By Trent Serwetz
The latest nationwide hullabaloo over the alcoholic drink “Four Loko” provides a poignant reminder of how quick America is to point the finger. Four Loko, for those who are unfamiliar with the beverage, is a 12% ABV drink sold in 23.5 ounce cans which also packs a hefty dose of caffeine. It’s like super-concentrated Smirnoff Ice mixed with Red Bull. The drink is sold at grocery stores and 7-11’s and comes in a variety of fruity flavors.
Last week, New York called for a voluntary ban on Four Loko …

By Trent Serwetz
Edit: As of 12/18/2010, both the House and the Senate have officially voted to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Congratulations to the LGBT community on this resounding victory!
The U.S. military’s longstanding ban on gay servicemen (and women) is over — for the moment. On Sep. 9, U.S. District Court Justice Virginia Phillips called for a “permanent injunction” barring the enforcement of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy.[i]
DADT, crafted by the Clinton Administration in 1993, is the most lenient treatment of homosexuality in the military …

By Daniel Strunk
What is the Tea Party movement? This question has been bounced back and forth so often in past few months by mainstream news networks and politicos that the responses are drowned out by white noise. The New York Times on October 26th published an article alluding to the Tea Party “undermining voting rights” by daring to question possible fraudulent voting1. More dramatically, on the same day Foreign Policy magazine published an article provokingly entitled “The Horror, The Horror…and the Pity”, highlighting the “characterizations” held of …

By Lingfeng Li
Both Democratic incumbent David Price and his Republican challenger, BJ Lawson, attended the Chamber of Commerce’s town-hall styled forum in early September. The candidates largely focused on the economy and the role of government in business during the debate.
While both candidates performed adequately, Lawson seemed noticeably more comfortable and concise with his opening and closing statements, and in his responses to questions. On multiple occasions, Price implied that Lawson was relying on “sound bytes” and “buzz words,” rather than actually delivering a thoughtful reply. But …

In an effort to generate cross-campus dialogue on political issues, The Gothic Guardian has joined with other college publications to form the Alliance of Collegiate Editors (ACE). This week we interviewed 1960s political organizer Mark Rudd, most well known for his involvement with the Weather Underground.
The Gothic Guardian at Duke University
1. Your participation in the Weather Underground came during a time of diverse movement politics and a certain brand of kick-ass liberals. Today, movement politics seem to have disappeared at the same time that liberalism is becoming increasingly tied to …