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VOL. XCIX, NO. 14
Student tests positive for TB SAMANTHA BARTHOLOMEW NEWS EDITOR
A Riverside City College student has reportedly tested positive for tuberculosis, according to the Riverside County Department of Public Health. Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that can only be spread by several hours of close contact a day with someone who has it, health officials say. It can be fatal if not treated properly. Patients are usually treated for several months with antibiotics. However, not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. People who are infected, but do not become sick, have what is called latent TB infection. People who have latent TB infection do not have any symptoms and cannot spread TB to others, but some people with latent TB infection can go on to get active TB disease. The health department sent an email to all Riverside Community College District faculty about the issue May 14, informing the
IMAGE COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS
Over 200 students and faculty have been exposed to TB. Free testing is provided by local health clinics. general procedure is to look at faculty that the college is aware the student’s class schedule and that a student has tested positive notify all individuals that might for active tuberculosis. have had close contact with the Public health officials are infected student. in the process of assessing and Once notified, potentially notifying students, faculty and exposed students were told staff who have been possibly to get tested. Testing has exposed. primarily been done through the Health and college officials Riverside County Public Health met May 15 to discuss the plan Department. However, the initial of action on informing potentially email states that RCC’s Student exposed students and faculty. Health Services will also be According to Jose Arballo, available. public information officer, the
Irving Hendrick, interim RCC president, was unavailable for comment. Students were notified the morning of May 15 with the same email sent to faculty the previous day. A joint press release issued by health and school officials May 16 stated that more than 200 students and faculty may have been exposed to the illness. The college sent letters to notify potentially exposed students May 17, while staff members who may have been exposed have already received notification from the college. However, the press release was never issued to students. Affected students are being advised to be tested at a local community health clinic at no cost. However, those who have not received notification are not considered to be at risk for exposure and TB testing is not recommended. “While the risk of infection is low, it’s important that those who are notified take the time to get tested,” Kaiser said in the press release. “If you do test positive, we can treat you promptly.”
RCC spreads sexual assault awareness MARISSA MORENO ASSISTANT EDITOR
When it comes to sex, any form of response that is not explicitly stated as “yes,” means no. Students addressed consent during the Sexual Assault Prevention Workshop that was held in the Charles A. Kane Building at Riverside City College on May 16. The workshop focused on the services provided through the Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center, how rape trauma affects the brain and the dangers of victim blaming and rape culture. “For some people it can be difficult to talk about because they feel like a part of them has been taken away,” RCC student Allan Beschorner said. “Even if it doesn’t affect you, it’s still something more people need to know about.” Those present at the workshop wanted to learn about the resources available and how to provide emotional support for survivors. “The most important thing you can do is just being a listening ear,” Alexa Thomason, institution advocate and educator at Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center, said. “(Survivors) don’t
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expect anything except that you believe them.” California Penal Code 243.4 defines sexual assault as any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Additionally, California Penal Code 261 defines rape as nonconsensual intercourse and intercourse means any penetration no matter how slight. “Sexual assault is the most underreported crime in America,” Thomason said. “More than 90 percent of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault and what I hear is ‘I’m not going to report it because I don’t want to ruin their future,’ or, ‘It was probably my fault because I was drinking anyway,’ and I try to explain to them that rape culture has made them think this way.” A common misconception of sexual assault is that it is generally perpetrated by strangers. In reality 59 percent of perpetrators of sexual assault crimes are acquaintances of the victim, 37 percent of them are family members and only 7 percent are strangers, according to the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network. “We have to change the way we look at sexual assault,
MAY 24, 2018
WHAT’S INSIDE
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RCC walks for mental health
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ySPORTS
Track and field team falls short
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“Power and control: that is what motivates sexual assault.” -- Alexa Thomason
change the way we’re looking at rape,” Thomason said. “Power and control: that is what sexual assault is motivated by.” Thomason urged the audience to let their friends and family know that survivors can seek help at any hospital and they will eventually be redirected to a crisis center in their area. RARCC has an advocate program meant to assist survivors of sexual assault transition from crisis to recovery. “We will sit down with the survivor and we’ll let them know what the (forensic) process will look like,” Thomason said. “We will try to make it the least painful as we can.” The advocates also accompany survivors to their court sessions and provide support for a victim’s family members. Thomason also discussed that survivors of sexual assault have different emotional responses.
VICTOR DURAN | VIEWPOINTS
Alexa Thomason tells students about resources available to sexual assault survivors.
Some victims will be very calm and collected, while others will be hysterical, she stated. Survivors that do no seek help may develop post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives, Thomason added. “Don’t just assume ‘Oh, I’m okay, I’ll get through it.’ Go the extra mile to make sure you’re really taking care of yourself,” she said. “I learned a few things,” RCC student Waldina Lopes said. “I didn’t know about the statistics, or that sexual assault can be by someone the victim knows. It’s really weird. And the fact that consent during sex if the person doesn’t say yes, it still means no.”
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Local band spans genres
yOPINIONS
Editorial: Dying with dignity
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2 May 24, 2018 RCC walks for mental health
News
NEWS BRIEF
Foster Youth program expands to RCCD Colleges
MIA MAGANA | VIEWPOINTS
RCC students participate in the first Mental Health Awareness Walk on May 16. Informative short films were shown in the Ralph H. Bradshaw Student Center depicting mental illness. Alexa Vazquez. don’t know how to treat children “Latino households don’t with mental health illnesses. JOSHUA talk at all about mental illness,” “We don’t get books on how BURCIAGA Vazquez said. to raise somebody. I didn’t get STAFF REPORTER Vazquez described how her that book on how to raise my uncle was found dead and that son with schizophrenia,” Algarin police ruled his death as a suicide. said. Members of the AmeriCorps However, friends and family She explains that mental Student Ambassador Program members rejected the cause of health issues are ignored in and the Student Health and death. diverse communities and how Psychological Services at “They were like, ‘Oh no, that this affected her ability to care Riverside City College hosted would be the last possible resort. for her son. their first Mental Health He was killed, somebody killed “He came home and he Awareness Walk on May 16. him,’ and I think (they) just have told me that he needed to see Participants wore green to look at the bigger picture and a psychiatrist,” Algarin said. wristbands and ribbons see that he wasn’t OK,” Vazquez “I’m hispanic. We don’t have symbolizing that people with a said. psychiatrists in our family.” mental health diagnosis can still RCC student Madeline Norris Her son sought help by live a full and healthy life. suffered from depression and himself and Algarin received a Kevin Wurtz, mental health anxiety at an early age but her call the next day from a nurse supervisor for the Student Health parents and her teachers refused telling her that he has has a and Psychological Services, to acknowledge her condition. chemical imbalance and needs hopes that the walk will show She explains that she wasn’t medication. that mental health affects many able to receive help until she “I was so blessed that my students. suffered from a mental breakdown son had the courage to do that After the walk, participants at the age of 16. Norris promptly because I hear kids every single gathered in the Ralph H. filed an appointment on her own day not say anything, struggling, Bradshaw Student Center where to see a therapist. their families not believing them, they saw short films depicting “I finally knew something again because families don’t different mental illnesses. is wrong with me and someone know,” Algarin said. One film discussed how was finally there to help me,” She encourages the audience marginalized communities Norris said. to speak with professionals who rarely talk about mental health, Guest speaker Maria D. can help and reminded them that a message that particularly Algarin said that most parents recovery is possible. resonated with RCC student
The California Community College Chancellor’s Office announced the expansion of the NextUp program to 15 additional California community colleges, including the three Riverside Community College District colleges. Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support gives current and former California foster youth extra support when pursuing their higher education goals at a local community college. “Students in foster care often face a more challenging path to higher education than many of their peers,” Eloy Ortiz Oakley, California Community Colleges chancellor, said. “Expanding this important program to more colleges will give more foster youth the tools they need to succeed in college and help them accomplish their higher educational goals.”
AMPUS CRIMES May 8 Hit and Run There was a hit and run in the parking structure by the Digital Library Auditorium. The two cars involved were a blue Hyundai Elantra and a gray Toyota Camry. The drivers involved are both students. May 9 Assault Two Gateway students assaulted an unknown female student in the Riverside City College cafeteria. No suspect information is available. May 10 Driver arrested A driver was arrested for driving with a suspended license by the Automotive Technology department. No suspect information is available. May 11 Vandalism A Honda sedan was vandalised in the parking structure by the Digital Library Auditorium. The victim was a student. No suspect information is available.
SPORTS
May 24, 2018
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- Vince Lombardi
Tigers take podium spots at state “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.”
AUSTIN TURNER STAFF REPORTER
The Riverside City College track and field season was filled with broken records and dominant perfomances against top-tier competition. Unfortunately for the Tigers, both teams fell short of ending the season with a state title. The RCC men put up a worthy fight at the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships on May 18-19 in Bakersfield. They put up 122 points, good for a second place finish in a stacked field of excellent track and field programs. They fell just short of the gold, which went to the Mounties of Mt. San Antonio College with 160 points. This year marks their second consecutive season as the state runner-up. The lone individual state champion for the Tigers was freshman standout Antonio Mitchell. He had a dominant performance in the 100-meter dash with a blazing fast 10.47 seconds. Mitchell also had a third place finish in the 200-meter, clocking in at 21.41 seconds. Keylan Dennis was the only other RCC men’s sprinter who was able to grab a medal, as he ran a 47.19 in the 400-meter, good for third place. Dennis was also a key contributor to the state champion 4x100 relay team, which finished first with a mark of 39.69. Other runners on the relay included Christopher Shiley, Jamal Palmer and Keanon Dennis.
ILLUSTRATION BY KARISSA MARTINEZ
Middle distance star Alec Hall had a pair of second place medals at the championships, grabbing silver in the 800-meter with a time of 1:52.05 and the 1500-meter at 3:54.54. Hall fell just short of the state title in the 800, finishing only .03 seconds behind College of the Sequoia’s Tyler Gonzalez. Distance events weren’t as kind to the Tigers, as Jeffery Robbins produced the only podium finish, placing third in the 3000 steeplechase at 9:35.83. Jordon Davis and Alec Jones represented RCC in the discus throw, grabbing second and
third-place respectively. Davis edged Jones out for second with a throw of 50.75 meters, while Jones had a great toss himself at 50.41 meters. Jones also earned third place in the hammer throw with a mark of 51.72 meters. The women finished on the podium for a remarkable seventh season in a row, as they scored 54 points en route to a third place finish behind Mt. SAC and Cerritos College. For RCC women’s coach Damien Smith, a third place finish marks a successful season. “Our goal is always the podium,” Smith said.
Helping the Tigers reach the podium was Dejiah Joseph, the sole medalist in the track events for the RCC women, who earned second place in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:04.34. The field events were a success for the Tigers, as Katelyn Baker took second in the triple jump with a leap of 37’ 9.5.” Angelique Hudson also received second, taking the silver in the shot put at 43’ 9.25.” RCC took third in two relay events. The 4x100 finished in 48.38 seconds thanks to solid performances from Erica Menchaca, Argnae Meyers,
Michelle Pickens and Maryjane Smith. The 4x400 relay including Makenzie Matteson, Joseph, Meyers and Smith also put up a great run of 3:53.46. The performance at the CCCAA State Championships lived up to RCC’s reputation as a major contender in track and field. The second and third place finish validate the hard work that the team put in this season. RCC will look to improve next year as they look to retake the crown from Mt. SAC as top track and field program in California.
only five hits each. RCC’s starter Daniel Martinez was remarkable. Both of Orange Coast’s runs were unearned, as Martinez struck out seven Pirates without allowing any walks, with a single hit batter. The superb performance ended a brilliant year on the mound for Martinez. He finished the season with a 7-4 record and a 2.51 earned run average. The Ohtani-like sophomore also put up a solid performance at the plate, hitting a double in the fourth inning. Martinez’s numbers at the plate were impressive over the season. He sported a .297 batting average and scored 29 runs. Unfortunately for the Tigers
in game one, Michael Giacone was on the mound for the Pirates and he was dominant. His first seven innings pitched were mistake-free baseball. In the eighth inning, RCC threatened to tie the ballgame with a runner on third, however the rally ended abruptly when RCC’s Daniel Martinez was caught trying to advance home from third base on a single from teammate Joseph Hodapp. The wheels came off for RCC in game two, as the Pirates led 8-0 after five innings. Pirates first baseman Domenic Donato led the offensive onslaught, putting up a 3-for-5 performance while driving in four runs.
The Tigers added three runs in the sixth inning and another in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough. The Pirates added on three more insurance runs in the eighth to take an 11-4 lead, before finishing the Tigers off for an 11-6 final. The Pirates used the second round sweep of RCC to continue their hot streak in the CCCAA playoffs. Following the set against RCC, they blew out El Camino in consecutive games to advance to the CCCAA State Baseball Championships in Fresno. The Pirates are among the last four teams remaining and will compete for the state title in a three day tournament, from May 26-28.
The loss ended the season for RCC, who finished with a final record of 27-17. The season, while ending with a brutal series, was a great one. Six Tigers earned allconference honors, including first-team Shane Martinez, the superb defensive shortstop and slugger. Orange Empire Conference second-teamers for the Tigers include pitchers David Barela and Alexander Salazar, outfielder Junior Coleman, infielder Jacob Rodriguez and pitcher/infielder Daniel Martinez. The Tigers have a solid young core to build around as they look to improve and advance further in the CCCAA playoffs next season.
Baseball gets swept at SoCal Super Regionals AUSTIN TURNER STAFF REPORTER
Riverside City College had its baseball season cut short on May 12 as the Tigers fell to Orange Coast College in the California Community College Athletic Association Super Regional Playoffs. It took only two games for the Orange Coast College Pirates to knock off the Tigers, taking a thrilling pitchers duel in game one 2-1. They finished off the quick series in game two 11-6. Game one was a low scoring affair with both starting pitchers throwing eight innings, allowing
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LIFE
May 24, 2018
“Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you act.” -
Leonard Cohen
VICTOR DURAN | VIEWPOINTS
Bad Joy spans genres IMARI REDE LIFE EDITOR
Falling into a local rabbit hole on a Thursday night is exactly what some people need to experience great new bands that are surfacing in the Inland Empire. The Rabbit Hole Vol.10 on May 17 at Mission Tobacco Lounge included local bands such as Zephyr, Cold Cut, Bad Abstract, BasRev and Bad Joy, along with a liquid light show by Stranger Liquids. Bad Joy is a local band that started in 2012 and originates from the Inland Empire. They are a psychedelic indie rock band with a jazzy swing. The three piece core of the band is made up of Jonathon Olaiz (drum and bass), Jordan Segura (guitar and vocals) and Roy Chamorro (guitar, synth and vocals) all of which are Riverside City College students. Occasionally Bad Joy has other local musicians and friends that play along with the band too. They had two guest musicians accompany them this evening including Christopher Warson (keyboard) and Spencer Cohen (bass). With a line up that is more
likely to fill backyard shows, this Thursday night brought in a small but mighty crowd that managed to keep the night fresh and exciting. A bar fight even broke out just before Bad Joy set up stage to close out the night. After that was out of the way, Bad Joy drew the biggest crowd of the night and served their classic genre bending sound that their fans know and love. “You know why I really love Bad Joy? They don’t really have a single genre,” said Grecia Garcia, a Riverside local. The band members are super down to earth and equally as funny. All in all, Bad Joy has high hopes for the future. Playing at The Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Philharmonic is at the top of Olaiz’s dream performance venues. Similarly Segura hopes to play at a type of British wedding but does not list royalty as a requirement. “I want to fill Wembley, I’ll pretend to be Queen,” said Chamorro, the band’s lead. Some of their inspirations are bands and artists like Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Modern Baseball, George Martin from The Beatles, Elliott Smith and Leonard Cohen. They like several genres but
Bad Joy closes out the night of The Rabbit Hole Vol.10 on May 17 at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Downtown Riverside. The lineup consisted of Zephyr, Cold Cut, Bad Abstract and BasRev, with visual a show by Stranger Liquids.
Portuguese and Brazilian jazz and surprisingly house music are big influences as well. According to Chamorro, fans should expect a new eight track album that they are currently recording in Chino in an undisclosed location. The band is very excited to share their music and show people a sound that comes from a variety of places. Something special about the band’s creative position is that their current album “Matriphagy” is made up of fourteen untitled songs. This was done on purpose because each song is actually accompanied by art that has been made by various artists. The experience is both musically and visually serving, it comes full circle. “I love doing visuals for them. It’s good music, so it makes it easy,” said Andrew Platt, the light show performer from Stranger Liquids. If you’re looking for something new to listen to stream Bad Joy or attend one of their upcoming performances. “People should listen to us on Spotify and follow us on Instagram @bad.joy, we are playing Jun. 2 at Howie’s Pub,” said Chamorro.
VICTOR DURAN | VIEWPOINTS
Left: Spencer Cohen (bass) and Jonathon Olaiz (drums) Right: Jonathon Olaiz (drums), Jordan Segura (guitar and vocals), Roy Chamorro (guitar, synth and vocals) and Christopher Warson (keyboard) playing at Mission Tobacco Lounge on May 17.
Life
New heroes fuel Deadpool 2
May 24, 2018
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Entertainment Briefs
ANTHONY TORRES STAFF REPORTER
Comedy show
Hold onto your chimichangas because “Deadpool 2” is out and you know you are hungry for more. The film brought in about $18.6 million on its Thursday night premiere and Deadpool, “The Merc with a Mouth” had audiences laughing. There was much speculation on whether “Deadpool 2” would be successful or fall under the sequel curse, meaning that it would do horribly compared to its original. Although, it is not as funny as the original “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2” delivers enough laughs to go around for the whole family. “This is a family film,” as Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) says. Though sarcasm aside, please remember that this film is rated R due to profanity, violence, and adult themes. Now without giving away any spoilers, let’s dive deeper into the film. It’s a fun action adventure with deep themes of redemption. The main plot is that Deadpool must save young Russell (Julian Dennison) from being assassinated by Cable (Josh Brolin) who travels back in time
Get ready to be entertained by famed Latino comedian, Ernie G. He will perform at Riverside City College on May 24 at 5 p.m. in room 144 of the Quadrangle. This comedy show is sponsored by the RCC Puente Program, this free event is open to everyone.
FITE movie showing
IMAGE COURTESY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) tries to get X-men to join him by serenading them with a tiny boom box. to fix a dark future. With witty one liners and maximum effort, Deadpool sets out to save the child with minor but hilarious setbacks. These efforts make Deadpool question what it means to be a hero and what a family really looks like. Along the way we are introduced to new characters, the most notable being Domino (Zazie Beetz). Her superpower is simply being lucky, she adds to the humor and fun of the film and tends to be very cinematic.
Visually the film is great, with dynamic cinematography used to tell the story. E v e n w i t h D e a d p o o l ’s comments about all of the computer generated images, the film flows fantastically with all of its gory depictions of body dismemberment and crazy explosions. The soundtrack is actionpacked, paired with popular songs that most audience members will recognize. The music is also used to accentuate some jokes
and to set up some of the action sequences. Tyler Bates, the lead music composer, creates an amazing original score for the film. T h e m u s i c s u p e r v i s o r, John Houlihan ensures that the soundtrack will have songs stuck in the audience’s head even after the movie is over. Overall, this movie is worth watching on the big screen, buy your tickets today, don’t forget to sneak in some chimichangas and enjoy “Deadpool 2.”
Book proves Riverside has plenty to offer ANTHONY TORRES STAFF REPORTER
A Riverside to be proud of. Larry Burns boasts about Riverside in his book, “100 Thing To Do In Riverside, CA Before You Die.” Larry Burns is a writer and artist living in Riverside, and one of the founding members of the Inlandia Institute, a publisher and promoter of local writers and artists. He also happens to be a staff member at Riverside City College. Burns held a lecture explaining the unique places, events and community that Riverside has to offer to the world May 17 at RCC. Having lived in Riverside for over two decades and being a big part of the community, one tends to find out great things about this wonderful city. Riverside, a growing metropolis of just
ELIZABETH TOVAR LLAMAS | VIEWPOINTS
Larry Burns speaks about his book “100 Things To Do In Riverside, CA Before You Die” on May 17. under 82 sq. miles, has a growing population of over 300,000 people of various cultures and heritages along with their own rich histories. With a broad spectrum of people comes various forms of art, which is why Riverside is known as the city of arts and innovation. “Art belongs everywhere.
There is no place in Riverside where you can’t find art.” Burns says proudly about the city’s aesthetic nearing the end of his lecture. “Art starts in one place and spreads.” Burns’s book illustrates just 100 of the hundreds of things that people, whether resident or visiting, can do in Riverside. An ongoing example is the
Art Float at Fairmount Park on Lake Evans which ends June 1. Another example is the Saturation Fest going on this May 25-27, which happens each Memorial Day weekend. Ghostwalk which is held in October is an event that host tours of Riverside’s most “haunted” places. With such an interesting community it is not hard to imagine Riverside as a big and thriving city that continues to grow daily. As residents or visitors we should be grateful for this dynamic city. The book, “100 Things To Do In Riverside, CA Before You Die” is now on sale and can be purchased through Amazon. Currently, Burns is working on a second book titled, “Secret Inland Empire” which talks about the spooky history and ghost stories of the Inland Empire. Be sure to check out both of his books to learn more.
Prince tribute band makes it rain ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ in Riverside DOREENA CARTER STAFF REPORTER
“ A i n ’t n o p a r t y l i k e a Riverside party cause’ a Riverside party don’t stop!” There were hundreds of people chanting these words all night until 11 p.m. on Saturday. The Riverside Municipal Auditorium held a Prince Tribute with a very talented Prince impersonator named Bobby Miller and his band The Purple Reign. Miller and his band performed to a huge crowd singing all of Prince’s
memorable records including “Little Red Corvette,” “If I Was Your Girlfriend” and “I Wanna be Your Lover” and plenty more. The purpose of The Purple Madness Tribute was to celebrate the greatness of Prince and give those who were not fortunate enough to see him live a memorable night full of his most iconic works. The line wrapped around the building as kinds of people waited to get their tickets scanned. “I was trippin’ out on how many different types of people were there, different lifestyles,” said
Latia Harris, a Riverside local. The audience was truly diverse. “It’s really nice to be able to go to somewhere like this and have fun and dance with people who enjoy similar things as you, even if I only know a few songs I wasn’t embarrassed. It’s all fun,” said Ashley Sanchez, a Prince party-goer. The area in front of the stage was filled with sweaty bodies swaying against each other, while the middle of the crowd consisted of people who were two stepping. Even further back were large groups of people in
the auditorium seats, sipping on drinks and laughing with friends and family. Although the main event took place inside, many attendees opted to venture outside to the balcony to enjoy the DJs. People would step out for some fresh air just to hear their favorite song and have no choice but to run back in to sing along. Finally when “Purple Rain” was covered, big purple balloons fell from the balcony creating a scenic moment that made the audience relish in their love for the late artist.
RCC is hosting a movie and panel based on the film “FITE” (From Incarceration to Education). It is a documentary film about four formerly incarcerated students at UC Berkeley and their path to education and success. The screening of this film will be followed by discussion with panel members from the movie. This event is May 25 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in room MTSC 437.
16th Annual chili cookoff & car show Arlington’s annual Chili Cook-off and Car Show is a free, family friendly event offering activities for children and adults. Adults can visit the beer garden featuring a selection of beers and wines. There will also be live music, delicious food and a wide variety of street vendors, classic cars and cycles. The event is held along a half mile stretch of Magnolia Ave. from Van Buren Blvd. to Jackson Street on May 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
RCC MUSE 2018 book launch Riverside City College MUSE is hosting their 2018 book launch at Cellar Door Books on May 27 at 5 p.m. There will be copies of the literary magazine for sale, live readings and light refreshments available to the public. Don’t miss out on one of Riverside’s best collections of poetry, prose and art.
Spring art exhibition Are you interested in attending an art show? We l l , R i v e r s i d e C i t y College Community Garden is hosting their annual Spring Art Exhibition. This event will promote art, nature and creativity through various artworks. The art exhibition will be inside of the RCC community garden on June 2 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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Views
May 24, 2018 Tell
us what you think, in a letter to the editor, in an email or use #RCCnow.
The Iran nuclear deal is necessary
President Donald Trump’s abandonment of the deal will increase tensions in The Middle East
EMMA CARLSEN STAFF REPORTER
Pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal will create more bloody instability in the Middle East. After criticism of the Iran nuclear deal, Donald Trump has decided to abandon it. As a result, the United States has jeopardized any efforts to prevent nuclear violence. Americans need to stay in the peace agreement. Millions of lives depend upon the Trump administration’s ability to convince Iran, a hostile power to restrict themselves from deadly retaliation. While he has tried to convince the world abandoning the deal would make America safer, peace with Iran is further away than ever before. When speaking about the deal, Trump regularly brings up the “sunset provisions,” or the specified dates built into the agreement that end the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. He has told the American public frequently the time limits
on these restrictions would allow Iran to become a nuclear threat. According to The Guardian, right wing Israeli Prime Minister B e nj a m i n Ne t a n y a h u h a s suggested the deal allows Iran to cheat by continuing to develop its nuclear program. This claim has been disproved several times by international tests of the subject. As the United States pulls out of the deal with no replacement solution, the expiration date on peace has rapidly increased. This move will not persuade Iranian leadership to participate in a new deal. In fact, Iran’s only benefit for agreeing to the invasive terms of the deal wa s r el ief f r om c r ip pl i ng
IMAGE COURTESY OF PIXABAY
economic sanctions, according to Aljazeera. Trump is now threatening sanctions not only against Iran but any countries that do business with them. He has also attacked the Iranian’s single incentive to stay in the deal. While the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name for the deal, was not perfect, no one else has been able to come up with a better plan. “President Trump should maintain the U.S. commitment to the Iran nuclear deal,” the National Coalition to Prevent an Iranian Nuclear Weapon told The New York Times.
Staying in the deal will bring substantial benefit and strengthen America’s influence with North Korea, as well as Iran. Pulling out of this deal ruins the reliability of America’s word and power as a world leader. Even pro war politicians in Trump’s administration such as Former National Security Adv i s e r H. R . McM a s t e r, Secretary of State James N. Mattis and Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson were in favor of the deal, according to Vox. Under the deal, Iran eliminated 98 percent of its uranium, the main chemical needed to produce nuclear weapons.
It also has been forced to get rid of 13,000 centrifuges, key facilities required to make enriched uranium, according to The Center For Arms Control And Non-Proliferation. Iran is under consistent regulation of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a global independent atomic monitoring group. T hei r re p or t s st at e t he Iranian government has been in compliance with regulations since 2015. As a result of breaking a peace deal that has been working to restore financial and diplomatic relations in the Middle East, America continues to alienate its international allies. Key signers such as members of the European Union stand to suffer economically from the death of the Iran deal. This broken promise will also cement mistrust of Americans in the negotiations with North Korea about its own nuclear program. North Korea has recently pulled out of peace talks with South Korea and may not attend anticipated talks with the U.S., according to The New York Times. Trump is crazy to destroy the Iran deal. Given the horrific wars that currently tear the Middle East apart, Iran’s renewed nuclear threat and this administration’s l a ck of c om p e t e n c e, lo ng term peace is not likely in the foreseeable future.
Trump must take the threat of North Korea seriously
JONATHAN RAMIREZ STAFF REPORTER
Diplomatic meetings are essential to intercontinental peace. President Donald Tr ump needs to take future diplomatic meetings with Nor th Korea seriously. The June 12 summit meeting between both nations has been discussed between Trump and South Korean president Moon Jae-In. This summit would go down in history as the first meeting between sitting leaders from both nations. The objective being
to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program entirely. According to The New York Times, Kim Jong Un recently threatened to cancel the summit meeting with Tr ump due to North Korea’s opposition toward abandoning their nuclear program they have been developing for the past decades. According to The Guardian, Trump’s response disregarded Kim’s threats of canceling the summit meeting. “If they want to meet, we’ll be ready, if they don’t, that’s OK too,” Trump said. Trump is being incredibly nonchalant about a meeting that could bring a stop to the nuclear weaponry of a regime known for its brutality. T his is not the at tit ude we as a nation must settle for when deali ng w it h f r ag ile foreign affairs of this historical magnitude. It is not comforting to know the relationship between both leaders in the past has been turbulent and unpredictable.
IMAGE COURTESY OF WASHINGTON MONTHLY
President Donald Trump visits Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea to meet with president Moon Jae-In. Also, it isn’t helpful that the U.S. currently has a man in power who has proven time and time again to be predictably unpredictable. Instead of being extremely dismissive of the summit, Trump could actually find common ground between the U.S. and the North.
The Atlantic states, the concept behind North Korea’s nuclea r prog r a m ha s been sustained to not have the biggest and best, but to have the adequate amount to defend themselves. This could easily be a place to begin the conversation on nuclear arms between Trump and Kim. The summit meeting needs to
be taken seriously by Trump as it deals with potentially disarming a rogue nation that has repeatedly defied international laws and harmed their citizens. When it comes to diplomatic p e a c e a n d p r og r e s s , it i s important for world leaders to desire compromise even when cultures and ideologies do not exactly line up. There is a significant chance to avert unnecessary devastation from a dictatorship that is making progress with its nuclear arsenal and to make a step towards diplomacy. It needs to happen and it needs to be wanted more than it already is by our current administration. North Korea needs to be tal ked to whether they are ready or not but both sides must cooperate. The world would be a lot safer when nuclear weapons are out of the hands of totalitarian dictators with cruel regimes. It is important to things the right way without breeding more international hate and resentment.
Views
May 24, 2018
7
Incurable deserve right to die
The End of Life Option Act gives choice of peaceful death to terminally ill patients
Editorial
When it comes to the light at the end of the tunnel, for some, peace and dignity is a hard pill to swallow. Some patients with severe medical complications don’t want to prolong the inevitable. Even their families want what is best for them. We, the Viewpoints Editorial Board, believe the people should have the right to die with dignity. A dignifying and peaceful death is their hope. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ottolia proposed a movement to overturn California’s End of Life Option Act on May 15, which allowed terminally ill citizens the right to end their life with the lethal drug Seconal. Ottolia claims the law was unconstitutionally passed in a special session on health care funding. He held the ruling for five days in order to give Attorney General Xavier Becerra opportunity to appeal. Becerra would later seek an expedited appeal. The drug of choice, Seconal, is typically used as an anaesthetic or sedative. It calms the brain for a painless passing. Alexandra Snyder, an attorney and executive director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, said in a press release that lawmakers effectively “hijacked” a special legislative session. The session was called to address access to medical care and used it to pass their bill. “It was a violation of the Constitution to basically slip in this suicide bill,” Snyder said. Snyder expressed that the bill set a dangerous precedent that undermines the legislative process. “Access to health care has no relationship to assisted suicide.” If the emergency appeal is denied the law will be quickly struck down.
ILLUSTRATION BY ROCIO MACIAS
Those opposing the advocation of the End of Life Option law are various health care organizations and Roman Catholic leaders. These leaders started to oppose the initiative in 1992 to legalize aidin-dying, stalling related bills in the state Legislature. Opponents argue that these laws could lead to coercion and abuse of vulnerable patients. “The objection that simply having the lethal dose of medicine results in its misuse fails to account for any other medications patients around the country have … all of which could be misused and in some cases are misused,” the Death with Dignity National Center stated in a press release. The act should not be removed in order to preserve the quality of life and to end suffering of the ill in a peaceful way. The solution for most people in this situation is to end their life in a
violent way. This act would prevent heartache of families whose terminal loved ones who chose suicide over pain. Yet some physicians oppose this act on a philosophical level of enabling approval to die this way. What they are forgetting is that it is not any easier for the patient to try and deal with the pain. Protocols set forth to undergo the process fully validates the patients’ decision. In order to receive Seconal, there is a thorough background check to verify that the patient does in fact have an incurable and irreversible disease. This disease must also lead to death within six months or less. If a terminally-ill patient meets the requirements to receive the aidin-dying drug, the patient and his or her attending physician must follow several steps to proceed, according to Coalition for Compassionate Care of California.
These steps are very carefully defined in the law. In the first six months California's law was in effect, more than 100 people made use of it to end their lives. According to state data, 59 percent of them had cancer. Oregon has had a similar law for over 20 years. As California is only the fifth state to pass this law, a significant majority of its residents support passing this law. Of the remaining 44 states opposing this act, most list this as manslaughter. Yet additional regulations are put in place to prevent the persecution of doctors assisting in the process. The opposition stresses that it may ruin the reputation of doctors as healers, consequently tampering with the physician and patient relationship. “Denver physician Alan Rastrelli said he advocates helping dying patients to use pain relievers and receive spiritual and psychological support to ease suffering,” according to a report published by NPR. Thus, these treatments prolongs inevitable suffering. This is not about blaming the doctors for what they assist with. It is about having empathy toward the patients’ suffering until death. Ultimately it is up to the patient to go through with the process. Very strict protocols are put in to place to ensure that the decision is completely made by the patient. The patient must become fully aware in order to meet the requirements. The need for end of life care has desperately been needed. No one wants to see their loved one suffer at the hands of a disease. If it is obvious that they are in pain, but have the capacity to make the decision on their own then their decision to die peacefully should be respected.
Viewpoints’ editorials represent the majority opinion of and are written by the Viewpoints’ student editorial board.
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