Opinion

In the early 1980s, AIDS and HIV became prevalent. Terrified, America put forth a ban that prevented HIV-positive foreigners from entering the United States. Just two months ago, the ban was lifted. It has been removed as part of the latest aid package, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working to revise the rules in accordance with the "spirit of the law." However, due to the deliberative rule-making process, the HHS hasn't come out with a finalized protocol, and foreign citizens diagnosed with the virus are still unable to enter the country.

As an American, you should be able to hear Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain vehemently campaign in person for your vote this November. You should have the opportunity to meet, interact and shake hands with them as you learn about their positions on all of the issues. In many parts of the country, this is considered normal. But alas! You have one unfortunate circumstance: you live in California.

It does not take a leap of faith to realize that the United States is not achieving its goals in Afghanistan. The Afghan government has little reach outside of Kabul and for the most part, life has not improved since 2001. The tacit protection the Taliban receives on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line has been the chief impediment to nation-building efforts in Afghanistan. The view that Pakistan is the weak link in the chain has gained strong ground in academic circles and is now widely held by Western policymakers.

The Republican party chairman in Macomb County, Michigan, probably should have considered his wording when he admitted in an interview that his organization was actively compiling a list of foreclosed homes in order to void voter registration.

Following a record setting 85-day stalemate over the state budget, the financial situation for California looks nearly as downtrodden as it did two weeks ago when state officials were seemingly still in a deadlock deciding the budget. Because the budget was planned too optimistically and state revenue has been unable to meet original estimates, the deficit, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been aiming to close, looks like it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

The presidential town hall debate on Oct. 7 produced daylight fireworks. That is, it was fun to watch for a little bit, but you pretty much didn't see anything. The debate produced no knockout blow for either candidate, at least not overtly. This ultimately meant a win for Barack Obama. He cruised to another debate win just by showing up, but that is not to say he didn't articulate his positions well.

The image of the 1950s is that of a simple and quaint life. The picture-perfect nuclear family was comprised of a father who worked from dawn until dusk, a mother with a bobbed perm and a kill-you-with-kindness attitude and kids (one girl, one boy of course) who thought that the world's greatest injustice was being bullied in high school. Throw in a fascination with dishwashers and a loose-to-iron-fisted love for the Bible and you have your stereotypical, white-picket-fence-dog-in-the-yard family, every hippie's nightmare and every Republican's dream. While this image is dead to our generation, the dream for a "perfect family" just can't stay buried.

Remember the Iraq War? Remember the latest body count of innocent civilians? No? That's okay because "Dancing with the Stars" was on TV and that is more important.

John LaVoie; Mark Levin; Sean Hannity; and...Sarah Palin!

John Lewis; Godwin's Law; the NAACP; Golden Gate Bridge suicide net; Michigan Department of Agriculture. No Sarah Palin!

A History Lesson: Gramm and McCain Partly to Blame; Sallie Mae: Discontinued Student Loans Won't Affect UCI Students; Obama's Connection to Ayers Should Not Be Ignored

It's hard to rage against the machine. However, if you're a well-established name in the music industry, it may have just become easier.