Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, April 9, 1987
4
Opinion
! $b
Religion is becoming a good standup routine
lo
A religious
storm is about to
sweep the nation.
When it does,
things are going to
be a lot better for
both the religious
and non-religious
peoples of Amer
ica.
Currently, the
headlines are be
ing dominated by
the doings of various religious leaders.
These leaders have two things in com
mon: they claim to be doing the work of
the Lord, and they are getting very rich
doing that work.
Oral Roberts raised over $8 million
by saying that God was going to kill him
if he didn’t get the money. After a few
days in his elegant prayer tower, Rob
erts claimed that God told him he would
have to raise the same amount every
year or he would die. That’s the trouble
with terrorists — you give them money
and they just want more. It’s interesting
to see that God is continuing this form
of religious blackmail.
Jimmy Swaggart says that he knows
that the Devil is alive and well and work
ing against God. Most religious people
will agree with that statement, but Swag
gart will go as far as to name those peo
ple who are doing Satan’s work. It’s
funny that those who oppose Swaggart
are the ones he claims to be in league
with Satan.
Robertson says he has received “di
vine inspiration” to run for president. If
God is telling people to run for presi
dent, is he also going to tell people who
to vote for? Is God even a registered
voter in this country?
rviniHgia» wwinga
Don't let sex ruin your life
Dave
Martin
Guest Columnist
Good. Now
that I have your
attention, it’s
time to talk
about a very
grave matter — literally. By now you
have all heard of Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). You
know basically what it is, what it does
and how it is spread. But do you
know how to avoid it?
You may be saying, “What, me
worry? I’m not gay, and I don’t use
needles, so I won’t get it.” Wrong. A
common misconception is that you
must be in a high-risk group to get
AIDS. If you are having sex, regard
less of who you are with, you are in a
high-risk group. It’s as simple as that.
While the number of cases of gay
males with AIDS is higher than the
number of heterosexuals with the
disease — males and females — het
erosexual cases rapidly are increas
ing. This is due mainly to lack of edu
cation about having “safe sex.”
AIDS is caused by the Human Im
munodeficiency Virus (HIV), which
is spread through the exchange of
body fluids such as blood, semen,
urine and possibly saliva. It does not
discriminate about who it affects. No
matter your sex, age, sexual prefer
ence or shoe size, you are at risk un
less you follow safe sex practices.
This primarily means you should
USE A GONDOM. No, Dr. Ruth
hasn’t taken over The Battalion. If
you aren’t going to follow President
Reagan’s advice — complete absti
nence from sex — then a condom is
necessary equipment.
“Why?” you ask. Remember
Mom’s wise words, “Don’t touch that,
you don’t know where it’s been.” Can
you be certain that whoever you’re in
bed with is healthy? Sure, she said
you were her first as she threw off the
feather bra. Or maybe he told you
that he’s been saving himself for just
the right girl. You can trust them,
can’t you? No. It has been said that
nowadays when you take someone to
bed, you’re also sleeping with every
one they’ve had sex with in the past
five years. And vice versa. How can
you be sure that you haven’t been ex
posed already?
Many places in the Bryan-College
Station area perform blood tests for
the HIV antibody. This is not a test
for AIDS. It can only detect the pres
ence of antibodies that indicate infec
tion from the virus sometime in the
past. A positive result does not mean
you have or will contract AIDS.
Some of the labs that offer these
tests are:
• Beck Biomedical (776-7777)
$30, takes three days for results.
• Brazos County Health Dept.
(361-4440) $3, high-risk groups only,
10 days for results.
• Cen-Tex Life (776-6050) $35,
takes 3-5 days. Uses Western Bloc test
to confirm positive results.
There are others (listed under
LABORATORIES, MEDICAL in the
phone book), but these three offer
the highest degree of anonymity.
Only your first name or initials are
used, and no records are kept.
The question now is, how do you
talk to a potential sleeping partner
about practicing safe sex? What if it
scares them away? Or if they tell you
not to worry about it, what should
you do? First, you should ask your
self, “is sleeping with him or her
really worth dying?” If your answer is
“yes,” you had better start digging.
The best way to handle the situa
tion is to simply express your concern
about AIDS, and discuss the ways to
decrease your chances of contracting
it, i.e. — safe sex. Remember, you
must both follow the safe sex
guidelines if they are to do any good.
Don’t let your partner convince you
not to bother “just this once.” This is
your health they are risking, and pos
sibly even their own.
Many people believe that talking
about AIDS or using a condom takes
the romance out of love-making. Yes,
perhaps it does a little, but how ro
mantic is the tale of the man who
killed his lady with his love? Actually,
safe sex need not detract from the ro
mance. The general rule is to use
your imagination, as long as you keep
your fluids to yourself.
Just what is safe? Basically, there
are four categories of safety. “Safe”
sex includes dry kissing, mutual mas
turbation, oral sex with a condom,
massage and fantasy. Vaginal and
anal intercourse with a condom are
“possibly safe.”
Those practices classed as “risky”
include oral sex without a condom,
cunnilingus, wet kissing, and use of
drugs or alcohol. Drugs and alcohol
decrease judgment ability and also
lower your immune system defenses.
Unprotected vaginal or anal sex, in
travenous drugs, sharing needles and
rimming are considered “dangerous”
and should be avoided.
Some numbers you can call for
more information on AIDS and safe
sex are:
National AIDS Hotline 1-800-342-
AIDS (4-minute recording); 1-800-
447-AIDS (Live Operators);
KS/AIDS Foundation, 1-713-523-
AIDS (Houston); Gay Student Serv
ices, 846-6051.
Despite the occasional jokes, this is
a serious subject. You should not only
learn safe sex, but use it. You may
think, “I can’t change my habits.”
You can, and you had better. All it
takes is one night to ruin the rest of
your life. Protect yourself — and the
one you’re with. Play it safe and live.
Dave Martin is a junior psychology ma
jor and is vice president of Gay Student
Services.
Columns submitted for Farmers Write should be be
tween 700 and 850 words. The editorial staff re
serves the right to edit for grammar, style and length,
but will make every effort to maintain the author’s in
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Marybeth Rohsner, Managing Editor
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Jeanne Isenberg, Sue Krenek, News Editors
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Tom Ownbey, Photo Editor
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Jerry Falwell has often provided the
media with several humorous episodes.
His Moral Majority has done little to
spread the word of the Lord and has
opted to spread bigotry, prejudice and
narrow thinking in the name of God.
His role in the recent PTL scandal
shows his true motive — gaining power.
Jim Bakkerand several major figures
of the PTL show have been caught
doing some unchristian things. It seems
as if Bakker got carried away with
spreading God’s love and tried to
spread it to someone besides his wife,
Tammy. And it seems Tammy tried to
use a few chemicals to help her find a
way to heaven.
With the likes of Roberts, Swaggart,
Robertson, Falwell, Bakker and all the
other polyester-suited, Styrofoam
haired TV evangelists hopping around
like monkeys on a hot plate, religion has
been getting a bad name. With the fun
damentalists suing every school that
uses a textbook other than the Bible, re
ligion has been made to look like a dis
ease of the mind.
But the problem is not religion. It’s
the people using religion for their own
purposes. It’s hard to see the homes and
buildings owned by the TV evangelists
and believe that God is the primary in
terest in their lives.
Despite the image of the so-called re
ligious leaders, the religious people of
America are not that bad. There are
millions of Americans who are good, re
ligious people who go to church, work
for the community, help their neighbors
and lead a good life. These people are
able to balance their religious lives with
their secular lives without losing out on
either aspect. These people spread the
word of God by presenting a good
image instead of trying to force thtt
views upon others.
The real religious people of Ament;
are getting tired of some ofthecraple
ing shoveled in the name of God. Even
time someone goes on national TV ami
says “give me money for my God,
truly religious person feels ill
ever someone who claims to be
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L smal
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lletin bi
, 'ow wh
the work of God does somethingungtci^j cer ,
like, the truly religious person iskrihrcakfast.
because religion has been madetolotjwhy the fi
bad. Hwhole.
This garbage can only go on fonB 0 " ^ ^
long. Before long, those who have
using religion as a means to gaineanti f yh ev a
power and wealth will be forced toaiJLstion-a
swer lot their crimes. It won’t betheit jstudents i
cular public who will change things-wints ar
will be the religious people, fed upktP' n ‘ n S ^
the way religion has been perverted ^ r '
board.
Karl Pallmeyer is a journalism pjJ ^ f 1 * 1 a
uate and a columnist for The Battaliot^ 11 ^!'' 01
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It takes money
EDITOR:
I am writing this letter to address the problem of the
computer system in the library — ALIS.
If you want to make Aston Hall co-ed, great, but keep
the wings together. The obvious solution is to rearrange
throughout the wing, and assign the girls to every other
suite.
This is a tried and true method at other universities,
ALIS is not a very efficient or updated computer
system. It falls short of what I would expect from such a
vast and important library as A&M’s.
Many times all the terminals are shut down, leaving
students and other library users to thumb through the
card catalog which is not as up to date as ALIS.
We are left stranded when important papers and
reports are due because ALIS is down and the librarians
have to hand check books that we need.
This process takes an extremely long time compared to
using the computer to do the work. If these books are not
checked back in, we cannot gain access to these important
sources of information.
I find it strange that the reference desk’s computer
stays up when the rest shut down. If the school can keep
one up, why not all?
If the school invested all that money in the installation
of a computer system, why didn’t it get a more reliable and
efficient one — a system that could be updated easily. If
they thought they were getting a good deal, they were
sadly mistaken.
I say we trash ALIS and buy a new, more efficient
system which can be updated and will work all of the time.
A cheap computer is a waste of money if it does not work!
If this is totally unfeasible, then I wish the library’s
computer system could be fixed so as to serve the students
and faculty the way it was intended.
Virginia Busby ’90
We are fam-il-y
EDITOR:
such as the University of Texas. But if the choice between
going co-ed or staying a group were to be made by us,we 11
would just as soon stay together.
3rd Floor Blacksheep
21 residents of Aston Hall
Dear Frank
EDITOR:
(This is an open letter to Dr. Vandiver.)
I am writing this letter in regard to your recently
announced policy on senior finals.
As a former student, I have no st rong opinion as to
whether graduating seniors should take final exams,bull
am very much opposed to any plan that undermines the
traditions surrounding Commencement and Final Review
— the only events during the Spring semester that draw
large numbers of Old Ags back to their alma mater.
The plan you have outlined punishes students and
former students alike, and could only be agreeable to those
transient, mercenary, have-lecture-will-travel faculty
members who have no strong ties nor long-term interestin
the future of our great University.
One would do well to remember that Aggie Muster,
perhaps the A&rM tradition looked upon most favorably!))
Aggies and others alike, would not have come into fruition
had the student body not felt compelled to defend the
traditional observance of the Battle of San Jacinto by
marching on A&M President David F. Houston’s house
and burning him in ef figy on April 21, 1903.
This letter is directed to the housing board in regard to
a recent rumor around Aston Hall. Sources have said that
our hall will soon be co-ed, which is fine with the majority
of those residents I’ve spoken with.
But today I learned that if this proposal is approved,
the residents of the third and fourth floors will be
relocated. Speaking for those of us on third south, this idea
is unacceptable. We have developed a tight-knit “family”
on our wing. We go out together, borrow from one
another, and watch out for each other. We invested in
wing T-shirts this semester to display our spirit.
Dr. Vandiver, as a historical scholar, you should realize
that one of the more important reasons to study historyis
to learn from our collective mistakes and not make them
twice.
Alan Maples ’85
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorialstGff n '
serves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort !o me
tain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the classify
tion, address and telephone number of the writer.