Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, April 25, 1985
OPINION
Don't customers
matter anymore?
If you think the battle of the burgers is ridiculous, get a load
of the battle of the shopping centers.
College Station’s Post Oak Mall isn’t playing nice with its
smaller neighbor, Post Oak Square. The mall refuses to go along
with a driveway between the two shopping centers — a driveway
that would be convenient and practical for its customers. When
the owner of Post Oak Square had a driveway paved, the mall
immediately erected a barricade and now has ripped up the
driveway.
The mall’s management is acting like a bunch of bratty kids
who won’t share their toys with the younger ones. The mall
doesn’t want to lose any business to its neighbor. But how could
a small shopping center with grocery stores, restaurants and a
tanning salon compete with Post Oak Mall?
The two shopping centers provide two different kinds of
services to their customers. They should be trying to cultivate a
symbiotic relationship from which they could both profit.
Shoppers at one center are more likely to run over to the
other while they are already out. But if getting from one to the
other means fighting traffic to pull out onto Harvey Road and
immediately turning off again, it’s often not worth the effort,
and many potential shoppers give up and go home.
If Post Oak Mall is so concerned with losing business to
neighboring stores, then why isn’t it thinking more about the
convenience and safety of its customers? Stores can lose business
not only from competing stores, but also from neglecting their
customers. The management and owners should remember that
the customer is supposed to come first.
The Battalion Editorial Board
LETTERS:
Stereotypes about
atheists untrue
EDITOR:
I am writing this letter in response to
Edmond R. LaBelle’s letter in April 23
issue of The Battalion. I strongly believe
in God with all my heart, and am a very
religious person.
My question is how can he dare to
claim that atheists know no love — that
they hate their fellow man and them
selves? Such a claim shows complete ig
norance and closed-mindedness. I know
many atheists very well and know this
claim is utterly without truth, not to
mention unkind.
One of my closest friends is an athe
ist, and she is capable of showing great
love. She is kind, caring, and loving to
everyone, no matter what their personal
beliefs, and her kindness is without bias
or any desire for personal gain. She al
ways tries to help others.
Another atheist I know is as coun
selor for abused elementary school stu
dents. For many of these children she is
their only source of happiness and love.
She also has an autistic son who she
raised willngly and lovingly, putting him
above herself at all times. Is this hate?
God has given us all minds to think
with, and simply because someone else’s
thoughts differ with yours gives you no
right to claim yourself better. Is what re
ligion has taught you, Mr. LaBelle — to
denounce your fellowmen because of
their opinions? I think you should clo
sely examine your own ability to show
kindness to others before you make
cruel, rash and untrue judgements
based on a personal belief!
Adela A. Rico
Not enough people
think for themselves
EDITOR:
When Madalyn O’Hair came here last
week, she raised many points on reli
gion and people. A major theme in her
speech was the fact that too many peo
ple go along with the crowd when it
comes to religion.
Too many people have been going to
their same church just because they
have always done it. They rely on the
preacher to teach them the ways of God
without caring if what is being said is
true. In fact the doctrine of Jesus Christ
is different than the doctrine of the
Christian churches. Time, in my opin
ion, has done damage to the religion
preached in churches.
Since the beginning of Christianity,
the priorities of many churches have
shifted from a religion that worries
about men existing in peace to one that
concentrates solely on saving people.
This religion has stifled progress; be
cause people are more worried about
getting into heaven than whether or not
the human race continues to advance.
Some may even desire it to fail; this
would quicken the second coming.
Yet O’Hair was wrong when she said
there is nothing of value in the Bible;
only her interpretations have no value
to her. The doctrine of Christ means
something different to everyone. There
lies the reason so many denominations
of Christianity exist. My interpretations
differ from most churches and athe
ism. I see a God who believes in his cre
ation and its evolution, rather than a
God worried about making room for all
the saved people. If someone else inter
prets the Bible as something else, that’s
fine. They have not just accepted an
other man’s ideas, but have judged it for
what it’s worth to them.
People need to decide what is best for
themselves; whether it’s religion or just
a life style. Thinking for yourself is a
great personal virtue to have. Unfortu
nately, too many people do not have this
virtue.
Robert Martin, ’87
Germans allowed
Hitler’s Nazis to thrive
EDITOR:
The letter by James Korenek (in
which he tried to put the blame for the
Nazi Holocaust on few barbarians of the
past) blatantly falsifies the facts. All the
soldiers in the German army and all the
civilians who worked in Germany at that
time and did not resist the regime were
aiding it and provided the military and
industrial opportunity for the SS to
murder six million of the Jewish victims.
There is no excuse for that. And all tens
of millions of Germans and their allies
who fought and worked for the power
ful military machine aided in the Holo
caust (and not just few as Korenek pur
ports).
The word “Germany” will always be
associated with Hitler and Nazism, for
you cannot erase the Holocaust from
the history books. In Korenek’s mind
“to heal the past” means to heal the
guilty consciousness of Nazi’s by justify
ing the past and identifying oneself with
the murderers. I suggest that Korenek
follow his line of thinking to its logical
end and join the Nazi party (if he is not
there already). Korenek demagogically
states that most of the German soldiers
sincerely believed in what they were
doing and just protected themselves and
their “loved ones” (what a touching
word!) I have no doubt in sincerity of
Hitler and his henchmen. And while the
German army provided a shield for the
SS.to murder and torture millions, their
“loved ones” worked for the civilian
support and washed themselves with
soap made from human flesh. And
when a senile idiot is laying a wreath on
the cemetery where 47 SS officers are
buried he is playing in a bad movie.
Leon Luxemburg
Electrical Engineering
Graduate Student
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Carol Hage
architectur
You’ll never know what you
can achieve until you
projects ar
try
The other kids
said I couldn’t do
it but I knew I
could. As I rapidly
approached the
ramp, I felt confi
dent that I could
make it — and I
did. I jumped my
bicycle further
than any of the
other kids in the
Kevin Inda
neighborhood. 1 got a little scraped up
on the landing, but I did it.
My friends told me I couldn’t do it,
but I didn’t listen to them. You see, ever
since I was a child, I’ve been the type of
person who likes to bet against the odds
and prove people wrong when they tell
me I can’t do something.lt just makes
what I call the greatest challenge, life,
that more challenging.
Jeff Blatnick faced a great challenge
in his life, which he met head on. Two
years ago he had his spleen removed
due to cancer. Blatnick, an amateur
wrestler, was told by doctors and friends
his wrestling career was over. Jeff re
sponded to their diagnoses by winning a
gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling
in the 1984 Summer Olympics. It was
the first time the United States had ever
won a medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Or, take the son of a poor Scottish
hand loom weaver who became one of
the wealthiest men in America. Andrew
Carnegie was 12 in 1847 when his fam
ily moved to Pennsylvania. Forty years
later his steel empire alone was worth
over $200 million.
Another man came from a humble
family to hold the highest office in the
land. Ronald Reagan’s father was a shoe
salesman and his mother coached the lo
cal drama group.
Blatnick, Garnegie, and Reagan are
just three of the countless examples of
people who have done what others said
couldn’t be done. They set goals for
themselves and set out to accomplish
those goals. With nothing but a positive
attitude and a will to win, they overcame
the odds.
Even if Blatnick, Carnegie and Ra
gan hadn’t accomplished their go
they still could be proud. Theywoi
have at least tried. A founder of I
Olympic Games once said, “It’si
whether you win or lose, butratherli
you play the game.”
MR
of 2
By ANIS
St
Playing is just as important as w
ning. If you never make an attempt
play you have no chance of winning I
sometimes hard to set aside expect
norms and begin pursuing yonr goi
The odds are against you and peo[l
are saying that you’re setting yoursigi
too high. But, all it takes is alittlecotf
dence and initiative.
After discu
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topic for this
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Who knows, some of us may becoc
Blatnicks, Reagans or Carnegies.
won’t know until we try.
As for me, I’ll just start by movingi discussion of t
ramp back a little further. ^’■because many
Kevin S. Inda is a graduating joun
lism major and a weekly columnki
The Battalion.
The topic of
Emerging Chii
dealt with U
and domestic
formed about t
However, be
a group of c<
Aid to Nicaragua
question of honor
By ART BUCHWALD
Columnist for The Los Angeles Times Syndicate
As everyone knows, I’m very gener
ous when it comes to financing revolu
tions in Central America. So when I was
asked by a White House lobbyist to help
the administration’s efforts to wrest $14
million out of Congress to support our
Nicaraguan freedom fighters I told the
man, “I not only support Mr. Reagan,
but tell the president he doesn’t have to
go to Congress. Just charge the $ 14 mil
lion to my VISA credit card.”
“We don’t want you to put up the
money,” he said. “All we’re asking you
to do is stand behind the president in
the Oval Office when he says, ‘The
Sandinista government is the greatest
threat to mankind since the world be
gan.’”
“I’ll be there,” I assured him. “But
why don’t you let me pick up the tab as
well? It’s only peanuts, and in this way
the president won’t have to go to Con
gress on his knees.”
He said, “It is no longer a question of
money with Mr. Reagan, but of honor.
The president has put his reputation on
the line over Nicaragua. If he loses the
fight on this one, we will be sending a
message that any government in the
Western world can stomp on us.”
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll give the money
anonymously,” I said. “Then when the
contras overthrow the Sandinistas you
can pay me back.”
“It will take more than $14 million to
bring down the Sandinista govern
ment.”
“Then why doesn’t the president ask
the members on the Hill for the exact
sum it will take to wipe them out?”
“Because it might cost a billion dollars
before we’re through, and we know
Congress won’t go for that.”
“That is a lot of coffee beans,” 1 ad
mitted. “I’m curious. How did you ar
rive at the original $14 million figure?”
“It seemed like a nice compromise be
tween nothing and a billion. You can’t
even buy a used American fighter plane
for that kind of dough, and we felt Con
gress would consider it chicken feed.
But word leaked out that once we used
up the $14 millin we were going back to
ask them for more. If we had known
how much trouble we were going to
have we would have asked for the full
amount. Then if we were rejected it
would look as if Congress was voting
against the money and not the president
on his Central American policy.”
“I can see where you blew it. By
asking for such a meager sum you
tipped them off that Mr. Reagan was
making them stand up and be counted
as to where they really stood on Com
munist subversion in Nicaragua.”
“There may be something to that,” he
admitted. “But our main concern now is
public support for the president in what
he’s trying to do down there.”
1 said, “Look, I can’t give you a billion
dollars because I’m thinking of buying
CBS. But if the president wants 10 or 20
million for the freedom fighters until
Congress sees a light at the end of the
tunnel, I’ll send my kid over with a
check.”
“It won’t be necessary,” the White
House man said. “At the moment we
just need people of your high caliber to
come out for what we’re doing.”
“You got it,” I assured him. “Who else
have you lined up?”
“The Pope has come out for Presi
dent Reagan’s Nicaraguan policy.”
“I read the Pope denied it,” I said.
“Who is lying?”
“Neither one. Let’s just say the Pope’s
support got lost in the translation.”
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Sou t h west J on rnalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Brigid Brockman, Editor
Shelley Hoekstra, Managing Editor
Kellie Dworaczyk, News Editor
Michelle Powe, Editorial Page Editor
Rhonda Snider, City Editor
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editors
Dainah Bullard, KariFluejtl
Assistant News Editors
Cami Brown, John Hallett, KayMalleti
Assistant Sports Editor
Charean William
Entertainment Editors
Shawn Beltlen, Leigh-EllenClatt
Staff Wl iters RebeccaAd»
Cathie Anderson, MarcyBai
Tamara Bell, Brandon Beta
Jeff Brady, Ann Cervenli
Michael Crawford, Mary On
Mike Davis, Kirsten Diet!
Cindy Gay, Pete Herndor.
Trent Leopold, SarahOafc
jerry Oslin, June Pad
Tricia Parker, Cathy RL
Marybeth Rohsner, WalterSrf
Copy Editors Jan Perry, KelleySfflii
Make-up Editors KarcnBlod 1
Karla Mai®
Columnists Ed Cassavoy, Kevin link
Loren Stelh
Editorial Cartoonist Mike La®
Sports Cartoonist DaleSni
Copy Writer CathyBenn# 1
Photo Editor KatherinelW
Photographers Greg Bail?
Anthony Casper, Wayne Grab®
Bill Hughes, FrankIr*' 1
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newsp^
operated as a community service to Texas A&MP
Bryan-College Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those otP
Editorial Board or the author, and do not neccssariljrf
resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, M
or the Board of Regents.
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspspet^
students in reporting, editing and photography (W
within the Department of Communications.
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Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words*
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for style and length but will make everv effort to
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