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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1985)
Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, November 7,1985 >* Don't cut the smut In these days of rock record rating systems and groups marching to ban pornography, it’s good to see that an organiza tion such as the National Council of Churches understands the dangers of censorship. Despite a two-year study, which found that sex and violence in entertainment can lead to aggressive behavior, the council op poses censorship of motion pictures. “The NCC has long defended garbage in entertainment in order to avoid curbing artistically valuame presentations,” said James M. Wall, editor of Christian Century magazine. “Better to permit the bad than curb the good.” Banning a certain work — literary, musical, artistic or cine matic — because certain people, even a majority, find it objec tionable prohibits freedom of expression, thus violating the First Amendment. The danger of censorship usually lies not in the banning of the item in question, but the implication the ban could have on similar items. Censorship should be opposed not because it “protects” so ciety from certain “evils” but because beneficial works inadver tently can fall victim to the censor’s desensitized scissors. The NCC deserves commendation for recognizing the dan gerous repercussions of censorship. The Battalion Editorial Board Opinion The Sc^ets are treated to a fjpfcal taterrtew vrctH the ftesUfent 1 * $ Despite my qualifications, I don’t belong in orbi NASA has an nounced that it will choose a jour nalist to fly into orbit on a space shuttle flight next fall. The passen ger will be selected from thousands of journalists by the Association of Schools of Jdurna- I’m aware of what you’re thinking: I would be the perfect person to take the flight! But before you nominate me I have to warn you I have no interest in going into space. Art Buchwald lism and Mass Education. Minimum requirements are that the candidate be a citizen of the United States have five years of journalistic ex perience and be working at the time. Sure, I know your argument. I am probably in better physical shape than any journalist in the country, and could handle weightlessness more easily than most. And there is probably no question in your mind that I could do a better re porting job. So why won’t I fly? The main reason is I have to think of myself before my country. The applicant must pass a physical examination and be able to demonstrate an ability to communicate to mass audi ences in the broadcast and print media. This is the downside to the shuttle flight. They say I would have to give up four months of my life to prepare for the three- or four-day NASA flight. Since I’ve already had intensive training flying the Eastern Shuttle to New York I don’t see why I need more. The next thing that bothers me is that the candidate has to promise not to vio late someone’s privacy of his fellow as tronauts. This makes no sense. If you can’t violate someone’s privacy you have no right to call yourself a journalist. Space, for all its grandeur, is still the story of human beings holed up in an aluminum cigar, standing on their heads, hurtling around the globe while TV records them waving to the camera. I have other reasons for turning down the flight. One is that I will be re quired to pool all the information I gather with every other reporter on the ground. Why should I risk my life so everyone else can get my story? Pooling with other reporters is unfair because the only reason for a journalist to go into space is to make his colleagues look stu pid when he returns. The idea of NASA giving a journalist a free trip in a shuttle could present a conflict of interest. Let us say, for argu ment’s sake, the food is lousy, the crew is fooling around and the much-touted walk in space doesn't live up to the ad vertising. How can you report freely what really goes on behind closed doors on a shuttle when NASA is picking up the tab? I have only given a few reasons why I Mail Call Collectors welcome, tactics not EDITOR: We, the women of Clements Hall, whole-heartedly support bonfire, and many of us have been happy to contribute to this cause. However, the rude and ungent- lemanly collecting tactics used by the men of Moses Hall is greatly distressing to us. We do not appreciate anyone entering our room without our permission, which has happened to many residents of our hall. We would much rather answer the door than have a male barge in uninvited. This will save everyone involved unnec essary embarrassment. We welcome anyone collecting for bonfire but must insist that our privacy be respected. Please knock and wait for an answer. As a final note, we wish to comment on the letter submitted to the editor by Kevin Revere addressing this topic. Although we refuse to stoop to his level, we would like to say, “Mr. Revere, your lack of maturity is now obvious to us.” Kathy Shipley ’87 Accompanied by 30 signatures her “asinine” was in equally poor taste. I can also see no basis for your accusation that she “spread hate,” and your suggestion that she leave A&M solely because she presented you with an unfavorable viewpoint was puerility at it’s finest. I think apologies are in order from BOTH sides. Scott Ferguson A fruitless pursuit EDITOR: Congratulations and requests EDI 1 OR: I do not know who is more at fault: MSG Great Issues, for charging one dollar to listen to Marc Berkowitz talk of atrocities committed more than 40 years ago in Auschwitz, or The Battalion, for allowing such an ad to ever be printed. What happened to six and a half million Jews during World War II is indeed a sad and despicable incident, one which merits commemoration. But for Berkowitz, Simon Wisenthal and others to relentlessly pursue the matter, as if there is some thing which can be done to change history, is quite a fruitless pursuit. Preventing a massacre such as the Holocaust through public education and awareness is one thing. To act and speak with feelings of vengeance is yet another. To charge any fee in reaching either goal is a travesty in itself. Brian A. Koontz I would like to congratulate The Battalion on its excellent review of the Night Ranger/Cheap Trick concert. It was quite timely, but I have yet to see a review of the Aggie Players’ production of the musical “archy 8c mehitabel” which was per- EDITOR: formed in Rudder Forum on Oct. 4, 5, 10 and 11 as was advertised in The Battal- The man behind the stats ion. It is my understanding that part of The Battalion’s function is to keep Aggies informed of the current events at A&rM, or is it true that the Aggie Players are, as its slogan states, “The best-kept secret on campus?” Michelle Cohen In reply to Daniel K. Miller’s letter of Nov. 4 concerning accurate data, I would first like to apologize for causing any mental anguish upon him. The statistics that he refers to are mine. When I had originally decided to address the bicycle problem, I contacted the )hic Basking in linguistic ignorance EDITOR: Eddie Klein had better cover himself quickly — his ignorance is sticking out all over the place. Klein, it seems that Penelope Ode does not know about the subject of her arti cle. After all, w ho knows the custom of tipping better than a waiter or waitress? It seems that in your haste to refute Ode’s allegations, you bask in a pool of lin guistic ignorance. Nowhere have I ever heard that a tip was “to insure prompt ness.” Consulting Webster’s second New Riverside Dictionary, I find on page 717 the definition of the word “tip.” It reads, “A small sum of money given as an ac knowledgement of services rendered.” Oddly enough, the synonym listed is, in fact, “gratuity.” I would think that you “. . . would know something about the subject of (your) article before writing about it.” And while it is true, we are not in Europe, may I point out the fact that good manners are in good taste around the globe. In America, good manners include tipping, or a short note left to explain why no gratuity was offered. One might also point out that, although Ode may have overstepped herself w hen she referred to Corps members as “overgrown social midgets,” your calling A.P. Beutel Health Center hoping to find some catastrophic number of bicycle re lated accidents. What the health center told me was reasonably concise, they claimed that on a slow day there were about five bicycle related accidents. The bicycle problem is just that, a problem, the statistics, however general in your eyes, still show one hard fact: there are still accidents occurring, and in my eyes one accident is too many. If the bicycle problem concerns you rather than just the statistics, or anyone else that reads this rebuttal, I encourage you to do something about it. Voice your opinion to The Battalion or voice it to the student services committee of student government. Billy McCaskill Senior Liberal Arts Senator Student Services Committee If you don’t like the stories... EDITOR: In regards to the recent letters you have received concerning the stories at yell practice, I would like to say if people are so against hearing these stories why don’t they just stay away. People seem to take the stories the wrong way. They are not meant to embarrass, they are meant to entertain. Lee Crews’89 don t want to go up in the shuttle.ilf not surprised that when youfirstrcT the story of NASA offering to shofiL ' 11 , professional communicator into the>L. ()U | c | my name immediately came to miltover And I hope I haven't disappointedijfdp readers In witlulrawing from ihc(| ol ‘.jl petition. | eed • ting i The final thing that bugs me about the offer is that we journalists were NA SA’s fourth choice — after Sen. Jake Garn, a Saudi Arabian prince and a schoolteacher named Christa McAu- liffe, who goes up next, isn’t planning to keep what she sees a secret either. By the time a journalist is launched there won’t be one new thing in space left to see. Some of vou, in your enthusiasm|f ate l ,d ' ready may have submitted nn namefjj^ so, please write to NASA Journalist|l ua ijf Space Project, University of South Cj lina, Columbia, S.C., and tell t take me out of consideration, want the NASA people to select me a | then find out, to their embanassmf I’m the only member of the media] doesn’t want to go. Arf Buchwald is a columnist forfl Los Angeles Times Syndicate. The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association 'l Southwest Journalism Conference J The Battalion Editorial Board Rhonda Snider, Editor .1 Michele Powe, Managing Editor Loren Steff y, Opinion Page Editor Karen Bloch, City Editor John Hallett, Kay Mallett, News Editors Travis Tingle, Sports Editor i The Battalion Staff Assistant Cit\ Editors Kirsten Died,§ Jerry ( Assistant News Editors Cathie Anderi JanPerifl Assistant Sports Editor ....Charean WilliaM Entertainment Editors •••I Cathy Riely, WalterSmiili| Staff Writers ....Tamara Bell, MegCadif Cindy Gay, DougH Paul Herndon, WendyJohnsoiil Tammy Kirk, JensKoeplJ Mary McWhorter,June f Tricia Parker, Brian Pearso Craig Renfro, Marybeth Rohsnfi Frank Smith, KennethSunJ Scott Sutherland Copy Editors Rebecca Adairf Mike Davis, Sarah Gate [ Brad Whittif Make-up Editor Ed Cassavof] Columnists Camille Brown, JohnHalleJj Karl Pallmepl Art Director WayneGrabeiil Photographers Greg Baraf Jon Carp, Anthony Caspf Frank Hada, John Maw Michael Sandi] Editorial Policy I he Battalion is a non-pront, self-supporting nmptf 11 operated as a community service to Texas ,44M w Bryan-Collegc Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of ll* e ditorial Board or the author, and do not necessarilj W resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, m* °rthe Board of Regents. I he Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper/^ 1 students in reporting, editing and photography cb 1111 svnlnn the Department of Communications. !he Battalion is published Monday through Friday^ ,n H Texas A&M t egular semesters, except for holidafH" mg examination periods. ....... , r - rnestey $33.25 per school s ear and $35 per full year, m verttsing ra[es f ur nished on request. egular semesters, except >ds. Mail subscriptions are$16. 'ape 1 ^ n °m r ‘‘dd ress: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDoirij 77ai ,, S' Texas A&M University. College Station, Jj ''°43. Editorial staff phone number: (409) 845-3316 verttsing: (409) 845-2611. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 70 . POSTMASTER: Send arldress changes to The 'IV' Texas A&M University, College Station, TO 1 Pic