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
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Bob Wiatt, dire<
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Todd Honeycutt is a sophomorepsf
chology major and a columnist for Tht
Battalion.
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E>ean Sueltenfuss, Opinion Page Editor
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Doug Walker, Sports Editor
Jay Janner, Art Director
Mary-Lynne Rice, Entertainment Edi
tor
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