Page 6 The Lion’s Eye Opinion October 23, 2006 A Spoiled Generation By Kimberly Hickey Special To The Lion's Eye Kah991@psu.edu As I stood in line nearly two years ago to cast my first vote ever for a Presidential candidate, I could not help but notice a woman in front of me. She was elder- ly, and had no doubt seen first hand the struggles during the Great Depression. She had watched cars pull up and deliver telegrams to her neighbors' houses when she was younger, informing those parents that their son had died fighting for his country. She knew what it was like to use black curtains or blackout paint to stop any light from showing through windows at night during the war. As she stood in the long line that day, she was visibly exhausted. She used her walker to support herself until she was finally able to step into the polling booth, and cast her vote. Why? Because voting was important to her. When she was born, women did not have the right to vote. She considered voting a privilege and her civic duty. I looked around the room that day and realized that I was the youngest person there. Why don't people my age feel like voting is important? Why has this sense of apathy come over us? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, since 1964, the percentage of people between the ages of 18-24 that vote has dropped from 50.9 percent to only 32.4 per- cent. The percentage of people 65 and over has stayed relatively the same, at approximately 67 percent. The number one excuse for young people not to vote is that they are simply too busy. Some believe that their vote does not count, and that they cannot change the world. It seems as though we are just waiting on the world to change instead of taking an active role in changing it. We are given the privilege of voting on important issues, such as healthcare, educational oppor- tunity, and environmental issues, and we are not taking advantage of it. The elderly woman in that precinct that day did not believe she was "too busy" to vote. She knew that it was her responsibility. We seem to be a spoiled genera- tion, too often with our priorities out of order, focusing on materialistic things. We no longer seem to care about issues that are not only important to us, but important to others. Perhaps we should look more closely at our elders and learn from them. Many of those people were lucky to get a high school education, let alone college. They cared for each other, and fought for each other, not only in wars, but at home, working at young ages to provide for their families in times of need. A person who does not cast a vote has no right to complain about the problems in the world, because by failing to solve a problem makes you part of a problem. So, get out and vote - It's worth the effort. PENNOIATE The Lion's Epe Kim Timinski Keisha Natalie Integrative Arts ~~ Robinson Campanile Nursing Elementary Ed. : Raphael from Charlie Chaplin Beyonce Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Carlo Luciani Mel Campbell Yen Nguyen HDFS Marketing Elementary Ed. Jessica Paris Hilton Tom Cruise Simpson, Caisse she is 0} Birds vs. Boys: A Preview of the Playoffs? By Elizabeth Panos Special To The Lion’s Eye etpll1@psu.edu Sweat dripping, clock ticking, minds racing; the ° Philadelphia Eagles line up at the goal line to defend their 31-24 lead over the Dallas Cowboys. Their hearts pound, the crowd cheers, players anticipating. Dallas Quarter Back Drew Bledsoe receives the ball as he decides to make his move. Eagles' fans hold their breath anxiously wondering if their glory would slip through their fingertips. Suddenly, Bledsoe attempts to pass to tight end Jason Witten, but Philadelphia Eagles' cornerback Lito Sheppard intercepts the ball and begins to run the ball into Dallas’ territory- he could go all the way! And he does, for a 102 yard interception return, Sheppard scores the win- ning touchdown of the game leaving the final score 38-24 sealing the victory for the Birds. Fans, players, coaches and reporters have waited for this game since the day Terrell Owens signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Apparently, Philly fans did not throw off T.O.'s game as he claims: "I don't know, for whatever rea- son I just felt like it should have been worse (sic)," When asked how he felt about the crowd on game day. His remark still did not stop the "OD!" and the "T.O. sucks!" chants in the stands. Owens says that the jeering did not get to him; however, he still ran directly into the locker room after the game. When questioned on the topic, he states, "We just lost man! I mean we lost, like I Bryan Drissel, Matt Shoenberg, Alice George, Ashley Salada, Matt George, Victor Adu-Boahene telephone: 610-952-2602, office: 202 Commons Photos by Brittany Neimeth unless otherwise noted Contributing Staff: Christina Felizzi, Sarah Deihm, Christina Salters, STAFF ADVISOR: Jennifer Maguire Contact the Lion’s Eye: e-mail: saal92@psu.edu, Managing Editor: Sharon Achilles Editorial Board: = Editor- in- Chief: Dr. Andrew Photo Editor: Brittany Neimeth Layout Manager: David Plecenik Walter D.D. ~ Associate Editor: Pam Przybylski Features Editor: Kat Specht Copy Editor: David M. Pondelick John Miller: News Editor said we lost. I'm a competitor I do not like to lose, and I felt that we had some opportunities there at the end of the ball game to tie the ball game, possibly put this game in overtime, so yeah I was frustrated (sic)." Every member of the Dallas Cowboys shook the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles out of good sportsmanship for a well-played game, except Terrell Owens. Despite conflict between Owens and Philadelphia, both the Cowboys and the Eagles played their hearts out. Each team successfully created an entertaining and suspenseful game as they battled neck-and-neck throughout the entire sixty minutes. In the end, the Eagles overrode the Cowboys' game. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for 354 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Bledsoe struggled; only throwing for 223 yards with a dismal 3 interceptions. Also, Terrell Owens only caught three passes for forty- five total yards. While his expectations seemed much higher than the statistics reveal Owens actually performed. Finally Eagles running back Brian Westbrook ran for 33 yards and caught 5 passes for 53 yards, while healing from a knee injury. The Birds never gave up because of their motivation from the crowd and the determination from within their hearts helped them earn the win. Using their skills and maneuvers, the Eagles finished superior to the Cowboys. Both teams put on a spectacular performance, and con- tributed to one of the best regular season football games this city has ever seen.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers