Last Thursday marked the 50th anniversary of Medicare, a program instituted under the Social Security Act in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. To honor the anniversary of Medicare, the National Nurses United held a rally at which Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders spoke. His comments shed further light on his positions on Medicare and American healthcare as a whole.

The rally brought together many different groups of people who all supported expanding Medicare. Many speakers from the National Nurses United spoke before Sanders and shared personal stories of why Medicare should be available for everyone.

Sanders, a big advocate of Medicare, stated, “healthcare is a right, not a privilege of all Americans.”

Sanders appears to strongly believe that everyone deserves health care and has worked hard during his time as a senator to make that happen. Sanders strongly supports Medicare for all, by transforming it into a single payer system. Under this system, a single or quasi-public agency would organize health care financing, but the delivery of care would stay privatized. Sanders’ home state of Vermont is one of the states that has moved forward with this arrangement.

For Sanders, Medicare expansion fits into his overall platform of equality for all. He strongly believes that all Americans should have equal rights and equal opportunities, and affordable healthcare for all is a necessary aspect of that equality. He’s attracting supporters with those kinds of goals, given that 48 percent of Americans polled in 2013 said the healthcare system needs fundamental changes, and 27 percent said the healthcare system should be completely rebuilt.

Medicare, and what to do about the current healthcare system in America, will be hot topics in the 2016 election particularly because this issue will continue to affect Millennials in the upcoming years. Most Millennials are children of baby boomers who are now becoming older, and need to have affordable healthcare in some capacity. The way the healthcare system is set up in America, the older generation depends on the younger generation to take care of them because young people are the ones who pay the most into Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. However, if Sanders’ plan to create a single-payer system reaches fruition, the younger generation will not be entirely held responsible for taking care of the older generation, as the government would play a larger role in organizing health care financing.

Overall, the rally was successful and discussed why Medicare should be reformed and expanded. It’s essential that the future president realizes the need for affordable healthcare for all Americans, and takes action to make it happen.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Bernie Sanders: Making Medicare an Issue in 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, FIFA’s outgoing President Sepp Blatter deserves a Nobel Prize. Putin made these comments during an interview with Swiss broadcaster RTS that was released on Monday. These comments followed  Blatter and Putin’s gathering in St. Petersburg for the preliminary draw for the 2018 World Cup located in Russia. But Putin’s comments seem a bit odd, as there’s potential evidence that Blatter has been involved in suspicious or illegal activities for years.  

After all, Blatter has had his fair share of attention this past year. Blatter’s 17-year-reign as FIFA president came to an end in June when he announced his resignation. His resignation came six days after the FBI announced it would be investigating some top FIFA officials. The FBI later announced it planned to win the cooperation of other FIFA officials who were under indictment and work its way up the organization.

During the interview, Putin stated

I believe that people like Mr. Blatter, the heads of major international sports federations, deserve special attention and gratitude from public organizations, if anyone should be awarded Nobel Prizes it is these people.

FIFA itself had a rough year as well. Last January, FIFA was hit with a lawsuit by several high profile female players after it announced the Women’s 2015 World Cup would be played on turf instead of grass like Men’s World Cups. In addition to the lawsuit, FIFA has struggled to maintain partners and sponsors after the announcement of the investigation into the potential corruption scandal. Last month, the Nobel Peace Center announced that it would stop working with FIFA on the joint fair play Handshake for Peace after the corruption allegations. After the severance of this relationship, it is hard to believe that the Nobel Peace Center would agree with Putin’s comments. While the Nobel Peace Center doesn’t directly say the relationship was severed because of the allegations, it’s a popular and believable theory.

While Blatter denies any wrongdoing, that’s a bit hard to believe given his abrupt resignation and the indictment of his former colleagues. However, Putin seems to be convinced of Blatter’s innocence stating:

We all know the situation surrounding Mr. Blatter right now, I don’t want to go into details, but I don’t believe a word of him being involved in corruption personally.

I question Putin’s ability to judge someone’s innocence given his recent activities (Ukraine comes to mind), but since Blatter isn’t being personally investigated by authorities, that could be part of Putin’s reasoning.  Currently, Swiss and U.S. authorities are investigating whether the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids were accepted through legal means, but Putin has voiced his concerns about those investigations, particularly the U.S. role.

While Blatter has won more than 70 awards in the futbol world, many members of the soccer community were not sad to see him go. Greg Dyke, the head of the Football Association (FA), and Michael Plantini, the head of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) had already been calling for him to step down.

While Blatter is not currently being investigated by U.S. or Swiss authorities, many believe he may be at least somewhat involved in the scandals. Dyke, the head of FA, stated

I don’t believe Mr. Blatter’s decision to step down was an ethical decision. I suspect it is much more to do with the investigations that are going on, clearly something has terrified him.

Although Blatter has many awards and served FIFA for 17 years as president, he is in no way qualified to receive a Nobel Prize. In fact, given that the Nobel Prize is only given in Chemistry, Peace, Physics, Physiology, Literature, and Medicine, Putin should have specified what award Blatter is actually qualified for.

The 2015 Nobel Prize winners have yet to be determined, and Blatter will likely remain in office  until his successor takes over. However, his role in the potential corruption investigation has yet to be determined, creating skepticism around his legacy and role at FIFA, and a huge question mark when examining Putin’s statements.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Sepp Blatter and the Nobel Prize: What is Putin Thinking? appeared first on Law Street.

This election season has been one of the most controversial and surprising in recent history, as many unqualified candidates with slim chances have entered the race. There’s billionaires, CEOs, brain surgeons, and former governors all battling for the nominations.  With 20 or so candidates currently in the race for the White House, there have been some bizarre and hilarious comments. From campaign ads to presidential announcements, these are the ten weirdest quotes from the presidential hopefuls so far.

10. In Bobby Jindal’s campaign ad, he tells his children that they are the first to know that he will be running for president and they are not allowed to tell their friends. He offers them a reward if they can refrain from telling their friends, saying: “Maybe if you behave you might get a chance to go back to Iowa.”

Obviously Iowa is more of a party place than I knew. IOWA! IOWA!

9. In an exclusive interview with CNN in Iowa, Hilary Clinton was asked about her response to people who don’t believe she is a trustworthy candidate. The Hillz responded: “People should and do trust me.”

But what she forgot is that people shouldn’t and don’t trust her.

 8. In his presidential announcement, Lincoln Chafee stated he was a farrier after college–which is a craftsman that puts shoes on horses. He then followed that statement by saying: “After college I worked on the horse race track for 7 years.”

Last time I checked, horse knowledge wasn’t a requirement to be president.

7. In a similar vein, during his presidential announcement, Rick Perry shared his childhood stories about his life growing up in rural Texas and his attendance at Texas A&M. He then talked about his studies in college, stating, “I got my degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M.”

America: Rick Perry is highly qualified and begging for your votes.

6.  Mr. Trump, one of the most surprising candidates of this year, finally entered the race on June 16 after weeks of speculation. While his campaign speech was poorly written, and he was likely unprepared, he stunned the American people with his absurd comments about Mexican immigrants. Following those comments, he stated that he was using his own money to run and he did not need lobbyist or PAC money saying, “I’m really rich.”

If only this were a legitimate requirement for being president, the Donald might have a chance.

5. In a campaign ad, Rick Perry stated a number of reasons why he is the best choice for president. His campaign ad strives to display Rick’s life as a public servant, showing pictures from when he served in the military and from when he was governor of Texas. He closed his campaign ad by saying, “we must do right and risk the consequences.”

Not even your custom rap-country theme song can get you out of this one, Rick.

4. In his presidential announcement, Lincoln Chafee said he had a bold, worldly idea, stating: “Let’s join the rest of the world and go metric.”

Lincoln, you have officially blown my mind…and not in a good way.

3. Once again, Mr. Perry has earned a spot on this list. His campaign ad focuses on all the positive things he has done for the people of Texas and America. However, in 2014 Rick Perry was indicted for abusing his power as governor as well as coercion of a public servant. Despite the indictment, he claims he is innocent and stated in a campaign ad, “We need a president who has done the right things.”

Does being indicted for abusing your power as governor count as “doing the right thing?”

2. One of the most recent candidates to enter the race was Chris Christie, who launched his bid for the White House two weeks ago. Christie centered his presidential announcement around his blunt and truthful personality. He stated that the current politicians in Washington are lying and stealing from the American people and this must be stopped. He stated:

“The horse is out of the barn and we gotta get it back in.”

But the real question, Mr. Christie, is who let the dogs out?

1.  Mr. Trump, of course, takes the number one spot. After his presidential announcement, he did his first interview with Bill O’Reilly. In the interview, Mr. O’Reilly asked Mr. Trump a series of questions known as the “lightning round” on the show. This round consisted of answering questions about how Mr. Trump would handle different situations as president. When asked how he would handle ISIL, he stated he would “hit them so hard your head would spin.” He then followed up that statement by saying, “There’s nobody bigger or better at the military than I am.”

Except for maybe the approximate three million people that actually serve in the military, Mr. Trump.

There you have it–those are the weirdest quotes in the presidential race so far. But with so many faces in the crowd, there are sure to be more.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Say What? Top Ten Weirdest Quotes from the Presidential Hopefuls So Far appeared first on Law Street.

The influx of heroin is typically seen as a local or regional problem, but the issue may finally be taking its rightful place on the national stage in the upcoming presidential election. Both Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton have faced questions about the growing heroin problem, and Clinton recently vowed to make it a campaign issue. Now, there are a growing number of policies developing across the country to attempt to address the problem.

The number of heroin-related deaths has grown rapidly in recent years. According to the Center for Disease Control, the rate of drug poisoning deaths involving heroin nearly quadrupled from 2000 to 2013, with most of that growth occurring after 2010.  Of the 4.2 million Americans who have tried heroin, approximately 23 percent will become addicted. In 2013, the number of deaths related to drug overdose was 43,982, exceeding traffic fatalities. That year, heroin accounted for approximately 19 percent of all drug overdose deaths, taking the lives of 8,257 people. This chart shows the rapid growth in heroin deaths that has occurred in recent years.

Because of the recent increase in supply and decline in cost, heroin is becoming one of the most popular drugs on the market. In 2007, there were approximately 373,000 heroin users in the United States, but by 2012 that number had  grown to 669,000, an 80 percent increase.

Heroin is also becoming easier to use. Production improvements have increased the purity of heroin sold on the street, which allows it to be snorted and smoked as well as injected.  In the past, injection was the most common method because at lower purity levels that was the only way to receive an instant high.

The drug has become especially popular among white middle class males. In a study done by the National Center for Health Statistics, white males between the ages of 18-44 have become the largest demographic affected by  heroin, with an overdose rate of 7 per 100,000. The overdose rate for men is also four times higher than it is for women.

“Accidental Overdose” is a serious problem for heroin users, but the overdose process is more complicated than it may seem. Users build up a tolerance to the pleasurable effects of the drug faster than they do the physical effects. As a result, users need to take more of the drug to reach the same high, but in the process their respiratory systems can’t catch up and their breathing slows. Many people who die from an overdose simply stop breathing. Naloxone, a drug carried by many first responders, can speed up breathing and can help save someone who has overdosed, but that requires another person to be present to administer Naloxone or call for help.

Jack Stein, the director of the Office of Science Policy and Communications at the National Institute on Drug Abuse told National Geographic, “Literally every time someone injects heroin they are taking a risk of an overdose.” This is because addicts have no way of knowing what they are actually buying off the street. It could be pure heroin, or heroin cut with other powerful substances.

Last summer the White House held a summit on the Opioid Epidemic focusing on finding ways to encourage states to pass Good Samaritan Laws and increase the availability of Naloxone to first responders. As of July 2, 30 states and the District of Columbia have passed Good Samaritan Laws, which allow bystanders to respond in an overdose situation without fear of repercussions. Additionally,  42 states and D.C. have amended their laws making it easier for medical professionals to access Naloxone. Because of these changes, 188 community-based overdose prevention programs now distribute Naloxone.

While progress is being made toward reducing the large number of overdoses from heroin and other opioids, government agencies must do more to crack down on the sale and trafficking of these drugs, and the 2016 candidates need to continue to advocate for change. Legislation is finally starting to catch up with the epidemic, but several states still lag behind. Naloxone is cheap and has a shelf life of 2-3 years, but it can only be lifesaving if it is readily accessible. While efforts to save people from overdosing are important, lawmakers must also work to restrict the spread of heroin, which has already taken root in many places across the country.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post As Overdose Numbers Rise, is Heroin the New Killer? appeared first on Law Street.

Venezuela has been suffering from food shortages for a while now. Shortages of basic needs have become the norm in Venezuela over the past few years, but as images from citizens continue to swarm social media sites it only seems to be getting worse. The government has reportedly taken control of all major television stations, leaving only social media as one of the few ways to see what’s going on inside the country.

Venezuelans are posting the pictures for that very reason. According to the polling firm Datanalisis, the Venezuelan people believe this is the biggest problem facing their country and the government isn’t doing anything about it. According to public opinion expert, Marcelino Bisbal, “the people, mostly poor and middle class have to queue for hours almost every day to search for food and other basic products such as detergent, toilet paper, and oil.”

The YouTube video above claims to show empty shelves in a supermarket in Venezuela. Social media sites are routinely being used by media opposed to the Venezuelan government to show the world what the government is failing to address. One of the officials behind the anti government website called Dolar Today stated in an interview with BBC:

Definitely there has been an increase in these kinds of videos, every week we get between five and ten, Without a doubt, there is a chance that they might be false, or out of date. But the vast majority of the cases are real.

Venezuela used to be known for producing coffee, rice, and oil, but with the recent food shortages productions have decreased, according to Asdrubal Oliveros, an economist at Ecoanalítica, a leading consulting firm in Venezuela.

The government continues to ignore the problem, causing many Venezuelans to believe the government’s mismanagement is behind the shortages. In January 2015, Interior Minister Carmen Melendez stated,“Don’t fall into desperation, we have the capacity and products for everyone, with calmness and patience. The stores are full.”

However, pictures from Venezuelans tell a different story. Activists believe it is important to show the pictures to the world and allow the international community to see the reality of Venezuela. Marcelino Bisbal, a public opinion expert, added, “This is highly dangerous in a country where the government policy is not to say a word about this, as if it’s not happening.”

In 2013, President Nicolás Maduro stated that the food shortages were being artificially created by the opposition and the CIA. President Maduro backed up this claim by claiming that the CIA was somehow involved in the death of Venezuela’s previous president Hugo Chavez. He stated that a U.S. Air Force attaché had been expelled from Venezuela hours before Chavez’s death and accused him of seeking military support for a plot against Chavez. He also claimed that the CIA is forming a wider plan to destabilize his government in addition to sabotaging the oil industry, creating food shortages, and triggering power cuts.

While there are multiple reasons for the instability in Venezuela that is causing the food shortages, the government’s apparent attempts to ignore the problem are drawing more attention to the country. Government officials continue to claim that their policies are not the problem and they have nothing to do with the food shortages, but the fact that they have done nothing to ameliorate them is certainly concerning.

Earlier this year, the government deployed the military to control food supplies, making sure citizens do not overindulge. Venezuelans now deal with militarization, food shortages, and a tanking economy. With the government in control of the television and offering the people little hope of reform, Venezuelans have shown the government they can not be silenced or ignored and they will continue to use social media to convey the truth.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Continued Food Shortages in Venezuela Spark Social Media Outcry appeared first on Law Street.

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer team just became soccer champions of the world but they weren’t paid like it. The entire winning Women’s National team received $2 million, but the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team received $8 million after being eliminated in the first knockout round in the 2014 World Cup.

Representative Carolyn Maloney from New York wrote a letter to FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, on Monday urging him to address this pay inequality. In her letter to Blatter, she accuses FIFA officials of making excuses for the pay gap by arguing that there have been more soccer tournaments for men over the years.

This is true–there have only been seven FIFA Women’s World Cups as opposed to the twenty FIFA World Cups. But on the other hand, women’s soccer did not become popular until the 20th century when the first FIFA Women’s World Cup was played in 1991.

FIFA has a history of being a bit discriminatory toward women players. Many high profile players filed a lawsuit challenging FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association in January 2015 after FIFA announced women would play on artificial turf for the Women’s World Cup instead of grass like the men. Artificial turf is known for being hotter, shorter, and dryer. Playing on artificial turf has been proven to cause higher levels of fatigue and more injuries than playing on natural grass. Sydney Leroux, the U.S. Women’s Soccer forward posted this picture, illustrating the danger.

This is why soccer should be played on grass! pic.twitter.com/fsNGi27oRY

— Sydney Leroux Dwyer (@sydneyleroux) April 15, 2013

Unfortunately, this is not the first time women athletes have been paid less than their male counterparts. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, this problem exists in almost every sport. In golf, the total prize money for the PGA Tour is more than five times that of the LPGA Tour. In 2005, for the WNBA the salary cap per team was $673,000 compared to the NBA salary cap per team at $46 million.

There are some exceptions, but they’re few and far between. In 2007, Wimbledon changed its rules stating that both men and women would receive equal prize money. All four Grand Slam events in tennis now offer equal prize money for both male and female athletes.

So what is the difference between men and women’s sports? The answer is revenue. According to the Wall Street Journal, there was $17 million raised in sponsor revenue for the Women’s World Cup this year compared to the $529 million for the men’s tournament in 2014. This data shows sponsors are less interested in supporting women’s sports, which causes revenue to suffer.

UK Sport and Tourism Minister Helen Grant addressed the argument during an interview with BBC last year that women’s sports do not generate as much revenue as the men’s sports stating:

It’s not just about the bottom line and profits and the return on investment which I believe they will get, it’s also taking part in the battle for gender balance and fairness in the 21st century, Sports need to engage in the battle of gender balance and fairness.

Grant’s solution for pay equality in women’s athletics is to encourage media outlets to show women’s sports more frequently and in turn generate more commercial investment. With more media coverage, women’s sports would attract larger audiences of both viewers and sponsors. Like Grant said, gender pay inequality in sports underscores the larger issue that gender inequality still exists all over the world and must be addressed.

The Women’s World Cup this year crushed TV record ratings, making it the highest ever for a U.S. soccer game. FIFA should not only pay these women for their hard work and determination, but by ending the pay gap it would show the world that it supports women’s soccer and will continue to as it grows in the future.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Did Sexism Win the Women’s World Cup? appeared first on Law Street.

Many countries have been victims of cyber attacks but may not realize it until long after the security breach occurred. In the recently revealed hack on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), it took authorities four months to even realize that the hack occurred. While it may still be too early to understand the exact scale of this attack, all evidence suggests that it is likely one of the largest security breaches in United States history. With news of recent security breaches finally reaching the public, many people are wondering if the government can adequately protect itself from future attacks.

“The United States of America is under attack,” warned Rep. Elijah Cummings at a House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee hearing earlier this month. Katherine Archueta, the director of OPM, faced harsh criticism at the hearing for failing to upgrade databases despite known security issues. An OPM audit carried out last November–shortly before the breach–concluded that several databases still did not meet federal security standards, a problem that was initially identified back in 2007. Authorities had knowledge of a “significant deficiency” in OPM security governance prior to the hack, yet failed to fix security problems that have existed for nearly seven years.

According to the New York Times, federal databases have not been updated with the latest protocols and defense systems that create more barriers for hackers to break through. In the case of the OPM breach, hackers were not subject to multi-factor authentication–meaning they were not required to use an access code to verify their identification. The OPM Inspector General was also unsure if the hacked social security numbers were encrypted. When asked why hackers were not subject to multi-factor authentication, Donna Seymour of OPM told the Times the following:

Installing such gear in the government’s ‘antiquated environment’ was difficult and very time consuming, and that her agency had to perform ‘triage’ to determine how to close the worst vulnerabilities.

The U.S. has been a victim of hacking before, but the recent OPM hack was different because the hackers accessed the Federal Employee Database, which allowed them to retrieve federal employee information dating all the way back to 1985. Recently, officials believe that (SF) 86 questionnaires, which all individuals applying for national security positions must fill out, may have also been compromised in yet another hack. Access to such forms could provide hackers with extremely intimate information about individuals with security clearance, and in the wrong hands could lead to blackmail.

Cybersecurity Experts believe China wanted this information to build a network of current and former government employee information to conduct future attacks. This shows the U.S. government’s inability to protect 14 million people’s personal information and keep Americans safe from cyber attacks. The hackers involved are believed to be a Chinese group, the same one responsible for hacking Anthem Insurance earlier this year.

Not only is the United States ill-equipped to prevent these attacks, it often does a poor job of responding to them after the fact. In response to the recent hack, OPM has notified four million current and former federal employees who may have had their personal information stolen and offered 18 months of free credit monitoring and $1 million in identity theft protection. But is that enough if identities are already compromised? Many federal employees do not believe so and took to commenting on OPM’s Facebook page to express their anger. Federal employees are demanding higher security standards and better responses from the agency because so many people’s personal information is at stake.

This is not the first time that the government failed to learn from past attacks. Back in April, officials revealed a cyber attack that penetrated the White House computers, reportedly tracing its origins to Russia. According to the White House, attackers managed to penetrate the unclassified system of White House computers giving them important details about the president’s schedule. Investigators believe the Russians used a tactic called “spear phishing,” where hackers pretend to be a friend or coworker and ask for account information. Authorities believe the OPM hackers used similar methods.

While officials believe the hack was not on behalf of the Chinese government, the government seems to be doing little to crack down on hackers within its borders. The United States indicted five senior Chinese officials last year for stealing trade secrets from computers of American companies and passing them on to Chinese competitors. In retaliation for the indictments, China said it suspended a working group on cyber-related matters, further preventing collaboration between the two countries.

With cybercrimes becoming more prevalent, strengthening government security by updating U.S. systems with the latest defense technology must be done to prevent future attacks. Government officials have knowledge of significant security weaknesses, yet little has been done to secure important systems. It is likely these attacks will continue in the future, and unless the United States is able to bring security measures in line with established standards, the government’s ability to protect itself will continue to falter.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Can the Government Protect Itself from Cyber Attacks? appeared first on Law Street.

Two veterans have been denied the Medal of Honor for nearly a century for their life-saving actions on account of their race and religion. Both Pvt. Henry Johnson and Sgt. William Shemin committed tremendous acts of bravery while serving in World War I, but because Johnson was African American and Shemin was Jewish, they did not receive the military’s highest honor. On June 2, 2015, Johnson and Shemin received their Medals of Honor, nearly 97 years after their courageous acts.

These recent Medal of Honor presentations come amid an effort by the Obama Administration to correct past injustice in the military. A provision of the 2002 defense authorization bill prompted the Pentagon to look for potential cases of discrimination in Medal of Honor decisions, and now several of these injustices are finally being righted. Last March, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to 19 Hispanic, Jewish, and African-American veterans who were overlooked because of their racial and ethnic backgrounds.

In May 1918 near Sainte Menehould, France, Johnson and another member of his regiment fought off at least 12 German soldiers after a surprise attack. While a fellow soldier suffered serious injuries, Johnson moved forward to engage the attacking Germans in hand-to-hand combat forcing them to retreat. Although he suffered severe wounds, Johnson managed to the protect his companion from capture with only his hands and a knife.

A few months later in August 1918, Shemin repeatedly ran across a battlefield to save injured members of his platoon. He risked his life, exposing himself to machine gun and rifle fire. In the process, Shemin was hit by shrapnel and had a bullet lodged in his left ear after it pierced his helmet. He also took leadership of his platoon temporarily after all senior officers died on the battlefield.

Shemin was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his service, but was never given an explanation for why his first Medal of Honor request was denied. Shemin died in 1973 without receiving the Medal of Honor, but earlier this month his daughter, Elsie Shemin-Roth, received the award on his behalf.

Johnson served with the “Harlem Hellfighters,” an all-black regiment put under French command because African-American soldiers could not serve in the same combat units as white Americans. His race was likely the reason he did not receive the Medal of Honor following the war. Johnson died in 1929 and is currently buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Command Sgt. Major Louis Wilson, a commander in the New York National Guard, accepted the award from President Obama on his behalf.

President Teddy Roosevelt wrote that Johnson was one of the “bravest American soldiers in the war,” and in the 1950s Langston Hughes began pushing for him to receive the Medal of Honor. After his service, Johnson was one of the first Americans to receive the Croix de Guerre avec Palme, France’s highest award for valor. He also earned the Wound Chevron–an award that recognized soldiers who were wounded in combat–the  Purple Heart from President Bill Clinton, and the Distinguished Service Cross in 2003.

Senator Chuck Schumerwas one of Johnson’s strongest advocates. Without the determination of Schumer and his staff, Johnson may never have received the Medal of Honor so many years after the fact. The senator’s office managed to find a letter written by Gen. John J. Pershing commending Johnson’s bravery, including excerpts from his peers. Johnson’s Medal of Honor application was resubmitted and the new evidence and eventually approved. After the announcement that Johnson would receive the Medal of Honor, Schumer told The New York Times,

The great thing about America is that we undo our injustices more than any other country… his act and heroism was amazing.

In 2011 Senators Wyden and Merkley wrote a letter to Leon Panetta, the Defense Secretary at the time, stating,

These awards do not properly recognize Private Johnson’s heroism and with new evidence it is now possible for the nation to give Private Johnson the recognition he deserves, the Medal of Honor.

These senators, joined with several other members of Congress, called for an exception to the Medal of Honor rule, which states that heroic actions must have taken place within the last five years to be considered.

Shemin-Roth worked for years to get her father’s heroism properly documented. In an interview last year, she claimed that her father was not given the Medal of Honor because he was Jewish. Senator Claire McCaskill and several Jewish organizations took up his cause and pushed to award the Medal of Honor to Shemin.

After the award ceremony, McCaskill said,

I couldn’t be prouder that we were able to correct these past injustices, and that William Shemin and other Jewish heroes will get the recognition they deserve, and the national gratitude they earned.

While these recent awards show progress in correcting past wrongdoing, we must continue to ensure that all veterans are properly commended for their service. It is a shame that it took our nation almost a century to overlook racial and religious prejudice in the cases of Private Johnson and Sergeant Shemin. If we prevented these injustices in the first place, we would never have to undo them.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Correcting Past Prejudices: Honoring Our Veterans appeared first on Law Street.

The Transportation Security Administration agents recently failed 67 out of 70 total tests, missing 95 percent of the of mock explosives and weapons that were smuggled into airports by undercover Homeland Security Red Teams, ABC News Reported.

Since the administration’s last review in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security spent $540 million on checked baggage screening and $11 million to train Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents. Despite these expenditures, ABC news notes that the TSA has “failed to make any noticeable improvements in that time.” Professors John Mueller and Mark Stewart further reviewed homeland security expenditures using a cost-benefit analysis. They conclude, based on the costs of security and the financial damages of potential attacks, American spending has not produced the necessary results.

The failed airport security tests come at the worst possible time for the TSA. In the past couple months, we have witnessed multiple breaches in airport security. In April, a teenager snuck into a wheel well on an airplane leaving from the West Coast and flew all the way to Hawaii. In late May, a man was able to bypass airport security at LAX, only to be subdued by a TSA officer with a taser as he reached gate 66.

Last August, a woman was able to board a plane in San Jose without a ticket. The woman made it all the way to her destination before being arrested by police, who later determined that the she suffered from a mental illness.

After news of the recent Red Team tests emerged, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said,

Changes will be made in response to the identification of the vulnerable aspects by these tests.

According to the ABC News report, one undercover agent was actually stopped after setting off the alarm at the magnetometer, but after a pat down, TSA agents failed to find fake explosives taped to the undercover agent’s back.

The question now becomes, what new security measures will be enacted by the TSA, and will these new measures be any more effective?  The TSA recently started testing electronic devices traveling to and from overseas cities at many U.S. airports with direct international flights. The new rule will require passengers to power on their devices when arriving at security checkpoints for overseas flights. If the device will not power on, it will not be allowed past airport security checkpoints.

Many passengers feel this does not adequately address all the security concerns as it is only being implemented in select airports and does not address the problem of passengers smuggling bombs and weapons on their bodies, which TSA agents failed to detect in the mock testing. In 2014, the TSA  confiscated 2,212 firearms at 24 airports after screening nearly 653 million passengers, a 22 percent increase from 2013 where only 1,813 firearms were confiscated.

With external security threats remaining high according to terrorism experts, it is imperative to keep internal security at its best. Homeland Security has used Red Teams for the last 13 years to detect security flaws; however, the changes never seem to address the problems accurately. NBC News notes that since 2002, TSA agents failed similar Red Team tests on several occasions, indicating that there are many existing security flaws yet to be addressed.

NBC recently learned that 270 TSA security badges went missing at the San Diego International Airport over the last two years. These missing badges would allow non-Homeland Security personnel to gain access to restricted locations within the airport. As of March 2015, the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta saw more than 1,400 badges go missing over a similar time period.

How are we supposed to trust TSA agents with our lives when they can not be trusted with their own badges? Unless the TSA is able to completely restructure the airport security system, it is unlikely that new changes will make a large enough difference to deal with existing security threats.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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