Archives - Kevin Shaughnessy

How to beat the heat when you’re stuck in a dorm room

A lot of people complain about Rochester’s winters, but in my opinion, the summer months are far worse. When it…

How to prevent wealth from predetermining admissions

It’s been hard to avoid the recent college admissions scandals,  in which many rich and famous parents tried to buy…

Why I’m voting for Bernie Sanders

Recently, Bernie Sanders announced his run for president. He quickly became the frontrunner, raising over $10 million in the first…

Why it could make sense to depose Maduro

I’m generally opposed to foreign intervention. American meddling often makes bad situations worse — Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Cuba are…

The shutdown mystery

Last night, when I was looking at the graph of Trump’s approval rating on FiveThirtyEight, my friend Charles said it…

Enough with the collective blame

The left in America is less identitarian than the EFF, but still operates on many of the same principles.

Trump and the space force

If the idea of a space force was indeed harmless, it would just be another stupid, inconsequential Trump meme like rocket man or inventing the word “fake” (my favorite one).

Lack of an Iran deal means war

My grandpa was drafted during the Korean war but was lucky enough to be stationed in Alaska as a sharpshooting instructor, far from the fighting. My dad went to community college during Vietnam to avoid the draft. I fear that I might be unlucky enough to be alive during another draft, for an Iranian war.

Why we need the Iran deal

The nuclear deal is the only thing besides war preventing Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. It does this with two mechanisms: inspections and leverage.

Think hard before intervening in Syria

Assad is a war criminal and monster, but to make the right decisions in Syria, Western leaders must compare his rule to the possible alternatives, and consider the costs of intervention.