Editorial Page 4
The Lightning Strike • March/April 2016
POLITICS
Which Hillary are you voting for? IN MY OPINION naela foreau
incoming opinion editor
“They are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called superpredators: no conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel.” This is how Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton described at-risk child criminals in a 1996 speech by referencing “superpredator,” a term coined by criminologists who inaccurately predicted a wave of “brutally remorseless” children would triple the number of incarcerated juveniles. After activist Ashley Williams picketed at a Clinton fund-raiser, with a sign highlighting an excerpt from the 1996 speech, a new generation of millennial voters began to question other statements and scandals from Clinton’s previous political career in twitter hashtag-turned-movement “#WhichHillary.” The hashtag went viral in March and highlighted both notorious and overlooked events throughout Clinton’s career that contradict the progressive image she portrays during her 2016 campaign. Some disputes include the fact that Hillary was one of the voices in the Clinton administration warning against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a treaty that got rid of tariffs and encouraged economic activity between all three North American countries.
However, Clinton failed to mention how she initiated meetings to strategize NAFTA approval, helped block opposition from labor and environmentalist groups who opposed NAFTA in the 1990s, and even publicly praised NAFTA in 1996. At a February Democratic debate in Wisconsin, Clinton emphasized her stance against big banks when she attacked investment banks such as the now defunct Lehman Brothers (coincidentally top contributors to the Clinton Campaign). Referencing a 2007 statement made on Wall Street, Clinton bragged about scolding big banks by telling them to “Cut it out,” and “Quit foreclosing on homes.” But it turns out Clinton actually blames homeowners for causing the 2008 housing crisis in a actual speech claiming, “homebuyers who paid extra fees to prevent documenting their income should’ve known they were getting in over their heads.”
THE LIGHTNING STRIKE An NSPA All-American publication Winner of George H. Gallup Award NSPA Pacemaker Finalist An FSPA All-Florida publication Like us on Facebook Visit us online at www.lightningstrikenews.com
MAYAN DERHY, Outgoing Editor-in-Chief MICHAEL KATZ, Editor-in-Chief SOPHIE MUCHNICK, Print Managing Editor JACOB SINGER, Online Managing Editor MIKAELA MENDEZ Outgoing News Editor MILA SICROSKY News Editor NAELA FOREAU Opinion Editor NICOLAS CHMIELEWSKI Spread Editor NATHANIEL MANOR Feature Editor CORBIN BOILES Entertainment Editor SUN COAST PRINTER Printer
ETHAN CURTIS Sports Editor SHOSHANA SOMMER Outgoing Lifestyle Editor MEGAN ORLANSKI Lifestyle Editor DZIDULA BONEY Outgoing Copy Editor KEVIN BAUERNFEIND Online Video Editor ALAN IMAR Online Editor MARY K. SULLIVAN Adviser
STAFF WRITERS SEBASTIAN KUZAK, GAL MINTZ, ALEJANDRO PRESCHEL AD POLICY
The Lightning Strike solicits advertising but reserves the right to reject any material deemed libelous, disruptive, obscene or otherwise inappropriate.
EDITORIAL POLICY The Lightning Strike is the student newspaper of Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School: 1410 Countyline Road, Miami, FL 33179; (305) 652-6808 Ext. 238. Opinions expressed in the editorial section do not reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school. The Lightning Strike welcomes readers’ opinions on all topics. However, we will NOT print anonymous letters. Please keep letters under 150 words and saved to a computer if possible. The editor reserves the right to reject, edit and condense letters. All letters should be turned in to Room 2-233.
JUANA ARGIRO
Also, Clinton’s views against Wall Street corruption contradict the fact that she received $675,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs, an investment company. According to Goldman Sachs, Wall Street firms including Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America have also contributed to the almost $10 million Clinton racked in during 2013 for speaking engagements alone. Her anti-corruption stance also doesn’t hold up when considering her involvement in scandals such as Whitewater, where the Independent Council found evidence indicating Clinton lied under oath and destroyed material documents pertaining to her misdeeds. More contradictions were uncovered when Clinton’s campaign made misleading attacks on Bernie Sanders’ healthcare plan, suggesting that millions would lose health-
care under his plan. Those assumptions were proven false by several fact-checking websites including Politico.com Among Clinton’s list of half-truths is the notorious Clinton Foundation and its involvement in her failed efforts to reconstruct Haiti in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake. The Clintons’ vowed to rebuild Haiti through business by “immediately” creating 100,000 new jobs following the 2010 earthquake. Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Clinton awarded Haitian pop star Michael Martelly’s political party $100,000 to reinstate his presidential candidacy. Clinton had previously threatened to discontinue U.S relief aid to Haiti if Martelly (who was on the verge of elimination) was not allowed to run in the 2011 election. This partnership between Martelly and the Clintons allowed for a garment factory called Caracol Industrial Park to emerge in 2012. After convincing lawmakers that cheap labor in exchange for cheap products would compensate for the country’s low productivity, the Clintons were only able to employ 5,479 of the projected 100,000 workers full-time. According to Mark D’Sa, senior advisor for Industrial Development in Haiti at the U.S. Department of State, many of the Clintons’ promises towards Haitians remain unfufilled. I agree with Senator Bernie Sanders in forgetting about those “damn emails,” and focusing on the real issues. There are plenty of other discrepancies regarding Clinton’s ethics, or lack thereof. And now I ask, will the real Hillary Clinton please stand up?
LETTERS When my vote shouldn’t count
More than just my shade
The subject that is currently taking up all political discourse is that of the presidential campaigns, a process still underway and one that elicits much controversy. However, this incessant fixation on the campaigns is insufficient and perhaps even detrimental as a means of resolving issues of importance, whatever you perceive them to be. A necessary starting point to political action is a proper understanding of how we frame the discussion. What the presidential campaigns fail to do is ask essential questions regarding what we consider issues, why we consider them so, and whether or not our perspectives are justified. When we truly understand what it is we value and how the events of the world come about, we may find that many assumptions about our situation collapse in the face of factual analysis. Part of moving forward as a nation and global community entails developing perspective. This search for political awareness is essential, and it doesn’t have to begin with the question “Who are you voting for?”
“She’s pretty... for a black girl.” “Why are light skin girls so stuck up?” Young black women in our society are constantly scrutinized for their actions. We are constantly expected to adhere to societal norms and uphold the media’s standard of beauty. These standards manifest forms of self-destructive behavior and low selfesteem on impressionable black girls. It is time for us as a culture to recognize that we face unique challenges that have yet to be addressed. For example, telling someone that they’re “pretty for a dark skinned girl” is not and will never be a compliment. The phrase in itself is oxymoronic in that it tries to conceal a blatant insult as a compliment. A girl does not and never wants to be an exception to your bigoted standards. One of the greatest things about our country is the opportunity we’re given to form our own opinions. Commentary on issues unique to black women is somewhat of a taboo, avoided in the media that we as a society need to change.
Eli Navarro Grade 10
Kameron Clarke Grade 10