Opinion

Amidst this continued national discussion on the course of the U.S.-led occupation of Afghanistan, we should all do well to remember, “Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.” So spoke the immortal Thomas Paine, who, having endured the coldest, bleakest days of our 1776 Revolution, assuredly knew something of endurance.

I’m disheartened to hear that the homecoming bonfire has been postponed indefinitely, according to a Dateline UC Davis article published on Oct. 9. The article cites “environmental concerns from the bonfire’s pollution and … the university’s vision of environmental stewardship and sustainability.”

I raise money for an international charity in an outdoor area of heavy foot traffic. The white people nearby are either very rich, or very poor. I have a huge sign, complete with pictures of starving children. Before the Obama election, people stood at my sign, applauded the effort – and perhaps donated – before walking on.

On Aug. 31, the Cowell Student Health Center changed its appointment system to make students’ lives easier. Previously, appointments were not guaranteed for the same day students called. Now, students can call and make an appointment for the day of. This excludes specialty appointments with, say, a neurologist; such appointments still need to be made in advance.

I read with interest your editorial response to my submission last week pledging that, as governor, I’d commit to fully funding the UC, CSU and community college systems.

For the massive number of students and citizens who consider themselves members of the peace movement, the time to act is now.

Usingnew powers recently grantedby Congress,the Food and Drug Administration implemented a ban on all flavored cigaretteson Sept.22.FDA officials touted the ban as a way to lower the number of teen smokers and suggested that flavored cigarettes were luring kids intoa“lifetime addiction.“ Discouraging kids and teens from smoking is always a great goal,but there are problems with this particular approach.

The debate over the last few years about allowing a Target store to open in Davis has been particularly illustrative of what makes Davis a great college town. While the dispute was contentious and sometimes ugly,the fact that it even existed is something Davisites should be proud of.It’s rare,and almost unheard of,for a small town to show opposition to a sales tax cash cow like Target setting up shop within its boundaries.

Every Thursday afternoon,I return home from a mentally taxing hour-plus of political philosophy (Marx,anyone?),cozy up in my bed with my laptop,click on my bookmarked link to Hulu and watch the most recent episode of Glee.With this routine,I can get through even the darkest of weeks.Glee,no doubt the greatest thing on TV in recent memory,is the light at the end of my proverbial tunnel.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed at the continual piling-up of environmental problems in the world today? Or have you ever dreamt of just waking up one day to find headlines that read, “World leaders realize they can’t negotiate with Earth,pass climate change legislation unanimously“? Oh,what a glorious day that would be.

In a letter to the campus community, Chancellor Katehi and Provost Lavernia declared that we should work collectively “to address today’s major budget cuts, which come as a consequence of the state’s decade-long disinvestment in higher education.” I disagree with them about the main cause of the fiscal crisis, and I think there is a better, more immediate target for constructive change that would balance the UC budget.

Gavin Newsom wrote a lot of really, really nice things in support of college students throughout California in his letter to the editor on Thursday. Here’s the CliffsNotes version: