Comments for Columbia Political Review

Comment on Let Them Eat Cake by Matt Levine

Matt Levine — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:48:56 +0000

This is missing a key point–that is, that “86 of the prisoners in Guantanamo were cleared for release three years ago following a year-long investigation of their cases by an interagency task force.”

See http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/opinion/bergen-gitmo-terror-threat

Come on man.

Comment on Behind the Burqa Bans by Kathy Adkison

Kathy Adkison — Tue, 07 May 2013 02:14:14 +0000

Nice job, Andrew. =)

Comment on Will Citizens United Win It for Romney? by may lanh

may lanh — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:55:44 +0000

Saving gas in any situation is a good idea to have someone provide instructions on
how to maintain your car air conditioner. Most of the time, a cheap Air Conditioner is a well-adjusted rotary presser.

Comment on The Irish Curtain by Dino Spumoni

Dino Spumoni — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 06:33:40 +0000

Living here in the US, I can honestly tell you that schools run by the government in which students are placed together are not working. I went to both Catholic and public schools here and the difference is night and day. I think this is because at a Catholic school, students come from a homogenous group that share similar goals. In public schools, students are much more diverse and may not have similar goals. Both systems have their pluses and minuses but I’ve noticed in recent years that public schools here in the US are more willing to “teach down” so as to accommodate the student of lesser intellectual capabilities than teach above those particular students’ levels. And since kids are all placed in the same classes, it really is starting to hinder those students who are gifted. Ultimately, it is political correctness which is holding back education here. Pres Obama wants everyone to “have a fair shot” but he is doing things at the expense of the best and the brightest. I think if more parents in NI placed their kids in the school with the best education for their kids, regardless of religion, then you may see a change. If parents continue to put kids in schools that run along religious preference then you will see more of the same.

Comment on Being Better Than Apathy by tinyurl.com

tinyurl.com — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:31:40 +0000

each time i used to read smaller articles or reviews which as well
clear their motive, and that is also happening with this piece of writing which I am reading at this time.

Comment on The Emergence, Disappearance, and Existence of the Muslipublican by omar didouqen

omar didouqen — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:44:17 +0000

I agree

Comment on The Irish Curtain by Feargal Cosgrove

Feargal Cosgrove — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:22:00 +0000

Dear Bryan,
I am a final year Law undergrad at Queen’s University, Belfast. I am currently writing a piece on the comparing segregation arising from sectarianism in NI with that arising from racism in the US.
This is a very insightful piece on segregation in NI. Identifying the school system as the source of the problem is a potent observation which had failed to resonate with me until reading this piece. What I would say is that in arriving at the solution, i.e integrated education; you fail to fully consider the convention and reputation of the controlled and catholic schools.
As I am sure you can appreciate most parents want their children to get the best education possible, and in NI this means sending them to one of the established educational centres. Historically churches have been the only organisations with the financial clout to subsidise the high standard of education in our country. As such their long-established institutions consistently provide the best grades in the performance tables and impose stringent entry requirements accordingly. Taking this into account helps explain why the relatively new integrated establishments have not yet flourished as currently they are not perceived as academically inferior in NI society. As a former attendee of one such Catholic grammar school I can allude to the weight of the financial argument from one side of the community. My alma mater (a grammar school which has produced two Nobel Laureates) charged just £30/year per family, meaning my brother and I received an unrivalled education for less than 1% the cost of Protestant equivalent.
The result restricts opportunities to apply Allport’s Contact Hypothesis (outside integrated institutions) to summer scheme projects, which take children from both sides of the community to exotic destinations.
Regarding the protests, I feel the weight you place between the incidents of violence and the “brain-drain” is over-played, finding from personal experience that it is actually a minor factor in the mass exodus to destinations such as London and Australia. In fact the primary cause remains lack of opportunity due to current economic circumstances, with the predicament of our southern neighbours having a profound effect on competition for jobs for NI natives . Yes these troubles do contribute insomuch as it may preclude businesses from starting up here and obviously young professionals wish to start families away from the potential of violence. However incidents of violence regarding the flag were largely isolated to areas of lower socio-economic class. North Belfast was one such problem area due to the high volume of sequential interfaces between either side of the community.
It is the socio-economic factor that I wish to address further. With reference to the black civil rights movement in the US, could I ask whether in your opinion/ experience issues of segregation are perpetuated by those who feel a distinct sense of loss arising from the issuance of various civil rights? Furthermore, do you feel those of lower socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to endure with their cause (i.e. most flag protests were held during normal working hours when most employed people would have been unable to participate)?
Finally in light of my explanation as to why integrated institutions currently fail to adequately bridge the gap what would you propose would be a suitable alternative to making education a multi-cultural affair? Do you think under current liberal right-based discourse that a solution can be reached, or must we in NI be more critical of ever reaching a peaceful conclusion through a pluralist approach when desires and needs of either side of the community seem irreconcilable at the best of times?
Thank you for your time in reading this post, I appreciate any and all guidance you might give. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Feargal Cosgrove

Comment on Operation Set-the-Record-Straight by Realigning the Public Perceptions of Anonymous and Wikileaks | syndax vuzz

Realigning the Public Perceptions of Anonymous and Wikileaks | syndax vuzz — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:20:04 +0000

[...] via Columbia Political Review – Operation Set-the-Record-Straight. [...]

Comment on A Response to “A Modest Proposal” by Josh Fattal, COL. POL. REV. – A Response to “A Modest Proposal” | KOLEINU

Josh Fattal, COL. POL. REV. – A Response to “A Modest Proposal” | KOLEINU — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 03:16:09 +0000

[...] It is wrong to recognize Hamas “as a political actor with achievable goals” [...]

Comment on Classroots Activism by Jake Hamburger

Jake Hamburger — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:51:30 +0000

Thanks for the catch!