Opinion - The Daily Lobo

Opinion

Letter: Student groups show hypocrisy by threatening Milo with violence

Daily Lobo Readers | January 22

Editor, Leftist student groups at the University of New Mexico claim that Milo Yiannopoulos’ event next Friday will lead to “physical violence and expand bias against” them in a letter to University administration, the Daily Lobo reported. Yiannopoulos, the provocative Breitbart editor, flamboyantly criticizes political correctness, liberal politics and culture at college campuses across the United States for his “Dangerous Faggot Tour.” He also fervently defends free speech and explains how conservatives face censorship from fellow citizens, universities and the media.

Opinion

Letter: Affirmative action does everyone a disservice

Daily Lobo Readers | January 22

Editor, Reading the job description for the UNM presidential opening recently, I noticed a recurring theme in the tone of the University's hiring and appointment practices. Seven bullet points are listed. One item stood out in particular: "Position UNM as a model for how a modern university fulfills its missions of academic excellence, research, student success and access given the changing demographics of the U.S."

Opinion

Letter: "The Audacity of Hate"

Daily Lobo Readers | January 18

With the so-called “democratic” election that catapulted the worst, least qualified, candidate into the White House, America’s ugly face has fully come to its bully head.

Music

Column: Welcome to Daily Lobo Music

Audrin Baghaie | January 18

2016 was very much, in almost every way, a calendar year. Things happened. People reacted. Sometimes things didn’t happen. That was okay too. Personally, my favorite part was the music. In this cold post-Bowie world we live in, it’s becoming more worthwhile to take a step back, lay down in the cool metaphorical lawn of time, and thoroughly listen to some jams that have the potential to really animate the senses. Finding a righteous album can make one’s week, nay, one’s year — dare I suggest a lifetime? Considering that songs we found as children still find ways into our Spotify playlists, that is.

Opinion

Letter: Martin Luther King Jr. was a prophet

Daily Lobo Readers | January 18

Prophet Martin Luther King, Jr. damned the Vietnam War in his most controversial speech on April 4, 1967 – exactly one year before he was assassinated. King damned the U.S. mass murder of Vietnamese people. King said, “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.” The New York Times, the Washington Post, many newspapers nationwide condemned his strong message of truth. Many whites, many blacks, the White House, even most of King’s inner circle of black leaders condemned his strong message of truth. He suffered much hatred, many death threats.

Opinion

Letter: Domestic violence needs to be taken more seriously

Daily Lobo Readers | January 15

Domestic violence is a topic we know that exists, and yet it's something the common person isn’t aware about how often it happens. The disturbing part about this topic is the high percentage it’s shown in our own state. In 2011 alone there was 18,740 cases reported by the law enforcement (“About Domestic Violence"). In these 18,740 cases it was reported that 6,219 children were reported on the scene. Domestic violence is a problem that has a trickle-down effect, placing a burden on more than one person’s life.

Opinion

Letter: UNM falls short in accessibility for blind students

Daily Lobo Readers | January 15

Have you ever pictured yourself walking into a building and not knowing where you are? Well, this is a very common feeling for me at the University of New Mexico. Throughout my entire college experience, I have had to deal with this issue more times than anyone could imagine. I am a blind student who has had to adapt to countless ways this campus is not accessible. Due to my blindness, not only do I have to jump through hoops, but I also have to rely on my sighted peers on a daily basis.

Opinion

Letter: Young people should learn our election system before demanding to change it

Daily Lobo Readers | January 15

After watching the civil division that this past presidential election has caused for the past year and a half, we seem to be reaching a climax in political opposition. After the election of Donald Trump as president-elect, many Americans across the country took to the streets in protest. Many of these protestors are Millennials who are now calling for an entire overhaul of our election process.

Opinion

Column: UNM Football has earned the right to expect more filled seats

Robert Maler | December 15

The New Mexico football program has pulled a 180 since hiring a new head coach five seasons ago. But despite putting a winning product on the field, attendance has inexplicably continued a downward trend. Head coach Bob Davie has the team reaching new heights after he took over a program that appeared to be in shambles, winning just three games in as many seasons before he took the helm. New Mexico (8-4) has a chance to triple that amount this season alone if it is victorious over Texas-San Antonio (6-6) in Saturday’s Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

Opinion

Op-Ed: Should Trump impose tariffs on China and Mexico?

Robert W. McGee | December 11

Should Donald Trump impose a 35 percent tariff on the importation of goods from China and Mexico as he proposes to do once inaugurated? The short answer, for two reasons, is NO. Reason number one has to do with utilitarian ethics. Nearly all studies conducted by unbiased economists have found that trade restrictions are negative-sum games: There are more losers than winners, or the total losses exceed the total gains. For every job saved, two or three jobs are destroyed, depending on the study and the underlying assumptions.

Opinion

Letter: Hosting Yiannopoulos will not foster open discussion

Daily Lobo Readers | December 4

Dear Young Americans for Liberty at UNM, After criticizing your organization for hosting Milo Yiannopoulos, the self-proclaimed leader of the “alt-right,” I was asked by one of your supporters to give him a chance and learn more about him. So I did - and am now more convinced than ever that your group should reconsider.-

Opinion

Letter: U.S. hides assassinations with counter-terrorism excuse

Daily Lobo Readers | November 30

Editor, The clandestine war being waged by the US in Somalia is but yet another example, with all the secret “Special Ops” forces spread out and killing extra-judicially in so many countries, of the secrecy being maintained in consolidating the American Empire with our prima facie excuse of counter-terrorism. This is why it is not surprising that even Hillary Clinton has, in a closed-door, now-hacked speech to Wall Street, promoted the use of covert operations.

Opinion

Letter: UNM is to be thanked for countering hate on campus

Daily Lobo Readers | November 30

Editor, As public health professionals dedicated to the well-being and protection of traditionally oppressed communities which have faced structural and social inequities and marginalization, we want to thank the UNM leadership for taking important initial steps to counter hate speech, hate crimes and bigotry on campus in Albuquerque and satellites statewide. We also support the call for civil discourse among our UNM community of students, staff, faculty, and community partners.

Opinion

Column: History remembers the brave, and will continue to do so

Nichole Harwood | November 29

On Nov. 20 the World Health Organization, otherwise known as “WHO,” released a statement that said “More than 250,000 men, women and children living in eastern Aleppo are now without access to hospital care following attacks on the remaining hospitals over the last week.” Videos on social media and news outlets spread throughout the internet showing men, women and children fleeing for their lives and being treated for severe injuries. Watching the videos and reading the news stories gave me pause for thought on the events that have unfolded this year.

Opinion

What do you think about the Lobo Football program? Leave a comment.

November 28

Lobo football ended its regular season with a 56-35 romp of Wyoming on Saturday, a victory that earned New Mexico a share of the Mountain Division title for the first time since 1997. The Lobos' 11 conference victories over their last two seasons is also a program record. What are your thoughts on the football team's improvement in recent years? Leave your comments below.

Opinion

Column: What happened to "drain the swamp"?

Jon Lofquist | November 27

After shocking the world by winning the U.S. presidential election a little over two weeks ago, President-elect Donald Trump has been filling important cabinet positions. But some of his picks for top positions haven’t exactly received a passing grade, if you will. For the position of chief political strategist, Trump tapped Breitbart CEO and campaign strategist Steve Bannon, a man who is known to lead the alt-right movement, and has been condemned as a racist and as anti-semitic. His appointment doesn’t exactly send a good message to several groups of minorities that he’s offended. Trump campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp,” in reference to Washington’s brokenness, and to separate himself from his businesses, something he has so far failed to do. He’s surrounded himself with campaign loyalists and known Washington insiders such as RNC Chairman Reince Preibus, who he appointed as his chief of staff.

Opinion

Letter: Pedestrians should make sure they're visible at night

Daily Lobo Readers | November 27

I normally bike but I happened to drive across campus the other evening (in the rain). It was only 5:30 p.m. but the cloud cover and time change had made the streets darker. To add to the decrease in vision was the road construction everywhere. Dividers here and there, construction lights blinking and headlights coming and taillights just ahead made me realize how invisible pedestrians are in the darkness.

Opinion

Op-Ed: The end of privacy is on sale, and we're buying

Thomas Knapp | November 27

Like it or not, these days the reason for the season seems to mostly be: Shopping. Even if you weren't among the millions lining up outside brick and mortar establishments on "Black Friday," you've probably got your eyes peeled for holiday deals on the web. The hottest bargains this year come with microphones and the promise that those microphones will put the world at your beck and call. Amazon's Alexa-powered line of devices and Google's new Home appliance augur an increasingly voice-powered world.

News

What do you think about UNM's response since Election Day? Leave a comment

November 23

How do you think UNM has handled hateful imagery and harassment on campus since Nov. 8? We want to hear from you!

Opinion

Letter: Universities should open their doors to more conservatives

Daily Lobo Readers | November 20

The hate and intolerance directed at Trump during Wednesday's "walk out" reminded me of a relatively old (1991) quote from a well-known liberal attorney, author and professor named Alan Dershowicz, who back then was so disturbed by the lack of respect for conservatives in certain liberal circles he’s on record as saying: “Political correctness is the most serious issue on college campuses. We are tolerating, and teaching, intolerance and hypocrisy” (James Warren, “Drawing Laughs,” Chicago Tribune, April 14, 1991, section 5, p. 2). Things didn’t change much from 1991 by 2005. Indeed, the intolerance of the ever-so-trendy “politically correct” mob just seemed to have gotten worse (power may have gone to their heads). That motivated a libertarian syndicated columnist named Nat Hentoff to pen a piece titled "College no place for closed minds" (Chicago Sun-Times, Sept. 15, 2005, p. 45).