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Monday, November ag, aoio I The Red a Black
BmM Bwaott | Editor in Chief editor@randb.com
CarayOtM | Managing Editor me@randb.com
Oawtiav IWhraek | Opinions Editor opinions@randb.com
Don’t ignore the
victims of abuse
Watching movie
mogul Tyler Perry
describe to Oprah
the sexual abuse he
endured as a child was dif
ficult for me.
As the tears ran down
my face, I couldn’t help
but ask why?
Why are we allowing
these monsters to strip
children of their inno
cence?
Perry explained he was
molested by three differ
ent predators before the
age of ten.
“It is estimated that at
least two out of every ten
girls and one out of every
ten boys are sexually
abused by the end of their
13th year," according to
www.childmolestationpre
vention.org.
This is outrageous.
Child predators are tar
geting children they
believe to be vulnerable
and less likely to report
the abuse.
They gain the trust of
children and then betray
them as soon as they get
the opportunity.
Parents in the
University community
be aware of the signs of
sexual abuse. These
include sudden mood
swings, refusing to talk
about a secret shared with
an adult and displaying
adult-like sexual behav
iors, language and knowl
edge.
Talk to your children
about sexual abuse.
Let them know no one
has the right to touch
them in any way that
makes them uncomfort
able.
Most importantly,
encourage your kids to
talk openly and honestly
with you.
But what is a child to
do when they are being
abused by their parent or
a close family member?
“Ninety percent of child
sexual abuse victims know
the perpetrator in some
way; 88 percent are
abused by family mem
bers,” according to www.
childhelp.org, a national
child abuse website.
A child would definitely
have issues trusting peo
ple after being abused by
someone who is supposed
to love and care about
them.
A week after Tyler
Perry appeared on Oprah
to discuss his ordeal, she
filled her audience with
more than 200 men who
said they were sexually
abused as children. Many
of them never told anyone
about abuse.
They explained how
Mailbox
E-mail and letters from our readers
Safety should not
take away rights
How is Susan Haire
(“Body scans in store for
some travelers," Nov. 18)
qualified to say what is
constitutional and what is
not?
Someone remind her
that the Transportation
Security Administration is
a government agency.
It is beneath the
Constitution.
Things have not
changed since 9/11, only
people’s perception.
How much are we will
ing to sacrifice for safety?
We were willing to lock up
thousands of Asian-
Americans during World
War n and our own citi
zens in the “War on
Terror.”
And now we are willing
to subject little girls and
boys to harmful radiation,
legal molestation and
x-ray pornography.
This is not a liberal or
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Kf&m, Jessica
K Walker
their childhood abuse is
still affecting many of their
lives today.
Even as adults they
have trouble feeling wor
thy and often struggle
with intimacy issues.
Some of you may have
experienced sexual abuse
as a child. Remember
you are not alone. Do not
be afraid to tell your story
and seek the help you
need.
We have to make chil
dren aware of the resourc
es available to them if they
are being abused.
Understanding they are
victims and will not be
blamed is an essential part
of the healing process. But
healing can only begin
when children feel safe
enough to tell people they
trust.
Although the sex
offender registry is
designed to keep children
safe, it is not enough.
Members of every com
munity must come togeth
er and demand tougher
laws and punishment for
child molesters.
Students —be proac
tive in the fight against
child molestation.
If you mentor young
kids in the Athens com
munity or participate in
tutoring programs, listen
to what they have to say.
Trust your gut.
If something seems sus
picious or unusual, it can
not hurt to take action
and speak to law enforce
ment. You might be the
voice for a child who is
suffering.
If you know a child who
may be experiencing sexu
al abuse, it is your respon
sibility to report it.
Do not stand by while
another child is victim
ized.
Organizations such as
“Stop It Now!” strive to
teach people about sexual
abuse and what they can
do to ensure the safety of
children.
Visit www.Btopitnow.org
to learn more about what
you can do to prevent sex
ual abuse.
We cannot allow this to
continue.
Now is the time to take
a stand.
Jessica 'Walker is a
senior from East Point
majoring in
publication
management
conservative issue.
This is about combat
ing the blatant disregard
our government has for
the Constitution, and
more importantly the peo
ple.
CHRIS CURNICK
Sophomore, Roswell
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LETTERS POLICY
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Opinions
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Use your judgment with Four Loko
If it’s dangerous, disgusting and
legally banned, college students
of course will want to try it. The
highly-publicized malt beverage
Four Loko is no exception.
Four Loko’s reputation as
“blackout in a can” has caused an
uproar in recent weeks, with
Washington state enacting an
emergency ban of the brew on Nov.
18. Michigan, Utah and Oklahoma
have also banned Four Loko and
similar alcoholic energy drinks.
Phusion Project, the distributor of
Four Loko, has agreed to cease
shipments to New York.
Washington called for the ban
after nine underage drinkers were
hospitalized from drinking too
much Four Loko at an Oct. 8 off
campus party at Central
Washington University. School offi
cials said the students had blood
alcohol levels ranging from 0.12
percent to 0.35 percent —and a
female student nearly died.
After all the hooplah, it’s crucial
for society to step back and consid
er whether legal action is really
necessary.
Clearly, the panic leading to
some of the state bans is because
of alcohol abuse by minors.
The knee-jerk reaction is over
blown and should instead target
those who sold the products illegal
ly to the underage partygoers.
The Food and Drug
Administration has yet to catego
rize any caffeinated alcoholic bev
erage as a health hazard. The head
lines, however, shout loud and clear
the dangers of such concoctions.
Instead of banning Four Loko
and its counterparts, these prod
ucts should go the way of the ciga
rette: heavily regulated by the
Walking alone at night can be dangerous
It came from the dark
ness.
A swift elbow
struck my right temple. I
staggered where I stood,
dazed.
His hand grabbed my
collar, keeping me
upright. His other hand
rammed a pistol Into my
gut.
“Gimme your wallet,
mutha-f
I closed my eyes for an
Instant, a failed attempt
to calm my nerves and
my racing heart. I was
certain I was going to be
shot. Certain I was about
to be another homicide
victim.
Trembling, I produced
my wallet from my pocket
and gave the gunman my
cashless piece of leather,
telling him it was useless
to him, telling him I
would cancel my credit
cards.
"Bhut up mutha-f-
The gun dug fiirther Into
my gut. “I shoot you,
mutha-f-—.”
He took the wallet,
stuffed it in his hoodie,
jabbed my stomach again
for good measure, and
fled.
Our Staff
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■ Thornton
FDA. If people are still allowed to
ingest nicotine and arsenic, they
should have the right to mix alco
hol and caffeine.
Hopefully our state liquor com
mission doesn’t decide to ban the
beverage. Legal drinkers should be
able to consume whatever drink
they so choose without unneces
sary state intervention. That said,
Four Loko isn’t exactly the smart
est or safest choice.
In recent weeks. I’ve seen the
drink spike in popularity because
of all of the media coverage. I even
saw two discarded cans in the Hull
Parking Deck on my way to class.
Not exactly the best (or most
legal) place to indulge —but a sign
of how popular this drink really is
becoming.
Did I mention it also tastes ter
rible? Without any legal interfer
ence, the novelty of consuming the
drink with a taste so aldn to bat
tery acid will soon wear thin.
As for now, everyone wants to
see how intense the crazy juice
really is. However, many fail to
check out what is actually in the
can.
Should you stay away from the
swill?
Four Loko is obviously marketed
to younger drinkers. With its
brightly colored can and priced at
about $2.50 for a pack of four, it’s a
cheap way to get a serious buzz.
■ But that kick can come at a
much higher cost than its price tag.
4*—
Fitzpatrick
Just like that, it was
over.
I sat down against the
wall of Philips Arena and
began to cry. I tried to be
a good Samaritan, to buy
a homeless Atlanta man a
meal only to be set up
for a mugging at gun
point.
Then, I heard a deep
voice from above.
“Son, get up.”
I feared the gun-wield
ing man had returned,
only to see two Atlanta
poUce officers. Great tim
ing, fellas, I thought, a lit
tle late though.
Thankfully, I didn’t say it.
They asked what hap
pened. I told them.
I could not describe
my attacker, I couldn't
even teU them the color
of his hoodie. Maybe it
was navy blue, maybe
black. Maybe he was
8-foot-3.
No, I didn’t want to file
a police report. I just
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Phone (706) 433-3002 | ttix (706) 433-3033
oplnionß@rafldb.com | www.redandbiack.com
540 Baxter Street, Athens, Ga. 30605
wanted to go home. Back
to my bed, to curl up in a
ball, to hope and pray it
was just a bad dream.
Unfortunately, what
happened to me in down
town Atlanta is not
uncommon. I was there
to cover an Atlanta
Thrashers game. In a
place where gun and
knife-wielding dereUcts
prey on the weak and
unsuspecting.
Prey on those trying to
do a good deed.
Prey on people like me,
just as they do in cities all
over the world.
I learned something
that night. And I’ll never
forget it.
Don’t walk alone at
night. Yes, that’s one of
the simplest and oldest of
lessons, but too often, it
goes unheard.
I know people, girls
especially, who would
drunkenly stagger from
downtown to Brumby
Hall through dark and
lonely streets.
I won’t be mugged,
they say. It would never
happen to me.
Truth is. it can happen
to you. You can play
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Here’s the breakdown:
These bad boys come in a
24-ounce can with a 12 percent
alcohol content three to four
times the alcohol content of a stan
dard 12-ounce can of beer at 4 to 5
percent, according to USA Today.
Four beers in one can seems like
a cost effective alternative to buy
ing your average six-pack, no?
Sure, but add in a caffeine
equivalent of four cups of coffee,
and you’ve got a dangerous combi
nation. The caffeine in the mix
works to subdue the effects of the
alcohol and make the drinker feel
he or she is not that drunk —and
able to drink more. In reality, the
drinker is getting hazardously close
to his or her limit.
To top it all off, one can has 660
calories.
Bye bye, figure. Hello, Type 2
diabetes!
If ingredients are visibly listed
on the can, as they are with Four
Loko, those of legal drinking age
should be able to make sound judg
ments about choosing to drink it or
not. State liquor commissions
shouldn't be able to ban specific
brands just because of media hype
and already irresponsible underage
drinkers.
For this drinker, the costs seem
to outweigh the benefits. I may
have enough in my wallet for a
four-pack of Four Loko, but there’s
no room in my budget for a trip to
the emergency room.
Remember to drink responsibly,
because an uninformed drinker is
just loco.
Megan Thornton is a senior
from Marietta majoring
in newspapers
Russian roulette only so
many times before you
find the bullet. The Red
& Black just finished
publishing a 10-week
series on crime in Athens,
and I bet the victims of
those crimes never
thought it would happen
to them.
We are not invincible.
No matter how well-in
tentioned we are, no mat
ter who Daddy is, no mat
ter your background, no
matter your race, no mat
ter how much we drink.
If you feel so obliged to
help the homeless, there
are other ways to give aid.
Volunteer at soup kitch
ens or give money to
charity. But don’t walk
into their trap. Keep
yourself protected.
Don’t be stupid, like I
was.
Because maybe
instead of leaving me
dazed, he might have left
me dead.
Michael Fitzpatrick
is a senior from Danvers,
Mass., majoring in
newspapers and is a
sports writer for
The Red & Black
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