ORBISVol. 10/No. 3/Nov/2010

Jim Ray on defense spending and imperialism, pg. 4

Amplifying Vanderbilt’s Progressive Voices

The triumph of ignorance?

Page 2 • ORBIS November 2010IN THIS ISSue

co

nte

ntsIt’s November again, and in spite of a disappointing midterm election, we

should take heart in the wealth of privileges and opportunies that we have as college students. At the same time, it is important to remember and support the disenfranchised at home and abroad. In this issue of ORBIS, we confront some of these uncomfortable realities while offering analysis of the election and forecasts for the future.

The Hustler broke a disheartening story about a Beta Upsilon Chi brother who was kicked out of the fraternity because of his sexual orientation. On the Op/Ed page, we ask some tough questions about tolerance and accountability on campus and in fraternity culture (pg. 11.)

There have also been a disturbing situation this month at the Clairmont Apartments, which are located off Murfreesboro Pike. The immigrant commu-nity who have made Nashville their home are being menaced by changes of ownership and aggressive law enforcement, and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition has gamely stepped up to the plate with help from the American Civil Liberties Union to offer support (pg. 5.)

Andri Alexandrou criticizes the inflated rhetoric that modern conservative movements have coopted through viral videos, chain letters and other irre-sponsible rhetoric (pg. 8.) Meghan O’Neill also discusses intellectual decline, but with her sights set on the education system (pg. 11.) Aimee Sobhani offer election coverage and an outlook for the next two years (pg. 10.) Dylan Turner interviewed Vanderbilt professor of political science Jim Ray on the defense budget and imperialist temptations.

The elections were a sign that work lies ahead, but don’t lose hope. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

a note from the editor

4427

Published with support from theCenter for American Progress/Campus Progress

Online at http://www.campusprogress.org

ORBISAmplifying Vanderbilt's Progressive Voices

November 2010

Jon ChristianEditor-in-Chief

Carol Chen Associate Editor

Stacy Schlumbrecht Web Editor

erika Hyde Editor Emeritus

Aimee SobhaniCommentary Editor

Andri Alexandrou“The Flip Side” Editor

Meghan O’NeillFeatures Editor

Thomas ShattuckDistribution Director

Questions, comments, concerns? E-mail us at vanderbiltorbis@gmail.com.E-mail submissions to the address listed above, or send to Box 1669, Station B, Nashville, TN, 37235.

Letters must be received one week prior to publication and must include the writer's name, year, school and telephone number. All submissions will be verified. Unsigned letters will not be published. Orbis reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. All submissions become property of Orbis and must conform to the legal standards of Vanderbilt Student Communications, Inc., of which Orbis

is a division.

Editorials represent the policy of Orbis as determined by the editorial board. Letters and commentary pieces represent the opinions of the writers.

Please recycle.

Volume 10, Number 3

What is Orbis?Orbis aspires to change the atmosphere on Vanderbilt's campus and provides a voice for liberal, multicultural and minority viewpoints. This publication strives to inform the public about issues that these groups face as well as to promote diver-sity and unity within our community. It is a forum for discussion of social, political and religious commentary relevant to Vanderbilt, the nation and the world. Orbis was founded by a coalition of students seeking to raise consciousness about diverse ideas, cultures and backgrounds in our society. We hope to challenge the existing social atmosphere at Vanderbilt and promote a rebirth of acceptance.

number of American military deaths in Iraq since March 2003

Cover design: Jon Christian, Andri Alexandrou

03. Spotlight: Engineers Without BordersBy Steven Harrison

06. Dining, SPEAR debut reusable Eco-ShellsBy Michael Yarbrough

05. ICE, Metro PD raid immigrant housingBy Jon Christian

07. The Edgy Vedgy: Veganize your dormBy Sarah O’Brien

09. Hookup culture: a feminist perspectiveBy Michael Yarbrough

10. Election results indicate bleak futureBy Aimee Sobhani

04. Jim Ray discusses defense spendingBy Dylan Thomas

08. Tea Party deforms election debateBy Andri Alexandrou

11. We’re actually getting dumber By Meghan O’Neill

11. Condemn homophobia at BYXBy Orbis staff

I t ’s easy to harshly label our overworked engineer friends at Vanderbilt as shut-ins who focus on schoolwork all the t ime. This stereotype doesn’t account for Engineers Without Borders, a student organization dedicated to applying the practical side of engineering to help develop-ing communities. For over f ive years, Engineers Without Borders has been active at Vanderbilt as a division of the national non-profit Engineers Without Borders USA, which was founded in 2002.

In addit ion to servic ing the immediate Nashville community in projects l ike Tools for Schools, Engineers Without Borders takes a dif-ferent approach than most student organizations in that the club directly extends its reach outside of the United States. The majority of Engineers Without Borders’ work concentrates on design-ing and planning an engineering project in a struggling area that requires clean water, elec-tricity, or educational facil it ies. This vast under-taking can take more than a year to arrange and can require a substantial amount of funding.

The process behind a successful mission can be arduous and time-consuming, but Engineers Without Borders is determined in its efforts to launch an effective project .

Since 2007, members of Engineers Without

Borders have been working on the group’s major project : establishing a clean water system with an electr ic pump in Llanchama, an isolated community located on the outskirts of Iquitos, Peru. In 2002, a doctor from the University of Alabama-Birmingham made a trip to the area to investigate malaria and found an abundance of pathogenic bacteria and intestinal parasites due to a lack of clean drinking water. Seizing upon this study’s results, Vanderbilt ’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders decided that their engineering skil ls could be put to use by fixing the broken water system that causes so much sickness in the region.

Small teams comprised of Vanderbilt students, profess ional engineers , and other Engineers Without Borders USA members made two sepa-rate assessment trips in March 2008 and January 2010 to vis i t Peru and observe the current situation. These crucial assessments provided important evaluations of the community and measurements such as well depth and flow rate. They also served as an opportunity to educate the vil lagers of Llanchama on how to properly operate a water pump.

Engineers Without Borders has worked tire-lessly since the last assessment trip in January to raise funds for an implementation trip tenta-tively scheduled to depart within the next three months. An implementation trip would be the culmination of the prior assessment trips in that members would be able to start building a new

source of water for the vil lage of Llanchama. The ultimate goal of the implementation trip would be the sustainability of a clean-water piping sys-tem to run effectively for years.

By the end of November, Engineers Without Borders hopes to raise $7,000 in order to send a student/engineer team to Llanchama, Peru for its project . Engineers With Beers, a fund-raiser held at the Frayed Knot last April , and the sale of Engineers Without Borders water bottles helped raise money for the project last semester. This semester, on Sept . 27, Chil i ’s donated 10 percent of all checks presented with an Engineers Without Borders f lyer to the trip’s funding. The organization has also recently set up an online donation site at http://vuewb.chipin.com/vanderbilt-ewb that allows visitors to track financial progress.

Appealing to a broad range of Vanderbil t students, Engineers Without Borders provides a unique outlet for using the engineering skil ls learned in the c lassroom in a real - l i fe set -t ing before graduation. In addition to offering interested engineers a preview of working l ife after Vanderbilt , the organization also engages socially conscious non-engineers with its focus on struggling communities.

To get involved and f ind out more , jo in the Vanderbi l t Engineers Without Borders Facebook group for updates on chapter meetings and upcoming events or e-mail vanderbiltewb@gmail .com to sign up for the l ist serve.

November 2010 ORBIS • Page 3SPOTLIGHT

engineers build infrastucture around the globe

Go green, and join ORBIS onlineRead articles, send feedback and join the community

vanderbiltorbis.com ~ facebook.com/vuorbis

By Steven HarrisonSTAFF WRITER

Engineers Without Borders work to install a well in Llamancha, Peru Photo courtesy of eWB-Vu

Campus Progress’ annual NationalConference in Washington, D.C.

brings together 1,000 students and dozens of leading speakers (including past keynote speakers Bill Clinton and Barack Obama) for issue discussions,

skills trainings and networking. We also hold DC, regional, and campus trainings on journalism, media skills

and grassroots organizing. Visit http://campusprogress.org/national_confer-

ence/ for more.

Jim Ray is a Vanderbilt professor of politi-cal science who leads courses in United States foreign policy and international politics and serves as the director of undergraduate studies for the Political Science department. His research focuses on international conflict, the causes of war and interstate conflict and the relationship of democracy to conflict. In addition to his work as a professor, Ray served as president of the International Peace Science Society from 2001-2002.

ORBIS: During the Cold War, the United States had a clear incentive to maintain high defense spending. Why does the United States continue to spend so much on defense, and does this affect our international policy?

Ray: In the wake of the Cold War, the Department of Defense came up with the idea that the United States should take advan-tage of the unique situation that had occurred and accumulate so much military power that not only would the United States be stronger than any enemy or com-bination of enemies, but it would be so much more powerful that nobody would ever try to catch up with the United States. That idea was put on the shelf in response to objections during the 1990s but brought back in light of 2001. That’s a driving intellectual force. There are economic forces, such as the fact that the United States has been fighting two wars for a very long time, and there are corporations that benefit. But the driving idea behind the size of the defense establishment is that the United States should seize the opportunity to establish such predominance so that no other nation will ever try to catch up.

ORBIS: How large are the mil-

itary and defense expenditures of the United States in comparison to other countries?

Ray: It’s hard to calculate because nobody knows how much the Chinese are spending, for example; most defense budgets are secretive. But it’s com-monly asserted that the United States spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined, and I think that’s not an unreasonable statement.

What are the effects of this imbalance? Should it be a matter of concern?

In the wake of this election with all the focus on economic problems, I think it’s a concern eco-nomically. The United States government has a real problem with the size of the defense budget and with budget deficits. If you take the size of the defense expenditures of the United States and

compare it to the annual income of the United States in terms of what it generates through rev-enue and taxes, that’s 80 percent just on defense. So I think the economic effects are substantial, and I think it creates a temptation to solve problems with military force. That’s part of the reason the United States decided to attack Iraq in 2003 - it assumed its military force was so overwhelming that it could deal with Saddam Hussein easily. The same thing happened in Afghanistan to some extent in 2001, and now, Obama has come to some conclusion that the way to deal with the problem is to move in with greater force and try to reform and renovate Afghanistan.

ORBIS: Is such a large defense budget likely to make the United States safer, or does it make us a

target for terrorism?Ray: There are trade offs, and

I wouldn’t say it doesn’t have any beneficial impacts or that it does nothing to make the coun-try safer, but it also tempted the United States to get involved in Iraq, which led to Guantanamo and CIA guard prisons and a combination of what I think anyone would label mistreat-ment of detainees and torture of some suspects. That, combined with the United States becoming such a large target as a result of its large defense establishment, certainly can make the country less safe.

ORBIS: Is the United States likely to reduce defense spend-ing in the future?

Ray: I’m inclined to think that it may well be forced to reduce defense expenditures, largely because of economic problems. It’s going to have to bring defense and other expen-ditures and the federal budget under control; at some point in the not-too-distant future we will reduce substantially our defense budget because we will find it necessary.

Page 4 • ORBIS November 2010FeatuReS

Imperialist temptations and the defense budget:ORBIS interviews Jim Ray, PhD

By Dylan ThomasSTAFF JOURNALIST

Got ideas for columns and news reporting? Come to the next ORBIS meeting!

Nov. 18, 7:30pm, Sarratt 363

Jim Ray is concerned that a large defense budget facilitates imperialist temptationsPhoto: Dylan thomas

Local police and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents descended on the Clairmont Apartments complex Oct. 20 in a raid during which they apprehended between 20 and 40 individuals. According to eye witnesses, the ICE agents acted aggressively, breaking doors and windows and fail-ing to display warrants before forcibly entering living units and detaining individuals.

“They were already here when we pulled up in a car,” said a woman who observed the raid. “And as soon as he got out of the car they asked him for ID. He didn’t have any, and they arrested him and put him in the van immediately.”

Conflict has been building at the Clairmont Apartments for some time. In July, Tritex Real Estate Advisors, Inc. purchased the property after the pre-vious owners defaulted on their loan. Under Tritex’ ownership, Greystar Real Estate Partners took over management of the housing facility.

It wasn’t long before living conditions at the com-plex began to decline, with residents complaining of mold problems, a pest infestation, widespread leaks and in some cases a suspended water supply. Clairmont Management did not reply to maintenance requests in a timely fashion, and residents became concerned.

“[Clairmont] has never been a very pretty place, but it’s been getting progressively worse: mainte-nance issues, infestations of bedbugs, cockroach-es, rats and maintenance problems. They basically suspended maintenance of the apartments,” said David Morales, communications coordinator for the Tennessee Immigrants and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). “In particular, they completely neglected the immigrants that are living there. So people would be complaining of mold, water leaks, and maintenance didn’t do anything about it.”

After putting up with months of poor living condi-tions, some residents at the complex began to look at legal options to deal with the chronic neglect, including filing an official complaint. In October, management moved out of the facility and into a local Nashville hotel suite and cut all communication

with residents of the Clairmont apartment. Soon aftewards, ICE agents descended on the complex during the Oct. 20 raid.

In light of the increas-ingly antagonistic relation-ship between residents of the Clairmont Apartments and the owners of the facility, the TIRRC has questioned the offi-cial story. In particular, they suspect that Tritex or Greystar decided it would benefit them financially to get rid of undoc-umented immigrants housed at Clairmont and worked with ICE and local law enforcement to do so. In addition, they are troubled by reports of maltreat-ment of residents before and after the raid as well as abusive behavior by police and ICE agents during the raid.

The Clairmont raid has also caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is now working with TIRRC to gather information and respond to allegations of human rights violations by ICE and the Metro Police.

“It feels very fishy. We wouldn’t have been here, doing all this work for the past week if we didn’t feel that there was potentially something here,” said Tricia Herzfield, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Tennessee. “The thing is, it’s really complicated when you’re dealing with populations where some are citi-zens and some are not, and some people are particu-larly vulnerable based on their immigration status.”

In response to rising criticism, the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department posted a press release on Oct. 28 in which they claimed that the raid had been motivated by gang problems in the Clairmont complex. According to TIRRC, however, this is a tactic intended to draw attention away from the issues of civil rights violations, discrimination and collusion which surround the raid. No criminal charges have been filed following the Oct. 20 raid.

“Police like to brag about their gang work. Every time they do a gang raid, they put out a press release

[immediately]. Why didn’t they do it this time?” Morales said. “It’s a long press release that they made on the 28th. The statement is very long, but they talk very little about the specifics of what happened there.”

After the management of the Clairmont Apartments moved their offices offsite, they hired the controversial Nashville-based Crime Suppression Services (CSS) to provide security at the complex. CSS is a private company whose employees drive police cruiser-style Dodge Chargers outfitted with police-style lights, two tone color schemes and what appear to be radar guns. CSS markets itself as a “special response team,” although the private company is not part of any state or federal police force.

CSS has also drawn criticism from local law enforce-ment who are concerned that their police-style cars and equipment amount to impersonation of a police officer.

According to TIRRC, CSS employees have engaged in systematic harassment of Clairmont residents, including banging on doors and windows at night and asking for identification.

“A lot of people are very, very afraid, and that makes things difficult,” said Herzfield. “What appears to have happened here is that some people stood up to some really horrible housing conditions, and next thing you know there was an ICE raid.”

Herzfield explained that with cases of immigration arrests, it can be difficult to even figure out who has been apprehended. Undocumented individuals are not guaranteed access to a free attorney, and it is dif-ficult for organizations working on their behalf, such as TIRRC or the ACLU, to gain information about the whereabouts or well being of arrested individuals. It is unknown where the arrested individuals are cur-rently being held, although they have probably been moved to another state.

Although the fate of the people who were taken into custody on Oct. 20 remains uncertain, TIRRC hopes that some will be released on humanitarian grounds. It is likely that others will be deported.

November 2010 ORBIS • Page 5ImmIgRatION

Raid on apartment raises human rights concernsBy Jon ChristianEDITOR-IN-ChIEF

Crime Suppression Services use cars that look like police cruisersPhoto: Jon Christian

According to TIRRC, Crime Suppression

Services employees have engaged in sys-

tematic harassment of Clairmont resi-

dents, including banging on doors and

windows at night and asking for identifi-

cation.

According to TIRRC, Crime Suppression

Services employees have engaged in sys-

tematic harassment of Clairmont resi-

dents, including banging on doors and

windows at night and asking for identifi-

cation.

Page 6 • ORBIS November 2010lIfeStyle

Take your meal on the go with an Eco-Shell

If you want takeout from a Vanderbilt Dining loca-tion today, you have to use a disposable, non-recyclable container which will eventually end up in a landfill. Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Responsibility (SPEAR) is working to change that.

SPEAR is working with Dining on a new program called Eco-Shells, which provides a sustainable alter-native to Dining’s takeout food containers. A trial pro-gram has been put in place so that student interest and use can be evaluated. According to SPEAR president Karen White, however, some implementation issues remain which could hinder full success.

“A lot of the reason why students want to do this is because they’re sick of making waste they don’t have to make,” Karen said.

The takeout containers Dining uses now cannot be recycled, contributing to the waste of non-renewable resources. SPEAR’s alternative is one that’s been used successfully on over fifty other college campuses across the nation. Eco-Shells are durable, reusable plastic containers that look much like the current takeout containers - a clamshell shaped container, but of a milky, transparent plastic - and which are used in much the same way.

Their advantage, of course, is that they are not made from a non-renewable resource that will end up in landfills in endless numbers. Instead, when students are done with their shell, they return the

Eco-Shells to the conveyors in Rand where they will be cleaned and made ready for reuse. The next time a student needs a new container, they ask staff for one, which can be filled and taken with them, to be returned later.

White said that some features of the program need improvement if the shells are to attain widespread use. SPEAR is working with Dining to identify areas that will test the Eco-Shells before they expand to the rest of campus.

For instance, Dining is not yet keeping Eco-Shells behind the coun-ters where meals are served, because there is not presently room behind the counters for any shells. Instead, students must ask staff to retrieve a shell from a storage space in the kitchen.

“No one ever showed me the facility in such a way that suggested they wouldn’t have room for a few

Eco-shells,” Karen told me. “This is something that could save Dining money if there were enough stu-dents that were part of the program.”

Students cannot yet start using Eco-shells simply by asking for one in Rand. Instead, students must first

Continued on pg. 10

Hotel Motel :“The Jed Howse EP”

Oct. 23, 2010 UnsignedHotel Motel describe their music as “pop punk for the so-cially retarded.” They definitely have the pop punk down: think guitar-driven, melodious punk with old-school punk vocals. Their EP is hard to track down for purchase, but you can listen to it at purevolume.com/HotelMotel.

Your Memorial“Atonement”

Nov. 23, 2010 Facedown RecordsYour Memorial is a hardcore band who layer screaming vocals over smooth, guitar-driven melodies. However, they do it better than most. Check out “Surface,” a beautiful but thrash-worthy track off their new EP. And catch the band when they come to Rocketown, Nashville on December 10 on the Mosh PotaTour with A Plea for Purging headlining and joined by Within the Ruins and The Plot in You.

My Chemical Romance“Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys”

Nov. 22, 2010 Reprise RecordsMy Chemical Romance returns with another concept album that blends the anthemic nature of “The Black Pa-rade” with a faster punk sound. “Na Na Na” is a true fist-pumping (but not in the Jersey Shore way) rock anthem, and “Planetary (GO!)” is an interesting mix of disco and punk. This may be the album of the year, as according to Kerrang! magazine, it’s going to “save rock ’n’ roll.”

By michael yarbroughStAff WRiteR

Orbis recommends: the month in music

With the eco-Shell, you can take Vanderbilt Dining food on the go.Photo: Jon CHristian

November 2010 ORBIS • Page 7lIfeStyle

F i n d i n g t h e r i g h t f o o d s t o e a t a n d m a k -i n g t h e b e s t d i e t c h o i c e s a re k e y t o b e i n g a h e a l t h y v e g a n i n a c o l l e g e s e t t i n g . W h e n I f i r s t w e n t v e g a n l a s t y e a r, I t h o u g h t i t w o u l d b e i m p o s s i b l e t o f i n d h e a l t h y a n d q u i c k s n a c k s t o k e e p i n m y ro o m a n d s m a l l d i s h e s I c o u l d m a k e t o k e e p i n m y ro o m . S i n c e t h e n , f o r t u n a t e l y, I ’ v e d i s c o v e re d m a n y v e g a n c o m -p a n i e s t h a t e m p h a s i z e h e a l t h f u l f o o d s , u s e t h e b e s t i n g re d i e n t s a n d a re b a s e d o n w h o l e f o o d i n g re d i e n t s .

I d o t h e m a j o r i t y o f m y g ro c e r y s h o p p i n g a t W h o l e F o o d s a n d Tr a d e r J o e ’ s , w h i c h I l o v e b e c a u s e t h e i r p r i c e s a re g re a t a n d t h e q u a l i t y o f t h e f o o d i s p h e n o m e n a l . E v e n o n t h e m e a l p l a n , i t p a y s t o k e e p h e a l t h y s n a c k s a ro u n d o r t o t a k e t h e m o n t h e g o .

D e h y d r a t e d s t r a w b e r r i e s , f l a t t e n e d b a n a n -a s , T h o m p s o n r a i s i n s , o rg a n i c u n s a l t e d p e a -

n u t b u t t e r, o rg a n i c f l a x o a t m e a l a n d w h o l e g r a i n b re a d a re a l l i t e m s I p i c k u p a l m o s t w e e k l y a t Tr a d e r J o e ’ s . I a l w a y s h a v e s o m e d e h y d r a t e d f ru i t , g r a n o l a a n d n u t s w i t h m e i n c a s e I g e t h u n g r y. A l s o , I ’ v e l e a r n e d t h a t a d d -i n g s o m e d e h y d r a t e d f ru i t , r a i s i n s a n d n u t s t o m y o a t m e a l i n c re a s e s t h e n u t r i t i o n a l v a l u e o f m y d a i l y b re a k f a s t .

T h e v e g a n b r a n d s t h a t I u s u a l l y c h o o s e f ro m a re f o u n d a t W h o l e F o o d s a n d Tr a d e r J o e ’ s ; N e c t a r o n c a m p u s a l s o c a r r i e s m a n y o f

t h e s e b r a n d s . F o r c e re a l a n d g r a n o l a b a r s I e a t N a t u re ’ s P a t h ; m y f a v o r i t e n o n - d a i r y i t e m b r a n d s a re To f u t t i , E a r t h B a l a n c e , A l m o n d

B re e z e , R i c e D re a m a n d S o D e l i c i o u s .I ’ v e a l s o b e c o m e a b i g f a n o f C l i f f C o m p a n y

p ro d u c t s : C l i f f b a r s , Z B a r s , L u n a b a r s , ( m y f a v o r i t e f l a v o r i s S ’ M o re s ) a n d t h e i r f ru i t a n d n u t b a r s . T h e s e a re g re a t w h e n y o u ’ re s h o r t o n t i m e b e t w e e n c l a s s e s , b e t w e e n w o r k o u t s a n d w h e n y o u n e e d a q u i c k b re a k f a s t . O n e o f t h e t a s t i e s t p ro d u c t s I ’ v e f o u n d i s t h e M a h a l o b a r. M a h a l o b a r s a re m a d e b y G o M a x G o F o o d s . T h e s e c a n d y b a r s a re a l l - n a t u r a l , a re s i m i l a r t o a n a l m o n d j o y a n d a re a l i t t l e r i c h - b u t I f i n d t h e m v e r y t a s t y.

I ’ v e f o u n d s o m e o f m y f a v o r i t e e a s y re c i -p e s f o r t h e d o r m ro o m o n Ve g w e b . c o m , w h i c h i s t h e g re a t e s t w e b s i t e I k n o w o f f o r v e g a n re c i p e s . O c c a s i o n a l l y, f o r b re a k f a s t , I m a k e m y s e l f o v e r n i g h t o a t s , w h i c h a re b a s i c a l l y j u s t o a t m e a l m i x e d w i t h n u t s a n d s p i c e s y o u m a k e t h e n i g h t b e f o re a n d e n j o y f o r b re a k f a s t . T h e y ’ re g re a t w h e n y o u k n o w y o u ’ l l h a v e t o e a t q u i c k l y i n t h e m o r n i n g a n d w a n t s o m e -t h i n g h e a l t h y t o e a t .

M y a l l t i m e f a v o r i t e re c i p e , w h i c h I m a k e w e e k l y, i s a c h i c k p e a “ e g g ” s a l a d f ro m Ve g w e b . c o m . I f y o u m i s s e g g o r c h i c k e n s a l a d a t a l l , y o u ’ l l l o v e t h i s re c i p e . A l l y o u n e e d i s a f o o d p ro c e s s o r o r a M a g i c B u l l e t , a n d i t ’ s g re a t o n t o a s t o r c r a c k e r s . I h i g h l y re c o m -m e n d u s i n g Ve g w e b w h e n e v e r y o u w a n t t o f i n d a q u i c k a n d e a s y re c i p e t o t r y o u t i n y o u r d o r m ro o m .

N o m a t t e r w h a t y o u ’ re l o o k i n g f o r t h e re i s a l w a y s a w a y t o f i n d a v e g a n v e r s i o n o f s o m e f o o d y o u l o v e . I h i g h l y re c o m m e n d Ve g w e b , T h e P o s t P u n k K i t c h e n ( t h e p p k . c o m ) a n d Ve g n e w s ( v e g n e w s . c o m . ) G o o g l e i s a l s o a p o w e r f u l t o o l f o r f i n d i n g d i f f e re n t v e g a n b l o g s a n d w e b s i t e s t o f i n d s o m e re c i p e s a n d i d e a s f o r d o r m l i v i n g .

N e v e r f e e l a s t h o u g h v e g a n i z i n g y o u r c o l -l e g e l i f e a n d d o r m ro o m i s i m p o s s i b l e - e s p e -c i a l l y o n Va n d e r b i l t ’ s c a m p u s . Va n d e r b i l t D i n i n g i s g re a t , e s p e c i a l l y G r i n s a n d t h e N e c t a r m u n c h i e m a r t . O ff c a m p u s , I e s p e -c i a l l y l o v e F i d o ’ s o n 2 1 s t Av e , T h e D o g o f N a s h v i l l e , C a l y p s o C a f e a n d M e d i t e r r a n e a n C u i s i n e ( w h i c h i s o n t h e c a rd ) . N a s h v i l l e h a s m a n y g re a t re s t a u r a n t s o n a n d o f f c a m p u s t h a t a re v e r y v e g - f r i e n d l y. H o p e f u l l y s o m e o f t h e s e t i p s w e re h e l p f u l , u n t i l n e x t t i m e , k e e p l i v i n g m e a n i n g f u l l y.

The Edgy Vedgy: veganize your dorm roomBy Sarah O’BrienlifeStyle COlumniSt

Progressive mixed drink:BP Blowout

~1 part clear rum~2 parts blue curaçao~Splash of Jagermeister

Sail the ocean blue by mixing the rum and curaçao thoroughly in a rock glass. Uh oh! BP’s been slacking off on those pesky federal safety regula-tions. Splash in the Jagermeister and prepare for universal backlash.

Photo: Jon Christian & Stacy Schlumbrecht

I do the majority of my grocery

shopping at Whole Foods and

Trader Joe’s, which I love because

their prices are great and the

quality of the food is phenomenal.

Even on the meal plan, it pays to

keep healthy snacks around or to

take them on the go.

Never feel as though veganiz-ing your college life and dorm room is impossible - especially

on Vanderbilt’s campus. Vandy Dining is great, especially

Grins and the Nectar munchie mart.

Want to write lifestyle content for ORBIS?Drop by our next meeting and see what we’re all about.

Next meeting: 7:30pm, Nov. 18, Sarratt 363.

Page 8 • ORBIS November 2010FeatuReS

New conservative movements deform debate

Around election time, my father likes to call me out on my wayward liberalism. He’s the type who propagates political manifestos in the form of viral emails, usually written in rhyme or boldtype, itali-cized and brightly-colored font.

The one he sent me a few weeks ago purported to have been written by a “pastor ’s wife” (how ador-able). It demonizes Obama and the current state of national affairs in a creepy biblical tone that puts Obama as the figure of Jesus—“the one”—sent to rescue us and proclaim himself the harbinger of hope and change.

Eek.First off, let’s not talk about the thematic incon-

sistencies and hypocrisy that comes out of per-verting a text, like the Bible, which is supposedly geared towards helping others. Let’s not mention that a specific political agenda is being presented as the word of God.

Rather, let’s talk about the general spirit of the Tea Party, where the modus operandi seems to be to attack Obama’s personal character and experience, to tout health care and education reform as Marxist policies, to dismiss cooperative foreign policy and cultural awareness as anti-American and to distort the immigration debate beyond recognition.

Essentially, they want us to believe that all the recent controversial legislation has amounted to a personal assault on the rights of the common American.

Who are these common people? These chain-let-ter political diatribes claim to represent the voices of a muted minority of rational, homegrown people from Everytown, USA. They push the vocabulary of our founding fathers, of freedom and liberty. What vague terms. Sure, the founding fathers used them, but they were actually writing an actual declara-tion of independence to actually break free from an oppressing colonial power and to become their own nation.

These Tea Party guys, they’re just a politi-cal party. If they put their program in terms that everyone else uses - economy, immigration, foreign

policy - they’d just fall into the background. They heighten their language and diminish their core values to get the popularity vote.

Take the Tea Party’s rhetoric concerning the Constitution. Dale Robertson, founder of the Tea Party, says on www.teaparty.org, “the Constitution is inherently conservative, not the party. I believe there must be a beacon to the masses who have lost their way, a light illuminating the path to the origi-nal intentions of our Founding Fathers.” Who can argue against the constitution? No one. But what happens when we go back and read the Federalist Papers and see how the authors explicitly chose to create a minimalist document that would evolve with the country as times changed? Where are you, Tea Party? Where are you, pastor ’s wife? If I learned this in my high school U.S. History class, then you must be trying really hard to forget.

Best of all, the humble “people,” personified by Joe the Plumber, come to their wits end at one last misdeed. Rising unemployment? Marxism? Devaluation of the dollar? No. It’s when the “world” taunts the Americans as having become a Socialist and - gasp - a second-rate power.

Unfortunately, it’s people like this that give Americans their bad reputation. They create a yawning gap between Americans and everyone else in the world, and perpetuate the idea that Americans are self-absorbed. Most of us, liberals and conservatives alike, hold a global perspective that sympathizes with the many cultures of the world that are no better, no worse, and not neces-sarily so different from our own.

Even more perplexing is the Tea Party’s fear of becoming a “second-rate power.” It’s laughable, actually. If anyone thinks the world still operates in terms of world powers, then he must have been

living in a nuclear shelter a la Brendan Fraser ’s (dare I recollect this) Blast from the Past. Has no one learned anything from the war in Iraq, when the world’s only remaining “superpower” was ren-

dered blind in a desert by guys with improvised bombs?

If a “superpower” exists today, it’s probably less like the good ol’ red, white and blue flapping proudly on the open seas and more like a juiced-up jock standing in the corner at a chess tournament. The world has changed, folks, and we can’t hold ourselves to standards from the turn of the previ-ous century.

My language may be severe, but this sort of pun-ditry pushes and pushes until the only language left is violent. I understand that these people who send emails-and send and send-are not the politi-cians making decisions on maintaining infrastruc-ture, representing constituencies and balancing budgets.

Yet it has become acceptable to communicate political philoso-phy in this extremist fashion. This common man is too eager to see complex, nuanced debate in terms of right and wrong, black and white, so that he can make the easy decision and take what he sees to be the moral high ground. If anything, this is the crisis facing American politics today: exagger-ation presented as simple, honest truth.

The last paragraph of the email from my dad is surprisingly ger-mane to my sentiments:

“After reading [this] — and before you go into the bathroom to throw up — forward it to your friends and those who care about

our country and what is happening to it under the rule of Commissar Obamanation.”

By Andri AlexandrouEDITORIAL STAFF

First off, let’s not talk about the

thematic inconsistencies and

hypocrisy that comes out of per-

verting a text, like the Bible,

which is supposedly geared

towards helping others.

Viral emails and conspiracy theories fuel the growth of the Tea Party.Photo: the Inquisitor

Unfortunately, it’s people like

this that give Americans their

bad reputation. They create a

yawning gap between Americans

and everyone else in the world,

and perpetuate the idea that

Americans are self-absorbed.

November 2010 ORBIS • Page 9FeatuReS

sign up and complete a form. What’s more, in the program’s pilot stage, students can only participate if they first email SPEAR so that they are added to a list so they can then get a shell. Students are given a special sticker to be placed on the Commodore ID, to identify those who have signed up.

White said that the program will help cut waste and will save Vanderbilt money on the thousands of takeout containers that are used and thrown away, especially if an Eco-Shell is used in place of a conventional container almost every time. Eco-shells have a higher initial cost, but will pay for

themselves as they are reused. And perhaps most importantly, they will not feed the landfills and will promote awareness of environmental sustainability on campus.

But White remains concerned that the small issues remaining will make the shells less convenient to use - and therefore used less often - and thereby limit the intended effect of using the shells in the first place. One concern is that students will hoard or dispose of Eco-Shells, decreasing the efficacy of the program. A barcode and scanning system has been proposed but not adopted.

The idea to bring Eco-Shells to Vanderbilt origi-nated with Ben Kahn, Tegan Gregory, Karen White and SPEAR, who introduced the idea to adminis-tration over a year ago. Dining entered talks about introducing the shells last semester.

Students are encouraged to relay their interest in sustainability and in using Eco-Shells by emailing tegan.gregory@vanderbilt.edu or karen.m.white@vanderbilt.edu. The cost is $5 to opt-in. With more interest and a successful pilot program this semester, Dining will work with students’ interest and change the program so it is easier to use Eco-Shells.

Eco-Shells, from page 6:

Hooking up and playing hardA feminist perspective on campus identify

In the pas t few weeks , there has been a he ightened in teres t in Vanderb i l t ’ s “work hard , p lay hard” ident i ty - so much that the Vanderb i l t Torch ca l led the sub jec t a horse that ’ s been beaten to death . I ’d l ike to t ry to respec t th i s c r i t i c i sm and add something new in the form of a d iscuss ion we haven’ t had yet . I want to ta lk about the pos i t ion o f women in campus cu l ture f rom a man’s per-spec t ive .

I f ear that the h ighly sexual ized t rea tment o f women on th is campus must be re la ted to

the d ismiss ive t rea tment women rece ive in soc ie ty in genera l . Hooking up , predat ion , “p lay ing hard” and a soc ia l environment that i s s t rongly or iented toward sex are a l l par ts o f a larger soc ia l s t ruc ture that va lues a woman not for her ent i re be ing , but for how at t rac t ive she i s and l i t t l e e l se . I can not be l ieve that these a t t i tudes s imply vanish upon leaving co l lege and that they have noth-ing to do wi th sex ism in the workplace , the fami ly and other areas o f l i f e .

I t beg ins here . How is a hookup cul ture re la ted to the fac t that men are permit -ted (espec ia l ly on the weekends) to regard women as l ess than fu l l human be ings? Does th is t rea tment he lp men forget that the i r female f r iends ’ in te l l igence i s a t l eas t as for-

midable and va luable as that o f the i r male f r iends? Does th is t rea tment then a ffec t the f r iendships men share wi th women and what types o f re la t ionships we seek wi th which g i r l s?

And does a hookup cul ture impover i sh the f r iendships I make wi th o ther guys? The t ime I spend bro- ing wi th my bros could have been t ime spent growing more meaningful re la t ion-sh ips wi th them and the g i r l s we chase .

I ’m not d isput ing that chas ing a f ter women i s o f ten a r i ch ac t iv i ty that a l lows dudes to explore and grow the i r own and each o thers ’ personal i t i es . No, ra ther, I th ink that a male cu l ture that ’ s or iented toward sex on Fr iday and Saturday wi l l d i s tor t how men regard women the res t o f the week - for the i r bod-ies , and not the i r minds and personhoods . Of course , women exper ience the e ffec ts o f th i s cu l ture a l l seven days o f the week .

Not ice that women crea te and merc i less ly pol i ce codes for behavior, dress , appearance and habi t s based on men’s demands . I s th i s re la ted to the fac t that the vas t ma jor i ty o f indiv iduals wi th ea t ing d isorders are women and not men? Does a soc ia l environment that i s or iented toward impress ing boys and g i r l s exc lude those who are not as tonish ingly handsome, or not the r ight co lor or shape?

Actua l ly, I should acknowledge (or po int out to those who might not th ink so) that the hookup cul ture we sensat iona l ize i s in fac t probably fo l lowed by a minor i ty o f s tudents on campus . Observe , though, how every-one has i t on the i r minds , and not ice how i t shapes the res t o f the soc ia l environment , so that the importance o f be ing sexual ly expan-s ive i s magni f ied beyond reason .

I ’m ser ious that I want par ty ing to be fun . Gir l s are exce l lent . Par ty ing? Heck yes . Dr inking? Cheers ! I ’m not arguing that any-body i s a bad person , and I ’m not i s su ing condemnat ions out o f pur i tan ism or phi l i s -t in i sm. I am concerned about the consequenc-

es for a very secular wel l -be ing o f women on our campus .

I unders tand that not everybody i s gui l ty o f p lay ing the hypermascul ine male . But I wonder whether mascul in i ty and the hookup cul ture are par t o f a grander s t ruc ture that makes i t more permiss ib le in some men’s minds to mis t rea t women, or which makes sex ism less recognizable for what i t i s .

The d iscuss ions about the “work hard , p lay

hard” cu l ture have shown us that we are not judgmenta l , snobbish or monocul tured s tereo-types . We embrace mul t ip le s ty les o f th ink-ing and l iv ing . But I f ind i t cur ious that we accept unquest ioningly as par t o f our ident i ty a cu l ture that a ids and abets degradat ion , sex ism, and d iscr iminat ion .

I f we want to embrace a cu l ture that ’ s very consc ious o f women’s long- term s i tuat ion in soc ie ty, we are go ing to have to face these i s sues .

By Michael YarbroughSTAFF WRITER

I fear that the highly sexualized

treatment of women on this cam-

pus must be related to the dismis-

sive treatment women receive in

society in general.

I’m serious that I want party-

ing to be fun. Girls are excellent.

Partying? Heck yes. Drinking?

Cheers! I’m not arguing that

anybody is a bad person, and I’m

not issuing condemnations out of

puritanism or philistinism. I am

concerned about the consequences

for a very secular well-being of

women on our campus.

Page 10 • ORBIS November 2010OP/ed

The next two years look bleak

On Nov. 2, the completely expected happened: Republicans made huge gains at both the national and state level. Republicans gained six seats in the U.S. Senate, which will easily allow them to filibuster all the things they hate (which includes most anything associated with liberal ideals) and can now brag about winning the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives since 1948.

At the state level, five more states now have Republican governors (meaning the GOP has 29 gover-nors versus the Democrats’ 18 governors), and the num-ber of state legislative bodies controlled by Republicans increased from 36 to 55 - quite a substantial jump.

As a staunch liberal, I found the results of the elec-tion quite depressing, but I was not the least bit sur-prised that voters rejected an agenda that has proven to be lackluster for both conservatives and liberals. Conservatives obviously want to rein in our country’s “march towards socialism,” and progressives lacked the energy to come out in full force for the Democrats, who have been frankly moving way too slowly on important social issues. Regardless of political affilia-tion, everyone is suffering from the lack of an economic policy that can stimulate the economy and create jobs.

In my opinion, the next two years look pretty bleak. Let’s be honest: the Democrats and the Republicans are not going to start playing nice just because the

Republicans now have control over the House. Tensions between the two parties are at an all-time high, and the fact that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed his main goal for the next two years is mak-ing Obama “a one-term president” does not help. With priorities like that, it seems like the Republicans are poised to behave in an obstructive manner so that Obama will not have anything substantial to show for his presidency when 2012 rolls around.

I predict the Republicans will go on a bit of a power-trip and immediately try to repeal “Obamacare.” The crazier ones might even try to impeach Obama; remem-ber when a Republican-controlled house impeached Clinton? To be fair though, some trigger-happy Democrats grumbled about impeaching President Bush after they won the House in 2006.

Compromise has become a dirty word in politics. Rather than seeing compromise as a legitimate means of ensuring that the country will actually run, many politicians (and some voters) see compromise as an act of weakness. I myself am guilty of this belief: I couldn’t help but be disgusted when Democrats watered down the health care bill in order to win a few measly votes.

However, compromise is now more important than ever if we don’t want the government to shut down because honestly, that’s the last thing the U.S. needs during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, on top of two wars.

The Republicans’ sweep of state legislatures will also have long-reaching implications. State legislatures in 36

states have control over redrawing district lines based on census data. Redistricting is not politically neutral; often, the party in control draws district borders in such a way that maximizes its chances of winning elections and minimizes the impact of supporters of the oppos-ing party.

Despite all the negatives surrounding this year’s elections, there are a couple of bright spots. For one thing, it is good to know that the American electorate is not so ignorant that it will elect an anti-masturbation former “witch” (Christine O’Donnell) and Sharron Angle, whose political stances are mostly based on fal-sities. Granted, it is concerning that these two individu-als even made it on the ballot but at least voters’ anger towards Democrats is not so great that it blinded people from electing two really incompetent people.

Another bright spot is pretty obvious: Republicans can no longer blame Democrats for all of this coun-try’s problems because now they will share some of the responsibility. As I mentioned previously, it seems unlikely that the government will do anything particu-larly meaningful in the next two years, and voters will recognize that the Republicans have contributed to the stagnant state of affairs. Theoretically, this will cause a reversal in the historic gains the Republicans made in the election.

I hope my predictions for the next two years are wrong because things in this country need to change as soon as possible, and I, along with my fellow seniors, really need a job when I graduate.

By Aimee SobhaniCOMMENTARY EDITOR

Black represents Democratic holds or gains. Grays represent Republican holds or gains. Photo: Wiki Commons (modified)

November 2010 ORBIS • Page 11OP/ed

The BYX stops here

Fight back against rising intolerance

In high school, I was the only liberal in my class. Every Wednesday in history, we’d talk about cur-rent events and debate domestic and international issues. Almost every week, the debate ended up in a shouting match over abortion, but every so often we talked about something more interesting: the overall state of our country.

As someone who considers myself to be mildly intelligent, I often look at our country and wonder at just how unknowingly unintelligent the masses are - even before Jersey Shore. I often brought this up in the debates. How dare I! We live in the great-est country! There is no possible way we could be less intelligent than other societies. Not America.

I (mostly) love the United States, but I can’t help observing that every year, our country gets a little more stupid. Someone killed their baby over Farmville last week. Farmville. You can’t tell me that Americans aren’t a little stupid. According to a Gallup poll, 18 percent of Americans believe the sun revolves around the Earth. A majority of Americans can’t even name one of the branches of their own government. People listen to Glenn Beck. I met someone who honestly thought Saudi Arabia was in Iraq.

It seems more than a little problematic that we now live in a society in which educated, intel-ligent people are labeled “elites” and scoffed at by the masses, not to mention governing officials. When I get the chance, I try to go back to my high school and talk to kids about college and offer

my help if they ever need help with applications, interviews, etc. More often than not, unfortunate-ly, I meet kids who think that higher education is a waste of time. They will obviously not need a col-lege degree when they are an incredibly wealthy, international superstar for doing nothing.

Sometimes I wonder if it is the education sys-

tem that is failing us. After all, despite spending more on education (as a percent of GDP) than almost every other country in the world, the United States scores very near the bottom in math, science and reading levels when compared to other industrialized nations. Kids graduate from high school without being able to read beyond a third-grade level (I’ve met some), passed along by teachers and schools who didn’t want to deal with yet another under-performing student. As a TA for my English teacher in high school, I was not allowed to mark off for spelling mistakes, in part

because most students would fail if I did.I think, however, it’s more than just our educa-

tion system that is making us dumber. It’s society’s outlook on life in general. We seem to be obsessed with “celebrities” who have done nothing of note (I’m looking at you Speidi), and our favorite songs are about getting “slizzard” (not a real word) and how sexy you are, bitch (but not in a disrespect-ful way, of course). Our bestsellers are books like Twilight, and when I mention books like Pride and Prejudice or even Fight Club, people respond with, “I love that movie!” We abbreviate even short words like “you,” and use “OMG” in every-day conversation.

Young people everywhere are convinced that they can be famous and make millions without working hard, or, God forbid, learning anything, and our society seems to reinforce that belief. We celebrate mediocrity and lack of productivity (awards for whoever can text message the fast-est?) and disregard true wonders of science and the advancement of knowledge (did you know the Dead Sea scrolls are going digital?). It seems everyone thinks of learning and reading as chores we have to do before we can do the “fun” things. But this methodology is eating the collective American brain.

I’m not saying that everyone should read all day and never watch mindless TV and movies (sometimes it’s nice to space out), but maybe it’s time Americans start learning more and watching a little less TV (four and a half hours a day?). We can’t grow as a country if our minds continue to shrink.

By Meghan O’NeillFEATURES EDITOR

It seems more than a little prob-

lematic that we now live in a soci-

ety in which educated, intelligent

people are labeled “elites” and

scoffed at by the masses, not to

mention governing officials.

A Hustler news article recently exposed that Beta Upsilon Chi expelled a brother because he was gay. There are obviously a lot of reasons why this is disturbing, ranging from the legal to the social and the personal to the institutional. What interests us right now, though, are the moral implications.

A Christian fraternity kicked out a member because he wasn’t like the rest of then. Let me say that again so that it can sink in. A Christian fra-ternity cast out a “Brother in Christ” because he had a different sexual orientation.

That’s all there really is to it. Apparently, BYX thinks that it’s okay to operate under a code of conduct that narrowly defines Christian behavior in an exclusive and small-minded way. There are a lot of interpretations of the Christian faith, but not a lot of them would endorse that.

And it’s not scriptural, either; let’s get that right out of the way. Imagine if they tried to write a code of conduct that encompassed every petty old testament regulation: no tattoos, no shellfish, and

no killing. Would they expel a BYX brother who joined the army?

What’s really going on is that BYX, or at least its leadership, wants to be Christian in a sense

that excludes people and behaviors with which they aren’t comfortable. It’s a cozy, insulated kind of faith, but it doesn’t seem very rewarding. Obviously there is something worth salvaging,

though, or the victimized brother wouldn’t have come forward.

When we act on naive prejudices like these, we are no better than proponents of the Jim Crow Laws who applauded segregation because it had been institutionalized. Let’s hope that BYX’s national management will think it over and come to the same conclusion.

And if they don’t, then instead of asking whether BYX was in explicit violation of univer-sity terms and by-laws, we should ask why these institutional barriers allow such blatant discrimi-nation in the first place. Although it’s a tension as old as the political process - between what people consider “right” and what is written in codes of law - if there were ever a moment to rethink what we want to be acceptable under the Vanderbilt banner, that time is now.

Let’s face this new crisis of civil rights and answer it like we’ve read our history. Discrimination on the basis of color, gender, and sexual orientation must stop.

When we act on naive preju-dices like these, we are no bet-ter than proponents of the Jim

Crow Laws who applauded segregation because it had been

institutionalized.

Page 12 • ORBIS November 2010THE FLIP SIDE

Here’s your next two years, AmericaLet’s see who the GOP has put in place to rescue the economy and

cure the faults of a blue government.

Rand PaulKentucky-RDr. Politics, heir to the Re(love)ution, and champion of selfi sh capitalism, Rand Paul will be using Kentucky’s vote to pursue his version of political idealism. Will they relate to the page when he has to face constituents while turning down earmarks?

John BoozmanArkansas-RWants to improve healthcare by opening state lines for insurance. He’s pro environment, but doesn’t want to tax oil emissions. Solution to the oil crisis? Drill, baby drill, but on home turf. He’s a real cow-boy politician, facing general problems with his own solutions.

John BoozmanJohn BoozmanArkansas-RArkansas-R

John HoevenNorth Dakota-RHe’s the red-blooded American all these Republicans are talking about. A popular governor and a man vested in the interest of his state.

Dan CoatsIndiana-RThis guy’s back from retirement to save America. You know, from the old days when we were concerned with the goings-on of the Presidential Privates. If the Republicans want to bring back Old Washington, then they’ve found just the guy to do it.

Mark KirkIllinois-RHe’s lied about his involvement in the war and being a nursery school teacher. His credentials point to creepmaster. Let’s hope he rides out his senatorship with nothing of note and gets booted out soon.

So where are we now?The recent elections indicate some kind of turn in American popular sentiment. Maybe Democrats were a no-show because they lost the youth vote due to an uneventful midterm election round. Maybe Republicans profi ted from the Obama’s lack of visible progress. Maybe the Tea Party really is invigorating a sense of democracy for many Americans. Maybe it’s just reactionary. For now, at least, we’ll have to wait and see.

Alternative Options

Nix all this politics and make real good use of pages of print. Make the one true weapon capable of bring-ing down a foe: a paper sword.

1. Roll several stacked pages of newsprint into a rough cylinder shape, starting at a corner so you’re rolling diagonally. If these concepts are puzzling, retake MATH 133. Tape shut.2. Loop top down and tape to hold it in place.3. Voila, sword! You may now fully exercize your rights according to the second amendment.