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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1989)
The Battalion OPINION Tuesday, October 24,1989 Opinion Page Editor Juliette Rizzo 845-33 Mail Call Keep on yelling EDITOR: I give the Twelfth Man a big hand, because we have shown Cougar High what real school spirit is about. The key to our spirit is committment. We have stuck with the Aggies through thick and thin. If you’re wondering about me, I’m getting a masters degree at the University of Houston, but I sure do miss A&M. The University of Houston’s newspaper. The Daily Cougar ran the following article on Tuesday Oct. 10: “Losing out on a perfect season is tough. Losing to the Aggies is worse. Yet, what makes it especially tough to swallow is the support Texas A&M managed to drum up for a game that seemed destined for a sure Cougar stomping of the maroon and white. “Give the Aggie faithful one thing — they sure have a hell of a lot of school spirit. “No doubt it contributed to one of the most upsetting Cougar losses in a long time. “Say what you want about games being the only decent entertainment in College Station, but the fact remains they have more spirit than has been seen on Cullen Boulevard in Man would become enraged at bad (or missed) calls. The Twelfth Man would hiss. The “yell leaders” would signal the horse laugh...and never follow through. Did I miss something? Has the horse laugh been banned, discontinued, sold to another university or what? Or could it be that we have five wimps for yell leaders? When the Twelfth Man becomes frustrated at such inept leadership, they “boo.” The Twelfth Man needs leadership to exemplify Aggie sportsmanship. Other Southwest Conference schools “boo,” throw ice and even throw beverages at coaches. I thought Aggies were different. So, back to my question, what hashappened to the horse laugh, and why was it not lead at the Baylor vs. A&M game? Sabrina S. Sanders ’88 Values should be reconsidered Tax cut bad news “Those loyal University of Houston souls who trekked to Aggieland for the ballgame were drowned out every time they tried to motivate the Cougars to victory. The A&M yell leaders would get the 66,000-plus crowd going into a frenzy with the most awkward and obnoxious of cheers. If only the Dome could become such a haven of support. “While the perfect season may be gone, there’s still much to be had by going to the rest of the home ballgames. Go out and enjoy yourself. Socialize with friends, family and students. But, most of all, show everyone from the backwoods of Arkansas to the desert plains of Lubbock that “Cougar High” is dead and gone and that the University of Houston, the Southwest Conference’s brightest star of the future, is alive and well.” Keep up the good work and once again thanks to the Twelfth man and our yell leaders. Karla Westrup ’88 Bring back horse laugh EDITOR: I agree wholeheartedly with J. Carlos Huerta (Oct. 12, 1989). I used to be Republican but assinine proposals like the capital gains tax cut have made the Democrats a seemingly much more sensible group. What are the Republicans and George Bush thinking? Really wise... make the people who have the most pay less than before, while claiming we don’t have funds for much-needed programs. I would also like to ask all Aggies, how many of you actually knew about the proposed capital gains tax cut? What happened to the involved, intellectual college student of yesterday who was actually in tune with the world?... Who actually reads a newspaper or watches the news once in a while? I recall not too long ago when college students held protests to portray their strong opinions on current news topics. No, I’m not saying we should publicly protest every issue. However, I think the trend today among college students is to get so wrapped up in their own social circle, they forget to look at the world around them. It doesn’t matter which side of a topic you choose, just make an informed decision and stand up for it. It has been said too many times that we are the “leaders of tomorrow.” If we don’t know what is going on in the world, how are we going to learn from current mistakes... such as the capital gains tax cut? Leigh Gorman ’90 Columnist’s note: The following is not a comprehensive treatise on the current state of American society. It is not ignorance, but space and the na ture of the column that prevent me from incorporating every germane piece of information. I begin today’s column with a short parade of statistics for your reading en joyment. EDITOR: I need someone to please clarify something for me. Were there not times during the Baylor vs. A&M game where a horse laugh” would have been appropriate? The Twelfth 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 num ber of the writer. The World Health Organization re ports that the United States ranks eighth internationally in rate of sui cides. This may be rather misleading, however, because suicides among peo ple aged 15-24 increased 284 percent between 1950 and 1980. The United States has 18 million problem drinkers, of whom 10 million are considered al coholics. International data were not available, but I believe this represents one of the world’s worst drinking prob lems. Finally and not surprisingly, the United States ranks first among indus trialized nations in per capita use of il licit drugs. othe: There is a point to this series of sta tistics. I believe that there is one unify ing feature of all of these problems: es cape. A huge, and in many cases, increasing segment of the population feels the need to escape from their lives through intoxication or death. Why, in this glorious nation of bliss and pros perity, are so many people checking out? The reason is simple. The bliss and prosperity are only the shimmering ve neer. Scratch this veneer and you will find a land of violence and despair. UFOs, vodka diets, Elvis sightings, other stories It is a common belief that those who abuse drugs or commit suicide are stu pid, weak or unfortunate. I would like to offer an alternative view. These peo ple are the only ones in the United States with any sense. They are not cowards, they are geniuses. The rest of us cling to the quixotic notion that we can actually change something, in the face of the fact that the status most always wins. We are a staticnat« of money-loving robots. We owe these people the investigating why they chose theirpj ticular avenues of escape. The need; y te) escape cuts across socioeconom ted, boundaries and is therefore in study. The poor may need to esq because they recognize the gravity their plight, a plight that will not solved by “a thousand points ofligl The middle class may need to esca; because they recognize their position the prime movers in the economy despair at their lack of political res] The wealthy may need to escape cause they recognize that excess money often does not eliminate, creates, a hollow existence. Eacti these groups tells a lot about facts and casts into serious doubt myths of political rhetoric. I do not encourage suicide or abuse. I am one of the unfortunat who do cling to that quixotic notion change, although that personal 1 has been battered in the last months. I am also aware thattheei tional toll on loved ones is almosti mountable. However, I do undersi the desire to escape. We must why people would sooner die nowtl take a chance on living in the futi The answer to the drug and suio; problems does not lie abroad. Theoi lasting solution lies in a total recons; eration of American “values.” B Stude: Adam Mathieu is a senior chei try major and a columnist for The i talion. Th< Ithetic egoru date | effect The fact that Tass, the soviet news outlet is now reporting UFO sightings says to me glasnost is for real and that Soviet journalism may never be the same. In case you missed it, witnesses claim a UFO landed in the Soviet Union and giants with big heads appeared from inside it. Personally I never believed in UFO sightings, because UFOs are always sighted in places where UFOs likely wouldn’t go, like deep in the woods or out in a cornfield or in the Soviet Union. I simply cannot imagine Rutok and Carno, two giants with small heads from the planet Zingbla, having the following conversation: “Hey Rutok, let’s buzz down to Earth.” “Great, Carno, where on Earth do you want to go?” “How ’bout the Soviet Union?” Real outer space persons would not go to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is about as fun a place to go as the dentist for a root canal. Rutok would say, “Are you crazy? Why should we go to the Soviet Union? Let’s hit Vegas.” Before the Soviets began to loosen up a little, Tass never would have pub lished an article about a UFO sighting. Before glasnost, Tass was quite rigid and only published what the governe- ment wanted published, and the gov ernment would have told Tass, “Don’t publish an idiot story about UFOs landing here. Even giants with small heads wouldn’t land here. They’d go to Vegas.” What we may see in the future, how- Lewis Grizzard Syndicated Columnist ever, is more sensational news stories. And could it be there will soon be So viet counterparts of the sort of newspa pers sold in American grocery stores? You know the sort: like the National Enquirer. “Little minds want to know.” What’s great about those newspa pers is they don’t fool around with facts. As a veteran of the news business, let me assure you facts often can get in the way of a great story. For instance, you see one of those papers in the grocery checkout line and a headline screams at you, “Goat Born With Five Heads!” You know they made that up, and they know you know they made that up, but you still want to read the story: “GOOBERTOWN, Ark. — A goat belonging to Goobertown farmer Mel vin Dinglebat was born with five heads. Unfortunately, Bigfoot showed up a little after birth and ate the goat and all five of his heads.” What might we see from Tass in the future? • “Lenin Alive! Living With Elvis on Neptune.” They’re sharing a collective. • “Endless Supply of Meat Headed for Soviet Union!” Because there is no food in the gro cery stores, buy the paper and eat it for supper. • “Gorby and Thatcher Caught in Love Nest!” And Raisa has been seeing Sylvester Stallone on the Sly. • “Soviet Baseball Team Wins World Series!” What did the Rooski nine do? Sweep the Cubs in four? • “New Book Says Stalin Gay.” And Khrushchev was a closet Meth odist. • “New All Vodka Diet!” Drink 10 glasses a day and you’ll for get about the shortage of food, you sober up. • “Decadent West Said Not That Bad After All.” First porno theater opens in Mos cow. • “East German Politburo Admits Communism Has Faults!” I’d believe a story about a five headed goat first. Constitution overhaul absolutely necessary plicati Itor a i “Tl ication fprobli I Meoh Ihave ; ifleas c The League of Women Voters is right when it says the Texas Constitu tion should be rewritten. But it must be done cautiously, in a way that keeps the public in control of the politicians ... The Amarillo Sunday News-Globe The problem is that the wording is so outdated, and restrictive, that frivolonj amendments sometimes are needed. But the constitution’s weakness nothing to the imagination ... its wordiness — is also its strength. It lead Because the state constitution is very specific, a lot of power is vested inil voters. Without their approval, many fundamental changes are not possible. Texas’ constitution should be refined so fewer technical revisions are neefc on the ballot each year. But the populist thread must remain intact. The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Scot Walker, Editor Wade See, Managing Editor Juliette Rizzo, Opinion Page Editor Fiona Soltes, City Editor Ellen Hobbs, Chuck Squatriglia, News Editors Tom Kehoe, Sports Editor Jay Janner, Art Director Dean Sueltenfuss, Lifestyles Editor 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 during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. 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