Compatriots! It is my pleasure to head off the new school year as the Patriot’s Editor-in-Chief, and I look forward to leading an excellent staff.

This issue features a Point-Counterpoint – the first in a long time! – on Proposition 19, an initiative that would drastically reshape California drug policy. Opinion Editor Charlie Deist writes the Point in favor of ending drug prohibition, while I assess how Prop 19 will fall short.

Included is a poll asking for your input on the matter – be sure to go and vote and check out our blog. Over this summer, Managing Editor Andy Nevis rebooted the blog, and our staff will be regularly adding content. Andy has also written on Cal’s rendition of the national anthem and the innovative virtual UC program.

Our articles for this issue also include: Romik Barseghian on last year’s fee increases; Rick Chen on Israel; myself on California’s prison system; Casey Given on race relations in Berkeley; and new staffer Robert Williamson on conflicts of interest in the UC system. Enjoy!

Your Compatriot,

Andrew Glidden

Well, we have arrived: the final issue of the academic year. It is bittersweet for me to write to you all one last time, but we have a great issue for you to read.

As inspired by the official campus newspaper, the Daily Cal, we have created our own “Best of Berkeley” that highlights key events that took place on our campus this year. Also regarding Berkeley, the ASUC elections seemed to come with some dramatic fodder. Romik Barseghian discusses the presence and goals of the Defend Affirmative Action Party, a campus party entirely devoted to this controversial cause. Further, following the election, there has been a scandal where president-elect Noah Stern has been accused of violating campaigning policies and may face removal from his office.

Off the Berkeley campus, there are a few upcoming policies that will be greatly affecting the state and the nation as a whole. Andy Nevis gives his opinions and background on Propositions 13-17 for California voters, while Charlie Deist sheds new light to the ever-controversial legalization of marijuana. Finally, we at the California Patriot have gotten a positive signal from President Obama, who recently lifted barriers to offshore drilling. Opinion Editor Andrew Glidden weighs in. Staffer Emily Nantt discusses State legislator Leland Yee’s calls to strip the UCs autonomy.

Also, for those of you who did not attend, the California Patriot hosted our annual end-of-the-year banquet featuring Professor John Yoo delivering the keynote address. We thank everyone who attended and donated for our great cause. If you were unable to attend, please look out for updates the same time next year.

At this point, it is my pleasure to recognize newly-appointed Editor-in Chief Andrew Glidden. I have full confidence in him and the new Editorial Board to keep up with the legacy of this great publication and cover even more breaking events than before. After this issue and graduation, I am off to law school, but it has truly been my pleasure to serve you all this year and I hope you continue to keep reading and supporting the California Patriot.

Go Bears!

Your Compatriot,

Ann Marie Jelacich

Ah, springtime. Sunshine, flowers, Cadbury eggs, and, of course, people up to ridiculous antics that nobody can believe are true.

Writer Shawn Lewis discusses the peculiar and polarizing “Demon Sheep” ad sponsored by Carly Fiorina’s campaign against Tom Campbell in the GOP Senate race. On the Berkeley campus, former President Bill Clinton arrived and talked about the latest buzz-phrase, “global citizenship.” New Patriot writer Jordan Giannoni’s comments on that speech. Meanwhile, Obama has decided to play a joke on youth by forgiving student loans after a period of time and not subjecting them to economic accountability. More information by Opinion Editor Andrew Glidden.

Also, leave it to Berkeley that when there is good weather, there will be plenty of student outbursts. Writer Andy Nevis discusses Berkeley’s African-American population in an uproar in response to the “Compton Cookout” scandal at UC San Diego. I have covered a story on how a member of the Berkeley community is suing the Interfraternity Council, a collection of many of the fraternities surrounding the campus, for being too disruptive, and, well, frat-like. For our feature this issue, new staffer Romik Barseghian has a “serious” article about the future of Berkeley’s beloved People’s Park — or, as he suggests, the future “People’s Palace.” We invite you to weigh in and let us know what you think ought to be done with People’s Park. Please go online (www.CaliforniaPatriot.org) to participate in our poll.

Hopefully you enjoy this springtime issue in the wonderful weather!

Your Compatriot,

Ann Marie Jelacich

For this issue, we decided to focus on the controversy the Republican Party has made to combat the Obama administration and its agenda, the most noted being the election of Scott Brown to Congress, as covered by Opinion Editor Andrew Glidden. Graduate student, Geoffrey Feld, argues for extending Second Amendment liberties to students on campus. We also recapped the big events that have plagued the state, nation, and world as well. Statewide, Charlie Deist gives an update on the trial over the legality of Proposition 8 in the federal courts. News Editor Roshanne Katouzian addresses the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day that should have been thwarted much sooner than it had. Worldwide, Emily Nantt addresses the recent earthquake in Haiti that has devastated the country. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and encourage of you to go online at www.redcross.org and make your contribution to their relief efforts.

Thank you so much for your continued support. We could not keep running without you. And don’t forget to renew your subscription either online or in the mail.

Your compatriot,

Ann Marie Jelacich

Welcome to the winter issue of the California Patriot! This issue is especially focused on the whirlwind of activity surrounding the U.C. Berkeley campus.
As was caught on Fox News and other news sources, a handful of students broke into Wheeler Hall and barricaded the building to prohibit roughly 3,800 students from attending classes and causing a commotion drawing out hundreds of students to observe the spectacle. Opinion Editor Andrew Glidden has more details. This was followed by a class meeting and another demonstration demanding a halt to the laying off of employees and increasing student fees by the U.C. Regents. Readers can find news regarding another demonstration, this time conducted by Berkeley Students for Life and the backlash it received from the National Organization for Women. This is an example of the growing trend of conservative clubs branching out beyond the historic Berkeley College Republicans, which Managing Editor Spencer Doyle writes about.
Also on campus, Professor Oliver Williamson received the Nobel Prize in economics, and Glidden was able to get an exclusive interview with him, and this is complimented by the background article by Andy Nevis. We are very proud of Professor Williamson and his contribution to the renowned faculty and his field at U.C. Berkeley.
As the year draws to a close, I am reminded by how blessed I am by being at this great university and having such a wonderful board and staff here at the California Patriot. May God bless you all during this holiday season, and we will see you in 2010!

Your Compatriot,

Ann Marie Jelacich

Glad to be back for our Fall issue of the California Patriot! After some technical difficulties, we finally have the poll up and running and we encourage you to go back to our Web site, www.CaliforniaPatriot.org, and cast your vote. You will find another poll topic in this edition as well. We are selling advertising space on our Web site, so if you are interested, please fill out the cutout located towards the back of the magazine if you have a company logo or message you would like to have uploaded onto our site.

This issue, we decided to take a closer look at the controversial topic of health care reform in the United States. President Obama has called for change (not altogether different from his campaign rhetoric), and Congress has been at work to make some alterations to the system, so we wanted to get feedback at the ground level. We interviewed students ranging the political spectrum, and, as predicted, we received a wide range of opinions for you to observe. We would love to get your opinion on the matter as well, so please visit us at www.CaliforniaPatriot.org and cast your vote on health care!

We have a lot of other intriguing pieces in here as well. Alex Dubin writes a letter to the Republican Party on behalf of its constituents calling for their own reform and how to be competitive with the Democratic Party once again. Also included is a story about the UC Walkout. As covered on the news, over 4,000 students, faculty, and community members protested the recent budget cuts in a campus-wide walkout last month. You’ll find Charlie Deist’s coverage of the walkout.

We hope you all enjoy this issue and thank you for your continuing support. Go Bears (especially for the upcoming Big Game)!

Your Compatriot,

A TENTH YEAR FOR THE CALIFORNIA PATRIOT

Welcome back, fellow Patriots! My name is Ann Marie Jelacich, and I am the Editor-in-Chief for the 2009-2010 academic year. I am very excited to serve you all and further the conservative movement with this amazing publication. We are into our tenth year of print and have managed to maintain our mission to expose, educate, and express our views autonomous of the university for everyone to read. We hope to encourage you to formulate your own opinions after reading our magazine to get the less-heard other side of the issues often ignored.

We have a couple new modifications going into the year with the California Patriot. First, we have a new website being constructed (www.CaliforniaPatriot.org) that will reinstall the blog and include our publication available for viewing online. There will be a page with the contact information of major California officials so that you may write them with concerns you have about their policies or call for some “hope and change” to benefit our state. Second, we are going to have a poll in each issue that we hope you will take a look at and participate in by going to the website and casting your vote. This issue, the question is, “Who Would You Rather Vote for in 2012? We have five different candidates, and the results will be printed in our fall issue. Third, be sure to look for the “Patriot Classifieds” page in each issue, where you will find information about writing, drawing, subscribing, and purchasing advertising space in each magazine.

For our first issue of the year, we wanted to touch on some important events that happened this summer as well as educate Cal students on navigating their way through this liberal environment Cal is all-too-well known for. The front cover was meant to educate you about the mainstream media and the monochromatic political tone U.C Berkeley has been known to have. There are lonely conservatives out there on campus, though when we unite together, we can make a difference and allow for a different point of view to be heard. If you go to the feature, we as the Patriot Editorial Board have collaborated and produced a “Patriot Survival Guide” that we hope students can utilize and learn how to save money, find good study locations, and more. Roshanne Katouzian has written a hard-hitting article about how the financial crisis has affected Cal and how we hope to overcome this obstacle. Coinciding with the university is Casey Given’s opinion piece about treating renowned public institutions like Cal more like a private institution with respect to finances and autonomy. ASUC President Will Smelko has answered some questions about his early experiences since being elected and what he hopes to accomplish for students this year. The Minuteman addresses some of the highlights from the last couple months, including Sarah Palin’s resignation and Obama’s outrageous police statement (and semi-apology).

We hope you will enjoy this issue and continue your support for our cause. Go Bears, and Go California Patriot!

Your Compatriot,

But the biggest event that took place in the 08-09 school year was the election of Barack Obama. He came into the presidency promising “hope and change,” but what he’s done so far has made America less safe—whether by releasing the CIA interrogation memos (liberals call them “Torture Memos”), pledging to shut down Guantanamo Bay, or by becoming the first “teleprompter-in-chief”. President Obama’s first 100 days in office have come to pass and while the news conference to celebrate his hundredth day almost put me to sleep, there was one question in particular that basically sums it up. When questioned by The New York Times, Obama was asked what he was most “enchanted” about during his time in office so far.

In the final publication of the California Patriot for the 2008-2009 school year we bring you the latest from our dedicated staff writers. Katelyn Sills provides readers with an update on the controversy surrounding Revered Walter Hoye who was arrested and served time in prison for protesting outside an Oakland abortion clinic last February. Margaret Mele reports on the City of Oakland’s memorializing of Lovelle Mixon, who shot and killed four policemen after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop last month. Andy Nevis and Jaymes P. Dunsmore report on the spike in crime around Berkeley and the East Bay, remembering slain Cal student Vincent Choi, 22, who was shot and killed in March.

Also, the May feature is stylized with a yearbook layout and addresses four different people or events that made a dramatic impact this year. In the Perspectives section, you can read an article by graduating writer Tommy Owens concerning the controversy surrounding this year’s graduation commencement ceremony. Francesca Parise addresses the ballot propositions for the upcoming California special election and Andrew Glidden gives his opinion on national fiscal policy.

Good luck on finals and have a great summer. Go Bears!

Your Compatriot,

Bryant Milesi