[The discussion on ROTC continues as Noah Baron responds to Learned Foote's op-ed in yesterday's Spec]

Long before my letters of acceptance and rejection from universities trickled in, I was sitting in a cafe with my Columbia interviewer—who, herself, had graduated not long ago. She had been a political science major—the same major which I then—and now—intended to pursue. Throughout the interview, one of the most salient features of my life had been my wide-ranging political activism. Not surprisingly, she asked me about it.

Before the interview, I had prepared answers to a wide variety of questions—such as “Why Columbia?” or “How come the Core is so very, very awesome?”—but I suppose this one had not crossed my mind. As I thought about it in the few moments of not-quite-awkward silence that ensued, I realized something.

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Today marks a special day. Not because the weather is amazing or because despite the amazing weather the steps and lawns are left eerily vacant. Nor is it because students have only just realized that they have a bucket-load of work due on Monday.

No, today a small group of Columbians gathered around at the ungodly hour of 10am to commemorate the 96th anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to Columbia University in which He addressed students, faculty, and the community at a speech given in the Auditorium of Earl Hall on April 19, 1912.

But wait up… ‘Abdu’l-who?

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[Freshman Noah Baron argues that the progressive path to victory might need to take a detour through your local megachurch...]

This realization came a few years ago, when I looked at the cover of one of the many progressive magazines to which my parents had subscribed–this one was called UTNE. On its cover there was a picture of some random guy I’d neither seen nor heard of, but the title caught my attention, so I opened the magazine and read about a Christian fundamentalist who had consciously (as in not by some freak accident) voted for the Green Party in 2000 (and he’ll have another chance to vote for Nader this year as well).

I was fascinated. Why would a Christian fundamentalist–a man from a group of people known for their rabid opposition to same-sex marriage, abortion, and anything to the left of George Wallace–vote for Ralph Nader, who’s about as electable as this guy?! The surprising answer: he thought that maybe Jesus would care more about things like global warming, or millions of starving children than, say, who’s sexing whom where and with what.

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Enjoy the last 24 hours of vacation, young Columbians … Happy napping, and happy easter. Have a laugh with (or at … or near) this excerpt from Jim Gaffigan’s comedy routine on easter (and other holiday traditions) while you procrastinate away your last remaining hours of freedom.

[Unfortunately for just every college student everywhere, the Catholic Church just announced that there are seven new ways to gain entry to Hell, one of which involves drug use. Time to retire the Tuesday night sesh? Not so fast, says first-year Noah Baron.]

As you may or may not have heard, the Vatican has released a sequel to the ever-popular Seven Deadly Sins. According to the BBC, amongst them are environmental pollution, genetic manipulation, accumulating excessive wealth, inflicting poverty, drug trafficking and consumption, morally debatable experiments, violation of fundamental rights of human nature. While I don’t particularly disagree that all of these are pretty awful things, I have a number of problems with this change.

First, try as I might, I can’t help but think that drug consumption sticks out from the rest. I’ll buy that pushing drugs is pretty bad, but drug use is something else altogether. Granted, drugs are be illegal, some are addictive, and some will certainly kill you, but something that harms oneself shoul be in a category separate from something that harms thousands.

Second, I find this more than a little ironic coming from the Vatican, and from this pope in particular. I don’t really have a problem with the church, per se, (though it might have a problem with me) but rather with its leadership. Throughout its history the leadership of the Catholic Church has attempted to clamp down on any questioning of the existing social order, even while there have been significant movements amongst the laypeople of the Church to do so.

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A humorous maxim states that Jews earn like Episcopalians but vote like Puerto Ricans. This quip is made all the more poignant in light of studies suggesting Jewish Americans to be the most successful minority in the nation. And yet, with all the monetary success and the siren song of lucre, the Jewish people have still been able to retain a reputation for passionate idealism that translates into political action.
However, this image seems to appear more tarnished as the days go by. When folks speak of the “Jewish vote”, more and more they refer to how a political candidate sees America’s relationship with Israel. In the infamous 2000 election, our current president received a large spike in Jewish voters, longing for a candidate with a laissez-faire attitude towards Israel, an understandable, albeit unfortunate, reaction to the Clintonian collapse of the late 90’s.

As a twenty-one year old college student, one who has voted in but one presidential election in previous years but has had preferences and passions for the political process going all the way back to fifth grade, I must admit that it is this election which has gotten me the most excited, the most active, and the most engaged. As a nation, we find ourselves at a critical juncture in history. We are embroiled in a war with seemingly no endgame, in economic conditions becoming more and more worrying, situated a rapidly shifting and increasingly unsure world. 1% of the citizenry are imprisoned in the Land of the Free. The winds of change, they say, are blowing, with all candidates from both parties seeking to take the mantle of change and the future upon their shoulders.

It is not the purpose of this meditation to advocate for any specific candidate or policy positions (though I would be glad to do that, rest assured). Rather, it is a declaration of intent; a manifesto of sorts. I am deeply engaged in this election not merely due to my American citizenship, but as a deeply committed Jew as well. It is my Jewish neshamah (soul) that calls out to me to face the nation in which I live with critical analysis and with appreciation. With heartbreak over our mistakes and erring. With love that yearns for only the best for our great nation.

It is my Jewish soul that turns my eyes towards the plight of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and it is my common sense that no matter how many times I staff the Ansche Chesed homeless shelter through the wonderful Va’ad Gemilut Hasadim, these issues must be confronted on a larger scale. It is what I learn from my daily Torah study that simply will not allow me to ignore the voice of the oppressed, in this land, in all lands the world over. This is the voice that called out to God from Hebrew throats parched by Egyptian sands, yearning to be free. This is the voice that protests when his or her garment is unduly retained over night. This is a voice that must be as pressing as that which created the world. Let there be light that brings to light the sufferings of the innocent, the light that warms our hearts and will not allow them to freeze or harden. Let this be the Jewish vote the candidates will court, one which will be a voice, a light to the nations.

Last night at the Veritas Forum, panelists discussed the role of religion in politics. Unsurprisingly, Huckabee’s name came up a few times. As you already know Huckabee is a firm believer that religion and politics should go together, and I think he might have said something about Christ being the only way to salvation. But, I mean, he’s good a guy. He doesn’t like racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism (although, I look forward to seeing a Jewish voter vote for him) and other social ills. So what’s wrong with him? Nothing. He’s in a god-damn rock band with his own MySpace Music site. His religion is not Christianity, it’s Capitol Offense. But yes, it’s true, he spends more time ranting about his religion during his political campaign.

According to some of the panelists at the Forum, you simply can’t make it central to your politic:

Professor of Humanities and Religion Mark Lilla, another panelist, pointed out that incorporating religion into a campaign restricts a candidate’s group of supporters almost entirely to like-minded individuals. “It’s being sent as a signal to voters that on this, we won’t compromise,” he said. “That attitude is very unhealthy in democracy.”

I’m not too sure what the Forum actually achieved, but now I can rest easy knowing that religion and politics can’t actually be separated because their influence will inevitably pound each other away until the end of time. Why can’t everyone just be Scientologists and get along?

It was good enough for Moses. Ariel Pollock takes a more personal look at the implications of orthodox Jewish communalism at Columbia. These kinds of discussions usually hinge on how religious orthodoxy can defend tradition while giving its adherents some much-needed social and intellectual breathing room. Pollock unpacks that dilemma from a first-person perspective, and it makes for some compelling reading.

It was good enough for Mohammad. First-year Mahfouz Basith deftly transitions from the personal to the anthropological when discussing his adherence to Islam, and reconciles the two without sacrificing intellectual or spiritual honesty.

It was good enough for…Rama? A strong article, but Columbia has historically been a center of Indian and Hindu studies, with a certain Professor De Bary turning our university into a bastion of old skool “Asian” scholarship. But the perception that we’re lagging behind is important in and of itself.

Robert Novak writes some crazy shit. And conservatives keep pounding home the Democratic-primary-as-identity-politics narrative. But if he’s right, the campaign is about to get a whole lot uglier–and a certain CC alum will be well on his way to the White House.

CMSMECotD: “Akmal founded a non-profit organization in March 2006 and discusses the benefits of micro-macro enterprise regularly at conferences and fundraisers. While he was a student at Columbia University, he met Jeffrey Sachs who governs the independent advisory body of the United Nations Millennium Project. Akmal says: ‘Poverty-stricken villages can transform themselves and meet new goals if they are empowered with proven, powerful, practical technologies.’”

Not mainstream and not an expert, but interesting nonetheless. Good for Jeffrey Sachs?