Newspaper Page Text
APRIL 30, 1971
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Biology Professor Defends
Judge Knight's Position,Views
EDITORS NOTE - The letter
below was written as an open
letter to the college community.
It is, however, being run as a
letter to the editor.
Dear Editor.
In the short time that I have
been in the area, I have noticed,
and perhaps been a party to, a
grave injustice. I refer to the
unfortunate situation that exists
in the antipathy between the
college community and the
inhabitants of the local area, but
more specifically, to the an
tipathy for members of the local
judiciary.
It is my belief, that two judges
in this district have been unfairly
maligned by both students and
members of the faculty, par
ticularly in the case of Judge
Knight. Judge Knight is
an elected representative of the
people of his district, and I
believe he serves them well, at
least in that he accurately
reflects the enforcement of the
law to the satisfaction of his
constituents.
He is in the unfortunate
position of delivering bad news to
nany people, and so becomes a
Student Disapproves of
Ambassador Program
Dear Editor:
Each summer at the expense of West Georgia students a
“goodwill ambassador” is sent abroad to improve relations between
WGC and Europe. With the present foreign policy, maybe we need
one, but I can not help but wonder about the necessity of such a
mission.
Usually the SGA committee
to select the ambassador chooses
a poverty stricken representative
of the masses to handle “foreign
affairs” at the students’ expense.
Maybe these funds could be used
to better benefit our students as
they are theoretically to be used
for.
How about grants to establish
more jobs for students? Maybe
an assistantship for a graduate
student, or a supplement that
could help get a well qualified
professor instead of whatever is
on the market, or a research
grant to improve and expand
contributions of value and merit
to the world?
Or use the funds to purchase
badly needed books and
periodicals for our library so
students can do basic research
for papers? Or how about
purchasing an area by the Little
Tallapoosa River to be used as a
student park with picnic tables,
barbeque pits, and covered
pavilions? Restricting this area
to students would in effect
establish a “reservation’ under
direct student control and not
that of university controlled
standards.
Last year over $1,040 was
spent on one individual. This
year we will send one and a half
ambassadors overseas. That
could cost us over $1,560. Is
that fair to the rest of us who
must stay here? Besides, there is
an unfavorable balance of
payments presently and this
palpable symbol of frustrations
and thwarted desires. In our
isolation here at the college, he
has assumed the image of an ogre
entirely out of proportion to the
man himself.
I beg of you, students and
colleagues alike, to attempt to
perceive the situation in the light
of reality. Make an effort to
understand that no person could
long exist in elective office were
he to become deaf to desires of
the majority of the people!
IVORY TOWER
If you feel that the judgment of
the people is unnecessarily
harsh, go out and convince them.
We sit in our ivory tower, com
pletely oblivious to the lives
directly beneath our noses. I
especially enjoin you from
demonstrating, painting placards
with sophomoric platitudes, and
otherwise abusing the sen
sibilities and intelligence of
people of the town.
Go out alone, talk to people.
Attempt to understand why so
many of the local inhabitants are
convinced that this college is in
the hands of subversives. When a
society has become so divided
that communication has failed,
program is detrimental to the
economy and a drain on the
gold supply.
Frank S. Fenn
Observance
Tuesday For
Kent Victims
Dear Editor:
One year ago next Tuesday
four students were killed at Kent
State University in a violent
confrontation between students
there and the National Guard.
Exactly what sparked the
violence that led to those deaths
has remained questionable ever
since. But the fact remains that
violence was used, by both
students and the guard, in an
attempt to solve the problems on
that campus.
This attempted solution has
and will continue to be used on a
much larger scale than the Kent
State campus unless we reflect on
what that solution means and
where it leads.
Tuesday morning at 10a.m. we
will gather for an hour of silent
reflection on the events at Kent
State and what they mean in our
society.
Anyone who wishes to join us on
front campus is welcome. We will
also wear black arm bands that
day to remind ourselves and
those around us that violence
brings only grief lest we should
forget.
Joy and strength,
Linda Russell
Irene Young
THE WEST GEORGIAN
both students and faculty have
also failed. When people believe
that they have become so
sophisticated that they no longer
have any need to relate with
those around them, they have
failed both as scholars and as
human beings.
ASSUMPTION
The assumption that when one
marches to a different drummer,
one can also call the tune is
simply not correct. Many of us
have been out of step with the
real world for some time now,
many of us have been oblivious to
reality.
I have every reason to believe
Judge Knight to be a fair and
reasonable man. If you can
change public opinion, if you can
allay the mistrust that you
yourselves have created, I have
the unshaken belief that your
efforts will be reflected in the
courts, in the town, but more
fortunately, in yourselves.
Cecil H. Fox,
Associate Professor of Biology
Lisa Hughes, News Editor
Youth Spark Affirmative Action
At White House Conference
America’s youth has been
accused of dropping-out, copping
out, and being apathetic: They’ve
turned on, tuned out, picketed
and protested. The “older
generation” claims they only
care about sex and drugs and
have little concern for national
issues.
Yet, a recent White House
Conference on Youth revealed
that some of today’s youth really
are concerned about current
issues. The Vietnam issue and
legalization of marijuana were
put to a vote and about half of the
conference’s 1400 youth and adult
delegates voted for an immediate
halt of U. S. military action in
Person Claims Harrassment
Dear Editor, or whom it may
concern:
On the night of April 27 around
11:15,1 went to see a sick friend.
Accompanying me was a friend
whom we shall call Miss X. When
we arrived we found our friend in
severe abdominal pain. Knowing
his history of operations and
abdominal troubles, we decided
to take him to the hospital*
As we arrived at the hospital
we were cordially welcomed by
two security police. (Oh, by the
way, my friend is one of those
“long haired hippy types,” as
most police would put it.) After
carefully helping our sick friend
into the emergency room, I
parked my van in a proper
parking place; I then returned to
my friend’s side.
In the meantime another friend
who had "nme with us (we shall
call him to*. X) was walking
around outside. He noticed the
same security cops looking at my
van, “VERY CAREFULLY.”
After he had a short conversation
with them they became
discouraged and left.
After he told me this I went
Charles Monk
The Political Pigs
Once upon & time there were three little pigs; Liberal Pig,
Reactionary Pig, and Fascist Pig. They lived on the greatest, most
influential farm in the whole country. Their mechanical power was
known everywhere as the finest-and most modern available.
They shared great wealth and
had the highest standard of
living of all the pigs in the world.
So great was their prosperity
that they sent food and
machinery to poor pigs
throughout the world asking
that the other pigs unite against
their common enemy, the
wolves.
Now the wolves lived in a
very cold forest north of the
pigs. They were united in their
efforts to destroy the pigs, but
they lacked their wealth and
advanced technology. Thus, they
were unable to conquer the pigs.
Liveral Pig said, “The wolves
will never come to my stall. It’s
just another wolf scare.”
“The wolves are coming over
hill!” said Reactionary Pig. “We
had a best stock pile weapons.”
Fascist Pig suggested, “Let’s
give all our land and freedoms to
the farmer and he’ll protect us.”
SYMPATHIZERS
Well, one day F. P. began to
doubt the loyalty of the other
pigs. “They are wolf
southeast Asia, and a vote for
complete withdrawal of troops by
the end of the year was 450 to 155.
A resolution to legalize
marijuana was passed 403 to 156,
and a recommendation was made
that the criminal records of
persons jailed under present
marijuana laws be “wiped
clean.”
The youth delegates also made
proposals that would call for the
immediate resignation of FBI
director J. Edgar Hoover and
would give to 18-year-olds,
nationally, the right to vote. The
confernece was termed a success
by Stephen Hess, national
and locked my van, just as a city
cop rode by.
I returned to the emergency
room and discovered that my
friend was ready to leave, so I got
my van and returned it to the
emergency room door. I unlocked
my side doors and opened them
wide to put my friend inside. In
the meantime; an unmarked
sheriff car came rolling in.
When I came out with my
friend wrapped around my
shoulder I found the man stand
ing within a foot of my van. Or
was it a foot inside my van? Now,
I know I have an interesting van,
but that was riduculous!
As we helped my friend to the
van the man with the badge said :
“Had a little too much, huh?” To
this my friend made a polite and
well-mannered reply.
Now this police behavior seems
a little strange to me, but then,
again, the police are a little
strange anyway. But gosh, man,
can’t a guy even get sick
anymore?
You Know Who
PAGE FIVE
sympathizers and should be run
out of the barnyard,” he said.
“You want to give up all our
freedoms,” answered L. P. “It
took a long time for the farmer
to recognize our sovereighty.”
“You both should be sent to
live with the wolves,” shouted
R. P. “This is my barnyard right
or wrong; love it or leave it.”
CREPT IN
Gradually, one by one the
wolves crept in. They were not
noticed at first because the pigs
were too busy defending their
ideologies. The wolves marched
and went to pig rallies and were
accepted as pigs. When they
finally took over it was silent
and complete.
“Why didn’t we just attack
and fight it out with them?”
asked the radical young wolf as
he finished a pork chop.
The wise old wolf winked and
said, “We just let them fight
among themselves. They do a
better job of killing each other
off than we ever could. Have
another pork chop.”
chairman of the conference.
However, a truly successful
result of the youth conference
would be an attempt by ALL of
today’s youth to find a solution to
the problems that face America.
Sitting around with friends and
rapping about problems may be
interesting, and perhaps bring
about a greater awareness of the
existing problems, but it doesn’t
decrease the number of troops in
Vietnam or give every 18-year
old in the country the right to
vote.
COURAGE
Solutions are found when in
dividuals have the inner courage
to give a “Yes” or “No” to a
problem through their actions.
The right to vote could perhaps
be extended to all 18-year-olds if
congressmen were besieged by
letters.
The question, “What if they
gave a war and no one came?”
would lose some of its humor if
one accepts Einstein’s humor if
one accepts Einstein’s
statement that “if 2 percent of
the drafted young men of the
world would refuse to serve,
wars would cease.”
Environmental problems could
be solved if people would only say
“No” to further pollution of
rivers, extinction of wildlife, and
increasing population.
There are no easy answers or
magic solutions to the problems
that face our generation, but
there must be the realization that
talk is meaningless unless action
follows. Perhaps the essence ot
the present need for youth par
ticipation in America’s problem
solving can be expressed by this
quotation: “It is within each of us
that the peace of the world is
cast.”
Only when each of us truly
actualizes our potential for
creating change will there be a
world in which there is no war,
pollution or over-population.