President-elect Trump Knocks on our University’s Door

Throughout the 2016 election, strong anti-immigrant rhetoric was being spewed from much of the conservative party, most notably from President-elect Donald Trump. While the most infamous of these policies came in the form of a supposed wall construction project that would span the border between Mexico and the United States, less dramatic, yet equally harmful proposals have been made by the incoming administration.

This includes President-elect Trump’s plan to repeal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an executive order made by President Obama in June 2012, which allowed undocumented immigrants who entered the country before their 16th birthday or June 2007 to receive a renewable two-year work permit and exemption from deportation. Many DACA applicants have now become part of the student body at our very own university. With no signal from President-elect Trump of any sort of compromise or mediation on the matter, DACA and undocumented students are rightfully worried about their future prospects.

California’s Progressive Identity Crisis

For all the progressive politics that run through the legislative veins of California, including the recent legalization of marijuana and the plastic bag ban, the possibility of a repealed death penalty in the state has surprisingly withered.

Two starkly different propositions concerning the death penalty were on the ballot this November. The first, Proposition 62, would have repealed the death penalty in the state, replacing it with life without parole. Proposition 66 was 62’s ugly cousin–a piece of legislation that sped up executions and let the state look past regulations on lethal injections.

This November, Do Your Research

As ballots come fluttering into citizens’ mailboxes, Proposition 51 will be described as a measure which “authorizes $9 billion in general obligation bonds for new construction and modernization of K-12 public school facilities; charter schools and vocational education facilities; and California Community Colleges facilities.” While most voters would want an increase in funds for California public schools and community colleges, the Foghorn believes that an informed voter would realize that almost every measure on the ballot this November requires a bit of research before making a decision, and we do not recommend Proposition 51 for this very reason.

Muni’s Perilous Display of Ignorance

As professional and effective Muni buses are in shuttling hundreds of thousands of riders around San Francisco, the same cannot be said about their own advertising department. A newly displayed advertisement can be seen strewn across the side of the buses, with a large headline claiming “The Palestinian Authority [P.A.] Teaches Children to Hate.” Large images show a child surrounded by what could be interpreted as suicide bombers, another draped in military garb brandishing an assault rifle and the last being a child holding a combat knife the size of his own arm. The advertisement also promotes the “End of All U.S. Aid to the P.A.” “Paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative” can be seen in smaller, faded-grey text lining the bottom.

A Confluence of Cultures at FIDE

Controversy has swirled since the World Chess Federation (FIDE) announced Iran as the location for their 2017 annual tournament. The country is requiring all female participants to wear a hijab. If participants do not comply with the country’s request, they will face arrest by the Gasht-e Ershad, the country’s morality police. Just last week, Nazí Paikidze-Barnes, a Georgian-American championship chess player, released a statement through Instagram announcing her boycott of the upcoming tournament, claiming that “…I know a lot of Iranian women are bravely protesting this forced law bravely and risking a lot by doing so.” While some have supported Paikidze-Barnes in her choice, other female tournament participants have condemned her boycott, in particular Mitra Hejazipour, an Iranian chess player and grandmaster. Hejazipour stated, “It’s not right to call for a boycott. These games are important for women in Iran; it’s an opportunity for us to show our strength.”