America has been polarized in responding to Syria’s refugee crisis. Through examining our history up to today’s system, it is clear that we must assist these refugees to the best of our ability.
United States
After Nowhere: Mental Health and Suicide on College Campuses
Suicide rates on college campuses are skyrocketing, placing depression and anxiety at the forefront of conversations about mental health on campuses.
The Philosophical Underpinnings of the Anti-vaccination Movement
What balance between individual freedom of choice and the common good does American democracy require? To what extent is the press entitled to free speech? How much of a role should the government play in making medical decisions for citizens? These questions add philosophical depth to the conflict between those who refuse to vaccinate themselves […]
Why The Chapel Hill Shooting Won’t Be Called A Hate Crime
It would hardly seem controversial to assume that religion was a factor in the triple homicide of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, last month, mostly because there aren’t many other explanations for the shooting. The victims were hardworking and valued members of their communities; Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, was planning to enroll […]
Richard Zuley: The Interrogator
“I’m going to do everything I’m allowed to break you.” Between moments of agony and unyielding interrogation, Mouhamedou Ould Slahi lies waiting in his cold Guantanamo Bay cell, anticipating his torturer’s arrival and praying fruitlessly for his unlikely release. Since 2002, Slahi has been rotting in Guantanamo Bay, awaiting charges, and living as a daily […]
6 Crazy Things You’ll Never Believe About Vox, Ezra Klein, and the Future of News Media
What is good journalism? Or perhaps the question belongs to the realm of proper nouns; Good Journalism, a brand in and of Itself, always ready for consumption by the ravenous masses. History seems to tell us that It moves in waves, slowly rising from the ashes of John Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Empire, eventually finding Its […]
How Red Bees Took Down the Cherry King of Red Hook
For years, cherry kingpin Arthur Mondella tended his own secret garden. A highly illegal one.
The Battle for American Authenticity
In February, conversations reignited about American exception- alism, as the state of Oklahoma and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made headlines for separate incidents. In Oklahoma, legislators reviewed and later pushed for a cut in funding for AP United States History courses because, in the words of Oklahoma State Representative Dan Fisher, the […]
The American Homefront: Understanding the Militarization of Our Nation’s Police
Over the last eight months, police forces across the United States have undergone increasingly vociferous criticism for what many believe to be racially motivated uses of force. Most recently, the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner have galvanized the American public into questioning the accountability, institutions, and practices of American law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, […]
Offender-Funded Justice
Journalists and human rights organizations have closely documented the correlation between poverty and prison time. The United States, largely as a result of its mass incarceration policies, boasts the largest prison population in the world, and a disproportionate segment of this population has lived beneath the poverty line. Moreover, researchers have demonstrated that convicted felons […]