Editor's Desk
Staff
Michael A. Roberts
Eric Eubank
Eric Lien
Dr. W.D. White
Pat Hoss
Nancy Often
Debbie Harding
John Pargas
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editor
VP Advertising
Columnist
Columnist
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Quill and Ink
The opinions expressed in letters to the
editor are not necessarily those of the
Lance editors or staff. The views expressed
in columns are specifically those of the
Columnist. Letters must be signed, and ano
nymity will be respected. The Lance editors
reserve the right to edit stories and letters
as seen necessary.
I feel that since this is the last issue of the Lance, I
would like to take this space to thank the people who
made this paper possible. I feel like this is how good
every edition of this publication can be. This is an
issue of which I am particularly proud. We had some
problems last time, some mechanical, some human.
But, accept no excuses. In the future we hope to bring
you ii\formation that you can use, and stories that you
care about. We will try our best to address matters
that concern the student body at St. Andrews. Your
input is greatly desired, and your participation is
welcome.
I would like to thank Rooney Coffman for being so
prompt with this issues photographs. Thanks to
Nancy for all the running, and tracking down
all the people. Thanks to Mary Cay for the moral
support. Thanks to Ron Bayes and his Journalism
class for their contributions. Thanks to Mark and Toni
for being so patient with my nagging. Thanks to the
person who took the trash from my office. Thanks to
the person who put the coffee outside my door.
Thanks to all the writers who contributed to this issue.
A special thanks to Eric Lien for all he's done this year.
(No particular thanks to the person who took the
photos off my door, and the one who keeps putting
paper in my envelopes.)
Congratulations seniors. I hope eveyone has a good
summer.
Michael A. Roberts
Editor-in-Chief
Hossin' Around
Pat Hoss
Lately there has been a lot
of discussion about the sub
ject of animal rights, and 1
thought it was about time 1
added my two cents. 1 will
not h>e the one who let it all
go by without raising a fin
ger. Twill not be silent in the
face of what 1 see as an af
front to those lesser crea
tures, that make up and
share this world with us.
The first thing that will
happ>en is somebody out
there will say, "Look, they
are lower than us." It is a
given that most animals,
with the exception of jx)r-
poises and whales , are
lower than us. But does that
mean they cannot have
rights? Animals are living,
breathing organisms that
feel; maybe not in the same
sense as you and I, but do
not say that when one p>ours
acid into an animals eye it
does not feel pain. They
may be lower, bu t nerves are
in every l>east, wo why not
gi ve them some credit, and a
fair shake?
No, animals cannot sf>eak
our language, but can we
sf>eak to them? No, they
cannot stand in a court of
law and defend themselves,
nor can they pick up a fork
or spoon and eat with it. No,
they are not civilized crea
tures as we see it, so there
fore their rights are foregone
to them?
Who are we to give out
rights anyway? We call
lesser creatures animals; is it
not the same as the pot call
ing the kettle black? Who
are we to call those creatures
"animals" when what we do
to them, and ourselves is
less than animalistic? It is
pure and malicious cruelty
that only the Homo sapiens
seem capable of doin^.
Let us take some examples
of this cruelty. Do animals
like to kill each other over
such petty arguments as
"What do you Ijelieve?" Do
animals kill for spwrt? Do
they threaten the existence
of this entire world? Do they
complain about absurd
things like the car not start
ing? Do they go on shooting
rampages? Which is the ani
mal, the
Homo sapien, or the crea
tures we call animals?
How can we call animals
lower than us, then treat
them the way we do, and
call ourselves civilized? We
use the old standby: 'They
eat people." For example,
the alligator coming out of
the water, chasing a man or
woman, and then eating
them whole and raw, is
good. When it comes down
to it, this is the line that
humans always use; self-
preservation. Animals
lower than ourselves kill
because they are hungry or
threatened. An old tiger
kills humans because a hu
man is the only thing it can
get its paws on. An alligator
snatches babies and chil
dren because they attract
attention and do nothing to
get away. Our bom are the
only animal babies in the
world that cannot survive
within a day or two up>on
birth in their natural en-
vimonment. Think of that
temptation to something
wild. What's to be done
when an animal is hungry
and his natural habitat and
its inhabitants are being de
stroyed? It is only natural to
go after Mr. Simplistic
Human.
We compensate, or cheat
because we cannot survive
in the world of survival. We
eliminate the competition
by means of which they
cannot fight back. And if
one, two, or fifty people get
eaten by a wild animal; is
that our entire population?
Are we so petty and stupid
that when a human kills
thirty people, and a bear
kills one, the bear is killed
and the human freed in
seven years because he is in-
saneY
Can a human who kills ma
liciously kill at will, while an
animal who kills for sur
vival is put to death at the
mere scream of a Homo sa
pien? Who is the animal
here?
Who is the animal when
we kill for no other reason
than to collect an animals oil
to make our cosmetics glow
better? Who are we to judge
a creature, when we leave
our o wn to die in the streets,
right under our noses? Who
are we to assign names,
when we cannot even co
exist on this planet? Who is
the animal here? Who kills
whom?
All anyone can ask is for a
little respect for our fellow
creatures, although they are
not blessed with a mind as
sophisticated as ours. I'm
not asking that one spay or
neuter their pets so the
Humane Society will not
have to kill six-hundred a
month to keep them from
spreading infectious dis
eases that could hurt the
people who abandoned
them in the first place. I
know that would cost
money, just like giving to a
nature organization costs
money. But by all means,
give to the one that will sa^'o;
another million humans be
cause after all we are the ul
timate winners of anything
we play. Let us p>ound the
other lives out of existence,
and we can be the sole rulers
of a lifeless planet. Then we
can start shooting each other
more frequently, and
maybe even eradicate our
selves. I ask once more,
"Who is the animal here?
Who is the beast in reality?"