Portrait of an Occupier
We have all heard about them, the people who call themselves Occupiers. Some paint them as dirty, lazy, hippies who do not want to work. Others view them as average Americans rightfully upset at the state of America and American society. Are they really all homeless hippies? Or are they average Americans representing the 99 […]
America in Decline: Can the United States Continue to Compete?
The West enters the twenty-first century at a crossroads. Having long been the model for economic and political success, the aftereffects of the 2008 Great Recession have resulted in a world in which developing countries with emerging markets now have greater economic dynamism than years past, while old economic powerhouses are struggling to secure their […]
Pollution, Prevention, Protection: Throwing Your Money Down the Right Drain
Thirty years ago, an unprecedented number of children in Woburn, a community just north of Boston, were diagnosed with leukemia. This unfortunate incident sparked an environmental revolution of sorts, highlighted in the film A Civil Action. Although decades have passed in the cleanup through efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the site has yet […]
Debt Ceiling Panic: Unnecessary Instability or Crucial Wake-up Call?
During last summer, the economy was teetering on the edge of collapse due in part to the question of whether or not the debt ceiling, a ninety-year-old government policy, would be raised before the United States hit its limit. The main theory propping up the continued use of the debt ceiling has been the belief […]
The Role of “Hacktivism” in Modern Politics
Throughout history, political lobbying generally has been done in-person, using lobbyists and strategic monetary donations to facilitate their goals. With the growth of the Internet however, new means of political activism have arisen. The most prominent of these is the “hacktivist” movement, consisting of those with both the technical skill and willpower to bring about […]
Book Review: Under the Color of Law
Any American who has watched the news over the past few years has likely heard many of the criticisms of the George W. Bush administration. TV pundits have shouted at us about the atrocities of the Patriot Act. Michael Moore has made several movies criticizing the administration. Scores of books have been written and sold, […]
The Call of Duty: A Case of Compulsory Military Service
Compulsory military service was last utilized by the United States during the Vietnam War, during an era symbolized by passionate protests and stubborn resistance. At no time since has the country been embroiled in such widespread protest against a war. Without this heightened level of public engagement, decisions of war are not treated by public […]
Massachusetts Fishery Management Plans: A Public Field Hearing
This article is written in reaction to the author’s attendance of the October 3rd, 2011 public field hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to review Massachusetts Fishery Management Plans. It can be easy to forget in our modern metropolitan world, the long history of the New England fisherman. The ground-fish industry […]
Generational “Crunch”: The Plight of the Millennial Generation
Have you applied to so many job postings your head is spinning? So have 4 million other youth and recent graduates across the nation looking for work.[i] With the worst job market in 70 years, jobless numbers for youth have taken an unsettling dive, and thanks to what some misanthropes dub the “Terrible Recovery”, those […]
A Passing Opportunity for Moral High Ground
October 26, 2010 marked the ten-year anniversary of the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UN SCR1325) yet the United States had not taken any substantial action to promote the text domestically or internationally. The resolution encompasses several massive issues concerning women in the peacemaking process in a brief, three-page document. It states […]