February 2018
VOL 48/ISSUE 05 Is Youtuber Logan Paul Redeemable?
Soccer Stadium to be
named after Tim Rooney
Youtube Star Logan Paul
By unaimous vote, Soccer
starred in a controversy while filming in Japan’s
Stadium to be named after Coach. Rooney has
Aokigahara, also known as “Suicide Forest”
earned L&C over 400 wins
Read More on B2
Read More on 2A
Commemorating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. STEPHANIE LARSON slarson@lc.edu
Lewis & Clark hosted a commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 19. “We hope that the performances of Dr. Martin Luther King’s words will serve as a call to action for each of us to be champions of justice, equality, and love for all,” said event organizer Dr. Mumba Mumba in her introductory remarks. During the one-hour commemoration, faculty and students read several speeches given by Dr. King in their entirety. These included his “Give Us the Ballot” address and a eulogy given for four girls killed in the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The event also featured an excerpt from the play “Freedom Riders” and two performances by a gospel choir specially organized for this event and directed by Brenda Lancaster. Dr. Mumba Mumba, Peter Hussey, and Jen Kline worked with Lewis & Clark’s Diversity Council to organize the commemoration, which was held in Trimpe Hall. One highlight of the event was special guest D.C. Cooper’s performance of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” address, a speech which he has performed in many different settings. “Through the years so many people have said that they’ve only heard the part of the
speech where he says ‘I have a dream,’ but many people share with me that they have never heard the speech in its entirety,” said Cooper. “So I would like to hope that they have the opportunity to hear the speech within its full context so they can understand the significance of the speech. I think it’s particularly important to recognise that the speech has been considered by scholars to be perhaps the greatest speech of this past century.” When asked how the speeches to be read were selected, event organizer Dr. Mumba said, “If you look at the agenda you can see that there’s a theme we’re following. We look at the chronology and it gives us an idea of what was actually happening during that time... And for some people I said ‘You are faculty, you can decide what you speak,’ but I highlighted based on the key lessons I thought we should take up from each speech.” So what lessons can we take up from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? “The nonviolence movement, which was pretty interesting in my opinion because, think about it, you’re getting shot, you’re being bitten but you cannot respond in a violent manner,” said Dr. Mumba. “So those values have an enduring effect in my opinion. They never go out of season. Those are lessons that we have to be reminded of constantly so that when faced with injustice, we can call it out.“
(From top to bottom) Top - D.C. Cooper entranced audience members with the famous I Have A Dream speech that was given in Washington on August 28th, 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle- Student, Taylor Vaughn, delivers part of a speech that was given at Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in December of 1955. Bottom Left- The Gospel Choir was formed specifically for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration event. Bottom Right- A rearrangement of the song Steal Away that was originally composed by Wallace Willis was performed by the Gospel Choir and conducted by Ms. Brenda Lancaster. Jared Hennings performed a solo throughout the song. Photos By Krystie Morrison. Collage Graphic by Shelby Clayton.
Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) Sparks Up REFER Act on House Floor ALEX ST.PETERS astpeters@lc.edu
Only days after California’s new cannabis laws went into effect, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Obama-era policy known as the Cole Memo. The Cole Memo was a document created by former US Attorney General James Cole in 2013. The Cole Memo basically told all US Attorneys to let the states regulate their cannabis industries provided they didn’t go against federal preferences, like being a front for other illegal activities, promoting violence, or selling to minors. Since 2013, the federal government has stayed out of the way of states that have legalized cannabis. The cannabis industry generated around $10 billion in legal weed sales in 2017. The industry is expected to double in 2018 with the addition of California to states with recreational weed. According to a report by Arcview, Los Angeles’ recreational weed sales alone are projected to be worth $7 billion in value. Since Jeff Sessions’ decision to rescind the Cole Memo, many businesses within the cannabis industry have not reacted at all. The industry has grown so much that there is nothing the federal government can do to hinder its output. So many businesses are not concerned about a crackdown from the government, but are more concerned with being able to use financial institutions. Since cannabis is still illegal on the federal level, many reputable financial institutions have been reluctant to get into the cannabis industry. This has left many business owners having to deal with cash only sales and not have a suitable place to put their money. With the rescission of the Cole Memo this has only distanced financial institutions more.
Even though the business owners are not reacting to Sessions’ decision. Some states have already responded to his decision. Representative Barbara Lee of California has proposed a bill in the House of Representatives. The “Restraining Excessive Federal Enforcement & Regulations of Cannabis Act of 2018” or the “REFER Act of 2018” was the proposed bill. The bill states that no federal funds will be made available to any department or agency in the United States to prevent a State from implementing its state laws on cannabis use, distribution, possession, or cultivation. It also denies funds being made available to detain or penalize any individual, financial institution, or business just because they are providing financial services to a business that operates with state legal cannabis. The bill has been backed by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), and Rep. Don Young (R-AK). The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is also behind the bill. The organization helped Rep. Lee’s team in drafting the language of the bill to make sure everything was covered correctly. Justin Strekal, Political Director for NORML, said “The REFER Act would go a long way to preventing cannabis bigot AG Jeff Sessions from cracking down on the states that have legalized cannabis. It’s a bill with a fun name and a serious purpose” According to NORML, the most important part of the bill was the inclusion of blocking the federal government from taking actions against financial institutions just because they provide financial services to a business that is involved in state legal cannabis. Having a suitable place to put and invest their money has been at the top of many legal cannabis
Graphic By: Shelby Clayton
business owners list for years. If the cannabis industry is allowed the services of reputable financial institutions it will only benefit the already fast growing industry. At a House of Representatives meeting Rep. Lee said, “The federal government should respect the will of the voters in states that have voted to decriminalize cannabis. It’s time to stop wasting taxpayer money on the failed War on Drugs,” As more and more states are added to list of states with legal cannabis every year. In a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, they found that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) say that the
use of cannabis should be legalized. Since Sessions’ decision, two other states have also responded with their own cannabis reform laws. Republican Kentucky Senator Dan Seum filed Senate Bill 80. The bill would legalize cannabis in the state with similar regulations to other states such as Colorado, Washington, and California. Also early in January, Vermont legislation voted to legalize cannabis in the state. This will be the first time cannabis legalization was achieved through a vote by lawmakers. Each of the past eight states to legalize cannabis was achieved through a vote by the people.