The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 13

November 3, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 10 Opinions Taking classes remotely has helped my anxiety NSU has recently announced they are continuing the Blend Flex model, a combination of online and in-person learning, into the new semester, and I could not be more excited. I have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which is constant anxiety over practically anything and everything. Being anywhere but home is always a struggle. With online learning, I have the option to take classes from the comfort of home without my attendance faltering, needing to worry about anxiety attacks or dealing with the constant fear of panicking in front of my peers. I can participate in in-class lectures, live discussions and club meetings in a space where I feel comfortable and at ease. While it has helped me keep calm, I understand not everyone feels the same. Students are begging for things to go back to normal so they can continue their social lives. I miss seeing my friends and it is hard to find the effort to wake up every morning just to continue working from bed. However, if we focus on the positives, we gain the effort we need to succeed. This will not last forever and things are settling into a new normal for everybody. Who knows, maybe I will attend a class or two in-person next semester and see how I feel. This pandemic has me starting to feel more open to change and branching out of my comfort zone more each and every day. Senate Republicans may have won the vote, but they will never recover their credibility On March 16, 2016, former president Barack Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court. Garland was to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who had passed away a month earlier. Usually, when there is an open seat on the Supreme Court, a president is able to nominate a judge to fill it. The candidate goes through a process of confirmation and the Senate votes on whether the candidate is viable to serve on the Supreme Court. Garland wasn’t nominated at any old time, though. Garland was nominated during an election year. Mere hours after Scalia’s passing and a month before Garland was nominated by the president, Senator Mitch McConnell had already voiced his opposition. He cited that a nominee this close to the election is immoral and an injustice to voters, who he said should have a voice in the confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice. In fact, many Senate Republicans who are still serving on the Senate this year voiced their opposition to filling Justice Scalia’s seat. Lindsey Graham promised the public they could use his words against him in 2016 when he said the Republicans were setting a precedent as to not confirma new Justice during an election year. Cory Gardner said the stakes were too high to consider a new Justice at that time. The list of quotes from various Republican senators goes on and on, vowing that the primary reason they would choose not to consider a new Justice was that theAmerican people should elect a new president who better reflects their voices. Garland was never confirmed; in fact, he was never even granted a hearing. Sure enough, Donald Trump was able to nominate and confirm his own candidate in 2017. This year, the Republican senators have changed their tune completely. Again during an election year, an opening on the Supreme Court became available. This time, though, it was only 46 days before the presidential election. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish was to not be replaced before a new president was sworn in. Hours after her death, McConnell spoke again, this time promising his support of the president’s nominee. A week after Ginsburg’s death, President Donald Trump chose his nominee. Finally, after only about a month of hearings and eight days before election day, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Oct. 26. There was no concern for the American people this time. There was no respect for the former Justice, who was considered a political legend by many. There was no hesitation. Nearly every Republican that spoke publicly in opposition of Garland’s nomination in 2016 voted for Barrett’s confirmation. Their excuses for her quick confirmation no longer echoed concerns for voters. Instead, they cited that they were simply doing their jobs. In a situation with so many parallels, it is clear that the Senate Republicans do not care about their jobs, the American people or even the late Justice Ginsburg. They only care about winning. While they may have won the confirmation vote, they will never recover their credibility. By: Veronica Richard Contributing Writer By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor It’s not Christmas yet By: Rey Perez Contributing Writer On my way home one day, I passed Dunkin.’. There wasn’t anything particularly special about this Dunkin,’ except a three-foot- tall Christmas tree in the window that caught my eye. It was mid-October. Stores and restaurants putting up Christmas decorations around Halloween is like wearing a parka in the summer. It’s out of place. However, that’s not all it does. It takes away from the time dedicated to celebrate Halloween, and later on, Thanksgiving. Each holiday is supposed to get it’s due time. That way, we can fully enjoy the holidays eachmonthhas tooffer.Now, that’s not to say that I can’t understand seeing Christmas decorations going up in November. Thanksgiving is a pretty boringholiday, andbecause of that, it gets dunked on by the powerhouse that is Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, Thanksgiving has its uniqueness, but it does not match the Christmas spirit. You know what I’m talking about: “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” that Christmas magic. No one ever sang about turkey and gravy, although maybe they should have. Now, let’s say you get all jazzed for Christmas and go all out in November -- the music, the garland, the sweaters that make living in South Florida worse, the cookies, the movies, the Douglas Fir air fresheners. All of it. By the time December rolls around, you will be exhausted of it all. Trust me, I’ve done it. Christmas day will come and you will be glad when it goes back into its year-long slumber. Besides, why skip Halloween? The decorations are truly unique and it gives people an excuse to dress up in costumes. For one day, that’s not considered weird. It’s also a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, and what makes for a better first impression than them handing you candy? If you’re too old for that, then you get to sit at home and witness an endless parade of costumes float by your doorstep all night. Even if you don’t want to do that, you can grab a nice cold mug of apple cider and sit down to your favorite horror movie. There’s a lot to do and drowning October in Christmas is just as unfair as the Christmas colonization of November. It seems every year the Christmas decorations get whipped out in retail stores across the country earlier. While this might be great for business to get the ball rolling for the major Christmas cash flow, it isn’t for the rest of us who would prefer a balance in our holidays. Like eating pancakes for dinner, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. So, put the garland back in the cardboard box -- it can wait another month. “ There was no concern for the American people this time. There was no respect for the former Justice, who was considered a political legend by many. There was no hesitation. in your life, South Florida has got some great unique trails for you to walk, run or bike on. All you have to do is get out there,