Page 4 Death of a Friend It never seems fair Pete's Perspective by Pete Weichlein If there actually is a God, then he must have lost all interest in what's going on down here. Either that, or he is a sick, perverted, practical joker. If he does exist, then I'm mad at him for killing Brian. I didn't know Brian that well. I just knew him, everybody knew him. He was a freshman in my high school back in Jersey the year I graduated. His father was my economics teacher, the nicest guy I've ever met. Brian was the toughest kid in my school. Everybody respected him, nobody would screw with Brian. Brian was a victim of the degenerative disease known as Muscular Dystrophy. I've never seen him walk, few people have; he spent the major portion of his life in a wheelchair. Usually I'm not one to spread sob-stories, hoping for a few tears here and there. Passion among healthy people is so rare these days. It's just so damn unfair, l''., -- - jr .:.. N A * 4 1111 , 'Pir - 4#6 1 . 7 40 .-- 9 4 llt i 161 k eib --- 1 - 1 . ----L- - • At.dito •-cn j Letter To The Editor Reader Asks Many Questions Dear editor, What is really being taught in colleges? What is the purpose of a humanities department? Is the welfare problem discussed . as economics? So college graduates care about a better world realistically or are they idealistically cold? . . Are colleges providing a sterile and unrealistic bias in students that promotes hatred and "educated ignorance?" Do colleges provide good teachers, experts in their fields, or is a survival of the fittest philosophy promoted? And, is it ONLY a matter of survival of the fittest, or is it a sadistic philosophy of taking a • • anion You see the major problem I'm having with Brian's death is that he was beating his illness. He couldn't walk. He was the only kid out of over 700 students who couldn't move his legs. Pete's Perspective I would have given up. I wouldn't have gone to that place where I'm reminded every day that I'm so different, that I'll never be like the rest of the kids. I would have gone to some special school, where the rest of the students face the same problems and challenges. But not this guy. I remember sitting in class, hearing him coming down the hall. His wheelchair was one of those electric kinds, you could hear the battery for miles away. We would sit in class and we'd hear the sound of that battery getting louder and louder and then Brian would whiz by the open contd. on page 5 EVt 7 4 - 1 deranged "pleasure" in exploiting the weaknesses of others? If the planet consisted of only god-like humans, would the world be any better off? There will always be needy people, we're told, but the gap between the needy and the greedy is too wide. Who would be the scape goats of the idealistic generation, bred through prejudice, if there were no poor, no minorities, no low IQ's? I believe they would have the power and the drive to ultimately destroy each other. Is that survival? Becki Salibrici e rr •VE ROB George Bush Revisited by Rob Prindle "What has he done? What the heck has he done. Rob, just tell me, what has he done since he took office?" Butch, I just don't know. You and I have been good friends for a long time and honest, I would tell you if I knew, but I just can't remember anything. "Yeah, that's just' what I'm talking about. I think that America has post election amnesia or something. He wanted to be the 'education president'. He wanted to be 'Bush the environmentalist', he wanted to be witness to 'a thousand points of light' but what has he done?" Well, first I should point out that it was Bush's speech writer, a pretty little conservative named Peggy Noonan, and not Bush himself who started that thousand points of light garbage. She took it from a novel by Thomas Wolfe. But you're right, I have no Idea what happened to that hyped-up hand-shaking, get out and kiss some butt, kick some babies George that won so many votes in the fall. I personally think that the man is an over achiever. He is able to get up for the elections, but that seems to be his only talent. "Yeah, that's just what I'm talking about. America amnesia -- , - or - -something. He wanted to be the 'education president.' He wanted to be 'Bush the environmentalist,' he wanted to be witness to 'a thousand points of light' but what has he done?" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, fine, great, good. But you're not answering my question guy. Come on. You were the one who wrote that article. You remember the one just after the election when you said that you had faith in the new President. You said that he was probably a good-guy once he took off his get-elected conservatism. Didn't you say all that?" Certainly. I said all that and I was sincere. I just don't know what's happened since then. I thought he showed sparks of life towards the end of the election and I honestly thought that he might be coming out of the eight year coma that he was in as Vice President. "Coma? He wasn't in a coma. It's worse than a coma. People in comas are unconscious. This guy wasn't in a coma, He plans his lethargy. He's just plain lazy and mean. Look, all that oil spilled in Alaska, the great unspoiled nature of Alaska. Bush said.... Do you remember what that slug said? He said that there was no cause to involve government in the Exxon's private business. Excuse me. Private? Ten trillion gallons of crude oil spraying from a tanker in a fragile ecosystem? Private?" I see your point Butch, but Bush did eventually send some troops, although they do look funny trying to clean the shore lines with those oil-absorbant paper towels. Rosie and her quicker-picker-upper paper towels should be done cleaning up after the Valdez in about 73 years if all goes well. We are a powerful country and I bet that if we had sent some real help, we could have stopped a lot of the destruction. "Yeah, that Bush, he is a real man of action. The only things that come to mind when I think of our new President are non-actions. He wouldn't step in when the situation at Eastern The Collegian Wednesday, March 12 I think that post-election. Rob Prindle Airlines was about to blow. He constantly promises that he won't agree to a minimum wage increase. I just mentioned that he laughed and giggled his way through the oil spill like some thirteen year-old girl sitting in front of MTV - watating- Bon Joii's:sPandex." 1-wOtty - alkfut yciti:Sometimes, Butch. What's all this about spandex? "Don't change the subject, Rob. I just mean that the guy seems like a dork. I suppose that it's not all his fault, though. He never really wanted to be elected, I mean he did choose Junior Quayle as his running mate. That guy Quayle .is definitely lost. Do you know what he said about the abortion rights rally in Washington last Sunday? He said that it was nothing unusual for Washington. I suppose that 300,000 people march down the streets every Sunday. It's probably some sort of freaking health trend." I think that Quayle is shakey on his facts. There were only 250,000 at the '63 civil rights march and in '7l there was this anti-Viet Nam rally that included about 300,000, but I suppose that Quayle didn't have to worry much about that one. But If Junior says that it was not unusual to have hundreds of thousands of people marching for women's right to control their own bodies, who are we to argue with him. "Rob, I just don't know. I'm sort of afraid that this is all just a symptom. I'm afraid that the President is just a reflection of the country. The country that condemns religious fiction in movies and elects a KKK chief. A country that continuously calls for other countries to protect the environment but then casually reacts to a major oil spill by a huge oil company of its own. A country that applauds big business and rushes frantically to buy a copy of Fortune magazine's 500 richest men. So few people own so many things and people still love to look up to them." Sad but true, Butch.
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