After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the subsequent economic downturn, a swift, but often overlooked, backlash against immigrants occurred. This treatment, while certainly betraying the United States’ best ideals, has actually been a staple of U.S. political behavior since a much earlier period in this country’s history. However, since immigrants make so many […]
Author Archives: Shiva Bhaskar
Moral regulation of private life a threat to freedom
Bill Bennet, former United States drug czar and author of moralistic rants, such as “The Death of Outrage,” is just one example of how harmful and hypocritical it is for major public figures to involve themselves in questions of personal morality. Bennet admitted he has a gambling problem and has lost an estimated $8 million […]
More help needed to effect change in South L.A.
Eleven years ago today, South Central Los Angeles was on fire. Many people were angry about the acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King, and rioting had broken out. Death and destruction engulfed South Los Angeles, a community with many wonderful people, though unfortunately known more for […]
U.N. support vital in rebuilding
Now that the fighting in Iraq has drawn to a close, the difficult task of rebuilding a broken society must begin. The United States has two options in the current situation: It can rebuild Iraq unilaterally, sewing seeds of hatred and instability that will ultimately endanger U.S. security, or the United States can allow U.N. […]
Education shouldn’t wilt while military gorges
Allowing defense allocations to increase dramatically while cutting education spending is a destructive and shortsighted policy. The United States spent nearly $400 billion on military expenditures this fiscal year while, at the same time, California faces a $34.6 billion budget shortfall, forcing cuts in a variety of areas, including education. The list of programs to […]
Face Off: Hey, teachers! Leave that war alone, out of classrooms
The war on Iraq, like all wars ever fought, is bound to generate strong emotions. Strong emotions are inevitable because war puts lives at risk, and are necessary to appropriately confront the gravity of war. People in the United States have varying views on the war, and so do members of the UCLA community. However, […]
Shunning France, Germany is destructive
The United States could not get U.N. support for the war on Iraq largely due to the opposition of European allies France and Germany. As a result, these two countries have been vilified by the United States. Such behavior is unwarranted and disrespectful to the democratic process. At the U.S. Capitol all food items with […]