Last Thursday, I attended Ben Stein’s lecture at Foellinger Auditorium, an event advertised by the Illini Union Board as a discourse “on the current state of politics.” Mr. Stein must not have received the memo, as he failed to weigh in on a single political issue before being prompted to do so during the brief question and answer session – and even then, the inquiries and responses were both unsatisfactory. Sure, everyone expected a healthy dose of humor, but the anticipated segue into a relevant dialogue never materialized. What emerged in its stead was the aural equivalent of a bad self-help book, followed by a barrage of unequivocal praise for those who have lost their lives serving our nation. The extended eulogy was all well and good, but perhaps Stein could have addressed something more topically pertinent, such as the fraudulent justification for a war that has led and continues to lead such men and women to their deaths.

Carl Hauck

Junior in LAS