Op-Eds
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Canada’s Online Harms Act: Protection or Obstruction?
The Canadian parliament has proposed a bill entitled The Online Harms Act. This bill attempts to fight harmful language but does it also interfere with the rights of Canadian citizens?
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What Happened to the Separation of Church and State?
A fundamental principle of our democracy is beginning to fade away — and we should all be concerned.
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The Supreme Court’s Suppression of the EPA
The Supreme Court's recent rulings against agency power mark a troubling shift in the balance between honest judicial influence and intentional partisan control. This calls into question the future of regulatory agencies with politically controversial rules, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency, and forces our society to take stock of what this means for the direction of American democracy.
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The Cost of Unity: A Critique of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Widely regarded as one of his greatest speeches for its emphasis on shared culpability for slavery, Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address risked sacrificing justice in the pursuit of national unity and examines how his framing offers a cautionary lesson on addressing historical injustices without compromising accountability.
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Saving Drops: Charlottesville’s Commitment to Water Conservation
As seen in the successful case of Charlottesville, collecting rainwater with a homemade rain barrel is an easy way to conserve water.
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Postmortem: How Democrats Fell Flat, and What’s Next For The Party
Democrats drastically underperformed in the 2024 election; to avoid a repeat performance, they need to reconnect with former coalitions and the average voter.
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Peremptory Challenges: The Controversial Legal Tool You've Never Heard Of
Peremptory challenges have a long history in the U.S. judicial system, but their time in the spotlight may have to come to an unceremonious end.
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Humanity First: A Call for Compassion and Understanding During the Israel-Palestine Conflict
As protests over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict intensify in the United States, divisions between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine supporters have escalated into bigotry and fear. Shifting the focus from political sides to the innocent civilians at the heart of the conflict offers a chance to unite and calm the rhetoric on this deeply divisive issue.
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How can the atomic interactions of the US-USSR during the Cold War shape our thinking now?
With an ongoing military conflict involving a long time American foe, we can turn towards our previous interactions to influence our actions in the present day.
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Pandemic Politics: How Division Undermined COVID-19 Preparedness and What Comes Next
Hindsight is always 20-20, and retrospective analyses of pandemic response to the COVID-19 pandemic reveals glaring inadequacies in policy implementation that fueled damaging race based disparities. It is crucial to learn from these mistakes and take strides in implementing equitable disease prevention efforts for the future.
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Sinking the Russian War Machine: A Two-Year Perspective on the Effectiveness of Economic Sanctions
Two years after the breakout of the Ukraine war, the burgeoning economic alliances between autocratic nations have become a threat to economic sanctions as a viable method of quelling the Russian assault. Unless sanctions broaden their attack to corporations enabling evasions, they fail to stop or even disincentivize the Russian offense.
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How Biden’s Foreign Policy Led to His Dropping Out of the 2024 Presidential Election
While the most commonly cited cause for Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race is his cognitive decline, his unpopular foreign policy decisions on issues critical to American voters cannot be overlooked. Foreign policy has been notoriously weak amongst one-term presidents as they near the end of their terms, and Biden is no exception.
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Archival Silence within UVA's Special Collections Library
The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library has focused on procuring and preserving rare books, manuscripts, and artifacts since its formation in 1987. However, their steps towards establishing a full history is undercut by their lack of effort to share these resources with the greater student body.
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Elon Musk Is Not Special, Yet He Has Special Power. This Is Incredibly Dangerous.
The increasingly controversial Elon Musk owns some of the most valuable companies in the world. His recent turn toward misinformation propagandist and Donald Trump cheerleader, among other things, ought to raise questions about his competency and give Americans pause about the power he holds in our political climate.
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Why 2024 Ought to be the Most Important Year for Gun Rights in American Politics
The issue of gun rights is incredibly potent in the modern political and societal culture in the United States, coming under intense review and partisan criticism in recent years. However, not nearly enough attention is being given to such a crucial topic ahead of the upcoming election cycle, one that will prove crucial for the future of the nation’s precedent on gun control.
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Why the Power Plant Rule Needs a Second Wind
The EPA’s proposed Power Plant Rule aims to drastically cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, which produce a significant share of the nation’s greenhouse gases. While the rule’s ambitious targets for emissions reduction have sparked controversy, it underscores the need for innovation in carbon capture technologies and renewable energy to effectively combat climate change.
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The Real Cities of the Future: Redesigning American Cities to Serve Us
Endless suburbs, highways, and urban sprawl seem to define the modern American city due to various cultural and political reasons. Yet such development contradicts the fundamental desires of the American public. How can cities work to transform their infrastructure to embrace both urbanization and walkability?
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Rejected: How the Increase of Women in Higher Education Leads to Admissions Discrimination
As more women apply to college than men, they face increasingly higher admissions standards, particularly at elite universities striving for gender-balanced classes. Despite progress in gender equality in higher education, this trend raises concerns about unintentional discrimination against women in the admissions process.
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The “Public Charge Clause” and the Role of Arbitrariness in Historic Immigration Policy
Both in 19th century and modern-day U.S. politics, the public charge clause serves as a problematic vessel for anti-immigration rhetoric and movements.
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The Underlying Motives of University Encampments
The BDS movement, particularly in the case of Palestinians, appeals to the morality behind standing with the oppressed.
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Deja Vu: Voters and the Political Climates of 2024 and 2020
This year's presidential election gives us all deja vu as the same two opponents face each other again. Who will pull out the win this time?
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You Go Girl!: The Swinging Pendulum between the Girlboss and the Modern Stay-At-Home Girlfriend
Today, the docile role of the homemaking woman may seem to be a figure of the past, but has in fact revived itself through a social media trend termed the Stay-At-Home Girlfriend.
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Selective Services: Prejudiced or Pragmatic?
The Selective Services system has negatively impacted the livelihoods of men for decades. Assuming this system will remain in place, it begs the question of whether or not women should also be required to register.
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Our Unsure Future: Legislation in the Age of Emerging Reproductive Technology
In a world of rapidly evolving technologies in reproductive medicine, adaptation is both a challenge and a necessity. The development of ectogestation and similar reproductive technologies calls into question abortion legislation and cultural norms across the United States.
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Argentina’s Democracy in Crisis: The Rise of Populism and Working Class Dissatisfaction
President Javier Milei's rise in Argentina highlights working-class frustration with political elites amid economic and social crises. His election mirrors populist trends that have recently been observed on a global scale.