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]
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