Dear Prime Minister Harper,

As Leader of the Opposition in 2003, you fully supported the military operation of George W. Bush into Iraq. You stated, “In the final analysis, disarming Iraq is necessary for the long-term security of the world, to the collective interest of our historic allies and, therefore, manifestly it is in the national interest of this country.” This was in stark contrast to then-Prime Minister Chretien who stalled and dodged the issue while the other leaders, yourself included, clearly defined either their support or contempt for the Bush Administration’s position. While many Canadians may have disagreed with you on your pro-American stance, you nonetheless honourably took and maintained a stand.

Dear Readers,

As a section of the Mars’ Hill newspaper, Politica has brought you scandals in the Canadian government, and debates between liberals and conservatives. We’ve educated you on elections at the municipal and federal level. We’ve actively engaged in a dialogue to bring faith and politics together on the issues of abortion and same-sex marriage. And yet, all these debates have taken place in the comfort of our reflective North American setting. Have we failed to address the darker realities of politics?

I’ve spent my senior year writing in the Politica section with my Liberal perspective on politics. I do not want to my last issue to be a plea for you to vote Liberal – though I do think you should. Consider this a plea for you to wake up and realize you live in a political world.

This fall the Lester B. Pearson Society is hoping to host a Model United Nations for high school students in the Lower Mainland. Many of you might be wondering exactly what a Model United Nations (MUN) is; technically, it’s a simulation of what actually takes place in the United Nations. Students are assigned a country and asked to research its foreign policy on specific topics before the simulation. During the simulation they participate as that country in the debates and discussions while seeking to negotiate some kind of resolution on the topics. On a more general level, MUNs are fun role-playing events that give you valuable practice in negotiating and speaking skills and a feel for the day-to-day reality of diplomacy. TWU students attend the UBCMUN every year, participating in the various committees and council and enjoying three days away from campus in downtown Vancouver. Next semester, we want to host one of our own, not only to put on an interactive event for the broader Langley area, but also to raise money to send interested students to other MUN events, such as those in Ottawa. We’re looking for people who are interested in helping with the organization and production of the event.

The 2005 / 06 school year is drawing to a close. Believe it, because it’s the truth. Any attachments you may have had to March… well, you’d better get over them because the future is now, darn it! You suckers are still stuck back in March, but me – I’m makin’ my way to April and beyond, baby!

I’ve done this five times before. Sitting in March, waiting for the cherry blossoms outside of Douglas to explode in beauty, getting to schoolwork when I lose patience at that. Last year was supposed to be the final time. Obviously it wasn’t.
So, I came back. For the people, for the cherry blossoms, for the two classes I failed last year.

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The semester’s nearly done, the blossoms are nearly bloomed, and this time it’s with a bit more finality than in years previous. This finality could stem from a strongly held assumption that this semester is the final one. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that I will never again enjoy Spring’s descent on Trinity from the perspective of a student.

Some people say graduation is scary. I say it’s pretty much the most refreshing thought I can think of. Right now, there’s nothing that depresses me more than the paralyzingly bland idea of writing one more stupid paper. I’ve written about a hundred and nine of them already, and most of them have been fine. I don’t see why I have to keep doing it. One word that comes to mind is “redundant.” Like, I get it already, I understand the point, the point has been made, I get an “A” in Understanding Why You Want Me to Write Papers 101.

The United Nation’s 2006 report claims that there are currently 19.1 million refugees in the world. Forced from their homes because of war, natural disasters, and political discrimination, refugees face a radically different way of life than they have ever known before. Makeshift shelters become home, food is scarce, disease is rampant, violence and rape are everyday realities, and personal morale lowers with each continuing day. Presently, the most catastrophic refugee situation in the world is occurring because of an ethnic conflict in Sudan that is escalating into genocide, causing a new influx of refugees fleeing for their lives. Already low resources are now being stretched to the point that food rations in Sudan are being cut in half. This is a major problem as malnutrition is the leading cause of death in refugee camps.