Opinions

  On Sept. 17, 2011, an estimated 5000 people assembled in downtown New York to protest corruption in the financial system. This movement, known as Occupy Wall Street, attracted a great deal of attention across the nation, though reactions were mixed. A Gallup poll conducted Oct. 2011 found that 63 percent of Americans did not know enough to say whether they supported the movement’s goals. This was likely due to Occupy’s lack of a clear message. The movement was characterized by individualism, but attempts to unite the protestors under a...

You are not alone if you missed the latest news from Kenya. Members of Somalian Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab laid siege to the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi for four days. 67 are reported dead; 175 injured and 71 are still missing. The attack began on Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace. The group proudly claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter, citing the Kenyan military’s involvement in Somalia as their primary motivation for doing so. Most of the dead were found with horrific wounds and evidence of torture....

As our generation of third-wave feminists continues its discourse on sex-positive behaviors, the most obvious celebrity of interest has quickly become Miley Cyrus. As tracks from her new album, Bangerz, which dropped Oct. 4, climb the iTunes charts (the album itself hit the number one spot within hours of its release) the already notorious pop star has made even more headlines through her feud with 80’s pop singer Sinead O’Connor. The circumstances of their dispute involve a series of open letters penned by Sinead O’Connor, the first of which O’Connor...

As college students, we may have an ethical argument or a logical argument about comprehensive immigration reform. But what some do not realize is that it also makes a huge impact on college students as well. Foreign students have been coming to America to study for years. They know that the college education system  in the U.S. is one of, if not the, strongest in the world. The more restrictions we have on immigration, the harder it is to let students who want a good education come to the United...

Conservatives have been making ridiculous comparisons between the Affordable Care Act and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. The Affordable Care Act has been a large source of controversy ever since its inception. Republican lawmakers have made it clear that they do not at all approve of the act, even going so far as to compare it to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. President Obama spoke at a community college in Maryland on Sept. 26 in order to address some of these inappropriate analogies. “Over the past few weeks...

After weeks of debate, Congress failed to pass a spending bill by Oct. 1, the start of the government’s fiscal year.  Thus on Tuesday a government shutdown occurred, meaning many government agencies have closed down until a spending bill is passed. The point of contention in Congress is the Affordable Care Act (ACA, colloquially known as Obamacare), passed by Congress in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012. House Republicans have demanded that any spending bill include provision to defund the ACA. Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Harry...

The city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy on July 18, making history as the largest city ever to do so. The city’s debt and obligations are currently more than $18 billion. On Sept. 27, the White House announced a $320 million aid package for the city. Fortunately, this announcement took place before the government shutdown, which officially started on Oct. 1. The money comes from a combination of federal and private funds. Portions of the money have been set aside for specific areas of the city. $150 million have been...

To the Editor:   I was a little disappointed in the article “Another Sexy Year at Puget Sound” that appeared in The Trail and was dated September 27. Although there were many positive things about the article, I think there are at least two flaws. Firstly, although the article did allude to the problem of “date rape,” it could have been firmer is asking for, or at least suggesting, stronger action to prevent rape, perhaps even the criminalization of the activity. Also, what about the treatment or rehabilitation of the...

In the past few weeks, much has happened in the realm of women’s rights. From Texas senator Wendy Davis (known best for her spectacular 13-hour filibuster of an annoying anti-abortion bill last June, a bill that was later signed by everyone’s favorite conservative, Rick Perry), announcing her intentions to run for Texas governor, to Anita Perry’s accidental quasi-confession of considering abortion as what “could be a right,” there have been quite a few headlines surrounding women and their health concerns and privileges. The trend, it would seem, continues with a...

At 12 a.m. Tuesday the United States government functionally shut down, and the blame has not stopped being thrown back and forth. Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) blames Boehner and the Tea Party for the shutdown. “Speaker Boehner and his band of Tea Party radicals have done the unthinkable. They have shut down the federal government,” Reid said. On the other side is Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) complaining that the Democrats will not work out the differences. “Now said they won’t even sit down to work out differences,” ...

The Washington Supreme Court validated the right of individuals to present medical evidence if charged with possession of marijuana. In Oct. 2010, police searched William Kurtz’s home and found more than 40 marijuana plants and 15 ounces of packaged marijuana. Kurtz was charged with manufacturing and possession of marijuana. The jury found Kurtz guilty of both charges and Thurston County Superior Court Judge Carol Murphy fined him $4,000. Kurtz uses a wheelchair due to a hereditary medical condition and was 58 years old at the time of his conviction. He...

On Sept. 15, Aaron Alexis killed 12 people at the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Washington, D.C. Compared to previous events, the nation’s response seems muted. Aside from public figures like President Obama’s initial declarations of sadness, the national attitude is  indifference. The shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last year instigated a nation-wide debate about gun control. The greatest legislative response was the proposal of the Manchin-Toomey amendment, a bipartisan bill drafted by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that aimed to expand...