About two weeks ago, Israel started its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip after an occupation that lasted for 38 years. The withdrawal was not only limited to military personnel, but also a pullout of about 5,000 Jewish settlers who used to live there in well guarded settlements. The pullout itself is definitely a remarkable step toward making peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis if it is to be followed by a similar withdrawal from the West Bank, including east… Read more

I was reading an article on the MSNBC website, regarding the plight of four Christian Peacekeeper activists taken hostage in Iraq by terrorists that are in league with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda’s terrorist chief of operations in Iraq. They are now under the threat of execution, Zarqawi-style, if the U.S. and the Iraqi government do not release all the Iraqi prisoners they have under their custody. I would imagine that Christian Peacekeepers do not “appreciate it” when their workers are… Read more

We are living in an era of the “learning-centered” university. That is, CSUN is diligently working to create a campus environment that is especially attuned to student learning. But this is not a new concept; the CSUs have always been thought of as teaching universities. In fact, over the course of my years teaching at CSUN, I have discovered that CSUN possesses a great many educational strengths that have, quite nicely, served to meet the needs of our diverse population… Read more

The American dream is becoming more elusive each year. The gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to widen, and for most it is increasingly difficult to make ends meet. One of the saving graces in the Golden State, and one of the few opportunities to a better quality of life, is the California State University system. It is one of the avenues for economic, social, and cultural growth that is open to everyone in California who would like… Read more

It will always amaze me to hear of someone who is willing to give up their rights in order to make sure that I don’t have those rights. Because the idea that I am free to do something they don’t want me to do is so repulsive, so vial to them, that they would rather give up their own right than have me exercise mine fully. This is what I find to be happening with our freedom of speech. The… Read more

On Nov. 8, the Kansas Board of Education voted 6-4 in favor of alter the science standards in public schools in favor of an “Intelligent Design” curriculum. No amount of perfume can cover up the stench of dogma in the halls of the Kansas Board of Education these days. What we have here is a move to install religious beliefs into the public schools, and the public schools seem to be going along with it. One group’s beliefs are another’s… Read more

As the Department of Defense intensifies the war in Iraq, there has been an increased push by the military to enlist and train young men and women to engage in military combat. Historically, Chicano/Latinos have been focused targets of recruitment efforts and those who disproportionately die in the front lines of war. Latest records show that over 37,000 enlisted men and women are not U.S. citizens, and at least 60,000 others are recent immigrants. During the Vietnam War over 80,000… Read more

During and after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, there was a large amount of discussion about whether race was a factor in dealing with the devastation of New Orleans. Unfortunately, most of the debate was framed in political terms, and the participants were more interested in bending public opinion toward their favorite party rather than advancing a better understanding of the issue. It is more than an academic or political debate, but a matter that might be overblown if the potential… Read more

What can students do in the special election? First, CSU students are numerous enough that if they would show up to vote, they could actually make a difference in the election. It matters if you vote, so please do and if some friendly advice would help – VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 75 it is my mantra these days – say NO, say NO, just say NO. Vote no on Proposition 75 because union members are not the ruling class of… Read more