The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 38, Ed. 1, Wednesday, February 7, 1990 Page: 2 of 6
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Opinion
.Wednesday February 7 1990
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The news tame last Tuesday after-
noon my grandmother had passed
away that morning.
She and I weren't very close but I
had memories of her from when I was
younger. The feeling was weird
because I didn't feel as mournful about
her death as it seemed like a grand-
daughter should feel.
One of the first decisions I had to
make was whether or not to attend the
funeral.
A long drive and a weekend away
were not in my plans and I selfishly
thought about the inconvenience this
would cause me. I rationalized that I
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East-West
As Soviet President Mikhail Gor-
bachev grapples with secession fever
in the Baltics armed conflict in
Azerbaijan and mounting criticism
of his policy failures in Moscow
Western analysts wonder increasing-
ly about whether he can survive
these challenges. Is such talk
premature?
In the confused state of the mo-
ment no one knows.
That being so it is important for
Western leaders neither to overreact
nor to become paralyzed by uncer-
tainty. U.S. policy toward Moscow must
remain steady based on two
assumptions: (1) that improving bi-
lateral relations are vital and (2)
that agreements or policies be
designed to protect U.S. interests
whatever happens in the Kremlin.
Stating such principles is one
thing; adhering to them in a volatile
environment with arms control
talks in progress with Eastern
Europe in continuing ferment with
German unification becoming
likelier every day with Moscow in-
creasingly beset by internal crises
is another.
Yet despite these distractions
U.S. policy-makers have to proceed
as if the West's crucial objectives
are attainable as indeed they may
be:
Arms control: Bilateral talks to
reduce strategic arms seem to be on
Optimist
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wasn't vcryt close to her and that
everyone would understand if I
couldn't make it. After all the funeral
was about 400 miles away from
Abilene. My mind went back and
forth.
Something my mother told me really
stuck in my head: "Funerals aren't for
the dead; they're for the living." It was
on that premise that I based my deci-
sion I decided to go to the funeral.
It turned out to be a wise choice.
As relatives and friends arrived at
the funeral I realized the true meaning
of the adage about funerals. My
grandmother's 10 children were all
high wire must balance
track but pressures from Moscow's
former satellites for a speedy troop
withdrawal from their territories
could throw multilateral talks on
conventional force reductions off
balance. Withdrawals on the scale
being talked about in Prague War-
saw and Budapest 'mply reductions
far greater than those envisioned in
U.S. and Soviet proposals. These
disparities must be reconciled in a
way that preserves stability
whatever the pace at which troops
are withdrawn.
Aid for Eastern Europe: While no
one can foresee the outcome of the
political upheavals taking place the
West must continue to provide the
aid these countries need to change
unwieldly statist systems into mix-
ed market-oriented ones.
France's proposal for a regional
development bank to do for Eastern
Europe what the Marshall Plan
once did for Western Europe is a
good one.
It also is encouraging that the
Bush administration now agrees to
relaxation of Western restrictions on
the flow of technology eastward; the
next logical step is to lift trade sanc-
tions against Moscow
Germany: Soviet and U.S. leaders
have tried to brake the German im-
pulse toward unification a caution
shared in countries like Poland
that still fear a potentially larger
stronger Germany.
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present including my dad her eldest
son. They were all helping each other
get through the feelings of losing a
loved one.
Ratty Rars IH
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I learned & lot from going to my
grandmother's funeral. In the past I
always had thought of a funeral as
something sad and something I
Yet West Germany is weak and
almost leaderless leaving a vacuum
that's being filled willy-nilly by
business individuals and political
parties.
De facto German unification has
already begun; thus it's incumbent
on Washington and Moscow not to
fight it but rather help link it to
reinforcement of the European
community to tie Eastern Europe
as a whole to the EC and to begin
changing the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and Warsaw Pact mili-
tary alliances into institutions with
broader political and economic mis-
sions. Such a breathtaking agenda might
take decades to complete in the best
circumstances. In today's at-
mosphere it seems impossible. Yet
there's no other reasonable choice a
fact that key leaders including
both George Bush and Mikhail
Gorbachev seem to accept. Gor-
bachev may be the best Soviet lead-
er one could hope to deal with.
Whether he is or not the West
must proceed as if he of whoever
succeeds him should it come to that
will continue to act responsibly.
In today's turbulent world any
other assumption invites paralysis
which could lead to a situation im-
measurably worse.
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Reprinted from the Sacramenro
Calif. Bee
Complaints to
Something needs to be done about
the high prices Southwestern Bel
charges for the Abilene phone J
system. ' J
The cheapest monthly charge is
$12.80 but charges do not stop '
there. l"
Also added to the monthly phone
bill is an FCC Approved Customer
Line Charge for $3.50. Calls placed
by the Optimist to Southwestern
. Bell were met by countless recorded
definitely wanted to avoid if possible.
Now I know differently.
I know mourning is not necessarily a
bad thing. It's a way to cope with feel-
ings. It's a way to think of good things
about a person and of how that person
will be missed.
The Bible says to mourn with those
who mourn I think I really unders-
tand that now.
The experience was definitely a good
one. During the service my mind pick-
ed out random thoughts about times I
spent with my grandmother. I also
thought about the hurt her children
were feeling. I mourned with those
Texas courtesy
is appreciated
"Howdy folks" says the Texan
with the big hat and real cowboy boots
on.
On the highways across the South
the drivers of pick-up trucks and 18
wheelers give big smiles to everyone
who passes them the opposite way.
Shoppers at stores are greeted at the
door by a hearty "How are you?" and
"Do you need a cart today?" "Have a
nice day."
A first-time visitor to a church finds
members who are friendly and who
' surround the newcomer as if he were a
dear friend returning from a long trip.
The college student was stranded on
an isolated two-lane road in the Texas
Panhandle.
She had a blow out.
As soon as she raised the trunk of
her car a man stopped to help her.
While she watched in amazement he
jacked up the car and changed her tire.
She offered him some money but be
would hot takelt.
He told her where to go in the next
town to get a new tire.
She did not know how to thank him.
When she arrived in the next town
just before sundown a friendly man at
Wal-Mart directed her to the discount
tire store.
She was amazed at how friendly
everyone was to her. They did not
have to take time out of their busy
schedules to help her but they did. It
made all the difference in her trip
home.
Southern hospitality.
Is there anything to it? Some people
say not but there is. People arc just
more friendly in the south than any-
where else.
Just go north and you'll find out the
phone company ring on deaf ears
messages and busy signals. When
our call finally went through the
operator said the charge is for access
from local to long distance services.
The next charge is a Special
Municipal Charge for 26 cents. The
Southwestern Bell operator said the
city charges for use of the service in
Abilene.
So the local fees for the month
add up to almost $20 not to men-
tion the $90 charge to install the
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The spray on top of the coffin i had
10 roses in it which symbolized httj
children and 23 carnations which'
symbolized her grandchildren in-
cluding me. r
Although I was never a large part ot
my grandmother's daily life I was a
part. I was a big enough part to be in-
cluded in a ceremony observing her
death. I was in her final moments be-
fore being buried in the ground
remembered symbolically as a carna-
tion. And because of that I am very
glad I decided to be there not neces-
sarily for the dead but for the living.
truth. Why bit?
Maybe people in the North live at a
faster pace and so they do not take
time for others. They just feel they arc
too busy.
Maybe Christ has something to do
withlt. If Christ lived in people they
would take time to be courteous to
others.
Many think being nice to a stranger
doesfcot mean anything to that person.
Wrong.
Some of the things that have made
the biggest impact on me have been
the little things people have done:
complimenting someone letting the
other driver in front of you thanking
the waitress for the food or for refilling
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your glass five times smiling at some-
one who walks by you instead of look-
ing away.
These things are noticed. They can
change someone's day from bad to
good. They can change someone's at-
titude toward life.
Thank your teacher for teaching
you; thank your boss for the job he
does.
Smile at the workers in the Bean and
talk to the janitors in the dorm.
Little gestures mean much more
than one would think.
Try being courteous to others.
When you leave ACU take a little
Southern hospitality or rather Chris-
tianity with you wherever you go.
phone in the first place.
We demand that Southwestern
Bell change and lower its prices to
better serve local phone customers.
So what can you do? The Op-
timist recommends that students
follow the controversy that has risen
recently among the Public Utilities
Commission consumer groups and
a coalition of about 80 cities who
have criticized the high rates of the
company.
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 38, Ed. 1, Wednesday, February 7, 1990, newspaper, February 7, 1990; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101559/m1/2/?q=music: accessed June 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.