An oft-repeated phrase in the wake of 9/11 is that such and such a comment is always OK because it represents the expression of the right to free speech. The problem with free speech that most people miss is the “being responsible for what you say” part. Now this doesn’t mean that sanction should be made against you just because you say something that I don’t like. It does mean, however, that if your words cause someone or some institution actual harm, rather than perceived harm, then it’s perfectly appropriate for you to be held accountable.

A perfect example of this is the recent controversy over University of Colorado professor Dr. Ward Churchill’s comments characterizing the people who died in the World Trade Center as “little Eichmans” and that their death was not the death of innocents, but that of the “technocrats of empire” who in pursuing their careers in the capitalist system were akin to the Nazi Adolf Eichman, who facilitated the apparatus that enabled the Holocaust. These comments eventually became part of the book On the Justice of Roosting Chickens and express what is at its core a “you reap what you sew” argument. Now, I’ve heard this basic argument before, although not in such inflammatory terms. In fact, Harry Browne, the Libertarian candidate for president in 1996 and 2000, expressed something very close to this “we deserved it” argument less than a week after the attack. Perhaps this explains the vast numbers of Libertarian elected officials across the country. Oh, wait a minute…there aren’t any. Ah, but I digress.

Many people have called for Churchill to be fired for these comments. His defenders on the other hand think that what he says is his right and that if he is in fact fired it’s a violation of his free-speech rights. I think this claim that his right to free speech outweighs any harm he may have cause with his words is just utter nonsense. Many of you were screaming for the heads of Advocates for Conservative Thought just because they held that symbolic affirmative action bake sale last year that caused no harm at all except that many of you didn’t like it. Affirmative action was never threatened and neither were UM’s policies related to affirmative action. And yet some of you wanted sanctions made against ACT on the grounds that you were “offended.” Like anybody gives a crap that you were offended.

For what it’s worth, I don’t think Churchill should be fired for saying what he said. It’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it. If what he did causes the University of Colorado to lose money and/or enrollments, then the administration has every right to show him the door.

Scott Wacholtz can be contacted at s.wacholtz@umiami.edu.

Today we live in a world where I can say we black people bear some of the blame for the perpetuation of the use of the word nigger. The term once used to humiliate blacks has now become a unique word in our vernacular. We have co-opted the term and use it as a stand in for the common nouns he (nigga) and they (niggas). Some say that because of the history of the word blacks are the rightful owners of it. This is the dumbest excuse I have ever heard. Take a look at black history and how black people have fought to erase the stigma of being viewed as the ugliest, least educated, laziest and most hopeless entities. All of that is embodied in one word-nigger.

Today people embrace the term and are proud to be niggas. In a documentary on the use of the word, Ludacris says that there is a difference between the word nigger and nigga. He considers the former to be an oppressive term while the latter is simply a term of endearment. What he meant to say was that if white people utter the word, the use of violence may be a way of helping them understand why the word is so taboo.

We use the word as if it were just another noun but take offense to others using it regardless of context. Rap artists use the term with hopes that their lyrics make them appear harder and true to their roots in urban areas. The interesting part of this is that the majority of the consumers who will buy their music do not look like them. There is no way these artists can be angry if their fans repeat their lyrics then get angry at someone in another situation who uses the same word.

I remember as a child hearing adults cursing around me but not being allowed to curse. Guess what? I cursed eventually. Today I hear whites, Cubans and many other groups using the term in similar fashion to the way we use it. Of course it is wrong, but the way black popular culture is marketed, nigga is as ubiquitous as the sideways hat and throwback jersey.

We have the opportunity to eliminate the word from the lexicon but we do not. We do not chastise performers for use of the word because it makes them sound more “authentic,” because it didn’t start on stage but it currently resides there. We owe it to those that preceded us to show others that we as black people are more than just a group with low expectations. We are attempting to break free but nigger is right there with us waiting to be personified.

Vontilla Steven can be contacted at v.steven@umiami.edu.

I live four hours north-west of UM, in Sarasota. Each time I drive home, I must travel through the cities of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte that were ravaged by hurricane Charley. As I drove from Sarasota back to UM at the end of our month-long winter break, I once again drove through two cities that made national news about five months ago.

Much has occurred in our nation and throughout the world since hurricane Charley touched land in southwest Florida. President Bush was elected to a second presidential term, a tsunami devastated Southeast Asia and Iraq successfully held democratic elections, to name a few major events.

As November rolled in, the hurricane season finally blew out to sea. The various news broadcast networks now had other current events to report on rather than hurricanes. The media spotlight was turned off in southwest Florida just when those without homes began their rebuilding process.

Five months after hurricane Charley disappeared from Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, do Americans realize that light posts on I-75 are still bent in half? Or that piles of rubble the size of a two-story house still exist where houses once stood? Five months from now, will all of the victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami be identified? Will all of the structures be rebuilt? Will anyone remember these tragedies or even care?

Although the hurricane and tsunami left different death tolls, the harsh reality of each of their effects are equally felt by those directly affected. The news broadcast media subjugates these once major news events until they are replayed for the “year-in-review-montage” that every news network plays the week before the New Year.

Instead of reporting on news of entertainment value, such as award shows, sports updates and celebrity breakups, news networks should report on truly informative news. News shows should update the nation on topics of concern. As I have opined before, news networks have lost some sense of the real news stories. The citizenry needs to be enlightened on the daily happenings concerning pertinent human affairs. No one would probably ever let me run a news network; I would air too much real news. Leave the entertainment updates to ESPN and E!.

Sam Rega can be contacted at s.rega@umiami.edu.

So, Valentine’s Day is on Monday. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know. It’s a stupid holiday invented by the greeting card companies that turns love into a commodity, with chocolate, flowers and cute little teddy bears with T-shirts that say “Somebody at the University of Miami loves me.” Either that, or it’s the holiday that you look forward to all year long. It means lots of pink, chocolate and presents. Clearly, there are two vastly opposite opinions on this holiday of the heart, with very little room for the middle-of-the-road folk.

For some, the day will be celebrated with a romantic dinner with a significant other followed by being showered with gifts of chocolate, roses and jewelry. For others, the day will be spent hating the world, couples, Godiva, love, an ex, holding hands, Hallmark and pretty much everything else that crosses their path. Instead of being a lover, or a hater, of the holiday, it’s time to look at the holiday for what it really is: the perfect excuse. The day gives you the power or reason to do what (or whom) you’ve been wanting to. One stipulation, though: Don’t be one of those people who break up with their valentine on Valentine’s Day. That’s just wrong. You deserve to be alone for a very, very long time for being such an inconsiderate ass!

There are many possibilities for the single, coupled and everything-in-between to do. Buying a special someone those earrings they’ve been wanting, or hit on that cute guy or girl in class. Sending a little sister flowers, or go out and drink with friends (those over 21, of course). Take this day as an opportunity to show the people you care about just how much you care. This means more than just a boyfriend or girlfriend, it means parents, siblings, friends, classmates-anyone who makes your day a little brighter. No matter how anti-Valentine’s Day one may claim to be, we can’t argue that it’s nice to get a little something for Valentine’s Day. It can be something as small as a card, a smile, a kiss or a flower. We all know that it would make us feel so good if somebody thought of us and did something special. For those of you who feel totally hopeless in their prospects for the day, email hurricane_opinion@yahoo.com. We’ll do our part at spreading the love.

So come Monday, it doesn’t matter whether you’ll be singing “Love is a wonderful thing” with Michael Bolton or “Love stinks” with The J. Geils band, so long as you use this Valentine’s Day as an excuse to do something nice for that person that you’ve always wanted to show your affection for.