Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.



Editorials

Changing the Church

A scandal has erupted among Catholic parishioners that has become a national disgrace. The Boston Globe reported Jan. 6 that the archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law, had sheltered a pedophiliac priest rather than reporting him to the authorities. When Cardinal Law discovered that this priest had raped several boys, he simply sent him on sabbatical to Rome, the Globe reported.

Editorials

Knock Tyson out of D.C.

Sadly, the D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission voted unanimously at Tuesday’s public hearing to grant former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson a license to fight in Washington, D.C., which may result in a June 8 bout between Tyson and current champion Lennox Lewis at the MCI Center.

Voices

On the comedy of a century

If I were to write a novel, it would definitely be set in the 19th century. Because, as I think we can all agree, the 19th century is the most hilarious century of them all. Of course, I wasn’t the first person to figure this out; popular culture today is replete with references to this age.

Voices

Letter to the editor

It’s rare that a single off-the-court decision can end two decades of consistency, undermine the legacy of recent players, send one of the school’s best players out on a sour note, alienate fans and harm the current players’ chance for future success. Skipping the NIT manages to accomplish it all.

Voices

Kaap Stad

“Kaap Stad, brotha?” the toothless man in the window asks as the minibus slows down to the curb. “Yeah.” I hop in to the crowded taxi and fork over two-rand-fifty for the ride into town from Mowbray, my neighborhood. That’s less than 25 American cents. The vehicle is crowded, as they usually are.

Voices

Philadelphia does not deserve to live

I am one of the few, the proud transplants from the western United States to Georgetown. Upon my arrival two years ago, I was confronted with a host of perplexing new experiences: subways, stupid accents and, most amazingly, condensed travel time. The rapidity of, nay, the existence of interstate train travel allows one to traverse the Eastern Sea Board in the time it takes to drive to many of the respective state lines west of the Mississippi.

Editorials

Equal-opportunity speech

Red Square, Georgetown’s designated free-speech zone, was the center of controversy Friday when two groups of Georgetown students staked out the area. One group chalked up Red Square and posted flyers reading, among other things, “There are Gay Hoyas, too” and “There are Lesbian Hoyas, too.

Editorials

Every career fair counts

Last Wednesday night, Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez indefinitely postponed a progressive career fair that was scheduled to take place the following day in the Leavey Program Room. The Student Activities Commission-approved fair was organized by GU Pride and H*yas for Choice, a group not recognized by the University, and was to feature organizations such as Catholics for Free Choice, Amnesty International and Choice USA.

Editorials

Big Brother’s back again

In addition to those currently in use on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, the Metropolitan Police Department has introduced even more security cameras across the city that threaten the rights of District residents. The new Joint Operations Command Center brings together video feeds from the newly-installed and the existing cameras to form the largest network of video surveillance cameras in the United States.

Voices

An illusory love

I find it unfortunate that in recent issues of this Catholic university’s newsmagazine, the only pieces dealing with Catholic issues have shallowly criticized its teachings. Catholicism has a tremendous amount of truth, peace and splendor to offer. Before going any further, I hope it is not presumptuous to assume that the students and professors that come to study and teach at this Catholic institution of higher education do so voluntarily, much like the adherents of Catholicism freely choose to practice that religion.

Voices

Letter to the editor

In reference to Bailey Somers’ article, “Gonzalez examines Corp’s finances” in the Feb. 21 issue of The Georgetown Voice, several of the major points of the article need clarification. From the opening line, the article misrepresents the true nature of the relationship between Dr.

Voices

Knowing better

Every so often, my father will tell this story from high school: He broke his arm pole-vaulting without a mat. After he had the cast removed, he decided to pole-vault again?without a mat. He broke his other arm. Each time I hear this story, I ask myself several questions: Why did he want to pole-vault? Why did he do it without a mat? Wasn’t there anyone else around who thought pole-vaulting without a mat was unsafe? Why does Dad tell this story when it makes him look dumb? The question that I find most perplexing is this: Why do people repeat actions that have failed in the past? Almost everyone does it.

Voices

In defense of Philadelphia

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in the sports section of the Voice. In the past month, two articles have not only criticized the sports fans in my hometown, the most passionate city in the United States, but also have used the conduct of these same fans as an excuse to bash the city where our own Constitution was written in the long, hot summer of 1787.

Voices

Butter has made us fat

In the end, we lamented that we hadn’t just gone to some boring Georgetown party with a boring keg of Rolling Rock and boring plastic cups, where we would have talked to some boring companions. Instead, we got just what we had wished for. One Wednesday evening, my friend Sean Kulkarni entered the New South restroom to wash his hands before dinner.

Editorials

Out with the old, in with the new

The Voice traditionally evaluates the performance of the outgoing Georgetown University Student Association executives by comparing their original campaign goals with their actual accomplishments. For former GUSA President Ryan DuBose (CAS ‘02) and former Vice President Brian Walsh (CAS ‘02), however, this kind of comparison would not provide a completely fair assessment of their administration.

Voices

Eyewitness to persecution

The Chinese government, under the direction of Jiang Zemin, has been persecuting Falung Gong for over two and a half years. Falun Gong practitioners in China are beaten, tortured, raped and slandered by a massive propaganda campaign for following a spiritual practice.

Voices

Letter to the editor

Ian Bourland’s cynical criticism of the Feb. 9th Cherry Tree festival (“Cherry Tree benefits from ringers,” Feb. 14) relies heavily on faults that are, upon further inspection, hardly faults at all. The annual a capella concert is indeed hosted by the Georgetown Chimes, a group that does, admittedly, have a unique style and repertoire.

Voices

When tradition and justice clash

As a member of both the Catholic and gay communities, the recent decision announced by Vice President of Student Affairs Juan Gonzales rejecting a center for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender students has left me perplexed. Learning under the Jesuits since my high school years, I have developed a great admiration for their philosophy and their principles.

Voices

The law book you’ve always wanted

So I’ve applied to law school. Actually, I’ve already applied to a few?more than two, fewer than 50. All I have to do now is wait.

And wait. And wait. The books say that waiting is the easy part. They’re wrong. Do you see people ever throwing, “I’ve been waiting three months for law school acceptance letters, and, man, this wait just keeps getting better!” parties? If it’s so fun, why don’t we switch places? They can wait; I’ll decide who gets in.

Editorials

Winning ugly

In an 11th hour effort to sink The Yard referendum, members of the Georgetown University Student Association convened late Sunday night to draft and send out e-mails to students condemning the attempts to create a new undergraduate governing body. The various e-mails, which went out to almost every student University-wide, all used varying language but contained the same message: Don’t vote for the Yard.