Job security

The Story: President Bush said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified before a Senate committee last week “”in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job.””

The Diss: What was Bush watching?! Gonzales’s performance looked like a parody of Ronald Reagan in his later years; Gonzales used the words “”I don’t recall”” some 64 times in a five-hour span. Republican senators called Gonzales’s testimony “”really deplorable,”” “”at variance with the facts”” and “”harmful to the Justice Department.”” And this is the guy we want as our top law enforcement official in the U.S.? This is the guy who’s supposed to protect us from Osama bin Laden, dirty bombs and people who are willing to blow themselves up in public squares? The guy who had three weeks to prepare for his testimony and just barely managed to remember his name? It makes one wonder what it would take to be fired from the Bush administration. Oh yeah – telling the truth.

– Damion LeeNatali is a senior majoring in political science and history.

Southern hospitality

The Story: Breaking away from a longstanding tradition, Turner County High School in south Georgia had its first integrated prom. Historically, white students and black students had attended segregated, private proms organized by parents, which was “”nothing racial,”” according to a former student.

The Diss: Wow. Kudos to the students of Turner County High for standing up for basic civil liberties. But the first integrated prom took place 40 years after the civil rights movement? And some parents are still prohibiting their students from mixing with the “”colored”” kids. Hmmm. I guess the South still has a bad rep for a reason.

– Stan Molever is a philosophy senior.

Divide and conquer

The Story: The Associated Press reported that in an April 7 march, immigration reform protesters accused one of the leading mouthpieces of the movement, disc jockey Eduardo “”Piolin”” Sotelo, of being a traitor for not promoting the upcoming May 1 march enough.

The Diss: It has been well known by members of the many immigration reform movement networks that divisions exist among them. Rumors of invasion of special-interest groups have skewed the primary agenda of the marches and boycotts. This accusation against Sotelo is yet another attempt to divide the house from within. The May 1 march is an attempt to rejuvenate the stalemated immigration reform legislation. Although there are specific goals in certain cities where protests are being held (Prop. 300 in Tucson), the overall goal of bringing national attention to the plight of illegal immigrants should be the focus rather than internal conflict. Furthermore, more investigation should be done into which group started the accusations against Sotelo and who is really behind them.

– Lila Burgos is an international studies junior.