McCain vs. the media
Will the John McCain campaign ever get over its weird conviction that the press is out to get it? On Sept. 22, chief campaign strategist Steve Schmidt lashed out at the New York Times, claiming it was “”completely, totally, 150 percent in the tank”” for Barack Obama. “”Whatever the New York Times once was,”” Schmidt blustered, “”It is today not by any standard a journalistic organization. It is a pro-Obama advocacy organization.”” Earlier that month, after CNN’s Campbell Brown pounded a McCain spokesman with questions about Sarah Palin’s knowledge of foreign policy, the campaign canceled a McCain appearance on “”Larry King Live,”” sniffing that his “”time would be better served elsewhere.”” Now they’ve gotten away with demanding that tonight’s debate between Palin and Joe Biden have shorter question-and-answer times than the presidential debates because of Palin’s lack of experience. Considering what a media darling McCain has been for the last decade, his attempts to paint the press as biased are not only mendacious but downright pathetic.

– Justyn Dillingham is the opinions editor of the Wildcat.

Cell phones for making calls, not checking e-mail
Do you remember what it was like when a ringing cell phone in the middle of class greatly frustrated your professor and classmates? For most of us, this is still the case, but we’ve all gotten better at ignoring that inconsiderate person who forgets to silence his phone. As painful as it is to see our classmate scramble through his bag to shut off his piercing ring tone, it’s almost more annoying to watch students brag about and mess around with their Blackberrys and new 3G iPhones. Though the phones’ capabilities are impressive and demonstrative of strong technological advancements, they are completely unnecessary. Unless someone has an intense occupation requiring her to be constantly connected to the Internet, there’s no reason to purchase such a phone. We have computers and GPS systems for a reason. If you ask me, there’s something wrong with a person who “”needs”” to have a cell phone with so many superfluous features. We have bigger things to worry about than our increasing dependence on technology, but it remains a greatly overlooked issue.

– Laura Donovan is a creative writing junior.

Love builds strong families, not marriage
The Daily Wildcat ran a letter in the Mailbag this week that alluded to a man-woman marriage as the foundation for our society (“”Proposition 102 celebrates marriage, ‘difference’ between genders”” Sept. 30, 2008). I feel compelled to address this flawed logic because it pervades many minds in our society. Marriage is not the foundation of our society. As a science major, I think of it this way: If someone says molecules are the building blocks of matter, you say, “”Not true, atoms are.”” Marriages are like molecules. Yes, they are important, but they are not “”the foundation for strong families”” by any stretch of the imagination. Love – the atoms, so to speak – is the foundation of our families, and not just man-woman love. There are plenty of prosperous families that fail to comply with Bruce Pixton’s archetype of the family. If you really want to celebrate marriage, as Pixton does, then extend marriage to all people, regardless of whom they love.

– Justin Huggins is a senior majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Conservatives need a legitimate voice in film
There will be political films aplenty during the course of this month, from Oliver Stone’s completely nutty “”W.”” to Bill Maher’s examination of religion, the aptly titled “”Religulous,”” opening Friday. However, it is frustrating that when conservatives try to throw their chicken in the pot, it ends up being something as awful as the Michael Moore parody coming out, “”An American Carol,”” in which various conservative actors like Jon Voight and James Woods make appearances, along with Bill O’Reilly. If conservatives are always complaining about liberal bias and the traitors in Hollywood, why don’t they come up with a legitimate film or documentary of their own? I’ll be waiting for it.

– Matt Wavrin is a media arts senior.