The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 11, Ed. 1, Friday, October 2, 1987 Page: 2 of 6
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Opinion
ft. fiiday October 2 1987 page 2
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"Sinceyou have kept my command to endure patiently I will also
keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole
world to test those who live on the earth" Rev. 3:10.
Optimist
Candy Holc'ombe
editor In chief
KristlBuehatt
Wednesday edition editor
lulle Fltepatrlck
friday edition editor
Dawn Treat
features Wednesday editor
Cindy Leeper
friday news editor
Kerry Cole
copy editor
Jonathan Witt
editorial page editor
Kenneth Py bus
sports editor
Lance Fleming
assistant sports editor
lanisWatklns
features writer
Donna Southerland
design director
Lynda Turner
production staff
The Optimist Is published semi-weekly except during the summer vacations and final examinations
by the journalism and Mass Communication Department at Abilene Christian University Abilene Texas
79699. The Optimist Is affiliated with the Associated Collegiate Press the Texas Interscholastlc League
Press Association the Southwest Journalism Congress the Associated Press and the Rocky Mountain
CoHegiate Press Association.
Editorial opinions appearing in the Optimist ore views of the editorial board and do not necessarily
reflect the official policy of the ACU administration.
Signed columns represent the views of the authors.
editorials
Cheaper fares great
Last week officials from Abilene's
Chaparral Airlines Inc. announced a
merger with Metro Airlines of
Dallas. This arrangement means two
things for Abilene and ACU stu-
dents: an improved airline service
and lower fares.
Bravo Chaparral. With the recent
fog in the airline world because of
delayed flights service complaints
several accidents and a few near col-
lisions in the air one likes hearing
the positive news that Chaparral's
American Eagle operations will tri-
ple in size and continue to operate
out of Abilene.
But more importantly we like
hearing that the air fares will go
down.
For years now students have
made the three-hour drive from
Abilene to Dallas to catch a flight
home for Thanksgiving Christmas
Spring Break and other important
holidays.
Those who don't have cars have
had to catch rides and those who do
have cars not only get to drive to the
airport but must leave their cars in
the parking area. Then as soon as
they step off the plane after the
return trip they must get back in
the car and drive some more.
But no matter the trouble stu-
dents choose the drive over the
flight for one reason it costs too
much to fly.
But those days are over.
Clark Stevens president of
End parking
Monday 7:58 a.m. You are run-
ning across the Moody Coliseum
parking lot tucking in your shirt
with one hand grasping your four
300-page textbooks with the other
and trying to check your watch.
Your class is on the third floor of
the Mabte Business Building and
the only parking space you could
find was in Timbuktu. The week
isn't off to a great start.
We've all known the feeling of the
eternal search for a parking space
weaving in and out of lines of park-
ed cars scanning the lot for any sign
of an open spot and rejoicing when
we think we've found one only to
discover a motorcycle diagonally
parked in a space big enough for 10
bikes of its size plus a few mopeds.
Frustrated we give up and put
our car to rest in the farthest corner
of the lot three miles from civiliza-
tion and our 8 a.m. class.
Parking conditions seem to be a
sore spot with many students on the
CLS -
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Mary Wiley
technical director
Paul Haynes
graphics
Cade White
photo editor
John Paul Drownlow
assistant photographer
Thomas Graham
senior staff writer
Dr. Charlie Mailer
adviser
Chaparral said the airline in con-
nection with American Airlines has
"a number of new lower fares that
will benefit people in Abilene. For
example one new seven-day advance-purchase
round trip for Dallas
adds only $10 to an American
Airlines flight connection."
The low fares were intended to
make flying irresistible. "Our goal is
to make it impossible to drive to
Dallas cheaper than you can fly" he
said.
That's exactly what they arc do-
ing. Just try driving to Dallas and
back for less than $10. You'd better
have a Honda and not the kind with
four wheels.
And if that $10 special package
isn't enough the American Eagle
still will have 18 flights daily to
DallasFort Worth Airport and even
the regular flights will be cheaper
than they used to be.
If these lower rates allow more
people to fly American Eagle we
will see Chaparral add flights in the
coming years. Stevens said addi-
tional flights could be added by next
summer if the business increase is
enough to warrant it.
More power to him and Chapar-
ral. With lower fares and perhaps
even more flights students can af-
ford to fly to Dallas instead of drive
and will have a better chance of get-
ting a workable flight schedule.
And a 45-minute flight is better
than a three-hour drive any day.
problem
ACU campus but we think it's time
for a little PPA or positive park-
ing attitude.
Take a few minutes next week to
familiarize yourself with all the
possible places you and your decal
can park you might be surprised.
Then try to arrive on campus five
minutes earlier than you usually do.
If you don't hit paydirt plenty of
time is left to enjoy a nice walk
across campus say hello to friends
and start off your day promptly and
prepared.
Next time you have the chance
spend a few minutes on the campus
of almost any university in this
country and count your blessings.
Not only is parking much more
expensive the available spaces are
nonexistent. Most students usually
give up their cars and fight to live
on campus.
We'd prefer driving a car living
off campus and taking a few extra
minutes to walk to class.
Kp '
Time flies
As I get older the years go by
faster and faster but no one can tell
mewhy.
And I'm not alone. This sensation
is as widespread as the common cold.
Nobody has found a cure for either
but at least we know what causes the
sniffling and sneezing.
Modern science has come up with
cars airplanes spaceships blenders
and even a pretty nifty theory saying
that energy is more or less equal to
mc squared.
But I'm not sure scientists even
have tried to tackle this stickler con-
cerning the incredible shrinking year.
I knew the matter needed serious
attention after sitting through the
high school graduation of some of my
friends who were a grade behind me.
As I watched them march in I real-
ized that I had marched into that
same coliseum in the same flaky out-
fit only two days ago. It didn't just
seem like two days ago it was two
days ago.
Sure I thought of a couple of
memories that couldn't have possibly
fit into that 48-hour period like two
semesters of college; but so strong
was this feeling about my recent
graduation that I knew all else was
merely a twisted illusion.
Some psychiatrists eventually prov-
ed to me though that a full bona
letters to the editor
Students need
responsibility
To the Editor:
I have two reasons for writing this
letter. First I hope that you all will
enjoy the community that you have
chosen to be a part of. The entire city
of Abilene is now a part of your life
just as you are a part of Abilene.
Anything that one of you has a part
in will reflect in a good or bad way
for all of you.
Two weeks ago I walked outside to
leave for work and found that some-
one had stolen one of my hanging
plants off of my front porch. I work-
ed long and hard to care for that
plant and bring it back from almost
death.
While asking around the
neighborhood to see if anyone had
noticed anyone with my plant sever-
al of them mentioned that it was
probably students who took the
plant. I even asked some students if
they had seen my plant. Students
even said it was probably students.
Most of us work very hard to main-
tain an atmosphere of "home" for all
of you to enjoy. The next time that
one of you thinks about stealing
something that doesn't belong to you
or even "decorating" property that is
not yours stop and think. The
owner of the property has spent time
and effort on the property and it will
take a lot of time and effort to clean
up your mess!
The second reason for writing is to
remind you that Abilene does indeed
have traffic laws. One of the laws
deals with a very common street sign
the stop sign. I feel like this is a
very universal sign that can be seen
all over the U.S.A. I am personally
tired of having to look out for your
reckless driving! A stop sign is for
stopping not for slowing down.
One of the other traffic laws relates
to the way you speed down the
streets. The speed limit around resi
when you sleep
witticisms
Jonathan wltt
rsarai1
fide year had in fact passed since my
high school graduation.
I was about to check into the local
insane asylum when I discovered that
everyone I knew also felt that each
successive year went by faster than
the last.
So I set out to solve this puzzling
paradox.
I'm still in the hypothesis stage
but I've collected three relatively
viable explanations.
This first hypothesis is pretty
much far-out physics but I think I
can explain it. There is only so much
time in the universe right? And since
the universe is expanding then all
the time is getting more spread out
leaving less for planet earth. So
because there's less time per cubic
foot there also is less time per calen-
dar year.
I'll leave the testing of this
hypothesis to Carl Sagan and the
gang.
Here's the next explanation:
Discovering things is what gives a
day meat and as we get older we
dential streets is 30 mph. There are a
lot of children who live around ACU.
Parents and friends do a lot of
teaching about how to cross streets.
Please watch for the children
because they don't always remember
to watch you! Try setting a good ex-
ample for our children to learn from.
Just a small piece of advice. You
live in a city where people care about
you. You may not ever find that
anywhere but at home. Slow down
and take the time to look at what
others have tried to do for you.
Linda Booth
Abilene
Paper sides
with the world
To the Editor
In the past there have been many
things that have brought distress to
my spirit. I have not always replied
to those things that "upset" me
because I have come to realize one
shouldn't put his faith in a college a
church or in other Christians but on-
ly in the Lord. But there are times
that I am directed to "sound the
trumpet" for those who are ready for
the battle (Eph. 6:10fi). When I see
cartoons in your newspaper directly
against the Judeo-Christian values
our country was founded on
repeatedly on the second page it ab-
solutely disgusts me!
These continual cartoons together
with "Know Thy Politicians" from
the Sept. 30 issue that calls Dr. M.G.
"Pat" Robertson who is seeking the
Republican Party's presidential
nomination "the reverend Pat... a
religious figure running for Presi-
dent" arc not only erroneous but are
used by Satan to deceive the world
into thinking that all Christians are
ignorant stupid depraved and living
in the 19th century. Why would a
"Christian" newspaper want to side
with the world and its master (Eph.
2:1-10)?
' r "' twwovh to!J!6ftw ctuu43 p
discover less and less stuff. Thus our
days have less and less meat take less
time to swallow and consequently
go by more quickly.
When I was 1 year old I
discovered speech and walking.
When I was 4 1 discovered
kindergarten and how to write. When
I was 7 1 discovered Gilligan's Island
and tree houses. When I was 1 1 1
discovered acne and the fact that girls
weren't just deformed guys.
But the most exciting thing I've
discovered recently is that a dryer's
main source of nourishment is socks.
My last explanation is a spin-off of
William Wordsworth's theory that
after we're born we slowly forget how
great God's splendor is. My
hypothesis is this: As we get older we
fall into a deeper and deeper sleep
we'll call it the Rumpclstiltskin Syn-
drome. I like everybody else fall in-
to a cozy routine and don't wake up
except for an occasional nightmare
about how I am walking around like
a wind-up zombie.
Henry David Thoreau once said
that if he ever saw a man who was
completely awake this man would
frighten him to death. I would prob-
ably just roll over and go back to
sleep.
Wake me when I'm 65. 1 have to
get back to my routine.
First of all Judge Bork who was
falsely portrayed by the cartoon on
the same page means the Constitu-
tion and its "Original Intent" are not
to be interpreted by the standards
that we have been using giving the
Supreme Court more authority than
it is due. Secondly M.G. Robertson
is not nearly the "religious" figure
that you or the world portray him to
be. He is a very good Christian and
would make an excellent president.
He is a graduate of Yale Law School
and lias a complete background in
politics.
Brother Pat Robertson has been
mistakenly gazed upon as "one of
those TV Evangelists." Why docs the
media always portray him as this and
never mention his qualifications and
abilities? I agree with the Wednesday
editorial that we should wake up and
get involved with the things that are
happening in the world. Wc should
be thankful to live in a free country
where wc can vote and always freely
praise God for the great things he has
done. And do not take the world's
word for everything listen to your
Father.
Giuseppe Domlco junior
WestvIlle.N.J.
letters policy
The Optimist encourages reader
response in the form of letters to the
editor; however we reserve the right
to refuse letters based on personal at-
tack defamation or erroneous infor-
mation. We reserve the right to limit
frequent writers and to edit for
length or error. Letters should not be
more than 375 words long.
Letters should be addressed to
Letters to the Editor" and mailed to
AnSU B.ox 8203 Abil Texas
79699. All letter should include the
writer's name classification
hometown and telephone number.
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 11, Ed. 1, Friday, October 2, 1987, newspaper, October 2, 1987; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth92133/m1/2/?rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.