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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1989)
The Battalion OPINION ST^ Thursday, April 27,1989 MARGOieS HO^IDN peer Mail Call Dru Only criminals should be punished EDITOR: Consider for a moment America without personal accountability, a nation where some could infringe upon the liberties of others, free from penalties for those actions. Do current trends in public policy foreshadow this? Note the recent crusades against “social ills” such as the use of alcohol, drugs and firearms. Each exemplifies an attempted restraint upon all users/possessors irrespective of their behavior. Rather than take the “elitist” position of prosecuting the abusers, those who infringe on others’ rights, lawmakers assail all users in avoidance of their public responsibility. Consider some pragmatic and ideologically sound alternatives. Responsible drivers should applaud the punishment of those who recklessly kill or injure pedestrians and other motorists, regardless of sobriety. Victims of violent crimes should (and do) welcome severe punishment of the perpetrators, regardless of the motives or weapons used. Through arbitrary assessments of guilt, a select group exempts themselves from universal, objective standards. These “nice” people don’t smoke, drink, own firearms, use drugs, or do anything controversial —in public. This relegates criminal punishment to the common citizens who openly “indulge” in such “vices.” Such subjective legislation and law enforcement irresponsibly places blame and restrictions on the visible group rather than on culpable individuals. Will honest, reasonable, law-abiding Americans continue to support such trends? Will lawmakers and the popular media continue to ignore the one common link between all criminal threats to the public — the criminal? What do you think? Sam Johnson ’82 Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit httm for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author's intent. Each letter must be si) must include the classification, address and telephone number of the writer. BROWNS VILLI nly suspect in U.S lection with an a luenced drug s inked to 15 dead ent Wednesday iharges. Serafin Hernanc Irownsville, was a on on April 17 a leople who was ii lay in McAllen i :ounts related to n ion and importatic “We’ll enter a ph o each and ever :ounts,” federal pu ixRedo told U.S. 1 io Garza. A U.S. magistral riday ordered I (ithoutbond, pent Garza on Wedm ection for Herr Irownsville for M .retrial hearings .(ay 26. Hernandez, a n lanca, Tamaulipa* Spanish througn ; he arraignment. Officials have sa: ieve Hernandez w jrganization’s cul iccording to susp mstody, ritually sa flated some of d [niried west of M Frivolous lawsuits run rampant in America fell down in a drunken stupor could suf fer a fatal blow to the head. Then his family could collect money from the company that makes the liquor he was drinking because it didn’t have a warn ing label cautioning people that con sumption could result in drunkeness and injury. the human element and provide ineffi cient, wasteful programs. The family in Seattle is just an ob vious symptom of a much larger and dangerous mindset. As soon as we take responsibility for our actions, we will know how to solve our problems. All of our headaches will come closer to a long-term solution if we remember to look at the cause of our problems—our actions. James Cecil is a senior economics major and a columnist for The Battal. ion. Last week a woman in Seattle filed a lawsuit against several makers of beer, wine and liquor, claiming they are partly responsible for her child being born vx ith a mental illness called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Because the woman drank excessive amounts of alcohol during pregnancy, the child was born with this syndrome that will leave him mentally handicapped for the rest of his life. This sort of liability could be applied to any product. Cutlery makers would be forced to have warning labels on knives stating that a person could die if he was stabbed “by-a knife. Cars would need warnings on the hood to caution pedestrians not to walk in front of them, otherwise automobile makers would be subject to lawsuits from people hit by cars. Not your ordinary columns, but hey — they weren’t meant to be This child, never able to do anything on his own, will require help from his family and medical staff. The family is suing the producers of the alcoholic beverages to help pay for the tremen dous expenses that will be incurred to care for the child. This case in Seattle is just one exam ple of a dangerous way of thinking our society has adopted. It doesn’t occur to this woman to take responsibility for her actions. Seeing as this is my last column, for better or for worse, I wish the chance to explain what it is that I have tried to do this semester. My purpose was not to get a reaction, to piss people off — contrary to what many people believe. If that were my intention, I could have suc ceeded far more than I did. I wanted to get people to think, to wonder about what I was trying to get across. jpti Jgg- \ M. i Todd iJlfr Honeycutt [ W/F* Columnist greatness such as we have before us,a vast supply is required. Indeed, this is a profoundly tragic sit uation. But why are the parents blaming the makers of alcoholic drinks? The law yer for the family says that there is no warning on the drinks stating that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome may result if alcohol is consumed by pregnant women. So, the companies are partially to blame for not warning this woman in Seattle about the impending dangers. Unfortunately, most people don’t know that they should take responsibil ity for their behavior. Pointing the fin ger at other people seems to have be come a national pastime. We are more willing to put the blame on someone else than we are to accept the concequences of what we do. I made some mistakes, but I have no regrets. I wanted to say something dif ferent than what others were talking about. This is probably one of the most ridic ulous things I have ever heard. First of all, this woman made a deci sion not to abide by the generally known practice of avoiding alcohol consump tion while pregnant. Doctors always tell pregnant woman not to drink, smoke, or overexert themselves. This woman made her choices; she chose to drink. She drank half of a fifth of liquor each day! Clearly, she is responsible for her child’s affliction. Those infamous television commer cials for law firms are evidence of the system taking advantage of our weak ness in blaming others for our prob lems. “Did you hurt yourself in some careless accident on the job? Did you embarrass yourself slipping on the floor at work? We can give you justice! We’ll sue!!” I have tried to address issues which are highly personal, as well as broader concerns — not just something one could get out of a city newspaper. Much criticism has been thrown against me be cause of this. It is, I have heard, suppos edly not becoming of an opinion page. So much for creativity, personal ex pression, and innovation. I have had praise in opposition of this criticism as well, but it has been more silent. As one views it from a distance, the tree appears to be a grand pyramid con structed by Egyptian artisans now gone. Pyramids have long been thought by some cultures and sects to have magical, life-giving, energetic powers. This tree has those powers. The branches, the most visible partot the tree, are numerous and grand their design. Some of them riseupto touch the sun, to grasp all that is and wholesome. Some of the branches also touch the ground, reaching out to all that is evil and malevolent. Even something great is corrupt to some et' tent. Perhaps the branches can to thought also to swing down to keepii touch w ith its roots, to stay “down t earth” while its head is in the clouds. It emits a psychic aura of health and well-being for all who desire to receive it. Under its branches you can feel safe and secure. It seems a shelter from the dark forces of the Evil Empire, from the misgivings of man, from the rain, harboring life and love, peace and tranquility. The tree is a mighty rock jut ting from the raging sea. The national agenda also has been in fluenced by this way of thinking. Today, issues that are emotionally based have ignored the central core of the issues and simple-mindedly demanded that officials in Washington, D.C. solve the problem. The following is a piece typical of what supposedly does not “belong” on the opinion page. Take it literally as an expression of beauty, see it as the poten tial of man or society, view it as a reli gious metaphor, let it be a dream. I would like for you to read it leisurely, to find some kind of personal meaning, to enjoy it. Laugh at it if you wish. The trunk is magnificent. For a tree, the trunk is perhaps the most important part. To destroy the trunk is to destroy the entire grandeur of the tree. The trunk is the foundation, the philosophy, the morals, the rational side of the tree. To be a great tree, the trunk itself must be great. A lesser trunk will snap at the first great force to come upon it. This tree is definitely venerable, Time is required to grow and evolve; greatness is not achieved overnij Time, while increasing wisdom strength, adds a degree of brittleness to the tree. Many are the stories of a stronf wind blowing over the old, strong tree, while the young trees bent with thewinil and were left standing. The old tret simply could not handle the winds ol change The great trees, this one in' eluded, bend with minimal fluctuation! and keep their original formal terwards. Secondly, if the alcoholic beverage producers were to be held liable in this case, perhaps they would be held liable for all other injuries and damages that occur when people drink. A man who The cause of problems — the reason problems exist — is never considered. Activists naively force the issues away from any real solution and want the fed eral government to take care of prob lems for the people. As we have seen, the government’s solutions often forget When I first came to this University, I was impressed by its beauty. But one item of the campus struck me as some thing astounding. It was a tree, the oak right in front of of Bolton Hall. Many students, past and present, also have touched its boughs and been just as im pressed. And then there are the roots. I have never seen the roots, of course, but ne cessity dictates that they delve deeply into the earth and are entangled in a complex web. The roots serve as gather ers of nutrients, collectors of knowl edge. For anything to grow, sustenance and substance are needed. And for I highly recommend this tree to those who love nature, who are in times of trouble, who seek knowledge. This tree expresses the beauty of nature, the closest man can come in the physical world to the beauty of God. This tree serves as a constant, a bringer of hopeto those who find that they are hopeless And the tree, as many have knownso well, is the best teacher, the highest ex ample one can have. The Battalion Thursday, Ap Some of the five UPD ar By Holly Becka REPORTER Two Bryan teei md charged with i ofaTexas A&M st Bob Wiatt, dire< responded to a cal ious activity in Pz modular dormitor ‘At about 11:40 i heard the bre gotten into a vehi plate number. “Some of my ur letted two indivic Todd Honeycutt is a sophomorepsf chology major and a columnist for Tht Battalion. The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Becky Weisenfels, Editor Leslie Guy, Managing Editor E>ean 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 Bryan-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. 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