Note from the editor
The January issue's note from the editor
Robyn Hyden
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: News/Features
So, it occurred to us when putting together our paper this weekend that this is the first issue of Orbis (since our 2001 founding) ever to be published under a president that is not Bush. And I have to admit, it's a little strange to think about a world without him. I was a 13-year-old when he was first elected (or rather, not elected); and all of my years as a politically-aware adult have been lived in the shadow of George W. Bush.
Yet even before Obama's inauguration on Tuesday, Bush seemed to have faded into the distant past - which is a cause for both celebration and concern. After all, we are still living with the hangover of that administration's poor decisions, and will be for some time. Will the administration ever be held accountable for their lies and abuses of power? And, do most Americans even care at this point? While I know many of us are ready to move on, it is irresponsible not to hold those accountable who have promoted torture, started wars on false pretenses, hobbled the federal government, and laughed at the Constitution.
Still, it's a little odd that so much of our content in this issue is looking back at the Bush years, when there is so much else to worry about right now. We had a lively staff debate about whether to feature Bush on the cover, one last time; that idea was nixed in favor of the more timely and relevant issue of Nashville's English-only amendment, which is up for a vote this Thursday. If you are registered to vote in Nashville, please, please take the time to turn out and vote against Props. 1 and 2. Not only would Proposition 1, if passed, send a terrible message to the immigrants and foreign visitors we should welcome to the city; Proposition 2 would make it much easier for fringe groups to bring other such measures up for a vote in a future special election.
We also featured articles from two VSG candidates this month. We asked them to talk about VSG's powers in the university structure; while we never endorse candidates, you can judge for yourself who addressed the question best.
-Robyn Hyden
Yet even before Obama's inauguration on Tuesday, Bush seemed to have faded into the distant past - which is a cause for both celebration and concern. After all, we are still living with the hangover of that administration's poor decisions, and will be for some time. Will the administration ever be held accountable for their lies and abuses of power? And, do most Americans even care at this point? While I know many of us are ready to move on, it is irresponsible not to hold those accountable who have promoted torture, started wars on false pretenses, hobbled the federal government, and laughed at the Constitution.
Still, it's a little odd that so much of our content in this issue is looking back at the Bush years, when there is so much else to worry about right now. We had a lively staff debate about whether to feature Bush on the cover, one last time; that idea was nixed in favor of the more timely and relevant issue of Nashville's English-only amendment, which is up for a vote this Thursday. If you are registered to vote in Nashville, please, please take the time to turn out and vote against Props. 1 and 2. Not only would Proposition 1, if passed, send a terrible message to the immigrants and foreign visitors we should welcome to the city; Proposition 2 would make it much easier for fringe groups to bring other such measures up for a vote in a future special election.
We also featured articles from two VSG candidates this month. We asked them to talk about VSG's powers in the university structure; while we never endorse candidates, you can judge for yourself who addressed the question best.
-Robyn Hyden
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