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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1984)
Thursday, November 1, 1984/The Battalion/Page 3 more opinion rs mssion to ?ven keep ) A&M- unhappy umber of o fight to ; of their t of them he “tradi- the MSC he rest of ’re proud iriety is a tention to and even the Corps against any breakers f tradition or school rules as a back- rop.” Oh! The horror of it all! But’s that’s not the worst of it! This veritable hell-hole condones eauty pageants, bonfires and what may even be worse; the use of real journalists [to operate the school newspaper instead [of profound thinkers such as Bill iSparks. (Reader’s Forum, Oct. 30th). I One could only wish that highway 6 ran both ways. Scott Humphrey fciass of’85 SAE Aggies say they do not haze EDITOR: I I never cease to be amazed at the cov- Irage of fraternities in the Battalion. Reaching all the way to Austin, several lays late, for your lead story in Mon- [day’s edition was a little obvious in its lias, merely an attempt to distract an in formed student body from the neg- igent death of Cadet Goodrich. In reply, I would remind your read- rsof the following: 1) The obligate comparison of the lorps death and the SAE incident of ore than a month ago is dangerous nd bound to be misleading. The sever- yofa muscle strain and that of an acci- ental death defies comparison. The ba rs of the two events is similar and I will jress that point below. However, the ount of negligence and insensitivity, well as the impact on those involved is rids apart. Besides, in talking with me of the guys at T exas it is not alto- er clear the relationship between injury and exercise session. Fhe SAE Chapter at Texas A&M is o way comparable to the Chapter of at t.u. I would not put anyone n; however, our philosophies are different — WE DO NO I HAZE, ou don’t believe that come and check DUt. i busters" » A&M as I get into a en knock litions are The Nation Office of SAE expli- iv prohibits hazing. The big differ- ice here being, we dose Chapters rich don’t seem to get the message. If iu don’t believe that, ask a member om one of the Chapters which have hen closed . . . including the one at <l u - (Srhe poor judgement of placing the '■Jries under one headline in the lead > cometol?f nands P rotest - However, hazing in ators and y. uspectinj usters” to hool pol- positive, :o change Ting tra- s just an- general ought to evoke a more powerful outcry. Let’s all realize the true story here. Keith D. Newman College Station Maranatha bigots at it once again EDITOR: Those Maranatha bigots are at it again. Their ad (Oct. 25) claiming “Medical Aspects of Homosexuality” taught me more about the dangers of religious fanaticism than of the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. Why are the Maranathas dangerous? They claim our health is threatened by gays, therefore we must ‘suppress’ gays and kill gay rights. Such drastic mea sures would be fine in a totalitarian the ocracy (Iran, for example), but in our democracy you at least need sound facts to justify them. If these health threats are to be be lieved, why did the ad fail to cite any of its claims? Why weren’t any recognized sex therapists quoted? I suggest you couldn’t get Dr. Ruth Westheimer to agree with any of the Maranatha’s claims in a million years. R.A. Mecum WFS Maranatha’s gone too far this time EDITOR: The ad sponsored by Maranatha Christian Fellowship in the October 25 Battalion was the most vicious (and por nographic) anti-sexual statement I’ve read all year. (I’m curious to know Citi zens for Decency’s opinion of the de scription of the sex acts found in the ad.) T his “Christian” fellowship has sim ply gone too far. Surely they’ve embar rassed other Christians on campus with their cruel, tasteless “Medical Aspects of Homosexualtiy.” When I was in junior high in the late Fifties, my best friend was forbidden by her parents (who were devout church goers) to swim in pools that permitted black children to enter. The reason? “Everyone knew” that black children and their parents had no control over their sexual appetites, and a swimming pool with even one black kid could quickly spread VD. Integra tion of the schools was out of the ques tion. According to “medical authori ties,” black children harbored lice, scabs, and infection, thus endangering fine, moral white kids. A hundred years ago, Irish immi grants were the “diseased” ones. Re cently it was blacks. Now it’s homosex uals. The “medical facts” that were used to support injustice were based on ha tred then, and they are based on hatred now. Kristin Parsons College Station Enough is enough gays are humans EDITOR. Enough is enough! I’m referring to all of the articles and letters concerning GSS and gays. W’hafs the matter with A&M? Yes, this a conservative school, a school with many traditions, etc. but there have been homosexuals on this campus since the 1800’s. Who are all of these “self-righteous” heterosexuals condemning the GSS and gays? When I read the advertisement “Medical Aspects of Homosexuality,” I was shocked! Was that intended as a scare tactic for all of the naive straights on campus? Why wasn’t there an ad about medical aspects of heterosexuality? V.D., herpes, syphyllis, pre-maritial inter course, and unwanted pregnancy? A&M will never beat the GSS. Gay men and women are human be ings. Not all gays engage in promiscu ous sex with one another. They have meaningful, lasting relationships. Being gay is not 100 percent sexual. Just like anyone else, they look for a lov ing, understanding person to share their lives with. Give it up, A&M. Gays have been around since the beginning of time and they’re not going to disappear, not even on this “sacred” campus. I don’t feel A&M has a chance in this battle, even in the Supreme Court. So all of you Aggies who are now to tally paranoid of gays, just chill out! They’re not out to get you, they’re just out to live their own lives in the land of the free, so live and let live! Jennifer Blankenship College Station EDITOR'S NOTE: Anyone may place, an editorial advertisement— within cer tain rules (contact the advertising de partment of the paper) in The Battal ion. If you wish to buy an ad regarding the medical aspects of heterosexuality contact the advertising department. Batt Editorial Board hypocrites, pornographers EDITOR: What a bunch of hypocrites! Y’all de fend the GSS’ right to exist but disap prove of the Citizens for Decency. Why? Because you disagree with their motives (i.e. eliminate pornography). You go on to make off-the-wall accusations like — “Before long they’ll be burning the clas sics of literature ...” I suppose by clas sics you guys mean Hustler, Penthouse, etc. The ultimate journalistic ploy is to claim it’s one group trying to push their morality on the rest of us! Wake up, edi tors, every law is someone’s morality. Yes, the Citizens for Decency think pornography is immoral for obvious reasons (encourages lust - yes, Chris tians consider that wrong/immoral; de grades women; and recent studies indi cate pornography encourages violent tendencies like rape). Pornographers can’t stand criticism, so it’s very doubtful you guys will print this letter; however, I am beginning to understand your line of reasoning. Let’s close down the police depart ments — they only serve to enforce one groups’s morality on another. After all, armed robbery and murder are two of the most personal choices a person ever makes. Wowee! the next time someone gets in my way on the sidewalk, I’ll just shoot him. Hey — don’t foist your religion on me! In closing, let me say — I love free dom of the press but when you guys start telling the rest of us what is a “de cent” organization and what isn’t; well the hypocrisy of it all makes me sick! Since l usually disagree with you — the editors, none of my several letters have been published; so I doubt I’ll see this in print but I do ask you to consider what I’ve said (I know you’re really just trying to do a “decent” job). Murphy Smith Aggie Prof Black awareness for all EDITOR: Imagine this typical scene: A white student walks into the MSC entrance by the bookstore. He happens to look up and reads the following ban ner: “MSC Black Awareness — Voices of Praise presents GOSPELFEST 84.” His thoughts are, “Oh, Black Aware ness, that’s for Black people, not me.” On Friday, Oct. 19, I was present at the discussion the Gay Student Services Organization held by Rudder Fountain. One of the representives of the GSS ar gued for recognition by questioning the purposes of MSC Black Awareness Committee (BAC). He wrongly implied that Black Awareness was an example of a recognized self-serving organization in order to justify his stance. So many people like him share the disillusion that Black Awareness is the synonym for Blacks Only. The programming goals of MSC BAC are the same for the entire MSC organization of committees: to provide high quality programming to all Aggies. No neon sign below BAC posters blink “White people need not come.” It’s only the mental signs in people’s minds that do blink. America was founded on the prin ciple of tolerance and unity between its diverse cultures. This principle, how ever, is not accepted by all Americans because of the misconceptions or preju dices they bear. Only by acquiring accu rate knowledge about the lifestyle of an other culture can these misconceptions by swept away. Alex Haley will speak at Rudder on Nov. 7 as one of the highlights of the upcoming Racial Awareness Week. The Voices of Praise, a gospel choir and sub committee of Black Awareness, presents the dynamic 3rd Annual GOSPELFEST 84 this Saturday, at 7:00 p.m. The en ergy and good feelings generated by this musical is open to everyone on cam pus. Remove yourself from the comfort ing isolation of your own culture and explore the unique cultures that co-exist around you. Try attending a BAC spon sored function such as GOSPELFEST 84 this Saturday. By learning more about other cultures, you will gain en richment and a clearer understanding of the world we all share equally. Teresa Brashear Class of’85 I; 1 r wery two Battalion |T 1 regard- tily an in-1| ic to vote | most So- it threat of! I police L ditor newspaper \8cM M' d ose of the sarily rep- rs, faculty fap hy c McDonald it/on, OX 2630. Ad- X 77843. ije Battal- n. Texas OK, SO WE LIED. BUT THIS TIME WE’RE NOT LYING. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR FRESHMEN & SOPHOMORES TO TAKE CLASS PICTURES FOR THE 1985 AGGI ELAND. Location: The Pavilion Hours: 8:30-12 and 1 to 4:30 In order to accommodate the flux, the Junior and Senior sessions YBA has been postponed until Friday, Nov. 2nd. t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t 1 :\ v