Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, April 7, 1983
opinion
Letters: Holocaust memorial
Editor:
The mayors of Bryan/College Station
have proclaimed Saturday and Sunday as
Holocaust Memorial days; a time of re
flection on the unparalleled crime
against humankind committed by Nazi
Germany from 1939-1945. Among the
14 millions of people murdered, six mil
lion were Jews who were singled out for
extermination as a people.
I urge all readers of The Battalion to
join the Hillel Foundation (Jewish Stu-
, dent Center), The Campus Ministers’
I Association and the Israel Club and par-
I ticipate in the events that will occur over
i the span of two days. These events are
i planned to educate the Campus com-
1 munity and attempt to bring and under
standing of the enormity of the horror.
Our program begins Sunday night at 9
p.m. in 201 MSC with a Holocaust
I Memorial. The Memorial led by Campus
Ministers and their students will feature
1 readings of prose and poetry from Jew
ish and non-Jewish writers. There will be
a moment of silence when the lights are
turned off and students recite the names
of the death camps. The Memorial will
end with a community song of hope.
On Monday, there will be an all day
I reading of some of the names of the vic
tims of the Holocaust and a photo exhibi-
: tion in Rudder Lobby. The readers will
i attempt to read 16,000 names. To put
1 this in perspective, it is important to real-
1 ize that six million Jews were killed and if
we continued reading the names at the
same rate, it would take us 1 Vz years to
read the names of non-Jews who were
slaughtered at the same time because
, they were mentally unfit, or were gypsies,
i or were anti the Nazi regime.
The Holocaust events will culminate
with the film, “Genocide,” to be shown in
Monday evening at 8 p.m. in 701 Rud
der. This film, narrated by Elizabeth
Taylor and Orson Welles, won the 1982
film award for Best Documentary. The
film is a multi-image presentation which
tells through the actual documented
words of eyewitnesses, the story of the
Holocaust. There will be a charge of
$1.50 to see the film.
I hope that everyone will find some
time during those two days to join us in
the events. Deeply inhuman crimes re
quire us to take time to reflect on how to
prevent them from ever happening
again.
Carol Parzen
Director, Hillel Foundation
International Week
Editor:
International Week is over now and
we can only look back at what I consider
to be the most meaningful event of my
short career at Texas A&M. I had the
opportunity to make new friendships
and to learn about their countries and
people.
I only regret the indifference shown
by the domestic students, reflected great
ly by the inadequate coverage of this
event by The Battalion. Having a dog
show on the front cover, while the poorly
documented series of photographs of In
ternational Week mingles within adver
tisement of appartment complexes not
only shows lack of commitment but also
poor taste.
Fernando Urrutia ’83
Banner stolen
Editor:
To the individual, or group of indi
viduals, that stole the Israel Awareness
Week banner from the MSC-Rudder
Tower walkway Tuesday night — don’t
be too proud of your action.
No matter what the reasons were for
enacting such a “brave” act in the middle
of the night, I don’t accept your attempt
to limit free expression on this campus.
Although actions of this type, and even
worse, may be totally acceptable in some
parts of the world, here at Texas A&M,
we pride ourselves on the free exchange
of ideas and information. Just as our
group has the right to exercise this free
dom, so does every other group on cam
pus — no matter what their beliefs. That
is what makes democracy great.
If, by chance, your reason for stealing
our Israel Awareness Week banner was
to lodge some form of protest — there
are many other, more acceptable forms
of protest. In every democratic country,
whether it be the U.S. or Israel, the right
to protest is a basic liberty. But, when that
right is abused, and the rights of others
are encroached upon, it is no longer a
protest — but anarchy.
Please feel free to return our banner at
any time to 216 MSC. In the meantime,
we will make another banner and again
hang it on the MSC-Rudder Tower walk
way. Even though you may not have the
guts to return the banner you stole, at
least now maybe you understand why we
have the right to one.
Ephraim Seidman
Coordinator, Israel Awareness Week
AT&amster Glossary
CONTRACT
UNION®
HAUL.
EARL/ ®
BINDING
ARBITRATION
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PRISON
HI
TEAMSTER RETIREMENT HOME
Letters: Nuclear power plants
Editor:
In response to Rube Williams’ edito
rial entitled “Nuclear energy — the Great
Debate": Rube, just how safe is nuclear
energy? Is nuclear fuel only hazardous to
those who “stroll through a containment
building” or somehow manage “to eat
uranium"?
Have you ever wondered why so many
states have refused to let the federal gov
ernment bury nuclear waste in their
backyards? Radioactive waste, even in the
smallest quantity and in the most stable
burial grounds, is a highly dangerous en
tity.
Furthermore, given mankind’s pre
sent state of cognitive imperfection, is it
not possible that a series of mistakes
could be made in the building, inspection
and operation of a nuclear power plant
— a series of mistakes that could lead to a
nuclear disaster? Was the Three Mile Is
land accident a mere anomaly and must
we, the public, live with the threat of re
peated (and possibly more disastrous)
anomalies?
Can nuclear energy proponents begin
to understand why people all over the
globe are frightened and why some cry
“No Nukes!"? Why nuclear power is no
longer seen as an energy panacea and
why many people are turning to the soft
energy paths (and are making them
work).
In mankind’s stream of energy con
sciousness, nuclear power has played a
£
crucial part. A part presently controver
sial and certainly fading.
Larry Mutter
Dennis Burns
Susan Bulmer
Graduate Students
Editor’s note: This letter is being rerun
today because of a typographical error in
Wednesday’s Battalion.
Photo results
Editor:
I would like to apologize to all of those
individuals (ie. Corps of Cadets mem
bers, Christians, liberals, conservatives,
atheists, feminists, chauvinists, art critics,
artists, and civilians) who have had their
toes stepped on by The Battalion, the
Buttalion or by any other publication in
the world.
But now that you have your apology,
be glad someone stepped on those toes.
Because if we didn’t have art, satire, and
other assorted “toe crushers” (regardless
of perceived quality) many people would
have closed eyes and minds.
So ... the next time you and your en
lightened mind read an article or see a
picture that slaps you in the face, get
£
angry ... and be happy someone thought
enough of the world to make you mad.
Grant E. Wood ’84
Photo again
Editor:
This letter is in response to the letter
from Michelle Lynch concerning the
photograph of the female cadet with the
tuba in Friday’s paper. Let me state that
she obviously lacks any sense of humor
and was apparently looking for an excuse
to illustrate her “chauvinistically blatant”
writing skills.
Her “Gloria Steinem” approach to the
otherwise amusing photograph made me
and probably most of the readers nause
ated. If you really desire a school with
women in the band, why don’t you go
toot your horn down at t.u. or some other
so-called “Great University.”
The Battalion is definitely not “the lap
dog of the administration.” You probably
did not even realize that The Battalion’s
editorial comments represent the feel
ings of the students and not of the admi
nistration. I congratulate The Battalion
for printing a picture which was obvious
ly intended for the enjoyment of those
individuals who believe in the traditions
that A&M has to offer. Apparently the
April Fool’s joke was on you Miss Lynch!
Ronald Claiborne
Spence Hall
Slouch By Jim Earlt
fcdne
3d
Mu
w
■is.
mts
ross
rce
Th
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“It’s on tax day that I have my strongest reservations gj ir e,
about all of the wonderful services our government pro- C:
vides us.”
Bonzo, Reagan
follow Star Wars
epa
r, s
“It
by Art Buchwald
President Reagan was relaxing in his
office at 5 p.m., after putting in a hard
day’s work, with his best friend Bonzo.
The president was sipping a scotch and
water, and Bonzo was drinking a banana
daiquiri.
“You know what worries me the most,
Bonzo?” the president asked.
Bonzo looked up, all ears.
“This whole concept of MAD —
Mutual Assured Destruction. We can no
longer go into the 21st century building
bigger and bigger weapons. We have to
figure out a way of making nuclear
weapons impotent and obsolete so our
children and your children will no longer
be faced with the specter of war.”
Bonzo started to clap his hands.
“If our scientists put their great minds
to work, we could develop a sure-fire sys
tem to destroy the greatest force of evil in
the world.”
Bonzo jumped off the couch and onto
a chair, where he started angrily beating
a map of the Soviet Union with both
hands.
“The question is, how can we do it?”
the president mused.
Bonzo put his hands on his head,
which he always did when he was think
ing. Then he let out a squeal and went to
a drawer and took out a photograph of a
chimpanzee and jumped on the presi
dent’s desk.
The president said, “What have you
got here? Why it’s a photograph of Ham,
the first chimp who went into space.
What are you trying to tell me Bonzo?”
Bonzo kept pointing out the window
towards the sky.
“Ham is dead?”
Bonzo shook his head again. Then he
hopped over to the TV set, turned it on
and put an Atari Star Warsgameoi
screen. Bonzo, who amused himse;
day long playing video games,
shoot down objects as they flewacra
screen.
“Stop horsing around Bonzo,
president said. “This is veryini[
Bonzo hopped over to the pn
and tugged him on the sleeve,
him towards the TV set.
I he president let Bonzo
the set. “Just one game Bonzo,and
let’s get back to my problem.”
Bonzo pointed to the TV screen
then pointed to the map of theSi ^
Union. .11 ; L
The president realized Bonzo Lj
trying to tell him something. “Donil hab
me, Bonzo. I think I’m gettingiili imp
could put something in space wed onp
shoot down Soviet missiles fromllif|
Is that what you’re driving at?"
Bonzo squealed again and dire']
arms around the president.
“That’s it!” the president said.“.1!
would need is some powerful i
that could zap the missiles as sobnai|
were launched. But how?”
Bonzo went over to a radiatoranl
looked
on it.
The president
“Radiator?”
“Radiator? Heat? A heat-seti
death ray that would make theirICI
inoperable!”
Bonzo squealed again and hugg
president.
President Reagan rushed over
telephone and got the Joint Chi
Staff. “I want
m my
everyone
tomorrow morning.”
Then the president poured Bfl
another banana daiquiri and saidgt
fully, “Bonzo, you’ve done it
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member ot
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Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor Diana Sultenf'uss
Managing Editor Gary Barker
Associate Editor Denise Richter
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Smith, Angel Stokes, Joe Tindel,
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Copy editor Jan Swaner
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
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Sergio Galvez Thompson, Fernando
Andrade
Photographers David Fisher, Guy Hood,
Eric Lee, Irene Mees,
William Schulz
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