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Political Review

Joe Peterson

Staff Writer
Political Science

Minor in Civic Engagement Leadership.
Unironically loves the Star Wars Prequels. Hiking Enthusiast.

More from this author
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April 2025

The Campus Censorship Crisis

By Joe Peterson
April 17, 2025 08:34 AM
For years, conservatives have positioned themselves as champions of free speech, decrying "cancel culture" and the suppression of conservative voices on college campuses. However, their recent support for aggressive federal interventions against student protesters and diversity initiatives exposes the political convenience of these claims rather than a principled commitment to open discourse.
4 Min Read
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March 2025

The Utah Legislature’s War on Public Employees

By Joe Peterson
March 31, 2025 11:29 AM
Governor Spencer Cox’s recent signing of the anti-labor law HB 267 banned collective bargaining for public employees. The legislation severely weakened several public-sector unions, including the Utah Education Association (UEA), Utah Public Employees Association (UPEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and unions representing police and firefighters. This marks a troubling shift in Utah’s approach to public service. The draconian law places Utah alongside only North and South Carolina in enacting such restrictive measures. Due to these laws, unsurprisinglyNorth and South Carolina have some of the lowest rate of union membership of less than 5%, despite lawmakers claiming that employees are still free to join a union. These measures threaten both the quality of public services and the dignity of those who provide them.
3 Min Read
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February 2025

Immigrants Do Not Have the Privilege to “Not Care about Politics Right Now”

By Joe Peterson
February 25, 2025 01:59 PM
Tossing and turning on election night, I couldn’t sleep. I checked the results at midnight, 1 a.m., 2 a.m., and 3 a.m. until my hope gave out and exhaustion finally took over. My worst fears were becoming reality: Donald Trump was returning to the presidency, this time with a vengeance.
5 Min Read
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It’s not #MeToo Late, Hip-Hop

By Joe Peterson
January 06, 2025 01:44 PM
When allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering against Sean “Diddy” Combs broke recently, I hoped for a long-overdue reckoning in the hip-hop industry. Unlike other fields that have faced #MeToo reckonings, hip-hop continues to enable abuse and sideline women without meaningful accountability. Instead of seizing this moment for change, hip-hop industry leaders dismissed the accusations, allowing the cycle to persist. Despite the progress in Hollywood and other industries, hip-hop has largely escaped a #MeToo reckoning, but this needs to change now.
4 Min Read
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Lessons Unlearned: Israel’s Endless Wars

By Joe Peterson
December 06, 2024 04:41 PM
It has been over a year since Hamas’s horrific October 7th terrorist attack that killed over 1,300 Israeli civilians, an equivalent of nearly thirteen 9/11s as a proportion of their total population.[1] The desire for security and justice in the aftermath is deeply understandable. Yet, after a year of war, it is fair to ask: Are the Israeli people safer now?
4 Min Read
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Why You Should Care About the Venezuelan Election

By Joe Peterson
December 06, 2024 11:53 AM
Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal two months ago that still haunts me with this line:
3 Min Read
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