The Hillsdale Forum - October 2008

the.Hillsdale.Forum Dreaming of Dolls: MATT COLE seniOR WRITER

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Dara and Sara: two delightful eight-year-old Middle-Eastern children who enjoy dressing modestly and asking their wise parents for advice. In 2002, the Iranian government adamantly requested the creation of these 18-inch lovable little ones, and since

their release the dolls have flooded the Iranian market in an attempt to discourage Iranian children from assimilating into American culture. It is technically not illegal to sell Barbie or Barbie related products in Iran. However, with record sales in the region, Iran has taken measures to highly discourage the sale of Barbie. Such measures include

Why Iran’s nightmares include Barbie and Ken --and what it’s doing about it.

government-aided confiscation of the dolls, threats of violence against toy sellers, and intense promotion of alternative dolls such as Dara and Sara. Iranian prosecutor, Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi, said that Barbie is a “danger that needs to be stopped. Undoubtedly, the personality and identity of the new generation of our children, as a result of unrestricted

importation of toys, has been put at risk and caused irreparable damage.” The real problem with Barbie is that she boasts a large bosom, an unnaturally small waistline, blond hair and blue eyes. Fortunately, Sara has come to the rescue as she is modestly endowed, has a more realistic waistline, and sports black hair

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

VOlume IX, Issue III OCTOBER 2008

sOUND bITES Speaking to reporters before his Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York last month, former President Bill Clinton described Sarah Palin’s appeal: “People look at her, and they say, ‘All those kids. Something that happens in everybody’s family. I’m glad she loves her daughter and she’s not ashamed of her. Glad that girl’s going around with her boyfriend. Glad they’re going to get married...I like that little Down syndrome kid. One of them lives down the street. They’re wonderful children. They’re wonderful people. And I like the idea that this guy does those long-distance races. Stayed in the race for 500 miles with a broken arm. My kind of guy.’”

in.this.ISSUE =

Real Hillsdalians of Genius

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Chavez is Scary: One Hillsdale Student Shares Her Views Firsthand

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The YouTube Effect

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Is Detroit Done For?

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news

The People’s President?

Chavez’s empty promises leave Venezuela unfulfilled

CATHERINE SIMMERER STAFF WRITER

“It’s hard to take the chatty dictator seriously as an evil genius,” Wall Street Journal columnist Mary O’Grady wrote, referring not to Russian president Vladimir Putin or Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but Venezuela’s dictatorin-residence, Hugo Chavez. The word communism usually incites references to Russia or the Red Scare of the 1950s. However, communism is not just a word or political philosophy in today’s world, but a thriving institution in a South American country sitting in North America’s backyard. It is hard to tell how much of a “genius” Chavez is, but “evil” is quickly becoming an all-too suitable label. His blatant hatred of the U.S. and its government is obvious, with his harangues on the American “empire” and similar outbursts. Chavez has welcomed Russia’s military planes and ships into Venezuela for “exercises” and says that “the Yankee homogeny is finished.” He went on to tell Russia’s Vesti24 television, “Not only Venezuela, but Latin America as a whole, needs friends like

knowledge, are easily swayed by promises of homes and food. However, the financially welloff and well-educated people of Venezuela know better than to trust Chavez, especially as they recognize his deceitfulness. Those who dare defy and speak against him are met with injustice and intolerance. Radio Caracas Television openly opposed Chavez’s regime, and then the 40-yearold television station’s license happened to expire in May 2007. Chavez gave his reason for letting the network die: “Forget about renewal. What you should accept is a fact that is quite clear: the license is expiring.” In 2003, three soldiers and a woman were tortured and photo via Globovision killed in Venezuela after leading Hugo Chavez is not happy, espe- anti-government protests. cially now that America is taking In 2007, tear gas was used on note of his benevolent treatment students protesting Chavez. of the Venezuelan people. Even in this past month, Raul Isaias Baduel, a Chavez has constantly stealing money from confidant-turned-critic, the government, and the country been arrested and forbidden leaving Venezuela. suffers, lacking necessities from It seemed for a while that such as milk, eggs, petroleum, and even toilet paper because these activities might confine of his bartering with Cuba. themselves to the Latino Rodriguez went on to explain country. However, Russia has how Venezuela’s impoverished stepped up to plate as a military population, usually ignorant and innocent by lack of outside CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 Russia now, as we are shedding this [U.S.] domination.” Freshman Candice Rodriguez, a Venezuela native, said that Chavez is known in Venezuela for his lack of honesty. According to Rodriguez, he is

OCTOBER 2008 THE CRAWLER Christopher Buckley has left National Review after endorsing Obama in Tina Brown’s latest endeavor, online publication The Daily Beast, saying “So, to paraphrase a real conservative, Ronald Reagan: I haven’t left the Republican Party. It left me.”

As the third presidential debate draws near, Obama leads McCain by 14 points. One week ago, he was only leading by three points. The change of heart? 21 percent of poll voters said it was because of McCain’s attacks on Obama and his VP choice of Sarah Palin.

* Scientists are considering using electron bombardment as a replacement for herbicides. The electrons break the molecular bonds of the fungal spores that kill seedlings, but the bombardment must be precisely calculated so as not to kill the seedling itself.

* Two fires have killed two people and destroyed dozens of home in California’s San Fernando Valley, and a third has broken out near Camp Pendleton, a US Marine base, burning 3,000 acres. Over 2,000 firefighters have been battling the flames in an attempt to stop the fires from moving toward the Pacific Ocean.

* Standing alongside ACORN officials Rapaport said the “actual instances of [voter fraud] is [sic] so small” and it would be wrong “to use it as an excuse to try to discourage people from registering, to set up barriers with a draconian a voter identification provisions.”

* The cost of a barrel of liquid gold dropped below $80 for the first time since September 2007, dropping to $78.61/barrel, a drop of $6.98 from the previous day’s level. OPEC has called an emergency meeting in Vienna on Nov. 18 to discuss the drop.

De Soto Charms at Hillsdale Free Market Forum JAMES NESBITT SeniOR WRITER

The 2008 Free Market Forum, which took place Sept. 25-27 in Dearborn, Mich., concluded on a high note with a Saturday evening address by Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto. The forum, which has been hosted annually by Hillsdale College since 2006, seeks to encourage the study of free enterprise. Donors and friends of the college mingled with students and faculty over hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in the spacious gallery of the

Ford Conference & Event Center Saturday evening, exchanging business cards, stories, and an appreciation of limited government and unfettered markets. Following dinner, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn presented de Soto, internationally recognized for his advocacy of property rights and author of two best-selling books that argue his case, with the Adam Smith Award. Since 1990 Hillsdale College has presented the award to statesmen, scholars, businessmen, philanthropists, journalists

and others who exemplify and defend the principles of American constitutionalism and free enterprise. Past recipients include Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley Jr., Thomas Sowell, Steve Forbes, and Milton Friedman. De Soto delivered an address regarding the importance of property rights, and engaging audience members with his witty style, he drew laughter from guests with several jokes, including a comparison of the Federal Reserve to Scrooge McDuck. This year’s forum included evening speeches by Karl Rove

and Jonah Goldberg in addition to the events during the day. In previous years, the Free Market Forum has been hosted on Hillsdale College’s campus. However, the event has grown significantly in the last two years, with attendance ballooning from a little over 50 in 2006 to about 400 this year. The larger turnout created a necessity for a bigger venue, and organizers decided to move the event to the Ford Conference & Event Center in Dearborn. “Hillsdale does not have enough hotel rooms nor does the Dow Center have banquet space

for 400 [guests],” said Anita Folsom, Director of Special Programs at Hillsdale College. Additionally, the event draws faculty members and state policy leaders from across the country and from Canada. The Dearborn location is much closer to the airport, making travel arrangements easier for many guests. Folsom said, “Quite a number of friends of the College were there this year; some supporters of Hillsdale College flew in from California, Washington state, Florida, and other parts of the country,” HF

3

the PALIN’S POWER AK Govenor Keeps Conservatives Interested Hillsdale Forum CHristina Miller reasons.” Still, conservatives on the whole are SeniOR WRITER optimistic about Palin. GOPUSA staff Eagle and other grassroots

Emilia Huneke-Bergquist

Julie Robison EditOrs in Chief

Dave Wasmer AssOciate EditOr Matt Kownacki Heather Shell COpy EditOrs Nate Anderson Matt Cole Calvin Freiburger Martin Kraegel III Christina Miller James Nesbitt Scott Rozell SeniOR Writers Kate Martin DC COrrespOndent Guided by the principles of liberty, freedom, and justice,

The.Hillsdale.Forum

is a monthly studentrun publication of Hillsdale College striving to inform and educate its readers about today’s everchanging Conservative political climate.

viA E-MAIL AT HILLSDALEFORUM@ GMAIL.COM

visit us Online THEHILLSDALEFORUM. BLOGSPOT.COM

In general, Republicans are not happy with John McCain. They do not like that every piece of legislation he has authored has a Democrat’s name attached to it. Nor do they like his immigration plan, with some dubbing him “Juan McAmnesty.” And they really, really do not like that he almost chose Joe Lieberman to be his running mate. But he did not. Instead, McCain chose Alaska governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice-President. Palin is everything Republicans wish McCain was—a conservative. After Palin’s selection and convention speech, the Republican base was energized. McCain was still McCain, but Sarah Palin made the ticket bearable. She certainly sent the media into a frenzy. Within days of the announcement, the Daily Kos accused Palin of faking her own pregnancy to cover for her daughter Bristol. Feminists—who for years have cajoled mothers to work rather than stay home— now claim that Palin should be at home with her family instead of campaigning. Whatever dirt they could grab on Palin, they grabbed. And if they couldn’t find any, they invented some. Still, the question is: In a year where Republicans have no business winning a lottery, let alone the election, does Sarah Palin help John McCain’s candidacy? After the convention, McCain pulled ahead by several points, but following Palin’s network interviews the lead diminished slightly. Rasmussen, which had McCain at +2 in New Hampshire just a week ago, now has Obama at +10 Other battleground states, including the key state of Ohio, have also seen Obama pulling ahead. The slide in poll numbers has even prompted Kathleen Parker, a conservative columnist, to call for Palin to step aside from the ticket. Parker deemed that Palin was “out of her league” and “a problem.” Parker said that Palin should “bow out for personal

organizations claimed that Palin won the debate against Biden. Sophomore Jessica Wasson said that she thinks Palin has been a beneficial addition to the ticket. “I would say she has met expectations and that people are really excited about it. So far, she seems to have a much more solid conservative base than McCain might have.” She does not believe Palin is merely the Republicans’ Barack Obama as some have claimed. “She does have more experience than Obama…People were so pleasantly surprised that they could get some fresh blood in there that was still qualified.” Wasson also said she thinks it would be a bad idea for Palin to step aside as Parker called for. “If you’re not gonna stick by the candidate you picked, that just shows indecisiveness.” In addition, Wasson believes the McCain campaign has “put a leash on [Palin].” She thinks McCain needs to let Palin be a pit bull and not try to make her “cutesy.” Senior Alisson Veldhuis, who describes herself as a libertarian, says she doesn’t know why McCain picked Palin, but she still believes the Alaska governor is a gain for the McCain camp. “From what I’ve heard she’s welleducated and she’s passionate and she says what she thinks. Obama just kind of beats around the bush and never actually says anything. I think she’s a very strong candidate to pick.” Despite Palin’s strengths, Veldhuis still plans to vote for libertarian candidate Bob Barr in November. Sarah Palin may still have strong support overall from conservatives, but in order for McCain to win the election he will need to increase his support among swing voters. “Sarah Barracuda” is seen as someone who can pull those swing voters toward the Republicans, but she is only as good as McCain will allow her to be. HF

EYE ON THE

OCTOBER 2008

STATEHOUSE

NEWS

James nesbitt SENIOR writer

In the spirit of transparency and accountability that makes this country free and its elections fair, this edition of Eye on the Statehouse examines the campaign finance of the candidates for the 58th district of the Michigan legislature (which contains Hillsdale and Branch Counties). Note: the current representative for the 58th district is Republican Bruce Caswell. Caswell cannot seek re-election due to term limits. Kenneth Kurtz, Republican Candidate Total Contributions (as of 8/25/2008): $39,919.48 Total Expenditures (as of 8/25/2008): $28,537.18 Top campaign contributors: Kenneth Kurtz-- $20,167.84 Michigan Funeral Director’s Association PAC*-- $4,750.00 Michigan Chamber of Commerce PAC-- $1,000.00 Top expenditures: Dealer Supply Network—$6,602.38 for brochures, signs, and other materials Jared Burkhart—$4,153.84 for consulting fees Arrow Swift Printing—$1,676.49 for printing Western American Mailers Inc—$1,542.56 for mailer WCSR—$1,435.10 for advertisements *Kenneth Kurtz operates a funeral home by trade. Jean Anne Kennedy-Windsor, Democrat Candidate Her campaign committee does not expect to receive or expend more than $1,000 in this campaign, and thus is exempted from Michigan disclosure requirements. The maximum contribution an individual can make to any one candidate for state representative is $500.

Unsatisfied with the current presidential picks? Explore the other contenders for the White House this November!

--On the Left-Barack Obama Democratic Party Ralph Nader Independent Party Gloria La Riva Party for Socialism and Liberation Brian Moore Socialist Cynthia McKinney Green Party

--On the Right-John McCain Republican Party Alan Keyes American Independent Chuck Baldwin Constitution Party Frank McEnulty New American Independent Party Bob Barr Libertarian

the

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rOundTable

Nate AndersON seniOR WRITER

If you can’t beat them, convince them that they’ve already won. This is a common Protestant interpretation of the rise of Christianity and the worldly rendering of Christ that took place in the 4th century. However, home church advocate Frank Viola indicts not only Constantine and Catholicism for the blemishing of the Bride, but virtually all of the Church Fathers, as well as the insufficient efforts of the Reformers. Pagan Christianity and Reimagining Church, respectively released in January and August of this year, serve a complementary role in deconstructing the institutional church and “reimagining” the “organic” church described in the New Testament. Viola chalks up everything from the sobering wafer and thimble style communion, ecclesiastical garb, liturgical progressions, the sermon, the pastoral office, distinctions between the clergy and laity as well as the sacred and secular, to the influence of pagan theology. Christian pollster, George Barna, who contributes to Pagan Christianity, argues, “contemporary church thought and practice have been influenced far more by postbiblical historical events than by New Testament imperatives and examples. Yet most Christians are not conscious of this influence. Nor are they aware that it has created a slew of cherished, calcified, humanly devised traditions.” Those interested in Viola’s and Barna’s research will have to delve into the books themselves. However, their arguments are substantial enough to make denying the occurrence of a syncretistic blend of old Gentile and new Christian ideas challenging at best. Viola is highly suspicious of tradition in general. Contemplating the reality of over 1,700 years of hierocratic,

building-based worship, he looks to the New Testament for the justification of every church practice and comes up nearly empty-handed. Instead of accepting the first century church as a primitive stage in the development of a politically oppressed sect, Viola contends that the Bible presents a portrait of a developed bride. The church, described as “the earthly image of the triune God,” is nothing more than the natural outgrowth of fellow Christians expressing their Holy Spirit-driven love for the Lord. Any form of definite hierarchy or official position is absolutely unbiblical. In one sense, Christ’s statement that “where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them,” stands as the definitive, and more importantly, complete definition of church (Mthw. 18:20). The Church consists of an egalitarian brotherhood, or in other words, a functional “priesthood of all believers.” For Viola, Christ must have a nearly palpable presence in order for church members to assemble in true obedience,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

OCTOBER 2008 PHIL DAVIGnON Guest WRITER

Why the White Steeple Casts Such a Dark Shadow:

Two students review

Frank Viola’s Pagan Christianity and Reimagining Church

The way in which Christianity is practiced is important, but it is not as important as the truth of Christianity. In his book Reimagining Church, Frank Viola chooses to criticize the less important aspect of the institutional church, its practice, while almost completely ignoring the issue of truth. Christianity is a religion that is based on the truth claim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. However, since the early days of Christianity, Christians have always had great difficulty in defining exactly what the truth is and how it should pertain to our lives. Both Christians of the early church and Christians today need an institutional church in order to define what the truth is, and to prevent heresy from corrupting the truths of Christianity. But for just a minute let’s take Frank Viola’s advice and reimagine what the church would be like today if it weren’t for the institutional church of history. There would be Arian Christians who would believe that Jesus is not fully divine,

Gnostic Christians who would believe that people are saved through the knowledge that the material world is evil, and Docetist Christians who would believe that Jesus’ physical body and crucifixion were merely illusions. Even something as taken for granted as the canon of scripture was bitterly argued over by Christians in the 4th century. Yet all of these issues have been resolved for today’s Christians because the institutional church of history exercised the authority to define heresy, while proclaiming and defending the truth of Christianity. Frank Viola does not even mention this fundamentally important role of the church when he talks about the nature of the church. Instead, he claims that pastors hinder people from knowing Christ, and that Christ never intended for anyone to have the responsibility and power of modern day pastors. However, Jesus himself gave the Apostle Peter the keys to the kingdom of Heaven, and the Apostles invoked their own authority (which was given to them by God) at the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 when they authoritatively told people from another congregation to abstain from eating meat offered to idols. Even in the early church, authority was exercised by the Apostles in order to protect the truth that Christ had given them. This method of authoritatively defining the truth is starkly in contrast to Frank Viola’s beliefs about how the truth should be determined in individual house churches. Viola believes that Christians should be able to know the truth and settle disputes through consensus (194), and that whatever Christians come to prayerful agreement on is true. History has taught us that prayerful Christians could not even agree on who Jesus was or what books were in

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OCTOBER 2008

Do they know anything about Islam?

SPOTLIGHT

Rights and wrongs of multicultural education

TRAVIS kAVULLA GUEST COLUMNIST

I was in Cambridge, Mass., in February of last year when I heard the latest news out of Iraq: The al-Askari Mosque, the so-called “Golden Mosque” of Samarra, had been nearly leveled in a devastating explosion. It was a Wednesday, and that night I attended my weekly seminar on Cambridge authors, led by James Russell, a prodigious member of Harvard’s Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department. He arrived late to class, and was not in the mood to talk about T. S. Eliot when he did. “Do any of you know what the Golden Mosque is?” he asked. Blank stares followed. Smart though they reputedly are, few Harvard undergraduates had heard of the mosque, or knew that it is one of Shiite Islam’s most holy sites. Professor Russell sighed, and his voice took on a mournful tone. “This war is something completely different than it was yesterday. The violence this is going to unleash will make the last few months look positively tranquil.” His warnings were prescient, but should not have seemed so gilded by expertise: Only the most cursory bits of knowledge about Islam and its sects were necessary to deduce the gravity of the crime and the reprisals it would inspire. But how many students had even this basic knowledge? The answer is a sad one, especially for a university such as Harvard, which routinely trumpets its “international” character and insists its students are “generally educated”: instructed not to be prepackaged professionals, but to obtain a broad education that, supposedly, helps one understand our “global society.” Yet until the New York Times and The Economist told them otherwise, the attack on the Golden Mosque seemed a

pedestrian event to my friends: one bombing in a troubled place where bombings are mundane. In the weeks after, I gently quizzed my friends and acquaintances. Did they know: * The major theological differences between Sunnis and Shiites? * The countries in the region with Sunni majorities? * Those with Shiite majorities? * Some of the main pilgrimage sites in the Muslim world? * Whether al-Qaeda was Sunni or Shiite? This is a basic quiz, and its answers are highly pertinent to our modern world. But the results, while informal, spoke to an ignorance so grand as to render meaningless concerns over the margin of error. (And it is not just Harvard students who disappoint. The al-Qaeda question was posed last year to Silvestre Reyes, the Texas Democrat who now heads the House Intelligence Committee; he answered incorrectly.) It is an oft-repeated criticism that schools have stopped teaching facts per se, touting instead grand theories that organize facts in a manner convenient to theorists’ work. Nowhere is this truer than in “postcolonial” studies of the Middle East (as well as Africa and Latin America). In a college course on Islam, a student is more likely to be assigned Edward Said’s historiography, as the theory and method of writing history is known, than an actual history textbook. Rarely will a student be held accountable for definitional knowledge--you don’t need to know why Shiite Iranians call their religious leaders “ayatollahs,” or even when Muhammad lived, but you had better understand how the emergence of Islam reshaped the gender structure of Arab society. There is a good case to be made for knowing all of that, but without the bare facts of people, places, and the dates they intersected, a critical analysis of same is useless. Learning this way is like

wearing jeans with a button and a zipper, but no denim: quite impossible. At times, the grandiose theorizing of academics is harmless, even amusing. But vis-a-vis Islam, students’ ignorance is tragic, because, like it or not, we really do live in that much-prophesied global, interconnected world: What happens to a mosque, especially one in Iraq, may well have an impact on us and our cause. For as long a time as that is true, understanding cultures outside our own will be one of the foremost intellectual necessities. This sounds flaky in the extreme to a good many conservatives. Indeed, their suspicion is wellplaced--a true understanding of another culture is very different from the “understanding” fostered in higher education. These days, to “understand” is rarely about obtaining specific knowledge about a foreign culture through patient study; usually, to “understand” is to excuse, or to change the subject. An example: One week at Harvard, not so long ago, there were no fewer than five panels bemoaning American “militarization,” “imperialism,” and supposed human-rights abuses. This, as it happened, was the same week when riots exploded across the globe in response to the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten’s publication of several cartoons depicting Muhammad. But a student would have tried in vain to find a panel addressing the question that obviously needed to be asked: Why was the Muslim world burning over a few cartoons, printed in an obscure source? Apart from extracurricular panels, there is the question of coursework. Or, rather, there’s not the question, at least for most students. Add Islam and Muslim society to the long list of subjects, from Shakespeare to American history, that Ivy Leaguers from Yale to Princeton to Harvard can avoid ever encountering

in their academic careers. Although schools have moved to embrace “internationalism,” this pedagogical vogue exists in portions so small as to be useless. In Harvard’s latest curricular review, for instance, it is claimed to be a “serious commitment” to our “global society” that the university requires its students to take one year of a foreign language. Not enough to have a conversation or read a newspaper, but perhaps graduates will be able to order falafel at their nearest Lebanese restaurant. Harvard undergraduates are also required to take one class chosen from a small but schizoid list of “Foreign Cultures” offerings. Incredibly, in the 2007-08 academic year, none of the “Foreign Cultures” courses concerns Islam or the Middle East. If a student does want to learn something about Islam and have it count for credit, he’ll have to wait until next year. And then, he’ll be faced with a choice between two. Will he take “Gendered Communities: Women, Islam, and Nationalism in the Middle East and North Africa,” taught by the chairman of the department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality? Or will he select “Understanding Islam and Contemporary Muslim Societies”? He would do well to choose neither. As comprehensive as “Understanding Islam” sounds, it hardly lives up to its grand name, digressing in pursuit of the professor’s own passion. That would be Sufi mysticism in India and Africa, a topic that is as obscure as it is exculpatory of Islam’s lately radical tendency. (Sufis are to Islam what Quakers are to Christianity.) In any case, Sufism has little to do with why, in the decade in which we live, a student would sign himself up for a course called “Understanding Islam.” Despite the pretense of “understanding” other cultures, or “respecting” or “being sensitive to” them, few universities have moved

beyond the platitudinous. A real sensitivity for other cultures entails discerning their differences, perhaps even more than finding their common ground. What is not respectful of Islam would be to assume that those of its adherents who brook no separation of civil and religious authority would be motivated by the same, largely secular incentives that motivate us in the West. A person who truly understands Shiite Islam will be able to comprehend Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s millennial behavior and appreciate that he is perfectly serious in his belief that the twelfth Imam, whom God is said to have hidden from human view in the 9th century, will be reappearing soon to redeem the world for Islam. For reasons that are even more obvious today than they were a century ago, learning the fundamentals of world religions still should be a pillar of a liberal education. A just-the-facts approach may seem pedantic and arcane to students who are themselves mostly agnostic. But in our time, it is not too much to ask that anyone who graduates from a prestigious American university have at least a functional knowledge of Islam and the Muslim world. This is the least effortful and most practical civic duty we can ask universities to bear. And if such a simple calling cannot be fulfilled, then American higher education will have further endangered its reputation as a useful institution. Travis Kavulla, a former associate editor of National Review, is a Gates Scholar in History at Cambridge University, a 2008 Phillips Foundation journalism fellow, and a recent graduate of Harvard.

This article originally appeared on October 8, 2007 issue of National Review. It is reprinted here with permission.

6

Open Forum

OCTOBER 2008 EHB, JR, DW

Sarah Palin

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has a better solution. * Welcome to our drawing board, where we’ve carefully compiled all kinds of possibilities true to The Dale. Our list has it all: a princess, an evil witch, a religious radical, the token black guy, and real American heroes. * You can thank us later.

If the rimless glasses weren’t enough, will Joe Sixpack recognize your beehive ‘do and smart suits? You betcha!

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The.Hillsdale.Forum

hers

OCTOBER 2008

Oba k c a r a B

October 31 is right around the corner; have you found your Halloween costume? * Don’t tell us you were planning on being a cowboy/secretary again! * Fear not fellow Hillsdalians,

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A megaphone to your mouth, you’ll have people talking till Kingdom Come. with catchprases like “Ameri-KKK-a!,” and “Damn the white man.” Meet all blank stares with accusations of racism.

Senator tor Hillary Clinton

President Larry Arnn

Tot i bili ng an ty o Osc you f r ba savin ar, a scie ck, b g the Nobel nce ut th P w dep e wa orld a eace P artm rm ri n wel d you ze, th ent er c r o sho e uld me fro go ma espon s m eas y e y the H stra ii our n trou Illsda bles le .

With your 2012 Exploratory Committee following closely behind, you’ll stroll the streets of Hillsdale in a pastel pantsuit because you’re already planning your Rocky-esque comeback. Brandishing a Super Soaker and singing the praises of your Mac Book Air, you’ll need to know all about liberty, freedom, and the proper maintenance of perfect facial hair.

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JAMES MARKMAN Staff WRITER

Now the tarnished buckle of the rust belt, Detroit was once the 4th largest city in the nation. Today, it is half that size, and questioning the likelihood of recovering from a quarter century of dreadful public policy. Kwame Kilpatrick’s recent sex scandal and text messaging fiasco has brought unwanted attention to Detroit, but the city’s economic climate has been deteriorating for the last quarter of a century due to a remarkable amount of poor leadership and mismanagement. Kilpatrick merely served as the final nail for this painful quarter century in Detroit’s history. Motown’s rapid deterioration began in 1974 when Coleman Young began his five-term reign over the already ailing Detroit. A former union agitator, Young set the standard for bad policy that has come to epitomize Detroit. He tripled the commuter tax for those working downtown and ensured, by increasing the city income tax 50 percent, that no wage-earning soul would choose to live in the city. The second half of the nineties brought the former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dennis Archer, who chose to invest heavily in several highprofile projects downtown. Amongst these projects was the construction of Ford Field, which proved to be as much of a disappointment as the team it houses. Another, the renovation of the Fox Theater, doubtlessly contributed in some small way

to a downtown cultural appeal, but as with Ford Field, it failed to provide any meaningful stimulus for the city. Kilpatrick, 31, the selfdescribed “Hip-Hop Mayor” brought with him a vigor and energy that some hoped might turn around a weary city. “I underestimated the dilapidated, horrific condition our city was in,” he said as began his first term in office. Kilpatrick eagerly touted his efforts to balance the city budget, an achievement that relied heavily upon casino revenues and increased property and retail taxes. Once the effect of these tax increases comes full circle, the resulting deficit will once again rear its ugly head, and as Kilpatrick spends the next four months in some isolated Wayne County custody cell, the curse of his public policy is certain to live on. The new mayor of Detroit will be elected early next year from a roster of 24 hopefuls, each with an undoubtedly different plan for the city’s turnaround. Once elected, the new mayor will have the opportunity to untangle the web of botched policies left by Kilpatrick and his predecessors. Unlike previous mayors who dutifully bowed to the Detroit teacher unions, the new mayor must consider charter school funding. This issue seems to be widely debated in every region of the country except the stubborn corridors of Detroit’s City Hall. The potential benefits of competition and accountability can apply to most of the city’s public utilities and services. Selling the water and electricity utilities as well

as privatizing trash collection and road work would serve to both offer a surge of revenue to correct budget deficiencies, as well as to create the type of competitive environment that is bound to increase efficiency. The new mayor must put a stop to the hand-in-glove relationship between city officials and union leaders. The mayor’s office is responsible for negotiating the best deal for the taxpayer – period. Reckless contracts with city employee unions have made the city government perhaps the most inefficient in the nation with an appalling ratio of one employee for every 50 city residents. Comparatively, cities such as Houston, Indianapolis and Chicago have one employee per 200 residents. The new mayor will have a chance to alter the hostile business climate of Detroit. The current city tax and regulatory codes could hardly be any more unfriendly to entrepreneurs and established companies alike. If something is taxed, there is bound to be less of it – and this classic economic adage couldn’t fit any more squarely to the business climate of Detroit. By acknowledging these problems, citizens can vote to turn around their dispirited city. The removal of Kwame Kilpatrick will not solely remedy the Motor City’s deficiencies. Rather, by electing a new mayor who bears a firm grasp on economic principles and an intimate understanding of the faults of his predecessors, Detroiters may have the chance to turn a corner and begin the rise to the productive and proud city it once was. HF

the

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OCTOBER 2008

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ANDERSON FROM PG. 4

not calling “anyone on earth father... nor... teacher,” as Jesus uncompromisingly demanded (Mthw 23:8). “Every member of a church freely supplies that aspect of the Lord that he or she has received...The Lord Jesus cannot be fully disclosed through only one member. He is far too rich for that.” Before Viola can claim a Biblical victory he must confront the reality of words such as church, pastors and elders in the New Testament. Viola points out that not only did many believers assemble in homes, but the Greek word ekklesia, simply means “assembly.” It is entirely free of the cultural baggage that a modern mind naturally associates with it. Poimen, interpreted as both “shepherd” and “pastor” occurs just once in the New Testament in reference to anyone but Christ, and it is plural (Eph. 4:11). More common is presbuteros, or elders, but, far from denoting any official role, Viola believes that the word describes one who is simply more seasoned in the faith. Paul and his fellow apostles could have chosen from dozens of contemporary terms that denoted hierarchical offices or sanctioned slots. Such words were cast aside because leadership in the various sacerdotal areas can only arise naturally, and by the mutual consent of the members. Viola’s books present one

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more particularly potent argument against the church building and official pastorate, namely that their very design promotes a docile flock. Remarkably like a movie theater, the pews promote passivity and discourage participation. The reformation offered little relief from this inoculating routine, as it was Luther who wrote, “the ears alone are the organs of a Christian.” In regularly stepping up to the lectern, the pastor ignorantly wrests command of the church from Christ, taking on a responsibility that man was not made for. Viola clearly opens himself up to accusations of utopianism and anarchism by men of the cloth. In the face of such obvious labels, it is important to remember that though the Church is made of men, it is not a man made institution. While a political body such as America requires an executive decision maker vested with the prerogative power in order to preserve a modicum of ordered freedom, among the body of Christ all earthly headships bear some resemblance to Medusa. Even though the pagan gorgon is not impervious to Christian interpretation, those who stare into her face still change into immobile stones, utterly unlike the “living stones” envisioned by Cephas. (1 Peter 2:5) HF

9

OCTOBER 2008

DEBIT OR CREDIT?

photos courtesy of Islam for Today

Meet Dara and Sara, they’re harmless and helpful!

Barbie FROM Pg. 1 and brown eyes. Barbie is also a cell phone carrying, swim-suit wearing independent woman. In response Sara is armed with a burka, shawl, and the dream of becoming a teacher or housewife. Barbie may cruise the town in a pink convertible, but Sara has a sturdy pair of sandals and a determined walk. Sara’s twin brother Dara also wears traditional Iranian dress and enjoys studying hard in order to become an astronaut or an archaeologist. Sorry Ken, beach-blonde hair and washboard abs won’t get you into space. Both children love to pray and spend time with their stayat-home mother and hardworking father: a prominent member of an Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization. But despite Dara and Sara’s cultural correctness, sales have been rather pathetic while Barbie remains a hot seller. Iranian toy sellers recognize that Barbie hurts Islamic culture and is a moral danger, but Barbie sells so well that most toy stores decide to carry the

American doll anyway. Toy seller Mehdi Hedayat noted, “Dara and Sara are strategic products to preserve our national identity.” He has, however, also observed Iranian children’s clear preference for Barbie, and therefore continues to sell the American doll. Barbie must be pleased with her commercial dominance over Dara and Sara, but the real winner in all of this is America. The fact that foreign governments have designed their own dolls for fear of the continued spread of western culture is a comforting sign, especially as military tensions with Iran continue to rise. If an American military invasion does not conquer Iran, then perhaps the American cultural invasion will win the war, one eightyear-old at a time. Why take the lives of children wielding AK47s when it is far easier to take the market shares of children cuddling Barbie? The creation of Dara and Sara is a clever idea, but so long as Barbie is queen, American culture will continue to prevail. Toy seller Masoumeh Rahimi has sensibly observed, “I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than an American missile.” HF

Your parents taught you to read, tie your shoes, blow your nose, and drive a car. But did they teach you about those plastic cards in your wallet? Probably not, because if they are like most Americans, they don’t know much about them. As your professors will soon begin pounding into your head during the week day, knowledge is crucial for independence. As Hollywood will teach you on the weekends, knowledge is good. Either way, it’s time to start learning. Fortunately for you, understanding how “plastic” works isn’t as hard as it seems. If you hail from Detroit, you may be accustomed to taking whatever you want from anyone who has a smaller caliber weapon than you. But everywhere else, it is expected that you sacrifice your hard-earned money to obtain your desires. There are two widely practiced rituals for this painful experience. You can carry cash, but this exposes you to the risk of a stickup even outside the confines of tranquil Detroit. On the upside, cash transactions can’t be tracked by your bank, the NSA, and homeland security like your plastic transactions can be (and are). So if you’re planning to buy antitank missiles in the future, stick with cash. Next option: plastic. It’s more convenient, can carry less risk for the user (if used responsibly), and offers greater access to products (buying cheap crap on eBay, for example).

OPINiON JAMES NESBITT SENIOR WRITER

When you make a purchase with a credit card, you are not actually paying for your purchase, your credit card company is. That is why you must have good credit to get one, as the credit card company needs a reasonable assurance you can repay them for the purchase.

THE GOOD

•You can make interest on money in your bank account between the time you make the purchase and the time you must repay the credit card company. •Federal law limits your liability if your credit card is stolen and used without your consent to fifty dollars. Many credit cards waive your liability entirely. Furthermore, any illegitimate charges made are not deducted from your bank account but charged to the credit card company, positioning you better in dispute resolution. •You can actually make money by using a credit card! Many cards offer rewards points or a certain percentage of the amount you purchase as cash back.

THE BAD

•Credit card companies have to pay for those rewards somehow. Spending limits on a credit card are not tied to how much money you actually have. If you are not able to pay your credit card bill by the due date, you will be hit with high interest rates, making it difficult to pay off your debt. Credit card companies make enough on these high interest rates to offer rewards, stay in business, and even make a healthy profit. So, if you’re lured to Gucci purses and designer jeans like a moth to a light bulb, a credit card might not be the best option for you. •A credit card adds yet another bill to be paid, which increases the complexity of your finances more than a debit card connected to a pre-existing bank account does.

A debit card deducts money directly from your account. When you make a purchase, money from your account is immediately withdrawn to pay for it.

THE GOOD

•Remember all those library books you “forgot” to return? Many transactions that rely on good faith actions of the future can affect your credit score, even the failure to return library books. And a bad credit score means no credit card. However, you can still forgo hauling around your piggy bank to make purchases, thanks to the debit card. Since debit cards are directly tied to your account, good credit is not required to get one. •Gucci lovers, the amount you can spend with your card is tied to the amount of money you have in your account, so you won’t rack up massive debt with high interest if you try to buy out the whole store because you just couldn’t decide (although those crafty bankers are increasingly using misleading overdraft protection to charge hefty fees

THE BAD

•Since money is directly debited from your account at the time of transaction, you can’t make any interest on it. It may be a pittance, but the principle is still there. Or isn’t, if you know your finance terms. •If you card is stolen or lost, your liability is not limited by law to fifty dollars (as it is with a credit card) but instead to the amount charged before you report the loss of your card. Additionally, the money is deducted directly from your account. So if you’re the ditzy Dorothy type, a debit card might not be the best option for you. •Debit cards offer similar rewards programs to credit cards, but their rates tend to be lower than those of credit cards

if you overdraw your account).

If you’ve been inspired to pick out a card and start swiping away, there are a few important points you should consider first: •Because most American consumers use credit cards unwisely, Annual Percentage Rates (APR) is heavily advertised. Unless you are planning to use your card unwisely (not recommended), APR should be rather unimportant in your decision process. There are much better loan options available, for instance, the local bookie. At least he only breaks your kneecaps/neck. •Is your dream vacation a trip to Topeka? With certain rewards programs, that’ll be the only destination for which your rewards are redeemable. Make sure the rewards program for your card is actually worthwhile. •Make sure your card doesn’t have an annual fee. Sometimes banks will attract you to a certain card with high rewards, but they recoup their losses by charging an annual membership or renewal fee for the card. On the upside, you usually get a platinum membership. Sure sounds fancy!

10

Arts&Entertainment

OCTOBER 2008

Viral Video: America’s got the fever ANNA SCHEITHAUER STAFF WRITER

campaigning volte-face in the wake of the new technological advancements, giving the candidates more face-time with the common man. Interviews are available to watch over and over again on YouTube, and thousands of ordinary people can let their voice be heard through homemade video clips. During the latest presidential election primaries, CNN and YouTube hosted debates, featuring questions sub-

Remember when you tripped over the bridesmaid’s dress at the wedding you were at last year? Or what about that stunt you pulled on your bike that landed you in the hospital? You might have conveniently forgotten about those episodes, but thousands of people who visit YouTube every day haven’t. Four years ago, YouTube didn’t exist. It has The Best of Political YouTube now become a common noun. Through “Barack Obama Gets ‘Rick Rolled’” YouTube, moments captured forever by a “Howard Stern Quizzes Voters” single camera can be uploaded for millions “I’m Voting Democrat Because...” to view. What started as an idea and a small “Karl Rove Raps” company founded by three men in 2005 has evolved into a site reSee all of these and more! Online at: cently sold to Google www.thehillsdaleforum.blogspot.com for 1.65 billion dollars. About 80 to 90 million videos call YouTube home as of last April. The videos range from clips of children singing popu- mitted by users. YouTube has lar songs to how-to videos. given a voice to ordinary peoYouTube has made entertain- ple; otherwise, unless debates ment by the people and for the take place in some sort of pubpeople possible. It’s not just for lic forum, citizens don’t get the silly videos either; there are chance to ask questions. This countless commentaries, rants, year there were 4,927 videos and documentaries uploaded submitted for the Republican every day. A search using the candidates, and 2,989 submitkey words “presidential elec- ted for the Democratic candition 2008” yields 13,100 videos. dates, and even though that The best part is that anyone event was broadcast months with an Internet connection can ago, the footage is still available tune in. A person no longer has on YouTube. to wait to see it on the news if Each minute, another thirteen it’s made available online first. hours of YouTube footage is Freshman Joe Hersey watches uploaded. YouTube is growing “around twenty” videos on constantly and has already inYouTube per week, and says tegrated itself into popular culthat “about half of them” are ture. While it has yet to be seen related to the upcoming elec- how much of an effect this will tion. have on the 2008 Presidential This will be the first presiden- Election, it is definite to say that tial election during the age of YouTube has made its mark in YouTube, blogging, and social- politics and will continue to networking. It won’t just be an broadcast information, politihistoric event because there’s cal and otherwise, by “we the a woman and a black man on people.” HF presidential tickets, but because YouTube has helped cause a

www.singforchange.com

One of few grainy photos available before the “Sing for Change” website disappeared from the internet.

Sing for Change, Sing for Socialism Julie ROBISON EDITOR IN CHIEF

As Election Day claws its way closer day by day, the reminder that the Republicancontrolled White House may be overtaken just as Congress was in 2006 looms ominously overhead American markets and minds. Yet, despite the nation’s problems, the show goes on, with politics giving their musical regards to the country. From the political satire song “Barack the Magic Negro,” first featured on Rush Limbaugh’s show in March 2007, to the catchy and celebrityendorsed “Yes We Can” by Will. I.Am., politically-fueled songs are sending a strong message to Americans. Most recently, the ObamaBiden supporters seem to be humming to their own tune. “Sing for Change” is an Obama grassroots coalition started by music teacher Kathy Sawada and 22 children ages 5-12 in Venice, California. They performed their original songs one Sunday afternoon in a neighbor’s house, well-attended by both parents and other area residents. The audience also included Jeff Zucker, President and CEO

of NBC, who helped film and promote the event with the help of other influential colleagues. The first part of the performance was written and performed by Lily Campbell, age 9, and was called “We’re Gonna Change the World.” She sang “We’re gonna spread happiness/ We’re gonna spread freedom/ Obama’s gonna change it/ Obama’s gonna lead ’em/ We’re gonna change it/ And rearrange it/ We’re gonna change the world.” It was immediately followed by another song written by Sawada, called “Sing for Change,” which had the children “sing for vision, sing for unity” with corresponding hand motions. While the thought of children singing does not usually strike a chord into the hearts of grown men and women, these children have been dubbed by many as “Obama Youth,” and have been compared to Hitler Youth and the children in North Korea who sing songs to their “Dear Leader.” This use of children as political propaganda is contemptible, and even though this is a grassroots organization not directly connected with the campaign, it still reflects a belief that the ends justify the means, the end being Obama elected as

president. These children still have at least six years before they can even register to vote, and yet they sing songs about a man they do not wholly understand. There has been great controversy in past years over the treatment of children in the U.S. and abroad. With the travesties occurring in Africa, and UN promises to ‘fix’ the problem, one must remember the children back home: the children who are not held in bondage physically, but whose mental capacities for a truly liberal mind are being shortcircuited by teachers who teach history by Howard Zinn and politics according to their own opinions. It is citizenry like this that leads future generations to make uneducated decisions about public political figures by indoctrinating them with songs praising someone who has yet to even be officially elected. If these people truly believe that electing a person who upholds a belief system wrapped in vague vocabulary words will be the answer to national predicaments, it may take a president like Obama to have them soon clapping to a different beat. HF

11

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

OCTOBER 2008

Biden’s Greatest Hits: A condensed collection of the Vice Presidential nominee’s blunders and boo-boos Calvin FreiBurger SENIOR WRITER

No sooner did John McCain announce Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate then Democrats began suggesting that the McCain campaign didn’t bother to properly examine the would-be vice president’s background. If only Democrats were half as concerned about the thought that went into the selection of Delaware Senator (and perpetual embarrassment) Joe Biden, the VP candidate who, by several accounts, has only a casual acquaintance with the truth. In the 1988 presidential race, Biden made a series of false claims about his academic background: that he got a full academic scholarship to law school (nope, only a partial scholarship), that he earned three degrees (in reality a single double-major) and that he graduated in the top half of his class (actually, he was 76 out of 85). This was in the course of explaining to a reporter why “I probably have a much higher IQ than you do.” His defense? “I exaggerate when I’m angry.”

“

Chavez FROM PG. 2 support and ally to Chavez. This can only embolden the dictator further, resulting in escalated proportions of communist action. Venezuela allied with Russia poses a threat to the American way of life and freedom as Americans know it. Chavez’s promotion of communism is a nearby danger which can affect the politics of the world, including those of the United States. Hugo Chavez should be regarded as a threat to the Free World and not left to dictate his policies to the world, lest they turn into something far worse than heightened gas prices. HF

During that campaign he also was found to have plagiarized a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labor Party. Maybe it’s Biden’s ability to cross partisan divides that caught Barack Obama’s eye. During the CNN/YouTube primary debate, responding to a gun owner who asked about the safety of his “baby,” a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, Biden said, “I don’t know

I DON’T KNOW THAT HE IS MENTALLY QUALIFIED TO OWN THAT GUN -JOE BIDEN

”

that he is mentally qualified to own that gun.” He has told America “it’s time to be patriotic” and support higher taxes. Even the foreign policy gravitas Biden supposedly brings to Obama’s campaign is a joke. As the New Republic reported in October 2001, Biden had a brilliant idea for winning Arab goodwill in the wake of 9/11: “Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200

million to Iran.” Yes, that Iran. As the author of the plan to partition Iraq into three separate regions, Biden has earned the united disapproval of Iraq’s Sunni, Shi’ite, and Kurdish factions. “Dividing the communities and land in such a way would only lead to new fighting between people over resources and borders,” Salih al-Mutlaq, head of Sunni parliamentary bloc National Dialogue, told Reuters on August 23. “Iraq cannot survive unless it is unified, and dividing it would keep the problems alive for a long time.” Biden even seems confused about the merits of his own ticket. Team McCain wasted no time in making an ad out of Biden’s primary-season contentions that Barack Obama wasn’t ready for the presidency (apparently he has improved in record time) and that he’d be “honored to run with or against John McCain.” Once on the campaign trail, Biden even went as far as saying that Hillary Clinton might have been a better VP pick. Well, maybe he is right about something. HF

the hillsdale forum presents...

Real Hillsdalians of Genius

Here’s to you, Mr. Library Schmoozer. You enter Mossey with the genuine intention to study, but the allure of acknowledging every person you’ve ever met is too strong to resist. You soon find yourself making the rounds. Stalking between the bookshelves, you look for a quiet nook to call your own but, it’s a full house tonight and that friend you haven’t seen in weeks is sitting two feet away. Besides—its time for a study break, right? The sound of your kibitzing fills the entire floor, and it’s only your oblivious nature that protects you from fellow student’s death glares. So now, thanks to you—we’re distracted, and doncha know— headphones in the ears are the international sign for “I’m busy!” So sit back and catch up on your Cicero and French verbs instead of what happened last weekend, after all, it is not like you came here to study in the first place. –JR

DAVIGNON FROM PG. 4 the Bible. If the truth is true, it should be universal, yet Frank Viola’s method of knowing and defining the truth could never produce consensus on a universal level. But if the truth is not determined through consensus, how then can we know the truth? The Bible says that the Spirit will lead us into all truth (Jn. 16:13), and that the church is the “pillar of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), but the church cannot be the pillar of truth if it consists merely in the form of independent house churches, as Frank Viola proposes. The truth is not subjective, and it should not be subject to the whim of every individual house church. In order for the church to be the “pillar of truth,” it must be united in its witness to the truth of Christianity, and this can only occur through an authoritative institutional church that has the power to define and defend the truth. HF

PC versus Mac... the nerd equivalent of Michigan v. Ohio State Catherine sims staff WRITER

Before you headed out to college this fall, odds are that you spent no small amount of time looking for the perfect laptop to get you through the school year. And that means you had to decide between getting a PC (personal computer) or a Mac (Macintosh). What you might not have known is while Apple seems to be giving Microsoft a good run for its money these days, it was close

innovative and user-friendly products to gain an edge in the PC-dominated market. Macintosh’s creative advertising has been another asset in its struggle upwards. Today’s Mac ads pit “PC,” an overweight, balding, and bespectacled man in a bad suit, against “Mac,” a bright young thing in a casual but trendy T-shirt and jeans. While the PC character runs into a spectrum of problems from freezing up to the ultimate horror of being tedious and unappealing, photo by Schleue

to collapse a mere decade ago. Oddly enough, Microsoft was the one that saved Apple from financial disaster in 1997 by purchasing $150 million of stock in Apple. Since then, Apple has seen a dramatic turnaround in its fortunes, using

“Mac” is always kind, understanding, and inevitably more attractive and proficient. These ads rely on the viewer associating PCs with businessmen and unfriendly environments whereas Mac is a friend who will make the entire process of owning and using a computer much simpler and more fun. Just lately, Microsoft has come out with a new ad campaign, ostensibly criticizing Macintosh for typecasting fat people who wear glasses as boring and inefficient.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

“Yeah... Zeus is a cheater. You know that TV show Cheaters? Zeus would be on it. Every week.” --Dr. Hutchinson

“I’m going to use an ‘R’ rated expression here: it’s like my Dad used to always say, ‘Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.’” --Dr. Wolfram “I like the enthusiasm... It’s that go get ‘em attitude that made America great!” --Dr. Garnjobst “Disco, discimus-we dance in polyester.” --Dr. Jones

WW W

--Heard Up the Hill----------

the.Last.Laugh

In reference to the financial bailout: “It is equivalent to spending $1 million per day for the past 2000 years. That is a million bucks. Per day. SINCE THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. Your life is now mortgaged. Have a great afternoon!” --Dr. Wenzel

(dot)

TheHIllsdaleForum (dot)

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CO M (dot)

Online At: www.thehillsdaleforum. blogspot.com

12 OCTOBER 2008 PC & MAC FROM PG. 11 as boring and inefficient. Taking the viewer on a tour of the world, Microsoft shows how people from every country and background, businessmen and cool people alike, use PCs. The genius of this ad lies in its sophisticated approach to tackling the Mac accusations. It presents a cosmopolitan outlook on the world of PC users, demonstrating that its users are diverse in appearance and beliefs, encompassing the practical business world as well as musical and artistic venues. On campus, the competition between the opposing camps tends toward the fanatical side. Mac users typically extol the virtues of their operating system until told to stop; although, freshman Serena Howe expressed her feelings quite succinctly. When asked what she

likes about her Mac, she said, “It’s beautiful. It’s simple. And it never gets viruses. That’s about it.” On the PC side, freshman Przemek Grzesiak points out that, “Macs don’t get viruses simply because they’re such a small part of the market. This, coupled with the fact that PCs have much more software available for their users tend to make PCs more compelling targets for hackers.” And he says that he likes his PC because, “PCs have been around the block. After years of being targeted by spy ware, viruses, trojans and whatnot, they are better-equipped to protect your computer.” While the debate is ongoing, it continues to heat up as Apple gains more of a foothold in college bound students. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft’s new advertising will give the PC new impetus among the young. HF

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