The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 159, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 10, 2000 Page: 3 of 8
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I**-- — •.
February 10,2000
THE J-TAC
Page 3
Editorial N RA needs to reload ideals
While the dining hall food was
up to par last semester, we at The
J-TAC have not been impressed
with the selection and quality this
semester.
We have come up with a solu-
tion for the lackluster quality and
selection of the food In the dining
hall: a true version of Texan
Bucks, "bucks" that could be
spent at various restaurants
around Stephenville. The new
Justin
Parker
Opinion Editor
Hello, my name is
Justin Parker, and I am
not the NRA.
Before you decide
that I have been
exposed to too much of
a liberal lifestyle and
become a red, or a pinko
I tree hugger, hear me out.
; As I sat - avoiding any semblance of
j school work - this weekend I came across
version ofTexan Bucks would give i KT ^ , „.n A . ,
, , , i a National Rifle Association infomercial
the student more flexibility by
j that on most normal days would have
\ sent me scrambling to find relief of any
j sort—even MTV's "Boy Band Weekend in
! San Francisco."
| Yet this time I sat trance-like, listening
! to testimonials about what other govern-
j ments were doing with regard to gun
I control Australia bans all guns; a major-
| ity of Europe follows suit.
! The testimonials coupled with video
! clips of chop saws cutting shotguns and
\ rifles apart, and huge machines grinding
i guns into small pieces made for a very
i powerful image.
j Voice-overs told of how they were just
! normal gun enthusiasts, hunters and
; home protectors until their governments
j snatched up all their arms to stem vio-
j lence.
| With each new face that appeared on
I the screen, a growing sense of dread
i found its way deep into the pit of my
j stomach. They could take my guns!
I Then like a slap to the face that jerked
j me from my trance, one gentleman tout-
I ed the "fact" that it all started when his
j government wanted his automatic
j weapons.
j It was then I realized what had been
\ happening to me. I had fallgjj victim to
| the oldest propaganda"around-the good,
:
j old-fashioned' scare1 tactic. My: mind
j began working once again and I thought
! about what the message they were por-
j traying meant to me, Joe Blow citizen,
I and gun owner.
j In the past I shunned the NRA as a
| group that was too radical for my tastes,
; the infomercial furthered my beliefs
I about the group.
j Let's talk about my beliefs for a
j moment. I have guns. I like guns. I
j believe that guns do not kill people; I do
j believe that people kill people,
j I do not believe there is any reason I, or
j most other people, should have an auto-
i matic weapon.
; I have firearms for hunting purposes,
j recreational purposes and for defense
\ purposes. I think that the Second
IX"' *' I Amendment gives me the right to keep
Comment or suggestion? i r
w j and bear these arms in a responsible man-
Email an Editor: I
allowing students to spend their
meal plan money at places other
than the Dining Hall and Food
Court This would especially be
helpful for the few students who
stay during the weekend. If this
plan was drawn up, there could
be moreTarleton alumni rather
than departing transfer students.
Staff
Editor in Chief
Tohma Morrison
Managing Editor
Amanda Gilbreath
Opinion Editor
Justin Parker
Sports Editor
Vanessa Fox
Entertainment Editor
Justin Taylor
Photography Editor
Andy Duncan
Web Editor
John Kerby
Advertising Manager
Ben Medina
Staff Writers/Photographers
Larry Barr
David Carter
Caleb Chapman
Ricky Coppedge
Jennifer Dawson
Angela Ellison
Robin Fulcher
Nicolle Glenn
Natosha Hayes
Myresa Hurst
Rachel Johnson
Martin Livingston
Blair Ponder
Dallas Sims
Emily Strong
Eufemia Tanner
Honey Waddle
Distribution
Brandon Owen
Adviser
Rachel Cruthirds
ner. If at some point it is determined that
I am irresponsible. with them, someone
should take them from me, for the good
of the rest of the populace.
The NRA would have you believe that
no matter what you do you have the right
to have firearms. Even the automatic
ones. Furthermore they want you to
believe that anything the government
does in the way of firearms is a frontal
assault on your right to keep and bear
arms.
I do not discount the fact that there are
some groups that want all guns out-
lawed. More often than not, these are the
groups that are the focus of the NRA ads.
So what do we have? We have two rad-
ical groups that are serving a small per-
centage of the people that are entrenched
in a battle that no one will win. There are
no compromises, in their views it is an all
or nothing effort. Unfortunately, it is not
that simple.
I feel a great remorse for those inno-
cently killed by firearms. I also feel that I
should be able to use firearms in a
responsible manner, lest I lose the right to
have those firearms.
I will venture that the majority of peo-
ple feel like I do, but feel trapped with
only two alternatives. Fortunately, this
issue isn't just the anti-gun establishment
vs. the gun establishment.
As gun owners and enthusiasts, our
time and money is better spent contribut-
ing to any of the vast array of conserva-
tion groups. Ducks Unlimited, Quail
Unlimited, Texas Trophy Hunters,
Wildlife Society...the list goes on.
Those are just the groups that center
around wildlife. Then you have the
National SkeetSJigo^ ^
many other shooting sports groups that
strive to show' th^ benefits'youhg Snci old'
receive from their involvement with
firearms.
These groups serve as not only the
voice of the moderate concerned citizen,
but back the voice with positive impacts
on society.
As we have seen with the abortion
issue, nothing gets solved by two groups
drawing a line in the sand and vehement-
ly attacking anything that may cross it.
This dogmatic duel between the two
factions of the gun control issue will reap
rewards for no one, that includes you, me
and every one else involved-regardless
of their distinction in the issue;
As sportsmen, we have the right to
choose who fights our battles. The time
has come for the National Rifle
Association to retreat and regroup to find
out what is truly important.
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*£> the re<vso/i H ArV
jyl X CouJA afford >& tlx pAper "tbia is oa ... To Icf
\ou VtaiA tibcrc. uiallcf art ccnirtj r^on.
BA degree plan is BS
Amanda
Gilbreath
Managing Editor
While I did not write
the headline, it is true.
In August I will walk
the stage and be granted
a bachelors degree.
Looking back over these
almost four years, I have
to say that one of the
largest obstacles to getting my education
has been getting my degree.
I have taken classes that I could care
less about because the almighty cata-
logue prescribed them and missed out on
classes that I would really have enjoyed
because they were not in the holy degree
plan.
There are two problems with this sce-
nario. First, I will havfe a bachelor of arts
and yet feel like I have not explored sev-
eral important aspects of the arts.
Second, I have wasted time and money
sitting in classes that were uninteresting
to me.
j I just cannot believe that I,am going to
be considered someone who is learned in
the arts on the basis of my degree when I
have not taken an art history course,
basic theater class, art class or dance
appreciation class. Granted, I have had
exposure to these subjects in other areas
of my life, but it seems appropriate that I
should encounter them in a formal study
of the arts.
I have learned many different and
important things from some great teach-
ers and experiences. However, I have
also sat through some classes that con-
sisted of nonsensical drivel that both the
students and teacher endured for the
sake of getting the credit. I am not talking
about a situation where I was simply apa-
thetic. I am referring to those classes that
exist to fill up hours and play into some
benign bureaucratic number game, and
all involved knew it. Some accept this
type of experience as a "hoop" we have
to jump through.
I want to ask why. There has to be a
more thorough, more interesting path to
success. I think I actually found it, but
only after all these years.
An acquaintance of mine, who is a suc-
cessful businessman, told me how he
went about getting his degree more than
twenty years ago. He ignored all t!he
advice and regulations, and simply took
whatever classes tickled his fancy. Near
the end of his junior year, he met his advi-
sor and picked a degree.
The most notable part of this plan is
that he still graduated in four years. He
got a degree he loved, a job he loved, and
had a blast for four years while getting
them.
T,he real truth is that no one agrees on
the "right" way to educate. If you want to
test me on this, just ask any educational
professional what they think needs to
change/ and you will likely be inviting
your children and grandchildren to the
discussion.
The catalogues and schedules are tools
to get you where you want to go, so don't
let them run your life.
Bottom line, your education is up to
you. It's too late for me, so save your-
selves while you can. Read your cata-
logue, make more than one degree plan,
hound your advisor, memorize the
schedule- and then throw it all out the
window.
Good luck, and have fun.
parker's quips and quotes
"If the human body's obscene, complain to the j
manufacturer-not me."
Larry Flynt
Publisher, Hustler, 1998 i
"After God created the product, he put clothes
on it"
Jerry Falwell
Minister, 1998
jtac_opinion@tarleton.edu
jtac_pulse@tarleton.edu
jtac_sports@tarIeton.edu
jtac_ads@tarleton.edu
HOW IO WRITE A LETTER
* Letters must have a signature, a printed
full name, a student identification
number and a daytime phone number.
* Letters should be no longer than 250
words and be received by 5 pm on
Mondays.
* The j-TAC reserves the right to edit
letters for content, style, length, and
grammar.
* The J-TAC also reserves the right to to
refuse to print any letter deemed to be in
poor taste,
OFFICE: Room 20 SDC
MAIUT-Q440, Stephenville.TX 76402
EMAIL: jtac_opinion@tarleton.edu
FAX; 254.968.9709
PHONE: 254.968.9056
The J-TAC is published on Thursdays
during the fall and spring semesters with the
exception of University holidays and
examination periods. The editorials express
the opinions ofTheJ-TAC staff. Other articles
in the opinion section do not necessarily
express the views of this university or this
newspaper. Content is copyrighted material
ofThe J-TAC. Written permission must be
granted for article reprints.
Tipping should mean more than just a mathematical equation
Blair
Ponder
Staff Writer
I was in a bar once and there was a
little sign on the tipping jar that said,
"Your karma is improved when you
tip properly!" Being a follower of
Buddha, I want good karma as much
as anyone, so I left a dollar.
The whole tipping issue recently
came flying back to me when I visited
a local restaurant that provided tipping guidelines on
the bottom of their credit card receipts. My friend and I
laughed at the idea, because he carries a card that shows
the correct tipping amounts, so that he will never
"insult" a waitperson. Then I thought about the reason
this establishment had placed the chart on the receipts,
and realized that there must be people who do not tip
properly.
Currently, the going rate for tipping is about 15 per-
cent of the cost of the bill. Often times, the tip can
extend to 20 or 30 percent depending on other factors
besides promptness, refills and outstanding service. A
recent Columbia University survey showed that factors
like eye contact, smiling or professional demeanor have
a way of improving the amount of a tip, as do a casual
touch or a genuine nature.
Unfortunately, today busy Americans have taken out
the human side of tipping and degenerated it to simply
using a tip card or some other formula like doubling the
tax, with the result often left on the table in crumpled
bills or haplessly added to a credit card charge slip.
Luckily, I had parents and grandparents that instruct-
ed me how to tip. My grandmother to this day still pulls
out a pen and paper and does her own unique calcula-
tions, taking into account the human touch, to give the
correct amount.
"Never insult a person by not leaving them a tip or by
leaving them less than 15 percent," she said Sunday as
we finished up diner at The Cotton Patch. "You never
know what the circumstances of a situation are. There
could be a problem in the kitchen or something like that.
Don't take it out on the poor waiter that makes a dismal
amount anyway."
The average pay for a waitperson is around $3.10 per
hour at most of the larger chain restaurants. Some of the
mom and pop places pay even less, forcing their wait
staff to rely on their tips for the day to make up the dif-
ference. Often times, a waitperson must share their tips
with the bus person or the host personnel.
So you see waitpersons do not make $5.50 or more an
hour like the cashiers at the local junk chain or ham-
burger joints. They have to depend on the Hps from
people they must be even more intimate with than those
individuals do.
There are many others that should get a few dollars,
but I will not take up space with that list. However, I
will mention that the folks at Sonic and the pizza deliv-
ery people deserve a few dollars for getting your food to
you hot and fast.
I think people have forgotten that tipping is an act of
kindness for services performed. A way of saying,
"Thank you" without having physically uttered the
words.
Let me bring it down to an even more personal level.
By tipping properly you could be helping assist a fellow
student who has to bust their tail just to scrape together
enough money to make it through the semester. Or/bet-
ter yet, you might be helping a single mother who is
working to support her child, so they can have some of
the things we take for granted.
I know both of these types of people work here in
Stephenville. I know you have probably sat in their sec-
tions or had food delivered to your house by them.
To some people this will appear as if I am preaching, but
I am not. I just want people to ask themselves the next
time they leave a restaurant, "Is my karma being
improved?"
—
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 159, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 10, 2000, newspaper, February 10, 2000; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth141970/m1/3/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.