Category: News

Travis Manion Foundation Holds Annual 9/11 Run

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by Jimmy Lee ’20

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Runners begin the 5k run in Allentown to honor those fallen on September 11th.

 

Fifteen years ago, the September 11th terrorist attacks marked one of the most horrific tragedies faced by the United States, one that forever changed the nation. On the anniversary each year, events are held throughout the country to honor those heroes who lost their lives on 9/11, including a 5K run held by Travis Manion Foundation. Held in 54 different communities across the globe, the “9/11 Heroes Run” event totaled 30,000 participants worldwide.

The Travis Manion Foundation was founded by the family of Travis Manion, a soldier who lost his life while serving in Iraq in 2007. In regards to his voluntary deployment, Manion said the following words, “If not me, then who?” This question is now the foundation of the organization.

“The tragic events of September 11th tore through our families and communities, but it did not break our spirit. It only fortified our national bonds and strengthened our resolve. We recognize the strength of character,” says Ryan Manion Borek, the president of the Travis Manion Foundation.

Locally, Parkland High School hosted the Heroes Run, where one hundred fifty people, including twelve participants from Wyoming Seminary, gathered to honor those fallen heroes. At this race, it didn’t matter how fast each participant ran; they finished the run to thank those who entered the Twin Towers to help while others escaped, those who put others’ lives before their own, those who brought freedom to this nation, and others who make this country great.

Running a 5K may seem insignificant when compared to what our military members, first responders, and volunteers do. These people spend hundreds and thousands of hours or even their entire life to serve their country. But at least once a year, participants can gather in remembrance of these heroes’ actions, and to thank them for ensuring the liberties we have today.

“We remember, and we will never forget. We honor the courage of those who put themselves in harm’s way to save people they never knew,” said Barack Obama in his speech on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. “We come together in prayer and in gratitude for the strength that has fortified us across these 15 years. And we renew the love and the faith that binds us together as one American family. ”

Sem Weighs in on the 2016 Election

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Marshall Bursis ’16

What began as a boring primary cycle dominated by two dynastic front-runners has quickly become one of the most exciting and unpredictable races in recent history.

Last June Jeb Bush, former Republican Governor of Florida, and Hillary Clinton—the former Democratic First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State—looked poised to be their party’s respective nominees. And when a real-estate-mogul-slash-reality-TV-personality in Donald J. Drumpf and a self-described Democratic Socialist in Bernie Sanders entered the race, no one thought much would change.

But, soon after his announcement, Mr. Drumpf rose in national poll after poll, following a stretch of inflammatory comments that seemed only to raise his support. He quickly became the frontrunner, leading national polls for months and winning the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries by a margin of 20 and 10 points, respectively.

The rise of Mr. Sanders, the senior Senator from Vermont, was much more gradual. Nonetheless, his campaign has removed the air of inevitability surrounding Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy. Although she is still the frontrunner and likely the eventual nominee, Mr. Sanders has proven himself a formidable opponent, virtually tying Clinton in Iowa and winning New Hampshire by a record 22 points.

As the race currently stands, Drumpf leads the Republican field nationally by about 14 points, according to an aggregate of the five most recent polls collected by Real Clear Politics. Mr. Sanders is still behind, trailing Clinton by about 6 points using the same metric. What makes his rise so impressive is that he trailed Clinton by an average of 25 points last summer.

What has become an exciting election has drawn newcomers into the political process. For many Wyoming Seminary students, this election cycle is the first that they have followed. In a poll of the Sem community conducted by The Opinator, 190 students and 39 faculty members—comprising 62 independents, 75 Republicans, and 92 Democrats—voiced their opinions on the 2016 campaign.

Among self-identified Democrats, Mr. Sanders won 41 percent of the vote, compared to Mrs. Clinton’s 34 percent. 25 percent remains undecided.

Mr. Drumpf holds an impressive lead over self-identified Republicans, with an astounding 49 percent of the vote. The next closest are Senator Marco Rubio at 16 percent and Senator Ted Cruz at 9.3 percent.

 

Mr. Bush dropped out of the race after a disappointing 4th place finish in South Carolina. His poll numbers were not much better at Sem. He stood in last place of the Republican field at 1 percent and received just 1 vote out of all the self-identified Republican and Independent voters.

Among Independents, Mr. Sanders leads all candidates from the Democratic and Republican field, with 36 percent of the vote. Undecided voters make up a substantial minority at 27 percent, and Mr. Drumpf sits in third with 15 percent.

Students have voiced their opinions publicly too. Tyler Maddock ’18 said that he supports Mr. Rubio because he is “the most qualified candidate in the Republican field and has the ability to stand up to Hillary and defeat her in a general election.” Ryan Guers ’16 supports Mr. Drumpf because he “is discussing the issues that many conservatives care about and does not worry about the fallout surrounding his controversial viewpoints. He isn’t controlled by any super PAC or special interest group, so you know his views are entirely his own.”

Sara Edgar ’16 believes Mrs. Clinton is the best choice because she “is the only candidate that will secure, ensure, and ameliorate my rights as a woman. Unlike Drumpf, she has tangible solutions to the problems we face moving forward.”

 

As the races on both sides continue and more states vote, the picture for 2016 will become increasingly clear. For now, though, the picture is clear at Sem: Mr. Drumpf and Mr. Sanders reign.  

Hiliary Clinton: The Woman for Democrats, The Woman for America

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By Richard Hughes ’16

With an incredibly fragmented Republican field, Democrats now have an opportunity to prove themselves as the party ready to move onto the general election and ready to serve the country, united. Even with two candidates still in the race, the discourse on the Democratic side has been dramatically tamer, likely caused by a much smaller and more ideologically similar pool of candidates. Even so, to truly capitalize on this opportunity, Democrats must stand behind a candidate soon, so that the nominee can begin crafting a general election message. Therefore, we turn to our two choices: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Bernie Sanders. His thick Brooklyn accent perfectly compliments what feels like one of the most truly honest and principled messages in today’s political world. Bernie Sanders is for Campaign Finance reform and so he refuses to accept Super PAC money. He is against entering wars without exit strategies and so he voted against the war in Iraq. He is, like many liberal democrats, for Socialist ideals, and so he breaks political convention by calling himself a “Democratic Socialist”. He is consistent and seemingly incorruptible, no matter what political realities face him. What draws us into Bernie Sanders, however, is also what would make him a unsuccessful President. The liberties granted to a Senator, namely that of idealism, are not granted to a President. A Democratic President, especially one facing a Republican majority, could not force through a single-payer health care system. They could not force through free public college education. And they could not promote a Socialist agenda for more than four very unproductive years. A president has to compromise and make significant ideological sacrifices, a task that Bernie Sanders seems unable or, more likely, unwilling to do. It is one thing to be brave and fight for one’s political ideals, but in the end, this fighting must be done subtly, slowly, and with bipartisan action. Unless Bernie Sanders can turn his “political revolution” into an military revolution, then his ideas just won’t pass.

After looking at the passionate Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton starts to seem like an unexciting choice to settle on. She seems flip-floppy and desperate to please the focus groups, no matter where this takes her views. Hillary Clinton has seemed to be, however, unfairly branded. She has committed a crime which has only become a crime in recent years: being a politician. She tweaks her views to make herself seem more attractive, but has never abandoned a generally liberal message. And these tweaks are just proof that Secretary Clinton is a woman ready for the dirty job of President.

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born in Chicago into a fairly conservative household. After graduating from Wellesley College (where she was originally the President of the Young Republicans Club before having a liberal awakening) and Yale Law School, Clinton served as a lawyer for the Children’s Defense Fund, fighting for the rights of children and calling for new laws giving them a more gradual process into adulthood. Afterwards, she served as a member of the impeachment inquiry staff, advising the House Judiciary during the Watergate Scandal. In Law School, Hillary met a charming young beau named Bill and after denying his first few proposals (not being sure if she wanted to settle down) finally said yes and the two were married in 1975. Hillary Clinton continued to fight for child rights and became the first female partner of the Rose Law Firm, while helping her husband climb the political ladder. As First Lady, Miss Clinton fought for substantive health care reform and weathered her husband’s sexual scandal with Monica Lewinsky with grace. After leaving the White House, Miss Clinton became a Senator of New York in 2000 and served until 2008, when she made her first Presidential bid. After losing in a famously close primary to President Obama, Miss Clinton was eventually named Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, Clinton showed diplomatic mastery by helping to ease tension with Russia, navigate a series of messy Egyptian protests, and impose sanctions and isolation to Iran, paving way for the current Nuclear Deal.

Hillary Clinton will not bring forward a political revolution. She will not attack or drastically alter the status quo. What she will is provide a steady, experienced hand to the helm of the American ship, which in these turbulent times is exactly what we need in a President.