April 2005

Any American who has glanced at a newspaper in the past two years knows that the liberals are unhappy about George W. Bush's war in Iraq.

Editorials continue to cite our failure to discover weapons of mass destruction, as well as the greater hostility and more advanced nuclear capabilities of Iran and North Korea, as evidence that the invasion of Iraq was motivated by economic interests.

Liberals accuse Donald Rumsfeld of turning a blind eye to torture and of signing condolence letters with an automatic pen.

February 2nd marked the hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of America's most controversial and inspiring writers, Ayn Rand.

She continues to be wildly popular among the young: some 14,000 high school students per year submit entries to essay contests on her novels and, in the past two years alone, high school teachers have requested over 130,000 copies of Anthem and The Fountainhead to use in their classrooms.

Welcome to the The Undercurrent. Before we begin, let us tell you what we are not. We are not a political journal (though politics will be discussed); we are not a humor magazine (though we have every intention of being, at times, knee-slappingly funny); we are not a literary publication (though rest assured, arts and culture will get plenty of coverage). Our aim is deeper and more basic than all these. We aim to introduce you to a practical philosophy--one that could radically alter politics, culture, and every avenue of your life.

You might ask, how can a philosophy be practical?

On January 14 of this year, the bodies of all four members of an Egyptian family were discovered dead in their New Jersey home. Until recent arrests in the case, it was widely believed that the murders were the work of Islamic militants.

For example, Daniel Pipes noted certain similarities to executions performed "in the ritualistic Islamist way (multiple knife attacks and near-beheading)." In addition, the head of the Coptic Christian family, Hossam Armanious, had been engaging Muslims in angry disputes about religion online. It was thus plausible that these disputes provoked the slayings.

By now, no doubt, you've heard the story of Ward Churchill, the renegade University of Colorado professor who is under fire for his controversial remarks comparing certain victims of the 9/11 attacks to Nazis (for their role in the global financial system) and advocating more such attacks.

Churchill's comments, of course, were false and contemptible. They were not, however, unsurprising views for someone in the contemporary humanities.