Progressive At Cal
Thursday, February 27, 2003
ASUC Ball
coming this March
Brought to you by Student Action
A Serious Contribution to Campus Life: DONE
Shouldn't the bright-eyed interns be so proud of themselves? Something to put on their resumes!
Says Jenny OP Intern, "I planned a prom for my college. Two hundred people who couldn't go to prom in high school and/or still think they're in high school showed up!! I'm so proud of my accomplishments." (Then Jenny's eyes swell with tears).
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Affirmative Action Bake Sale
As reported Tuesday night, the Berkeley College Republicans had their "Affirmative Action" Bake Sale yesterday.
I enjoy this piece from the Chronical's Story:
"Only about 30 cookies sold, out of 16 dozen available, said Coyne. About two-thirds of the buyers were white, and most of the rest Asian American, she said. The group also handed out about 400 flyers.
"The group's president, Dave Galich, says it has about 350 members, up from about 10 four years ago. About 10 members, nearly all of them white, stood behind the bake-sale table during the busy lunch hour Wednesday. "
There is truth of no affirmative action. The reason only white and asian students bought cookies is that they are the only ones around. A failing school system, racism, and a lack of affirmative action combine to make it so.
One more thing:
"chocolate chip cookies were offered for $1.50 to whites and 25 cents to blacks"
So, BCR believes that if there is affirmative action, then it is 6 times more difficult for whites to get into to college than African Americans???? This is insane.
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The Mic has the Scoop
To reiterate, kudos to THE MIC, for exposing the hypocrisy of the administration with this article comparing the administration's response to the Rally Com incident its response to the SJP incident. The final chapter bore itself out 2/24 when the Rally Com got a slap on the wrist and the University settled with SJP.
Activism around the war is ramping up on campus, effigies are being hung from Sather Gate and chalking rules defied, with more defiance in the works for SF and Berkeley. As might be expected of them, administrators are rushing to "head em off at the pass" with the old "overhaul the code of conduct" even while they dig themselves deeper into a hole they will never get out of by dissing all-american institutions such as sidewalk chalk and football fans.
Meanwhile, back in their top secret headquarters in a cave high in the Berkeley Hills, radical Berkeley student/revolutionaries are regrouping to plan the administration's next headache.
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Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Victory at the Claremont
Student activism wins big here.
Cal Athletics ended its contract with the Claremont Spa and Resort, UC Berkeley officials said yesterday. It is a move that hotel union organizers called a victory in their 14-month labor dispute they have had with the Claremont.
The departments' pullouts come after months of pressure from students and community members who have supported a union-led boycott.
The boycott has wide support from Berkeley City Council and UC Berkeley student leaders.
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Copying a Bad Idea
It seems that tomorrow on Sproul, the Berkeley College Republicans plan to copy a bad idea from their UCLA cohorts.
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Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Monday, February 24, 2003
The 2003-2004 ASUC Executives
from the doctor...
PRESS RELEASE o PRESS RELEASE
Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education (Cal SERVE) announces ASUC Executive Slate
WHO: Speakers will include:
* Evan Holland, Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education (CalSERVE) signatory and former ASUC Senator
* Four Candidates for the ASUC Executive Positions: President, Executive Vice-President, External Vice-President, and Academic Vice-President
* Community leaders representing different students of color; campus political groups; the Women's community, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community; environmental, social, and economic justice organizations; and community service organizations.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 25, 2003, 9:00-9:45 AM
WHAT: In light of the recent increase in student fees and the downsizing of student services due to the statewide budget crisis, Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education (Cal SERVE) is announcing its Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) Executive slate.
Cal SERVE was established in 1984 as a part of the movement to divest university funds from apartheid in South Africa. It continues today as a voice for positive change, fighting for access, representation, and racial justice, both locally and globally. With nearly twenty years of ASUC experience, Cal SERVE embraces a transcultural perspective on issues that collectively affect the UC Berkeley campus. Its mission as a proactive student coalition is to address contemporary issues of the campus community through the ASUC because Cal SERVE feels it is imperative to use the ASUC for positive social change.
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Saturday, February 22, 2003
SJP, UC settle:
Surprised you so called investigative bloggers didnt manage to scoop the press on this one. You had a whole week - you should have expected stories from Roberto's hearing after it was supposed to be reconvened 2/14.
Students, UC reach settlement for protest | Daily Cal |
UC settles dispute with 31 protesters
Update 2/24:
More surprises! More curious timing! Two stories side by side in the Daily Cal today:
Pro-Palestinian Protesters Settle with University
Rally Committee Will Not Face Charges.
I bet you are all shocked. Shocked!
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Thursday, February 20, 2003
Surveys
Does anyone notice how the ASUC surveys only come out in Spring? Notice how the ones running the surveys always wind up running for the executive offices?
Thanks for getting the students' input Taz, Daniel, and Frank.
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Tuesday, February 18, 2003
Prog Cal Quiz #5 Answered
Q: Which current ASUC executive candidate voted against giving money to the Cal Housing Commission (hint: Fall 2001) and setting up the City CarShare program (hint: Spring 2002). In other words, who is against improving housing and transportation for students?
A: Daniel Frankenstein, Student Action's Presidential Candidate
The winner was Mike Davis who will have his post posted as soon as he sends me a link to that photograph.
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Thursday, February 13, 2003
Prog Cal Quiz #5: Let's See the Record
As usual, email answers to Hugo Grotius.
Which current ASUC executive candidate voted against giving money to the Cal Housing Commission (hint: Fall 2001) and setting up the City CarShare program (hint: Spring 2002).
In other words, who is against improving housing and transportation for students?
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Friday, February 07, 2003
The "Anti-Gay Agenda"
GreenThink! nails the California Patriot on this one. Great post and funny too!
On the same subject, to the one who announced that the Patriot exposed "illicit homosexual sex" on campus, ask yourself why you even included the word homosexual. I think you'll find out something disturbing about yourself.
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Thursday, February 06, 2003
"State Of Concern"
A Fortiori has a great post debunking the California Patriot web article on the State of the Union.
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Wednesday, February 05, 2003
Patriot Editorial on Hernandez: A Fantasy
The Patriot opens to this nonsense by Steve Sexton. Note the line "The Patriot will serve as a consistent, reliable source of news..."
Turn a few pages to the Editorial on Hernandez. Is this not the most embarrassing thing you've ever read?
Is this reliable, Steve Sexton? Kevin at CalStuff has an enormosely easily job of tearing this editorial to shreds. Kevin observes that the "Editorial is a triumph of factually inaccurate blinders-on writing." Now, I bet the writer of this article thought it was clever to say "University lawyers faced-off against Hernandez’s high-priced ACLU thugs" and then repeat "ACLU" 10 more times (thanks Kevin for counting). However, Kevin notes that "Hernandez's lawyers were from the National Lawyers Guild. The ACLU wrote a brief supporting their efforts, but that was largely the extent of their involvement." What a joke!
Kevin also observes "the unchecked claim that this is a triumph of Latino Conspiracy."
Here's what the Cal Patriot said:
"The university has fallen victim to what UC Regent Ward Connerly calls “Latino politics.” Pressured by Vice Chancellor Genaro Padilla, and probably the state Latino caucus, the Administration has again rolled over in the face of adversity. When will the university live up to its mission and send a message once and for all that it will not bow to political whims?"
What Kevin did not mention is that this is amazingly racist. Let's replace "Jewish" with Latino to prove this to our neo-conservative friends.
"The university has fallen victim to what Adolf Hitler calls “Jewish politics.” Pressured by Vice Chancellor Adam Shapiro, and probably the state Jewish caucus, the Administration has again rolled over in the face of adversity. When will the university live up to its mission and send a message once and for all that it will not bow to political whims?"
Steve Sexton, is this editorial a sign of your reliability?
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California Patriot, February 2003
The Cal Patriot has the complete February issue online now. God, grant me more hours in the day to comment on each of these articles. Hopefully GreenThink, A Fortiori, and the others will help.
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Tuesday, February 04, 2003
BCR Does Not Have a Monopoly on Stupidity
Well, almost...
I'd like to share this piece from BCR's little brother, the Bruin Republicans at UCLA.
Thanks to Atrios for posting it. I'll steal shamelessly.
[From the Bruin Republican website, since removed.]
In an effort to educate UCLA students on the hypocrisy of affirmative action, an issue currently on the Supreme Court docket with the Michigan case, the UCLA Bruin Republicans will be holding an Affirmative Action Bake Sale at the bottom of Bruin Walk, Monday, February 3, 2003 from 9 am to 3 pm.
The Bruin Republicans will be selling cookies from Diddy Riese, a Westwood favorite, under the following price structure: Black, Hispanic and American Indian Females: 25 cents Black, Hispanic and American Indian Males: 50 cents White Females: $1.00 White Males and All Asian-Americans: $2.00
Staffing the Bruin Republicans' table on Bruin Walk will be members playing the following roles: "The Man," "The White Oppressor," "The Self-Hating Hispanic Race Traitor," "Uncle Tom," and a special "Admissions Officer" who will be in charge of determining each customer's race, gender, and general level of oppression.
The Bruin Republicans anticipate a strong campus reaction, with possible protests from the African Student Union and MEChA. If campus opposition does not destroy the message of the event, we hope to show students the inherent hypocrisy of assigning exclusive meaning and value based purely on skin color or perceived ethnicity.
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Monday, February 03, 2003
Chris Warren: Racist
A Call for New White Leadership
Yes, I said that, and no, I am not joking this time.
In this month's California Patriot, Chris Warren writes this "perspectives" piece called "Out with the old, in with the new" with the subtitle of "A call for new Black leadership" on the main page.
Mr. Warren, you appear to be white, so I'd say first that you can go pick your own leaders.
Let's look at some parts of this piece:
- "The employment of these new tactics arose when Rev. Jackson and friends realized that each step down the road to a color-blind society is one step closer to their political extinction"
The California Patriot forgot to add that Chris Warren is a mind reader.
- "When blacks cease to be victims, Jackson loses his political legitimacy."
True, this leads to another conclusion entirely.
- Americans are no longer confined to the back of the bus or forced to enter school with a brigade of armed guards, but Rev. Jackson has been putting on a one man show wherever he can find a camera rolling to keep Americans convinced that racial injustice is more pervasive than ever.
Well, if they can sit in the front of the bus and are able to attend school (questionable), then everything must be great!
- "Today's black leaders must stop their crusade to reinforce the destructive mentality of victimization "
Don't you think it's a bit hypocritical for the California Patriot to berate others for reinforcing victimization. Berkeley College Republicans revel in their victimhood.
- Education, personal motivation, hard work and self-reliance are the key to success—regardless of ethnicity. Black leaders who embrace this ethic are the only people who can address the true concerns of black Americans.
Again, you are a white man. How can you possibly believe it correct for you to dictate to another group what their values should be and who their leaders should be?
- But here is the quote that clinches it: "Jackson is quick to crusade against the racism of Toyota ads, Coca-Cola, and to bemoan the persistence of the Confederate flag in the South, but he offers no solutions to some of the biggest problems that plague black communities: chronic single parenthood, shoddy schools, and dependence on government programs."
In other words, Warren is saying "Who cares about Confederate flags (i.e. a sign of obvert racism that keeps African Americans repressed) and other acts of racism? Forget racism. Forget white privilege. Forget racial profiling. Forget inadequate education. Forget that African Americans as a whole come from poor backgrounds. Forget reality. The only thing keeping blacks down is their own stupidity and morally bankruptcy. Follow me (the white man), choose my values, choose my leaders, and you will succeed."
Now Chris Warren, you may think that it is reasonable for you to indict a people in such a manner and you may think that it is a proper political stance. It is not. It is racism.
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Saturday, February 01, 2003
California Patriot Cartoon Reveals too Much
I can't help but wondering if this cartoon attached to the California Patriot's new article on affirmative action reveals too much.
Looks like the good old patriot white male Republican is confused to see those damn minorities on campus! I mean, what happened to segregation???
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