The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 92, No. 50, Ed. 1, Friday, April 23, 2004 Page: 6 of 8
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ViewsFriday
TU Optimist
Paget
April 23 2004
"The concessions of the weak are the concessions of fear."
Edmund Burke Parliament member colonial sympathizer 1775
M In tragic times leaders must choose between al-
m lowing freedom or succumbing to fear.
Am This month we have remembered tragedy after
Mm tragedy where an extremist minority has attempted to
P impose its fanatic will upon an institution. Columbine.
Oklahoma City. Waco.
America values freedom. The Constitution would be a relic
today had not its authors promised a bill in Congress' first session
that would grant first and foremost freedom.
Yet such is the battle between fear and freedom that within 15
years of America's founding a party afraid of losing control
passed a series of laws banning criticism of the government
the Allen and Sedition Acts. Fear of dissent arose again in World
War I with the Smith Acts and fear of communism led to
McCarthyism a crushing of those who espoused leftist Ideology
50 years ago.
Such a battle rages not just in countries but in communities
churches and universities as well.
Throughout history when mankind has chosen to concede the
battle to the forces of extremism the result has been oppression
resentment and a damaging apathetic silence from the populace.
Extremism infests not with the bang of war because overt
aggression is met with resounding force but with the creep of
fear a Patriot Act or a censor or a detention camp.
Such tactics provide evidence to extremists that they can win
that they are winning. They may lose dozens of small battles or
hundreds of fighters in suicide bombings terrorist attacks or
wars. But they will gain victory through the fear they instill in the
leadership of a nation or an institution.
On a Christian campus the freedom provided by the First
Amendment is the foundation of our existence. Without its prin-
ciples neither the Optimist nor the university could exist. The
fear of extremism should never take that away.
When 19 men and four airplanes can change the course of a
nation choices must carefully be made. The choice today is fear
or freedom. Victory exists only in freedom.
"Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."
Psalm 46:2
B
CttaM
Top five
college
moments
I haven't
given much
thought to
graduation.
I haven't
boxed up any
stuff or cleaned
my amazingly
filthy home. I
guess I suffer
from denial ab-
out actually
leaving.
Maybe I
fear jirudng it
Like the sec-
ond I mention
it 111 find out I
failed some
class and 111 be
back here.
After
spending five
years here I
retain many
great memo-
ries. My top-
five desert-
island memo-
ries are:
1. Watching
ahallmatesteal
the door off a guys room and
waiting hours until he noticed.
Ah the pain we inflicted upon
him.
2. Hitting my roommate
Steve in the shoulder with a
hubcap from at least 50 feet
down the street while he rode
his bike home from nine
o'clock devo.
3. Not speaking to my room-
mate for more than two weeks
freshman year. We weren't mad
at each other; we just didn't
want to get to know each other.
4. Receiving angry landlord
letters about illegal pets holes
in the wall general filth indoors
and out tearing down our
fence driving in the yard keep-
ing crusty couches in front and
turning the yard into a jungle
safari.
5. What a done in club stays
in club. Ill never forget
in the words or bod Dylan in
in Blue "Keep on
Kyw Peveto
I haven't
.given
much
- thought
to gradu-
ation. I've been
kind of
busy
lately.
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In My Wordt
Daniel Barcroft
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A sportswriter voices his regrets
Wtck't
WmW-
Joel
Weckerly
"Today I
consider my-
self the lucki-
est man on the
face of the
earth..."
Perhaps the
immortalized
words uttered
by Lou Gehrig
in his 1939
farewell
speech aren't
appropriate
for my use. Yet somehow the
Iron Horse's sound-byte
doesn't cease to inspire me 65
years later in this my farewell
speech.
After four years of covering
ACU athletics I have several
regrets several things I would
have liked to see happen.
The first is a national
championship in a non-running
sport. Not to discount
the six I witnessed in men's
indoor and outdoor track and
field but let's face it: they've
kind of become expected.
Considering that 49 of ACU's
52 national titles since 1952
My No. 2 regret is "that I didn't walk on the
football team freshman year.
have come in track it's
become bigger news when
we don't win a champi-
onship. My No. 2 regret is that I
didn't walk on the football
team as a placekicker my
freshman year. If you ever
went to a game in that infa-
mous fall of 2000 I needn't
say more.
My next regret which
should make me as equally
unpopular as No. 2 is that I
never asked former men's
basketball coach Mike Martin
the hard-hitting question:
"Sir exactly what year did the
turtlenecksport coat combo
go out of style?"
Another regret is that I was
so intimidated when first
interviewing Britt Bonneau.
The 5-foot-9 head baseball
coach might not look like
much but he'll bust a fresh
man beat writer's chops
worse than Bob Knight did
Jeremy Schaap Well maybe
I'm exaggerating but I proba-
bly would've gathered better
quotes from him were my
notebook not shaking so vio-
lently. My next regret is a bit of a
sensitive spot: I wish I would
have lobbied for legislation to
ban all football coaches and
graduate assistants from
playing intramural waterball.
Call me crazy but the team
assembled two years ago
consisting of strength coach
David Hess linebackers
coach Cody Farrell and for-
mer defensive mammoths
James Washington and Ryan
Boozer dldot seem fair.
Perhaps it was the fact they
could all dead-lift me and
did.
Regret No. 5 Is that I failed
to capture assistant athletic
director and former ACU
standout Jared Mosley's
backboard-breaking dunk on
tape two years ago in Bennett
Gymnasium. Why on tape? A
spectacular highlight for one
but more importantly
blackmail material.
My final regret? That I
should've heckled at ACU
basketball baseball and ten-
nis events. Wait never mind;
I did that plenty of times
What's impartiality anyway?
I don't know how im-
pressed Lou would have been
with this farewell piece but
then again I've never claim-
ed to be like Lou: the only
time I hit four bombs in one
game was in 8-bit Nintendo's
RBI Baseball and the only
thing I've ever done 2130
consecutive times is sleep
through Chapel.
I'm totally kidding. It was
only three homers.
Respond to Joel Weckerly it:
)ptWaacu ciiu or optimiuacu tJu
In Your Words
The semester is
almost over. What
will you do differ-
ently next year?
tanafJk)
freshman biology major from St
Louis
"More dauea
with chick."
Call
senior management major from
Austin
TroUkr
not Bach."
Gayw McbVomi
freshman music education major fro
Gianbury
H -Work Bre for
J outfit cipc
HH cUBylSV
IvJ
Kanaka hMMani
junior hufjvss mougrmmt major
from llwrakl Japan
K. yy J
EMmMmnI
i art the opinion of
the OpttrM Editorial Board and may not
naeeeiartiy reflect the vlewi of the driver
ttyorKstdrnlnltVitlon.
are the opinions of their creators and may
not neceatarlly reflect the viewpoint! of the
OsftlmM It Editorial Board or the unrverti-
w tnroujr) letter to the edrtor but re-
oervee the right to Km frequent contribu
tor or to refute to print letter containing
pertonal attacli obtcenlty defamation
erroneou Information or Invasion of privacy
Hun mi lillm to 350 word or let.
A nam and phone number mutt be Included
for verification purpose. Phone number will
not be publlthed
Addret letter to '
mubmztbm
MMMf TX 7WN
E-mail letter to.
The Optimist
Published by the Department of
Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Tht OptimMEitetW loanl
mMtoltf M wMeT
Paul A Anthony KylePeveto
Co Eater
Lorl Bredemeyer
Cheat PhonseVBWiMf
Eyekem Oulllat
taorti Hltor
Joel Weckerly
UfOKtHm CvfllsMi MfsjfflleYIMii
(325) 674-2439 3 B74-MB4
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twIrWflMlf WRM!
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Facially AMaaf
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Ml
Chrlttl Stark
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 92, No. 50, Ed. 1, Friday, April 23, 2004, newspaper, April 23, 2004; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101877/m1/6/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.