Erosion of Democracy
Jack Wilmerding '19, Assistant Opinions Editor
February 5, 2019
A recent Groton alumnus, Victor Liu ’17, is currently forbidden from leaving China, with no charges against him. The Chinese authorities are after his father, Liu Changming, an alleged $1.4 billion fraudster who has evaded authorities for years, and they are using Victor and his sister as hostages...
Vaping in America: a Buzzing Issue
Jack Wilmerding '19, Assistant Opinions Editor
December 18, 2018
Vaping, particularly Juuling, has wormed its way into high school and college campuses across the country. While the explosion of Juuling is unhealthy for all age groups, it is especially damaging to minors due to nicotine’s effect on developing brains. Per Business Insider, Boston Children’s Hospital...
Khashoggi: Free Speech Martyr or Another Forgotten Victim?
Jack Wilmerding '19, Assistant Opinions Editor
November 10, 2018
Jamal Khashoggi is dead, murdered by the government that he so rightfully criticized. He entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul under the premise of getting divorce papers (papers which were redirected from the embassy in Washington, DC) for his upcoming wedding and never left the compound. This was not an “a...
Two Views: Affirmative Action at Harvard
Andrew Porter '20, Derek Hu '21, and Powers Trigg '21
November 10, 2018
Days ago, Harvard University completed defending itself against a lawsuit alleging that it discriminates against Asian American applicants. The suit, undecided at the time The Circle Voice went to press, has invigorated a debate about the merits of affirmative action, a preference given to students fr...
Revisiting Trump’s Letter in the Wake of Midterm Elections
Powers Trigg '20, Assistant Sports Editor
November 10, 2018
Groton has always had a history of public service. There is perhaps no greater emblem of that tradition than the letters and portraits from the last nineteen presidents of the United States that line the halls of the History Wing. Since the election of Donald J. Trump in the fall of 2016, a debate has ensued a...
The Right to Be “Part of the Resistance”
October 19, 2018
In early September, the New York Times published an anonymous op-ed essay from a senior official of The Trump Administration. It disclosed the dilemmas the President was facing, and how the author believed Trump was not a suitable decision maker for the US. If the identity of this official is disclosed,...
SAT-Optional Admissions Will Fail the Test
Andrew Porter '20, Assistant Opinions Editor
September 13, 2018
Last July, the University of Chicago announced that it would be enacting the UChicago Empower Initiative, a test-optional admissions policy mainly intended to serve underserved applicants. This change reflects a growing trend, inaugurated in the late sixties, for colleges to consider ‘the whole studen...
Kavanaugh: Disaster or Opportunity?
Brooks Anderson '20, Columnist
September 13, 2018
The Supreme Court is arguably the most powerful national institution; justices’ immense authority coupled with lifelong terms allow a small group to influence American society for generations after their time on the bench. Any change in its makeup consequently has far-reaching effects – the future of the S...
Where Groton Failed in the #NeverAgain Movement
May 30, 2018
When Annabelle Mata, a close friend and former teammate of mine, walked into school the morning of February 14th, 2018, she didn’t expect anything other than a normal day of classes. She didn’t expect to hear screaming and gunshots while making Valentine’s Day cards in her freshman English class. ...
A Not-So-Balanced Budget
March 2, 2018
Oh where, oh where have the deficit hawks gone? I can tell you this much: they’re certainly not on Capitol Hill or in the White House. On January 31, 2010, Representative Paul Ryan said the following about the federal budget: “the debt and the deficit is just getting out of control. And the ad...
A Joint Korean Team is a Step Toward Unity
March 2, 2018
On January 17, North and South Korea agreed to march together under one flag and field a joint women’s ice hockey team in the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Koreas’ agreement to field an Olympic team under a flag of unity is a tiny step towards a peaceful resolution of tension on the peninsula. The a...
When the FCC Got Its Way, We Lost More Than Net Neutrality
January 19, 2018
What is the Internet? It is a tool for discovery. It is a tool for creators. It stimulates and facilitates modern human progress. The Internet is not only wonderful, but also a necessity in this day and age. This necessity led the net to be classified as a Title II service under the Obama administration,...
Under The New Tax Bill, Everybody Loses
January 19, 2018
The recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is remarkably equitable in its effects. If you live in a high-tax blue state, you lose, because you can no longer deduct your state and local taxes from your federal tax return. If you are a teacher, you lose, because you can no longer deduct teaching-related ...
Kim Jong Three, Two, Un: A Nuclear Countdown?
Rajit Khanna '19, Reporter
May 11, 2017
In another of a series of miscues regarding the Trump administration’s North Korea foreign policy, Trump claimed that he was sending an “armada” to the Korean Peninsula. North Korean officials probably had a laugh when news leaked that the “armada,” which included the USS Carl Vinson aircra...
Liberté, égalité, and fraternité win out over malignité
Brooks Anderson '20, Reporter
May 11, 2017
On May 7, the rising wave of populism was halted in its tracks by a crushing loss for the far-right nationalist candidate, Marine Le Pen. Ms. Le Pen, whose ideology, rhetoric, and style parallel that of Dutch politician Geert Wilders and U.S. President Donald Trump, worried many around the world. Sh...
Venezuela, socialist dream turned nightmare? Not so fast
Leo McMahon '19, Reporter
May 11, 2017
Despite what is commonly believed in the United States, Venezuela’s economic and political crises are not the fault of socialism, but the result of incompetent state capitalism and the sabotage of the opposition. In fact, Venezuela is not socialist in the least. Socialism is “social ownership and...
A little less terrible: the fallacy of Obamacare-worship
Leo McMahon '19, Reporter
April 19, 2017
“Ryancare” (or “Trumpcare,” depending on whom you ask) may have failed to pass the House, thereby saving twenty-eight million Americans from losing their health insurance and between 270,000 and 500,000 people from dying in the next decade, at least according to Vice News. But that doesn’t mea...
Incognito no longer: Congress sells our search histories
Brooks Anderson '20, Reporter
April 19, 2017
On March 28th, the House passed a resolution that dismantles certain Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and bars the Commission from issuing similar rules in the future. The regulations that were rolled back essentially forced ISPs, or Internet Service Providers, to obtain specific opt-in consen...
Sugar, spice, and nothing nice: Sean Spicer, the propagandist
February 23, 2017
Since the advent of the position in 1932 under the Roosevelt administration, the White House press secretary has been the primary spokesperson for the executive branch of the government, according to the JFK Library. The press secretary is responsible for briefing the press corps on issues that conc...
Burqa(n) or Burqa(nt)? Groton’s Muslims share their views
January 26, 2017
On January 10, the production and sale of burqas—clothing worn in public by some Islamic women—was banned in all of Morocco for security reasons. A burqa is a full-body garment that covers the neck and head of the wearer; a mesh screen conceals the face while allowing her to see out. The Moroccan go...
“Yuge” Thumbs of fury: Trump and Twitter
January 26, 2017
One of the most remarkable things about this recent election cycle was the condemnation of so-called mainstream media from both sides of the spectrum. Both Senator Bernie Sanders and President Donald Trump were outspoken against what they deemed unfair media coverage, although Mr. Trump certainly go...
Peeping Putin: Russian election hacking hysteria
January 26, 2017
Of all the claims that the 2016 election was somehow skewed, the most unsettling—and delegitimizing to President Donald Trump’s election—is that of Russian interference in the election. Inevitably, Democrats and Republicans have squared off, debating whether this hacking means Trum...
Gilded Age President? Trump’s not-so-populist plans
January 26, 2017
With the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump and the convening of a Republican-dominated House and Senate, it is clear that America is in for some radical policy changes. AFter eagerly awaiting this moment for eight years of the Obama administration, Republican congressmen will not delay instituting thes...
Thanks, Obama
December 14, 2016
For the last eight years, Barack Obama has led the executive branch of the United States with more than his fair share of controversy. However, with the spotlight on President-Elect Trump and the impassioned opposition his victory has caused, President Obama’s imminent departure from the White House ...
Concessions and Victories: The world on November 9th
December 14, 2016
The results of the presidential election on November 8th came as a shock. Most sources predicted a Secretary Clinton win by a significant margin or had her winning the Electoral College while losing the popular vote. The election was almost certain to go to Mr. Trump by early on the 9th. Despite thi...
After 229 years, it’s time to graduate from the Electoral College
December 14, 2016
The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors who cast votes to decide the President and Vice-President. This system was established in 1877, at a time when the federal government did not trust its citizens to vote directly for their senators or president. And although we now vote directly for our se...
My only regret is that I have but one can of spray paint
October 21, 2016
Here’s a fun fact: a current United States presidential candidate has a warrant out for her arrest. To the disappointment of about fifty percent of Americans, I’m talking about Jill Stein, the Green Party’s current candidate for President of the United States. On September 7 of this year, a judge...
Breaking the (terror empathy) barrier
October 7, 2016
Taking the volume of media coverage as an indicator of terror attacks, it would be fair to assume that the world was destroying itself in an inferno of terror. However, the incidence of terrorism actually decreased worldwide in 2015, increasing only in the West, a region subjected to few terror attacks...
Something red, something blue, something’s missing?
October 7, 2016
At the first presdidential debate on September 26th, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had a battle for the ages in front of a record-setting audience. It was quite a performance from both candidates. Trump used his traditional style of aggressive and combative tactics, scoring points with some great...
On hashtags and haters
October 7, 2016
A record-breaking total of eighty million viewers tuned in to the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on September 26. And that figure from CNN Money doesn’t even include online viewers. The record to beat was the 1980 debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. With...
Trust me, you’re wrong
October 7, 2016
At Groton there are three different types of students: Students who are extremely democratic/liberal, students who are highly republican/conservative, and students who still think Bernie is a candidate. I have no problem with being political—in fact, I think it’s very important for us, as adolescents,...
John Oliver: a Journalist, a Propogandist, or Neither?
June 5, 2016
Since its inception in April of 2014, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has attracted remarkably large numbers of viewers—among them many Groton students—with its comedic commentaries on a variety of issues in America, ranging from the "NSA’s detailed programs" to "putting a cowboy hat on a c...
Loose Cannon
May 13, 2016
Curt Schilling was a popular man, a hero of sorts among Boston sports fans. In Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, he appeared on the mound against the Sox’s bitter rivals the Yankees with what appeared to be red spots of blood on his sock covering his right ankle, which he had...
A Beautiful Story
May 13, 2016
On April 20th, Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew announced huge changes to the face of the US dollar. The biggest change: sliding Andrew Jackson to the back of the $20 bill, and putting Harriet Tubman on the front. The announcement came as a surprise. Everyone had expected Alexander Hamilton to...
Hipstermination
May 13, 2016
Judging by how much we all make fun of Langa Chinyoka’s '17 mason jars (out of which she dares to eat brownies), I would have expected her to give it up at some point, but there she goes, either scooping our newest baked feed into her clear blue mason jar or drinking water out of the jar with a straw....
Modern Day McCarthyism
Zizi Kendall '17, Assistant Opinions Editor
May 13, 2016
“I am going to fix the US economy!” said every Republican ever. A large aspect of this classic Republican campaign piece is dependent on government spending, a method which in reality does next to nothing for the economy. In fact, cutting spending in STEM sectors, as Republicans have been doing,...
A R-EU-NION IN THE UNION
Christopher Ye '17, Assistant Opinions Editor
April 22, 2016
On the morning of Tuesday, March 22, travelers flocked out of the Brussels Airport in panic and disarray as smoke trailed behind them. Two suicide bombers had detonated at the airport, killing at least ten and injuring scores more. Later that day, the same horror was repeated at Maelbeek metro station....
Security or Liberty?
April 22, 2016
With the battle between the FBI and Apple finally over, we look back at it and realize that along with the battle in the courts between the two parties, with the former demanding that the tech giant unlock the the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone, there was also a public relations battle. A poll conducted...
Curing Democracy’s Headache
Rand Hough '17, Assistant Opinions Editor
April 22, 2016
A few months ago, I saw the trailer for a movie called Concussion. It is about the NFL scandal (circa 2007) over the effects of frequent and forceful blows to the head. Will Smith portrays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian forensic pathologist whose research caused the scandal. I doubt I will ever forget...
The Conservative Case for Bernie Sanders
Rand Hough '17, Assistant Opinions Editor
February 9, 2016
“All accumulation, therefore, of personal property, beyond what a man’s own hands produce, is derived to him by living in society; and he owes on every principle of justice, of gratitude, and of civilization, a part of that accumulation back again to society from whence the whole came.” - Thomas P...