Our Perspective......

ASU officials have students' safety in mind

The mess that has occurred in front of the University Bookstore is a tradeoff of convenience for safety. Though we have to dodge a fence and take extra time to get to class, home or just pass through, the chain-link fence is to keep students safe as workers move utility lines for the Bookstore renovation.

While this will remove a section of stairs and a handicap ramp, these will be replaced at the end of the project, while a new handicap ramp is built at the other end of Sanford Mall.

We are happy to hear of the University's concern for the studentsÕ safety at the high-traffic areas. With the possibility of exposed steam, power and data lines, in addition to broken pavement and falling limbs, the opportunity for accident and danger are high.

This move along with the University's decision to add crosswalks to the repaving of Rivers Street shows that Appalachian has the studentsÕ safety at heart.

With the obvious increase in cars on our streets, we need to be more cautious when we walk around. This is a two-way street, however. Though pedestrians do have the right-of-way, there is a need to "look both ways." It is fortunate that the university is batting in our corner in the matter, with fences and crosswalks and other safety measures.

Bush's record in Texas reveals bleak picture for abortion supporters

Kathryn Booze

As the month of September draws to a close we edge closer and closer to the big Election Day in November. Now supposedly, this is a day in which we as American citizens practice our freedom by electing our next president. At least thatÕs how it was before political action campaigns and big companies started stuffing soft money down politicians' pockets.

Anyhow, to the tree-loving, feminist voter that I am, the elections lately seem to be a choice between Candidate Bad and Candidate Worse.

This brings me to stuff I've heard and researched about Candidate Worse, otherwise known as George W. Bush. I heard recently on NPR's "All Things Considered" that due to the rise in oil prices and the fact that it is election crunch time, politicians are looking for ways to bring prices down. President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore want to tap into the special government reserve of oil. Governor Bush, sweating under the fever of greed, wants to drill more holes into the Alaskan wilderness and pollute more harmless creatures and destroy more of America's natural beauty.

I read the other day in The Progressive that Houston, no thanks to George W.'s numero-uno contributor, a big oil company, has now replaced Los Angeles as the nation's most polluted city.

This kind of stuff scares me spitless.

Also, despite the Bush camp's claim that the W. in his name stands for women, Georgie boy has yet to prove this. I'm told that in his time as governor of Texas, he has passed 18 laws making it increasingly harder for women to get abortions. One of these laws says that if someone transports a minor to get an abortion and is not her parent or guardian, they can be charged with a felony even with legal consent of the parent.

Now, having spent five years in a Catholic K-8 school, I can appreciate the pro-life point of view. However, I do not appreciate the government (read: a group of grumpy old men) telling me what I cannot do with my body. The right to have children belongs to women alone.

Now, I'm willing to admit, Gore's not my ideal candidate either. I'm not sure about the whole Green Party thing because it might subtract votes from Gore and lead to Bush's win. But at least with Gore, I know I don't have to worry about major Supreme Court decisions (i.e. Roe v. Wade) being overturned.

Kathryn Booze is an Organizations Beat reporter. She can be reached at theapp@appstate.edu.

Decline of the elusive word 'sorry'

Sean Oakley - Features Beat

The word "sorry" must be on the endangered list of WebsterÕs Dictionary. Especially when it is combined with the words "I am." While people have become better and better at inflicting pain, they have also become better and better at avoiding apologies.

Running away seems to be the most frequently used tactic. In fact, some people are willing to sacrifice significant friendships so that they donÕt have to say those dreaded words. Because of pride or fear, they are willing to throw away one of the most beautiful gifts life can offer. Why is the word "sorry" so hard to say?

Maybe a person doesn't feel like it's entirely his or her fault. Proclaiming your regret for your words or actions can leave you very vulnerable. What if the other party took the apology and never offered his or her own? Then a person ends up carrying the full burden of fault and his or her feelings go unnoticed. But apologies aren't only for the recipient. The only person's actions we'll ever have to live with are our own. While spoken words can never be taken back, at least ten years down the road you will know that you conveyed your remorse.

Of course, perhaps the inability to apologize can be attributed to other causes. This societies' whole concept of pride has me totally confused. It is a sign of strength to detach oneself from one's emotions and to be able to walk in and out of people's lives without a second thought. But begging forgiveness has been established as a sign of weakness. Why?

It seems to me that a person who can acknowledge their emotions and at least try to have faith in them is strong beyond description; in fact much stronger than I. It takes strength to admit you're wrong, especially with the social expectations of today. In the world we live in, being able to find a scapegoat can be the difference between success and failure, at least on the surface. But as I said before, we carry our past actions for the rest of our lives.

Yet, there could be other reasons for the decline of the elusive "sorry." The more we hurt someone, the harder it becomes to apologize. Somtimes we hurt people so bad that we can't even look them in the eye, let alone approach them and ask for their forgiveness. We find it hard to believe that we could hurt someone so much, so we depend on silence to erase the past. But it never will.

No matter how far we run we will never be able to escape our problems. Believe me, I've spent most of my life trying. Only when we turn and face them will we ever defeat them. Though it may be the hardest thing we've ever done in our life, we must face the guilt in the eyes of the ones we've hurt.

No matter why they exist, grudges only cloud our vision and take away from our inner peace. Trivial reasons such as pride, fear or stubborness will never justify the loss of someone we've let into our life. The word "sorry" is not only one of the rarest words in the English language, it is also one of the most powerful.

Recently I have spent a lot of time thinking about this subject. Unfortunately, I find the word "sorry" just as hard to say as the rest of the population does. So let me take this moment to try and live by my words. To the person out there that I have hurt, I am deeply sorry. I wish I could change the past, but I can't. And that is something I will live with for the rest of my life.

Sean Oakley is a Features Beat reporter. He can be reached at theapp@appstate.edu.