On December 3, 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a memo installing a “blank wall” between J. Robert Oppenheimer and any government operations, cutting him off from any future classified research and his atomic project. This communique was the conclusion of a months-long audit filled with anti-communist fear-mongering rhetoric. Led by Lewis Strauss, commissioner of the […]
The Prometheus Effect: Unleashing Nuclear
Human innovation often smolders gradually in the embers of advancement. Sometimes, though, we ignite in a sudden blaze of progress and development. It is said that Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gifted it to humankind. In doing so, he sparked the conception of civilization as we know it. Fire brought people, but it […]
Does the Death Penalty Really Deter Crime?
For the first time in United States history, more Americans believe the death penalty is applied unfairly than fairly – 50% versus 47%, according to a recent Gallup poll conducted on October 2, 2023. While 53% of Americans currently favor the overall use of the death penalty, this is a dramatic drop from the 60% […]
Missouri’s State of the State
On January 24, 2024, Missouri Governor Mike Parson gave his final State of the State address. Parson became governor in 2018 in the wake of Eric Greitens’s resignation amidst various scandals and won reelection in 2020. Now Parson is ending his time in office, as he will retire at the end of his term in […]
Pie in the Sky: The Jackpot Illusion
More than 100 billion dollars will be spent on lottery tickets this year. That’s more than what’s spent on movies, video games, music, books, and sports teams combined. People are desperate, and the lottery feels like an easy way out. But behind that colossal jackpot lurks a depressing truth; this is a predatory game, one […]
Consumers, Beware of Buy Now Pay Later
Seemingly overnight, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) companies invaded online marketplaces. From Walmart to local bookstores, consumers now have the option to split the price of a purchase into a few monthly installments, sometimes for no additional cost. A $170 treadmill can become $15 for 12 months, a $300 TV $50 for 6 months, or […]
Atlantic Herring v. Alphabet Soup
Capital letters have ruled the American government since 1933. Following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s implementation of the New Deal, three-letter agencies, also known as “Alphabet Soup Agencies,” have monopolized the American political system. From the FBI to the FDA, sequences of triplet capitals are omnipresent and inescapable. These organizations have become central to the basic […]
The Legal Disaster of Illinois’ Gun Ban
Amid the contentious landscape of the debate over gun violence, the Illinois state government has attempted to take this issue into its own hands: passing a constitutionally disastrous weapons ban with the potential to prove legally injurious to thousands of Illinoisans. On January 10th, 2023, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the “Protecting Illinois Communities Act,” […]
How to Save Lives in the Israel-Hamas War
In recent months, we’ve seen a disturbing reminder of a pattern that’s repeated itself for decades in Israel: terrorists launch an attack from Gaza, putting the lives of Israeli civilians at risk; to protect its citizens, Israel responds by killing both the terrorists and the innocent Palestinian bystanders who are being used as human shields; […]
Wall Street Warms to Trump
On January 15, 2024, the day of the Iowa Caucus, the world’s economic elite met to commence the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. As the polls closed, and former president Donald Trump emerged victorious, conversation turned to the possibility of a second Trump administration. Prominent American business leaders attempted to dial down concern […]