Sexism Kills: Medical Misogyny and Ignorance of Female Bodies

Anastasia Lacina

In the 5th century BCE, followers of Hippocrates—the founder of Western medicine—published “The Hippocratic Corpus.”  The exact writers of this ancient text are lost to history, but their views of the human body prevailed for centuries in the West.  One of the works included in the corpus is called “On the Diseases of Women,” which introduced the “wandering uterus” theory.  2,500 years ago, doctors believed that almost any illness that a woman contracted was caused by her uterus literally floating around her body, putting pressure on other organs and poisoning…

Are the Politics of Today Having a Deterrent Effect?

Austin Sacker

There is no denying that the process by which a citizen strives to attain public office, whether elected or appointed, entails a great degree of public exposure and risk of character damage. Political candidates are regularly subject to a vetting process by which individual Americans, the media, and other members of government evaluate the suitability of a particular individual for a political position. These evaluations can range from more benign measurements of education level, experience, and their intended policy agenda (which I fear is becoming less commonplace a metric), to…

The Electoral College: Extinction or Evolution?

J Elizabeth Mascoli

The biggest news of the 2020 electoral season (so far) is the ever-growing pool of Democratic candidates whose progressive policies are ever more in the mainstream.  Recently, the senator from my lovely home state of Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, made a bold statement about abolishing the Electoral College.  Other candidates have also said they were open to the idea.  But what would abolishing the Electoral College actually mean for our country?   The idea is not new.  In 2000, Republican George W. Bush beat out Democrat Al Gore for the presidency…

Approaching Tyranny in the Age of Trump

Tyler Raciti

The question of whether or not U.S. President Donald Trump is a fascist has been a popular debate amongst sects of the liberal base. However, the question of fascism has recently reached the frontline of academic political thought and headline in media circulation. It is fair to ponder the question: does a fascist ideology linger in the executive branch? If so, will this lead to the weakening of democracy and upsoar of tyranny?   “Post-truth is pre-fascism,” according to Timothy Synder, author of On Tyranny. Academics have labeled the phenomenon…

Northern Ireland and the Implications of Brexit

Allyson Ryan

Discussions revolving around Brexit and what it will actually mean for the United Kingdom have been in the works since before 2016. Originally set for March 29, 2019 the day the UK will officially leave the European Union has been postponed to April 12, 2019. The date has been pushed back due to disagreements between the British parliament and the prime minister. An important discussion revolves around Northern Ireland. The importance of Northern Ireland in Brexit discussions cannot be overlooked; Brexit has strong implications for everyone in the UK but…

Is Ilhan Omar Wrong?

David Andreas

On Sunday, February 10th, freshman Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota’s 5th Congressional district sparked a major controversy with tweets about AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Kevin McCarthy was fiercely defending U.S. support for Israel, and Rep. Omar tweeted that “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” suggesting that his vehement support for Israel was a result of campaign donations. Connecting Israeli money and U.S. policy referenced a long-running facet of anti-Semitism, suggesting that Jewish money is the driving force behind the strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance. Democrats and Republicans…

Paul Ryan’s House

Christopher Boccia

The Speaker was a public ally – and a private adversary – to the president.   After a month of the government in shutdown and a declaration of national emergency, Paul D. Ryan, the oft-considered inconsequential Speaker of the House, feels like a distant memory. Politics in the nation’s capital has trudged along, rendering Ryan dust in the wind of history’s heartless march forward. As the government returns to regular business, though, and the political tumult simmers temporarily, a legacy conversation is in order for the 20-year old congressional veteran…

Trump’s Withdrawal From International Agreements Makes the Nation Worse Off

Olivia Martinez

Since his inauguration in January 2016, President Donald Trump has repeatedly withdrawn the United States from international, multilateral agreements. He claims withdrawal from such agreements is to the benefit of the United States; he is wrong. Withdrawal from such agreements is to the detriment of the United States’ standing as an international leader. According to the international relations theory of liberalism, international order is produced and maintained through processes of repetitive interdependent relationships among global participants. This school of thought asserts that an international balance of power is needed to…