Counterpoint VOLUME 2.1 MAY 2012
EDITORIALS From the editors
NAACP & GU OCCUPY led a rally in Healy Circle on March 24 to support the movement calling for justice for Trayvon Martin. Photo courtesy of Thea Fowles
Student debt bubble should no longer be ignored
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merica’s bubble economy is on the verge of another crisis. At a total of $870 billion, the student debt bubble puts the housing bubble to shame and has already surpassed the nation’s collective $693 billion credit card balance. One doesn’t have to be one of the millions of students and graduates submerged in debt to recognize that this bubble is a ticking time bomb for the entire economy. As for the students who have amassed onerous loans—their financial future is bleak. Just as the housing crisis trapped millions of Americans in suffocating mortgages, student debt is preventing millions of college graduates from attaining a basic level of financial security and achieving a decent standard of living. Like the toxic no-asset, no-income loans that sparked the economic crisis in 2008, banks hand out huge loans to students, despite grim job prospects that leave little opportunity for repayment. And as the bubble hones in on $1 trillion, private loan agencies continue to rake in the profits. It’s crony capitalism at its very finest.
Editor Cole Stangler Design Editor Jessica Ann Director of Technology Benjy Messner Editorial Board Gavin Bade Rachel Calvert Cole Stangler Mark Waterman Contributors John Flanagan Preston Mui Eric Pilch Dan Solomon Clare Tilton Galen Weber GENERAL INFORMATION This magazine was made possible with the support of Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress, online at CampusProgress.org. Campus Progress funds, trains, and mentors students running a diverse and growing group of progressive campus media organizations. Grants and assistance can help you build and maintain a web site, expand print runs, and promote your organization on campus. For more, visit CampusProgress.org/publications. Counterpoint is run by undergraduate students at Georgetown University, but Counterpoint is unaffiliated with the University and funded solely by Campus Progress. The content is the responsibility of Counterpoint contributors alone, and does not necessarily reflect the views of University administration, faculty or students. Commentary, “On the Ground” columns about life at Georgetown, features, reviews and blog posts reflect the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Counterpoint. Editorials reflect the opinions of the editorial board. CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS If you have comments or questions about the accuracy of a story, email editor Cole Stangler at cstangler@counterpointmagazine.org. SUBMISSIONS Counterpoint publishes a variety of submissions from a progressive perspective. Both pitches and completed manuscripts are acceptable. Counterpoint also accepts letters to the editor from any perspective. Please limit letters to the editor to 400 words. Counterpoint reserves the right to reject pieces at the editor’s discretion, to edit for length, tone, clarity and accuracy, and to choose accompanying headlines and graphics. Email editor@counterpoint.org with submissions. c 2012, Counterpoint, all rights reserved. Email: editor@counterpointmagazine.org Online at counterpointmagazine.org FONT CREDITS Yann Le Coroller (AlteHaasGrotesk), Lauren Thompson (Champagne & Limousines), Justus Erich Walbaum (Justus)
ON THE COVER: A female priest from the Catholic Action Network’s Women’s Ordination Conference. Photo courtesy of flickr user alexis.lassus
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Counterpoint
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EDITORIALS
COMMENTARY
REVIEWS
3 | Student debt bubble should no longer be ignored
5 | LIBERTARIANS AND THE LEFT
11 | CRIMINAL INJUSTICE
Time for sexist ordination policy needs to go
The possibilities and limitations of an alliance
6 | THE CIRCUS CONTINUES
ON THE GROUND 4 | HOPE AND CHANGE COME TO THE HILLTOP The meaning of Clara and Vail’s election
12 | THINKING ETHICALLY
Patriarchy and right-wing myths fuel debate over contraception mandate
In posthumous release, Judt reflects on his life and the role of the public intellectual
FEATURE
INTERVIEWS
8 | A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS
14| LORI JEAN
Women and the priesthood in the Catholic Church
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A conservative legal scholar comes to radical conlusions
The LGBT activist and GU Law graduate discusses her life, her landmark discrimination lawsuit, and her work for LGBT rights.
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May 2012
The statistics are astonishing: college seniors who graduated in 2010 owe an average of $25,250 in student loans, according to data from the Project on Student Debt. Those who take out these outrageous loans are entering an economy with historically high unemployment levels for recent graduates. But while there are some very minor signs of economic recovery, there is no indication that the upward trend in student debt will reverse anytime soon. Unfortunately, the political class doesn’t have the interests of students at heart. In July, the interest rate on federally-administered Stafford loans is scheduled to double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent. Democratic members of Congress and the Obama administration— ostensible allies of students—have been far too silent on the matter and must begin to aggressively lobby against the interest rate hike. Given the outrageous levels the bubble is hitting, it is inexcusable not to act. But apart from the minor reforms, it’s clear that the broader education system that perpetuates student debt is unsustainable. For
future college students, a university education will increasingly depend on a willingness to assume heaps of debt, transforming what was once a guarantee of financial success into an economically unrewarding endeavor. Misguided critics say that college students who protest the need to amass massive levels of debt ought to keep quiet and appreciate their university degree. But in today’s world, a college degree doesn’t make the difference that it used to, and college graduates facing both a lousy job market and years of loan payments are right to seek reform. Students need to continue to air their grievances, ensure that the forgiveness of student loan debt remains a core value of the Occupy movement, and in the meantime, pressure their elected representatives to make minor reforms. Hopefully, by addressing the underlying problems of the student loan industry, we can eventually force a conversation on the more ambitious and meaningful question—whether or not higher education is a public good altogether. CP
Time for sexist ordination policy to go
n the wake of a far-reaching sexual abuse scandal and subsequent coverup, the insular nature of the Catholic Church has come under increased scrutiny. Among many issues threatening the credibility of the Church as an institution dedicated to social justice, the question of female ordination highlights the reactionary and often bigoted disposition of the Church. The simple truth is that barring women from service as priests is a sexist policy—an insistence on tradition that hinders the viability of the Church in more ways than one. There are practical reasons why the Church needs to consider updating its policy. The Church currently faces large shortages of priests, and ordaining women would most certainly mitigate this logistical problem. In the United States, the Church also faces a considerable drop in participation among female believers. As an incredibly traditional institution, the Church has never been quick to change. But as the Church enters the twenty-first century, it is time for the Vatican to embrace internal reform as a way to embrace egalitarianism and preserve its relevancy in contemporary society. Historically, the Church has been reticent to tread new ground in struggles for equality. In the Jim Crow-era South, the Church was complicit in racist segregationist policies,
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preferring to remain on the sidelines of what it deemed to be a “political issue.” It was only after the courts struck down many racist state laws that the Church began to integrate its own institutions. But when it comes to gender equality, the U.S. Catholic Church has not fallen in line with the dominant political trend. The feminist movement has won the right to vote, at least nominal wage parity in the workplace, and greater reproductive freedom in the private sphere. Still, these hard-fought victories have yet to convince the Church that women should be given the same opportunities as men. Given that 64% of practicing U.S. Catholics favor the ordination of women, according to a 2005 Associated Press poll, the Church is going beyond just complacency to actively defy the political trend. In so defiantly clinging to tradition, it implicitly deems women unequal to men. Women’s involvement would also bring new perspectives to male-dominated Catholic hierarchy. This is something the Church is in dire need of. At present, any priest who speaks in favor of women’s ordination will likely be expelled from the Church, and only those priests who most enthusiastically champion Church teachings will be promoted. Such a system practically ensures the survival of backwards and outdated Church
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policies. The insular Church hierarchy, with its pervasive boy’s club mentality, has covered up horrific sexual abuse crimes and championed policies that deny fundamental rights to women and homosexuals. With women sitting across the table as equals and members of Church government, the Church would only stand to benefit from the new perspectives and diversity of opinions. Imposing modern social mores can be difficult when dealing with religion, where divine tradition supersedes logic. But tradition evolves, and rather than using ancient texts as tools to block reform, the Vatican should aim to lead the way, being the first to speak out against all forms of global injustice. While it has a sad history of remaining silent on issues that seem to challenge its institutional policies, the Church has also shown the capacity to champion progressive causes like fighting dictatorships in Latin America and Eastern Europe and opposing the death penalty. When it comes to the ordination of women, the Church has an important decision over which of these clashing legacies to fulfill. Ultimately, the Church’s relevancy is being put to test: if it refuses to budge on the ordination of women, it will be further reduced to a merely reactionary institution disconnected from modern society and completely resistant to change. CP
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