Strip search ruling violates Americans’ rights

In a five-to-four decision last week, the Supreme Court decided to allow any arrested individual to be strip-searched, regardless of the degree of the offense.

The constitutionality of the decision is debatable, but the ruling represents an egregious offense against the rights of Americans. The case in question involved a man who was strip-searched despite having been cleared of the crime for which he was charged. The decision expands police rights against women, a group that is already subjected to coercion and occasional brutality—although there are many honorable officers, there is also the minority who would willingly abuse the power not only to strip search, but also make arrests with an allowance to strip search as a motivation. It also detracts from the long-held assumption of “innocent until proven guilty”—many who are arrested are not even on trial, yet they are immediately presumed to be dangerous and desperate enough to hide weapons, drugs, or other dangerous goods on their bodies.

SNAP program assists in stamping out poverty

Earlier this week, the United States Department of Agriculture released the results of a nine-year study demonstrating that the country’s food stamp program is effective in alleviating poverty among its participants. In today’s political climate, where conservative candidates and pundits have launched attacks on America’s social welfare programs for encouraging laziness and complacency, the results of this study present a strong argument in favor of the continuation of such programs and highlight the utter incoherence of the radical right and its view of poverty and government’s role in the economy.

Unprecedented bill curtails women’s choice

In the latest development in the red-state onslaught against women’s reproductive rights, Arizona is on the verge of passing one of the most egregious anti-choice bills yet. Unprecedented in scope, the bill would ban all abortions after 20 weeks, and require women to receive an ultrasound 24 hours before an abortion. In keeping with the theme of other personhood bills springing up across the country, this bill seeks to undermine Roe v. Wade, which guarantees women the right to an abortion up until the point when the fetus is viable outside the womb. However, this bill goes to great lengths to undermine women’s choice, while shaming the women who attempt to exercise their reproductive rights.

“Titanic” exhibit: My art will go on

If you’re not willing to shell out $18 for a Titanic 3D ticket, National Geographic has you covered. The museum’s new exhibit, “Titanic: 100 Year Obsession,” takes viewers on an interactive journey from the ship’s historical beginnings to the latest discoveries about the fateful night of April 15, 1912.

Mask & Bauble bewitches the Davis Center with Macbeth

“Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep!’” As sinister as this line is, it captures the effectiveness of Mask & Bauble’s production of Macbeth—this fresh version of the play presents no danger of inducing naps. Rather than dryly rehashing the Shakespearean classic of fond high school English memories, the innovative production breathes life into an ageless tale of dark ambition.

Daniel Nettheim Hunts for awards; shoots self in foot

The Tasmanian “Tiger” took its name from a big cat and resembled a dog, but it was, in fact, neither. Thylacine, as it is properly called, belonged to the marsupial group, that quirky family of (mainly) Aussie creatures that defies classification—the hipsters of the mammalian world. On YouTube, you can still watch the last thylacine pace around its tiny enclosure, then stand on its hind legs—almost kangaroo-like—pawing at its cage. Since the animal went extinct in 1936, repeated “sightings” in the Tasmanian wilderness have created a persistent mythology around the peculiar creature.

God Mode: Gaming the system

I have a quest I need to complete. It’s a bit of a grind, but if I finish it I’ll get enough experience points to level up. All I have to do is run two miles, do 40 push-ups, and then complete 100 crunches. In real life.

Blast That Box: Plato flunks Ghetto University

In my theology class about death, we watched esoteric films like The Fountain and read the hallowed works of Plato. Although I can see what the professor was trying to accomplish, this characteristically Georgetown class was merely another attempt to dilute the real education that I should have been receiving from the true role models of modern society. Hip-hop idols are among us, and they are the ones who now teach the facts of life and impart logical wisdom upon the masses. It’s baffling that we aren’t studying rap and its sociological implications in a large amount of our classes instead of the inane commentary of the long-gone philosophical minds like Plato. As I look through the preregistration course schedule for next year, I find only frivolity.

Dahlgren Mass: Resurrection

Critical Voices: Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls

In the 1960s and 70s, the musicological spontaneity of artists like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix popularized a fusion of soul, blues, and rock that has been virtually unrepeatable in the decades since. But this year, that streak of trial-and-error has finally ended—on its debut album Boys & Girls, Alabama Shakes replicates this unique sound while still managing to create an identity all its own.