A trio, occasionally a quartet, of aging and wise punks clothed in eyeliner, ripped shirts and dignity once remarked, “Wake me up when September ends.” Typically, this statement is incredibly relatable. September is a weird month. Everyone is back in school, so summer, while not technically over until three weeks into the month, has ended in every way that counts. September is a month of memories for the United States. The phrase “September 11″ has the peculiar ability to drag the majority of American citizens back to that terrible and confusing morning 12 years ago when a group of terrorists hijacked four planes and ended 3,000 American lives. September is a month of untrustworthy weather. You might need a sweater and socks to comfortably fall asleep only to wake up to the humidity of a terrarium and temperatures more suitable to the surface of the sun than to any place on this planet. So many opposing emotions and events make it easy to give up on the entire month and simply snooze right through to October.

This September, however, is rapidly breaking that mold. This September will be a month worthy of over-caffeinating and losing sleep. You won’t want to miss this September. By the end of this month, the United States may have drastically altered its foreign intervention policy for decades to come. The decision upon which this alteration depends will strain an already precarious relationship between the president and Congress. The decision is already doing strange things to our country’s major parties. It is redrawing loyalty lines. In long-term effects, this alteration will impact the next couple presidential elections; it will impact which members of Congress are re-elected; it will impact our country’s international presence. The decision is, of course, whether or not Congress will authorize the president’s proposed military strike against Syria, a strike he believes is a necessary response to the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack they carried out against rebel citizens that ended in the deaths of hundreds of innocent Syrian citizens.

Now, typically the Trinitonian covers issues that affect Trinity students on a more obvious and daily basis. This week, however, we decided to follow the example set by the month and break out of our mold. Also, we believe that this issue jives quite well with an article written by our A&E editor that ran in last week’s paper titled “In Defense of Millennials.” In the article, Megan Hageney, the aforementioned A&E editor, takes on the numerous stereotypes bestowed upon our generation by members of older generations. Specifically, Hageney takes on the accusation that Millennials are disconnected from the world outside of their smart phones and social media. The situation in Syria and the subsequent decision resting upon our government’s shoulders is the perfect opportunity for our generation to prove that we are more than a pack of Instagrammers who can text at speeds that are truly staggering (and inspiring). Whatever decision our government comes to regarding the military strike, it will be our lives that are impacted. As the future of this nation, we have a right and a responsibility to shape the future into something to be proud of.

Right now, the question and main focus of this issue is not which side you support, but rather, the question is how you are expressing that support. Educate yourself: read, ask, discuss. And, for goodness sake, stay awake this September.