The Battalion
OPINION
he Battalio
2 ST
Thursday, June 29,1989
hursday,
Mail Call
Save the trees
EDITOR:
As only one interested citizen and only one graduate of
Texas A&M University, I am writing to express grave
concern on the expansion of Rudder Center and the
Memorial Student Center.
All of us have seen the University of Texas at Austin
staff destroy the original forty acres with building
congestion, destruction of the campus integrity and u e
spin off of surface parking and parking garages. Texas
A&M has always been the last fronteir in thoughtful
planning and aesthetics. Must we lose that foresight now?
The stately old Live Oak trees have sheltered many of
us enroute to class or other numerous functions at the
university. The famed Texas architect Oneal Ford always
worked around topography. No wonder he won such
acclaim. There is always another way when the project is
still a drawing and not a piece of machinery pushing the
earth.
I think the goal of the Board of Regents should include
sensitivity to the human scale and use of this campus. The
atmosphere of our surroundings contributes a great deal
to scholastics and maintaining the financial support of
alumnus. I am confident that the trees — the legacy
handed down to us from our forefathers — will be pro
tected.
William Edward Mclaughlin ’58
Flag decision ‘dead wrong’
EDITOR:
Over the past three years, The Battalion has had the
unique ability to rouse my anger and inspire me to express
my opinions in a parade of letters to the editor. I just can’t
seem to help it. My blood starts to boil and the pen takes
off.
This time my anger is in reaction to the recent flag
desecration decision by the Supreme Court.
Frankly,.this decision makes me sick! Last year, I had
the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. and the Vietnam
Memorial. When I saw the names of those men and
women, many of whom (at my age) fought and died for
America, I couldn’t help but cry. To think that someone
could legally burn the American flag in front of it makes
my stomach turn.
This ruling is an insult to all of those people. It is a slap
in the face to every person who has proudly served and
defended the American flag, and also to every man,
woman and child who is proud of the flag and proud to be
an American.
The American flag is not “just another piece of colored
cloth,” but rather it is a visual representation of the ideals
and beliefs of this great country.
I believe, as President Bush does, that this decision is
“dead wrong!!!”
Chris Somsory ’90
New amendment will protect First
EDITOR:
I believe in freedom of speech. It’s one of the things
that has made the United States of America the greatest
country on this earth. It allows us to voice our opinions
and express our beliefs. However, the burning of the
American flag should not be protected by the First
Amendment.
I think the Court’s ruling and The Battalion’s Editorial
Board are fundamentally wrong in this interpretation of
the First Amendment. I’m not the only person who feels
this way. Both the Senate and the House overwhelmingly
voiced disappointment with this ruling. President Bush
has called for a Constitutional amendment to make it
illegal to desecrate or destroy the American flag. I’m
certain that such an amendment will be passed.
The Battalion’s backing of the right to burn the flag
showsthat they are not only not in the mainstream of
American political thought but not even close to being in
contact with the student population at Texas A&M.
I will continue to take my hat off when the flag passes.
I also will take appropriate action against people who
desecrate the flag that thousands of American men and
women have defended, fought and died under.
Charles E. Hogan II ’89
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff re
serves 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 clas
sification, address and telephone number of the writer.
Charlie Chan: fron
a Chinese viewpoin
let
Officii
ly Holly Bee
ITAFF WRITEI
“Welcome members of foreign press.
Today, we have a special treat for you.
Chinese governemt ready to answer all
questions about recent unpleasantness
in Tiananmen Square.
“And we have big surprise. To make
you feel more comfortable, government
has asked someone you all know to an
swer questions.
“He is famous detective and movie
star, Charlie Chan. Please take over, Mr.
Chan.”
“Thank you. I am Number One de
tective Charlie Chan. I was in many
American moving pictures. You can
trust me. May I have first question,
please.”
“Mr. Chan, Lambert, Associated
Press. We have heard many different
versions of just haow many people were
killed in the Tiananmen Square mas
sacre. Would you please give us the ex
act number of casualties?”
“No massacre. Just little dis
agreement. One killed.”
“One? But Mr. Chan, we’ve heard
there were possibly thousands of casual
ties. There is no truth to that?”
“No truth. One killed. Slipped on ba
nana peel and broke head. Very unfor
tunate.”
“Wilson, New York Times. Mr. Chan,
my sources tell me troops marched into
the square and began to fire at the pro
testing students at random. Does your
government deny this?”
“How you say in States, ‘No way,
Jose?’ Troops never fire guns. Guns not
loaded. Firecrackers perhaps.”
“Headley-Donavan, BBC. Mr. Chan,
if the troops never fired, how can you
explain the number of bloodied bodies
of protesters that were witnessed in the
Lewis
Grizzard
Syndicated Columnist
Sweating ca:
hot and hi
ave lives.
Dr. Clift Pri
lioner for the
Health, said s
■or controlling
icratures. Th
“If you’re n
squarer
“Very clever, these revolutionaiilhe"body’s wat
Put catsup on themselves. Lie very; ivhile exercisin
so foreign press think they dead. Fut
joke, huh?”
“Mr. Chan, Bowman, NBC News!
the soliders not beat up foreign
son correspondents?”
“Only one, and that big mistake,S
diets think correspondent Sam
aldson. Sam Donaldson snake mgr* A
next question, please.”
“Mr. Chan, Davenport, the Waste
ton Post. Do you think all this is
hurt the Chinese government’s
with the United States?”
“United States and Chinese
ment good friends. They senduswK
NO’
nd;
By Mia Mood
STAFF WRITE
easier for
vomen to Fib
vere struck do
Clements ve
woman to fi
vithout taking
aw requires.
The other
ons. We send them recipe for ^"fvom'enar'e cc
soup. Very good soup. Favorite of Pri nisht be jeo
dent Bush.”
“How will these people be treated
the government if found?”
“We take away bicycles.”
“But, Mr. Chan, you really don't
pect for a minute that we canbelet
believe that is all that will happen
them if they are capture?”
“I say. You believe. Chinese way.’
“Mr. Chan, Cloverhurt, Timeffi
azine. Pardon me for saying it, te
think your answers to our questions
nothing but a lot of dung.”
“Leave Mr. Xiaoping out of this.
“Thank you, Mr. Chan. No ffi
time for questions. Have niceday.Al
you.
Copyright 1989, Cowles Syndicate
Bimbos give new meaning to Aggie jargon
READY? OK!
That’s right Aggies. It’s that time
again. Summer school at Texas A&M
just wouldn’t be the same without seve
ral high school drill teams marching all
over campus. And what better place to
have a drill team camp than a university
that doesn’t even have cheerleaders?
These human Barbies have been ev
erywhere the last two weeks, prancing
two-by-two, each with one hand behind
her back and the other clutching a
brightly colored thermos (which inci
dentally matches the color of their span-
dex leotards, and their spandex tights,
and the bows on their heads and the
“swooshes” on their favorite pair of
Nikes). Color coordination is a must
when one attends Sbisa, our most fa
mous “cafeteria.”
And, don’t think the Corps is back
Damon
Arhos
Columnist
early and has started using pom-pons
during morning formation either.
Those brilliant sparkles you have seen
radiating from the quad are another in
dication of our prestigious visitors. I
know it is an adjustment hearing a
marching band rendition of some
Donna Summer song every morning,
but you can’t ALWAYS have “Reveille.”
These young women have brought
new meaning to many of the express
ions we Aggies hold so dear. Take the
term “boot chaser” for instance. In the
past, those female students who “cha
sed” after seniors in the Corps were
“boot chasers.” But how could any red-
blooded American male resist those sim
ulated leather “Wonder Woman” boots
with the white tassels hanging from the
back? THOSE are “boot-chasing”
material.
Or how about “dead elephant?”
Usually a “dead elephant” at A&M is a
senior during the spring semester. But
lately the term has been used to describe
those members of the drill teams who
don’t quite make the weight require
ment.
Then there are the “two-percenters,”
those students at A&M who do not dis
play the true Aggie spirit. It seems to me
that “two-percenters” would be those
students at A&M who actually enjoy see
ing our guests march across the grass at
the MSC.
And the only “of lady” around is the
instructor screaming directions at the
front of the line.
I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad if they
didn t stop traffic all the way back to
Wellborn road every time they cross the
street. I was almost late to class Tuesday
because I couldn’t cross the sidewalk. It
is similar to waiting for a train to pass at
a raihoad crossing. Can you imagine
trying to explain this situation to your
professor? “Em sorry I’m late, Dr.
Smith. I couldn't cross the sidewalk this
morning. I ran across this uncalculated
wave of drill team members followed by
the male members of the current fresh
man conference. I’ll take anotheric
next time.”
What solutions do we have to
problem? My idea is to put up pos®
the Commons that say, “WANT
Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. App
Dallas by tomorrow.” Or nnytt
could buy some drill team repellent!-
spray it along the outskirts of the
versity? Or how about prohibiting-
person from wearing a color-co ft
nated outfit on campus while carryi 11 :
thermos? Maybe one of these me®
would rid us of those pesky drill te®
And just when you will think it h
to go back to campus again, the m-
teer firemen will arrive. And this ■
it’s personal.
Damon Arhos is a junior jouM '
major and a columnist for The a
ion.
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Las Vegas: headquarters for hedonism, sin
In a move that surprised many, the
Southern Baptists recently held this
year’s convention in Las Vegas.
Southern Baptists are known for
their strict intolerance of such things as
drinking, gambling and dancing —
which covers everything including fool
ing around with the lights on.
One simply wonders why would these
such pious individuals convene in the
headquarters of hedonism.
To find a possible answer, I contacted
the Rev. Leroy (Fingers) Fandango, pas
tor of The Buck Stops Here Baptist
Church.
“Isn’t Las Vegas an odd place for
Southern Baptists?” I asked the Rev.
Fandango who was speaking from his
suite at Caesar’s Palace.
The Battalion [
. (USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest lournaiism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Ellen Hobbs,
Editor
Juliette Rizzo,
Opinion Page Editor
Fiona Soltes,
City Editor
Drew Leder, Chuck Squatriglia,
News Editors
Steven Merritt,
Sports Editor
Kathy Haveman,
Art Director
Hal Hammons,
Makeup Editor
Lewis
Grizzard
Syndicated Columnist
“On the contrary, my son,” he an
swered. “We thought it would be a good
idea to see if there’s anything new going
on here that we needed to be against.”
“And have you seen any new form of
sinning?” I continued.
“Actually, Las Vegas is really quite a
family place, he said.
“But there is drinking in Las Vegas,”
I said. “I know Southern Baptists are
against drinking.”
“We’re getting much more liberal on
drinking,” explained Rev. Fandango.
“In what way?” I asked.
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.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday
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Mail subscriptions are $17.44 per semester, $34.62
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lege Station TX 77843-4 111.
“We’ve started waving at one another
in liquor stores,” he answered.
“But what about the showgirls in ve-
gas?” I pressed on. “Southern Baptists
have always taken a hard stand against
dancing.”
As a matter of fact,” said the Rev.
fandango, “I am chairman of the danc-
mg committee that is here studying this
sinful practice. I think we have to en
gage in further study before making
any statements in regards to our find
ings.
“Where might we see the oU
Baptists convene next year? ' vaSl1
question to the clergyman.
” he ans" e
Copyright 1989, Cowles Syndicate
“Atlantic City or Reno,
“We vote tomorrow.”
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