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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 1985)
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, May 8, 1985 /"kDINTTflNT '"■""" —'" ■■ 1 ^ s" Sj' ' ^ '•W' ' * * ^ • : :■ ■ ■ ' . ** •• ' ■ Aggie guns will make your day Some companies will use the ideal of Aggie Spirit to sell any- local bookstores carry more Aggie shirts, hats, coats, backpacks, and other paraphenalia than they do books, thing. While local bookstores carry more Aggie shirts, hats, icks, and other parap one facet of the Aggie mercnanaise market had not been ex plored — until now. A local sporting goods store is now offering a limited edition Aggie Commemorative .45 Colt Automatic Pistol. The gun comes emblazoned with the Texas A&M logo, “Gig ’em Aggies,” and the likeness of Old Sarge, and can be purchased for a mere $795. About 50 of the guns were sold before the ad campaign began. The advertisement boasts that the pistol commemorates the proud Aggies who carried the “legendary handgun.” But it ap pears that Colt merely wants a chunk of the Aggie merchandis : mg market just like the many other companies who pump ma roon and white goods into Bryan-College Station. The gun was conveniently promoted just before graduation, probably to at tract Aggies of all ages, bubbling with Aggie Spirit at this festive time of year. The idea of an Aggie pistol seems ludicrous, but for Aggies who like to enjoy the Constitutional right to bear arms, the gun is guaranteed to make anyone’s day. The Battalion Editorial Board A young mother, dressed in a white cotton dress, holds her 2-year-old daughter closely. The guard motions Susan McDonald for her to return to the prison and the crying child’s grandmother takes her away. The child is crying because her mother has been put in prison, and the little girl won’t get another hug for a year, maybe two. Right now the Texas Department of Corrections doesn’t allow prisoners to have contact visits, even with their chil dren. However, Susan Cranford, the warden at Gatesville prison for women, said that the TDC will have contact visits soon, keeping the two two-hour visits a month. Is this enough to keep the tie between parent and child strong? Some prisons in New York have a nursery for the children of incarcerated mothers. A new-born child can stay in the nursery up to two years. In Califor nia, a children’s center has been built where the children can come to visit their mother every weekend, and the child isn’t exposed to the harsh prison atmosphere. This helps the mothers stay close to their children and it helps the children accept the fact that their mother is gone. Prison MATCH (mothers and their children) tried to build a similar chil dren’s center in Texas. When the TDC said no, MATCH offered to help the TDC improve their visiting system. But the TDC doesn’t seem to feel this is necessary. They seem to think that children can handle seeing their parents in prison and that two two-hour visits a month are enough. It is ridiculous not to let MATCH help build a children’s center. The state would not be doing this for the incarcer ated women, but for the children who are innocent victims of their parent’s crime. They don’t care that their mommy committed forgery, shoplifted or any other one of the countless crimes committed. They love them anyway. The psychological effect of being sep arated from their mother or being thrust ikto a prison with all the other people who visit inmates is too great. The TDC needs to swallow their pride and let MATCH help. This would give mothers incentive to straighten themselves out and the chil dren wouldn’t feel like they are being punished or feel like they put their mommy there. It’s just not fair to continue treating the children this way when they are sim ply victims, not the guilty ones. Susan McDonald is a junior journalism major. LETTERS: Only through caring can PlaniT shake its suicidal reputation ^ J*. I knew the mixer was getting a bit stale when people began asking each other about their home towns. Gigi Shamsy at Plano’s local newspaper and I was stunned at the number of requests we received daily for phone numbers and names of the victims and their families. it up into a tre Scnic For 10 years I’ve been somewhat cocky about my city as I list the years my high school dominated district and state football playoffs. My ego still balloons each time I am questioned about the sizeof my graduat ing class. “We had about 1600 people in my graduating class. Yeah — no big deal — we managed to fit the eleventh and twelfth grades in Five buildings over looking a duck-inhabited pond.” Things have changed. Today I receive a different reaction when asked about my hometown. Sometimes it’s a pasty, solemn gaze complete with words of comfort. More often, however, it’s a gusty laugh and a snide remark. They needed to know the vital stats: “Who are they? Why did they do it? What was their family life like? Were they doing well in school? Let’s check out their love life. Any attempts made to Fit in as a cheerleader or a student coun cil president?, etc., etc.” I wanted to suggest that these report ers investigate careers with the National Enquirer. Needless to say, the hype is uncalled for. It only initiates more thoughts of suicide in the minds of those who are confused enough to believe that they will Finally receive attention by ending their life. “You’re from Plano? Isn’t that where everyone knifes themselves?” Impressive remark, I must say. And all said in one breath, too. Must children suffer for Mom’s crimes? Take away the media’s hoopla and fanfare over an emerging Texas suburb and ignore the town’s plastic tendency to be GQ and Vogue, and then you will see the real Plano. Cranford said, “It’s not the state’s re sponsibility to provide the people with a nursery.” But why should the children be pun ished because their mommy did some thing wrong? Why not punish the mother and not the child, too? Children, when restricted from see ing their mother, think they are being punished. They think they did some thing wrong and that’s why they can’t see their mommy anymore. Older chil dren think they are the cause for their parents going to prison — that they sent them there. This can cause problems for them when they are older. Guilt is not a nice feeling. Then why the sudden and sensatio- nalistic press attention working to sour Plano’s image? Let’s analyze the public’s response to the increasing number of teen suicides in Plano over the past few years: • Suicide is not a palatable topic. The press, however, has not stopped grasping for information about these students who, because of frustration in coping with their problems, resort to ending their lives. I worked for a short time last summer • The idea spreads when these kids are inspired by what they see on tele vision or what they read in the news paper about the quiet girl in the back of their history class who is morbidly glori- Fied by her peers after she has died. Carole Steele, director of the Plano Cri sis Center, told me about a theory of contagion where teen-agers view a sui cide as a romantic way of escaping from life’s problems and they take the suicide victim’s cue. However, she said the ma jority of these frustrated teen-agers re sort to a suicide attempt because they are lonely, notjust attention-starved. • Steele gave explanations for the media’s attention to my hometown. She said other Texas cities, such as Clear Lake and Arlington, have been in the press spotlight for teenage suicides. Steele said every time a teen suicide in another town occurs, reporters are at her door asking about Plano’s suicide victims. pens, they blow phenomenon.” Luckily, the over-eager re[ have been scarce in Plano recentliloroeone in order for the suicide attempts^ a Marke the zealous reporting must alsostor^ a ' These are just a few reasons win, r j t , sa j(i media have flocked down on mn SO ineone i school with mini-cams and microplRy morr to devour information on thesuidliBBcam; d They neglect to see that the is ^ comes a three-dimensionl topic emotions and family histories coro||(willjam play. kenng de] The statistics are not good: telded to • Eight suicides of teen-agers been recorded between February ^ r ear | v [ and May 1984 —surpassing thenaaH ac t e d a : suicide average by 80 percenttest,” Prid 100,000 people. AjHHed, he • Since Ma\ ION I, there 1^1®*^"^''^ many suicide attempts, accordingly •• records at the Plano Crisis Centci^ ston sa no deaths. They have had as mar of Blocke 150 people call their Crisis hotlinij help, but none resorted to killing selves. • Richardson, a suburb soul). Plano, has been the site ofsixsuio teen-agers in four months from]; 1985 until the present. All that anyone from Plano, or any city, can hope for is that parenu place a priority on being with their lies over all other activities. m utline '£ in thar thi fxdonj I was oberts' the ph “The media has always thought of Plano as a perfect, storybook commu nity with very little problems,” she said. “When something unusual like this hap- This means quality time spent wi children and educational progri| Proble which stress positive mental healwb listen the junior high level. Free pi The key is listening and beingajjl ing friend to a person who feels he nowhere else to turn. TdZOS Vj Only then will the “So-you’refnjj'jy the-suicide-capital-of-the-world"j(I| St °P; MO Carter Gigi Shamsy is a junior joumalmP'^ jor and an entertainment writer j The Battalion. Tired of fighting monumento Dinosaurus Rex of stupid law 'lUflf Mf The Blue Law. It’s like poison on my lips. If there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s not being able to buy socks on Sunday when I need socks on Sunday. Why can some one buy milk on Sunday but they Cami Brown can’t buy a baby bottle to put it in? Some Sundays it slips by unnoticed, but when you least expect to be hassled, there it is. A monster monument to the past. The Dinosaurus Rex of stupid laws. “Sorry can’t sell you that today Law.” -Blue But I can go to the store down the road and the monster sleeps. That’s one of the problems with this law: some stores go by the restrictions and some don’t. The Blue Law now prohibits a store from selling a list of certain items on both days of a weekend. There are 42 items on the no-no list. Letters Policy 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 author’s in tent. Each letter must be signed and must include the address and telephone number of the writer. Hopefully the death of this stone-age rule is in the near future. Thursday the House tentatively ap proved a bill that would virtually erase the law as it stands. During the debate, opponents of the bill argued that the Blue Law helps maintain the quality of life in Texas. These treasured Texas val ues, they said, includes Sunday fried chicken dinners that are important to the Texas way of life. Well, I can’t remember the last time I had a chicken leg on Sunday, but I doubt that being able to shop on Sunday would prevent me from eating one. I’ve worked many Sundays before and have never felt that I was being denied the chance to eat a family-style, chicken- fried meal. One bill kicked out of the House would have continued the ban on cer tain items, but would have allowed the sale of the items during the Christmas season. In other words, the bill would have made it OK to leave out family fellowship during the holidays when business is booming, but during the year we should stay home and appreciate quality life. Thankfully this proposal was vetoed. So we are faced with an inconsistent law that is past its time. But attitudes have changed in Texas. Not only toward the Blue Law but toward other contro versial issues as well. |he Thir 'orped,'' ott Me Ci |vai table oks, Has 'ue tc For example, a public opinion showed most people want pari-mui horse racing in Texas, although it yet to get the support it needs through the workings of the Texas islature. The bill that would repeal the Law seems to have the support it neC q and you can bet legislators aren’t (^1 ^ G counting the extra cash it could briM^jp^ the state’s ailing economy. ||j < ■ . Sunday sales would add about $lr u million to the state’s tax collections IbUfldS^ not much to the state when a billion^ lar shortfall is concerned, but every It’ ' bit helps. B ^ The Blue Law is no longer effectirojrjrjpr It should be repealed, even if it mfii-. that stores only open for three or fe __ hours on Sunday. That would still at ILITT Jnm those who would have to work onS HEATRI day time to go to church or have family-style dinner. But left as is, the Blue Law Sunday a day to fear. Unsuspectingj 1 eery shoppers, unaware of the invisl' monster that can strip them of their 1 vorite non-food luxuries, will go unpi tected on Sundays if the Blue Law is to reign. 7:45-9:45 7:30-9:30 RHAKFAS1 CLUB roke the rule 7:15 »:15 Cami Brown is a senior journalism® "t'nZZ jor and a columnist for The Battalion Gymkai Thanks for the info EDITOR: In response to the article written by Lorie Woodard, that appeared in the Tuesday, April 30 edition of The Battal ion, “Ag majors are people, too” we would like to say thank you for inform ing the non-ag majors that today’s agri culturalists are not just a bunch of “dumb goat-ropers.” As Miss Woodard stated in her col umn, today’s farmers and ranchers must have a working knowledge of ev erything from accounting to zoology. With today’s economic situation in the United States, a farmer cannot afford to plant more seed than he needs to pro duce a crop just as a rancher cannot af ford to feed his stock too much feed and expect to survive. Only through higher education and training can the farmers and ranchers of tomorrow expect to overcome the economic hardships they’ll face daily. Let’s remember that when this Uni versity was founded, it was based on two principles: Agricultural and Mechani cal, and both are still an intricate part of TAMU. After all, the school we take such pride in is ranked as one of the top Five agricultural schools in the nation. In closing, we would simply like to re mind you that if you eat, you’re involved in agriculture, so please, don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Tom Lester Class of ’85 SG recognizes need EDITOR: In response to your editorial (John Hallett) on April 29 on the need for bet ter lines of communication between Stu dent Government and the student body, Student Government has also recog nized this need. As a result of last week’s executive branch appointments, there is a new Communications Program in the exec utive branch. The program consists of a Director of Communications who works with a Student Relations Chairman, In ternal Relations Chairman and a Census and Research Chairman. Each of these committees has a specific set of goals de signed to promote better communica tion between Student Government and the student body. For example, the Stu dent Relations Committee will organize a speaker schedule that will address stu dent organizations on a regular basis. The speakers will include members of all three Student Government branches. In addition, the Student Relations Com mittee will maintain a system of bulletin boards on campus to provide informa tion on relevant issues in Student Gov ernment, such as a list of Senators, bills before the Senate and upcoming Stu dent Government programs. A number of other programs will be sponsored by the Student Relations Committee; all will be designed to increase accessibility and visibility of Student Government to the student body. We would like to thank John Hallett for pointing out this need and giving us the opportunity to introduce the new Communications Program to the stu dents. As members of the new program, we recognize the challenge before us and are prepared to dedicate ourselves to meeting this need. Michele Rogers Director of Communications Keith Kornfuerhrer Chairman of Student Relations Redwood mistake EDITOR: An article that appeared in the Wednseday, April 24, 1985 Battalion in correctly stated that a redwood cross- section had been donated to the Horti culture Department. The redwood sec tion was donated to the Forest Science Department. Since this redwood section was donated by Mr. Wayne “Bif’ Hue- binger of Alamo Hardwood Company, San Antonio, a Forest Science Depart ment graduate ’69, we would appreciate it if you correct this mistake. Thank you for your help. J. Charles Lee Department Head Forest Science De partment The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Rhonda Snider, Editor Michele Powe, Managing Editor Kay Mallett, News Editor Loren Steffy, Editorial Page Editor Karen Bloch, City Editor Travis Tingle, Sports Editor Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspifi operated as a community service to Texas A&M Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those ohM Editorial Board or the author, and do not necessarilytep resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, lacw 1 ) or the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper let students in reporting, editing and photography cliss# within the Department of Communications. ANY OF The Battalion is published Monday through Friday dvr ing Texas A&M tegular semesters, except for holiday^ examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 persC" 1.25 ' im mester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Ad vertising 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. Ad vertising: (409) 845-2611. Second class postage paid at College Station, I X 77843. POSTMASTER: Sentl address changes to The Battal ion, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texli 77843