History Repeats Itself

Congress on the brink of another shutdown
If nothing changes in Congress by this Thursday, the government will once again be shut down. The argument is centralized on a spending bill and "unrelated issues." One issue holding up Congress is the recent immigration executive order. As of now, it is looking like a short-term spending bill will have to be passed by both the House and Senate soon so that the government will not shut down; this will give the Senate "more time to approve the measure"over which they are arguing. Sometime today, the House's Committee on Appropriations is supposed to release legislation that "funds virtually all of the government for a full fiscal year."

Our government and economic lessons from this week relate extremely well to this current event, and they both have made this problem easier for me to understand. However, I do not think that stubbornness should shut the whole government down. I agree with some Republican leaders quoted in this article who argue that the immigration fight should not be responsible for this shutdown, and should be saved for when the Republicans control the majority of both House and Senate.

'Merica: Paying Nazis Since 1945

This CNN article discusses rights of Nazis to receive Social Security. The House of Representatives just passed a bill-- unanimously, in fact-- that "cuts off" former Nazis from getting these benefits. Sam Johnson, a Republican Representative from Texas, stated: "Allowing payments to continue is an insult to those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis." New York's Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney guessed that there were around four people who are currently receiving Social Security benefits, although a recent investigation put that number higher-- around 12. The investigation reports that these dozen Nazis were "stripped of their citizenship and forced to leave the country," but a "loophole" has made it possible for them to keep receiving Social Security. Mirroring the House, the Senate has a similar anti-Nazi bill to pass, but both the House and Senate (and both Democrats and Republicans!) are hoping to be able to place this issue in front of President Obama by the end of this month.

To be honest, the first thought that came to my mind after reading this article was shock that there were still Nazis alive, and living in the United States! As silly as it seems, I was momentarily caught off-guard by the thought that I was living in a world in which Nazis still existed-- I definitely only think of them living about 50 years ago. However, overall I do not believe that these 4-12 people still benefiting from Social Security should be, especially if they have already been "stripped of their citizenship."

Separation of Church and... School?

This article discusses a Colorado school which recently prohibited a student's practice of religion on campus. This student, senior Chase Windebank, has lead a prayer group with his friends for the three previous years of his career at Pine Creek High School during a class period that the school calls "seminar." During a portion of this period, students are given free time in which they can discuss with their friends "virtually unlimited topics, i.e., TV shows, sports teams, upcoming test, politics." However, the school has banned Windeback from discussing anything to do with religion, citing the First Amendment "applied by the 14th Amendment." Pine Creek also stated that topics for discussion must connect to a class; if this is true, than religious conversations would not be allowed because the school is not able to teach classes on religion.

Stories like this are such great reminders to me of how grateful I am to be enrolled in a Catholic school where my faith can be expressed and nurtured. I am interested to see if the school and Windeback will resolve this on their own, or if more news on this particular issue will follow. So far, it is difficult to say who is right; much depends on the validity of the statement that topics must be drawn from classes taught at Pine Creek. It is a fairly complicated fight, as all separation-of-church-and-state issues are; however, simplified, it really boils down to the conclusion of the article: "Schools may not preach religion. They also may not oppress any student's free exercise thereof." I'm interested to see how far this fight will go.

Something about WWII We'd Gladly Repeat (and Some Historic Firsts)

In this article by CNN highlights the many "historic firsts" that yesterday's midterm elections brought about. For example, many southern African-Americans made a first with their election to Congress, including Mia Love, the "first black Republican woman to be elected to Congress-- ever."Other firsts included women Senators and Governors, war veterans, and most-expensive campaigns. Although not a "first," this article touches on one particular historic accomplishment of Congress' domination by Republicans-- the GOP has the "largest congressional majority since World War II."

This is very important because Republicans had been feeling dominated by the Democratic-lead executive branch and House of Representatives. Republicans now believe that they can push their own agenda easier because they have control of both the Senate and House. I think this is very interesting, and I'll be watching to see what the GOP does with its newfound control. In addition, I like that more women and races are being involved in our government. Also, the fact that Republicans have not had this large of a majority in Congress since WWII is extremely interesting to me! I know that history repeats itself, but hopefully we can be selective about what we bring back from the that time period...

Time-- and Money!-- Coming Quickly to an End

This article from the Rapid City Journal highlights the decreasing national interest in the South Dakota election because of recent polls that show their advertising may be to no avail. South Dakotans seem to be favoring Republican candidate Mike Rounds for the Senate win, over Rick Weiland, the Democrat nominee. So far, the Democratic Party nation-wide has spent $400,000 on just broadcast and cable advertising for Weiland, but with the decreasing support for him, they only have about $29,000 worth of ads from now until election day. This is in stark contrast to $340,000 that the Republican Party plans to spend advertising within this last week.

I find this extremely interesting (and slightly sickening)-- I cannot believe how much money is spent on advertising! I know that this has been a hotly-contested national race, although currently it looks as though it is losing national recognition because of the lead Rounds seems to be taking. I think it will be funny to look back on this in a week, knowing the outcome, to see whether or not the thousands of dollars used for advertising really paid off-- and if the Democrats should have backed off campaigning right before votes were cast!

Noem for the Win?

Rapid City Journal-- Noem sailing toward win, Robinson lacking traction

A recent Rapid City Journal article states that South Dakota's current Representative Kristi Noem is headed toward another big win in the next election. There are only two weeks until voting, but Noem's name is far more recognized than her competition, Corinna Robinson. Noem has been South Dakota's Representative from the Republican party for two terms, and is running for a third. She has stated that she will push for new economic plans to grow South Dakota's agricultural exporting. Robinson's priorities are strengthening the education system of our state, including an increase in teachers' salaries.

This is especially interesting to me because I am able to vote in these next elections! Learning about these candidates will expand my knowledge and make me a more informed voter. As South Dakota only has one seat in the House of Representatives, I think this race is very important because the winner will be our sole voice in half of Congress. There has been a lot of press about the Senate race in South Dakota, so I like reading about another showdown within our state. (And I am excited to finally be able to participate and have a say in the state, nation, and world I live in.)

First 48 Hours of Freedom, and you do THIS?

Man Just Freed from Prison Kills Mom

On Sunday, October 12, Gwendolyn Pratt was found dead in a house in Atlantic City. According to an autopsy performed, she died from "massive blunt injuries" to her head. Her son, Steven Pratt, was found at the scene and has been taken in as a suspect in her murder. In a twist of events, Steven had been released from prison two days earlier after serving 30 years for shooting and killing his neighbor in 1984. Steven was 15 at the time.

This event saddens me, and I wonder if something could have prevented such an act. I have to think that in thirty years someone at the prison would have noticed a mental instability in Pratt, so why wasn't anything done before he was released back into society? I hope this is a learning lesson, and that no other similar event happens again.

Banned Bans are not Banned?

This article by the Wall Street Journal highlights Monday's decision by the Supreme Court not to intervene with 5 states' recent overturn of bans on gay marriage. Appeals had been made on these states' decision to allow gay marriage, but the Supreme Court's denial to hear these cases left the bans banned. Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin are the most recent five states to join the 19 others in which gay marriage is legal. Interestingly enough, the fact that the judges did not take these cases is the most surprising outcome of this situation, not the potential over-turn of the bans or banned bans.
As confusing as this issue is with the many uses of the word "ban," this decision impacts not only the supporters of gay marriage in these five states, but supporters in every state, especially those in which gay marriage is illegal. It seems like there is always a new story concerning states overturning marriage bans, and this movement is gaining speed. As a Catholic I do not support this movement; however,  I can understand the arguments made for equality under the premise of unalienable Constitutional rights.

The Murderer that Jumps Oceans

CDC confirms first case of Ebola in US

On Tuesday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the first case of Ebola was diagnosed in Dallas, Texas. US doctors have contracted this disease before, but were all diagnosed in Africa and then transported to and treated in the United States. The unnamed patient returned from a trip to Liberia earlier this month, but just began to show signs of the deadly disease. He or she has been receiving treatment in isolation at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas since late last week, when the first symptoms began to show. Ebola has been a major killer in West Africa, killing over 3,000 people; however, because Ebola only becomes contagious at the onset of symptoms and is spread through close contact of bodily fluids, the CDC is not worried about any other cases of this disease in Texas.

The impact of this news spreads worldwide. Not only will fear spike in the United States of contracting the disease, but other established countries with no previous cases of Ebola will also see that they are not beyond this fatal disease's reach. I believe the CDC, however, when they say that they are not worried about a widespread epidemic in America, which is what has happened in West Africa. Because of the lack of sanitary resources, the countries like Liberia are more susceptible to the spread of any disease. In addition, different experimental treatments for Ebola, although not officially approved, have started to save many lives. Because the United States has seen the havoc Ebola wreaked in West Africa and since doctors and researchers have been preparing for this first case for many months, I am not worried about a mass outbreak.

Wanted: One Man and One Woman

Arrest warrant issued in case of missing Virginia student-- CNN.com

An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday, September 23, 2014 for a man suspected in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, a University of Virginia student who has been missing since September 13. This man, Jesse Matthew, is the last-known person to see or talk to Graham prior to her disappearance. Graham was last seen by friends at an apartment complex following a party, but was traced by surveillance tapes to a pub and then the Charlottesville downtown mall. Graham and Matthew supposedly had drinks at a bar before she is assumed to have gotten into his car which surveillance cameras show sped away. Although Matthew walked into the police station a few days ago, he could not be arrested because police did not have a warrant. He has not been seen since the warrant was issued today.

This event impacts Graham and Matthew and their families; with this news report, one family is hopeful of their daughter's return and one is scared for their son's arrest. However, other people who have seen either Matthew or Graham are also impacted because this article calls on them to give information to the police officers. This article also highlights the events leading up to this disappearance, and the places where Graham was before going missing. Inhabiters of this city and other young women who read this article can be informed of these happenings; hopefully, some good can be done by spreading this story to those who could be affected in the future.

This article saddened me by informing me of the missing Hannah Graham, but I found that it gave lots of information about her last known movements, which helps bystanders assist the police in piecing together the night she disappeared. It also made me very suspicious of Matthew, as he has not been seen since news of his arrest warrant. I will be following this case closely and praying for the best outcome-- the finding of a safe Hannah Graham.

Civics 101: What's Missing from the Article

To begin this blog, I would like write a response to the article quoting my classmates that was recently published in the Rapid City Journal.

As a student of the St. Thomas More High School senior class, I am upset with the negative angle employed by Meredith Colias in the article entitled “C-SPAN bus rolls into town, but students still skeptical of political process.” Having witnessed the interview, I can attest that the quotes in this article were small sections of opinions from a fraction of our 240 students, taken out of context, to paint a picture of us that is not accurate. In addition, the statement about our students’ political participation was skewed; our students took trips to Pierre and Washington D.C. last year and have attended City Council meetings in the short weeks of this school year— not just “to satisfy class requirements.”

My class is upset to have been represented in the way Ms. Colias wrote, and we are embarrassed to have shed a bad light on our teacher, Mrs. Freidel, and our school. Although I am disheartened by the negligence shown in Ms. Colias’ writing, I am thankful that my class had the learning opportunity that this unfortunate encounter with the media supplied.