The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 2, 2004 Page: 5 of 8
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OPINIONS AND EDITORIALS
The Megaphone, December 2, 2004
Thanksgiving brings family and food
Divided politics aside, relaxing with the family can be a needed break away from school
By CHRISTIANA LITTLE
Megaphone Stall Write/
Thanksgiving is such a
lease. You go home, you eat
gigantic meals that make the
Commons food look like rat
patties with crap sauce, you go
to bed at 5 a m. and wake
up waaaay after noon (with
no consequences), you get to
see your crazy family (perhaps
even crazy extended family),
but compared to your "I swear.
I vvasn t .smiling youi under-
wear” roommate, suddenly your
family looks a lot less "crazy”
and more a lot "cozy.”
But Thanksgiving givcth
and Thanksgiving taketh away
- as soon as you become com-
fortable with this standard of
living, you're catapulted back
into Georgetown and forced to
deal with finals! Papers! Panty-
sni tiers!
Dear Lord, get me out of
here.
I would have to say that
personally, I had a really great
Thanksgiving, possibly the best
I’ve ever had. I think this
is because my nuclear family
didn't have to drive out of town
this year. (And by nuclear. I def-
initely mean radioactive.)
This year, the relatives came
to us. We didn’t have to sit in
ass-loads of traffic going to my
grandma’s house in San Anto-
nio, where my brother would
have promptly had an allergy
attack due to the massive amount
of CAT seeped into the couches,
walls, and Grandma’s bouffant.
Nor did we have to drive
to my dad's hometown of Sher-
man, Texas, an hour north of
Dallas, where we would watch
so much more NASCAR than
was ever necessary. Instead,
we stayed in happy, friendly
Austin, where the sun always
shines, half the turkeys are
"tofurkeys" and the cars still
hear Kerry/Ldwards bumpers
; .
i
--- rie Moraga, Margaret Atwood,
Megaphone Opted Editor antj ]£ate Bomstein to Speak tO
women about empowerment,
"a, everyone has heard Seems like kind of a contra-
s and the Phi Delts diction of terms to me.
ATsoTTfis illegal iii
rush activities. - liamson County for such
Just like everyone else. ities to occur. This is why
I’m sick of hearing about the the JOY of Austin strip club
damn KAs and all the stupid is located at the county line,
on the Travis side. I’m sure if
►lam- GPD had happened upon the
Temi-Nazis” _^-llllBP11Il^^
ies, i wish that those jadvocatina an
men involved „with whom 1 *
anti-men
"TS* anti-KAagen,
stand it. An organization does
a bunch of things that are
pretty messed up by most peo-
ple’s standards (I’ll only men-
tion one example: a car parked
outside-of-Sun City that said
“Die old people!”); a bunch of
commotion is made; they get
in trouble—kicked off campus
for four years; they get rein-
stated after three years; and
then they bring strippers to
campus for a pledge event. It
just seems to defy common
scene that night, some of our
boys Would be in a little more
trouble than their University-
sanctioned slap on the wrist.
" * &
anti-men or anti-KA agenda
here. I know that not all KAs.
or Greeks for that matter, are
evil.
To those men who walked
out of the said activities, I
commend you. I wish more
men out there had the cour-
age that you did. And for the
. .... thing is, even though---men who felt uncomfortable,
it seems so redundant that the but didn’t know what to do,
KAs are at it again, the Phi look to those who have set an
mi i,
ft
■M.
Courtesy of Google Image Search
Norman Rockwell’s painting depict an ideal American Thanksgiving
stickers. (Take my Volvo, for The most picturesque
example.) "Thanksgiving-y" moment my
family had was during dinner
(naturally).
We were silling around the
table, under the warm glow
of the chandelier, listening to
Gershwin tunes cm mu record
player, feeding the dog under the
table: the stuff Norman Rock-
well’s dreams are made of.
This was an especially nice
time for our family, though,
because usually we're a bit
divided. Well, not so much
divided, but just so different
from one another that familial
bonding seems impractical
My aunt and her family
are old-school Republicans. My
family is progressive Liberal.
This election broke up plenty
of marriages, and it certainly
caused a little tension in our
family.
(Side story: My cousin, who
is lb and a sophomore in high
school, was spending a weekend
with our family a few months
before Thanksgiving. Somehow
the election came up. and she
started praising Bush and hissing
Kerry. My mom simply asked.
"Who flew the planes into the
World Trade Center on 9/11?”
My -cousin re-pUed, "Saddam
Hussein. Dull ")
So after quite a few months
of this political tension, it was
delightful to eat a peaceful meal
with no sore losers or bad win-
ners. (There were messy tod-
dlers, but that’s expected.)
Maybe it was the soft light
and triptophan talking (it
couldn’t have been the wine
because I wasn’t allowed to have
any,THANKS MOM), but I was
just so happy to have my family
all at the same table, breaking
bread and singing along with
“Summertime.”
As nostalgic and sentimen-
tal as it may be, it gives me
hope for America. Even if we
disagree, there’s still one thing
that will bring us all together:
food.
Mike Moore distorts facts
Anti-Bush mindset could overlook important gaps in book
By ALEX RUTLEDGE_
Megaphone Staff Writer
What is more interesting
than seeing two sides. Demo-
crats and Republicans, debate
for the sake of the future and
people? But with party poopers
like Michael Moore, things go
sour pretty quickly. Mr. Moore
can not only stomp fissures and
crack^^etween family, friends,
and strangers,*T>ut can convert
fact into propaganda so much
that it makes Hitler cringe.
Regardless of w hether or not
you agree with Bush's motives
for invading Iraq or like Bush’s
responses to terrorism, an irre-
sponsible journalist such as
Moore, whose works will reach
the masses, is not healthy for the
nation if it wants to stay one.
Those who don't care to
research information for them-
selves or are flat-out lazy are
who Moore manipulates. In
doing so, this nation is in for a
deeper divide. Believe it or not.
we can learn something benefi-
cial from Mike! If someone has
arPOpinion for or againsTahy-
thing, do your own research and
discern for yourself;’ do not let
Mike think for you. or anyone
else, for that matter.
Please, don't believe that
what Michael does is a skill;
I must admit, however, that he
can be funny. Regardless, with
enough money, equipment, and
basic knowledge on politics.
anyone with the motivation to do
who planned to run the pipeline
through Afghanistan, versus
Enron’s plan to place pipelines
under the Caspian Sea.
Bush, then the governor of
Texas, supported the Enron plan;
Clinton backed the Unocal plan,
even though it would fatten the
pockets of the Taliban. Not long
after the battle had just begun
between the two companies.
Clinton had to direct attention
to terrorist attacks in Afghani-
stan.
The lack of attention and
need brought Unocal to defer
their Afghan plan. Three years
later, in late 2001. a deal was
signed by the new Afghan gov-
ernment with Unocal to allow
the construction of the pipeline
(note-Bush is president at this
time).
At first glance, things look a
little fishy. While Bush is presi-
dent. a pipelint? in Afghanistan
happens to be built. But wait;
didn’t Bush back the Huron plan
and Clinton the Unocal plan?
This is an example of how
Moore takes what really hap-
pened, leaves out very important
facts, thus leaving the reader in
great suspicion. Moore starts
the theory by discussing a visit
by the Taliban representatives
who were in the US to meet
with Unocal representatives in
1997 and 1998; of course Moore
ignored facts, one being that the
whole trip was sponsored bv
Clinton.
Courtesy of Google Image Search
Vffb
Controversial leftie atfracts many accusatipns of propaganda.
to the Taliban; meanwhile. Clin-
ton was the one wining and
dining the “brutal dictators."
Typical. (For more examples
visit Mooreexposed.com or buy
the book “Michael Moore Is A
Big Fat Stupid White Man”).
Well, there is the sleight of
hand by Moore. Moore empha-
sizes that Bush is marching with
Enron, who didn’t even have an
Afghan plan. Moore’s job/life is
too easy.
Moore finishes with. “So
why exactly were brutal dic-
tators being wined and dined
in your state when you fBush|
seem to be so against brutal dic-
tators?" It is amazing how this
man can ignore facts for his ben-
efit. ff any one is going to make
a case against Bush, please be
In this case, Michael Moore’s
fan club appeals to the theories
that slam Bush, and avoid any-
thing that disproves Moore’s
theories.
What Moore also likes to
play on is fear. Every work
he has sold is presented to
the reader-or audience to feel
frightened, which results in his
audience reacting in a hostile
manner. The opposition gets
madder and the fans stick by his
side since it coincides with what
they want: Bush gone.
Being a conservative. I must
admit that 1 would most likely
not check the truth and credi-
bility of a work done by any
Michael Moore-ish character
whose rhetoric was in favor of
my beliefs.
Moore continues: "In lute—responsible about it: ami that
-But that is why I am writing
this article: to prevent us from
listening blindly to what we
hear from both sides. Please, no
monkey see monkey do. How
about monkey see and monkey
doo doo on the doo doo they
hear. read, and see. and being
the responsible monkey their
mom wanted them to be
Delts did iUoo.
riranicrEy the
way, that the Phi Delts have to
do this “sensitivity training”
for women, but not the K As-1
• .
guess they had “met their
requirements” before rein-
statement...)
And, if rumors are to
believed, this is not the first
time this activity has hap-
pened—it’s the first time
someone got caught.
I know that guys go to
strip clubs, watch porn. etc.
And I’m not here to say
whether or not that’s right or
Wrofig. What 1 tJo know is
that I don’t want it to happen
in my space.
It just makes me feel
weird to think some guy I talk
to every day invited women
into a house on our campus to
perform Us sexual objects.
This is the same campus
example.
^ tJtheiWisc.ljfist hofjethat
some of-us can reflect on
what it means for our peers
to engage in voyeuristic activ-
ities with semi-clad, or-less,
women in our space. Some-
how I don't think "‘Our Greek
.
guys like to hand out money
to their rushes for strippers
brought on campus!” is going
to get into a brochure for pro-
spective students.
There's a reason Cullen
doesn’t want them to know
and we should talk about
why this makes us uncomfort-
—able. Just because it’s hap-
. pened before doesn’t mean we
should put up with it again.
Instead of hating on the
KAs, or the people who hate
on them, maybe we should
start to question the power
relationship f that exists
between the admin, and the
harm can devise these conspira-
cies. It would be suffocating to
find fault in the bull malarkey
that Mr. Moore speaks.
For starters, sample the fol-
lowing example of some Moore
lies: Moore claims in his book
“Dude, Where's My Country?”
that the overthrow of the Taliban
was more for gaining oil than
for seeking vengeance for 9/11,
instead, it was Bush's plot to
get a gas pipeline built so Amer-
ican could reap major green-
backs from oil, etc.
First, before explaining how
Mr. Moore would concoct such
an assumption, here is the his-
tory explaining how Afghani-
stan. gas pipelines, and Bush
relate.
In 1998 word was out that
there arc major untapped oil
supplies in some former Soviet
republics. Two competing plans
to strike this goldmine devel-
oped: the players were Unocal.
1996. Unocal had begun looking
into including Uzbekistan m its.
pipeline deal heading through
Afghanistan and into Pakistan.
And then you. Mr. Bush, decided
to get in on the action. You
met personally with Uzbeki-
stan’s ambassador on behalf of
Enron "
Moore reaches the end with,
“What role exactly did you play
in the Unocal meetings with
the Taliban? I’m guessing you
knew that the leaders of a for-
eign country •were visiting your
state and meeting with people
who were donors to your cam-
paign." After reading this, any
reader will become very suspi-
cious; what the hell was Bush
doing with these Taliban repre-
sentatives?
Now. what really happened
with the Taliban representatives
visit was that Bush intervened
for Enron to prevent the Afghan
pipeline, which means im monev
goes for anyone who ever wants
to point out .the .faults of some-
one else.
Moore can maintain a fan
club thanks to a common ten-
dency in all humans, which is
to hear what one wants to hear
and avoid whatever disproves
the very things they like to hear
Good Luck Staying Sane
During Finals Week!
Don ’tstress too much!
Stay safe over the break
and have fun!!!
Love, the Megaphone
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The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 2, 2004, newspaper, December 2, 2004; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth634229/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Southwestern University.