{"id":1230,"date":"2016-12-05T12:03:22","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T17:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=1230"},"modified":"2016-12-05T12:03:22","modified_gmt":"2016-12-05T17:03:22","slug":"attack-on-liberty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=1230","title":{"rendered":"Attack on liberty"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lauren Pankin<\/strong>
\nThe Tower
\nGrosse Pointe South HS
\n1st Place
\nDivision 1, News Writing
\nNews Story<\/p>\n

Following\u00a0<\/span>a double suicide\u00a0<\/span>bombing in southern\u00a0<\/span>Beirut that killed at least\u00a0<\/span>43 people on Nov. 12 and a\u00a0<\/span>series of attacks in Paris that\u00a0<\/span>killed at least 129 people on Nov.<\/span>13, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder halted\u00a0<\/span>the Syrian refugee e<\/span>ff<\/span>ort in Michigan on\u00a0<\/span>Sunday, Nov. 15, according to a statement\u00a0<\/span>released by the governor\u2019s o<\/span>ffi<\/span>ce.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Both terrorist attacks were perpetrated by<\/span>the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),\u00a0<\/span>according to \u201c<\/span>Th<\/span>e New York Times.\u201d ISIL\u2019s forc<\/span>es are concentrated in Iraq and Syria, and the\u00a0<\/span>violence of civil war and extremist terrorism has\u00a0<\/span>prompted the migration of an estimated 9 million\u00a0<\/span>refugees, according to syrianrefugees.eu.<\/p>\n

<\/span>For French teacher Amanda Moon, news of the<\/span>Parisian attack elicited shock, surprise and sadness,\u00a0<\/span>she said. With family, friends and students in France,\u00a0<\/span>Moon said she is grateful no one she personally\u00a0<\/span>knows was involved in the terrorist attacks, although\u00a0<\/span>she remains concerned for their welfare, especially\u00a0<\/span>in the case of her \u201cadoptive,\u201d half-Muslim family\u00a0<\/span>living south of Paris.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI think about them and how acts like this\u00a0<\/span>re<\/span>fl<\/span>ects on them–they are such good peo-<\/span>ple,\u201d Moon said. \u201cI\u2019m sad for them, too,\u00a0<\/span>because what does this mean for their\u00a0<\/span>population and for their refugees\u00a0<\/span>that are coming from Syria that are\u00a0<\/span>in real danger and need to\u00a0<\/span>fl<\/span>ee?\u201d
\n<\/span><\/div>\n

Moon said she is con<\/span>cerned that Europe, a\u00a0<\/span>destination of hope for\u00a0<\/span>refugees, will in-<\/span>creasingly refuse\u00a0<\/span>Syrians.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cWhat\u00a0<\/span>do you\u00a0<\/span>do\u00a0<\/span><\/span>now? Do\u00a0<\/span>you suspect\u00a0<\/span>everybody?\u201d Moon\u00a0s<\/span>aid. \u201c<\/span>Th<\/span>at\u2019s just so\u00a0<\/span>unfair to these people who\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>fl<\/span>eeing that same violence\u00a0<\/span>that we just witnessed from where\u00a0<\/span>they are coming from.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>A former French student of Moon\u2019s,\u00a0<\/span>Caroline Forster \u201914, attends the Superior\u00a0<\/span>Institute of Communications & Publicity<\/span>(ISCOM) in Paris.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMy experience this past weekend was\u00a0<\/span>pretty unreal,\u201d Forster said via e-mail. \u201cI was\u00a0<\/span>out to dinner with family when we got the\u00a0<\/span>fi<\/span>rst\u00a0<\/span>alerts and calls. In the beginning, we assumed\u00a0<\/span>it was a small attack in a northern neighborhood\u00a0<\/span>and decided to\u00a0<\/span>fi<\/span>nish our dinner. By dessert, we\u00a0<\/span>were receiving more updates and realized the seri<\/span>ousness of the events.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Because the shootings and bombs were in north<\/span>ern districts, called arrondissements, Forster was\u00a0<\/span>geographically removed from the terrorist attacks,\u00a0<\/span>she said. Upon arriving safely home to her Western\u00a0<\/span>neighborhood of Levallois, she marked herself safe on\u00a0<\/span>her Facebook page, and spent the majority of Friday\u00a0<\/span>night and early Saturday morning watching the\u00a0n<\/span>ews.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Going into the city for class on Monday made\u00a0<\/span>Forster nervous, she said.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cArriving at school, in the center of the\u00a0<\/span>city, we had a moment of silence for the\u00a0<\/span>lives that were taken,\u201d Forster said.<\/span>\u201c\u00a0<\/span>Th<\/span>is instant was extremely moving\u00a0<\/span>and emotional; my eyes were wet\u00a0<\/span>with tears as I realized how\u00a0<\/span>lucky I was to be surrounded\u00a0<\/span>by classmates and friends\u00a0<\/span>during this di<\/span>ffi<\/span>cult\u00a0<\/span>time.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
Forster\u2019s daily activities will be greatly impacted by the terrorist at<\/span>tacks, she said. While the city is in a state of emergency, Forster plans\u00a0<\/span>to avoid large public areas like the metro, shopping centers and tourist\u00a0<\/span>areas like the Place de la Republique, Ei<\/span>ff<\/span>el Tower and Montmartre.\u00a0<\/span>Within Forster\u2019s class, students are constantly updating each other on<\/span>Facebook to be sure that they all get home safely from school.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI am not frightened because I am aware that the city is doing ev<\/span>erything it can to protect us, there is nothing more that I can do for\u00a0<\/span>that,\u201d Forster said. \u201cI know that I must not be scared because that is\u00a0<\/span>exactly what these terrorists want- for us to be terrorized. But I am\u00a0<\/span>ready to stand with my city and protect our values and culture.”<\/p>\n

<\/span>Rumored or hoaxed bomb alerts have occurred frequently since\u00a0<\/span>the attacks, Forster said.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cGetting these updates de<\/span>fi<\/span>nitely enables the\u00a0<\/span>fi<\/span>ght or\u00a0<\/span>fl<\/span>ight action\u00a0<\/span>that does make the hair on my arms stand straight up, and I know that<\/span>I must make a conscious decision to bring myself to a safe location.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Forster said. \u201cAlthough I am doing my best, and I love living in Paris,\u00a0<\/span>it is a time like this that I wish I could come home to Grosse Pointe for<\/span>a day to be surrounded by familiar faces and memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Grappling with the second terrorist attack in Beirut, Carol\u00a0<\/span>Handilah \u201916 said her family\u2019s decision to move to America was cata<\/span>lyzed by escalating violence in Lebanon thirty years ago.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Fleeing war, the parents of Carol Handilah \u201916 immigrated from\u00a0<\/span>Lebanon with other family members in the 1980s. An aunt, who lives\u00a0<\/span>in Canada, was friends with a woman who died in the Nov. 12 Beirut\u00a0<\/span>bombings.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cFor them (my parents), news of violence in Beirut is something\u00a0<\/span>that happens regularly, it\u2019s not something that is new,\u201d Handilah said.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Before the 1980s, Beirut was dramatically di<\/span>ff<\/span>erent because few re<\/span>strictions were imposed and there was little violence, Handilah said.\u00a0<\/span>Now, her family has grown accustomed to almost daily reports of ter<\/span>rorist attacks in their home city.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It\u2019s truly tragic,\u201d Handilah said. \u201cMy family is praying for the safe<\/span>ty of everyone in Beirut.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Following both terrorist attacks, at a G20 summit on Nov. 16 in<\/span>Antalya, Turkey, President Barack Obama said, \u201cISIS is the face of\u00a0<\/span>evil. Our goal is to \u2026 destroy this barbaric organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Although American politicians are united in the goal to end ISIL\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>terrorism, they are divided on how to achieve this result, AP Govern<\/span>ment teacher Michael Rennell said.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cObama thinks what they\u2019re doing is working, and it will take a<\/span>long time, but the policy itself is working,\u201d Rennell said. \u201cFor right\u00a0<\/span>now, I think they\u2019re going to stick with drone strikes and try to take<\/span>out the political leaders of ISIS, but we\u2019ll see what the future holds.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>With the 2016 presidential campaign in full swing, both Demo<\/span>cratic and Republican presidential candidates have been outspoken\u00a0<\/span>about their views on America\u2019s role in the struggle against ISIL, Ren<\/span>nell said.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cI take a look at the election and say, \u2018since 1950, there have been\u00a0<\/span>two issues that have been the top two issues for every single election,\u00a0<\/span>and that\u2019s the economy and foreign policy,\u2019\u201d Rennell said . \u201c<\/span>Th<\/span>is is\u00a0<\/span>probably one of the most de<\/span>fi<\/span>nitive parts of the foreign policy because\u00a0<\/span>there\u2019s de<\/span>fi<\/span>nitely a decided di<\/span>ff<\/span>erence between Republicans and Dem<\/span>ocrats.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Rennell said a clear example of the di<\/span>ff<\/span>erence between the parties\u00a0<\/span>was the Democrats\u2019 insistence that the terrorists were extremist Ji<\/span>hadists, while the Republicans claimed the perpetrators were Islamic\u00a0<\/span>terrorists.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Th<\/span>is brutal and barbaric group (ISIL) is perverting the name of a\u00a0<\/span>great world religion,\u201d candidate Martin O\u2019Malley said during the Nov.<\/span>14 Democratic debate in Des Moines, Iowa.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Meanwhile, Republican candidate Marco Rubio tweeted on Nov.<\/span>13 that America should assist the French government in\u00a0<\/span>fi<\/span>nding those\u00a0<\/span>responsible and bringing them to justice.<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Th<\/span>e #ParisAttacks are a wake up call.\u00a0<\/span>Th<\/span>is is a clash of civiliza<\/span>tions. Either they win or we win,\u201d Rubio tweeted on Nov. 14.<\/p>\n

<\/span>While the Republicans are much more about striking out, the<\/span>Democrats generally agree with Obama\u2019s policy, Rennell said. How-<\/span>ever, politicians may ultimately have little say in the involvement of<\/span>American troops.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cIf France happens to invoke Article 5 of the NATO Charter, then\u00a0<\/span>some NATO troops may be involved, and we\u2019re a big part of NATO\u00a0<\/span>troops,\u201d Rennell said. \u201cWho knows where the escalation will be. Only\u00a0<\/span>time can tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Following criticism from \u201c<\/span>Th<\/span>e New York Times\u201d on Nov. 15 that\u00a0<\/span>the Beirut bombings received less public sympathy and attention than\u00a0<\/span>the Paris attacks, Moon said she discussed this controversy with her\u00a0<\/span>students.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cMany other attacks have gone unnoticed and undiscussed, and\u00a0<\/span>that that\u2019s a serious problem,\u201d Moon said. \u201cMaybe what comes out of\u00a0<\/span>this in some sort of a, dare I say positive, is that we are forced to see\u00a0<\/span>more how this situation touches people from around the world, and\u00a0<\/span>not just in Paris.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lauren Pankin The Tower Grosse Pointe South HS 1st Place Division 1, News Writing News Story<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[50,4],"tags":[135,20],"class_list":["post-1230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-newsstory","category-nw","tag-2015-16","tag-division1","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Riley Anson","author_link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?author=4"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6K0n6-jQ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}