ANTI-WAR CRITICAL MASS: 3/17/07

Finally, the video for last Saturday's Critical Mass is online! Early reports put the number of UCSB students riding the 14 miles downtown at 200. The rally downtown was 1,000 strong as we all marched in solidarity down State Street.

Words fail to describe what an amazing experience I had being part of that crowd. It's truly one of those "once in a lifetime" things.

Make college admissions a crapshoot

The LA Times has a good article today about the utter ridiculousness that is the modern-day college admissions process. Barry Schwartz, a professor of psychology, proposes that colleges should only choose students that are "good enough" for admission. Then they would randomly select these students into the spaces available (or as he puts it "drawing them out of a hat").

He writes, "We like to believe, in our least cynical moments, that the U.S. is a meritocracy. Success is about talent and hard work. Luck has nothing to do with it. This attitude may well contribute to a lack of sympathy, sometimes even bordering on disdain, for life's losers. I believe that this attitude is profoundly false. It is not the case that people always get what they deserve. There just aren't enough top rungs on the Ivy League's (or life's) ladders for everyone to fit.

If talented and hardworking people are forced to confront the element of chance in life's outcomes when they (or their kids) fail to get into the "best" college, they may be more inclined to acknowledge the role of luck in shaping the lives of the people around them. And this may make them more empathic toward others — and a good deal more committed to creating more room at the top."
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That's some important food for thought for everyone, including those of us already in college.

NYT: McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention

"No I don't believe condoms help protect against STDs. Also, leeches are a great way to treat cancer."
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John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" got derailed yesterday by a reporter's question during a campaign stop in Iowa. Here's a brief excerpt from the New York Times:

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”

Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

Ahhh...I love the smell of pandering in the morning.

Click on the banner for the full story.

A taste of what's to come on Saturday

In case you've been hiding in a cave for the past couple weeks, students from UCSB and other community activists are organizing a "Critical Mass" bike ride to protest the Iraq War this Saturday March 17th.

They'll be leaving from Pardall Tunnel at 9am to meet downtown at 11am for a huge anti-war rally.

I guess all the naysayers who said our generation didn't care about anything were wrong. Big surprise.

Featured video: a recap from the Feb. 15th Strike Against the War. If you thought that was amazing, just wait until this weekend.

CPAC 2007: The Unauthorized Documentary

This is a must-see video of The Nation's Max Blumenthal going undercover at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Watch Malkin and Horowitz go ballistic! Blumenthal definitely wins The RUNDOWN's "Biggest Cajones" Award for the week.

Public Service Announcement: FREE COFFEE TOMORROW

"We own your soul. Resistance is futile." -->>

The RUNDOWN is taking a brief break from politics to issue this PSA: Tomorrow March 15th starting from 10 AM to noon, Starbucks will be giving away free tall (12oz) coffees to all customers as part of their second annual nationwide "Coffee Break".

So Gauchos, go out tomorrow and grab that cup of Joe. Even if you think Starbucks tastes like shit (like I do), at least it won't cost you anything. And everyone knows that "free" is the best tasting ingredient.

Bush in Guatemala; CAFTA is working for 6 y/o Children

So as you probably know Bush is in South and Central America this week to promote "economic development."

Yesterday he was in Guatemala, where thanks to "economic development" (neo-liberalism, globalization, etc) child labor has reached epic proportions. According to the New York Times, "An independent study of the issue estimated that about a million Guatemalan children under age 18 are working. Another review by the United Nations found 16 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 in the labor force in 2000, more of them boys than girls."

Don't you worry, Guatemalans, because Mr. Bush speaks Spanish, trabajadores y campesinos, and he really cares about his "little brown brothers" (bonus points for the reference).

But the best part is that these children are growing vegetables for our children. Reportedly Legumex, Inc. a large global agricultural corporation, uses children as young as 13 to grow and package food that is sold in hospitals, schools and the military.

As Alma de los Ángeles Zambrano, who is 15, explained "They like us young people because we don’t say anything when they yell at us."

Obama or Osama?

<<--- "Hey everybody, I am a racist fear mongering douchebag!"

So check out what the CEO of Fox News said as a "joke" yesterday at a press conference:

"It's true that Barack Obama is on the move," Roger Ailes said, deliberately confusing the Illinois senator's name with that of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. "I don't know if it's true President Bush called [Pakistan President Pervez] Musharraf and said, 'Why can't we catch this guy?' "

That line says it all. Is this what truly passes as conservative "humor" nowadays? I can't say I'm surprised; Republicans literally wet themselves when a certain blond haired walking corpse called John Edwards a "faggot". But kudos to the Nevada Democratic Party for finally coming to their senses and refusing to legitimize Faux News with their participation in a debate.

In response, Fox News Vice President David Rhodes released a written statement saying MoveOn.org owns the Democratic Party. Only these conservative assholes would think that "THE EVIL INTARWEB LIBERALS ZOMG!!11" are the problem.

Click on the title for the full story.

The beginning of detente? Don't bet on it.

Top: Al-Maliki at the podium, speaking before the conference.

Yesterday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki addressed delegations from 13 nations at a regional conference in an attempt to quell the growing sectarian violence in his country. His goal? To convince Iraq's neighbors to stop financing attacks and to stop the flow of foreign borders across their borders.

But more importantly, Iran, Syria, & the United States were all present at the meeting. The Bush Administration has long balked at the opportunity to talk to either Tehran or Damascus directly (apparently, diplomacy = appeasement in their books. I guess Nixon was a traitor when he went to China right?). Handshakes were exchanged between the delegations, but neither side engaged in direct one-on-one dialogue. As sad as it may sound, this brief meeting has been the highest level of interaction between the US and Iran in over 2 years.

Here at The RUNDOWN, we think its incredibly foolish for this Administration to continue shooting itself in the foot by refusing to talk to its enemies. If we are to find a viable exit strategy from this war, Iran with its heavy influence over Iraq's Shi'a, must be engaged. However, don't hold your breath folks. This president has given us little reason to believe that logic and reason will ever influence his policies.

For the full story, click on the title link.

Online at last

The first post of the newly launched UCSB Campus Democrats blog!

Get it on the ground floor.