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The government's not-so-insensible "conscience clause"

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011

This week, Notre Dame president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., publicly commented on the Obama administration's proposed health regulations governing women's preventive services. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius — "the daughter of a distinguished Notre Dame alumnus and faculty member," as Jenkins noted to strengthen his case — Jenkins referred to President Obama's 2009 commencement address at Notre Dame. While speaking about abortion rights at that time, the president spoke of his agreement with Jenkins for "a sensible conscience clause" exempting religious institutions that oppose abortion procedures from such mandates. Unfortunately, Jenkins now muddies the issue with an attempt to equate contraception with abortion.

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My "year off"

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011

In preparation for last night's Postgraduate Service Fair, the Center for Social Concerns interviewed Joe Kolar, current AR in Duncan and former Lasallian volunteer. Among other things, Joe was asked why he took a year off. This is what he said:

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In the sight of the angels

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011

Do you believe in angels? Do you think they really exist or do they only live in movie characters like Clarence, the big-hearted angel-in-training from "It's a Wonderful Life"? Or are they just handy for solving philosophical puzzles — say, about the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin?

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The football coaching internship continues

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011

Brian Kelly drew the wrong lesson from last year. When Dayne Crist was quarterback, Kelly called plays like a river boat gambler. After losing Crist to a season ending knee injury, freshman Tommy Rees was thrust into the starting role and Kelly started calling conservative games designed to just win, rather than to win with style. The team rallied around its rookie quarterback, thrived in a more sensibly called offense and reeled off four wins.

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Our kind of diversity

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011

Wow. My first Inside Column ever. And — you'll agree with me after you read this — probably my last.

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How Catholic is Notre Dame?

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011

This is a question that is asked somewhat frequently around here. And since many of those asking the question say that the answer is "not too Catholic" or that Notre Dame has lost its soul, I feel compelled to write a few words to the contrary. Notre Dame is a very Catholic place.

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Alcohol and personal responsibility

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011

According to the Sept. 15 issue of The Scholastic, there were two reported sexual assaults on campus in 2009. That is two assaults too many. In a press release regarding changes to the University's sexual assault policy, Vice President for Student Affairs Fr. Tom Doyle said, "Sexual misconduct can have no place at Notre Dame, and we are committed to continuing to protect the safety and human dignity of every student." To ensure that sexual assault really doesn't have a place at Notre Dame, the University and the student body need to make an enormous change in attitude regarding alcohol. The changes to Notre Dame's sexual assault policy, although excellent, address the symptoms and not the causes of sexual assault. According to Officer Keri Kei Shibata of NDSP, "nearly all reported sexual assaults on campus involve alcohol. The percentage is near 100 percent when the assault is committed by someone who is known to the victim (a friend, acquaintance, friend of a friend, classmate, person met at a party or bar, etc.). The vast majority of sexual assaults reported on our campus (just like all other campuses) are perpetrated by acquaintances or people known to the victim."

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The life of a true fan

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011

As of this writing, the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays are tied atop the American League Wild Card standings and, with two games to play, the outlook is bleak for a Red Sox fan. At the beginning of September, the Sox held a seemingly insurmountable eight-game lead. Calling to mind the collapse of the 2007 New York Mets, Boston has gone 6-19 in the final month of the season. At this point, only the most ardent Boston optimist would hope that the team can outplay Tampa in the season's final two games.

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Irony in the paper

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011

In flipping through yesterday's paper, I happened to discover that the question poll of the day was rather selective. The question, "What is your favorite Pokemon and why?" was asked mostly to people of a certain ethnicity: Asian. As a multiracial individual, I find it somewhat amusing, but I feel that some folks do not. So keep that in mind next time, Observer staff — especially if you're going to run a viewpoint titled Asiatic Gaze in the same paper.

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Prank or vandalism?

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011

It is undoubtedly good fun to hide a friend's iPhone and enjoy the next few minutes watching him frantically overturn his couch cushions and empty his backpack looking for it. It would not be so amusing, however, if you took that same friend's iPhone and threw it against the wall, smashing it and rendering it useless.

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A walk in their shoes

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011

One week ago today the U.S. government killed a man named Troy Davis. Now in the scheme of things, the U.S. was likely involved in the deaths of many other people that same day and thousands of other unnamed individuals died by hunger or disease within the same 24 hours.

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Hey Leonardo: A love affair

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 26, 2011

Leonardo DiCaprio is haunting me. And by haunting, I mean gracing me with his presence on an almost daily basis through some of my favorite forms of media.

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Syria and Libya won't be the same

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 26, 2011

The case of Syria initially seems to have many parallels with Libya — an autocratic regime, in power for decades, teetering on the brink. As in Libya, the Assad regime is known for brutality, as it has demonstrated in recent crackdowns against the Syrian people. Assad's approach mirrors that taken by Colonel Qaddafi, who preferred violent repression to any sort of reform. In addition, the Syrian regime is heavily dependent on oil revenues, which will be cut off in December when a regime of international sanctions goes into effect. This was also the case in Libya, where the lack of oil revenues ultimately undermined Qaddafi's ability to finance his repression.

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Notre Dame bucket list

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 26, 2011

As you know, time at Notre Dame passes with unwelcome speed. After four years it feels like it's time to move on, but you've grown so much you don't want to let go. Now that I'm an old man of 23, I recall my most lasting memories, but don't include common items like exploring the bell tower or the tunnels, or climbing into potentially off-limits spaces (all of which I did).

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Racism: what can we do about it?

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011

I'm going to call myself a racist, in a loose sense. I'm confessing that I think, say and act upon my ethnic prejudices, which directly hurts myself and others, and indirectly reinforces the continuation of such unjust, social inequalities.

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Where to study ... or procrastinate

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011

I'm a procrastinator — and a night owl. So naturally, I'm awake at 4:30 a.m. the night before most tests, smashing books against my head, hoping for some sort of informational osmosis to occur.

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Tradition and you

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011

It's my senior year as a Domer and I've been extremely fortunate to submerge myself in as many Notre Dame things as I can. And from my experiences, I can certainly tell you that I've learned a lot.

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Flat over fair

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011

I hate taking issue with my fellow conservatives. With so much damage being caused by our liberal counterparts, it is dumb to spend time bickering amongst ourselves about details. However, it is important we put up a united front when it comes to solving our nation's problems.

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Do good

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011

When you're finished reading this editorial, take a walk.

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