The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) was originally created as an 11 member, secret court, mostly focused on approving case-by-case wiretapping orders. However, over the years it has become a close parallel to the Supreme Court, acting as the arbiter of intelligence issues. In several classified rulings, the FISA court has created a more or … Continue reading
Category Archives: America
If Pop Stars Were Clean Energy, Taylor Swift Would Be Natural Gas
If Keystone XL is the Kim Kardashian of energy, what is Taylor Swift? Obviously Miss Swift is natural gas. Media and music darling, Taylor Swift (aka T-Swift) has spent the last few years cultivating the perfect image: “The patriarchy-friendly, virginal, good, pure, feminine, pretty blonde girl that has been an American ideal for decades,” says … Continue reading
Unpaid Internships: Burden or Benefit?
Unpaid internships have been taking a lot of heat lately. Unpaid internships are supposed to be purely for the benefit of the intern, they cannot displace current employees, and the company cannot profit from their work. However, interns at Fox Searchlight felt these rules were being violated and took it upon themselves to do something … Continue reading
Absinthe and Our Obsession with “Scary” Chemicals
For those who don’t know, absinthe is a grain alcohol of Swiss origin which is made by macerating herbs and spices, the most important of which are fennel, anise and wormwood. The first two give absinthe its characteristic licorice flavor. Wormwood imparts a bitter flavor and is the source of absinthe’s famed mystique and jade-green … Continue reading
The Fine Line Between Mending and Meddling
The United States is the largest giver of foreign aid in the world, providing $49.5 billion in economic and military assistance in 2011. Clearly, charity is one of our strong suits. But with the slow economic recovery, and approximately $12 trillion in national debt, the fact is that we cannot afford to keep this up. … Continue reading
The Farm Bill: Convenient Coalition or Market Manipulation?
In early June, a coalition of urban and rural politicians in the Senate banded together to pass the Farm bill, a legislative piece that distributes welfare benefits to an unlikely pair: wealthy agro-businesses and the inner-city poor. Although widely popular among constituents, a common sense look at the bill reveals serious flaws. The Senate’s version … Continue reading
Geopolitical Impacts and Pokemon: Looking for a Bipartisan Voice Amidst an Oil Boom
The Bipartisan Policy Center recently hosted an event discussing the geopolitical impacts of the US’s recent tight oil boom. Tight oil, or shale oil, production has increased with the expansion of hydraulic fracturing technology used to access shale gas from shale or sandstone formations. Amidst the rallying cries of a “qualified abundance” instead of a … Continue reading
The Price of Freedom
“Freedom isn’t free” – a refrain often used by soldiers, politicians, and country singers. In context, the phrase refers to the remarkable sacrifices our armed service members have made throughout the history of the United States. However, the true cost of freedom is spread across all Americans and is a far higher price than most realize. Recent revelations regarding the … Continue reading
Favoritism has critics and environmentalists alike calling fowl!
With the nomination of Gina McCarthy to be the newest chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, a lot of shade has been thrown on the administration’s lack of transparency and practices of favoritism. First Senator Vitter delayed the vote with 1,038 questions, which he then narrowed to five key demands. Now it is looking like Republicans … Continue reading
Secretary Sebelius Seeking Donations To Support the ACA
This has been an eventful week in Washington…or should I say, for President Obama and his administration? On top of the recent scandals, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is being accused of soliciting private and non-private companies for donations. Her effort to raise money for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) … Continue reading
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