politics

By Stephanie Jackson

Stephanie Jackson, Stand Up's own editor in chief, wrote this as a follow up to Harper Bridgers' "NORML Behavior" from issue 4. For this article, Stephanie spoke with NORML members involved in the battle with the University Judiciary over an image on the organization's t-shirts as well as with a local law enforcement officer.

By Devin Smith

During a walk home from a family picnic in Afghanistan, a young boy spots what he thinks is a can of food. He decides to pick it up to carry home for his family. Immediately, it explodes. The “bombie” mutilates the boy and instantly kills his cousin. Other members of the boy’s family carry him to a hospital where both of his legs must be amputated. His wounds are so bad that doctors consider euthanizing the child. The child’s name is Soraj Ghulam Habib, and now, seven years after the accident, he works with the Cluster Munition Coalition convincing governments to ban the weapons that forever crippled him - cluster bombs.

An Open Letter to Michelle Obama

By Kallie Mathis

America has a new first lady, and so far, Michelle Obama seems to be rewriting the role of the president’s spouse. In November, Americans witnessed one of this nation’s most historic moments, the election of the first African-American president, Barack Obama. In the ominous shadows of economic devastation and national feelings of uncertainty, then-candidate Obama sailed to victory on his platform of change, and change and hope are what this country is desperate for right now. Homes are being foreclosed, plans for higher education are being postponed, and pink slips are being doled out by the thousands. The trust we bestow on our leaders has been severely shaken over these last eight years, and we need the new administration to help us find that trust again.

By Denechia Powell

Every woman dreads the clear menace. It kills dreams and crushes hopes. It is the infamous glass ceiling, a term first introduced to popular culture in a 1986 Wall Street Journal article. Today, almost any media consumer knows the glass ceiling refers to an invisible barrier that hinders women from advancement in traditionally patriarchal fields. It became a buzzword in this year’s historical presidential race, with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s pant suits and Gov. Sarah Palin’s alleged $150,000 wardrobe gracing our television screens on a daily basis. Athens-Clarke County’s female politicians watched closely as Clinton contended she left “18 million cracks” in the “highest, hardest glass ceiling in America” during her concession speech and Palin claimed she would shatter that same glass ceiling “once and for all” at a stump speech in Dayton, Ohio.

By Emily Yeager

I am a proud Democrat, but I have a dirty little secret: I love our political slurs. (They crack me up: tree-huggers, bleeding-hearts, hippies. Let’s review. They’re saying we want to conserve the resources we need, help others, and voice our opinions.) That’s right – quite the band of nefarious hooligans are we. Still, as much as I love a good ignorant bumper sticker, the political atmosphere is too polluted with sweeping generalizations and blind epithets that serve only to choke off any inclination toward bipartisanship. Even the word “liberal” itself has been cast off; “progressive” is the term now. We can keep re-labeling ourselves, or we can work harder to demonstrate what’s good about what we believe. I admire our new president for many reasons, not the least of which is that I believe he is restoring the good name of the political Left. His views on religious pluralism, education and volunteerism demand respect, if not universal approval.

The untold story of how the anti-war movement took on the country’s most powerful foreign policy lobby -- and won.

By Zaid Jilani

On an otherwise unremarkable day last May, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met a 13-member U.S. Congressional delegation led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in Tel Aviv for talks concerning U.S. and Israeli policy toward Iran. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported a few days later that Olmert suggested to Pelosi that the U.S. should “impose [a] naval blockade on Iran.”

By Lilly Workneh

“UGA, shame on you!” preached Linda Lloyd, director of the Economic Justice Coalition, who, along with former UGA professor Dr. Ray McNair and a handful of students, began the Living Wage Coalition in 2003.

This year’s Living Wage Rally on February 12 attracted approximately 150 supporters as the crowd chanted, “What’s outrageous? Georgia’s wages!” Meanwhile, members of the Economic Justice Coalition stood on stage at the Tate Center and voiced their opinion on Athens’ current poverty ratings.

By Joshua Cash

In 2000, a still controversial election, the U.S. Supreme Court inaugurated George W. Bush as president over Democratic hopeful Al Gore. Many Democrats blame Ralph Nader as a factor in “spoiling” Gore’s chances. Others, such as Democratic Leadership Council CEO Al From, dispute this assertion, citing evidence from exit pollers that had Nader not engaged in the election, more people would have voted for Bush. Regardless, as more candidates run for office, the number of votes received by any one person splits further. Third party and independent alternatives struggle to gain a stronger electorate each election year against not only the major parties but also each other. The strength for each third party wanes as issues and organization divide supporters into smaller groups. Fractionalization is a major problem facing the third parties, which they must overcome in order to reach major political success.

By Zaid Jilani

In every sector of the economy, we seem to be in crisis. The Associated Press (AP) notes that “from Seattle to Athens, Ga., homeless advocacy groups and city agencies are reporting the most visible rise in homeless encampments in a generation.” The federal government is coughing up hundreds of billions of dollars to save failing banks, and the real wages of most people are falling as the prices of basic commodities skyrocket. Even the usually calm AP responds to the situation with a panicked headline: “Everything Seemingly Is Spinning out of Control.”

Many Georgians are asking themselves why things are spinning out of control, and maybe more importantly, what can we do to alleviate the situation? To answer that question, we must look to a tale of two capitols: Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia.

Why the U.S. should back off of Iran.