Today the March/April issue of the Michigan Independent was distributed on the Diag. It's one of the best issues we've produced yet (layout by yours truly and my partner Mollie). You can read individual articles here or download the entire issue in PDF format here. I'm going to have to advocate the latter so everyone can appreciate the lovely design.
The highlight of the issue, in my opinion, is James Manganello's terrific analysis of the ridiculously low level of debate that plagued the Kerry campaign filtered through the historical lens of William Lloyd Garrison.
But Kerry is not solely to blame for this sheepishness. Presidential candidates are surrounded by the police of right-saying: political speeches aim not to critically evaluate the state of the nation, but to be as inoffensive as possible to as many people as possible. Imagine the consequences if Kerry had, indeed, substituted for his lawn-sign tale Garrison’s insightful critique:
“The wealth [Strike One-rich Democratic donors], the enterprise [Strike Two-corporations and the American capitalist ethic], the literature [Strike Three-news media: see the fall of Howard Dean], the politics [Strike Four-this is, after all, a man running for president], the religion of the land [Strike Five-remember those four million Evangelicals? How about the 53% of Americans who believe “God created man exactly how the Bible describes it”?], are all combined…”
With such a statement, Kerry would have slaughtered, in one fell swoop, any hopes for the presidency he may have had.
Other important articles include Becca Rueble and Amy Gordon's investigation of Facebook and Adri Miller's primer on the SOLE (Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality) campaign for making Michigan merchandise SweatFree. SOLE is going to be a big deal on campus soon, so listen up.
Posted by Zach 
