Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, May 8, 1985
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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"
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POSTMASTER: Sentl address changes to The Battal
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