Grade This! - June 12, 2006

The latest news wrap-up: Apple cashes in on Inconvenient Truth, the Army cashes out on inconvenient policy.

Apple Pays Gore to Think Different

Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth has been derided by some for its awkward detours into the former vice-president’s personal life – the teary-eyed story of his son’s car accident and his sister’s death from lung cancer. But perhaps what is really troubling are the frequent glamour shots of Apple computers. Gore has said that Tipper first suggested he convert his presentation into slides late in 2000, remarking, “Well, Mr. Information Superhighway, why don’t you put those slides on your laptop?” Forget Microsoft’s dreary PowerPoint software, Gore strictly used Apple’s Keynote. And this clearly made all the difference. The film’s coproducer, Lesley Chilcott assures us with “100% confidence” that “had he chosen to do this another way, the presentation in the movie would not be as dynamic.” In the film, Gore is shown, hopelessly contemplative, typing away at his sleek, sexy PowerBook. This Apple-love is peculiar until one considers that Gore is on Apple’s Board of Directors. He joined the “legendary” company in March 2003 – his first private sector gig. Oh, and Apple is using An Inconvenient Truth to promote Keynote sales.

Sleek, Sexy PowerBooks: A
The “New” Gore: A-
Cozy Product Placement without disclosure in film credits: C-
Microsoft PowerPoint: C

Submitted by Alex Halpern Levy, Wesleyan University

How To Fail in Interrogation by Not Really Trying

The Pentagon is revising the interrogation guidelines in the Army Field Manual. You would think that in the wake of the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha and continuing reports of improper treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons, the military would want to give soldiers more stringent rules on how to interrogate prisoners. Nope. The Army has also omitted the language from Article 3 of the Geneva Convention prohibiting "humiliating and degrading treatment," from the manual. The Field Manual now has no mentions of the Geneva Convention or international law at all. Memo to Rumsfeld: pretending that international law does not exist does not make it go away!

International Law: B+
“Humiliating and degrading” prisoners: F
Morally distinguishing ourselves from the people we are fighting: A

Submitted by Julie Brinn Siegel, University of Pennsylvania

Live Free or Die

Organizers of the Manchester, New Hampshire, Memorial Day parade pulled the “Veterans for Peace” from the parade this year because the group wanted to march with signs that said “Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home.” According to the Manchester Union- Leader, police cruisers pulled up in front and blocked the veterans just as they were beginning to march. There were even some reports that the veterans were threatened with arrest. The veterans were eventually allowed to march at the end of the parade, without their signs. Shouldn’t former soldiers who have experienced war and have fallen comrades to mourn be able to share their views on the current war with the public on Memorial Day? More importantly shouldn’t people who actually risked their lives and fought for freedom of speech and assembly be able to exercise those rights during a publicly financed event? No silly! Apparently civic leaders in the "Live Free or Die" state need a civics lesson.

Veterans: A
People who threaten to arrest former soldiers for exercising the rights for which they fought: F
Fourth grade social studies: A

Submitted by Julie Brinn Siegel, University of Pennsylvania

Divide to Conquer

The Senate debated a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, again. It is a measure that, again, had no chance of passing. Here’s what boggles my mind—why did the Congressional leadership go along with the President on this? Conventional wisdom says that bringing up social issues will energize the conservative base. Just, there’s one problem. According to a May 18th Fox/Opinion dynamics poll Congress’s job approval rating has plummeted to 27%. I’m willing to bet that one of the reasons for this abysmal approval rating is a perception that Congress doesn’t do anything. The best way to fight this perception: debate a divisive proposal that has already been debated and holds no promise of approval, duh! Especially when there is an emergency $66 billion defense appropriations bill. And it’s not like delaying that could “begin to affect the conduct of the war in Iraq,” could it? Oh, it could? Well, at least we won’t have to worry about gay couples blowing up American troops and Iraqi civilians with exploding marriage licenses. Don’t you feel safer?

Congress (according to the American people): F
Playing politics with divisive, hurtful issues: F
Demagogic Senators making fools out of themselves: B (It’d be better if they just grew up, but we’ll settle for this)

Submitted by Julie Brinn Siegel, University of Pennsylvania

Got an item you’ve graded and want to submit it for the next wrap-up? Send your submissions to cpwebmaster@campusprogress.org.

Note: In the original version of this piece, the author misused the Latin phrase “quid-pro-quo” in the first item. He did not intend to imply that Al Gore was bribed by Apple to promote their products.

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