The Behrend Beacon I 4
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' The First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution
Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof: or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the
press: or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.
Beacon Thumbs Up
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- Privacy
- Photogenic coworkers
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- The Bluetooth finger
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Inspiration over qualification in 2008?
Bv Rachel Reeves
opinion editor
rcrsos7<s psu.edu
A USA Today poll says that
although more Democrats think
that Senator Hillary Clinton can
get more done than Senator Barak
Obama, and would make a more strong
and decisive leader, 63 percent see
Obama having the best chance of win
ning the primaries.
Most also see Hillary Clinton han
dling environmental issues, terrorism,
the economy and health care better than
Obama would as president. Even though
these are some of the biggest issues in
the year's race, they are clearly not the
deciding factor for most voters.
So what does Obama have that Hillary
does not? According to the polls, he is
more honest and fair, he has a stronger
vision for the country’s future and he
shares our values and understands us.
More people believe that Obama has a
genuine concern for our problems,
would handle government corruption
better than Clinton, and would find bet
ter ways of attaining sustainable energy.
America is in a war and is facing a
recession as well as a healthcare and
social security crisis. So why are voters
turning to a young idealist instead of a
(Obama’s Goat)
¥*
1 can't believe it
No one can get
/ to it yet!
/
Carux>n hy Rachel Reeves
The question about getting help for AIDS
By Chris Brown
copy editor
tmhs3l3@psu.edu
Congress began debate on the re
authorization of the President’s
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEP
FAR) this past week. Under normal cir
cumstances this would be a quick bipar
tisan passage, but it looks headed for
partisan gridlock. The original PEPFAR
bill was a prime example of religion dic
tating government policy and Democrats
are determined to correct its mistakes.
Unable to change these provisions in
2003 and reluctant to filibuster an AIDS
relief bill, the Democrats deferred to the
party in power. Now, Republicans are
unwilling to return the favor.
When the United States distributes
aid. it outsources the actual distribution
of medical supplies and services to non
governmental organizations (NGOs).
The 2003 PEPFAR authorization bill
allowed faith-based organizations to
receive funding for the first time ever,
even if they refused to administer pro
grams because of their beliefs. To their
credit, many faith based organizations
work hard, but faith does not substitute
for substance and science when it comes
to saving lives.
The Bush Administration, concerned
more with a group’s ideology than poli
cy, began funding more than a few sus
pect faith-based organizations. For
instance, Martin Ssempa of Uganda’s
Global Alliance for Prevention receives
You havo two weeks to thinks
9OIXI aTOf OfMK«
e-mail rcrso§7#p*u.edu
OPINION
more experienced leader?
It could be that after eight years with
George W. Bush, America is looking for
the complete opposite. Obama is that
opposite. He has no military back
ground, he does not represent the
establishment and he is the calm reason
to Bush’s bulldog tenacity. Obama is the
teacher, always soft-spoken and com
posed, even stoic. Since so much of the
American population is unhappy with
the Bush administration, wouldn't it
make sense that they would now go for
So why are voters
turning to a young
idealist instead of a
more experienced
something completely different?
Or maybe it is the difference in per
sonality. Hillary Clinton seems to come
off as naturally abrasive - she is always
a little strained, a little louder and
stronger than everyone else in the room.
Her past hints at an ambition that may be
a bit stronger than is wise. Obama decid
edly has more charisma - he is easier to
listen to, and he seems comfortable in
over $40,000 a year in PEPFAR funding
to support his Makerere Community
Church. With the money Ssempa
spreads homophobia, incites violence,
and bums boxes of condoms in public.
Later, organizations tried to align them
selves with the religious thoughts of
President Bush believing they would
receive more aid. Beatrice Were, a noted
figure in Uganda for helping combat
AIDS, described this competition say
ing, “Our programs were affected, and
the US funding actually divided us and
led to us fighting each other, and undo
ing all the progress made.”
The original bill also required a por
tion of funding to go to abstinence only
education. NGOs had their hands tied.
What option does abstinence leave for a
woman whose husband is cheating on
her and is probably infected with HIV if
they can’t get condoms? In Uganda, 56
percent of funding now goes to organi
zations that only promote abstinence.
Today billboards, radio programs, gov
ernment employees and booklets spread
inaccurate information about condoms.
Abstinence should be an integral part of
any prevention regime, but never at the
expense of other successful strategies.
The 2003 bill also required NGOs to
make an anti-prostitution pledge. On
paper, this seems hard to disagree with;
no one wants to see women exploited.
However, in practice it placed relief
organizations in a precarious position.
Many groups refused to sign the pledge,
feeling it would undermine their effec
leader?
every situation. There is nothing threat
ening or uneasy in his manner.
And logic does dictate that, with so
many impending crises, America choos
es the strongest leader with the strongest
game plan. But that is not what the
atmosphere reflects. Instead of dealing
with immediate issues, citizens are
being pulled into a more long-term
vision. We are following inspiration
instead of a step-by-step plan, and even
with so many problems looming in the
future the word “hope” is flying around
more than ever.
So is charisma an empty personality
trait, or is it product of sincere convic
tion? Is a voter’s intuition irrelevant, or
does the subconscious really know more
than we give it credit for? Do passion
and ideals really count for anything in
American politics, or is it always a
facade? Are we really looking long
term, or are we just ignoring the issues at
hand?
At least this much can be said now-
America is willing to take the chance.
We seem to be willing to take a risk in
risky times, and see what will happen.
And it really looks like we will find out
either way. Whether it ends in unexpect
ed surprise or disaster, this election is
going to shake up American politics as
we know it.
tiveness. Studies show the best way to
help these most vulnerable victims,
women coerced into prostitution, is by
gaining their trust. These women have
few skills, can’t convince customers to
use protection, no means to protect
themselves, and no authority to turn to.
Successful programs in Papua New
Guinea. Venezuela, Bangladesh, Brazil
and India have all shut down or been
forced to reduce their coverage since
2003 because of budget shortfalls
caused by a refusal to sign the pledge.
The combination of AIDS and reli
giously driven government policy make
for a lethal combination. Even with
funding dedicated to distributing more
than a billion condoms in Africa,
PEPFAR’s other provisions have created
a massive condom shortage. When a
faith-based clinic refuses to supply con
doms, it refers people to another clinic
that distributes them. Unfortunately,
funding shortages, due to either
increased competition from the faith
based organizations or refusal to sign the
prostitution pledge, have forced many
NGOs to close. Lacking transportation
to a faraway clinic, people who want
condoms must go without them.
When politicians create programs
based more on how they want the world
to be, than the world that actually exists,
we are left with these policies. For a
continent rife with civil, ethnic, and reli
gious strife, the last thing the United
States should do is export is its own
brand of religious fundamentalism.
I think the world needs...
To dress up a little bit more. Maybe looking our best will
brighten our days until spring comes. Girls, those boots that
you love haven’t seen the light of day in ages. And guys, the
simple truth is that everyone looks good in a blazer. Especially
Friday, February 29, 2008
Don’t worry
about the devel
opmental chart
By Rachel Reeves
opinion editor
rcrsos7@psu.edu
Freshman year experience
Sophomore slump. Senioritis
Quarter life crisis.
These are developmental challenges I
either have faced or will face between
the ages of 18 and 26. Probably you too,
if you’re reading this. A record number
of 20-somethings are graduating col
lege and returning home to live. Some
really do only stay for the few months it
takes to find a job, others stay for years
more.
Psychologists all over the country are
completing studies, asking questions
and drafting up charts to explain why
these years are so hard on us. They are
discovering extra high levels of anxiety
and depression in college, alcohol
dependence and unsatisfying relation
ships. So people begin creating lists:
how to adjust to college smoothly, how
to select your major smoothly, how to
graduate and get off to an easy start.
There are charts plotting out every chal
lenge I will have to face in the next
handful of years, so that whenever I hit
a rough patch I can check up on my
development and be reassured that I am
right on track.
1 remember learning about the sopho
more slump in one of my classes. It was
horrifying; I had survived the first
semester and it wasn’t just smooth sail
ing for the next three years? The list
clipped into my binder outlined all of
the intimacy crises I had to look for
ward to, all of the identity issues I
haven’t sorted out yet. I frantically
flipped around until I found the solu
tions page - the bulleted plan to make
these impending disasters a little easier
to manage.
But then, after I left the ;
room and the panic had
subsided, this idea
occurred to me: maybe
But then, after I left the room and the
panic had subsided, this idea occurred
to me: maybe it’s just hard. It could be
that simple. When you come into col
lege, most of us are straight out of high
school. What happens in four years that
can transition someone from a kid in the
backseat to a grownup ready for the 9-5
a white picket fence and taxes?
I can tell you this - it isn’t going to be
smooth. There isn’t a map or a list to
follow to make it easier. You can give
me whatever list you think will help,
but a plan of action doesn’t count. I
have to learn for myself, I have to
change. And no two people grow up the
same way.
This is when we figure out what we
love to do the most. We have to decide
how important money is, we have to
figure out how to vote and how to
remember people’s birthdays on our
own. We have to keep track of when to
wash our sheets and towels ourselves,
we have to learn how to feed ourselves.
We have to deal with being really sick,
but having to take care of ourselves. We
have to figure out how to get along with
the human race on our own.
If putting names to your challenges
and plotting out the trends makes you
feel better, then that’s fine. But don’t
expect to find a way to make growing
up easy. Don’t try to find yourself on
the chart - there is no “YOU ARE
HERE” marker in real life. Life doesn’t
go smoothly, it’s messy and bumpy and
that’s all there is to it. Maybe it’s a little
scary, admitting that it’s just plain hard.
But then maybe it’s a little easier to deal
with, too.
if it’s pinstriped.
it’s just hard.