Donald Trump continues his scorched earth campaigning, this time by sinking to new lows: he attacked the father of a fallen US soldier who was killed in Iraq, along with the Gold Star mother of that very same soldier. The repudiation of his attacks by other Republicans was swift and harsh, but, this is just… Read More Solidarity and Voting: Vote Your Conscience, Not Your Privilege
A historic conference recently wrapped up at the Vatican that addressed the continued relevance of the traditional Catholic doctrine of just war theory. Just war theory outlines the moral requirements surrounding the decision to use force and the ethical limits on using force justly. The decision to use force requires a just cause, right intention,… Read More Replace Just War Theory with Nonviolence—What about Syria and Genocide?
In the past few years, there have been a number of high-profile conflicts and debates surrounding religious freedom in the US. Specifically, Americans have debated the proper scope of what that freedom entails and whether or not our government has been trampling upon that right. Catholics have often been at the center of these debates.… Read More You Can’t Defend Religious Freedom and Ignore Injustice toward Muslims
For one month Teaching Assistants at the University of Toronto and York University in Toronto were on strike in the hopes of gaining better wages, fairer hours, more robust tuition assistance, and improved benefits. About two weeks ago, CUPE 3902, the union that represents the striking Ph.D and Master’s students at the University of Toronto,… Read More Catholic Universities Should Be Pro-Union
Kids growing up in California spend their 4th grade history classes learning about the history of their state—from its inception as a Spanish colony to the Bear Flag Revolt to becoming the modern-day 8th largest economy in the world. A major part of the curriculum is devoted to the Spanish Mission system—a system of 21… Read More A Bittersweet Canonization: Junipero Serra and His Mixed Legacy
As a Ph.D. candidate in political science, I have been offered the opportunity to teach my own introductory courses. This past semester, I had the pleasure of teaching Introduction to Political Theory; it is a course that I have taught before, but every class is different because the individual students are different. However, one thing… Read More Torture and the Utilitarian Default
The papacy of Pope Francis has been filled with great hope, joy, and exuberance. Catholics have this giddy feeling that we have something truly special in Pope Francis. It appears that this great and holy man can do anything. He has done so much good that it’s easy to forget what might be the biggest… Read More Syria: The Peace That Never Was
Millennial 