Faculty, Staff Attack Steele Over Rove Tie

Two members of the faculty and staff at the University of Maryland have attacked Lt. Gov. Michael Steele for participating in a fundraising event with Republican strategist and Bush advisor Karl Rove on Wednesday.

Government and politics Professor Ron Walters told The [Baltimore] Sun Wednesday that it was a bad idea for Steele to align himself with Rove, who has come under fire from Democrats for his involvement in the "leak" of a CIA operative's identity.

"I don't think he wins anything by being so public with Karl Rove," Walters told The Sun. "And I think it's very likely he could lose some votes from people who could potentially support him."

Staff member Greg Johnson, on his blog "The Staff Disturber," was more outgoing. "Steele thinks Maryland's moderate voters won't notice he takes hard-right money from a traitor," he wrote.

Johnson called Rove a traitor at least twice in his posting, and found him guilty of "revealing the identity of an undercover CIA agent." Apparently Johnson knows something the special prosecutor doesn't know about Rove's involvement, because he hasn't brought any charges against him.

According to Johnson's post, the Lt. Gov. raised abot $75,000 at the event, which means that those "75 fatcats enjoying cocktails and hors d'ouvres in air-conditioned splendor" will receive more attention from Steele than the "35 working people sweating outside in 95-degree heat."

Yes, they probably will, because in this situation, they're the majority. Also, the 35 people ouside sweating are there because they hate Steele (Johnson refers to him as "Little Gov. Steele), so why would he be interested in helping them?

I wonder what makes Johnson think he knows Maryland's moderate voters. He's clearly not one of them, and Rove has demonstrated time and again that he knows how to reach out to moderates and how to show them his candidate is the right one to vote for.

I'm going to have to disagree with Professor Walters. I doubt this fundraiser will hurt Steele very much. He could hold a fundraiser with James Carville and people like Greg Johnson would still protest outside the event.

From the CDNC

I had the pleasure of attending parts of the College Democrats National Convention in the nation's capital this week. I'm serious that it was a pleasure ... it was an interesting experience to say the least.

You've got to give credit to the young Democrats for getting some big names to show up at their relatively small convention. Sen. Hillary Clinton, New York Democrat, DNC chairman Howard Dean and, via video message, Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat.

But I observed an interesting contrast. While Dean was making his second speech of the day (this one closed to the press and most conference attendees), surrounded by bodyguards and handlers, former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe was standing around the lobby with one student.

The poor man looked confused and a little annoyed by the lack of attention he was getting. And I felt kind of bad for him.

I wondered if the College Republicans treat Ed Gillespie the same way. I doubt it, because Gillespie did a good job while chairman of the RNC ... McAuliffe not so much.

For more on what Clinton and Dean say, read the Washington Times article.

Seriously, There's Nothing Wrong With This ...

Sometimes the job of DiamondWatch is difficult. Often, the bias brought to us by the campus daily is more than skin deep. It's usually not immediately noticeable, which is of course more dangerous than today's revelation.

It has recently been made public by The Diamondback that its summer Deputy News Editor and Deputy Opinion Editor are the same person: senior journalism major Matt Santoni.

Nothing against Mr. Santoni -- several people close to The Terrapin Times and DiamondWatch know Mr. Santoni at least on an academic level and can certainly vouch for his ability. While he used to claim he was "very liberal," Mr. Santoni's politics are not the issue (yet.)

The issue, of course, is whether or not it's ethical to have the deputy news editor and the deputy opinion editor be the same person. There are inherent conflict-of-interest possibilities between the two departments without having powerful figures straddling the fence.

Let's only hope the crossover doesn't continue into the semester, when it matters.

Leftist Students Converging on DC

Approximately 500 liberal student activists will group in Washington, DC tomorrow (13 June, 2005) as part of the Campus Progress National Student Conference. Among the speakers is former President Bill Clinton.

Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress, is trying to establish itself as the liberal alternative to conservative organizations like the Collegiate Network, Young America's Foundation and the Leadership Institute, which work to further the conservative message on college campuses.

The Terrapin Times is a beneficiary of the Collegiate Network, which provides grants to conservative student publications.

Students at the CPNSC will learn about media management, college journalism, advocacy journalism, and various other liberal ideas at the one-day conference.

Campus Progress currently provides grants to 14 "progressive" student publications. No word yet on when, if ever, it will sponsor a liberal publication at the University of Maryland. The framework exists in the form of the short-lived Entropy publication, which still operates sporadically online. Students involved in Entropy have been made aware of the opportunities offered by Campus Progress, but to our knowledge have made no efforts to revitalize the publication.

The Hippies Are Coming

Original Post: 11 July, 2005

Edited on 12 July, 2005 to include explanation of patchouli oil.

Former University of Maryland students will gather at Lupo's Italian Chophouse on Saturday, August 6 to talk about how great they were at being political activists, and perhaps will impart some wisdom on today's socialist warriors.

Activists from the 1960s and 70s have established a Web site, www.route-one.org, to reminisce about the good 'ol days, complain about Richard Nixon and organize their summer gathering.

High points of their time at the university: a 1970 sit-in to protest the refusal of tenure to two "popular" professors. More than 80 students were arrested. They remember protesting the invasion of Cambodia by "invading" ROTC offices, blocking Route 1 and holding protests on the Mall that required National Guard intervention.

Expected at the party: revisionist history, slams on Richard Nixon and the usual soundbite complaints of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. "If we were students now, we wouldn't be in Iraq and George Bush wouldn't be the president. Kids these days ... geez."

Hopefully they won't be too upset by the capitalist invasion of their beloved Route 1, as they'll be dining in the midst of four sandwich franchises, two McDonald's owned restaurants (Chipotle and Boston Market), and of course, only a few miles from Comcast Center.

Best quote on the web site: from the poster "beatnic" comes, "I've been trying to remember how it smelled back then. The strongest smell was petchouli [sic] oil, that is if you forget the tear gas! Did anyone use deoderant in those days? IIRC I showered at least a couple of times a week, more when I could." Hippies need to stop complaining about how conservatives mock them for being dirty, especially when the openly admit they smelled bad and only showered a couple of times a week.

Patchouli Oil is an Indian (as in the country, not the Native Americans) herbal oil that is used as a skin care product, an aphrodisiac, a "peace of mind" agent, and a mask for rather unpleasant odors, such as hippie body odor.

According to www.health-marketplace.com, patchouli oil is "The scent of the 60's ... However, many people who base their perception of Patchouli on memories of the 60's have never smelled high quality oil. Distinctly herbaceous and musky in aroma, a good Patchouli Oil has a satisfying earthy quality, that is great to"ground"a person. It is a very rich and long-lasting oil."

UMD To Begin Anti-Smoking Campaign

The Diamondback is reporting that the university has received a $13,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to fund a smoking cessation campaign beginning in the fall.

The campaign establishes several objectives -- ranging from handing out anti-smoking coasters at College Park bars to relocating "smoking areas" further away from doors and windows -- under the umbrella of the Terp Tobacco Advisory Committee.

According to The Diamondback's report, the efforts are aimed primarily at "social smokers," or people who don't consider themselves smokers but use tobacco when they're out drinking.

While it is far from the university's role to be students' parents, it's a nice effort to encourage students to be healthier. But if the university wants to play the parent role, it should go the whole nine yards and create campaigns against drinking, sex and too much Chipotle, all of which, of course, are bad for your health.

Perhaps before engaging in an extensive and expensive campaign to curb smoking, the Health Center should pay attention to the programs it already has in effect. Research conducted by The Terrapin Times for a separate story found that Health Center employees aren't exactly helpful when it comes to students who want to quit smoking.

Health Center employees are required to ask students who come into the center if they smoke and if they would like to quit. The Terrapin Times's reporter, a smoker, said she wanted to quit but was not provided with cessation materials as promised by the Health Center.

Perhaps instead of spending $13,000 to buy coasters for Santa Fe and Cornerstone, the Health Center should spend the money onmaterials that will actually help students who want to stop smoking accomplish that goal. Or better yet, perhaps they shouldn't have the money at all.

Look for more coverage on this issue during the Fall 2005 semester.