™ HERALD
President Obama
Delivers State of
the Union Address
Monique Kresiman, staff writer
President Obama delivered the
annual State of the Union address on
Tuesday. He began with a quote from
President Kennedy: “The Constitu
tion makes us not rivals for power, hut
partners for progress.” Throughout
the rest of the speech, he continued to
emphasize bipartisan work and col
laboration.
Obama declared that it is our task to
revive the middle class. He said, “The
American people don’t expect the gov
ernment to solve every problem, hut
they do expect us to put the nation’s
interests before a party’s...They do
expect us to forge reasonable compro
mise where we can.” These compro
mises include basic decisions about
the budget. The deficit has already
been reduced by $2.5 trillion, but it is
still far from the goal of reduction by
$4 trillion. If Congress cannot reach
an agreement, $1 trillion in cuts will
go into effect automatically. Obama
reminded Congress that this sequester
would jeopardize national defense and
slow down economic recovery.
President Obama next discussed the
need for “modest reforms” in Medi
care. He said, “We can’t expect seniors
and working families to shoulder the
whole burden...[and ] we can’t just
cut our way to prosperity.” Instead of
cutting Social Security, Medicare and
education, Obama proposed closing
loopholes for wealthy taxpayers.
He further said that the tax code
should help small businesses, not give
breaks for companies that move over
seas. Wealthy businessmen, Obama
quotes, should not pay a lower tax
rate than their hardworking secretar
ies. Again, he urged bipartisan coop
eration. He implored, “Let’s set party
interests aside,” telling Congress that
“we cannot drift from one manufac
turing crisis to the next. Let’s agree
right now... to uphold the full faith and
credit of the United States of America.”
Obama also devoted a portion of
his speech to environmental issues.
He said, “For the sake of our children
and our future, we must do more to
combat climate change.” He reminded
Congress that heat waves, droughts,
wild fires, and floods are now more
ft'equent and more intense. He said,
“If congress won’t act soon to protect
future generations, I will.” His plan
includes reducing pollution, prepar
ing communities for the consequences
of climate change, further investing
in clean energy like wind and solar
power, and —continued on page 2
North Korea
Conducts
Nuclear Test,
Continues to
Defy U.N.
Monique Kreisman, staff writer
The United Nations Security Council
held an emergency session on Tuesday
in response to a nuclear test in North
Korea. The test was conducted in
open defiance of three United Nations
resolutions and it was condemned
by President Obama and the govern
ments of Russia, Britain, and China.
The United Nations is expected to pass
a fourth resolution on the issue. David
Sanger reports in a February 12th New
York Times article that the bomb had
an estimated explosive force of six to
seven kilotons. North Korea has con
ducted tcvo previous nuclear tests, but
they were of smaller explosive force.
In a February 12th CNN article, Jethro
Mullen reports that it is unknown if
North Korea tested a plutonium or
uranium bomb. It is also unknown if
the device is small enough to be fitted
to a missile.
President Obama
Calls for Troop
Reduction in Iraq
Hannah Thornton, staff writer
A Washington Post poll on Tuesday
reported an approval rating of 80% on
the President’s policy to end the war
in Afghanistan. In order to rapidly in
crease troop reduction in Afghanistan,
President Obama is proceeding with a
plan to cut the size of American forces
American Troops in Afghanistan
Image via Salon.com
in Afghanistan in half by February
2014, according to administration and
defense officials. Initially intended to
be announced in summer 2013, this
announcement has come an entire
season ahead of schedule.
The revised plan to pull out troops,
which is the first time the adminis
tration has officially given specific
numbers, will take the current 66,000
American military force down to
34,000 in a series of seasonal phases.
The decision to pull out troops
was made in agreement with Afghan
President Hamid Karzai in January.
Military commanders have officially
signed off on the plans as well.
Many Afghan administrative lead
ers and other military officials are not
supportive of this plan, which they see
as detrimental to the overall security of
the country. The Wall Street Journal
writes of the concerns of Hanif At-
mar, an opposition leader and former
interior minister, “This decision runs
against the advice of top NATO and
Afghan generals.”
American troops currently in
Afghanistan are training Afghan
soldiers, who are now leading almost
90% of the country’s operations. With
America’s reduced presence, this stra
tegic training is expected to continue.
However, there are no decisions on
long-term troop levels, proposals of
which range from a presence of none
. up to 15,000.
Many surprised Afghans are con
cerned of what this will do with the
upcoming 2014 elections, fearing that
the troop withdrawal will not give the
trained military and leaders the sup
port they need.
N.C. Man
Released From
Georgia Prison
After Six Years
Abigail Gupton, staff writer
John McNeil, a 46 year old man
from Wilson, North Carolina, was re
leased from prison in Macon, Georgia
this week after six years and many
appeals of his life sentence. In 2005,
McNeil was charged with killing a man
that McNeil claimed was unwilling to
get off" of his property. For the past
six years, McNeil, his wife and other
family members, and the NAACP have
tried to have this sentence overturned
and on Tuesday, a judge in the Cobb
County Superior Court accepted Mc
Neil’s plea of voluntary manslaughter.
The sentence for the new conviction
took into account seven years of prison
time as added thirteen years of proba
tion. As McNeil walked out a free man,
he was greeted by family members,
members of the NAACP and other sup
porters. His wife, who died on Febru
ary 2 after a battle with breast cancer,
was unable to see the moment she’d
fought so hard to make happen. The
chairwoman for the National Board
of Directors for the NAACP said “His
release today is a bittersweet victoiy,
because he also returns home in sor
row following the recent death of his
loving wife Anita, who fought for his
release until her last breath.”
Pope Benedict
XVI Resigns
Kim Dixon, staff writer
On Monday, the Vatican announced
the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI
effective February 28. Elected at age
78, the now 85-year-old pope cited
health concerns as the reason for his
decision. On Monday, February 11,
2013, The Associated Press quoted
Pope Benedict as saying, “After having
repeatedly examined my conscience
before God, I have come to the cer
tainty that my strengths due to an ad
vanced age are no longer suited to an
Pope Benedict XVI
Image via Telegraph.co.uk
adequate exercise of the Petrine minis
try... in today’s world^ subject to so
many rapid changes and shaken by
questions of deep relevance for the life
of faith, in order to govern the barque
of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel,
both strength of mind and body are
necessary — strengths which in the
last few months, has deteriorated in
me to the extent that I have had to
recognize my incapacity to adequately
fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”
According to the AP, a new pope will
be elected by mid-March. Though
there is no “obvious front-runner,”
possible successors include Cardinal
Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan,
Cardinal Christoph Schoeborn, arch
bishop of Vienna, and Cardinal Marc
Ouellet, the Canadian head of the
Vatican’s office for bishops. The AP
also names Cardinal Timothy Dolan of
New York as a “longshot,” stating that
Cardinal Dolan is “popular and backs
the pope’s conservative line;” but “the
general thinking is that the Catholic
Church doesn’t need a pope from a
superpower.”
The last pope to step down was Pope
Gregory XII, in 1415. His forced re
linquishment of the papacy ended the
Western Schism.
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