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opinion
Thursday, November 12, 2015 The Baylor Lariat
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COLUMN
Think outside the Wack Clifton makes for perfect weekend trip RICHARD HIRST Photo Editor So it’s about the time in the semester when people are starting to stress out and could really use a weekend away but don’t have time to go all the way home, wherever that may be. Well, I have a great weekend get away for you to think about doing with a group of friends to unwind. There is a small town about 40 minutes northwest of Waco on Highway 6 called Clifton. The Norwegian Capital of Texas, with a population of 3,442, may not sound very big but is definitely worth a second glance. The first thing that makes the trip worth it is a little theater there called the Cliftex. It is the oldest continuously operating movie theater in Texas. The theater was opened in 1916 and remains open on the weekends to this day. The owners have done their best to make sure the Cliftex keeps its old look as much as possible. Up until 2011, the Cliftex still showed its films on 35 mm film equipment. Even though they ended up replacing the film equipment, the theater has kept the intermission that used to occur at the changing of filmstrips. There is even a story about how there is a bullet hole in the side of the building from Bonnie and Clyde. The entire theater is filled with history. After watching a movie, I would highly recommend going down the street to a restaurant called Mitchell’s Grill. Coming from a person who has traveled all across the country and several European countries, this restaurant ranks in my top ten top favorites and is easily my favorite place near Waco. Mitchell’s has food to die for. The time I went, I had a sirloin, and it was a beautiful cut of meat cooked to perfection. While the desert was delicious, it was difficult to bring myself to eat it because of how masterfully it was plated. It was gorgeous. Mitchell’s Grill is also visited by local celebrities such as Ted Nugent and Chip and Joanna Gaines from the hit HGTV show “Fixer Upper.” Lastly, there is a one-room hotel there called The Cell Block, which was a twocell jailhouse in the 1920s era. Most of the people it housed were just those who had too much to drink and had to serve some time due to Prohibition. Think about the jailhouse from “The Andy Griffith Show” in Mayberry where Sheriff Taylor worked, but smaller. Well, this little jailhouse was cleaned up and converted into a one-bed, one-bath hotel room, certainly a unique way to spend a night. It even has a rooftop lounge area to hang out and talk with friends. Now I assure you there is more to do in Clifton than the three things I have listed; they just happen to be what I think are the coolest. All in all, Clifton is a great place to let out some steam as we roll into the end of the semester. Richard Hirst is a senior journalism major from Durant, Okla. He is the photo editor for the Lariat.
Meet the Staff
Freedom, not immunity Damages awarded unnecessarily to Muslim truck drivers The debate of religious freedom has populated mainstream media significantly, specifically in the last year. Furthermore, it’s infiltrated the workplace yet again. In Illinois, Mahad Abass Mohamed and Abdikarim Hassan Bulshale were fired from Star Transport Inc., a private trucking company, for refusing to deliver alcohol. The drivers argued it was against their religious values as practicing Muslims to handle these goods, and the company ousted them. A 2013 lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and the subsequent trial this October awarded $40,000 in compensatory damages and $200,000 in punitive damages by the jury in their discriminatory case. The case was ruled in their favor because the trucking company violated their religious beliefs. The trucking company did not provide the drivers with a reasonable accommodation and terminating them because of their beliefs was deemed unlawful, according to the lawsuit. However, the private company had the right to fire them, no matter the reason. This was not an issue of religious freedom violation; the drivers were asked to do a job and could not fulfill it. The awarded damages
WE SAY
PHOTO EDITOR Richard Hirst
CITY EDITOR Trey Gregory
NEWS EDITOR Dane Chronister*
WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sarah Scales
COPY EDITOR Karyn Simpson
COPY DESK CHIEF Rae Jefferson ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Rebecca Flannery* SPORTS EDITOR Jeffrey Swindoll*
YOU SAY
A high school football coach was suspended for praying on the field after games. Do you think this was a problem?
WEDNESDAY’S SURVEY QUESTION
14% said YES 86% said NO
*Denotes a member of the editorial board
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Taylor Griffin*
ASSISTANT WEB EDITOR Rachel Toalson
were absolutely unnecessary. In both cases, there could have been This situation is similar to the Kim Davis accommodations made to have another incident that occurred in September. Davis, employee substitute and take care of the task a Kentucky county clerk, refused to issue at hand. One of the main differences between the a marriage license to two gay men because it conflicted with her Christian belief. She two cases, though, is that Davis was working argued her First Amendment rights were for a government entity, and the drivers were violated, as she could not express her freedom working for a private business. In any case, an employer or any sort of religion. of authority figure has Davis was hired to do a job, which she every ability and right This was not an issue to hire and fire who they refused to complete. In her case, she violated feel will get the job done of religious freedom the law. With Mohamed in a timely manner. violation; the drivers While companies and Bulshale, their were asked to do a job should respect the company hired them religious beliefs of to do a job they would and could not fulfill it. their workers, this not do. It was because of this that they were fired; relationship does not it was not an attack on protect an employee’s their religion. A private entity reserves the right to stay at the company — or collect right to fire or hire whomever it needs to damages — when it sees fit to fire them. This complete a job. trucking company did not violate a law when It should be understood that although they got rid of these two workers. However, religious freedom is a right, employees of to avoid this, job requirements need to be a private business do not have the right to discussed thoroughly before a duty is given to expect preferential treatment based on this save both parties the cost of time and money. protected freedom.
STAFF WRITERS Helena Hunt Emma King Zachary Nichols
SPORTS WRITERS Tyler Cagle Joshua Davis PHOTOGRAPHERS Trey Honeycutt Sarah Pyo Penelope Shirey CARTOONIST Asher F. Murphy
BROADCAST NEWS PRODUCER Jessica Babb*
AD REPRESENTATIVES Jennifer Kreb Alex Newman Stephanie Shull Parker Walton
ASSISTANT BROADCAST NEWS PRODUCER Thomas Mott
DELIVERY Jenny Troilo Spencer Swindoll
VIDEOGRAPHER Stephen Nunnelee
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