Opinions to go Online

The unique perspective and provocative opinions of Joe O’Neill

Archive for October, 2003

Fickle Fingers Of Fate Bedevil Bucs And Bolts

Whether the Bucs make the playoffs this year, much less advance any further, is sobering testimony to factors beyond the control of Jon Gruden, Monte Kiffin, Rich McKay and any and all Glazers. The NFL, with its premium on parity, might as well stand for “Not For Long” — as in the reign of defending [...]

MohaMADDENING Update

Recently the Pentagon’s Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin spoke out of turn and referenced the war on terrorism in religious terms. As in Us vs. Them. As in Christianity vs. Islam. Bad move. It might be “jihad” to the other side, but we keep it secular. In fact, we pledge to do so. Defending America [...]

USF: CPA Stud

Amid all the budget scenarios and Big East subplots, it was easy to miss a recent USF achievement. Once again, USF is a national leader in helping its graduates prepare for the CPA licensing exam. Specifically, USF had the second highest passing rate in the country on the most recent Uniform CPA Examination. With a [...]

Blue, Peach Greenback's Makeover Incomplete

Arguably, the multi-hued makeover of the $20-dollar bill works. The floating shades of soft blue, green and peach are easy on the eyes, and the image of an eagle next to President Andrew Jackson is a nice touch. And twenties, with their new watermarks and security threads, are now a lot harder to counterfeit, which [...]

Blue, Peach Greenback’s Makeover Incomplete

Arguably, the multi-hued makeover of the $20-dollar bill works. The floating shades of soft blue, green and peach are easy on the eyes, and the image of an eagle next to President Andrew Jackson is a nice touch. And twenties, with their new watermarks and security threads, are now a lot harder to counterfeit, which [...]

Cheering For Title IX

According to the NCAA, cheerleading is not an intercollegiate sport, at least not the kind that warrants scholarships. The University of Maryland, however, is currently testing that tenet. To expedite compliance with the equal opportunity mandates of Title IX — and to save some men’s scholarships — UM has promoted part of its cheerleading squad [...]

Fireable Offenses: Race, Yes; Treason, No

Rush Limbaugh gets, in effect, fired by ESPN for going off the reservation with some ill-timed racial comments. Robert Novak, however, still plays the cartoon conservative on CNN’s “Crossfire” and “The Capital Gang” despite his despicable outing of a CIA operative. Obviously some indiscretions are judged more harshly than others. Limbaugh was easily labeled a [...]

Cuban Politics: Panderfest Plays On

Maybe you saw it; maybe not. It was easy to miss. It was another one of those official, rhetorically flourished, knee-jerk responses from Havana blaming Washington for something. More criticism of a democracy by a dictatorship. As such, it was given its proper media burial — less than three inches on page 8 of the [...]

Business As Usual for County Commission

Hopefully, we can all agree that major transportation fixes have to happen or else this area grows malignantly into “Atlanta, the Sequel.” So, how’s this for a transportation-rallying cry? “When lacking perfectly equitable revenue-raising scenarios and minus safe political cover for everybody, do nothing.” As Hillsborough County Commission mantra, it’s unwieldy. As public policy, it’s [...]

Caveat Gator

By all appearances the University of Florida did quite well in landing Bernie Machen as its new president. The former president of the University of Utah is known to be as candid as he is compassionate. The one time pediatric dentist is personable and puts a premium on good teaching. He likes short meetings and [...]