Tag: Missouri

  • International News Tidbits

    Republican Health Care Bill Introduced

     This week, Republicans plan to release their bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

    AshLee Strong, a representative for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, said, “We are now at the culmination of a years-long process to keep our promise to the American people.”

    The draft legislation plans to provide expanded tax credits and health savings accounts for individuals and reduce federal spending on Medicaid. It plans to eliminate the requirement that employers and individuals provide and hold health insurance. Republicans  have promised not to pull the rug out from the citizens covered by these programs.

    North Korea Fires Four Ballistic Missiles in the Ocean

           Last month there were claims coming from North Korea that they succeeded in test-firing missiles under the approval of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-Un. The United States, United Nations, Japan, and South Korea have all denounced these test firings.

    The missiles were fired from the Tongchang-ri region an area close to the border of North Korea and China.

    One South Korean official claimed that the launchwas at 7:36 A.M. local time, which translates to 2:36 P.M. Pacific Standard Time.

    North Korea is sticking to its claims that its entire space program is completely peaceful. On Sunday, March 5, South Korea raised its reward for defecting North Koreans that have any information about North Korea’s space program.

    Man Making Threats against JCC Arrested in St. Louis

           In St. Louis, Missouri, the FBI took into custody 31-year-old Juan Thompson, a man who is accused of making eight bomb threats against Jewish schools, Jewish Community Centers, and a Jewish museum.

    The FBI said in a statement that “the investigation into these threats is a top priority” and that “agents and analysts across the country are working to identify and stop those responsible.”
    “The FBI is committed to ensuring that people of all races and religions feel safe in their communities and places of worship,” the FBI said.

    According to the New York Police Department, hate threats are high this year and the majority holster harsh  anti-Semitic motives and attitudes all over the United States of America.

  • Missouri’s Misery

    I have read endless articles about the daily injustices black communities face. All fill me with a pang of sadness, but more importantly, a desire for empathy and change.
    The recent events at the University of Missouri (“Mizzou”) complete yet another chapter in the American black narrative, one marked by unimaginable suffering.
    It is sickening to know that people’s demands for safety are addressed only by putting said safety at stake through protests and hunger strikes that often turn sour. We believe that the administrations at our schools have our best interests at heart, but for many, that is not the case.
    The now ex-President of Mizzou, Tim Wolfe, did not act on the requests and pleas of his students, all of whom had legitimate grievances. Students complained about feeling unsafe on campus and alienated by the school’s racially disproportional makeup.
    Several black students protested about their unmet needs in the homecoming parade. They halted Wolfe’s vehicle temporarily, but that is the furthest extent of their success.
    His apathy is a reflection of how a majority of Americans feel about racism. This lack of understanding and its ramifications disgusts me.
    At the same time, I harbor immense guilt for the prejudices I carry. I am an extension of the collective racist pysche that continues to define American society.
    To be black means to live in a world where you are barred and prevented from living normally. This is the current state we find ourselves in fifty-one years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
    Such is the situation that black students tried to alter at Mizzou.
    To some degree, they were successful. The university’s president and chancellor soon left their posts amid boycotts by the football team and certain professors.
    Sadly, once-explicit forms of racism have transmuted into implicit (and often subconscious) means of discrimination, all of which function through continued insularity.
    Even if a safe space is created for black students, the opposition’s views are not eliminated. Prejudice is rooted so deeply into our minds that we are often incapable of recognizing them.
    To this day, I still discover how my biases manifest themselves in small actions and thoughts. By writing this piece, I do not feel absolved of any guilt or shame. Rather, I feel a stronger sense to confront my judgments and do my part in this fight for equality.
    I stand with the students of Mizzou and all others who face discrimination. Granted, I can’t do much, but in working towards gaining a better understanding, my desire for change burns even more feverishly.