Archive for the Opinion Category

Rule Change Keeps Rules the Same: Women Are Able to Serve at Batallion Level, but Still No Combat

The Pentagon announced on Feb. 9 that it would make changes to existing regulations ultimately easing restrictions on women in combat. The Department of Defense staed that it would be opening up 14,000 jobs to women in the military. According to the Associated Press, the Pentagon guidelines “still ban women from serving as infantry, armor

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Are Meal Plans Worth the Coin?

When I was a freshman, meal plans seemed like such a great deal. You were able to get into Southside with one swipe and use it almost anywhere else with a $6 equivalency. The problem is you’re paying over $8 a meal on some plans, but only get $6-worth of food every time you use

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President’s Approval Rating Reaches 50 Percent

Barack Obama’s approval ratings are at 50 percent. According to Donald Garrett, a  student senator, “Barack is doing great things for our country. In order for his numbers to be higher, he needs to work towards more bipartisan solutions.” Conversely, economics major Brett Baker has been “disappointed overall” and wishes President Obama had chosen not

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Gender Binary Norms Set the Stage for Disapproval

Recently, the mass media has brought the idea of gender identity to my attention. The matter of gender roles is a very sensitive subject in America. Gender roles are an important mediator of human experiences and of the way individuals interact with each other and their physical environments. Many people question the validity of gender

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Climate Change is Here to Stay

Scientists believe that there are only three possible causes of global warming: the sun, the Earth’s reflectivity and the emission of greenhouse gases. After careful consideration of the past, it is simple to see that the skyrocketing level of greenhouse gas emissions is where the majority of the problem lies. Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius, with

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Cuban Embargo Does Not Help Anyone

There’s a great quote by the comedian W.C. Fields that goes, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no use being a damn fool about it.” In the weeks leading up to the Florida primary, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum heaped praise on the Cuban embargo and criticized

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Security is an Illusion, so Speak Up

When I turned 18, this is exactly what used to float aggressively through my mind: “So, I’m 18! Big deal! Everything is still going to be the same.” People expect freedom, but I don’t think of freedom the same way others do. Freedom is not prancing around in a mini skirt and halter top, intoxicated

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What Does Post-Nuclear World Look Like?

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday so that I could get to Quantico on time. I was invited to a conference on the club of nuclear powers, specifically concerning which members were willing to either prevent or aid in the proliferation of weapons of mass detruction. The conference, which took place at U.S.

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Johnson Center Blues

You know what really grinds my gears? The Johnson Center. It is an utter pit of misery due to a chaotic combination of the people, the noise, the people, the copious amounts of trash strewn about, the people, the weird games constantly being played and did I mention the people? It has got to be

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GMU Student Outraged at the Treatment of Military

Dear Broadside Editors, It was nice to see the anti-military issue addressed in the December/Holiday edition of the school newspaper. I would like to make some of my thoughts known too. As the daughter of a mother and father who have retired from the United States Navy, the granddaughter of a fighter pilot and former

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