The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, January 24, 1984, Image 2
Page 2/The BattalionATuesday, January 24, 1984 pinion Meese is not fit for Cabinet slot Monday it was reported that Attor ney General French Smith will soon be come the sixth member of President Reagan’s cabinet to resign. And it appears the president will nominate his chief adviser, Edwin Meese, to become the next U.S. Attor ney General. A man without compassion to be come the United States chief law en forcement official? Meese. The same Meese who was in the news with his comments regarding the poor in America. Meese. The one who thought there were no truly needy Americans. Meese, who refuses to ack nowledge the homeless who sleep on the streets on our downtowns or the 35,000 unemployed who fought for the right to apply for 300 postal jobs in Chicago last week. He seems to follow the philosophy that all those who want to work, work. And all those left over Fight for the scraps that the government throws out in federal programs. Law enforcement personnel, from the patrolmen on the streets to the Jus tices of the United States Supreme Court, must have empathy for the peo ple they serve. And how can a man empathize with the poor and the homeless when he re fuses to believe that they even exist? The United States has survived poor government officials. It has survived the appointments of 40 presidents. The environment was strong enough to survive James Watt. And the legal system of the country will survive Edwin Meese. But why should it have to? — The Battalion Editorial Board Now that the Supreme Court has ruled cm heme video machines, the thrill of tape pimcj te£one for Chuck Smeif.. S sai U. sta caj set bei J aI ex | soc ver tht Ro alt* noi tuti pr< ges M a< t c mot Chel Abortion Basr, fcfTuman rights at stake By LINDA LEE BRIGHAM Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court leg alized abortion. In other words, an open season was declared for the killing of un born children. These children do not die in some subtle, quiet, painless way; they are either cut to pieces via D and C, torn to bits by suction, burned alive by saline solution injected’ into the womb, birthed by caesarian section and killed by either direct act or neglect or crushed to death by abnormally strong contraction of the uterus induced by a new form of chemic al abortion. It is hard to imagine that in a country where we proudly boast of our love for our favorite sports teams, ice cream, grandma’s coooking, and our cars, we turn and look the other way while each day 4,400 white paper buckets await in cineration. Their contents are 4,400 dead, bruised, aborted babies. As I sit here trying to write this article, looking at all my facts, I grow sick and angry. A photograph of a six-and-a-half- month old, aborted child lying in one of those buckets waiting to be burned has seared itself into my mind as the epitome of the brutal murder inflicted upon an aborted child. Six and a half months! I had a teacher who was born prematurely reader’s forum at six months during the early ’50s, and she lived even though few at that time had her mother’s hope that she would survive. The child in the picture was not even given a chance to live. I am appalled that as Americans we can be heard complaining loudly about the lack of human rights for men and women throughout the world, but for some reason the rights of the unborn are not as vocally protested. Our constitution guarantees us life, liberty, and the pur suit of happiness; it seems, however, that modern, post-natal America is more in terested in the pursuit of its happiness than the guarantee of the pre-natal’s life. As long as abortion is legal, the U.S. Con stitution and our so-called Christian na tion stand out as blatant hypocrites to the world. I’m well aquainted with the arguments for pro-choice; I used to believe in pro choice. I did not see how I could force some woman by law to have her child, but I cannot condone the legalization of the murder of innocent children to continue. The reason for my change of view has come through the understanding of Cod’s love for each and every one of us. He has created each of us in his own image. Psalm 139:15-16 reads, “When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother’s womb, when I was gowing there in secret, you knew I was there — you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began.” The Bible clearly proves that these un born children have a life waiting for them outside the mother’s womb. Due to the Roe v. Wade pro-abortion decision, man is playing Cod with the lives of unborn children; it is time for man to recognize Cod as Cod and to obey Cod’s laws which will put an end to abortion. Linda Lee Brigham is a secondary education major. Emotional appeals in bad taste Monday at Rudder Fountain I saw some thing that disturbed me. It was not the demonstration against abortion — the demonstrators have the right to do that. What I objected to were the tactics used by the demonstrators to make their point. On a podium in the center of the crowd was a small casket. The displaying of a casket was distaste ful and probably ineffective. When someone has made the choice to have an abortion, she knows what she has done. At that time she must have felt it was the only thing she could do. alternatives. The emotional appeals often only result in tremendous feelings of guilt after an abortion instead of fewer abortions. The casket was there obviously to make people groan and become sick at the thought of abortion. However, emotional appeals, such as those used Monday, can backfire. The protesters can make a sympathetic appeal for the unborn child while the pro-choice people can play for sympathy for the girl who was raped. kelley If the protesting organizations could sponsor support groups and telephone hot-lines manned with people who have information the mother needs, they would get more productive responses. smith These groups also could support edu cational programs to help prevent un wanted pregrenancies. But too often, these are the same groups that protest against clinics counseling minors on birth Tactics like those used Monday wouldn’t help to change my mind. They only tend to make me angry. I saw the protest, and I'm still a pro- choice person. If the people who conduct protests such as the one held Monday want to stop abortions, they are being unrealistic. If they really want to cut down on the num ber, they could employ some better tac tics. Instead of passing out brochures that focus on pictures of aborted babies and quotes from the Bible, the brochures could focus more on the alternatives to abortion: What else can the 15-year-old girl do? Where can she find support? Who can she call? Where can she get the financial assistance she needs? How can the rape victim cope with carrying the child of a rapist? A person faced with the problem of an unwanted pregnancy needs the rational counseling of someone who knows the against control methods Appeals such as Monday’s probably have the greatest effect on those who already have had abortions. But then it’s too late and only adds to the emotional turmoil the person has already suffered. Kelley Smith is a junior journalism major and a senior staff writer for The Battalion. The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor Rebeca Zimmermann author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Managing Editor John Wagner Texas A&M University administrators or faculty mcm- City Editor Patrice Koranek bers, or of the Board of Regents. Assistant City Editors Kathleen Hart, rhc Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper Stephanie Ross for students in reporting, editing and photography clas- News Editor Tracev Tavlor scs w ^bin the Department of Communications. Assistant News Editors. . Susan Talbot, Questions or comments concerning any editorial mat- Wanda Winkler ccr shouId bc d,rcctcd to thc cdltor - Editorial Page Editor Kathy Wiesepape Sports Editor Donn Friedman Assistant Sports Editor Bill Robinson Thc Battalion is published Monday through Friday Entertainment Editor Shelley Hoekstra during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holi- Assistant Entertainment Editor Angel ^ay and examination periods. Mail subscriptions arc Stokes per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per Pho, ° Makely SSSSL*! Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX • • 77843. Editorial Policy United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited Thc Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news- to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein paper operated as a community service to Texas A&M reserved. University and Bryan-Collcgc Station. Opinions ex- Second class postage paid at College Station, TX pressed in Thc Battalion arc those of thc editor or thc 77843. Slouch by Jim Earle “I’ll have to admit you ’re extremely well organized for the semester, but I would suggest that you get a textbook or two. ” Letters; Seniors deserve finals exemption Editor: By now you will have received a moun tain of letters concerning the recent Fa culty Senate decision to remove the ex emption of graduating seniors from tak ing final exams. Please add this one to the mountain. There has been considerable discus sion during my six graduate and under graduate years at Texas A&M about “non-functional” traditions. As the folks in Austin would say, “A&M is full of it!” Bonfire is just one classic example. Certainly it serves no truly useful fuction. It does, however, drive home the pride and loyalty felt by all Aggies toward Texas A&M. At freshman orientation they told us that if the Bonfire did not make us proud to be Aggies, then no thing would. They were right! A&M is special because of its traditions, but this is not meant to be discourse on the “Spirit of Aggieland.” Exemption from finals does not serve a practical function, either. It is a privilege of rank, not of merit. Tenure is a priv- ledge of rank also. Convenient parking locations are a privilege of rank. Longev ity pay is a privilege of rank. We live with these privileges every day. Just ask some one serving in the Armed Forces. Or, better yet, ask a Corps freshman! The timing of the decision was abo minable. I will not, however, vent my ire without proposing two alternatives: 1. Retain the exemption of degree candidates from final examination. 2. Exempt honor graduates from the final examination, both graduate and undergraduate. The undergraduate stu dents will not be seriously deprived academically, while the gradute students have already taken a final (a really com prehensive final!). I would be willing to discuss this mat ter with anyone who deems it worthy of consideration. My own self-interests in this issue are minimal. Instead, this is a request for rationality. Good study habits and a fine education are made over years, not during one final examination week. Bryan E. Stampley Graduate Research Assistant Darwinism just theory, not fact Editor: Commenting on Mr. Hanger’s letter on Darwinism, I would first like to say that I am not judging him — that would be sin. I will then say that being a creationist does not make one any more anti- scientific than an Evolutionist. Neither Creationism nor Darwinism (if taken that man and ape came fronra common ancestor) is scientific. We have not observed the creator creating nor man begotten from a non-human. Granted, man has changed over the years but to teach that lower species eventually gave rise to man is unscientific (by the scientific method). One can only draw a conclusion form evidence. Strangely enough, many prominent scientists today (many of these non creationists) doubt Darwin. They say not constant, gradual change but instan taneous change following many years of static life forms is what the fossil record indicates. We’re getting closer to crea tionism. The account of the expanse (Cen. 1:6- 9) and flood (Cen. 7:10-12), on the other hand, could help explain dinosaur life and extinction around the world. Consid er it! As far as Orwell’s 1984, I see a force opposed to the conservative Christii movement actively involved in ceim ship. Censorship of many Chrisiia books has prevented best-sellers fora making the list (read Thomas’ Bo« Burning). Another example is bannin voluntary Bible study and prayer in puli lie school. In conclusion, what I fear most aboA Darwinism (survival of the fittest) istk even though this “survival” occurs inis ture to an extent, if applied socially Ji those who only regard man as thehigha animal form without responsibility Cod) we could have another genocideu destroying the “less than perfect”ont Think I am crazy? Eleven years of lep ized murder of “less than human” 11 born infants is proof. Think aboutit. Gerald T. Hellv Class of! tiniu jury and nurs two i later T1 motr opet Jone; liona deriri ful n cinyle M death ed hi been on th “( Student defend ag eco prof Editor: nmg minu and tl me si haire< whost eral b Jon of tw McGl< Kerrv Jones Min child i The recent criticism of the Texas AS® j 11011 ^ Department of Agricultural Econorafy"^ by certain liberal factions in the staterfljjg)^ j ernment is unjustified. The criticisE went , directed primarily at Dr. Ronald Knit son attacks his beliefs and accuses being a Reagan puppet. In lieuofli evidence submitted, these peoplehavet sound logical base from which to spti ' ;, * lc ,)a and are in effect attempting to conllf vas n and direct the academics of this schooll mandating the political philosophyofi faculty. Even though Texas A&M is a SB institution, ideology and ideals should: left open for individual choice. Knutson chooses to take a conservalf stand in his talks, it should behisperof tive. As one of his former students oom. forme ospii wrong agricultural policy, I think he does as perb job of presenting both proandtJ arguments on both past and presentl ! and world agricultural and food polio Intervention and manipulation of d> institution by less than well informedw* siders can be conducive to a healthy vironment, but it should also be reali® that unwarranted interference by gro» who do so only for the betterment of th own position is potentially destrutti 1 Before justification of charges sucti these against Knutson can be legitimate levied, the parties involved should evaluate the long-term impacts on ant stitution which is attempting to first-class status. Grant A. Tent Southern pride questioned Editor: I am writing to call attention to a reefl 1 event that took place in Austin, an eve» ; which says something not only aW Texas, but about the entire region wee^ “the South.” I am speaking of Confedtf ate Heroes day, a celebration of the life tyle and people of the Confederate st# What is significant about this events think, not to whom the tribute will h paid but to whom it will not be p; While people emulate the great Robert! Lee and the splendor of the antebellum life, will they remember the race «lt f paid for this with their freedom am nity? The answer is probably not, andthat [ an enigmatic characteristic belonging^ iquely to southern America. Other cu! tures that commit great wrongs feel need to find excuses and to deny respo 1 sibility for their actions. Such a dri' seems absent in a majority of America 11 today. This letter was not meant to persu: any white Aggies to bow their heads 1 shame. It will probably have the revets effect. Rather, it was intended asanap® ogy to black Aggies and all black Ante leans. I am white and I am sorry. Jerry RosJ Class of ■