THE
ORACLE
Henderson
Wednesday September 15, 2021
Emily Henderson Contributing Reporter Another average Tuesday morning on September 11, 2001, turned into something no one would forget. Around 8:45 a.m. LTC Tommie Campbell received a call from his wife. At the time, Campbell was responsible for putting together a large general officer conference at Camp Robinson. “My wife never calls me at work,” Campbell said, “I thought maybe it was just a drone or something accidental.” As he turned on the television, the second tower was struck. He asked his wife if this was a replay of what happened. His
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wife responded with “no,” as the plane crashed. President George W. Bush soon shut down all flights, but Campbell knew Senior Colonel General Shinseki was in the auditorium and would need to return to Washington. Shinseki was on the only plane that flew out of Arkansas that day. Campbell was stationed in Little Rock at the time. After the attack, he explained that the rubble was being searched through, and his wife did not leave the house for a couple of days. It made moving supplies and every-
day tasks for the military difficult. “Life as we knew it then had come to halt, there was a lot of unknown,” he said. Like most, Campbell and the other men were fearful of what was to come. However, the men knew they were “defending the American way of life” and had to be prepared for anything they were called to do. Two days after the attack, Campbell had been scheduled to fly to Washington D.C. in nearly the same spot the Pentagon was hit, but the flight was canceled due to the strike on New York. He
explains that had it not been for a conference he was supposed to attend, it is likely he would have been there considering his constant presence at the Pentagon. Even today, 20 years later, Campbell remembers the uncertainty and fear he felt. The attack changed the many ways he lived his everyday life. “It made me much more hypervigilant.” He explains he is more cautious of his surroundings. At restaurants, he faces the door, and in his office, he had the bushes cut so he could view the parking lot from the window. While
What You Need To Know About Texas’ New Abortion Law
Photo courtesy of Office of the Texas Governor
Republican Governor of Texas Greg Abbott
Emberlynn Pendergraft Staff Reporter
The law titled the “Texas Heartbeat Act,” was signed May 19th, 2021, by Texas Governor Greg Abbot and is the first A law banning almost abortion ban of its kind to all abortions after about be implemented in the US. six weeks went into effect The bill states, “A on Sept. 1st in the state of physician may not Texas.
intentionally perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of the woman’s unborn child if the physician detected a fetal heartbeat for the unborn child.” According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 85 to 90 percent of abortions are performed six weeks or later in Texas. This means that nearly all abortions are no longer legal in the state. The only exceptions to the law are cases involving medical emergencies. Cases including rape or incest, however, are not exempt from its rulings. The bill relies not on criminal enforcement via the state but instead relies
on prosecution by private citizens through civil lawsuits. As opposed to legal action being taken on patients, anyone who provides support in the process can be sued, including doctors, counselors, clinic staff members, members of the clergy and anyone who supplied a patient with transportation to an abortion clinic. Additionally, the Heartbeat Bill creates a system wherein civilians can sue anyone involved in the abortion process for upwards of $10,000 in statutory damages. The bill challenges Roe v. Wade, a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the United States Constitution protects a person’s right to have an
he is not necessarily looking for the “bad” or “worst that could happen,” he simply wants to stay alert, to be more prepared. After serving our country for 23 years, Campbell retired in October of 2002. Since then, he has spent eight years in a classroom and seven years as a principal. Campbell is currently the project director at Veterans Upward Bound. He has a positive outlook on life: to give and not expect anything in return and help anyone and everyone. “Just don’t take anything for granted.”
abortion until the fetus is viable. However, the law manages to work around the rulings of the Roe v. Wade case through the use of civilian prosecution. The Center for Reproductive Rights filed an emergency request to block the ban on Aug. 30th, 2021. However, this request was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court in a vote of 5-4, leading the case to proceed before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. While Texas is the first state to implement a sixweek ban bill, it is not the first state to pass a law of this nature. Idaho, Oklahoma and South Carolina have also passed similar bills that have yet to be administered due to legal obstacles.