Category: Statement

By Ryan Christie

Historically, America’s system of higher education was a point of national pride- American universities were, and even now for the most part still is- the best in the world, to the point that students from other continents aspire to study at them. A college education was considered an integral part of the American Dream, central for shaping the intellectual and character of America’s youth for rewarding careers and the betterment of the nation.

For the past several decades, however, the state of the American system of higher education has regressed considerably, case in point being Columbia University in New York City. Founded in 1754, Columbia University is a symbol of the aforementioned ideal of American higher education- it’s alumni and faculty have included seven of the Founding Fathers of the United States, four U.S Presidents, and 10 justices of the Supreme Court, to name a few. Beginning on April 17^th, the campus has been illegally occupied by Pro-Palestinian protestors.

The symbolism is chilling. Inside this hallowed place of American intellectual development, students are waving the Palestinian flag, chanting antisemitic and anti-Western slogans, and effectively supporting the governing body of Palestine, which of course is Hamas—the antithesis of everything Columbia University, the United States, and indeed the entire West-stands for.

America’s universities indeed have a serious problem- they have betrayed their purpose in shaping the character and intellectual maturity of their students and preparing them to be civic minded members of society, and instead are allowing them to become aggressive political radicals, largely incapable of critical thinking, disdainful for the rule of law and the rights of other students to continue their education in peace, with little to no reprimand from college administrators or faculty. America’s youth should be skeptical of the university system, and polls show they are- they are increasingly a bad investment, and better opportunities await elsewhere.

What is the Overton Window? it is a definition of a range of policies and ideas politically acceptable to the mainstream population at any given time. Unfortunately, in our polarized political climate, said window seemingly gets smaller and smaller every year. A glaring example of this is the abrupt termination by NBC News of Ronna McDaniel, former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. NBC News hired McDaniel on March 22, 2024 as a contributor, which given her position in the Republican Party was meant to be a contrasting conservative viewpoint on the otherwise left-leaning news network. McDaniel, of course, is a strong ally of President Trump, and her hiring led to outrage among other hosts for this. NBC immediately buckled under this pressure and parted ways with McDaniel days later.

Now, of course NBC is a private business and as such can manage its employees as it sees fit. But the firing McDaniel is yet another reminder of the hypocrisy of the left when it comes to free speech. The Democratic Party and its allies in the legacy media constantly boast that the stands for free speech and tolerance of differing opinions, but when they are actually faced with having to interact with someone with someone of differing viewpoints the aforementioned Overton Window is promptly closed, in this case solely because Ronna McDaniel is a conservative who supports President Trump. NBC has no problem, however, with having a rotation of Democratic Party operatives and blatantly partisan hosts. For example, Jenn Psaki, the former Press Secretary for President Biden, hosts a show that is virtually identical to that role.

To put it simply, the left-wing hypocrisy regarding freedom of speech goes hand-in-glove with the spinelessness of the legacy media

September 11^th, like the attack on Pearl Harbor sixty years earlier, is a date which will forever live in infamy. On that day, Americans woke to a horrific image of smoke billowing out of the World Trade Center; the horrid conclusion of a year’s long plan by 19 terrorists to hijack four airliners to destroy prominent seats of American government and commerce.

In all, nearly 3000 people were killed, and between 6,000-30,000 were injured, many developing lifelong severe health complications from the attack.

September 11^th proved that the complacency resulting from the end of the Cold War was false, for simmering in the Middle East was a well funded, well organized cabal of terrorists, whose belief in religious totalitarianism and rejection of American values of republican democracy, human rights and of individual freedom made Islamic fundamentalist terrorism a emerging threat.

Twenty-two years later, unfortunately, it seems that far too many people, namely politicians, have forgot the lessons of that day. September 11^th highlighted the the bravery and invaluable service of our first responders. But in the 2020’s, we have decided to malign police officers and idiotically deprive them of the tools and funding needed to serve their communities. September 11^th reminded us that for all our differences, Americans are citizens of the same country, and that an attack on some of us is an attack on all of us. Instead, tribalism according to political leanings, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic factors are encouraged and celebrated, further threatening the social cohesion of our country. September 11^th exposed the threat of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism, but Joe Biden has chosen to ignore that threat by attempting to reinstate the Iran Nuclear deal and overseeing the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which returned control of a very strategic country to the types of people who orchestrated the September 11^th attacks in the first place. 

On this day, September 11^th, let us remember the dead and wounded, honor the heroic first responders who willingly sacrificed themselves out of moral duty, and honor the service men and women who keep our country free. 

Over the past few weeks, you’ve likely heard of the film Sound of Freedom. It’s been highly successful, grossing some 155 million dollars against a budget of 14 million. It’s also been critiqued by some critics as a “right-wing” or “Christian,” when in reality, it is neither.

If you aren’t familiar with the film’s background, it is inspired by the work of Tim Ballard, an anti-human trafficking advocate who, along with his organization Operation Underground Railroad, is credited with rescuing thousands of victims of child trafficking. The film itself is a story of a long journey by Tim Ballard to reunite a father with his two children, a brother and sister, who are unwittingly abducted by a “talent scout”, and sold to pedophiles.

Owing to its subject matter, the film does not spare the viewer from the sheer evil of pedophilia, the agony and fear the victims of human trafficking face, and the immense pain their families face as they try to find justice. Ultimately, the film is about how, while human beings are indeed capable of great evil, they are equally capable in great acts of courage, heroism, and compassion.

Sound of Freedom is not a film that can be reviewed in a normal sense. While at the surface, the film can be exciting, as Tim travels through dense jungles and exotic city streets, pursuing criminals seeking justice, the film is not meant to entertain. Yet, the film has been labeled falsely as a “Christian” or “right-wing” film.

The only indication of any sort of religious sentiment in the film is the phrase “God’s children are not for sale,” which has since become a rallying call of sorts among the audience. The film has no politics, left or right. Its sole advocacy is for child victims of human trafficking, asking of its audience to awaken a sense of moral duty in themselves, to understand and be compassionate towards the suffering of others. The fact that, somehow this has become a political issue is a sad testament to the current polarization in our country.