“W” a master of spin:
As a retired Navy Captain, I have been grappling with this question since President Bush’s recent spin on Iraq: “The increase in attacks in Iraq is a sign of our success.” If and when attacks in Iraq reduce, the President will no doubt indicate that this is a sign of our success. So, whether attacks in Iraq increase or decrease, we are succeeding. This is truly award-winning spin.
The Superintendent of The United States Military Academy recently addressed The Philadelphia Scholarship Foundation, a charitable organization that gives scholarships to young Philadelphia scholars in need. He repeatedly emphasized that a sign of success in West Point’s military training is that their recent graduates do not, and will not, spin.
So, should leaders spin? If there is one clear lesson from Vietnam, strategically, when the President and Congress should be leading a national debate on why there is absolutely no alternative than to go to war, they should never spin! In the build up to the Iraq war, while there was non-specific general mention of the length and difficulty of the struggle, the overwhelming spin falsely connected Iraq with 9/1l, we would be treated as liberators, there would be no financial sacrifice because Iraqi oil would pay for any costs, large numbers of troops would not be needed for a lengthy time, and most importantly, that the threat of terrorism would be reduced. Tragically, our children are relearning the lesson of Vietnam in blood, and they and their children will pay for this lesson for years to come through unprecedented national debt. In going to war, leaders should not spin!
John Nosek – CIS Professor
A Katz supporter:
Aside from the fact that I woke up late, or that I had classes between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Aside from the fact that I had to be at work by 1:45p.m., or that I got off at 10 p.m. I was determined to vote. For Sam Katz, that is.
Being an African-American Democrat from the lower-class population, I posed a major conflict of interest. I had friends jokingly call me a “sell-out” while my parents simply regarded my individualist thinking as being “stubborn and stupid.”
Not to mention that for the past several months I have been bombarded with images to aid in the re-election of our mayor. Some were positive. Others were negative. Most were annoying. Like the numerous pre-recorded messages I received on my telephone or those volunteers riding around in white vans blasting hip-hop and chanting “Street, Street” every 30 seconds like they were trying to plant some type of subliminal message.
Nevertheless, I put on my blinders and my earplugs and headed to the polls to elect my choice for Mayor. I was going to be 45 minutes late for work but I really did not care. I stepped off the trolley and walked right pass a man offering me a “Vote for Street” button and through the crowd of volunteers standing outside the polls handing out flyers that said,
“Vote straight democratic ticket – Press #1.”
I voted and I am glad that I did because I believe in “Equal Rights” and “Equal Opportunity” and to me that means if one person does not get it “right” give another person the “opportunity” to make it better.
Danean Nixon – JPRA Student
Praise for Potvin:
On Noah Potvin’s Nov. 6th column on gay marriage:
Your article was excellently written. I definitely feel the same way you do and just wanted to tell you that I thought it was really good. Liberals rule! Keep writing!!
Jenn Berdine can be reached at jennb85@temple.edu.
Thanks for your article in the Temple News – Right on the mark! I look forward to seeing more from you.
Paul Garrett, Anthropology Assistant Professor can be reached at pgarrett@temple.edu.
Gridiron gripe:
On Neal Ungerleider’s Nov. 6 column on Temple’s local reputation:
I thoroughly enjoyed and agreed with your column until you bashed Temple for having “$15 million of our tuition money wasted on having our football team play in luxurious Lincoln Financial Field.”
This simply isn’t the case. Several years ago when the Eagles were lobbying the city and state for stadium funding, the state agreed to help fund construction of the stadium ($15 million worth) on the condition that Temple play it’s football games there. The $15 million could not have been used for tuition. PA provided the funding for Temple’s use of Lincoln Finanical Field ONLY. It could be used for no other purpose.
In any case, I look forward to future columns. Also, it seems you’ve discovered something that all alumni have come to know…the further you get from Temple, the better its reputation.
Tom Leonard can be reached at rtl5p@virginia.edu.
Much love for Temple:
Kudos on your “No love for Temple in Philly” article. I moved here from Mississippi after losing my job when WorldCom went under and found that, even way down in the deep south, most people had heard about Temple and had a favorable impression of it. The only people who seemed dubious about my decision to attend Temple were friends and family who lived in Pennsylvania and had a very unfavorable impression of the neighborhood it was in… I doubt that I’ll ever regret my decision to attend this school.
David Van Balen can be reached at dvb@temple.edu.
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