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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1984)
Opinion Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, September 19, 1984 Parents should testify when called The bond between parents and children is strong. The bond between justice and the truth must be stronger. Earlier this week U.S. Judge James DeAnda said he found no legal grounds supporting the claim by Bernard and Odette Port that they should be granted immunity from testifying against their son. The Ports have refused to answer questions concern ing the involvement of their son, David, in the death of letter carrier Debora Sue Schatz. Schatz disappeared this summer while delivering mail in a Houston suburb. While the Ports — who were ordered jailed last Wednesday by a district judge — sit in jail, their son is free on $20,000 bond. T he Ports have been sent to jail several times now over the issue, and have posted bond each time. They claim that they shouldn’t have to answer ques- tons concerning their son because it would violate a consti tutional right to parent-child privilege similiar to the right given to spouses under state law. 1'he judge wrote “Citi zens are not constitutionally immune from grand jury subpoena and the duty to testify refelects basic obligations which every citizen owes to his or her government and to society at large.” The couple also cites Jewish law which they say pro hibits them from testifying against a relative. A Jewish clergyman called before the court acknowledged such a parent-child priviledge exists, but also said that according to Jewish law, local laws take precedence in cases like this one. It’s a shame that parents would ever have to testify against their own children, but the right to withhold testi mony should not be extended to the families of those charged. The court system — if it is to work to acquit the inno cent and convict the guilty — needs testimony to find truth. In this case it needs the testimony of David Port’s parents. — The Battalion Editorial Board Gramm's joke a nuclear waste Nuclear waste is no joking matter. The future of the radioactive remains of nuclear power glows ominously over our future generations. But don’t tell Republican Senate nominee Phil Gramm that. Speaking during a West Texas campaign stop last week Gramm jokingly said that Boston would be a prime site for a nuclear dump because there is “no production or human activity of any great or high importance that would be disrupted.” It is a joke almost as funny as James Watt’s “a black, a jew and a cripple” faux pas and President Ronald Rea gan’s “Russia has been outlawed, the bombing starts in five minutes” gaffer. I he audience at West Texas State University in Can yon reportedly erupted in laughter over Gramm’s statement. You would think that the people of West Texas would be more sensitive to the dumping of nuclear wastes — especially since that area has been marked as a possible disposal area for the waste. Gramm, a former Texas A&M University economics professor, keeps saying his Senate race against Democrat Lloyd Doggett is a choice between a “a conservative who believes in the traditional values of our state and liberal whose views are closer to someone from Massachusetts or New York ...” Hopefully the people of Massachusetts—no matter how liberal and foreign they may be to Gramm — don’t want to dump their nuclear wastes in Texas. Gramm’s sick joke would make Paul Revere roll over in his grave — or at least glow. — The Battalion Editorial Board The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association South west Journalism Conference In memoriam Bill Robinson, 1962-1984, Editor The Battalion Editorial Board Stephanie Ross, Acting Editor Patrice Koranek, Managing Editor Shelley Hoekstra, City Editor Brigid Brockman, News Editor Bonn Friedman, Editorial Page Editor Kelley Smith, News Editor Ed Cassavoy, Sports Editor Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper operated as a community service to Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station. Letters Police Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the Editorial Board or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board ol Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Depart ment of Comm unications. icy Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and length but will make every effort to maintain the au thor’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the address and telephone num ber of the writer. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examina tion periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our Address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Editorial staff phone number: (409) 845-2630. Advertising: (409) 845-2611. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. Anothernightin roachlond Declaring war on the roach If Doctor Doolittle could talk with the an imals, I surely thought, I could live with the roaches. In general, I don’t have anything against roaches; it’s the mad scrambling when I turn on the bathroom light at 2 a.m. that bugs me. I don’t like Donn Friedman being a visitor in my own bathroom. I’ve tried whistling, “You who,” before com ing in. I’ve tried leaving the light on all night. I’ve tried to fairly share the good things I have with those less fortunate and more insectous than myself. Whenever I have a spare crumb, I let it drop to the ground. Whenever I see a morsel of food on the kitchen floor, I let it sit. I leave the trash bags open or only lightly tied. I never clean in the cracks or crevices or under the refrigerator or around the caulking in the bath-tub. It hasn’t helped. They’re still here. The more I try to be kind, the more of them I see. I’m tired of flicking on the bathroom light to see a insidious in sect standing triumphantly — like a mountain climber at the top of Everest — atop my pink ‘Pro’ toothbrush. The friends have become the ene mies. I now realize those who I tried to share a bit of my prosperity with are no better than parasites. This is a declaration of war. A war of the thinking versus the crawling. A war of man against insect. Paul Harvey, the guy who does the radio show where he says ‘now you know the rest of the story’, told me one day that Roach Prufe would cure ALL my roach problems. In fact, Harvey said, Roach Prufe is strong enough to even control the roaches at the Houston Astrodome. Well, I know Harvey is a man of his word, but I don’t believe the story of controlling the roaches at the dome. I worked as a vendor at the Astrodome, and the roaches aren’t your normally se date yankee hardly-bigger-than-your- thumbnail bugs. No, the roaches at the Astrodome are your flying Texas Astro- roaches. Those flying Astro-roaches have grown up in the world’s largest re frigerator. Outside of the air condition ing they would swelter in the 100 degree summers like the rest of Texans, but in the enclosed world of the dome they reign supreme. Though the dome has never bred a winning professional sports franchise, if the size of the roaches were a measure of a stadium’s history, the dome would be tops. In search of the magic roach control, my roomate Jeff and I headed to Skaggs Alpha-Beta. Aisle 9, the man punching out prices and shelving boxes of Kleenex says, is the roach control command center. The instructions on the side of the gi ant janitor-in-the-drum looking cans read like a Russian novel. Is it a powdti or a spray? How do you use it? Willi control our Texas-sized roach problem: The price answers all our question! $6.89. Jeff picks out the D-CON Road Motels, two for $ 1.29. “What’s the l>est location for tilt traps,” I asked Jeff. “Shhhhh," Jeff replied, “They’rt MOTELS, remember, not traps.” After placement of the traps instratf gie locations — behind the microwaveit the kitchen and next to the trash in tin bathroom —Jeff left for the movies, A high pitched squeal from the bad room pulled me away from studying Picking up the box that says TRAP, see the breadwinner of the family, hi antenna still flailing — his limbs «■ mented in place. He realizes the impo tence of his position; I realize the power of mine. His antenna move from side to side He doesn’t scurry away. He is some body’s husband. He must be thousands of children’s father. I don’t think I’m cut out for thistor- lure of war business. I took the boxoul side and shook it. 1 shook it hard. The small creature’s rear legs riped outofili sockets. Taking a large screw in hand,I snuffed him out. Am I really better off today with one less roach than I was four years ago? Donn Friedman is a weekly Battalion columnist. His column will appear on Wednesdays. LETTERS Bible message important to all more straight-forward style more of Robert’s thoughts on this issue. Church and state Mark R. Mace Junior Biomedical Science should not be apart EDITOR: I am a little confused about what Robert McGlohon was trying to get across in his arti cle on page two of the September 14, 1984 Battalion. I think the issue he touched on is a very important one, as it appears many of the students at A&M feel. Life (and death) has been getting a lot of attention lately in the Battalion. Robert mentioned the Bible as the inspired word of God. It is all we have that speaks with authority on this subject. Robert wrote on some things the Bible tells us, including repentance which is a change of attitude toward God. He included bap tism which is an outward symbol of an exist ing inward change. Robert also mentioned hell and judgement. Here is where he lost me. From the tone of this part of his article I get the impression that he feels hell is less real than heaven, but the Bible has several references to hell (Matthew 8:12) referring to it as the ultimate grave, final death , and eternal separation from God. Jesus Christ, the primary figure of the New Testament, said that he is the only way to eternal life with God. The idea that we de serve heaven (i.e. direct communion with God) is addressed by the Bible like this: “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” Romans 11:35. This was written emphasizing the greatness of God in that he HAS given us an opportunity to live with him. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me,” Jesus said (John 14:6). A given gift implies an acceptance; a rejected gift is not received. I would really be interested to hear in a Ads not consistent with editorials EDITOR: Your editorial of September 14 expressed outrage over the selling of T-shirts which ad vocated killing. If that editorial truly rep resented your belief, you should refuse to run advertisements which not only advocate killing, but actually offer the means by which the murder may be accomplished. I refer to the advertisement you ran on page 10 for “pregnancy terminations.” Arguments which justify the killing of ter rorists, murderers or invading soldiers are not applicable to unborn children who are killed solely for the convenience of the mother and the profit of the abortionist. You should not have run the ad. Allen B. Dobey Senior EDITORS NOTE: The editorial and adver tising departments in most newspapers are separate organizations. The Battalion Edi torial staff has no control over ad content nor does the Ad department have any con trol over editorial content. EDITOR: The Founding Fathers in establishingttie republic did not mean for the separationoi church and state to he interpreted as: thal the church has no role in public affairs, but that the state should not interfere in the church’s affairs. The Church has a obliga tion, indeed a duty, to speak out about pub lic affairs. Certainly Nazi Germany with all its horrors should remind everyone of the implications of unlimited state power. Today as I watch the news and see Ms Ferraro saying that she is personally op posed to abortion but as a public official she will not force this belief on others. Tome this is hypocrisy. Why doesn’t she just sav that abortion is condoned by the majorityof the American people and I’m not willing to follow a policy that will cost me votes? Cer tainly Ms. Ferraro as a “Christian” and a “Catholic” should know that abortion is wrong. For those who dispute this,I suggest reading Psalm 139:13-16. Wake up Amer ica!!! When a “Christian” nation murders millions of unborn babies each year some thing is dreadfully wrong. Equally frighten ing is that this policy is under the Federal Government’s direction who uses tax dollars collected from everyone to fund abortions; contrary to the wishes of a significant per centage of the population who regard abor tion as a life of death issue. Should the ma jority be allowed to impose its will on the minority when life or death is at stake? To me that is mob rule. Again, Wake Up Amer ica. In allowing abortion to continue, are we any better than the Soviet Union? Stephen A. Y’Barbo Class of ’83 Ai d E Land eral leg the Son to exch private free ent At th Real Esi tee, ant Home 1 crat Dai Barton, race for publicat crat Net Texas 1 tended i Appe ence ea talk for Dan 1 cl,“ever; nated p up with ciety. the natit “We’\ 300 per to appr the deb cent, m lion to $ Kubir ments fi lives. H tirely in entire fi pie in fi on tax reading making going prosper Joe 1 nent’s sj a defer rights as He cr uled to would r< cent tm 1 “The shouldn you shot He sa pealed c vote. “If it: Congres move th said. Barto MS The tick tick Tirr IV Nam tami ADoi CITY/ PHoi