Should the CIA be Held Accountable for Torture

Melissa Hitt

 

When you say America, many might think of freedom and hard work. However, I think of deceit and murder. The CIA has recently released a report of the torture that they inflicted on prisoners presumed to be terrorists. Not only did they lie about this previously, but the horrors in the account are worse than one might have initially feared. The report included accounts of waterboarding, prisoners being forced to stay awake for days in uncomfortable positions and sometimes standing with lower body injuries, rectal feeding without medical need, and one prisoner dying from exposure. Not only that, but their use of torture yielded very few results.

    Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.” There were 26 innocent people held and tortured. However, torture should never be used even with people who are guilty. Joe Navarro, a former FBI special agent said that torture just doesn’t work. He also said, “When you put people under stress, they tend to forget information. I mean, just think about it… When you induce stress, when you cause anxiety, you're actually affecting the person's memory.” Torture is illegal internationally, and the U.S. has signed treaties against it.

    Students in Colonie Central High School have different opinions on the subject. Hannah Fahy, a junior at the school, said, “I think it was justified. 9/11 was the first huge terrorist attack and they needed to do something quickly.” Aniebiet Essien, another junior, agreed with her. “It was not wrong. It needed to be done. It’s good to see people acting and getting information to track down terrorists. There were disagreements, however. Sam Starks, a junior, said, “Well, I don’t think it was justified. Torture is incredibly inhumane, and using torture as a means to gather information makes us as bad as the enemy. There are other ways to get information while staying moral. It’s a mistake people shouldn’t make. Even if there were guilty people, torture is torture.”

    Anyone who authorized this or took part in it should be held accountable. No one should be above the law. All who were involved are criminals, and they need to pay. How far can America possibly be willing to go? If there is any hope for this country, people need to step up and take action, or nothing will change.

One in Three

Acacia Morris 

     It’s a special day. It’s January 7^th, 2003, and a young child is sitting on a ratty couch in a small apartment in Albany. The state of the couch or the size of the apartment isn’t of much importance, however; today is the child’s birthday, and something exciting is going to happen. The child’s mother enters the room with a telephone in hand, passing it over before slipping back into the other room with the much awaited birthday cake. After a few mewled hellos are murmured into the phone, a heavily accented voice comes from the speaker. The conversation is muddy and disorganized due to a simple fact; its participants are strangers. The voice in the phone says a goodbye, and the child hands the phone back to the mother without much ceremony. The smell of cake and a mother’s call are welcoming, but the six year old can’t help but feel lonely.

     As statistics go, one in three doesn’t seem like a very lonely number. It’s nowhere near astronomical odds, and it makes pretty good television if you hide a prize behind that one. However, the statistic that applies to that one person out of three isn’t lucky, and it certainly is lonely. In the United States, one out of three children lives without their biological father. It’s sobering, I’m aware. To some, it may even seem ridiculous. To me, it seems just right, if not a bit understated. I have lived my entire life without my father. That small child was me, on my sixth birthday, experiencing the only direct contact I’ve ever had with him. I’ve glimpsed his face in a photograph or two, but as physical appearances go, he’s done as well as the invisible man.

 

     It’s very easy to allow anger to come from these sorts of experiences. I’ve experienced many emotions over the years, and the majority of them have been negative. However, I feel as if there is room to grow from every experience, good or bad. If the statistic holds true, then one out of every three people reading this article doesn’t live with their biological father. This can be due to abandonment, military service, death, or simple absence. Whatever the case, I want to say something to the one in three.

     If you have a father figure in your life, whether it is a step-father, an older brother, an uncle, or other individual, and they have positively impacted you, know that you are stronger for it. You have a role model, someone who stepped up in the life of someone else. If you don’t have someone like that, then know you are still stronger for it. Every achievement has come with just that extra amount of push that other people may have had that you don’t. These strengths don’t only reach into the realm of parenthood. Maybe you’ve learned to help out those who really need it, or you’ve learned to never give up.

     As the holiday season comes to its climax, know that even if your family structure doesn’t match the one on the Hallmark Christmas card, that you are not poorer for it. If you are the one in three, think back on your accomplishments during the past year, and wonder about what you can do even better next year. For the two in three that I’ve neglected, know that nowadays, there is no familial norm. For all three people who read this article, know that a lesson can be learned from every experience, for better or for worse, and to always help others when you can.

Off to War, and Thirty Other Shores


Brittany Moeske




          I met up with William “Billy” Michael Fay, a sixty-six year old who, throughout his lifetime, has visited 30 different places, with 20 of them being in different countries. He has even been to six of the seven continents on planet Earth. Fay was a 1966 graduate from Phillip Schuyler High School in Albany, NY. He served in the United States Navy from 1966-1972, and served in Vietnam during 1968-1970. When he returned home, he met and fell in love with Kathy Fay. He has been married to her for 42 years now and has two children: a daughter, Tammy and a son, Billy. And even though he’s married and an “older” person, he has not let anything stop him from doing what he loves: Travel.

            When Fay and I talked in his living room, he was dressed comfortably in shorts and a polo shirt- the same type he wears when he goes out golfing with his wife. On the right, sat his hat that he wears everywhere: his United States Navy Veteran hat, with the colored lines underneath showing that he served in Vietnam. Around the head part are pins: a River Rats pin, a fabric-rose with a slip of paper and the all-important American Flag. I sit down, we exchange pleasantries, and then he says, “Alright, let’s start.” He was ready.

                        BM: How old were you when you first travelled?

                        WF: 18.

                        BM: Where did you go?

                        WF: Vietnam.

                        BM: Did you like it there?

                        WF: Yes. It’s a beautiful country, just too bad what happened to it. (pauses) But I liked everywhere I went.

                        BM: Would you ever return there?

                        WF: Yes. Now.

                        BM: Why do you want to go back?

                        WF: It’s just a beautiful country. And, I would like to see the changes that have happened since 1970.

                        BM: Do you have a favorite place?

                        WF: Oof, that’s a hard question… (thinks for a minute) Aruba.

                        BM: Would you go back?

                        WF: Oh, absolutely. In a heartbeat.

                        BM: Why?

                        WF: There’s some many nice people, and the weather is nice… it’s just a nice place to go. And a beautiful country as well.

                        BM: What is your favorite way to travel?

                        WF: Flying, for the speed and the convenience.

                        BM: What’s your least favorite?

                        WF: Greyhound Bus. (laughs) I don’t like buses. I haven’t been on a Greyhound Bus in probably 48 years.

            But Fay’s travelling career does not just consist of going out of the country. Just this past year, Fay travelled to Myrtle Beach, NC and Kissimmee, Fl. He has also been to many “tourist-sites” within the United States, such as all of Washington DC, NASA Space in Virginia, the Battlefields in Virginia and Saratoga and Arlington National Cemeteries. His favorite? Arlington National Cemetery.

                        BM: Why was this your favorite?

                        WF: It’s ceremonial.

                        BM: Is there any place that’s on your bucket list?

                        WF: The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Pike’s Peak, Deadwood, South Dakota

                        BM: Do you think you will be able to?

                        WF: Yes, because I want to.

                        BM: Do you have a plan to go there?

                        WF: No not at this time.

            But the hardest questions were at the end of the interview. When we talked, not about his travelling experiences highs and lows or his hopes for travelling in the future. But about why it is important.

                        BM: How different is it travelling as an 18 year old than a 65 year old?

                        WF: You’re more energetic as a teen, but you’re more laid back as a senior citizen. (laughs) You’ve got nothing but time.

                        BM: Why do you think travel is important for people?

                        WF: It keeps them up to date on changes in the world.

            William Fay is a well-traveled citizen of America. With his travels spanning over 30 countries, and his history being just a normal guy from Albany, NY, many people can learn a lot from him. Because as he shows, if you set your mind to something, nothing can stop you from achieving it. No matter who you are, or where you’re from, or what it is.

Adjustments and Additions to Colonie's 2015 Raiderfest Event

Jacob Pickett

                During this summer and continuing into the school year, a planning committee, made up of students, principals, and teachers, has met at Colonie High School on the first Wednesday of each month. There, they discussed changes they hope to create for the second annual Raiderfest in the spring of 2015.

                Thomas Kachadurian, an associate principal at Colonie and the administration force behind Raiderfest, said that he hopes to expand all the existing parts of the day while also adding new, interactive exhibits. For example, 15 food trucks will be present in 2015 as compared to only 7 in 2014.  Similarly, the carnival is expected to grow from 20 games to 35 including a miniature golf course and motorized rides. Already the craft fair has grown from 60 venders in 2014 to an expected 100 for 2015, and Kachadurian reports that he hopes to include “a well-represented farmers market in conjunction with the wellness piece.”        

                In addition to the new attractions at the carnival, more prizes will be purchased in advance since in 2014 the prizes ran out within the first few hours of the day. Also, in conjunction with the expected miniature golf course, a souvenir ICARE golf ball will be sold at $3.00 to use in the game.

                Last year, Raiderfest also included several local bands that performed at different times of the all-day event. Thomas Kachadurian hopes, “that wider-known talent can come in to attract new groups to Raiderfest.” New attractions, such as the Weekend Warriors, a helicopter team, may also find their way onto the Raiderfest agenda. The Weekend Warriors are expected to land on the Colonie Varsity Soccer Field and give demonstrations if it is financed.      

                According to Thomas Kachadurian, “money is the big thing that will turn these ideas into a reality”. During the day of Raiderfest, there will continue to be a basket raffle to raise money, but additional fundraisers have already begun in the High School, including a bottle cap and aluminum can tab collection and a Disney Frozen sing-along for children. In addition to the amount of money raised, whether or not South Colonie’s insurance will allow some of the attractions, specifically the motorized rides, determines the idea’s progress.    

                Because of the expansion of all the components, the overall layout and schedule of Raiderfest has changed as well. The food trucks will be moved to a semicircle around the football concession stand allowing the 3-on-3 basketball tournament to take its place in the baseball field parking lot. The parking lot in front of Colonie High School’s MUG (Multi-Use Gymnasium), previously used for the carnival and craft fair, will be devoted, in its entirety, to the expanded carnival. Therefore, causing the craft fair to be transferred to Colonie’s Varsity Soccer Field along with the wellness exhibition and the new farmer’s market.

To start the festivities of the day, Colonie High school associate principal, William Roemer, will organize a kids fun-run starting at 11:00 in an effort to bring families in earlier. To avoid having the 5K race at the same time as the Freihofer's® Run-for-Women race, the Raiderfest committee has moved it to 3:00 in the afternoon. Finally, the main focus for Thomas Kachadurian is to keep many of the families at Raiderfest for the 5:00 Relay-for-Life where the general mood of the day changes from festive to hope.

In 2014, Raiderfest earned $15,000 for the American Cancer Society and Thomas Kachadurian desires to increase that to at least $20,000 by bringing in new activities to attract more people.    

The Importance of a School ID

Olivia Daby

     The Colonie High School library staff is under a great amount of pressure. After the

devastating events that have occurred in recent years, the guidelines for library use have been

made more strict. The library staff is responsible for hundreds of different students each day,

causing pressure on the staff to meticulously keep track of attendance. Mrs. Brown, one of the

school librarians has some insight on the policy changes.

     The current policy on entrance into the library is either the combination of a standard

school ID and a signed pass from a teacher or an honor’s ID. This differs from past years in

the fact that a student only would need a pass or honor’s ID . Mrs. Brown says that these

changes have come about because there has never been a truly successful safety drill, and

there needs to be more accountability.

     As of December, the policies are still in a transition-like period, and the benefits of

the changes remain unclear. Mrs. Brown has also noticed a frustration in students, due to the

lack of understanding of the importance of these rules. It has been a difficult task to enforce

the regulations because budget cuts have led to less staff. Although there are interns that

run the library, there are still other problems, like some students not receiving their ID cards

and resistance from students. She hopes that this policy will make the school a safer place to

be, especially if there were to be an emergency. As for a somewhat popular topic around the

school, the security cameras, they have always been there. It seems as though no one has

noticed them before they recently were replaced. When they did get replaced, however there

were a lot of questions asked.

     The librarians have support from the administration, but they still feel that there is an

underuse of IDs. There was a loss to the convenience of printing IDs right in the library, and

according to Mrs. Brown, that has made it very difficult to help students replace their cards.

Speaking on behalf of the entire library staff, Mrs. Brown says that they have the best of

intentions. They want to prepare and educate for the real world. “Students want to be treated

like adults, but cannot be responsible for simple things. College students know that their ID

cards are their life and they cannot go anywhere without it, and we should be practicing that

here in high school.” Instead of what the ideal scenario to her would be, students think that the

rule does not apply to them, and they disobey.

     Mrs. Brown hopes to find a creative solution to the problems that have arised. The

matter of library policy is weighing heavily on her at this point in time. There is a great deal of

pressure on all staff to keep students safe, but even more emphasis is being placed on library

staff due to the large amount of student visitation every day. ###

The New Main Entrance

Michelle Luo

Around noon, a parent walked in the main entrance of Colonie Central High School. She needed to drop-off books for her daughter. Instead of going through the second set of doors or going to find someone, she simply put down the books on the side bench and scribbled away on a clipboard placed there. Then, she left. That was the new policies of the school this year. The school introduced a new security system along with the new structure of the new main entrance. Now, after 7:30am, all the school doors lock. People have to enter through the main entrance, which requires them to buzz in.

In the summer of 2014, the South Colonie School District renovated the main entrance of Colonie Central High School. Construction started after the school year of 2013-2014 ended. The Board of Education members wanted to bring this change to the main entrance since years ago. They wanted to create a safer environment inside the school with a new security system, and they wanted to create a convenient handicap accessible entrance for the disabled. Although the project to build the new main entrance started years ago, the actual construction did not start until years later. The project required many steps before it could have been approved by the state. The project received grants from the state, but members still had to get the blueprints down. Then, they had to wait for the construction bidding and for bonds to get passed. “It was really quite the process,” stated Mr. Robilotti, the building principle.

This process to advance the school building is appreciated by many of the students and faculties. Many students felt the same way that the Board of Education members felt about the old main entrance. They saw the old main entrance as outdated, inconvenient, and not well-regulated. Brittany Moeske, a senior at the high school, thought this should have been done way earlier because the old main entrance was “long-overdue.” Another senior, Courtney Yule says, “The renovations are tremendous and is extremely beneficial to the school community.” Mark Fisher, a school staff says, “This is the future… it represents the society we live in now days. Ever since the 9/11 incident, safety became a major issue. This change for safety is paramount.”

The rebuilding of the main entrance shows the advancement of the school toward a safer and better school community. The people in need of handicap accessible doorways used to have to go all the way to the far end of the school to enter. The process was inconvenient and unfair to those individuals. The new entrance, which has four handicap accessible ramps, helps many people. It also has a new built in security system, which helps regulate the amount of traffic in school. With the new policies, people cannot enter the school without being inspected. This promotes a safer environment for the students and faculties. Colonie Central High School took a huge step in improving the school environment for everyone.

The Growing Gay/Straight Alliance

Amber Holt

 

The club members of the Gay Straight Alliance wore welcoming smiles as they pushed their desks into a circle centered in the classroom. More desks were added to the circle than needed, in case more students wanted to join. Throughout the meeting, a number of curious faces peered through the window on the classroom door. Mrs. Lukasik, an advisor, left the room to invite them in, but most students denied her offer.

            The Gay Straight Alliance has been a part of Colonie for a long time. For the last couple years, however, the club had very few members, and most students forgot about its existence. The low number of students didn’t discourage current members. Believing that Colonie Central High School didn’t have a Gay Straight Alliance, two students Oliver Mohrmann and Cassidy-Carter Gorman raised more than one hundred signatures to start one. They both joined after realizing the Gay Straight Alliance has been in the school for years. Oliver Mohrmann said the signatures still sat in his folder. This school year, the Gay Straight Alliance is back with many more members. Everyone who is a part of the growing club is beginning to once again raise awareness that they exist and should be heard. Students can now hear news about the Gay Straight Alliance on the morning announcements, but they still have a lot of questions about the club.

"I feel like people don't know what it's about," said active club member Gianna Ross. So what is the Gay Straight Alliance all about? In the past, this club has ranged from being very vocal to more of a support group for students at the school. When asked the question, the students attending the meeting on December 2nd responded with many different answers. 

"To spread awareness on what is ok to say to people, and what isn't ok to say to people," said Cassidy-Carter Gorman. The members of Gay Straight Alliance brought up several issues that students face daily during their meeting such as transphobia, prejudice, stereotypes, and ignorance from both students and teachers. 

"When I go into the locker room, I get dirty looks," said Oliver Mohrmann while describing some of the problems he faces in school. Gay Straight Alliance is a very open club, where any issue can be discussed without being thrown down. Just like every member who mentioned a problem of their own, the group discussed what he could do about these issues, and gave him advice.

Gay Straight Alliance offers support for students, and spreads awareness about not only the troubles that they face, but what the community around them can do about it. "This club inspires a more positive outlook on everything," said Val Marcil when asked about the GSA. During the meeting, the group thought of several ideas to present the club and raise awareness.

"We should draw eyes to our club in a positive way. If something is fun and exciting, people will be attracted to it and that's what we want to do," said Cassidy-Carter Gorman during the discussion.

So why aren't more students interested in the Gay Straight Alliance at Colonie Central High School? "I feel like people don't want to join this club because they don't want to be associated with 'gay'," Val Marcil answered. "A lot of people are afraid of being accused of being a part of a sexuality that is not their own." Many students may feel this way, but Mrs. Hecht, a club advisor, has assured this club has always had a straight presence. The students who attended the meeting, attended with open minds and were very diverse. New members have nothing to fear, because the strong sense of community during the meeting will make any student feel welcome.

The Gay Straight Alliance is ready to take on this school year with bright ideas and welcoming smiles. Club meetings are on every other Tuesday in room 117 in the English wing. All students are welcome and are able to gather more information by listening to the morning announcements, or contacting Mrs. Hecht and Mrs. Lukasik. The members of the Gay Straight Alliance have plenty of desks that can be filled.