The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 85, No. 5, Ed. 1, Friday, September 6, 1996 Page: 2 of 8
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:A . W ... - . - . - UPTIMIST . . l rage t. Qjugrr"' " ' -
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Optimist
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Jeremy Parish Editor in Chief
Tiffany Kondrup Managing News Editor
Jesska Gray Viewpoints Page Editor
Rebecca Wilson Accents Page Editor
Michael Woods Chief Photographer
Dr. Merlin Mann Faojtty Adviser
Cade White Photographic Adviser
Alox Alfaro Advertising Production
Kent Oarnett Advertising Director
Tony Dedard Photographer
Becky Rowden Advertising Sales
Wyatt Bowdon Advertising Sales
Amy Daugherity Staff IVrffer
Kelly Enright Staff Wn'fer
Jennifer Flerro Sports Writing
Willie Hubbard Staff Photographer
Eunlco Urn Staff Writer
Brenda McClain Ad Production
KrlJtlPawllk Staff Writer
Claire Prultt Staff Writer
Amanda Reitcr Staff Photographer
Sidney Schuhmann News Page Editor
Jared Schroeder Sports Writer
Kim Sublette Advertising Production
Melanle Thomas News Page Editor
Nathan Willis Graphic Artist
abilene
christian .
university
122 McGlothlin Campus Gfr.i
ACU Box 27892 " !
Abilene TX 79699-7892
E-mail: optimistjmc.acu.edu
The Opfmjf h a publication of the students of th
Department of Joumaltsrn and Uiu Communication of Abt-
len Christian University 122 McGlothlin Campus Ctr ACO
Box 27892. Abilene. Texas 79G99-7392.
The Journalism Ubontory newspaper b published twice
( week September through Apr (except for during universi-
ty holidays in November December January and March).
Subscriptions to the Optimist would be J 30 for third-class
mail and $75 for first-class ma.l for the academic year.
The unsigned editorials would be the opinions of the
student on the Optimist Editorial Board and do not neces-
sarily reflect the policies or views of the university. The
signed columns cartoons and letters to the editor would be
the opinions of their creators and do not necessarily reflect
the viewpoints of the Optimist Editorial Board or the univer-
sity administration.
The Optimist encourages reader response through
letters to the editor but we reserve the right to refuse
to print letters which contain personal attack obsceni-
ty defamation erroneous Information or Invasion of
privacy. Unsigned letters or letters bearing requests
for anonymity will be refused.
We reserve the right to Emit frequent writers and
to edit letters when length or grammatical errors
become a problem. Please Emit letters to 350 words
or less and address them to the above postal or elec-
tronic mail addresses.
Overseas troops deserve
stateside respect support
America is currently engaged in a
conflict which could escalate into
full-scale war.
Many are criticizing the actions of the
president and the. military as we once
again confront Saddam Hussein
Some say that the action is un-
founded. Some arc in full support of
our military presence. Some people
say that Clinton is acting on political
re-election strategy alone. Still others
say that Clinton didn't act soon
enough.
Whatever you think of the conflict or
Clintons retaliation for Iraq's actions
the most important thing to remember
is our troops.
These troops have spouses and chil-
dren who need them at home. They
have friends that love them miss them
and worry about them.
Sacrificing their safety and their well-
being they fight so that we might feel
secure.
Although we might choose not to
fight in battles or take roles in the mil-
itary we do have at least one thing In
common with many of the troops:
age.
Many men and women choose to
enlist in a branch of the armed forces
after high school instead of enrolling in
college.
We have a certain kinship to these
brave men and women! .though our
personal dreams a and goals may be
different. They are people of our
generation.
We should not condemn these young
men and women for performing their
sworn duty to our military.
Instead we should support them. We
should keep them in our thoughts and
in our prayers.
The Optimist encourages reader
response through letters to the editor.
However we reserve the right to
refuse to print letters which contain
personal attack obscenity defamation
erroneous information or Invasion of
privacy. Unsigned letters or letters
bearing requests for anonymity will be
refused.
We reserve the right to limit frequent
writers and to edit letters when length
God grant me-the serenity to accept
the things I cannot change courage
to change the things I can and the
wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time enjoying
one moment at a time accepting
hardship as the pathway to peace.
OMMER OF RERUNS
Lim lampoons lunacy of language
Trust us "internationals" to conclude
that English Is a language which
confuses itself.
Some of us may have spoken the lan-
guage fpr years but if we ever sat down
and thought about what we said we
might one day abandon the language
completely and go back to more primi-
tive less confusing grunts and gurgles.
English is so confusing that if you did-
n't grow up speaking the language you'd
never understand it; but if you did grow
up speaking English you'd be too jaded
to try and figure it out
Lets face it: No matter how much we
vtryto convince ourselves we will never
'findcggs in jeggplants or apples in
pineapples or pines In pine cones.
Hamburgers arc made of beef - at least
we hope they are - and they contain nei-
ther pork nor ham but they have the
exact same amount of cholesterol just
the same.
The English didn't bake the first
muffins the Americans did. And the
Eunice
"Lets face it: No mat-
ter how much we try
to convince ourselves
we will never find eggs
in eggplants or apples
In pineapples or pines
in pine cones. "
Lim
French didn't invent fries - or you
would be walking into McDonalds for
some pommes frites.
And If you explore further you will
find that quicksand can work quite
slowly that boxing rings arc square and
that guinea pigs are not swine.
What better way to confuse people
than to have writers who write and
singers who sing but not fingers that
fing.
And how can you blame us for not
understanding when mail is shipped by
truck?
Only in English can you drive on a
parkway but park on a driveway recite at
a play but play at a recital and have
noses that run and feet that smell.
Where is the similarity in a slim
chance and a fat chance and the differ-
ence between a wise man and a wise
guy? How can Overlook and oversee be
opposites while quite a lot and quite a
few are alike?
One can only marvel at the lunacy of a
language in which your house can bum
up as well as burn down where you fill
in an application by filling it out and
where your alarm clock goes off by
going on.
So lets just commit ourselves to the
clinic for the verbally insane and spend
the rest of our lives pondering over why
stars arc visible when they are out but
when lights arc out they are Invisible.
And whcn we wind up our watches we
start them but when I wind up this col-
umn I end it.
Grunt.
or grammatical errors become a prob-
lem. Please limit letters to 350 words or
less and address them to the above
postal or electronic mail addresses.
The Optimist exists to Inform the stu-
dent body and to provide a forum for
the opinions of the unlversltys students
and faculty. All feedback we receive will
be given the utmost consideration and
will be greatly appreciated by the
Editorial Board.
Taking as He did this sinful world
as it Is not as I would have it trust-
ing he will make all things right If I
surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in
this life and supremely happy with
Him in the next.
Relevancy of curfew acknowledged
4Ct"urfew!" The word inspires no
V- small amount of horror in the
minds of dormitory inhabitants.
Though I entered ACU as a student
strongly opposed to the pre-midnlght
week-day curfew 1 now have a few expe-
riences that make me thankful - usually
grudgingly so - for this policy as do
most students.
How many times have you been out
with friends on Tuesday night squelch-
ing your guilt because you haverft stud-
led the material for your Wednesday
morning test?
Or anticipating a test have you
dashed Into the dorm at 11:29 p.m.
secretly thankful for the time limitation
because you know that otherwise you'd
have been out until 4 a.m. and missed
your 8 a.m. class?
Granted these scenarios don't apply to
everyone. Like one of my friends you
may turn Into a zombie at 11 p.m. and
"Let It be acknowl-
edged that sometimes
getting to the dorm by
1130 p.m. Is a huge
hassle. "
Rebecca Wilson
go to bed.
Or perhaps you have steely self-control
and always come home at your own
self-inflicted curfew.
However without a curfew many of us
would decide to enjoy the evening - or
the wee hours of the morning - with our
friends and forget about tomorrow's
responsibilities.
Maybe the situation would not be so
deliberate; we might simply overesti-
mate our own abilities to judge how
much sleep our bodies need or how
much studying our grades require.
Let it be acknowledged that sometimes
getting to the dorm by 11:30 p.m. Is a
huge hassle.
Take for example a first date that goes
surprisinulv well but rm mi chnr
because of ACU pumpkin hour such is
not a time when the curfew is greatly
appreciated.
When you and a group of your friends
are out enjoying the many exciting
entertainments to be experienced in
Abilene you probably don't want to be
the first to leave. '
However before condemning the
weeknight curfew policy as ridiculously -confining
try experiencing a semester
or two of abiding by it before making up
your mind.
You might find some logic In It or
even come to appreciate the week-day
curfew. '
History personal experience reveal truth about cats dogs
The Egyptians did a lot of strange
things like freeze-drying their dead
but you have to admit they were dead-on
when it came to cats.
Okay so cats aren't quite worthy of
deification. But you have to admire a
people who make themselves up like
cats - an exception to this rule would be
the band KISS - and make a dog the evil
keeper of the underworld. Perhaps the
ancient Egyptians went a little overboard
on their burial practices but no one in
his right mind could begrudge them
points for style. Cats are definitely the
animal to be.
Strangely though not everyone agrees.
drool output dogs are gallons ahead of
cats.
But look at all the unpleasant baggage
with which dogs come equipped They
range from tiny and hyper-energetic to
huge and ravenous. Cats have the decen-
cy to have established something of a
size standard among themselves. Sure
you'll get the occasional tomcat which
can serve as a beast of burden or a mount
for a young child but generally cats
stick to one size.
Many is the person who has bought a
dog with the assurance that it would
only grow to be about 15 pounds or so
They then spend the next year watching
"Cats also come facto-
ry equipped with a
brain. Dogs however
seem eauivped with
. t
sometmn.
Jeremy
an Insect
system ...
Parish
closer to
nervous
vous system which operates on stimulus
and response. Witness the following
example.
PERSON to cat): Hey cat fetch this ball
and I'll give you some food. Fortunately dogs arc slowlv h.i
CAT (think)'. I het hp'll fperl m nnvu shifted into llef7. .L.. ' DCIn8
... . - -.au warms to exnrcu
Some people still refuse to accept the
innate superiority of the feline species
Sadly our First Amendment allows for
aMi.li cB(cBious lapses in taste.
In the face of such an obviously intelli- as it slowly grows into a hairy slobber-
gent and graceful creature millions still
revile cats and swear fealty to man's sup-
posed best friend - the lowly dog.
Admittedly dogs do outperform cats In
a few areas Only a fool would take a cat
'coon huntln' And when it comes to
ing food-consuming mass of odor
weighing closer to 15 kilograms than 15
pounds.
With a cat you know what to expect.
Even if it outgrows your food supplies It
can live off of crickets At least here in
Abilene.
But size is only a minor consideration.
Dogs In a word reck and they are often
flatulent. Cats on the other hand are
almost obsessive-compulsive about
cleanliness. In fact they clean them-
selves. Dogs would much rather roll In a
fetid puddle of septic leakage than bathe.
Cats also come factory equipped with a
brain. Dogs however seem equipped
with something closer to an Insects ner-
(Goes bach to sleep and Is fed anyway)
Now the same exchange with a dog.
PERSON (to dog): Hey dog fetch this
ball and yil give you some food.
DOG (thinks): I bet his face tastes good
(Licks PERSONS face and Is scolded)
Furthermore cats are very conserva-
tive in their actions. How often do you
see a cat run headfirst Into a wall? Dogs
on the other hand will run repeatedly
nu!!SSUCh."yoUtllrtydo8"or
... mi. v.ui5 make a
showing; who would ri-or
a hep cat or told they have catlike cua
you
more positive
ning?
Alas until dogs are outlawed cat
US Frisbe" - ESS 2
Into walls furniture people the floor Someday cats will aealn rulf ih. j
other dogs et cetera. And speaking of of domestic companions as il ?
other dogs need I mention the disgust- Egypt. People mlolu ..'. an.cenl
Ing manner in which dogs greet one selves up like cats m
another? But that oin a ' ....
Still this isn't enough for some people good Idea. Kss b a
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 85, No. 5, Ed. 1, Friday, September 6, 1996, newspaper, September 6, 1996; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth99694/m1/2/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.