Almost seven months prior to the BC election, Gordon
Wilson came to Douglas College extolling the virtues of his
newly formed Progressive Democratic Alliance. Now here’s
one politician who’s shown resilience whenever faced with
a challenge. On that day back in December though, he also
displayed an incredible knack for stating the obvious when
he said you have to be crazy to be a politician in BC these
days. Six months later he registered the PDA in the

provincial election.

Or how about our current Premier, Mr. Glen Clark of the
NDP? Now there’s one crazy politician. Whenever he was
challenged by a significant portion of the electorate, he
would simply make a campaign promise that would quiet
these poor wretches down. Perhaps a one-year freeze on
tuition is reasonable, but a two-year freeze? It'll be
interesting if he keeps that promise, and how he will make
up for what is bound to be an enormous subsidy for
education. But maybe calling Clark a crazy politician is
inaccurate, he may have been crazy to become a politician,
but he knew exactly what he was doing three months ago
when he designated himself minister responsible for youth.
After all, this is the first year 18-year-olds are able to vote
in a BC election, and that meant an whopping 40,000 extra
votes for Clark if he could smooth talk his way through his

tour of colleges.

How about those other poor sods who competed in the
provincial power struggle and lost big time? The Liberals
don’t fall into this category. They are now the official
opposition and it’s their job to keep an eye on Clark and his
caucus, and make sure the NDP lives up to at least some of
its promises. But what about the ‘also rans?’ The Reform
Party couldn’t talk enough about how popular they were
federally, while at the same time they could be heard to
quip that the BC Reform Party had nothing to do with the

 

To Other Press

Shit, never thought Id be
addressing the Other Press, but here
I am—a philosophy freak and devils
advocate.

It’s my 3rd semester here with my
fellow college C.R.U.D.S., whatever
that means. College Recruits and
Unemployed?

First, there’s the advertising and
the fact that what goes on behind
your keyhole is really your business.
Why the fuck advertise it? After
reading the Other Press, I’ve noticed
there are some who feel threatened,
and can’t get enough opposition to
fuel their cause. Their looking for a
heavier cross and nowadays noone
cares or dares oppose anything
besides politicians. Its a freer but not
necessarily gentler nation. Even the
Prime Minister can go around
knocking heads and then joke about
it.

So, my fellow consumer fodder, I
need to finish this and a book in the
next couple of years. I am here like
you for the credentials and without
that, like being a doctor, a book
simply lacks credibility. More on
that, but Ist I wonder why colleges
don’t teach us how to be individuals,
and teach a course based on it. 1 am
a Libertarian and believe one big
happy family we can never be. A

Reform Party of Canada. And when they lost with only
two provincial legislative seats to their credit, they could
be heard, again, saying this was because they were
linked with the Reform Party in Ottawa. Well, it doesn’t
take a political scientist to figure out they were crazy to
choose that name if they thought it wouldn’t be linked to

the federal Reform.

The Green party are a favourite around here at the
Other Press though. These guys are the environmentally
sensitive group among the provincial political parties.
Always sensitive to the needs of the atmosphere and the
people who inkabit this planet. Yeah, right. We could
paper the walls in our office with all the faxes they’ve
sent us. The news box was cleaned out just prior to the
election because of all the daily reminders the Green
party had sent us. But now it’s full of Green party faxes
again. Some saying the same damn thing. I wonder how
many trees fell in the forest because of their decision to
ignore the platform they say they subscribe to?

The Natural Law Party of BC is one group that has
chosen to take the road less traveled in BC politics. Their
platform revolves around transcendental meditation, and
has no political motivation at all. They didn’t put up any
campaign signs. They didn’t even send us a fax. And the
promises they made during the campaign were even less
imposing. They pledged the prevention of problems in
society through enlivening consciousness. That’s quite a
mouthful. But they at least have the balls to admit
society isn’t quite ready for them. Not yet anyway. Crazy

eh?

Let’s hand it to the Natural Law party. They have the
only scientifically proven method to improve your life.
It’s called Yogic Flying. Keep an eye open for that

slogan in the next BC election.

 

 

Libertarian believes in self-
responsibility. You know, ignorance
is no excuse, buyer beware, dig your
own trenches and all that stuff.

The groups in the Link I just
mentioned have every right to be
here and everyone has the right to
scrutinize each other., Noone on this
planet should have blanket
protection due to their sex, race or
nationality.

Can I tell you about the story of a
very shrewd friend I once knew (and
who is still living). He came back
for Vietnam decorated as a sargeant
and never once stepped out into the
jungle! He was a supply clerk and
got out of digging trenches. That’s
my point. I’d personally think of
every way possible to avoid digging
someone else’s trenchs or carry their
banners. But there’s more.

Remember that inscription on the
statue of Liberty? Something about
other nations sending over their
downtrodden. Now, who the hell
wants to be downtrodden, poor or
wretched refuse from some polluted
shore? Well, noone in their right
mind I hope. Its as crazy as
expecting bliss for turning the other
cheek. Its as deceitful as carrying a
cross.

On the contrary everyone on this
planet wouldn’t mind winning a
lottery and being winners, not
wretched refuse, so why extol that
BS?

It never ceases to amaze me how
people in our social sciences can
believe that someone elses success
or gain somehow translates into
anothers misfortune. That say, even
if we don’t know each other from
Adam, there is a direct or causal
relationship between your feast and
my famine. That say Bill Gates’
success in creating Microsoft was
not intelligence (something you
don’t learn at universities), but rather
due to his social callousness, a desire
to stick it to someone or to pure
greed. What rubbish! No wonder
universities can’t teach intelligence.
Imagine if we sent every student in
Douglas College to university, all
expenses paid! I have no doubt most
would return eventually as doctors,
knowledgeable and well-read.

Back to the Other Press and that
nice job they did on that earlier
edition. The one with the picture of
the (dog-eared) copy of Nietzsche’s
Zarathustra. Zarathustra is of course
the hero of the book and once
proclaims that “the people are
thieves.” He wasn’t referring to

plagiarism at college, but the fact
that intelligence in effect is
something you can’t buy or steal.
Gates did make a lot of money from
those same thieves.”

May I end with mentioning
something called bad faith. It seems
to be everywhere, and you can find
it by looking up J.P. Sartre under
philosophy. We pretend for 14 weeks
that we never noticed that guy or girl
sitting next to us. Thats bad faith or
role play. Intelligence, belief,
success or failure, regardless we
have a role. All the worlds a stage,
even college.

by James G. Magus

I am a student who only attends the
college in the summer. Every semester
students get charged $4.50 for the Other
Press fee(included in tuition). Why is it
that you guys charge the same fee every
semester, yet in the summer we only get
1/2 as many issues of your beautiful
newspaper?!? Because I only attend in
the summer, I feel very ripped off!!

Signed,
the ever disgruntled VP.

June 1996

 

    

 

June 4, 1996 - Volume 29 Issue 16

The Other Press is Douglas College’s
mous student newspaper. We have

been publishing since’#976. Being
autonomous means neithe¢ the Douglas
College Student Society
Administration nor the

      
  
 
    
  
 
   
  
   
   
 
    
   
  
   
   
   

of the students of Doug
feel free to come on dot
cave and excercise
contributing to tw:
consequetive issues in
can become a voting
Press is run as a
collective. Sort of. At
charge, so don’t phon#
president...we don’t ha

abbles with what
juld get your lazy

The Other Press
Douglas College
Room 1020
700 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, BC
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great), Niki Kalouda
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Chilboyko,
, Richard von

Employees

Accounting - The
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Production Reso
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Editorial Resoure:
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