a few
shocking words from time to time. It
wasn’t until high school that the Bad
Word Bug went from common cold to
epidemic. I say I had to go to an all-
girls’ school to learn how to swear. Most
people scoff when they hear this.
“Didn’t you go to an all-girls’ school?”
they ask.
“Girls don’t swear. It isn’t ladylike.”
“Didn’t you ever swear in high school?”
I ask in return. Then comes the dreaded
reply: “Not really.”
Imagine: over six hundred plaid-
skirted girls in one building. They
come from all over the city and so did
their vocabularies. Swear words were
the new adjectives and it was never
long before certain words crept into
one’s own vocabulary. It was a kind of
freedom, a rebellion against the system.
If caught, profanity of any kind resulted
in top punishment. Nevertheless, it
was flagrant. We took every chance we
had to break the rules in that cloistered
atmosphere and that included swearing.
Always RSVP to an event.
---
Never bring up an ex girlfriend/
boyfriend while on a date.
---
When attending a fancy dinner, use
the silverware on the outside first,
and work your way in.
---
Dramatic confrontations should be
avoided at all costs. No one needs
to hear about it.
--
Unless service was terrible, leave a
good tip.
Coming to Hillsdale was a different
type of culture shock than the one I had
experienced upon entering high school.
Hillsdale is filled with many people, but,
despite the intensity of some storytellers,
one does not often hear swearing. I have
received some of the most impressive
looks of shock and surprise upon the
utterance of an expletive.
“Everyone is so clean-cut here,” I
once thought to myself after receiving
yet another scandalized look. “They are
such goody-two shoes.”
@
Hillsdale often feels like a scene out
of Happy Days, cut out of Wisconsin
and pasted into this obscure town in
Michigan. I wholly expect Richie and
Potsie to walk across the quad any day
now. I’ve witnessed high fives, frequent
smiles and an alarming number of argyle
sweaters around campus. I immediately
became suspicious.
“What is wrong with these people?”
I thought. This thought was usually
followed by a “What have I gotten
myself into?” Yet I knew, deep inside,
that they were not the ones that needed
to change.
# %
With the exception of eccentric teachers
and the traditional sailor-mouthed
students that frequent college campuses,
a majority of the Hillsdale student body
choose not to curse. Everyone has
their reasons. In the Bible, Colossians
3:8 says “But now you must get rid of
all such things—anger, wrath, malice,
slander and abusive language from your
mouth.” On the secular side, arguments
for why one shouldn’t swear include that
@
swearing is bad for society, it corrupts the
English language, it lowers the speaker
figuratively in the eyes of others, and it
is simply not socially acceptable.
!
One must realize that there is more to
swearing than the word being used; it is
the idea behind the word. Where does
one draw the line between ‘good’ words
and ‘bad’ words? One does not swear
because one likes the way the word
sounds. If that were so, people would go
around saying words like “juxtaposition”
or “pasticcio”. Rather, one curses for
the shock value, the position one takes,
or the achieved status. This is why it
is important to understand the offensive
7
&
nature of cursing. There needs to be a
standard for the English language.
Luckily, there is a cure for the Bad
Word Bug: not swearing. This seems
to be Hillsdale’s preferred antidote to
break the vicious swearing cycle. The
lack of swearing at this school is strange
but refreshing, like rain on a day while
the sun is still out.
Coming to Hillsdale forced me to clean
up my act. While I admit to occasionally
lapsing back into my old school girl
ways and saying whatever words fall
off my tongue without a second thought
to my neighbor’s ears, I’ve decided to
put an end to my sailor days; out with
the old words and in with new ways to
express myself in a non-offensive way!
It has not been a major phenomenon;
no one has paraded a marching band
down Hillsdale Street in celebration of
me holding my tongue. I doubt if many
even notice my new vocabulary. I, on
the other hand, have noticed it in myself
and that is the best feeling because I
know that my clean-cut self is making
a difference by not subjecting anyone’s
ears to unwanted words and, of course,
not offending God is always a good
feeling.
During Fall Parents’ Weekend at
Hillsdale, I had the pleasure of showing
my parents around campus. They laughed
at my stories and reminisced back to
their own glory days at their university
as we ambled along. They discussed
the lovely weather and how Hillsdale
was the quintessential college campus,
but, to my disappointment, neither
mentioned their newfound admiration
for my improved vocabulary.
Amidst our walk, I was suddenly
startled at the sight of a rather large
squirrel, despite my daily exposure to
them.
“Holy Crap!” I said, surprised that
a squirrel that large mustered up the
energy to leap as it did. My father
frowned disapprovingly at me and did
not hesitate to inform me that “Crap”
was a base word used by criminals and
scallywags and he never wanted to hear
me use it again. I sighed and continued
walking.
Gee Whiz.
8 election
Just in Case You’ve Been
Living Under a Rock
for the Last Week...
the United States did this election thing
---and well---
let’s just say it was not too pretty.
Oh, you want details? Then read on:
House Seats: 203
Senate Seats: 49
ind.
House Seats: 1
Senate Seats: 2
by Jeremy Marshall
Election Day not only brought poor
news to Republicans nationally but in
Michigan as well. The Michigan House
of Representatives for the first time in
eight years has gone to the Democrats.
Michigan’s Democratic Party now
holds a 58-52 majority, though still a
minority in the state Senate.
Adding to the woes for Republicans
is the 56% victory that Governor
Granholm scored over Dick DeVos’
42%. The loss came as a surprise to
many considering DeVos had led or
tied in polls with the Governor for the
past three months.
The chance for school reform,
eliminating the Single Business Tax,
slowing environmental regulation
and bureaucratic expansion has been
diminished. Not to say that Si quaeris
peninsulam amoenam, circumspice, the
state motto, will be replaced with some
Bolshevik slogan, but conservatives in
House Seats: 232
Senate Seats: 51
Michigan will have to wade through
some rough waters.
This defeat partially mirrored the
national fiasco that turned over
complete control of the Congress.
Michigan Republicans were able to
maintain a significant majority in the
state Senate.
Similar to the national election,
Republicans at the state level have been
displaying unconservative tendencies
throughout the past few sessions,
including Senate Majority Leader Ken
Sikkema’s ill-timed minimum wage
reform.
Regarding the ‘progressive’ agenda
on a national level, Newt Gingrich
commented on November 9th that the
election was a loss for Republicans, not
conservatives. On the national level he
was correct but this election killed the
Fall 2006
Quick Facts:
--John McCain is said to
launch an exploratory
chance of sending a conservative to committee concerning
Lansing. the 2007 presidential
The man was Dick DeVos, the election this week.
politically active businessman out of
Ada, Michigan. DeVos was a co-chair
--President Bush’s
of “Kids First! Yes!”, the group that
led the school vouchers proposition Crawford Concress-
in 2000. He recently went as far as to men is a Democrat
say overturning Roe v. Wade would be
‘delightful’ on Ave Maria Radio. DeVos --South Dakota first
recognized the effects complicated state to ban abortion
regulations and taxations were having
on businesses and gas prices. --Arizona first state to
There are certainly cases in Lansing ban same sex marriage
where inaction and poor leadership
should have been punished, and
-- Dems control the
Governor Granholm should have been
the first to the chopping block. It is house for the first
truly unfair that national politics and time since 1994
the Presidency lost the race for this
potentially great Governor.
forumh election 9
Does my vote really matter?
Andrew Jackson believed that the but at least Wilson acknowledged the no fundamental believes behind their
by Brian Johnston Constitution gave him the power to demand Constitution’s existence. stances on certain issues. For example,
After looking at the title of this article, you that the Union stick together during the This may be one major reason why Republicans support Bush’s efforts in Iraq,
might be thinking that I am here to complain nullification crisis and said that the people judicial activism is a problem today. We while my suspicion is that most Democrats
that my vote does not matter because it is could vote him out if they disagreed. view the Supreme Court as the “final oppose it because Bush is the one who
not going to influence who wins. But I am Abraham Lincoln believed that he could arbiter” of constitutional questions, a decided to go into Iraq, as evidenced by
not here for that reason. Perhaps a more violate one principle in the Constitution if it power that they have happily assumed many prominent Democrats publicly
appropriate title would be, “Does Anyone’s was necessary to hold the Union together, because politicians often believe that if warning of the dangerous situation in Iraq
Vote Really Matter?” while opponents of both believed that the an action is unconstitutional, the Supreme in the past.
I used to be naïve, thinking that elections Constitution allowed for secession if a Court will “figure it out.” If the American The point here is that, without a fundamental
in America today really matter. During the state believed the federal government was people do not know what their true rights view of what the Constitution means and
2004 campaign, I spent numerous hours acting unconstitutionally. Progressives are, the Supreme Court will not hesitate to what officials’ true duties are, politics will
listening to talk radio, watching Fox News, such as Woodrow Wilson believed that the take them away. be nothing but squabbling among elitist
or reading letters to the editor about why Constitution needed to evolve in order to Applying this to the situation today, politicians who could really care less about
George W. Bush or John Kerry should win. keep up with the contemporary problems Republicans and Democrats may fight what the Constitution says. Once politicians
I would get angry every time some pundit that the Founders did not see. over some issues, but theoretically they get into office, they will inevitably support
would come on TV accusing Bush of lying Readers may have an opinion about which really are not much different. Conservative policies that increase government power
about Iraq or defending Kerry’s disgraceful of these policies are right and which ones candidates may tout their record of fighting and intervention. Contrary to what many
Vietnam service. I thought the future of are not, but notice a word that I mentioned for lower taxes, smaller government, pro- politicians campaigning for office say, their
this country depended on who won. in each of these examples: “Constitution.” life, more freedom of religion, etc. But have job is not to “change the world,” but to
As I write this, just days before the When was the last time that any politician conservatives really made any progress on follow the Constitution.
midterm elections of 2006, I keep hearing running for any office used that word? No any of these issues recently? In nearly six I do not see how this trend can ever be
how desperately we need Dick DeVos to matter where politicians stood on issues, it years of the Republicans controlling the reversed. Here in 2006, I would like to
beat Jennifer Granholm, or how crucial it used to be that the Constitution was always Presidency and both houses of Congress, think that a Dick DeVos could come into
is that the Republicans maintain control recognized as supreme. Most American has government gotten any smaller? Are office and solve all of what is wrong with
of Congress. While I did vote for DeVos voters today do not care about the we any closer to ending abortion? Do we Michigan, but I doubt it. I probably will
and for Michael Bouchard over Debbie Constitution or even know what it says, so have more freedom to publicly express continue to watch election night coverage
Stabenow for U.S. Senate, I do not exactly consequently politicians do not care either. religion? on TV in the future, but as I do, I might
see this election as Armageddon. In fact, I The Progressive “living” view of it may The reason we are not making any just keep asking myself, “Does this all
am not really all that concerned about who have planted the seeds for this downfall, progress is because politicians today have really matter?”
wins the presidential election in 2008.
Since we are at Hillsdale College, you
probably are thinking, “But we can’t let
Hillary win! You don’t want Hillary to
be our next president, do you?” Well,
I certainly do not want Hillary Clinton
to be our next president, but in the long
run I really do not think it matters whether
she wins in 2008 or not. Four years of
any one person in office is not going to
dramatically change the direction this
country is heading.
For some historical perspective, let us
take a very brief look back at other major
eras in American political history. As
our new republic and Constitution was
trying to find an identity, the election of
1800 provided two completely different
visions of what the Constitution meant.
On the one side, there were the Federalists
led by John Adams, who valued highly
the supremacy of federal power over the
states and believed those powers were
broad. The Republicans led by Thomas
Jefferson, on the other hand, believed in
very narrow and defined federal powers
and in state supremacy. Courtesy of USBCI.
forumh
DEMONRATS!
by Gina Gallutia
Sure, it certainly feels like the end
of the world is coming. The Dems
have won the House and the Senate,
including a Demonrat Muslim
Congressman. The truth is that this is
the beginning of hope! We are not all
going to die. And it is very possible
that we might just have a better life
for it in twenty years, after just a little
period of pain and suffering.
Machiavelli, our favorite evil
political philosopher, and many other
wise men have pointed out that the
absence of fear in a republic causes
the corruption and the eventual
destruction of that regime. This the
Islamic nation understands. They
have had a lifetime of hate built into
them. This hate really only boils
down to fear. Men hate what they
fear and Islam fears corruption by
the vices of Western Civilization.
They hate our pornos, our homos,
and our sluts (and even our right to
foetal carnage). Those Muslims that
live in our vile bog must protect their
election
children from our sleaze and our
sludge by instilling a hatred of little
old us. This explains why the near
terrorist attack coming toward us on a
plane from London a few months ago
was planned and executed by third
generation British citizens. Those
that see the democratization of the
Middle East smell our putrescence
coming their way and threaten to
destroy us from afar. Fear brings men
together, whether it be culturally or
nationally, and unites them against a
common enemy. If one is in constant
fear of his life, earthly or eternal, he
has not much time for vices. Fear
keeps men pure of heart and mind.
In America we have distinct lack
of fear, except in the radical corners
such as this ‘Dale. We do not fear
greatly or even understand the affects
of our corruption on our children, or
on our safety. But if the Dems are as
bad as we really believe they are, if
they are going to impeach Bush and
get half of us slaughtered by terrorist
attacks, then maybe just maybe we
will again become as pure as the
driven snow. Fear only brought
us together and reminded us of the
importance of piety for a short time
after September, 11th. Not even that
knocked our brains from our pants
completely back into our heads. It is
true that we were partly robbed of our
fear by the constant suggestion that
we must love our enemies. Muslim
religious leaders were insinuated into
every type of religious celebration,
because out of fear of hate crimes we
would not want to be exclusive. We
were told by politicians not to hate or
fear Islam, and that it was not Islam
that attacked us. But if the damage is
great enough, we will stop listening
to them. We will begin to recognize
and then fear and hate our enemies
as they fear and hate us. Perhaps
it is wrong to hope for death and
destruction, but if this does not work,
if the Demonrats are only Democrats
then perhaps this is the beginning of
the apocalypse.
Courtesy of USBCI.
11
-yates from page 4
an extremely slim chance that
he might be “reformed” during
the course of his imprisonment
and upon release pose no further
danger to individuals’ rights. Such
a chance should typically not even
be considered, but extreme cases
are conceivable where it might
be more significant than usual—
as in the case of Raskolnikov
in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and
Punishment.
But keeping a “mentally troubled”
murderess from permanent
punishment is like letting a rabid
dog who has bitten and killed
five children remain on the loose
or even residing comfortably in
a veterinary facility. There is no
guarantee that this woman will
not kill again—unknowingly,
unpredictably, unwarrantedly,
and uncontrollably. No civilized,
rational methods are available to
assure her future safety to others.
Andrea Yates’s drowning of
her own five children—an act
abhorrent to natural law, moral
conscience, and civilization
itself—clearly demonstrated her as
being worse than a rabid beast. The
rabid beast enters an occasional
wild and indiscriminate rage,
but Yates—being human—could
still kill systematically, though
ostensibly without recognition of
the implications and consequences
of such an act. Yates, a human, is
far more capable of inflicting harm
than a mere animal. If we rightly
put violent, murderous animals to
death—though the animals, too, do
not recognize the consequences and
implications of their actions—then
it is even more fitting that Yates
be terminated as soon as possible.
Permanently imprisoning Andrea
Yates was the least the court
could have done to prevent further
violations of rights on her part.
Alas, even that act was rejected
by those who would use mercy to
perpetuate savagery.
10
Chafee’s place in GOP
by Stohn Nishino
Lincoln Chafee is an interesting
case. He’s the junior Republican
Senator from Rhode Island who was
appointed in 1999 to replace the
late 5-term Senator John Chafee,
his father. He won a term in his
own right in 2000 by a large margin
and was up for reelection this year. for President Bush in 2004 and he Bush came out and endorsed
Chafee is a nice, charismatic man.
He’s a family man. He turned
things around when he
was mayor of Warwick,
RI, and he talks about
being tolerant and
working in a bipartisan
manner to get things
done. However,
despite the fact that
he is a member of the
Republican party, he
has the most liberal Lincoln Chafee not as conservative
voting record out of any
of the Republicans in the Senate.
In fact his voting record is more
left than some Senate Democrats.
This being said, the Republican
Party gave him a generous $1.2
million to defeat a conservative
candidate in the primary. social security. At first he
The American Conservative
Union ranks the votes of members
of Congress based on how
conservative (social, fiscal, and
foreign policy) his/her voting record endorsing and funding Laffey,
is. The American Conservative
Union rated Sen. Chafee’s voting
record as 12% conservative in
2005, and 30% in his 6+ years
in the Senate. His 2005 voting
record was by far the lowest of the
Senate Republicans, lower than 16
Senate Democrats (including Russ
Feingold), and the same as 4 Dems
(including Hillary Clinton). Chafee
was one of the few Republican
senators to vote against opening
up ANWR for drilling and was one
of only three Republican senators
to vote against the Protection of
Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,
which banned lawsuits against gun
manufacturers and distributors.
He was also the only Republican
politics Fall 2006
to vote against the authorization of response, the National Republican Laffey is pro-life he is doomed in
military force in Iraq in 2002, the Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Rhode Island. That’s an interesting
only Republican to vote in favor of chaired by Sen. Elizabeth Dole twist considering both the Republican
reinstating the top federal tax rate of (R-NC), started pouring money Governor Don Carcieri and the
39.6% on upper-income taxpayers, into Chafee’s campaign. As a Democrat U.S. Representative
and the only Republican to vote result, prominent Republicans Jim Langevin (District 2)
against confirming Judge Samuel such as Sen. John McCain (R- are both staunchly pro-life.
Alito to the Supreme Court. On top AZ), Senate Majority WHIP Mitch Chafee outspent Laffey by a
of this, Chafee openly didn’t vote McConnel (R-KY), and Laura considerable margin and his
campaign turned out many
expressed interest in switching his Chafee in the primary. Rhode independents and disaffiliated
party status to Independent had the Island’s Republican Governor Don Democrats in the primary. Thus,
Republicans not gained seats Carcieri also endorsed Chafee. Chafee defeated Laffey by a 54% to
in 2004. So, going off of There are some interesting notes on 46% margin. The Republicans got
his record, Chaffee seems the party’s decision to aid Chafee. what they wanted, a saved seat to
more like a moderate-liberal The $1.2 million they spent on possibly save their majority. Wrong.
Democrat than a Republican. Chafee leading up to the primary Chafee went on to loose the general
On September 8, 2005, was the second most spent on any election to Rhode Island Attorney
Stephen Laffey, Republican candidate runner up to Sen. Jim General Sheldon Whitehouse
Mayor of Cranston, RI, Talent (R-MO). That’s $1.2 million (D) by a 53% to 47% margin.
announced his candidacy for that was not spent on Michael Steel Following the election Sen. Chafee
U.S. Senate. Laffey, although in Maryland or Sen. George Allen was asked in a press conference if
in Virgina. he would remain a Republican in
in the likes of Rick W h i l e the last 2 months of his term, he
Santorum, is well to the right of the party had this to say, “I haven’t made
Chafee. He is pro-life, supports claimed any decisions. I just haven’t even
winning the war on terror, wants that Laffey thought about where my place is.”
to cut government spending was not
across the board, make the tax winnable,
cuts permenent, and privatize Laffey is
Mayor of
was a low-profile candidate. Cranston,
Not long after influental RI, where
conservative political action Democrats
committees (PACs) began Stephen Laffey outnumber
Republicans
beginning with the Club for by a 7
Growth PAC, a fiscally conservative to 1 margin. Many pundits and
organization. With the possibility of politicians claimed that because Arnold says,
Republicans losing the
Senate, the Republican
“Flex Your
Party went on alert with
these endorsements for
Laffey. The Republicans
Conservative Muscle”
saw the situtation as
this: Rhode Island is
a fairly liberal state.
Lincoln Chafee is pretty
liberal. Steve Laffey is
more conservative. Thus Write for The Hillsdale Forum!
h
Laffey has no chance
of winning the general
election. So, if Laffey We are looking for a dedicated staff of editors, pho- forum
wins the primary it could tographers, and writers, sound interesting? E-mail
cost Republicans the hillsdaleforum@gmail.com for more information.
control of the Senate. In
The Hillsdale Forum
33 East College Street
Hillsdale, Michigan
49242