• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1988-02-11_Vol53_No19_03

Perspectives The Western Carolinian Page 3 Thursday, February 11, 1988 Letters To The Editor Billv Graham The Pi Kappa Alpha's Rebuttal The "Miss Catamount Pageant" director, Terry Xanthos, has commented on the local views article in last week's edition of the Western Carolinian. "I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some aspects of our pageant which will be held in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center on March 15. PI Kappa Alpha Fraternity in conjunction with Coca-Cola are sponsoring the pageant for several worthy causes. First of all, Pi Kappa Alpha will be establishing the Jeff Wyke Memorial Foundation (A WCU student who died on the way home for the Christmas Holidays) and will donate money for an annual scholarship in his memory. Also we will be donating money to Coach Bob Waters for ALS research and to the Leukemia Fund. "Since the Miss Catamount Pageant would not be affiliated with the Miss North Carolina Pageant, I set the guidelines which were not clarified in the applications and flyers. ALL CONTESTANTS WILL BE INTERVIEWED BY DR. STILLION AND THE OTHER JUDGES PRIOR TO THE PAGEANT. Dr. Stillion is the Vice-Chancellor for Student Development at WCU. The questions will be concerning GPA, greatest accomplishments, SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENTS, and participation in clubs, organizations, campus activities, hobbles, and goals in life. Judging will be as follows: Interview - 40%, Casual Wear - 20%. One-piece Swimwear - 20%. Evening Gown - 20%. As you can see, the interview is the major part of the judging for the 1988 Miss Catamount. PI Kappa Alpha will not sponsor a contestant in the pageant." Any further comments or questions may be answered by contacting Terry Xanthos at 293- 3103. A Discredit To Nietzsche In response to Christy Cottle's "Four Reasons that God Ain't Dead", appearing in the November 12 issue of the Western Carolinian, I would vehemently suggest Ms. Cottle, that when quoting great thinkers such as Toffler, Nietzsche, and Freud, you would keep subject and context in order to validate your argument. Also, when applying your personal views on philosophy and theology, I would hope that you would obtain a bit more background knowledge on your subject, perhaps by reading. And, please, collect your thoughts. In particular, it discredits Nietzsche's name when one takes from his works a declaration such as "God Is Dead" and presents italone, out of context. If you take time to read some of Nietzsche's works such as The Dawn, The Antichrist, The Gay Science, in which that statement appeared, you would realize that Nietzsche's statement "God Is Dead" is purely a metaphor. Nietzsche was a firm atheist and did not believe in any god, whether alive or dead. He was merely referring to the death of the belief In a god. When speaking of humanism, Ms. Cottle, I would hardly propose that the humanistic effort "wreaks" any form of havoc. Rather, humanists put their faith in the demonstrative strategies of modern scientific method. Humanists further subscribe to the proposition that rules of proper conduct can be rationally derived and do not require divine Inspiration for their validity. Havoc, it seems, would spring from people with irrational views such as your own, rather than from those with more analytical and humanistic views. Furthermore, concerning your illogical deductions leading to the proof of your god, I wish to know which god you are attesting to. Allah maybe? Jove? Yahweh? - who? Perhaps you have created a new applicable God, in which one can apply God to anything, whether rational or irrational. In order to verify the existence of a God? I would assume, Ms. Cottle, that perhaps your God Is a good God. I would also assume that your God would divinely inspire anyone to create marketing ploys to entertain middle and upper class Americans with bubble gum. I would hope rather, that he would have higher priorities in which he would end starvation, famine, and human suffering in other countries, and would not attend to certain nationalistic prejudices. When you next decide to share your views on Theology and Philosophy, maybe you shouldn' t It's the very views like your own, Ms. Cottle, that add strength to my argument that gods did not create men, but men create gods. Scott Ashcraft FWWWBWW vnf to the 'Fcrspittiw Tatjes should briny tfieir columns to tfu: office of the Western CoroBiian foinwn LOO and 3:00p>m, on 'ftufatp.... ::|i(j^(;.*-am lho$eiff lh~e coiumn'ish fritf mat} or may not 6a. shared By the. 4$&0ai*uff. The As I padded about the hallowed halls of our own Robinson administration building recently, attempting to track some flighty piece of my identity through a Jungle of bureaucracy. I happened upon the wife of a previous professor of mine." Here to pick up your class withdrawal forms?" she asked. Boy, it sure Is good to be where they know you. I was not prepared for my return to Western this semester after a year's absence, nor for a return to this newspaper, and the newspaper Itself was certainly not prepared for me. Together, we've seen no end of confusion. In between sports design and front page design, I've attempted to begin a weekly column. In this I have been spectacularly unsuccessful, managing to turn out a few legible sports and front pages, all of which had other people's names on them, and no weekly columns at all. Here, finally, is an attempt. Maybe It's fluff, but so is the USA Today, and that McPaper claims billions of readers. I only need two, myself and the editor who signs the paychecks. My last few columns appeared in the fall of 1986, and concerned worldly things such as global politics and moral crises. I was accosted by the dean of Health Sciences about this. "Why are you trying to write about Intellectual things?" he asked. "You shouldn't do that. You're not equipped for it." I apologized. "My bad." I said. But he continued. "Why don't you write about the same things -Marks Theory youwroteaboutasafreshman?" heasked, "Ukehow you were horrified to learn that your socks and underwear not only wouldn't wash themselves, but how, If you attempted to hide them way back under your bed, they would develop personalities of their own and talk to you late at night when you were trying to sleep." It occurred to me some time later that If s the trauma of those events, the harsh discoveries that lasagna doesn't grow on trees and that 'Fire in the Holel' actually means 'move your ass out of the shower because I'm fixing to flush,' that cause an Individual to think about sobering topics like global politics and moral crises to begin with. In essence, the institution of higher learning is designed to shock the living bemusementoutof you. I attempted to present this theory to my friend B.A., who has been driven beyond policies and mores and on completely out of his mind by the adjustmenttpcollegellfe. His lunacy is certified by the fact that he's enrolled In a physics curriculum here at Western, which Is taught by a hermit in an abandoned mine shaft two miles below the natural science building. I found B.A. sifting on the porch of his cut-rate rental, cylindrical objects snugged In each hand. In his left hand was a can of tepid, hideously low-qualify beer, and In his right hand what his girlfriend has named his "Instrument of pain.' but what he prefers to call a pump-actlon-pellet-luger-that-can-knock- over-a-stout-cat-at-thirty-yards. He grinned his lecherous grin and fired a few rounds into my 71 Volkswagen as he told me about the night before. His roommate, whom unverified reports accuse of being every bit as slothful as B.A. himself, had appeared around midnight, he said, just as he himself had dug into the mathmatical trenches to battle It out with some hideous hermit- riddle. The mere fact that he showed up at home wasn't so bad, said B.A., it was the fact that he showed up carrying three two liter jugs of Gallo wine and a chessboard that started things downhill. "All I remember," he said, "is some four hours later telling my remaining bishop, knight and three rooks that they were on their own, and aiming my feet In the general direction of the bathroom." "This morning I felt like the antl-chrlst was In my hair, stuffing used cotton balls In my mouth." I asked him if that was the reason he was sifting outside in forty degree weather shooting at cats. "Not cats," he replied, "got all them already. Shooting squirrels and Volkswagens." Presently, after turning down a proffered swig of his backwash, I told him about my theory that underwear that falls to wash Itself causing people to worry about global politics, loose morals, and other hideously dull and useless things. He snorted derisively. "Try having a body that won't wash Itself," he said "and see what frame of mind that puts you In." Oh I Understand, An Atheist By David Hall Guest Columnist I'm not a Christian, so there! Why do I suddenly have the urge to print this seemingly irrelevant piece of Information in the newspaper for everyone and his brother to read? Because I'm tired of people constantly making unfounded assumptions about my religious beliefs. Here's an example of what I'm talking about: Last Thursday I was registering to vote, when what to my wondering eyes did appear but a Bible- brandishing registrar saying,"Place your left hand here." Can you imagine my amazement? Here I am in the United States of America—you know. Land of Liberty, separation of church and state, etc, etc—and in order to elect a leader for this 'secular' government of mine, I have to swear an oath on the Christian Bible and then qualify It with the words 'so help me God.' Does this sound secular to you? On top of this, I was offended. I mean really, being forced to perform a Christian act when I'm not even a Christian! I turned to the young College Republican working there. "This is silly. I'm not a Christian!" The young lady looked at me with a knowing smile and replied.'Oh, I understand. An atheist." If there's one idea that's more disturbing to me than a avowedly non-church related government requiring religious oaths from the populace. It's the Idea that there are actually people out there who automatically assume that anyone non-Christian is an atheist. You be surprised at the number of people who make this very mistake. I looked at the girl and said, "Atheist? No far from it!" We sat there In our embarrassment, avoiding each other's eyes. I was fuming .waiting for her to offer a solution. My first Impulse was to rebel, to play the wounded righteous. Then I recalled horror stories about people who had refused to swear these Christian oaths in court (fines, imprisonment...), if this problem can't be overcome in the judicial system, what could one little college Republican here In Cullowhee, NC do to stop the Christian intervention that's making a mockery of the state and offending the spiritual minority? Given, the majority of America's religious community might be Christian, but that's only a majority, not an entirety. Think of all the Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics, and other spiritually minded persons—organized or not—to numerous to be listed here. Don't non-Christians deserve a little recognition too? imagine that you are a Christian who considers him or herself very devout. Imagine that you go to a Moslem country where someone tells you that you must make an oath on the Koran (thus making it a Moslem oath). How would you feel? Suppose thatyou, being filled with reverence for your Lord, tell a person that you're not a Moslem and he or she replies, "Oh, I understand. An atheist." How would you feel? What America Needs: The Watsonian Theory By EDWARD WATSON COLUMNIST What Non-Patriots Want To Know By G. Allen Pringle Guest Columnist Some people speak out against war, some against the government, and even some against each other. This group of people continually bore me, but at the same time annoy me. I find this contradiction tiresome, but feel the urge to help set their crossed priorities straight. First of all, there is this question that this group of people as we will now refer to as the Non- Patriots ask about war. They want to know why war was ever invented any way? Well, to best answer that I called upon my resources to find that war was not just invented one day by two cavemen grilling Brontosaurus burgers. War was actually "Invented" by two brothers, Cain and Abel. As far as I can recollect, Abel was not willing to play along with his brother's new "invention." Second, the Non-Patriots want to know how a country can even conceive about sending their boys off to fight? Well, think of it this way. If America had not sent their young men to fight against the Third Reich in Germany, we would be eating strudel for breakfast in Dodson instead of good Southern grits and eggs. But breakfast Is a different story. Last of all, the Non-Patriots as we are now familiar with, have stated that If drafted, they would not fight for this great country, or any country for that matter! First of all, I am surprised that they even went to the Post Office to register,seeing that it Is a government building. Heaven forbid they would have to grace a government building with their presence. Shooting a person in a time of war is not like taking a multiple choice test. If someone Is going to kill you, I know that you will try and kill them first, whether you believe in Russian roulette and Smirnoff, or apple pie and Chevrolet. And as far as that goes, I prefer to drive an American car anyway! With all the talk lately of contra aid and other political topics, after all It Is an election year, I thought I might as a well throw In my two cents worth. As any regular reader might guess, I'll take the more liberal viewpoint on my topics and hope that a few will see my side and others will take up the challenge to react publicly. Anyway, here goes. The Great Communicator's plea for up to $270 million In military aid for those Central American "freedom fighters", and I use the term loosely, was denied by the House of Representatives. The House has given Reagan a clear message that U.S. citizens are becoming tired of funding Third World wars, a Ta Vietnam. Mr. President seems to be overtaken with the Idea that he alone can save the world and provide everyone with the democracy we Americans enjoy. Has anyone asked the people of Central America if they want to be an American satellite? The citizens of the United States should realize that our lifestyle might not be what everyone in the world wants. Our country should encourage the peasants to fight for what they want but leave It at that; maybe the CIA will stop" recreating in the defecation." Our "boys" in the CIA are another little Issue that the U.S. government has yet to address. President Ronnie believes the CIA is his own private army to carry out his personal goals of "freedom for all." Please don't misunderstand me, I believe the U.S. should possess an organization to collect data on the actions and Intentions of foreign governments but the CIA's job should end with collection. Today's CIA not only collects data but Implements its plan to bring about Ronnie's world vision. The U.S. intelligence community should be reformed to include two separate divisions, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council. The CIA would only be allowed to oversee projects that collect data Important to the security of the nation which would be given to the NSC. Members of Congress should be aware of the CIA's operations and help decide what action should be taken In response to the CIA's data. This new system would allow our country to be projected without the grossly misguided projects with such leaders as the famous (or Infamous, it's hard to tell) Col. Ollle North. Another topic of discussion on the political scene is the U.S. government's budget expenditures on defense. Such programs as the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) project, the MX missile, B-l bomber, and the numerous other unnecessary nu clear, chemical, et cetera, weapons should be cancelled. The trillions spent on these useless programs could be used to address many more Important American Issues such as education, the plight of the homeless, and AIDS research, to mention a few. If not remedied, America could become known as the land of illiteracy, not the brave. In my "home" of Gaston Co., North Carolina, the Illiteracy rate is 20 percent. Senator Helms should remove his rose colored glasses and realize the poor condition of North Carolina's youth. What future will this state, and country, have with illiterate leaders? Although America may have advanced technologically, we seem to have forgotten the basics. I'm fairly sure the three million homeless Americans would appreciate any money diverted from the national defense budget to help establish shelters, soup kitchens, and employment offices specifically designed to find jobs for these people. Few of these people desire to be where they are and most don't want a free ride from the government in the form of welfare. Programs such as workfare would help cure the homeless problem as well as reduce the number of families dependent on government tax money. Give these people jobs and they will gain self respect. Another mistake Senator Helms has made was voting against AIDS research funding because he thought that those who caught AIDS deserved to pay the consequences. Now AIDS Is reaching epidemic proportions and AIDS Is not a gay "thing" anymore. Even though many contractors of AIDS are gay, everyone should know how to prevent the spread of this killer and more money should be spent on discovering a cure. Many see AIDS research as another program that will raise their taxes even higher. Damn right! Americans should not be willing to let money stand in the way of saving human life. As the saying goes, "pay now or pay later." You could save the life of a loved one, or yourself. That concludes my thoughts for this week and I hope they provide insight on the needs of America and the new priorities we need to set. No profound statement to Inspire Immediate action, only the plain truth with the hopes that we can make the world a better place to live whether you be male, female, black, white, gay straight, Jewish, Moslem, American, or Russian. It's time people not Judge each other solely on what they believe but realize that all of us are no better and no worse than one another, we each are human beings with a desire to live. l;|!gW^$ero^^ ::::::::::::::x:!Wrat«i^ V.V.•.•■•■•■•.•.•■•.•.'.'.V.V.V.V.V.', Erin H. Millner Editor Carole Trantham Business Manager Associate Editors Chris Geis Sports Martha McAfee....People & Entertainmnet Photographer Edwin Carlton Writers Colin Burch Lisa Page Scott P. Stamasek Laura Plumb Lora Hooper Gary McCracken Typesetting Bob Bohl Linda Bodenhamer Ad Design Sandy Delmont Kirk Nelson Ad Sales Kara Wykle Special Assistants To The Editor Billy Graham & Angle Colvin To The Business Mgr Kristina Gentile & Mary Fleming The Western Carolinian is published weekly by the Publication Board of Western Carolina University. It is an independent student publication that receives its funding through student activity fee and advertising. Subscriptions are available at $16 per year. The Western Carolinian is printed at the Waynesville Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 1988-02-11
  • Date digitized: 2019-09-05
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 14.25"
  • Pages: 10 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1988-02-11_Vol53_No19
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library