Mind of Migel from the 12/6/07 Ionian

I’ve found that time has a way of passing in funny ways. One day it seems like it will take forever to get of high school, then seemingly a moment later and college is almost over.
At the risk of writing a ‘fluff’ column, in this edition of the Mind of Migel I would like to take a break from discussing controversial issues like Iona’s drinking policy or hard-hitting news like the emergency state in Pakistan, which looks to have nearly resolved itself since our last edition.
The other day I filled out a card which was essentially an application to graduate from college. Like every other senior, I received the standard email reminding me to do so before the end of November. I kept reminding myself to do it, yet somehow it didn’t get done until the day before I left for Thanksgiving break.
When I filled out the card I had to pause for a moment and reflect that, “Wow this is actually happening.” Not so much the fact that I’m graduating from college, just the nature of how incredibly fast time flies by. Didn’t I just move into the first floor of Loftus a couple days ago? I admit that when I’m not doing schoolwork or putting together the Ionian on a deadline night I tend to be off in my own little world most of the time. Yet, there always seem to be things which can knock us back into reality.
For me, that moment came during my family’s Thanksgiving dinner (technically it was lunch.) I had worked eight hours the day before and came in to work from 8 a.m. – noon on Turkey Day itself. From there we rushed up to my Aunt and Uncle’s house in upstate New York for the big cheerful feast.
The only problem is that it wasn’t all that cheerful. There were only six people there and the most prominently missing person was my Grandma. Despite having just turned 90, she is always in great spirits and loves to see all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But on that particular Thursday she was too weak to come join the feast due to a recent surgery and radiation treatment to combat cancerous lymph nodes which needed to be removed.
While we certainly did have some fun despite Grandma’s absence, there was a noticeable sense of foreboding among everyone about her condition. With Christmas just around the corner, I really am selfishly praying she gets better if only so I could spend some more time with her.
I really don’t like to get too personal with these columns, but with the ever-rushing passage of time heavy on my mind I figured I’d vent some of my feelings over that with you. With the holiday season here already it seems like now is as good a time as ever to dole out some ‘fluffy’ advice. If you’re going home to a family that really does love you after finals and are expecting some pricy presents this Christmas, be grateful for it. I know I am – and the fact that so many kids in this world don’t have parents should make us all feel more grateful.
In the midst of the rush of Christmas shopping, studying for finals and everything else don’t forget to take some time out and give thanks for what really matters in life.

Mind of the Migel from the 9/20 edition of the Ionian

These days, it seems everyone is a critic of President Bush – and often for good reasons.
The latest charge being levied against him is an odd one which you wouldn’t expect to be a negative: loyalty.
Detractors are claiming that while forging a friendship with the president of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, Bush saw many positive traits in the man but failed to see the makings of a dictator.
For the better part of the past month, it’s been nearly impossible to avoid the media coverage of Musharraf, who declared emergency rule in Pakistan Nov. 3. Since then, Musharraf has suspended the country’s constitution, imprisoned opposition leaders, closed down several newspapers and TV stations and refused to give an exact date for when general elections will take place.
Nov. 16 marked the first instance where a U.S. official (John Negroponte) attempted to persuade Musharraf to end the emergency state and he hasn’t succeeded yet.
In the wake of September 11, 2001, Pakistan pledged to help Bush hunt down and dismantle al Qaeda and the Taliban. It was at that time that the unlikely pairing of the two heads of state began. Bush saw a powerful general who used reason and claimed to practice democracy. Musharraf saw a potentially huge ally that could supply him with the aid he needed to stay in power.
Since their first meeting, Musharraf has been to the United States several times. In 2003 it was to visit Camp David – a perk reserved for the President’s closest friends and allies. Indeed Bush and Musharraf became close following 9/11 as the latter vowed to step down as leader of his nation’s army and give way to democracy. That, of course, has not happened.
How did Bush misread his most trusted friend in the Middle East so badly? Dubya is a man that believes strongly in “personal diplomacy,” meaning he makes connections with people like Musharraf and then stick with them. The problem is that Bush “personalized” his relationship with the leader of Pakistan, and with Musharraf essentially implementing a semi-dictatorship, his relationship with Bush is under fire as well.
Bush’s loyalty has come back to hurt him in the past. When cabinet members Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales didn’t work out he proved incredibly reluctant to fire or even chastise them. In this case that decision isn’t up to Bush; but according to a Nov. 18 New York Times article, the administration is looking into having Musharraf replaced by another general. It’s interesting that didn’t happen sooner, especially given Bush’s penchant for nation-building and the fact that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose.
You’d think some people would learn their lesson – that’s clearly not the case with this administration, which is content to keep making the wrong choices until January 20, 2009 – the last day of Bush’s term.

The Mind of Migel 11/8 Edition of the Ionian

National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week is upon us here at Iona. Students can see this in programs and events which have taken place during the week and will continue through tomorrow. The week-long effort, which spread information about the dangers of drinking, prompted me to do some thinking about the college’s alcohol policy.
Binge drinking, in case you haven’t heard yet, is an ongoing problem at every single college in the nation. Alcohol is a substance that, like most substances, can lead to some serious problems if you don’t know enough about it and how it will affect you. For that reason, events like Alcohol Awareness Week are not only necessary but are also beneficial additions to student life at any school.
Many of the events are fun and require participants to do nothing more than don a pair of “beer goggles,” try to walk between a couple of orange cones on campus and make a good-natured fool of themselves in the process. There’s also the traditional mocktail event, during which students are served healthy doses of virgin pina coladas, among other alcohol-free drinks. It’s a not-so-boring way to get the message across that alcohol can be every bit as dangerous as you don’t want to believe. (One in three college campuses are dry for a reason.)
Having said all that, I think it’s important to note that all forms of drinking aren’t necessarily bad – if you’re of age. In fact, some academic institutions have managed to negotiate their alcohol policies so as not to alienate upperclassmen who can legally drink, while also preventing their campus from turning into a scene from "Beerfest."
Colleges comparable to Iona, such as Marist and Providence, allow 21-year-old students to drink on campus. They don’t promote it or encourage it of course, but they deal with it. In addition, Manhattanville College has a pub on campus which is strictly enforced to ensure only seniors can get in. If Iona were to adopt similar policies, it could greatly reduce the number of off-campus parties as well as the level of binge drinking on campus in general.
A pub on campus would serve as something of a reward for students that are of age and couldn’t drink on campus earlier in their college careers. It would also cut down on the number of students who trek to downtown New Rochelle and back each weekend in search of the latest bar to hang out in. Sure, walking back form the Backyard Pub at 2 a.m. might seem smart at the time, but in hindsight it is about as smart as waving a red flag in front of a bull.
Dry campus policies force droves of underage drunks into a downtown community that didn’t ask for the burden, but must deal with it due to the complete lack of bars adjacent to Iona. The whole situation has created an atmosphere in which students of age don’t feel safe in the one place they should. Iona is a home for students for four years, yet many feel offended by the characterization of college students as a bunch of alcoholics – and rightly so. College is about a lot more than drinking for most students. But, that doesn’t mean that 21-year-old Iona students shouldn’t be able to enjoy a drink when they want to.
Just a few tweaks of the college’s drinking policy could dramatically change the environment for students and create a more enjoyable college experience for everyone.

The Mind of Migel from the 9/27 Ionian

If you picked up one of the
New York papers this week you
more than likely saw the face of
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad staring
back at you. Ahmadinejad, the
president of Iran, made some
big news when he came to the
Big Apple to appear at the U.N.
General Assembly and to give a
speech at Columbia University.
The Ivy League institution
received criticism for allowing
the supporter of Iraqi insurgents
a platform to voice his convoluted
beliefs.
Ahmadinejad has made a number
of enemies while staying in
New York. He requested to visit
Ground Zero and explain why
the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001
occurred. He was, of course,
denied any such visitation.
His visit brings up some interesting
questions about the
American concept of free
speech and who can claim its
protection.
Columbia has long been
thought of by academics as one
of the nation’s leading institutions
for journalism and, therefore,
a defender of the First
Amendment.
In addition, Columbia is
known as one of the most prestigious
colleges in the country.
Why then would they see fit to
play host to what many call the
most dangerous man in the
Middle East?
Columbia President Lee
Bollinger asserted that the
speech was to serve academic
and educational interests. But
that begs the question: could
what Ahmadinejad had to say be
considered academic? If so, then
it makes me wonder: when did
the ramblings of an ignorant dictator
become educational?
Bollinger defended his decision
to allow Ahmadinejad to
speak by claiming that his talk
would spark debate within academic
circles and that to deny
him the right to talk would be to
deny him freedom of speech. He
is correct about both. But does
that mean that he was right in
allowing Ahmadinejad to appear
at his college? No.
Sure you could say that by listening
to Iran’s president,
Americans can gain insight into
the mindset of Islamic fundamentalists;
or even that it is a
great opportunity that certainly
no other college could offer
their students.
But how many other colleges
would want to play host to an
event such as this?
In Bollinger’s introduction of
Ahmadinejad he was pointedly
critical of the head of state,
referring to him as a “petty
and cruel dictator,”
and calling his views on
the Holocaust “astonishingly
uneducated.”
Indeed the
speech that followed
proved Ahmadinejad to
be just as petty and ignorant
as any might have thought.
He defended his views
by saying, “More research needs
to be done on the Holocaust.”
Normally, reading a comment
like that wouldn’t do much to
faze me. I could shrug it off with
the excuse that “he’s just a poor,
ignorant person from the Middle
East – he doesn’t know any better.”
The problem is that he does
know better.
This is a man that is selling
arms to insurgents in Iraq, helping
to fuel the fire surrounding
U.S. troops fighting over there.
This is the same man that many
suspect of nuclear arms proliferation,
human rights violations
and attempting to bring about
the destruction of Israel.
He defended his regime during
his speech and made several
allusions to his right to speak
before the gathered crowd.
“We must allow people to
speak their mind, to allow
everyone to talk, so that the
truth is revealed by all,”
Ahmadinejad said.
The reality of the situation is
that we are not required to do
anything for a cruel dictator
helping to fight against our own
men and women a continent
away. We did not have to allow
him to speak his mind and, likewise,
we do not have to take
what he says seriously. Of all the
negative feedback Columbia has
received since the speech took
place, perhaps the best was from
Israel’s President Shimon Peres.
“If a university is a platform
where lies are permissible, then
it is not academic ... So all of
yesterday’s show was
wretched,” Peres said.
Yes Ahmadinejad has the right
to speak in America; but, that
doesn’t mean he deserves it.

The MInd of MIgel: from the 9/13 issue of the Ionian

More than six years following the devastating tragedy that occurred Sept. 11, 2001; one has to beg the question: have we as a nation already become desensitized to the horrific events of that day? Or are we still living vigilantly, as if our soil had just been attacked? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between.
It’s easy for people to get discouraged over the governments handling (or mishandling) of the War on Terror. Rather than pursue Osama bin Laden the perpetrator of the attacks a any cost, the fight was taken to Iraq. It is here that the Bush Administration has opted to pursue the business of nation-building instead of hunting down the people responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
Like I said, it’s easy to get discouraged over the results (or lack thereof) of the war thus far. But that doesn’t make anyone less patriotic. As Mark Twain put it, “Patriotism is supporting your country at all times and your government when it deserves it.” Having said that, I believe it is critical that we remain committed to the cause of fighting terror – wherever it may be. Sure Iraq was a mistake; but the fact is that we are there now and we’ll probably have to stay there for a while until we can bring our troops back home. Am I happy about that? No, not at all. But the fact is that a withdrawal would be disastrous. Last I heard, the American people didn’t give up on a job before it was finished. Americans usually don’t just forget things like a natural disaster or a stunning attack on our own soil. Then again, from what I’ve seen lately in the news it’s not that hard to become distracted from things that really matter.
When Miss South Carolina screwed up on national television, delivering an absurd answer to a relatively easy question in Miss Teen USA, she got to go onto the Today Show. Why? So a beauty queen made a fool out of herself on TV…so what? Is it really worth putting her on the cover of a newspaper or letting her tell her ‘side of the story’ when that coverage could have gone to educating people about what’s going on in Iraq? Or maybe the space could’ve gone to a story about how almost three quarters of New Orleans is still in ruins following Hurricane Katrina.
The reality of the situation is that our generation has its work cut out for it. But since when has that stopped any group of Americans before?
The only mistake in this global war on terror is that we still have the gloves on. If you want it to end, it’s not going to be pretty.
Unfortunately, from what I see in people today is that if it’s too hard, folks don’t want to do it. Does anyone today think about how the New York City subway system was built more than 100 years ago? People just take for granted that it’s there. No thinking about the inordinate manpower hours and all the work that went into it.
The same goes for this War on Terror. Does anyone truly understand what its like to walk in the boots of our soldiers? Do you know how you would react with Improvised Explosives and bullets flying? Be honest, most of you don’t, but you certainly do have an opinion as to how it could be done better, don’t you?
9/11 united us all for a brief fleeting moment…and then it got hard. As the years go by we should keep focused on fighting this war (remember when it was still a ‘just’ war?) but make sure we’re doing it the right way.

The MInd of MIgel: from the 9/13 issue of the Ionian

More than six years following the devastating tragedy that occurred Sept. 11, 2001; one has to beg the question: have we as a nation already become desensitized to the horrific events of that day? Or are we still living vigilantly, as if our soil had just been attacked? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between.
It’s easy for people to get discouraged over the governments handling (or mishandling) of the War on Terror. Rather than pursue Osama bin Laden the perpetrator of the attacks a any cost, the fight was taken to Iraq. It is here that the Bush Administration has opted to pursue the business of nation-building instead of hunting down the people responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
Like I said, it’s easy to get discouraged over the results (or lack thereof) of the war thus far. But that doesn’t make anyone less patriotic. As Mark Twain put it, “Patriotism is supporting your country at all times and your government when it deserves it.” Having said that, I believe it is critical that we remain committed to the cause of fighting terror – wherever it may be. Sure Iraq was a mistake; but the fact is that we are there now and we’ll probably have to stay there for a while until we can bring our troops back home. Am I happy about that? No, not at all. But the fact is that a withdrawal would be disastrous. Last I heard, the American people didn’t give up on a job before it was finished. Americans usually don’t just forget things like a natural disaster or a stunning attack on our own soil. Then again, from what I’ve seen lately in the news it’s not that hard to become distracted from things that really matter.
When Miss South Carolina screwed up on national television, delivering an absurd answer to a relatively easy question in Miss Teen USA, she got to go onto the Today Show. Why? So a beauty queen made a fool out of herself on TV…so what? Is it really worth putting her on the cover of a newspaper or letting her tell her ‘side of the story’ when that coverage could have gone to educating people about what’s going on in Iraq? Or maybe the space could’ve gone to a story about how almost three quarters of New Orleans is still in ruins following Hurricane Katrina.
The reality of the situation is that our generation has its work cut out for it. But since when has that stopped any group of Americans before?
The only mistake in this global war on terror is that we still have the gloves on. If you want it to end, it’s not going to be pretty.
Unfortunately, from what I see in people today is that if it’s too hard, folks don’t want to do it. Does anyone today think about how the New York City subway system was built more than 100 years ago? People just take for granted that it’s there. No thinking about the inordinate manpower hours and all the work that went into it.
The same goes for this War on Terror. Does anyone truly understand what its like to walk in the boots of our soldiers? Do you know how you would react with Improvised Explosives and bullets flying? Be honest, most of you don’t, but you certainly do have an opinion as to how it could be done better, don’t you?
9/11 united us all for a brief fleeting moment…and then it got hard. As the years go by we should keep focused on fighting this war (remember when it was still a ‘just’ war?) but make sure we’re doing it the right way.