OPINION: Trump is a Threat to Democracy

Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he does not win the election.

During a press conference on, Sept. 23, a reporter asked if Trump would commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transfer of power after the election.

“We’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump said in response to the question. He then goes on to imply that if ballots aren’t thrown out and he doesn’t remain in office, he will encourage a fight over the transfer of power.

“Get rid of the ballots, and you will have a very peaceful transfer. There won’t be a transfer, frankly,” Trump said. “There will be a continuation.”

Trump is worried about voter fraud this election. He repeatedly claimed the large numbers of mail-in voting this year will result in election fraud.

The FBI Director, Christopher A. Wray, is of a differing opinion.

“We have not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it’s by mail or otherwise,” Wray said.

While Trump can be worried about fraud, suggesting to get rid of the ballots is several steps too far. He is almost holding the people hostage. He is threatening the safety of the US by suggesting if our votes aren’t ignored, there will not be peace.

We need to emphasize how terrifying Trump’s statement is. Trump is threatening the basis of our democracy. This republic is founded on the idea that people vote on their leaders, and the decision of the people is respected and accepted. If that doesn’t happen, if Trump tosses the ballots or refuses to hand over power, we would no longer be able to fool ourselves into thinking the U.S. is the “land of the free.”

However, this isn’t the first time Trump has said something strange like this. At a rally on Sept. 12, Trump talked about “negotiating” for a third term.

“We’re going to win four more years in the White House, and then after that we’ll negotiate . . . because we are probably entitled to another four after that.”

Serving more than two terms is illegal according to the 22nd Amendment, which was put in place after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt served three terms and died shortly into his fourth.

At this point, Trump isn’t even trying to

hide the fact he is comfortable breaking any boundary to remain in power. It’s crazy the people of the U.S. actually have to fear a president will become a dictator. It’s like we are living in some dystopian society.

Trump also shares some scary similarities with famous fascist leaders such as Benito Mussolini. Encyclopedia

Britannica says Mussolini’s speeches his facts were often wrong, and his attacks were frequently malicious and misdirected. That sounds familiar to me.

There is no uncertainty about this. Trump is overstepping his rights as a president for the people. If we allow this to continue, the U.S. will no longer be a democracy. His willingness to ignore term limits and discard votes is a clear indication that action must be taken.

The obvious solution to this is to not re-elect Trump. However, with Trump threatening to throw out ballots, can we even rely on a fair answer? Other parts of the government have to take action. Local governments already are taking precautions to prevent fraud, but there have been some cases of election fraud in small local elections. It is the responsibility of the local government to take care of the ballots, and more measures should be taken. But besides threatening about ballots being tossed out, Trump has said and done multiple things that borders on illegal.

Our government system is one of checks and balances, so who is checking the executive branch and why have they gone on a vacation?

TRUMP IS A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY The harmful nature of Trump’s rhetoric on leaving office, an opinion

Graphic by Elsa Pedrosa Noguera

Story by Ava Perpall

By definition, BLM is a social movement emphasizing equality and advocating against police brutality and racially-motivated violence against black Americans.

Since the killing of George Floyd in

May, the movement’s support has almost doubled, but with it’s growth in popularity,

BLM became a magnet for ignorance and misinformation.People took this as an opportunity to deny, villainize and invalidate the movement with a plethora of racially motivated counter movements.

Imagine that. It is absolutely heartbreaking that the value of my life is an argument.

The statement that black people simply matter should never have been an argument in the first place. Black lives mattering is not a political statement.

Black lives mattering is not an opinion up for debate. Black lives mattering is a fact. To argue against it, promotes the racism it was created to fight.

“But...All Lives Matter.” First of all, Black

Lives Matter never meant only black lives matter. It simply means that black likes matter too. The fact this statement alone is controversial, shows how necessary an uprising like BLM is.

Arguing “All Lives Matter” erases a long past of systematic racism in the U.S. It is almost as if people think racism went away after all races were able to live amongst each other. To not “see color” is to not see the hardships that come with being a POC in this country. This further perpetuates the trend of turning a blind eye to racism.

A central problem of this mindset is the denial of white privilege.

Because of systemic oppression, there are undeniable societal advantages that come with being white, so though you may not recognize it, there are certain things you will never have to worry about as a white person. That being said, white privilege does not mean you had an easy life. It simply means it was not made difficult because of your race. Still, as a white person, you may face prejudice or stereotypes. That is awful, yes, but it just isn’t the same as racism.

Even here in Highland Park I was forced to grow up faster than my white counterparts. Not everyone is privileged enough to have racism be no more than a topic learned about in school. Nobody should have to change the way they dress, speak or act at a young age to avoid their predestined stereotypes. But I did. It took me years to feel comfortable wearing my hair in braids. Somehow at 9-years-old, I was already aware of what the world would think of me. When I first moved here, I tried so desperately to avoid the “loud, angry black girl” stereotype that seemed to be tattooed onto me. It pains me to look back at the videos I made as a kid. Not because of what was in them but because I felt the need to add that one filter that would make my skin just light enough to post.

Sadly, though, no Snapchat filter could protect me. It wouldn’t protect me from being called Harambe as I walked home from school. It wouldn’t protect me when my teacher referred to me as a “darkie” in front of the entire class. It wouldn’t help me from years of death threats and online harassment or constantly hearing the N-word despite being the only black person in a room. There’s no easy filter for my skin color when I try to enter the dating world or apply for my first job. And it for sure isn’t there to protect me from police brutality or systematic racism.

Racism isn’t just a man in a white suit screaming “I hate black people.” Dayto-day racism is much more covert and overlooked. “It was just dark humor.” “It was in a song.” “Why do you make everything about race?” “If the roles were reversed…” When we give racism this textbook persona, we allow for racism to become normalized in our society.

And that’s when it takes an uglier, more aggressive tone.

Recently, a 17- year-old opened fire on protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The teen, Kyle Rittenhouse, took it upon himself to “maintain order” because as he saw it, “no one else would.” Rittenhouse showed up to a BLM protest with an assault rifle strapped around his chest. In an interview, he spoke about how his job was to “protect” businesses. The raging Blue Lives Matter activist and self proclaimed vigilante, was caught on camera mercilessly firing rounds at the crowds. Of the three who were hit, two were shot to death.

This nauseating act was public for all to see and caught on film from multiple angles, and one of the clearest displays of overt racism is the outstanding number of people who rushed to his defense. Not only in the media but in our own community, people took to social media to express the idea that Rittenhouse was brave and a hero.

This is absolutely, undoubtedly repulsive. Words can not express the feeling that came through my body as I read the reposts some of my peers made on this issue. Their endless efforts to praise him and claim it was “self defense” were absolutely unbelievable.

Not to mention the fact protesters screamed at police that he had just killed two people, but officers ignored him, and he walked away and went home right after. Yet Tamir Rice, a 12-year old-black boy, was shot and killed on the spot for simply playing with a toy gun. Let that sink in. A black child playing with a toy incites so much fear into a police man that his first instinct is to shoot and kill him. But Kyle Rittenhouse can waltz around with a giant AR-15, be embraced with refreshments and gratitude by the police, shoot at a crowd of people leaving two dead, and walk right off the scene like nothing happened.

And this is why the black community is exhausted. We are tired of begging you to open your eyes. We are tired of having to explain ourselves. We are tired of being gaslighted when we talk about racism. We are tired of changing the way we speak, dress and act to accommodate you. We are tired of rising above our stereotypes only to be called “white washed.” We are tired of being mimicked. We’re tired of “it’s just a word.” We’re tired of having to grow up twice as fast. We’re tired of being seen as a threat. We’re tired of becoming hashtags. We’re tired of being demeaned and belittled. We’re tired of being “just politics.” We’re tired of being murdered at the hands of those who swore to protect us. We’re tired of having to argue with the world that our lives matter.

The fact that the value of my life was ever in question says all that it needs to say. If you notice any ignorance in your own views, I beg you to take a step back, start a clean slate and educate yourself. OPINIONS 29

VICE FREE VICE PRESIDENTS Review: VP debate more presidential than presidential debate

Story by Tyee Arey // Design and Graphics by Elsa Pedrosa Noguera

After the first 2020 presidential debate, the vice presidential debate was a breath of clean, but not fresh, air.

While there would be tension between the candidates and the moderator, the debate maintained a level of respect closer resembling the old status quo. The candidates both addressed each other respectfully, an aspect of presidential debates that used to be the norm.

Moderator Susan Page from USA Today asked about coronavirus, transparency regarding the health of the President, economic plans, climate change, China, America’s role in the world, abortion, healthcare, racism in the justice system and the President’s comments on a peaceful transfer of power.

Senator Kamala Harris, representing Democratic nominee Joe Biden, got the first question about coronavirus. She began the debate with a cold depiction of the pandemic, the cases, the death toll and the closed businesses. The senator stated that the failure of the current administration forfeits Trump’s right to the presidency. Vice President Pence began his response by giving his thanks for all the work put into setting up the debate, and he greeted senator Harris. He stated that from the very first day, Trump closed China, despite his opponents’ protests that it was xenophobic. Doing that bought invaluable time to reinvent testing, deliver supplies to hospitals and begin developing treatment. He claims Operation Warp Speed expects to have working vaccines by the end of this year. Pence then accused the Biden plan of plagiarism, claiming Biden has done that before.

This first question provided all the information needed to determine what direction the debate would head. Senator Harris would do everything she could to point out failures of the Trump administration, while advertising her candidate as Trump’s opposite. Vice President Pence would do everything he could to defend the President’s actions, even the

most controversial ones, while attacking Biden’s previous policies and actions (or lack thereof) in his time in the U.S. government. Much of the debate from this point followed a similar outcome.

While trying to begin the next segment, Moderator Page accidently called Senator Harris by her first name, which caused some awkward laughter and a quick apology. For me, it was one of several moments of the debate that set it apart from the previous one, and was a nice moment of respite.

The debate moved onto the topic of a coronavirus vaccine. When asked whether she would take a vaccine, Senator Kamala Harris said she would only do so if medical professionals approved of this, not if President Trump said so. Vice President Pence quickly pounced on the opportunity to turn that against her by asking Harris to “stop playing politics with people’s lives.”

While this was an incredibly effective debate tactic, it revealed the partisan nature of what should be a bipartisan issue. Medical experts are held to a higher standard than politicians, as they enter their profession under the hippocratic oath. It’s unthinkable that a vaccine would be effective, mass-produced and supported by President Trump without the backing of trustworthy medical professionals.

However, Senator Harris’ words

VICE FREE VICE PRESIDENTS

were still in the best interests for the American people, as she only made it clear that she doesn’t trust a “Trump” vaccine, but a vaccine supported by experts. This was our first glimpse at a series of meaningless partisan jabs that were only a reminder of how divided the nation has recently become.

Whether Trump or Biden is elected, they will be the oldest presidents in America’s history. When asked if they had spoken with their running mate about presidential disability, both candidates managed to completely dodge the question. Vice President Pence dedicated all of his time to attacking Senator Harris’ distrust in the Trump vaccine and Biden’s handling of the swine flu in 2009, while the senator gave a touching, but completely unrelated, background of the long road she’s traveled down to become Biden’s running mate. It’s funny how the only time the opponents aren’t at each other’s necks is when they are both trying to avoid answering a question.

Pence answered the next question about whether voters deserve to know the health of the President. He again opened his response with words of thanks, this time for the support and prayers the President received due to his contraction of the coronavirus. He even went so far as to thank Senator Harris and former Vice President Biden for their wishes for the President’s recovery.

However, it’s hard to commend Pence for his respectfulness when he refused to follow debate guidelines, going overtime practically every time it was his turn to speak. It was commonplace in the debate to hear Page say “thank you Vice President Pence” two to five times before he would wrap up.

It should also be noted that he interrupted Senator Harris halfway through one of her responses for almost 35 seconds, causing her to say, “if you don’t mind letting me finish, we can then have a conversation.”

Later on in the debate, while talking about the supreme court vacancy, Pence pulled out the question everyone knew was coming: “Are you and Joe Biden going to pack the court if judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed?”

While Senator Harris answered the question with a little more grace than Biden did, her response did little to deny the

possibility of Democrats packing the court.

The debate ended with a powerful question from Brecklynn Brown, an eighth grader from Utah.

“If our leaders can’t get along, how are citizens supposed to get along?” she asked.

Surprisingly, Pence was the one to give a bipartisan answer, claiming that at the end of the debate, we are all Americans, citing the unique friendship between the late supreme court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony Scalia.

Senator Harris was the one who ended up using the question to give an endorsement to her running mate, missing a fantastic opportunity to bring the nation together despite political differences. While the importance of this election is understandable to both parties, it was disappointing to see that disconnect. Despite these grievances, the vice presidential debate was much more bearable to watch than the presidential one, ironically enough.

November 3

After the first 2020 presidential debate, the vice presidential debate was a breath of clean, but not fresh, air.While there would be tension between the candidates and the moderator, the debate maintained a level of respect closer resembling the old status quo. The candidates both addressed each other respectfully, an aspect of presidential debates that used to be the norm. Moderator Susan Page from USA Today asked about coronavirus, transparency regarding the health of the VICE FREE VICE PRESIDENTS Ryan Poppe, Deputy Communications Director for the Texas Democratic Party, believes 2020 is the year Democrats finally take Texas back. The Texas Democratic Party is campaigning for Texas Democrats at the local, state, and federal levels and for the Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden. “In 2020, we’re turning Texas blue,” Poppe said. Some are a little more skeptical. “Democrats have a long road ahead of them,” Carolyn Barta, longtime political writer at the Dallas Morning News and a retired Southern Methodist University journalism professor, said. “They are way outnumbered in state government.” No Democratic presidential candidate has won Texas over since Jimmy Carter in 1976. “Reagan was very, very strong in Texas in the 1980s, and a lot of people during that time switched over to the Republican party from the Democratic party,” Barta said. In 1978, Republican and HPHS alumnus Bill Clements was elected governor of Texas and became the first Republican to hold the office in 104 years. From there, Barta said, Texas became more of a swing state. Republicans swept all statewide offices and the state Senate seats in 1998, and by 2002 they took the majority in the Texas House. Since then, the Texas state government has been totally controlled by Republicans. COULD TEXAS GO BLUE? Come election day, senior Sophie Smythe will vote for the first time ever. “I am excited because I’m legally an adult, and it will probably be my first thing to be like, I’m really an adult now, other than turning 18,” she said. Smythe is not alone. Ahead of a contentious election, other seniors who have turned 18 will also cast their vote for the first time. And at just 14-years-old during the last election, the seniors who are now eligible to vote weren’t as invested in 2016 as they are now. SENIORS WHO CAN VOTE