This page contains three essays which were recognized by the Awards Committee of the Three Rivers Alumni Association..
Essay Number 1: Gun laws: An Illusion of Safety
This most recent essay was written by Ralph, in the spring of 99.
He was an avid sportsman (fishing, backpacking, camping, canoeing,etc) until the
responsibilities of college and family took precedence.
This essay was part of a pro/con packet he had submitted to me. He had written one essay supporting more stringent gun laws and another essay saying there were already too many laws. To read the opposing view, click on the Pro/Con Essays icon above.
Essay Number 2: Equality in High School Sports
This essay was written an by Ann in March of 98.
She wrote on the sport of riflery. She enjoyed writing about this topic because her
husband coached the rifle team. This essay came from the heart - rather than
from numerous documented sources.
She is currently completing her BA degree at Eastern CT State University
Essay Number Three: The Body Beautiful
This paper was written by Nancy. She was interested in health and fitness, being the previous owner of a fitness center.
She had been out of school for many years and was apprehensive about entering English 111. Needless to say, she performed splendidly and enjoyed the experience.
Professor Walkup
English 111
April 19, 1999
Gun Laws: An Illusion of Safety
The fact that there are many special interest groups whose mission is to disarm the American public is alarming. These groups are intent upon creating more laws regulating or banning the sale, possession, and use of firearms by law-abiding citizens. And yet, according to Daniel Polsby, a professor of law at Northwestern University School of Law, and Dennis Brennan, a professor of Economics at Harper College, "It is commonly estimated that more than 20,000 federal, state, and local firearm laws are on the books in this country, and more are being written all the time." So what is the effect of these laws, and the push for more laws in the United States? Certainly, for the average citizen, these laws have a good deal of influence on gun ownership. For the criminal though, these laws are virtually ineffective. However, special interest groups continue to push for more ineffectual laws regulating handguns and rifles, even though current statistics show that laws designed to regulate firearms, especially handguns, have done little in reducing the crime rate. In fact, the relationship between guns and crime is sketchy at best (Polsby & Brennan). The addition of more laws will only infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens, and have little effect upon criminals intent on obtaining firearms, or using firearms in the commission of crimes.
Many gun-law proponents believe that the outright banning of handguns would save lives and reduce crime rates in America. They often cite the protection of children as one of their major concerns, using statistics related to the injury or death of children as a foundation for their argument. Indeed, Cease Fire, Inc., a gun law proponent, opens its "mission statement" with statistics concerning firearm related deaths of children. Although the statistics shown by Cease Fire, Inc. are debatable, we unfortunately cannot deny the fact that there are gun-related deaths associated with children. What should be noted though is the fact that the number of deaths is very small when compared to the number of firearms in the United States (Gun). Another important fact is that gun ownership had increased by forty-five percent between 1973 and 1992, and yet the number of accidental gun deaths of children has decreased by fifty percent in the last twenty-five years (Polsby and Brennan; Gun). These inverse statistics prove that gun ownership does not necessarily increase the danger to children. Possibly, the decrease in deaths is actually due to increased exposure to guns, and the education of children by the parents who own firearms.
The increase in gun ownership may be attributed, at least partly, to those desiring to defend their home and family from criminals. However, gun control activists would have us believe that if a person owns a gun, and a criminal enters the house, he will certainly take it from you and use it. This is simply not the case. Dr. Gary Kleck, a professor in the school of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University, reports, "Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times a year – or about 6,850 times a day" (qtd in Gun). Of these 2.5 million cases of self-defense, less than 1 percent of the time is a criminal able to disarm a victim (Polsby & Brennan). Dr. Kleck also points out that only 12.7% of burglars in the United States are apt to enter an occupied home, whereas in Great Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands, who have stiff gun control laws, a criminal is 45% more likely to enter an occupied home (qtd. in Gun). This reasoning behind this is simple; criminals have more to fear in America, since it is a large gamble that the homeowner will possess a gun. If the United States were to adopt laws like those in Great Britain and Canada, it is reasonable to assume criminals will gain confidence and will be less apt to wait for a home to be vacant before entering. It could also be assumed that if the criminal owned a firearm, it is likely stolen or unregistered, and still in his possession long after any laws ban them, thus leaving the homeowner at the mercy of his assailant.
Another gun-control proponent, the Violence Policy Center, believes that the federal government should be able to further regulate all aspects of firearms, through the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms). It must be said that they have some good ideas concerning firearms, such as insuring that firearms manufactured are safe for their intended use, and could be recalled if there are defects in the manufacturing process. However, their proposal would also allow the BATF extreme power in the regulation of firearms, such that firearm ownership could be denied for the entire American public. In the Violence Policy Center’s proposal, the BATF would be able to "take immediate action to stop the sale and distribution of firearms or firearms products found to be imminent hazards." This is a very broad statement open to much interpretation. Undisputedly, all firearms pose imminent hazards. Such a proposal would open the doors for a "big brother" approach by the BATF, giving them legal jurisdiction to enforce registration of all firearms and then legally and systematically disarm the American public at the government’s request. Could this happen? The answer is yes, it already has. The Gun Owners Foundation, a pro-gun group, states that "In the mid 1960’s, New York City began registering long guns. They promised that they would never use such lists to take away firearms from honest citizens. But in 1991, the city banned, (and soon began confiscating) many of those very guns." The problems posed by such a possibility are frightening. Would the government attempt to disarm America now or in the near future? No, at least not completely. What about the future government, could this happen in a few years or more? An article from the Oxford University Library points out that the possibility is there, and has indeed, at one time or another, been accomplished in other countries:
China, the Soviet Union, and Germany, have a body count in the millions, all at the hands of tyrannical governments, as a testament to "gun control". Through the use of gun laws, citizens were eventually disarmed, allowing these governments a free reign to carry out genocide or virtually eliminate all political opposition with minimal risk to themselves. It is because of this that the Second Amendment was written by the Founding Fathers. For they realized that giving any government extreme powers would eventually lead to tyranny.
As American citizens continue to struggle with the debates over issues concerning firearms, we shouldn’t lose sight of the beliefs on which this nation was founded. The freedom to purchase and use firearms for sporting purposes or self-defense from criminals is not the only reason to protect this right. Our forefathers, whom had just won independence from tyranny, wanted to insure that America would be able to defend itself, not only from outside invaders, but from its own government as well, realizing that an armed nation is more difficult to sway under an oppressive regime (Oxford). As we continue to impose more gun laws aimed at honest citizens, we are slowly, but surely, chiseling away the Second Amendment and what it stands for. If all of the special interest groups banded together and sought to solve the real problem, they would find themselves not attempting to outlaw guns, but instead working to punish those who abuse their right to own a gun. Unfortunately, law-abiding citizens must now fight on two fronts, criminals on one side who have little concern for victims’ rights, and special interests groups on the other side, determined to destroy the rights that help protect us.
Works Cited
Cease Fire. "Mission Statement." Cease Fire, Inc. 18 Apr. 1999 <http://www.ceasefire.org/ceasefire.html>.
Gun Owner’s Foundation. Feb. 1997. "Firearms Fact Sheet (1997)." Gun Owner’s Foundation. 18 Apr. 1999 <http://www.gunowners.org/fs9712.htm>.
Oxford University Libraries Automation Service. "The Long List of Gun Control Myths." 5 Jan. 1998
Online posting. Talk.Politics.Guns. 18 Apr.1999 <http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk/internet/news/faq/archive/
talk-politics-guns.pro-gun-faq.part2.html>.
Polsby, Daniel D. and Dennis Brennen. "Taking Aim at Gun Control." Heartland Policy Study. 30 Oct.
1998. 18 Apr. 1999 <http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/guns/aiming.html>.
Violence Policy Center. "A More Comprehensive Strategy." Violence Policy Center. 18 Apr. 1999
<http://www.vpc.org/studies/cfstrat.htm>.
Ann
March 2, 1998
5 Paragraph Essay
EQUALITY IN HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
A mother can hold her breath, curl her toes and fingers, close her eyes and pray all at
the same time. I know from experience that these acts can be performed simultaneously. I
have done all of the contortions while I was waiting for my son or daughter to bat in a
closely tied baseball game or in the last minute of a basketball game while waiting for my
child to attempt to make a basket from the free-throw line. I have watched the enthusiasm
of an energetic young man wan because too much of his time was spent on the bench watching
the star players of a team absorb all the glory. I have seen a serious young woman lose
respect for a sport when guidelines were adjusted to compensate for a weaker gender. The
most visible high school teams glorify athletes who conform to a standard mold. Is there
any sport that sees beyond physical attributes? The answer to this question is yes. Among
high school sports, riflery is one of the most equitable. Rifle teams have no gender bias.
There is no height, weight, or age requirement. Physical handicaps do not deter from
performance in the shooting sports. The participants in this sport create a melting pot of
sizes, shapes and personalities. They are all needed and every member of the team takes
part in every competition.
The road that a rifle team follows to competition is paved with dedication and hard work.
Male and female students are welcomed as equals and follow the same training program.
Understanding and implementation of safety procedures, mechanical instructions, eye and
muscle control and breathing techniques must be mastered before a student is outfitted
with proper shooting equipment. A freshman team member who stood about 5' tall comes to my
mind when I mention equipment. Kathy was determined that the weight of her rifle would not
prevent her from standing as straight at the 6' male who was positioned next to her on the
rifle range. By the time this "little giant" reached her senior year of high
school, she had mastered riflery techniques of self-discipline and self-control. She
handled cumbersome equipment with all of her power and entered every competition knowing
that target distance was set and scoring was calculated identically for every team member.
The self-confidence that developed in Kathy during her rifle team career was projected
into her academics. She won a college scholarship offered to participants in riflery and
is pursuing a career in science. Helen Keller wrote, "I believe every child has
hidden away somewhere in his being noble capacities which may be quickened and developed
if we go about it in the right way." Participation in the shooting sports is
challenging and rewarding. Team members have an excellent opportunity to discover their
finest qualities.
The packages that these fine qualities are found in come in many sizes and shapes. In
fact, if high school rifle team members stood side by side, they would look like a Norman
Rockwell print depicting American diversity. Discrimination is non-existent in the
shooting sports. Rifle teams have no height, weight or age requirements. Because high
school team membership is open to all students, equipment must be available in a full
gamut of sizes and with options for improvement. Through trial and error, rifle coaches
have come to realize it is better to fit the rifle to the shooter than to fit the shooter
to the rifle. Achieving the best results in precision shooting may require modification of
a rifle stock by adding or reducing its length. Shooters may also add a cheek piece in
order to position the head and keep the eye at a 90-degree angle. Front or rear sights can
be adjusted for visual clarity and shoulder slings can be utilized for comfort and
balance. As a team members grows, or if the eyesight declines, adjustments can be made to
the rifle to compensate for physical changes. An older shooter may achieve scores as high
as a young person with 20/20 vision because the former has adjusted the rear rifle sight
to insure excellent vision. In fact, age is suspended while taking part in the shooting
sports. The world of the precision shooter has its own fountain of youth. Participation
can be by an 8-year-old or an 80-year-old.
If the glow of feeling ageless is present in the shooting sports, so is the opportunity to
put aside the feelings associated with being physically challenged. Physical handicaps do
not deter from performance in the shooting sports. Rifle ranges are wheelchair accessible
and targets may be adjusted to accommodate height requirements. Armrests provide shoulder
and arm support and lessen strain on the vertebrae. A shooter who is nearsighted,
farsighted or has a stigmatism can excel in accuracy by wearing prescription-shooting
glasses and by adjusting the sights on a rifle. Marksmen who are legally or totally blind
in one eye are capable of mastering the shooting skills by adjusting their equipment for
the dominant eye. Are all men (and women) created equal? No they are not. Some people can
run faster than others, jump higher or see better. In the shooting sports, compensations
for physical limitations are accepted and encouraged. It is possible for all rifle team
participants to come to the firing line as equals.
It has been my pleasure to be associated with a high school rifle team for the past six
years. My mind is filled with many team member success stories. I remember the introvert
who learned that the quiet and controlled aspects of his personality were invaluable in
achieving high scores in riflery. He, consequently, gained self-confidence and eased his
unobtrusive self into the high school social scene. I remember the student with so much
energy that she seemed to wear her clothes out from the inside. She came to the rifle team
on a dare from her friends and judged the other members as slightly inferior to herself.
She has remained on the team, has come to value the seriousness of the sport and to
recognize the attributes of all team members. Scoring in riflery does not rely on the
talents oaf "starting five." All members of a team take part in and are
necessary to every competition. During practice sessions and rifle matches, each member of
the team must direct his or her focus to personal performance. The outcome of the
performance is the responsibility of each member. Technically, a shooter is competing
against himself or herself to better a prior score. Webster's Dictionary defines
"sportsman" as "a person who is fair" and defines
"equitable" as an adjective meaning "dealing fairly and equally with all
concerned." The sport of riflery, which opens its membership to everyone and teaches
each member to take responsibility for his or her own actions, encourages sportsmanship
and exemplifies equality. It is wonderful that such a sport exists.
1,160 words
TITLE: THE BODY BEAUTIFUL
As the previous owner of a Nautilus Fitness Center, I was often asked for advice on diet and exercise. Many of our members would listen attentively to my suggestions and then follow their own theories on the best exercise methods, anyway. No amount of persuasion could convince them that they were wrong. Others were perfectly willing to accept my advice and direction, but they lacked the motivation and commitment necessary to achieve lasting results. And, of course, there were always those who subscribed to the popular misconception that more is better, but, unfortunately, they too were wrong. My own trial and error period with exercise was a lengthy one: first, I taught aerobic dance classes (far too time-consuming); then, I tried jogging (makes you feel wonderful as long as it's not raining and your neighbor's Doberman isn't loose); and, finally, there was yoga (like an internal massage, but again the time element crops up). I eventually came up with the ideal program for a great body. I eventually concluded that the quickest and easiest way to a stronger, healthier, more beautiful body is through a regular at-home program of weight training, aerobic exercise, and better eating habits.
Weight training is the only way to build muscle mass and change the shape of your body. No amount of calisthenics can do that; they only serve to tone and firm the muscles. So many women believe that lifting weights will make them muscle-bound and masculine-looking, but that's not true. What pear-shaped woman wouldn't love to have a v-shaped torso with broad shoulders and narrow hips7 Bone structure can't be altered, but a few upper arm and shoulder exercises combined with squats and lunges for the hips will give you that V-shaped appearance. And have you ever heard any woman say that she likes that sagging skin under her upper arms? Neither have I, but I have seen that problem cured quickly with just a couple of simple tricep exercises. You don't need to join a gym to do these exercises; all you need is a beginner's weight bench, an inexpensive set of weights, and a training manual. If you decide to begin a weight-training program, however, there is one rule you should always follow. Never work the same muscle groups two days in a row except the abdominal muscles and the calves. II you do, instead of building muscle mass, you will be tearing and weakening muscle fibers. The resting period between workouts is as important as the workouts themselves if you want to get results.
But even the most dedicated body-builder will not see the full results of a consistent exercise program if his muscles are covered with a thick layer of fat, and aerobic exercise is the best way to handle that problem. Whether you choose walking briskly, jogging, aerobic videos, or the more expensive treadmills, cross-country ski machines, or steppers, aerobic exercise burns fat. I prefer "The Twenty Minute Workout" a fast-paced program developed by Bess Motta, a former body-builder, because it actually does take only twenty minutes. This show used to be aired twice between 5:30 and 6:30 AM Monday through Friday, but I haven't seen it In the television listings for a while, so I'm glad I have a week of shows on tape. If you ever get a chance to see it, try it, and if you don't have to sit down and rest during the commercial, you're in better shape than I am. First, they concentrate on one body part for the warm-up period until you feel you can't continue for another moment. From there, they go right into the aerobics segment finishing with a cool-down period of slow stretching movements. Don't be deceived into thinking it doesn't sound too tough. It's a killer! But it's a quick killer, which is why I love it!
If you can consistently maintain a schedule of aerobic exercise, you will discover that you can eat almost anything you want and not gain weight, but since the overall goal here is to improve not only your body but also your health, why not begin to detoxify your body by eating only healthy foods? Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, a little lean meat, chicken, and fish, and fewer processed foods, and not only will you be rewarded with shining eyes and hair and beautiful skin, but you will find that you have much more energy too. If you're one of those meat and potatoes people, try substituting dried beans, peas, rice, and pasta for some of the meat. Their fat content is lower, and their protein content is just as high. You only require one tablespoon of fat per day, but most American adults eat the equivalent of a stick of butter each day. That fat goes not only to your hips; it also resides in the linings of your veins and arteries. Try a bran muffin for breakfast instead of an Egg McMuffin, and your body will thank you for it. And when the temptation of the Snack Shack box at work or those vending machines at school become too overwhelming for you, remember this simple equation: multiply the number of fat grams times nine and divide that by the number of calories per serving to find the percentage of fat in your snack. Fritos are 58% fat; M&M's are 40% fat. Skip them both and take the raisins. The choice is yours, and choice is the key to healthier eating.
So, if you want a beautiful, healthy body, follow this program. Do at least half an hour of weight-training exercises every other day three times a week for your particular problem areas. On alternate days, do twenty to thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, and every day, before you eat or drink anything, ask yourself, "Is this god for my body?"