opinion
Slouch By Jim Earle
“Have you seen my electric fan?”
Police out of step
with today’s society
Criminals aren’t the only people who
ought to be afraid of the police.
In today’s Battalion, we have two arti
cles about statements by policemen; one
is a spokesman for the Dallas police de
partment and the other is the chief of the
Los Angeles police.
The Dallas officer said that, since
homosexual behavior is against the law,
gays do not deserve the same considera
tion other minorities receive, and that
gays who are robbed and beaten are “just
asking for it.”
The Los Angeles police chief said he
thought blacks might be more en
dangered by chokeholds than “normal
people.” By that, he apparently means
non-blacks.
These men are sworn to enforce the
law for the protection of all citizens, gay
or straight, white or black or brown. And
their attitudes are ominous, not only for
gays and blacks, but for everyone.
Yes, homosexual acts are illegal in
Texas. But until a homosexual is con
victed of that crime, he is innocent. That
applies to everyone, gay as well as
straight.
And even if a homosexual is convicted,
the conviction does not excuse crimes
against him nor does it excuse police in
difference to those crimes.
If the police can turn away from vio
lence against someone who is, or is
thought to be, a criminal, where does the
logic end?
If I smoke marijuana, can the police
allow my murder?
If I write a hot check, can a policeman
stand by as I’m mugged?
If I run a red light, can the police look
the other way as I am beaten?
Turning a blind eye to crimes against
gays is the worst sort of Klan mentality: it
allows thugs to prey on some people
simply because the police disapprove of
them.
The statement from Police Chief Daryl
Gates is just as offensive.
He defends the chokehold, a move
police have found very useful in sub
duing people they arrest. It’s so success
ful, in fact, that a few people — all black
— have died.
Instead of deciding that the maneuver
might be too dangerous, Gates thinks
that, well, maybe blacks just aren’t built to
handle the strain like us normal folks.
If I were black, I’d think twice about
living in a city whose police chief is more
willing to think I’m inferior than to re
consider a police tactic. Would Gates’
reasoning have been the same had the
dead all been white?
The police, by and large, are decent
people straining to do a difficult job in
spite of citizen indifference and inadequ
ate means. On the whole, they perform
admirably, and without the sacrifice they
make, I doubt we’d survive a week.
That does not mean they are perfect.
Indeed, the job they do sometimes gives
them an “us vs. them” mentality that can
lead to astonishing excesses.
The police, like the military, are under
civilian control for a very good reason:
police cannot be trusted to make law any
more than soldiers can be trusted to
know when and where to fight. Only peo
ple who can stand back from the fray
have the perspective to make that kind of
judgment.
Policemen, like soldiers, are often dan
gerously out of step with the rest of socie
ty and blinded by notions of law and mor
ality better suited to a battlefield than to a
free country.
The two statements today prove that.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Diana Sultenfuss
Managing Editor Phyllis Henderson
Associate Editor Denise Richter
City Editor BernieFette
Assistant City Editor Gary Barker
Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb
Focus Editor Nancy Floeck
Assistant Focus Editor Colette Hutchings
News Editors. . Tracey Buchanan, Cathy Capps,
Daniel Puckett, Mary Jo Rummel,
Staff Writers Cyndy Davis, Susan Dittman,
Beverly Hamilton, John Lopez, Hope E.
Paasch, Bill Robinson, Dana Smelser, Joe
Tindel, John Wagner, Laura Williams,
Rebeca Zimmermann
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Richard DeLeonJr.
Photographers
David Fisher, Jane Hollingsworth
Peter Rocha, John Ryan, Colin Valentine
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Battalion/Pagel
May 12,1
Commencement — a real tripSp
A problem became apparent at gra
duation ceremonies last weekend. It’s
one of those problems that may not have
a solution, but it deserves consideration.
Steep stairs in G. Rollie White Col
iseum present quite an obstacle to visiting
family and friends.
Students know how ridiculously steep
the stairs are in good old Jollie Rollie.
They grumble and groan about having to
exert effort to walk up the stairs to a high
perch in the stands to see a basketball
game.
However, students are basically
young, semi-agile people.
The people who attend graduation
ceremonies are not always so young and
agile. Grandma, Grandpa, Great-aunt
Mary and the whole gang want to come
see their grandchild or relative graduate.
A college graduation is a big thrill for
many people, especially since lots of
grandparents may never have attended
college themselves.
But, these wonderful, supportive and
proud relatives who are getting on in
years may have a problem in getting to
see the loved one graduate.
People who have difficulty moving
around are just about devastated when
they see the steepness of those coliseum
stairs.
At the Saturday morning commence
ment, one older lady needed someone to
support her on both sides while she
attempted to lift her legs high enough to
reach the next stair.
rebeca
zimmermann
stop halfway up the stairs to catcliJ
breath. These were two seeminglij
thy women. Imagine, then, whaiij
stairs do to someone with
I
It was painful just to watch her. At
times, she almost needed assistance to
pick up her foot high enough to reach the
next stair.
Of course, by this time there were no
seats left on the first few rows. She had to
go almost to the top of the stands to find a
seat.
And it wasn’t just older people who
h
1 P , .
Graduation, for most people, is a
dress-up affair. It sometimes looks like a
fashion show. And, many women were
wearing high heels of the narrow spike
variety.
movement.
Even young children had pi
with the stairs, mainly because
were bigger than they were.,
rying a small child up those stain
hazardous for those who carry thei
is to let children try it on their owl
People sitting around me expi
concern about the steepness of the
One man sitting behind me woi
aloud if there was any possible w
administrators to set aside
handicapped or semi-crippled visila
sit.
That might not be possible
someone would have to decide wlLj-^gU s£
served the space more. P Mitch(
Maybe space could be reseneiifc)o, irc i and
students could pick up passes to ikpnergy &
served area for relatives who hanlttgecl gra
eeting
n ongo
eration
;gies an<
iorge P. 1
le first <
nt cerei
I The Ui
ime self-
hin 15 ]
litical cli
contir
lerican
ady sup
‘Mideast fc
paired movement. But, this
create a problem as to who need
space more.
I saw two women who had trouble
walking down the stairs because their
spike heels left little space on which to
balance during the precarious descent.
Granted, maybe wearing spike heels is
asking for trouble at any event. But, gra
duation is a dignified, formal affair.
Two women in their twenties had to
Solutions to the problem maybei
cult to reach, but something netis
done.
And, if administrators decidete„
sider finding a solution to the problJ
accessibility in the coliseum, theii
should consider it in the proposedsfij
events center. This is one problem^
could be solved before it arises.
!h and rr
id of lil
TheM
the nation
Hand gas
iny is ah
eveloper
L Mitchel
Bexas A
Letters: Summer job warning
Editor:
Once again, it is summer — a time
most of us use to get away from school to
work or play. For those who work during
the summer, the prospect of employ
ment may appear slimmer this year than
in previous years. Yes, there are some
standard summer-type jobs available in
students’ hometowns, and some people
may even get to work temporarily for a
company which will hire them after they
finish school. There are some jobs,
however, that can appear to be better
than any other at first but can be terribly
misleading.
One of these involves working for an
out-of-state company by selling door-to-
door, also out-of-state. Quite a few peo
ple I know have attempted this with dif
ferent results — some made money
hand-over-fist, some made money but
didn’t like the way they did it, and some
lost a lot of money. Obviously, a job like
this involves a lot of risk which can not be
covered over by a flashy, memorized re
cruitment pitch.
Maybe I shouldn’t even be writing this
— maybe I should mind my own business
and let people get talked into something
like this, but it bothers me. From what
I’ve been told by students who worked or
tried to work this way, it takes a lot more
than guts to follow the demanding work
schedule which is expected. There are
just some things which can not be taught
in a one-week training course. Door-to-
door salesmanship requires aggressive
ness and the ability to think and speak
uickly, traits which should already be
eveloped within the person. Without a
fast mind, the salesman is at a distinct
disadvantage — he will not be able to
convince a customer fast enough to buy
something which he might not really
need.
Like I said earlier, this is a risky job.—
some people will succeed and some will
not. To take a risk without being able to
afford the loss is utter folly, but there is
probably nothing that can be said to those
who are determined to try the job out and
who stand to lose a lot if they are not
successful. To those who are as yet unde
cided, all I can say is to consider all op
tions carefully because regardless of what
someone may, salesmanship, like any
other activity, is not for everyone.
Roy Gunn ’82
RHA largest group
Editor:
In response to Bill Robinson’s article
of May 7, which stated that sororities and
fraternities form the largest group of
organized students at Texas A&M Uni
versity, the Residence Hall Association
submits the following facts:
— The Residence Hall Association is a
highly structured organization coordi
nating the programming of 27 hall coun
cils.
— RHA meets bi-monthly with repre
sentatives from each of the 27 program
med halls, forming a cohesive link be
tween the programmed halls.
— RHA, as a coordinating link be
tween Texas A&M University residence
halls, represents 8,000 on-campus stu
dents; therefore
— The Residence Hall Associatl
forms the largest group of organizedT
dents at Texas A&M University.
Stacy Gff
RHA presidf
Bad behavior at revij
Editor:
This past Saturday I attended Fij
Review as I have each year since conil
to Texas A&M. Although I have yell
become an Aggie parent, I was m
many examples of what not to be wM
do become one. The rudeness and oj
right selfishness exhibited by nttl
friends and family members last Saiij
day is not a part of the Aggie spirit wbl
so many of their sons and daughters'I
emplify.
Being a non-reg, I cannot honesdy
that I know how much Final Revi'
means to the members of the Col
(especially the graduating seniors),
do know that it is a very special occasi j
which deserves much more respect W
the spectators than was shown last Sam I
day. It’s a shame that more of us co»l
not have enjoyed Final Review a il
more because of the inexcusable ^1
havior of many.
To the Corps I would like to say 11
there are many of us in the non-rj
population that do care and are gratef i
to you for the fine image of Aggielacj
that you project in your many endeavor 1
:1a
Re
Dc
shop D
Give ’em Hell class of ’83!
Steve Trolinger',
213 Astoj