The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 12, Ed. 1, Wednesday, October 3, 1990 Page: 2 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Abilene Christian University Library.
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Opinion
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Optimist
Gretchcn Schulfz Editor in Chief
Don Morris Managing Editor
Keith Alcwine Opinion Page Editor ' -
10" .'
Editorial Board
Betty Battros Brian Bolt Wondell Edwards Amy Ellis Malissa Endsloy
Lance Fleming Bobby Gombort Lucas W. Hondrickson Wendy Hornbaker
Brandon Laird Katherino Poteet Robyn Stultz H. Todd Thomas
Cost of college
is worthwhile
; "Is a college education real ly worth
;the cost?"
v From the freshman who has received
his first failure report to the senior who
is trying to earn those last few credits
every college student probably has
wrestled with this question at one time
or another.
Rising costs long distances fiom
home late nights and little money arc
just a few realities of college life a stu-
dent must cope with for four or more
years. These realities can be very over-
whelming and discouraging.
So is an education worth everything
a student puts into it?
The answer is yes."
Consider some sobering facts provid-
ed by the Grant Foundation in The
Chronicle for Higher Education. The
foundation reported that 57 percent of
male high-school graduates were work-
ing in 1968 in stable full-time jobs. In
Bush has taken best
stand against Iraq
August 2 1990: the day Saddam
Hussein marched into Kuwait and
declared the country his own.
The same day President George Bush
began to change his image in the eyes
of the world. By handling his Side of
the Middle East crisis his way Bush
has received the backing of most of the
world. In fact a Newsweek poll shows
75 percent of Americans approve of
how the president has handled the cri-
sis. Why?
Because Bush has handled the Iraqi
crisis the best way possible.
During the first crucial days the
president remained calm and weighed
the options. He rallied most of the
world and caused an embargo that Iraq
cannot ignore. He sent U.S. troops to
Wearing seat belts is effective
The excuses range from "They wrin-
kle my clothes" to "I feel confined"
but whatever the excuse may be the
fact is seat belts save lives.
Studies show that if everyone used a
seat belt more than 10000 lives could
be saved per year. Another proven fact
is that front-seat passengers are two
and a half more likely to be killed and
drivers are four times more likely to
die than those buckled in.
Drivers often say they would rather
be thrown from the car in an accident
but fatality rates for drivers ejected
The Optimist encourages reader
response in the form of letters to the
editor; however we reserve the right
to refuse letters that contain personal
attack obscenity defamation erro-
neous information or invasion of pri-
vacy. The Optimist will not print
unsigned letters or letters that bear
requests for anonymity.
We reserve the right to limit fre-
quent writers and to edit letters for
length or error.
Please address letters to "Optimist
Editor" ACU Box 7892 or bring the
letters to Room 308 of the Don H.
Morris Center.
Writers should include the follow-
ing information in their letters: clas-
sifications majors and hometowns of
students; titles of faculty and staff;
arid hometowns' of other Optimist
readers.-
- -v.
1986 the number was down to 36 per-
cent. The foundation also stated that from
1973 to 1986 the earnings of workers
without a college education dropped
from 42.1 to 28.3 percent. But the earn-
ings of college graduates dropped only
6 percent during the same time period.
College places a person ahead in the
job market and better prepares a him of
her for other challenges in life.
Schedule changes teach flexibility
and patience. Lite nights and early
mornings teach stamina and determina-
tion. Bills teach money management.
Awkward first introductions to strange
people provide friends to laugh with
cry with and live with. Liberal arts
classes teach an open mind and creativ-
ity. Bible classes teach a better under-
standing of God and His message.
So is college worth all the sacri-
fices? the oil-rich fields of Saudi Arabia as a
military defense that Hussein would be
foolish to cross.
Bush stayed calm despite the fact
that Hussein held hostage thousands of
people including Americans inside
Kuwait.
Even a chilling videotape showing
Hussein with the hostages did not
appear to shake the president's cool
demeanor.
When Hussein called his Arab broth-
ers to join him in a Holy War Bush
simply said "It won't work."
And Bush did not let himself become
a prisoner of the White House as
Jimmy Carter did during the Iranian
crisis.
He looked Hussein in the face and
has not blinked.
from their automobiles arc 40 times
greater than occupants restrained.
According to a recent article in the
Abilene Reporter-News more Abilene
drivers are buckling up 63.7 percent
of Abilene drivers arc using their seat
belts.
Although drivers in Texas no longer
have the option of wearing a seat belt
it is a law implemented for the better-
ment of society.
Most ambulance workers will agree
that rarely do they unbuckle corpses
from accident scenes.
Battles
Almost every pit stop in the suburban
world including Furr's and Circle K
now has for rent hoards of the little
black boxes of magic we call video-
tapes. More than half of Americans own at
least one video player per home.
Signs outside stores read like cheap
mating calls from tapes to players:
"Video Rentals $ 1 !" Other deals are
advertised to hook us; long-term rental
generous return policy special two-for-one
rates.
All these call to the viewer who has
an empty Friday night on his hands;
bored hopelessly alone and confused
he is highly susceptible to losing ull
sense of reason and making a trip to the
video store unprepared.
We want to reach out and shake him
from his fateful trance
We see the doom that awaits our hero
and we shudder with the realization that
he has no one with whom to debate his
'rental no support no defense.
Turtle appeal is
American children have gone crazy. At
least that's what American adults think.
The craze began as a comic strip in an
underground college newspaper: the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Toy companies seem to have a talent
for developing products kids will love.
"First came the action figures and then
the Saturday morning cartoon. Children
everywhere began to sport Ninja Turtle
T-shirts cat Ninja Turtle cereal and speak
the Ninja Turtle language.
As if paraphernalia and cartoons
weren't enough the higher-ups in Holly-
wood decided to produce a motion pic-
ture starring guess who the Ninja
Turtles. But now my worst nightmare is a
reality.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are
going on tour
I will not pretend to know exactly what
the turtles will do once they hit the stage
but I will venture to guess that regardless
of what they do they will do it in front of
a sold-out crowd. . -
Perhaps the turtles appeal to youngsters
Writer: shoe polish
made for shoes
To the Editor:
I do not understand what entices
immature people to vandalize other
people's cars with white shoe polish.
First I believe shoe polish was cre-
ated with the intention df polishing
shoes to their original colors not for
leaving trivial unnecessary messages
on thousands of cars.
Second this kind of horseplay may
appear to be fun to irresponsible
delinquents; however I find it to be
inconsistent with the ACU goals of
caring serving and excelling.
Third putting shoe polish on cars is
a futile vandalism of others' personal
property something 1 do not
believe Christians should engage in.
Some college students complain at
not being treated like responsible
mature adults. To gain respect you
must first earn it as all pledges have
C.CttE OpAVibTAlKToUS ) VtfHERt DO SfoUSTAMD OM TtlE ISSUES ) ' '
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waged in video stores
We grimace as he pulls the door open
and enters.
The little ding sounds off; the glass
door swings shut behind him; he looks"
lean and hopeful as if he were the noble
Childe Rowland about to tackle the
"With a sword ofdecl-
slvenoss a shield of
good taste and a
breastplate of courage
our hero plunges
down the first aisle ... "
Brandon
Laird
From a High Dive
monolithic Dark Tower.
The swank of the maroon carpet the
brightly lit neon overhead and the color-
ful posters lining the walls give way to a
scene of neo-classic confrontation) man
against video.
because they arc ridiculous to adults.
If you thought the "totally awesome"
vernacular of the Valley girl was bad you
probably arc not fond of the "cowabunga
dude!" phrases you hear children saying
these days cither.
"Theso creatures
have names that read
moro like an art show
program than the
namos of turtles."
Gretchen
Schultz
I Think Not
These creatures have names that read
more like an art show program than the
names of turtles.
Michelangelo Donatcllo Rafael and
Leonardo live in sewers. Their favorite
food is pizza peppcroni ice cream and
fudge peanut butter and sardine and
m IJwBl
TRE DAVID SouTeR PRESS CoNf BRZKCe . G
teamed "a rotten apple spoils the
whole bit."
Perhaps this is just a pet peeve of
mine but I cannot understand why
anyone would enjoy spending valu-
able time washing car windows.
L. Diane Dukes
Junior accounting major
Fort Worth
Student addresses
conduct in Chapel
To the Editor:
This letter may anger many of my
fellow ACU students but it is late in
coming.
I am a senior. I have put in three
years at ACU and gone to Chapel
every weekday of those years. I have
discussed mandatory Chapel with
many students and realize there arc
pros and cons to the issue but that is
not the reason I'm writing.
With a sword of decisiveness a shield
of good taste and a breastplate of
courage our hero plunges down the first
aisle with a determined glint in his eye.
Suddenly a surprise attack is made by
the watchguard of the video fortress:
"Fletch" and all the Chevy Chase videos
ever made! Our hero quickly overcomes
with a firm choke hold and moves far-
ther down the comedy aisle.
Both the Dill Cosby and Smothers
Brothers concert videos ambush our
hero and wrestle him to the ground.
Luckily however our hero manages
to escape by spouting off a few bad (
puns evading what could have been'a
serious fight with cigars and stage gim-
micks. Next an ambush by "I Spit on Your
Grave" scares our dauntless hero and he
retreats down the horror aisle. Beads of
sweat begin to roll down his cheek as
"Faces of Death" volumes one two and
three join in the chase.
With a quick turn our hero takes a
baffling
cereal flavors.
When I asked 6-year-old Tyler what
they did he said "kill people."
Tyler was corrected immediately by his
father. "They don't kill people. They just
go after them."
The turtles apparently were normal pet
shop turtles at one time. A boy knocked
over their jar and they fell into some
"juice" in a manhole. That was when the
turtles began to mutate.
While the mutated turtles were hanging
around In the sewers an oriental man
named Master Splinter taught them to
fight at least that's what I hear. They
now use their ninja skills against Shred-
der the bad guy.
Maybe children like the turtles because
they arc captivating. Or maybe they like
them because they arc too-strangc-to-be-true.
But the next time a kid calls you
"dude" you will know It's because of the
influence of the Ninja Turtles. Give him a
piece of peanut butter and sardine pizza
and send him on his way.
I have to agree with President
Tcague: students of ACU are becom-
ing more and more disrespectful as a
student body.
What am I talking about? Well let
me give you the latest instance.
Wednesday students from the three
universities In Abilene came to per-
form during Chapel.
The students did not know better
or if they did they didn't show
knowledge of it than to talk during
the performance. That is embarrass-
ing! And it's not the first time.
I'm not a traitor siding with the
administration. I'm a student con-
cerned about what we the student
body of AGU communicate to our
guests. I'm not making a moral issue
out of this; I simply feel and many
agree with me that human beings
should respect other human beings.
Imagine if that were you up there!
Heidi Presley
Senior international studies major
Abilene
clean swing at the beasts and destroys
them.
Like ghosts from the past "Throw
Momma From the Train" "The Good
The Bad and The Ugly" "Goonies" and
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Facto-
ry" simultaneously arise from their
shelved tombs and join in a cacophony
chasing him farther down the drama
hall.
We wiggle in our chairs bite our
upper lip as we see our hero's end: he is
running straight for the kung-fu section.
The last we hear is his scream and the
sound of "Shadow Ninja" throwing
some post-Bruce Lee moves at his
abdomen.
What is the moral the lesson of this
episode? Why is the monumental con-
frontation of modern man with technolo-
gy so impacting?
We have all been kicked by the "Shad-
ow Ninja" but we return like crazy
Childe Rowlands to our neighborhood
Dark'Towers and lose every time.
v
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 12, Ed. 1, Wednesday, October 3, 1990, newspaper, October 3, 1990; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth96205/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.