| OCR Text |
Show OIK-rrmv OPINION owners shouldnt expect firearm ban 1'd,1'. Tuesday, February ,olss' "npsuit Guardiail ldaton, 3t0 help funded ns in green by mark Staff Writer pixie Sun mL During the last round of elections we to redjj, heard the : ning familiar insinuations an't-yoand accusals ahoui Barack Obama, that Prt fund, nts Democrat running f hyper or any had some (or any office, 1 hospital, sinister but plan to the Unitec iasue subvert the Second Amendment and take away s around vhat-d0e- u 11 annmgan. n support Americans guns. National Rifle Association spent millions of dollars trying to portray Obama as a threat to gun They even circulatengbts. d a flier, in colors and styles similar to actual ( The CD was sdaytore, 'do. If yoy more of ok out ns ige at lce com elusive red pdates plan to be sure to ard off campaign materials, called Barack Obamas 10 Point Plan to Obama bio. , 4, 2009 DIXIE SUN Change the Second Amendment. The fliers claimed that Obama would ban use of firearms for and increase federal taxes on guns and ammunition by 500 percent, along with other inflammatory remarks. As ridiculous as the idea of Obama somehow disregarding or amending the Second Amendment may seem, it turns out many Americans have bought into this idea. And, despite a troubling economic recession, gun and ammunition manufacturers have seen a frantic surge in sales since Obama was elected to be this nation's president. Rick McBrien, a clerk in the gun department of Hurst Sports Center, 160 N. Bluff St. in St. George, said he has seen an increase in gun, ammunition and shooting accessory sales ever since Election self-defen- se Day. We have a hard time keeping things in stock, he said. McBrien said customers say they are stocking up in case Obama passes new legislation making it harder, more expensive or even illegal to purchase weapons and ammunition. McBrien said .the 500 percent tax increase on ammunition is mentioned by many customers buying bullets in bulk. A 500 percent tax increase would explain the surge in sales, but is there really such a tax? According to NRA Targets Obama published on Sept. 22, 2008, by www.factcheck.org, the tax rumor has origins in a statement made by Obama to anti-gu- n activists in 1999 when he was an Illinois state senator. Obama has not pursued this, or similar legislation, as a U.S. senator or as president. The article also debunks many of the other claims made by the NRA regarding Obamas position on gun control. According to "NRA Begins Push to Tarnish Obama on Guns" by Brian Montopoli published at http:www.cbsnews.comst orics20080923politicsm ain4472798.shtml on Sept. 23, 2008, Obama made his position on gun control clear at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania when he said: The bottom line is this. If youve got a rifle, 'ill alobe the CD she verall, if;, rock and a BY SHANNON JOHNSON Dixie Sun News Editor fan of goo dont bin. Im a word geek. Not a music geek, video ise of you music 2 i nay God1 'our soul im somec. ties and th ert and The ds Elec t much Storm stirs up doubts Red BY . umphries-- NICK MIHALOPOULOS Dixie Sun Staff Writer to. sod ge, mes to Oh no! Its a Red Storm! to As most interested of people already know, Dixie State adier the College announced its new mascot and nickname. From now on DSC will be known as the Red Storm. Maybe Tm not the only student who is nd campii1 recently ie potent! almost u Onh of. :nts polls-- ,e show.Ji silently thinking, Who :m heard: cares? on a loci whole hype of a new mascot has been lost on me. The hi. Mark Our it this huge money on advertising and polling, and surveiitj the show 'j designing the new mascot. o parties college made foufi' deal and spent nly 3 As far as advertistj said arc St. Gears-- from some when by 10 alt Lake ft11 ,r the iinmenf arm a 1 7pm the j anyway? We used to have a legitimate bus sho" At- Burns elite few. Do we have any backbone? fled Storm what is that not el throufl, lr way Im concerned, we the DSC Sell Outs. We taw away a perfectly good name because of pressure supp roductior mascot. We were the Rebels. We all had Rebel Pndc. I was proud to tell peo ple what school I went to. But now we are a Red Storm: a lame tornado with horns to boot Our mascot is an oxymoron in itself. A black bull named Ragin' Red? Why don't we just get a green lizard and name it "The Purple Monster"? Just in case anyone is as contused as I am, DSC is now known as Red mgs. We still are Dixie; we will always be the Rebels. DSCs administration actually unveiled the mascot earlier than planned because interest was waning. Its a sad day when students dont even care what the mascot of their Storm, but we have a black bull for a mascot. Somehow administrators decided to name a black bull Ragin' Red. school is. We are so uninvolved in the things that go on here on campus its sick. We have Wow is all I can say. Instead of becoming an NCAA Division II school, we are now the laughing stock of our divi- small turnouts to home games and social events. We showed lackluster voter turnouts for student body elections. Its as if the students here dont take anypnde in our school. I cant blame them; we are now sion. The sports teams at this school will now have to be reborn with new jerseys, helmets and posters donning the snarl of a crimson tornado. In the wake of budget constraints it is hard to find sympathy for a school that is ready to shell out cash for a pointless change of mascot. For a while I completely forgot we didnt have a mas deserves it. I mean, he did a back flip on the stage, which was freaking amazing. ' I l:' v cot. We just went on for a whole semester without one. Now we have this new mascot that we are supposed to be proud of. As far as Im concerned, we are still Rebels. After all, there are still posters that say Rebels in build- - ' the DSC Red Storm. Dont worry, kids; you can four-yealways transfer to a real the school, like University of Nevada Las Vegas. Who are they? Oh yeah, the UNLV Rebels. ar Hollands life: Zero regrets BY HOLLAND OLSEN Dixie Sun Staff Writer i away...." Obama added that even if he wanted to take away gun rights, he wouldn't be able to because he wouldn't get any such bill through Congress. And thats exactly what Americans getting caught up in the gun buying frenzy need to remember: Even if Obama didnt support the Second Amendment, the president doesnt have the power to amend the Constitution. Changes to the Constitution require a vote from and the ratificaCongress tion of three-fourtof the states to adopt the amendment. two-thir- A three-fourt- majority is difficult tef achieve, so much so that only 27 amendments have been made to the constitution. And only the 1 8th Amendment, which made alcohol illegal, has ever been overturned. Even if Obama woke up tomorrow convinced that banning guns was his lifes calling, he lacks the constitutional authority to do so. Americans concerned about gun rights can disregard the steady stream of propaganda from the NRA and members of the conservative right warning of an impending threat to the Second Amendment. These wild accusations are not based in truth, but in greed. Unfortunately these scare tactics are working extremely well, and the weapons industry is reaping the profits. Poor grammar can repel opportunities for students the ids m star , youve got a shotgun, youve got a gun in your house, Im' not taking it 9 The Mr. Dixie pageant is done for the year, and once again I lost, but I think the judges got it nght this time. I again failed to claim the frtle of Mr. Dixie. The weird ftnig is that I dont really Blind. I have decided that win-'B'- g is not everything. I did Congeniality, which "'as awesome. So at least 1 l a crown and a cool sash. friend Nolan Hanley is e new Mr. Dixie, and he "in Mr All were guys in the pageant own their in way. As I unique I started all, them know got to them of that realize to any could have won, and I would have been fine with it. As I took a moment after the pageant was over to conI started template why I lost, to think of the journey. Here I are some of the things that learned. I can still control a crowd. I fun it is to again realized how and crowd a of get in front is one That make them laugh. of the greatest feelmgs that I have had in a long time. I love making people laugh, and I think I am good at it. Next, learned that I am really good with my mouth 1 (dont take that the wrong way). If you were there, you would have seen my wonderful talent For the last week I have been practicing throwing marshmallows in the air and catching diem in my mouth. I learned some new tricks, like throwing them behmdmy back and under my leg. My favorite part of my talent was when I had my friend Jacob Hurst throw marshmallows, see HOLLAND page 10 game geek, science geek or math geek. Im a geek when it comes to words. Ive never been too hot with numbers. I forgo Uno and Phase 10 because my grandma always seems to win no matter how many wild cards I hide up my sleeve. Besides, Id rather be playing Scrabble or Scattergories. Yeah, Im a word geek. So when things arent spelled right or people cant carry on an intelligent conversation, steam starts billowing from my ears. OK, maybe not, but I do get pretty bent out of shape. Just today I was buying water from the cafe when I noticed a handwritten sign above the Crystal Light flavor packets: Must sale. Must sale, huh? Who let the English major write the sign? I've seen too many store marquees sporting ridiculous grammar or spellings, and I immediately wonder if high schoolers are assigned to the job. I can't say I've ever really had a craving for frozen "pee pods," even if they are advertised two for $5. As a word geek I believe grammar has a huge impact on the way people perceive you. When we meet someone new, we size him or her up, and in about a minute we critique enough to decide whether we like the person. I have come across more than one person who has either made a very striking or an appalling impression on me simply through the words that come from his or her mouth. Many factors that contribute to first impressions cannot be helped, but grammar is one thing that all of us can tune up a little bit. People in even the humblest situations can transform their image by bringing a sense of intelligence to the table with their mere words. In an attempt to be fair, I try to base my impressions on fact rather than bias because if someone judged my character on my actions when I havent eaten or after 2 a.m., I would probably be labeled as a crackpot or some kind of emotional nut. However, when it comes down to grammar, no form of rational thought will talk me into being fair. More than once I have ruled out a guy because his texting style bothers me so badly. When he cant spell or speak correctly, any hint of a future is instantly butchered. Legal immigrant? Check. Familiarity with deodorant? Check. Interested in girls? Check. Longer leg hair than me? Check. Spells better than a fifth grader? Not so easy to find. I also believe good grammar is an indication of success. Was Martin Luther King Jr. spicing up his famous speech with slang or profanities? Yo I like, have a dream, that you know, one day my four lil kids will like totally... President Obama may have used the word 'change quite frequently during his run, but Im sure he wouldnt have been elected to office with &$ poor grammar. Those high in society or social status are often associated with speaking properly or elegantly. In the South if slaves on plantations were caught learning how to read or write it could cost them their lives because the plantation owners saw it as dangerous and a threat to their power. Your image will also appear prosperous and high-claif you pick up some tips from thriving people around us. How about we sound like we are getting a college education, since we are, and leave the language of ss Kanye, Soulja Boy, Ludacris and Chingy to when we are alone in the shower or when we really badly stub a toe? I promise that job interviews, meetings, essays, scholarship applications and attempts to reel in that certain hottie will all go more smoothly if your grammar skills are tweaked even slightly. But thats just coming from me, a word geek. Its pretty simple and easy advice to consider for future Now Im sure if a math geek were to reveal a secret to success, only eight out of 1 0 of us would understand. You aint got nothin on me, geaks. Piece out, homies. DIXIE SUN Rachel Tanner, Editor in Chief Shannon Johnson, News hditor Whitney Phillips, Opinion hditor Tyler Roberts, i ports hditor & h hditor Jared Burton, Whitney Roberts, Jjjestyks Hditor Casie Forbes, Online hditor Amanda Anderson, Photo Editor Taylor Forbes, Ad Manager Samantha Bnftkerhoft KC Chnstoffersen Enk Dorn Tyler Graf Mark Green Eauren Jones JR McRay Nick Mihalopoulos Rachael Noxon Holland Olsen Troy Olsen Bret Skinner Bryan Uhn Nadia van der Watt Natasha Vu Zach Vu Jen Watkins Lucas Yates Rluannon Bent, Adviser DIXIE SUN HOW TO REACH US Dixie State College CareerFinanaal Aid Bldg 225 South 700 . East Sl George, UT 84770 Phone (435) Fax. (435) 656 4019 dixiesundiAie edu rovdixiesunlwkcom u duinlwred each Wrdnctday during rhr DIXIT Nl a publication ei Diajc Slate ill and spring wmcstcrx Lz and Science and Dixie Sure ten Am, College ctivTue The unowned editorial on the oJcgc Student the pnxition ri DII1 Sl N a p mon page rcprrvcnt IctctTuncd hy h cihf anal boaru Otherwise ihc ncv and opini n uprated in DfXll Sl N are hove o the ndieiduai mcn and d6 noi nccctiardi refect the opin f DIXIT Sl N or any corny nl the college on |
