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  4. De
    Author

    The graphic was labeled on Facebook with “Virginia’s Largest Universities by Enrollment”, so the graphic is completely accurate. Obviously if you change it to full-time students, the information won’t be the same. Just like if you changed it to the number of female students the information wouldn’t be the same either.

  5. De
    Author

    Some people won’t feel a sense of “community” no matter what the university changes. I picked Mason because I DID feel a sense of community starting from my very first tour. You will only get out of Mason what you put into it. To me, Mason feels like home. Being a Patriot makes me part of the Mason community. People don’t get a sense of community from a building or a tradition, but from the people that they interact with. The welcoming and friendly people at Mason define our community.

  6. John S
    Author

    What about the people who don’t care for the sense of community and would rather see investments in expanded research funding? Wanting investments in making college a better experience for just you and friends over funding research that is beneficial to all of humanity is quite self-serving. A university has an obligation to make progress in the sciences and in the humanities; it’s not some sort of feel good camp that your parents send you to have a good time. For me, GMU was cost effective commuter school and I knew what I was buying with my tuition. You can’t expect a school with a large percentage of its students who live off campus to have the same sense of community as that of non commuter schools. College is short. I don’t recommend dwelling in the past once you graduate. The point of attending college was for you to have career afterwards.

  7. DublinDiva
    Author

    Frank – another fabulous article.
    My daughter is a junior at GMU and I have been saddened by the lack of spirit not just at the school but in the community. You’d never know a university exists in Fairfax. I travel from NY several times a year to the area and apart from the Best Western and the Mason Inn (sob – I’ll miss that hotel), no one else offers discounts to GMU students/family. Even the strip mall adjacent to campus offers no student discounts (not even at the yoghurt joint!), there are no stores in town selling GMU clothing or articles, and there are no “GMU nights” at the local pubs/restaurants. I have called out these businesses for their lack of school spirit when I visit. GMU needs more effective community outreach – the decals were a start. At least a visitor now knows there’s a university somewhere nearby. Putting up flags on light poles would help, too. Get local stores to showcase GMU events and sell GMU merchandise. For comparison, my son went to Syracuse. That entire town bleeds Orange. You know you’re in ‘Cuse country before you even leave the highway – you can see the orange glow from the lights of the Carrier Dome from miles away. ‘Cuse markets tickets to their events very aggressively in the community (and have giveaways on the radio, entire ‘Cuse merchandies aisles in the local supermarkets complete with ticket booths) and people flood the area bedecked in orange from head to toe on game night.
    GMU is also missing strong alumni activity. During our college searches, we visited Penn State. That school had alumni in their 70’s and 80’s attending the open houses to lure new students. It really says something about a school when alum are coming back decades later, still rooting for their school. GMU also lacks strong family involvement. I volunteered to set up a family advisory committee for GMU, but the only contact I get from the school is a newsletter. Family Weekend is well done by GMU – but they need to keep that momentum going all year. In contrast, the family center at Syracuse hooked me up on chat rooms with other ‘Cuse parents as soon as my son was accepted (I had my own parents’ “welcome packet”). Hundreds of Syracuse parents contributed to those discussions, making me feel like part of a large community before my son even moved in.
    Even the GMU bookstore needs to get into the act – the selection of GMU themed products is slim. All I own is one GMU t-shirt because there is almost nothing offered for us parents (plus, they closed in the evenings during Family Weekend, right when they had hundreds of parents around dying to buy GMU merchandise! And yes, I pointed out that marketing gaffe to GMU admin). At Syracuse, I bought an entire wardrobe and gifts (including stadium blankets, Christmas ornaments) for everyone in my family, right down to grandma and the family cat. Plus, I (and members of my family) got tons of regular emails offering t-shirts and gift items for every holiday and every major ‘Cuse event from the bookstore, including offers for gift packages for our “favorite ‘Cuse student” for finals week, Halloween, basketball rivalry games, etc. (the GMU store needs to better address the needs of out of state/foreign families – it does not offer gift packages to send to students – they outsouced that service and it’s very expensive; the food service does offer birthday cake deliveries, but this is almost impossible to find on the GMU web site). If ‘Cuse won a big game, I’d have an email later that day offering celebratory t-shirts.
    The local stores in Syracuse sent me offers for deliveries to the dorms of cookies, gift cards, flowers, etc. The athletic center and theater constantly sent me offers for tickets and events. I continue to receive offers even after my son graduated – invites to seminars/games in NYC and an offer last year for tickets to a peace conference up in Syracuse hosted by the Dalai Lama (yes, I went!). If I hadn’t hit “like” for the Patriot Center’s FB page, I’d never know what is being offered there (and yes, I also “liked” the Fourth Estate page!). So it’s not just the students who have no sense of community – we families feel shut out as well.
    School spirit does count – it’s what inspires students, alumni, and family to make contributions. If GMU truly wants to grow and be innovative, they’ll need cash to do it. Inspiring love among the students, alumni, and families is an easy way to help the school grow and prosper since successful students and grateful families will want to “pay it forward”. Developing great school spirit isn’t difficult – advertise the school events aggressively, get the community into the act, embrace the alumni and families, and expand Greek life – Greek housing on campus would really create spirit. Frat house parties entice even commuting students to stay on campus after class!
    And clone “Doc” Nix – his school spirit is infectous!

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  11. Helena Okolicsanyi
    Author

    In reference to a previous “Letter from the Editor,” this continues to show that Mason doesn’t wan to invest in things that may last. You cannot adequately see the success of a program just within two years. Mason is focused on short-term programs, rather than long-term goals and investment. You need to give it time. Mason needs to invest in long-term programs, rather than continuously shutting down programs that it doesn’t see as “working” while not given those programs time to foster. Class Councils was a great program for student leadership, and if it had continued it could have built an identity within the Mason “community.

    Helena

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  13. LittleFeatFan
    Author

    Fine article. In the broad scheme of things, Mason is forming a community, albeit slowly. Mason is the most linguistically diverse school in the state and perhaps the country; it is challenging to unite all those different cultures, each with its own expectations. Still, Mason is doing it. Having a strong freshman presence in the dorms will help; “What dorm did you live in?” becomes a calling card in years to come. A wildly successful sports team would help as well; my daughter goes to UVA, and the Grounds are nuts over their first ACC tourney championship in 38 years. I was here when we went to the Final Four; it seems like ages ago, but the campus was crackling with intensity and spirit. Perhaps the biggest thing will be students talking to other students and convincing them that there is a better way than just drive on, drive off.

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  16. Aaron Plaat
    Author

    I lived in LA in 2011 and roomed w/ Jonny. Jonny has a heart of gold and loves every second of his entertainment, albeit interesting, career.

    I’ve read through comments on videos and social media, written by people who write him off as somebody who can’t be taken seriously or even having the chutzpah to call Jonny a failure.

    What’s the standard of success?

    Take five minutes of your day to chat with Jonny, and he’ll tell you that everything he’s ever wanted to be, since he was a kid (see his epic high school video) was to be famous.

    Whether it’s Jimmy Kimmel, VH1, Excused, YouTube, or even his own highlight reels, Jonny has entertained millions of people across the world, making them laugh and shake their heads at his outrageous personality.

    That’s one of the reasons I have a world of respect and admiration for Jonny. He has stuck to his dreams for decades and loves his life. One of his best qualities is being able to live in a city like LA and remain true to his character and personality without compromise.

    Weird as it sounds, Jonny is one of my big inspirations because he’s true to himself and he loves every second life has to offer.

    Keep it up, Jonny! You’re way too good for Judge Judy anyway…

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  27. Jennifer
    Author

    You should include the fact that Ms. Miers was found guilty of an honor code violation (based off of her own words). I think it calls into question the righteousness of her cause if she’s doing it because she was caught cheating. Also, some of the comments on the petition seem to be based on what it claims the Honor Code forbids. Those claims seem exaggerated down to outright lies when compared to the actual policy.

    https://www.facebook.com/GmuConfessions/posts/451853184949412?reply_comment_id=451865588281505&total_comments=9

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  29. sofenza
    Author

    While in his place, Stearns assisted information the school through improves in educational requirements and development in research and registration. He also performed an effective part in assisting make Mason’s 10-year ideal plan. Stearns will continue to educate Record at Builder after getting down from his place.

    Spybubble

  30. TNR Researcher
    Author

    Another interesting experiment. They wanted to find out if dogs could possibly transmit cat-shat Toxoplasma gondii oocysts. A dog infected with T. gondii from a source-cat cannot. That stage of the parasite’s life-cycle is 100% dependent on cat-physiology as its primary reproductive host. But if dogs ingest oocyst-laden cat-feces then dogs can pass the oocysts produced by cats & their common brain-hijacking parasite. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9477489?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn

    It is interesting to note that these Toxoplasma gondii oocysts shed by cats can even survive the hydrochloric stomach acids for the duration that they remain in a mammal’s digestive tract. And then they doubt my words when I tell them of the studies where they found that this parasite’s oocysts (seeds) can even survive washing your hands in bleach. You could wash your hands and garden vegetables in hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes for the same duration that food remains in an animal’s digestive tract and even that won’t destroy it. Your hands would be dissolved into a digestible pulp long before you could kill the Toxoplasma gondii oocysts.

    Yeah, “basic hygiene” is going to keep your kids safe from going blind sometime during their life, becoming autistic, or die if they ever require any immunosuppressive therapies during their lifetime if they had ever played in a sandbox that a neighbor’s cat has defecated in.

    Go ahead everyone, drink the cat-lickers’ Kool-Ade.

    Someone who will save the life of a cat over yours is not to be trusted by any other human alive on this planet. Even cat-lickers can’t trust their fellow cat-lickers to save each others’ lives when it comes right down to it. Truth is, they’d even rather that their own family and friends die (if they have any) than any of their deadly disease-infested cats. Sociopaths and psychopaths, one and all, right to their very cores.

  31. TNR Researcher
    Author

    Then there’s cats’ most insidious disease of all, their Toxoplasma gondii parasite that cats spread through their feces into all other animals. This is how humans get it in their dinner-meats, cats roaming around stockyards and farms (herbivores can contract this parasite in no other way). This is why cats are routinely destroyed around gestating livestock or important wildlife by shooting or drowning them. So those animals won’t suffer from the same things that can happen to the unborn fetus of any pregnant woman. (Miscarriages, still-births, hydrocephaly, and microcephaly.) It can make you blind or even kill you at any time during your life once you’ve been infected. It becomes a permanent lifetime parasite in your mind, killing you when your immune system becomes compromised by disease or chemo and immunosuppressive therapies. It can last over a year in any soils or waters and not even washing your hands or garden vegetables in bleach will destroy the oocysts. Contrary to cat-lickers’ self-deceptive myths, a cat can become reinfected many times during its life and spread millions of oocysts each time. It’s now linked to the cause of autism, schizophrenia, memory-loss, and brain cancers; as well as increasing the suicide rate in women almost 2-fold even though they’ve never suffered from any mental or emotional health issues previously. This parasite is also killing off rare and endangered marine-mammals along all coastlines and inland river-otters from cats’ T. gondii oocysts in run-off from the land, the oocysts surviving even in saltwater. A catastrophic ecological disaster of multi-continent-sized proportions worse than any oil-spill that has ever existed or could even be imagined.

    Its strange life cycle is meant to infect rodents. Any rodents infected with it lose their fear of cats and are attracted to cat urine. scitizen.com/neuroscience/parasite-hijacks-the-mind-of-its-host_a-23-509.html

    Cats attract rodents to your home with their whole slew of diseases (like The Plague from rats and fleas, many people have died from cat-transmitted Plague in the USA already, it is alive and well and being spread by cats today). If you want rodents in your home keep cats outside of it to attract diseased rodents to your area. I experienced this phenomenon (as have many others), and all rodent problems disappeared after I shot and buried every last one of hundreds of cats on my lands. Much better NATIVE rodent predators returned to my lands, rather than these man-made cats that were just attracting more rodents.

  32. TNR Researcher
    Author

    Be sure you test those cats for ALL of the following diseases, or I hope the recipient of one of them that is adopted-out or someone coming in contact with their disease-infested cats sues your city and politicians and every last TNR practitioner so bad that they never recover from it for the rest of their criminally negligent and criminally irresponsible sorry-excuses for lives. (For just one example of THOUSANDS, not long ago businesses in Miami were ruined by caretakers of feral-cats spreading hookworm in all the beaches. Lawsuits aplenty!)

    These are just the diseases these invasive species vermin cats have been spreading to humans, not counting the ones they spread to all wildlife. THERE ARE NO VACCINES against many of these, and are in-fact listed as bio-terrorism agents. They include: Afipia felis, Anthrax, Bartonella (Rochalimaea) henselae, Bergeyella (Weeksella) zoohelcum, Campylobacter Infection, Cat Scratch Disease, Chlamydia psittaci (feline strain), Cowpox, Coxiella burnetti Infection (Q fever), Cryptosporidium Infection, Cutaneous larva migrans, Dermatophytosis, Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm), Hookworm Infection, Leptospira Infection, Giardia, Neisseria canis, Pasteurella multocida, Plague, Poxvirus, Rabies, Rickettsia felis, Ringworm, Salmonella Infection, Scabies, Sporothrix schenckii, Toxocara Infection, Toxoplasmosis, Trichinosis, Visceral larva migrans, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. [Centers for Disease Control, July 2010] Bird-flu, Bovine Tuberculosis, Sarcosporidiosis, Flea-borne Typhus, Tularemia, and Rat-Bite Fever can now also be added to that list.

    Yes, “The Black Death” (the plague) is alive and well today and being spread by people’s cats this time around. Many people have already died from cat-transmitted plague in the USA; all three forms of it transmitted by CATS — septicemic, bubonic, and pneumonic. For a fun read, one of hundreds of cases, Cat-Transmitted Fatal Pneumonic Plague — ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8059908

    abcd-vets.org/Guidelines/Pages/EN-Other-Zoonoses-Feline-Plague.aspx

    “Recommendations to avoid zoonotic transmission
    Cats are considered the most important domestic animal involved in plague transmission to humans, and in endemic areas, outdoor cats may transmit the infection to their owners or to persons caring for sick cats (veterinarians and veterinary nurses).”

  33. TNR Researcher
    Author

    Birds are just a minor subset of all the thousands of native animal species (billions of individual animals) that cat-lickers (criminally irresponsible cat-advocates) are annihilating around the world with their man-made invasive species vermin cats.

    Not only are these demented invasive-species house-cats-ONLY “animal lovers” now killing off all Big Cats in all wildlife reserves around the world:

    thenational.ae/news/uae-news/big-cat-owners-warned-to-keep-them-acres-away-from-feral-strays

    And for the ultimate example of absurdity and species-conservation irony, now making all moggie-licking residents of the UK (the inventors of that TNR insanity) the complete laughingstocks of the whole world, they’ve already made their ONE AND ONLY NATIVE CAT SPECIES EXTINCT in the UK with their invasive species “moggies”:

    guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/16/scottish-wildcat-extinction

    “A report, produced by the Scottish Wildcat Association, reviewed 2,000 records of camera trap recordings, eyewitness reports and road kills, and concluded there may be only about 40 wildcats left in Scotland in the wild today. ‘However you juggle the figures, it is hard to find anything positive,’ says Steve Piper, the association’s chairman. ‘The overwhelming evidence is that the wildcat is going to be extinct within months.'” … “However, it is not the loss of habitat that is causing the current cat crisis in the Cairngorms. It is the spread of the domestic cat.” … “‘Essentially the Highland wildcat is being eradicated by an alien invasive species: the domestic cat.'” (report quoted from 2 years ago, they are no-doubt extinct by now)

    As well as killing off all their inland River Otters in England (and elsewhere) with their cats’ parasites:

    wildlifeextra.com/go/news/otter-toxoplasmosis.html

    As well as cats’ parasites killing off all rare and endangered marine mammals on all coastlines around the world (worse than any oil-spill that has ever existed or could even be imagined):

    news.msn.com/science-technology/deadly-cat-feces-killing-thousands-of-marine-mammals
    environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/hawaiian-monk-seals

    Plus these cat-licking “animal lover” psychopaths and sociopaths are also killing off all the Mountain Lions (Cougars, Puma, Endangered Florida Panther, etc.), and all other native cat species in North America:

    rapidcityjournal.com/sports/local/feral-cats-pose-threat-to-birds-lions/article_8ec451c9-4b03-55a3-baa7-71ac577905cb.html

    But now these cat-lickers are even killing off rare whales and causing massive birth-defects in the indigenous Inuit people who depend on seal-meat for their very survival. Seals that were infected (and are also dying-off) from these cat-lickers’ cats’ parasites.

    Cat parasite found in western Arctic Beluga deemed infectious
    news.ubc.ca/2014/02/13/bigthaw/

    Let’s thank these psychotic bible-home-schooled cat-lickers for all the fine work they do for being such fantastic “animal lovers”, shall we? THEY JUST LOVE CATS SO MUCH! So caring! So thoughtful! So intelligent! So FULL of love for living things! So much so that they will even sacrifice whole races of humans to death-by-birth-defect to prove how much they love their cats.

    I’d love to thank them all, each with a gift of a solitary-confinement prison-cell — FOR LIFE. Better yet, for their VAST ecological crimes and sins against all of nature and all of humanity, hanged-until-dead would be a far more fitting “gift” for them AND the whole planet. That used to be the punishment for engaging in bio-warfare against the human population and all other animal life in any country. I say bring it back — special, just for them.

  34. TNR Researcher
    Author

    Any establishment of “higher” education; whose administrators, faculty, science departments, and students are so uneducated and foolish as to allow and promote an infestation of invasive species predators; capable of transmitting many deadly zoonotic diseases to students and staff on their own campus; is most certainly worthy of being passed-up in order to find a place with people having education levels above that of 3rd-grade elementary-school or bible-home-schooling.

    I’d never want to attend a campus like that. Give people like that MY money? You must be joking. Encouraging and assisting a man-made invasive species to destroy all our valuable native wildlife? This doesn’t say much for the intellect that is in charge of and roaming those halls. A clearly visible alert in the sub-standard IQ levels permeating all levels of that institution.

    Unless, of course, this is like where some colleges keep TNR (trap, neuter, re-abandon) cats as a ready supply of dissection specimens for biology finals and for other experiments. Then the TNR “death by attrition” excuse does come in handy to cut costs on some campuses. “They died of ‘TNR attrition’,” makes it so easy explain-away why so many disappeared and nobody can find the carcasses. It seems to be a popular trend of cost-cutting on some campuses of late. The TNR proponents never the wiser (for that, is clearly impossible).

    • Real TNR Researcher
      Author

      Are you kidding me? It would take hours to reply to all the crazy things you said. Obviously you have way too much free time and so much hate built up in you toward cats??? Seriously did you read the article? You are accusing them of all these things like they are bringing cats there when the article plainly states that there were 300 cats there when they started and now there are ZERO!!! on the main campus. If anything you should be thanking them for getting all the cats off campus and protecting your precious wild birds which will never show you any affection or love or give you any attention which you obviously need.

      • TNR Researcher
        Author

        You did know too, didn’t you, that giving a rabies shot to a cat that already has rabies does not cure it of rabies? Google for: RABID KITTEN ADOPTED WAKE COUNTY (for just one example of hundreds of rabid cats adopted from outdoors, given their rabies shot, but still transmitting and then dying from rabies). The incubation period for rabies is, on average, from 21 to 240 days, sometimes up to 11 months, one rare case being 6 years. A vetted cat can STILL transmit rabies many months later (during the last 2 weeks before it dies of rabies, sometimes not even showing any symptoms up to the point of its death) if it was harvested from unknown rabies-exposure conditions with an unknown vaccination history. May one of those cats you adopt-out have rabies too. Is your liability insurance in excess of 10-million dollars? Either quarantine them for 6 or more months in a government-supervised double-walled enclosure system at your OWN expense (as required by national and international law), or euthanize them. Those are your only 2 options to be relatively certain you are not handing rabies to someone. Isn’t reality fun?

        Google for: RABIES PROMPTS CARLSBAD TNR CAT PROGRAM SUSPENSION

        Rabies outbreak caused by TNR! 50+ pets euthanized. ALL stray cats destroyed. All livestock destroyed. More than a dozen homeowners pay for their own $5,000-$8,000 rabies shots for EACH family member.

        Google for: Rabies Outbreak in Westchester County

        Google for: Rabid Kitten Jamestown Exposure

        There’s hundreds more like those on the net showing everyone how these phenomenally ignorant and foolish cat-lickers “help” their communities by allowing TNR CAT-HOARDERS to continue their criminally negligent behavior. And contrary to these cat-lickers’ perpetual LIES, feeding stray cats TRAINS them to approach humans for food. What do you think happens to the child or foolish adult that reaches down to try to pet or pick up that now seemingly friendly “cute kitty” that just approached them? The wild animal lashes-out and bites or scratches the hand that has no food for them. Resulting in $5,000-$8,000 rabies shots for each victim of a cat-feeder’s criminally negligent behavior, paid for out of the victim’s OWN pockets. Two reports even document rabid cats entering a pet-door and one even came through the family’s ceiling in search of human supplied foods, the attack so bad that the whole family required hospitalization. Thanks to TNR practices and free-roaming cats you are now FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY to contract rabies from any cat than ANY OTHER domesticated animal.

        This is why even the CDC has issued direct warnings against the use of these failed TNR programs anywhere and everywhere.

  35. Annette Dipert
    Author

    I didn’t read all this BS the ‘TNR Researcher’ wrote, but here’s actual facts about Trapping, Neutering, and Releasing cats:
    http://www.alleycat.org/tnrstudies
    TNR reduces populations humanely over time. If you just rehome and euthanize cats (most feral cats are not adoptable), then other cats usually move in to replace the removed ones.
    Also; feral cats, just like any predator, target sickly or wildlife unsuited for the area. (AKA invasive species!) They actually fill an important and MISSING role in our ecosystem.
    There has never been a toxoplasmosis case linked to feral cats. You would basically have to rub your hands and lick your hands in cat shit… cats usually bury their poop and do it away from food/water….
    More info about feral cat health:
    http://www.alleycat.org/FeralCatHealth
    Basically, Alley Cat Allies is a great resource and I’m glad that Mason chose the humane route and it has really helped on this campus :)

    • TNR Researcher
      Author

      Can you spell “Hoax” & “Fraud”?

      These TNR cat-lickers (criminal outdoor-cat-hoarders) who re-spew all the highly manipulative and deceptive lies and misinformation of Alley-Cat-All-Lies didn’t do their due-diligence research.

      Here’s the very first link that any of their followers and supporters should have checked-out.

      bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/animal-protection/alley-cat-allies-in-bethesda-md-107/financial

      They don’t even meet the criteria to qualify for being a reputable charity organization under “Better Business Bureau” standards. While Becky and all her close friends are laughing all the way to the bank to the tune of $5M in assets with a $6M income. (Their 2013 financial report now puts their income at over $7.2M last year.)

      They all flew to Hawaii not long ago for another “cat-conference” because, for some unknown reason, they had to be there to discuss these issues. (I wonder how many cats could have been saved from freezing to the pavement this last winter from the price of all their flights and lodging and luxurious food, drink, and entertainment in Hawaii? But these TNR group-leaders were so warm and having so much fun!)

      For another good laugh check out how much Becky and her friend pay themselves with everyone else’s money.

      bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/animal-protection/alley-cat-allies-in-bethesda-md-107/governance-and-staff

      They have now been launching some damage-control with their new “Future Five” program to prove to everyone their true and trustworthy intentions. Awarding a princely $5,000 grant to some deserving group. $5,000 is only 0.1% of their assets, 0.07% of last-year’s yearly income. They might as well just sh** in the face of every last fool that ever donated to them.

      Support yet another organization that exploits and perpetuates the suffering of animals for their own personal financial gain, then try to sleep well at night.

      This is even more “rich”. I recently discovered that anyone who posts a request for financial help on Alley-Cat-All-Lies Facebook pages is then referred to this page of theirs: alleycat.org/economy

      Not ONE link on that page refers to getting actual financial help from Alley-Cat-All-Lies themselves. And even more rich, their very first resource that they send people to, to feed their feral cats, is a national food-bank organization where people donate food to feed needy humans. They are taking the food out of the mouths of needy human infants to feed their diseased vermin cats.

      I don’t think I’ve seen a sadder and more sorry and despicable case of “charity” in my whole life before this.

      Oh wait, that’s right. I forgot. You MUST throw cats out into the streets with Becky’s TNR programs so they get ran-over by cars or attacked by other cats or other animals, get eaten from the inside-out by parasites or die any other of the myriad heinous and inhumane ways that nearly every last TNR cat dies from “loving attrition”. Then when you find them suffering to death from TNR’s “humane death by attrition”, you can parade them in the media to ask for even more $millions in donations to line your own pockets. This is why HSUS and SPCA loves TNR so much too. You can’t exploit suffering cats for $millions if you humanely euthanize them first! Oh no, you need them to die publicly in the streets if you are going to get any money from cats. It’s the ONLY value they have now — to suffer to death so those who exploit them can get wealthy.

      It’s the new money-making scam! Torture cats to death with TNR and then as they die-off from “attrition” exploit them in the media for even more money! You too can become a deceptive, manipulative, and morally reprehensible $millionaire by following this animal-torturing business-model invented by Becky Robinson!

      My mistake. Carry on.

      • TGderp
        Author

        Instead of making a nuanced rational argument for your cause, and perhaps acknowledging that the domestication and anthropomorphization of cats by humans probably has an effect on their vernacular non-categorization as “vermin,” you instead go bonkers with 40 paragraphs laden with the term “cat-licker” and “Alley-Cat-All-Lies”. lmao. Googling your name “TNR Researcher” and peering through results suggests that you respond to some Google News alert 24-7 about feral cats. What gives? Why is this the cause that you are so passionate about? What happened to you that has transformed this into a singular obsession warranting an immediate, fiery response from you? Are you alright?

        BTW, Charity Navigator gives that organization “Alley-Cat All-Lies” (lmfao) 4 stars. I don’t know anyone who uses BBB to investigate charities, let alone *anything*

        FYI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOsoSXjN8LM

        • TNR Researcher
          Author

          Guess how much Alley-Cat-ALL-LIES paid them for that rating? Charity Navigator is one of the groups that can be easily bought. Did you even know that Alley Cat All-LIES hires click-farms and runs fake-like software to garner 1,000 new likes per day? They were stalled at 60,000 supporters for years, until they heard about those neat toys back in February from media announcements of their existence. We know ALL about Alley Cat ALL-LIES and how they are manipulating you now.

          In case you are curious — the term that I use of “cat licker” is justifiably and accurately gleaned from the growing fad of people who are obsessed with cats and want to do everything possible to make their cats feel good at the expense of all that is reasonable and sane. They are now licking their cats clean. youtube.com/watch?v=p9xmiOxsTWg

          It’s just another one of the many aberrant and mentally-ill behaviors of “cat lickers”.

          I cannot, in all good conscience and honesty, EVER use the term “cat lover” again to describe these heartless and spineless cretins. People who love cats do not throw them under the wheels of moving cars, let them lap-up antifreeze in a gutter, being eaten from the inside-out by parasites, or force them to attack one another to fight-to-the-death for territory by letting their cats roam free. (One of the main selling points of TNR: forcing their cats to fight for territory. Absolutely NO different than people who run criminal dog-fight rings to see who wins. Both just as guilty of animal abuse. There are many laws in place that make it a highly punishable crime to force ANY domesticated animals to fight each other for their very survival.)

          “Cat Lover” is an extremely oxymoronic label. “Cat Licker” is the only one that accurately works today.

          • TGderp
            Author

            lmao You just copied and pasted that response from previous posts that you’ve made on other sites and didn’t respond to any of my questions.

          • TNR Researcher
            Author

            I have many many prepared texts to reply to cat-lickers and all advocates of cat-lickers.

            NO cat-licker is ever worth more than 1 mouse-click, if even that.

            Just like this was also a 1-click reply. Do you honestly think your life is worth more to anyone than that? Dream on, you sorry cat-licking fool!

          • TNR Researcher
            Author

            It is mandatory by law in nearly every, if not every, state of the USA to shoot any dog on sight that is seen harassing wildlife. This is why feral dog-packs are a rarity in most areas. They are SHOT before things get that bad. I keep a paintball-gun loaded with red-pellets for any stray dogs. Stings enough to teach a teachable dog, and leaves a nice signal on their coat. The first time they get the paintball gun (and MAYBE a 2nd time too if they seem to be a well-mannered dog). If that doesn’t teach the owner and alert them to what could have REALLY happened to their dog, then sadly nobody is learning anything — so out comes the rifle next time their dog is seen chasing wildlife.

            Cats aren’t so easily forgiven, because from past experience I know that warning a cat-licker makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. I and the sheriff tried that failed method for 15 years while their cats annihilated all the native wildlife on my lands — from smallest of prey up to the top predators that cats had starved to death by turning all their foods into tortured-to-death play-toys for their cats. And if the native animals were not starved out or killed directly, then all their offspring that were forced to starve-to-death when the parents no longer returned to feed their offspring.

            Cat-owners really could care less about their outdoor cats (or any animals, or any other life on earth for that matter, they would even rather that all humans died than their vermin cats — i.e. pure sociopaths) and they don’t really care how ANY of their cats die. Clearly proved with each and every last one of their hundreds of cats that I had to shoot and bury — while they still kept releasing even MORE of their diseased vermin cats as they heard all their other cats being shot to death. (I was astounded witnessing this behavior of cat-lickers. I guess it’s why they don’t care if they throw their cats under the wheels of traffic too.) So out comes the rifle on the first sighting of a cat instead of the paintball-gun. They don’t care how their cat is going to die, so why on earth should anyone else? Nobody has the time to put up with a cat-licker’s BS nonsense, deceptions, and lies. I most certainly learned that the hard way.

            People who actually care about their animals keep them confined and supervised, or they lose them — permanently. You can tell who actually loves their animals, their animals are still alive. It’s the law of the land.

          • TGderp
            Author

            If you know that the responses that you receive are largely unpopular, resort to name-calling, and don’t respond to any questions about your stated position, wouldn’t that suggest that you are likely working for the charities that you are supposedly “fighting” against? I think it’s likely.

          • TNR Researcher
            Author

            I help to run a few highly popular TNR groups online. How do you think I learned so much about your waste-of-flesh ilk?

            It also helps when having to scour in-house messages to find the locations of your pestilent vermin colonies so I can forward that information to those who will dispose of them properly. :-)

            See, you have to be smarter than a cat. And you are clearly not even that.

          • TGderp
            Author

            I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter. Please share these online communities with me.

          • TGderp
            Author

            I, too, have an inclination for singular passionate obsessions. But they change frequently, and I hope to God that circumstances don’t ever funnel me into an obsession with feral cats. Best of luck with your kitty issues. I look forward to reading your newsletter.

          • TNR Researcher
            Author

            Keep telling yourself that after your 2nd decade into re-spewing all of Alley-Cat-ALL-LIES lies.

          • TNR Researcher
            Author

            You are aware, aren’t you, that out of ALL types of pet-owners on the face of this earth, that cat-owners are directly responsible for the suffering deaths of more animals and more species of animals than any other pet-owners on the planet. If not having animals killed for their own consumption, then they are having animals killed and crammed into bags and cans and having a “CAT FOOD” label slapped on them for their cat’s consumption, and if they let their cats outside then they are senselessly torturing billions of native animals and countless thousands of native species to death yearly just for their cats’ play-toys. As well as the countless BILLIONS of offspring of all those animals that are either starved to death or never get born. Cat-owners are a triple-threat to all animal life on earth. How many animals are they going to have senselessly killed or tortured today for their entertainment and their purely and wholly self-serving “but cats make me feel good!” values?

          • TNR Researcher
            Author

            I only use online cat-lickers now as my little ignorant show-‘n-tell puppets. (You’ve been PLAYED! LOL) To prove to everyone in the world, beyond any doubt in the universe, that no matter how much we try to educate you, reason with you, beg with you, plead with you, argue with you; that it will solve NOTHING toward the worldwide ecological disaster that YOU created and are hellbent on perpetuating. The ONLY thing that works is ignoring every last thing that morons like you spew to others, and then giving back to you the EXACT SAME amount of respect and consideration as you have shown to ALL other life on earth — ABSOLUTELY NONE.

            Just destroy every last one of their free-roaming cats. Then and only then will the problem that they created be solved. They CAN’T be part of the solution because THEY ARE the problem!

            They only use their cats like little animal sacrifices to try to control and manipulate everyone in the world around them. These manipulative and inhumane cat-licking freaks don’t give one sh** how any cat dies or they wouldn’t let them roam free in the very first place. This is why they don’t give one damn if their cats get ran over by cars, attacked by other cats or animals, or die any other way. And if VERY VERY LUCKY their cat will be humanely shot-to-death — that is by-far the MOST humane death that any of their stray cats will ever hope to have.

            This really isn’t about cats at all. They only use their cats to try to control and ruin everyone else’s lives on the planet, animal and human — just because they hate everyone and everyone in the world has rejected them. Little self-victimization control-freaks, nothing more than that. Sociopaths and psychopaths to their very cores.

            You only have to ignore every last thing these deranged invasive-species advocates are spewing to the world. That’s the most important part. Asking them for advice and help to solve the problem that THEY created and are hellbent on perpetuating is just as foolish as asking your local career-thieves for their advice and help to hide your valuables from their daily motives, goals, and activities.

            Once their furry little tools to manipulate everyone are no-more, they don’t have even 1 of 4 legs to stand on — about anything. Nothing to complain about. Nothing to manipulate others with anymore.

            GAME OVER!

            It worked 100% where I live!

          • TNR Researcher
            Author

            That reminds me, there’s one more thing I should add to “The TNR Con-Game” list of facts:

            FACT: Every last TNR advocate is also a self-evident and self-professed psychotic net-stalker. (How else would you know that I post these comments many places?) This is how they’ve managed to get TNR into so many communities. By cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying everyone into it. (I have 3 years of proof of their cyber-bullying attacks, but they’ve been at it for decades now; they even send death-threats to congressmen and their families to make sure laws aren’t passed against TNR, I also have proof of this.)

            The most entertaining part is that I don’t even have to tell anyone this, they are more than happy to prove it to everyone all on their little own. Cat-lickers are never too bright. Thanks for proving BOTH — YET AGAIN!! :-)

    • TNR Researcher
      Author

      If you think that cats make good rodent control, think again.

      Your myth about cats being good rodent control has been disproved on every island where cats were imported to take care of the imported rodents. Hundreds of years later and there’s nothing but a thriving population of cats and rodents — all the native wildlife on those islands now either extinct or on the brink of extinction — even those native species which are better rodent predators than cats (such as many reptiles and shrews which destroy rodents right in their nests), the cats having destroyed them directly or indirectly. And I bet you think of yourself as educated.

      The rodents reproduce in burrows and holes out of the reach of cats, where they are happy to reproduce forever to entertain cats the rest of their lives, and make your own lives miserable, on into infinity. On top of that, when cats infect rodents with cat’s Toxoplasma gondii parasite, this hijacks the minds of rodents to make the rodents attracted to where cats urinate. ( scitizen.com/neuroscience/parasite-hijacks-the-mind-of-its-host_a-23-509.html )

      Cats actually attract disease-carrying rodents to where cats are. The cats then contract these diseases on contact with, or being in proximity to, these rodents. Like “The Black Death”, the plague, that is now being transmitted to humans in N. America directly from cats that have contracted it from rodents. (Yes, the plague is alive and well and being transmitted by cats today. Many people have already died from cat-transmitted plague; all three forms of it, septicemic, bubonic, and even pneumonic transmitted by cats.)

      Cats attracting these rodents right to them further increasing the cat/rodent/disease density of this happy predator/prey balance. It has been documented many many times. The more cats you have, the more rodents and diseases you get. I even proved this to myself when having to rid my lands of hundreds of these vermin cats by shooting and burying every last one of them. A rodent problem started to appear about the same time the cats started to show up, 15 years of it. Then all rodent problems disappeared after every last cat was shot-dead and safely disposed of. All the better NATIVE rodent predators moved back into the area after the cats were dead and gone. Not seen one cat anywhere nor had even one rodent in the house in nearly five years now.

      Cats DO NOT get rid of rodents. I don’t care how many centuries that fools will claim that cats keep rodents in-check, they’ll still be wrong all these centuries. Civilizations of humans have come and gone in great cities like Egypt, yet their cats and rodents remain in even greater pestilent numbers.

      No cat population anywhere has ever been able to control rodents effectively. But native predators can — easily.

    • TNR Researcher
      Author

      By the way, thanks for your comment, “There has never been a toxoplasmosis case linked to feral cats.” This proves to everyone, beyond any doubt left in the known universe, that you are completely and totally insane. :-)

  36. B-Me
    Author

    A sense of community comes from each person feeling connecting to another by a common bond. where each has an ability to contribute to and be part of something bigger. Most of all, their’s mutual recognition of each other’s contributions and value (whereas, how often have we gone to new places, be it school or church, and simply wanted someone to recognize that we exist?).
    Our diversity–racial, religious, off- and on-campus–is part of what makes this difficult, and this should not be underestimated. Our school’s lack of history, and the newness of the buildings and blank walls (seriously, can we get at least some graffiti art?), should also not be underestimated. But a major problem, as DublinDiva points out, is that there’s hardly much alumni activity.
    Why? Ideally alumni come back, build bonds, and help aspiring students find routes to employment. But from what I can tell, the school is so large, and the staff and faculty so few–and unfortunately, a few too many burnt out–that individualized attention is meager. How can we give it, if we never received it?
    Mason can easily feel like a place where no one knows you exist. It’s big and busy, like a city. What can possibly unite us? And what can bring alumni back?
    The school can do its part, by inculcating a healthy culture among its own faculty and staff. The school can honor staff who are friendly and helpful, and faculty who really do devote themselves to teaching. Special incentives and recognition for students, such as guaranteed acceptance to a graduate program, can go a long way in making students feel like the school values them.
    We can certainly do our part. Anyone who recognizes that community is a problem–that means you and me, who’ve at least read Muraca’s article and feel that there’s some truth behind it–should connect with students younger, older, from another department…and offer encouragement while being open to learning (did I mention we were diverse?). It’s actually baffling how much there is to do: free trainings, free seminars, even free field trips…but like a city, you can easily miss them or be ignored when you go. Go out and experience them, and find ways to contribute (offer help and new ideas; if the organizers don’t want it, then forget them and go someplace else). Then when you’re “in,” point to others to these opportunities (meaningfully and individualized, i.e. avoid mass-email style). This at least can help you build your “own” community in this very cosmopolitan campus.

  37. Trevor
    Author

    This is a stupid article that tries to show the administrations point of view, but just comes off as biased and show’s the Dining Services indifference to the whole issue. The dining issue is not “dramatic over-exaggeration”, it’s a legitimate concern most students share. The statistic of “60%” is exaggerated, for the only way for it to be that high is for them to be accounting for grad students and off-campus students that don’t spend their time on-campus during the weekend anyways. The survey that yields 2,000 responses is obviously not taken by every student, not to mention that the change.org petition need 1,000 signatures, and if it gets that then that’s half the number of the survey people; which is 50% of the people complaining. Also, stating that “I know there’s that general sense of anger and stuff toward it, but If they can give me specific reasons why they think it should be open, that would be great” is not a mature or eloquent way to address the problem. It’s inconsiderate to call our frustration “stuff”. And if you’re looking for a specific reason it should be open, how about feeding your student body because that should be a priority on campus.

  38. B-Me
    Author

    I can see this as a good thing; students should be prepared with basic interviewing skills. However, are there any statistics about how successful students are at getting paying jobs from the Mason career fairs? It’s nice that students can stand out, but is there a way for employers to stand out, as in they are actually hiring (and not just fishing for interest, or pointing students to a URL?).

  39. B-Me
    Author

    I’ve never been to Ike’s, but the food choices around the campus and at Southside are basically restaurant food: high prices, high sodium, high fat…And at JC, an all-veggie salad in a tub, $6! One banana or one apple, $1! Fairfax campus should have a small grocery store in place and allow students to store and cook food. A disadvantage for Fairfax students is that the price of apartments is high, so it is hard to be an off-campus student, yet on campus food prices are what you’d expect in the high-salary districts of Arlington or DC.

  40. Tyler Byrum
    Author

    Wisconsin was not the #21 team in the country when we played them. Due to an earlier loss they dropped out of the coaches poll.

  41. R Mac
    Author

    Since roads and for that matter multi-use / bike paths are and have been paid for by the gasoline taxes paid for by drivers, my question is Who is going to pay for all of this pedestrian, bus rider (gas tax subsidized) and cyclists infrastructure? WHO????? Maybe all of those planners, developers, cyclists and bus riders should have to pay some sort of a tax on themselves. Lets put some sort of a meter on them in order to track their mileage, as has been suggested for automobiles with black boxes, so that it too works like a toll for their usage. Hmmm … tolls on the sidewalks and multi-use trails, now that’s an interesting thought. Just saying….

    • GotaB-Me
      Author

      In principle, cars and gasoline already create high costs for society, and so making car and gasoline use more expensive is simply a way of internalizing these costs. With greater urban density, the costs of driving and parking will be higher, and so naturally there will be more taxes and costs that Tysons, Mason, etc. will impose. With our higher-income and educated citizenry, we are also more likely to bear and even support such internalization of costs (although sometimes there are repercussions, such as the 2014 reduction of fed worker subsidies for Metro, leading to a decline in Metro use and revenue, and voters’ 2014 backlash against the Arlington Streetcar). Developers are purposefully increasing the costs of driving, but in theory doing so is efficient as long as driving is elastic (i.e., we can easily give it up) and the alternatives are less costly. Ay, there’s the rub. In the end, students and citizens should be better engaged in these discussions, as they really are complicated but make a major difference in our urban landscape and financial well-being.

  42. Alec Moore
    Author

    How did you come to the conclusion that white supremacy is to blame for everything that is happening in Ferguson and Gaza?

  43. B-Me
    Author

    “According to Harber, Mason’s workforce is divided into the non-student workforce and its student workforce. For the Washington Post survey, only the non-student workforce was likely surveyed, as student employees are considered students first and employees second, according to Harber.”

    How well are our TAs paid compared to other schools? How well are our resident assistants and students who are also administrative assistants being paid? Time and time again, I see Mason placed highly in workforce charts, but what I hear from students is anything but. The biggest problem seems to be paltry wages that barely keep students afloat in expensive Northern Virginia. Certain departments, which shall go unnamed, have a terrible reputation for having unprofessional and discouraging leadership. I’m very concerned about our students who are accumulating vast debt and trying to enter a highly competitive market. Mason, before I am convinced that you truly are a good work environment, I’d like to see a study done on how well its student workers are being treated, and separated by department/office.

  44. GotaB-Me
    Author

    It looks like these measures are essentially responding to demand from higher-income citizens who want walking spaces and less traffic congestion. Thus the high rental prices in the mosaic districts–but the one in Merrifield has no green space that I recall (nor a trail or park that it connects to), and as far as pedestrian access it truly is an island to itself (do all the walking you want, as long as it’s in the district). Give me your most polluted neighborhood in DC any day, as long as I have a varying landscape and the choice to walk someplace else (there’s only so many yogurt shops, yoga studios, and weekend brunch bars that a non-yuppy can take).

    Sustainability has to do with water, wastes, and energy. How are places like Tysons and Mason benchmarking their progress on these issues? Are building codes being changed to mandate quality insulation? Can homes and buildings passively adjust to climate and air quality? Will there be incentives for wind and solar power installation, and cutting energy use? Green roofs, urban gardens, and other green spaces? How is stormwater being handled (Mason Pond is filling up with sediment from construction; Fairfax had that “Lee Hwy river” years ago). I know Mason has made progress on some of these, but this article focuses the term “sustainability” on public transportation and walking space. And while these need to be handled intelligently (Mason, why bunch all your classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays AND close off parking lots?), yet the incredible increase in population density that planners want should raise the alarm on how we’ll handle trash, water, and energy. It should also raise the alarm on historic preservation, a losing battle certainly in Arlington, where buildings that hallmarked its former music scene (Fugazi) and culture are replaced with high rises and more high rises.

  45. Gregg Allen
    Author

    Yes it is called a meditation area, but I would challenge you to ask a 100 students this question. Who is this space set aside for, Babtist, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, or an area for private meditation? I know, and you know the purpose of this area. The following quote from the above article tells us why it is called the meditation area.
    “Since Mason is a state school, the construction of a building for a specific religion would violate separation of church and state. However, the quiet meditation space is not designated as a religious space and it does not cost more for the university”.

    The designated “meditation area” is a way for George Mason to skirt the separation of church and state.
    GMU should have flexibility in some areas, but should GMU ethics have flexibility? Someone made a conscious decision to call this space a particular name. This was done to satisfy one religious group without violating the separation of church and state.

  46. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] The NFL Got Something Right Last Week | Fourth Estate

  47. N Shelat
    Author

    Please dont say ridiculous stuff like a 275lb man should not run a 4.8, and violating some laws of physics. I know its hyperbole, but its really not even well done. Please find me on campus if you would like an educational rundown of fitness benchmarks of athletes. Last name is shelat.

  48. Mark E. Reynolds
    Author

    Why is the misinformation related to to origin of the term allowed to be spread so easily by activists. The origin has been researched back to its first recorded uses, and it was not created by the white settlers, nor was it ever used in reference to scalping trophies. It was a self descriptor. The one bit of historical proof that the activists have tried to pass off in defense of their origin story is a handbill that clearly uses Redskin as a synonym for Native American, and not as a reference to bounty trophies.

    • Change the Mascot
      Author

      “For instance, when on September 13, 1775, Tim Murphy, of Captain Parr’s Company, killed and scalped his twenty third redskin, it was a signal for a general celebration.” — South Mountain Sketches, By Henry W. Shoemaker

      “This scalp bounty made a nice addition to the otherwise slim pay of the Rangers; they pursued the chase of redskins for financial reasons more than to satisfy the blood lust.” — Extinct Pennsylvania Animals, By Henry W. Shoemaker

      “When the Americans withdrew, the redskins returned to their old devilry with pent-up vengeance.” — The American Indian: Past and Present, Edited by Roger L. Nichols, George R. Adams

      “Leslie Fiedler mentions ‘a bounty of ten pounds on Redskin scalps’ as the prime motive for taking the scalps.” — American Studies International, Volume 36

      “A white man’s gifts are christianized, while a red skin’s are more for the wilderness.” — Canadians are not Americans: Myths and Literary Traditions, By Katherine L. Morrison

      “What I wish to say is, that a red-skin’s scalping don’t justify a pale-face’s scalping.” — The Knickerbocker: Or, New York Monthly Magazine, Volume 18

      “Two years later, in 1853 the Yreka Herald, of Yreka, California, printed: ‘We hope that the Government will render such aid as will enable the citizens of the north to carry on a war of extermination until the last redskin of these tribes has been killed.” — Pilgrims in the Desert, By Le Hayes

      “These Indians engaged in the favorite pastime of the redskins, that of plundering the settlers along the way. The frontiersmen fell upon the Cherokees and slew them to a man. Scalping them, they carried the bloody trophies to the Virginia authorities and sold them. While we do not know the amount of bounty received for these redskin scalps, it must have been considerable for the Colonial government paid from 20 to 30 pounds for marauding Indian scalps.” — Kentucky’s Last Frontier, By Henry P. Scaif

      “You and I differ as essentially in our views of the proper use to be made of a redskin devil…I believe in making coyote feed of the whole brood.” — They Came to Valley, By Bill Gulick

      “Let’s go lynch that dirty redskin, men!” — Thoreau at Devil’s Perch, By B.B. Oak

      “I did my very best to try to give my children the freedom to go to school but this damn redskin devil man they call Rufus Austin damage the education of most of all these young boys growing up around this Village.” — Duncy, By Dave Hamilton

      “Our God commands us, Kill the heathen lice! We are the only race to civilize, and He demands we take this land for Him — forever free from slovenly Chinese, and every Redskin Devil in our way!” — The Decay of the Angel, By James E. Tochihara

      “Whiz came a bullet into his dirty red skin.” — Ticonderoga: or The Black Eagle. A romance of days not. By George Payne Rainsford James

      “Quick as thought he cocked his gun, ready to take the life of the first redskin.” — The Boys’ Journal, Volume 8

      “Ash called out to them not to fear, for our rifles were to use against bears and wolves and Redskins, and not against Christian men.” — Brother Jonathan, Volume 6

      “Each grain of gunpowder of the gunpowder that propelled the fateful bullet will have to be paid for with the life of a Redskin and I believe I’m not far off the fulfilment of that oath.” – Old Shatterhand – A Genesis (A Winnetou Story Collection) By Marlies Bugmann and Karl May

      “The sober virtuosi of Protestantism, the Puritans of New England, in 1703, by decrees of their assembly set a premium of £40 on every Indian scalp and every captured redskin.” – The Communist Manifesto, By Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

      “Doctor Mooers…shot one of them through the head. As the brave fell dead from his horse he remarked, “That rascally redskin will not trouble us again.” – Scalp Dance: Indian Warfare on the High Plains, 1865-1879, By Thomas Goodrich

      “The beaver skins have fallen, according to their phraseology, to a ‘plew a plug,’ and they will find ‘redskin’ pays better.” – The Scalp Hunters, By Mayne Reid

      “Since when did you take the word of a lying redskin over a white man’s?” – The Last Scalp, By Paul Cox

      “I takes the liberty to offer ye as stout a arm as ever choked a redskin!” – Sam Sutton, the Scalp-taker: A Stirring Romance of the Far West, By Herrick Johnstone

      “He’s a crafty redskin, an’ not to be trusted.” – The Spirit of the Border, By Zane Grey

      “Only good redskin is a dead redskin.” – Firebrand’s Woman, By Vanessa Royall

      “You travelin’ with this redskin, mister? Hell, ain’t you got no pride? Ain’t you got nothin’ better to do than hang around with a savage?” – The Loner Book 1, By J.A. Johnstone

      “His spear drove deep into the neck of a redskin.” – The World of Tiers: Volume Two, By Philip Jose Farmer

      “The fate of the redskin had been decided in Europe.” – The League of Six Nations, By Juan Carden
      “Only good redskin was a dead one.” – Little Big Man: A Novel, By Thomas Berger

      “A second shot from Bill’s rifle laid the redskin low.” — Buffalo Bill’s Wild West: Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History, By Joy S. Kasson

      “Looks like we got us another good target to practice on. Let’s see if any of you can hit that damned redskin!” – A Cold Day in Hell: The Plainsmen, By Terry C. Johnston

      “Help him take the red skin’s scalp, as is but reasonable, seeing the varmant took his father’s.”
      “I never wish to see a red skin except when he is under the sight of my rifle.” – Legends of a Log Cabin, By Chandler Robbins Gilman

      “Dead red-skin! Hurrah for Barney!” – The Scalp Hunters, By Mayne Reid

      “…He pursued his victims, until the crack of the rifle and the death yell proclaimed that another red-skin had been sent to his final account.” — Scalp Dance: Indian Warfare on the High Plains, 1865-1879, By Thomas Goodrich

      “It is the scalp of a dead redskin we killed below there. — 1812: the War and Its Moral, By William Foster Coffin

  49. Butts Larue
    Author

    “[Colonists] also flayed the bodies, they skinned the body, and this became a practice under Jackson’s forces and all the way to California throughout these wars of conquest and genocide, of flaying the body,” Dunbar-Ortiz said. “And when you take the skin off, right under the skin are blood vessels so the whole body is bleeding, so they called those, literally an Indian corpse, a ‘redskin.’”

    FALSE
    This has been proven false by many well respected linguists such as Dr. Ives Goddard and Dr. Geoffrey Nunberg, not to mention some journalists from the American Indian community such as Adriane Jawort.

    • Change the Mascot
      Author

      The R word was used during westward expansion by frontiersmen as they slaughtered and scalped Native Americans. I did research on Google Books from literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a war of extermination against Native Americans and this is how the term was used:

      “In 1675, authorities in the colony of Massachusetts were offering colonists a bounty for what they called Indian ‘head skins,’ later also called ‘redskins.'” — From Warriors to Soldiers: A History of American Indian Service in the United States Military, By Gary Robinson, Phil Lucas

      “For instance, when on September 13, 1775, Tim Murphy, of Captain Parr’s Company, killed and scalped his twenty third redskin, it was a signal for a general celebration.” — South Mountain Sketches, By Henry W. Shoemaker

      “This scalp bounty made a nice addition to the otherwise slim pay of the Rangers; they pursued the chase of redskins for financial reasons more than to satisfy the blood lust.” — Extinct Pennsylvania Animals, By Henry W. Shoemaker

      “When the Americans withdrew, the redskins returned to their old devilry with pent-up vengeance.” — The American Indian: Past and Present, Edited by Roger L. Nichols, George R. Adams

      “Leslie Fiedler mentions ‘a bounty of ten pounds on Redskin scalps’ as the prime motive for taking the scalps.” — American Studies International, Volume 36

      “A white man’s gifts are christianized, while a red skin’s are more for the wilderness.” — Canadians are not Americans: Myths and Literary Traditions, By Katherine L. Morrison

      “What I wish to say is, that a red-skin’s scalping don’t justify a pale-face’s scalping.” — The Knickerbocker: Or, New York Monthly Magazine, Volume 18

      “Two years later, in 1853 the Yreka Herald, of Yreka, California, printed: ‘We hope that the Government will render such aid as will enable the citizens of the north to carry on a war of extermination until the last redskin of these tribes has been killed.” — Pilgrims in the Desert, By Le Hayes

      “These Indians engaged in the favorite pastime of the redskins, that of plundering the settlers along the way. The frontiersmen fell upon the Cherokees and slew them to a man. Scalping them, they carried the bloody trophies to the Virginia authorities and sold them. While we do not know the amount of bounty received for these redskin scalps, it must have been considerable for the Colonial government paid from 20 to 30 pounds for marauding Indian scalps.” — Kentucky’s Last Frontier, By Henry P. Scaif

      “You and I differ as essentially in our views of the proper use to be made of a redskin devil…I believe in making coyote feed of the whole brood.” — They Came to Valley, By Bill Gulick

      “Let’s go lynch that dirty redskin, men!” — Thoreau at Devil’s Perch, By B.B. Oak

      “I did my very best to try to give my children the freedom to go to school but this damn redskin devil man they call Rufus Austin damage the education of most of all these young boys growing up around this Village.” — Duncy, By Dave Hamilton

      “Our God commands us, Kill the heathen lice! We are the only race to civilize, and He demands we take this land for Him — forever free from slovenly Chinese, and every Redskin Devil in our way!” — The Decay of the Angel, By James E. Tochihara

      “Whiz came a bullet into his dirty red skin.” — Ticonderoga: or The Black Eagle. A romance of days not. By George Payne Rainsford James

      “Quick as thought he cocked his gun, ready to take the life of the first redskin.” — The Boys’ Journal, Volume 8

      “Ash called out to them not to fear, for our rifles were to use against bears and wolves and Redskins, and not against Christian men.” — Brother Jonathan, Volume 6

      “Each grain of gunpowder of the gunpowder that propelled the fateful bullet will have to be paid for with the life of a Redskin and I believe I’m not far off the fulfilment of that oath.” – Old Shatterhand – A Genesis (A Winnetou Story Collection) By Marlies Bugmann and Karl May

      “The sober virtuosi of Protestantism, the Puritans of New England, in 1703, by decrees of their assembly set a premium of £40 on every Indian scalp and every captured redskin.” – The Communist Manifesto, By Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

      “Doctor Mooers…shot one of them through the head. As the brave fell dead from his horse he remarked, “That rascally redskin will not trouble us again.” – Scalp Dance: Indian Warfare on the High Plains, 1865-1879, By Thomas Goodrich

      “The beaver skins have fallen, according to their phraseology, to a ‘plew a plug,’ and they will find ‘redskin’ pays better.” – The Scalp Hunters, By Mayne Reid

      “Since when did you take the word of a lying redskin over a white man’s?” – The Last Scalp, By Paul Cox

      “I takes the liberty to offer ye as stout a arm as ever choked a redskin!” – Sam Sutton, the Scalp-taker: A Stirring Romance of the Far West, By Herrick Johnstone

      “He’s a crafty redskin, an’ not to be trusted.” – The Spirit of the Border, By Zane Grey

      “Only good redskin is a dead redskin.” – Firebrand’s Woman, By Vanessa Royall

      “You travelin’ with this redskin, mister? Hell, ain’t you got no pride? Ain’t you got nothin’ better to do than hang around with a savage?” – The Loner Book 1, By J.A. Johnstone

      “His spear drove deep into the neck of a redskin.” – The World of Tiers: Volume Two, By Philip Jose Farmer

      “The fate of the redskin had been decided in Europe.” – The League of Six Nations, By Juan Carden
      “Only good redskin was a dead one.” – Little Big Man: A Novel, By Thomas Berger

      “A second shot from Bill’s rifle laid the redskin low.” — Buffalo Bill’s Wild West: Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History, By Joy S. Kasson

      “Looks like we got us another good target to practice on. Let’s see if any of you can hit that damned redskin!” – A Cold Day in Hell: The Plainsmen, By Terry C. Johnston

      “Help him take the red skin’s scalp, as is but reasonable, seeing the varmant took his father’s.”
      “I never wish to see a red skin except when he is under the sight of my rifle.” – Legends of a Log Cabin, By Chandler Robbins Gilman

      “Dead red-skin! Hurrah for Barney!” – The Scalp Hunters, By Mayne Reid

      “…He pursued his victims, until the crack of the rifle and the death yell proclaimed that another red-skin had been sent to his final account.” — Scalp Dance: Indian Warfare on the High Plains, 1865-1879, By Thomas Goodrich

      “It is the scalp of a dead redskin we killed below there. — 1812: the War and Its Moral, By William Foster Coffin

      • Butts Larue
        Author

        In every quote you stated, Redskins does not equal scalps. It is used synonymously. One could substitute Indian or Native American in every instance and the quotes would be no less abhorrent. Keep trying though, Tobes, if you post it enough people might believe it. Look what 30 years of harjo lies have done.

  50. Change the Mascot
    Author

    “In 1675, authorities in the colony of Massachusetts were offering colonists a bounty for what they called Indian ‘head skins,’ later also called ‘redskins.'” — From Warriors to Soldiers: A History of American Indian Service in the United States Military, By Gary Robinson, Phil Lucas

    “For instance, when on September 13, 1775, Tim Murphy, of Captain Parr’s Company, killed and scalped his twenty third redskin, it was a signal for a general celebration.” — South Mountain Sketches, By Henry W. Shoemaker

    “This scalp bounty made a nice addition to the otherwise slim pay of the Rangers; they pursued the chase of redskins for financial reasons more than to satisfy the blood lust.” — Extinct Pennsylvania Animals, By Henry W. Shoemaker

    “When the Americans withdrew, the redskins returned to their old devilry with pent-up vengeance.” — The American Indian: Past and Present, Edited by Roger L. Nichols, George R. Adams

    “Leslie Fiedler mentions ‘a bounty of ten pounds on Redskin scalps’ as the prime motive for taking the scalps.” — American Studies International, Volume 36

    “A white man’s gifts are christianized, while a red skin’s are more for the wilderness.” — Canadians are not Americans: Myths and Literary Traditions, By Katherine L. Morrison

    “What I wish to say is, that a red-skin’s scalping don’t justify a pale-face’s scalping.” — The Knickerbocker: Or, New York Monthly Magazine, Volume 18

    “Two years later, in 1853 the Yreka Herald, of Yreka, California, printed: ‘We hope that the Government will render such aid as will enable the citizens of the north to carry on a war of extermination until the last redskin of these tribes has been killed.” — Pilgrims in the Desert, By Le Hayes

    “These Indians engaged in the favorite pastime of the redskins, that of plundering the settlers along the way. The frontiersmen fell upon the Cherokees and slew them to a man. Scalping them, they carried the bloody trophies to the Virginia authorities and sold them. While we do not know the amount of bounty received for these redskin scalps, it must have been considerable for the Colonial government paid from 20 to 30 pounds for marauding Indian scalps.” — Kentucky’s Last Frontier, By Henry P. Scaif

    “You and I differ as essentially in our views of the proper use to be made of a redskin devil…I believe in making coyote feed of the whole brood.” — They Came to Valley, By Bill Gulick

    “Let’s go lynch that dirty redskin, men!” — Thoreau at Devil’s Perch, By B.B. Oak

    “I did my very best to try to give my children the freedom to go to school but this damn redskin devil man they call Rufus Austin damage the education of most of all these young boys growing up around this Village.” — Duncy, By Dave Hamilton

    “Our God commands us, Kill the heathen lice! We are the only race to civilize, and He demands we take this land for Him — forever free from slovenly Chinese, and every Redskin Devil in our way!” — The Decay of the Angel, By James E. Tochihara

    “Whiz came a bullet into his dirty red skin.” — Ticonderoga: or The Black Eagle. A romance of days not. By George Payne Rainsford James

    “Quick as thought he cocked his gun, ready to take the life of the first redskin.” — The Boys’ Journal, Volume 8

    “Ash called out to them not to fear, for our rifles were to use against bears and wolves and Redskins, and not against Christian men.” — Brother Jonathan, Volume 6

    “Each grain of gunpowder of the gunpowder that propelled the fateful bullet will have to be paid for with the life of a Redskin and I believe I’m not far off the fulfilment of that oath.” – Old Shatterhand – A Genesis (A Winnetou Story Collection) By Marlies Bugmann and Karl May

    “The sober virtuosi of Protestantism, the Puritans of New England, in 1703, by decrees of their assembly set a premium of £40 on every Indian scalp and every captured redskin.” – The Communist Manifesto, By Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

    “Doctor Mooers…shot one of them through the head. As the brave fell dead from his horse he remarked, “That rascally redskin will not trouble us again.” – Scalp Dance: Indian Warfare on the High Plains, 1865-1879, By Thomas Goodrich

    “The beaver skins have fallen, according to their phraseology, to a ‘plew a plug,’ and they will find ‘redskin’ pays better.” – The Scalp Hunters, By Mayne Reid

    “Since when did you take the word of a lying redskin over a white man’s?” – The Last Scalp, By Paul Cox

    “I takes the liberty to offer ye as stout a arm as ever choked a redskin!” – Sam Sutton, the Scalp-taker: A Stirring Romance of the Far West, By Herrick Johnstone

    “He’s a crafty redskin, an’ not to be trusted.” – The Spirit of the Border, By Zane Grey

    “Only good redskin is a dead redskin.” – Firebrand’s Woman, By Vanessa Royall

    “You travelin’ with this redskin, mister? Hell, ain’t you got no pride? Ain’t you got nothin’ better to do than hang around with a savage?” – The Loner Book 1, By J.A. Johnstone

    “His spear drove deep into the neck of a redskin.” – The World of Tiers: Volume Two, By Philip Jose Farmer

    “The fate of the redskin had been decided in Europe.” – The League of Six Nations, By Juan Carden
    “Only good redskin was a dead one.” – Little Big Man: A Novel, By Thomas Berger

    “A second shot from Bill’s rifle laid the redskin low.” — Buffalo Bill’s Wild West: Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History, By Joy S. Kasson

    “Looks like we got us another good target to practice on. Let’s see if any of you can hit that damned redskin!” – A Cold Day in Hell: The Plainsmen, By Terry C. Johnston

    “Help him take the red skin’s scalp, as is but reasonable, seeing the varmant took his father’s.”
    “I never wish to see a red skin except when he is under the sight of my rifle.” – Legends of a Log Cabin, By Chandler Robbins Gilman

    “Dead red-skin! Hurrah for Barney!” – The Scalp Hunters, By Mayne Reid

    “…He pursued his victims, until the crack of the rifle and the death yell proclaimed that another red-skin had been sent to his final account.” — Scalp Dance: Indian Warfare on the High Plains, 1865-1879, By Thomas Goodrich

    “It is the scalp of a dead redskin we killed below there. — 1812: the War and Its Moral, By William Foster Coffin

    • Mark E. Reynolds
      Author

      There is no debate over the practice of bounties, or the horrible genocide brought upon the Native Americans. The debate is over the statement that the word Redskin is synonymous with bounty scalps. It is not, and your statements support that. Your quotes support the fact that the term is a synonym of Native American, as you could swap those two words and not change the meaning of the quotes one iota. One could find just as many references where the word Indian is used instead, or find modern examples of where the word Native American is used in a sentence with disparaging connotation. I’m all for having the debate of how the term is perceived by all Native Americans, but that debate should be based in fact. The Redskin as Scalp meme has been debunked.

  51. Raj Panth
    Author

    If the two story one is torn down, it should be developed into a quad, and create more open space for students to hangout.

  52. Matt Morrison
    Author

    There is a major lack of tradition and legacy at Mason.Tearing down the original two story section does not help create traditions and legacy. Innovation and tearing down everything does not create school pride.

  53. masonstudent
    Author

    In the interest of disclosure, 4th Estate could have mentioned that the author of this article came to GMU on an Aziz Jamaluddin scholarship from the Islamic Society of North America.

    The primary goal of this scholarship is to have a generation of educated Muslims to speak out and communicate the true meaning of Islam in all types of media.
    http://www.isna.net/jamaluddin-scholarship.html

  54. Antithesis86
    Author

    I agree that Bill Maher is stereotyping when he claims ISIS is typical of Muslim civilization. The same man who’d disagree with all Atheists being judged by the Soviet Union still judges all Muslims by a violent minority???

    Still, linking Maher’s comments to violence is a big, big stretch. When has Maher called for violence against Muslims? When has he ever praised the Sikh Temple shooting, or the bombing of civilians?

    Last I checked, Maher’s antiwar. As he said:

    “Forget the Syria debate, we need to debate on why we’re always debating whether to bomb someone… Because we’re starting to look, not so much like the world’s policeman, but more like George Zimmerman — itching to use force and then pretending it’s because we had no choice.”

    Lumping him in with hawks Repubs / Dems on Middle East policy is problematic.

    And he has good reason to assume our culture to be better, least when it comes to religious criticism.

    When a Florida pastor whose church barely numbers above twenty threatened to burn the Qur’an, before he had even done it there were violent protests in numerous Muslim nations.

    When a Danish author drew some sacrilegious cartoons of Muhammad, it sparked violent protests.

    When was the last time violent protests broke out in many majority-Christian countries over threats to burn the Bible or sacrilegious cartoons?

    Point is, if you want to talk incitement and violence, if you want actual examples of rhetoric and rumor leading directly to violence, go over to the cultures that Maher hates.

  55. GenJJPershing
    Author

    ” . . . we have an ethical obligation to stand on the side of justice when our government is responsible for so much destruction around the world.” You’re either very ill-informed or terribly naive. Try publishing this sort of self-righteous collegiate tantrum someplace else “around the world” and see what happens to you. Is America perfect? Hardly! What other country has done what the US has to promote democracy, literacy, health, nutrition, or human rights around the world? Which one?
    If you’re SO upset — quit cozy, comfy, GMU and put yourself personally at risk. Go DO something. Unless, of course, you are “complicit?”

  56. masonStudent
    Author

    ahahahahah racist underpinning! ahhahaha Islam is a race ahahahhahaha! If you want to be taken seriously. Understand your enemy’s ideas, before making a fool of yourself. Who has taught you not tolerate criticism and to use the “I am offended” card as it constitute an argument? Take one for the team, everyone gets a piece of Maher. but, no, no no… you are special. Welcome to America.

  57. Mr. G
    Author

    The article is written very well, but without an ounce of objectivity in your presentation it becomes a bias piece about a tragic event. I also felt that comparing the “Children’s Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama” to the events in Ferguson diminishes what that crusade meant and accomplished in the course of history (I show my bias as well). I think this has more to do with prejudice over African Americans, not necessarily racism. I would suggest giving “Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking”, a best seller that examines why and how we all are driven by some kind of prejudice no mater how minor. There’s no doubt the prejudice exist in my mind, in all people in the US.
    I also think your description of Michael Brown is a little disingenuous. You used words like boy and teenaged to describe him, words that imply that he was young looking or not of a large stature (from my perspective). He was a big dude and an adult (18y), young adult but nonetheless. I think he was large enough for a person late at night to think he was a grown man. I don’t condone the actions of the officer and frankly he should serve time, but lets not kid ourselves into thinking that Mr.Brown was a little kid who was shot by the big bad police.
    What trivializes the shootings are articles like this (and articles that show similar bias from the opposite perspective.). It’s just not constructive, and only rallies up the crowds who want to see a punishment. Instead, why don’t we approach the root cause of prejudices in America? I’m not naive enough to think that they’ll go away. Annimosity gets us no where.

  58. Moose Repole
    Author

    What I can’t understand is how this entire article emphasized how great it is to have help available as soon as it’s needed but it’s clearly presented from the viewpoint of someone who misses the real purpose of an article about time-sensitive mental health services. While it is mentioned that the time window to deal with a crisis can be small and CAPS/WAVES are available for long-term situations and support, nowhere is the number of the crisis hotline that is the focus of the article ever mentioned. Perhaps before we celebrate our successes in programs we should make sure everyone has access to the programs who might need them?

  59. Anonymous
    Author

    I respect your opinion, but I have to wholeheartedly disagree. I thought Interstellar was an excellent movie all around. The casting, acting, visuals, sound track, visual effects etc…were brilliantly done in my opinion! I truly recommend that people go out and see it while it is still in IMAX.

  60. Francesca Luciano
    Author

    Thumbs up for your wonderful practice! A believe that this idea is great and the communities should think of growing more organic veggies, and not sponsor the mass export and import of vegetables! Francesca

  61. Jinkies
    Author

    I’ve recently read a book by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. While I don’t agree with all of her positions, it’s hard to deny her rough history and the harsh experiences of the women she’s met at the women’s shelters. I find myself respecting her opinions and her right to express them, even as I don’t feel they are entirely accurate.

    The difficulty with the “freedom of speech” claim is that both sides of the issue can raise them. For me, the thorniness of the issue is not whether someone can say that Islam is bad or good (or Christianity, or bestiality, or existentialism, etc.). It’s the fact that certain people have the money and resources to say these things to a large audience. Again, that shouldn’t necessarily be a problem either–that is closely connected with the freedom to assemble. But when it is a captive audience, that is the problem. I don’t mind, for example, that Miley Cyrus displays herself openly in her concerts. But I would mind if I were forced to watch or attend her concerts. I’m thankful that this is not the case, and that I can choose to not watch or attend any concerts, speeches, etc. that I don’t enjoy or would find offensive.

    In this sense, then, the students have all the right in the world to petition to not be forced to listen to Bill Maher, Condeleeza Rice, Oprah Winfrey, or Anne Hathaway at a commencement speech. That would make them a captive audience. If none of the students would have attended the commencement speech, it would be harder to make the cause of “standing” (I suppose, because it would tarnish the school’s reputation, and the students don’t want this reputation on their resumes? I’m not sure). But perhaps the students would not have protested at all had Bill Maher been invited to give a panel debate along with a celebrated speaker that has the opposite opinion on Islam. Now that might be something I’d attend.

    • Suhaib Khan
      Author

      The problem with your criticism of this article is that you’re assuming I’m speaking to the opposition – I’m not. I had no intention of directing this piece towards Islamophobes/racists, because I don’t believe indirect engagement such as this will ever “win the opposition over.” This article was directed mainly at those who believe Islamophobia is an individual phenomenon without wider-reaching consequences.

      I don’t understand your criticism that I don’t address the “meat of the issue” – I spend the entire latter half of the article explaining how our culture of Islamophobia allows us to relieve the cognitive dissonance that comes along with our military operations in the Middle East. I have no intention of addressing “opposing views” simply because they’ve been addressed countless times by others more qualified than me – scholars, religious leaders, journalists such as Tareq Ramadan, Reza Aslan, Linda Sarsour, Edward Said, Leila Ahmed, Lila Abu-Lughod, to name a few. The type of responses to “opposing views” you’re looking for (on what, I’m not too sure – Islam and domestic politics? Islamophobia? Free speech?) are issues that have had books written on them. The purpose of this 800 word op ed was to draw attention to the wider-reaching implications of Islamophobia and how Maher contributes to it – not discuss every related issue under the moon.

      I appreciated your thoughtful response though, and I’d love to speak to you further. Feel free to email me at skhan28@gmu.edu!

      • masonstudent
        Author

        “our culture of islamaphobia allows us”

        Who is us, and which culture do you claim to be speaking on behalf of?
        Since you yourself are a muslim, does your culture of islamaphobia mean you are terrified everytime you look in a mirror? Must be tough when you go to the mosque.

  62. Jinkies
    Author

    I wholeheartedly agree that one shouldn’t have to accept the way an issue is framed by media or by textbooks. We should examine and rexamine articles, books, and movies, the way they present issues, and assess our own biases. That said, I am also a firm believer that if there is truly a topic that someone is passionate about–say racial profiling, global warming, or whatever–then he or she has an obligation to study the heck out of that topic. If anything makes you angry, then study, research, and debate until you are confident enough in your own stance, and familiar enough with the opposing arguments, that you can eloquently state your case. Too often people get fired up on an issue when in fact they have no clue beyond one book or one news channel, and only talk about that issue with others of the same opinion.

    The article above talked about *a lot* of issues, and while I generally agree with the conclusions, I can also understand why some of the differing views mentioned may be more or less justified. This is not “neutrality or complicity.” I would not shut down, for example, one person who says that slavery was about racism, and the other who says it was about economics. I would say that both views are legitimate, and trace the logic. But because I’m particularly passionate about the issue of freedom, I’d add that religion, developments in science and sociology, international politics, domestic politics, and economic warfare all ultimately supported a systematic and sickening subjugation of an entire group of people. If anyone questioned the horror of slavery, I would enthusiastically endorse Frederick Douglas, Tony Morrison, and Harriet Anne Jacobs. And for those who then say “schools talk about slavery too much, which has led to a victimization culture,” well, that might shine a light on their personal experiences and the references they rely on. Whereupon I would want to hear more….you get the idea.

    Basically I have only this one life, and I will never learn about the experiences and references others use to form their own perspectives unless I am open about mine and they are open about theirs. Being open to hearing others while sharing one’s experiences is the only way to change hearts, and once the heart is changed, so can the mind. If rush opinions and anger have led to the waste of so many lives, then we, who are alive, owe it to those who have passed on to speak out not with anger, but with passion measured by clarity and openness. I appreciate your article, and if we do find ourselves in the same room I’d be open to a dialogue.

  63. Jinkies
    Author

    Well said!
    I did not know about the bacha posh practice, but I found a good article in The New York Times, 9/15/14.

  64. Jinkies
    Author

    The article does a good job explaining the administrative issues behind the request for larger space–I could imagine this same problem for any group, religious or not, with high membership wanting to assemble regularly. A healthy school is one with diversity where students feel open to assemble and practice their religion together–whatever the solution to these administrative concerns should be fair and open. If the goal is genuinely to encourage mixed use, then that takes actual planning–not just opening any particular space and calling it a meditation area. Get some students interested in interior design, with religious study majors as collaborators, to take charge of this as a project, perhaps under an Oscar grant.

    As someone who practices solitary meditation and prayer, small, quiet spaces are highly appreciated–preferably with a view of trees or plants outside. Arlington built the Barton Park labyrinth–it gets a lot of mixed use, from couples wanting a quiet place to talk, to families sliding down the hill when it’s snowy. Small, quiet spots outdoors or indoors (say, with a view of a roof garden) are also always great spots for studying. Maybe the upcoming library will have these things? I don’t see folks using the roof garden by Research Hall, which is a shame, but it’s also in a noisy and busy place.

  65. Jinkies
    Author

    Sounds like a much-needed change, especially for a school where “innovation is tradition.” There are some pretty neat classes and opportunities here at Mason. “Last year’s class was the largest we’ve ever brought in, and we have ambitious goals for this year as well.” If this is true, that is a promising trend for the school and the metropolitan area for attracting talent. I hope each and every one of those students finds the guidance, support, and education they need, for their classroom, personal, financial, and career choices. A university is a major stepping stone, and one remembers these years for a lifetime.

  66. Matt Warner
    Author

    “Similar to the way entrenched anti-black sentiment in the United States justified the murder of Mike Brown..”

    No. After three autopsies and months of review, the jury couldn’t even bring a trial against Darren Wilson and the case is being dropped by the DOJ. Similarly, Bill Maher’s stance did not lead to the Sikh Temple shooting.

    There is no evidence whatsoever to demonstrate that most people in the West are racist, islamophobic, or sexist or whatever you want to accuse it of. However, the giant elephant in the room is that Islam is the only religion left in the world where millions of people want to impose their exact world view on everyone at the threat of death. Is military intervention going to solve that? No, but holy cow it isn’t a religion of peace. The Islamic world is burning right now over a French cartoon. That’s totally incompatible with the most basic tenets of any free and peaceful society.

    • Jinkies
      Author

      I agree wholeheartedly that military intervention is not a good idea. As far as the religion of peace question, here’s a quote from Alfred North Whitehead to consider:
      “Religion carries two sorts of people in two entirely opposite directions: the mild and gentle people it carries towards mercy and justice; the persecuting people it carries into fiendish sadistic cruelty. Mind you, though this may seem to justify the eighteenth-century Age of Reason in its contention that religion is nothing but an organized, gigantic fraud and a curse to the human race, nothing could be farther from the truth. It possesses these two aspects, the evil one of the two appealing to people capable of naïve hatred; but what is actually happening is that when you get natures stirred to their depths over questions which they feel to be overwhelmingly vital, you get the bad stirred up in them as well as the good; the mud as well as the water. It doesn’t seem to matter much which sect you have, for both types occur in all sects….”
      I’m still amateurish in my knowledge of these things, but I’ve lately found this and readings of MLK Jr. to be insightful.

      • Matt Warner
        Author

        I completely accept that there are extremists in any religion. What I also accept is that Islam is especially brutal and anti-liberty relative to the other major religions around today.

        And I’m not going to excuse people either and not hold them responsible just because “it’s their culture” or “it’s how they were brought up.” Virtually all individuals have moral agency and responsibility and their beliefs don’t excuse slaughter, regardless of what religion at hand.

        • Jinkies
          Author

          I completely agree. Murder is murder. Torture is torture. These need to be stopped and its perpetrators held accountable–religion and culture are not excuses.

          Rather, what concerns me is how the discussion of “Islam,” a religion with an enormous number of followers and a wide diversity of experiences, is being played with the same sort of narration in the media and some churches. For some, this has meant worry and antagonism misplaced over normal people with peaceable lives. The conversation, rather than being full and nuanced and searching for common ground and a solution, is more frequently centered on an “Islam leads to terrorism and hate” story. I’m okay with people arguing about whether Islam is violent, in the same way Christianity is argued as being misogynistic, or all religion being like heroine; these challenge my own thoughts and ask me to question my own preconceived notions, and hopefully after these discussions there is more understanding and desire to come together. But when these questions are no longer questions but the norm, and “opposing sides” are reduced to a narrow set of alternatives, that’s where tensions build and nonviolent, uniting solutions are overlooked.

          I agree with a quote from Noam Chomsky: “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum….” Here’s a link to one discussion, with Irshad Manji and Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the Fareed Zakaria show, presenting two different perspectives among the many that I know must be out there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVeiT0DHej0

  67. ʬ i i l l l b uu rr rr r
    Author

    .

    . . . myster∑d
    – ->M.A.caution
    U
    – -> gottaBkiddin
    ?

    “Produced by the non-profit Arab Studies Institute, Jadaliyya is run primarily on a voluntary basis. Only in 2011 did it receive external funding from . . . the Open Society Institute.”

    !
    Cherchez leCash

  68. Thelma
    Author

    This is a small oil spill. The Keystone pipeline will be much much bigger. We should all know the keystone pipeline will decay. The pipeline will never be able to hold up to it’s 20 plus years of use. The pipeline is not carrying watery oil. The pipeline is transporting oil tar. The tar sticks to everything like glue. The tar has to be heated with water to help push it down the pipes. How long will it take before it too has a leak? The pipeline goes over some of American’s most beautiful unspoiled land too.

    • gmu grad student
      Author

      -Anyone purchasing a gun from a federally licensed firearms dealer still has to go through the NICS background check. The location where you purchase it doesn’t matter, so there’s no exemption or loophole at a gun show. What the author may have meant to say is that sales between private parties do not go through a background check, as this would be impossible to enforce without gun registration.

      -As John mentioned, you can carry concealed if you have the permit, which requires you take training and undergo a background check that searches five databases. The requirement for transporting firearms unloaded and locked in a secure container applies to people who don’t have a permit but don’t want to carry openly.

      -The list of “school shootings” by Everytown for Gun Safety is incredibly misleading. They counted any discharge of a firearm on school property, e.g. if one gang member shoots another at 3 a.m. on a Saturday in the school parking lot that gets counted as a school shooting. This was covered by Factcheck.org last year: http://www.factcheck.org/2014/06/spinning-statistics-on-school-shootings/

      -Concealed carry permit holders are actually far LESS likely to commit violent crimes than the general population, and mass shootings have declined where citizens can legally carry concealed handguns (Source: John Lott, “More Guns, Less Crime”, 3rd ed., 2010.)

      I am a concealed carry permit holder and would like to carry on campus if it were an option. In the event of a mass shooting, my first plan would be to simply evacuate (I’m not going to impersonate a one man SWAT team and go looking for the shooter), or if that isn’t feasible, try to barricade myself in a classroom or office. If the shooter tries to enter my location and I have no way to leave, I would try to fight back, gun or not. But I think my odds would be better with a gun.

      I walk to and from campus and some of my classes get out at night, including one at Arlington that finishes at 10:00 p.m. By the time I take the Metro and bus back to Fairfax, I am usually walking home at 11:00 p.m. Because I can’t take my gun onto campus I am also disarmed during this time. Since I’m legally permitted to carry a firearm nearly everywhere else, why should my Constitutionally-protected rights disappear when I step onto campus?

      That said, I personally am not a fan of open carry, especially in a crowded environment like GMU. People who aren’t familiar with guns will likely be terrified, plus you’ll be a potential target for criminals who may have spent the last few years in prison thinking how much they would like to disarm one of the guards. Concealed carry gives you an element of surprise and if done correctly takes only a fraction of a second longer to unholster your firearm.

  69. Raj Panth
    Author

    That conversation will never meet a satisfactory answer. It’s quite evident that the topic is being danced around upon. It’d be nice for President Cabrera to focus more on alumni involvement, and listen to what they have to say, to make Mason a proud Alma Mater for all. Alumni should be one of our key focuses, as it is apparent that if people just come to ‘get a degree’ and feel no connection to the University, there will be no further growth. Just my 2 cents.

  70. Connor Gibson
    Author

    Interesting he mentions budget cuts – what tentacles of the Koch network have run campaigns to defund Virginia’s public funding of education? Americans for Prosperity and other groups they control – affiliated through the “State Policy Network” – run coordinated, simultaneous campaigns in many states to cut corporate taxes, block various taxes on the wealthiest people and other things that suck away public funding for things like public universities. That makes a school like GMU even more desperate for Koch cash, no matter how many strings are attached.

    Just a theory. I’m affiliated with UnKoch My Campus so this isn’t random interest.

  71. Jinkies
    Author

    One of my best experiences from a job was when I reported a sexual harassment case to HR; a man had been routinely calling me pet names and asking me to be in his “photo shoots.” Not only was HR and my boss extremely open and professional about it; the case was handled immediately. It turned out that this man had been doing the same thing to other women, but none had come forward and officially reported the problem. Within a day or two he was gone from his post (I have no idea if they let him go or if he was transferred). Where before I had dreaded coming to work, even taking days off just not to see him, afterwards I was extremely relieved.

  72. Patrick S
    Author

    Where were the GMU #MuslimLivesMatter hypocrite activists when ISIS murdered Peter Kassig and Jordanian Air Force Lt. Moaz al-Kasabeh? Both were Muslims.

    “How dreadful are the curses which Islam lays on its votaries… the fanatical frenzy is as dangerous in a man as rabies in a dog… In Islamic law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine…. the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Islam is a militant faith.”

    –Sir Winston Churchill, from his book “The River War,” 1st ed., 2: 248-250. London: Longmans, 1899.

  73. jt O'Brien
    Author

    I think everyone was quick to jump on the #muslimlivesmatter bandwagon. This had nothing to do with them being Muslim, what I found more interesting about incident was not that they are Muslim, but how the media and social media interpreted the event and their subsequent reactions. Why did this incident get attention when mass murders happen almost bi-weekly in the US? Why was every headline about them being Muslim? Why was there no vigil and less reporting for the 21 Christians who were just beheaded in Libya? I’m not saying what happened isn’t a tragedy but I think the way it was interpreted and reported says a lot about the media and what people find important when it comes to a story.

    • MasonStudent
      Author

      I don’t know what motivated the shooter, my sympathies are with the victims of violence regardless of their religion, nationality, etc. I have several muslim friends and I don’t agree with the Churchill quote above.

      …..however, there does seem to be a certain segment of the muslim population that wants to be seen as victims, and a white atheist shooting three muslims provides the perfect opportunity for this. Like you said every time this story comes up the victims’ religion seems to be mentioned prominently, but when a muslim commits an atrocity there’s often some doubt as to whether or not they actually belong to that faith.

      I’m also noticing a trend with the Fourth Estate to have some kind of article re: Islam in nearly every issue. We know one of their authors was paid to proselytize, but what motivates the others?

    • GopherPatriot
      Author

      The media has an intent to keep people fighting and hating one another. It’s vogue to hate Muslims and to characterize them as a monolithic boogeyman and burnishing extreme reactions and extremism as exemplary rather than exceptions or contextualized. Irrespective of that, Egypt and Jordan both launched campaigns against ISIS and condemnation of ISIS and their like has been considerable by Muslims. If you haven’t seen it, it’s because you aren’t being shown it and you’re not willing to see. #alllivesmatter

  74. Taylor Johnson
    Author

    Why do you insist on posting articles like this? If you’re going to have people write about films, do it right. Not like this.

  75. Matt Warner
    Author

    “The terrorist attacks against the French satirical magazine left 12 people dead and sparked an international debate on how freedom of speech, the press and tolerance of religion can both be supported in an increasingly violent world.”

    Is this paragraph stating that freedom of speech and religious tolerance can run counter to one another?

    I don’t think that makes sense because freedom of speech, press, and religious tolerance are all fundamentally the same principle: the idea anyone should not be physically harmed for their ideas.

    There is nothing a cartoonist can say, short of a death threat, that would infringe upon another individual’s ability to practice their religion.

    Please, let’s assign moral responsibility where it belongs and stop entertaining the idea that a cartoonist warranted his own death for insulting a Prophet.

  76. John Hill
    Author

    Tune in tonight to WGMU live online at 10PM. http://wgmuradio.com/ This is a very important issue to our school. We’ll be discussing tolerance, diversity, and free speech (all related to this issue). Hope you can tune in.

    • ShadrachSmith
      Author

      You explore the part of morality that I call Liberal Taqiyya. It is common to all tribal societies, and expressed with special clarity by feminists and Islamic Jihadists.

      Liberal Taqiyya requires, as an affirmative moral duty, that all liberal jihadists/activists not only support any lie that supports them and theirs, but they must treat ‘heretics’ like Torquemada judging the Marranos and Moriscos.

      Why do you think so many otherwise good and reasonable people post so many hateful lies about conservative posters? It is Liberal Taqiyya that makes them think attacking heresy with hateful lies is their moral duty. Would some locals put me in a cage and watch me burn…who can say :-)

        • ShadrachSmith
          Author

          Word salad? Not at all. It is new and useful vocabulary. Don the invincible armor of ignorance if you wish but she committed the sin of making Democrat Campaign memes less embraceable, so she will be punished…with viciousness.

          And you will say to yourself, she was evil…betraying a Democrat Political Campaign meme is always evil?

          • TwoFootTackle
            Author

            What are you talking about? You make no sense.
            Who is “she?”
            What “Democrat [sic] Campaign?”
            You are either insane or you are master of some 3D chess level of trolling.

          • ShadrachSmith
            Author

            What part of: Liberal Taqiyya requires, as an affirmative moral duty, that all liberal jihadists/activists not only support any lie that supports them and theirs, but they must treat ‘heretics’ like Torquemada judging the Marranos and Moriscos….escapes you :-)

  77. Raquel Nicole
    Author

    Hi Mr. Warner, thanks for reading Fourth Estate and this article! I agree that the magazine didn’t warrant their own attack. What I meant by that paragraph is that this attack brought forth a debate between these fundamental freedoms, if these two are sometimes in tension with each other or not. For example, some people view the magazine’s cartoons as offensive or disrespectful to Islamic faith and shouldn’t be published, while others view it as the new outlet’s right to publish these images, especially as terrorism is a growing global concern. Also some people even have a mixture of both sides, which I think this article reflected that.

  78. MasonStudent
    Author

    And this is why I’ve never had anything to do with Student Government.
    Removed for an offensive comment on Twitter?
    Maybe I’m offended by people who come here illegally while the law-abiding (including members of my own family) are waiting YEARS to get a visa.
    Why don’t some of you from SG try studying abroad in any other country without a student visa and see what happens to you? Make sure to tell the host country you’d like to pay in-state rates.
    Being called “illegal” will be the least of your concerns.

  79. A veteran
    Author

    Beware my young, politically correct friends. It is a short trip from being what you are now to becoming the Khmer Rouge.

        • TwoFootTackle
          Author

          Explain in detail the short trip to becoming the Khmer Rouge or admit you’re using hyperbole to support a weak argument.

          I may not be the IQ police you want, but clearly, I’m the IQ police you need.

          • TwoFootTackle
            Author

            Compared to you, impressing myself isn’t difficult.

            You still haven’t explained how Mason or America becomes a violent, totalitarian state from a student organization expelling a student member, who volunteered to represent all students at Mason, for using racist language in violation of a code of conduct policy he agreed to follow.

            I’d also be interested in learning why you claim that expressing yourself about government policy or society has become risky for you. How have you unjustly suffered for expressing yourself?

          • A veteran
            Author

            Finally, we agree on something. I am sure I don’t bask in the warmth of my own awesomeness as much as you do. I’ll give you that one.

            Mason as a breeding ground for young, mindless, totalitarians (my ever growing opinion) is a mere symptom of a much larger problem in America as close as todays news. The federal government just voted itself the power to regulate the internet. They want “fairness” or “neutrality.” What it really means is that the FCC majority, Democrats for now, will silence their enemies and promote like minded people and causes. So, from today’s events alone, I can demonstrate encroaching totalitarianism. What does that current song say? “Don’t believe me, just watch!”

            As far as “illegal” being racist, I disagree. On the assumption that your implication is that “illegal” is racist toward hispanics, I submit this. I am not hispanic, but speak Spanish and have been VERY deeply embedded in the hispanic community here and abroad. I know many who were born as American as you or me, and many who immigrated legally, some to become citizens as well. I intend no racism toward anyone, hispanic or otherwise, if I point out that they entered this country without legal permission, i.e. illegally. It is simply a statement of fact.

  80. Arafat
    Author

    Raquel, when will you start to connect the dots?

    ++

    A beheading in Woolwich, a suicide bomb in Beijing, a blown-up marathon in
    Boston, a shooting in the head of a young Pakistani girl seeking education, a
    destroyed shopping mall in Nairobi – and so it continues, in the name of Islam,
    from south London to Timbuktu. It is time to take stock, especially on the
    left, since these things are part of the world’s daily round.

    Leave aside the parrot-cry of “Islamophobia” for a moment. I will return to it.
    Leave aside, too, the pretences that it is all beyond comprehension.
    “Progressives” might ask instead: what do Kabul, Karachi, Kashmir, Kunming and
    a Kansas airport have in common? Is it that they all begin with “K”? Yes. But
    all of them have been sites of recent Islamist or, in the case of Kansas, of
    wannabe-Islamist, attacks; at Wichita Airport planned by a Muslim convert ready
    to blow himself up, and others, “in support of al-Qaeda in the Arabian
    Peninsula”. “We cannot stop lone wolves,” a British counterterrorism expert
    told us after Woolwich. Are they “lone”? Of course not.

    A gas facility in southern Algeria, a hospital in Yemen, an Egyptian police
    convoy in the Sinai – it’s complex all right – a New Year’s party in the
    southern Philippines, a railway station in the Caucasus, a bus terminal in
    Nigeria’s capital, and on and on, have all been hit by jihadis, with hostages
    taken, suicide belts detonated, cars and trucks exploded, and bodies blown to
    bits. And Flight MH370? Perhaps. In other places – in Red Square and Times
    Square, in Jakarta and New Delhi, in Amman and who-knows-where in Britain –
    attacks have been thwarted. But in 2013 some 18 countries got it in the
    neck (so to speak) from Islam’s holy warriors….

    • Raquel Nicole
      Author

      Hi Arafat, thanks for reading Fourth Estate and this article! I’m not sure I understand your point. This article is not denying the growing threat of Islamic extremism. This discussion talked less about policy on how to deal with terrorism, rather the event was about public perceptions of Islam and the role of freedom of speech. Thanks for the feedback. I don’t write for myself, I write for the Mason community so I always appreciate to hear from our readers.

  81. Arafat
    Author

    Why don’t Muslims organize events honoring the following victims? Is it because loss of life only matters when it is a Muslim life taken by an infidel?

    ++

    On Feb 22 in Potiskum, Nigeria 5 Christians are killed by a Muslim CHILD suicide bomber.
    ++
    On Feb 21 43 moderate Sunnis are burned alive by fellow Muslims in al-Baghdad, Iraq.
    ++
    On Feb 21 at least four are killed by a Muslim suicide bomber at a hospital in Qardaha, Syria.
    ++
    On Feb 20 fifty people are blown to bits by three Muslim suicide bombers in al-Quba, Libya.
    ++
    On Feb 19 at least 30 are killed when Boko Haram randomly open fire on villagers in Chibok, Nigeria.

    • Arafat
      Author

      And what of the following lives too? I guess Muslims can kill others without a peep from our fellow Muslim students, but if the killing is done by an infidel then their hypocrisy come to the fore.

      ++

      On Feb 15th a 37 year old Jewish man was gunned down by a Muslim in Copenhagen, Denmark.
      +++
      On Feb 15th a teenaged girl blew herself up in a crowded bus terminal killing 16 in Damaturu, Nigeria.
      +++
      On Feb 14th a Muslim gunman shot into a free speech event and killed one person in Copenhagen, Denmark.
      +++
      On Feb 14th a driver for a POLIO TEAM was murdered by a Muslim extremist.
      +++
      On Feb 13 two children and a women were murdered were among six people murdered by a Mujahid extremist in Samrrah, Iraq.
      +++
      On Feb 13th 20+ Shi’ite worshippers were murdered by Jundallah gunmen in Peshawar, Pakistan.
      +++
      On Feb 12th twelve villagers are murdered by Boko Haram in Akida, Nigeria.
      +++
      On Feb 12th a female suicide bomber murders 11 at a market in Biu, Nigeria.
      +++
      On Feb 11th ten civilians lose their lives when Sunni terrorists lob shells into Baghdad.
      +++
      On Feb 10th Boko Haram hijacks a bus and kills seven and kidnaps eight young girls in Koza, Cameroon.
      +++
      On Feb 10th ten people are beheaded and this is videoed by Ansar Bait al-Maqdis in Arish, Egypt.
      +++
      Shall I go on?

  82. A veteran
    Author

    If the Koch brothers are expecting some sort of “conservative” influence over GMU in return for their dontations, then it is clearly the dumbest investment they have ever made.

  83. eromanme
    Author

    Just an update: Due to inclement weather, we had to reschedule Stolen Education. The screening (plus free pizza) will take place March 4, from 4:30 to 7:10. Thanks!

  84. GopherPatriot
    Author

    Arafat doesn’t much care for the fact that among the killed in the Charlie Hebdo attacks was a French Muslim police officer and a Muslim shop assistant saved the lives of Jewish hostages in a French deli during an attack. Those actions must not be attributable to anything more than the individuals because that doesn’t advance his narrative.

      • roccolore
        Author

        Do you think the school would have taken action had it been a Mexican defending special tuition breaks for illegals?

        • TwoFootTackle
          Author

          No, because your hypothetical “Mexican” wouldn’t have used derogatory language in a tweet attacking a group of students for their identity.

          “Illegals” is a racist code word for undocumented immigrants and is almost always used in an attack against Latinos. People who feel defensive about using the term and who refuse to quit using it show who they truly are.

          Undocumented immigrant students aren’t receiving “breaks.” They’re paying the same tuition as citizens and documented immigrants for residing within the state where their school is located.

          • Elk Tracks
            Author

            Truth is “hate speech” to whacked out liberals.
            Therefore speaking the truth must me punished at all costs.

          • TwoFootTackle
            Author

            I agree that there are some liberals who are “whacked out,” just as there are conservatives who are “whacked out.”

            But can you give me an example where something that was true was considered “hate speech” by any significant number of liberals?

            Do you mean that all spoken truth is punished? Punished how? Can you give examples?

          • Elk Tracks
            Author

            Just look at the example above . . .”Illegals” is a racist code word for undocumented immigrants and is almost always used in an attack against Latinos.

            What a load of Horse-sh*t . . . . to use the Cowboy vernacular.

            “Illegal” means here illegally. Nothing else. Not Mexican, Cuban, South American, Chinese, or ANY other nationality. It Means ILLEGAL !!! . . . . Period!

            Punished how ? ? ? . . . . Once again look above . . . .
            He lost his position in the student government . . . .

  85. A veteran
    Author

    If they changed the name to represent THIS group of native americans, it would have to be the Washington Whiners!

    Yes, the natives and the U.S. fought each other, brutally and frequently. And now, many, many years later, the nation’s game is played in the nation’s capital by a team called “Redskins.” It is a game for warriors, not wimps. The native warriors for whom they are named WOULD HAVE LOVED IT!

    These same native warriors gave us the “buffalo soldier.” Do you hear African Americans whining about it? No. It was a name given by warriors to warriors. It is a proud part of our shared American history.

    Each time this team runs onto the field and all the fans are wearing that symbol, they are invoking the spirit of a fierce, independent and cunning people.

  86. firedup49
    Author

    I agree 100% with him
    in New Jersey last Saturday at Rutgers University they had a registration fair for Illegals only…
    They get state tuition and they are forming a scholarship for them.

  87. The right thing would be addressing the merit of the Tweets in question, and proving that they reflect plain lack of knowledge. Then, there would be a question if Americans have a right to be stupid. The eventual
    removal, could be justified only, if views of Mr. Paglia diminish his ability to perform his duties. From afar, the removal appears not justified.
    On the margin, Mr. Paglia and others similarly disoriented are welcome to see a lecture:
    http://youtu.be/wOedOhNJD04
    and follow with the readings:
    http://www.freedomofmigration.com/

  88. Maynard Creel
    Author

    When I attended GMU in the Govt and Politics Department we still had a Constitution and free speech. I left in 1983. Prior to that event a member of the faculty was dismissed for his apparently radical views. I am certain he would be very comfortable in teaching on a college campus today. The group think on campus today is not encouraging and the stifling of others opinions as conservatives or Libertarians is very troubling. The purpose of a university has always been learning new ideas and becoming more tolerant of opposing viewpoints. Codifying some of the intolerance is equally troubling. I always thought being educated was expanding one’s horizons, learning how to think in new and enabling ways, finding and refining one’s talents, and preparing yourself for future success. In short becoming a mature adult and taking responsibility as an educated citizen. Always to think for yourself and not like the Paris mobs in the French Revolution that sent the opposition to the guillotine because apparently everybody supported that idea. At least that was the rumor. Good luck all.

  89. D Guest
    Author

    Diversity – you keep using that word – I do not think it means what you think it means.
    Obviously at GMU diversity means you must conform to the officially approved way of thinking.
    Diversity of thought is not allowed at GMU.

  90. seriously
    Author

    WOW – how embarrassing! “…reaffirmed the importance of diversity” and “Our organization embraces a multitude of students and ideas and our diversity sparks innovation, new ideas emerge when different points of view come together,” Abbruscato wrote – I could not agree more – unfortunately – your actions against Mr. Paglia are exactly opposite of the words you wrote. What you must have meant to write was: different ideas as long as it doesn’t offend the liberal agenda. We only get better ideas through open debate – not one sided – don’t be afraid. George Mason – The father of the Bill of Rights would be ashamed of this action…

  91. KB
    Author

    if his comments had been made about people who were “undocumented,” he might be able to hide behind a free speech argument. as it stands, his comments are poorly thought out and clearly offensive (and even MEANT to be offensive. look at the way he capitalizes the word for full effect — treatment he also gives to the word “disgusting.” he obviously equates the two). he is refusing to acknowledge that a person can’t be “illegal.” a person who breaks a law isn’t living an illegal existence; they don’t have documentation. calling someone “illegal” might as well be a shortcut to saying, “i don’t think you deserve an existence.”

    i’ll tell you what IS a crime, though: this asshat’s name. storm? honestly?

    • A veteran
      Author

      If they are not here on a U.S. issued visa or have been granted temporary or permanent resident alien status by USCIS, then they are, in fact, here in violation of U.S. law and living here illegally. The special treatment they are getting, especially financial, for political purposes, can easily be seen as an affront to every born citizen, naturalized citizen and legally resident alien who is struggling to live their lives in accordance with our laws. But for one of them to express how they feel is simply not to be tolerated by the bright young minds of Mason.

      • TwoFootTackle
        Author

        I’m a citizen, and I don’t consider granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants residing in-state as an affront.

        We’ve always been a nation of immigrants (my ancestors were some of the original English immigrants to North America in the 1600s), and all immigrant groups been both welcomed and villainized in turn over the years: Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, Japanese, Chinese, Mexicans, and so on. African immigrants, especially prior to 1865, are a special case due to the then involuntary nature of their immigration, but I digress. Sometimes the law has been flexible and has let many immigrants into the country, and sometimes the law has capriciously turned on a dime and tried to keep everyone out (or everyone from certain groups out). We need immigrants, all kinds of immigrants, and we need to change our immigration policy to recognize that. We can and should discuss and debate immigration policy, but we should not tolerate racist, inflammatory language.

        • MasonStudent
          Author

          In-state residents receive a lower rate because they pay state taxes that help fund the university. This is not the case for illegal aliens.

          • TwoFootTackle
            Author

            Undocumented immigrants also pay state taxes. I did a Google search for you to prove it. You’re welcome. And stop using the term “illegal aliens.” It makes you sound like an old racist uncle.

            http://www.itep.org/immigration/

            http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/high-school/top-10-myths-about-immigration

            http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/20/news/economy/immigration-myths/

            http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2014/04/15/3426680/tax-day-undocumented-immigrants-pay-taxes/

          • MasonStudent
            Author

            You can’t file taxes without a social security number, and social security numbers are not given out to non-resident aliens.

            For an illegal (yes, I’ll keep using the term to describe people who break the law) to have an SSN, they would have to either steal one from a citizen or acquire one using false documentation. If they can do all that, surely they can apply to school with their new identity and won’t be considered an “undocumented student” in the first place.

          • A veteran
            Author

            Here is a Google for you braniac.

            “Illegal Alien
            Also known as an “Undocumented Alien,” is an alien who has entered the United States illegally and is deportable if apprehended, or an alien who entered the United States legally but who has fallen “out of status” and is deportable.”

            http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Immigration-Terms-and-Definitions-Involving-Aliens

            So give the IRS a call and tell them they are racist.

            And while you are at it, call the Department of Homeland Security and tell them to knock it off too.

            “Legalized Aliens – Certain illegal aliens who were eligible to apply for temporary resident status under the legalization provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. To be eligible, aliens must have continuously resided in the United States in an unlawful status since January 1, 1982, not be excludable, and have entered the United States either 1) illegally before January 1, 1982, or 2) as temporary visitors before January 1, 1982, with their authorized stay expiring before that date or with the Government’s knowledge of their unlawful status before that date. Legalization consists of two stages-temporary and then permanent residency. In order to adjust to permanent status aliens must have had continuous residence in the United States, be admissible as an immigrant, and demonstrate at least a minimal understanding and knowledge of the English language and U.S. history and government.”

            http://www.dhs.gov/definition-terms#0

    • wow
      Author

      “illegal” is a noun and adjective….http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illegal

      So yes, a person can be an “illegal immigrant” or just an “illegal”.

      It’s just a description….and an accurate one as long as that person is breaking that law related to immigration.

      This term isn’t new, all recent presidents have been cited using the term atleast once.

      Anything can be “offensive”, because all you need is some to say “I was offended”….the question should be, does this really affect his job performance working with dining services?

    • DaveMed
      Author

      That’s a nonsensical “argument.”

      I love it when leftists try to play this kind of linguistic game. Sorry; the adults aren’t falling for it.

  92. Jason Von Kundra
    Author

    Student Government made the right move! An organization that is the voice of the student body can not stand to let their membership insult the very students they represent. When you are in student government, you are acting as a representative of student government when you post on social media. That is made clear when you join the organization.

    • A veteran
      Author

      You make it sound as if the Mason student body are the Borg, a giant collective with a single mind. I just wonder how many Mason students actually agree with him but have been bludgeoned into silence by the speech police? Maybe his expression represents more students than you think.

      Or maybe not.

      Mason is quickly gaining a rep for politically correct intolerance and adherence to a militant “social justice” dogma. For someone who has lived in the real world for a while, A Mason degree is starting to look more like a warning than a recommendation.

      • MasonStudent
        Author

        To paraphrase Howard Roark — thinking is an individual act, so there can be no collective mind. Student Government does not speak for me.

        I find Mason less adherent to political correctness than most universities but it may also depend on which department you are in.

  93. Seth Dunoff
    Author

    To Storm: I see your side of the issue and agree with you it is hypocritical for Student Government to claim to promote free speech and then remove you from your position for expressing your opinion on immigrants and in-state tuition. However, I believe you were not removed simply for holding that opinion; I think you were removed for the way you expressed it. In my opinion, by capitalizing the word “ILLEGALS” and simply referring to illegal immigrants as ILLEGALS, not illegal immigrants, you projected disrespect for illegal immigrants. Maybe this situation disgusts you, and maybe that is why you wrote it that way, and it is fine if it disgusts you that illegal immigrants (undocumented people, etc) get in-state tuition while you have to pay out of state. It is fine if it disgusts you; however, if you want to be able to state your opinion, it appears you will need to do so in a more civilized manner. I think if you had written, “I do not like that illegal immigrants are able to pay in-state tuition while I have to pay out-of-state tuition because I come from New Jersey,” you probably would not have been removed from your position within student government. It appears that yes, you may hold almost any opinion you like (unless it is clearly morally wrong or discriminatory); and no, you may not state it anyway you want (you may face consequences if you speak rudely or derogatorily). Imagine if you were stating your opposition to affirmative action and you had tweeted “I don’t see why these N—–S get special treatment.” I don’t think it would surprise you if you were to get removed from your position for that tweet. I think this is the same principle, just with a much less derogatory term. Feel free to respond with any questions, comments, or feedback.

      • TwoFootTackle
        Author

        It’s not the “Caps Lock,” it’s the word that the caps lock is intended to emphasize that is offensive. “Illegals” is intended to be derogatory and is used to attack people who are unwanted because of their skin color, language, culture and other characteristics.

        • Elk Tracks
          Author

          So you know what “Illegals” is intended to be / mean ? ? ?

          I say “Illegals” infers . . . . people illegally immigrating to the United States.
          “The act by foreign nationals of entering the United States without government permission (i.e., a visa) and in violation of immigration laws of the United States, or staying beyond the termination date of a visa, also in violation of the law.”

        • Seth Dunoff
          Author

          Disagree. Storm did not attack anyone because of their skin color or any of the other characteristics you listed. Storm had an issue with the illegality of their immigration/ residence in the United States. While people who are the victims of discrimination by the criteria you described may frequently be the same people who are illegal immigrants, I don’t think it’s fair to accuse Storm of discrimination by those characteristics. That’s not to say he might not feel that way (be a racist). He might. But I don’t think it’s fair to accuse him of it because in my opinion he didn’t say anything racist. I bet people assume that Storm is upset over Mexicans or other Latin Americans getting in-state tuition. But we have no proof that he would not be just as upset over an Italian or someone from wherever his family is from getting in-state tuition after illegally immigrating. If he’d be equally upset over someone from any country or race illegally immigrating and getting in-state tuition, I don’t think it’s about race, I think it’s about illegal immigrants getting in-state tuition. #correctingpeople #notsureifthiscommentiswarranted #possiblyImisunderstoodyou

  94. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Moonbattery » George Mason University Student Representative Firing for Objecting to Instate Tuition for Illegal Aliens

  95. Eagle 77
    Author

    As an alum, I now have another reason not to send money to GMU. If they can use resources to stifle free speech, the they have more than enough money.

    Thanks!
    GMU MA ’06

  96. another Mason student
    Author

    I’m so embarrassed to be attending a school in which students that are supposedly encouraged to voice their ideas and opinions are punished for doing just that. And he has a point. Illegals are here illegally and are thus technically referred to as illegal immigrants….What’s the problem again?

    On second thought..Maybe instead of my parents having gone through such an extensive process for citizenship to be able to send me to this school they should’ve come here illegally and made that process easier for me.

  97. A veteran
    Author

    All I have to do is scroll down and see this guy’s picture. No need to read the article. White, American racism is responsible for everything bad in the world. Same essay every time.

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  100. Craig Haseler
    Author

    ““If the police walk up and scan the card, they can get the information they need quickly as to home address and so forth because it could be stored there”

    Does anyone else have a huge problem with this?

    • MasonStudent
      Author

      Yup….. if I’m not under arrest or stopped for a traffic infraction etc there’s NO reason for police to be scanning my ID. I wonder if wrapping my card in aluminum foil will be enough to thwart this plan?

  101. Alex Williams
    Author

    If not addressed, this problem will only continue to exacerbate–the rising costs of running a college are forcing institutions to not replace tenured faculty members who retire/not add to the net number of tenure-track positions at an institution. At the same time, colleges are growing–more departments, more students. As of now, the “only” way to accommodate growth in student populations without increasing the number of tenure-track faculty is to hire adjunct faculty. Given that, how can adjunct faculty, tenure-track faculty, and students collaborate to address EACH of these issues–costs, tuition, education quality (both in teaching and research)?

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  104. MasonStudent
    Author

    For those of you just tuning in, the author of this article is on a scholarship from the Islamic Society of North America to promote Islam through media.
    It was nice of him to include a definition of propaganda since this is exactly what he is paid to do.

    • RHENLE
      Author

      When you can’t argue against the author’s points, argue against the author!

      (also that’s a cutie pah-tootie conspiracy theory you got there baby. you come up with that one by yourself or are you on the Jihad Watch mailing list?)

      • MasonStudent
        Author

        Nah. I got it from the author’s LinkedIn page. What is Jihad Watch?

        I’m happy he was able to earn a scholarship for writing about a topic that interests him. What I don’t like is that the lack of transparency at Fourth Estate.
        I would say the same of any author who received money to write about a topic, e.g. if a student was funded by AIPAC to write about Israel.

  105. Connor
    Author

    It seems dangerous to me to stray further than we already are from a functioning democracy.. maybe finding ways to make voters more informed is a better alternative rather than the lessening of democracy.

  106. Jan Frel
    Author

    What’s so funny about all this is how appalling it is. Disgusting cesspool. Hyenas competing to demonstrate total obedience to Koch masters.

  107. Fred95
    Author

    And exactly who will decide who gets to be members of the epistocracy?

    Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll take the votes of the unwashed and uninformed over an elite few any day. Democracy may not be pretty, and it has its flaws … but it seems to be able to cleanse itself when it becomes too polluted. An epistocracy would offer no such advantage.

    As for professors and their opinions … not worth the many parchments their degrees are printed on.

    • Mxyzptik
      Author

      “but it seems to be able to cleanse itself when it becomes too polluted. ”

      That must be why 90% of incumbants
      are reelected.

      • lariokie
        Author

        Sorry Mxyzptik, but reelection of incumbents happens because of the suppression of democracy by gerrymandering, voter suppression laws, and unlimited money/propaganda by the “knowledgeable” who own a stable of lobbyists and a bank full of money with which to bribe incumbents. We are given generally two and only two real choices of candidates who are chosen not by us but by the two major partys’ leadership. We either vote for one of the two–Democrat or Republican”–or we toss our votes away on a third party. The system is the problem, not democracy.

    • dljvjbsl
      Author

      The Supreme Court is a member of the “epistocracy”. its membership is appointed according to a constitutional process by democratically elected officials. The Supreme Court makes policy on criminal justice, interstate trade which means almost anything these days, etc. Recall how Obamacare individual mandate was ruled a tax and therefore constitutional. This is policy making.

      • Fred95
        Author

        “… its membership is appointed according to a constitutional process by democratically elected officials.”
        Right … thank you for making the point that SCOTUS is not an epistocracy.

        • dljvjbsl
          Author

          The point that I was making is that the Supreme Court does more than just interpret the law. It makes social policy. Laws are ruled either constitutional or unconstitutional based on social polices that are determined by the Supreme Court.

          It is common for people to observe that the Court will go against the currently expressed views of the population. The examples of the rulings against segregation and other forms of discrimination , the rulings against school prayer .. come not from a democratic decision made by the population but by a consideration of higher principles This consideration of higher principles is what I think that is being advocated. here

          However what is not brought out in the article is the danger that this detached consideration can bring. Rhetoric about higher principles can become just the rationalizations of an establishment. We saw this in the Dred Scott decision in which entrenched the idea of white supremacy in the US constitution. We are seeing it in the treatment of the financial industry with the “too big to fail” and “too big to jail” principles.

    • RepubAnon
      Author

      Remember, the “epistocracy” would be self-appointed. Funny how folks who complain about “elitists” are also pushing for giving power to a self-appointed elite.

      Herschel Vinyard Jr. is a sample of the types of “experts” we’d likely see:

      Florida Officials Were Barred From Using The Term ‘Climate Change’ Once Rick Scott Took Power

      …According to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, the policy against mentioning global warming went into effect after Scott took office in 2011 and appointed Herschel Vinyard Jr. as the agency’s director.
      (emphasis added)

      • Fred95
        Author

        The Koch Bros. … or whomever else has been able to grab the wheel and lets in only their friends … or the people who see the world through the same lens they do. It’s just another form of elitism.
        Hillary & Bill did the same thing … so do the members of most “groups”.

  108. Arafat
    Author

    “The Muslim ignorance of history is just jaw dropping.”

    Zealots don’t care very much about reality.

  109. Arafat
    Author

    The Yazidi in Iraq and the Christian Copts in Egypt are not “settlers” and “occupiers;” neither are the Jews in Israel.

    They are victims of a common enemy that seems to want a Middle East free of non-Muslims.

  110. Arafat
    Author

    For a Muslim to face up to the reality of Islam and to admit to oneself that Islam is the problem means to lose one’s identity. Hence the cognitive dissonance Muslims experience when Islam is called into question.
    Hence the scrambling for excuses and explanations that can convince the Muslims themselves that Islam is not the problem. And the explanations tend to be colonialism, crusades, Jews, racism, and so forth.

  111. Arafat
    Author

    “No peace under Israeli occupation”

    Ah! So that’s why there’s no peace in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan, Nigeria, and the other 56 Islamic states!

    Those Israelis sure do get around!

  112. Arafat
    Author

    Compromise with Muslim terrorists is impossible because the issue is not really about Jerusalem, oil revenues in Nigeria, Kashmir or Syria.

    It’s always about Islam.
    The territorial claims are unlimited and uncompromisable because they are backed by Islam. No concession can ever suffice because Islam promises its followers not merely some land in Syria, Israel or India… but the
    entire world.

  113. Arafat
    Author

    While you make nonsensical comments, the Jews are off winning Nobel peace prizes, getting advanced degrees, launching businesses, developing new technologies, and so on.

  114. Arafat
    Author

    While Israelis laud their scientists, their artists, their doctors and multiple Nobel Prize nominees and recipients, Palestinians have a long and ignominious tradition of extolling the virtues of those who commit
    mass murder, slaughter innocents on buses and hijack commercial airliners. Public squares and streets are named after them and their children are taught to emulate them.
    The contrast between Israeli and Palestinian society could not be starker. One society celebrates and encourages progress and life while the other has morphed itself into a death cult, steeped in perverted traits that are an anathema to Western civilization.

  115. Arafat
    Author

    I have a hard time believing that people who willingly let terrorists strap suicide vests to their children care even one bit about “peace, freedom and justice”.

  116. Arafat
    Author

    Indigenous Palestinians are a false claim, they are Arabs who took Palestine form the Cannanites, so they are imperialists and should be carted off to jail.

  117. Arafat
    Author

    Muslims don’t have any land. The Middle East region was Judeo-Christian for thousands and hundreds of years before Islam appeared in the 7th century AD. Muslims are squatters on ancient Judeo-Christian land.

  118. Arafat
    Author

    Israel is a sliver of democracy on an area that’s
    otherwise a hellish, theocratic swamp where free will and rational thinking go
    to die. In Israel the rule of law is set by institutions with democratically
    elected officials, not by religious scholars making decisions in accordance
    with holy books.

  119. Arafat
    Author

    As we come into the United Nations, we passed the flags of all 193 member States. If you take the time to count, you will discover that there are 15 flags with a crescent and 25 flags with a cross. And then there is one flag with a Jewish Star of David. Amidst all the nations of the world there is one state – just one small nation state for the Jewish people.

    And for some people, that is one too many.

  120. Arafat
    Author

    The right of indigenous people to their homeland is not up for debate. Nor is the undeniable *fact* that the Jewish people originated in Israel. We are not disagreeing because there’s nothing to disagree about. You
    are simply denying reality because you are against Jews having the same rights as everyone else for a reason I would rather not speculate.

  121. Adarsh T. Pradeep
    Author

    Of course, when I pitched the same exact concept to GMU Dining just over a year ago, they blew me off. Thanks GMU for encouraging student entrepreneurship.

  122. Stef
    Author

    “And in the U.S. economy the service industry is larger than the manufacturing industry. This meaning more wealth is created through service related jobs than manufacturing jobs.”

    How big a piece of the wealth pie created through service related jobs actually goes to the people working in those service related jobs?

  123. JKA
    Author

    It seems to me that
    the objective and rationale for democracy are not good
    government but a substantial reduction in civil strife, civil war,
    rebellion, and armed conflict by having a peaceful alternative to armed conflict that approximates the
    results of the armed conflict (if the numbers on each side are a good approximation to who
    will win and lose).

    I can’t imagine many people agreeing on what “better government”
    is except for “I get more of what I want at less cost to me and the people who
    support me/I support”.

    • sglover
      Author

      “the objective and rationale for democracy are not good government but a substantial reduction in civil strife, civil war, rebellion, and armed conflict by having a peaceful alternative to armed conflict”

      Spot on. Do you need any better indication of how obtuse Jones and Caplan and the rest of that lot are, than that this never occurs to them? Never mind that these arguments for representative government have been around for better than two centuries, now.

  124. dljvjbsl
    Author

    Much of USW policy is controlled by an “epistocracy”.

    Criminal justice policy is now strongly influenced by the Supreme Court just as the policies surrounding Obamacare are interpreted and controlled by the Supreme Court. Similarly the latest measures taken by president Obama on immigration will either be approved or denied by the Supreme Court. Obama took unilateral action on immigration outside of the democratic process which is not paralyzed. If the Supreme Court rules that this action is constitutional then it is ruling for less democratic control.

    The recent FCC ruling on net neutrality is another example of “epistocracy”. Appointed officials made a policy decision that will have a fundamental effect on American society and indeed world society.

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  126. Charles Saeger
    Author

    “In reality, the market is composed of people trading and exchanging which creates wealth.”

    Uh, no. I don’t know if the writer chose to write that or whether it was oversight, but markets, through the process of folks trading and exchanging, do not create wealth. Markets are a method of distributing scarce resources. Those folks doing the trading and exchanging create the wealth. The market is a tool they use to distribute the wealth. The goal is getting the wealth to the person who can use it to create more wealth.

    Speaking as someone with a journalism degree, it is always dangerous to tell the reader what reality is, especially for something as contentious as public policy. There are folks who agree and disagree with the statement I quoted above who are smarter than any of us. If you’re taking Caplan’s idea, attribute it to Caplan. If you’re taking Jones’s idea, attribute it to Jones. (A quick check of Wikipedia about this book would give the idea to Caplan, who doesn’t appear to have made the mistake I quoted above.)

  127. Sandwichman
    Author

    “Jones’s talk heavily relied on Mason economics professor Bryan Caplan’s book, “The Myth of the Rational Voter” where Caplan outlines four democratic biases which are worsened as elections near. These biases are the anti-market bias, make-work bias, anti-foreign bias, and pessimistic bias.”

    Caplan’s “make-work bias” has another name. It’s usually referred to as the lump-of-labor fallacy. But I suppose a bogus fallacy claim has to skulk around under a wide variety of aliases.

    So let’s get this straight. We should reduce democracy and give more power to people who make up shit about what other people think? No. They already have too much power.

    One thing is certain, — Bryan Caplan’s mind is a suppository of knowledge.

    • Sandwichman
      Author

      “The make-work bias is the tendency for people to oversee the economic benefits of conserving labor.” should say: “the tendency to underestimate the economic benefits of conserving labor.”

  128. sglover
    Author

    Jones is right to disparage politicians. They must be dopes if they cater to voters. Clever people like Jones know that if you’re going to play scutboy, you do it for people with money. Lots of it.

    Jones gasfest is really excellent. Now we have a better idea of just what the GMU econ department is really all about. Not that it comes as news, really…. One problem, though: For the amount of money that they dump into it, I imagine that the Koch brothers really want their shills to play with a somewhat lighter hand. The best courtiers have always used a little subtlety in their flattery. If he doesn’t have tenure, maybe he should consider shopping the CV around to shill shops like AEI or the Heritage Foundation. He’d fit right in.

  129. MattMatt
    Author

    China has a system precisely like the one he is proposing. So, he wants us to be more like a communist country in an effort to improve our economy?

  130. margaret Bartley
    Author

    “Politicians try to please the public at the expense of neglecting long-term policies because they are elected through a democratic process.”

    That is true, but not as true as politician try to please their campaign contributors because otherwise they won’t get elected.

    I have seen, over and over again, politicians selling the American public down the river, and when you look at their campaign contributors, they received tens of millions of dollars from the very corporations and industry sector lobbyists who make out like bandits. I did an analysis once that shows a 1,000 to one return on investments for the campaign contributors. In other words, for every dollar they invest in campaign contributions, they get back $1,000. They invest millions, harvest billions.

    I suspect this ‘epistocracy’ movement is just another way to keep people like myself, who would flunk their polling tests by giving the wrong answers, away from the polls.

    For example, look at the statement in the article, “Protectionist policies add barriers to trade.”. The US for many years had tariffs that supported native industry and the country grew and prospered. Those barriers went away in the 1980s and 1990s, resulting in the lost of its manufacturing sector and most of its high-tech sector.

    Meanwhile, the countries that maintained (and still maintain) very high tariffs and limits on foreign imports like China and India, are growing leaps and bounds. There is a way that tariffs can be done to hurt trade, and a way they can be made to help trade.

    To institute a voting test where the only people who can vote are the people who agree with the testmakers (probably the same gang of banksters who currently control the US government) is to tighten the shackles that are already clanking in the not-too-far-away rooms.

  131. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Extra Crispy Ore-Ida Tater Tot protests Hindu Non-Christian Prayer Before Legislative Session in Idaho!!! Hindu Hullabaloo: Idaho Lawmaker Objects To Non-Christian Prayer Before Legislative Session!!! Koch Kristian Kracka Preached at Geo

  132. Sandwichman
    Author

    You walk into the room
    With your pencil in your hand
    You see somebody naked
    And you say, “Who is that man?”
    You try so hard
    But you don’t understand
    Just what you’ll say
    When you get home

    Because something is happening here
    But you don’t know what it is
    Do you, Professor Jones?

  133. Gus diZerega
    Author

    The laissez faire sorts at GMU’s econ dept make a big deal about the “knowledge problem” that prevents central planning from being able to match the coordinating capacities of markets and the price system. Here they are correct. This hack turns around and commits exactly the same error regarding democracies. Along with my own work he might take a look at John Kingdon’s research on agendas and public policy. But that would require an actual interest in the subject beyond hackdom so I doubt he will.

  134. cabl
    Author

    Haha..I might agree with the kochprofs if they start with a Sarah Palin metric of stupidity…in my mind, if she can vote, ANYBODY is eligible to vote!

  135. SqueakyRat
    Author

    The notion that America’s plutocratic, kleptocratic oligarchy is too democratic . . . is mind-boggling.

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  137. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Epistocracy– the Alternative to Democracy Being Promoted by Those in Koch-Funded Academic Positions | The Academe Blog

  138. Guest
    Author

    Birthright is a great program. I is designed to introduce Jews to their homeland, and has nothing to do with the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It is the author, I’m afraid, who has conflated the Palestinian refugees with the fully enfranchised Arab Israeli citizens, whom the young Jewish visiors encounter and befriend.

  139. Jaybird
    Author

    Birthright is a great program. I is designed to introduce Jews to their homeland, and has nothing to do with the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It is the author, I’m afraid, who has conflated the Palestinian refugees with the fully enfranchised Arab Israeli citizens, whom the young Jewish visitors encounter and befriend.

    • RHENLE
      Author

      If you read the israeli press (Haaretz, Jerusalem post are both in the JC library) you’ll regularly find editorials about the “population bomb” Israelis face as a result of higher Arab birth rates. There are also overt statements about the need for more American jews to make Aliyah, how to encourage this with government policy etc.

      It’s pretty obvious that birthright serves the dual purpose of propagating American jewish identity with the modern israeli state and encouraging emigration. Both of these are heavily interested and not-so-thinly-veiled motives. It’s all a big PR gig, and a brilliant and successful one too, unfortunately.

      But hey, if you want to think people are shelling out millions of dollars to help you become “introduced to your homeland” (how’s that for an oxymoron), by all means don’t look beneath the surface and take it at face value!

    • funk2626
      Author

      The Arab birth rate has in fact fallen tremendously over the last decade due to their increased standards of living, and the population bomb is in fact a myth at this point. And with the influx of Post Soviet people into Israel after 1989 Israel doesn’t have a demographic problem any more. And yes, it is important for every Jew, not just American Jews, to know they are always welcome in Israel when the rest of the world treats them with suspicion and contempt. Birthright is a PR thing, yes, but it’s actually quite a blessing. Emigration is handled by another wonderful program called Nefesh B Nefesh.

  140. Dana McCoskey
    Author

    Please note: Science Slam 2 has been rescheduled for April 3rd at 7pm in GMU’s Gobal Center Ballroom. For more information please check out the GMU Science Slam Website: “https://cos.gmu.edu/scienceslam/” or email our student organization at “scislam@gmu.edu”.

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  142. haveittodayray
    Author

    Sad that the organization has on its payrolls Suhaib Webb, with linked ties to Al Qaeda and Anwar Awlaki, according to the FBI reports. He is also on the staff at Bayan College, in Claremont, California. This college should be investigated since it is using our “tax dollars” to train the next generation of Muslim leaders.2500 Mosques and Imams in America, they all preach the Quran behind closed doors. Make no mistake about it, Islam is not a religion of peace, google “theprojectmuslimbrotherhood” for their intent to destroy America from within by stealth Jihad. Every school, college, city and town across America including school textbooks, that have changed history to show Islam in a more favorable light under political correctness Islam is a major threat to America for sure. They are being elected to public office and take their oath on the Quran not the Bible. They will never adapt to our culture, but rather want to force their culture and Sharia law upon us all. And under the Caliphate, they will not stop until they succeed. They are forbidden by the Quran to associate with Christians, Jews and infidels. Make no mistake about it Islam is not a religion of peace. I have studied it for years now, have been to a Mosque and have had open discussions with an local Inman. All Mosques support Palestine, Cair and Hamas, all terrorist organizations. I encourage you to come to your own conclusions. The sad part though is far to many parents are simply trying to make a living and raise their children and make ends meet and have no time for research. They must depend on the nightly mainstream news that is so biased. Open your eyes, do not be afraid to be labeled, stand up for America. Every day more Jews, Christians and infidels are being slaughtered and few seem to care, Just a question of time when the Islamic militants start their violent, savage acts in America, make no mistake about it. Again do your own research and arrive at your own conclusions. Where is the mass condemnation by the majority of Muslims against all the atrocious acts of the minority? Where are the 2500 Mosques in condemning these acts? The Quran says it all, I have read it cover to cover. And many still practice “Taqiyya” the practice of lying, the Quran says it is all right to do this.

  143. RHENLE
    Author

    Are you getting paid 50 cents a piece by AIPAC to post this drivel or is your mind an uncritical piece of machinery that responds to boredom by regurgitating canned pro-Israel arguments that are absolutely irrelevant to the current political situation (“yeah so what we killed 600 gazan children last summer… There’s only ONE flag with a Star of David at the UN”)?

    Nobody is calling for the destruction of israel. We’re calling for the construction of a more just, more peaceful, more democratic Israel that doesn’t periodically drop bombs on urban neighbor areas every 2-5 years.

  144. Arafat
    Author

    I’ve got a novel idea. Let’s do nothing. Let the Muslims deal with their own
    problems for a change. Let’s let countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait
    with their endless ocean of money and Western-bought armaments figure it out
    instead. Surely they – being practitioners of the religion of compassion and
    peace – will step right up to the plate in our stead.

    OK, you caught me there. You knew I was kidding! You knew what I know which
    is that there is no answer to these Islamic cesspools. Whatever we do will be
    discredited and if we do nothing then Syria will become just another country in
    the endless line of Hell on Earth Islamic countries.

    We cannot save Muslims from themselves. It is like trying to save an
    alcoholic. Until they are ready to abandon their religion – a religion that
    emphasizes aggression and violence and sadism – anything we do will simply be a
    band-aid on a gaping wound.

    Let them go through their DTs on their own. Only then will they be ready for
    our friendship and help, and only then will we find a way forward together as
    friends.

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  146. lariokie
    Author

    Natalie’s point about “intelligent people with bad intentions” is playing out in our current democracy, which obviously has been taken over by an oligarchy the likes of which we have not seen in nearly a century. If our current “money is speech democracy” isn’t evidence enough of the dangers of all-out rule by the intellectual elite, I don’t know what is. If we allow this idea of epistocracy to prevail over democracy, we will have signed the death warrant of our freedoms and rights.

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  149. An alumni
    Author

    “9:05: What is your opinion on students in SG who say offensive comments about minorities?”

    I love how they keep bringing this up after the whole dismissal incident from earlier this year. Diversity of opinion and ideas, just so long as they don’t “offend” and I agree with them… Free speech is an inherent tenet of democratic ideals that even George Mason himself fought to promote. This blatant disregard for history and the ironic push for “semi-speech” is incredible.

  150. VoiceOfReason15
    Author

    Yeah, lets make George Mason LESS attractive for college applicants. Our school already boasts an embarrassing social life, taking away one of the few entertainment options is a disgusting proposition. Instead, we should shell out an extra $10 each in our yearly tuition (roughly $320,000 as a school) so that we can afford a respected basketball coach to turn the program around because, as of now, we cant afford to attract the attention of a good college basketball coach. When we have a team that can make the NCAA tournament, even semi-frequently, the Patriot Center’s average attendance will be no less than 6,000.

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  152. Chelsea
    Author

    Dana Ronan, we ran through the fountains in the spring of 2011. Four of us came away with a stomach virus.

    • Mason Student
      Author

      There are only 21,000 eligible undergraduate voters, as both the graduate program and the Law school both have their own student governing boards. Still 19,000 students did not participate in civic engagement, but that is not SG’s fault. Chalk that up to student apathy towards Mason in general.

      —Congrats to the candidates though!

  153. nick
    Author

    Case like this are exactly why universities should not even be involved in this kind of thing.
    The Fifth Amendment prohibits the state from trying anyone twice for the same offense so since when is the plaintiff allowed to appeal after the defendant has already been cleared of any wrongdoing?

    Serious offenses such as rape should be handled by the courts, not The Office of Student Conduct. If he really was guilty, wouldn’t it be better for him to go to prison rather than just getting expelled?

    Perhaps Mr. Ericson should take a few minutes to familiarize himself with the writings of the man for whom this institution is named, particularly the Virginia Declaration of Rights #s 8 and 14.

    • Title IX
      Author

      You obviously aren’t aware of Title IX and the federal requirement for universities to investigate ALL reports of sexual violence involving students and employees. Universities ARE REQUIRED to investigate these incidents because they are a violation of university policy (and yes, also a crime). However, these investigations are SEPARATE from the criminal justice system’s process. In other words, a university’s investigation of sexual violence is a civil matter involving a violation of university policy, not criminal law.

      • nick
        Author

        You hit the nail on the head — Title IX has created a parallel legal system where you can get tried multiple times for the exact same offense with no attorney to represent you and the burden of proof is much lower than it would be in real court.
        How is this any of this Constitutional?

        • Mason2015ish
          Author

          It is completely legal to be tried for the same manner in a civil and criminal court. In fact, victims often pursue civil charges for compensation after a defendant is found guilty in criminal courts. However neither of those is happening in this case. Mason’s “judicial” system isn’t criminal and students on either sides of complaints have the ability to appeal the school’s decision.

  154. Kaylin
    Author

    Mason should use a waste disposal company that practice single-stream recycling. Students will be more willing to recycle if everything could go in one bin and we would no longer have “contamination” issues forcing us to put entire bins of recyclables in the landfill due to the mixing of items. When it comes down to it, students will be much more likely to participate in recycling when it is convenient so why waste time on other pro-recycling initiatives when we can cut to the chase and work with a better waste disposal company?

  155. Caroline Weinroth
    Author

    Thanks for the article Fourth Estate! Cinema Hearts is looking forward to playing more at George Mason.

    cinemahearts.bandcamp.com
    facebook.com/cinemahearts.

  156. parrot
    Author

    Really can’t use ISIS and ISIL interchangeably without noting the distinction, and why would anyone begin a sentence using a number? Isn’t that grammar no-no #14?

  157. asdfasdf
    Author

    first of all thats not even remotely true as to the origin of the term. second of all historically natives were the ones who were into flaying. do research into your own culture before spouting bullshit lol
    (any colonists who did it back picked up the scare tactic from them)

  158. Ben Simpson
    Author

    Walk around campus for the afternoon and see how the school is not enforcing smoking policies whatsoever. plenty of students smoke a foot aware from buildings without any action against it. It is ridiculous

  159. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Navigating Rape Culture at George Mason | Fourth Estate

  160. Tiffany
    Author

    It’s not the first telescope on an East Coast college campus, but it is the largest. Visit our website at cos.gmu.edu/observatory to learn more about how you can see the GMU Observatory for yourself!

  161. George Mason Parking
    Author

    Wanted to clarify that there is no appeal fee for first level appeals. There is an early-bird discount if a citation is paid within 5 days. If it is not paid within 5 days or is appealed, the citation fine amount is restored to the regular fee. For 2nd level appeals where one can have an in-person hearing with a volunteer independent appeals board comprised of students or faculty& staff, there is a $15 administrative fee added if the citation isn’t dismissed. This was added to cover costs and cut down on frivolous appeals, similar to court fees. Some schools choose to have one pay the fine in full before even being able to make a first level appeal.

    As for the restrictions, the specific language and rules are in the permit regulations one agrees to before purchase, are printed on the permit, and were emailed at the start of the year. As always, the best advise is if one is unsure, just ask. Can call Parking at 703-993-2710, email at parking@gmu.edu, Facebook message us, or tweet @MasonParking. Each permit’s rules will be slightly different.

  162. Kelly Ann Johnson
    Author

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like I’ve read that Jorge’s is only supposed to be there for about a year, so I doubt anyone really thought about shelling out for the décor. I haven’t eaten there because the menu looks so limited.

  163. Ari Christopher
    Author

    If we want to stop perpetuating stereotypes, can we take down the Panda from Panda Express? I understand that we as a culture need to be more culture sensitive. I also understand that using the donkey was not the best choice of representing hispanic heritage, but I think it’s being taken a little too seriously. We are told to celebrate and love our heritage. Is it more appropriate to put a picture of a man and woman dancing in folkloric dresses or is it still stereotyping? Offense is so subject to change that it is hard to appease anybody. Though I am not hispanic I do agree the donkey is more on the offensive side, but it is worth remembering that others are not as sensitive to stereotypical symbols as others.

    • MasonStudent
      Author

      What’s offensive about it?
      You go to Mexico and you will see Donkeys, China is famous for Pandas.
      If you were overseas and saw an American-themed restaurant with a bald eagle on the logo would it really be a big deal?

      • Ari Christopher
        Author

        MasonStudent students are offended by the Donkey representing Jorge’s. The Panda is merely an analogy. Yes you see Pandas in China and Donkeys in Mexico. I’m saying if the student body is offended about a donkey stereotyping Chinese culture, why are we not offended by a Panda representing oriental culture? I’m personally not offended by either. I think this article is being biased toward those who are offended. I’m a resident student and this is the first that I am hearing about the cultural offenses. Every time someone brings it up around me it’s in reference to their poor food quality.

        • MasonStudent
          Author

          I understand you are not personally offended, I’m just trying to figure out what is offensive about a restaurant that serves food from a particular country using a popular animal from that region for a logo.
          Is the sombrero the issue? Should cartoon animals not wear hats?

          • Ari Christopher
            Author

            Makes two of us. GMU is such a culturally diverse school that is impossible to do anything without offending someone from any ethnic background. I wonder if people would still be offended if they had a folkloric man in a sombrero as the logo. Like you said still the same region. It brings me full circle to my first point about heritage. Maybe the person who wanted the donkey with the sombrero as the logo was representing what he or she thought as their heritage. Now apparently its offensive.

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  165. MasonStudent
    Author

    A couple of years ago the author of this article stated that “Jews have had their golden age under Muslim rule.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MdvgbK7kcg

    The most potent weapon of groups like SAIA, SJP as well as the groups that fund them such as the Muslim Brotherhood is not divestment, but moral relativism and linguistic obfuscation.

    The “Palestinian” version of “peace” involves the killing, conversion or enslavement of anyone who disagrees with their sociopolitical system. “Palestinians” are often killed by their own security forces simply for the suspicion of collaborating with Israel.

    But don’t take my word for it — feel free to do your own research.
    You may want to start with some of the statements made by the Palestinian National Authority (adding words like “jihad” or “intifada” to your search may help you find the most relevant parts).

  166. Transcendent Mind
    Author

    Why this disruption in the Middle East, why the chaos, why the havoc? Was this always barbarian Islamic/Eastern culture, or is it a present and new phenomenon due to imperialism & colonialism? Hmm…Well being that these occurrences are a modern day phenomena in within this region and it’s people, the latter is more substantial. Mason student speaks of funded groups, I think the paradox of that statement is that Israeli associations are funded by the economically strong and powerful sponsors while SAIA may or may not be by a fragile group like the Brotherhood. Palestinian version of peace the Mason Student say…is that with or without the condition of living 60 plus years under an apartheid?

    • MasonStudent
      Author

      The history of violence in this region, like most regions, goes back a lot longer than 60 years, in fact it predates Islam.
      The term “barbarian” also predates Islam, it originally meant foreigner and isn’t necessarily an indication of violent culture.

      Israel isn’t even close to being an apartheid state. Israel is a democracy and Arabs can vote just like anyone else. There’s an Arab judge on the Israeli Supreme Court, hospitals have Arab doctors and are required to treat Arab patients like everyone else, universities are integrated with Arab students and professors, etc. How are Jews treated in the West Bank and Gaza?

        • Transcendent Mind
          Author

          The paradox of your statement is amazing. Arabs are more free under someone else’s rule then when ruled by themselves, that’s the definition of not free.

          • MasonStudent
            Author

            Would you say the same about Mr. Abou-Ghazala’s statement that Jews had their golden age under Muslim rule?

          • Transcendent Mind
            Author

            The jews went to the Muslims seeking refugee from Christian persecution, and through the Muslims they were able to develop and institutionalize Judaism. With colonialism, Zionist went to Palestine saying we’ll deliver you from your corrosion and barbarism. See the difference?

      • Transcendent Mind
        Author

        You are clearly reading European history, May I recommend we sit down with scholars of history, I know a few on campus.

  167. Alumni
    Author

    If they divest cuts need to be made in other programs. State funding will not make up for that financial loss and the cost will be passed on to future or current students via tuition rate hikes.

    • MasonStudent
      Author

      I wonder if these faculty members would still sign if they knew it would be their own departments/salaries that would see the first cuts?

    • Colin
      Author

      Only about 1% of our holdings are in fossil fuel equities. It would be a very minimal loss and it’s an endowment, you don’t need to “make up for it”

  168. Matt Warner
    Author

    https://youtu.be/TZrzCAuiw7w

    Hey Angela thanks for writing.

    When it comes to Reed College, Mr. True was ejected not so much for his views in this instance but the manner in which he was bringing them up. He is quite obviously a troll as revealed by Reason Magazine and I don’t think he should be used as legitimate example or source.

    http://reason.com/blog/2015/03/19/male-students-non-pc-views-on-rape-stati

    http://reason.com/blog/2015/04/20/reed-college-student-who-told-me-to-writ

    I fear that the rape culture claim and this very misleading 1/5 claim has led to a certain degree of misandry from a lot of feminists in the form of things like #KillAllMen and moral panic that has led to the rush to belief in the false UVA rape story, which has damaged the reputations of the innocent men involved and future victims forever. When it comes to UVA, the example you opened with, a “victim” lied and reputations died. I also think there are a lot of legitimate questions when it comes to what qualifies as rape, what doesn’t qualify, and what the methodology is for distinguishing the two, and I don’t think those questions are being fielded at all.

  169. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Student’s Opinion: Sexual Violence Task Force Report | AGORA

  170. frank papcin
    Author

    what a jerk–we can’t have the oil that we would normally clean up better than any other country in the world–so it gets sold to a country that uses it dirtier than if we cleaned it polluting the world worse so he can say he helped clean up the environment–WHAT A JERK.
    the oil will be used–it’s doesn’t belong to use UNLESS WE BUY IT THEN CLEAN IT–but jerk thinks the oil will not be sold?–just like coal will not be used all over the world–sold by democratic billionaires like warren Buffet. Obama’s supporter
    another jerk thinking we are the only polluters in the world or even the worse–so our democratic friends that lead from behind wants our country to pay for all of the ail clean up by ourselves while the rest of the world sits on their ass watching us LAUGHING–but he’s a democrat, and when has any democrat done anything good for this country in the past 6 years?

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  173. MasonStudent
    Author

    “Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, al-Shabab, and some violent individuals acting independently of these groups all have something in common, and it’s not Orthodox Islam. (Were it Islam, of course, approximately 1/5th of the world would lend itself to such nihilistic violence, and all it takes is two eyes and a brain to see that is not the case.)”

    By the same logic, you could say the U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, U.S. Navy and U.S. Airforce are all acting independently, and if the groups all have something in common it’s not the United States (because if it were, 316 million people would be involved in war and you can see this is not the case.)

    • Kevin Dugan
      Author

      Very true. Obviously these radical groups don’t represent the interests or ideologies of the vast majority of Muslims, but it’s strange to deny that they have Islam in common at all.

      • MasonStudent
        Author

        It would be kind of like someone claiming the Nazis had nothing to do with Germany during WWII, since not every German was working in a concentration camp or on the front lines of the war.
        In any group you can find a majority of people who are more moderate than the most violent extremists, but so what?

    • Suhaib Khan
      Author

      The distinction being made here is between Orthodox Islam and Wahhabism. The groups mentioned have Wahhabism in common, not Orthodox Islam. For further explanation, I point you to the rest of my article.

      • MasonStudent
        Author

        Then why did you sign a petition asking for American Sniper to be banned from campus?
        If terrorist groups are not Islamic, why are you so concerned about how they are portrayed in media?

        • Suhaib Khan
          Author

          I’m concerned with American Sniper’s glorification of American violence and militarism and the way it trivializes the deaths of countless Iraqis, not with the way it portrays other people.

          • MasonStudent
            Author

            If you actually saw the movie you completely missed its point.
            But it’s always fun to see another journalist calling for censorship.

      • Kevin Dugan
        Author

        Hey Suhaib — I think the confusion stems from the phrase “were it Islam,” which seems to imply that no Islam of any kind is a unifying factor for these groups. At least that’s where the confusion came from for myself, anyway.

  174. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason Dining says Jorge's logo not removed due to complaints | Fourth Estate

  175. MasonStudent
    Author

    I guess somebody should mention all that to the owners of these restaurants, both located in Mexico.

  176. Gladiator
    Author

    I’m afraid that as long as the BDS folks hold out hope for such an unrealistic position as the right of return, and refuse to accept anything but a one-state solution, the conversation will be dead before it begins. There are many more productive ways to conquer this issue. It begins with dialogue. Your extreme views are belied by the fact that your “gang” only has about 50 members on the GMU campus of 34,000 students. Go visit the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution to see what’s wrong with your point of view. Anti-colonialist strongarming went out about 50 years ago.

  177. Chris Cohen
    Author

    Please re-read and reconsider the headline of this article. “No good deed goes unpunished” is not in support of good deeds, but quite the opposite. It suggests that those who participated in Good Deeds Day were punished, mistreated, maligned, taken advantage or met with responses that would disavow them of good deeds.

  178. Doretha P. Thibodeaux
    Author

    E-cigarettes generated just 1% of the amount of free radicals in tobacco smoke, but this still pose a potential health risk, said the researchers. Vaping, the term for using an e-cigarette device, is a tobacco-free process, except in cases when small amounts of tobacco are used in the liquid cartridges for flavoring. Vaping is still a delivery system for nicotine, the chemical that gives cigarettes their addictive qualities.

    Doretha@Fivepawns

  179. Jay Kapor
    Author

    We’ve been teasing it for months, but here is where Creative Director
    Marcus Smith will finally blow the lid off of Sunset’s multiplayer mode.
    What is it? How many players does it have? Is it fun? Does it involve
    puppies in any way? Find out!
    IT Outsourcing Fort Worth

  180. Art Poland
    Author

    How much of our parking fees goes to managers, who manage other managers, who manage other managers? This seems to me to be what is driving the cost up of everything at GMU.

  181. ArlingtonSouthie
    Author

    Parking is a luxury. It is not something that Mason must provide–it is a perk. No one is making you drive to campus, plenty of staff/faculty/students do just fine taking public transportation. If having affordable parking right next to the building where you have class is a “must have”, then you best just get an online degree and stay at home. Stop your belly achin’.

  182. Kevin Dugan
    Author

    Glad to see these changes, but hopefully they amount to more than making it easier for people to bother other students about Jesus.

    • Jitterbits
      Author

      I know! How wrongly convinced of their own cultural marginalization must so many Christians be to think that in the United States there exists a substantial population completely unfamiliar with Jesus and the basic tenets of Christianity? Their scripturally proscripted role as martyrs “living in this world but not of this world”, a holy few besieged by a sinful majority, is a vital part of the evangelical’s and fundamentalist’s identities, but that they see themselves as besieged outcasts, in complete denial of Christian privilege in our culture, is quite astonishing and indicates how strongly perception shapes personal reality. I would frankly be surprised if there were a single person on campus having zero familiarity with this Jesus guy, although they often presume that anyone practicing Christianity differently is as ignorant and lost as the most unrepentant of atheists.

  183. MasonStudent
    Author

    Another month, another article promoting Islam in the 4th Estate.

    Meanwhile, Muslims around the world are celebrating the Eid today by tying up defenseless, terrified animals and sawing their heads off, mimicking what ISIS does to hostages. Turn off SafeSearch, put your food away and type “eid animal sacrifice” into Google Images if you want to see just how “peaceful” Islam really is.

  184. George Mason Parking
    Author

    A point of clarification. There is enough parking for those that purchase parking permits, as we have had general spaces in the PV Lot and Field House all semester. What the article is stating is that if all 34,000 students and 7000 employees drove alone, then there wouldn’t be enough space for everyone. With people using transit,carpooling, biking, and walking, only 54% of students have permits, with only 33% of the nearly 7000 resident students having permits. Every person who uses transit is one less space we have to build, which holds expenses down, which keeps permits fees from increasing more than they have to cover existing expenses.

  185. Aaron Hood
    Author

    A letter in response to this article was written by Tariq Khan, who is mentioned as the key reason these changes began.

    To the Editor:
    I am writing concerning your September 14, 2015 article “Mason earns freedom of speech award after changes to student code.” I write because the article mentions a free speech violation that happened to me in 2005 when I was assaulted by civilians and police, arrested, and taken to jail for protesting military recruiters in the Johnson Center. In response to what vigilantes and police did to me, several student groups, the Faculty Senate, local activist groups, individuals, and national non-profits, including the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) – which the article references – courageously stood in my defense. I am grateful to all of those people and organizations, including FIRE.
    That being said, some of what Greg Lukianoff, CEO of FIRE, and Jonathan Haidt, a professor at NYU, are quoted in the article as saying, triggered some alarm bells for me. Based on the article’s quotes of Lukianoff and Haidt, the two seem to be suggesting that “political correctness” and an aversion to “offensiveness” on the part of students are at the heart of the attacks on free speech we are seeing at campuses across the nation. I argue that such a notion is both wrong and harmful.
    I am currently at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where I am teaching an undergraduate US history class and working toward a PhD in history. Here at UIUC we are well acquainted with controversy concerning academic freedom and free speech. Last year the American Indian Studies Program hired Professor Steven Salaita. Under pressure from wealthy donors, Israel lobby groups, and establishment politicians, the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees stepped in and “unhired” Salaita, citing the supposedly “uncivil” tweets he posted criticizing Israel’s indiscriminate killing of civilians – including over 500 children – in Gaza last year. In response to this unprecedented move by the Chancellor and the BOT, 15 departments cast votes of no-confidence in the Chancellor and the BOT, an academic boycott of UIUC was launched (which has affected us greatly), the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) formally censured UIUC, and the university is currently mired in an expensive legal battle over the matter. I stand proudly with the American Indian Studies Program and the larger academic community in defense of Steven Salaita and the principles of academic freedom.
    Was Salaita targeted because he was not “politically correct?” Was he targeted for being “offensive?” Was the campaign against him triggered by students who are uncomfortable with controversy? The answer to all three questions is no. Plenty of professors at UIUC have used swear words on social media with no repercussions, it was not liberals with supposed hypersensitivity about political correctness who raised their eyebrows about Salaita, and it was the student activist Left – the people who are supposedly policing uncomfortable language, according to Lukianoff and Haidt – who most boldly came to Salaita’s defense. The campaign against Salaita came not from below, but from above, from rich and powerful establishment interests.
    Was the repression against me at GMU ten years ago caused by a culture of hypersensitive “political correctness?” Again, no. The incident in which vigilantes and police used violence to silence me was sparked by two right-wing extremist students calling me a “pussy” and a “faggot” and ripping the sign off of my chest. After brutalizing me and handcuffing me, one police officer said to me, “What with 9-11 and all, there’s no telling what you’ll do,” and another police officer yelled at me, “You people are the most violent people in the world!” At the jail, the officer threatened to hang me upside-down from the ceiling for “running my mouth.” The first people to come to my defense, and to the defense of free speech, were leftist students and professors, LGBT students, South Asian and Arab students, the very people who the right would have us believe are too “politically correct” and “sensitive” to tolerate free speech. It was the local right wing, the people who complain that society is “offended” too easily – fascist groups such as Free Republic, which later merged with other similar groups to become the Tea Party movement – who reveled in my arrest and called for more repression of students like me.
    The flawed notion that overly-sensitive “PC” students are shutting down free speech is harmful. Student initiatives on campuses to challenge things such as racial or gender micro-aggressions are not challenges to free speech and they are not based on the idea that micro-aggressions are “offensive.” Micro-aggressions must be challenged because they are oppressive, not because they are offensive. “Oppressive” and “offensive” are not the same thing. Racist speech leads to an environment that is conducive to racist violence. It marginalizes students of color and makes the university not “uncomfortable,” but unsafe. Anti-LGBT speech makes campus unsafe, not merely “uncomfortable” for LGBT students. Misogynist speech creates an environment that is conducive to sexual assault. Any decent social scientist knows this. It is not about people being “uncomfortable” or “offended.” It is about people being unsafe and oppressed.
    I was beaten, arrested, threatened, disrespected, and thrown in jail because I criticized US imperialism and militarism – two “isms” that GMU is deeply invested in. The Christian fundamentalists trying to bring everyone to Jesus, who were out there almost every day preaching were never arrested. The College Republicans with their capitalist, imperialist, white supremacist, patriarchal worldview were never arrested for being out there. The corporations handing out ads were never arrested for being out there. The anti-choice people were never arrested for being out there with their giant fetus pictures and their condemnations of women who have had abortions. The only people that got arrested for speech were me, with my anti-militarism/anti-imperialism, and the animal rights people protesting the abusive B&B Circus. So do not use what happened to me as an excuse to stand idly by, in the name of “freedom,” while white supremacists and Christian fundamentalists persecute students of color and LGBTQ students.

    Sincerely,
    Tariq Khan, GMU Alumnus

  186. Facebook User
    Author

    It is now possible to seal, treat, and or render lead waste as non hazardous for disposal. Not only lead paint, yet those components painted over with lead. Brick, drywall, stucco, fascia etc. Ecobondlbp.com, pbarthel@ecobondlbp.com

  187. gmu grad student
    Author

    “I really want to find a way to make printing free on campus. It ended up becoming the most popular part of the platform I ran on, which makes sense because it affects every single student,” Gonyo said.

    Not to pick on a freshman senator, but Mason used to have free printing way back in the dark ages of the 1990s and the result was a TON of wasted paper and unnecessary printing. Paper use dropped dramatically as soon as a price was implemented.

  188. gmu grad student
    Author

    If you think the free tutoring scam is bad, a scammer from Vermont is coming to campus tomorrow to promise everyone free college, among other things.

    Don’t be fooled.

  189. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] What you missed this week | Fourth Estate

  190. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] What you missed this week | Fourth Estate

  191. bababohe
    Author

    Suuuuure – forcing a freshman to live on campus should endear them to GMU and MAKE them have school spirit – darn it …LOL What’s really the problem – having trouble filling the dorms?

    • gmu grad student
      Author

      Aren’t most freshmen adults? How can a public school tell them where to live?

      If this is such a good idea, maybe it should be extended to the administrators who came up with this plan.
      A couple of dorms can be converted to faculty housing units and any anyone who doesn’t want to live there can provide a list of reasons why they should have the privilege of living independently.

  192. President Cabrera
    Author

    Horrible idea… GMU Admissions office can’t make their quota huh? Well- we’re gonna FORCE this on you. Instead of FORCING “school spirit” by MAKING kids live on campus, how about be less strict with greek life? encourage a football team? do something, because “pancake night” and “mason madness” are just simply embarrassing. I see this backfiring, big time.

  193. gmu grad student
    Author

    How is one “infected” if they voluntarily took out a loan?

    More importantly, why do you feel the government should take from the rest of us to pay for debt you willingly acquired?

  194. Connor Gibson
    Author

    Why won’t GMU defend its scientists from these climate deniers who are financed by GMU’s top donor…..oh wait, I answered my own question.

    Cabrera puts up with his top donors when they’re using other fronts to attack GMU? What kind of educational operation is that?

    http://www.desmogblog.com/competitive-enterprise-institute

    http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/10/spreading-the-free-market-gospel/413239/

    http://polluterwatch.org/charles-koch-university-funding-database

  195. dsnjd1
    Author

    I was fortunate to be able to visit my daughter when she was a student at Mason in 2012. I had graduated from Mason in 1983, and had not been back on campus (the Quad) since I visited there for a single day in a weekend in 1986. It was like a time warp, because the school as I knew it had not changed that much. Granted, I was there on the last day of exams, but the Quad was virtually empty, as was Fenwick Library….what surprised me the most was the almost “ghost town” feel of the quad and SUB-1, formerly the busiest building on campus. The old Ratskeller, which during my days was open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm, was all boarded-up, and what they called the “Rat” now, was three beer taps fronting a sandwich shop. The Johnson Center, on the other hand was buzzing with activity. Geeez…..you go away for thirty years and they change everything!

  196. nick
    Author

    I went to the protest and it was a lot of fun.
    I’m in favor of having the option of owning a gun for self defense, but I’m always happy to talk to people with other views.

    Unfortunately when I tried to talk to people on the other side, one woman (maybe their leader?) would call out “don’t even engage him!” and end any discussion. It’s a shame, because I feel deep down we all have the goal of making America a safer place — I just don’t think restricting the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves is going to achieve that.

    Later on when I tried walking through the anti-gun side (not even talking to anyone, just to see if I knew anyone there) an older gentleman informed me he was going to have the police remove me from the event for not staying on “my side”. But, nothing happened and overall I found most people to be civil with one another.

    I did find it ironic though that such an event would be held at a university named for George Mason, who co-authored the 2nd Amendment and who once said that to disarm the people was the best and most effectual way to enslave them.

    Anyway I caught the town hall later on and I give Obama credit for speaking without his teleprompter and taking some tough questions from the opposition. (Notably absent were any questioners who had successfully used a firearm in self defense, I guess even Obama realized that would have completely undermined his case that you have to be trained like a Navy SEAL to properly use a gun).

    I just wish he would have done more research on the topic first. For example he and Joe Biden have recently become infatuated with the idea of smart guns. Unlike either of them I actually do own a smart gun, and the technology is nothing like what they describe. It might stop your three year old kid from shooting himself, but it’s not going to do anything to prevent suicides, criminal homicides, terrorists, mass shooters, or anyone else who can figure out that it only takes a screwdriver and 60 seconds to disable the mechanism. There’s also big drawbacks in terms of cost and limited smart gun models that make this technology impractical for many people, plus concerns over reliability. If you are concerned about junior shooting himself, I would suggest investing in a gun safe and retention holster.

    I would have rather seen an emphasis on gun safety education, safe gun storage, conflict resolution and reaching out to people who feel isolated from society. Well, maybe next time.

  197. dsnjd1
    Author

    I spent a LOT of time in Fenwick Library during my years, 79-83. I remember the addition of the second tower in 1982. I moved out of the area to attend Law school, I visited the school and studied there once in March 86′. Although I attended events at the Patriot Center throughout the years, ranging from Basketball Games, Sesame Street Live, WCW Pro-Wrestling. I did not set foot in the library for almost twenty-six years, until 2012 when I visited my daughter at the end of her freshman year . Although, I found the campus as a whole to be totally unrecognizable, Fenwick, and the Quad was pretty much as I membered it. No longer it seems. Geeez’, I guess I’ll still have my memories. lol

  198. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Concerned Student movement comes to Mason | Fourth Estate

  199. nick
    Author

    I am not even registered to vote, but things like this really make me want to vote for Trump. I am tired of these professional victim groups referring to the police and anyone with a different point of view as white supremacists.

  200. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] From rubble to ritz | Fourth Estate

  201. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] From rubble to ritz | Fourth Estate

  202. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Patriot Circle under construction to make room for Academic VII | Fourth Estate

  203. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] New Fenwick provides expanded research services | Fourth Estate

  204. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Next freshman class will be required to live on campus | Fourth Estate

  205. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Fairfax proclaims January “Human Trafficking Awareness Month” | Fourth Estate

  206. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Medical Amnesty deemed still effective, but students fail to use it | Fourth Estate

  207. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] I’m a Christian, and I think the North Plaza preachers have it all wrong | Fourth Estate

  208. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason task force addresses adjunct faculty concerns | Fourth Estate

  209. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Pizza and Perspectives: A healthy discussion about free speech on campuson campus | Fourth Estate

  210. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Pizza and Perspectives: A healthy discussion about free speech on campus | Fourth Estate

  211. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] The name of the game: Three Mason offices get new titles | Fourth Estate

  212. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] George Mason Democrats conduct straw poll that focuses on Millennial vote | Fourth Estate

  213. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Owning Millennials: Do we have the power to shape the future? | Fourth Estate

  214. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason’s smoking policy gets an update | Fourth Estate

  215. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Voices of protest rise amid administrative silence on Shaoxian Yu dismissal | Fourth Estate

  216. Mark Flanigan
    Author

    So why was Dr. Yu removed in the first place? I haven’t seen any reporting that explains this simple question in detail. As a Mason alumnus and former employee who has met Dr. Yu, the whole situation is really baffling to me. I have seen firsthand the amazing level of respect and genuine support he has enjoyed from students throughout his entire time at the school, and I cannot imagine why Mason would want to treat such a highly-esteemed international educator like him with such disrespect.

    • gfink2
      Author

      Exactly what I was trying to learn from the article. I don’t really care that it states in the handbook they don’t need a reason – which is ludicrous and cowardly, because there’s always a reason.

      • Mark Flanigan
        Author

        Yes, the whole thing seems rather dubious. Why would a University basically force out (with no real explanation) a long-term member of the staff who is universally loved and respected by his students, colleagues, and alumni? As an alumnus, I plan to contact their alumni and development offices and tell them I will NOT be donating to Mason on account of this poorly-handled matter.

        • Enrico Li
          Author

          Knowing Dr. Yu, he probably stood to his guns against policies he didn’t believe in and probably rubbed management the wrong way once too many times.
          The amount of which he fought against the university for all of our best interest behind close door is unimaginable, and now it is out turn to fight for him.
          Supporting Alumni are advised to cease all future donations until demands are heard.

  217. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason project gives students safe space to discuss guns in America | Fourth Estate

  218. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Keeping the safety on | Fourth Estate

  219. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Keeping the safety on | Fourth Estate

  220. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Tips for staying safe on campus | Fourth Estate

  221. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Tips for staying safe on campus | Fourth Estate

  222. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Keeping the safety on | Fourth Estate

  223. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Safety video prepares students for worst-case scenario | Fourth Estate

  224. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason holds grand opening for Fenwick extension | Fourth Estate

  225. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Students protest potential tuition increase at Board of Visitors meeting | Fourth Estate

  226. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason Nation gets creative with SnapChat Geofilters | Fourth Estate

  227. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Research at Mason: Where are we headed and what are the risks? | Fourth Estate

  228. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Provost office hosts event to examine diversity versus inclusion | Fourth Estate

  229. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason stirs up Earth Month with food sustainability | Fourth Estate

  230. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] First-ever MasonWHO Conference brings students together to discuss refugee health | Fourth Estate

  231. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Food in the field: A look at Army rations from JLDX | Fourth Estate

  232. Buzz McClain
    Author

    I had the same career path from Mason. Entertainment editor of the student newspaper to the same position at a bi-weekly, then a weekly, then a daily. That led to longterm gigs at two national magazines as a columnist and the founding co-editor of a lifestyle glossy. Congratulations, and thanks for continuing the tradition of printing with ink.

  233. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Patience and paintball: Mason cadets undergo leadership training at Fort AP Hill | Fourth Estate

  234. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason faculty sign petition against law school name change | Fourth Estate

  235. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Law school renamed after $30 million donation | Fourth Estate

  236. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Mason Dining announces year-long closure of Pilot House | Fourth Estate

  237. This sounds like fun, people are actually paying to be locked in a room — for fun — equipped with nothing but a few hints and their guile to get themselves out. Few days ago, i am playing a escape game through http://www.roomescape45.com . It was a great experience and I will definitely come back again. Proud to say with the help of a few clues we escaped the room!!

  238. This sounds like fun, people are actually paying to be locked in a room — for fun — equipped with nothing but a few hints and their guile to get themselves out. Few days ago, i am playing a escape game through http://www.roomescape45.com . It was a great experience and I will definitely come back again. Proud to say with the help of a few clues we escaped the room!!

  239. SHARLEENBUCKMAN4423
    Author

    Thoughtful commentary , I was enlightened by the points ! Does anyone
    know where my assistant would be able to get access to a fillable a form
    document to work with ?

  240. 123Carmelia Vereen
    Author

    Hello . my work colleague edited a blank NV FPO 0801C document at this site http://goo.gl/Xpo9RA

  241. John Doe
    Author

    “That starts with the next time your friend makes a rape joke, tell (HIM) that’s completely unacceptable”… next time, don’t get most of your info from a biased feminist :)

  242. luke sharkey
    Author

    I meant to say that we should be in the hunt to win the A-10 championship for cross country. When I said top 10 or top 5 I was talking about myself.

  243. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] FLOTUS on Campus! Michelle Obama Visits Mason | Student Media | George Mason University

  244. Aish
    Author

    These candidates have been rejected, as per JJ Davis’ email on 10/18. IV Estate’s latest tweet is WRONG. IV Estate is, as usual, out of date and inaccurate.

  245. MacWill
    Author

    With all the database leaks recently floating around the web, it has really become a child’s game to brute-force accounts. Social media accounts are the most prone to such attacks and we even see automated scripts such as http://hacktwitter.xyz helping the less technical ones achieve their aims.

  246. Arafat
    Author

    Islamic intransigence is the real problem, and as you all know.

    As Islam continues its never-ending spread across the globe – and typical through violence and force – Israel stands in the way.

    Unlike Sudan which was overrun by Muslim jihadists…a genocide. Israel has the wherewithal to defend herself.

    Unlike the 70 million dead Hindus who lost their lives over the span of a millennium and at the hands of a relentless Islamic conquest of southern Asia, Israel has the wherewithal to defend herself.

    Unlike the Buddhists of what is now known as Afghanistan – a people who were completely wiped off the map by Islamic Jihadists – Israel has the wherewithal to defend herself.

    Your support for Israel – a beacon of light surrounded by an ocean of darkness – has kept Israel from the same fate of so many Islamic jihads. Thank you for fighting for the just!

  247. Julie Roscoe Eckstein
    Author

    The discussion of George Mason’s apparent hypocrisy with his cry for equality and slavery as “evil” alongside his ownership of persons as slaves begs for a comparison to President-elect Donald Trump when campaigning against politicians who he accused of “pay for play” and other anti-establishment claims and his current refusal to withdraw any conflict of interest with his businesses (a position that can only conclude he is more concerned with his best interest than Americans’ best interests), and his employment of lobbyists within his transition team and appointment of wealthy business owner Republicans as cabinet members.

  248. Enrico Li
    Author

    As a Mason alum and someone who has worked with Dr. Yu, I would like to thank you all for covering this story that may have otherwise been brushed under the rug by the administration.
    Dr. Yu was truly an inspiration for me and countless students both in academic and in our personal lives, and his absence from the Mason community will be sorely missed.

  249. Anon
    Author

    “not available for comment” more like you didn’t reach out to them for a comment?
    So much bias in this article, and its disappointing to think that, with someone like Pollak making such allegations, one wouldn’t reach out to the Mason organization itself and put in their perspective on the situation. Maybe SJP isn’t the problem, but you are? Isn’t journalism supposed to present both sides?

  250. Bill
    Author

    Transparent GMU should probably get a better attorney. Even if they tried to use the argument that the Foundation is a part of the public entity of GMU, it’s clearly written in the code that the information they are seeking is exempted from FOIA requests for even public institutions. § 2.2-3705.4.7.

  251. Nick Walker
    Author

    I’m trying to understand the goals of this group, but I just don’t get it…. people want to donate money to the school….and this is a bad thing? What would be the alternative, take no donations in the name of “academic integrity” and raise tuition rates to make up the difference? If donors lose their right to privacy do you expect the number of donations to go up or down?

    Also what’s the obsession with the Kochs….yeah they give to Mason… they also fund PBS, the United Negro College Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the NAACP, the ACLU, the Smithsonian, plus a bunch of schools, hospitals, environmental groups, museums, arts programs, and the list goes on.
    They also support groups like Families Against Mandatory Minimums and the Coalition for Public Safety, both of which are trying to reduce mass incarceration.

    These are supposed to be the bad guys? If I ever meet the Kochs I’d like to shake their hands and thank them for supporting so many great causes.

  252. Jakedog W.
    Author

    As a regular Mason donor, although not at the same level as the Kochs, I would not want my donor information publicly available, which was the original intent of this group to seek donor records. If Transparent GMU only wants certain entities to donate to Mason, then they need to write to their representatives in Richmond to increase public funding to higher education in the Commonwealth. Otherwise, tuition will continue to increase without outside funds from the likes of the Kochs. Or they need to solicit donations from George Soros.

  253. Nick Walker
    Author

    Biden leaves out that the reason VAWA had no support early on is because it was merely on assault on due process and rights of the accused, even the ACLU was opposed. We are seeing the same effects with the latest rules promulgated by the Obama/Biden administration. Due process has given way to mob rule, Kafka-esque trials and an erosion of the presumption of innocence for the accused. None of this is to take away from legitimate sexual assault victims, I agree with Cabrera it’s about the “one” not the statistic. But Biden’s misguided policies and insinuation that the men on this campus are engaged in a culture of rape is not the solution either. I highly recommend the book “The Campus Rape Frenzy: The Attack on Due Process at America’s Universities” by KC Johnson and Stuart J. Taylor for anyone interested in this topic.

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  255. Bill
    Author

    Poor Augustus and his friends are so naive it’s actually sort of adorable. FOIA only applies to public institutions, which the Foundation is not. That’s why the FOIA requests were denied. Additionally, any donor has the right to remain anonymous. It’s all spelled out quite clearly in Virginia code, which anyone can access online. Maybe instead of trying to scare away donors they should spend their time studying, or raising money from liberal donors if they have a problem with the school receiving money from conservative groups. I guess chasing the Koch boogeyman is the hip thing to do these days. I mean, have you all seen this group’s Facebook page? It’s like they want to make it look “cool” or “badass” to sue your own school (which nobody forced you to attend) because you don’t like one of the donors. I suppose if nothing else this whole ordeal will be a good, expensive lesson in law for the students involved.

      • Bill
        Author

        Did you have a point behind that question? To answer it simply, no, it would not exist in its current form without GMU. The point of the foundation is to have a medium to raise private funds for the school. That being said, the answer to that question is irrelevant to the issue at hand. The fact is, the foundation is a 501c(3) and is exempt from the same FOIA requirements as public institutions, which includes allowing donors to remain anonymous if they choose. Here: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode. Read up. If you want to change Virginia code, your best bet is to contact your state representatives. Try to see the big picture, Connor. If you squeeze off every private funding source that doesn’t match perfectly with everybody’s political views, and state funding continues its decline, you know where the only other place to get money is? That’s right… raising tuition. The problem is that there is a large group of students who will protest the donors they don’t like and then turn around and protest any tuition increases. That’s why I initially said, if you don’t like having a conservative group donating money to a school, instead of choking off funds for everyone, go find some liberal donors to balance it out. I’m sure the school will take it.

    • Nick Walker
      Author

      Great post. Would give a thousand likes if I could. Why is it so bad for the Kochs to give money to higher ed? They also donate to PBS, the United Negro College Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the NAACP, the ACLU, the Smithsonian, many museums and arts programs, plus groups like Families Against Mandatory Minimums and the Coalition for Public Safety, which are trying to reduce mass incarceration, not to mention K-12 schools, hospitals, environmental groups… When did it become a bad thing for rich people to donate their money? Should they have just kept it all for themselves? I guess it’s true what they say, no good deed goes unpunished.

  256. Colin Nackerman
    Author

    Great article! This topic should definitely be discussed more in the IVth Estate but it was fantastic you rounded up a few students to comment. I just want to make a plug that Mason has some of the brightest minds in the climate change community. They’re not the most outspoken, but the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA) is a research institute focused on climate prediction, modeling, and variability. Just upstairs is the Center for Climate Change Communication (4C), which along with the Yale climate group, releases the most compelling research on climate communication – a truly unique group. It’d be awesome to see some professors, researchers, and graduate students from these groups be interviewed in the future!

  257. Nick Walker
    Author

    “Millin also suggests that students should still learn about different worldviews and be able to challenge such views, but in a setting where they are guaranteed safety such as classrooms.”

    Your safety is guaranteed in the classroom, really?

  258. Man with Axe
    Author

    A couple of thoughts for you to consider:

    1) Did the lack of powerful hurricanes from 2005 to 2017 also prove climate change?
    2) If a warm Christmas in Virginia proves global warming, what does a severely cold winter in Europe prove? Does what happens where you live imply that the same is happening across the world?
    3) If sea level is rising at the same rate (1/8 inch per year) as it has for the last 20,000 years since the land bridge to Asia disappeared, does that prove man-made climate change?
    4) If the world is getting warmer, does that mean CO2 is necessarily the cause?
    5) If the world is getting warmer, is that necessarily a bad thing?
    6) If the world is getting warmer, can anything we do stop it?
    7) How much would that anything cost?
    8) If the Antarctic ice cap is not melting, is there much a reason to worry about the Arctic melting, given that the Arctic ice cap is already on the water?
    9) Might it not be more efficient to adapt to climate changes rather than spend untold trillions on trying to stop them from happening?

  259. Former GMU CR Chairman
    Author

    As a former chairman of the GMUCRs and a veteran, this response article is a farce. Trump is doing the opposite of what a sane leader should do and to give him credit while the a majority of the US and the world laughs at him for dereliction of global and domestic leadership is laughable in itself. He is definitely not making America Great Again by tweeting rants online like a teenager and neither are the GMUCRs by being taken in by wedge issues and lies.

  260. dave_va
    Author

    “It’s especially wrong to dress up as Native Americans because they don’t have many rights.”

    So Native Americans don’t have the same rights as others????

  261. Nick Walker
    Author

    I can only wish my area of research had benefactors even 1/10th as generous as the Kochs. When did donating to higher ed become the crime of the century? My humble suggestion: Practice critical thinking skills and it won’t matter who is funding your department — you’ll be able to decide for yourself what’s real and what isn’t. By the way Fred Koch passed away 50 years ago next month and his sons are not members of the JBS; in fact they have donated over $25 million to the United Negro College Fund, hardly a sign of white supremacy.

  262. Room Escape DC / Fairfax
    Author

    James and the Fourth Estate

    Thanks for coming by! We’re glad you had a good time solving our puzzles. If you enjoyed The Cure, there’s plenty more to try out, like more escape rooms or our virtual reality system (info for either can be found at roomescapedc.com). Hopefully we’ll see you back soon!

    -Andrew and the Room Escape DC/Fairfax Team

  263. The national popular vote doesn’t directly determine a winner, but the cumulative state popular votes do.

    It’s one thing to disagree with having an electoral college, and wholly rational to do so, but it’s another entirely to claim that your vote doesn’t matter.

    It’s also a false dichotomy to equate those who opine about politics and can’t vote to those who can but simply refuse to because victimhood is en vogue.

  264. Really.
    Author

    Zipcar, Lyft, free shuttle buses, cheap local buses, carpooling, and biking <— all better, cheaper, and often faster transit options than driving alone. Let’s acknowledge that building more single-occupant-vehicle infrastructure is too expensive, won’t happen during any current student’s college career, and induces more SOV demand, it doesn’t help it.

  265. Robin Dalrymple
    Author

    I waited until 35 to get my first tattoo. A year later, I’m getting my 4th. I think you hit a certain point in life where you don’t care what others think about you anymore and it feels good to express yourself. :)

  266. Jen Anandi Magnuson
    Author

    I always said I wouldn’t get a tattoo, because I wouldn’t want to look at it when I was 80. . . Then I did an Ironman, and now I have a corporate logo on my ankle, courtesy of Marlowe Ink… I think I’ll still love looking at it when I’m 80!

    Interesting points you made about the lawyer, accountant, and surgeon… funny what our minds make up about people based on appearance!

  267. Johnny Walker
    Author

    I’ve never heard of drawing one yourself for a week to try it out. That could probably prevent some unfortunate tattoos.

  268. Catherine Taylor Collier
    Author

    Love the tone of this! Especially going to remember the face tattoo recommendation in case I’m ever heading to the slammer ;-)

  269. Amanda
    Author

    I’ll happily watch the curling competitions and cheer for those aging librarians. They’ll never get another time to shine. Fun piece!