New House Speaker Mike Johnson and How His Beliefs Affect Our Future

Louisiana elected a new House speaker, Representative Mike Johnson who discredits the role of fossil fuels in advancing climate change. He also does not support investing in clean energy and he attains a lot of campaign contributions from major gas and oil companies. Mike Johnson believes that climate change is not being spurred by human activity such as burning fossil fuels rather, climate change is happening due to natural patterns in Earth’s history. As a result of these beliefs, Johnson has voted against legislation that helps reduce climate change such as reducing methane leaks and requiring companies to state climate change risks.  Instead, he supports cutting the funds towards the Environmental Protection Agency.

So why should you care about what Johnson does? Well, there is plenty of evidence supporting that human activities are fueling global warming. According to the United Nations, after the industrial revolution in the 1800s, human activities have been a major contributor to climate change ever since because of the burning of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases naturally exist in our atmosphere but after industrialization, human fossil fuel burning leads to a large contribution of these gases that is not natural. Many people use the argument that the Earth naturally has a warming and cooling pattern and while that is true, this extra addition of greenhouse gases is causing global warming to happen more rapidly when there are preventative measures we can take to reduce its effects and slow it down. In class, we’ve discussed the impacts of misinformation. The reason so many people believe that climate change does not correlate with human activity is because of their lack of knowledge and belief in misinformation such as the misinformation that Johnson believes in. This is harmful because his decisions on important bills are impacted and that leads to detrimental actions for the future of our environment.

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/climate/mike-johnson-climate-policies.html

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

Gaza Blackout

 As the ground "invasion" on Gaza to fight Hamas started, Israeli bombardment cut off cell and internet connection. The people of Gaza were cut off from fellow Gazans and the outside world for 34 hours. According to the New York Times, American officials "said the United States believed Israel was responsible for the communications loss". However, Israeli officials have declined to comment on these accusations. On top of the lack of electricity and water noted in my previous post, the situation in Gaza has become even more dire with the loss of phone services. As Ahmed Yousef, a civil servant that lives in the central strip Gaza noted, losing communications was far worse because he couldn't reach family and friends, but he also couldn't communicate with the people that sell him water and bread. Even their emergency lines stopped working. The Palestinian Red Crescent, which is a humanitarian organization, commented on X (formerly Twitter), that they were "deeply concerned about its ability to keep caring for people, with landline, cell, and internet connections being inaccessible."

Gazan trying to reach cell towers at elevation. Credit: PBS

While Israel bombarded the strip, rescue crews worked tirelessly to locate airstrike sites just by the direction that the explosions came from. Panic and chaos ensued, as some people "had run for over a mile to reach rescue teams, shouting for help" (NYT). The disaster was visceral: some of the victims were frustrated and angry at "feeling abandoned that they insulted the rescuers". The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also said that "air strikes targeted several telecommunication installations", and wiped out two of the three main lines of communications into Gaza. 

Credit: NYT

Efforts to gain cell service individually were made as well. Gazans with Israeli SIM cards would be able to use their phones if they got high enough or near Israeli cell towers. Activists on social media also helped: they raised awareness so that digital eSIMs could be bought and sent digitally to Gazans. A notable activist, Mirna El Helbawi, sent hundreds QR codes of eSIMs to people with service in Gaza so they distribute them. Thankfully, on Sunday morning at about 4 am, phone service began to return to Gaza.

 

As I noted in my previous article, the trend of public opinion shifting from Pro-Israel to Pro-Palestine seems to be growing. Hundreds of thousands of supporters marched and rallied in cities globally, including New York City, London, and Sydney. Many of which called for ceasefires, while the government in Britain and similarly in the US "advocated humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach people in Gaza" (Reuters). 

   March in London. Credit: AP

The media has quite the variant vocabulary when reporting on the conflict. In my first sentence, I put quotes around the word invasion because Israeli military doesn't call it an invasion, but rather an incursion. As we focused on the media and polling recently, wording can have a large effect. The Washington Post called the Hamas group "militants", whereas CNN and FOX called them "terrorists". It is a balancing act, where the media can portray a particular side very differently by just changing a few words. And this will make the media appear biased, whether it is intentional or not. This could lead to readers denouncing the media source and distrusting them, or perhaps more loyalty if the viewer agrees (confirmation bias). 

- Sean Lai

Sources:

https://www.wired.com/story/gaza-internet-blackout-israel/

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/29/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/29/world/middleeast/gaza-blackout-internet-israel.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/27/us-urging-israel-rethinkg-gaza-ground-invasion/

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/thousands-join-pro-palestinian-protest-london-demand-gaza-ceasefire-2023-10-28/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/10/20/israel-gaza-strike-hospital-blast/

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-protests-world-8f6728e4d15391f9a478d4bef38ec52c

Special Counsel Jack Smith Urges Need for Gag Rule on Trump

Former President Donald Trump is currently undergoing a trial for his federal election interference case which accuses him of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss. Currently, special counsel Jack Smith is insisting that a gag rule be placed on Trump again due to his remarks attempting to intimidate witnesses on social media.

There was a gag rule initially put on him last week by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan due to his statements targeting prosecutors and court personnel as well as his attempt to discourage witnesses. Trump appealed the order and asked that the gag rule be put on hold. Judge Chutkan did temporarily remove the restrictions but since then Trump returned to making remarks on social media.

Trump posted a message on Truth Social on October 24th that stated: “Some people would make that deal, but they are weaklings and cowards, and so bad for the future of our Failing Nation. I don’t think that Mark Meadows is one of them, but who really knows?”. This was in response to ABC News reporting Mark Meadows, Trump’s last chief of staff, allegedly testifying in exchange for immunity.

Smith wants the court to clarify that Trump cannot communicate with or about witnesses even on social media. He believes the gag rule is needed in order to protect the witnesses from Trump’s remarks.

We’ve discussed in class how the Constitution has a loose interpretation and therefore people can argue whether or not something is or is not constitutional. In this case, the ACLU claims that the gag rule is unconstitutional because it is too vague and encroaches on Trump’s First Amendment right to the freedom of speech. Specifically, the ACLU believes that there is little detail about what it means to “target” witnesses.

Do you believe Trump should have the gag rule placed on him again? I believe that he should since he is interfering with what should be a fair trial. Intimidating witnesses and court personnel can interfere with their emotions and what is said in court. However, I think the language used for the gag rule should be changed to be more specific about what Trump is not allowed to say so that there is a clear line between right and wrong. This way no one will feel as if the restrictions are unfairly vague.

Sources: https://www.npr.org/2023/10/26/1208777351/trump-gag-order-jan-6-case-smith-special-counsel

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4275146-aclu-trump-jan-6-gag-order-unconstitutional/

New House Speaker *Finally* Elected

 House finally elects Mike Johnson, a hard-right conservative, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

After 21 days and four other nominees, the House Republicans have finally nominated a speaker with a 220-209 vote.

Representative Johnson of Louisiana was elected on Wednesday after weeks of in-house fighting and dysfunction within the Republican party. Johnson, 51, played a significant role in overturning the 2020 election. Additionally, being a religious conservative, his social views consist of being opposed to abortion rights, homosexuality, and gay marriage. 

Speaking of his newly elected position, Mr.Johnson pledged to try and “'restore the people’s faith in this House.' He cited sending aid to Israel, fixing a 'broken' southern border, and reining in federal spending as his top legislative priorities." Furthermore, he spoke in religious terms frequently, repeating scripture in his speech on the floor: 

“He raised up each of you, all of us. And I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment.”

Speaker Johnson is the youngest representative to be elected to this position in decades, and perhaps the most conservative. He sponsored legislation that would bar the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity at any public institution that would serve children younger than 10. He also served on former President Trump's impeachment defense team, where he recruited other House Republicans to sign a legal brief supporting a lawsuit to overturn the 2020 results. After Johnson's election, Trump praised him as "a fantastic gentleman."

Assuming this role, Johnson immediately faces a slew of challenges. A mid-November deadline is approaching to pass a measure to fund the government to avert a shutdown. He also needs to lead a conference on the topic of foreign policy, as Congress considers the Biden administration's "$105 billion funding request for Israel, Ukraine, and the southern border." However, Mr. Johnson has opposed continued funding for the war in Ukraine, which has proven to be a contentious topic within the GOP. 

Mainstream conservatives who voted in favor of Johnson hope his role will pull the House out of its lull. Almost immediately following his election, lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a resolution expressing solidarity with Israel and condemning Hamas. 

I remember going to DC in the summer and watching a House session from the gallery. It's strange that I was watching representatives celebrate their states' "National Grape Day", to now having had immense chaos in that same chamber. Additionally, the picture above when I visited less than two months ago said "Speaker McCarthy"- that was changed quickly. I wonder if Speaker Johnson will thrive in his new position, or even last long- will he be under the "Republican Speaker Curse" as some news sources call it? 

Sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/us/politics/house-republicans-speaker-vote-johnson.html

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4274682-where-gop-speaker-nominee-mike-johnson-stands-on-ukraine-israel/

Lewiston Shootings

"This is a dark day for Maine," Governor Janet Mills repeats in a news conference.

Yesterday, October 25th, at least eighteen people were killed in a mass shooting in a crowded bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, a population of a mere 40,000. 

Authorities are still on the hunt for the gunman, identified as Robert Card age 40, who should be considered as "armed and dangerous".  He was last seen wearing a brown sweatshirt and carrying a military-style semiauto rifle. Along these lines, the US Army's Public Affairs office found that his name and date of birth matched that of a sergeant first class in the Army Reserve, and that he was enlisted in December of 2002 but did not have any combat deployment.

 

Of those who passed, seven were found deceased at the bowling alley, eight at a nearby bar, and out of fourteen who went to the hospital, three were pronounced dead.

This shooting has had profound immediate impacts on the state of Maine. Due to the small population of the surrounding area,  Mayor Levesque of Auburn states, "We are all going to know someone who is a victim." Schools in the neighboring cities of Auburn and Lisbon are shut down today, and certain schools like Bates College remain on lockdown. Authorities have asked local residents to "shelter in place" and many businesses have remained closed. 

The FBI and other federal agencies are on the ground working with the Maine state police to track down the gunman. 

Maine's gun laws are relatively lenient. They don't have an independent background check system, no red flag laws, or permit requirements for concealed weapons. However, this may just be a byproduct (up until now) of the lack of activity in this scarcely populated state. When issuing a statement on this tragedy, President Biden urged Republican lawmakers to "fulfill their duty to protect the American people" by working with the Democrats to increase gun restrictions throughout the country.

It's easy to write this on the opposite coast of this tragedy, and so I feel an immense amount of privilege that it wasn't my own community that was struck by such an event. But it could be. My hometown of Foster City is approximately the size of Lewiston- could you imagine how a shooting of this magnitude would impact our own area?

I unequivocally believe that legislation needs to reflect the dire state of our nation. We lead the world in gun violence, and this trend isn't getting any better. Between the inability to compromise in Congress, the battle between State and Federal policies, and the culture around firearms, our country certainly has drastic, immobile problems that contribute to the gun violence epidemic. 

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/25/us/lewiston-maine-shooting

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/lewiston-maine-shooting-manhunt-gunman-police-live-rcna122270

House Speaker Race

 Since October 3rd, the house has been without a speaker. As of today, there are 9 speakers currently running for speaker of the house: Jack Berman, Bryon Donalds, Tom Emmer, Kevin Kern, Mike Johnson, Dan Meusar, Gary Palmer, Austin Scott, and Pete Sessions. Without a speaker, ‘the house will be unable to undertake any legislative activity whatsoever’.

Tomorrow morning, house republicans will meet to have the runners present their visions. After this is done, on Tuesday, an internal election will be held. This means, the house members present will be the ones electing the speaker. This might be lengthy because all house members need to be present meaning the nominee should have at least 217 votes. If someone is elected, republicans can go to the house floor for an election that day. The type of voting they use to elect the speaker of house in the internal election would be majority: the runner who receives the lowest votes will be kicked off and then there would be a SECOND ballot with the nominees still running. This process would go on until there are 2 nominees left so this process could end up taking a longer time which means that the house would be left without a speaker for a longer than just Tuesday which could present an issue due to the deadline of November 17th handed by the Biden admin. 

To tie this into pressing events, the fact that the speaker of the house is up in the air means that aid to Israel cannot be received. The biden administration is sending aid to Israel but this legislation is paused until the speaker chair is filled. 

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/10/what-if-theres-no-house-speaker-for-a-month-for-a-year.html#:~:text=So%20barring%20some%20unforeseen%20development,Speaker%20left%20the%20chair%20unoccupied.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/house-speaker-whats-next.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/17/jim-jordan-us-house-speaker-election#:~:text=It%20takes%20a%20simple%20majority,House%20seats%20are%20currently%20vacant.

https://theconversation.com/why-the-crisis-in-israel-is-putting-pressure-on-gop-to-act-over-vacant-house-speaker-role-215401

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/9-republican-candidates-running-for-house-speaker/#:~:text=Jack%20Berman%2C%20Byron%20Donalds%2C%20Tom,interim%20Speaker%20Rep.%20Patrick%20McHenry.

Worries about Israel-Hamas War Becoming Bigger

 The Middle East rallies and protests in solidarity as the Israeli-Hamas war erupts but worries about war spreading throughout middle east rage. If this were to happen, America would have to intervene. After Iran sends a message to the UN saying they will have to intervene if the attack continues, Senator Lindsey Graham delivers a warning to Iran saying “If this war grows, it’s coming to your backyard,” implying America will also have to intervene. This could start major conflicts because a lot of countries such as Russia will have reasons to join if Iran starts this domino effect. Secretary of Defense Austin says they are “concerned about potential escalation. In fact, what we're seeing is the prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region".

In terms of Iran's thoughts themselves, “Mr Amirabdollahian said that he would be contacting UN officials in the region as ‘there is still an opportunity to work on an initiative (to end the war) but it might be too late tomorrow,’” (Independant). To reiterate, this could launch America to join which could launch Russia to join, though unlikely because of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. 

But DON'T PANIC! The chances of this really happening might be slim. "Iran and Hezbollah, don't test us in the north. The price you will have to pay will be much higher. I am telling you in Hebrew what the president of the United States said in English: don't do it," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Iran knows that if they do intervene, it would be detrimental to their own nation because of the sheer power of the U.S. Although "We cannot rule out that Iran will decide to intervene directly," (Jake Sullivan), it is unlikely that it is in the future of Iran. 

As of today, there were also attacks on Hezbollah which has a high chance of leading an attack on Lebanon which can also escalate quickly. 

        - Aria Khanna

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-israel-gaza-warning-un-b2429898.html

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/10/22/world/politics/israel-gaza-peace-summit/

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-concerned-potential-escalation-middle-east-amid-israel/story?id=104197650

https://www.euronews.com/2023/10/18/is-iran-really-willing-to-intervene-in-israels-war-against-hamas-or-are-these-empty-threat

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/video/worries-continue-over-israel-hamas-war-breaking-out-into-larger-conflict/

Aid Convoys in Gaza

On Saturday (October 21, 2023), the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened for the first time since Gaza was sealed off by Israel. Only 20 trucks were let into Gaza at the first opening, which is not enough for the territory's 2.2 million inhabitants. 200 trucks have been waiting at the border for days, but only another 14 were let in as of the 22nd. According to Egyptian authorities, trucks carried medical supplies, food, and water, which are essential considering that Israel shut off water, electricity, food, and fuel to Gaza. They serve as a small hope for the millions of residents, but they aren't enough.

Gaza's Access to Resources (Credit: CNN, UN)

The situation has been described by the World Food Programme as "catastrophic due to the lack of food, water, electricity and fuel, and called for more aid to be allowed into the territory." However, Egypt isn't too keen to re-open the Rafah crossing. The country already hosts millions of migrants, and feels uneasy to handle the hundreds of thousands of prospective Palestinians leaving Gaza. Some hundreds of foreigners are also stuck at or near the border, waiting for it to open. 

Humanitarian aid crossing Rafah into Gaza (Credit: NYT)

In terms of public opinion, I feel that pro-Palestine sentiment has been rising. In England, 100,000 people participated in "National March for Palestine" (October 21), which was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The march was relatively peaceful, with the police only making 10 arrests. Prior to the event, the police had stated that any support for Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group, would be arrestable, and that any hate crime would not be tolerated. According to Reuters, on Friday (October 22, 2023),  there had been a "1,353% increase in antisemitic offences this month compared to the same period last year, while Islamophobic offences were up 140%." While both numbers went up, the anti-Semitism is significantly higher than Islamophobia, likely because of how Israel is handling the situation at hand. 

Immediately following October 7th, after the surprise attack by Hamas, many sympathized with the Israelis, who suffered immense casualties. Less than two weeks later, opinion has shifted, evident by the tension felt at marches, which has been covered by fellow classmates. Clashes between pro-Palestine  and pro-Israel groups have sprouted throughout our universities, and it isn't likely to stop as Israel continues to block off key resources to Gaza. President Biden, as of Thursday (October 20) will continue sending military aid to Israel, in the American fight against terrorism. Several members of his own party, have signed a ceasefire resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. This creates somewhat of a rift in the party, considering most of the Democratic party supports Biden's plan, while the most liberal wing of the Democrats signed the ceasefire. This is related to what we learned in class, where even within a particular political group, views exist on a spectrum.

- Sean Lai

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/world/about-100000-protesters-join-pro-palestinian-march-through-london-2023-10-21/

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/middleeast/egypt-rafah-crossing-gaza-palestinians-mime-intl/index.html

https://www.cbs58.com/news/what-is-the-rafah-crossing-gazans-last-hope-to-escape-the-war-and-how-does-it-work

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/22/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news?unlocked_article_code=1.40w.brdi.SSDnxRDzZe2t&smid=url-share

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-captives-border-aid-f5976ed58ba508f14d45b72b428125ac

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/gaza-ceasefire-resolution-new-york-new-jersey-lawmakers/

Trump’s Ex-Lawyer, Sidney Powell, Pleads Guilty

    

    During the 2020 presidential election, Donald J. Trump attempted to subvert the election results in Georgia but failed. Soon, he and 18 others were charged with violating Georgia's anti-racketeering law, also known as the RICO Act. On Thursday morning, Sidney K. Powell, Trump’s former attorney, pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts. Jury selection for her trial was to start on Friday. She has been sentenced to six years of probation, a $6,000 fine, and a written apology letter as well as $2,700 in restitution to the state of Georgia. As a part of the deal, Powell has also agreed to testify against the remaining defendants and has already given prosecutors a recorded statement. 

Powell is known for her numerous conspiracy theories about current President Joe Biden stealing the election. She spun a variety of fraudulent theories of fraud that implicated Venezuela, Cuba, and China. Another of her prominent ideas was that Georgia’s voting machines were flipping votes, a claim echoing FOX News’ simultaneous statement. During the 2020 election, FOX News, a right-leaning media station, made false allegations that Dominion Voting Systems’ machines were rigging votes against Trump. The company sued FOX, Powell, and others for defamation. FOX’s subsequent $787.5 million settlement with Dominion was the “most-watched media libel case in decades” (AP News). Such highlights the power of the media in their role of shaping public perspectives, but also how exaggerated, audience-drawing stories are emphasized. 

Sidney Powell  (Image Credits: Wall Street Journal)

Powell was prosecuted under Georgia’s First Offender Act, a law that allows those with no prior felonies to avoid having a permanent conviction if they comply with the terms of their sentence. While Powell is only the second co-defendant to plead guilty, but the first of Trump’s close advisors. Her plea marks a possible turning point in the case against the former president as the prosecution cracks down on his inner circle. Powell attended many high-profile events on behalf of Trump, including a Dec. 2020 White House meeting in which the defendants allegedly discussed ways to influence the outcome of the election. I believe that such knowledge will be key evidence in the prosecution’s case. 

However, Trump faces both federal and state charges. Powell is an unnamed co-conspirator in the federal case. In Georgia's state case, Trump’s attorney has a different view of what Powell’s plea means to his client’s fate. Trump's attorney in Georgia “welcomes [Powell’s plea] because he believes that Sidney Powell's testimony will exonerate Donald Trump” (PBS). Whether or not that holds true remains to be seen. The simultaneous cases against Trump on two different levels of government exemplify federalism. More specifically, the concurrent powers shared by the state and federal governments. 

Powell’s deal depicts the prosecution’s strategy of offering defendants plea deals in exchange for their cooperation against “bigger-name” defendants such as Trump. Of the 19 defendants, Trump, along with his former personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, face the most charges. While Powell and one other exercised their rights to a speedy trial, the rest of the defendants have pleaded not guilty and have yet to set their trial dates.

- Chin-Yi Kong

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/10/19/pro-trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-pleads-guilty-georgia-election-interference-case/

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/sidney-powell-pleads-guilty-georgia-trial-85e6543f

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/us/sidney-powell-guilty-plea-trump-georgia.html

https://apnews.com/article/sidney-powell-plea-deal-georgia-election-indictment-ec7dc601ad78d756643aa2544028e9f5

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-sidney-powells-guilty-plea-means-for-trump-in-his-georgia-election-subversion-case

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/19/1207243645/former-trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-pleads-guilty-in-georgia-election-interference

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/media/smartmatic-fox-news-giuliani-powell-lawsuit/index.html

https://apnews.com/article/fox-dominion-lawsuit-settlement-election-6a729ece4b4f351a6334be13b49d4869

Israel-Hamas War Spreads to U.S. College Campuses

On Oct. 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel. In response, Israel placed the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip under heavy siege. Throughout the last week, colleges and universities across America have held heightened tensions over the latest conflicts in the Gaza Strip. Student groups on both sides of the conflict, pro-Israelian and pro-Palestinian groups alike, have been voicing their concerns on campuses nationwide. It's no longer just a civil discourse, but has erupted into violent and potentially violent situations.

The same day as Hamas’ surprise attack, 33 Harvard student groups signed a letter from the university’s Palestine Solidarity Committee, holding Israel entirely accountable for the violence. The letter was faced with tremendous backlash from students, faculty, politicians, and even the former Harvard president. But, it wasn’t just at Harvard where such events have unfolded. 

Protests at Columbia University (Image Credits: NPR)

The president of New York University’s Student Bar Association drafted a similar statement, stating that “Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life” (AP News). The response was similar to that of Harvard, with the loss of their title and law firm job offer. 

Similarly in New York, on Oct. 11, an Israeli student at Columbia University was allegedly assaulted with a stick. The next day, out of safety concerns, the school closed its campus to the public for two conflicting, simultaneous protests only 100 feet, or 30 meters, away from each other. Students for Justice in Palestine held signs reading “Free Palestine” and “To Exist is Resist”. On the other side, Students Supporting Israel held posters of Hamas kidnapped Israeli hostages. Dueling rallies were mirrored on other campuses such as University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Indiana University. 

Such heated student responses act as a parallel to the news of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. A Boston University student group had painted a rock blue and yellow in show of solidarity. Similar to the actions at Harvard and other campuses, it received major backlash.

While some college administrators, like the pro-Israel statement from University of Florida’s President Ben Sasse, have taken stances upon the issue, there has been a lack from many. Some, like Northwestern University, have refused to release an official statement. Others like Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Ohio State have stressed their neutrality. Alex Morey, director of campus rights advocacy at the civil liberties nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, recommends that colleges stay neutral to “create an ideal climate for debate and discussion on campus” (AP News). Yet, there are many from both sides condemning the lack of a stance from colleges. In response to Stanford’s Oct. 9 recommitment to their neutrality, dozens of their faculty signed a letter that demanded “unambiguous condemnation” of Hamas’ attacks. Former Harvard president Larry Summers took to X, formerly known as twitter, to express his “sickness” at the silence of his alma mater. Many universities have faced criticism for their lack of condemnation.

Vigil for Israel at the University of Maryland (Image Credits: Wall Street Journal)

These demands come following a recent criticism of the alleged suppression of conservative opinions on campus. A Sept. public opinion poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, found that while 47% of adults say liberals have “a lot” of freedom to express themselves on college campuses, only 20% said the same of conservatives. The margin of error is plus/minus 4 percent. Under the Bill of Rights, freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment. While protected at most public and private universities, many are scared of the ongoing situation. A September Ipsos poll revealed that 57% percent of Jewish college students have reported witnessing or experiencing an antisemitic event. Colleges and universities, already pressured on one end, struggle to take an opinionated stance upon the Israel-Hamas war. I believe that higher education campuses should be a safe haven, a platform for societal discourse. The personal connections of many participants have allowed the emotional aspect to enter into the public forum.

- Chin-Yi Kong

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/14/1205809697/israel-gaza-college-campus-protests-statements

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-college-free-speech-543aff623d5f54ad6529fe598ae48271

https://apnews.com/article/free-speech-college-campuses-0b2811fb35c9c6288b7517da7c9affd3

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip/card/columbia-university-closes-campuses-to-public-ahead-of-protests-MHT4WNQPoedlhQzmsxM8?ns=prod/accounts-wsj

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-colleges-become-flashpoints-protests-both-sides-israel-hamas-war-2023-10-13/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/10/10/colleges-react-israel-hamas-war/

The Return of Anti-Muslim Mentality In America

     On October 14, 2023, in Plainfield Illinois, 71-year-old man Joseph Czuba fatally stabbed a six-year-old boy and injured his mother in the attack. In light of the war between Israel and Palestine, anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise in the United States. The conflict overseas has once again divided Americans between supporting Israel or Palestine, and as is evident now, this division has led to tragedy. Czuba stabbed the boy and mother and their home in the Plainfield Township about 35 miles southwest of Chicago.

    The six-year-old boy who was murdered was named Wadea Al-Fayoume and lived with his mother, Hanaan Shahin who is 32 years old. Hanaan has lived in the United States for twelve years, and Wadea was born in the States. Both Wadea and Hanaan are Palestinian Americans and Muslims which Czuba cited as his motivation for committing this atrocity. The murderer first knocked on the door of the home and attacked Hanaan who was able to hide in a bathroom in the house. When Hanaan came out of the bathroom, she found the body of her son on the floor with multiple stab wounds. Czuba is now facing charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Czuba is almost guaranteed to be found guilty on all counts as according to the autopsy, Wadea had 26 stab wounds from the hand of Czuba. 

    Before this attack, Czuba had no problems with the two, even building a tree house for the six-year-old. If one thing is clear from this attack, it is how quickly someone can change their mind on something given the right conditions. Despite the fact that the war is between Israel and Hamas, people like Czuba still blame Palestinians for it leading to hate crimes such as this one. Unfortunately, this is not the first, and likely not the last time that hate crimes have taken the lives of innocent people. This attack reflects the mentality of some Americans after the September 11th terrorist attacks who began to hate Muslims, as they held all Muslims responsible for the acts of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Similarly, many Asian Americans were victims of hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic as people in the United States, as well as around the world believed all Asians were responsible for the virus.

       Members of the community have come together to hold protests denouncing this type of behavior and holding vigils in support of both Palestinians and Israelis in an attempt to unify one another and end these horrific attacks. No matter who you support in the war occurring in the Middle East, it should never come down to harming one another on the basis of race or religion. 

-Josh Geller

Sources:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2023/10/15/23918129/muslim-hate-crime-wadea-al-fayoume-plainfield-joseph-czuba-palestinian-israel-war-murder

https://apnews.com/article/muslim-boy-killed-chicago-landlord-will-county-5135dea218326d6e639a996564d9369e

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/15/slaying-muslim-child-illinois-war-00121649