A Newsletter for the Neighbors of the University of California, Berkeley |
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A whole lot to say, and just the place to say it
“[The idea of welfare reform was that] once the country stopped unloading on freeloaders, once you got rid of that ugliness and anger from politics, and stopped yelling at people to get off welfare, you could start a much more positive, healthy, progressive conversation about how to help low-income workers. The first part of Clinton’s idea came true: it’s removed the anger from the conversation about poverty, but it’s also removed the conversation about poverty.” New York Times social policy reporter Jason DeParle, at an Oct. 18 presentation on welfare reform “We think we can make ourselves safer by making ourselves less free. I’ll tell you something: When you make yourselves less free, all that happens afterwards is that you’re less free. You are not safer.” Liberal pundit Molly Ivins, receiving the eighth annual Mario Savio Award in October Personally, I think the Patriot Act, if you put aside the rhetoric over it and its terrible name, is at base a bunch of reasonable, moderate, evolutionary changes in law enforcement powers that build on powers that the government already had.” Boalt Hall law professor John Yoo, speaking of the act he helped write as a counsel in the Department of Justice from 2001-03 “How could eight or nine neoconservatives come and take charge of this government? They overran the bureaucracy, they overran the Congress, they overran the press, and they overran the military! So you say to yourself, how fragile is this democracy?” Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, speaking at Zellerbach Hall “[As president of the University of Toronto], I found myself most often in the peculiar position of being the senior administrator defending free speech, and those who are defending political correctness opposing it. I think we have to be vigilant in our modern times, from both the left and the right. We have to be willing to allow people to hold opinions that are highly controversial.” Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, speaking in Sproul Plaza during the 40th-anniversary observance of the Free Speech Movement in October “It’s a fallacy that [students] are no longer interested. It’s a fallacy that we are no longer passionate. It’s a fallacy that we are no longer active.” Misha Leybovich, president of the Associated Students of the University of California, at the FSM anniversary rally “It’s a fantastic thing that a large part of the world’s population gets to participate in a capitalistic society. It’s not a zero-sum game. It’s not like war, where there’s one winner and one loser.” Microsoft czar Bill Gates, speaking to UC Berkeley engineering students “People asked me, ‘Why would you come to Cal with all the issues — you can’t win there.’ I never looked at it as that. I always had the greatest respect for the University of California — I felt it was a good place, plenty of talent, a great place to live, great academics. I mean, why couldn’t you be successful here?” Football coach Jeff Tedford, whose Golden Bears may be bound for a bowl berth “Over the years, my involvement with student athletes at Berkeley taught me that these elite athletes are able to transfer the dedication, perseverance, and focus necessary for athletic success to academics and become successful students.” Herb Simons, professor of education, who runs a UC Berkeley academic program on Athletes and Academic Achievement “One at a time is just fine.” Cal swimmer Natalie Coughlin, responding to a request from a reporter that she wear all five of her 2004 Olympic medals (including two golds) for a photograph “I’m interested to find out what rhymes with ‘umph.’” Cal’s Director of Bands Robert Calonico, on the challenge of writing lyrics to go with a newly composed fight song, “California Triumph” |
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