The Actual Steps Being Taken to Defeat ISIS

Morgan Seale and Kevin Stacey

On December 6, in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, President Obama gave the third oval office address of his presidency. The President briefly discussed the details of the attack on the San Bernardino office, calling it an “act of terrorism”; however, the main purpose of the speech was to inform the nation of what is being done and what should be done to combat ISIS. He laid out in detail the four main strategies being used by his administration to destroy ISIS. He also spoke about measures which he believes Congress should take to help the US’s fight against ISIS such as visa waiver reform, restrictions on assault weapons, and arming anti-ISIS Kurdish fighters.

We at the Brown and Gold realize that it is sometimes difficult to fully understand what the President says he has been doing since it is nearly impossible to see first hand the results of his actions against ISIS while we are safe at home in the U.S. Because of this we decided to dive deeper into the President’s four strategies he gave during his address and provide readers with a larger understanding of the specific action being taken against ISIS.

 1. A systematic campaign of airstrikes against ISIS

The first point of the president’s speech was the US’s strategy for hunting down and attacking ISIS members and targets. The President is often criticized for not doing enough and not using enough force in the fight against ISIS but the facts point to the exact opposite. President Obama has done everything he can short of a long, costly, all out ground war in the Middle East. Over the past 15 months the US has conducted over 6,000 airstrikes on ISIS targets while all other countries combined have not even broken 2,000. This averages out to be over 400 airstrikes a month.

2. Increased support to forces fighting ISIS on the ground

The second point of his speech was about the efforts being taken to “continue to provide training and equipment to tens of thousands of Iraqi and Syrian forces fighting ISIL on the ground”.  For months the US has been supporting the Syrian rebels in their efforts to overthrow the current Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and to eradicate ISIS from their country. Additionally, on December 9th, the House of Foreign Affairs Committee passed a bill authorizing the U.S. military to directly arm and train Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight against ISIS. The Kurds are the U.S.’s greatest tool in the fight against ISIS, acting as our ground forces against ISIS.

3. Drawing on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIS attacks

The third point of his speech was addressing the US-led coalition to fight ISIS. The US has been leading a coalition of anti-ISIS countries such as France, Germany and the U.K. As one of the United States’ closest allies, France has been assisting in the bombing of Syria but intensified their attacks after the terror attacks in Paris on November 13th. On December 3rd Britain joined the US-led bombing campaign over Syria. Likewise, Germany joined the fight on December 4th when their parliament approved a military campaign against ISIS. They authorized the use of six Tornado recon jets, a frigate to help protect the French aircraft carrier, and up to 1,200 military personnel. 

4. Providing humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians displaced by ISIS

The fourth point of the speech was about the humanitarian aid the US is providing to the victims of ISIS. The struggle with providing the aid comes from the fact that in doing so the government is also providing aid to the Islamic State. The US has struggled with a strategy of safely bringing in supplies and relief to victims of the terrorists without harm coming to anyone in the process. According to an article by The Daily Beast, aid convoys going to aid victims of the terrorists have to pay off ISIS leaders to enter Syria safely. Consequently, those bribes provide a piece of income to the pockets of ISIS leaders. A way around this problem has not been discovered. However, the US has been giving a significant amount to humanitarian resources. An article by foreignpolicy.com explains that in 2014, the total amount sent to Iraq in aid was $185 million.

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Haverhill City Election Results: New Faces in Dusty Places

Kevin Stacey

 HAVERHILL- Tuesday November 3rd, the Haverhill community held public city official elections. The voters went to the polls to vote on who would be the city mayor, city council members, and school committee members. Mayor James J. Fiorentini ran unopposed in the race, and won once again, continuing his position in office as mayor in his seventh term since 2003. In total, 75,775 votes were cast for City Council, and a total of 25,263 votes cast for School Committee, according to The Board of Registrars November 2015 Election Results at www.cityofhaverhill.org.

The City Council election this November ended with newcomer to the scene, Andy Vargas, age 21, coming in third place with 3,835 votes. In second place was Melinda Barrett, and in first place was John Mitchitson, with 4,444 votes. Joseph Bevilacqua, a member of the School Committee, also landed a seat on the council, and will be taking office in his new position in January. Out of a total of 15 candidates, only nine were elected.

It was a close race for the six School Committee candidates. Gail Sullivan, a former teacher and administrator, who did not gain a seat in 2013, finally achieved her goal by coming in first place with 4,535 votes. Following behind her in second place was Sven Amirian, with 3,658 votes. Scott Wood Jr., an incumbent in this race, came in third with 3,613 votes, filling the final seat on the committee and keeping his position as President of the School Committee. 

Shaun Toohey, the other incumbent in the race, came in fourth place in the election, close behind fellow committee member Wood. Mr. Toohey did not make the final cut, but only by the slimmest margin. Although, Toohey still has a chance of keeping his seat on the committee. Bevilacqua, who was elected to be on the City Council, will be leaving his position on the School Committee open for a fourth person when officials of the city take office in January of 2016. Toohey hopes to be selected as Bevilacqua’s successor by the committee in the new year. It is tradition that the runner up in the election should take the position of an official leaving office; however, it is not a guarantee. So far, Toohey appears to have a good chance of making office, but according to an article by the Eagle Tribune, another candidate is interested in the vacant seat. Susan Danehy, who did not want to run for re-election on the committee this year, wants to fill the two year term that Bevilacqua’s seat offers. The fourth committee member will be chosen in January of 2016. For more information on election results, visit www.cityofhaverhill.org and www.eagletribune.com. 

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PARCC vs. MCAS

Alpha Cepeda

On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to adopt a hybrid MCAS-PARCC test. The vote came after months of debate over whether to adopt MCAS or the new PARCC test to assess Massachusetts students proficiency in the areas of math, reading, writing, and science. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education agreed to incorporate aspects of PARCC into the new MCAS assessment. The new hybrid test is expected to be released by 2018.

After the vote Linda Noonan, executive director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education and a supporter of PARCC, said “I’m like everybody else: trying to figure out what this all means.”

Barbara Madeloni, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and a supporter of MCAS, argues that this “hybrid” is really just a ploy, saying that it will contain a majority of PARCC and aspects of MCAS will not even be seen. “Let’s not be deceived” Madeloni said.

The decision Tuesday marks the first change in Massachusetts standardized testing in almost two decades. The administration of the new test will begin in 2017 in compliance with the Massachusetts federal law requiring the state only administer a single standardized assessment. MCAS will still remain the graduation standard through the class of 2019.

“Assessment should be rigorous, but it should not be intentionally difficult, to limit students,” said a senior at Everett’s Pioneer Charter School of Science. Families, student, and teachers are hoping they take this statement to heart over the next year and a half, while they wait to see what the “hybrid” will look like.

                                                 

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Grit and Youth: City Council Candidate Andy Vargas

Josephine Ricardo

Andy Vargas was raised in Haverhill and graduated from Haverhill High School. At HHS, he was instilled with a passion for public service, getting involved with organizations like Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP), where he was mentored by Andy Polanco and Carol Ireland, and a statewide coalition of young people called Teens Leading The Way (TLTW). Some of his teachers, such as Mr. Jordan and Mr. Harvey, influenced him to double major in political science and international relations. Getting involved gave him the opportunity to serve our State Representative, Brian Dempsey, Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, the U.S. embassy in Madrid, and as an intern at the White House. 

Vargas said his internship taught him many thing things about public speaking, networking, and interaction, but also opened his eyes in inspiring ways. “We all have this idea of invincible people,” said Vargas, “but in reality, they’re just regular hard working people; amazing, talented people willing to sacrifice for our country.”

During his internship at the White House, Vargas met and received powerful advice from both President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Vargas remembers President Obama telling him, “if you want to live a fulfilling life, write your obituary, write what you want people to say about you.” Vice President Biden, always to the point, was sure to let him know what mattered: he didn’t care if you went to Harvard or Yale or the most prestigious school, if you don’t know what the average American is going through, then your titles mean nothing. 

His experience interning at the White House had a major influence on his decision to run for Haverhill City Council. He was also greatly motivated by what he sees as a “brain-drain” depleting the city of innovative, young minds. “People tend to leave Haverhill and don’t come back,” said Vargas, “I would have felt like a hypocrite not coming back for our generation, to help change things, give people something to do.” In Vargas’ mind the main reason people leave Haverhill is lack of things to do and places to go, which, he added, “leads children, teenagers, to go out and do drugs, drink, get into gangs, etc.” 

Vargas’ goals as a City Councilor are to invest in young people, beautify the city, and attract businesses. He is also dedicated to giving all of Haverhill’s residents a voice, particularly neighborhoods greatly affected by poverty, crime, and drug use, such as the Mt. Washington area, where 68 percent of residents are in poverty. Ideally, Vargas would like to revitalize neighborhood associations. “Before, if a neighborhood had an issue, as a group, they would go to the city council and address the issue to take care of where they live.” He wants to help people advocate for themselves and speak and work as a group. He believes in “grit,” which he credits for his own success. “You don’t have to be the smartest of wealthiest person [to succeed],” Vargas says, “if you work hard, stay focused, and are willing to make sacrifices, you can do and be anything you want.”

Andy Vargas is running for City Council Tuesday, November 3rd. More information on Andy Vargas, his career, policies, and aspirations, can be found by visiting http://www.andyforhaverhill.com/

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A Brief Look At Sven Amirian

Kevin Stacey

HAVERHILL- On October 7th, in the Haverhill High School Library, the candidates for Haverhill School Committee answered questions about their individual agendas at a “Meet the Candidates Night." Among the candidates in attendance were incumbents Scott Wood and Shaun Toohey, as well as newcomer Michael Shurman, Pamela Conte, Gail Sullivan, and former City Council member, Sven Amirian. Amirian and the other candidates debated issues such as lifting the caps on charter schools, civics being a course requirement, and the amount of the school budget being put into special education. All of the candidates said they would vote yes on the 18 percent net-spending cap on charter schools. They also all agreed they would vote yes to making completion of a civics course a high school graduation requirement. Currently, civics, which teaches students about the duties of a US citizen, is not a required course in the Haverhill Public Schools curriculum. Sven Amirian served as president of City Council for two years. After a break from government, Amirian is excited to get back into the action, and wants to be able to help Haverhill’s students and schools. He has three children, two daughters and a son, who attend Hill View Montessori Charter Public School. They are the reason why Amirian is in favor of helping the charter schools. Amirian also commented on how Special Education should not take up so much of the school’s budget. “It is not worth crippling the whole system just for a few people,” Amirian said, “we have to think of the needs of the entire student body.” According to an article from the Eagle-Tribune, the Haverhill district special education cost has increased by $3 million dollars over the last few years and struggling with a special education cost increase of $1.3 million this year, with another $1million increase expected for next year. In addition to working on the SPED budget, Amirian commented on the possibility of moving away from textbooks as a primary education resource. “I think that we are definitely phasing out of using textbooks,” Amirian said. “Technology is the way that we are going, seeing as it has more resources, and is up to date. Meanwhile all of the textbooks are outdated, and in poor condition.”

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A lot at stake for youth vote in 2016

Josephine Ricardo

With the political season heating up, the continually disappointing rate of youth participation at the polls should not be ignored.Teen voting has been on the decline since the 60s. According to Rock a Vote in 1964, 50.9 percent of teens voted. Two years later, in 1996, only 32.4 percent of voters between ages 18 to 24 made it to the polls. When charismatic politicians appear such as President Obama, they can win over the vote of young people. Barack Obama would not have been elected in 2008 and 2012 had it not been for remarkably high youth turnout in his favour. In 2008 the voting rates had been the highest it has ever been where there was a total of 22,385(44.3%) teen voters.

Thom File, a sociologist in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Education and Social Stratification Branch, recently argued that the declining number of votes is a result of increases in the non-citizen population. On the other hand, D.K., a publisher from The Economist, offers that young people have begun to feel that they don’t have a say in what goes on in the political world. People who have yet to settle down are not as focused on how political decisions affect them and their transient lifestyles can also make it difficult to vote. Furthermore, many young people do not feel that there is a need for them to vote.

During most elections it is simpler to win over the older generations who vote no matter what. When charismatic politicians do appear, they can persuade the young to vote for them. Young people tend to be more cosmopolitan and liberal than their elders. They also tend to be turned off by the negativity and cynicism of election campaigns.  People who have not settled down are also not so greatly affected by political decisions and their lifestyles can sometimes make it difficult to vote. Trying to settle down makes it very difficult due to the cost of housing in certain locations. This makes registering to vote a chore which is easily forgotten until it is too late. 

For the first time ever, in Takoma Park the election age was lowered to 16 for local elections. Out of the 134 teens that registered, 59 actually cast ballots, a turnout of 44 percent. People have speculated that allowing kids to begin voting while they are in high school will get them in the habit of voting when they are older. However, in order to make this true, we have to get high school students interested in voting. One step would be for at least one state to open up voting for all offices to high school students. Also, going door-to-door, working the phone lines or social media, or by volunteering at candidate events would get these high school students involved. Even though some of the younger voters will be ignorant voters, many of 20 and 40 and 80 year old voters pay little attention to public affairs. Also, the younger voters will be influenced by family members, just like all voters are influenced. We want citizens to vote, therefore it would make more sense to have them start getting interested in voting at an even younger age and then getting them to vote at a younger age such as 16. By doing this, it is creating a better way to spread democracy.

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Be Heard, Have A Voice

Aubrie Campbell

Mike Labella - Eagle Tribune

Being an adult comes with a lot of responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is using your voice in your community. Our nation has gone through multiple decades where there have been different laws regarding who should and should not vote. We should take pride in how far we've come and utilize our say in local and national politics. 

On November 3rd, 2015, citizens of Haverhill will be voting for City Council, School Committee, and Mayor. Being an active member of the community is finding a candidate you’re interested in and supporting him or her, whether by simply voting or by getting involved with their campaign. You can help these candidates campaign by holding signs up, calling houses to share the candidate's message, or even telling your friends and family to vote on November 3rd. 

It is important to vote because who ever wins will have a say over everything that happens for the next few years. As young adults, we have the right to choose who should have making those decisions. We are the future of this community and we should have a say in what goes on. 

Voting Requirements:

• Citizen of US
• 18 years of age
• A resident of Massachusetts
• Not Imprisoned for a felony 

How to Register:

See the City Clerk at City Hall and fill out the required paperwork to become a registered voter.

To learn more about voting visit http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howreg.htm 

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