North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 28, 2008 Page: 2 of 8
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Page 2 Thursday, February 28 2008
News
Kirk Cooper & Bryan Shettig
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Student atheists find a home
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By Andrew McLemore
Staff Writer
Clare Enas lost her faith in
a church.
Every Sunday, Enas' mother
took her to a Baptist church
in Tyler. When she was 13
years old, Enas' brother had
an epileptic seizure during the
service. The pastor refused to
stop his sermon and no one
helped Enas and her mother as
they carried her incapacitated
brother out of the church.
It wasn't until her senior
year of high school that Enas
told anyone she had aban-
doned religion.
"You didn't say anything
about being non-religious,
you would get harassed for
it," Enas said. "I love being so
open about it now."
Today, Enas is president of
the North Texas Free-Thought
Alliance, a student organiza-
tion aimed at unifying non-
religious groups and inviting
the devout for discussion about
faith and current issues.
Group membership remains
low compared to many other
campus organizations, but
Enas and two like-minded
students have formed a new
leadership and hope to expand
the group's visibility
Enas and freshmen co-pres-
idents Amanda Peissig and
Emily Mahoney grew up in
Texas towns with few friends
or relatives they could speak to
about their doubts or outright
disbelief.
"It took me a long time
before I could label myself an
atheist," said Mahoney, who is
from Corsicana.
The three women call
themselves "the trifecta"
and quickly become enthusi-
astic when explaining events
planned for this semester.
"As freshmen, we really
wanted to get involved with
something," Peissig said. "And
this was something we could
lay claim to, something we
believed in."
As part of the trio's goal
to generate buzz about their
organization, the group plans
on dressing up two members
as Jesus Christ and Satan in
an event they call Running
Campaign. The actors will
then walk around campus
together like normal students,
reading the paper and drinking
coffee.
"We don't want to be offen-
sive but we want to get people
talking," Enas said.
Other events planned
include screenings of the films
"Life of Brian" and "The God
Who Wasn't There" later in the
semester and an ask-an-atheist
panel from March 31-April 1
to inform students about the
different non-religious belief
systems.
"Part of our focus is to
educate the religious majority
as to who we are," Enas said.
"We want to be on the non-
offensive side, we're here to
help the community"
The group has tabled infor-
mation in the free speech area
before, but has strict rules
about dealing with students
who become antagonistic,
including members. If either
party becomes too aggressive,
they are asked to walk away.
"As a whole, people have
been open-minded, more than
we expected," said Peissig, an
Allen freshman. "We got called
communists once."
The Free-Thought Alliance
meets every Monday at 5 p.m.
in Rm. 312 of Wooten Hall and
typically discusses topics
chosen beforehand. Past topics
have included Jesus: man or
myth?, women in religion, what
is religion?, atheist activism
and interpersonal relation-
ships with Christians.
Enas said the focus of the
Free-Thought Alliance is
promoting understanding
and tolerance of atheists
and everything the organi-
zation does is in pursuit of
that goal.
"We shouldn't be treated like
second-class citizens because
we don't have a religion or a
faith," Enas said. "We're people
too."
Local elections coming to a head soon
Continued from page 1
"I'm running on my record,"
McNeill said. "The most
important issue in Denton is
in the crosshairs for develop-
ment and my goal as mayor is
to make sure that we continue
to create a community here
where you can raise a family
... but you have to not let the
development overwhelm it."
The other seats up for
grabs are the three at-large
seats. While Pete Kamp,
mayor pro tem, is currently
running uncontested for
Place 5, a situation she said
she is completely comfort-
able with. Jerry Mohelnitzky
and Joe Mulroy are competing
for Place 6.
Mulroy's goal of keeping
Denton's standards high is in
line with McNeill's.
"We're trying to elevate
the community appearance
and quality of life by better
compliance to our property
maintenance code," Mulroy
said. He said he wants to try to
make them more streamlined
for the citizens and business
owners.
Papers for the district 2 elec-
tion are due Tuesday and two
Denton citizens are hoping
to claim the seat. John Ryan,
25-year resident of Denton,
said the spot has been vacant
since the former representative
stepped down. 1-Ie ran against
the incumbent last year and
said his time in Denton will
help him in this year's race
against Rudy Moreno.
"I feel like I represent a lot of
what's Denton," he said. "I've
been here for 25 plus years.
I've experienced everything
from being a college student to
the commuter to the business
center and I feel like I have a
good vision for where Denton
needs to go in the future."
Justin Bell said every candi-
date has a chance of winning
and that he is not counting
anyone out. He said that he
hopes to see students like
Favre getting more involved
in elections in the future.
"I'm waiting for our genera-
tion to ... understand that poli-
tics is not an T or 'me' situa-
tion — it's an 'us'," Bell said.
"We have to work together
on this."
House passes $18 billion in new taxes on
biggest oil companies, Republicans complain
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
House approved $18 billion in new
taxes on the largest oil companies
Wednesday as Democrats cited
record oil prices and rising gaso-
line costs in a time of economic
troubles.
The money collected over 10
years would provide tax breaks
for wind, solar and other alter-
native energy sources and for
energy conservation. The legis-
lation, approved 236-182, would
cost the five largest oil compa-
nies an average of $1.8 billion a
year over that period, according
an analysis by the House Ways
and Means Committee. Those
companies earned $123 billion
last year.
Senate Democratic leaders
said they would put the bill on
a fast track and try to avoid a
Republican filibuster. The White
House said the bill unfairly takes
aim at the oil industry. President
Bush is expected to veto the legis-
lation if it passes Congress.
House Majority Leader Steny
Hoyer, D-Md., noted it was two
years ago, when oil cost $55 a
barrel, when Bush said oil compa-
nies need no government subsi-
dies to pursue more oil or gas.
"With the price of oil hovering
around $100 do we really believe
this incentive is justified?" asked
Hoyer. 'Do these companies need
taxpayer subsidies to look for new
product? They don't need any
incentive."
Republicans said the measure
unfairly targeted a single
industry.
"It punishes the oil and gas
industry This is wrongheaded. It
will result in higher prices at the
gasoline pump. It's spiteful and
wrong," said Rep. Jim McCrery,
R-La.
The top Republican on the Ways
and Means Committee, which
developed the tax proposals, he
cited statistics that show that
oil companies already pay more
taxes than many other indus-
tries.
Hoyer acknowledged "this
legislation alone will not bring
down gas prices." But he said the
measure will provide a needed
boost to alternative energy indus-
tries — solar, wind, biofuels, and
geothermal—and help promote
energy conservation. "That may
bring down gas prices three years
from now, 10 years from now,"
he said.
The bill would roll back two
lucrative tax breaks for the five
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largest U.S. oil companies. One
helps manufacturers compete
against foreign companies; the
other gives American companies
a tax credit related to oil and gas
extraction outside the country.
Democrats estimated that those
current breaks would save the oil
companies $17.65 billion in taxes
over the next 10 years.
The House-passed bill would
use that money to promote renew-
able energy industries — such as
wind, solar and cellulosic ethanol
plants—by extending tax credits
that recently expired or are sched-
uled to end at year's end.
The bill would offer tax credits
for more energy efficient homes
and a credit for "plug-in" gas-
electric hybrid cars that would
capture electricity off the power
grid, once such cars become
available in showrooms.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
D-Calif., said the shift of tax bene-
fits from oil to alternative energy
development was critical to
increased energy independence
and lowering energy costs. "We
have the opportunity to invest
in clean, renewable energy and
energy efficiency," she said.
She noted the House twice last
year passed similar tax plans, but
they died in the Senate. Since
then, the price of gasoline has
climbed and large oil compa-
nies have made record profits,
Pelosi said.
During debate, Rep Jim
McDermott, D-Wash., urged
lawmakers to "stop the madness
of subsidizing oil companies"
when the industry earned $123
billion last year.
The oil industry has lobbied
intensely against the House tax
legislation, calling it a "discrimi-
natory bill" that targets compa-
nies that already pay consider-
able taxes. "Newtaxes... will even
further reduce our energy security
by discouraging new domestic oil
and natural gas production and
refinery capacity expansions,"
the American Petroleum Institute
said in a statement.
But other energy industries and
energy efficiency advocates have
campaigned for the legislation
because of the tax incentives that
would be directed their way.
"These incentives must be
extended immediately to void
significant harm to the develop-
ment of clean energy industries
in the United States," said a letter
to lawmakers from more than
100 businesses, electric utilities,
environmental groups and energy
efficiency advocates.
A similar tax proposal passed
the House last summer, but it was
abandoned in the Senate where
Democrats couldn't muster the 60
votes needed to overcome a GOP
filibuster. Senate Democrats were
maneuvering to avoid a repeat of
that with the newly passed House
measure.
The chairman of the Senate
Budget Committee, Democratic
Sen. Kent Conrad of North
Dakota, said Democratic leaders
are considering advancing the
House bill under fast-track proce-
dures related to the budget. This
process would not permit an
indefinite GOP stall.
The White House says singling
out the oil companies for higher
taxes "would reduce the nation's
energy security rather than
improve it" and "lead to higher
energy costs to U.S. consumers
and business."
Senior advisers would urge
Bush to veto the bill should it
pass Congress, the White House
said in a statement before the
House vote.
Sunday
9:30 a.m.
10:50 a.m.
College Age Rap
Worship Service
Wednesday
6:00 p.m. Wed. IVight Live Slipper
1203 N. Fulton / Call 940-566-4990
1 block north of Denton High School
(2 blocks south of University Drive)
Transportation available.
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Police
Blotteb
Fight at West Hall,
marijuana found
in College Inn
By Holly Horton
Intern
Thursday, Feb. 21
NT police responded to
West Hall at about 11:57
p.m. after NT staff member,
Russell Perry, reported
that two students were
fighting.
According to the official
NT police report, officers
arrested a student, Brett
Bowman, 22, in connection
with public intoxication and
assault by contact.
The other student
involved was Robert Thomas
Gibson, 18, according to the
report.
There is no further infor-
mation on the reporting
party.
Saturday, Feb. 23
NT police officer, Gerald
Sheperd, was dispatched at
1:33 a.m. to College Inn in
the 200 block of Avenue D in
reference to an administra-
tive search for contraband.
Assistant hall director
Russell Lopez gave officer
Sheperd a small bag that
contained marijuana.
According to the official NT
police report, Lopez stated
that there was a man living
in apartment 110 of College
Inn who was neither a resi-
dent nor a student.
According to the report,
Lopez said the man stated
that the marijuana belonged
to him. At 2:20 a.m. officer
Sheperd issued Larry L.
Long, jr., 23, a criminal tres-
pass warning.
NT police took 1.2 grams
of marijuana into custody,
according to the report.
Sunday, Feb. 24
Edward James Drost,
37, of Weatherford was
arrested and transported
to the Denton County Jail in
connection with an assault
with bodily injury arrest
between 3:37 and 4:38
a.m.
According to the official
NT police report, Drost
assaulted Christopher A.
Goodloe, 22, and caused
a disturbance at Rockin'
Rodeo on 1009 S. Ave C.
According to the report,
there were no witnesses to
the incident.
Drost was released the
same day on a $2,500 bail.
Corrections
Erik Carson name was
misspelled in yesterdays
story titled, "Microsoft
award given to professor".
There is only a primary
for the Republican Party,
the information in yester-
day's front page story titled
"Texas' primaries, caucuses
differ in execution", was
incorrect.
Chris and Sue Bancroft
are leading the campaign
to raise $1 million for
the endowment to honor
Anshel Brusilow. The Lupe
Murchison Foundation
donated the first $500,000.
The spelling of the
Bancroft name and details
of the donation were incor-
rect in the front-page story
on Tuesday.
Election official predicts record
turnout in Texas primaries
AUSTIN (AP) — Turnout
for next week's election will
likely set a new Texas record,
Secretary of State Phil Wilson
said Wednesday.
Based on early voting
numbers, Wilson projected a
turnout Tuesday of 26 percent
of the more than 12.7 million
registered voters in Texas.
With three days left in the
early voting period, turnout
in the Democratic primary on
Tuesday surpassed the early
voting record set in 2002 with
511,809 Texans casting their
ballots.
"The number of voters partic-
ipating in the Texas primaries is
greater than anything we have
seen before," Wilson said. "If the
voting trends continue through
election day, Texas will set a
record for turnout in a primary
election with 3.3 million Texans
casting a ballot."
The previous record in
Texas was set in the 1988 pres-
idential primary election with
more than 2.7 million Texans
voting. As of Tuesday, more
than 680,000 Texans had voted
in early voting, more than
doubling the 2004 numbers.
Due to the high turnout
expected, Wilson is encour-
aging Texans to take advan-
tage of the last two days of early
voting.
"It is exciting to see people
of both parties energized about
participating in the democratic
process in our state," Wilson
said. "And because of the high
turnout, I would encourage
Texans to take advantage of
the convenience of early voting
and avoid the lines that may be
encountered on election day."
Early voting ends Friday.
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North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 28, 2008, newspaper, February 28, 2008; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145552/m1/2/: accessed May 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.