Hi there.
Many of you know me from my super awesome greatest SA blog ever.
I just wanted to write a quick note and introduce myself, and give a bit of a hint as to what I'll be writing about in the coming year.
First of all, I'm honored (well, less than that) to join the staff of the Patriot. Up until now, I had considered this austere organization to be above my talents. However, now that the show is being run by Hunter "when there is a blemish on an apple there are options" Patterson as well as Will "I can't figure out how to make the font on my blog posts match the rest of the blog" Frey, I feel that the standards have fallen low enough to merit my input.
I will not be posting any SA news, thoughts, or opinions on the Patriot. Inside the SA is my fun pet project, and I will put all my SA related posts there. On the Patriot, I will endeavor to move beyond the circus of student government and post on more general student issues, as well as college culture and politics.
I can't promise to bring back Bill's wit, JJ's intelligence, or Pat's... um, whatever it was that Pat did.
But I promise to be a better writer than Hunter.
Won't you come along for the journey? It should be a fun year.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
A message of thanks and explanation.
New Bloggers
Posted by Will Frey at 5:39 PM
I would like to introduce Patriot readers to our new contributors: Thomas Bird, Alex Fitzsimmons, and Logan Dobson.
Logan, as many of you know, is the blogger behind the strikingly irrelevant Inside the SA site. He'll be filling JJ's role and focusing on economics, and I'm sure he'll tool it up and post some SA stuff as well.
Thomas Bird is new to the GW blogosphere. I have known Tom since I first came to GW; he's always up for a good philosophical discussion, and I know his opinions will generate excellent feedback from our readership. An ardent libertarian, Tom will serve as the Patriot's voice for social toleration and strict adherence to the Constitution. His role will be similar to what Bill Flanigen's was this past year; he'll also be the Colmes to everyone else's Hannity, if you will. It's important for the Patriot to have at least a modicum of intellectual diversity, and Tom brings just that.
And last but certainly not least is Alex Fitzsimmons, who will add a strong conservative voice to the Patriot. He’s the Scheduling Coordinator of Jeremy Jones for Congress 2010 and the Membership director for the GW College Republicans. Politically, Alex cares more about balancing the federal budget than preventing abominable sodomizers from pursuing their insidious vices, and is an avid fan of the Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Welcome to the Patriot, Alex, Logan and Tom!
I’m looking forward to what you three can bring to the blog. We’ve got a heck of a year ahead of us, folks!
Labels: Alex Fitzsimmons, Logan Dobson, Thomas Bird, Will Frey, y
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
SA "student fee" was a bigger - and older - issue than we thought
Posted by Will Frey at 11:10 AM
Remember the GW Student Association's bright idea to increase the student fee in 2007-08? Most major student orgs came out in support of it, despite ideological aversions [*cough* College Republicans *cough*] to fees, taxes, and the like. As per usual, The Patriot was one of the few voices for restraint on the issue.
Well anyway, Reason magazine - where former Patriot Senior Editor Bill Flanigen is currently interning - published a feature article on student fees eight years before GW even took the issue up. It was a bigger and older issue than we thought, apparently:
"Fee Fighters: Should students be forced to subsidize campus activities?" by RiShawn Biddle (November 1999)
Labels: Bill Flanigen, Fee Increase, SA, Student Fee, Will Frey
Monday, June 22, 2009
Bill Flanigen in the New York Post
Posted by W. Hunter Patterson at 8:47 AM
Former Patriot editor Bill Flanigen had an Op-Ed published in the New York Post today about the ACLU's odd stance of both condemning the use of Federal watchlists but at the same time complying with federal regulations of screening their own employees against the lists: here.
Big congrats to Bill.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Mid-Summer News Roundup.
Posted by W. Hunter Patterson at 10:07 AM
- No doubt to be followed by an increase in parking fees, the University is building a "green space" behind Gutheridge
- Shocker: President Knapp makes a f-ton of money
- CI: no link needed, just imagine bored apathetic freshmen rethinking their decision to come here as their once really excited parents' smiles start to fade as they realize that their $50k a year is going towards CI-themed chocolates and Columbia back-packs for a group of coked-up spazzes who could afford them anyway.
- Blog of the summer: Spotted: DC interns. Even though I'm abroad, I'm glad that I can still read something that will fuel my fire of hatred for the most vile group of people on the planet.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Summer Hibernation
Posted by W. Hunter Patterson at 4:34 PM
The Patriot is not dead. Even though Bill, Pat and JJ have left us, we have a lot of new young writers on deck to start next year, but summer is usually a time when we scale back and prepare for the next school year.
Posts will be sparse this summer, but we will be back in full swing come late August with a lot of new content and new writers.
Over on Inside the SA Logan is trying to get to the bottom of what he is calling "HousingGate", its something that I'm sure we all will be talking about, and if anything develops, we'll be sure to cover it.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Farewell, Patriots
Posted by Patrick J. Ford at 2:37 PM
So having said goodbye to JJ and Bill, two very capable, intelligent, and funny guys, it would seem time for me to let go and part ways with a publication I have been involved with since before I arrived on campus my freshman year.
Since I sent former Editor Stan Dai an email expressing my interest in conservative journalism I have been involved in the day-to-day operations of the Patriot. When I arrived, the Patriot had no online presence and published even less than it does now, and every writer had a heathy chip on their shoulder about how ignored the Patriot really was. I am leaving a publication with a substantial online presence--having been mentioned by folks at reason magazine and Cato--and enjoying hundreds of unique hits a day. The former hardly resembles the latter. And although I deserve little credit for that, I am proud nonetheless.
The Patriot is being left in very capable hands. Hunter Patterson may be a somewhat controversial and easily-excitable guy, but he is a far more capable manager then I ever was. He loves the Patriot and will work hard to maintain its reputation on campus. I wish him the best of luck.
From my early piece defending Senator McCarthy, to my spat with Professor Croatti, to fighting the GW Socialists, to the great blade-crosser Lamar Thorpe, to the controversy surrounding OG's silly "Stop the Hate" movement, to my lenghty posts on traditional conservatism, I have grown and matured as a thinker and writer thanks to the Patriot. I have always been thankful for all of you that defended me against unfair accusations and threats. And to my detractors, thanks for constantly challenging me. I'll miss you as well.
I'll be in the area, doing some writing here and there. But I will always love the GW Patriot. May she live forever.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Finals Timesuck: Boomshine
Posted by W. Hunter Patterson at 8:54 AM
This is an insanely addictive game: Boomshine
*EDIT* Logan wants me to remind you all that the Colonialist linked to this game last year during Finals...sorry for my "dirty plagiarism"
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
So I have been hunkered down in Gelman for a good half a day and figured it was time to write a little send off to the blog. While I have not been with the Patriot all four years, it has certainly been a fun two. I came aboard right in the midst of the SA presidential elections and the OG controversy. It was certainly an interesting introduction to say the least. While I was not a big contributor to the print edition, I have found the blog to be a fun place to post some of my musings about mostly economic issues. In fact, I think the only two topics I posted rather frequently about were the pervasiveness of cigarette taxes and Milton Friedman videos. Regardless, I hope everyone enjoyed the Daily Links section I had going off and on since the summer.
Again, good luck to Hunter and Will. I hope anyone who is interested in getting involved with the Patriot to not be shy and come aboard, it's a blast.
-JJ
Labels: JJG
The Second Semester in Polls
Posted by Will Frey at 4:27 PM
If next year's Student Association leaders' could do just one thing, they should...
improve dining options | 16 (20%) |
program more events | 3 (3%) |
just try not to be tools | 56 (70%) |
bolster school spirit | 5 (6%) |
Votes so far: 80
Who would do a better job as SA President?
Nick Polk | 39 (48%) |
Julie Bindelglass | 42 (51%) |
Votes so far: 81
On a scale of 1-5, (1 being worst and 5 being best) rate The Hatchet's April Fools Edition:
1 [worst] | 9 (17%) |
2 | 5 (9%) |
3 [meh.] | 17 (32%) |
4 | 11 (21%) |
5 [best] | 10 (19%) |
Votes so far: 52
Who is your favorite CCAS-UG Student Association Senator?
Logan Dobson | 21 (28%) |
Erik Ashida | 11 (14%) |
Dylan Pyne | 23 (31%) |
Caleb Raymond | 7 (9%) |
Anthony Marenna | 10 (13%) |
Josh Goldstein | 2 (2%) |
Votes so far: 74
Should the United States legalize marijuana?
Votes so far: 75
Labels: GW Hatchet, Julie Bindelglass, Nick Polk, Polls, SA, Will Frey
