The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 155, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 12, 1998 Page: 2 of 6
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Page 2
Texan Commentary
J-TAC
February 12,1998
Claudia
How do I love you?
Let me count
/
Say
\>ke.~ &
\/cil t^inc.
I / Ha.'/i'
/7t>u> do I
AWW
1
Wade Miller
C'oniniiTit-iry I;ditm
Melissa Marshall
PkuIuc lion Mdjuj^c-r
I would like to begin my little tirade by saying that most of the time, I really enjoy living in Erath County.
The clerks at grocery and convenience stores say nice things to you, people in their trucks waye as you pass by
and you get big portions of food at restaurants. With that out of the way, now I'd like to gripe about how some
people here suck!!!
I was walking across campus two weeks ago, minding my own business, smiling politely at people as they
passed by, when, out of the blue, my day was overcast by a cloud of self doubt and insecurity. How could this
happen "all of a sudden" you ask? Because some guy, dressed in Wranglers, Justin's and other cowboy para-
phernalia, walked by, looked me over in a disdainful manner and speaking like he was addressing bread mold
said, "Halloween's over ya know."
Being a natural blonde, the comment did not register at first. I gave him a sweet smile, laughed a little --
you know, the normal reaction you do when someone says something, but you have NO CLUE what it was, and
kept on walking. Then it struck. Wait a minute... that guy just insulted me! Arggh, drive-by esteem crusher!!
You always think those things happen to other people, but you assume you are safe. •
Now, bear in mind, I moved here from Houston nearly two years ago, where you have to dress like every
day is Halloween so you can get any attention at all, negative or otherwise. I was crazy: bell-bottomed, halter
topped and blue nail-polished. But I wasn't when this guy ruined my day. I was wearing a pair of loose jeans
and a cream sweater. No platform shoes, no outrageous make-up, nothing. I guess if I was all punked-out, his
comment wouldn't have hurt my feelings as much. But how terrible that a stranger off the street could take my
feelings in his sweaty little palms and crush them. I know it's not as bad as I make it out to be, and this happens
to people every day, but maybe we should pay more attention to occurrences like these.
How many times has your day been trodded on by one ill-placed comment? You probably pushed it into the
back of your mind, told yourself that you shouldn't let it get to you and gone on. I'm sick of it! You have to
take a closer look at your emotions and not throw anything out as unimportant, because it does affect you.
When someone puts you down, you have to begin the tedious process of building up your self-esteem. It's
like the fluffy guy on Saturday Night Live, "I'm good enough; I'm smart enough; and gosh darn it, people like
me!" It sucks that someone made me be that guy.
Seriously, treat others with respect. I know you've heard that since you were in Under-Roos. Maybe that's -
why everyone tends to disregard it. It's like something you've gotten used to ignoring. But it is important. You
could make someone's day by just a casual compliment, or you could really tear up us insecure weenies with a
single unintended insult. I think everyone has hidden insecurities; some of us just don't write commentaries
broadcasting them.
Eventually, I'll get to the moral of this little story, which is. Be Nice or I'll Write a Commentary About You!
No, really, everything you do has some significance. Wouldn't you rather bring a smile to a face than storm-
clouds? Take a little time to consider what you say, and maybe you can make a difference. This could be the.
end tO World hunger, war, famine, Bamie, stores that advertise livers and gizzards...
Angela Brewer
Sltill Wutei
Amy McDonald
-1 bet y'all didn't know tha(t I had a second job. Yes, that's right. I, Wade Miller, am the Love Magician when
I'm not writing for the J-TAC. What - you haven't heard of the Love Magician? Well, I solve the ordinary
Joe's love problems. Poor helpless souls, with no one to turn to, write letters to me, begging for my assistance. I
wave my magic love wand around a few times. Presto! I have solved their problems and also had a good time
in the process.
Since it's Valentine's Day this Saturday, I'll let you read a couple of the letters, so that way, you won't feel
so pathetic when it comes to your love life.
Dear Love Magician:
My boyfriend is, well, how can I put this? My boyfriend is lacking in a certain area. I don't know how to say
this and not be crude. Okay, let me just say that his nickname would be shorty. Mr. Magician, what can I do?
feeling short changed
Moody Hall, Tarleton State University
Dear Short changed:
I can't really speak from experience, but 1 think you should drop him and come a knockin' on the. ..Love
Magician's door. 1
Dear Love Magician:
I been dating a girl for six hole months, and I want marry her. How do I tail if I really really love her?
Please, Love Magician, I need you're help.
Really Really Confuted
1 Bender Hall, Tarleton State University
Dear Confused:
I see from your letter that you 're another fine product of Tarleton State. If you really want to know if you
love her, ask yourself one question. Have you ever done the numero two in front of her? If the answer is "yes,"
then you love her, and you should marry this girl for sticking around after that disgusting display of a private
matter. But if you really want my opinion, 1 think you should dump her and send her a knockin' on the... Love
Magician.'s door. ..... . . .
Well, that's all I'm going to share with you for now. I hope that on Valentine's Day you remember these poor
souls and realize, that even though your date might be ugly and poor and a sloppy dresser, oh yeah, and dumb,
she or he is still better than a night alone, trying to get your hand drunk. Wait, hold up, I forgot to work on my
J-TAC stuff, which is what I was supposed to be doing, so here it is.
DANGER! MUSHY STUFF. DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT UNLESS COMPELLED TO.
I joke about love and its heartbreaks, but what is love? Is it the blending of two souls to last forever? Is it a
passing fancy that fades in time? I know that love is worth fighting for because if it wasn't,.then this world
would be a cruel prank. I know that I have experienced true love, and that I intend to hang on to it forever, even
if that means fighting through some rough times. I know that love is rewarding and helps me find a way
through the day when every obstacle seems overwhelming.
I poke fun at love, but I also, understand its importance, which is to open my eyes to a universe full of won-
derful surprises. I understand that it finds you — truly finds you — only once in a lifetime, and when that time
arrives, you had better be ready to grab it and fight to hold it, because love is worth it.
Love does last forever but not if you neglect it. Yeah, love can last forever, if and only if, you're willing to
make the sacrifices needed to keep it. Love has no easy solutions; it just has great results.
You don't need a special day to show the love of your life that you love her. Tell her everyday. Show her
everyday, by holding her hand or mentioning how beautiful she looks and how smart she is. Just don't let the
opportunity slip by to show her how you feel, or love will end up just a passing fancy.
Morbid fascination with death spurs
wild excursion to Tucker's execution
Last Monday, we decided to go to the execution of Karla Faye Tucker partly because we were intrigued by
the fact that Texas was about to execute its first woman in 135 years, and mostly because we were experiencing
a sense of morbid curiosity.
We headed south on Hwy 6 toward Waco, not quite sure of how to get to Huntsville. After looking at a map,
we decided to take Hwy 7 to 1-45. Hwy 7 looked more like a farm road than a highway, but we knew we were
on the right track when we saw a prison bus ahead. >
We tried to catch the bus so we could see who was inside, but they were doing about 80 mph. We decided it
wouldn't be worth a speeding ticket just to see who was inside; however, we figured the bus was headed for
Huntsville so we should at least keep them in sight. With the help of the bus, we exited off of 1-45 arriving in
Huntsville around 3:30 p.m.
Directly off the exit, we spotted a convenience store that seemed like it would have nice clean rest rooms, so
we decided to ditch the bus realizing we could get directions from someone in the store. Before we left the
store, we asked, the clerk for directions to the Walls Unit where the execution was scheduled to take place.
We followed the clerk's detailed directions — "Go over the bridge down there, take a left a liltle ways down
and then take another left and go down that road. You will see all of the news vans; YOU CAN'T MISS IT!"
— and soon realized we were lost.
Luckily for us, we saw what we thought was the same speeding prison bus again and decided to follow it;
we assumed it was going to the Walls Unit. Confusion took over when another speeding prison bus passed our
car going the opposite direction. We looked at each other and realized we would have to stop for directions one
more time.
This time, the clerk's directions were a little less vague, and we arrived at the Walls Unit around 4 p.m.
Being the struggling journalists that we are — you know we only make $8 a week after taxes working at the
J-TAC — we had to pass on the $10-close-to-the-building-parking-lot and park on a side street.
As we advanced toward the red brick building known as the Walls Unit, we had no idea what we were get-
ting ourselves into.
The building was roped off to keep spectators from getting too close. For those who were not deterred by tfie
rope, prison guards were lined up arms length apart around the building. Media vans filled an entire parking
lot, and a grassy lawn across the street from the'Walls Unit was reserved for media only. If you have ever
thought that J-TAC reporters were not considered media, you aren't alone — we were not allowed in the
reserved area.
Despite the setback we were determined to make the most of our experience knowing that this would only
last a few hours.
Warning: What you are about to read is not pretty — in fact it is down right ugly. It contains vulgar
language, strange sightings and animalistic behavior.
Our first encounter was with the Grim Reaper. He looked like a freak with his long black robe and. hood —
not to mention the blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. Standing next to him was what appeared to
be his wicked witch wife who told the surrounding crowd why they were there. We anxiously leaned closer
only to learn that their symbolic dress was not symbolic at all — probably just last year's Halloween costumes.
She said that they were bored, so they decided to get dressed up and attend the execution.
Making our way through the crowd, we could not help but notice the signs of demonstrators. Some signs
were pretty basic like "NO DEATH PENALTY!"; however, some were a little more unique like "ONE LAST
ORGASM THEN JUICE HER!" and "I'M GLAD SHE FOUND GOD — NOW KILL THE BITCH ANY-
WAY!" , . _
Another stratiga epeiience was whe^.^e/m^,a,.^ow^nawecl,g^ty who
Carlos to the executjgn. Betty; told ug t^j,£arlos was imprisoned 38 years for att^mpted^i^rder.^jglaiy, '
dealing drugs and assault with a deadly'weapon; and during his time he found the Loird just like Karla Faye
Tucker had. She assured us that Karla would walk out of the prison alive because her God had told her so.
The crowd grew, and we became bewildered as 6 p.m. came and went with no news of Karla's death.
Thanks to a reporter doing a live broadcast, we finally found out that the execution had been delayed due to
pending appeals.
As we maneuvered through the crowd, we were engulfed by a huge prayer group before we knew what was
happening. The leader of the religious group prayed aloud that Governor Bush would not be able to rest at
night with this burden on his heart.
After they finished their prayer, they showed a music video of Karla on a big screen. The video was of
Karla dressed in her prison clothes doing a sign language version of a gospel song. The music video lasted for
what seemed to be forever. A few spectators requested songs like "Hell's Bells" and "Highway to Hell" while
others chanted "Bullshit!" to show their disapproval of the video.
Finally, by way of another reporter, we found out that all appeals for Karla's case were denied and Governor
Bush would not intervene on her behalf. Several minutes later the crowd began to cheer. Someone standing
near us said that he had just seen the witnesses entering the building. Now we knew that the moment was near.
About 10 minutes later, a man shouted "She's done," and the crowd erupted in cheer. Some were yelling
"God Bless Texas" while others engaged in a sing along to "na na na na, na na na na, hey hey good-bye."
The prayer group cranked up their music and rejoiced with song and dance, knowing that Karla was with her
Lord. One of the women in the group used the PA system to talk to Karla. She was looking toward the sky and
waving, saying, "Hi Karla! We love you; you are in a better place now — I wish I were there with you."
After that, it seemed that the crowd just disappeared as if nothing had happened. We walked down the street
to our car, past the now emptying $10-parking-lot. Several groups of people whizzed past us, and we thought
something important might be happening. We realized that the people were not rushing to see anything news-
worthy — they were trying to beat the crowd to the Dairy Queen across the street.
We made it to the car with little dialogue ~ giving ourselves time to digest the fact that someone had just
died. Yet we still felt little satisfaction. Our sense of morbid curiosity remained, still wanting to see more of
the strange spectacle.
Correction.
The following correction is for
the story, "TPSA bringing can-
didates to campus tonight," on
the front page in the-Feb. 5th
edition of the J-TAC.
David's last name was listed as
Lingle. His correct last name is
Lengefeld,
We apologize for any
inconvenience.
If you have any suggestions,
comments or responses
about the J-TAC, Tarleton or
world events, write a letter
to the editor. Please submit
your typed commentary to
the J-TAC, Room 20 in the
SDC, with your name and
social security number at the
bottom. The deadline for
letters is Monday at 5 p.m.
The J-TAC reserves the right
to refuse to print any com-
mentary in poor taste and
the right to edit any letter.
The
T-TAC
m Tarleton Ifcxzn WecW} New*
Editor-in-Chief
Justin Wayne Beam
Managing Editor
Kisty Hoffman
Commentary Editor
Wade Miller
Sports Editor
Chris McBride
Photography Editor
Joe Prado
Production Managers
Charles Crittenden, Jr.
Melissa Marshall
Advertising Manager
Cathryne Zacharias
Photographer
Sonya Whisenant
Web Editor
John Kerby
Robert Vaughan
Shadoe McGhee
Angela Brewer
Amy McDonald
Staff Writers
Kathryn Forst Jeff Doty
Valerie Harris Randy Jackson
Brian Botch Delia Jeffus
Jeff Daskam Michael Teer
Adviser
Rachel Cruthirds
Web Address
http://www.tarleton.edu/organizations/j-tac/
The J-TAC is published on Thursdays during the regular semester with the exception of university
holidays and examination periods.
The editorials express the opinions of the J-TAC staff. Other articles in the opinions section do not
necessarily express the views of this university or this newspaper.
Letters to the editor must contain a name, phone number and copy of student ID. However, the
name may be withheld by request if the previous information is given. Deadline for letters is 5 p.m.
Monday.
Non-profit organization, Bulk Rate USPS No, 133, Stephenville, TX 76401.
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 155, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 12, 1998, newspaper, February 12, 1998; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth141919/m1/2/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.