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Views on the News: JFK Files

  | 10/31/2017

 According to an Oct. 26 New York Times article, President Donald Trump ordered the release of over 2,800 documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. After the release of these documents, Trump stated that agencies should be extremely circumspect when requesting redactions because "the need for continued protection can only have grown weaker with the passage of time." CIA officials claim that releasing the records may be a threat to national security and intelligence gathering methods, contrary to the belief that more secrets are being protected. How do you feel about this and do you think that all of the documents should have been released? 

Acknowledge societal benefits of increased happiness

by Maddox Kay | 10/31/2017

According to an Oct. 27 New York Times opinion piece, we do. Ruth Whippman asserts that “good social relationships are the strongest, most consistent predictor there is of a happy life,” and also that “the average American spends barely more than half an hour a day on social communication.” So where’s the disconnect? The problem with happiness is that we simply don’t value it. We say we do, of course, because saying we don’t care would be blasphemous. But by the numbers, happiness is far down the societal priority list as income inequality and a competitive, numbers-driven society pressures us economically. 

Views on the News: Veterans

  | 10/24/2017

According to an Oct. 16 New York Times article, former Marine Sergeant Major, Damien Rodriguez was charged with a felony-level hate crime and assault after he attacked employees at an Iraqi restaurant in Portland, Oregon. His friends and family, however, claim that his actions were the result of PTSD and not hatred. Do you feel that Rodriguez’s charges are appropriate? 

Question standards for what US considers legitimate marriage

by Sabrina Sung | 10/24/2017

 The United States, more so than other countries, seems confused about marriage on a conceptual level. Despite the government’s purported separation of church and state, marriage is rewarded with the bureaucratic benefits of tax deductions and implicit visitation rights. The sanctity of marriage is something to be protected within a society in which television programs such as “The Bachelor” and “Married at First Sight” thrive. Over the years, both the meaning and the societal role of marriage in America have become inscrutable.  

Criticize President Trump’s poor response to Hurricane Maria

by Maddox Kay | 10/17/2017

Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles on Sept. 20, and President Donald Trump has already suggested that we pull aid. Just weeks before, Hurricane Harvey blasted Texas and the Caribbean. Both hurricanes caused devastation, but the response from the White House could not be more different 

Urge NFL to support Colin Kaepernick’s form of protest

by Judah Weinerman | 10/17/2017

 It all began with the simplest of gestures. At the beginning of the 2016 NFL season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided he would kneel during the national anthem to draw attention to racial inequality and police brutality. On Aug. 26, 2016, Kaepernick remained seated during the national anthem, and on Aug. 27, 2016, he told NFL Media, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” He also said,  “To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave getting away with murder.”  

Views on the News: NAFTA

  | 10/17/2017

 According to an Oct. 11 article in the New York Times, President Donald Trump revealed that the United States may drop out of North American Free Trade Agreement, stating, "It is possible we won't be able to make a deal, and it's possible that we will." In addition to this, the Trump Administration has also proposed limits on the number of government contracts that Mexican or Canadian companies can win. What do you think of the president's opinion, and is it in the best interest of the U.S.?  

Commend news outlets for exposing sexual predators

by Santiago Montoya | 10/17/2017

Throughout this year alone, the media — or, more specifically, the New York Times — has done an unprecedented job in exposing people in positions of power who turned out be concealing egregious secrets about their sexual misconduct in the workplace. The series of exposés have given the voice and courage many women, who are minorities in different working fields, have needed for such a long time already to call out their abusers. 

EDITORIAL: Urge DCL to provide accurate times for room inspections

by The Justice Editorial Board | 10/17/2017

On Oct. 6, the Department of Community Living sent an email notifying the student population at Brandeis University of the upcoming health and safety inspections. The email emphasized the dates of the inspections, noting that all inspections will occur “between the hours of 9:00AM and 6:00PM from  October 10-October 25 (only Monday-Friday).” The inspection period, which spans over two weeks, seems unusually and unnecessarily long. This board proposes restructuring the inspection period in order to facilitate a more efficient process and alleviate some of the inconveniences that come with such a broad period.  

Criticize racially insensitive elements of the beauty industry

by Nia Lyn | 10/17/2017

Recently, Dove produced an ad that featured a Black woman removing her shirt to reveal a fair-skinned white woman, and the white woman doing the same to reveal a third woman. However innocent the intention may have been, the advertisement was met with backlash over claims of racism and was eventually pulled, according to an Oct. 8 New York Times article.  

Views on the News: Gun Control

  | 10/10/2017

 On Oct. 1, in Las Vegas, one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history occurred, killing 58 people and injuring 500, according to an Oct. 3 article in the New York Times. In response to subsequent talk of gun control, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stated, "It's particularly inappropriate to politicize an event like this," according to an Oct. 3 Politico article. Do you agree with McConnell's statement? Why or why not?  

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