Justice? Honesty?
Nah, Not From The
University Police
By James Laudano
___________
As previously reported in The Pre s s,
several intoxicated young men (who had
been attending a party down the hall) tres-
passed into a female suite in the West
Apartments. These intruders severely van-
dalized the common room, vomited on the
floor, destroyed furniture, and threw food
all over the walls. When the residents came
out of their bedrooms to investigate, the
young men argued with them for a short
time and then left. The girls called the
police and the officers were soon on the
scene. The girls took the officer to the party
a few doors down and positively identified
the vandals. However, the officers were
unresponsive and didn’t go so far as to
even ask the suspects for their names or
IDs. They told the girls that since their door
had been unlocked when the vandals
entered their suite, what occurred couldn’t
technically be considered “breaking in.”
The vandals then left the party, entered a
car outside, and drove off. The girls point-
ed this out to the officers, but still they did
nothing. After knowingly allowing men
who were clearly intoxicated drive away
from the crime scene, the officers left,
leaving the residents with the horrible mess
to clean up, and no potential for justice or
serious compensation.
The next day, a police report was filed.
It stated that the suite residents “called for
assistance and the unidentified males were
gone on police arrival.” As shown above,
this is incorrect. The males were not
unidentified, nor were they gone on police
arrival. What compelled the officer to file
such a false report cannot truly be known
by anyone other than himself.
Assistant Police Chief and Community
Affairs Commander, Douglas Little was
unable to be reached by phone, but emails
were exchanged about the incident. In the
email, the incident was outlined and ques-
tions were raised about the false police
report, if anything had been done to
address it, if any disciplinary actions had
been taken towards the officer, and how an
o fficer can knowingly allow men to drive
away while intoxicated, among other ques-
tions. His response was very prompt; “We
will look at the report and conduct our
investigation and will speak to the com-
plainants as part of the investigation.” He
assured that the matter will be followed up
and, if necessary, proper action will be
taken. He went on to state that, “Obviously,
these are allegations of misconduct and I
will not address disposition regarding any
2
discipline until all facts of the case are
brought to light.” He concluded by that that
answering these questions any further
“would not be prudent at this time.”
This reply brings up a number of ques-
tions. Not least among them is if, as he told
me, these are in fact allegations of miscon-
duct, yet he wont address any discipline
until “all facts of the case are brought to
light”, how exactly are these new facts
going to be brought to light? Who will be
asked for information regarding all these
facts? The officer who reported to the
scene? As we can see, he didn’t have his
facts straight the first time he reported to
his superiors. Will they ask the residents of
the vandalized suite? They didn’t take heed
to what those unfortunate victims had to
say the night of the incident. We have not
found any follow up information as to who
the vandals were, and it is quite possible
that they aren’t even students here at Stony
Brook, so we can’t find and ask them. In
the end, there will be no new “facts of the
case” that the police office has not already
seen or heard. And since the one chance
that they had to actually catch these young
men has now since gone by the wayside,
what chance is there that any action at all
will be taken? Attempts to reach the apart-
ment building’s RA and the quad’s RHD
for comment or any additional info yielded
no results.
“We will look at the report
and [...] speak to the com -
plaintants as part of the
investigation.”
Douglas Little
Assistant Police Chief
There are many problems that need to be
addressed with the way university police
o fficers handle issues here on campus. For
example, as stated by the officer at the
scene, apparently it is not considered
breaking and entering if a door is left
unlocked. If this is true, could one barge
into President Shirley Kenny’s office and
trash the place if she leaves the door
unlocked? However, the simple fact of the
matter is this: These vandals broke the law
when they destroyed much of the victim’s
suite. They broke the law when they drove
away under the influence. The police off i-
cer, on the other hand, failed to do his job.
He failed to make arrests and uphold jus-
tice during one of the few times he truly
should have on this campus.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
Creole-fest
By Leeza Menon
__________
To commemorate Black History
Month, the Haitian Students
O rganization (HSO) held Creole Fest,
an evening devoted to learning about the
history of Haitian culture, music, and
the origins of the word “Creole” on
February 26, 2007.
Muldy Flecher, a senior at Stony
Brook and public relations officer for
the HSO, said that an event like Creole
Fest would be beneficial for everyone
on campus. Now that Haiti has become
an independent nation, groups like the
HSO, which has been at Stony Brook for
over 20 years, have a “right to show
how revolutions came about,” Flecher
said.
HSO Secretary, Fayonne Hyppolite,
said that young Haitian Americans do
not know enough about Haitian history.
Now a sophomore, Hyppolite joined the
HSO during her freshman year because
she thought the group served the impor-
tant purpose of “educating the masses.”
Hyppolite’s pride in her culture, she
said, is evident in her nickname, Haiti.
“ You can’t be around [her] without
speaking some type of Creole”, she said.
The event, which was held in SAC
Ballroom B, began with poetry readings
by students. Vanessa Cheris, a sopho-
more, read a poem featured in Open
Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Cre o l e
Poetry, the first bilingual volume of
Haitian poems with English transla-
tions. The poem, Ayiti Demen, trans-
lates to Haiti To m o rro w in English.
Both the Creole and English versions
were read aloud at Creole Fest and
received applause from the almost 40
people in attendance.
Cheris, who joined the HSO last year,
said that her reasons for joining includ-
ed wanting to educate the Haitian com-
m u n i t y, increasing pride, and “being
part of things that relate to her.”
“The meetings,” said Cheris, which
convene on Thursdays at 9 pm at the
University Cultural Center in Roth Cafe,
according to the HSO website, “usually
provide an opportunity to share stories
about what it is like to grow up as a
Haitian A m e r i c a n . ”
Both the Creole and English
versions were read aloud at
Creole Fest and received
applause from the almost 40
people in attendance
Following the poems, there were still
a number of events up ahead, including
power-point presentations about the his-
tory of Haiti, and the beginning of the
Haitian music called kompa, also
referred to as Compas Dire c t. There
was also an interactive game where
audience members could guess “Who is
the Haitian?” Celebrity faces popped up
on screen and spectators ventured
guesses as to which one of them was
actually Haitian. Celebrities who were
subject to judgment ranged from Wyclef
Jean, who is of Haitian ancestry, to Paris
Hilton, who is…not. There was also a
discussion about the origins of the term
“Creole” which arose from the French
and Spanish ancestry of Haiti.
Gabrielle Negri is a commuter who
said she tries to make it to meetings and
events whenever she can. She was
happy about the diverse number of peo-
ple she met as a member of the org a n i-
zation. “The best thing about Haiti,”
Negri said, “is that we come in so many
different shades.”
Billie Hector, the president of HSO,
felt it was important to have this event
to celebrate Black History Month
because it fulfilled the key objective of
the group.
“Our purpose,” Hector said, “is to
teach people of other ethnicities about
Haiti and further enlighten Haitians who
are eager to learn even more about their
own culture.”
 Suicide Attack at Scooter Libby Guilty,
Bagram Airbase Kinda Congress Questions
Startles Dick Cheney Attorney Firings
By Scott E. Silsbe
___________
On Tu e s d a y, February 27th, a suicide
bomber hit Bagram Air Base in
Afghanistan while Vice President Dick
Cheney visited the base. Though the
bomber only got as far as the air base’s
front gate, which was a mile away from
the Vice President, the explosion was
close enough to the Vice President that
he later reported hearing a “loud boom.”
Immediately after the blast, Vi c e
President Cheney was escorted to a
bomb shelter where he stayed for a short
time, and the base went on “Red Alert”
signaling that the facility was under
direct attack.
Though the Vice President was not
injured, the explosion is reported to have
killed 23 people. Notable fatalities
included one U.S. soldier and a twelve
y e a r-old Afghani boy. The name of the
suicide bomber, who also perished, was
Mullah Abdul Rahim. Soon after the
attack, the Taliban claimed responsibili-
ty and reported that their target was
indeed Vice President Cheney. However,
U.S. officials believe such a claim to be
fallacious. The Guardian has quoted U.S.
Major William Mitchell as saying, “The
vice- president wasn't even supposed to
be here overnight, so this would have
been a surprise to everybody.” T h e
Major doubts very much that the Taliban
could have truly known the whereabouts
of the Vice President. This view is bol-
stered by the fact that the suicide bomber
did not even try to get past U.S. security
checkpoints, but rather detonated near a
group of Afghani civilians.
The attack did not
seem to faze the iron-
willed Cheney, who went
on with is itinerary after
the chaos in the base had
subsided. Hours after the
attack, the Vice President
flew to the Afghani capi-
tol, Kabul, to meet with
the President of
Afghanistan, Hamid
Karzai. They no doubt
talked about the security
situation in A f g h a n i s t a n .
C h e n e y ’s A f g h a n i s t a n
visit was only one leg of
his multi-nation central-
Asian tour, which was
shrouded in unusual
s e c r e c y. This added secu-
rity may be due to con-
cerns about the apparent
strengthening of Al Queda, the Ta l i b a n ,
and other terrorist organizations in the
region. Indeed, It is believed that one of
Cheney’s main goals in his meetings
with Karzai and Pakistani President
Pervez Musharraf was to underscore the
need to secure outlying territories of the
region, which have long been strong-
holds of various terrorist groups and
their tribal supporters.
An attack so close to such a major
state official has incited further ques-
tions about the security situation in
Afghanistan and about the A f g h a n i
s t a t e ’s ability to maintain order and
crack down on terrorists within its bor-
ders. The U.S. has characterized the sig-
nificance of the bombing as mainly
symbolic, having no real impact on the
situation on the ground (the families of
those who were murdered notwithstand-
ing). Nonetheless, the attack under-
scores the presence of a Taliban, which
is still apparently alive and well and
that is able to carry out devastating
attacks deep within areas controlled not
simply by the Afghani state, but by the
U.S. military. Yahoo! News quoted Seth
Jones, an expert on Afghanistan at the
RAND Corporation, as saying, "to exe-
cute such an attack on such short notice
requires a well-developed network of
suicide bombers and handlers that can
react quickly.” Though U.S. off i c i a l s ,
notably White House Spokesman To n y
Snow have characterized the attack as
an isolated incident, with spring just
around the corner, a more general ter-
rorist offensive will no doubt soon
ensue.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
By Steve McLinden
___________
It may be a little premature to call the
White House a sinking ship, but with Scooter
Libby’s conviction and new information
about politically-motivated firings of U.S.
Attorneys, to say that the Bush administration
has hit rough waters would be an understate-
ment.
Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Dick Cheney’s for-
mer Chief of Staff, was found guilty on March
6th for his role in the Plame affair. Bush
administration officials leaked to the media
the identity of Valerie Plame, a high-level spy
for the CIA, in retaliation for her husband
Joseph Wilson’s editorial criticizing Bush’s
plan for war in Iraq in 2003. Robert Novak
wrote that Plame was holding non-official
cover in Niger.
A reporter brazenly called
out, “Are you willing to go to
prison to protect Vice
President Cheney?”
Found guilty on four of five charges (two
of them counts of perjury, one obstruction of
justice, and two for making false statements),
Libby faces up to 25 years in prison. Several
jurors told the press after deliberation had
ended that they saw Libby as the scapegoat for
Cheney and his advisor Karl Rove, but still
saw Libby as a guilty man nonetheless. Libby
maintains that he is not guilty in the leak and
only learned of it from NBC’s Tim Russert,
but Russert testified that it was the other way
around. Libby’s defense had been pushing to
the jury that Libby was set up as the fall guy
for not being loyal enough to Cheney, saying
that Rove and Cheney were the first to leak
that information. New York Times reporter
Judith Miller had been sent to jail in contempt
of court for protecting her source, but eventu-
ally revealed notes that she discussed the
Plame affair with Libby shortly before the
public release of her name as a CIA operative.
Libby’s sentencing is planned for June, and
legal analysts are putting it in the ballpark of
two years. After Libby’s conviction, while his
lawyers read a statement on their disappoint-
ment in the conviction, a reporter brazenly
called out, "Are you willing to go to prison to
protect Vice President Cheney?" Many cyn-
ics expect Libby to be one of Bush’s pardons
during his last days in office. Liberal com-
mentators have suggested that the White
House will front that “justice has been served”
and that the case would be closed, leaving
Karl Rove and Dick Cheney free from indict-
ment or further concern of their roles in the
Plame affair. However, The Washington
Times has made mention of the slim possibil-
ity of Cheney’s resignation as the fall guy for
everything from Plame to Iraq, and to “save”
the Bush administration’s remaining tenure.
Meanwhile, the tossing overboard of some
political deadweight has become rather
embarrassing flotsam for the Bush administra-
tion, and now Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales may be forced out of his position. In
December/January, eight U.S. attorneys were
dismissed by the Justice Department for what
is called “performance-related issues.” Many
observers balked at this, saying that it was
likely that the attorneys were not politically in
line with the Bush administration’s plans and
had been purged like disagreeable members of
a Soviet Politburo. On March 6th, Congress
began hearings on the controversy.
Carol Lam, who worked in the Southern
District of California, was asked to step down
supposedly for not pursuing enough cases on
illegal immigration. However, she secured a
high-profile indictment against Republican
Representative Duke Cunningham (R-Ca.)
who resigned after it was uncovered that he
had accepted $2.4 million in bribes from
defense contractors.
Former New Mexico US Attorney David
Iglesias has become the most prominent name
in the firings, reportedly for his unwillingness
to participate in a pre-mid-term election
indictment of a congressional Democrat.
Iglesias testified that Senator Pete Domenici
(R-NM) and Representative Heather Wilson
(R-NM) had called his office in mid-2006,
pressuring him to indict this congressperson
before the November 2006 Congressional
elections.
Iglesias was fired reportedly for absen-
teeism, but he is a naval reservist who must
spend about 40 days a year with the Navy. He
testified to Senator Schumer (D-NY) that “it's
very ironic, since the Department of Justice
enforces the Uniform Services Employment
Rights and Reemployment Act, which ensures
that Guard members and Reserve members
have full employment rights and are not dis-
criminated against on the basis of their mili-
tary affiliation.”
When the Patriot Act was renewed by the
Republican-controlled Congress in 2006, a
provision in it now allows the Attorney
General to appoint U.S. attorneys “indefinite-
ly,” effectively circumventing the U.S. code
requiring Senate approval. Senator Arlen
Spector (R-PA), who is ironically responsible
for this provision, has now suggested in light
of the firings that “one day there will be a new
attorney general, maybe sooner rather than
later.”
3
 The City Of Chicago
Can’t Stop Electing
Richard M. Delay
By Madeline Scheckter
___________
On February 28th, Richard M. Daley
was re-elected as mayor of Chicago for
the sixth time. Daley received about
70% of the vote, defeating Dorothy
Brown, the Cook County Clerk, and
attorney William Walls. The 64-year-
old mayor is now poised to break his
f a t h e r’s record as Chicago’s longest
Mayor. His father, Richard J. Daley
served for 21 years, his sixth term cut
short when he died in office at the age of
74.
Richard M. Daley was first elected in
1989. Since then, he has received many
awards for his service as mayor for
doing things such as opening
Millennium Park, which features a band
shell designed by renowned architect
Frank Gehry. He also participated in the
renovation of Navy Pier, one of
Chicago’s most popular tourist attrac-
tions. The Pier features, among many
other things, a 150-foot Ferris Wheel,
other amusement park attractions, an
IMAX theatre, and two stages. Soldier
Field (the home of the Chicago Bears)
has been renovated, preserving what
was originally built in 1921. Daley is an
advocate for gun control, and supports
LGBT rights. In July 2006, Mayor
Daley officially opened the Gay Games.
When he was first elected, Daley
attached himself to an ambitious school
reform campaign, and in 1995 he creat-
ed a management team which improved
safety, expanded summer school and
after school programs and ended social
promotion in Chicago public schools.
4
The city has also created capacity for
over 42,000 students since his initial
election.
Daley is also known for promoting
greenery in Chicago, most famously
green or eco-roofs, which are roofs cov-
ered in vegetation. The City Hall now
possesses a green roof. The off i c i a l
biography of Daley, which can be found
on the city’s websites states that since he
Under Delay, Chicago is cam -
paigning to be the United
States’ bid to host the 2016
Summer Olympics. The
United States Olympic
Commitee will decide between
Chicago and Los Angeles
was elected, says the city has planted
over 400,000 trees and created 120 acres
of parkland.
Daley’s tenure as mayor has not been
all renovation and rejuvenation of
Chicago. In 2003, he made the decision,
without the approval from the City
Council, to demolish Meigs Field, a
small airport near Soldier Field.
Because the demolition was conducted
in a clandestine manner, there was pub-
lic outcry. The city was fined $33,000
by the Federal Aviation Administration.
A park is planned to replace the airfield.
Daley argues that the lakefront needs to
be open to all residents of Chicago, a
position which echoes that of Chicago
urban planner Daniel Burnham.
Burnham planned Chicago’s lakefront to
be completely public.
Daley drew harsh criticism when he
vetoed the Big Box Ordinance last year.
The ordinance had been passed by
Chicago’s aldermen, and proposed to
raise the minimum wage at so-called big
box stores (such as Walmart and Target)
to $10 an hour, as well as an additional
$3 per hour in benefits by 2010. The
ordinance passed City Council in a 35-
14 vote. This was the first time Daley
ever used his power of veto in the 17
years he held off i c e .
Under Daley, Chicago is campaigning
to be the United States’ bid to host the
2016 Summer Olympics. The United
States Olympic Committee will decide
between Chicago and Los Angeles on
April 14th. As part of their bid, the
mayor wishes to guarantee $500 million
in funding.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
The Odd Couple
They’s homies
By Alex H. Nagler
__________
One is a conservative Son of the South
who rose to his true calling filibustering the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. The other is a
Brooklynite who became a Pentecostal
Minister and a Presidential candidate. When
a craaaaaaazy genealogist finds out they’re
related, watch them take the ride of their
lives as they learn the most important lesson
of all: how to get along. This summer, Al
Sharpton and the Corpse of Strom
Thurmond star in: O Brother, Where Aren’t
Thou? Brought to you by MTV and New
Line Cinema!
In case you haven’t heard, a team of
genealogists working with Ancestry.com
discovered that Al Sharpton, famed civil
rights activist and one time presidential can-
didate had a great-grandfather, Coleman
Sharpton. While the discovery that someone
has a great-grandfather is uneventful, the
discovery that said great-grandfather was a
slave of Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather
was the great-great-grandfather of Strom
Thurmond is. Yes, you read that right. At one
point in history, the Thurmonds owned the
Sharptons. The family of the man who ral-
lied for 24 hours against the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 owned the family of the man who
lead the protests against the NYPD’s killing
of Amadou “41 Shots” Diallo. God exists
and He has a wicked sense of humor.
Randall Stevens
Sharpton was obviously stunned by this
situation and used it to remind people of the
difficulties the African American communi-
ty had endured only a generation ago. Essie
Mae Washington-Williams, the illegitimate
black daughter of Strom Thurmond, has
claimed that Sharpton “overreacted” upon
hearing the news, but would welcome
Sharpton into the family if the DNA tests he
is calling for reveals that he is a blood rela-
tive of the Thurmonds.
In an editorial for The Los Angeles
Times, Sharpton called for racial healing,
claiming that “rage will do no good for
Coleman Sharpton's descendants or the
Thurmond descendants. My family and the
Thurmond family must rise above the ugly,
shameful past that binds us, just as America
must come out of denial and seek to repair
the damage that slavery has done and to
eliminate the bigotry that still lingers.”
Sharpton ended his editorial with another
plea for racial unity and the hopes for a bet-
ter tomorrow, stating, “The news of my own
past was brought to me unsolicited. But I
hope all African Americans will seek their
family history so we can dignify the memo-
ries of our forefathers and change the
America of the future. And, if we can take
that step, certainly all Americans, black and
white, can join us.”
Alex H. Nagler thinks that this is bloody hys -
terical.
 US Ambassador
Attacked by Tamil
Tigers in Sri Lanka
By Jonathan Singer
___________
On February 27, US ambassador to Sri
Lanka Robert Blake was attacked by mem-
bers of The Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam, a militant/terrorist group based in
the disputed Tamil region of Sri Lanka. The
attack is part of an ongoing struggle
between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan
Government.
Blake escaped with only minor injuries.
He was traveling with Italian ambassador
Pio Mariani, who was admitted to a local
hospital.
The LTTE has been fighting against the
Sri Lankan military since the 1970s. Their
aim is to establish a Tamil homeland in the
north and east of Sri Lanka. Tamil culture is
based in the South Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. Economic migration took place
when Britain controlled the region. They
took Tamil Labor across the Palk Bay to
work British Plantations in Sri Lanka (then
known as Ceylon).
This migration occurred while Sinhalese
people were living on the island. They had
been there for thousands of years. SBU
Visiting Professor of International Relations
(and former diplomat) Harsh Bhasin says
that what happened can be compared to the
current US-Mexico problem. “Any immi-
grant community is always more hard
working,” he said.
The movement of workers from Tamil
Nadu to Ceylon occurred over a period of
200 years, or approximately five genera-
tions. Today, the Tamils who live among the
Sinhalese feel as if they are a discriminated
minority.
The conflict is based on religion, as
Sinhalese are Buddhist while Tamils are
Hindu. There is also a linguistic issue;
Sinhala and Tamil are two distinct lan-
guages. A major win for the Tamils
occurred when the Sri Lankan government
officially recognized Tamil as a national
language. Today, it is spoken by eighteen
percent of the population.
The United States, India, and the coun-
tries of Western Europe officially recognize
LTTE as a terrorist organization. Bhasin
says that this distinction was created
because LTTE uses arms to fight for their
homeland. “These people don’t know of
any other place as their home besides the
North and East region of Sri Lanka,” he
says.
A list of their “greatest hits” would
include the assination of Indian Prime
Minister Ragiv Gandhi. A female suicide
bomber carried out that fatal attack in 1991.
The LTTE, who is lead by Velupillai
Pirapaharan (called “The Hon. Velupillai
Pirapaharan” on their website), claims that
they were not attacking the Ambassadors.
The attack occurred as the Sri Lankan Air
Force Helecopter carrying the ambaddasors
landed at an airfield in the Batticola district
of Eastern Sri Lanka/Tamil. LTTE repre-
sentatives fully admitted to the attacks, say-
ing that they fired mortars because they
thought the helicopter was carrying sol-
diers.
The Sri Lankan government had just cap-
tured an LTTE stronghold in Batticola, and
invited diplomats from the US, Italy, and
five other nations to a development meet-
ing. The Sri Lankan military tried to secure
the airfield, but according to Bhasin, most
of Batticola is still controlled the LTTE.
The day before the attacks, ambassador
Blake told the Indo-Asian news service that
a political solution, not a military one,
would be the path to solving the conflict.
Successfully killing the American ambassa-
dor, intentionally or inadvertently, could
have resulted in a full-scale civil war in Sri
Lanka, probably with the US aiding the rul-
ing government.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
Bush vs Chavez:
The Reckoning
By Alex H. Nagler
___________
So, what do you do when you’re the
President of the United States and you have
an extremely vocal critic who lives just to the
south of you? This critic happens to be the
head of state of his oil rich country and takes
time out of his busy schedule to routinely
insult you. This critic also sends low-cost oil
to your needier neighborhoods at prices so
cheap that the towns would be foolish to reject
them and talks of how you cannot even sup-
ply your own people. When you’re President
Bush and you have a critic like Hugo Chavez,
there’s only one thing you really can do: go
next door to him and wait for him to assault
you from his living room.
Chanting “Gringo, Go Home!” Hugo
Chavez kicked off his week of “anti-imperial-
ist” rallies to coincide with President Bush’s
week-long visit to Latin America. The visit
surrounds a recent deal between President
Bush and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio
Lula di Silvia involving ethanol and a meas-
ure to decrease both Brazilian and American
dependence on foreign oil. Under the new
agreement, the US and Brazil will share tech-
nology to increase ethanol production and
help develop the infrastructure in Latin
Tensions Mount in
Iraq After Clash
By Andrew Pernick
___________
Sadr City is set to reignite in the wake of an
incident in which US soldiers are alleged to
have opened fire on a car carrying civilians,
killing a man and his two daughters. Home to
the Mahdi Army, which has temporarily
agreed to disarm, Sadr City is a hotbed of sec-
tarian violence.
The allegations were made by the wife of
the man who was slain in the shooting, who
proclaimed, “They killed the father of my
children! The Americans killed my daugh-
ters!”
The military has promised the people of
Sadr City a full investigation, but that may not
be enough to quell the ever-increasing ten-
sions between the American troops, who have
been conducting house-by-house sweeps in a
new push to put an end to the Iraqi insurgency,
and the residents of the impoverished neigh-
borhoods there.
Also this week, American forces captured
the leader of an insurgent group, the Islamic
State of Iraq, in a raid in the Abu Ghraib dis-
trict on the outskirts of Baghdad. This after a
prior announcement that the Iraqi Security
Force had captured the group’s leader, a Abu
American and Caribbean countries. President
Bush also touted the increase in foreign aid
money to the entire Latin American region to
approximately $1.6 billion annually as “social
justice money,” claiming it will be used for,
“the distribution of wealth, the distribution of
opportunity to farmers, particularly the small-
er farmers in our respective countries, will
enable the economy to be more on a firm
foundation.”
Meanwhile, as President Bush was touting
the benefits of his new plans for Latin
America, Hugo Chavez was declaring victory
as the President refused to mention him by
name. Mr. Chavez contended “he is afraid to
say my name” due to Chavez’s vision of “21st
century socialism.” He added that President
Bush’s speeches boiled down to “Iraq, Iraq,
Iraq, terrorism, security, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq,” and
that “He seems incapable of developing even
a single idea.” The Bush Administration is
playing down Chavez’s popularity in the
region and is writing him off as a lone loon
intent on rattling cages wherever he can. Bush
and Chavez share similar approval ratings in
the region as a whole, so with the modern-day
Rainbow High tour in full swing, it should be
interesting to see if the President can pull an
Eva Peron and bring Latin America to his
side.
Omar al-Baghdadi, when, in fact, they had
captured a different individual. The United
States has yet to confirm or deny whether or
not it has Mr. Baghdadi in custody.
American forces are going door-to-door
throughout the Iraqi region of Diyala in search
of insurgents, and American forces killed three
Iraqi Army soldiers in an Iraqi Army vehicle
after they refused an order commanding them
to stop. Diyala a current hotbed of the
American battle against the Iraqi insurgency.
The Islamic State of Iraq has claimed respon-
sibility for the assault on an Iraqi police station
there, which left one dead, the building on fire,
and the station’s arms and armaments looted.
In Baghdad, four have died as a result of
sniper fire but it is unclear as to whether the
four were all killed by the same gunman as all
four shootings occurred in different neighbor-
hoods. Also, ten bodies were found dumped
in the capitol city.
Finally, Raouf Abdel-Rahman, the
Iraqi judge who ordered Saddam Hussein’s
execution, has asked the British for political
asylum, fearing retaliation by those loyal to
the country’s former leader, according to the
satellite news agency Al Jazeera. There has
been no comment from the British
Government on this matter.
5
 Editorials
E d i to r i a l B o a r d
Executive Editor
Jowy Romano
Voting is the New Pink
Managing Editor
A n d rew Pernick As the next round of Undergraduate Student Government elec- as bring us results.
Associate Editor tions approaches, The Stony Brook Press would like to encourage So show the administration that we do want change; that we will
Alex Wa l s h students to take an active role in deciding who they want to be their fight for fair policy and that we no longer want to be treated like sec-
Business Manager student leaders next year. Students on this campus are constantly ond-class citizens. Lousy housing conditions and waiting outside for
Adina Silverbush
complaining about changes they want to see and, at least in theory, long stretches in the cold for a bus is not acceptable. We don’t want
P roduction Manager
Jesse Schoepfer student leaders act as your method of change. USG officers are your to be ripped off by food and laundry prices anymore. We do want
News Editors
voice to the administration, so choose who you want to represent our professor to be compensated for their work and to be happy to
Rebecca Kleinhaut you wisely. be in our classrooms.
Madeline Scheckter
This election seems to have become a Facebook popularity con- The students who will be elected next year should know that what
F e a t u res Editor
Steve McLinden test and this shouldn’t be the case. The Press wants you to go to the they are doing matters to their fellow students. This year the PASS
debates, read our elections guide, (which will come out later this program was implemented, giving students a chance to get free
A rts Editor
B e rta Rezik week) and make an informed decision. Don’t vote based on who tutoring and giving many other students a chance to be paid for their
Photo Editors you know or what party a candidate is affiliated with. The existence services. ALIRRT was also implemented, giving students the
Vincent Michael Festa of political parties on campus shifts the focus away from the issues, opportunity to buy half price LIRR tickets. There have been trips
Joey Safdia
depreciates the democratic structure and is an altogether pointless arranged to various sporting events and a large concert by Ne-Yo.
Copy Editors
Elizabeth Kaplan idea. Show you care about the candidate’s potential reforms, not These outcomes are positive but it is unquestionably not enough.
Alex Nagler
B ryan Hasho their worthless associations by voting without regard for them. USG can have a real effect on the university if the right people are
We b m a s t e r
Being indifferent and not voting at all, however, shows the uni- in office and the right pressure is applied. Let’s do our best to ensure
Chris Wi l l i a m s versity how little USG represents the students and therefore weak- that we choose the right students to represent us. Not voting is
Audiomaster ens their role in improving our university. And while the perception silencing yourself, and is as lethargic as the candidate’s pathetic
that the USG lacks purpose certainly discourages some students Facebook campaigns. College activism has recently become a
Ombudsman from voting, a strong turnout would certainly render the elects more mostly online endeavor, and if you think that doesn’t parallel our
accountable. By voting you are showing the USG that we are generation’s famed apathy you’re kidding yourself. Elections start
watching, and that we do expect them to mirror our concerns as well March 19th on SOLAR.
M i n i s t e r of A rc h i v e s
Joe Rios
IT Manager
Joe Rios
Distribution Manager
Chesty LaRue

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To the editor,
My name is Trevor Hirst, and I am the cur-
rent Vice President for Student Life,
Programming and Activities here on campus
through USG. I have been reluctant to write
to The Statesman for a number of reasons,
least of all being on staff at The Press. That
non-issue aside, there has not been much for
me to really write about. We all know what’s
going on through USG and the campus.
While there could be better communication of
the elected leaders in the Student
Government, we have made great strides in
coverage and transparency of our many agen-
cies, some of which are the Student Activities
Board (meets Mondays in SAC 302 at
7:00PM) and the USG Senate.
While I am writing to you, and my fellow
students, there are so many things wrong that
I honestly do not know where to begin. Esam
Al-Shareffi has done an excellent job report-
ing the weekly happenings in the Senate. Like
he has stated in past issues, a lot more goes on
in the Senate than the actual 2-hour Senate
meetings on Tuesday nights at 8:15 in SAC B.
Although the year started off with a lot of
in-fighting and partisanship, this semester has
show a lot of maturity, notably with the defec-
tion of several key Reform Party members.
This has shown that we have come a long way
in regards to making this school better
because there is no more bickering, for the
most part, between Senators on two sides of
an issue, just for the sake of bickering. Rather
there is debate and communication along with
independent thinking and more than a mod-
icum of respect. That is certainly not the case
with a few people, but I will not name names.
What I will do, however, is report my opin-
ions to the article submitted last week on the
real dealing of “Campus Cash” by my broth-
er, USG Senator Jonathan Hirst, along with
the rebuttal from USG President Romual
Letters
Jean-Baptiste.
Senator Hirst describes, in some detail,
exactly what has been going on with FSA and
Romual, the collusion between the two in
order to further his agenda and legacy. It is
my sincere belief that he has not done what he
campaigned for last year, namely to lower
food prices (it’s on video of him promising
that, although he thoroughly denies running
under that campaign when asked why the
food prices are so high). Instead, he brings
about the off campus meal plan titled
“Campus Cash”. I’m not going to go into the
fact that it will be used off-campus, defeating
the “Campus” portion of that name. But I
digress.
I am neither going to defend nor attack
what the actual program does for students or,
more aptly, doesn’t do for students. I will,
however, like to discuss about how his
response to my brother’s article made me feel.
It made me feel shame and anger towards him
along with laughter. Let me get into the
laughter part first.
I laughed because he signed it at the end
with “Your Chief Servant”. How should I
have reacted? I laughed. You would too.
Ok, now the anger part. The response did
not really talk about the merits of it or how it
will really save students money that live on
campus that can’t drive to go to Dominoes or
Subway (walking takes way too long). Plus,
if Dominoes is delivered, can they swipe our
card like SBU delivery? Also, what would be
the activation fee for this, because we all
know the FSAdoes nothing for free… I won’t
get into some of the very colorful anagrams
we use for FSA in the USG suite. These are
some serious questions that should have been
brought to the students to decide if we actual-
ly wanted, nay, needed this thing.
For President Jean-Baptiste to keep on
refuting the “wasted time and energy” writ-
ings of Jonathan, he did not really back it up.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
He kept on saying how long it took him and
how great it will be to have this! Streamers
will come from the sky! It will rain milk and
honey! Anything but what it will really do for
us. This is not a dig at him or what he has
accomplished, merely a rebuttal to his rebut-
tal, kind of a dual-buttal if there is such a
thing… there should be. On to shame.
Shame for the fact that Romual chose such
a great forum to respond to Jonathan’s article.
Rather than detailing what he has done to
lower food costs, get rid of the $270 activation
fee for most resident’s mandatory meal plan,
or any one of a number of different things, he
chose to attack the “wasted time and effort”
thing. Bravo.
One cannot help wonder why the response
made no sense. I can only think that, since
Romual has stated so, he has problems with
the Senate. They overturned two bills that
Romual vetoed for no reason. They ques-
tioned their President (something the
Constitution of the United States loves, by the
way). The Senate went so far as to bring to the
senate floor an amendment to a bill that would
take away the President’s ability to withhold
stipends from Senators and USG Officials that
collect stipends. He then told USG Treasurer
Stephen Hui that he did not want to sign their
timesheets anymore because of those afore-
mentioned reasons and Stephen would there-
fore have to sign them until the end of the
semester. The President’s job, as outlined in
the USG Constitution, is Chief Signatore, (or
chief signer of documents, for those of us that
don’t speak pseudo Italian). He won’t sign
timesheets… Rom get angry! Rom smash!
(Incredible Hulk reference for those not in the
know). That’s just a smidgen childish.
I work with Romual. I see him almost
every day. We can be considered friends.
This cannot stand. I am writing to The
Statesman and to my fellow students to show
just what we are dealing with and the depths
some of these people will go for what seems
like no reason whatsoever.
Those that know me know that I am the
antithesis of a diplomat… I say and write
things that I feel, rather than consider the con-
sequences. I’m kind of impetuous and don’t
really think about ramifications and the peo-
ple that I hurt. I am a Libra. Believe it or not,
I believe in balance and cannot let this pass.
People must know, and know they shall.
I am not your servant, neither is anyone in
USG. While we are here for the students, we
are also here to help the students. That is dif-
ferent. We make policies and plan events and
try to help our fellow students and make life
better on campus where it is so desperately
needed. Servants… I think not.
If I have enlightened you, great. If I have
encouraged you, great. If I have made you
smile, I’ll take it. If I made you angry, tough.
Deal with it. The whole point is to show that
there are two sides to every argument, but we
have to debate the sides and show, with detail,
how they are effective or ineffective. Romual
has shown neither. His view is, “it’s good
because it took me the summer to do it and
people from FSA helped”.
I thank you for taking the time to read this
and I would hope that President Jean-Baptiste
engage the Senators as well as the students in
debate over this program. The newspapers
are not the proper place to have a back and
forth tête-à-tête. I encourage everyone to
come down to Sentate meetings regardless, or
irregardless if you actually think that’s a word.
It’s truly a fun place where unicorns run free
and Eskimos blow kisses to fairies and, well,
people talk about by-laws and resolutions
while discussing how much money to allocate
clubs next semester… wholesome fun for all.
Respectfully yours,
Trevor Hirst (not your servant, but your
friend)
7
 Democrats Set Pull
Out Plans for Iraq
By Alex H. Nagler
___________
So, what’s the biggest thing the Democrats cam-
paigned on in 2006 to get where they are right now in the
House and in the Senate? It wasn’t healthcare or tax
reform or even education. It was Iraq. The Democratic
majority owes its new success to Iraq and to their pledges
to get American troops out of Iraq. So, it should come as
no surprise to anyone that the Democrats have announced
their plans to withdraw all American troops from the
region by August of 2008.
This move is being called a political one in nature due
to its estimated date of completion. Should a successful
withdrawal occur prior to the 2008 elections, a Democrat
candidate would be seen in a very favorable light. It
should come as no surprise then that two of the most
prominent supports for the issue on the Democratic side
of the aisle are Senators Barack Obama (D-Il) and Hillary
Clinton (D-NY), both of whom are seen as very good
prospects for the party nomination. House Majority
Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) plans on introducing the
legislation and calls a measure to get the troops home
“safe, responsibly, and soon.”
Republicans, on the other hand, are calling this a move
to deliberately tie the hands of generals on the ground in
Iraq. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has
Daylight Savings Time
By Jonathan Singer
___________
Everyone should have noticed that Daylight
Savings time started on Sunday Morning. Clocks
moved ahead one hour, and some didn’t make the
switch automatically. The later sunrises will lead to
later sunsets which politicians hope will save energ y.
It’s ok to feel confused; DST usually begins in
April and ends in October. This year, it’s going to end
the first Sunday in November. This earlier start date
was determined in 2005 as part of the Energy Policy
Act.
The idea behind the act is that energy consumption
peaks at night, when people light up their homes. With
sundown pushed back one hour, that’s theoretically
one less hour of energy consumption.
US Representatives Edward Markey and Fred
Upton sponsored the act. They say that it will save
279 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and avoid 10.8
million metric tons of carbon emissions.
Longer days have been credited to lower crime
rates and fewer cases of depression (no more “winter
blues”). Outdoor recreational facilities such as golf
courses like DST because it gives people more time to
play outside in the late afternoon and early evening.
Religious Jews and Muslims are also happy that their
Morning Prayer services are starting as late as 8 a.m.
But this also means that mornings will be darker.
Morning joggers will have to wear reflectors until
sunrise creeps back to 6 a.m. later in the spring (sun-
rise on Monday the 12th was at 7:10 a.m.). Some
experts also attribute DST to school bus accidents, as
sunrise moves up but school start times stay the same.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
8
compared even the mention of a pullout to, “establishing
and telegraphing to our enemy a timetable.” He added
that, “[US commander in Iraq] General Petraeus should
be the one making the decisions on what happens on the
ground in Iraq." Presidential Advisor Dan Bartlett com-
mented that, “What we're seeing here is an artificial, pre-
cipitous withdrawal from Iraq based on, unfortunately,
politics in Washington, not conditions on the ground in
Baghdad, Iraq.”
This move to eliminate troops comes on the heels of
President Bush’s recent request of 21,500 more troops for
the region to serve as a booster to the American military.
The recent months have been bloody ones on the streets
of Baghdad, as the daily fatality count record seems to
revise itself weekly. Sadly, not a day goes by when the
American public does not hear about a car bomb going
off or a suicide bomber detonating himself in a crowded
place, killing tens and maiming hundreds. It’s not a pleas-
ant time for Americans in Iraq or even the Iraqis them-
selves.
The only possible downside to a withdrawal of
American troops in Iraqi is the possible use of them in
Iran. Iraq’s next-door neighbor has become a sticking
point for the Bush Administration’s recent rhetoric as talk
of weapons flowing across the border increases. What
will happen next cannot be foreseen; after all, this is glob-
al politics.
I t ’s interesting to note just how arbitrary something
like the time can be. Daylight savings time, according
to the grand narrative, began as a concept in the head
of Benjamin Franklin. It was first implemented as a
national standard by the US government during World
War I. The energy saving trend lasted until peacetime
began. When the Second World War came around,
FDR implemented a year-round DST. That was also
dropped once the war ended.
It was then decided in the 1960s that Americans
would observe six months of DST a year, from April
to October. The last DST crisis occurred during the
Arab Oil Embargo, when Nixon mandated that DST
be observed in the winters of 1974 and 1975.
And clocks in Arizona didn’t change. After the
national standard was passed in 1966 Arizona success-
fully lobbied to always stay on standard time. The
idea here is that people in Phoenix want the sun to set
as soon as possible on summer days when the temper-
ature is over 100 degrees.
Throughout the entire debate, the sun has always
maintained it’s familiar course in the sky, regardless
to what time it was.
Opponents to the DST switch say the theory of less
nighttime energy usage is offset by demands for light
in the dark mornings and the heavy use of air condi-
tioners during the summer months (The last major
blackout occurred during the month of A u g u s t ) .
Canada also moved their clocks ahead on Sunday,
putting the US and Canada in Daylight Savings Ti m e
while the European Union waits to adopt “summer
time” later this month. Saskatchewan, however, didn’t
change because the Canadian Province doesn’t
observe Daylight Savings Ti m e .
 Compiled by Rebecca Klienhaut, Alex H. Nagler, Steve McLinden & Scott E. Silsbe
United States and Brazil: More
Ethanol, Please
March 9 – The United States and Brazil
signed a joint agreement to place more
effort into the production of the fuel source
ethanol. The agreement was signed during
President Bush’s seven-day tour of Latin
America. President Luis Inacio Lula da
Silva of Brazil signed the agreement with
President Bush in an effort to try to lessen
foreign dependence on oil. “Dependency
upon energy from somewhere else means
that you’re dependent upon the decisions
from somewhere else,” said President
Bush.
According to BBC News, America and
Brazil are the world’s top ethanol produc-
ers, with Brazil topping off at around sev-
enty percent. The agreement between the
United States and Brazil came shortly after
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice began
to promote the use of ethanol throughout
Central America.
Massive protests against Bush’s arrival
rocked the city of Sao Paulo on Friday.
Protesters claimed that the increased
dependence on ethanol would lead to a
greater need for sugar cane and more
destruction in South America’s rainforests.
Also in attendance were dissenters of the
war in Iraq.
As one of the United States’ oil suppli-
ers, what did Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez have to add? Said Chavez: “If I had
him face to face, I’d tell him, ‘Gringo, go
home.’”
Darfur Criminals Face
Prosecution
Officials in Sudan claim that they will
try three war criminals for actions commit-
ted during the civil war in Darfur. Ali
Mohammed Ali Abd-al-Rahman, more
widely known as Ali Kushayb, is one of the
three suspects who are being accused of
leading the janjaweed militia into Darfur.
He was also on the run from the
International Criminal Court in The Hague,
which is seeking to prosecute for crimes
against humanity. Another suspect, Captain
Hamdi Sharaful Din, was a member of
Sudan’s security forces, as was Kushayb.
According to The Washington Post, the
ICC would like to charge Kushayb with
fifty-one counts of war crimes, including
“murder, rape, torture, and persecution.” In
the newspaper Al Intibaho, Kushayb
denied ever leading the troops into Darfur
to kill civilians.
Although the International Criminal
Court is looking to prosecute, Sudan is
steadfast in its determination to keep its tri-
als within its country’s borders. President
Omar al-Bashier has publicly stated that he
does not want a trial through the ICC and
that its own court system is legitimate
enough to deal with the claims.
Popular and Creepy Corporate
Mascots Hit It Big
At least two major corporate marketing
campaigns have been so successful that
they have spawned either a) a TV series or
b) a feature length film. Further blurring
the line between advertisement and enter-
tainment, ABC is planning to go ahead
with a half-hour pilot program featuring
none other than the GEICO cavemen. The
would-be sitcom, which will center on the
struggles of a trio of cavemen living in
modern-day Atlanta, is still in its earliest
stages, with neither a cast nor a script. As
for the aforementioned feature film, it is
slated to star none other than the king - the
B u rger King. MSN Money reported that
B u rger King's President of Global
Marketing Strategy Russ Klein has
announced a full-length feature film star-
ring the voiceless and decidedly creepy
mascot. He went on to note that this film
could be unleashed upon the world before
the end of the year.
Scooter Libby
They convicted the bastard! Hoorah!
Hooray! Yippie! Four outta Five Counts
a i n ’t bad!
Now watch him never spend a day in jail
and get a presidential pardon from Bush as
he’s halfway out the door.
Russian Report e r Dies In
Suspicious Fall
A military affairs writer for a Russian
business newspaper suffered a fatal fall
from a fifth-floor window in his Moscow
apartment building, and foul play by the
Russian government is suspected by citi-
zens, newspapers, and independent agen-
cies.
Ivan Safronov was reportedly investi-
gating covert Russian missile sales with
Syria and Iran. His colleagues at
Kommersant had warned him that he could
face criminal charges for publishing state
secrets, and he had been questioned sever-
al times by the FSB, the agency which is
the modern equivalent of the KGB.
“It's quite probable that such deals have
been signed, and it's also probable that he
was killed because of that,” independent
investigator Pavel Felgenhauer, an
acquaintance of Safronov’s, told The
Associated Press.
The United States and Israel have been
strongly critical of recent Russian military
www.thestonybrookpress.com
contracts with Iran, and it’s likely that
these weapons are more sophisticated sur-
face-to-surface missiles compared to those
which have been disclosed, and would
have also included fighter jets and air
defense systems.
Reporter Anna Politkovskaya, who had
been highly critical of the Kremlin, was
shot dead outside of her Moscow residence
in October. According to The Committee
To Protect Journalists, at least thirteen
reporters have been the targets of contract
killings by Vladimir Putin’s administra-
tion. Ex-Russian spy Alexander
Litvinenko was killed in November by
radiation poisoning in London, and the
chemical was traced back to a Russian
manufacturer. Observers fear that with no
serious reaction on the world scene, Russia
under Putin will be allowed to fall back to
its hard-line authoritarian ways of the
Soviet era.
Ann Coulter: John Edwards = Fag
In a rather major controversy even for
the sharp-tongued conservative commenta-
tor, Ann Coulter called Senator John
Edwards a “total fag” on national televi-
sion. At the Conservative Political Action
Conference, Coulter said in a speech, “I
was going to have a few comments on the
other Democratic presidential candidate,
John Edwards, but it turns out that you
have to go into rehab if you use the word
'faggot,' so… can't really talk about
Edwards,” in a tongue-in-cheek reference
to a controversy over actor Isaiah
Washington’s use of the term against his
gay co-star on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy.
The comments met widespread condem-
nation from the left and right; from
Edwards’ campaign, and the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to
Republican Presidential candidates John
McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney.
Coulter responded, “C’mon, it was a joke.
I would never insult gays by suggesting
that they are like John Edwards. That
would be mean.” On March 5th, she told
FOX News’ Hannity and Colmes that “fag-
got isn't offensive to gays; it has nothing to
do with gays” and backpedaled that it was
a schoolyard insult meaning wuss. She
also suggested that the Republican candi-
dates “aren’t that smart” and should be pre-
pared to apologize for more of her state-
ments in the future.
As a further backlash, several advertis-
ers on Coulter’s website including Verizon
have pulled their response after complaints
from consumers, and several newspapers
across the country have dropped Coulter’s
syndicated column.
Godfather of Soul Finally
Laid to Rest
Get up. Get on up. Get up. Get on up.
Stay on the scene. Get on up. Like a guy
that’s been dead since Christmas and has
only finally been buried. Get on up.
James Brown’s body was finally
placed in a crypt Saturday at the Beech
Island home of his daughter.
As the body was entombed, white bal-
loons were released and Mr. Brown’s
adult children and other family members
and friends sang and prayed over the
singer’s body. The Rev. Al Sharpton, a
close friend of the late artist, presided
over the noon ceremony. Also in atten-
dance at the service were Mr. Brown’s
partner, Tomi Rae Hynie, and the cou-
ple’s son, who led the procession.
Ms. Hynie told The Associated Press,
“This is what James wanted, for the fam-
ily to come together. Everyone really felt
like James was there with us.”
Mr. Brown died in an Atlanta hospital
on Dec. 25 at age 73. The private service
at the home of daughter Deanna Brown
Thomas, is three miles from Mr. Brown’s
own home in Beech Island, a community
near Augusta, Ga., was in stark contrast
to elaborate funerals in New York City
and A u g u s t a .
The crypt likely will not be Mr.
Brown’s final resting place as his chil-
dren decided to place his body in the
crypt instead of waiting for disputes over
his estate to be settled in court.
Hopefully, the hardest working man in
show business will finally gain the eter-
nal slumber he so deserves when all is
said and done.
F i refighters Criticize
Giuliani On 9/11
The International Association of Fire
Fighters has critiqued former New York
City Mayor and current Presidential can-
didate Rudolph W. Giuliani for commit-
ting “egregious acts” against the fire-
fighters who died in the September 11th
terrorist attacks. In a letter to its mem-
bers, the union excoriated Mr. Giuliani
for his November 2001 decision to cut
back the number of working firefighters
searching the rubble remains of the
World Trade Center for the remains of
some 300 fallen comrades. The 280,000-
member union has accused him of care-
lessly speeding the cleanup after the
recovery of millions of dollars in assets
from the Bank of Nova Scotia that had
been buried. Mr. Giuliani’s campaign
insisted that he respected and supported
the first responders.
9
 FBI Admits Abusing
PATRIOT Act
By Andrew Pernick
___________
Robert S. Mueller III, director of the
FBI, recently admitted to Congress that
the FBI had utilized the Patriot A c t
improperly to spy on businesses and
civilians. Under the Patriot Act, the
FBI was required to use “national secu-
rity letters” to obtain information such
as phone records or Internet browsing
history from, respectively, telephone
companies and ISPs. But a recent
report from the inspector general of the
Justice Department shows that the FBI
severely underreported the number of
national security letters it used.
National security letters serve as a
virtual “open sesame” when it comes to
corporate documents, bank records,
I S P information, phone records, all
without the approval of a judge.
The Democratic Party, now in con-
trol of both houses of Congress, has
promised a wave of hearings to investi-
gate this matter to the fullest. “It is
time to place meaningful checks on the
Bush administration’s ability to misuse
the Patriot Act by overusing national
security letters,” said Senator Harry
Reid.
Director Mueller maintained that the
misuses of the national security letters
were a result of error, as opposed to
attempts to bypass the judicial over-
sight of the subpoena system and war-
rants. In some, rare instances, clerical
Should the United States with-
draw its troops from Iraq?
Prof. Swartz vs. Prof. Withers
Wednesday, March 28th
12:40PM
SAC Auditorium
Sponsored by the Stony
Brook Debate Club.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
10
errors led the FBI to obtain data on
innocent individuals and businesses.
The FBI has increased its use of nation-
al security letters by over 550% since 9-
11, from 8500 in 2000 to over 45000 in
2005, when the inspector general started
compiling data for his report.
Although national security letters as a
means for obtaining information in the
interest of national security predate the
Patriot Act, the Act’s provisions drastical-
ly widened the scope of data a letter enti-
tles an investigatory agency, such as the
FBI, can obtain with one.
Also highlighted in the inspector gener-
al’s report was the FBI’s misuse of “exi-
gent letters,” a special class of national
security letter which allow an investigato-
ry agency to seek information that they
had already subpoenaed for, bypassing the
ability of the subpoenaed party to quash
the subpoena. Exigent letters are, under
the law, only to be used in cases of dire
emergency, but the report found that the
FBI had, in numerous cases, uses exigent
letters to bypass the subpoena process
when a normal national security letter
would not allow them access to the infor-
mation or when no emergency existed.
Said Director Mueller at a briefing at
the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the national
headquarters of the FBI in Washington,
DC, “How could this happen? Who is to
be held accountable? And the answer is
that I am to be held accountable.” Mueller
added, “We have already taken steps to
correct these deficiencies.”
We’re sorry, the Asian American E-Zine is temporarily unavailable...

...For now enjoy these rice crackers courtesy of Joe Rios

www.thestonybrookpress.com
11
 School is in Session
I think it was the bestest-slap-in-the-face
case for many of us, committed by Stony
Brook University. That Icy Wednesday
Valentine didn't stop Stony Brook from hav-
ing a regular schedule. Wednesday is my day
to rest in the middle of week. So I happened
to not need getting out of my room early in
the morning. As matter of fact, that day, I
was staring at my roommate's TV since I
woke up before I had to leave for The Stony
Brook Press meeting. You guessed right, it
was the news channel. At the bottom of the
screen, it streamed all the schools on Long
Island (or NYC, I cannot remember) whose
classes were cancelled for the day.
While being impressed with the number
of religiously affiliated schools listed, I
impatiently waited for the letter 'S' to start
listing. Since Stony Brook University tends
not to classify as 'SUNY' I paid extra atten-
tion as soon as 'S' list started. No 'Stony' after
all the 'St.'s. So perhaps 'SUNY' - nope.
There were "SUNY Old Westbury" and
another. So Stony Brook was NOT listed as
cancelled. Since I had some time left before
I would head out, I stuck around for another
loop. Just to make sure. Ummm, nope. So I
left for the meeting.
I cannot exaggerate more that the ice cov-
ered the campus completely. The usual ten
minute walk would take twenty minutes.
The stairs were the worst among anywhere
on campus. Zebra path was quite a chal-
lenge. After all, people had to choose
between the slopes and the stairs around that
area. What a dilemma. There are a few tricks
to use in those icy conditions though. For
example, you should land on your soles
when you walk and not just with your heels
as you walk regularly. Otherwise, you
should walk on rugged ice rather than
smooth ice. When the surface is slippery,
you can add friction by walking on a rugged
surface. Why not?
The wrath escalated when people started
to find the little note on Stony Brook's home-
page saying that the school was cancelled as
of 2PM. So many people, especially com-
muters, paid extra effort to get to classes or
club meetings. It was as if the administration
just announced the cancellation when stu-
dents arrived at campus. One of the com-
muters missed the meeting because people
drove extra slow on the street. When she
arrived at campus, she found that the classes
were cancelled for the rest of the day. Her
time, patience, gas, and perhaps nerves were
wasted because of the school's sluggish
action. Another of my friends uses the cam-
pus bus. She had a class after 2PM in which
she had a paper due. It took her all night to
finalize the paper and she had problems with
the printer. Finally printing the paper out,
12
heading to the class, she found the class was
cancelled. If the school acted swifter, she did
not have to get stuck on campus at all. She
ripped the paper in fury. An instructor of my
class actually cut her head with ice. If she got
hurt on that day, I don't see why the others
would not get hurt. So the school's taking
late action not only cost everyone in many
aspects but also caused injuries. What would
you take from that?
I understand SUNY Old Westbury is a
University College and different from
SUNY Stony Brook. The truth is, though I
don't know how many people noticed it, that
the precipitation had accumulated since
Tuesday afternoon. It was snowing and was
sleeting, then it was raining. By 9 o'clock of
Tuesday, I saw sherbet on the ground every-
where I looked around from the window of
my room. The forecast predicted the temper-
ature to lower below freezing point. It is a
common knowledge that the long-term fore-
casters do not predict very accurately. But it
was overnight forecast. With the current
level of meteorology technology, how far off
a forecast could scientists make? If the tem-
perature lowers to 29 F, it may sound doubt-
ful. However, the sense that the temperature
would probably go low enough to freeze the
liquid water on the ground into ice should be
very much expected. Lynn defended the
University that "only Governor Spitzer can
order State offices and facilities to be
closed." But my point is that Stony Brook
officials could have reported the concerns of
hazardous condition on campus by Tuesday
night. Moreover, some of the University
officials do arrive at campus early. They
could have seen the scene in sight and
reported to the administration who could
have reported to Elliot.
The most outrageous part, I think, is that
the school decided to call off classes after
2PM, after all the club meetings finished.
Remember, the school set up this trouble-
some Campus Lifetime that eventually
resulted in all the clubs having meetings at
the same time. For that, I am actually miss-
ing out of a meeting every week to be at
another. I no longer complain about it. But
on Icy Wednesday the Valentine, while the
school had not decided to cancel the classes,
students started their regular Wednesday
schedule. All of sudden, before the classes
that they intended to attend ever started, the
school called off the classes. The University
goes "Yes, we are very much in session
today. Full Wednesday schedule, as usual.
So you'd better get your asses on campus.
And make sure to attend classes! ... Um,
well, never mind that, we just decided to call
off all the classes after you arrive. So get
your asses home unless you are paid to
work." Ours were on campus all right! Count
those that sat on campus because of the ice!!
www.thestonybrookpress.com
Let's have this one this on the Korner.
Last time I saw the Stony Brook Men's
Basketball team playing at Madison Square
Garden, I was impressed. After seeing the
commercials taken over by Stony Brook
University's own advertisements, I started
wondering if they were playing at MSG for
the reason to market the school. I mean,
many people know that Stony Brook's
Basketball team is not a strong one as clear
as they know that Stony Brook's research is
superb. See, the Hofstra team, they are
showing up in the national tournament
every now and then while the Stony Brook
team cannot even get in the tournament tree.
I heard Stony Brook in fact belongs to the
NCAA Division I. I asked myself why
Stony Brook would stick around in the
Division when it could win probably twice
in twenty games. Teams in Division I play at
MSG more often than those in one division
lower, is that it? Marketing at MSG seems
far better than marketing somewhere else
with teams in another division and makes
the team stand out among other teams.
While the thoughts were circulating, I fig-
ured out that the TV channel labelled
"MSG" probably stands for Madison Square
Garden. The thoughts of Stony Brook Men's
Basketball team then became insignificant
in my mind.
So why did they want to play with
Villanova last semester? I understand, since
I was a manager of a basketball team briefly,
that it is the learning experience to have a
game with the team that stunned the NCAA.
Villanova University is in Pennsylvania.
Unless a college-level institution is magical-
ly located somewhere in Long Island and it
wants to beat the heck out of the Seawolves,
it is a costly trip for both. I'd imagine Stony
Brook financed the trip to Long Island. I
think the game’s result was that the
Seawolves fell 20 points behind the
Wildcats. I remember one of the commen-
taries asking how consistent the Villanova
defense was. C'mon, dude, you could have
concluded the same if you played with the
Pride, or St. Johns, for that matter. They
have damn good teams.
February 24th is the lacrosse game with
"one of the best teams," University of
Virginia, UVA. Basically I consider lacrosse
as the trendy sport after the frustratingly
long-clinging Duke case. When Italy won
the World Cup, the TV stations started play-
ing local soccer games, and I witnessed
New York’s professional soccer team for the
first time. Before the Duke case, I did not
even expect the existence of the sport called
lacrosse. For me, lacrosse is a sport in which
the athletes fling insect nets and aim to
shoot in the goal. The only difference is that
the insects are the shuttlecock kind of rubber
ball. Besides, the team gained recognition
just recently. Stony Brook's team is already
playing against one of the best teams in the
nation! Radical!
I cannot imagine at this point that
lacrosse will ever replace the national pas-
sion towards football and basketball. Why
in the world would Stony Brook want to
form another intercollegiate team for a new
sport, if other sports still have spaces to
improve? In addition, I want them to create
Men's Volleyball. Women's exists. Where's
Men's? Perhaps it was gender bias, though
I’ve heard of Women's Rugby. Probably, it
was for the student-athletes recruitment pur-
poses. Among SUNY schools, Stony Brook
is falling behind Binghamton, according to
Wikipedia. I sense it’s the desperation of the
administration using every bit of effort to
recruit well-rounded students to campus.
Time to time, it just surfaces to the obvious.

I am, on most days, completely
unaware of my surroundings. Since I
received an iPod for Christmas, I am
rarely without a bug in my ear. Since I
no longer hear the snippets of conversa-
tion in the air, I miss out on a lot of
things. A prime example of this
occurred on Wednesday when I nearly
missed the food show on campus.
L u c k i l y, my editor reminded me of it
and I was able to attend. Free eats are
something that I never pass up. First in
this issue, I am going to review the
Union Deli, that handy little slice of
Heaven on the south side of the Union.
So, let’s eat!
The Union Deli holds a spe -
cial place in my heart because
it was where I ate my first
meal at Stony Brook
The Union Deli holds a special place
in my heart because it was where I ate
my first meal as a Stony Brook student,
back when the world was my oyster,
before SB closed its demoralizing claws
around my youthful exuberance’s wind-
pipe. I will get further into my own
shortcomings later. The Deli is quite
handy to have around. It offers a wide
variety of dry goods and sundries that
are essential to student life (ramen noo-
dles, candy, and other indulgences). But
as a commuter, I find myself in the Deli
only when I want something to eat and I
am absolutely sick of SAC food. They
o ffer everything from knishes to meats
and cold salads by the pound, all fresh
and made to order, at a price which even
a tight-ass like myself can live with. I
have yet to have a bad meal here, which
is not something that I can say for any
other eatery on campus. The only catch
to the Deli is knowing your poison. Too
often I am stuck behind someone who
i s n ’t familiar with “Deli-speak” (usual-
ly they are from the mid-West or South)
and is inefficient in ordering their food.
It is considered faux pas to ask the Deli
Rats (a technical term that we chefs use
for counter help in delis) “What is
good?” before ordering. If you cannot
decide what you want by the time you
get to the counter, I would recommend
that you GET THE HELL OUT OF T H E
LINE, JACKHOLE! On a good day, the
Deli runs like a well oiled machine; the
line usually moves pretty quickly
With Chef Heath
around lunch time, although I have
noticed that the quality of service slacks
at the end of the day. The only other
warning I can give is that the Deli often
runs short on kaiser rolls by mid-after-
noon; even so, the food is always fresh
and I will even eat tuna salad from the
Deli, something that I am very particu-
lar about. Congratulations, Union Deli:
you get 5 out of 5 stars, for you excep-
tional service and your consistently
good food; while it may not be fine din-
ing, it never fails to please.
Now then, the food show is some-
thing that I am on the fence about. I am
reminded of my old Latin classes, and
reading Catullus’s proclamation in his
poem “Odi et Amo” that he both loves
and hates his lover, that he acknowl-
edges this fact and it burns him up
inside (that’s right, I am trying to work
a dead Roman poet into food. Deal with
it). I now know exactly how he feels, I
love going to the food show and trying
all the new foods, but I hate the crowds
and the close quarters, and in the end it
all burns me up inside in the form of
heartburn. I try to work in a systematic
way, alternating between food and drink
vendors so that I can cleanse my palate
and often times put out the burning sen-
sation in my mouth. I also enjoy talking
to the vendors and finding out the
details of the product. After all, I might
be able to use it at my own restaurant.
This year, however, I was not able to do
so because of the sheer mass of people
in the room. I am mildly claustropho-
bic, and being brushed up against that
Little known fact—there used to be a railroad station under the union.
much leaves me feeling as uneasy as a
fifteen year-old girl at a frat party.
Another thing that bothers me is the
lack of courtesy displayed by the major-
ity of people in attendance. Several
times I was shoved, pushed, unjustly
struck, and unwillingly moved by the
www.thestonybrookpress.com
crowd as everyone rushed to the tables.
It was as if they had never seen food
before. Don’t fret; there will be some
left if you wait 30 seconds in a line
instead of bullying everyone over.
Bloody savages. But I overcame my
own fears and plunged headlong into
the crowd, fighting for my free food.
Another thing that you may not know
Four bucks and fifty-five cents for breaded chicken on a roll with BBQ sauce... I’ll let you decide.
about me is my ability to eat is impres-
sive. I can, and have, eaten a 96oz.
steak, along with the vegetables and the
potatoes at steakhouses, three times.
Count ‘em, three. I am not, by any
means a small guy, I can put it away; I
tear up all-you-can-eat buffets left and
right, and so eating at the food show is
a walk in the park for me.
Going around the room, very few
things left a lasting impression on my
Jesse Schoefper
palate. First among these was the cur-
ried chicken and potatoes dish that was
served next to the stage. Normally I do
not care for curry, but this was mildly
seasoned and quite tasty. My only regret
is that I didn’t get the recipe. A n o t h e r
dish that stood out was the lobster roll.
In Riverhead, there is a restaurant
called The Lobster Roll, and it has the
best seafood I have ever eaten, especial-
ly its signature dish (guess what that
would be…). This was certainly inferior
to the dish in Riverhead, but it was cer-
tainly a tasty treat (I had better get a
free meal for plugging that place). One
of the more unique dishes I had was the
Jesse Schoefper
fried plantain banana. I have had these
before, but they are always the right
mix of savory and sweet, and I recom-
mend that the next time you see one on
a menu (you know, get off campus and
take your girlfriend to a real restaurant,
because if you don’t, I will), order it
and enjoy it. One of the better bever-
ages that I had was the “Fuse” mango
flavored drink. I think I liked it so much
because I used it to wash the taste of
Jamaican beef patty out of my mouth.
Nonetheless, it is quite good. Finally, I
have to say that my favorite dish was
the kielbasa served at the Boar’s Head
stand. Being a good person of
Ukrainian decent, I simply swoon at the
very smell of kielbasa, it may not have
been Grandma’s, but it was still good.
As I left the food show, the buildup of
spices, sugars and dairy products final-
ly caught up to me. I was up the rest of
the night with heartburn, curse you, free
eats, curse you…
All in all, it has been a good two
weeks of food. The Deli failed to disap-
point me and food show rounded out the
week nicely. I think I might start to fre-
quent the Deli as opposed to the SAC
since they stopped making garlic
knots…Gaaaaarlic knooooots… mmm.
Excuse me, I have to um…eh…go do
something…important…Until next
time, Good Eats, everyone!
13
 Welcome to the relatively finer things, a
new column here at The Press. I say “rel-
atively” because all of the “finer things”
I’ll be reviewing can be obtained for, at
most, $150.
Why write this column? Why read this
column? Simple: college, believe it or not,
ends (although, if you’re a Press editor,
getting to that endgame typically takes a
couple hundred years… ahem… a few
extra semesters), and eventually you’ll be
living out in the so-called “Real
World(TM).” This means (gasp!) a job,
but (double gasp!) this also means that
you’ll have at least a small amount of
pocket money. So why not spend it on the
top shelf liquor instead of Natty Ice?
And speaking of liquor, we’re starting
off this column with one of the easiest
ways to kill two things at the same time –
your liver and your wallet – single malt
scotch. Since there are so many brands
that I could (like others before me) devote
an entire book to this topic, I’m limiting
this to the so-called “Six Signature Malts
of Scotland.”
Scotch is a multi-sensory experience,
and it is costly, so the first and most impor-
tant piece of advice for someone drinking
a glass of scotch is to do so slowly. I use a
five-step system. First, get a scotch glass
– it should be cylindrical, about two or so
inches high, two and a half in diameter,
with a good, solid, heavy base, made of
glass – no plastic cups here. Second, add
“Drugs or Insanity”
Single Malt Scotches
come from six different
areas in Scotland, and each
area contributes
characteristics unique
to where the
scotch was malted.
five to ten drops of water – this will calm
the scotch down a bit, making the next
steps easier and heightening the experi-
ence – and pour about a shot of scotch.
Scotch is measured in “fingers,” as in how
many fingers you have wrapped around
the base of the glass. For our purposes, I
recommend five drops of water and two
and a half fingers of scotch. Now, smell
the scotch. Take a long, gentle whiff and
let the aroma of the scotch sink in. This
will usually give you a good sense of the
kind of scotch you will be dealing with.
Next, take a sip. Obvious, no? But! Hold
it in your mouth and wash it over and
under your tongue. You will notice many
layers and levels of flavor playing with
www.thestonybrookpress.com
14
each other. Finally, again this should be
obvious, swallow.
Throughout the tasting process, you
should be paying attention to many factors,
including the “peatiness” of the scotch:
how smoky does it taste? Also ask, is it
sweet? Does it have a cupric aftertaste?
The sills used in the roasting process
should be made of copper, and generally, a
peaty scotch will reflect this, although
some malt makers cheat. Is it syrupy?
Light? Does it burn? Does it have hints of
chocolate or berries or the sea air or vanil-
la or spices? (Some malts have a blend of
many of the above.)
Single Malt Scotches come from six dif-
ferent areas in Scotland, and each area
contributes characteristics unique to where
the scotch was malted. The “Six Signature
Malts” come, conveniently enough, from
the six regions.
First up is the Western Highlands-region
Oban, which is ten years old at time of bot-
tling and retails for around $65. There
really isn’t much to note about Oban – out
of the six classic malts, Oban is the second
weakest. It lacks body and isn’t very cohe-
sive. It has a butterscotch taste to it, mak-
ing it a bit sweet, but it is a very thin liquid
that has practically no lasting taste to it.
The nose is distinctive, however, as it has
a slight vanilla aroma to it.
Next, and my least favorite, is the
Lowland-region Glenkinchie, a ten-year-
old that goes for around $50 a bottle.
Glenkinchie burns on the way down and it
has a sharp, biting nose. It has significant
body, but it tastes more like an Irish
whiskey than a single malt scotch.
Dalwhinnie is the Signature Malt of the
Highlands, and it is very sweet. It has
traces of vanilla and spice in it, and it
almost tastes as if somewhere, along the
line, honey had been added to it. It is light,
with a spice and vanilla nose. At $55 a
bottle, it isn’t a bad bet.
Talisker, the only single malt from the
island of Skye, comes in three different
ages. I’ve been fortunate enough to try the
ten and eighteen-year-old versions. The
former goes for about $65 a bottle, and the
latter is a real wallet-breaker at $130. Both
are excellent. I’m basing my review here
on the eighteen-year-old. Talisker is a treat
– this is a scotch to be savored slowly. It
has a bit of a cupric bite to it, with traces of
sea air. This is a very strong scotch, with a
floral nose. Believe it or not, though, it’s
not my favorite – second place. There is a
25-year-old Talisker, but at $460, it’s not
only outside this column’s scope, it’s out-
side the ballpark in terms of availability –
this is a special-order scotch, and I’ve not
had the good fortune of having a bottle yet.
Lagavulin. I’ve saved the best for last.
It’s a Speyside, and it’s only available as
an eighteen year old. This is the real wal-
let breaker – $135. Lagavulin has a strong
nose. It’s a scotch that smells like a scotch.
Like with most Speyside’s, you can taste
the sea air. Lagavulin has a very strong
cupric taste to it, almost to the level of
being a bite. It slides down your throat
like silk.
Honorable Mention: Okay, so it’s not a
single malt – it’s a blend. And it’s not even
made any more. But! If you ever get the
chance to try a glass of Chivas Regal’s
Royal Salute (and I say a glass because a
bottle probably goes for around $300, and
that’s if you can find it…), do so. While
Lagavulin is my drug of choice, Royal
Salute is a close second.
Oh, and the good news: the liquor store
right by Waldbaum’s has an excellent
selection of single malts. Mandatory dis-
claimer: if you’re not 21 or over, don’t
even think of trying this at home.
Next issue: we all need the occasional
pick-me-up. Coffee!

Welcome to the first installment of T h e
Stony Brook Pre s s’ informative new col-
umn “Ask a Lesbian.” This column will
provide factual and humorous (when nec-
essary) information about the gay and
lesbian lifestyle and community.
Readers are urged to submit questions in
order for the column to be a continued
feature in The Press. All questions can
be e-mailed to
AskALesbian.SBPress@gmail.com.
Dear Ilyssa,
I recently hooked up with one of my
female friends and now I think I might be
a lesbian but I’m not sure. Can you tell
me a little about your experience? How
did you know you were gay? What can I
do if I’m not sure? Who can I talk to?
Help Please!
Sincerely,
Confused and helpless
Dear Confused and helpless,
First off, there is no one way to figure
out whether or not you are gay; figuring
it all out is a process that has no set time
limit. It may take you weeks, months, or
even years to come to a conclusion about
your sexuality, but don’t worry it doesn’t
have to be a painful experience. Coming
to terms with yourself can be one of the
most liberating experiences you will ever
have.
As for my experience (briefly) the first
time I ever thought I could be gay was
probably as early as 2nd grade because I
always felt much closer to my male class-
mates. I was your typical tomboy and
would always find myself hanging out
with the boys. Sometimes I would catch
myself looking at the girls and thinking
how pretty they were, but I wasn’t sure
“This just in: The Stony Brook
Press is online at
www.thestonybrookpress.com
and... wait a second, I’m getting
something else here... It would
seem to be the case that I
have no personality...
Humph. ‘Magine that.”
why. When I was 16, I had the biggest
crush on my best friend. We hooked up
and I fell in love with her, but it didn’t
work out because she was straight. I was
devastated. In the summer before senior
year of high school I had my first real
lesbian experience when I slept with this
girl Melissa for the first time. It was
incredible; I had slept with guys before
but it was no where near the same. For
the first time in my life I finally felt com-
fortable with myself and from there it all
started to come together, and I realized
that I was gay. I finally came out of the
closet and it was one of the best things I
ever did.
The best advice I can give to you is to
give it time, date men, date women, and
figure out what it is that you like. It isn’t
the sorta thing that is just going to jump
up and smack you in the face, you gotta
just let yourself go, and from there it will
all start to come together and be clearer
to you. Who knows, you might not be
gay after all, and if you are, it’s no big
deal, it is something you will learn to
accept and enjoy. If you need to talk to
someone you can feel free to contact the
Stony Brook
SBLGBTA@gmail.com or you can visit
their website
h t t p : / / w w w. i c . s u n y s b . e d u / C l u b s / l g b t a /
for more information about when and
where the group meets. I hope this helps.
-Ilyssa
Please Note: The views and opinions
expressed in this column are solely the
views and opinion of one member of the
LGBT community and are not necessari-
ly the views and opinions of the Stony
Brook LGBTA group and/or the LGBT
community.
Pandora’s Box - Why I
Didn’t Go To My
High School Reuinion
By Vincent Michael Festa
___________
It's been more than ten years since I
graduated from Brentwood High
School- the summer of 1996. I remem-
ber the previous three years all too well.
For everyone, there was the equal share
of racial diversity, the fights at the Five
Corners, walks to the corner bodega and
McDonald's, and the formation of
police cars that safeguarded the stu-
dents at the end of the day because rival
gangs would try to come over and rep-
resent.
For me, there were many stories to be
told. Half good, half bad.
The good: Bike rides to school. W h o
likes who? Meeting girls from other
towns and volleyball teams. Wr e s t l i n g
trips to tournaments. The grunge
crowd. The blonde craze. An Irish girl
or two. Passing notes. Comedy rou-
tines. Valentine's. Taking to the most
popular girl in the school (a kicker for
LGBTA at
the football team) to the prom. Being
well known. Much I can't think of right
at
n o w.
The bad: Those evil blonde identical
twins. My own "friends" who turned me
in to win acceptance points. The heart-
break. Suspension. The games. He said,
she said. Incessant complaining.
Trouble with security. Locker room
showdowns. Blown chances. Falling
flat. Nicknames. Jewish jokes. T h a t
biased prick assistant principal. Being
fucked with and well-hated. Much I
can't think of right now.
I started hanging out with the hip-hop
crowd, then the Latino crowd, then the
wrestling team, then the girls volleyball
team, picked up some former geeks who
introduced me to some Jewish girls at
P l a i n v i e w, then came the grunge period,
then my cousin and her friends from
Staten Island like it was KIDS culture,
and finished off with some graduation
parties and a shitty summer job in
Syosset.
Through the course of those three
years, I met so many types of people
that the good and bad were inevitable.
Personalities, jokes, slurs, and situa-
tions either matched or conflicted. I had
my fair share of the good and the bad
like everyone else who went. I pretty
much ran the gamut of having done and
experienced almost everything people
were supposed to in high school minus
the drugs. I graduated and my days at
Brentwood were written.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
It's now ten years later, and I
received a message on MySpace about
the (then) upcoming high-school
reunion. It was inevitable and I had to
see it coming, that one day the reunion
committee would call out the entire
Brentwood Class of 1996 to reunite for
one night only.
I got the message, and it felt like a
judgment day, like I was at a crossroads
that would make a difference. I thought
about it and at a time it did bother me
because this would have become a big
"what if?" moment of my life.
I thought about it for a while and I
finally decided- I'm not going. And to
be honest with you, I don't know if I
made the right decision.
There could have been a lot of rea-
sons as to why I decided to exclude
myself from the reunion. Recently I had
been feeling a little jaded when I think
back as to how I thought I was received
in high-school. The giveaways? I wasn't
voted the funniest senior in my class
despite making a lot of people laugh. (I
guess they were laughing at me, instead
of with me.) At my graduation, hardly
anyone cheered or clapped for me when
I came up to clinch my diploma. Th e n
again, only a couple of my classmates
did worse and were met with heavy
boos from the graduating crowd.
I had a lot of conflicts and rivalries
with others. Some didn't care and
picked on me regardless. Other times I
didn't care and picked on people as
well. I gave and received names,
insults, in-house jokes. It was stupid
and senseless back then, but it worked
both ways.
Plus it was a fact of life: you can only
get your fill of the same crowd of peo-
ple for so long and in the end you just
feel indifferent because maybe you did
all you could with other people.
I didn't feel like being reduced to a
defining embarrassing moment that
made my reputation in those days. I also
didn't want someone to suck me into
some fist-fight so people could see that
I didn’t grow up. And I certainly didn't
want to run into those I have perma-
nently cut my ties with. There are those
who I have been very close "friends"
with only to royally screw me out in the
end, which was why I decided to forg e t
and not forg i v e .
But there was another side to this as
to why I might have gone. I know that
Continued on next page
15
 Pandora’s Box
(continued)
Continued from previous page
for every person who was my enemy, I
had an extra one or two for a friend. Not
the ones who considered themselves
"friends", but true friends, those I got-
ten along with, who were willing to
help me out, joke around, have a good
time, and know that they were indeed
fucking around with me, in a good
sense, of course.
There were people I knew I gave a
hard time to. I stressed them with the
same problems over and over again, and
there were those that I felt it was sense-
less to have any strife or games with.
Some might even be nice to me nowa-
days, and vice versa. It's been ten years
since, I'm sure that life has changed for
some people so drastically that the past
doesn't seem to make a difference any-
more.
Maybe it would have been great to
not only catch up with those I haven't
seen in a decade, to be impressed and
even be amazed at how my classmates
outcomes had been changed. Those we
f o rgot about, or were outcasts or mere
footnotes in our senior year could have
become something. Others, maybe the
most popular and talked-about would
have just given up, gave in, gone for
broke, became losers. The changes
could be a shock because no one would
expect it and we lost track of these peo-
ple, so there would be no telling how
they would end up.
We wonder. Who made it big? Who
traveled that downward spiral? W h o
radically changed for the better or for
the worse? Who is serving time right
now? Who is severely debilitated from
all the drugs they took? Who has the
wife or husband and kids? Who coasted
and made no change in their lives? Who
never left the house and has not seen
daylight since? Who do we see on the
16
TV screen now? Who's a success story?
Who
Who…died?
isn't with us anymore?
Like a time capsule or Pandora's Box,
you won't know what's inside or what's
going on until you take a look. The con-
tents may surprise you, good or bad.
The time capsule contains the items left
behind and are there when you need to
be amazed by its contents. T h e
Pandora's Box is the chance you take
when you want to open it and see what
would happen.
These days on the Internet you can
type in a name and take a secret peek in
the lives of people instead of seeing
them in the news, looking up their
phone number, or by accident. The new
Internet voyeurism is a crystal ball that
crosses the line of privacy or the nature
of things, events, and people crossing
each other meaning to happen now. T h i s
defeats the purpose of the reunion and
cuts corners, I admit. But maybe it’s
safer that way?
My friends who contacted me after
the reunion that I missed out on made
me doubt my decision not to go. T h e y
said that no matter who walked through,
they were well-received. To me, I didn't
take that chance because ultimately I
didn't want to be bothered, I moved on.
Maybe down the road I hope I made the
right decision because more likely I'm
better off not knowing, and I don't want
to know.
It's not to say that I didn't like every-
one I went to school with. There are
many that I’d love to meet somewhere
down the road. As a consolation, I still
have my memories, my videos, my
music cassettes, and other memorabilia
I'd rather look to, because those objects
won't hurt my feelings or make me
doubt myself.
Those who are really genuinely inter-
ested can look me up.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
Treason & Deviance:
Just Another Day
On The Job In Iraq
By James Laudano
___________
Unless you’ve been living under a rock
(or, for that matter, working for the Bush
administration) for the past four years, you
undoubtedly have heard and learned some-
thing about the divisions in the Muslim
world between the Sunnis and Shiites. The
divisions between the two sects of Islam
have always been a contentious point for
many in the Middle East. With the toppling
of Saddam’s government in Iraq, the
United States has been given a front seat
view of the violence that stems from this
divide. However, in the administration’s
eyes, the greatest consequence from this
conflict in Iraq is the emboldening and
strengthening of Iraq’s neighbor to the
East: Iran. Iran, being a predominately
Shiite nation, views the burgeoning civil
war in Iraq as a chance to expand their
influence in the region and empower
Shiite’s throughout the world. This, justifi-
ably or not, has greatly alarmed and fright-
ened the Bush administration. It’s from
this fear of expanded Iranian influence that
the administration has authorized one of
the most underhanded and regrettable poli-
cies the United States has ever embarked
upon in the Middle East.
Seymour Hersh, writer for the The New
Yorker, has uncovered a new shift in the
administration’s strategy in the Middle
East. In the March 5th issue of The New
Yorker, he describes, in detail, how the
Bush administration has now begun to
fund and support many of the Sunni mili-
tant groups that oppose the Iranian-backed
Shiite groups in Iraq and Lebanon. So,
instead of trying to use the United States
military to mediate between the two war-
ring sects and establish some sense of
security in Iraq, the administration has
now begun to fan the flames of hatred and
violence in the hopes of curbing the grow-
ing Iranian Shiite power. However, ironi-
cally enough, the militant groups in Iraq
that most frequently attack American sol-
diers and conduct suicide missions against
civilians are Sunni. It is very likely that
these groups have ties to the largest and
most influential Sunni militant group, Al
Qaeda.
The ramifications of this new shift in
strategy are both numerous and dire. As
stated above, the violence and sectarian
divide in Iraq only increases because of
this covert funding. However, we must
also figure that we are pumping money
into the sort of organizations that perpetu-
ated the terrorist attacks on the World
Trade Center. Aren’t we supposed to be
fighting and arresting these people? That
sure seems to be the tune that has been
coming out of the White House these past
five years. However, apparently we are
allowed to publicly denounce them while
secretly supporting them. Also, might I
point out the inherent hypocrisy of con-
stantly admonishing Iran for supporting
the Shiite militant groups while we do the
same for the Sunnis? This, as anyone pay-
ing attention can realize, is bringing us
closer and closer to a direct conflict with
Iran. And if you think the war in Iraq is
going poorly, just imagine what would
happen if fighting broke out next door as
well.
If I were an American
soldier in Iraq, I would
see this as a disrespectful
slap in the face
But these depressing facts aren’t the
only consequences of this new strategy.
Personally, I find it to be a bit, oh I don’t
know… TREASONOUS to give money
and secret support to the groups that every
day are killing American soldiers and Iraqi
civilians. If I were an American soldier in
Iraq, I would see this as a disrespectful
slap in the face. While the armed forces lay
their lives on the line to try to stabilize Iraq
in a botched and mishandled war, our gov-
ernment pays for the I.E.D.’s and car
bombs that threaten them everyday. And
where did that money come from? Well,
most of it came from the actual war in Iraq
itself, but regardless of that, it is still unau-
thorized spending and outside the limits of
power that the executive branch has. That
alone is a matter that should (but won’t) be
investigated by Congress.
It is unfortunate that this story probably
won’t get much coverage in the main-
stream media. There was an interview with
Seymour Hersh on Wolf Blitzer’s program
on CNN, and of course there is the article
from The New Yorker, but most people
won’t make a fuss about this here in the
United States. I imagine that we still have
a few more weeks left of the Anna Nicole
Smith coverage, and by the time that ends,
this story will be ancient history to most.
However, through this course of action, the
administration has done irreparable harm
and damage to our reputation in the
Muslim world, the safety of countless
civilians (both Iraqi and American), the
stability of the region as a whole, and the
future of Islam-Western relations for
decades to come. And you thought the war
in Iraq couldn’t get any worse……
Thomas Jefferson
Joins The Jewbilee?
By Alex H. Nagler
___________
One of the major selling points of
Senator Joseph Lieberman when he ran for
President in 2000 and served as Vice
Presidential nominee was that if elected,
he would be the first Jewish president. It
would have been, to steal a term from
South Park, a major victory for the
“Jewbilee.” However, someone may have
beat him to the punch by a little over 200
years.
Thomas Jefferson was a statesman, a
patriot, a man who fought for the inde-
pendence of the free press. one of the
founding fathers of our country. Was he
also a Red Sea pedestrian? Recent research
has shown that President Jefferson’s Y-
chromosome exhibits a specific trait (K2)
that is common to one of Middle Eastern
descent. These traits were all but unheard
of in Europe at the time, so the question
has been raised as to whether or not
Jefferson may have had some ancestors of
Jewish descent.
Researchers arrived at this conclusion
by testing the genes of living Hemings
family members, who in 1998 were proven
to be related to Jefferson, thanks to the
a ffair between Jefferson and Sally
Hemings after the death of Martha
Jefferson. This makes the Y-chromosome
on all of the males of this family equal to
that of the surviving Jeffersons and a direct
relation to Thomas himself.
Further research proved that only twq
out of 85 modern day British Jeffersons
had the K2 trait, stating that Jefferson’s
direct ancestry was not Jewish, but that
perhaps sometimes in the 1500s, the
Jeffersons may have been Sephardic Jews-
Sephardic, John Locke “Rights of Man,”
plagiarizing Jews. If this is true, it doesn’t
really have any impact on American histo-
ry. This is in the same vein as gay Abe
Lincoln or the fact that no one outside of
history students care about the scandals of
Warren G. Harding and the Teapot Dome
or Ulysses S. Grant and the Whiskey Ring.
Some historian itching to craft his PhD or
sell a book will always come out of the
woodwork with his “shocking” new claim
about something that will “revise” history.
We don’t really care. I mean, if we discov-
ered today that Jefferson was a really a
closeted Jew, would anyone care? Would
the entire Louisiana Purchase be suddenly
considered part of a vast Zionist conspira-
cy?
Thomas Jefferson was a genius. It does
not and should not matter whether or not
he was Jewish. In closing, I leave you all
with a quote by John F. Kennedy (who, last
I heard, was secretly an alien from the
planet Zorbak). When he invited 49 Nobel
Prize winners to the White House in 1962,
he remarked, “I think this is the most
extraordinary collection of talent and of
human knowledge that has ever been gath-
ered together at the White House—with
the possible exception of when Thomas
Jefferson dined alone.”
Alex H. Nagler almost forgot to add
these.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
The Prince of Wales
Is a Fascist
By Scott E. Silsbe
___________
On Tuesday, February 27th, the United
Kingdom’s Prince Charles made a con-
summate ass of himself. The beloved
Prince of Wales has been quoted as saying
the following to nutritionalists at the
Imperial College London Diabetes Center
in the United Arab Emirates: "Have you
got anywhere with McDonald's? Have you
tried getting it banned? That's the key.”
The key to what? Apparently, it’s the key
to a happy and healthy populace. In reality,
all such a key will open is a Pandora’s box
of tyranny and oppression.
Now I could give His Highness the ben-
efit of the doubt and just call him an imbe-
cile, someone apparently unaware of the
basic tenets of human civilization and
prosperity (freedom, for example). Or I
could muse that he is fully aware of the
implications of his appalling stance and
call him what he apparently is: a fascist.
Now, I know that he isn’t, in the most pre-
cise meaning of the term, a total fascist,
but if he’s going to play fast and loose with
his rhetoric, then so will I.
The Prince’s buffoonery is,
of course, only once example
of a growing movment
within the ranks of self-right -
eous sociopolitical “elite”[...]
This is, of course, why
I’m angry.
But hey, at least the Prince’s tyranny
would be a “tyranny of good-intentions.”
Then again, as C.S. Lewis has written (you
do know who C.S. Lewis was, right?), "Of
all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the
good of its victims may be the most
oppressive. It may be better to live under
robber barons than under omnipotent
moral busybodies. The robber baron's cru-
elty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity
may at some point be satiated; but those
who torment us for our own good will tor-
ment us without end, for they do so with
the approval of their own conscience."
Indeed.
Prince Charles thinks he’s smarter than
us. He thinks that he, as a member of the
social and political “elite” (and I use that
term very loosely), knows what’s best for
us. We should simply thank him for taking
such important decisions out of our hands.
Or perhaps we should instead assert that
we are not apes and that we have the right
to choose for ourselves how we live our
lives. In this case, that means the right to
choose what we put into our own bodies.
The Prince’s buffoonery is, of course,
only one example of a growing movement
within the ranks of self-righteous socio-
political “elite.” They seek to impose their
culinary preferences on others through the
coercive arm of the state. This is, of
course, why I’m angry. I don’t give a damn
about McDonalds; I prefer Wendy’s. I’m
well aware, as we all are, that these restau-
rant chains are unhealthy. Yet it is my
choice whether or not to eat these foods. I
am responsible for the consequences.
Prince Charles apparently doesn’t want
me to have that choice. Prince Charles
thinks he’s smarter than me. He’s not.
There are those who think that, just
because they don’t like some voluntary,
victimless act, it should be forcibly
banned. Like these people, he is either an
appalling nitwit or a fascist, probably both.
17
 Stony Brook
Loves Vaginas
By Ilyssa Fuchs
___________
On Thursday March 1st and Friday March
2nd, the Wo/Men’s and Gender Resource
Center hosted a benefit performance of Eve
Ensler’s award winning play “The Vagina
Monologues.” The performance went hand
in hand with V-Day 2007. V-Day is a world
wide movement that works towards ending
violence against women by raising funds and
awareness through charity performances of
Ensler’s show. Proceeds from the perform-
ance were donated to the Victims
Information Bureau of Suffolk, The WGRC,
and V-Day.org.
The show, which ran just over two hours,
was a collection of monologues based on sto-
ries compiled by Ensler about her accounts
with many different women. Some of the
monologues featured were, “My Angry
Vagina” (performed by Angela Pravata), a
story about what your vagina could say if it
18
could speak. “Reclaiming Cunt” (performed
by JoAnna Verlezza) is a monologue which
puts a positive spin on the word cunt; a word
with a formally negative connotation. “The
Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas
Happy”, (performed by Jennifer Dixon) a
tale of a previously straight woman who
The show, which ran just over
two hours, was a collection of
monologues based on stories
compiled by Ensler
found her calling was pleasing other women.
The performances ranged from humorous to
serious and had the audience laughing, gasp-
ing, and then laughing again; but the piece
which was the most moving of the night by
far was, “Say It” (performed by Katie
Giacovelli). This monologue was based on
the true narratives of the “comfort women.”
These women were forcefully taken from
their homes during WWII by Japanese sol-
diers and were required to live in less than
hospitable conditions while being used as
sex slaves. The monologue tells their horror
story and ends with a powerful demand that
the Japanese government apologize for all of
the atrocities that were imposed upon them.
This played an important role for the show in
general because this years V-Day spotlight
campaign is focusing on women in conflict
zones, whose lives have been affected by war
or in the aftermath of it.
Overall, the show was excellent and the
money raised will all be going to help
women who are less fortunate than our-
selves. From laughs to tears, it’s true, Stony
Brook loves vaginas.
20
www.thestonybrookpress.com
LCD Soundsystem -
North American Scum
H. M. Yea
Check out his disco ball(s)!
By Jonathan Singer
___________
In “North American Scum,” LCD
Soundsystem, the one man project com-
posed of James Murphy, continues its
tradition of quirky lyrics (“Daft Punk is
playing at my house”) mixed with
catchy new wave techno beats: imagine
Talking Heads walking into an all-night
rave. T h a t ’s essentially what one gets
while listening to this song, which was
released as a single in the beginning of
March. This song is the advance single
for Soundsystem’s new album, Sound
of Silver.
“Scum” is composed simply of
vocals, guitar, bass, and percussion. A
small dash of synth is thrown in to com-
plete the signature LCD sound. It could
be more complex if it wanted to be, per-
haps by adding a new wave synth solo,
but what’s the point? This song is
catchy enough.
Mu rp h y ’s lyrics, sung in the style of
a drunken rant, raise a good point: the
“Scum” is composed simply
of vocals, guitar, bass, and
percussion. A small dash of
synth is thrown in to com -
plete the signature LCD
sound
North American club scene sucks. It
certainly isn’t like Spain, where parties
go all night (according to the Tra v e l
Channel, they go until 8AM).
That means that Murphy and the rest
of his stunt band (Pat Mahoney, Phil
Mossman, Tyler Pope, and Nancy
Whang) have to party it up as much as
they can; their tour of Europe ends on
March 27th. The show after that will be
on the 30th at the Bowery Ballroom.
H o p e fu l l y, the party won’t get “shut
down in North A m e r i c a . ”
 A Tribute to the Dead
Who Perished in a
Century-Old Fire
By Marta Gyvel
___________
If it weren’t for their deaths and a highly
publicized trial with a controversial ending,
perhaps there would still be sweatshops and
horrible working conditions in cities today.
Almost everyone has learned about the infa-
mous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire at
some point, which happened in Manhattan,
New York on March 25th, 1911. This was a
garment factory that employed 500 young
women, some as young as twelve. The
tragedy claimed 146 lives of the 450 women
had been working that day.
On March 5th the Wang Center welcomed
LuLu LoLo, an Italian-American actress who
wrote and starred in a play about the events of
the fire. The play centered on the Saracino
family, two oh whom died in the fire. The
show was sponsored by the Women’s
Studies, History, and Italian Studies
Departments. It consisted of three scenes,
each of which had LuLu playing different
people. The entire play, in fact, was a one-
woman show; LuLu changed costumes for
every scene and proceeded with a long mono-
logue for each of them.
The first scene shows LuLu as the
Saracino matriarch making lunch for her two
daughters who are just about to leave for
work at the factory. She also talks to the
neighbors through the window, using an
extremely convincing Italian accent and
accurate gestures, worrying about every little
detail, like the stereotypical mother.
The next scene shows her as the older
Seracino daughter; she is sewing at the facto-
ry and sarcastically complaining about not
being able to breathe. Her reference to getting
paid at the end of the day adds on to the
tragedy of the fire, as these over-worked peo-
ple slaved away for fourteen hour shifts for
$1.50 a day. She promises her younger sister
a treat at the end of the day, only to be fined
by the manager for talking. The blame for the
fire is clearly being shifted to people in charge
right from the start. She also reminisces about
not having the guts to join the union like her
friend did; the union she’s referring to is most
likely the International Ladies’ Garment
Workers’ Union, which had staged a walkout
three years earlier.
When the fire starts, the sisters have
nowhere to escape because the elevator stops
working and the fire escape breaks down.
Another reference to the sins of authority
comes with the knowledge that one of the
exits had been locked from the outside to
keep the girls from taking breaks. It is also
mentioned there are pieces of flammable fab-
ric lying around everywhere; obviously a lot
of lives could have been saved that day if only
someone cared. The Saracino sisters are
forced to jump down to their deaths from the
9th floor. The final scene shows LuLu as a
bystander, calling the police from across the
street of the building and reporting on the
events that follow afterward. This one was a
little hard to sit through, as the narration
sounded like it came out of some textbook.
The trial’s outcome was a happy one for
the owners: they were acquitted of the
charges, much to the dismay of the 300 moth-
ers who staged a protest for revenge. Many
laws were enacted, however, to improve
working conditions. The Asch Building was
later bought by Frederick Brown and donated
to New York University in 1929, where it is
now known as the Brown Building of
Science. There will be a reception held at the
site on March 26th, to honor the victims of
the tragedy.
LuLu picked the Seracino family to write
about because she shares an Italian heritage
with them. She has worked on many histori-
cal projects, including one on the brutal mur-
der of Kitty Genovese. Her performance was
overall very convincing. Talking to oneself
must get tiresome after about five minutes,
but she kept it up for one hour. The Press
wishes LuLu good luck in further endeavors.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
All of a Sudden
I Miss Everyone
By Bryan Hasho
___________
A strained, female voice commences
Mogwai’s mid-nineties epochal Young
Team, vowing, “Because music is bigger
than words and wider than pictures. If
someone said that Mogwai are the stars I
would not object. If the stars had a sound
it would sound like this.” These twenty
seconds have become an anthem for post-
rock instrumental fans since Mogwai’s
indie classic, but until lately, the genre has
proved stagnant. All of a Sudden I Miss
Everyone is the latest in the emergence of
Explosions In The Sky, and the defining
strike in the at-last resurfacing of a genre.
The Mogwai influence, even if an unre-
alized one, is evident. Explosions, howev-
er, is irrefutably progressive. The Austin,
Texas quartet came together in 1999 to
produce How Strange, Innocence, and
have evolved their sound to their current
rock- symphonist status. Constructed of a
drum set and three guitars (occasional a
bass), Explosions is purely instrumental.
They are Sigur Rós-esque ambient, as
intrinsically crafted as Japan’s Mono, and
perfectly infused with resounding,
unmatched, grand crescendos.
To call Explosions musical revolution-
aries is indeed a stretch, but in an era when
bands are creating albums for the sake of
replication, Explosions is refreshing at the
very least, if not game changing. And for
those that follow the idea of the literal
visualization of music, Explosions is
exemplary. All of a Sudden is an instru-
mental light show, one that could serve as
the music backdrop of both a world war
and art exhibit.
Explosions puts you not in a trance, but
within your own narrative that is both
adaptable and theatrical. It’s not so much
mesmerizing as dramatic; it’s entrapping,
yet thoroughly conscious. Many declare it
inspirational, but only when the tone sug-
gests. The story is vivid, but without the
pollution of vocals; it’s always for ones
own elucidation.
Explosions’ work on the Friday Night
Lights soundtrack, their only real known
cultural relevance as of yet, endlessly dic-
tates the story without overshadowing it.
They seem to have evolved since the
album, especially in terms of creating
inner-track peaks, as supposed to previous
albums that highlighted a more album-
inclusive climax. This is still very much
achieved on their latest work, though the
songs more effectively act as stand alone
chapters in their epic account.
All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone begins
with “The Birth and Death of The Day,” a
song that opens with a bang and grows into
an album both awe-inspiring and under-
statedly epic. The song’s strong beginning
and regression is a perfect introduction to
the album, as well as an intriguing contrast
to their illustrious use of mundane open-
ings and relentlessly intense conclusions.
Following is “Welcome Ghosts,” as
recently heard on last Tu e s d a y ’s Late
Night with Conan O’Brien. Here it is
apparent that critics who suggest that All
of a Sudden is creatively dormant have yet
to commit a dedicated listen. The com-
plexities of the album’s overlapping instru-
mental storyline are both extensive and
inventive, and the mid-album introduction
of a piano proves a well-instilled matura-
tion, a welcome change from punk’s recent
affliction with uninspired, seemingly
pointless additions of pseudo-pioneering
violins, trumpets, or tambourines for that
matter.
In “So Long, Lonesome,” the piano’s
success creates a new character of the
story. It’s often times spiraling, yet always
dramatic, and transcends to the spine of the
album’s slow conflict. The latter half of
the song serves as the turning point for our
protagonist; the soft taps of the snare drum
actually seem to create muffled gunshots.
The piano fades, and at least within this
particular application, death is an occur-
ring motif. Regardless, the song presents a
sort of celebratory deep breath; a victory,
however unsure. The percussions seem to
more-so serve the primary effect of the
piece (such is the case for the bulk of the
album), a change from a role in support of
Explosion’s renowned thematic guitar
explorations. The meticulous combination
of the two, however beautiful, gives off a
reserved feeling somehow, an effect that
tends to make you believe that the story is
yet to reveal so much more. With
Explosions, that never really goes away.
“All of a Sudden I Miss Every o n e ”
Explosions in the Sky
19
 Pocket Symphony
By David Becerra
___________
Though it lacks the zing and zest of
the ever-popular album Talkie Walkie,
Air's latest album Pocket Symphony is
still a treat. Pocket Symphony is more
of a chill out album. Through slow
melodic progressions, Air shows the
ability to alter its sound without losing
a hook. What draws you to Pocket
Symphony certainly won't captivate you
as quickly, but as with many great
albums, it is a pleasure that you warm
up to over time. The all-too-familiar
pitch shifter lightens up some tracks,
leading the listener to suspect a female
vocalist, but no, that is, in fact, a male.
A pleasantly received guest vocalist,
Jarvis Cocker from Pulp also is featured
on the album. The wonderful percussion
instrument sometimes referred to as the
piano is also a pleasant addition to the
entourage of synthesizers. Air's ability
to reinforce the stereotype of the French
man holding a woman in one hand and
playing a synthesizer with the other is
uncanny and should not be overlooked.
A thorough track analysis will do this
album some justice:
“Pocket Symphony”
Air
20
1. “Space Maker” – Yeah, let's get this
album started. Haunting almost, but it has
a sincere tone. Instrumental and effective.
2. “Once Upon a Time” - My personal
favorite. The rest of the album seems to
be leaning on this song for support. Pitch
shifted vocals with regular backing
vocals, golden.
3. “One Hell of a Party” - This song is
redundant. This song is redundant. This
song is redundant. This song is redun-
dant.
4. “Napalm Love” - What's that bitter-
sweet taste in my mouth? Oh it's napalm
love!
5. “Mayfair Song” - The pulse of the song
slowly flows throughout. Captivating.
They don't make em' like this anymore.
6. “Left Bank” - While the acoustic guitar
strums to our hearts’ content, we are hit
with the voice of Jarvis Cocker from Pulp
to make us sway to and fro in our seats.
7. “Photograph” - Where's the hook?
Where is it?
8. “Mer Du Japon” - Oh yeah, that's right,
we're cranking up the tempo to an entire
100 bpm! Hold onto your seats! Hearing
this after the rather slow paced songs may
make you forget that this song still is
quite timid. I'll rate it as decent, though it
is lacking.
9. “Lost Message” - It works for back-
ground music.
10. “Somewhere Between Waking and
Sleeping” - The vocal tracks are doubled
over to allow for a contrast that invokes
auditory ecstasy. A strong point of the
album
11. “Redhead Girl” - Does this song
sound any different when compared to
the rest of the album?
12. “Night Sight”- If you aren't relaxed
enough, this song will wind everything
down for you. Given the album it's on, I
can understand using it as a closer.
Unfortunately, the album has its flaws.
Redundancy is a problem that can be
found in a few of the tracks. “One Hell of
a Party” perhaps can entertain a listener
for the first 30 seconds, but, honestly,
how little can one song progress? Sure,
they sing without the pitchshifter, a
valiant step, but that does not make it a
good change. From the droning relaxing
mood set from “Once Upon A Time,” to
the not so upbeat “Mer Du Japon,” one
can clearly see that the album takes a
common theme and allows for little devi-
ation from that.
Verdict: Definitely worth the listen, not
worth spending the funds.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
Neon Bible
By Jake Wallace
___________
Following 2004’s F u n e r a l, T h e
Arcade Fire had some big shoes to fill.
Not only was Funeral one of the most
critically acclaimed albums of 2004, it
was also hailed as one of the best indie
rock albums of all time. The Arcade Fire
could’ve screwed their sophomore
album up a thousand different ways;
instead, they’ve released a beautifully
simple record that is destined to be, once
again, one of the best albums of the
year.
While Funeral looked inward, focus-
ing on personal feelings of loss and
longing, Neon Bible looks outward,
exploring the wayward state of the
world today. While the nostalgic air
throughout F u n e r a l was one of the
band’s most celebrated aspects, they’ve
now proven that they do subtle world
commentary quite well too. When Wi n
Butler exclaims, “No matter what you
say, I know there’s some debts you’ll
never pay” on “Intervention” you can’t
help but see him raise his middle finger
to the entire Bush administration. Butler
also experiments with combining the
themes of Funeral with his newfound
worldview on “Windowsill”, a commen-
tary likening his dissatisfaction with life
in the new millennium to his father’s
death.
Neon Bible’s true selling point is the
new repertoire of instruments the band
has incorporated. Openers “Black
Mirror” and “Keep The Car Running”
feature the hurdy gurdy, one of the most
unique looking and sounding instru-
ments in rock music today. While, “My
Body Is A Cage” features a haunting
horn section, brought to life by the aban-
doned church the album was recorded
in. Neon Bible also takes the band’s
string arrangements to the next level, all
of which were done in-house by Régine
Chassagne and Owen Powell. A l s o
explored is the use of sampled sound,
put to good use with the thunder crash-
ing throughout in the album’s highlight,
the dreary and haunting, “Ocean Of
Noise.” These new musical explorations
prove that The Arcade Fire’s best songs
are certainly not behind them.
Perhaps a nod to their devoted fan-
base, Neon Bible contains a new record-
ing of “No Cars Go”, the standout track
on their otherwise mediocre debut EP.
While the new recording varies little
from the original, the song fits perfectly
alongside the rest of the album and is
sure to turn a live fan favorite into one
of their most requested. However, the
same fans may be greatly disappointed
at Neon Bible’s lack of vocal contribu-
tions from Chassagne; while she sings
the first verse of “Black Wa v e / B a d
Vibrations” and backing vocals on
numerous others, nothing on the album
contains the soft and sweet moods she
created on Funeral’s “Haiti” and “In
The Backseat.”
It may seem like I’m spending more
time talking about The Arcade Fire’s last
album, than the one I’m actually review-
ing, but it’s impossible to review Neon
Bible without taking into consideration
the impact Funeral had on myself and
just about anyone else who’s heard it. If
anyone actually thought Neon Bible was
going to top F u n e r a l, they’re a fool. T h e
Arcade Fire is destined to be one of
those artists whose first album is their
best, but unlike almost every other artist
in that category, it is highly unlikely that
they will ever release an album that is
anything short of fantastic. Neon Bible
may not have anything quite as memo-
rable as “Rebellion (Lies)” or
“Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)”, but
it’s still a damn good album worth many
listens.
As a quick note to anyone planning to
purchase a hard copy of the album, I
highly recommend the Deluxe Edition.
It retails for only $2 more than the regu-
lar and is a much nicer package. The
Deluxe Edition comes in a hinged box
with a lenticular cover, the album’s liner
notes and two flip books designed by the
band, featuring artwork from the cover
and liner notes.
“Neon Bible”
The Arcade Fire
 The A rcade Fire – Neon Bible
(Merge, 03/06/2007)
Is March too early to declare an album
of the year? Or is 2007 too early to grant
the title of best album of the decade?
Their first full-length album, Funeral,
was heralded for its candid urgency and
personal reflection in 2004. Neon Bible
is something much larg e r, musically and
expressively; it’s ready to take on the
whole world. With their second album,
The Arcade Fire proves what a lot of lis-
teners have been saying about this band
all along: they’re fucking amazing.
I know everyone else has been saying
it since this leaked earlier this year, but
Neon Bible really is THE album of our
time. At a time when nobody seems to be
able to tell everyone what the global situ-
ation really is, Neon Bible speaks to the
alienation of Western youth. The
Montreal-based symphonic indie rock
band took a decidedly more chamber-pop
this time around, including a full
Hungarian orchestra, giving it a much
more robust sound than their earlier
works. After their appearance on
Saturday Night Live, a friend comment-
ed, “by the next album, they’ll be consid-
ered the greatest thing in music -- better
than Radiohead.” And if they follow up
Neon Bible with anything nearly as bril-
liant as this, he’s probably right.
When the first single “Intervention”
was released months ago, many critics
compared it to the early works Bruce
Springsteen, at which I scoffed. Talented
songwriting does not alone merit compar-
isons to The Boss, I thought.
Surprisingly though, I found the compar-
isons quite apt. Opening with a lively
pipe organ, Win Butler emotively cries,
“working for the church while your fami-
ly dies/you take what they give you and
you keep it inside.” Much of the album
sounds like a modern take on Springsteen
intertwined with a huge dreamy wall-of-
sound like that of perhaps Cocteau Twins.
(Antichrist Television Blues), with its
hard-strumming acoustic guitar and
Butler’s straightforward delivery of one
American’s life definitely has the most
Bruce-y sound on the album. From the
point of view of a father living in uncer-
tain times, he tries to explain to himself,
“Dear God, I'm a good Christian man/I'm
your boy, I know you understand/That
you got to work hard and you got to get
paid/The girl's thirteen, but she don't act
her age/She can sing like a bird in
cage/Oh Lord, if you could see her when
she's up on that stage,” clearly calling out
the likes of Jessica Simpson’s father or
the parents of JonBenet Ramsey. And
while it was initially my least favorite
song, I came to appreciate the folky
“Keep The Car Running” and its similar-
ities to Born In the U.S.A.’s deeper tracks.
While putting so much emphasis on
lyricist Win Butler, every other instru-
ment is equally stunning. The band’s
members include a few multi-instrumen-
talists who also play in Bell Orchestre,
and Neon Bible also features violinist
Owen Pallett, a friend of the band known
for his own solo project, Final Fantasy.
The choral backing vocals that saturate
Neon Bible come from Régine
Chassagne, co-founder of the band and
Wi n ’s wife, who plays the accordion and
numerous other instruments.
The first track on the album is solid
and doesn’t come across too strong, and
if I had to compare it to any other artist, it
would be Bowie, after he quit the heroin.
As the third track, the brief piece which
shares its title with the album gives a cue
to the mood of the album: “it’s the Neon
Bible, not much chance for survival. On
“Black Wave/Bad Vibrations”, the
Haitian-born Chassagne sings in English
and French over what sounds like Joy
Division with a heavy string section.
This leads into Butler’s much heavier,
paranoid-sounding section of the song,
and one of the greatest lines on Neon
Bible, “stop now before it’s late; eating in
the ghetto on a hundred-dollar plate.”
And that’s not to mention, the show-
stopping, mind-blowing “Wi n d o w s i l l ” ,
which I could write a term paper about. I
know that many Americans are weary of
Bush-bashing songs, but “Windowsill” is
so much more, and something worth lis-
tening to at least a few times before judg-
ing it. “I don't want to fight in the holy
war/I don't want the salesmen knocking
at my door/I don't want to live in America
no more//Because the tide is high/And it's
rising still/And I don't want to see it at my
windowsill” Butler begs. “MTV what
have you done to me?/Save my soul, set
me free,” may sound cliché, but I think
that’s only because Butler is putting into
lyrics what an entire generation has been
wondering since they grew up and saw
what was going on around them.
When I saw “No Cars Go” on the track
list, I was admittedly disappointed. It
was on their first ever release, the 2003
E P simply labeled The A rcade Fire,
though I don’t immediately blame a band
for recycling songs from EPs. However,
this is not the same minimalist “No Cars
Go”, and the decision to re-record it
shows tremendous confidence With a bit
less emphasis on traditional percussion
and a heavier dose of cautious optimism,
www.thestonybrookpress.com
the remake is how a Baroque pop song of
Peter Pan syndrome is meant to sound.
Closing out with “My Body Is A
Cage,” I was kind of confused at first.
The album had been so holistically per-
fect, and this song just felt like tacked on.
For the first minute-and-a-half, Butler
bleats with little backing, “my body is a
cage/that keeps me from the one I
love/but my mind holds the key.” As the
o rgan and backing vocals kick in and a
mighty synthesizer and drums rose from
my speakers, I felt like I was listening to
a lost track from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side
Of The Moon, and I say that with the
utmost admiration for Roger Waters and
Win Butler.
The band’s self-titled EP was given the
de jure title of the Us Kids Know EP by
fans back then from a line in “No Cars
Go”, but I think that Us Kids Know is a
much more appropriate summary of the
theme for this album. Now go listen to it,
several dozen times.
Snowgoons – German Lugers
(Babygrande, 02/27/2007)
As much as I follow all types of rap,
I’m willing to admit that I don’t know
much about German hip-hop producers.
But with all the pre-release hype that
German Lugers has been getting all year
and the all-star list of underground rap-
pers making appearances, I was quite
curious about Snowgoons. The quartet of
Det, DJ Illegal, Torben, DJ Waxwork
have become well-known in the
European hip-hop community, but now
they’re bringing it Stateside. Looking to
make it here in the major leagues of hip-
hop, they signed to Babygrande Records,
which has proven itself serious as an
independent hip-hop label, having signed
artists from GZA to Canibus to Immortal
Technique to Purple City.
With the likes of Wordsworth, Sean
Price, Living Legends, Craig G (the jour-
neyman who’s been around since Marly
Marl’s Juice Crew), and a couple of Jedi
Mind Tricks, Lugers reads like a Who’s
Who of the American underground scene.
U n f o r t u n a t e l y, like many producers’
ambitious compilations, the saturation
are too many artists trying to do their own
thing for any one idea to stick
With more than two-dozen rappers
spitting to the eighteen beats, everyone’s
showcasing their finest lyrical efforts. On
“Who What When Where”, Majik Most
says “you think you’re the rayman, I’m
r a i n i n ’ like Raiden/raisin’ my hands
puttin’ lightning bolts in your band.” Not
all the lyrics are especially deep or
refreshing, though. After Sean Price’s
impressive solo release earlier this year,
he’s so weak on Lugers’ “Gunz”, which is
a pretty boring track about shooting peo-
ple. Philly rapper Last Emperor shines
on “Man Of The Year” with self-assured-
ly styles, “enemies, beware! my raps are
fiery/Sort of like Shakespeare's dramatic
irony/Pros go from skid row to high soci-
ety/But I must say, I just play a wide vari-
ety/I'm really that fresh, to the top entire-
ty/All access, you should stop denyin’
me/I warn any thug who thinks of tryin’
me/Say no to drugs, you should try sobri-
ety” and so on. On the tails of that is “It’s
Yours”, with a commendably-placed
sample of the Nas classic and the rhymes
of Afu-Ra is one of the album’s strongest
tracks. There’s a little too much of that
I ’ m - b e t t e r-than-you-are ego-stroking, but
that’s what rap is about when you’ve got
the fire to back it up.
Maybe it’s just a pet peeve of mine, but
I hate shout-overs that DJs love to do on
mixtapes. And Lugers is worse – it’s
quite apparent that the ‘Goons are trying
to make a name for themselves. Every
track starts with repetition of phrases like
“Snowgoons, sprockets!” and the greatest
sin of all, screaming out “G e r m a n
Lugers!” over verses. We know what the
name of the fucking album is.
The beats are definitely European,
with a tight, emphasis on a variety of
instruments from horns to bells, and a
predominantly mid-tempo bassline, and
it’s obviously a little more complex than
what the mostly East Coast rappers are
used to feeling. On a couple of tracks, I
wonder if there was any communication
between rapper and producer or if they
just sent an a capella across the Atlantic
and put it on some beat the ‘Goons
already made.
So excuse the firearm puns, but the
hired guns’ may be spittin’ hot lead, but
they just don’t match up well with the
beats on German Lugers. Keep an ear out
for more Snowgoons-produced tracks on
the underground; these guys definitely
have production talent and just need to
tone down their ambitions and keep it
down-to-earth.
21
 Could Jesus Have Been Married to
Mary Magdalene, Real Founder of
Christianity?
By Laura Positano
Jesus could have had a big family.
This was the premise for a Discovery
Channel special presentation entitled
“The Lost Tomb of Jesus.” To m b s
found in the Talpiot section of Jerusalem
were alleged to belong to Jesus Christ,
Mary Magdalene (who was claimed by
the special to be his wife), and other
family members, specifically his broth-
ers Matthew, James, Simon, and Judah.
This special aimed to figure out whether
these are indeed the ossuaries (lime-
stone bone boxes) of Jesus Christ’s fam-
ily.
Linguistics, archeology, history, sta-
tistics, genetics, and theology all coa-
lesced in this special. Analyses of the
Aramaic (the language spoken during
the first century) writings on the ossuar-
ies revealed the names on the boxes.
Most of them were common names for
the first century Jerusalem population
(for instance, Joseph.) So those ossuar-
ies could belong to any Jerusalem fami-
ly, not necessarily that of Jesus Christ.
H o w e v e r, the ossuary inscribed
Mariamene e Mara, which translates to
“Mary, the leader,” possibly belongs to
Mary Magdalene, who was a disciple of
Jesus, according to the Gospels of Philip
and Mary. Her ossuary was the only one
inscribed in Greek, which is significant
because Magdala was a place where
Greek was spoken. To prove that she
was not a blood relative of Jesus, DNA
tests were done on bone fragments
found within the ossuaries of Jesus and
Mariamene, and the results proved that
the two were unrelated, and therefore
almost certainly husband and wife. T h i s
special raises many critical questions for
a Catholic like myself who that has been
taught, according to the Bible, that Jesus
was a single preacher who rose from the
dead.
William Donohue of the Catholic
League was on CNN a few weeks back,
on Paula Zahn Now, in a panel discus-
sion about this special (which had not
yet aired at the time.) He noted that dis-
coveries which lead one to question
tenets of the Catholic Church’s dogmat-
ic teachings always seem to appear
around Lent. This is the time when
Catholics remember Christ’s suff e r i n g ,
crucifixion, and eventual resurrection
from the dead on Easter. The claimed
discovery of a tomb belonging to Jesus
questions this fundamental teaching of
the Bible that Jesus, [only after his fol-
22
lowers had rolled away the rock that had
hidden his tomb only to find it empty]
appeared before Mary Magdalene and
his disciples a resurrected man.
According to the documentary’s pro-
ducer James Cameron, who was inter-
viewed by the New York Post, this “film
doesn’t deal with theological issues.”
Yet it is so clear that it does, beyond the
one with the resurrection story being
undermined. Did Jesus have a wife?
Did his parents, the Virgin Mary and his
adopted father Joseph, have other chil-
dren (that would undermine the notion
of the virginal Mary), since ten ossuar-
ies were found in the family burial area?
Was this the family burial plot of Jesus,
or just one of his neighbors?
Specifically, the special recounted the
possible and enlightened speculation
that Mary Magdalene was a Greek-
speaking, Israeli apostle to the Greek
Jews along the coast. Even more intrigu-
ing, the special speculates that Mary
was not merely a loose woman, or pros-
titute, but the de facto founder of the
Christian faith. This is a revolutionary
statement because women were shut out
of the Catholic Church leadership by the
early Christian heads of the Church.
Mary Magdalene’s role as a missionary
of Christianity is noted by this film, and
this is important for the purpose of
enlightening those who still believe
Mary Magdalene was an adulterous
woman or a fallen sinner.
The most venial reason for literally
writing Mary out of the Church was also
touched upon by the special: a male-
dominated structure would have fatal
problems with the prospect that the faith
was founded by a woman. The special
also noted that woman missionaries
were hardly unknown in the period of
the early Church. Many feminine con-
cepts - peace, cooperation, non-vio-
lence, gentleness, lack of baseless con-
flic - can realistically be derived from
traditionally female values.
If we derive our values accordingly,
the reason why Mary seemingly popped
up at such critical times as the actual
crucifixion of Jesus (when she was
allowed past the Roman guard posts as a
relative) and as she was the first person
to see the risen Christ on Easter morn-
ing, is hardly difficult to understand.
She was his wife. The Romans allowed
her past for obvious reasons, and the
tomb visit also makes more sense for a
widow. Finally, who else would Jesus
want to appear before than his wife?
Many questions were raised, but few
really answered, by this eye opening
documentary film.
www.thestonybrookpress.com
The Northern Stars
By Miguel A. Sanchez
There are many who have come to ask
me about my original article, “Into the
Eastern Shore.” Some have asked me,
“What is it all about?” I have come to
speculate that there is some level of confu-
sion and wonder. For one, how can an
atheist, a Naturalistic Humanist, come to
believe in faith, yet at the same time
espouse a Biblical view of a higher intelli-
gence that is moving and shaping history
towards its own design, and, in doing so,
continually putting the burden of choices
on humanity? Tribulations, obstacles,
challenges, and the ultimate conviction to
follow the test to its final conclusion can
alienate some in the Critical Theory and
Enlightenment movement. For there is a
strategy; that much can be given. But the
strategy is not in terms of what one would
regularly find it to be, it is a process of
growth and humility.
There is a rule among Orthodox Jews
that one cannot describe the personal char-
acteristics of the Messiah, even though
there are two Messiahs: a political
Messiah and a suffering Messiah. Some
have come to allege the latter to be Christ
How these events will transpire is any-
body’s guess. But what one can be sure of
is that history always unfolds during a
period of upheaval and calamity. When
the human race is gripped with all-out war,
when the species is confronted with the
question of life or death, when one is
pushed into a corner and asked to choose,
then there is the impending uncertainty
that grips humanity.
I do believe in a higher intelligence;
whether it is logos, nature, or Desein.
Fundamentally, there is a rule that must be
followed: it is not “the highest” intelli-
gence. What one is realizing is that this
higher intelligence is emerging, becoming
more and more conscious, reflecting back
and pondering the same questions that
humanity is gripped with. Man is inher-
ently a reflection of this higher intelli-
gence.
I must adhere to social ecology; yes, I
mystify it. But I give it an edge and a
human quality, a contradiction that can
only be settled as the human race begins to
relate itself honestly to nature.
Not taking into account human actions
towards its own environment and how it
affects the social and ecological state of
the species, as well as the continual per-
sistence to put weight into population and
not human growth and its connection to its
own surroundings greatly displaces the
convention that humans are innately natu-
ral organisms. Hence my dislike for deep
ecology, but only a slight dislike, for I do
share the mystification, the wonder of all
tales and stories being told.
My criticisms towards the
Enlightenment is not a criticism against its
principles, but in the persistence of “those
who claim Enlightenment” to be the van-
guards of historical development.
Intellectuals should not be the leaders of
the new anarchist movement; rather, their
existence is passive, or they must create
and give their access to their tools. I do
not share much conviction with Critical
Theory for the same reasons.
The historical development is some-
thing like dynamic equilibrium, which
requires the efforts of both a sincere com-
mitment to ecological concerns and politi-
cal stability. But the current movement
towards democracy, which flourishes in
the avenue of neo-conservatism and the
New Right, leads only to catastrophic con-
sequences. It does not lead to the kind of
dynamic equilibrium its intended promo-
tional surfaces tend to claim.
For a truly stable system to emerge, it is
required that the system settle down on its
own. Taking matters into one’s own hands
to reconstruct the planet in one’s own
image leads only to the chaotic symptoms
one sees throughout the world. Yet this
does not exclude the idea that actions do
make a difference. Germany and Japan
achieved democracies only because, from
the very beginning, liberal democracy
would not be subsumed and controlled by
a foreign state.
The population in France in the 1950’s
student movement actualized their own
existential right for self-determination. So
did the communist leaders in Japan; cur-
rent declassified memos in the CIA’s
archives describe quite accurately the rul-
ing Communist party’s resistance to
American influence in the region.
They incidentally reflected that right
onto history, onto the greater whole of
dynamic equilibrium, and brought to the
scene its own historical development. It
had no intention of expansion or its own
neo-nationalism, but De Gaul and
Japanese leaders would lead with the
intention of taking personal responsibility
for the effects of the modern Japanese and
French democratic movement.
What’s important is that these move-
ments had a reciprocal effect on the emer-
gence of a stable democratic community
that sought its personality and growth
without the threat of foreign intervention.
When all levels of social structure partici-
pate, when the most radical of these
groups can coincide and give voice to the
moderates and idealists, then this has a
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 Continued from previous page
reciprocal effect on the capacity for a sta-
ble system to emerge. De Gaul and the
student movement in the French territories
brought that sense to bear, and within a
few short months decolonization would
become the next phase.
But how does one come to reconcile
this with the original manuscript? I believe
strongly that the Messianic calling is not a
calling for a grand leader or a staunch
political activist. Rather, it is not inherent
within the voice of one man alone.
No one man can come close to touching
the wonders of the universe, but the call-
ing is a human prerequisite for personal
and ethical responsibilities. As all stories
have told, the human odyssey is continual-
ly perfecting itself, continually moving
towards a point of reflection and growth
that is persistent in its belief. The decision
made is not only the call of one person, but
the multitude of the species, which has
come to inhabit and live on this small
planet.
The faith that I take is in the “democra-
cy to come”: not democracy as defined,
but a democracy as yet to be defined.
Continual studies in mathematics, ecolo-
gy, philosophy, and systems science will
in the process yield better and more pre-
cise understandings of our roles and what
difference human beings can make in the
advancement of knowledge and truth.
I strongly feel that better understanding
in the area of dynamical systems, philoso-
phy of the mind, language, and ecology,
will yield results adequate enough to over-
come the autoimmune effects of demo-
cratic socialism. I do not think that
Marxism in its present form, even its most
radical and late principles (but maybe its
much earlier Humanist affirmations) will
yield the results one is looking for, even if
democracy is to be affirmed.
I cannot judge all political theorists and
what their preferences are, but I fear that
too much adherence to the status quo,
without risking the chance to travel to
uncharted territory in the area of libertari-
an socialism, can interfere with the
prospects of a proper model for democrat-
ic socialism. My most basic reason to
suppose this is that the general technology
used by political theorist to explore and
determine ethical and political issues is
incompatible and outmoded by current
trends in humanity’s historical develop-
ment.
There is too much reliance on what
economists and the people at Wall Street
have to say on the economy and too little
understanding of the basic mathematical
technique used to ascertain their claims.
For one, most economists who became
Nobel laureates have managed to obscure
the global economy to greater deficits.
The prospect of too much industrial con-
sumption plagues the cultural sectors with
negative consequences.
There are too many complexities and
too many hidden variables.
For there is to be a viable and signifi-
cant economic theory, even by Marx’s ter-
minologies. Even after writing several
significant manuscripts on the topics of
economic research before his death,
before Engel’s would go on and fill in for
him there is still too much that is not con-
sidered. In my support for dynamical sys-
tems and systems theory, I am not project-
ing a hypocritical point of view.
What I’m trying to point out is that to
make any assertions as of now about how
economic theory will turn out, how one
could use it to lower deficits and strength-
en the market economy, still does not con-
sider the uncertainties of wartime expen-
ditures and the trade gaps that have
engulfed the world.
It also has little to say about autoimmu-
nity and its effect on regional economic
stability, not in terms of capitalist expecta-
tions, since to do so would only under-
mine the freedom for democratic owner-
ship of production and labor; the past has-
n ’t been subservient to general control by
private flows. Its general flows and activi-
ties are consumed with centralized control
as sought in the current globalization proj-
ect.
There is tension between the former
and current Federal Reserve Chairman on
the prospects of another global recession,
sparking controversy upon the Shanghai’s
market crash, leading to a ripple effect all
over the global economy and consequent-
ly causing the market to have its worst
week since it’s opening after September
11th.
To award and give these economists
who have contributed to the NAFTA
agreements and the overall globalization
agenda, unleashes a wave of atrocities and
malpractice on the part of the foreign state
institutions on their own population. It has
become a calamity waiting to engulf the
world.
The curiosity about intelligence is to
me a metaphor of what our own species
could be (as is Jean-Paul Sartre’s manu-
script The Desire to be God). In its con-
tinual odyssey, there are going to be tests
and there are going to have to be choices.
Choices come without knowing exactly
what the risk or consequences of those
choices are going to be, but one can live
with a sense of courage and meaning to
deal with that fear (see also: Viktor Frankl,
Man’s Search for Meaning).
With that comes a sense of what true
faith is, but without recognizing that
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throughout the consumerist culture (espe-
cially state-capitalism), those choices are
being differed and are being substituted
for products and labor.
The consequence is that it may take
years to repair the damage caused by our
continual need to consume. Technology
has made many wonders, but I fail to see
how it has not turned the species into para-
noid schizophrenics.
The final and most important release
from the contradiction requires that the
members of the species be capable enough
to make up their own minds, and not be
conflicted by personnel biases or fears.
The repetition comes to an end in logos
once that meaning is actualized and there
is recognition of having faith in reason.
Then can one finally let go and let the sys-
tem takes its own course, trying not to
manipulate it for one’s own end.
I believe dynamic equilibrium and its
models hold vital information on how that
may be achieved, but notice that it is an
ecological consequence stimulated by
human action. I reject any notion that
might to be consumed by fascist or neo-
conservative aspirations, fueled by a
strong inclination towards totalitarian
methodologies mostly found in deep ecol-
ogy and state-socialism.
I do not think that recognizing human
myths and spiritual questions inherently
violates the rule, but I do adhere to the
principle that it must not entirely be ego-
centric.
Messianic connotations help to stimu-
late questions about what man’s role in the
universe is while at the same taking vigi-
lance that man is not entirely the arbiter of
history. That should not and will not
shape history on one’s own terms. This
fundamental accolade helps to reinforce
the value in which Pantheism itself may be
recognized in the idea of a higher test or
higher role towards an immerging and del-
icate intelligence.
What is fundamentally at play here is
the understanding that the structuralist
adherence to mythological truth found in
Brazilian cultures can be affirmed, but its
inability for a dynamical approach is
rejected cultures are not fixed in time, lan-
guages and arts are not predetermined or
are gradually changing. Rather, there are
sporadic and almost cataclysmic
upheavals in the way cultural environ-
ments affect the way social and ecological
systems change and manifest themselves.
One can say that all Biblical stories
from the wrath of God in Sodom and
Gomorrah, to the Matthews proclamation
of the coming of the Anti-Christ, can be
seen in their period as a metaphor of cul-
tural, social, and ecological upheavals that
can adequately change the scope and func-
tion of language and art.
From the rise of the Emperor Nero to
the coronation of King Henry VIII and the
fall of the old English monarchy in Oliver
Cromwell’s rise to dictatorial power. For
our time there is Paradise Lost and
Paradise Regained by John Milton. For
World War II, there stands Finnegan’s
Wake by James Joyce and Animal Farm by
George Orwell.
These were by far the most historically
challenging episodes in human history;
they changed the way language and its use
would be undertaken. Incorporating the
power of myth, not as gradual changes,
but rather sporadic ones, was revolution-
ary for its time. In doing so, it restructured
the way language and art would be used.
The way it was originally conceptualized
overturned the bourgeois mentality and
helped to give credence to socialist ideal-
ism or even anarchist conceptualizations.
In all, repetition and all forms of calcu-
lability must come to an end. As chaos
theory predicts, there is some level of
dependence on initial conditions and there
is still some level of regularity in the orbit
of the function. To essentially reach
dynamic equilibrium, that repetitive
dependence on initial conditions must
eventually ease down. What comes after
that is anybody’s guess. It could be the
beginning of a whole new kind of archi-
tecture in economics and social ecology,
yielding in itself the kind of solutions that
could contain a better and more practical
formulation of the theoretical underpin-
nings of language and thought.
There is freedom in the things we long
to have, and there is freedom in the things
we sacrifice. To fully capitulate requires
that one not have one of both sides. There
must be a choice to accept a middle
ground, and within that middle ground lies
the key to unlocking man’s potential in the
stakes of the future. Within those stakes
lies the ultimate choice in a test requiring
the sudden release of the contradiction that
once held the species at bay.
But the gift the One will impart to the
human race, the gift of choice for which
this higher intelligence in the trends of his-
tory will impart upon the One’s inevitable
sacrifice will be the choice that reflects its
own existential right to exist and at the
same time recognizes its role on this plan-
et as “No Gods, No Masters”:
Hi. It's me. I know you're out there. I
know you're working as fast as you can to
catch me. I thought I should call and let
you know how things stand. I know you're
real proud of this world you've built, the
way it works, all the nice little rules and
such, but I've got some bad news. I've
decided to make a few changes (The
Matrix, Larry and Andy Wachowski).
23

Nights Like These
By Jeffrey C. Carey
On nights like these I can-
not love
Maelstroms beckon vio-
lence outside
The winds hiss that I am
stone
And how could I argue?
I have been human but a
day now
Upon death I have not the
saline
With travesty I never
shock much
No drug anesthesizes me
such
Results in some of the greatest entertainment your frail self could
Yet so lone in my jagged
tumble
The pleasure bleeds out of your ears like the faucet of your bath-
I drag my pulp into rain,
humbled
With wishes on eyelashes
To be one of you
Whose puzzles purport
completion
And who know of sun
sanctuaries
Away from storms on
nights like these.
24
Cruel Devices
By David Becerra
The sting, the bite
Felt night after night
How simple it is to turn to another
An inner demand
For what you can’t have
Is what will cause your suffering
It’s seen as abysmal
You can’t handle it, no
It couldn’t get much worse
But in the depths of the mind
Somewhere you can’t find
Exists a tingling giddy pleasure
Each day spent wallowing in your filth
Gnashing your teeth, contemplating your worth
imagine
tub
Which you fill in hopes of drowning your sorrows
If this pleasure climaxed further you may die of exasperation
Insidiously we all form our darkest deepest pain
Encasing ourselves in a sphere of negative cognition and a false
sense of hopelessness
Meanwhile we have unlimited ability
The steam of the burning of our insides fills the room
The black destructive mist
The longing for an overrated kiss
Let’s face it we’re all masochists
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Untitled
By David Becerra
Part 1
Societal constructs inherent in
thee
Shame shame to all who cannot
see
The suffering hatred from one so
close
Each basement case ser ves as the
others host
The pain from those who matter
mos t
The mirror image is what's to loath
Part 2
Ivory sands flow through the
hands
Cognition tearing remaining caring
Amour before destroyed the core
Of essence from the eminence
The post traumatic, hyperbolic
scene was sweetly set
Until the arrogant one called with
insidious intent
The slice was great, enveloped in
hate
Declaring beaut y makeup deep
Part 3
Attentional deficit
To adhere to the best
You cannot attend
To what you cannot admire
Systematic heirarchy
With self towards the bottom
Rage amiss from self p ollution
Your beauty is corrupted to only
see frailty
Part 4
Compile statistics of life dating
misfits not one rejection seen
Define good overhead and the hor-
rendous others as joyous company
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death egg zone