Page
      6
     
    
   
   
    
     
      December
      2008
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OPINION
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THIS
      TOWN
      AIN’T
      BIG
      ENOUGH
      FOR
      THE
      BOTH
      OF
      US
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Please,
      hold
      us
      accountable
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Panther
      Post
      production
      editor
      welcomes
      feedback
      about
      our
      student
      paper
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Sebastian
      Baglole
     
     
      Panther
      Post
     
    
   
   
    
     
      HIS
      IS
      AN
      OPEN
     
    

    
     
      letter
      to
      the
      student
      body
     
    

    
     
      about
      our
      open
      book.
     
     
      Tell
      us
      if
      it’s
      wrong.
      It
      would
     
     
      be
      fantastic
      if
      we
      could
      sway
     
     
      past
      the
      dismal
      failure
      of
      last
     
     
      year’s
      output
      and
      focus
      on
     
     
      now.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Panther
      Post,
      as
      I
      un-
     
     
      derstand
      it,
      is
      a
      “new”
      news-
     
     
      paper.
      It’s
      brimming
      with
     
     
      fresh
      thoughts
      and
      ideas,
     
     
      and
      new
      events
      around
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      are
      happening
      all
      the
     
     
      time.
      Do
      we
      have
      regular
     
     
      Wave
      attendees
      in
      the
      audi-
     
     
      ence?
      Many
      student
      papers
     
     
      have
      routine
      run-downs
      of
     
     
      some
      bizarre
      occurrences
      at
     
     
      the
      campus
      bar
      from
      nights
     
     
      before.
      It
      turns
      out
      to
      be
      a
     
     
      fun
      read,
      and
      maybe
      give
     
     
      us
      more
      information
      on
      the
     
     
      treatment
      of
      students
      at
      the
     
     
      school
      after
      hours,
      so
      if
      there
     
     
      is
      a
      throw-down,
      we
      would
     
     
      love
      to
      hear
      about
      it.
     
    

    
     
      One
      of
      the
      problems
      we’
      ve
     
     
      encountered
      is
      the
      possibil-
     
     
      ity
      that
      the
      staff,
      small
      as
      it
     
     
      is,
      is
      receiving
      less
      funding
     
     
      to
      publish
      and
      pay
      its
      report-
     
     
      ers.
      The
      scanty
      and
      very
      re-
     
     
      vealing
      cheques
      given
      to
      the
     
     
      contributing
      reporters
      is
      not
     
     
      much
      incentive
      to
      contribute
     
     
      more
      than
      perhaps
      several
     
     
      articles,
      and
      yet
      as
      the
      voice
     
     
      of
      the
      students
      we
      should
     
     
      have
      aS
      many
      voices
      con-
     
     
      tributing
      to
      that
      as
      possible.
     
     
      This
      is
      “crunch
      time”,
      and
     
     
      especially
      around
      exam
      pe-
     
     
      riods
      it’s
      difficult
      to
      encour-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      age
      people
      to
      snap
      newsfeed
     
     
      back
      and
      forth
      when
      they
     
     
      have
      haystacks
      of
      papers
      to
     
     
      write
      and
      mounds
      of
      books
     
     
      to
      shuffle
      through
      to
      prepare
     
     
      for
      finals.
      ;
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      not
      a
      cry
      for
      a
      wage
     
     
      hike,
      but
      a
      plea
      to
      the
      Stu-
     
     
      dent
      Union
      as
      well
      as
      the
     
     
      students,
      to
      feel
      proud
      about
     
     
      our
      publication,
      because
      it
     
     
      is
      impossible
      to
      be
      singu-
     
     
      larly
      proud
      of
      a
      community-
     
     
      driven
      newspaper.
      We
      also
     
     
      need
      some
      support
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘people
      that
      put
      in
      the
      time
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      thought
      to
      do
      their
      work
     
     
      adequately,
      just
      as
      part-time
     
     
      faculty.
      members
      may
      feel
     
     
      as
      if
      they’re
      getting
      the
      run-
     
     
      around
      sometimes
      when
      it
     
     
      comes
      to
      fair
      and
      equal
      wag-
     
     
      es,
      and
      I’ve
      seen
      it
      happen:
     
     
      everyone
      needs
      a
      sufficient
     
     
      level
      of
      funding,
      to
      be
      as
     
     
      colourful,
      efficient,
      and
      pas-
     
     
      sionate
      about
      this
      paper
      as
     
     
      possible.
     
    

    
     
      Some
      have
      inquired
      about
     
     
      the
      nature
      of
      the
      alternative
     
     
      campus
      rag,
      The
      Semantic.
     
     
      Not
      quite
      a
      rivalry
      as
      some
     
     
      might
      feel
      --
      the
      contributors
     
     
      of
      each
      aren’t
      really
      butting
     
     
      heads
      with
      each
      other.
      But,
     
     
      a
      different
      voice
      is
      encour-
     
     
      aged;
      that
      was
      truly
      the
      spirit
     
     
      of
      the
      Cadre,
      to
      express
     
     
      ourselves
      and
      _
      hopefully
     
     
      yourselves
      as
      well,
      indepen-
     
     
      dently
      from
      campus
      sports,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _as
      well
      as
      the
      student
      union:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      fuel
      the
      notion
      of
      objec-
     
     
      tivity.
      Another
      publication
     
     
      serving
      as
      the
      opposition
      is
     
     
      very
      healthy
      for
      a
      university
     
     
      to
      have,
      to
      voice
      separate
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      views
      and
      opinions
      on
      dif-
     
     
      ferent
      matters,
      and
      focus
      on
     
     
      the
      standards
      of
      the
      papers
      if
     
     
      one
      begins
      to
      slip.
     
    

    
     
      A
      newspaper
      is
      founded
     
     
      upon
      a
      strong
      and
      co-or-
     
     
      dinated
      staff.
      This
      year,
      as
     
     
      you
      may
      have
      noticed
      filing
     
     
      through
      this
      year’s
      copies
     
     
      of
      The
      Cadre
      —
      or
      the
      Pan-
     
     
      ther
      Post,
      as
      the
      case
      may
     
     
      be
      —
      that
      more
      of
      the
      articles
     
     
      concern
      real
      news
      stories.
     
     
      Rather
      than
      the
      increasing
     
     
      amount
      of
      “fluff’
      content
     
     
      we’ve
      seen
      fill
      these
      pages
     
     
      in
      recent
      years,
      this
      year’s
     
     
      staff
      is
      set
      on
      delivering
      to
     
     
      students
      not
      only
      news,
      in-
     
     
      cluding
      campus-wide,
      local,
     
     
      national
      and_
      international
     
     
      news,
      but
      articles
      that
      focus
     
     
      their
      perspectives
      on
      target-
     
     
      ing
      the
      student
      interests
      as
     
     
      well.
     
    

    
     
      Although,
      this
      paper
      is
      not
     
     
      only
      the
      students’
      concern;
     
     
      this
      university
      is
      made
      of
     
     
      many
      capable
      professors,
     
     
      and
      this
      is
      their
      paper
      too.
      So
     
     
      if
      you,
      the
      students
      and
      pro-
     
     
      fessors
      of
      this
      school,
      have
      a
     
     
      problem
      with
      the
      issues
      we
     
     
      put
      out
      to
      you,
      then,
      tell
      us!
     
     
      Silence
      isn’t
      a
      keen
      indicator
     
     
      of
      the
      voice
      of
      the
      university
     
     
      body.
     
    

    
     
      I’ll
      concede
      that
      we
      could
     
     
      use
      maybe
      a
      comic,
      a
      cross-
     
     
      word
      or
      Sudoku
      (come
      on,
     
     
      who
      doesn’t
      like
      the
      Sudo-
     
     
      ku?)
      to
      pass
      the
      time
      before
     
     
      class
      with.
     
    

    
     
      Fill
      the
      letter
      to
      the
      editor
     
     
      space,
      because
      in
      my
      opin-
     
     
      ion
      we
      haven’t
      been
      getting
     
     
      nearly
      enough.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Voting
      is
      losing
     
     
      its
      power
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Peter
      Gardner
     
     
      Nexus
      (Camosun
      College)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      VICTORIA
      (CUP)
      —
      While
     
     
      walking
      through
      my
      neigh-
     
     
      borhood
      recently,
      a
      member
     
     
      of
      the
      Green
      Party
      tried
      to
     
     
      stop
      and
      talk
      to
      me
      about
     
     
      what
      his
      plans
      were
      in
      the
     
     
      recent
      federal
      election.
     
    

    
     
      I
      kept
      walking
      and
      said:
     
     
      “Sorry,
      I
      don’t
      vote
      in
      this
     
     
      riding.”
      He
      obviously
      only
     
     
      heard
      the
      first
      half
      of
      that
     
     
      sentence,
      and
      replied:
      “Well,
     
     
      if
      you
      don’t
      vote,
      you
      can’t
     
    
   
   
    
     
      bitch,
      man!”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ever
      since
      I
      was
      young
     
     
      I’ve
      been
      interested
      in
     
     
      politics.
      In
      Grade
      3,
      for
      a_
     
     
      show-and-tell
      presentation,
      I
     
     
      took
      in
      the
      previous
      night’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      federal
      election.
      And
      when
      I~
     
    
   
   
    
     
      could
      vote
      for
      the
      first
      time
     
     
      in
      this
      year’s
      federal
      elec-
     
     
      tion,
      I
      was
      actually
      excited.
     
     
      But
      the
      more
      I
      talked
      to
     
     
      people
      about
      who
      they
      were
     
     
      voting
      for,
      the
      more
      appar-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ent
      it
      was
      that
      fewer
      people
     
    
   
   
    
     
      were
      actually
      voting
      to
      sup-
     
     
      port
      someone.
     
    

    
     
      Instead,
      a
      lot
      of
      people
     
     
      were
      voting
      against
      some-
     
     
      one,
      in
      this
      case,
      the
      Con-
     
     
      servatives.
      There
      were
      even
     
     
      websites
      set
      up
      to
      inform
     
     
      people
      how
      to
      strategically
     
     
      vote
      against
      Prime
      Minister
     
     
      Stephen
      Harper.
     
    

    
     
      Strategic
      voting
      is
      a
      scary
     
     
      trend;
      it’s
      getting
      to
      be
     
     
      almost
      as
      common
      as
      voting
     
     
      for
      the
      party
      you
      want
      in
     
     
      power.
      And
      look
      where
      stra-
     
     
      tegic
      voting
      has
      gotten
      us.
     
    

    
     
      Harper,
      a
      prime
      minister
     
     
      less
      than
      half
      the
      country
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      supports,
      is
      in
      power
      be-
     
     
      cause
      people
      were
      sick
      of
     
     
      the
      Liberals.
      oe
     
    

    
     
      And
      it’s
      even
      more
      obvious
      -
     
     
      in
      B.C.,
      where
      the
      Liberals
     
     
      are
      in
      power
      largely
      because
     
     
      of
      anti-NDP
      sentiment.
      It’s
     
     
      nearly
      impossible
      to
      find
      _
     
     
      anyone
      who
      likes
      what
      B.C.
     
     
      Premiere
      Gordon
      Campbell
     
     
      and
      his
      Liberals
      have
      done.
     
    

    
     
      By
      voting
      against
      some-
     
     
      one,
      you
      just
      end
      up
      with
     
     
      another
      person
      who
      you
      dis-
     
     
      like,
      perhaps
      even
      more.
     
    

    
     
      I’m
      also
      finding
      it
      increas-
     
     
      ingly
      difficult
      to
      decide
     
     
      what
      to
      do
      for
      the
      provincial
     
     
      election
      in
      the
      New
      Year.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      I’m
      not
      happy
      with
      any
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      the
      candidates;
      the
      sad
     
     
      reality
      is
      they
      are
      just
      too
     
     
      similar.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Liberals
      have
      had
      an
     
     
      awful
      track
      record
      lately,
     
     
      and
      if
      you
      look
      back
      a
      few
     
     
      years,
      the
      NDP
      does
      as
      well.
     
    

    
     
      For
      the
      first
      time
      in
      my
     
     
      life,
      I’m
      really
      disappointed
     
     
      with
      the
      system.
      Not
      voting
     
     
      is
      becoming
      rather
      appeal-
     
     
      ing.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      not
      because
      I
      don’t
     
     
      care,
      and
      not
      because
      I’m
     
     
      lazy.
      It’s
      because
      I’m
      angry
     
     
      and
      I’m
      tired
      of
      the
      same
     
    
   
   
    
     
      thing
      all
      the
      time.
      I’d
      rather
     
    
   
   
    
     
      vote
      for
      no
      one
      than
      vote
      for
     
     
      someone
      I
      don’t
      believe
      in.
     
     
      In
      the
      recent
      U.S.
      elec-
     
     
      tion
      people
      elected
      Barack
     
     
      Obama
      not
      because
      they
     
     
      feared
      the
      other
      guy,
      but
     
     
      because
      people
      actually
     
     
      believed
      in
      him.I
      don’t
      see
     
     
      anyone
      here
      to
      believe
      in.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Peter
      Gardner
      writes
      for
      the
     
     
      Nexus
      at
      Camosun
      College