SOCC Loses Control of Senate

In an unexpected reversal of fortune, SOCC-endorsed candidates were far less successful than they were last year. This past year, SOCC set the agenda for the ASSU Senate with an overwhelming 10-5 majority. After the instatement of the newly elected Senate, SOCC-endorsed candidates won six of the fifteen seats. Those who did win received fewer votes than SOCC-endorsed candidates last year.

Online Exclusive: Conservative Society Kicks Off With Gusto

One of my own officers told me I should not expect more than forty people to show up. Indeed, I was considered very optimistic when I stated my hope that fifty to sixty might drop by. Surely, Stanford students, already predominantly apathetic, and certainly some of the busiest college students in the United States, could not be bothered with the kick-off event of the Stanford Conservative Society, even if it included former Secretary of State George Shultz. But this was not the case: Despite previous obligations, students showed up in droves and rapidly overflowed our seats to such an extent that my officers were rushing to grab more – and still people were left standing. As I said, some expected forty. Seventy-eight came.

Three Ex-Terrorists

On April 16th, three ex-terrorists—Kamal Saleem, Zak Anani, and Walid Shoebat—shared their experiences as terrorists and urged the U.S. to rethink how to combat terrorism. The presentation began with a dramatic representation of the United States, sleeping, jolting awake after 9/11, only to hit the snooze button and fall back asleep again. The resounding goal of the three ex-terrorists was to alert America to the realities of radical Islam. While they succeeded in conveying this message, they did not build any bridges between the West and moderate Muslims.

Smoke Signals

After several issues of politics- mania, it’s time to relax and think about the finer things in life. Like DDT and rain. Should that fail, we’ve got that last arrow to placate the political junkie in you.

The Mitt Romney Turnaround

In the late nineties, the 2002 Winter Olympics were in serious trouble. Under investigation for bribery, bogged down by millions of dollars in debt, and losing public confidence, the Winter Olympics organizers relieved their leadership and went looking for someone who could work a miracle. After an extensive vetting process to find someone who could take on this insurmountable task of saving the Games while maintaining the utmost personal integrity, they came up with one name: Mitt Romney. Turnaround is his account of the crisis and its handling.

A Spy’s Journey: A CIA Memoir

For thirty-five years, Floyd Paseman served his country as an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency. Two decades of his distinguished career were spent in foreign countries as an officer in the Directorate of Operations (DO), now known as the National Clandestine Service. The DO is tasked with collecting human intelligence (HUMINT), as opposed to imagery, signals, and other types of intelligence from technical sources. Paseman passed away from bone cancer in 2005. His book is a highly readable and entertaining account of his experiences, from the Cold War battlefields of East Asia and the beer halls of Germany to bureaucratic infighting at Langley and political backbiting in Washington.

Editor’s Note: Time for Political Parties?

Recent elections left no doubt that the ASSU’s electoral system needs fixing. 39 candidates ran for 15 at-large seats on the Undergraduate Senate. Successful candidates had to run massive media campaigns. During campaign week, nearly every square inch of bulletin boards and bathroom stalls were peppered with flyers advertising candidates. Facebook advertisements were dominated by the election. Links to YouTube videos and endorsements from dozens of student groups flew across email and list-servs.

Stanford’s Anti-ROTC Policy is Self-Contradictory

It has been thirty-eight years since Stanford removed its ROTC program in protest of the Vietnam War, and fourteen years since Congress passed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law allowing homosexuals to serve in the military, but requiring they keep their orientation a secret. Today many elite universities, including Stanford, now cite “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as a reason to sustain their ROTC-free campuses. However, Stanford’s continued policy of unaccrediting ROTC reveals discriminatory tendencies towards the military that are counter-productive, and ultimately a censure on students’ freedom of speech.

Review of The Great Global Warming Swindle

“The Great Global Warming Swindle” does not pretend to be neutral or fair-minded. This controversial British documentary, first aired in March on Britain’s Channel 4, is a one-sided attack on the predominant scientific consensus on global warming. Its producer, Martin Durkin, has a reputation for producing controversial films. The bias of this producer and his film is blatant and unmistakable.

The Sun Continues to Set on Britain

There was a time when our cousins across the Atlantic could truthfully boast that “The sun never sets on the British Empire.” But the days of their dominance on the global stage are long gone. Today, Britain is a shadow of its former self—still a significant power and an important ally—but not the hegemon it once was. Far more troubling than its loss of power, however, is Britain’s loss of will. When faced with the recent hostage crisis, the people famous for keeping “a stiff upper lip” could muster little more than quiet discontent, instead acquiescing to a national affront.