Chronicle May 2009

From the original musical script written by French composer Claude-Michel Schonberg, Les Misérables, more commonly known as Les

Mis, was adapted by Seth Potter to fit the high school stage.

runswick ChronicleThe

All The News That Fits We Print Issue 9: March 2009

What’s InsideHeadlinesLesMisReview

ByWillSeaton(1,4,13)InterviewWithFredCamillo

ByScottMatthews(1,6,14)Recession:ASelf‐FulfillingProphecy

ByGatesTorrey(1,15)

Around BrunswickJoeHullMakesAllStateBand

ByGusRuchman(P.2,3)MathTeam:PureMathleticism

ByAlexJonokuchi(P.5)

Brunswick Sports/ArtsHockeySeasonWrap‐Up

ByBrianDeAngelo(P.7)VarsityWrestlingWrap‐Up

ByWillHolmes(P.8)FinalFourPreview

ByDevinMehra(P.9)A‐Roid:YankeeSluggerBusted

ByHenryWelsh(P.10)PhelpsBusted:ProApologies

ByCharlieGerdts(P.11)AlbumReview:Incredibad

ByRyanHagerbrant(P.12)

StudentEditorialsRolandBurrisShouldResign

BySpencerDahl(P.13)IranDevelopsNuclearProgram

ByMichaelMarx(P.14)ArmedForcesDevelopMRAP

ByTomChronert(P.16)InDefenseofExecutivePay

ByScottMatthews(P.17)NewYorkPostStirsControversy

ByOliverSall(P.18)DotheFirst100DaysReallyMatter?

ByJakeMatthews(P.19)NetanyahuNewIsraeliPM

ByDavidBlumenthal(P.20)

See “Recession” Page 15

By Will Seaton ‘09Editor-In-Chief

See “Les Mis” Page 4

Do You Hear the People Sing?

The Global Recession:A Self - Fulfilling Prophecy

By Gates Torrey ‘09News Editor

Exclusive Interview

With Rep. Fred Camillo

By Scott Matthews ‘09Editor-In-Chief

See “Camillo” Page 6

The European Socialist Act of 2009. That’s what Sean Hannity

calls it. It’s giving Rick Santelli an anxiety attack. There exists a plethora of half-baked, specious, and incendiary opinions on the economic stimulus. The American public has every reason to be skeptical of the new plan. As they look to the media, though, for educated and thoughtful journalism, they find none. This crisis is exposing our shortcomings in several areas: 1) The self-appointed media experts are anything but experts. 2) The American people are not educated consumers of the news. 3) American economic

growth over the past decade was built on hollow assets, and what growth there

was is all but gone. 4) Our government is terribly ill-equipped to handle such an

emergency. The challenge now for America is to sift through the information and

find out what really can and should be done, and how to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Let’s examine Sean Hannity’s comparison between the stimulus and European socialism. First, such a claim appeals to irrational negative emotions; It clouds objective debate. Ignoring the possibility that there may be value in a democratic-socialist system, Hannity’s claim is still questionable at best. America’s stimulus weighs in at about 6% of GDP.

Hannity’s main argument seems to be that the size and

A little over two weeks ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with

freshman Republican State Representative Fred Camillo of Connecticut’s 151st district. Among other topics, we discussed his rise in Republican politics, the inner workings of the State House from a member’s perspective, and current events on a local, state, and national level. Mr. Camillo, a lifetime resident

I do. I most certainly do. I heard the people sing from every corner of Baker

Theater as the Brunswick and

GA Upper School performed Les Misérables in front of sold-out, packed-in audiences.

Around Brunswick

The Brunswick ChronicleMarch 2009

Chris Baldock ‘10Addison Bennett ‘12

JP Bowgen ‘10Andrew Camel ‘12

Matthew Cassoli ‘12Thomas Chronert ‘09

Spencer Dahl ‘11Bowen Dunnan ‘10Brian DeAngelo ‘10David Fitzpatrick ‘12

Editors-in-ChiefScott Matthews ‘09

Will Seaton ‘09

Staff Writers and Photographers

Faculty AdvisorDr. Brian Freeman

The

Photography EditorPreston Han ‘09

Website Managing EditorConnor Fitzpatrick ‘09

runswick ChronicleThe Brunswick Student’s News Source

Michael Forester ‘11Michael Furlong ‘09Brendan Gilbert ‘10Diego Golzalez-Bunster ‘09Ryan Hagerbrant ‘11

Joe Hull ‘10Carter Johnson ‘12

Will Jones ‘10Peter Kyriakos ‘09Jake Matthews ‘12

Devin Mehra ‘11Nikhil Menezes ‘11

Tim O’Leary ‘09Zach Lynch ‘10Kyle Radler ‘09

Matthew Savitt ‘12Hank Schless ‘10Sam Waters ‘11Henry Welsh ‘10Jack Williams ‘12

News EditorGates Torrey ‘09

!

Senior WriterTaggie Martin ‘09

Senior WriterConor Kenny ‘09

Managing EditorDan Cassidy ‘09

Political EditorTom Cassidy ‘09

Arts EditorTurner Smith ‘09

Sports EditorCharlie Gerdts ‘09

Joe Hull Makes

State Jazz Band!By Gus Ruchman ‘10Junior Editor

Senior WriterSebastian Vik ‘09

Senior WriterPatrick Doyle ‘09

Junior EditorsGus Ruchman ‘10 David Blumenthal ‘10Michael Marx ‘10 Oliver Sall ‘10

Alex Jonokuchi ‘10

Some know him as a ferocious full back on the football team,

while others fear his foil in fencing. But unbeknownst to many, the perpetually-smiling Joe Hull has recently made Brunswick School history by becoming the first-ever Brunswick student to be selected for the Connecticut All-State Jazz Band, with which he will perform a concert in Hartford in April.

Chronicle: Tell us about

your most recent musical

accomplishment: becoming

bassist for the Connecticut

All-State Jazz Band.

Joe: It was a really cool process; the state was divided into four regions, Greenwich being part of the West, each of which held their own separate festivals, so to be eligible for All-State, I had to pass Western-Regionals.

Basically you show up and must audition in front of 2-3 judges who have a specific score sheet that grades you on tone, rhythm, and interpretation. For jazz we had to prepare a solo piece that they assigned us, then do some improv using another book, and finally we had to sight read a random piece selected by the judges. This month I just had my audition to get into the All-State Jazz Band and came out successful, so now I will be able to participate in their concert in the upcoming months. It really took a lot of practice, but it paid off in the end.

C: Do you remember

when your passion

for music began?

J: I’ve always enjoyed hearing it, but in my freshman year at GHS was when I really started to seriously begin listening to all kinds of music. My private teacher instructed me

to go out and find all sorts of bass players to hear, and that soon lead to the discovery of so many great artists. Also, that was the year I got an iPod, so from then on I carry music with me wherever I go!

C: What makes music

so important to you?

J: Music to me is important because of its many opportunities. My favorite aspect of music is improv and how you can meet people

from all over; reading and playing songs together, and not necessarily even knowing the people you play with. Music allows you to be expressive but also you meet so many people in the process. Looking back on these last few years, I’ve been able to get to know so many people through just playing bass, and we all continue to meet up even today.

C: Did you play any

See “Hull” Page 3

Around Brunswick

!


“Hull” Cont.Continued from Previous Pageinstruments before

picking up bass?

J: Back when I was in third grade, I picked up the cello and played in school orchestras until I was in middle school. The two instruments are generally similar, so when I was asked to switch to bass, it was a pretty quick transition, plus it really opened me up to the world of jazz; I joined the school jazz band soon after.

C: How long have you

been playing the bass?

J: Thinking back to when I started in middle school, I think it’s been about six years.

C: How many hours per

day do you practice?

J: I usually try to manage about an hour if possible, but in many instances I have to play in various groups, which is good practice in itself, just not alone.

C: Do you have a favorite

musician that you model

after? A favorite album? A

favorite chord progression?

J: My all-time jazz idols would definitely be Freddie Hubbard and Sonny Rollins, but as for bass style, I really try to model my own playing on Christian McBride; if anyone has heard this bassist play, they know the distinct and melodic tones he can produce. I am amazed

every time I hear him play! The first time I ever heard him was on my favorite album “Superbass,” a jazz

trio comprised of only bass players, which is truly a dream album for bassists.

C: Besides in the Brunswick

Blue Notes, where else

do you play music?

J: I play in a variety of different

venues including jazz groups and classical orchestras as well. Right now I attend a

jazz group every Monday night in Stamford, and then head over to symphony practice for a group known

as the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic. In the past I’ve played many gigs with various people around the state, mostly in restaurants near the Stamford area, and today I’m still working various playing opportunities around town usually in a trio or quartet setup and we play mostly jazz standards.

C: Where do you

plan on going with

your musical talent?

J: I’ll definitely be keeping up my music

in future years, hopefully being able to land some more gigs around town, but I am also considering the possibility of pursuing music in college as well.

C: Is there anything else

you would like to share

with the Brunswick

School community?

J: Well, on the topic of music, if you have never picked up an instrument you definitely should consider it since it is a really unique and rewarding experience, but also those musicians out there should definitely think about trying out next year [for the All-State Jazz Band]; it’s a really cool experience and you get to meet so many new players from all over the state!

Tim shone in the lead role and took complete control of one of the hardest scenes for a male singer,

“Bring Him Home,” a piece in which Valjean sings a prayer for Marius’s safe return from battle. The singer must be able to reach the highest notes on the scale, which Tim performed seemingly effortlessly. Tim’s favorite aspect of the production - “[getting] what I always get, lots of time with awesome people.”

V a l j e a n ’ s confrontation with Javert ratcheted up the intensity of the atmosphere; the audience sat at the edge of their seats as Tim and Robbie sang each

“Les Mis” Cont.

Around Brunswick

!


Continued From Front PageThe outcome, in

short, was nothing less than spectacular. Mr. Weber called it “the best I’ve seen and I’ve seen just about all of them in my 26 years here.” I will unashamedly admit I had goosebumps during most of the scenes. Leaving the theater, one could only hear echoes of praise: “Beautiful, amazing, and outstanding!” “Heart-wrenching, I had tears in my eyes.” “My mind’s blown.” “That was so legit!” “Mr. Potter and the entire cast have outdone themselves.” The praise speaks for itself.

The plot follows the journey of Jean Valjean (Tim O’Leary ‘09), a French convict who recreates himself as an honest man and promises Fantine (Holly Linneman ‘09) his devotion to the protection of her young daughter, Cosette (Rebekah Lowin ‘10). The story develops as Cosette finds love in the student and young revolutionary Marius (Kyle Radler ‘09), just as France is on the cusp of its 1789 revolution. Marius returns Cosette’s affections but remains blind to the feelings of his best friend, Eponine (Tory Berner ’10), who is secretly in love with him. Throughout the passion, the violence, and the struggles these characters face, Detective Javert (Robbie Cortes ‘09), a man who has devoted himself to the law, tirelessly pursues Valjean across France. Luckily for the audience, innkeepers Thenardier (Jack Carter ’09) and his wife (Sarah O’Leary ’11), parents of Eponine and previous caretakers for Cosette, provide the play with some much-needed comic relief.

other into oblivion. Robbie, the perfect casting choice for the militaristic Javert, commanded the stage in a giant Napoleonic hat and,

with a voice that people may not have expected, managed to steal many of the scenes he was in. In a gutsy move by Potter, Robbie shocked fans when he performed a trust-fall off the parapets in his piece “Javert’s Suicide,” drawing many shocked gasps from the audience who saw him collapse over the edge and end his life.

As Fantine, Holly immediately engaged the audience in the first couple of scenes with her melodic voice, captivating us in her character’s struggle to

protect her daughter. In one of the best duets of the night, Holly and Tim sang Fantine to her death, Holly’s voice seeming to transcend the physical limitations of the theater and rise to the heavens where she would soon be. Holly commented that her favorite scene was “The Docks,” because “it was a really fun scene to do, being a prostitute and all.”

Kyle, Tory, and Rebekah provided the romance in the musical, creating a complex but not unfamiliar love triangle. These three were the focus of Act II, and ultimately all the sacrifices were so Marius and Cosette could eventually live happily together. In another touching duet, Eponine is shot sneaking into the barricade, and as Marius holds her, her life slowly slips away in front of the audience’s eyes. Their voices melded to send her off as the barricade’s first tragic causality. In Rebekah’s duet with Kyle, “A Heart Full of Love,” her tender discovery of true love gave the audience reason to justify all the struggles over Cosette in the musical. Tory showed her natural versatility in a role quite unlike her previous performance as Kate in last year’s Kiss Me Kate, while Rebekah was the perfect Cosette in her largest musical role to date.

Kyle should not be pushed aside as merely the object of two girls’ affections – he played the complex role of Marius with great integrity. As his two great loves pulled him in opposite directions (his love for Cosette urging him to

See “Les Mis” Page 13

Around Brunswick

!


Brunswick Math Team:

Pure MathleticismBy Alex Jonokuchi ‘10Junior Editor

We stand in the middle of Brunswick’s main entrance, excited, a

little nervous on the inside, but cooler than cool on the outside. After a month of preparation and eager anticipation, we are ready. Flaunting our stylish jackets (the classiest outerwear with a bumblebee color scheme), we march to the van. Who are we? The Few, the Proud, the Mathletes. Having deflected a flurry of remarks consisting of at least two “Asians and math” jokes, three Mean Girls references (social suicide… gosh, haven’t heard that one before) and one facetious “Go get ‘em,” I clamber into the Math Team van, fighting back the hot tears of frustration and wondering why the world hates geeks. I just manage to maintain my composure, find my seat (while the freshmen sit on the floor and like it), and think to myself “Wipe that dirt off ya shoulder… It’s time for math. Get pumped.” Some enter their pre-game routines (no, not that kind of pre-game . . .) and 40 minutes will pass before we arrive in Wilton. On the way we mutter about digits of pi and Stanford math and the hot GA mathletes (and other things smart people talk about) over the humming of the van’s engine. The cafeteria doors open, and we are immediately overtaken by the smells of greasy pizza and essence-of-nerd. A sea of high school students from all over Fairfield County gather with their

teams at the tables, something like a Far Eastern Star Trek

convention on crack. One school’s uniform consists of a t-shirt whose back shows an asymptote on an XY graph. Above the graph reads “Can’t Touch This” (math jokes!).

Before the match the team members enter a huddle around the lucky tiki and say a

quick prayer to the math gods that they might be spared the

embarrassment of losing to GA, and, by extension, females. A few brief calisthenics, finger pushups and neck rolls follow, and two slices of pizza each (brain-fuel) conclude the

preparation for the match. After spitting some game at the GA math team

(and then sabotaging their formula sheets when they aren’t looking), we listen as our captains deliver mind-blowingly inspirational speeches (Nish: “Alright so who’s on Round One? Round Two? Come on guys, pay attention!” Owen: “No Alexei, you may not have a third slice.”). Mr. Allwood blows his whistle (no joke), reminds everyone that slanting fraction lines are not allowed, and calls the first round of six into action. Like scrawny, hypnotized buffalo, the sea of predominantly-Asian mathletes are herded towards the stairs, where the A-teamers and B-teamers are split into different classrooms (separating the boys from the men is critical to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed). Each A-teamer is assigned three of these distinct topics, and after six rounds of mathematical mayhem, the teams reconvene for Team Round math. The scores are tallied (meanwhile, Nish spits some more game) and soon after it is announced we did well, but still lost to GHS. By the looks of them I’m pretty sure they recruit from overseas. Boarding the van, both mentally and physically spent, we treat our paper cut wounds and cross our fingers to receive the highest of honors, praise from Lord Allwood himself. Then we ride off into the darkness, proud of having been a part of something greater, and hungrier than ever for next month’s competition.

!

Around Brunswick


“Camillo” Cont.Continued From Front Pageof Greenwich, attended Greenwich High School and Manhattanville College, from which he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in political science. Since then Mr. Camillo has been a small business owner, baseball coach, and mortgage banker. He also is one of 24 founding board members of Greenwich Recycling. Right now, out of 151 state representatives in the Connecticut State Assembly in Hartford, Mr. Camillo is one of 38 Republicans. He is a freshman member of the Appropriations, T r a n s p o r t a t i o n , and Environment Committees with jurisdiction over the state budget, statewide transit, and statewide green initiatives. Locally, Mr. Camillo is a board member of the Greenwich Council of Boy Scouts, the Greenwich Baseball Foundation, and the Greenwich Junior Babe Ruth League. He is the founding member of the Citizens Group to Establish Greenwich Dog Park and Co-Chair of the Yogi Memorial Project in Byram Park. He was also the chairman of the Republican Town Committee. As he finds his way in Hartford, Mr. Camillo has clearly enjoyed his first months in statewide office and looks forward to helping work out Connecticut’s budget crisis and better serving the citizens of the 151st district. Owing to the length of our extensive 90-minute discussion, only specific

questions and answers are listed below; the full interview is available (via audio file) on the Chronicle website: www.wicknet.org/chronicle.

SM – What do you think

is the impact of losing the

Congressional District on the

Republican Town Committee?

FC – It’s something that affects the committee on two levels.

One, it’s sort of an anomaly because Chris Shays carried Greenwich very handily. The fact that the current Congressman lives here didn’t play that much into the race. He doesn’t have deep roots here. Also, Chris Shays won in almost every other town. He barely lost Norwalk, but he got KILLED in Bridgeport. A lot of that had to do with who was at the head of the Democratic ticket [Barack Obama]. So Chris was incredibly unlucky to be running this time. But Chris served 21 years, 21 good years. He did a good job and everything, but the time and place really damaged him. Still, the new congressman is

very capable. He has a financial background, which should help here. Overall, it is a wake-up call. We saw this before, for years and years, there has been a trend in Greenwich and Fairfield County: when people register Independent, they tended to vote more liberally on things, and with the advent of a lot of new condo associations, people from New York were coming here. They tended to be Democrats or people who

voted democratically. So we saw this coming. Greenwich is not as Republican as it used to be, but it is still a Republican town, as evidenced by Chris Shays’ good showing. SM - So, take me through

your first day in Hartford.

What was it like?

FC – It was a cold day. It was very icy, January 7th. I had a lot of people come up from Greenwich, which was nice. When I walked in, there was a big surprise for me and this is a good story. Beth Howley, whose father was my basketball coach and a teacher at St. Mary’s, is now Representative Beth Vie, democrat from West Hartford. She was up there

and had told her father that I had gotten elected. So I went and said hello, and right before the session began she said, “I want to re-introduce you to someone.” It was Mr. Howley and he brought me a St. Mary’s baseball hat. I hadn’t seen the guy in 31 years. It was a great story particularly because they were going to do a story about how I walked out of my house at 5:15 am to let my dog out and I fell. All the papers were

going to do a story about how I nearly cracked my head, but then they found out about this and it wiped that story out! SM – What was the

biggest surprise over

the first month?

FC – It would have to be how bad the deficit is and the total inefficiency of the State Legislature. Some of the things going on up there, say, to raise bills in committee can only take ten minutes… so I’m driving a 165

mile commute, the taxpayers are paying for my gas because it’s beyond 50 miles. I’m in the car for three hours when I could be doing something else, working for the state. For somebody who is on the Environment Committee, I’m emitting pollutants on the road when I really don’t need to be. It’s totally inefficient; it’s a total waste of time and money. Another surprise was the legislative maneuvering. We wanted to discuss a bill (a contract for a union) and, surprisingly, some of the Democrats agreed with us that we needed to talk about this but they called for a vote to

See “Camillo” Page 14

!

Around Brunswick


Looking to next year, the team graduates Peter Castine, Matt Chase, Taggie Martin, Freddy Ketchum, Jay Rosencrans, Ben Tabah, Billy Chapman, Dan Cassidy, and Michael Furlong. These voids will be tough to fill, but this year the team had a large roster indicating that next year the team will be full of experienced players. Look to Weisburger, Stafford, Dwyer, Esposito, Kelly, Silberiesen, Collins, Oberbeck, and Toshi to be leading the attack next year at offense. And look for Trepp, DeAngelo, and Koorbusch to form a good team-defense. And last but not least, look for Gryphon Richardson to be the backbone of the team between the pipes.

The team would like to thank Chase Carter for his emails and his loyal support. They would also like to thank everyone who attended the games. Your support is unmatched; wherever we go, there is never a crowd better than ours.

Next year the team will face a new range of opponent now that all teams in Division II have gone to Division I. The challenges will be greater. But

Brunswick hockey will play their style of game, which is to try and win every shift, every period, and every game.

Not Too Shabby:Hockey Season Wrap-Up

By Brian DeAngelo ‘10Staff Writer

The Varsity Hockey team this year had a decent season. The team jumped

out to a great start by beating St. Georges in overtime in front of a large and loud home crowd. The next game showed that the team had a lot of promise this year when they tied Kent, a respected team in Division I. However, the team was brought back down to earth before Christmas break. At the Chris Holt tournament in Maine the team dropped three games in a row, two of which were to Division II opponents.

After break, the team knew winning was a priority, but still managed to lose a heart-breaker in overtime at home against Worcester Academy. The Bruins bounced back the next day by beating Rye Country Day handily and continued the winning streak by beating K-O just as strongly a few days later. The recent wins, though, still weren’t enough to propel a now-struggling team to beat Vermont Academy at home.

The Vermont game was a turning point in the season. The team really came together after that game. Everyone committed

to a higher level of effort after the loss. The win against Kents Hill at home proved that the team was able to win games in

a must-win situation. Playoff hopes at this point in the

season were dwindling, but a win against Harvey and a win against a top ranked Pingree proved that Brunswick hockey was making a turn-around.

As soon as the ship was righted, though, the seas got rough again. Another trip to Maine cost the team two losses in three games. The team played well in all the games, but just couldn’t manage to get the wins. The Bruins return home was not

at all pleasant either. Hoosac and the Bruins were tied in tenth

fighting for a playoff spot, the magic number being eighth. If

any game was a must win, this game was. The team had put themselves in this situation only to fall to a hungrier Hoosac team in a 6-0 defeat. The next day the Bruins responded to the loss by beating K-O by a score of 5-2.

With playoff chances gone, the Bruins took on The Dynamos, an elite U-18 midget team, and beat them by a score of 6-3. The team now must finish up against Hoosac and Vermont,

both games taking place up in their respective home barns.

school wrestler, was chosen to fill the hole in the lineup. He did just that as he racked up some key wins at 152 lbs. and helped propel the team into a winning season. At 160 lbs., junior Cliff Simmons was one of our star wrestlers on the team. Finishing 3rd in the state, he compiled a winning record and helped the team to BIT and FAA championships. Our other captain, Will Holmes, was at 171 lbs.. After having a disappointing state tournament last year, Will was determined to win a state championship both for himself and for the team. He finished the year with over 25 wins and a top 6 finish in the state tournament.

Although seriously underweight for his weight class, Ben Cohen had a successful season at 189. Using his experience and quickness to his advantage, he overtook even the biggest of opponents. Along with Cohen, Victor Holten at the 215 weight class was also outweighed in most of his matches; nonetheless, Victor put forth a valiant effort and helped Brunswick to place in the top 6 at the state tournament. At heavyweight we had a first year wrestler by the name of Nick Garzona. His inexperience and relatively light weight compared to his opponents plagued him throughout the season, but from hard work at practice and dedication he prevailed.

!

Brunswick Sports


Brunswick Varsity Wrestling: Another Perfect Pin

By Will Holmes ‘09Wrestling Captain

As winter comes to a close, it is now clear the Brunswick

wrestling team has had another solid season. Although the team was young and inexperienced, Mr. O. was able to mold many of our beginner wrestlers into seasoned varsity “bad-asses.” One of these was Corey Kupersmith, who joined the varsity lineup this year as our 103 lbs wrestler. From his decisive win at Avon to gaining 3rd place in the State Tournament, Kupersmith set up a strong base for the team to build on. Preston Baldwin, returning varsity starter, moved up to the 112 lbs. weight class. After a rough start, Baldwin picked it up and finished 2nd in the State.

At 119 lbs, Co-Captain Christian Stanco had an impressive record of 32-5. He finished his senior season as 2nd in the State and top 24 at Nationals. Costas Hadjipateras was another newcomer to the varsity spotlight at 125 lbs. Costas started out as a timid youngster but as the season progressed he evolved into a varsity contender who won matches when the team needed him. At 130 lbs., Cameron Driscoll was a mid-season addition because of Brendan Chin’s season-ending injury. As a freshman on the varsity lineup it took time for Driscoll to adjust to the workload, but after

a come-from-behind win against Greenwich High School, he realized that he had what it took to succeed and took this swagger with

him into the rest of the wrestling year. At 135 lbs., another returning starter, Patrick Wales, became a vital piece to the team’s success.

Although new to Brunswick, Alex Marcus was not afraid to showcase his wrestling skills on the mat. Wrestling at the varsity 140 lbs. position, Alex had a solid season

capped off by gaining 3rd place in the State. Matthew Wales, at 145 lbs., also had an impressive season, finishing 1st at the BIT and

3rd in the State. Matthew was one of our go-to guys this year, and will surely be one of the leaders next year. Another newcomer, Lee

Lowden, improved greatly as the year progressed. Lee unfortunately was taken down by the flu, which ended his season.

Freshman David Russell, a former middle

!

Brunswick Sports


College Hoops:A Pre-March Madness UpdateBy Devin Mehra ‘11Staff Writer

Many of us enjoy watching college basketball. It is one

of the only sports that the entire country can relate to because there is a local Division I college basketball team in almost every single district in America. There are a total of 342 Division I basketball schools. There are two great things the game offers. First, the parity of college basketball is amazing, which means that all the teams are equally matched. Second, unpredictability in college basketball occurs all the time since a top ten team frequently loses to an unranked team. This means anybody can beat anybody else on any given day. With so much parity and equal talent among all the teams it should seem logical to cover every team. The problem lies with the major college basketball stations such as ESPN and CBS, who only show games among the BCS conference schools- these conferences include the Pac-10, ACC, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, and Big 12. I will admit the schools affi liated with these conferences tend to have the best teams. But what about the other 25 conferences and the other 225 teams that compete at the Division I level? As stated before, the gap of talent between a major school and a mid-major school is getting a lot smaller. Because of the lack of coverage of many mid-major schools, people tend to not know anything

about these teams. So by the time March comes around don’t be surprised to see a school that you’ve never heard of or a school you’ve never seen play beat a team who plays on ESPN every week. This upcoming March,

like every year, will be the annual NCAA Tournament. It includes 65 teams battling to earn the label National Champions. Of the 65 teams in last year’s tournament, 31 of them are from non-BCS conferences. That means almost half of the teams competing for the National Championship are hardly mentioned, talked about, or covered during the season. So when Belmont University came a possession short of beating Duke last year or when George Mason made an improbable run to the Final Four in 2006, people should not have been as surprised. One positive thing mid-

major teams get out of their lack of exposure is that when the well-known BCS teams play them in March they have almost no scouting report on the lesser known teams. They have no idea who the shooter is, what defenses the team runs,

and what the team’s weaknesses are. So when a guy by the name of Stephen Curry of Davidson comes in to play Georgetown, the guys from D.C. have no idea what he can do. The funny thing about Stephen Curry was that people only noticed him when he was dropping 30 points in the NCAA Tournament this past year. Here’s the thing— he was doing this the entire season, but because of the lack of nation exposure of his team nobody knew who he was before the tournament. There is a defi nite lack of exposure for many teams, but there is one place to get the

information on these teams. A blogger by the name of Kyle Whelliston writes a blog once a day discussing mid-major college basketball. He travels all over the country going to see mid-major games. (To see his website go to http://www.midmajority.com/

.) He has discussed every mid-major school including ones people have never heard of, such as Alabama A&M, or Austin Peay. For any of you guys who are true basketball fans, you should go see a college basketball game among mid majors in person. There are so many schools in the Northeast you could probably see some good college basketball each night within a 70 mile radius of Greenwich. The games will not be sold out and the tickets will be cheap. Some schools around the area to go see

are Iona, Columbia, Fordham, Sacred Heart, Fairfi eld, Yale, Quinnipiac, Manhattan, Army, and St. Francis. It looks like the trend of covering almost exclusively the major college basketball teams and not the mid-majors will continue for years to come. ESPN is slowly beginning to show more mid-major games, though. So when given the choice of watching a Big East game or two smaller conference teams play, you should strongly consider watching the mid-major teams since one of those teams could be making some noise in March.

cousin, who also injected him. Rodriguez described the culture as having “no illegal or legal”

plan, but then why would he hide taking anabolic steroids? As A-Rod gives more and more interviews, the inconsistencies in his statements become even more glaring, proving just how little credibility he has. In 2007, A-Rod told Katie Couric he had never taken steroids. He excused this lie by saying “At the time I wasn’t being truthful with myself, how was I going to be truthful with Katie?” How can that be considered

a believable alibi? When asked what caused his positive test, A-Rod answered, “To be honest, I don’t know what substance.” Then a week later he admitted it was the steroid Primobolan. He also told Gammons “with doctors, trainers, nutritionists” he could not be sure what triggered the test. Then at the next press conference he revealed his cousin injected him with steroids, so he would have known what triggered the positive results. With nine years left on his contract, A-Rod has a chance other famous cheaters such as McGwire, Bonds, Palmeiro did not have, since their careers were already winding down, or already over. A-Rod easily could have won people’s respect back by being completely honest, admitting his mistake, and moving on. Maybe he could even donate some of his new $275 million contract to help teach younger individuals about steroids and their dangers. So A-Fraud, stop talking: you are a self-absorbed liar, and we all know it.

!

Brunswick Sports


A-Roid? Yankees Slugger Tests Positive in 2003

By Henry Welsh ‘10Staff Writer

As revealed earlier this month, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for

two anabolic steroids in 2003, which he had begun taking in 2001. As A-Rod is trying to dig himself out of a hole, please do not listen to him, do not feel sorry for him, and absolutely do not blame his steroid use on the ridiculous reasons he gave. A-Rod used simple excuses like being stupid to justify his cheating. Not only does each argument fail, but his interviews managed to lessen his credibility even further. In A-Rod’s interview with Peter Gammons, he stated he felt like the world was on his shoulders, that he had to prove he was a great player. In Rodriguez’s first full MLB season, he placed second in the MVP voting, at just twenty years old. So there could not have been any demands on him to take steroids in order to substantiate his talent. He had already done that by letting his play do the talking, batting .358, with 38 home runs, with close to 20 years left in his baseball career. If A-Rod continued his hard work and consistently put up stats like those, he would be a sure-fire hall-of-famer. Unlike Barry Bonds, A-Rod could have broken the home-run record without cheating and tainted records. If A-Rod took steroids solely because of the pressure he felt from his $252 million contract, then why would he stop juicing while playing for the New York Yankees, in the most pressure-filled city of baseball, and for the team everyone expects to win the World Series?

Not until 2003 did

Rodriguez decide steroids were unnecessary, and this is after ten years of playing in the majors.

In Gammons’ interview, A-Rod continually stated he had been young and stupid. But he was at the time about to turn 26, and had already been playing major league baseball for six years. Given these facts, Rodriguez was already past the point at which he could blame his misconduct

on plain naïveté. Cheating in baseball is not a minor blunder. A-Rod explained his decision to stop the steroids in this way: “It gets to a point when you’re tired of being stupid, of being selfish, and not being honest with yourself.” Is he kidding? It took him that long to understand

that and to realize it was “time to grow up, time to stop being selfish, stop being stupid, and

take control of whatever you’re ingesting”? Sure, it only took him twenty-six years, whatever. But don’t worry; steroids were just “the culture” in Texas during his three years there.

A-Rod’s final failure in the interview was blaming his steroid use on the “loosey-

goosey” culture he experienced in Texas. If cheating was so typical, why did he keep his steroid use a secret from everyone except his cousin? According to A-Rod, no trainers knew about it. He acted after teammates told him about a substance he could take, but this discussion only involved his

!

Brunswick Sports


In the next six months, a famous athlete will sit before a microphone and confess to a

crime in front of dozens of crazed reporters. Of course there are different strategies to confessing. This athlete to be named later could simply release a statement saying he was “foolish” or “was not thinking clearly” or he could face the media and answer all the questions they have. Throughout sports we have seen some of the most famous athletes fall into this situation. Kobe Bryant and Michael Phelps were both accused of crimes against their sport and their country. Whether their mistake was sex or drugs, they both picked different ways of dealing with the issue.

What makes for a good apology? If Brunswick has taught us anything, it is that the truth is always the best option. Not all athletes feel this way. Too often have we seen the truth covered up or slowly leaked out through

Michael Phelps Busted:The Latest Apology in Pro SportsBy Charlie Gerdts ‘09Junior Editor investigation. Of course the truth

is the best option, but why do

athletes not always choose this path? Well, some clear answers are that they’ll find themselves in jail, banned from their sport, or divorced from their wives. Maybe they are actually innocent and are telling the truth, but our

pessimistic society assumes guilt until proven innocent.

K o b e Bryant was accused of sexual assault on a nineteen-year-old hotel employee. The girl claimed Bryant raped her. To deal with the issue, Bryant held a press conference. With his wife by his side, Bryant admitted to having sexual relations with the girl, but stressed it was consensual and that the allegations

of rape were false. The presence of his wife clearly helped his

cause and won back some support. Bryant did not walk away completely clean. The two settled out of court and Bryant lost all his sponsors. Although it seems Bryant was in fact telling the truth and had not committed any crime, except adultery, he paid dearly for a very private issue.

M i c h a e l Phelps is no stranger to apologies. He has committed two crimes, both after outstanding performances in the Olympics. Phelps prefers to release statements rather than face reporters asking the same question about fifteen different ways. First, he was flagged for a DUI. To deal with this Phelps pleaded guilty and then released a statement, “I recognize the seriousness

of this mistake. I’ve learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life.” Just about a month ago, photos surfaced of Phelps smoking from a marijuana pipe. Once again Phelps released a statement saying, ”I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry.” Phelps has lost his Kellogg’s sponsorship and could potentially lose more. He was also banned from US swimming for three months. In this case the evidence was fairly clear; he committed the crime. Although lying was not really an option, Phelps confessed and told the whole truth.

It seems like no matter the crime, America is always willing to forgive honest people and honest mistakes. When athletes get in trouble it is always due to their inability to come clean. Just ask Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens.

which Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake talk about the “ultimate” gift idea for your girl, hanging from basketball hoops and getting arrested in the process, and Lazy Sunday, in which Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell journey to watch the Chroni(what!)cles of Narnia, my favorite song on the album is I’m On a Boat (featuring T-Pain with Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone) where Andy and Jorma win a boat trip to a tropical paradise and proceed to belt out a hilarious song alongside T-Pain about how great it is to be on a boat. Another great addition to the album is Natalie’s Rap, in which the unassuming actress Natalie Portman raps about “her badass lifestyle,” cursing maybe 30 times in the process. Ras Trent, starring Andy Samberg with a distinct Rastafarian look, is yet another humorous song in the album. One of my favorite lines of Ras Trent: “Excuse I for my skanking give thanks and praise; me toil part-time at jah Cold Stone Creamery; in a dub style!” Also check out J*** in My Pants… No, really, that’s one of the song titles… I’ll let you see it yourself.

The album is fantastic and you definitely should buy it. I recommend purchasing it from iTunes because of the great price: you get 19 hilarious songs and 8 awesome music videos for $11.99.

!

Arts


Album Review:IncredibadBy Ryan Hagerbrant ‘11

Staff Writer

In their long-awaited debut album Incredibad debuting on February

10, the “3 man musical wrecking crew” called The Lonely Island have released a fantastic album that combines their older, more well-known hits with new, hip, and just as hilarious skits.

The band itself is made up of three members: Saturday Night Live’s star Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone. “The three of us have been friends forever,” says Samberg. “Since junior high and high school, and then we all eventually moved in together, starting out, basically, doing joke music. Our first projects were always about mixing music with comedy.” The trio became fed-up with their “very bad assistant and reception jobs” and decided to reunite to form an online comedic assemblage of videos. Their popularity took off when they established lonelyisland.com and posted the skit D*** in a Box, which got 20 million views on YouTube in its first month of release. All three members of the group contribute the fast-pace and current humor equally. While everyone knows Andy Samberg for his funny imitations and acting on the re-emerging Saturday Night Live, you may not be acquainted with

Jorma Taccone. Jorma is the genius writer of most of Lonely Island’s mega hits, including D*** in

a Box and Lazy Sunday. The 20-year-old

energy and humor of The Lonely Island comes across

fluidly and perfectly in Incredibad. Complete with the voices and contributions

of celebrities such as Norah Jones, T-Pain, Justin Timberlake, Jack Black, Julian Casablancas, and E-

40, each song has a great joke and storyline. While it is worth listening to every song in the album for each

is funny in its own respect, I have a few favorites. Besides the hit D*** in a Box, in

!

Student Editorials


the senate. The Blagojevich scandal is something that most Americans would like to forget and Burris provides a constant reminder of the corrupt and narcissistic actions of the former governor. No matter what Burris accomplishes, there will always be a cloud of suspicion hanging over him, surrounding him, smothering him. It will be impossible for Americans to forget that there is a chance he purchased his senate seat from Blagojevich, a chance that he is guilty of perjury and corruption. But most importantly, this ongoing scandal distracts both Senator Burris and the American media from the more pressing issues facing our government today. Roland Burris needs to resign, both to re-focus the nation on the troubling times we are dealing with and to close the lid on the sickening scandal of former Governor Blagojevich.

Roland Burris: Why The Disgraced Senator Should Resign

By Spencer Dahl ‘11Staff Writer

It has been almost a month since the end of the political whirlwind caused by Rod

Blagojevich finally came to an end when he was voted out of office on January 29. It is one month since he made his rounds on the talk show circuit calling his impeachment hearing “a sham,” despite the overwhelming evidence against his case. It is one month since the “Scumdog Millionhair’s” last day in office. But despite the passing of time, we are still dealing with the fallout of his contemptible actions. After his attempts to sell Obama’s vacated Senate seat were revealed to the public, Blagojevich, in a move of defiance, appointed Roland Burris to succeed Obama as senator from Illinois. Owing to the circumstances of his appointment, Burris’s legitimacy as a senator has

come under scrutiny. Many believe he should resign, simply because of the possibility of his having paid Blagojevich for the Senate seat. However, despite being barred from attending

the opening session of the 111th Congress, Burris was subsequently allowed to take his place on Capitol Hill.

In a recent turn of events, Burris admitted that he did in fact try to raise money to meet Blagojevich’s asking

price for Obama’s seat, but was unable to collect the required funds. With this having been revealed, Burris’s legitimacy as a governor has once again been called into question. Most support for the embattled

governor has withered away under the intense scrutiny, and Burris now finds himself under investigation for perjury and corruption and without support from his constituents. I believe it is time for him to resign from Governor Blagojevich.

“Les Mis” Cont.Continued From Page 4remain at home while his love for his companions pulled him to fight upon the barricade), the audience was able to find some satisfaction amidst the play’s tragedy when he finished able to achieve both his goals. For Kyle himself, “to be able to sing with the full company during the epilogue is truly an earth-shattering experience… I hope that the audience can get all that this play offers from our performance.”

The production also included three 6th graders:

Lexie Olney, Sophie Skinner, and Alex Montinaro. Lexie and Sophie played Cosette and Eponine as children and while their scenes were short, it was great to see the talent that will be in the Upper School in a few years. Alex’s performance as Gavroche, the young rapscallion of the Parisian streets, was clever, quick and as hilarious as it was saddening. He scampered around the stage, smile on his face, ready to show what “little people” can do before his tragic death upon the

barricade by a real gunshot.All I can say is, thank

God for Master and Madame Thenardier. Jack and Sarah’s performances as the dubious innkeepers proved to be many fans’ favorite scenes and the duo were the most natural fit for their characters. As soon as Jack’s gap tooth and frock coat and Sarah’s powdered wig and bright orange dress came on stage, the chuckles started quickly and the audience was more than ready to laugh at the hilarious and eccentric couple.

Les Misérables was a truly special performance to see, as everyone’s hard

work came together to really capture the essence of the play. The everlasting values of love, passion, sacrifice, and morality were on full display among a cast who seriously overachieved in the most impressive of ways to create a final product that was nothing short of masterful.

For further Les Miscoverage including video, photos, songs, and exclusive interviews with the cast and crew, go to the special page on the Chronicle website dedicated to Les Misérablesat www.wicknet.org/c h r o n i c l e .

it’s going to cost money, it’s probably not going to pass, and I understand that. I had a bill setting a requirement for high school financial literacy for many reasons: people don’t know their credit scores, how to build up credit, and bad credit ends up costing us millions of dollars every year. It would save money in the long run but because of the initial cost, I didn’t submit it. Overall, they are all good committees. In particular, Appropriations is a monster because it’s a lot of work.

For the full three-part interview, go to www.wicknet.org/c h r o n i c l e .

!

Student Editorials


Iran’s Nuclear Program: Prepare for Mushroom CloudsBy Michael Marx‘10Junior Editor

For the past decade the world has been subject to warnings from Israel’s

government concerning Iran’s accumulation of yellow-grade uranium. On Thursday February 19, a U.N. investigation of Iran’s nuclear stockpile at the Natanz enrichment facility revealed that their worst fears were true. Iran has successfully accumulated more that one ton (1,000 kilograms) of low enriched uranium hexafluoride—enough to build a nuclear fission bomb.

The new figures were reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, a nuclear watchdog for the United Nations. Nuclear analysts say that in order for Iran to convert this low enriched uranium to the “high enriched uranium” needed for the nuclear bomb, they would have to reconfigure the Natanz facility. This is a quicker process than one

might think. Even with the conversion, there is no doubt that they will be able to make the actual bomb in a few months.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated for years that he is using the uranium as a source of energy to generate electricity for his country. Contrary to these remarks is the fact that most of Iran’s nuclear facilities

are hidden underground, purportedly out of fear of Israeli Air Force attacks. This fear was elevated after the successes

of “Operation Orchard” in 2007, when IDF destroyed a known nuclear facility in the Deir ez-Sor region of Syria.

As U.S. intelligence seems to be unaware of many of Iran’s underground facilities, it is possible that another

clandestine enrichment site exists that is either close to building a bomb or has already built one. The latter is unlikely, however, as it is speculated that when Iran does eventually gain access to a nuclear bomb, its first act will be the annihilation of the State of Israel.

There is no doubt that Iran is a force to be reckoned with. For years analysts have been contemplating the possibility of Iran’s obtaining a nuclear bomb. However, this potential event has constantly been downplayed. Experts insist that the reality of Iran’s success in the nuclear quest is far in the future and not something that needs to be dealt with now. As we approach the supposed last remaining months of a non-nuclear Iran, we must take action and stop postponing certain preemptive attacks that could prevent the outbreak of a nuclear war. a quicker process than one

adjourn. So if you adjourn, and there is no vote, that contract takes effect and becomes law, and the deficit is increased by 86 million more dollars. We were trying to say that they (the corrections officers) certainly deserve the salary, but people all across the private sector are losing their jobs now so if we keep increasing the salary then people are going to get laid off. Overall, the Democrats didn’t buy the argument; they decided to adjourn so we wasted our time. … I just hope the people of Connecticut demand accountability as to

why the deficit is increasing because this is why!SM – You are on

the Transportation,

Appropriations, and

Environment Committees.

What are each of these

groups are working on?

FC – Appropriations is exactly what it means… it appropriates the money, it’s the big one. There are several subcommittees, which is where there is a lot of work involved. Environment is not as big but there are a lot of bills that are raised there and spoken about. It didn’t surprise me to find out that there is a lot of committee

discussion on transportation. So, we will get a list for each meeting on the bills we are voting on, and one the other day for environment was for the importation of reindeer. So I turned to the representatives on my left and right and neither knew what the bill is and then asked why don’t we know anything about these bills? It’s just the reality that there are so many bills… I have introduced several bills as a first time legislator, but I’ve also cut back, not wanting to flood the system. Also, anything that may cost money, I’ve held back on. We were even told by the chairman that we can submit what we want but if

“Camillo” Cont.Continued from Page 6

!

Student Editorials


“Recession” Cont.Continued From Front Pagescope of the bill will lead us down the path of socialism. But the stimulus makes no attempts to restructure social entitlements such as healthcare. In fact, if you look at international stimulus packages, socialist nations like Sweden and France are spending .4% and 3% of GDP respectively. European socialists are simply not taking comparable measures in bolstering consumer spending. One nation that is taking comparable measures is China, who has put up a staggering 8% of GDP for stimulus. And if there is one nation that has seen major economic growth in recent years, it is China.

Examining the role of the media in such extraordinary times, it seems evident the Watergate scandal has affected our news indelibly. Ultimately, from that scandal, our media took on the role of the watchdog, to a degree before unrealized. Many would think this to be positive, but considering the incompetence of some of the most prolific pundits, its net effect can be horribly negative. Take, for example, Rick Santelli. Rick, who was previously relatively unknown, has been all over the news because he ranted and raved childishly that Main Street Americans are getting too much money out of the stimulus. He feels that Americans are being rewarded for irresponsibility, and that average Joe trader on Wall Street isn’t going to see any upside. His claims are so

preposterous that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs instructed him to actually

“read the bill.” But the media rewards such provocative speech whether or not it’s rational or factually accurate.

Jim Cramer, the loud,

obnoxious, CNBC fireplug, has been rewarded as one such provocateur. Barron’s recently profiled Cramer,

and examined his investment advice. In 2007 they wrote, “Over the past two years, viewers holding Cramer’s stocks would be up 12% while

the Dow rose 22% and the S&P 500 16%”. They also illustrated an interesting side effect of his recommendations: “Our analysis of Cramer’s

picks over the past two years, from YourMoneyWatch.com, showed that, on average, the stocks jumped 2% the day

after he mentioned them.” All in all, the so-called “expert” pundit’s stocks severely underperformed, and yet, his mere recommendation had the power to cause a major short-term fluctuation in stock prices. So what happens when Jim Cramer says “we have Armageddon” as he did over a year ago? Pundits, no matter how ill-informed, have the ability to shape the markets.

So let’s take another look at Hannity. The “European Socialist Act of 2009” actually contains 1/3 tax cuts, which he supports. Logically, this makes sense. If people have more money to spend, consumer spending will ostensibly rise. Unfortunately, the numbers don’t hold up. Mark Zandi estimates that, on the whole, across the board tax cuts provide a $1.03 boost to GDP for every $1 of tax relief (some specific cuts, such as accelerated depreciation, provide a return as small as 27 cents on the dollar). On the other hand, Mark Zandi says, “A $1 increase in food stamp payments boosts GDP by $1.73.”

Eventually the economy will recover. Eventually the United States will reduce its debt to a manageable level. But, if we want to expedite the recovery process, and if we want to come out of this crisis having learned from our mistakes, then we need to take a step back from the media rhetoric. We need to listen to the real experts. We need to take a good hard look at the facts, and we need to take everything we hear with a grain of salt, before pundit rhetoric becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Student Editorials


!

Armed Forces Transition To the M.R.A.P.

By Tom Chronert ‘09Armed Forces Correspondent

As many people may know, the U.S. Army, Navy, and

Marine Corps have begun using MRAPs, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, in addition to the HMMWV. The greatest threat to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan has been IEDs/road-side bombs. The MRAP is designed to provide more protection to our troops using a V-shaped bottom. The V-shape deflects the blast from an IED outward, away from the vehicle. The sides of the MRAP feature more armor for protection against RPGs than does the HMMWV (“humvee”).

Due to the urgent need for a safer vehicle, Defense Secretary Robert Gates did not follow the usual procedure for procuring new vehicles. He issued the desired specifications and capabilities and seven companies submitted designs complying with the specs. Several different versions of the MRAP were ordered for different missions, such as explosive ordinance disposal. Two of these models are the 45,000 pound Buffalo, used for ordinance disposal, and the 38,000 pound Cougar, being used by the Marine Corps for patrol. According to USA

Today, there were (as of 4 Feb 09) 9,746 MRAPs deployed in Iraq, and 1,608 deployed in Afghanistan (“Deploying Marines…”). MRAPs have been attacked thousands of

times in the past few years, and the vehicles have been credited for saving many lives during these ambushes and roadside bombings.

There have, however, been some issues with the

vehicles in Afghanistan. The vehicles are very top heavy due to the large amount of armor, and this can cause problems on the mountainous, unstable roads of Afghanistan.

The Army and Marine Corps are working with contractors to deliver a vehicle that combines the mobility of the HMMWV with the protection

of the larger MRAPs. One possibility for the future is the

Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, a smaller concept vehicle. Despite the challenges, the MRAP is providing a safer platform while technology is further developed. At Camp Lejeune, NC, marines used to driving the HMMWV are being trained in driving the MRAP before being deployed overseas. After taking a course at Camp Lejeune, they receive their learners’ permits. The marines then return to their units, practice driving the MRAPs, and eventually go back to the school to complete their final test after their driver’s hours are complete. They are then issued a license to drive the vehicles while deployed overseas.

The MRAP is just one example of how the U.S. Armed Forces are upgrading equipment to meet the challenges of the modern

times. Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard is in the middle of a multi-billion dollar program called “Deepwater” that is upgrading its helicopters as well as securing new boats and ships to meet the new homeland security missions being conducted. Those who pay attention are sure to see modernized equipment appearing in all branches of the military to better carry out missions, and to

provide superior protection to those serving this country.

in the banking industry has been historically made up largely of bonuses so that, during the fiscal year, the money could be invested instead of saved to pay off salaries. This proceedure gives the banks an extra amount of hard capital to invest to earn greater revenues.

Finally, this requirement in the stimulus is not substantive, it is gratuitous. The major corporations that are at the center

of our economic system have received between over 10 billion dollars and 100 billion dollars. My question is: what is the big deal over 20 to 50 million spread out amongst the top wage leaders of the companies that are usually highly profitable? Depending on the math, it barely amount to a half a percent of the total money. I would have no problem if Senator Dodd and his buddies wanted to regulate large portions of the TARP money retroactively, but if a few million dollars is what it takes to keep the system going—to keep the top talent at the banks instead of

sending them to boutique firms or hedge funds—I think they should pay them the full salaries. It’s the cost of doing business and keeps the system from undergoing another sidetrack—a rocky transition between the executives.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention it: most of the top executives have already forgone their salaries for this year and some until their firms are profitable. This is good, this sets a good example; Senator Dodd, you are not setting a good example. You have just scored cheap political points going after the .5% or less of the TARP money demonizing the rich. Did you really think this through?

Student Editorials


!

In Defense of Executive PayBy Scott Matthews ‘09Editor-In-Chief

With the recent passage of H.R.1, the first major legislation

passed by the 111th Congress of the United States, President Obama has taken a major step forward with his political agenda, but at what could be a huge cost. The new president campaigned on the platform that he would re-unite the nation and transcend partisan politics; however, his first piece of major legislation, the now famous stimulus bill, was not only partisan (receiving only three republican votes from the legislative branch) but also not entirely effective. Although this bill, which will become law early next week, does include hundreds of billions of dollars for necessary infrastructure projects, the three Republican votes commanded a huge price.

One major issue that I have with this bill (besides the tax cuts, which I believe will be too slow to have a noticeable effect on the economy), is the restrictions on executive pay for the banking firms that accepted bailout money through the Troubled Asset Relief Program, passed under the previous Congress and administration. H.R. 1 included an amendment offered by Senate Banking Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) limiting executive compensation for any firm that accepted TARP money. Unlike the proposals initially offered by the new President and his economic advisors, including the Director of the National Economic Council Larry Summers and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Senator Dodd’s amendment is retroactive, applying also to the first 350

Billion dollars already distributed to the banks. As a result, the currently solvent banks including JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, instead of lending their money sooner, will be forced to pay back their TARP loans to relieve themselves of the burden of over-regulation.

So why is this exactly bad? It is true that compared to the rest of the American

economy, the top executives at Wall Street banks have received a higher level of compensation. However, the levels of compensation are in line with the established value for big bank CEOS. With so many billions, if not trillions, of dollars invested in the American economic system, corporate boards want to ensure that they get the best talent to run their companies. First of all, this is not a bailout for just the executives or boards of directors; the government helped bailout millions of investors in those banks. Second, If the lavish incentive is taken away from these men, then there is a danger that a brain-drain will take effect, or that a gradient of top talent

will choose to leave the newly regulated banking system for more lucrative private institutions willing to pay them more. If the most talented executives leave Wall Street, the secondary talent would fill their shoes, possibly resulting in poorer earnings and maybe even a crash of the banking systems as investors quickly pull their money out of the once-stable institutions.

This of course is only hypothetical, but there are other real reasons why restricting executives’ salaries is a bad idea for our banking system. First, the banks are currently hoarding capital to ensure that their books are balanced. As time passes, the banks will slowly be able to begin to loan out their capital in very safe loans. However, this process will be drastically delayed if the banks find themselves inclined to pay back the government instead of loaning their money to the American people. In this way, (thank you Senator Dodd!) the recession may have been extended for another three months. Also, compensation for employees and executives

the following: “Wednesday’s Page Six cartoon – caricaturing Monday’s police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut – has created considerable controversy. … It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill. Period. But it has been taken as something else – as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism. This was certainly not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.”

The editorial was

not entirely regretful in tone, however, as it took aim at other long-time detractors of the paper.

“However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past – and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon – even as the opportunists seek to make it something else.”

Finally, in a brief phone interview with CNN, Delonas commented about the swirling controversy, calling it, in part, “absolutely friggin’ ridiculous.”

“It’s about the economic stimulus bill,” Delonas stated, adding, “Do you really think I’m saying Obama should be shot? I didn’t see that in the cartoon.”

Student Editorials


!

Controversial New York Post Cartoon Makes Waves

By Oliver Sall ‘10Junior Editor

This is not cartoonist Sean Delonas’ first run-in with controversy.

Previous cartoons, largely parodying gay marriage advancements, have also drawn considerable scorn from the masses – but never have the condemnations reached the critical mass his latest cartoon has.

The cartoon displays two police officers, one with a smoking pistol, standing over a chimpanzee’s bullet-riddled

body. “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one officer says.

Reactions are as varied as they are strong to Wednesday’s (2/17/09) New York Post cartoon, in which the cartoonist used a typical editorial trope of linking two current news stories. The chimpanzee lying on the ground refers to the recent shooting of a chimp after it mauled a Stamford, Connecticut woman. The second component, the observing officer’s comments, refers to President Obama’s signing of the new economic stimulus bill.

Soon after the issue hit newsstands, the Reverend Al Sharpton and various black opinion-makers lambasted the cartoon as an attack on both Obama’s skin color and on African-Americans in general.

Appearing on

CNN, Sharpton supplied the following comment about the cartoon: “Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama and has become synonymous with him, it is not a reach to wonder: Are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last stimulus bill?”

This was a sentiment echoed by many across the political and cultural spectrum of America. Jelani Cobb, author of a forthcoming book about Obama, told CNN that the

cartoon offended her on many levels for various reasons.

Cobb said that “When I looked at it, there was no getting around the implications of it. Clearly anyone with an iota of sense knows the close association of black people and the primate imagery.” Cobb also flinched at the gun violence portrayed in the cartoon as potentially stoking the uneasiness many feel about the safety of a black president in a, “historically racist country.”

Despite the various censures, dozens of cartoonists have since come to Delonas’s defense, arguing that the cartoon was a trite move in using the hackneyed metaphor of a monkey to make fun of something. Others have pointed out that Obama didn’t write the stimulus package, lawmakers did.

The Post’s first official

statement was released the same day of publication: “The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”

On the Saturday following publication, leaders of the NAACP met and called for the firing of cartoonist Sean Delonas. Speaking at the civil

rights group’s annual meeting in New York City, NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous stated that if Sean Delonas was not fired, the group would call for protests of not only the paper, but also all Fox television affiliates.

In a public statement, Jealous said “There is a consensus that if the Post does not…get rid of the journalists who are responsible for this bit of hate speech seeing the light of day, that we will move this from a local, regional issue to a very national issue.”

In its latest response to the controversy, the Post apologized to those offended by the imagery of the cartoon, but still defended its action of publication and even proscribed some of its detractors.

In Thursday’s paper, the Post published an editorial titled “That Cartoon” stating

a chimpanzee’s bullet-riddled

Student Editorials


!

Don’t Stop Counting After the First Hundred Days

By Jake Matthews ‘12Staff Writer

The idea of measuring a president’s performance by his first hundred days

in office is a thoroughly idiotic idea created by the impatient modern media, and it can have little or no positive effect on the public. The tradition of the first hundred days in office started with President Franklin Roosevelt based upon the public works programs that he instituted pre-World War II that began to stimulate the economy out of the great depression. However, rarely do the first 100 days of a presidency accurately predict the president’s competency. For example, President Harry S. Truman spent his first four months living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue finishing WWII combat, so how can his “first 100 days” really count?

That being said, he is ranked the seventh best President according to the New York Times’ presidential ranking list. On that same list are President Eisenhower at six and President John F. Kennedy at eleven, yet both also had a relatively unproductive “first one hundred days.” Furthermore, President Clinton had a horrible “first 100 days” as President and he ended his presidency with an approval rating in the sixties. It seems silly to me that the media is so focused

on President Obama’s first 100 days in office because it serves no beneficial purpose other than allowing White House reporters to judge the President sooner rather than later.

Consider this: How is it possible for a President to be truly productive after a

mere three months in office? The President has thousands of administration jobs to fill, hundreds of which are appointees that must be confirmed by the Senate. Next, the President has to review all executive agencies and come up with pragmatic game plans to strengthen the level of efficiency and transparency in our government. Furthermore, President Obama has been determined to jump-start the economy in a ridiculously short amount of time in order to preserve his political capital. Adding to my dismay, the ridiculous hundred day timeframe has become more of a media event than a physical time of political harmony. It’s

not as though the two parties are even working together, as was clearly illustrated during the fight over HR 1, the economic stimulus bill. In the long run, it would be much more realistic to judge the president after his first 18 months in office, a year and a half just before the

critical mid-term elections. I think that America’s

obsession with the first hundred days puts an unnecessary amount of pressure on our leaders, causing slip-ups and bad legislation. Maybe, if the president and the democratic congress were a little less concerned with fixing the world in 100 days they might actually have a chance to make our “great society” better. I think that if members of congress were not on a deadline to move on to the next legislative topic, so that they can cram all of the major legislation into the first 100 days, then we would see a new efficiency and better product from our government. Maybe

if there had been the five day layover between the stimulus bill’s publication and passage instead of a mere 12 hours, then our legislators could have fixed some of the clear issues associated with this poor piece of legislation. With time, bad legislation could become good.

Finally, I don’t understand what will physically change in Washington between Day 100 and Day 101. A single term in office is 1461 days (counting one leap day) so why does the first 6.8% of his term presume to predict the entire term of President Obama’s presidency? I don’t know about you, but I supported Mr. Obama to be president for all 1461 days, not just

the first hundred. It’s not as though his political capital will just disappear overnight. So I sit here wishful that some new, bright-eyed and pragmatic legislator may rise above ridiculous partisan politics, forget the stupid games that our legislators play on TV, and work for his entire elected term without considering one day less important than another. My point is this: I hope that our elected officials from the president of the United States on down to our school board officials are working with equal vigor on day 1460 as they were on day 1 because the jobs that these people hold are too important to take a day off.

than that of the “only” 7,000 settlers previously relocated from Gaza - no small feat in itself. The partners in Netanyahu’s impending coalition government make the prospect of peace with the Palestinian Authority even less probable.

The strongest showing (besides Netanyahu’s own) in the polls was that of Russian-speaking Avigdor Lieberman. He leads the even more hawkish party Yisrael Beiteinu (translated: Israel is Our Home) that advocates the complete splitting of Israel and Palestine along ethnic lines. Although Lieberman had formerly only won significant support among Israel’s less patient Russian immigrant community, his party won 15 seats – mostly thanks to an influx of support from voters in southern Israeli towns hit by Hamas rocket attacks. He and the ultra-religious Shas party, which won 12 seats, will ultimately be part of any ruling coalition. They will certainly scrutinize whatever peace deal is attempted. Ultimately, it may be Israel’s greatest international ally that helps stabilize the post-election internal turmoil. The United States has played an important role in every peace settlement between Israel and her neighbors. It’s influence will likely sway Israel regardless of who ends up actually governing. “You and I have a lot in common,” President Obama reportedly said in a recent meeting between the two, according to Mr. Netanyahu’s account. “I started on the left and moved to the center. You started on the right and moved to thecenter. We are both pragmatists who like to get things done.”

Student Editorials


Who is Benjamin Netahyahu: The New Israeli Prime MinisterBy David Blumenthal ‘10Junior Editor

Ironically enough, the Middle East’s most politically stable and democratic country has

experienced a relatively turbulent political situation in the past few weeks. Israeli voters went to the polls on Feb.10 feeling bellicose after a three-week military operation in Gaza failed to completely stop the actions of Hamas terrorists in Gaza. In the aftermath of such a shortened military operation, most expected that Israelis would turn to the right-wing faction of the Israeli government. Indeed, Benjamin Netanyahu emerged victorious, having won his second stint as the head of the Israeli government – a choice that still shrouds this troubled region in ambiguity after a historic election.

The election almost seemed to be a sort of (Israeli) version of the 2000 American presidential elections, in which a candidate technically won, but did not receive the necessary support to take the state’s top governing position. Tzipora “Tzipi” Livni - leader of the centrist Kadima Party - would be the Al Gore and Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu - leader of the more hawkish Likud Party - would be the George Bush of this election. With 99 percent of the ballots counted, Livni had technically won, gaining 29 seats, the most of any party in the Israeli Knesset. However, the members outside of her party played the role that prevented her from attaining the position of prime minister. The fact that the right-wing parties in the Knesset outnumber the more moderate ones means that it would be

nearly impossible for Livni to form a governing coalition. For that reason, President Shimon Peres declared Netanyahu the Prime Minister-Designate of Israel yesterday. Just as in 2000, the winning candidate did not need a popular plurality.

Now that the dust has settled, what can the world expect from Netanyahu? Having already served as the Israeli prime minster from 1996-1999, he is

certainly not a face of “change.” Given his performance during those years, anyone hoping for progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process should not be overly encouraged, either. Most remembered Netanyahu for his hard line positions and tone. He first ascended to the position of Prime Minister proposing a “safe peace” and the “three no’s”: no negotiations over the division of Jerusalem, no negotiation with Syria over the Golan Heights, and no negotiation with Israel’s enemies without preconditions. However, Netanyahu would eventually surprise everyone

by choosing to negotiate with Yasser Arafat in the Wye River Accords. Although ultimately unsuccessful, this was yet another demonstration of how a political ideology does not necessarily limit a politician’s actions in office.

Netanyahu now holds relatively similar positions this new term. Claiming that Israel must learn its lesson from the 2005 Gaza Disengagement Plan (in response to

which he resigned from then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s cabinet in protest), Netanyahu still does not wish to negotiate on the issue of dividing Jerusalem. In addition, he has proposed nothing to limit the presence of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. 100,000 such settlers currently reside there, and with their growth the problem of their removal has increased. In the event of the complete assumption of the West Bank by Palestinian authorities, their removal would be many times more challenging

Chronicle May 2009

Documents

Transcript of Chronicle May 2009