The Lockean protests of D.C. juries

Despite what national authorities may tell you, Washington, D.C. is not a dangerous city. On August 22nd, this fact was apparently not of great concern to the nation’s commander-in-chief, who federalized the D.C. National Guard and sent 2,200 National Guard members to the city. This was carried out on erroneous grounds that the nation’s capital […]

The Realities of a Government Shutdown

On October 1 at 12:01 p.m., the U.S. federal government shut down, hours after the Senate failed to reach an agreement on the 12 appropriations bills for its upcoming fiscal year. In the days leading up to the standstill, tensions rose between the Republican and Democratic parties in Congress, neither of whom wanted to give […]

The Beast The Right Built

At long last, MrBeast may have gone too far. His Sept. 27 video “Would You Risk Dying For $500,000?” poses the question to professional stuntman Eric, who is put through a variety of fire-related “death traps.” Eric begins the video in a burning building, tied to a chair, and must fight his way out, scooping […]

The Enlightenment Gone Dark

Liberalism is the tie that binds the nation. It is imperfect – it has frayed and nearly come undone numerous times throughout history. Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, centuries of spilled blood and enormous intellectual heft have to fulfill its essential pronouncement: that all men are created equal. It has taken generations […]

The Warden of the Panopticon: Trump and the Dawn of Digital Authoritarianism

Digital control is the bloodstream of modern authoritarianism. From the streets of Hong Kong to the border of Israel, technology has begun to amplify domination. The history of anti-authoritarian organizing has forced fascism to evolve, birthing the era of digital despotism. Left unchecked, the trend threatens to concentrate power into unelected elites, eliminate social movements, […]

The Smithsonian v. Nationalism

Individuals are able to communicate with the past, present, and the future through museums; they can interact with their long-lived ancestors, connect through deteriorating or flourishing culture, and discover minor and major triumphs as well as sins of the collective. It’s a privilege of the United States to be home to the world’s largest museum […]