The Daily Gamecock

Patrick Mitchell

Today's Christians evolve with culture of past

By Patrick Mitchell | April 20, 2012

Conservatism can gradually give way to tolerance Wednesday’s issue of The State newspaper ran a guest column from Rev. Neal Jones, pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, entitled “The Jesus of Christianity, or of stingrays.” He points to the dominant framework of Christian America and how it has fundamentally forgotten the core messages of Jesus seen in the gospels — to love one another, to give generously and to not judge.

South unwisely clings to abstinence

By Patrick Mitchell | April 13, 2012

Pregnancy rate depends on regional divide The 2010 Center for Disease Control and Prevention report on teen pregnancy, released Tuesday, highlighted a declining trend in the United States. Teen births are down 9 percent overall, placing our nation’s average at 34 teen pregnancies per 1000 girls aged 15-19. Geographical differences are still sadly present: Predictably, the teen birth rate in Mississippi, at 55 births per 1000, is more than three times as high as that of New Hampshire, at 15.7 births per 1000.

"Fetal pain" bill ignores social factors

By Patrick Mitchell | April 6, 2012

Law maintains bias surrounding abortions In an extended end-of-the-year session on March 29, Georgia poised itself to join seven other states in adopting a “fetal pain” bill, which outlaws abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill is also known as the “women as livestock” bill, renamed after Rep. Terry England drew an insane parallel between calves on his farm giving birth to dead fetuses — and women in America seeking abortions.

Media distort real facts of Martin shooting

By Patrick Mitchell | March 30, 2012

News sources play on tensions, emotions to increase hype surrounding attack Trayvon Martin is the name on the tip of America’s tongue. Our own president expressed his sentiments on the situation, and the Black Panthers put out a $10,000 reward for the capture of George Zimmerman, the man whom many have accused of killing Martin in cold blood. It seems as though the entire nation has mobilized itself against a specific image of Zimmerman, one in which the facts of the incident are presented as a racially induced hate crime perpetuated against an innocent young man at the hands of a racist. But polarizing events such as these further emphasize the necessity of skepticism.

Men should fight apathy, stereotypes

By Patrick Mitchell | March 2, 2012

Lecture series sparks debate on masculine roles It’s no secret to anyone that men are suffering from apathy here in the United States. Anecdotal evidence abounds: the perpetual child playing video games in his parent’s basement, or the stereotypical “bro” whose sole priority is promiscuity. Men have an image foisted upon us, and it is not a pretty one.

Online courses favor today's resources

By Patrick Mitchell | Feb. 24, 2012

Social media can aid learning experience USC recently announced a plan to move courses, especially freshman-level classes, to the online sphere. Approximately 165 classes were offered online at the start of Spring 2012, and this number is expected to increase in coming years. I applaud this initiative, and I think this move provides a unique opportunity to reevaluate the way education is conducted, employing what we actually know about how people learn — instead of attempting to bludgeon students with an outdated system.

Church exemptions lead to revenue losses

By Patrick Mitchell | Feb. 17, 2012

Special status for religious groups creates unfair tax system In Italy on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mario Monti announced his plan to amend Italian law to allow taxation of the Italian Church. Like the United States, Italy has been facing a recession for some time now and has been examining all the options to make up for the shortfall. An investigatory committee found a gain of €100 million ($130 million) by adding only a property tax on all church commercial property. A similar move in the U.S. could place much-needed funds back into our government budget.

Arts funding contributes to social enrichment

By Patrick Mitchell | Feb. 10, 2012

Conservative threats to cut budgets ignore impact of creative projects Mitt Romney addressed on Wednesday portions of his proposed budget plan that include “deep reductions in the subsidies” for the federally sponsored National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was during this talk that Romney had another memorable — and somewhat haunting — quote. “We’re not going to kill Big Bird, but Big Bird is going to have advertisements,” he said.

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