Use Your Right to Vote

October 29, 2016

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“The efforts of the Government alone will never be enough. In the end, the people must choose and the people must help themselves.”                                                                                                             – John F. Kennedy

By Lizeth Lara

We lose everything if we don’t vote and I say this because this is the time that your votes will matter the most for the 2016 Presidential Election. Also, some of the seats in Congress are up for re-elections.  People may not be satisfied with our choices for the 2016 Election and truly how can anybody be. This is the time to stand together for what we believe in.

Look how far we have come in America; we went from no public schools, no women’s rights, no Civil Rights Act, no environmental laws to what we have today. The future is slipping right through your fingers like water. We cannot let America stand divided in the midst of such hatred, violence, racism, and ignorance.

We are all here for the same reasons; to complete the dream we have chosen for ourselves, to create a difference in the world; we may just achieve them at different times in our lives but we cannot let America be destroyed. It doesn’t matter who you are, what color, race, culture or gender you are. I urge you to go out and vote because this is the people’s America, our America and it is time we take control. Vote, and vote as you please, because at the end of the day, this is your life, and you decide for yourself. Vote for the best candidate possible, stand up for what you believe in. This is the time to make a difference. So much violence, hatred are walking through and claiming the streets in our nation, racism is still alive but, we are one America and can overcome our challenges.

“America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”                                                                                                                       – Abraham Lincoln

We have brave men and women that fight in wars so hard for this country, we must do what is right to keep it. It is so easy to get up and go anywhere such as the mall or the movies, so motivate yourself to go vote, and remember why you are here and what difference you want to create that benefits this world. On November 8, make this one accomplishment of many; just vote. Only you can stop yourself from achieving what you want to see in this world. We dream it, we achieve it, and we live it! It is time to take back what is ours. Let your voices be heard now more than ever and speak for those who cannot be heard. The future of this nation is in your hands. Maybe we need a lot more than a vote to be saved from destruction, but that is where the saving begins.

Adventures with Cam: Paintball and Honor

October 29, 2016

1867151184_efcca4ab04_bCreative Commons, Photo by Victoria Padevit Brown. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. No changes were made.

As told by Cameron Purcell, Staff Writer

IMG_4580_croppedWhen I first heard of the paintball event that would be sponsored and paid for by Lone Star College-Kingwood, I could not have been more excited. However, I was a naive boy, blinded by dreams of glorious paint-based warfare.

Before battle, all of us were briefed on the rules and regulations of warfare. The most notable being that if you were shot, you were to raise your hands up and escort yourself to the timeout zone. 

The first match was to be a battle between Kingwood as the opposition, attempting to claim a castle being held by the students of North Harris.

As soon as the match began, our team ran for cover as a seemingly unending torrent of paint balls flew towards us.

We slowly advanced towards the castle, lobbing a few paint balls at the enemy before rushing forwards to a new area free of fire. I devised a plan. Like true soldiers, they did not question it, and one ran out into the hailstorm as the other mate and I ran for cover. The plan went off without a hitch.

I felt some remorse, however, as I saw my teammate take a walk of shame back to the beginning of the field, covered in splatters of yellow paint. I made a promise to myself that his sacrifice would not be in vain, that Harris would never set foot in this castle ever again!

That promise was quickly shattered into minuscule pieces.

I felt the first paintball hit my exposed arm. It was like a miniature knife piercing my skin for a split second, followed by a stinging pain that turned my skin red before it was covered in running paint. Shortly after, an individual had braved the storm of paint and planted his hand on the castle wall, ensuring victory for Kingwood. This was followed by yet another victory, and another…

At the end of the day, Kingwood came out with one more loss than wins, and we ascended beyond mere boys and had become men. Except for the girls, they became women.

Not only was it an exhilarating journey that flooded me with adrenaline and determination, but I formed brotherly bonds with others who hailed from LSC-Kingwood. It was an honor fighting alongside them and serving our campus proud. Paintball is something I highly recommend to anyone even mildly interested in the prospect.