fheBattali
The Battalion
OPINION
2
ST
Monday, F
Monday, February 27,1989
Mail Call
All people are not the same
EDITOR:
Dean Sueltenfuss, I am sad to inform you that you are ignorant, and
ignorance breeds racism. All people are not alike.
I, being a Hispanic can tell you my skin color and culture make me
different from you. The need for a minority on the Board of Regents is so
that our cultures (minorities) are not forgotten. The need for minority
representation on the Board is due to institutional barriers.
My second point is that racism is alive and well in the United States,
unlike your opinion that it is declining.
An example of increased racism is the growth of a group called
“Skinheads,” which is a neo-Nazi organization. Another example is the
election of David Duke to the Louisiana legislature. He has admitted being a
past Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.
My last point is that our society is not a melting pot of different cultures as
you would like to believe, but a white assimilation model for minorities.
An example is the newspaper columnist Lewis Grizzard who sadly does
not know his own heritage.
I am a Mexican-American and proud to divide the two, because I have a
different culture and want to retain that culture. I am sure a white Board
member would not push for a rap group to perform at A&M, but would
prefer someone like that so-called singer, Reba McEntire.
Minorities have been under-represented at A&M and a minority Board
member might give another opinion at a meeting before we continue to
ignore minorities at this hoax of an integrated University.
William Puder ’89
Not difficult to understand others
EDITOR:
I found J.Frank Hernandez’ column of Feb. 22 very interesting. As a
student of Texas A&M and a Hispanic, I would like to comment on his
opinions.
First, Mr. Hernandez, I do acknowledge that they are your opinions and
every person is entitled to his or her own opinion. However, I think you are
isolating yourself more than the University or the student body is attempting
to isolate you.
Racism in some ways is a state of mind. Yes, I agree that it exists, but you
do not have to choose to accept it. If you have merits equal to those of
minority or majority groups other than yourself then you are legally entitled
to compete for any job or office available. The founders of our nation and
the men and women who have followed them have tried and continue to try
to protect each individual’s right to better themselves.
As a female I would like to say that Texas A&M has changed with the
times and continues to change daily. Women were not allowed to attend
classes at A&M until 1963, at which time all men with no regard to race,
religion or age were accepted.
If discrimination is the topic you choose to attack, then please provide
your readers with specific ways in which the University is denying you rights
as a person.
I find your statements about not being able to identify with people unless
you are of their ethnic background extremely insulting not only to my
intelligence, but to my compassion as well. I do not have to break my arm so
that I can understand what that feels like, and knowing what it feels like does
not depend on what color the arm is. Many people in the w orld are capable of
sympathizing with others even if they cannot directly change their hardships.
In closing, Mr. Hernandez, please stop pointing out the problem and
start giving your readers an alternative to better themselves as people, males
or females and students of Texas A&M.
Stop telling people they do not understand where you come from unless
they have lived in your shoes. I do know wdiere you came from because I am
your sister.
Jeanine Ida Hernandez ’89
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 intent. Each letter must be signed and
must include the classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
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LaRouche deserved prison
As you may have read, Lyndon La
Rouche has been sentenced to 15 years
in prison. And six of his followers got
prison terms ranging from two to five
yeaxs.
This has made all the LaRouchies
miserable and unhappy. And anything
that makes them unhappy makes my
day.
If there is one group of political nas
ties that I loathe, it is the LaRouchies. I
began tangling with them at least 10
years ago, back befoi e they became well
known as a public nuisance.
I wrote about their scams and cons.
They used legitimate issues such as
drugs and nuclear war to play orx > the
fears of gullible people, hustling them
for money and pumping the funds to
LaRouche so he could live like a king
and indulge his fantasy of being a major
international political force.
They didn’t like seeing their scams
exposed. Nor did they like reading facts
about their leader, LaRouche, and
themselves.
For example, it upset them whenever
I wrote that LaRouche and many of his
original followers used to be Commu
nists. LaRouche was a vocal defender of
Joe Stalin and his methods.
But for a variety of reasons, one of
which was that you can’t make a very
good buck being a Stalinist, LaRouche
and his top people switched poilitical
gears and became sort of a hodgepodge
right-wing cult. It’s still haid to catego
rize his beliefs because most are bizarre
if not outright nutty.
One thing that didn’t change,
though, were LaRouche’s methods for
keeping his followers in line. He and his
top people still believed in the Stalinist
approach. They demanded total,
mindless obedience. They brainwashed,
bullied and intimidated the mentally
troubled misfits who gravitated to their
cult.
And they used them to raise money
for themselves and LaRouche.
But their methods Finally caught up
with them. The government gathered
evidence that they had bilked people
out of more than $30 million in loans
they never intended to repay.
And they nailed LaRouche for claim
ing he had no taxable income despite
living on a huge estate with servants. His
expenses were all paid by corporations
he set up.
But what 1 dislike most about thela
Rouchies is that they have bumped oil
cats.
When a reporter in New Enj
wrote about some of their antics,
killed several of his cats., The ki
didn’t stop until his articles did.
Later, when I wrote somethingabooi
them, they sent a cat death threat
young female reporter who was my»
sistant.
I figured that anybody who threaten
cats is basically a coward and a wimp.St
I phoned the LaRouchie of fice hereaiid
said that if they threatened harm to*
more cats, I would come there wi
some large, violent friends and w
would break their'furniture, theirlegt
maybe a few fingers and noses, and
jump up and down on their chests.
They shouted and sputtered tk
those woidd be criminal acts. I agree
but said we’d do it anyway and take
chance on getting a cat-loving jury. Ait
that was the last I heard from
creeps.
1 don’t know which prison LaRoudi
and his associates will be sent to.
hope that this column finds its waytohi
fellow inmates. They should know (lit
they have a cat-killer in their midst.And
I hope any cat-lovers among themdi
whatever they feel is appropriate.
Copyright 1989, Tribune Media Services,Ik
Geeks, Greeks and Battalion freaks: Only at A&M
We’re all attending Texas A&M Uni
versity supposedly because we want to
learn. We’re here to expand our hori
zons, to create job opportunities for
ourselves and to try and have a good
time along the way.
However, some people seem to take
the “good time” part of it a little more
seriously than the “expanding horizons”
part. These people party every chance
they get, and they generally detest
studying or reading books.
But not everyone is a partier. There
are people at the other end of the spec
trum whose sole purpose in life is to get
a 4.0. They spend seven hours a day in
the Library, and they are the people
who read books while they’re walking
across campus.
In the interest of science, I believe we
should examine these two deviant per
sonality types to a greater extent. We’ll
do so by looking at a day in the life of
these people. So, gentle reader, come
along as we journey into the enigma-
filled world of . . . the Geeks and the
Greeks.
(Before everybody gets upset, I’d like
to say that this column shouldn’t be
taken too seriously. I’m not implying
that everyone who studies is a Geek or
that everyone who parties all the time is
a Greek. It’s just that the two words
sound so nice together — Geeks . . .
Greeks. Geeks . . . Greeks. They just
kind of roll off the tongue, you know?)
Anyway, here’s how a typical day goes
if you’re a Geek:
6 a.m.: Wake up, grab a bite to eat,
and then hit the books.
Dean
Sueltenfuss
Opinion Page Editor
shut-eye so you decide to go on home.
By the time you get back to your apart
ment, your roommate is already asleep.
You set your alarm for 6 a.m. and you
hit the sack.
But that’s enough of the young gen
iuses. Now let’s deal with the Greeks.
9:40 a.m.: Arrive at class early to as
sure yourself of getting a seat on the
front row.
10 a.m.: Glass begins. Thirty seconds
after your professor starts lecturing,
you interrupt with the following obser
vation: “I hate to disagree with you pro
fessor Brown, but from the 17 books I
read over the weekend, Lincoln’s role in
ending the Civil War was not nearly as
important as you make it out to be.”
(Translation: I think I’m smarter than
you are, and I want everybody to know
it.)
Professor Brown, thinking to himself,
“Geez, what an a e,” responds by say
ing that, yes, it is a most valid and inter
esting point, and he would be quite
pleased to discuss it after class.
11 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.: Classes con
tinue. (By the way, you’re taking 24
hours this semester.) You keep asking
questions that you think will make you
look intelligent. Fearful that you might
miss something that will be on a test, you
take notes diligently in all of your
classes. When your professor sneezes,
you write it down. By the end of the day
you have amassed 43 pages of hand
written notes.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Becky Weisenfels, Editor
Leslie Guy, Managing Editor
Dean Sueltenfuss, Opinion Page Editor
Anthony Wilson, City Editor
Scot Walker, Wire Editor
Drew Leder, News Editor
Doug Walker, Sports Editor
Jay Janner, Art Director
Mary-Lynne Rice, Entertainment Edi
tor
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspa
per operated as a community service to Texas A&M and
Brvan-College Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the
editorial board or the author, and do not necessarily rep
resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, fac
ulty or the Board of Regents.
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper
for students in reporting, editing and photography
classes within the Department of Journalism.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday
during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday
and examination periods.
Mail subscriptions are $17.44 per semester, $34.62
per school year and $36.44 per full year. Advertising
rates furnished on request.
Our address: The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1 111.
Second class postage paid at College Station, TX
77843.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battal
ion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col
lege Station TX 77843-4 11 1.
5 p.m.: After seven straight hours of
classes, you can feel the pressure build
ing up inside of you. You’re ready to
blow off some steam. You want to do
something crazy and uninhibited. You
quickly pick up the telephone, dial a
random number, wait for someone to
answer, and then yell: “Phone tag.
You’re it!” As you hang up the phone
you chuckle out loud, surprised at your
own spontaneity.
6 p.m.: After a eating a quick meal
and watching a few minutes of CNN,
you’re off to the library for an enjoyable
evening of studying. You’re already
four weeks ahead in all of your classes,
so you spend your time re-reading six of
your textbooks.
11:45 p.m.: You’re ready to get some
Here’s a look at typical schedule if
you’re a Greek:
10 a.m.: Wake up with a severe head
ache (some people call it a hangover),
take five extra-strength Anacin and go
back to sleep.
11:21 a.m.: Wake up and remember
that your only class today is at noon. Af
ter 15 seconds of debating whether to
attend or not, you go back to sleep.
1:33 p.m.: Get out of bed and fix
breakfast (a coke, two slices of cold pizza
and a package of stale twinkies). Don’t
forget to call your friends and ask them
what happened at the party last night
(i.e. who did you end up with and.what
did she or he look like?).
1:45 p.m.: Go back to sleep.
4:17 p.m.: Wake up and start some
serious studying. “I’ve got to study for at
least three hours,” you mumble aloud.
5:30 p.m.: Turn MTV off and tell
yourself, “I really need to start studying
soon, or I’m going to fail all (two) of my
classes.” Pick up your psychology book
and look at the picture on the cover. Put
the book back down. Turn the television
on and catch some more hot videos.
lovvvvve; give me Lone Star; give ft
Texas . . .”
12:15 a.m.: You’re damn proud tot«|
a Texan, but your entire body feelsli
it is going to explode. You dedde
would be best to go outside.
12:16 a.m.: As you stagger towardil*
door, you start screaming, “My God,I
think I’m going to throw up!" Eigli
party-goers are trampled as hundred)
of people rush to get out of your w
You get out the door just in time
throw up all over somebody’s doorsti
Thinking that fresh air might help)*
sober up, you walk out into the
where you promptly pass out.
9:47 a.m.: You wake up in agai
dumpster six blocks from the location £
last night’s party. Your head feels like!
got slammed in a car door, and)’(
clothes smell like rotten sardines.
10:16 a.m.: You arrive at younpafl
ment. After showering and takingabo 1
tie of aspirin you call up a friend and
ask the following question: “So, wl
the party gonna be tonight?”
I think everyone now has a prei |(
clear picture of an average day for
Geeks and the Greeks. These aren
the only groups of abnormal studenls J i
Texas A&M, and I hope everyonek 1 '
7:30 p.m.: Start getting ready for to
night’s big party. Be sure you’re wearing
clothes that look really “cool.”
8:13 p.m.: You arrive at the party and
start socializing. In a period of several
hours you consume over half a gallon of
Lone Star.
11:46 p.m.: You begin to feel a bit
woozy, but you are still in fine spirits.
Soon you begin to sing. “Give me
What? What’s that? Oh, you’re
lutely right. There is one other group
students that’s, uh, different fronts'
erybody else. I’m sure everyone k>
heard of them — they’re known as Tk
Battalion staff.
Most people just refer to us as’W
Batt freaks.”
I’d love to describe a typical day of
Batt staff er to you — but I don’t want#
make anyone ill.
Dean Sueltenfuss is a junior jourt' 1
lism major and opinion page editor
The Battalion.
TAFFWRITEI
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