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
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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.
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• • 77843.
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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!
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Student defend
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Editor:
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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
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