When a system is in a state of equilibrium and a new, non-inert component is added, the system will become dynamic and then reach a new equilibrium. This scientific principle is true of chemical reactions and also of societal interactions, notably occurring here at UMass Amherst surrounding the release of the first issue of The Minuteman in February of 2009.
The Minuteman, as most readers will recall, is the newly resurrected conservative and investigative independent newspaper at the University of Massachusetts. Written and compiled by a registered student organization (RSO) called “The Silent Majority”, The Minuteman quickly became the subject of hot debate and protest on campus because of alleged bigotry and because its viewpoint deviated from the established media norm on campus.

When we set out to resurrect The Minuteman in December of 2008, our goal was to expose the corruption and wastefulness that seemed to pervade the administration, the history, and the campus life around us. Our message was bound to be met with detractors, but we resolved that our voice of reason would be met with a nod by the silent, moderate, and independent component of the UMass microcosm.

To set the record straight, we intended no racist or anti-women connotations in our message. Unfortunately, those hyper-sensitive to such messages will always find fault with those with whom they disagree. Immature, personal shots aside, the February/March issue of The Minuteman was not a mean-spirited publication.  Our contempt, to be sure, was present when wrongdoings were highlighted. A Malcolm X poster with a racist quote is a racist picture and we exposed it as such. Insulting the failed economic beliefs of a Congressman wrought with conflicts of interest is legitimate criticism.

While we cannot always stand by what a person with their own lens will take away from our statements, we can certainly stand by our intent in making them.

The Minuteman is here to stay. To act as the Watchdog and the student’s advocate and to loudly sound the alarm when the Constitution and the rule of law is being trampled underfoot. We are proud of this role, though it may subject us to crossfire when we step on the toes of those who disagree with us.

The reader may only remember the hostility with which our first issue was met, but there is another side of the story: the scores of

people who lauded our efforts and the many people we witnessed actually picking through the rubbish to find maliciously discarded copies of our newspaper and read this message that their radical colleagues refused to let them judge for themselves.

At UMass, supression is an every day occurrence, though many may not have realized it until recently. That the Don Feder speech that was shut down is a clear violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution and is a blaring example of such hypocritical intolerance.

To these people, I reiterate that The Minuteman is a platform for free speech and that we are here to stay -- unafraid, independently-funded, and now with journalistic savoire-faire. If you do not agree with us, you are free to spend your time reading other newspapers just as we are free to spend our time writing ours.

Tolerance for others, freedom of speech and thought, and the use of rational and constructive dialogue are the luxuries afforded an educated and liberally-minded populus, no matter what one’s beliefs may be. Welcome to the ‘other side.’

John can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it