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(02/14/17 5:47am)
In his speech at the National Prayer address earlier this week, President Donald Trump claimed, “I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment,” according to a Feb 2. Washington Post article. The Johnson Amendment is a section of the tax code that prevents houses of worship from using their social influence to campaign for elected officials. With Trump’s current popularity among Christian conservatives, this decision comes as no surprise. What do you think of the Johnson Amendment and should religious institutions be allowed to influence elections?
(02/14/17 5:13am)
It has been over three weeks since Donald Trump was inaugurated as our nation’s 45th president, and he has largely kept up with some of his most radical campaign promises. In these three weeks, we have also seen bitter and divisive partisan attacks, such as silencing Senator Elizabeth Warren on the Senate Floor or early-morning cabinet confirmation hearings; D.C. continues to give the appearance of sharp division along partisan lines. However, there are several issues that many Democrats and Republicans can agree on in the age of the Trump administration.
(02/14/17 5:13am)
Out of all the foreign actors involved in the Syrian civil war, Iran has the most at stake in assuring President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is not toppled by hostile rebel groups; consequently, it has remained the Syrian government's closest ally throughout the conflict. The reasons for this are manifold; Assad represents a minority Alawite Shia religious sect in a country that is predominantly Sunni, according to the Department of State, and though Syria is ostensibly a secular government, Iran has interest in preserving Shia dominance in the region. Syria is often considered Iran’s greatest ally, and Assad’s regime has shown its willingness to support Iran in numerous ways throughout history. The countries have been close allies since the overthrow of the Shah and formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 due to the “alignment of strategic interests as well as ideological beliefs between the two countries,” according to a 2010 article in the Stanford Journal of International Relations. A focal point of their shared interests is the role of the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East.
(02/14/17 5:13am)
On Jan. 25, Mark Neustadt’s report to the Brandeis community on perceptions of the University showcased that Brandeis is underperforming in the social scene — something that is not news to many. As such, I would like to offer the administration the following structural reforms in an attempt to make Brandeis a more socially active place. At Neustadt’s last presentation, the administration incorrectly blamed the lack of weekend nightlife on the large number of clubs Brandeis has, but clubs are nothing more than a scapegoat for certain structural failures.
(02/14/17 5:13am)
As the court battle over President Trump’s travel ban raged last week, Congress quietly began rolling back environmental regulations. These regulations, which intend to limit environmental damage from the production of coal and natural gas, were listed on a document called “A Roadmap to Repeal” by a Koch Brothers-backed group. One measure intended to stop methane venting on federal land has already been reversed, according to a Feb. 4 New York Times article. According to Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, “What used to be a wish list of the oil and coal and gas industry has become the to-do list for Congress and the White House,” yet nobody is talking about it. While deregulation and the corporate takeover of Washington do not grab headlines like an immigration ban rightfully does, they nonetheless threaten the welfare of our country and cannot be ignored.
(02/07/17 6:39am)
On Friday, Jan. 27, exactly a week after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order which threw the American immigration system into chaos. Families were separated for hours, protesters gathered in large numbers at major international airports, and judges acted quickly to block parts of the order after suits were brought by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union. Trump’s executive order suspends refugee resettlement in the United States for months, except in Syria, from which refugee resettlement is indefinitely suspended. In addition, the executive order temporarily bans entry for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Purportedly, the ban will help bolster national security and protect Americans from terrorism. In reality, Trump will accomplish little more than wrecking the lives of properly vetted refugees, making things even harder for Muslims and refugees in this country and casting the lives of green card and visa holders abroad into disarray. Students at Brandeis are no exception; some are afraid that they may not be allowed to return from study abroad. Whether Trump’s executive order will stand up in the courts is unclear, but we should hope that it does not. The ban is dangerous and unethical, but furthermore, it signals that the nation itself has turned its back on its most cherished values.
(02/07/17 6:37am)
The headline of a Jan. 20 New York Times article reads, “ISIS Destroys Part of Roman Theater in Palmyra, Syria.” Unfortunately, over the last few years, we have seen a bevy of such news stories coming from the Middle East. The Islamic State’s rampage from Iraq to Syria has not only taken the lives of many but has also destroyed some of the world’s great architectural and art marvels.
(02/07/17 6:36am)
From national security to women’s rights, many western politicians and members of the political right will use any excuse to justify their Islamophobia these days, and more often than not, Islamophobic actions are counterproductive to the values they supposedly uphold. In the case of national security, for example, President Donald Trump’s recent attempt to ban people from seven Muslim-majority countries seems not only legally and morally questionable but also ineffective. According to a Jan. 29 Politifact article, no fatal terror attacks have been linked to people from any of those seven countries since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
(02/07/17 6:33am)
Unless you have been living under a very enviable rock, you are doubtless aware that Donald Trump was inaugurated as president on Jan. 20, and ever since, the American public has been letting its voice be heard, with up to 4.6 million protesters marching on Jan. 21 alone, according to a Jan. 23 article in the Atlantic. Richard Spencer is best known for coining the term “alt-right” and holding a post-election conference where the attendants put their arms out at a 50 degree angle and screamed “Heil Trump!” until they went hoarse, according to a Nov. 20, 2016 New York Times article. Spencer has been in the news quite a bit as of late, and it is not even for his usual callings for ethnic cleansing, which he does frequently, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Instead, his new 15 minutes of fame are thanks to a video that has been all over the news and social media and has led to a new fight over an ages-old question: Is violence a legitimate means of civil resistance?
(02/07/17 6:30am)
The Task Force on General Education has proposed several changes to the current general education requirements for Brandeis undergraduates, according to a Jan. 27 email from Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren. This board commends the University on initiating this long-overdue process of evaluating the needs of students and how best to guide them through their careers at Brandeis. However, select proposed changes to the core curriculum are shortsighted and unnecessary.
(02/07/17 6:30am)
On Jan. 26, the scientific journal “Cell” published a paper describing human stem cells that were injected into a pig embryo. An international team of researchers led by the Salk institute successfully developed the embryo for four weeks before terminating the experiment — making it the longest living of its kind. While this advent is is a breakthrough for scientists addressing a worldwide organ shortage, some critics have expressed concerns regarding the possibility of animals developing human organs. What do you think of this recent development, and do you believe the possible benefits of this technology outweigh the moral concerns one may have?
(01/31/17 3:18am)
Fulfilling his long-promised war on illegal immigration, this Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed executive orders to allow the construction of a wall between the United States and Mexico, according to a Jan. 25 New York Times article. Along with the proposed wall, Trump plans on deporting undocumented immigrants, as well as suspending immigration or asylum from nations that “export terrorism.” What do you think of these actions, and how effective do you think they will be in protecting the United States’ security and economic interests?
(01/31/17 3:14am)
In light of Student Union winter elections on Thursday, this board encourages Brandeis students to participate actively and vote for figures who will represent us well in a government of our peers.
(01/31/17 3:12am)
On Sunday, Jan. 29, the Brandeis community received an email from University President Ron Liebowitz, cosigned by eight other administrators, which directly addressed President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration signed on Friday. This board commends the University for its prompt and attentive response during a time of great emotional duress for many members of the community.
(01/31/17 2:53am)
In a Jan. 21 interview with Variety Magazine, comedian and talk show host Chelsea Handler blamed the Kardashians for President Trump’s success. She cited that the media treated Trump’s campaign as a reality show, not reality. The reality show is a phenomenon that the Kardashians have popularized. Though seemingly ludicrous, her claim may actually be valid if we consider just how much people have become engrossed in social media. The Kardashian clan is the logical endpoint of this digital age, the most apt illustration of the people we have become. The sisters are famous for their reality television, which has enjoyed high viewership ratings for all 11 seasons. The show has popularized in some of the public the need for private lives to be documented and altered so as to appear glamorous. Isn’t this what some of us do when we Snapchat outings with friends? We are a culture more engrossed in the representation of our lives than in living our lives. So it is understandable that Trump has become the 45th president of the United States. Indeed, pollsters made errors and Hillary Clinton’s campaign was poor. However, our being out of touch with reality is partly to blame for how much we underestimated a Trump win.
(01/31/17 2:53am)
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, around 30 million Americans will be diagnosed with a clinical eating disorder in their lifetimes. However, there is a significant stigma surrounding these illnesses —including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Many believe the illness is self-inflicted and an expression of vanity, according to a report by Professor Gina Dimitropoulos from the University of Calgary.
(01/31/17 2:53am)
Protesters fill the streets, demanding reform. Women call for the right to choose. Government officials criticize the press for its supposedly biased reporting on policies and government proceedings. The fate of the constitutional court is uncertain, with judicial appointments being disputed for months. The country’s government is completely controlled by a single right-wing party that has a majority in both legislative houses and heads the executive branch.
(01/31/17 2:53am)
Well, this was fun while it lasted. With the election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States, among various other current events, things certainly look grim. Once truly towering, the "Great American Experiment” has taken on all the complexity of an eighth-grader’s baking soda volcano in a matter of months. Fundamentals such as a free and vibrant press and the accountability of elected officials have been called into serious question. Things are not much better across the pond, as Brexit, terrorism and a rise in radical nationalism rock Europe. The time has come to wonder whether the United States and the West have entered a decline reminiscent of the Great Depression, or, perhaps more dramatically, the collapse of the Roman Empire.
(01/24/17 4:59am)
Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning will serve four more months in prison after President Obama commuted her 35-year sentence on Tuesday, according to a Jan. 17 New York Times article. Manning, a transgender woman incarcerated at a men’s military prison, has already served seven years for her involvement in a 2010 WikiLeaks incident that disclosed American activities all over the world, and, last year, she attempted suicide twice. Obama’s decision to reduce Manning’s sentence, as well as his same-day pardon of Gen. James E. Cartwright, contrasts with the president’s otherwise tough stance on leaks of government information throughout his presidency. What do you think of Obama’s recent actions regarding Manning and Cartwright?
(01/24/17 4:56am)
The Justice asked the president of Brandeis Democrats, Jacob Edelman ’18, and the president of Brandeis Conservatives, Mark Gimelstein ’17, about a variety of polarizing issues. Their back-and-forth dialogue about Planned Parenthood is included below.
