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23/11/2022
Cancer was on our Thanksgiving menu ten years ago
By Sarah N. McDonald
I wish I was right that it had been the turkey making my mama sick.
Thanksgiving Day 2012, the McDonald family made turkey as usual. My brothers and I sat around our oak dining table in our pajamas, as we always do, while my dad gave a toast with sparkling apple cider.
He thanked God for our good health, a fruitful year, and prayers for many more to come. My mother sat idly by, quieter than usual. At 11 years old, I hardly processed anything was wrong. I didn’t notice until after the turkey, later that night, when I was kept awake by the sound of my mother retching into a toilet down the hall. I didn’t know why mom was sick, but the turkey was kind of gross so it must have been that.
Months passed, and as leaves fell and decayed so did my mother. She dropped 30 pounds without trying, becoming skeletal without noticing. She had been experiencing symptoms for about 6 months with doctors’ visits chalking it up to IBS, hormonal issues, stress and perhaps a stomach bug. Constant abdominal pain kept her bed ridden, unable to keep up with my brothers and me. After 6 months my father was adamant that it was time to go to the hospital and demand to be seen.
The day after my twelfth birthday on Dec. 21, 2012, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She was told she had a mass the size of a softball in her abdomen, and that she would need to be seen by a gynecology oncologist as soon as possible.
My mother, once a Navy audiologist and Lieutenant, a sister, active member in our church and community was dying.
“This isn’t fair we actually love each other. We’re happily married.” My father had said, after pulling the physician’s assistant aside after that appointment. Looking back on it now he says, “We had a really perfect life up until that point, it was really just so unfair.”
No better words could have described my emotions during the disease. It felt unjust that something so terrible was happening to someone so wonderful.
“I never felt it was unfair for me to have cancer because, why not me? Things happen to everybody,” she told us. Gail, my mother, had made peace with her diagnosis, seeing it not as a curse or smiting from God but rather just a happening of life.
A challenge that would be overcome.
Family from New York, friends from Pennsylvania, and endless lasagna meal trains from church supported us as our world began to crumble. Faith, family, and specifically my brothers and I kept my mom going. And when the fatigue and symptoms became too much, I would step in to help with my brothers. Both have autism, which made it difficult for them to fully understand why mom wasn’t OK and why suddenly life was so different.
My life began revolving around my mother. While other 12-year-olds were at after-school clubs and playdates, I sat with my mom at chemotherapy infusions. While other girls had their moms buying them their first bras, I remember my father beet red leading me through Macy’s Department store to find someone to help me with a bra fitting. Life was different, the milestones lacked luster, and every moment was jaded by the fear of losing her.
But all the while my mother would just peacefully smile and say, “Every day is a gift, every moment a blessing.”
Two surgeries later the tumors had been removed, but my mother was not able to phase into remission yet. Due to the highly invasive nature of ovarian cancer, there had not yet been chemotherapies strong enough to kill the cancerous cells without recurrence. My mother was offered the opportunity to remain on chemotherapy indefinitely as a preventative measure.
For years, my mom took on the chemo treatments with all the IBS, hypertension, fatigue, and symptoms that came along with them.
We thought we had found a new normal.
But in the fall of 2019, hypertension associated with chemotherapy caused my mother to have two strokes which resulted in loss of vision in her right eye.
With no way to repair the loss of vision or prevent another stroke, physicians took her off the treatment. After nine years, she was finally cancer free and off chemotherapy, but often I ask myself at what cost? Was it worth the years of treatment to be left with only half vision?
My mother said to us: Yes, and she’d do it all over again to honor God’s will.
The world changes after almost losing a loved one. Life becomes duller and questions arise that you didn’t want to ask. After genetic testing, my mother found that her cancer stemmed from the BRCA-1 genetic cancer mutation. This explained why my mother’s sister also had fought and survived breast cancer years prior.
My mom had been tested for this gene when my aunt had breast cancer, but she had no symptoms or a positive test. Meaning that unless she had been proactive and adamant with her doctor to be seen and tested for ovarian cancer, there was no way she could have avoided this journey.
Where does that leave me? Do I have the same cancer preprogrammed in my DNA? Will my body also fail me and lead me down the same road of suffering? Perhaps, when I reach my mother’s age there will be a cure and the trial drug my mother was on will have less side effects.
Maybe when I’m older and feel the same symptoms my mother did, doctors won’t turn me away claiming it was stress, anxiety, or IBS.
I hold on to the hope that someday when I tell my doctor I am not well I will be believed.
Until then, my mother encourages women to not ignore their symptoms. She has become an advocate for ovarian cancer treatments and awareness, educating both families and doctors on the prevalence of ovarian cancer and the symptoms of it.
Cancer doesn’t go away even after going into remission. Hair grows back finer and wiry, but the shrapnel from ovarian cancer hits everyone around it.
Since that Thanksgiving Day, I get sick seeing turkey. I still carry the grief of almost losing my mom at 12 years old. We overcome and we grow from traumas but that does not make them any less influential.
I want to believe everything happens for a reason, but sometimes I don’t see it. Sometimes life throws us challenges and we don’t see the reason for them this side of heaven. Whether they end in tragedy or miracles is not the point.
Sometimes very bad things happen, and we don’t get a say in the matter. We cannot control what happens, only our response.
Photo: Toa Heftiba/Unsplash
15/11/2022
Maine Re-elects Mills- Abortion Stays Safe
Brianna Quinn
Governor Janet Mills has been re-elected for her second four-year term, defeating her opponent, former Governor Paul LePage. This win cements abortion rights in Maine for the coming years. Reporting shows she garnered 54.9% of the vote, while LePage brought in 43.1%. An independent candidate, Sam Hunkler, came in at 2%. Mill’s won the population-dense coastal districts, primarily York County and Cumberland County, which tend to be more liberal. LePage fared better in the northern, more rural regions of the state, like Aroostook County and Piscataquis County, areas that typically are more conservative.
The state of Maine typically is divisively split between the more urban liberal areas and the more rural conservative areas. They clash on policy issues ranging from affordable housing to education to abortion rights. While LePage led the state between 2011 and 2018, his policies ran in opposition to current Governor’s Mill’s policies. However, during his most recent campaign, he centered his policies toward a more right-leaning middle ground.
Abortion was a hot topic issue during the summer but started to die down in this past election cycle for Maine. During his campaign, LePage claimed he would not challenge Maine's strict abortion stance. Maine is a protected state and state law includes express protections for abortion with only a few enacted restrictions. State law prohibits abortion after viability, and requires a parent, legal guardian, adult family member, or judge to consent to a minor’s abortion. However, parental consent can be waived by providers. In addition, Maine law includes statutory protections for abortion. Maine protects clinics' safety and access by prohibiting interference, and more recently in 2022, the state enacted a law that established “medical safety zones” around clinic entrances to protect patients and providers. Maine law also includes public funding for abortions and requires private insurance companies to cover the cost of abortion care if maternity care is covered.
Although it was expected that Maine would preserve abortion rights, there was still significant campaigning from pro-choice groups. Nicole Clegg, the senior vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England comments on this, saying, “We’ve never been in a situation like this where we don’t have Roe to fall back on...the stakes in this election are real.” Like many prochoice advocates, Clegg is concerned that if the election does not “go well” it will be difficult for women to access reproductive health care.
Planned Parenthood has responded to the overturning of Roe v Wade by spending $836,059 this year in independent expenditures in Maine. This is a record amount of money in a candidate race for the women’s organization. The spending has been concentrated on re-electing Democratic incumbent Janet Mills, as opposed to former governor Republican Paul LePage. Planned Parenthood dedicated about 57 percent of its money toward opposition efforts aimed at Lepage. Mills had received most of the remainder to use toward the advancement of her campaign. Planned Parenthood’s spending is still just a portion of the money that has been poured into Maine from political organizations, however, its focus is on continuing to maintain abortion rights in the state.
Clegg claims she was not convinced the LePage would honor the sentiments expressed in the debates or that he would not make any movements toward restricting abortion access. Brent Littlfield, LePage’s spokesperson, had responded by stating that while he was governor for two terms, Lepage never made a move to change the 1993 law. It is notable that LePage also received backlash for his stance at the debate from the Christian Civic League of Maine, an extremely vocal anti-abortion lobbying organization in Maine. Nonetheless, Mills is a strong promoter of maintaining abortion protections for Mainers, which made her the safer choice for voters interested in maintaining access to abortion within the state.
10/11/2022
The Kanye West effect in American politics and its implications on the election - by Emma Feria
Why has Kanye “Ye” West become the surreal defining moment in the midterm elections? It seems as if political rhetoric, especially among far right celebrities, are becoming increasingly threatening to mainstream society, as it has tangible, often catastrophic consequences. In Los Angeles, a hate group hung a banner over a highway overpass that read “Honk if you know Kanye is right about the Jews” after Kanye’s recent anti-Semitic outbursts.
Following Ye’s remarks, Google searches for Anti-Semitism have skyrocketed over the past several days, outnumbering searches for economic issues related to the election, as well as abortion. Voters are increasingly concerned with the rise of Anti-Semitic, far right rhetoric due to its eery similarities to World War II era Na**sm. Ye’s Tweets that were once seen as harmless and erratic have become increasingly concerning, particularly after his decision to buy Parler, a far right platform advocating for Ye’s version of “free speech”.
Anti-Semitism in general has drastically risen since Trump’s presidency, reaching an alltime high in 2021, according to a study published by the Anti-Defamation League in April, marking the highest number of incidents reported in over 40 years. Since 2020, Anti-Semitism has increased by 34%. As a result, voters are understandably concerned for themselves, and their Jewish family members and friends.
Ye was banned on Instagram for previous anti-Semitic statements and Twitter on October 9th after he threatened to go “death con 3 on Jewish people”. Kanye’s statements perpetuate age-old stereotypes about Jewish people being “greedy” and “controlling”. Beyond the magnitude of Ye’s hateful tirades, he is also an ardent admirer and defender of Hi**er, according to CNN. Former executives revealed that Ye had even considered naming his 2018 album after Hi**er, praising Hi**er for all that he achieved for the German people. As a result, Kanye has lost multiple brand deals and partnerships, including Balenciaga, GAP, and his 7 year long partnership with Adidas.
Former President Donald Trump has also found himself under media scrutiny after his refusal to outwardly condemn the AntiSemitism promoted by Ye, one of his closest supporters and friends, making plans to have dinner later this month. This came as a surprise to some, given that Trump’s daughter and son and law, Jared Kushner, are Jewish. Despite having Jewish family members, Trump has also done his fair share of perpetuating anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Trump claimed he felt “honored” by Ye’s statements during a recent Tucker Carlson interview, saying “He made statements, rough statements, on Jewish… You’ve heard them and you know them well, and they’re saying that was the reason. So then you ask, well, would it have been the same thing if he didn’t say all those good things about Trump? You know, you just don’t know”.
In leaked footage of the same interview, Ye can be heard talking about “getting screwed by the Jewish media” and claiming that “Jewish people have owned the black voice”. In a since deleted Instagram post, Ye attacked the Kushner’s, writing “F— JARED KUSHNER”, expressing anger at Josh Kushner for investing in ex wife Kim Kardashian’s underwear line SKIMS, adding “JARED WAS HOLDING TRUMP BACK” during Trump’s presidency and “weren’t serving my boy Trump the way we could have, because, you know, Trump wanted nothing but the best for this country”.
Various organizations and public figures have since condemned Ye’s actions, including the ADL, the American Jewish Committee, along with his former wife Kim Kardashian and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump. The two met for dinner on October 23rd presumably to discuss the issue. Later, on October 24th, Kim released a statement condemning Ye’s hateful words, writing “Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end”.
These are only a handful of antisemitic quotes and incidents, not to mention Ye’s outspoken support for the Pro-Life movement in the aftermath of Roe v Wade’s overturn. On a more problematic level, Ye was seen wearing a sweatshirt at this year’s Paris Fashion Week endorsing the“White Lives Matter'' movement, the counter movement to the BLM movement that was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League.
While Ye’s presidential campaign failed in 2020, only receiving 60,000 votes in 12 states, he has announced plans to run again. Prior to being banned from Twitter, Ye implied that he will run for President in 2024, posting a picture of an image of a hat with “2024” on it. During a recent TV interview, he stated that he still has political ambitions, saying “that time wasn’t in God’s time”. While Ye’s is not an imminent threat to the oval office, the looming possibility of another Trump in office, as foreign and domestic tension remain higher than ever, is a concern that will likely grow over the next few years.
The normalization of Anti-Semitism and other extremist ideologies by public figures and politicians such as Trump and Ye point to the parasocial relationship between conservative ideologies and anti-Semitism. While Republican idealogies are not inherently anti-Semitic, the emphasis on natural born Americans and the attempts to erase complex racial or ethnic identities under the guise of unity lend well to the mix of these ideologies. During midterm elections, some right-wing voters may be turned off by the growing Anti-Semitism displayed by the far right and opt for the independent vote, while more extreme members within the party will likely continue to be fueled by this hateful rhetoric.
Surprisingly, AIPAC and J-Street, two progressive Jewish groups, supported both Republican and Democratic incumbents, showcasing how the right may be attempting to renounce Anti-Semitism in light of these controversies. For instance, AIPAC PAC backed Republican candidates Max Miller and David Kustoff and both won. The vast majority of candidates being backed, however, were Democrats, including Debbie Wasserman Shulz, Brad Sherman, Brad Shneider, Jerry Nadler, Louis Frenkel, among others.
Ye’s close involvement with outspoken, far right leaders and culture-shapers, including Donald Trump, Candace Owens and Fox News host Tucker Carlson, call into question the political platforms awarded simply on the basis of household name. While a celebrity in politics was largely unheard of when popular actor Ronald Reagan became President in 1981, the lines between celebrity and politics have largely become blurred over the past several decades. Action movie star and bodybuilder Arnold Swarzannegar served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011, and other celebrities soon followed suit. Since Trump’s rise to the presidency, Ye and Trump have become the most notable celebrities involved in politics, garnering the most public attention due to their unapologetic, often reckless Tweets and TV interviews, along with their deeply problematic views.
Celebrities have the financial backing and social media following necessary to construct successful political campaigns. Celebrities may even be more appealing as candidates than politicians, since they seem more “normal” or “charismatic”. While celebrities in politics at its best can promote the general welfare, such as when Olivia Rodrigo delivered a speech at the White house encouraging young people to get vaccinated, at its worst, politics can become another entertainment platform to celebrity politicians, a weighty responsibility that is carelessly fulfilled through scathing Tweets and insensitive press statements.
09/11/2022
Dishonest Elections
By Dylan Larson
With the November election soon approaching, there is much question about whether there is possible fraud or twisting of the votes involved in political achievement. In the world of voting and elections, bribery, false voting records, and all sorts of illegal activity reportedly occur. How trustworthy is the political system, and can American citizens place their hope and belief in politicians if they use unworthy acts to achieve their place of power?
Election integrity has become a widespread issue and common topic in recent years. Picking up much attention with the presidential election involving President Trump’s run, it was believed much fraud took place for him to get into office. It was also argued that his being voted out of the second term was due to deception from opposing political parties. It seems when the odds do not follow the favor of the politician, accusations are often thrown out that if success didn’t happen, it’s because of dishonest behavior in the voting poll. When President Trump was elected, many Democrats argued he committed fraud. When President Joe Biden was voted in place of President Trump, Republicans argued the Democratic party twisted and performed unworthy actions on the votes to have the favor fall away from Trump and steal the election from him. It’s crazy to think such claims get thrown around with little proof other than undesired results. But with these accusations being thrown around in what appears to be every election in recent years, it makes the citizen wonder, is fraud taking place? And if so, how?
While experts agree that there is no widespread voter fraud and California Secretary of State Sherly Weber told CalMatters there is no evidence of frequent instances, there have been scattered attempts to cheat. In 2020, for example, the California Repub. It appears there is evidence showing that there are attempts to cheat during elections. However, this example demonstrates this fraud at a low level with third parties cheating. What about when politicians directly cheat and twist the system for their self-gain?
Myers admitted in court to bribing the Judge of Elections for the 39th Ward, 36th Division in South Philadelphia, Domenick J. Demuro, in a fraudulent scheme over several years. Demuro, who was charged separately and pleaded guilty in May 2020, was respon. This article provides proof of how politicians will twist and commit dishonest acts for their benefit in elections. Fraud is not a widespread action, it seems. While much suspicious behavior takes place in elections, much is not proven and leaves the citizens to trust the system hesitantly. But still, why does fraud take place? And how can anyone trust political parties and the election process if there’s always suspicion of dishonesty?
The reason claims are made on a regular basis about how the opposing party committed fraud is all for electoral benefit. It’s a strategy. Claiming the other side has done something wrong makes them look less appealing. Much of politics is a game of who can beat who. Politicians will do whatever it takes to win, even lie and spread false allegations. However, at the end of the day, fraud is not a large enough issue in today’s political scene due to that it doesn’t occur often, or at least it can’t be proven so. It creates a more challenging environment for the voter in deciding where they place their trust and belief, making the system and politicians seem rigged and untrustworthy. While politicians may be slimy, and the system contains innumerable flaws, large amounts of fraud are not proven and, therefore, do significantly impact the voting process.
08/11/2022
A Recession and Political Race: Making Sense of It in New York
By Sarah N. McDonald
With the New York Midterm elections coming to a close today, the next two years will look potentially look dramatically different.
With some experts predicting a potential recession the potential for a rise in GOP representation creates a sharp dichotomy to elections more recently.
New York is such a major U.S. economic powerhouse that election results will be closely watched.
Most U.S. citizens are aware of presidential elections. Every four years candidates race to win votes and even beyond the U.S. have international audiences watching the polarizing debates between presidential candidates and follow their online presences.
However, 2022 is a midterm election year meaning the more legislative side of U.S government begins its turnover. This election decides the seats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. House of Representative members run for two year terms, therefore at midterm elections all 435 seats are decided upon but U.S. Citizens and one third of the Senate seats are available for 100 seats.
State and local governments will also be electing governors and their own state legislatures. The midterm elections matter because “The majority party determines who leads important congressional committees” according to Mark Trainer a writer for the Bureau of Global Public Affairs within the U.S. Department of State.
While these elections don’t decide the president, they decide what the president talks about. Depending on what party specifically has a majority within Congress, specifically either Democrat or Republican, can either aid or hinder the President’s agenda. The elections on Nov. 8, 2022, will decide who dominates Congress.
Often times the concerns for Midterm elections are regulatory in nature, however, this specific year there is a growing concern over the economic state of the nation.
In February of 2020, according to James Hughes, Dean Emeritus of School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University the U.S saw an unprecedented level of economic prosperity with many secure well-paying jobs, low unemployment rates, and stable inflation with fair interest rates.
In March 2020 the Covid-19 Pandemic along with shutdowns and stay-at-home orders resulted in the loss of about 22 million jobs nationally. April 2020 ended this period of loss and began a recovery period until June of 2022 when the job force recovered about 97% of these lost jobs.
But this year, high inflation has triggered high interest rates, lowering the ability for consumers to purchase products, or buy homes.Some experts like Professor Hughes have little faith the Federal Reserve could do raise rates without causing a recession.
When looking at political history, there has been a pattern of the party associated with the president doing poorly in the midterm elections. According to Professor Ross Baker professor of Political Science at Rutgers University when it comes to the midterms this year, the Democratic party may take some serious hits.
To the point that even some larger states that are traditionally Democrat blue may sway slightly as voter concerns change. In light of the recent Supreme Courts decision to overturn the case of Roe V. Wade and thus defederalize abortion as a fundamental right, the states have entered a frenzy as the regulate pregnancy termination.
With this now on the table, experts like Baker see new issues rising in concern higher than usual, pairing along with the economy. Baker says the new most major factors in the 2022 midterms will be candidates stance on abortion options, gun rights, and climate change with the economy leading the pack for anxieties.
What is fascinating political scientists is seeing states begin to change their stances on what they traditionally hold to. New York, for instance, as observed by Baker, has begun to open up to the possibility of more relaxed gun control laws and affirmation of the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. Even amidst increased rates of mass shootings, gun control has become a different conversation in New York.
With states beginning to change certain views, it forces economists to place the economy under a microscope.
According to some of Forbes’ economists (Fannie Mae and IMF) their expectations are that we will enter a recession early 2023 or “will narrowly avoid a recession, which would be good news for workers and investors alike.”
Even the Forbes A.I. prediction software Q. ai is calculating concerns economically for 2023. Others that argue there isn’t high risk for recession say instead that the U.S will simply reach a period of slow economic growth, significantly slower.
Either way, according to Forbes “whether economic growth is 0.2% or -0.2%, you probably won’t notice much difference to your day-to-day life.” Still, the risk of a recession weighs heavily on the minds of voters and thus dramatically affects the way candidates are perceived in all states.
In New York, the largest concern is who is running for Governor and how will daily life change because of their policies. Currently the two names in the mix for New York are Democrat Kathy Hochul running again as New York Governor and GOP Lee Zeldin a veteran and member of the State Senate.
Both are passionate about economic recovery, but their methodologies have vexatious dichotomies. Zeldin has approached economic recovery from a means similar to that of the Federal Reserve, seeking to “cool down” the market in New York.
On his official campaign website Zeldin seeks “to make New York more affordable for everyday New Yorkers by cutting taxes across the board, slashing job-killing regulations, creating good-paying jobs, suspending the gas tax, slashing wasteful spending, reinstating automatic inflation indexing to avoid bracket creep, and much more.”
Zeldin focuses on daily costs for citizens of New York with one of his most recent initiatives as State Senator being a three part plan to lower energy coststhat have been particularly affected by inflation in New York. Zeldin has held in opposition to many of Hochul’s proposals.
Hochul has maintained her role as the 57th governor of New York, addressing many of the most highly predicted concerns from Baker’s previous analysis.
Her emphasis on tax cuts and relief and stimulus packages brings some of the same concerns from the early stimulus initiatives of the 2020s. Hochul plans to bring $1.2 billion tax cuts, provide $100 million relief packages to small businesses, $1 billion dollar property tax rebates, and investing $75 million into raising child worker wages. Her goal in upcoming leadership is “to fight for working families, grow our state’s small businesses, and ensure that New York’s economy emerges from COVID stronger than ever before.”
Based on polling from Steve Shepard of Politico, there is data suggesting that the majority of states will be lead by Democrat leaders, with especially New York being likely of this.
The most recent polls from early in-person voting and mail in votes already show a 58 percent preference for the Democratic Party. What is fascinating is how policy ideals have changed.
Even with Hochul’s statements, the heavy emphasis on middle class tax cuts are traditionally more conservative strategies. Whether or not rationally sound, the research is still in the works, but an average 43 percent of Americans believe we will be in a recession next year. Politicians are scrambling to address these issues and the economy’s movement. As voters of New York enter the polls they will likely see the familiar names of Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin.
However, with the voter concerns being focused on the economy they will have to create concrete plans that affirm voter confidence and optimism. Voter concerns are shifting from long term to the daily practicals of life. Increased gas prices and property taxes raised anxieties about cost of living. To maintain voter trust, politicians will have to address the economy and stabilize it. Not only for the benefit of their voters but the benefit of their election.
New York state has the third largest economy in the U.S. When New York thrives, the rest of the nation thrives. The GDP of the state is about $1.7 trillion coming from the financial industry of Wall Street and stock exchange, healthcare, professional and business services, retail, manufacturing and education.
As the nation looks at the upcoming midterm elections, the individuals at play in New York hold an influence unlike other states. New York City had a GDP of $1.4 trillion in 2020 and thus is a major indicator of the nations economic stability. One city holds the highest GDP in the entire country.
As the next governor emerges from the election we will likely see the economy of New York City be one of their upmost concerns, and the economy of the nation with it.
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