April 2024

On January 6, 2021, politics in the United States fundamentally changed. In the waning days of his presidency and upon the verification of the 2020 election, Donald J. Trump employed divisive and anti-democratic rhetoric, inciting protests that swept through the streets of Washington D.C. Most notably, demonstrators converged on the Halls of Congress, engaging in riotous behavior to voice their grievances and denounce what they perceived as a ‘stolen election’.

Conservatism is a difficult word to define. As I use it, conservatism is the political school of philosophy established by Edmund Burke in the 1800s that has been moderately adapted through the centuries. As I see it, conservatism is identifiable by four pillars: laissez-faire economics, focus on family and community, institutional trust, and justice and order. Within my definition, a conservative would believe the following statements: the economy works best when the government does not intervene with the free market except to protect individuals and ensure free trade, a key role of the government is to protect families and communities since these are the foundation of a functional society, well-made institutions can be trusted and must be trusted for a successful nation, and society works best when the law is predictable, the legislature is sober-minded, and the people are civil.

Rome, the Eternal City, is practically teeming with complexity. Its history and longevity have left behind what can only be described as a plethora of paradoxes. Ruins are interrupted by gift shops and brightly lit gelaterias. Monuments to pagan gods bear crosses of Christianity and adorn the smallest country in the world, which contains one of the largest churches in the world. Navigate through these wonders of past and modern civilizations and you will almost inevitably arrive at one of the most recognizable architectural wonders around the globe, the Colosseum.

In the latest Gallup poll, Americans say that immigration is the most important issue facing the country [1]. Americans now view this issue more urgent than the economy, inflation, wars abroad, and abortion. It’s not hard to see why. 2023 had the largest level of people who entered the country illegally than in any other year in history [2]. The issue has especially gained traction in the last few months with the murder of Laken Riley, a 22 year old nursing student from Augusta University. On February 22, 2024, Laken went on a morning jog near the University of Georgia, when she was abducted and brutally killed by 26 year old Jose Ibarra. Ibarra entered the United States illegally from Venezuela, and had multiple charges before this incident [3]. Laken Riley’s name made a large presence at the 2024 State of the Union address as members of Congress wore a pin with her name on it [4]. This tragic and senseless murder has been at the center of the crisis on the southern border, and shows why action must be taken immediately.

Since I started paying attention to American politics in high school, one trend has dominated the news cycle, the conversation, and the day-to-day realities of government: the Republican Party keeps moving to the right [1]. Since the Tea Party’s emergence in 2009, research has repeatedly shown the Republican Party rapidly growing more conservative [2]. Once this ideologically extreme wing of the Republican party realized their power to move the needle, they swung the whole pendulum to the right.

On March 5, 1770, nine British soldiers fired on a crowd of Bostonians, killing five in what quickly became known as the Boston Massacre. The event was one of the defining moments in the leadup to the American Revolution, and it is considered one of the most heinous examples of British tyranny in the colonial era.

Just over six years ago, I arrived in Santiago, Chile, expecting to serve the Chilean people for the balance of my mission. That I did, but I was presented with a welcome surprise on the ride from the airport to our mission president’s home. The two missionaries who picked me up told me that there were tons of Haitians in Santiago, and many missionaries learned Haitian Creole to be able to teach them. Curious and eager to learn, I soon found myself studying and teaching in Creole. I found Haitians to be a delightful, kind-hearted, and God-fearing people.

Note: I’ve been a writer for two years now on Political Review, and although I’ve felt proud of the articles I’ve written in the past, I have yet to feel as proud of myself as I do with this article. I hope you enjoy it.