The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 180, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 6, 2008 Page: 3 of 10
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Opinion
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November 6, 2008
The
J-TAC
Page 3
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Editor:
I am writing this at the request
of several students who asked me to
do something to alleviate the tension
that is sure to fill our campus in the
days and weeks ahead, so I ask your
indulgence as I reason through my ar-
guments.
I do not deal with hate and fear on
a regular basis, so this is somewhat a
foreign track for me. Mostly, as a na-
tive Texan and American, a husband,
a son, a farmer and a teacher, my at-
titude is a very simple one. It is one of
faith and hope and that through hard
work and sacrifice, my family and I
can have a good life in our country;
that the resiliency of Americans out-
weighs the disappointments of our
past; that it is better to rely on your
own hard work and skill than to ex-
pect external forces to wave a magic
wand and fix your problems; that
when good and decent people work
together, we can make a difference in
the lives of others.
I believe this because I have lived
it, I have seen it and I have watched
the spirit of promise and optimism
lay waste to those who ride the grim
horses of hate, fear and oppression. I
don't really know what to say to those
who supported Senator McCain, oth-
er than, "My friends, I know how you
feel." I know because I have spent a
lot of time in the valley of defeat and
it's never fun. For many of you, this is
the first time you have tasted defeat in
a Presidential election. Get used to it
because there will be worse days than
this in your lives.
Many of you know I left poli-
tics because the mood and attitudes
of America changed, and I've never
shied away from sharing this with
anyone. In a few very short years, we
went from a nation that believed we
could do anything, that no mountain
was too high, that all things were pos-
sible, to a country brimming with un-
bridled contempt for those who dis-
agree with us. And now that we have
a President-Elect, duly elected as such
under the provisions of our Constitu-
tion, there are millions of Americans
who see politics in this same light and
it is this part of our Tarleton commu-
nity that I want to speak to: you see
it personally, as an attack on you, on
your values and ideologies. You see
it through the lenses of hate and fear,
framed by those who still quietly har-
bor disgust and hostility toward our
own citizens from coast to coast.
Perhaps it has been my raising
and my faith that prevent me from
taking that aforementioned bitter at-
titude in life. I still believe that people
are generally good by nature and that
no matter how bad things get in life,
that life will go on and things will get
better. I submit for your earnest con-
sideration that the Union will survive
an Obama administration(s), as I've
said many times. If you want to cul-
tivate a sense of loss and defeat in the
rubble of a strongly-fought campaign,
you will find it. If you want to take the
very narrow-minded view that this is
the end of the world because we've
elected a black man from Chicago
and a Catholic from Delaware to the
White House, then you will certainly
find those feelings in the cold ashes of
this election . You can either keep those
attitudes alive and well in your gut, or
you can stand up from the mat, shake
hands and agree that the ties that unite
us as a people are far stronger than the
wedge that divides us.
I have no magic words to change
people's hearts. I cannot write a few
thoughts and expect our nation, not
to mention this school we love dearly,
to be filled with love and peace and
reconciliation next week. For all the
things I can do, there are lists of things
that I cannot. So, I would invite you
all, whether your guy won or lost on
election night, find some way to chan-
nel the energy you feel in a positive
direction. As Senator McCain said so
eloquently in his concession speech
Tuesday night: "I call on all Ameri-
cans, as I have often in this campaign,
to not despair of our present difficul-
ties, but to believe always in the prom-
ise and greatness of America, because
nothing is inevitable here. Americans
never quit. We never surrender. We
never hide from history, we make his-
tory."
In the days ahead, the new leaders
of our great nation will face a new op-
portunity and challenge—to prove the
worth and success of our democratic
system to their countrymen and to
shoe around the world. Just as I hold
many personal beliefs, I also believe
that they will take up the mantle of
leadership and disprove their critics
both at home and abroad that we as
Americans have lost the touch of kin-
ship with other nations, that nothing
can be done to repair the divisions be-
tween us as global citizens.
We are all Americans today, just as
we were Tuesday night. We believe in
greater promise and brighter days that
lie on the horizon of our future. Cast
off the shackles of hate and contempt,
of fear and animosity, and walk in the
sunlight with all Americans. Shed the
pettiness that wrecks our great society
and rekindle the spirit of hope or at
least a sense of tolerance and under-
standing. I know 111 take a shank or
two in the back over this and I am at
peace with that. But I will never stop
believing that we are better than our
past, that brighter days are in our fu-
ture and that justice and compassion
will be written in the pages of our leg-
acy.
Tony Dudik,
TSU Alumni and Instructor of
Political Science
Curmudgeon
By
Katy Thompson
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Letter to the Editor:
Voting is something that I took
for granted. Not until I was denied
the right to vote, not because of my
neglect, but from the neglect of oth-
ers, did I realize how important it
was to me. I registered September
03,2008 but my registration card just
wasn't turned in.
I had no idea where to register. I
knew that I had to register in Erath
County but that my old registration
was in Taylor County. When I saw
the booth outside the Dick Smith
Library at Tarleton State University
that was registering people to vote, I
was so relieved. I didn't have to get
a ride or bike somewhere or look it
up—it was right there convenient
for me. When I registered I was told
not to worry about not having my
address and my license, so I didn't.
I had all the faith in those people
at those booths that they were do-
ing their job. After that I was so re-
lieved because I early registered and
I didn't have to worry about missing
registration. I was going to get to
vote for president for the very first
time.
When it came to election day, I
saw another booth outside the fine
arts building that was offering rides
to people who didn't know where to
go to vote. I waited a little past 3:30
to get a ride. I was so fluttered with
enthusiasm. I didn't care how long it
took them to come and get me I was
going to get to vote. The question
wasn't if I was going to get to vote,
I knew that I was. I saw some of my
friends earlier who were denied and
I knew that because I early regis-
tered that it wasn't going to happen
to me.
When I got in the van, the man
who gave me a ride said that there
were a few people who didn't get a
chance to vote because they were de-
nied. They didn't get a voter registra-
tion card in the mail. When I heard
this news, my heart dropped. I real-
ize that I didn't put an address on the
registration receipt and that I didn't
get a voter registration card in the
mail. Surely I wouldn't get denied I
thought to myself. I would hate to be
one of those who did. When I got to
the Embarq office I ran to the door,
somewhat nervous because I didn't
know how to work the machines,
but seeing the line was short I be-
came even more excited. I was right
there at the booths voting, exercising
my right as a citizen of the United
States. People kill over the right to
have a say so in their country.
I gave them my driver's license,
told them when I registered, where
I registered, and their response was
"I'm sorry if you're not registered
you don't get to vote, unless you
have proof such as your voter regis-
tration receipt." OK, when she told
me this I knew that no matter what
it took whether I searched for it all
night I was going to find it. I tore
my apartment room apart to find
that receipt and when I did, I head-
ed straight back to Embarq to prove
that I had it. To be expecting to get
to vote and denied the right to vote
because of someone else's neglect in-
furiated me. Apparently I had to
go to the tax assessment office, give
them my receipt so they could "re-
register" me. This would have been
great if I had a car, but by this time, I
could care less how long it took me.
I had a bike so I was going to ride
over there. Thank God, I ran into a
friend that gave me a ride.
When I got there, I talked to
Lana Stevens, the voter registrar,
who looked and sounded just as
frustrated as I was. She saw that my
name was in the registration book
and said, "She just neglected to turn
it in." It's here. Other people were
standing beside her looked down
at the book, shook their heads, and
walked away. They showed more
disgust than anything.
Lana Stevens said that I needed
to fill out another registration card
and she would put me into the com-
puter on the date that I registered
(September 03, 2008), but that I
wouldn't get to electronically vote, I
would have to put in a paper ballot.
To give an example of how irri-
tated I was, when she asked me for
my birth date, I couldn't remember
See Letter, Page 4
Continued from page 3
Election error proves educational
JOANNA
HENSLEY
Monday night, it was just me
in my Ford, chewing on sunflower
seeds and a heavy dose of humil-
ity. Bruce Springsteen's "Born in
the USA" CD was blaring as I made
my way down Highway 281 back
to Burnet County's voting precinct
number 16. Carelessly, I had failed
to send in my applica-
tion for ballot by mail
on time and I received a
"Dear John" election let-
ter to inform me of my
poor timing on Novem-
ber 1.
When I received this
information, I was sad
but also temptingly apa-
thetic. I flirted selfishly with the
idea of letting myself slide, ratio-
nalizing that Texas is not a swing
state. Even my mom tried to settle
my uncertainty about not partici-
pating because of the four-hour
drive it would entail.
Soon, though, a jealousy built
in me as others talked of their plans
to vote on Tuesday and I found
myself growing indignant at my
initial aloofness. Plus, I couldn't
help but think of trying to break
the news that I hadn't voted to my
dear, sweet, patriotic Granny.
By Monday evening, the desire
to vote had pushed me to pack up
and head out of town after work
to vote back home. By 7:15 a.m.
Tuesday, I had voted at the busier-
than-usual Oakalla Community
Center and I was hurriedly making
my way back to Stephenville for a
9:25 a.m. class, relieved by my de-
cision.
I tell you of my 220-mile, $40
round trip and early morning visit
to the polls not to brag, but to reit-
erate to those who did, did
not or could not cast their
ballot how truly precious
a right we have in voting.
Had I stayed here and
watched those returns, I
would have been—patri-
otically—kicking myself
for the next four years.
Sure, I could have said 'oh,
Texas' fate is pretty much already
determined,' but I now realize just
how glad I am that I voted. Every
minute that I spent at home wait-
ing to vote and driving back after
the deed had been done made me
feel more fulfilled by my decision.
Sometimes mistakes make the best
lessons and, as twisted as it seems,
a part of me is glad that I botched
my absentee ballot application. The
dumb part of me managed to teach
the dormant patriotic part of me a
lesson. And for that, and the right
to vote, I am thankful.
That being said, I'll be much
more attentive the next time an ap-
plication comes my way; I've had
enough sunflower seeds to last me
four more years.
The J-TAC
Visit us online at:
www.thejtac.com
Managing Editor
Joanna Hensley
Production Manager
Mike Cedeno
Sports Editor
Shawn Hughes
TSU-11608-A03-B.indd 1
Advertising Manager
Amanda O'Shields
Staff
Ashley Cambanis
Kelsey Fitzgibbon
Ashley Fuquay
Caitlin Fuquay
Seth Griffin
Bobbi Haire
Austen King
Maelyn Mocniak
Randi Powe
Katy Thompson
Student Publications
Director
Jim Looby
The J-TAC is published on
Thursdays during the fall and
spring semesters with the
exception of University holi-
days and examination periods.
Office: Barry B. Thompson
Student Center, Room 20
Telephone: (254) 968-9056
Fax: (254) 968-9709
E-mail: jtac@tarleton.edu
Mailing Address:
The J-TAC
Office of Student Publications
Box T-0440
Stephenville, TX 76402
Editorial Policy
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7/17/13 11:04 AM
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Hensely, Joanna. The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 180, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 6, 2008, newspaper, November 6, 2008; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth476420/m1/3/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.