Column

The reality of recruitment means everyone deserves a chance to serve It wasn’t long after my freshman year of high school that I developed a plan that’s exceedingly common for young men trying to figure themselves out: I would join the military. There would be no question because it runs in the family. My great-grandfather […]

Counterintuitively, plastic roads increase our dependence on single-use plastics As the global population increases, the production of plastic does as well, with an average increase of 8.4 percent per year. This has lead to an astonishing amount of garbage collected on land, along the coasts and in oceans — culminating into disasters like the Great […]

California has the worst air quality in the nation — mostly due to nitrogen oxide emissions Fertilizers for crops have been an achievement that has propelled society forward:  about half the population of Earth is currently fed by the innovation of crop fertilizers. But the magnitude of this tool also has its implications. Plants can […]

Why Carlin’s jokes work and why today’s PC police might crucify him regardless Benjamin Porter — bbporter@ucdavis.edu As one of my high school English teachers always said: “Technique is content.” For this reason, I think it’s essential for comedians to justify every stylistic choice they make. Too many comedians today are excessively profane, vulgar and […]

The withdrawal of American forces from Syria finally moves the U.S. away from its catastrophic military endeavors It’s time to give credit where credit is due. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American forces from Syria, in addition to halving the number present in Afghanistan, has largely been met with universal disdain from both sides […]

What “deaths of despair” can teach — and warn us — about America’s future When Kate O’Neill wrote her sister’s obituary in October 2018, she never imagined that it would generate nationwide attention. In fact, she never thought she would ever be writing one to begin with. Like so many other Americans, O’Neill’s sister, Madelyn […]

Texas’ Israel loyalty oath is a form of political coercion and a blatant attack on Americans’ right to freedom of speech In Texas, a state long heralded as a center of libertarian conservatism, free speech matters –– until you criticize the wrong country. Speech pathologist Bahia Amawi, an American citizen, has been employed by the Pflugerville […]

Volunteer inmate firefighters are at the frontlines of California’s wildfires but are often left jobless upon release Across the nation, Americans have been bombarded with harrowing images of the destructive wildfires that have devastated California this fall. For those of us in Northern California, the effects of the so-called Camp Fire have been particularly […]

America must decide if it wants to rehabilitate prisoners or continue punishing them America prides itself on being number one in many categories, but there’s one “first place” title we hold that shouldn’t be a point of pride — leading the world in most incarcerated citizens. The United States makes up only 5 percent of […]

Being “pro-life” often stops at policies concerning abortion The majority of people are indeed “pro-life” — it’s just that liberals are generally not willing to trade the life and free will of women for the life of an unborn child. The real question is the degree and duration of one’s “pro-life” position. It’s understandable if […]

Democrats and Republicans cite the right to free speech only when it’s convenient for them This summer Nike launched an ad campaign featuring former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, sparking controversy and outrage from many, including President Donald Trump. This is because Kaepernick, starting in 2016, protested social injustice — specifically unjustified police violence — by […]

Teenagers, adults spent more time on social media than reading books, magazines, newspapers The year is 2018, and no matter where we are, it’s quite a common sight to see people immersed in their virtual universes on their cellphones. Whether it’s at a café or even a family gathering, social interactions have been somewhat replaced […]