Tower The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 71, NUMBER 3
Editorial The morality around euthanasia and assisted suicide is widely debated.While euthanasia is legal in some states, New York is not one of them. Is it better to preserve a life, or end the suffering? P. 4
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015
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REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION BY OLIVIA ORTELPA/WIKI COMMONS
AFTER THE TERRORIST ATTACKS targeting the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, numerous protesters took to the streets to support free speech and remember the victims of the shooting. Above, some of the estimated three million demonstrators hold signs reading “Je Suis Charlie” (meaning “I am Charlie”). The free speech advocates can be seen marching from the Place de Republique to the Place de la Nation in Paris.
Protestors take a stand for “Je suis Charlie” Leo Psaros Sports Editor Jan. 7, PARIS, FRANCE. Two masked gunmen armed with AK47’s broke into the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. They killed 12 people, mostly male editors and a Muslim police officer. 11 others were also injured. The two gunman, Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, Algerian brothers, had both been trained by al-Qaeda before the attacks in preparation for what they called their ‘jihad.’ Wielding AK-47s, they shot their victims execution-style. They left the scene in a getaway car with a possible third suspect. On Jan. 8, the two attackers were chased into a business office where
they opened fire on police and were shot and then killed. Parisian Clement Briens, age 15 said, “Gun laws in France are not and never were an issue, since the use and trade of firearms is illegal here. We have competent police and armed forces such as the GIGN or the RAID (equivalents of American SWAT teams) that provide immediate responses to terrorist threats, therefore we have no need for our citizens to be armed.” This attack was allegedly in response to the satirical cartoons of Mohammed published by Charlie Hebdo. Many of its staff members were on Al-Queda’s most wanted list for a long time as these cartoonists had been mocking Islam, along with other faith tradi-
tions, for several years. Briens said, “In my experience, France has always interacted with Muslims in a fair way; while in countries like England we have clearly
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The actions of a handful of people cannot speak for an entire group of people.
- Brian Cheney
distinguished ethnic groups, here in France everyone is considered ‘French’, and not ‘Jamaican from England’ or ‘Pakistani from England’ as we might hear our neighbors across
the channel say. “As France used to possess a great colonial empire extending from North Africa to Western Africa,” Briens continued, “we have many different ethnic minorities from different countries that qualify as ‘Muslim’.” Numerous demonstrations and marches advocating free speech and an end to terrorism have occurred across Paris. The phrase ‘Je Suis Charlie’ (I am Charlie) has been the central motto during all these marches. But the fear of Islam has been on the rise ever since these attacks, with many uneducated people criticizing the religion as an advocate for violence. Brian Cheney, world religions and history teacher said, “Islam, like all
religions, prohibits murder and the taking of innocent life. The actions of a handful of people cannot speak for an entire group of people. Cheney added, “On the other hand, I think there is a pressing need to be honest about problems within our communities. Or in other words, those Muslims who do not believe that these attacks speak for them, or represent their religion in any way, must shoulder a portion of the burden of condemning these attacks and speaking out. “We need not just the native French and a few Hollywood stars saying ‘Je Suis Charlie’ at the Golden Globes to change things, but we need a highly visible coalition between leaders in Western countries and Islamic leaders to act to stop these things from
happening,”
MLK day opens dialogue about diversity and perspective rajan Cutting Opinion Editor The community celebrates another successful Martin Luther King, Jr. Day assembly. With the keynote speakers message of “embracing each other’s differences”, and the student presentations, the assembly ended the semester on a high note. The MLK day theme for this year was perspective. The idea was for students to approach diversity from the views of new perspectives. Faculty co-coordinator Bob Cornigans (who organized the day’s events along with co-coordinator Marie-Suzanne Raabon) thought the theme was appropriate considering the school theme of diversity. “If we want people to start having more dialogue about challenging things, the best way is to introduce new perspectives. Diversity of perspectives is what enriches people,” Cornigans said. Throughout the year racism has become a topic students are becoming more comfortable talking about and understanding. Seniors
Spencer Berkowitz, Amalia Mayorga, Kadrea Dawkins and Junior Jennifer Munnings all read poems Berkowitz believed it wouldn’t have been right to celebrate MLK without addressing racism’s ongoing reality. “We can celebrate the Civil Rights Movement all we want but if we don’t acknowledge that we haven’t fully answered or solved the problems the rights movement fought for, we’re honoring a lie,” he said. Social issues are something Mayorga is very passionate about and she wanted to share this with the rest of the community. She read a poem written by Danez Smith, a Ferguson resident who witnessed the protest and riots in responce to Michael Brown’s murder. The poem is titled, “Not an Elegy for Mike Brown Alternative Names for a Black Boy.” Mayorga said she believes racism is a plight America has suffered for a long time and is important to our MLK day celebration. “MLK day should not be a oneday celebration because the incidents that MLK fought for are ongoing and it’s something we should talk
JAKE REGELE/TOWER
THE SCHOOL’S MLK DAY celebration this year touched on more than just race, sparking conversation about topics less often associated with King. Although many believe this is positive, others may feel uncomfortable engaging in such discussions. about all the time,” Mayorga said. As time goes on people tend to leave conversations in the past and forget about them. Sophomore co-president of Onyx Treasure Brooks thinks this is a bad thing. She said she believes when we stop talking about things,
we like to think that the problem has gone away, but that isn’t true. For example, the deadly disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) was the hot topic over the summer but no one talks about it anymore. “Racism is an uncomfortable conver-
sation, but it’s one that needs to be had. The only way to begin to get rid of it is to keep acknowledging it,” Brooks said. All over campus students are engaging in challenging conversations and recognizing difference, which some believe to be the ultimate goal.