Reading Time: 4 minutes For the past fifteen weeks, the people of Hong Kong have engaged in pro-democracy demonstrations in the face of proposed legislation by Beijing that would cut further into the semi-autonomous states’ sovereignty. The rest of the world has watched as the small...
Continue readingAffirmative Consent is Negative.
Reading Time: 6 minutes Connor Kianpøur, Georgia State University Consent plays a crucial role in mediating otherwise problematic relationships. It requires that individuals receive permission from and develop respect for others. What makes stealing wrong, both from an ethical and legal perspective, is that an individual...
Continue readingTo impeach or not to impeach –Are Democrats overplaying their hand?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Over the course of the past six months, cries for the impeachment of President Trump have arisen from a faction within the Democratic party. These voices, primarily of younger party members such as Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Illan Omar, have used the Mueller...
Continue readingThe Death Penalty
Reading Time: 13 minutes Publisher’s Note The Death Penalty is one of the greatest points of contention within our country. Even within political parties, the morality and legality of the Death Penalty is hotly contested. Our contributors do a commendable job making arguments in favor of,...
Continue readingKanye West’s Call for Unity
Reading Time: 7 minutes As the belly of political radicalization in the United States swells, civil dialogue shrivels. Attacks from the Left on the White House and GOP, combated with equal hostility from the Right have concocted a toxic political climate. Where do we go...
Continue readingShould You Vote in Every Election?
Reading Time: 10 minutes Publisher’s Note —Over the past few years our country has endured some of the most tumultuous times in recent political history. The great partisan divide between Republicans and Democrats has mobilized voters for the upcoming midterm elections in record numbers. In light...
Continue readingA House Divided: Thoughts on Pittsburgh and the climate of America
Reading Time: 5 minutes Jack Scalia, Denison University The first headline comes as a shock, everything that follows, however, is the sad, predictable reality of our society. I am speaking, of course, about the atrocities which have become almost routine in our country and the politically...
Continue readingIllinois v. Perkins: Can We Even Plead the Fifth Anymore?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Connor Kianpour, UC Davis When an individual pleads the fifth, they are protecting themselves against the threat of self-incrimination in an imperfect judicial system that, despite its valuation of the presumption of innocence, oftentimes manipulates information in criminal cases to prosecute swiftly...
Continue readingThe Presumption of Innocence
Reading Time: 6 minutes Connor Kianpøur, UC Davis Actions have consequences, and so too do accusations. Just as a maleficent action engenders unimaginable repercussions for the victim of said action, a mere accusation of wrongdoing implicates a host of consequences that fundamentally alter the lives of...
Continue readingThe Kavanaugh Saga
Reading Time: 11 minutes Publisher’s Note The past few weeks have been a tumultuous time on Capitol Hill with President Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, being accused of sexual assault. What ensued was a toxic, partisan battle over the highest...
Continue readingThe Merits of Capitalism
Reading Time: 12 minutes Publisher’s Note Throughout the United States’ brief history, capitalism has been a stalwart. The ideals of Adam Smith have been the blood which courses through the veins of the American experiment. Yet, there has been a surge of socialist sentiment which have...
Continue readingPresidentialism: The Superior Democracy
Reading Time: 7 minutes Jack Scalia, Denison University In Juan Linz’s “The Perils of Presidentialism,” he wrestles with the same question debated by the Federalists and Anti-Federalist’s at the founding of our country– what is the best form of Democracy? Advocating for the Parliamentary system, as...
Continue readingThe Environmental Crisis: A Human Issue
Reading Time: 5 minutes John Hlavin, Notre Dame The environmental crisis is not a political issue, it is a human issue. We have arrived at the point where it is no longer a matter of opinion, but a matter of fact. There exists today an immense...
Continue readingOpen Borders
Reading Time: 12 minutes Publisher’s Note America is the greatest country in the world. Many people wish to immigrate to our country with hopes of opportunity, freedom, and a fresh start. For many, America is the end goal. Within America, however, there is much dispute as...
Continue readingFor the Sake of Argument
Reading Time: 4 minutes Jack Scalia, Denison University Two centuries ago, in the merciless heat of summer, our founding fathers wrote the Constitution. One can only begin to imagine the fiery debates between the great intellectuals of the day, working tirelessly to fulfill a promise which...
Continue readingGun Control
Reading Time: 12 minutes Publisher’s Note Gun control is one of the most polarizing issues of our time. The Second Amendment has become hotly contested ground between both sides of the aisle. Our writers do a remarkable job representing their sides’ opinions in a clear, respectful,...
Continue readingEminent Domain
Reading Time: 13 minutes Publisher’s Note One of the most controversial issues of our time is that of eminent domain, which involves a difficult balance between private property and the government’s legitimate interests. This issue is as important as it is difficult to answer. Our authors do...
Continue readingA Right to Fat Acceptance?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Discrimination has become a dirty word though it is something which, as human beings, we simply cannot avoid. Moreover, it is something at times that we whole-heartedly embrace. People welcome, and indeed sometimes encourage, the discriminatory practice of "voting with your feet"...
Continue readingThe Caravan
Reading Time: 9 minutes Publisher’s Note —President Trump ran a campaign in 2016 which greatly emphasized the prevention of illegal immigration. Immigration has been a catalyst behind one of the most tumultuous presidencies in recent memory. Now, a “caravan” of immigrants has descended upon the United...
Continue reading