Recent Contributions from Bill McMorris

Good Night and Good Luck, Without the Pretension

Bill McMorris — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

(Well maybe a little bit of pretension).

My Moniker:

I have been called many things at Cornell — including slick Willy and karate chop awesome to name a few — but the alias most often used to categorize me since joining the Cornell American in 2004 and the Daily Sun in 2006 has been “right wing nut job.” I just wanted to let the Daily Sun readers know, all 8 of you, that, to quote Ann Coulter ’84, I am perfectly sane … the rest of you are crazy.

The Left's Bitter Bigotry

Bill McMorris — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

When Mike Huckabee came to Cornell last night, he joked that “Q&A stands for questions and avoidance” on the campaign trail. Barack Obama forgot this golden rule when speaking to a group of wealthy San Francisco benefactors last week. The Democratic favorite fielded a question regarding the difficulty his campaign has been having wooing blue collar voters in Pennsylvania. Senator Obama said that working class Americans “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them” because they are “bitter” about their economic lot in life.

April's Fools

Bill McMorris — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Ronald Reagan once said that “Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, Democrats believe every day is April 15th.” For Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, though, every day feels increasingly like April 1st.

The Democratic nomination has descended into a sideshow; a spectacle Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey could not afford. And the best part about it? America is getting a front row seat for the show. This two ring circus, however, could very well leave the Democratic Party in shambles.

Going Green

Bill McMorris — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

To those of you interested in hearing about my views on environmentalism, I apologize: this article is not about sustainability or carbon-neutrality. In fact, it is completely apolitical — which is surprising considering all the possible jokes I could make about the catfight in the Democratic Primaries, the similarities between Bill Clinton and Eliot Spitzer and even the Ku Klux Klan’s recent vocal support for Planned Parenthood.

Just Words? Yes, They Are

Bill McMorris — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

There is no clearer sign of desperation in Hillary Clinton’s camp than last week’s plagiarism “scandal.” The accusations stem from a speech that Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama delivered to a Wisconsin audience on Feb. 16. Obama borrowed language from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s 2006 campaign in order to respond to Senator Clinton’s assertions that his candidacy revolves around rhetoric, rather than results.

Patrick responded to similar accusations during his 2006 gubernational run:

Berkeley Ousts Marines

Bill McMorris — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

This is an extended version of the article that appeared in the print version of The Sun on Feb. 13

Solving the Republican State of Disunion

Bill McMorris — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

President Bush delivered his final State of the Union Address on Monday. In the address, the president said that making his tax cuts permanent could help to end “a period of [economic] uncertainty.” He also reiterated the administration’s wartime policy of victory before withdrawal, citing the recent success of General Petraeus’ troop surge. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius delivered a rather uninspired Democratic rebuttal, compared to Jim Webb’s 2007 response. Governor Sebelius’ speech outlined standard liberal policies with rather unexceptional rhetoric. Note to future rebuttal speakers: “Mr. President will you join us? Let’s get to work” is not as inspiring as one might think.

Sister and Saint

Bill McMorris — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The following is an updated version of a collumn that I published last year. It is a tribute to my little sister Mary Elizabeth, who would have turned nine next Wednesday.

Hail Mary …

I am the oldest of nine kids: three boys and six girls. If you were to look at any McMorris family photo album, however, you would notice that there are only eight children standing beside my mother and father.

Full of grace …

You will not find my little sister Mary Elizabeth sitting on my father’s knee or learning to take her first steps. There is only one photograph of my baby sister; it shows a beautiful eight pound baby girl in a peaceful sleep. That picture was taken on the 5th of December 1998 when my family was blessed with our sixth child.

The Lord is with thee …

Conscientious Objector Day?

Bill McMorris — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

There was a federal holiday — arguably the most important one — just three days ago. Some Cornell students only recognized this because Nov. 12 was no ordinary Monday. Simma Reingold ’08 summed it up pretty well: “Of course I knew it was a holiday — we didn’t get any mail.” But sadly, many Cornell students were unaware that Veterans Day occurred this past weekend.

For God and Country No More

Bill McMorris — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Reporting from Bataan in 1942, Army Lieutenant Colonel William Casey told NBC Radio that “there are no atheists in foxholes.” The opposite is now true when soldiers return home. The Department of Veterans Affairs adopted this policy last month when it banned the recitation of “The Meaning of Each Fold of an Honor Guard Funeral Flag” from military burials.

The recitation opens with “The first fold of our Flag is a symbol of life. The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life,” and continues until the flag has been completely folded (13 times in total, one for each of the original colonies).

Islamo-Facism Week: Offensive or Necessary?

Bill McMorris — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Across the country this week, concerned college students on over 100 campuses took part in the largest conservative student protest in history. The Terrorism Awareness project, founded by prominent conservative activist David Horowitz, organized workshops, film screenings and protests as part of the group’s Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

The event spurred useful dialogue concerning the extreme threat that militant Islam poses to our nation. Conservative campus groups and liberal student activists alike attended IFAW events to engage in well reasoned, peaceful, intellectual debate about the merits of the Terrorism Awareness’ message.

A Crisis in Catholic Education

Bill McMorris — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The dominance of liberal leanings in higher education is not a very shocking development; in fact, it is hardly newsworthy. What is surprising, however, is that the liberal and secular values that modern day academia espouses have begun to seep into a most unlikely academic institution: the Catholic university. Two of America’s oldest Catholic universities now find themselves dangerously close to having their affiliations revoked by the Church.

The Jena Six and the Durham Three

Bill McMorris — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Two weeks ago, Sun contributing columnist Evan Baker Smith ’08 introduced the Cornell community to the small town of Jena, La.; a town that is now at the center of a racial — and media — firestorm, following the arrest of six African American youths for the savage beating of a racist classmate. The defendants in this case have come to be known as the “Jena Six.”

Liberté, Egalité, (Fraternité) Anti-Discrimination

Bill McMorris — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Liberté, égalité, fraternité. The conceptions of freedom, equality and fraternity were originally linked by the Most Reverend François Fénelon, Archbishop of Cambrai, at the end of the 17th century. Fénelon, who penned The Adventures of Telemachus while still serving under Louis XIV, could not have predicted the impact that this association would have.

Parisians rallied round the slogan “Liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort!” (Freedom, equality, brotherhood or death) at the outset of the French Revolution and even painted the phrase on their houses. This motto embodied the struggle of a people battling against oppression and tyranny.

The Auto de fe: Alive and Well in Medford

Bill McMorris — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The auto de fe was a ceremony used by Spanish inquisitors to publicly display condemned heretics just before execution. The ceremony would involve parading the condemned about the town square before reading the charges aloud and executing the “guilty.” The ritual, which many believed ended with the Inquisition, is actually still being used in Medford, Mass. today.

The Summer in Review

Bill McMorris — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Obama Attacks Teddy Roosevelt

Bill McMorris — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 04:48:51 -0400

Barack Obama’s campaign took a surprising turn yesterday as the presidential hopeful used an Iowa campaign stop to smear the reputation of former president Theodore Roosevelt. The freshmen senator from Illinois accused the Bush administration of creating a “second gilded age” by favoring the wealthy over working families.

Sins of the Era

Bill McMorris — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:47:00 -0400

AMC’s Mad Men premiered last Thursday to rave reviews from critics and viewers alike. But this generous welcome was not without its detractors. Anyone who turned to the blogosphere could find stories gleefully pointing out the sexism/homophobia/anti-this and that running rampant through Sterling Cooper. Mad Men’s emphasis on “sins of the era,” as The New York Times put it, paints a picture that celebrates the New Left revolution that would come at the end of the decade. The show’s haughty script, obviously drafted by the New Left’s constituents, is more smug than the characters they attempt to satirize.

Chamberlain Returns to Power in Britain

Bill McMorris — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:02:08 -0400

George Santayana penned the brilliant and oft quoted cliché, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." It is a quote that is beaten into the memory banks of every young child--unless you live in England.

Altering the Course

Bill McMorris — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:00:00 -0500

Deckhead:

John Manetta Once Told Me

Body:

Hail Mary…

Sunday Morning Amnesia

Bill McMorris — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 01:00:00 -0500

Deckhead:

John Manetta Once Told Me

Body:

Many in the Cornell community wake up in the same state every Sunday morning (read: mid-afternoon). Everyone knows exactly what feeling I am talking about: the “oh man, what did I do last night? Where did my wallet, cell phone and left shoe go? Who is in my bed? What is her name again?” That’s right, I’m talking about Sunday morning amnesia; it is one of the most shameful and pathetic states that we as college students will experience at Cornell. Last Sunday, however, those feelings of shame and embarrassment should have stung just a little bit more than usual.

Why Nancy Pelosi Will Never Hold the Gavel

Bill McMorris — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 02:03:40 -0500

Deckhead:

John Manetta Once Told Me

Body:

Democrats have hyped up the midterm elections as their Gingrich revolution; their coup de etat; their 1960’s revolution reborn. They have heightened the expectations to such a level that anything besides a democratic legislature will produce a backlash that will tear their party to pieces. They are counting on anti-republican sentiment to carry the day. This revolution, however, will never come.

Party: Thumpty Saturday

Bill McMorris — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 22:58:03 -0400

Deckhead:

John Manetta Once Told Me

Body:

Bill McMorris — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 20:50:56 -0400

Deckhead:

John Manetta Once Told Me

Body:

Allow me to be the 10,000th member of the Cornell Community to say welcome, class of 2010. While others have welcomed you with free laundry bags, diversity classes and free beer, I would instead like to welcome you to Cornell by relating one of the most memorable moments of my freshman year.