Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

If there was only one injustice in the world that you could eliminate, what would it be and why?

–Nathan Peereboom

“Injustice can be eliminated, but human conflicts and natural limitations cannot be removed. The conflicts of social life and the limitations of nature cannot be controlled or transcended. They can, however, be endured and survived. It is possible for there to be a dance with life, a creative response to its intrinsic limits and challenges … [A Feminist Ethic of Risk]”

–Dr. Sharon Welch, Associate Professor of Theology and Applied Theology, Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Author of Communities of Resistance and Solidarity.

RE:

If I could only eliminate one injustice it would be the flawed egocentric structure of the mind. The Greek philosopher Protagoras, (praised by Plato as a ‘teacher of virtue’) famously exclaimed that “Man is the measure of all things: of things which are, that they are, and of things which are not, that they are not”. That is, man is the standard of all things, even of man himself. One measures another man in relation to another. Because of this, life must exploit itself in order to continue. The tall man is so in relation to the short man. The rich man is so in relation to the poor man. This causes the best consolation of your fellow man to be the reality of those in a plight far worse. ‘Oh, you don’t have X? Well at least you aren’t a starving African living in the Republic of Liberia.’

This applies anywhere from Wall Street to the jungle. A panther must kill just as a man must exploit his own kind. The former case is propelled by a means for survival, and the latter, by unfettered greed and insatiable ambition as a means of alleviating the boredom of life. I would not eliminate life itself, as such a wish is an endeavor of folly, but I would eliminate the design of it, being an injustice unto itself.

–Blake Thomas

Dear Readers, before I present my argument, I would like to point out, that I am somewhat biased towards Lebron James, due to the fact I am a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, but the facts with be presented in an objective manner. I would appreciate your response on whom you think is better, Kobe or Lebron: Thank you

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are the two best players in the league without a doubt. Now the question is, who is the best in the league? There have been many polls done on this question and the answer has always varied. It is now your turn to voice your opinion on this question.

Lets start in there rookie seasons. At the end of there rookie seasons, Kobe improved his teams record only by 3 wins, while LeBron had a much bigger impact, improving his team by 18 wins. At the end of the 2009 season, their career averages are as following: “27.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting 47.1% from the field, 32.8% from the three-point line and 73.8% from the free-throw line.” And Kobes are “25.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 46.7% from the field, 84% from the free-throw line and 34.1% from the three-point line.” As you can see, LeBron has outgunned Kobe in nearly all of those stat lines except three point shooting and free throw shooting. The intangibles can NEVER be underestimated yet there is almost no way to put a number on those. For example, leadership, charisma, HEART, drive, will power, etc.

They do NOT have similar playing styles whatsoever. Kyle Liddell puts the comparisons on paper the best when he writes “Kobe is a better on-ball defender, LeBron is a better shot-blocker. Kobe is a better shooter, LeBron is a better penetrator. LeBron is more athletic, Kobe is more methodical. LeBron is faster and stronger, Kobe is quicker. Kobe is more clutch, LeBron is more versatile and unselfish.

The black mark on LeBron is that he has not won a championship yet while Kobe has four on his resume. Kobe has had TREMENDOUS help, with the presence of Shaquille O’Neal, a new addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron has been doing things almost single-handedly because he has not had another significant playmaker on his team, though Danny Ferry, the Cavaliers General Manager, has been adding and gradually making the team much better. Kobe has always had a dominant big whether it be Shaq or Pau Gasol, both of the leagues premier big guys.

The question is up to you, LeBron or Kobe?

–Jack Mahoney

“Last February, I wrote that he didn’t have a ceiling. This year? I figured out his ceiling. At least for right now. At age 24, he’s a cross between ABA Dr. J (unstoppable in the open court, breathtaking in traffic, has the rare ability to galvanize teammates and crowds with one “Wow” play, even handles himself as well off the court) and 1992 Scottie Pippen (the freaky athletic ability on both ends, especially when he’s cutting pass lines or flying in from the weak side for a block), with a little MJ (his overcompetitiveness and sense of The Moment), Magic (the unselfishness, which isn’t where I thought it would be back in 2003, but at least it’s in there a little) and Bo Jackson (how he can occasionally just overpower the other team in a way that doesn’t seem human) mixed in … only if all of that Molotov Superstar Cocktail was mixed together in Karl Malone’s body. This is crazy. This is insane. This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. And to think, LeBron doesn’t even have a reliable 20-footer or a post-up game yet. See, this is only going to get better. And it’s already historic.”

– Bill Simmons, ESPN Columnist

RE:

From the age of sixteen, LeBron James has been, “The Chosen One”. Yet, over the past three months, LeBron has seen an inordinate decline in his status, going from the poster boy for athletic phenomenon to someone perceived as a person possessing no moral character, respect, or class. Never, and I mean never, has such a great athlete experienced such a tumultuous and rapid fall from grace.

First off, let’s start with LeBron himself. No athlete, present or past, has ever possessed his skill set. As a sophomore in high school, he was an all-state selection in football, while becoming the first sophomore ever to be named to the USA Today All-USA First Team. In his junior year, he won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award, and, naturally, repeated as a USA Today first-teamer. And then senior year came, and LeBron became one of the most highly celebrated amateur athletes of all time, if not the most celebrated. He became the first person to repeat as Gatorade National Player of the Year, and became the first-ever three-time selection for the USA Today All-USA First Team. Then, in a fitting stroke of luck, the ping-pong balls bounced Cleveland’s way, giving the Cavaliers the first pick (for those not familiar with the lottery process that the NBA uses for its draft, click here for an explanation).

Since arriving in Cleveland, LeBron’s career has been legendary, as he is on pace to shatter every single record of the Cleveland franchise. LeBron’s career is best summed up by the Bill Simmon’s passage at the beginning of the article; quite simply, we have never seen another athlete in any sport with LeBron’s ceiling (ceiling is another word which pretty much means maximum potential). Look at the list of players in the paragraph: Julius Erving (Dr. J), perhaps the greatest dunker in the history of the NBA and certainly one of its most popular personalities, followed by a 1992 Scottie Pippen, arguably the best jack-of-all-trades player at his absolute peak, Michael Jordan (no explanation needed), Magic Johnson, better known as the most entertaining player to ever play professional basketball, and Bo Jackson, the most breathtaking athlete in the world. A pretty good list. And LeBron has the one characteristic that made each of these individuals great.

But LeBron’s tantalizing potential and singular ability to become the most dominant and memorable athlete in any sport at any time is not why I am writing this article (or else I would have stopped at the end of the last paragraph). On May 30, 2009, after losing a decisive Game 6 in the NBA Playoffs, a game which sent Cleveland home and eliminated their golden shot at a championship, LeBron walked off the court without shaking hands with the opponent, the Orlando Magic, and then refused to address the media after the game. While no one actually cares whether or not LeBron takes to the media, shaking hands with the opposing team, after a win or loss, is one of the most sacred rituals of basketball. But this wasn’t LeBron’s only mistake.

A few days later, he sent a public address attempting to explain his actions. Rather than offer an apology, LeBron stated, “It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them… I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. … I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”

While this act of denial won LeBron no grace, he is, actually, correct. As fans, we don’t pay fifty bucks for bleacher seats and then spend two hours craning our necks only to get blocked by the guy with the loud girlfriend who gets up every two minutes to get a beer. We pay to see a win, or at the least, watch some of the best athletes in the world put on a show. While LeBron’s act was in no means classy, is anybody perfect? Considering the LeBron has been in the spotlight in for nearly a decade, I’ll take one mistake with no qualms. People are quick to point out the “exemplary” behavior of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, but it appears that people have short-term memories. No one seems to remember the Kobe almost bullied his way out of Los Angeles, stopping short of bombing the Laker’s practice facility to get a trade somewhere. Just nine months before he won the MVP award as a member of the Lakers, he was trying his hardest to get out of Los Angeles. His diva attitude is believed to have chased away Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal (although Shaq deserves considerable blame in both cases) And I won’t even discuss the Colorado fiasco. Michael Jordan was notoriously harsh on teammates, oftentimes exploding into temper tantrums during practices and games.

About a month after the tumult of the handshake festival (HandGate? LeBron Shames?), tragedy struck once again. At his own summer camp, LeBron was dunked on by Jordan Crawford, a junior at Xavier University. LeBron then allegedly ordered Nike organizers to confiscate game tapes that had captured footage of the dunk. In this, LeBron took criticism for “robbing a young man of the memory of a lifetime”. Yet, by confiscating the tapes, LeBron ended up instigating a media frenzy around the entire story that would end up glorifying Jordan Crawford, even though the dunk was, simply put, not that impressive. (Side-note: Jordan Crawford, despite being on the dealing end of the most famous end of the year and being a respectable and above-average hoopster, does not have a Wikipedia article. I find this outrageous considering some of the other extremely obscure people who have articles on Wikipedia).

When it comes to the fact that LeBron was trying to save face by confiscating the tapes, little justification for his actions can be offered. Yet, I will bet that nearly every one of us can name an instance where we potentially denied someone a possibly happy memory that they would cherish for a while. I can probably name a dozen, but primarily because I refuse to lose in any sport to children under the age of ten (I don’t care if you’re not tall enough to give me a high five: if you drive into the paint, you will get stuffed).

I am not trying to justify what LeBron did and say that it was perfectly fine, but, we must remember, mistakes are not the exception, they are the norm. There is virtually no justification for LeBron’s actions that would still show that LeBron’s actions were at least partially selfless. People make mistakes. Some people say that bigger people make bigger mistakes. Nope. Bigger people make regular mistakes. We make them bigger. Let LeBron take his mistakes.

– George Bashour

Republican Plot to Make Obama Look Like a Socialist: (blogs.law.harvard.edu/)

Yesterday’s New York Times: “the government is the nation’s biggest lender, insurer, automaker and guarantor against risk for investors large and small. … government spending accounts for a bigger share of the nation’s economy — 26 percent — than at any time since World War II. The government is financing 9 out of 10 new mortgages in the United States. … To Mr. Obama’s critics, thousands of whom took to the streets of Washington this weekend to protest a new era of big government, all these efforts are part of a plan to dismantle free-market capitalism.”

Who decided to print trillions of dollars and give them to banks? The Bush Administration. Who decided to print hundreds of billions of dollars and give them to AIG? The Bush Administration. Who decided not to tell General Motors and Chrysler to work out their problems in bankruptcy court like any other company not smart enough to recognize the implications of pension and health care guarantees (see While America Aged)? The Bush Administration started with the Detroit bailout.

A theory consistent with the facts is that King Bush II knew that the next president would be a Democrat, due to the endless depressing Iraq/Afghanistan war. He therefore intentionally wrecked the economy and then took over much of it in order to make the next administration look like socialists.

Going by the numbers and facts, an economic historian would have little choice but to classify the U.S. circa 2009 as a socialist nation. Government at all levels spends a greater percentage of GDP than does China’s (source), for example, and the government either directly owns or assumes financial risks for a lot of our largest enterprises. How did we get here? It was a Republican plot to make Obama look like a socialist, by the clever strategy of converting the U.S. into a fully socialist economy prior to January 20, 2009.

–Philip Greenspun (philg@mit.edu)

I believe our country is becoming too Socialistic. Of course there is some socialistic aspects of our government but is it being taken to far? For those struggling to understand the definition of socialism I found this definition which sums it up pretty well: “Socialism is any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.”

Now, is this not beginning to sound more and more like our country’s new government? The government has enough power. The government’s taking over industry means that we the people will not be able to flourish on our own. Do you like coco puffs? Eat them while you can because if socialism takes anymore steps forward in overcoming our government. You will not have a choice in which cereal you buy: we will all be eating cheerios (or some type of regulated sugar free cereal).

The government should not be allowed to tell people what they can and cannot do with their own hard earned money. If I want to buy a gas guzzling hummer instead of a Prius then that’s my choice, not the government’s.

What do you think? I want everyone who read this to give their opinion.

–Wes Weber

Daily News: (nydailynews.com)

Pity the poor teen idol.

Miley Cyrus, hugely successful star of “Hannah Montana,” whined to the Today show that “my mistakes are kind of a little bit harder because they are in front of millions and millions of people.”

The 16-year-old was likley referring to the brouhaha that erupted over her disrobing for photographer Annie Leibovitz in Vanity Fair in 2008. Miley has also sent out racy photos of herself to friends via her cell phone, which leaked onto the Internet.

Despite her growing pains in the public eye, Cyrus sees a silver lining.

“It does s–k to have to go through that. But also it makes you want to try harder the next time when I know that little girls look at me and say I’m their hero,” said Cyrus during a break in her four song live set on Friday’s Today show.

But her role model status hasn’t stopped Disney’s reigning queen from stirring up controversy.

Cyrus’s latest scandal-ette occurred when she performed her new hit “Party in the USA,” during which critics accused her of simulating pole dancing

–Jim Farber

Born November 23rd, 1992, Destiny Hope Cyrus has already lived a life that almost every teenage girl would dream to have. She has had her high points. Being the face of Hannah Montana, ranking #29 on Forbes Most Influential People in the World list, and dating a Jo-bro, to name a few. There have also been her low points, such as her graphic pictures taken with her dad for Vanity Fair.

Cyrus is a talented singer, author, songwriter, musician, and actress. A Renaissance woman at 16: not too shabby. She has been in numerous movies including High School Musical 2 and Hannah Montana, the movie. Also, she has been in a variety of television shows including; Hannah Montana and the Disney Channel Games. Miley has received many awards for her talents that include; Teen Choice Awards, Kid’s Choice Awards, and MTV movie awards. All in all, her career has been amazing: this young girl has already accomplished more than most entertainers will in a lifetime.

Even though Miley is an amazing artist, (who is also quite good looking) somehow people still find ways to rag on her. Some say she is too sexual or her music makes them want to scream, others simply state that she is ugly. Newsday.com stated that Miley was, “…a pole-dancing performance… (that) sent the wrong message to her tween-age fans.” It’s quite the contrary though; she is not to sexual for her audience: she is just having fun on stage: what is so bad about that? Why do people not like her voice, I mean there is even an “I Hate Miley Cyrus” fan club on YouTube with over 23,000 fans. Her music, people say, makes them want to scream. But people ignore the fact that her voice is one of the best today, its not synchronized like almost every other artist, but it’s the real deal. Just like the “I Hate Miley Cyrus” fan club on YouTube, there is another video called “Miley Cyrus is Ugly”, which is a total lie. Cyrus is not ugly, her body physique is fine the way it is, despite what people may say, it’s great the way it is.

So to all you Miley Cyrus haters, stop looking at her with your shallow narrow minded views, which are completely subjective, and start taking the objective view of her, which is full of talent, beauty, and someone I think of as the epitome of inspiring.

–Brett Hornung