Editorial

Dear Readers,

If you don’t want a house built, hide the nails and wood. If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war. If the government is inefficient, top-heavy, and tax-mad, better it be all those than that people worry over it. Peace, Montag. Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without moving. And they’ll be happy, because facts of that sort don’t change. — Captain Beatty to Guy Montag, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Welcome back to the fourth issue of Binghamton Review! Sadly, you won’t be seeing any more theme issues for the semester—Sexy Baxter and Binghamton Reboot were simply too much to handle—so we’re sticking to our typical format. Additionally, we also decided to add another shelf location for those that are interested in picking up copies. We added it to the Admissions Building, so if you’re around there and want to read a copy, now you can!

The issue can be divided into two sections: on-campus content and off campus content. In terms of what’s happening on-campus, our staff decided to investigate the controversy surrounding the SA Elections. After reaching out to the SA, SA candidates, and those close to the situation, we can safely present our findings in an appropriately titled piece that is definitely not a reference to a Miley Cyrus song. With the changing times comes changing attitudes, which can even be observed around campus. However, some, like Johnathan Swift, have criticisms of what they perceive as arrogance. Perhaps you are one of the poor students in Hinman or CIW, living in complete despair while the rich Mountainview and Dickinson students live in luxury. In that case, Sara Traynor and Madeline Perez have teamed up to list these grievances in a manifesto!

For things happening off-campus, you may be excited to learn about the legalization of marijuana in New York. Julius Apostata breaks down the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to this legislation. With the COVID-19 vaccine out, you may have heard of the recent debate over having vaccine passports. Editor EmeritusPatrick McAuliffedecides to break this down. In other COVID-19 news, Joe Badalamenti reflects on whether the measures taken were truly worth the consequences. Lastly, Arthur O’Sullivan expresses his pessimistic view on what the United States will look like politically post-COVID.

Other than that, we truly hope you enjoy this issue. Stay safe, challenge yourself, read some books (and Binghamton Review), and stay healthy! Sincerely,

Jake Schweitzer

Binghamton Review is a non-partisan, student-run news magazine of conservative thought founded in 1987 at Binghamton University. A true liberal arts education expands a student’s horizons and opens one’s mind to a vast array of divergent perspectives. The mark of true maturity is being able to engage with these perspectives rationally while maintaining one’s own convictions. In that spirit, we seek to promote the free and open exchange of ideas and offer alternative viewpoints not normally found or accepted on our predominately liberal campus. We stand against tyranny in all of its forms, both on campus and beyond. We believe in the principles set forth in this country’s Declaration of Independence and seek to preserve the fundamental tenets of Western civilization. It is our duty to expose the warped ideology of political correctness and cultural authoritarianism that dominates this university. Finally, we understand that a moral order is a necessary component of any civilized society. We strive to inform, engage with, and perhaps even amuse our readers in carrying out this mission.