While my experience in quarantine was unremarkable, it is still unnatural to have been forced not to see anyone for five days. I urge the University, despite its recent email, to reconsider the quarantine policy, based both on scientific and mental health grounds.
Brandeis’s diversity statement begins with: “Established in 1948 as a model of ethnic and religious pluralism, Brandeis University considers social justice central to its mission…”, and a page on the University’s website entitled “Our Jewish Roots” states, “At its core, Brandeis is animated by a set of values that are rooted in Jewish history and experience …The third is the Jewish ideal of making the world a better place through one’s actions and talents.” If we are to take these statements seriously, we as Brandeis students cannot stay quiet on this issue. One biographer of Justice Brandeis, of which of course this school is named, has said that “Brandeis believed freedom of speech is inextricably linked to each citizen’s duty to participate in the democratic process — to debate the ideas of the day and make one’s voice known to policymakers, and to vote.” These are the reasons that we are uniquely qualified to raise this as an issue and do something about it.
At the start of this congressional term, Sen. Tom Carper (D-De) introduced legislation S. 51, which would admit Washington, D.C. as the 51st state. A similar bill was first introduced in 2017 by D.C.’s delegate to Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, as well as in 2019. Making D.C. the 51st state should be a priority for the 117th Congress.
At 11:24 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, approximately 87 hours after polls closed in Massachusetts, CNN declared former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to be the winner of the presidential election, thus making Biden the president-elect and California Senator Kamala Harris the vice president-elect. During that time, the Democratic ticket had 273 electoral votes, and soon after the state of Nevada was called, bringing their total to 279. Now that all the states have been called by numerous prominent media outlets, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have a total of 306 electoral votes, the same number President Trump had when he won in 2016.
Two weeks ago, I cast my first mail-in ballot for President of the United States. I have been waiting to vote since I was 10, especially for president. When I filled in the bubbles, I felt proud to have reached this milestone and proud to be an American. I could never imagine having my right to vote be taken away. However, this is the case for millions of ex-felons across the United States.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on the first night of Rosh Hashana. Having no access to technology because of my religious observance, a friend notified me of her passing by a friend at a socially distanced service Saturday afternoon. It was not until Sunday morning — still with no access to technology — that I was able to read the full story from the newspapers my aunt and uncle brought me. It is very possible that I would not have been aware of the passing of one of my heroes until two days afterward.
On Sept. 18, 2019, Congressman Joe Kennedy III announced that he would be running against Senator Ed Markey in the Democratic primary in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. When I became aware of this news, I asked myself why. Why would Kennedy forfeit his secure congressional seat to run against an incumbent who has helped pass many laws that have benefited the commonwealth? As I sat to fill out my mail-in ballot after almost a year of his campaign, I remained confused by Kennedy’s motives to run for office.
I was 11 years old on Nov. 6th, 2012, and I still remember my parents letting me stay up to watch the news that night. It truly was a historic night as Elizabeth Warren, in beating the Republican incumbent Scott Brown, became my senator and the first woman senator from the state of Massachusetts. I became interested in politics at the age of six or seven by listening to National Public Radio in the backseat of my mom’s car. During the 2008 primary, I was proud to campaign for Hillary Clinton. It made no sense to me then—and I guess still today— that there had never been a woman in the White House. Although the Senate is not the White House, I was extremely proud to have Warren be the first woman to represent my state.
Wednesday, Feb. 19 marked the first time United States presidential candidate, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared on the debate stage. Bloomberg had only announced his candidacy on Nov. 24, 2019, almost a year and a half after the other candidates declared their run for the presidency.
On Jan. 28, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boarded a plane to Ukraine, where he met with members of both the United States and Ukranian governments. One notable person was barred from traveling with him, National Public Radio’s State Department reporter Michele Kelemen.
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