My first ever opinions article in The Hoot was written back in October 2006. The title of the piece was “Memoirs of a Conservative at Brandeis Part One” and the negative response I got from composing the article made me give up this line of writing altogether. Still, being a conservative at Brandeis has given me even more grievances over the past 14 months. I am infuriated by the whole guns debate and how the advisory committee is being created. It also agitates me that I am constantly under attack for my views, even in the most unsuspecting of locations. Finally, I’d like to make a call to other Conservatives, so that they can come out in the open and bring more solidarity to our cause. With all of these thought in mind, and wanting an avenue to voice them, I now compose the second part of my memoirs of a Conservative at Brandeis.

The guns debate has already been discussed at length, and it may seem old hat for me to throw in my own two cents. Still, I am passionate about this topic and almost view it as a non-issue. Guns are an absolutely vital component to our campus safety. My colleague, Chrissy Callahan, has already written at length about our professional and trustworthy public safety force, all sentiments that I echo. When yielded by these officers, guns should allow us to breathe easier in the post Virginia Tech world. I don’t get these paranoid individuals who seem to hate any semblance of authority.

But the way this topic has been handled by students is horrific. Groups have placed offensive poster around campus, most of which don’t make sense. Some say “war is peace, freedom is slavery, guns are safe: think about it.” What does this mean? First of all, these statements have no semblance of logic and just show their lack of understanding for Orwellian philosophy. I am also upset that not one Conservative is on the advisory committee chosen by our student union. All people selected for the board claim to be open-minded and fair in their judgment, but I really wonder how far these words go. Have any of these individuals fired guns at length, do they have a license to carry? I know just a person, my Track teammate, who is a Conservative, a member of the NRA, and one of the few people on this campus who has a gun license. Yet, he was not chosen for this committee even though he has the most experience with firearms and applied for the appointment. Of course, in this “progressive,” “liberal” campus we are willing to hear all opinions. This, naturally, excludes those that don’t conform to the majority of student opinion.

Now that I have spent way too much time talking about guns, I wanted to discuss the constant attack that I am under for being a Conservative. I know that I am a red dot in a sea of blue, but this does not mean that people can call me out on my views at every convenience. One time, during group discussions in class, someone inquired if my Conservative value were correct, and once I answered in the positive, several classmates began attacking my beliefs. Even at Shabbat dinner, a person sitting next to me decided to be political and started a debate as we said the blessings over the challah and grape-juice. Just because I may have views that are dissimilar doesn’t mean I should be open for debate at any time. Just because I differ in political opinion does not mean that people should feel free to criticize me when I have not even instigated a discussion. I hope to impress this fact so that I can have a peaceful Shabbat diner and enjoy my classes in peace.

In this last part of the article, I’d like to call on my conservative brothers and sisters to come out of the dark and present themselves proudly in the open. I no longer want to call the Brandeis Republicans the “super secret club” and hope that we can build this organization to its past prominence on this campus. Some of you may be libertarian, while others may have seen the light on economic policy. However you have come across your conservative values, please feel free to proudly display your opinions. Hey, you might even consider putting it on your Facebook.

So thus ends part two of my memoirs. After 14 months of silence, I could hold it in no longer. I hope that I have presented a view that is widely criticized on this campus and urged others to step forward and proudly display their political beliefs.