Opinion

UC Irvine's Anteater Band Lonely During Sporting Events :'-(

The phrase "war on terror" encapsulates the Bush presidency. This phrase, which offered Americans so much hope in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, has defined our foreign and domestic policy for the past eight years. However, until now, I have never actually thought about what a "war on terror" means. Initially I thought it was a worthy endeavor, especially for America.

When it comes to the Grammys, to show support is to pay up. While the Los Angeles city deficit is up to $433 million, the City Council has decided to fork over $124,163 for the Grammy Awards ceremony, bringing the money spent on awards shows to $750,000 over the past two years.

Bennie Dean Herring went to the Coffee County Sheriff's Department to retrieve something from his impounded truck on July 7, 2004. Investigator Mark Anderson asked the county's warrant clerk, Sandy Pope, to check for any outstanding warrants for Herring's arrest. When she found none, Pope checked with her counterpart in neighboring Dale County, Sharon Morgan. Morgan checked Dale County's computer database and relayed to Pope an active arrest warrant for Herring's failure to appear on a felony charge.

The Pentagon recently decided not to award the Purple Heart to military personnel who develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of combat. This has been an issue of significant contention within the military community due to there being a variety of opinions on the issue. One side believes that soldiers deserve recognition for their wounds, be they physical or mental. The other side argues that the venerability of this award would be eroded by the influx of recipients who do not necessarily suffer as a direct result of the actions of the enemy.

George W. Bush's last week in office has just about ended the Reagan era. That's not to say Reaganism is outdated – it is not and never can be – but it is to say that the Republican Party is in absolute shambles, thanks in large part to a leader who did everything but lead. It's sad to say, but Bush has really become our Carter.

It's tax season, so it's once again time to try and cook the books enough to get a little extra beer money from that return. Some of the most important tools that students have in their tax arsenal are the various educational deductions and tax credits, capable of wiping out most of the tax liabilities that we impoverished academicians carry around.

A report released on Jan. 14 by the multi-organizational Internet Safety Technical Task Force, whose formation was spearheaded by MySpace Inc., shows a surprisingly benevolent picture of the online security and privacy threats faced by children. However, the report's conclusion that "bullying among children, both online and offline, poses a far more serious threat" than the sexual solicitation of children online is drawing some sharp criticism from people throughout the country.

Ann Coulter; Russian gas; Czechs.

Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III is full of win; California Legislature full of fail; English bulldogs to get makeover?; Spike.com impales self; American voters finally not full of fail.

When I went to the used car lot with my parents, gas was shooting well beyond $3 per gallon. To fill up a tank cost the equivalent of going to the movies seven times. I told my parents I wanted something with good handling and low gas mileage; they bought me an SUV.

ABC News recently reported that the United States ranks 15th out of 29 developed countries in terms of college degrees earned. While such reports may be telling when it comes to the educational opportunities offered in certain parts of the world, they hardly take into account the greater picture.