March 30, 2015 Enquiry Free thought and discourse A publication of the AHI Undergraduate Fellows Volume II | Issue XXII Clinton Revisionism she accused Republicans of planting Upcoming Events women in Bill’s life to later accuse Joe Simonson him of sexual harassment or assault, Wednesday, April 1 Editor-in-Chief but I’m not giving her the benefit of Body and Soul - The State of the Let us start with an obvious fact: the doubt. The great irony of Hillary’s Jewish Community: A Movie Bill Clinton is a repulsive person. No, comments is that if any family were to Screening and Discussion he’s not repulsive because he balanced concoct such a heinous conspiracy, it 7:00 p.m. | KJ Auditorium the federal budget, reformed welfare, would be the Clintons. signed the Religious Freedom A few months ago, a friend of can execute women for even filing a Restoration Act, or repealed Glass- Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, was rape accusation? Steagall. Bill Clinton is a bad person implicated in a massive child sex These questions will have little because he is the personification of scandal. Information has come out bearing on whether Hillary is elected rape culture and the living, successful that Bill spent quite some time with president or not. Many progressives embodiment of almost every harmful Mr. Epstein in his Florida mansion have accepted the fact that the patriarchal structure we are taught to where the alleged sexual romps took Clintons seem to live on a lawless revolt against. place for years. Considering that Bill island in international waters where Despite multiple rape and Clinton couldn’t help himself from moral standards need not apply. The sexual assault accusations from receiving a blowjob by a White House most damaging feature of the Clinton different women, Bill Clinton has intern, I don’t think anyone expects legacy to the American political never been held responsible for his that he controlled himself at the system, however, is the reality that if predatory behavior. Liberals and hedonistic playground that was Mr. the average citizen committed or were the media are somehow willing to Epstein’s Florida mansion. Bill Clinton even accused of a fraction of any of anoint this conniving lecher while will get a pass on this, unfortunately, the Clintons’ misdeeds, his or her life simultaneously eviscerating any no- because apparently depraved sexual would be completely ruined. name Midwestern Republican state misconduct is acceptable only when If multiple women accuse a representative, whose constituency is you’re a Democrat and even more professor or student of sexual assault half-composed of corn stalks, because when you’re the last competent on a college campus, the suspect he can’t understand elementary Democratic president in 60 years or becomes a social pariah and should biology (then again, I don’t even want when Hillary is the last chance the be jailed. If a business owner does to know Bill Clinton’s conception Democrats have to win in 2016. not keep perfect records and instead of biology). Both individuals are Obviously, placing blame on Hillary willingly ignores laws and regulations problems, but only one was President for any of Bill’s indecent behavior over and opts for a personal system while of the United States. the past decades would be erroneous. under subpoena, like Hillary did at The worst part of all of this is that But asking questions about why she the State Department, they are jailed. Bill Clinton’s sexual deviance has has remained with Bill all of this time If a group of individuals try to defraud become a cultural meme of sorts. isn’t inappropriate, considering she creditors in a land deal, as was the case Content creators and manchildren is expecting to become President of in the Whitewater scandal, they are on Buzzfeed and Reddit are one the United States. If we are to adopt jailed (well, everyone did go to jail in step away from having a picture of the suggestions by some feminist this example, except Bill and Hillary). Bubbah diddling his housekeeper and commentators like Zerlina Maxwell If employees die under your watch at slapping some big white comedic text outlined in the Washington Post a job and your only response is, “what over it next to a lolcat. If the media last December, that society must difference does it make?” you can be treated every man like Bill Clinton, take all rape accusations as true, is held criminally negligent and jailed. the piggish thugs in the viral catcalling it a stretch to say that Hillary has If you make an outrageous return video would be seen as the epitome of remained married to a rapist for speculating on cattle futures, you can chivalry. nearly 40 years? What if this were get a knock on the door from the SEC Hillary Clinton’s public response the case with a Republican woman? and then have charges brought against to her husband’s behavior was to stick Moreover, would it be a stretch to ask you by the FBI and later be jailed. to the infamous Clinton playbook what exactly Hillary’s commitments If a job applicant and her husband and declare all of the alleged sexual are to women’s rights when she can’t have been accused of a number of misconduct by her husband to be part even denounce her own husband’s crimes throughout their lives, why of a “vast-right wing conspiracy.” It’s behavior and simultaneously allows would you hire them? impossible to prove whether Hillary the Clinton Foundation to accept knew she was telling a vile lie when millions of dollars from countries that ever again. Is Indie Rock Too White? A few weeks ago I wrote about how the independent Mike Adamo | Senior Editor music website Pitchfork.com wants you to know that Hey there, put down that Guided by Voices album and the Affordable Care Act is really, really cool. Just in case let’s talk about race. Indie rock is too white and that’s a big you still had doubts about Pitchfork’s indie cred, they problem. Bet you didn’t know that, huh? By the way, EDM published a few more articles that really cement their is also misogynistic. Have fun trying to enjoy anything totally hip views on race and gender and whatever else is fashionable to pontificate about. of white people playing indie rock, but it’ll probably start Pitchfork.com recently published an article titled “The with you “acknowledging” something or another. Unbearable Whiteness of Indie,” in which author Sarah They tried to do it to metal, but metal fans told them Sahim complains about the capital-W Whiteness of to screw off. Luckily indie rock offers a greater supply of independent music, which is apparently a sign that indie hypersensitive beta males who will do just about anything listeners are big fat racists in need of reeducation. to seem cool. If you tell them to screw off, some longhaired Sahim whines that she can only count five high-profile guy in a Godspeed You! Black Emperor t-shirt will throw independent musicians who “look like me.” How, after out his hand and say, “Whoa, dude, chill,” while another all, can someone appreciate artists who don’t look like nerd in a beanie stares uncomfortably at his Vans. her? She complains that Vampire Weekend’s gay Iranian When the Tipper Gores of our generation really want keyboardist isn’t overtly gay and Iranian enough. Anyone to elevate the moral panic about this most inoffensive else would call this shallow tokenism. The progressive of genres, they’ll start pushing for trigger warnings on calls it “fighting oppression.” albums. They can go right next to the Parental Advisory Remember when you could just enjoy music? Well, get labels that hysterical mothers campaigned for in the 80s. with the times. If you haven’t thoroughly evaluated the “Trigger Warning: King Krule appropriates elements socioeconomic baggage of your favorite genres, you’re part of jazz and hip hop from black Americans.” “Trigger of the problem. The brightest and shrillest undergraduates Warning: Conor Oberst was accused of rape one time and have applied the vast wisdom of Intro to Africana Studies even though the accuser admitted to lying we think you and Sociology 101 to nearly every field of human existence really should know about it.” (see “Queering Agriculture”). If you thought music was I’m glad none of this nonsense was around when I was safe, then boy, do they have news for you. in high school and going to see bands play in basements. The way to prove your worth in the college activist crowd There were only two rules for house shows: “No parking is by shoehorning politics into the most apolitical places. on the grass,” and “Don’t be a dick.” The latter involved The more obscure, the better. It’s the same attitude that led leaving your politics at the door and just enjoying the to the ridiculous Starbucks campaign where baristas were music like a normal human being. supposed to write #RaceTogether on customers’ drinks So calm down, listen to whatever music you want, and in order to start a conversation about race. Of course, save the moral outrage for problems of actual substance. “Let’s have a conversation about race” really means “Let The only thing that’s problematic about the Antlers is that me lecture you while you keep your racist mouth shut.” they suck. It’s unclear how activists want to solve the pressing issue over the 2016-2020 period for rail Amtrak Subsidies programs.” According to the CBO, Sarah Larson | Staff Writer that amount includes $5.3 billion Since its formation in 1971, Amtrak for grants to Amtrak, $1.2 billion has been criticized for catering to for grants to states for intercity neither the traveling public nor the rail projects, and $625 million to taxpayer. Amtrak is unique in that renegotiate and prepay a portion of it has cost the government over $45 Amtrak’s nonfederal debt.” billion in subsidies over the last 44 $7 billion is tough to imagine. years, according to the Congressional But just to compare: Congress don’t need to profit, so long as they Budget Office (CBO), a non- granted $6.9 billion to the National continue to “improve.” partisan agency. Matthew Sabas of Science Foundation (NSF) in 2014. The ease with which this bill will the Manhattan Institute concluded $7 billion is not pocket change, pass points to a greater problem in that much of the waste is due to Amtrak’s subsidy could do a lot of American politics. Amtrak’s subsidy “unprofitable routes, overstaffedgood. Right now, however, it’s not. is not large enough for us to care, but trains, and the mismanagement of More importantly the $45 billion that it is large enough to matter. Even if its food services.” Sabas was not the Amtrak has consumed in past years Americans chose to do nothing about first to point out Amtrak’s excessive could do much more good. It makes it, we should at least be aware that it spending and waste. In 1985, Tom one wonder why Amtrak charges exists. Wicker wrote in the New York Times consumers so much for tickets on top that David Stockholm (then-Director of what consumers are already paying of the Office of Management and in taxes. Enquiry Staff Budget (OMB)) “threw a tantrum Amtrak, like other industries, Editor-in-Chief: Joe Simonson the other day before a Senate must be subject to market forces. It Senior Editor: Mike Adamo subcommittee.” Stockholm said, “If is grossly unfair and undemocratic Staff Writers: Taylor Elicegui, senators did not have ‘the courage, to prop up a flawed business on Amy Elinski, Alex Klosner, Sarah the foresight, the comprehension’ to taxpayer dollars. As Sabas writes, ‘pull the plug’ on what he called an Amtrak’s “promises of reform have Larson, Andrew Nachemson, ‘irredeemable’ Amtrak rail passenger never fully materialized into solvency, Phil Parkes, Will Swett system,” American taxpayers would and its failure to follow congressional The opinions expressed in these articles have to continue to foot the bill. mandates never resulted in penalties.” are the views of their authors and do not Stockholm was right. Amtrak still Despite 44 years of operation, represent the views of Enquiry or the relies on public money. Amtrak remains insolvent. And while Alexander Hamilton Institute. A few weeks ago, the Republican- Americans protest bailout plans to the Enquiry accepts articles of 500 to 800 controlled House passed the Passenger auto industry or too-big-to-fail banks, words at [email protected] and Rail Reform and Investment Act of Amtrak continues to slide by without [email protected]. Please be 2015 (PRRIA). The bill authorizes complaint. Amtrak executives must aware that we do not accept anony- “appropriations totaling $7.2 billion have realized their privilege: they mous submissions.