The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 46, Ed. 1, Friday, March 4, 1994 Page: 2 of 8
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Opinion
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Optimist
Sharla Stephens Editor in Chief
Serene Goh Managing News Editor
Debbie Crawford Opinion Page Editor
Melissa Stalluigs Opinion Page Editor
Dr. Charlie Marler Faculty Adviser
Editorial Board
Serene Goh Kathy Colvctt Brian Shaw Mark Houston
John Carroll Jodi Dain Melissa Stallings Debbie Crawford
Marty Rcves Sharla Stephens Eileen Tan
The Optimist is a twicc-a-wcek publication of the students of the Department of Journal-
ism and Mass Communication of Abilene Christian University and serves as a journalism
I laboratory for the department's students.
'' The unsigned editorials are the opinions of the students on the Optimist Editorial Board
and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the university.
The signed columns cartoons and letters to the editor are the opinions of their creators and
rido not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist Editorial Board or the university
"administration.
Ml r
T
Christians should
r
JjTne of the stranger phenomenons of
VJt
the last few years has been the evolu
tion of violent anti-abortion croups who
' refer to themselves as Christians.
Michael Griffin accused of killing Dr.
"David Gunn a doctor who worked at a
'Florida abortion chntc has proposed as
''his defense the idea that he was influ
enced by graphic anti-abortion videos
depicting aborted fetuses. Many of these
'videos and similar literature were nro-
yiluced by groups whp advocate violence
as a viable alternative to stopping abor-
' lion clinics from operating.
The Feb. 28 issue ot Newsweek calls
"these groups the anti-abortion Under
ground. Newsletters such as The Capitol
nrea inrisuan news arc nameu in ine
'article as' 'cbridraiulatini and commend-
' !jng acts of violericc against abortion'cllrf-
ics as defensive action'.
The article quotes statistics from the
( National Abortion Federation an organi
zation that represents abortion clinics
"showing that death threats at clinics rose
'from eight in 1992 to 78 in 1993. Hate
? mail and harassing phone calls increased
''by almost a third and bomb threats
"almost doubled. The federation specu-
lates that anti-abortion protestors have
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response through letters to the editor.
''but we reserve the right to refuse to
print letters that contain personal
'attack obscenity defamation crro-
t neous information or invasionof pri-
vacy. ''' The Optimist refuses to print any
titetters that do not include a signature
or letters that bear requests for the
Jj writer's anonymity We reserve the
right to limit frequent writers and edit
vlettcrs when length or grammatical
'errors become a problem.
i( Letters submitted to the Optimist
should be limited to 350 words or
i less. Address letters to:
"Optimist Editor"
ACU Box 7892
Abilene Texas 79699
A'
Ji'.
11
or.brinc the letters to Room 308 of the
I pon H. Morris Center.
'!'!
Opposite personalities create balance to form friendship
College life brings out the true natures of
all students. Students especially cannot
jjjvc in a dormitory environment without
tfC.yntually emitting some indications of
jyho and what they truly are.
tij'jn the midst of an all-night study session
roommates often can be heard finally sur-
rendering to the pressures of daily life.
SJjrieks of laughter or overworked brains
iivjll echo the lengths of hallsavhile other
Quicks of anger will return from residents
jKhp have been awokencdr
True colors arc evident in all individuals
qt 2 a.m. No one can hide her inner being
beautiful or not so beautiful at that
time of the morning.
When these images of individual person-
alities are emitted a strange pattern
emerges. For students who choose their
roommates before they attend college or for
some other special cases the pattern might
not be applicable.
Despite various personal questions
answered on applications for enrollment
and student housing roomrhatcfteiul to
show different personalities.
&v
clef end life
become more violent since Bill Clinton
became president because they feel they
have lost the battle politically.
The point must be made that these
groups arc not pro-life. They may legiti-
mately be called anti-abortion but not
pro-life. Pro-lifers take the position that
all human life is sacred even the lives of
doctors who perform abortions.
When these groups refer to themselves
as Christian they arc redefining the term.
This sort of rcdifinition has been done
before.
In the days of slavery the South quot-
ed scriptures to justify owning people.
When Spanish explorers sought to colo-
nize and convert the Aztecs they mur-
dered those who did not want to accept
their teachings. In Nazi Gerrriuny a
group balled German 'Christians adopted
thc'ndnie but rejected Christ.
Polluted versions of Christianity will
come and go. People who love control
will use out-of-contcxt scripture to
manipulate others and justify their hate
campaigns.
But Christians must face the abortion
issue as a challenge to carefully define
their faith and know how to stand and
defend the true principles of Christ.
Self control
Crime in America is officially over. Rush
Limbaugh the conservative radio talk
show host made that response when Presi-
dent Clinton signed the Brady Bill which
requires a five-day waiting period before
buyers can have their handguns Limbaugh
wanted to scare the law's advocates by
agreeing with them because many of them
disagree with his politics.
Gun control advocates claim that making
guns hard to obtain will reduce the chances
of criminals obtaining them.
But police departments politicians of
both major parties gun dealers and other
analysts said the Brady Bill will have little
or no impact on crime because many crimi-
nals acquire their guns on the black market.
Many law enforcement agencies and gun
dealers also have complained that the new
' law is imprecise and unclear.
Common sense dictates that people
familiar with how to break the law will be
Opposites attract or so the popular say-
ing claims. Who would guess the pattern
would be true for university housing? Per-
sonalities can be so diverse yet they match
closely enough on paper to guarantee two
strangers will live compatibly together.
My first week in Nelson Hall scared me
to death. I was a quiet small-town fresh-
man who wanted little more than to attend
classes obtain a 4.0 grade point average
avdid the "freshman 15" and make a few
friends on my hall.
My roommate on the other hand wanted
none of the above. She was boisterous and
wanted to meet everyone we passed on the
sidewalks. She did not need to attend class-
es or worry about maintaining a 4.0. She
had fun and the rest happened naturally.
My eyes were opened. I couldn't believe
anyone could have so much fun at school.
All I ever had heard was college had the
hardest classes and the worst tests possible
for any individual's life. But my roommate
had an older brother and sister telling her
college is the best time of your life
I finally was able to adopt some essence
THERE'S NO &GGER MOISMCE
TMAK A VMITIS PERK3D WMEt4 YOO
FEEL LIME KllUfG SOMETHING
Wa 9kw eagr H vV m seea I A to ft etee A rf .e fc VWMUMftBHMMBtBPft eeWeeeasasemm
Junk
Materialistic build-up clogs lives
I early all of us have it yet it rarely is
discussed. In fact it rarely even gains
any attention from its owner. It just sits
alone neglected and growing larger by the
year.
The more people I encounter the more
I've come to realize the common thread
woven among all of us.
Junk.
It builds Up in our homes like fungus
overtaking drawers cupboards even whole
rooms. And although we might detest its
existence it remains.
We arc purebred packrats. Wc collect
everything from rocks and shells to
garage-sale tidbits and wc shun the idea of
rummaging through and disposing of our
old possessions for fear that some day wc
might need thQtnvHow (jfficjent
Take ray junk collection for example. I
have a 7-year-old smnSficTnKreJifa
plastic bag a monicntoorniy higfivschool
days; my old Girl Scout sash complete
with unattached patches; two hospital ID
bracelets left from reconstructive knee
surgeries several years ago; and an array of
colored cyelining pencils that will remain
unused.
Among my other collectives is something
most people treasure butdon't realize" they
collect. I'm a time hog. I tend to begin pro-
not gun control will deter crime
'... the United States
also has many
political activists
who believe they can
solve our problems
without changing the
way people behavo.'
Brian
Shaw
Free Spirit
familiar with how to acquire gunr illegally.
Even if criminals acquire guns legally they
probably will be able to obtain them illegal-
ly if legal acquisition becomes too difficult.
Other gun control advocates point out
that several nations with stricter gun control
laws also have lower crime rates but this
argument is simplistic. The United States
has several other conditions that might
'Without her
onergy I would
have been content
to bo a wall flower
... Sho forced ma
to leave the room
Marty
Revcs
Hands Off
of her attitude which leads to a new world
of fun and friendships after living with her
for two years.
We were both naive but as different as
we were wc learned from each other.
Emerging from the dark halls of Nelson for
my first day of collegiate classes I received
my first lesson. My backpack was situated
securely on both shoulders whereas hers
was slung coolly over one. Of course I
stuck out like a freshman and she showed
me the projwr way to sling a backpack'.
Without her energy I would haVc been
ADOPTtOK
' ... some folks Htter
their lives with trivial
possessions parallel
In Importance to
Chaors' Cliff Clavan
and his uncanny
Intelligence.'
Sharla
Stephens
Free to Be
ductivc streaks staying up all night to com-
lctc a project just to have the whole next
day free. And these aren't your typical
night-before-it's-due all-nighters; I do this
sometimes months before necessary.
J'yc learned o run through my "to do"
list in record time just to have a nice chunk
qQfildaydevotc 'to more jtnpqrtant.things
like bugging my friends who are madly
cranking out those 20-page reports due the
next morning.
Time is the one thing I collect that docs
not litter up my life-
Although most of my materialistic junk
has sentimental value some folks litter
their lives with trivial possessions parallel
in importance to Cheers' Cliff Clavcn and
his uncanny intelligence.
account for its higher crime rate.
Do other nations have mass media that
glorify violence as much as the U.S. mass
media do? Do they have criminal justice
systems more interested in excusing wrong
behavior than punishing criminals as the
United States docs?
Rather than comparing our crime rate to
other nations wc ought to ask whether gun
control has done any good in our own coun-
try. Gun control proponents were making
the same arguments when pushing for the
1968 Gun Control Act which requires buy-
ers to complete a federal form when buying
a gun from a licensed dealer.
Has crime increased or decreased since
that time? What about media violence? Is
our criminal justice system more lenient on
criminals now than it was tl'en?
Since that time crime has increased in our
nation media violence greatly has intensi-
fied and people who have committed seri
content to be a wall flower meeting one or
two people in classes and rushing to the
dorm room as soon as the last forkful of
lunch was shoved into my mouth returning
for homework to encompass the entirety of
the day instead of noon soap operas. She
forced me to leave the room and meet peo-
ple. And more people. And more people.
Our circle of friends grew und I did not
realize I could know so many people.
I wouldn't huve without her bubbling
personality
My roommate thought the best in every
situation of every person. I questioned the
actual events involved in every situation
with every person.
Living together for two years part of
bpth of us wore onto each other.
We may have been completely different
but we had at least one thing in common.
Wc shared a common God. His power and
love bonded us and brought us through
evert the most difficult times in our
friendship
'Our differences made us stronger When
one was pushed to the brink the other was
MBnaj
-misj&TMtc
pro-chchce:
IT ACM6
THE STREET.
ARE Mfcd
DDIUS AFTER
THE DCMOH-
RAU.
STRAnotr
of many people
Still others collect antiques a hobby l
never will understand. The idea that junk
increases in value the longer it sits in some-
one's dusty attic is beyond my comprehen-
sion These pieces sell for outrageous
prices yet similar objects can be found in a
garage sale down the street.
Ah yes garage sales the junk collcc-i
tor's havens the Woodstocks of junk7
freaks.
My neighborhood back home has a
garage sale weekend every June when
more than 100 houses on four blocks shov-
el their junk into their garages with it
sometimes even spilling out onto drivc
ways. The weekend draws hundreds ot peo-
ple from around the area and the streets are
clogged with cars shoppers and kids.
Although this social setting is fun I find
the most enjoyable activity is wandering in
and out mv neighbors' caraccs and scciflu
the same junk year after year but always
in a different garage. It's kind of like mijil-
cal junk without music and each roUnd
takes a year to complete. ' : '
Wc all are victims of junk fungus
whether evident in garage sales or in desk
drawers. But the growth can be fought 'fr-
Wc can resist the urge to collect. .
Just say " no." Then reward yourself
with a trip to the trash bin junk in hand. .
.
ous crimes arc walking the streets.
Unfortunately in addition to all these
evils the United States also has many polit
ical activists who believe they can solve our
problems without changing the way people
behave.
Jesus disagrees with them. Mark 7:20-23
says: "What comes out of a man is what
makes him unclean. For from within out of
men's hearts come evil thoughts sexual
immorality theft murder adultery grcctl
malice deceit lewdness envy slander
arrogance and folly. All these evils conic
from inside and make a man unclean."
Jesus called for people to be aware and look
inside themselves.
The way to solve our crime problem Is
not to restrict access to guns but to increase
application of God's word
Our nation had a much lower crime rate
when wc had a stronger national commit-
ment to holiness.
just on the edge of laughter or explanations
that calmed emotions. Without diversity in
our lives wc would have driven each other
crazy. Sometimes we still did.
To this day we never have had a true
argument Our room has never echoed with
shouts of anger directed at each other. We
may not have agreed with everything that
occurred or was said in our room but com-
promise and acceptance enabled us to wade
through thick times und regain our solid
friendship.
Our friendship flourished under the
stresses of everyday life and the struggles
wc endured. Wc made each other stronger
with sound advice and constant support.
Even now I know I can pick up the phone
and our friendship is where we left it
never ending and always ready to help
Maybe the university determined the
secret long ago when it began the selection
of roommates. Maybe it knew the unwritten
ruic. rviayoc opposite personalities uoj
attract. And maybe they actually do help
caphotlicf live daily lives exempt from
personal monotony.
it
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 46, Ed. 1, Friday, March 4, 1994, newspaper, March 4, 1994; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth92230/m1/2/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.