What's in a Flag?

What’s in a Flag?

Is a flag just a flag, or does it have some intrinsic value and meaning?


What do you see when you look at the American flag? Some would reflexively answer red, white and blue. The red is in the alternating stripes. The white is also in the alternating stripes and in the stars. The blue is in the box that contains the stars. Another perfectly legitimate answer to the question would be the "stars and stripes".

As valid as these two answers are, they just don't seem to be enough. It overlooks the intrinsic meaning and value inherent in our particular flag. Other flags do have their own respective meanings (and some meanings overlap between flags), but that is not the focus of this article.

So what does the American flag really mean? In terms of its composition, www.ushistory.org offers the following: "The Continental Congress left no record to show why it chose the colors. However, in 1782, the Congress of the Confederation chose these same colors for the Great Seal of the United States and listed their meaning as follows: white to mean purity and innocence, red for valor and hardiness, and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. According to legend, George Washington interpreted the elements of the flag this way: the stars were taken from the sky, the red from the British colors, and the white stripes signified the secession from the home country. However, there is no official designation or meaning for the colors of the flag." (http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/faqs/q46.htm)

Henry Ward Beecher, (brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe), wrote: "A thoughtful mind when it sees a nation's flag, sees not the flag, but the nation itself. And whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag, the government, the principles, the truths, the history that belongs to the nation that sets it forth. The American flag has been a symbol of Liberty and men rejoiced in it."

To prove this notion, think about what you felt when you saw the three firemen raise the flag at Ground Zero. What went through your mind when you saw the flag being draped over the side of the Pentagon following the September 11th attacks? How about when you see footage of the flag being raised at Iwo Jima, which happened over 60 years ago?

Conspicuously and purposely absent from all of the meanings is any particular person. The flag does not stand for anyone; it stands for ideals. It doesn't represent the Bush administration; it represents the freedom and democratic ideals that give us an elected leader.

Disrespecting the flag isn't an attack on the current president; it disrespects the country as a whole. People have fought and died for our country fighting under the banner of the American flag. They are insulted as much as every other citizen is when our flag is intentionally mishandled.

Ironically, disrespecting the flag while meant as an insult to the country actually shows just how undeserving of that disrespect it is. In some countries, disrespecting one of their national symbols is enough to make you disappear.

When I look at the flag, I don't see the face of a president, current or otherwise. I see a great symbol of a great country. I see more than two hundred years of fighting for freedom and over one million people who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

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The Jesus Statue

The Jesus Statue was not actually a statue of Jesus, or at least that’s what we think. It used to reside on the opposite end of the quad, facing the quad. It has since been moved closer to the graveyard in the back. A few other statues were moved around as well, but none quite as famous as the Jesus Statue.

Go seek out the statue and familiarize yourself with it. Then, return to the quad where it once stood and imagine what it must have looked like. If plans go through, a flagpole will be erected where the Jesus Statue used to be. Don't forget about what used to be there.

I say this as a non-Christian: it was not an offensive or religiously oppressing statue. It was just something that was there, and had been there since I arrived. Even today, the quad looks just a little empty with it missing.

This also highlights one of the problems in our society. Manhattanville used to be an all-girls Catholic school. It no longer is, but that is our schools’ heritage. While few would advocate restoring the school to be what it once was (me especially because I would get kicked out twice-being a male and not even Christian let alone Catholic), our heritage should be respected. An old statue situated around a few bushes should not offend anyone.

While the statue had a religious connotation, as it was called “the Jesus Statue", it was part of the heritage of our school. Also, it being there did not in itself act as a proselytizer. I can honestly say that in the entire time I have been here at Manhattanville I have not once been proselytized. Compare this to my ten-week summer internship in Washington, D.C., (where no such Jesus Statue is anywhere to be found) where I was overtly proselytized three times, as well as a few other more subtle attempts.

The feeling on campus at the time of the removal seemed to be that it was wholly unnecessary. Regardless, it has been done and is unlikely to be returned any time soon. For now, ask some of the upperclassmen about it and see if any of them have a picture to share with you. If you ask nicely enough, one of the upperclassmen will surly tell you a story about how it used to be. Just make sure to visit the Jesus Statue once in a while. Without the foot traffic of the quad that used to go by it, the statue is probably pretty lonely now. You can rectify that if you chose to.

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Letter From the Editor (Right World View Vol. I, No. 3)

Political affiliations are an interesting concept. Personally, I chose to not have an affiliation to any party so as to be able to shift to whatever candidate I believe it the best or most qualified. You may note in the last “Letter from the Editor” I stated that I am not a Republican. Note that I am not a Democrat, either; I am unaffiliated.

There is nothing wrong with being unaffiliated if you so desire, and there is also nothing wrong with supporting a candidate. Indeed, if you truly believe someone should win (or if you just don't want the other candidate to win), you should actively campaign for them.

One thing I must request is that if your candidate loses, please remove your stickers supporting them (especially if they have a time stamp on them). There is a certain grace period as bumper stickers are notoriously hard to remove. It should not take years to remove them, despite the difficulties.

Even if you want to continue to show your support for the candidate that lost, there are better ways than with old campaign stickers. All it really does is show that they lost. Let’s use the Kerry and Edwards 2004 presidential bid as an example.

The Kerry Edwards 2004 stickers really must go. They lost, and there is no way they are going to be President and Vice President for the 2004 term. If you still want to show that you supported them, why not upgrade to the "Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry" sticker?

As long as we are on the topic of politics, remember to vote. You will see this advice as a recurring theme in this issue, as its importance cannot be understated. Not only is it our "Call to Arms", but it is also listed in the "November Events at Manhattanville." Your vote does count, and even if your candidate loses, at least you will have made your voice heard. A lot rides on this election no matter which side of the aisle you are on, so be sure to go vote.

If you would like to join the Right World View, our meetings are held every Monday in the second floor Founders classroom (technically three floors up from the front entrance) at 8:30pm. I hope to see you there.

On to some formatting notes: we are happy to report that this issue, we have increased our content by a full 50%. We have also been able to garner a few writers from the other end of the ideological spectrum. This is most notable in the feature "Left World View vs. Right World View" (a debate over tort reform) which can be found on page 8. This issue is certainly not lacking.

Sincerely,
Andrew Berman
Editor-in-Chief

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Where did all the Parking go?

Whether or not you have a car on campus, it is likely you have noticed our precarious parking situation. The construction is largely to blame for this. Student Government has worked tirelessly to find a solution to this problem.

As a result of the construction, parts of the campus had to be torn up, such as the area outside of the Pub and much of the Benziger parking lot. To compensate for the lost parking, the administration added more parking around campus, most notably by building the new lot. The administration thought that any parking problems caused by the construction would be prevented with this new parking.

Still, it seemed there was a problem. We received many complaints both from students and faculty. The numbers on paper and the number of available spaces didn’t seem to match up.

We then discovered the reason. It was that the number of spots the administration thought we lost from the construction was substantially lower then the number we actually lost. Instead of a net gain, in reality there was a net loss.

The administration countered that they had never seen some of the lots completely full. They postulated that if some of the lots never filled up then there must not be a parking problem.

The complaints poured in steadily for weeks. We decided to figure out once and for all if there was a parking problem. To prove this, we picked a day and counted every legal spot on campus. With that number in the back of our minds, we picked another day and counted all of the cars parked within that same area multiple times during the same day. Despite having some open spots, the number of illegally parked cars was greater than the number of available spots during one of our counts. During many of the other counts, the amount of spots narrowly outnumbered the number of cars on campus.

Even if you ignore the count that found more cars on campus than legal spots, the narrow margin can not be ignored. Our main fear is what happens in the winter. There is not enough spare parking capacity to clear the lots to allow for plowing. The margin is so tight, that even losing a few spots could spell disaster.


Manhattanville's Student Government Newsletter Article Link:
No Student Government Newsletter archive can be found at this time.

Letter From the Editor (Right World View Vol. I, No. 2)

For the last time, I am NOT a Republican. I am a Conservative, but that does not make me Republican. If you’re curious I am an Independent, as to not be tied to one party or the other.

This is primarily a Conservative publication, read Conservative not Republican. While it is true that Conservative and Republican views do overlap, Republican ideals and platforms are not by default Conservative. By the same token, Conservative ideals do not always transfer over to the Republican platform.

In general Conservatives tend to like the current Republican stance on defense. While not all agree on the way in which this administration is handling the War on Terror, most are happy they are at least doing something. To long had we sat by burying our collective heads in the sand hoping that what we can't see can't hurt us. To long had we shown such aversion to sustaining even the lightest of casualties that led Bin Laden to think that if he just "bloodied our nose" we would withdraw with little more than a whimper. Now we have shown the world what we can do, and beyond that a willingness to do what we think is necessary.

Conservatives by enlarge hate the current administrations spending record. Spending as much as the current administration does, does not "smell" like fiscal responsibility. Keeping taxes low and keeping the government small are hallmarks of Conservative ideology. Spending exorbitant amounts of money does not help keep taxes low. Instead it forces us to go even further into debt or raise taxes, both bad options.

Let’s not get too bogged down in specifics right now, but the point must be conveyed. When someone tells you they are Conservative, don't assume they are Republican. They may indeed be both, but there are Republicans that are also Liberals. When someone tells you they are a Democrat, don't assume they are necessarily Liberal. The two are not synonymous. Some Conservatives are Democrats, and some Liberals are Republican. There are even some from both party that are neither ideology, and some from each ideology that are not in either party.

Now for a formatting note. You probably noticed that our Mission Statement has shrunk considerably. Don't take that to mean we don't believe what was printed in the last issue, we still do. We have decided that the full Mission Statement is to long to print in every issue, so the Abbreviated Version will replace it most of the time. We will still print the full Mission Statement in the first issue of each semester. It is also available by request at RightWorldView@gmail.com, and can be viewed at our website www.RightWorldView.com. There you can also find PDF's of all our issues (past and present, because we are not ashamed of what we publish) as well as staff bios.

Sincerely,
Editor-in-Chief
Andrew Berman


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Student Government Election

On Thursday September 21st, Student Government held its Fall election. The number of candidates who ran for office was pleasantly surprising. Eight people vying for the position of Freshman Class President, which is more than this reporter can remember ever running for a single position. Indeed, if memory serves, alone it is almost as many candidates as runs for all the positions in the last few elections.

That's the good news. The bad, or better described as sad, there were only about 365 ballets cast. In other words, only about 365 people bothered to vote. Now if you calculate that out of approximately 1700 students who could vote that is about 21% or slightly more than one out of five. Pitiful, no?

On a positive note, I believe this is an uptrend from the previous year. Regardless, your newly elected Student Government members are;

Freshman Class President - Amanda Minck

Vice President of Finances - Angel Ramirez

Finance Board Representative - Phillip Berg

Finance Board Representative - Frank Furbacher Jr.

Academic Representative - Gabriel Mejia

Commuter Representative - Valerie Lopez

Community Service Representative - Danielle Flynn

For contact information of the newly elected Student Government Representatives and a complete list of Student Government, see page 8.


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Top 10 College Survival Tips

1. Organize - This could include acquiring a calendar or using a hand held computing device. Write down important dates (exams, assignments, due dates to name a few)

2. Familiarize - Make yourself familiar with the campus. Be sure you can locate the dinning facilities, classrooms, library, security, gym and campus stores. The campus is not all that big, and does not have many buildings; you should be able to find your way around by the end of the first week.

3. Preparation - Prepare for your classes. If they require books, make sure to get the books. If you are assigned reading, make sure you do the reading. Finish all assignments before they are due, and show up to every class on time if not five minutes early.

4. Socialize - Find a group of people to hang out with. College buddies can become life long friends. They are people who you can count on to be there for you and provide a good social "safety net."

5. Get Involved - Join a club; make a new one if none of the current club interest you. What better way to find like minded people, and people who share in your passions then in a club devoted to it.

6. Study - Don't wait until the last minute and try to pull an all night cramming session. Professors rarely mind students visiting them during their office hours to ask for clarification. That is why they have office hours in the first place. Visiting them will allow you to get acquainted with them, but more importantly your professors will get acquainted with you.

7. Staff - Get to know the RA's and RD's. These are the people most likely to answer all your questions and help you with problems not related to the academic sphere. Most have been around for a while, and it is unlikely your problem is unique only to you. Chances are good that others who came before you had similar problems that the RA's and RD's have them with. That puts the RA's and RD's in a good position to help you.

8. Health - With no "parentals" looking over your shoulder, you may be tempted to do some things you know you shouldn't. Eat healthy, exercise regularly, and just take good general care of yourself.

9. Help - Seek out help when you need it. No matter what problem you are dealing with, no matter how difficult it may seem to you, there are people here willing and able to help you. They won't know you need help unless you go and ask them for it. Don't feel ashamed, feel empowered that you are actively taking steps to help alleviate the problem.

10. Enjoy - No matter what anyone tells you, you should have fun in college. That is not a license to disregard all your work and responsibilities, but it is important you enjoy yourself. Make sure to set aside time not just for work and study, but for relaxations and enjoyment as well.

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