The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 22, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 3, 2010 Page: 2 of 8
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November 3, 2010
Opinion
The Rambler I www.therombler.org
NPR fires correspondent for speaking mind
Shouno Bonks
Staff writer
sbbanks@mail. txwes. edu
Since when did being political-
ly correct become more impor-
tant than our First Amendment
rights?
It seems we now live in a soci-
ety where freedom of speech is
flushed down the toilet if a per-
son dares to say something even
slightly controversial, or that may
be taken offensively. Apparently
being honest is also the path
to termination with the Na-
tional Public Radio.
Appearing on the Bill
O'Reilly show Oct. 18, former
senior analyst for NPR, Juan
Williams, told O'Reilly that
when he sees people in Mus-
lim garb, he gets worried and
nervous.
"I mean, look Bill, I'm not
a bigot. You know the kind of
books I've written about the civil
rights movement in this country.
But when I get on a plane, I got
to tell you, if I see people who
are in Muslim garb and I think,
you know, they are identifying
themselves first and foremost as
Muslims, I get worried. I get ner-
vous," Williams said.
Nihad Awad, the executive di-
rector for the Council on Amer-
ican-Islamic Relations com-
plained about the comments
made by Williams, saying "Such
irresponsible and inflammatory
comments would not be tolerated
if they targeted any other racial,
ethnic or religious minority, and
they should not pass without ac-
tion by NPR"
This of course set the media
and talking heads ablaze with
opinions, leading to Williams'
contract with NPR being termi-
nated just two days after the com-
ments were made, before it was
publicly announced on Oct. 21.
With that said, I have to say this
is beyond ridiculous. Williams
was simply honest with how he
felt, and ended up losing his job
over it.
And if we're all being honest
here, Williams was only voicing
what I believe many people feel if
they're old enough to remember
the events of 9/11. Most just don't
speak up about their worries in
relation to this topic because it's
so politically incorrect. They're
labeled a bigot or prejudiced for
even daring to say anything of the
sort.
So, although on live televi-
sion may not have been the most
tactful way to voice his con-
cerns about people who are bla-
tantly Muslim by appearance, he
was simply exercising his First
Amendment rights, and should
not have been fired for such ac-
tions.
But there is a silver lining in all
of this for Williams and for Pox
News. Not only did the contro-
versy split wide open on a Fox
News program, but they've wran-
gled in the guy smack dab in the
middle of it all.
Just as quickly as he was given
the boot, Williams was offered a
$2 million contract to work for
the Fox News Network. Plow's
that for karma?
Cost of using credit may be too high in this economy
Dwight Conerwoy
College life editor
dconerway@mail. txwes. ed u
Should we be charged for
the privilege of paying our
bills online?
I don't think we should.
First of all, rotating inter-
est-bearing accounts (credit
cards) charge us for having
the line of credit with them.
Some companies even pe-
nalize us for pay-
ing the entire bal-
ance each month.
To add insult
to injury, if we
choose to pay a
recurring bill (cell
phone or a utility
bill) online, we are
charged $3 to $5 for the pro-
cessing of that payment.
However, if we are willing
to drive 5-10 miles, we can
go to a payment center to
handle the transaction and
not be charged. Duh!
With the unstable prices
of fuel, do we really want
to buy $10 worth of gas to
search for a payment facility
that might be 10 miles away?
I don't.
Furthermore, it seems that
every time we purchase a
product for the first time
online, there is always a "one
time processing fee" of $2.95
to $14.95.
That means if we never
purchase any other items
from that company, they
will have made an additional
profit from us without sell-
ing us another thing.
Considering the aver-
age markup of 100 percent,
Polytechnic community
still has great potential
Bloke Sonuga
Multimedia editor
dtsonuga@mail. txwes.edu
Polytechnic has long been
of interest to its citizens, sup-
porters and more especially,
the people of Texas Wesley-
an. After all that is where the
school is located.
There have been a lot of de-
velopments in the Polytechnic
area recently, and one of the
big forces behind these devel-
opments is indeed Texas Wes-
leyan University, one of the
largest employer in the area.
One of the first things visi-
tors notice when they come
to this side of town is the not-
so-appealing surroundings,
and sometimes this is one of
the main reasons some pro-
spective freshmen decide not
to attend the university. The
truth of the matter is that this
part of the metroplex does
have some very rich history
behind it.
Would you believe Poly-
technic was once
comparable to the
areas of University
Park in Dallas in
the early 1900s? It is
no secret that Texas
Wesleyan's cur-
rent location was a
consideration for
Southern Method-
ist University located in Uni-
versity Park.
Often times, the presump-
tions made about any area is
reflective of its citizen's capa-
bilities.
The current state of this
neighborhood leaves us all to
wonder when the huge "turn-
around" will happen, because
it definitely is not reflective of
Texas Wesleyan's capabilities.
That anticipation has started
to wear off as some people are
losing faith in the idea that
Wesleyan can be a force for
the revitalization of this com-
munity.
These feelings among many
Texas Wesleyan community
members are understandable,
because when you compare
the Polytechnic area to other
areas surrounding university
campuses, there really is no
comparison. For that rea-
son, many in the Wesleyan
community feel a little short
changed.
The college experience
should always be one to re-
member for a lifetime, be-
cause it is one of the best
experiences to undertake.
Having a safe and appealing
neighborhood always makes
the experience better. It serves
to increase the confidence of
its citizens, create better busi-
ness opportunities and yes,
you guessed it, to promote a
wonderful college experience.
There are so many positive
things to see when you take a
look at the Polytechnic neigh-
borhood. One example is the
present opportunity to grow
and revive under-developed
properties. That alone is sure
to drive business opportuni-
ties in a positive way.
There are so many ideas that
can be put out there to make
this neighborhood thrive, but
the key thing is finding the re-
sources to do so.
The willingness of the com-
munity to take on these re-
sponsibilities and the willing-
ness of the city leaders to see it
through are the greatest chal-
lenges.
The Rambler
Founded in 1917 as The Handout
Publisher: Lamar Smith
Jonathan Resendez, editor-in-chief
Barry Grubbs, opinion editor
Eliana Mijangos, sports editor
Chuck Fain, arts & entertainment editor
Dwight Conerway, college life editor
Meisa Keivani Najafabadi, photo editor
Erica Estrada, graphic designer/cartoonist
Wendy Moore, faculty adviser
Dr. Kay Colley, faculty liaison
Member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press As-
sociation, Associated Collegiate Press, Student
Press Law Center, College Media Advisers and
College Newspaper Business and Advertising
Managers.
Opinions expressed in The Rambler are those of
the individual authors only and do not neces-
sarily reflect the views of the Texas Wesleyan
community as a whole.
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we are helpless in control-
ling the power of our hard-
earned dollars.
Wrhile there is no official
definition of predatory lend-
ing, it has been described
as the unfair, deceptive or
fraudulent practice of lend-
ers who impose abusive loan
terms on borrowers.
A less sensitive definition
is the practice of lenders
deceptively convincing bor-
rowers to agree to unfair and
abusive loan terms, or sys-
tematically violating those
terms in ways that are diffi-
cult for the borrower to de-
fend against.
In any case, it is wrong for
companies to force the con-
sumer to endure unforeseen
charges just because they
choose to do business with
them.
Again, the fact that we are
in a down economy does not
give merchants the right to
take advantage of the pub-
lic. Yes, we need and want
things, but that is no reason
to make us pay excessively
for those things we choose
to purchase.
We all need to be able to
survive this dark time, but
I think that the best way for
that to happen is for all in-
volved to compromise and
work together for a common
good.
Although predatory lend-
ing and fee gouging are
mostly practiced on the el-
derly, the less educated and
racial minorities, it is repre-
sented in all demographics.
To me, it is nothing less
than charging the consumer
to pay on time or for trying
to reduce the balances of
their recurring expenses.
In other words "that's just
all kinda wrong!"
we
made it
AMERiC^
0
What is the most important qua ity
you want to see in the new President?
Amanda Heron,
senior liberal arts
"A leadership quality that
will inspire the students
and faculty to do more."
Antonio Wicker,
junior music
The ability to listen to students
and know what's going on with
them."
Chase Barnett,
sophomore marketing
"We need someone who
will spend more money
toward athletics."
I-
IL
Cordelia Henderson,
junior exercise science
"They will have to be very
caring to be dedicated to
this campus."
Risa Lewis,
senior political science
"A dedication to the students
and the university environ-
ment."
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Resendez, Jonathan. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 22, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 3, 2010, newspaper, November 3, 2010; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201311/m1/2/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.