Category Archives: World

Local, News, World

Transgender students and bathrooms

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On Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017, the Trump administration withdrew protection rights, for transgender students, that were put into place during the recent Obama-era. The protection allowed transgender students to use the bathrooms according to what gender they identified with.

Many believe that the federal government should not have become involved with the issue, but that it should have always been up to the states to decide their bathroom laws.

The Trump administration sent out a two page letter to public schools explaining that the Obama-era guidance did not provide “extensive legal analysis” and therefore, it should be decided on a state-level.

The White House stated, “The joint decision made today by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education returning power to the states paves the way for an open and inclusive process to take place at the local level with input from parents, students, teachers and administrators.” However, according to CNN, a source reported to them that Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education, was against the Trump administration’s draft for withdrawing the guidance.

It’s been reported that DeVos was publically on board, but did privately express her hesitance and disagreements with the guidance. According to CNN, DeVos was summoned to the White House to meet with the President where “she was told to agree to the plans.”

A statement, issued by the White House, regarding the new guidance, states that the guidance “does not leave students without protections from discrimination, bullying, or harassment.”

In agreement with the White House’s statement, addressing student protections, Civil Rights groups have pointed out that this new guidance does not undo state-level protections or Title IX for transgender students. Title IX is an education amendment that was made in 1972. The amendment states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Even with the protection of Title IX and state level laws, CEO of Lambda Legal, Rachel B. Tiven, said in a statement, “The law bars discrimination – the new administration invites it.”

News, World

Puzder resigns: Acosta to take place

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On February 15th, the Democrats finally scored a small victory against the Trump administration. This was the withdrawal of Andrew Puzder for his bid as secretary of labor; a bid that had garnered much controversy since the announcement. Ostensibly, the withdrawal was so he could “spend more time with his family,” but it was almost certainly because he and others in the administration felt he wouldn’t be confirmed by the Senate*.

Puzder, owner of the fast-food restaurants Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., was one of the most controversial nominees, along with Betsy DeVos and Rex Tillerson. For example, his opposition of the current, or indeed any, minimum wage practically incited riots on the left, and alienated many on the right. His opposition of rules that forced certain employees to be paid more for overtime also caused controversy, especially after it became widely known that his companies had been forced to pay 20 million dollars in lawsuits for violating these rules.

Despite the controversy surrounding his positions, he might have made it through – after all, Betsy DeVos and Rex Tillerson did, despite huge controversy surrounding them. However, the nail in his political coffin came when it came to light that he employed undocumented immigrants as maids in his house. Not only is this illegal, but it stands in contrast to much of the Republican platform, and because of this, it became impossible to get the votes needed for a confirmation. In addition, old accusations of spousal abuse hurt his image further, effectively sealing his fate.

Shortly after the withdrawal (during the same press conference where Trump thrice asserted he was not “ranting and raving”) the administration announced their new pick – Alexander Acosta, sitting Dean of Florida International University College of Law, and former Assistant Attorney General for Civil rights. So far, Acosta’s nomination has drawn far less criticism, and it looks like he should be confirmed with support from both sides.

*Puzder did later acknowledge that both accusations of spousal abuse and his employment of undocumented immigrants played a role in his withdrawal.

Editorials/Student Voice, Local, News, World

Prom dress: Censored

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The Osakis School Board, in Osakis, Minnesota, has suggested a new rule for their upcoming prom in April. The original “rule of thumb” prom dress code was described as “to wear what they would feel comfortable wearing to church.” This is a public High School. Despite that, not every single person goes to church, or might not have ever attended church. I would not save my money all year, for a night, to only wear something I could wear every week. 

Here are some ideal examples for church-wear, and apparently appropriate prom attire as well:

This new suggestion is requiring every girl who is planning to attend this year’s prom to submit a photo of them wearing their chosen dress to their school’s prom advisor. Photo submissions of boys are not required. This has recently been approved by the school board and will be required.

Another thing that is not required is entrance into the prom dance. After one has spent the $80 on a ticket, $100 on the dress of their dreams, around $100 on hair and makeup, and another $50 on their nails, these girls still can be turned away at the door if their dress does not meet the dress code. Board member Monica Klimek stated, “We have a right to not allow entrance to the prom.”

A statement about the dress code requirements was passed out to all 11th and 12th graders in the Osakis High School. The statement said:

“Appropriate attire is required since prom is an official, formal school event…Ladies, an acceptable prom dress is one that you would feel comfortable wearing to a formal event at school…Length of dresses must be lower than the fingertips when arms are held straight down at sides. Tennis shoes, sunglasses and baseball caps are not formal attire and are not acceptable.”

The letter does address dress code suggestions for the attending “gentlemen.” Suggestions include: dress pants, dress shirt, sports coat and tie, tuxedo, accompanied by dress socks and shoes. The letter concludes by saying, “Prom is a privilege and not a right.” Students must sign and return the letter.

The reason behind these requirements for the girls is due to an attempt to prevent “embarrassment” according to the Osakis School board.

However, who are they to declare if one is embarrassed by what they wear?

If another goal, in declaring this dress code, was to prevent any unwanted attention, or advancements, from the “gentlemen” attending, why not teach them how to be a gentleman?

Don’t restrict a girl’s freedom to express herself through what she wears. It’s 2017 and as far as I’m concerned, girls have been told what not to wear for years. Onlookers have been blaming their wardrobe for what happens to them, but I have never heard of clothes that say “please come and make me feel embarrassed and violated.”

Young women should have the freedom to wear what THEY feel comfortable in: sneakers, an elaborate dress, sweats, etc. No young women should feel a backlash for wanting to feel extra special for a night.

Events, Local, News, World

A Day Without Immigrants

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Thursday, February 16, 2017, was known as “A Day Without Immigrants.” Immigrants around the U.S. stayed home from work, and school, on Thursday, to demonstrate how important they are to America’s economy. In an act of solidarity, many businesses also closed for the day. The boycott was primarily directed at the Trump administration’s efforts to build a wall along the Mexican border, increase deportations, and ban travel from a number of Middle Eastern countries.

The protest affected many aspects of life, but A Day Without Immigrants mainly affected the restaurant industry. The restaurant industry was heavily impacted because it offers the most jobs to new immigrants in the U.S. It offers jobs such as cooks, servers, and dishwashers.

Since the end of 2007, the number of foreign-born employees in the U.S. has jumped by nearly 3.1 million to 25.9 million; they account for 56 percent of the increase in the U.S. workforce, according to the Labor Department. In the restaurant industry, there are 12 million immigrants employed, and in cities such as New York and Chicago, they account for more than 70% of the restaurant workforce. Another industry that felt the impact of the protests was construction.

A large portion of the protesters are having to deal with the consequences of President Trump, when a majority of them didn’t even have the right to vote, while other protesters didn’t even vote for him. There is no nation-wide number stating how many people stayed home from school or work, but many student absences were not excused, and some people who skipped work lost a day’s pay or perhaps even their jobs. Even with these consequences, organizers and participants argued the cause was worth it.

Here in St. Paul, the marches started in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. A couple hundred people gathered at the corner of East Seventh and Hope streets near the offices of the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul. The march traveled down East Seventh street past the Asian grocery store, an Ethiopian church, an Italian pizzeria, and a Mediterranean grill. By noon, the streets of St. Paul had protester groups that were two or three blocks long. The march eventually made its way to the Capitol building. The total number of protesters in the Twin Cities reached nearly 200 people, of all types, who boycotted work and school. There was also a handful of restaurant chains the closed in solidarity to the protest.

Editorials/Student Voice, News, World

Trump “Trumps” the press

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Since the start of Donald Trump’s presidency, or even the start of his campaign, there have been a slew of suppression strikes against the press, often claiming they are reporting “fake news.” This is funny as one of the president’s closest correspondents, Kellyanne Conway, reported a massacre in Bowling Green, claiming nobody knew about it because the press, as a whole, chose not to report on it. Now here’s the funny part: there was never a massacre in Bowling Green. Kellyanne reported fake news on national television.

Since her comment about Bowling Green was a false statement, according to Trump’s belief, she can be sued. Trump said, “I’m a big believer, tremendous believer, of the freedom of the press. Nobody believes it stronger than me, but if they make terrible, terrible mistakes and those mistakes are made on purpose to injure people — I’m not just talking about me; I’m talking anybody else then, yes, I think you should have the ability to sue them.” So according to this statement, the American people, are able to sue Kellyanne Conway on account of her fake news that “injured” the people affected by it; mainly the race in which the republicans in the White House believe to be terrorists.

Legally, the press is not allowed to report anything false, but they are protected by “actual malice.” According to the Legal Information Institute, at Cornell University Law School, “Actual malice means that a statement was made with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether or not it was false.” In short, as long as the content was published by the journalist in good faith, all the information was as accurate as possible, it is legally publishable. This is contrary to what the president believes, as he stated on a Miami TV station, that “Our press is allowed to say whatever they want and get away with it.”

Trump, as a tremendous believer in “freedom of the press,” has pledged to change the libel laws in a way that would undermine the First Amendment and the freedom of the press. While on his campaign run, Trump stated that we should “open up our libel laws so when [newspapers] write purposely negative stories…we can sue them and make lots of money.”

The First Amendment, a foundation of the country’s democracy, states that “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” 

To illustrate this attack on the press, on February 1st, 2017, a 45 second clip, of a press conference with the president, surfaced on Twitter. A journalist was trying to ask a question, and after being denied, the journalist calmly informed the president of his right to ask a question. The president quickly interrupted him, demanding he go back to his division.

The immigrant journalist, Jorge Ramos, told the president “You can not deport eleven million people and build a 1900 foot wall, and strip citizenship of the people in this country.” The president repeatedly told the journalist to “sit down” when a security agent approached the him, and placed his hands on Ramos in attempt to escort him out of the room.

Ramos did not fight back, but instead calmly told the man he could not touch him. As Mr. Ramos was exiting the room he told the president, “I have a right to ask a question.” Once the journalist exited the room, a Trump supporter can be heard telling Jorge Ramos, “It’s not about you, get out. Go back to your country.”

For context, Jorge Ramos is a U.S. citizen. Not only is he a Mexican-American citizen, but he is regarded as the best known Spanish-language news anchor in the U.S., as well as being listed as one of the top most influential people in the world in Time magazine. In addition to that, Ramos has been referred to as the “Walter Cronkite of Latin America.” Walter Cronkite was a CBS news anchor for almost twenty years, during which time he was cited as being “the most trusted man in America.”

After he was escorted out of the press conference, Mr. Ramos immediately made a statement following the incident. That statement can be found here: https://youtu.be/qPpxvf1niW8

This is just one example of the suppression, and disrespect, President Trump has enforced on the free press, the most influential press, the voice for the people. Just recently, Trump hosted his first independent press conference in which he blamed the “fake news media” for the poor  picture of the White House and his staff.

Despite the many times Trump has chosen to protect his ego before the American people, the people will not be silenced by the shake of a head and a closing door. Many protests and boycotts have taken place following the inauguration, speaking out against the president. 

Editorials/Student Voice, News, World

U.S. backing out: Rumor or another inconvenient truth?

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2016 was a disaster. I’ve seen the shirts to prove it. But in April 2016, something good actually happened: 194 countries unanimously signed the Paris Agreement, which sought to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” But April 2016 was 9 months ago. It is now January 2017.

A former Trump aide, Myron Ebell, says that it is only a matter of time before Trump pulls out of the Paris Agreement. Considering the bulk of Trump’s supporters, and his cabinet members, are climate change deniers, this is all too likely. But assuming this isn’t just a rumor (he is a climate change denier as well, so there’s that), then this is going to easily end up being the worst idea the U.S. has had in a long time.

Why will this be one of the worst ideas in a long time? For starters, green energy/tech companies are estimated to increase in value substantially in the coming years according to The Atlantic. If The U.S. does back out of the Paris Agreement we’ll be saying auf wiedersehen to a lot of worthwhile cash; something anybody will tell you is not considered good.

On top of that, if the Independent News is correct, it’s going to be a full year before the U.S. actually backs out of the agreement, and if we figure out by then that this was a bad idea, it’s going to take another three years to get back in on the agreement. And on top of all that, there’s the small matter of CO2 producing companies/manufacturers being able to crank up production since the agreement means the EPA must recognize CO2 as a pollutant. Keep in mind here that the Paris Agreement was made to cut down pollutants.

All in all, this could easily be a nightmare for everyone involved and possibly those who aren’t…assuming this actually happens. Remember, it’s still ambiguous. What do you think: rumor or another inconvient truth?

(Al Gore please don’t sue me)

News, World

9 American things that wouldn’t be American without immigrants

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A lot of people may not know that many of the symbols that represent America, from architecture to food, actually come from immigrants and other cultures. Immigration has provided America an upper hand in economics, and they have brought many of our “all-American” items to us. Have you ever thought what your life would be like without many of the innovations immigrants have brought to us? The following is just a short list of the contributions immigrants have made to American culture.

Blue jeans

Blue jeans were invented in 1871 by Jacob Davis, a Latvian-Jewish tailor who emigrated to America in 1854, and Levi Strauss, who emigrated from Germany. They received a patent in 1873 for blue jeans, and later went on to create Levi’s jeans.  

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image taken from: http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/09/04/foreign-teens-all-you-eat-junk

Hamburgers

Contrary to popular belief, hamburgers were created by a Danish man: Louis Lassen. Hamburgers are commonly associated with America, and American fast food, and he created the first hamburger in 1895, in New Haven, Connecticut, and sold them out of a small lunch wagon.

Doughnuts

The first doughnut came to America in 1920, when Adolph Levitt, a Russian refugee, began to sell doughnuts from his bakery. Doughnuts began to boom in 1938 when the Salvation Army needed money during the Great Depression.  

Google

The founder of Google, Sergey Brin, was born in the Soviet Union (Moscow, Russia) in 1973. He later moved to the United States, and became a computer scientist where he created the wonderful search engine we use on a daily basis.

Hot dogs

Hot dogs, another food commonly associated with America, is actually from Germany. Charles Feltman moved from Germany, to New York, at the age of 15, and opened a restaurant that sold sausages in a roll.

Basketball

Modern basketball was created in 1891 by James Naismith, a Canadian. He invented basketball while teaching physical education. He came up with the game by having students shoot fruits into baskets that were hung onto the balcony at the school.  

Ketchup

The J. Heinz company, known best for their ketchup, is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was founded by Henry John Heinz, whose parents were German immigrants from Bavaria. They came to the United States in the early 1840s.

Cars

Even though cars are a global form of transportation, without Carl Benz, a German engineer, the first car would never have been made, or brought to America. Carl Benz also prompted Henry Ford to create an all-American car company that would be affordable to the middle class.

“God Bless America” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” songs

A Siberian immigrant, Irving Berlin, wrote “God Bless America” at a summer camp in 1918. “The Star-Spangled Banner” was written by John Stafford Smith, a British composer. He wrote the song following the war of 1812 and it was adopted as the U.S. national anthem in 1931.

News, World

Predicting Alzheimer’s

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image taken from: http://www.alzheimers.net/12-3-14-blood-test-detects-alzheimers-early/

Alzheimer’s is a big issue in the world that many people would like to solve. Wouldn’t you like to know if you could be affected by it later on in life? It’s a topic of controversy and everyone has their own view of whether or not they should know. But for the people who would like to know, there is a blood test that can tell you if you are more likely to get Alzheimer’s than others. According to researchers from the National Institute on Aging. “This year has seen the development of a few different types of blood tests that could potentially diagnose Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear.”  

Now you might be saying to yourself, why would I need to know that if there is no treatment? Well, this research required them to locate and figure out why, when, and what, causes Alzheimer’s, which is a step forward to finding a cure. Even if there is no cure now there are still treatments to help slow down the  process of the disease, and to help you prepare for it. Who knows, the cure could be right around the corner; it’s surprising what people can do with the advances in technology and knowledge in our world today.

Editorials/Student Voice, Events, News, World

Tuesday’s Cruz-Sanders Obamacare debate

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The Two Senators mid debate
image taken from: Masslive.com

Last Tuesday, February 7th, Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) faced off in a debate about the future of healthcare in America. More specifically, the pair sparred about the Affordable Care Act (often known as Obamacare) and whether or not it should be replaced by a new healthcare bill or not. Cruz took a pretty hardline stance against Obamacare, claiming that while healthcare was desirable, the ACA failed to provide it effectively. Meanwhile, Sanders took a more moderate stance, agreeing that the policy was flawed, but he wants to improve it rather than repeal it entirely.

The debate was a town hall style, meaning that instead of the moderators asking questions, they were delivered by the crowd. However, the questions were almost certainly pre-approved, so in practice there isn’t a very large difference.

In addition, a fair number of questions seemed like clear plants for one side or the other. For example, Sanders was told by a small business owner that Obamacare was limiting the expansion of her business, while Cruz faced questions from a woman who said her life was saved by the policy. Both handled the questions well, though Sanders often came off as somewhat patronizing towards the audience.

Because of Sander’s position on the issue, the two initially found themselves in some agreement. For example, they both thought that insurance companies were too powerful, but they had radically different solutions. Cruz wanted to increase competition by allowing insurance sales across state borders (in addition to other measures), while Sanders felt more government input was necessary. However, Sanders was less able to defend his position, and instead faltered under questions about the actual effectiveness of government input. Meanwhile, Cruz seemed to argue his case much better, and was able to come off as far more credible.

After the senator’s initial agreement, the debate went somewhat downhill. While the issues were definitely still discussed, the debate devolved a lot, to the point where the two debaters spent almost two minutes arguing about the relative merits of Vermont and Texas as states. To be fair, the moderators were able to keep the debate on track, (even connecting the state argument into the issues) and it was certainly more productive than any of the presidential debates. The last major point of the debate was Sanders talking about his own healthcare plan, something that Cruz demonstrated was financially unfeasible.

By the end of the debate, it seemed clear that Cruz had won pretty decisively. While no polling is currently available on who the voters think won the debate, Cruz was far more put together and well spoken, while Sanders was more discombobulated and often knocked off balance by Cruz. Both Senators still made reasonable and well thought out points, however, so it’s hard to say it was a complete route. Anyway, who won is more of a moot point, as neither candidate is up for election anytime soon. The more important thing is the discussion that was had.

Editorials/Student Voice, Local, News, World

Immigration ban

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On Friday, January 27th (Holocaust Memorial Day), President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning all entry into the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries. This ban included U.S. citizens who had left the country to visit family, as well as desperate refugees who had finally finished the arduous vetting process only to be turned away.

Demonstrators spell out "# No Muslim Ban" during the "Boston Protest Against Muslim Ban and Anti-Immigration Orders" to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 29, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Demonstrators spell out “# No Muslim Ban” during the “Boston Protest Against Muslim Ban and Anti-Immigration Orders” to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order travel ban in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 29, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

The countries affected are: Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Notably excluded are: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The countries in the second group were where the majority of the 9/11 terrorists originated from which is interesting due to the fact that the ban is supposedly meant to keep terrorism out. Also notable, the excluded countries happen to be where the president has profitable businesses.

Protests broke out at airports, starting at JFK in New York City, and where people had been detained across the country, shortly after the order was signed. A New York judge, however, signed what is called a habeas corpus petition, the day after the ban was announced, deeming the detainments unconstitutional.

Trump’s acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, also refused to enforce the ban. Part of the Attorney General’s job is to stand up to the president if he or she believes his decisions are unlawful. She was immediately fired and replaced.

Recently, many tech companies, including Apple, Facebook, Google, Uber, and others, have united to take legal action against Trump’s ban, as the executive order makes it more difficult for them to recruit, hire, and continue to employ “some of the world’s best employees.” In the brief they submitted it states: “The Order represents a significant departure from the principles of fairness and predictability that have governed the immigration system of the United States for more than fifty years.” 

The Statue of Liberty has a plague on its base. It reads, “Bring me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” America was founded by immigrants, on the principles of freedom and equality for all.

Many, many students here at Highland Park are immigrants, or the children or grandchildren of immigrants. In times like these that are scary and turbulent, when the future is uncertain, we need to stand together with our friends and show that they are safe and welcome in our school.