North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 105, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 21, 2005 Page: 3 of 14
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Thursday April 21, 2005
Commentary Editor
Cindy Brown
(940) 565-3574
nfdailyviews@yahoo.com
'LET THE PEOPLE KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE COUNTRY IS SAFE." ABRAHAM LINCOLN
OURVIEW
Crime statistics are not realistic
Prospective college
students be warned: NT
is probably not as safe as
you think.
According to the Clery
Act, university officials
must report all statistics for
crimes that happen on the
NT campus to the federal
government. They also
have to make these sta-
tistics readily available to
anyone who asks.
The Clery Act is a federal
law that was established
after a Lehigh Univer-
sity student was raped and
killed in her dorm room. It is
intended to help the campus
body be aware of possible
dangers on school grounds.
NT officials say date
rapes don't count for
campus crime alerts.
But NT administrators are
very clever sticking to the
bare bones requirements of
the law. A lot of crimes hap-
pen just a few feet off of the
campus grounds by and to
NT students yet are never
included in campus crime
alerts or in the crime statis-
tics reports.
Legally, NT does not
have to report them.
Universities may decide
to exclude information on
nearby crimes because they
do not want to give students
a bad impression of campus
safety. But NT goes even fur-
ther. They tend to not issue
crime alerts for incidences of
date rape. Officials say they
will not because they feel the
danger is present for only
one person: the victim.
But that is a dangerous
generalization. Isn't it pos-
sible for a date rapist to act
again, on another unsus-
pecting acquaintance?
In the past four years, NT
has decided not to issue
crime alerts for five rapes
that happened on campus
because they were classi-
fied as date rapes.
But one college sets the
gold standard for reporting
crimes to the campus body.
The Houston Community
College System's Northline
Mall campus accounted
for seven homicides in its
annual report, even though
they all occurred in low-in-
come housing right next to
the campus.
NT students regularly fall
victim to crimes that happen
just off of the campus. If uni-
versity officials really want-
ed to ensure awareness and
safety among the campus
body, they need to make an
extra effort in issuing crime
alerts and reporting statistics
of off-campus crimes.
YOURVIEW
RE: Denton's eateries cater
to vegetarians, vegans
Did anyone else notice a con-
siderable lack of vegan options
in this article?
Why didn't they talk to some-
one who is really a vegan, instead
of someone who is "transition-
ing?" No offense to the woman in
the article, but it's not that hard to
find a vegan to talk to.
Sunny
Library assistant
Denton
RE: Finding treasure in
our dumpsters
The "middle class white kids"
comment really offends me. You
should really watch out for ste-
reotypes that exclude people.
That one comment really spoiled
a good article. For shame...
Adobe T. Gnariel
But I AM a middle-class
white kid.
Freddie Benson
beetardation@gmail.com
RE: Pohl presents
schedule changes
Anybody else make the con-
nection between starting one
week earlier (and ending one
week earlier) and the general
date of the New Orleans Bowl?
Hmmm ...
John Merlin
merlin447@hotmail.com
RE: New documentary focus-
es on lives of Texas Rangers
I had the opportunity to see this
film in Fort Worth and found it
very interesting. It pulls you into
the story with cold, hard facts.
This is one aspect of Texas his-
tory that we'd rather forget, but
the story needs to be told.
F.R. Brown
Dallas
The North Texas Daily's Web site,
www.ntclaily.com, gives readers
the chance to respond to the con-
tent of the newspaper.
Tuesdays through Thursdays, the
Views page will feature excerpts
from our online feedback forums,
giving you the chance to critique
the stories, columns, editorials
and letters to the editor in the
week's editions.
So log on, sound off and let your
voice be heard among the Daily's
10,000 readers across the NT
campus and community.
BRANDON GILLESPIE:
D.
LEAVE IT!
TAKE IT
Vegetarian asks, 'Is meat OK?'
Brandon
Gillespie
-advice columnist -
Dear Brandon,
I've been a lacto-vegetar-
ian (dairy except eggs) for go-
ing on five years, and recently
I have been having intense
cravings for omelets and sea-
food and progressively chicken
and steak. I have given serious
thought to reversing my veg-
gie eating days to carnivorous
ways again. But I am conflicted.
In your opinion, how do I make
up my mind about this without
regretting the decision?
Maggie,
The troubled veggie girl
Hello, troubled veggie girl,
I will do my best to scramble
up an egg-cellent solution to
your problem,
OK, I couldn't resist.
So, it seems that you are
concerned with breaking your
commitment to vegetarianism.
You know, a lot of people are
going through the same situa-
tion. Maybe not egg-sactly like
yours, but it is all about the
same thing: struggle.
For you, the struggle is
whether or not to go back to
eating meat. For others, the
struggle might be about mo-
nogamy or even alcoholism.
You have managed to with-
stand the temptations of meat
for five years, but now there
are moments where a step
backward seems like it will
have little or no consequence.
And there may not be any con-
sequences (except for overeat-
ing because it tastes good).
You may discover after eat-
ing meat that your vegetari-
anism was just a fad, and that
meat and eggs are the best
things on sliced bread. Or you
may feel self-pity and wonder
why you made such a horrible
decision.
I do not know how you will
feel because I do not know why
you became a lacto-vegetarian.
But I can tell why you should
not start eating meat.
1. If you just want to see what
you have been missing, maybe
going back to meat is not the
best option for you. You will
be so angry with yourself be-
cause you might find that you
have missed nothing at all. Ap-
parently you are not missing
much if you gave it up, right?
2. Do not go back to eating
meat because it was something
that made you comfortable,
I am sure it might be difficult
to plan your meals around a
vegetarian diet sometimes, but
you have to remember that do-
ing the right thing for you is
not always easy.
3. Do not quit if you do not
know why. Really think about
why you became a vegetarian
and why you are choosing, af-
ter five years, to give it up. If
the answer is whimsical, may-
be you should reconsider.
Lastly, just think about the
last five years. What has it been
like for you? Did you feel bet-
ter? Did you notice how much
self-control you had?
If you discover that adding
meat to your diet is a good
choice, go for it. At least you
know you looked at all your
options. Bon appetit!
Good luck and good love,
Brandon Gillespie
Do you have a question you want to
ask Brandon? He might have an answer,
or something close to it.
Take It or Leave It is an advice column
that runs in every Thursday edition of
the NT Daily. Brandon answers ques-
tions on any topic. Just drop a line at
DearBrandonG@aol.com with subject:
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT QUESTION.
North Texas Daily
V
paul
Armstrong
- guest columnist-
Does the U.N. give communist,
authoritarian countries more
power to its own detriment?
United Nations
needs to keep up
with the times
By opposing the nomination of John Bolton
to the position of ambassador to the United Na-
tions, liberals in Washington are sending the
message that they are opposed to U.N. reform,
a stance that undermines at a fundamental lev-
el their heavy emphasis on
multilateralism.
A diplomat of Bolton's
ideological persuasion in
New York is, in fact, noth-
ing less than a godsend for
liberals advocating a re-
turn to a time when inter-
national cooperation was
the order of the day. If lib-
erals are intent on setting
U.S. foreign policy back
on multilateralism foun-
dations, it makes no sense to oppose reform
of such international institutions that consider
diplomacy an effective tool for accomplishing
U.S. foreign policy initiatives.
As it stands, the U.N. Security Council is
little more than a forum for empty discus-
sion and predictable inaction. It is realpolitik
by committee that includes communist China
and authoritarian Russia.
This is a formula for gridlock.
This outdated arrangement reflects a balance
of world power appropriate for 1945 but unsuit-
able for 2005. As a consequence, the U.N. has
consistently proved itself incapable of action on
the major international issues of the day.
I won't even mention Iraq. This goes well
beyond Iraq.
Consider the Iranian nuclear issue. Discus-
sion between the United States and European
allies has centered on the possibility of slap-
ping Tehran with economic sanctions if it
violates obligations under the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty. It is highly unlikely such
a measure would pass the Security Council;
it will be resolved either by diplomatic action
outside the U.N. framework or by Israeli and
U.S. air strikes. Bet on it.
The list goes on: Taiwan, North Korea, Isra-
el/Palestine. Hot spots are everywhere and in
all these places of potential and gathering con-
flict, the U.N. plays little if any critical role. It's
not the authority of international security as
originally envisioned. Its largely irrelevant.
And this is the organization liberals believe is
just fine. Are we to believe that Democrats are
content with a U.N. in which U.S. diplomatic ef-
forts are so easily checked by China and Russia
while more important U.S. allies such as India,
Japan and South Korea are marginalized? Are
they satisfied with a U.N. human rights com-
mittee that includes Cuba and Libya?
Unless the U.N. reforms, it will never fulfill
its original design. It will never be that legal
organization where peaceful resolution of in-
ternational conflict is institutionalized. It will
never become the forefront of all efforts to pro-
mote liberalization, democracy, and the rule of
law throughout the world.
Liberals may be perfectly content with the
U.N. in its present state. But this is a quintes-
sentially self-defeating attitude. For if the U.N.
does not reform, U.S. unilateralism will be-
come the order of the day and liberal interna-
tionalism a dead relic of 20th century.
Paul Armstrong is an Accounting senior from Frisco.
He can be contacted at kreliav@comcast.net.
0LUMNISTS
Three days a week, the commentary section features
work by students, faculty and staff members with sub-
missions covering a wide range of issues and opinions.
Politics, religion, humor, ethics, technology - all have
their place on Page 3.
Submissions should abide by the newspaper's let-
ters and Columns Policy,' located in the lower right-hand
corner of the Views page.
To submit a column, contact Commentary Editor
Cindy Brown at ntdailyviews@yahoo.com or at (940)
565-3 574.
The Editorial Board meets weekly to decide the topic and stance of OurView:
JEFF ANDREWS EDITOR IN CI EF
CINDY BROWN COMMENTARY EDITOR
CHRISTINE STANLEY MANAGING EDITOR
PAUL KNIGHT MANAGING EDITOR
DAVID MINTON PHOTO EDITOR
MICHAEL WALTER COPY EDITOR
LAURA JEANES DESIGN EDITOR
LINDSAY WILPS BEAT EDITOR
CLARISA RAMIREZ LIFE EDITOR
ZACHARY LEWIS SPORTS EDITOR
To Our Readers:
The North Texas Daily does not necessarily endorse,
back or believe the philosophy of the writers on this
page. The content of the editorial is decided by the
Editorial Board and written by the Commentary Editor.
The content of the columns is strictly the opinion of
the writers and in no way reflects the beliefs of the
newspaper.
Letters & Columns Policy:
The North Texas Daily welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor. Columns should be between
275 and 325 words long; letters are limited to 50 to 75 words. Submissions must be typed, and should
include the author's name, classification, e-mail address and daytime phone number. The Daily will not
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for grammar, style, length and libel, but a writer's meaning will not be changed.
Deliver submissions to GAB 117, fax to (940) 565-3573, e-mailed to the Commentary Editor at
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North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 105, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 21, 2005, newspaper, April 21, 2005; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145223/m1/3/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.