The Battalion
OPINION
2
Friday, February 9,1990
Mail Call
Being Christian doesn’t make you pro-life
EDITOR:
Arguments concerning abortion fall upon deaf ears, so I do not feel com
pelled to debate the subject. Just for the record, I am an advocate of pro-
choice.
I am also a Christian. It is for this sole reason, Jeff Franks, that your letter
in Monday’s Battalion deeply offended me.
Ellen Hobbs’ feelings and ideas about Christianity are between her and
God. If she opts to share these with you it is not your place to tell her she is
wrong or pass judgement on her faith.
You also have no right to make assumptions about her religious beliefs.
Simply because she wishes to separate her Christianity from that of the letter-
senders does not mean she believes Christianity supports murder.
I realize your quips about her Christianity were nothing more than reli
gious sarcasm. However, your sarcastic remarks reek of Christian hypocracy.
Next time you decide to take a position on an issue, try to stand firm on
your beliefs instead of pointing a pious finger from a self-righteous position
above.
You also stated that you are adopted, so you believe were it not for pre
vious laws banning abortion you probably would not be here. Please be aware
that you are alive today not because of a law but because of a choice your bi
ological mother made. If someone wants to do something badly enough, be it
legal or illegal, that person will always find a way to do it. For whatever reason,
be it upbringing, religious training, financial background or moral convic
tions, your mother chose to have you.
Cynthia Alexander ’93
Sperm banks have a down side, too
EDITOR:
Matt McBurnett’s views are among the most intelligent and rational in
The Battalion, but he forgot to mention the down side in his column on sperm
banks.
This service has been controversial since its beginning because it is a giant
leap toward selective breeding. Nature and circumstance my be determining
factors, but genetics does have at least some influence in determining the
child’s outcome.
If acceptance of sperm bank usage becomes too widespread, those couples
who choose to have children the customary way, may find their kids compet
ing against others who are smarter, stronger and more beautiful. These chil
drens’ paternal genes will have survived not only the banks 88 percent weed-
out rate, but also the mothers’ selectivity.
Prospective donors should also consider that they may one day want to see
their children, or wonder how they’re doing. This information will probably
not be available. ^
Since the outcome is irreversible, the decision to become a donor is a very
serious one. ALL factors, not just the positive ones, should be considered.
Jeff J. Link ’91
Not all scientists stuck in lab dungeons
EDITOR:
Give science a chance, Ags.
Don Atkinson’s Battalion cartoon (Jan.30) about dungeoh-bound science
students confined to laboratory basements reminds me of a few sunless af
ternoons in physics labs. Unfortunately, the cartoon also perpetuates the
image of science as a cloistered activity undertaken by introverts who never
come home for dinner and forget their kids’ birthdays.
The stereotype of the scientist as a social recluse concerned only with test
tubes and equations is out of tune with the times. And it is a sad fact that this
country desperately needs to retain or regain leadership in global markets.
Students interested in science and mathematics should know that modern
science careers offer great intellectual and ethical challenges and satisfactions.
In many cases, the challenges are in the forefront of social concern; e.g. AIDS
research and the threat of global warming, to name just two obvious ones.
It is true that a scientist can work in isolation, just as a writer or an accoun
tant can, but scientists often pursue their interests under intense public scru
tiny and with social concerns foremost in mind. For example, there is consid
erable controversy today concerning the influences of increasing carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere and the way in which the ocean moderates those
influences. These are science problems of great complexity and keen public
interest, involving such practical matters as ice-cap melting, global warming
and sea level rise. To some extent, the future habitability of our planetary
home may depend on how well we come to understand and perhaps alter
such climate-related processes. There is plenty of work to keep socially-con
cerned, extroverted scientists busy.
Texas A&M offers students many ways to explore possible science careers,
even ones traditionally pursued at the graduate level. Oceanography, for ex
ample, offers only graduate degrees, but undergraduates can test their inter
ests with broad survey courses and more narrowly defined honors courses.
Other science curricula offer similar opportunities to “graze.” In doing so,
students will find that a modern career in science at times can offer essentially
unlimited excitement, challenge and responsibility.
The most difficult challenge may be to find the motivation, courage and
selfless concern needed to come out of the lab basement and face social issues
head-on.
David A. Brooks, Professor
Department of Oceanography
A&M needs library more than sports arena
EDITOR:
In Friday’s paper, you ran an article dealing with the regents’ plans to
build another arena to replace G. Rollie White Coliseum. Although sports are
an important part of A&M, nobody seems to notice how badly the money is
needed elsewhere.
Our library, if you can call it a library, is in a pitiful condition. Out of the
top 50 colleges in the nation, A&M ranks last in the quality of their libraries.
We spend a fraction of the money that other universities do on their research
f acilities. I think it is embarrassing that a school the size of A&M cares so little
about our educational resources. For a school so proud of its standard of edu
cation and the quality of its students, we seem to be doing very little to im
prove our educational facilities.
Granted, sports are an important part of our school, but the University is
here for education first, and I think that the funds for the new arena, if spent
to improve our library, could place A&M at the top where it should be instead
of in last place. • 't
John Brandley ’93 - ^
U.S. Congress could use improvement
The American system of government
must work pretty well, considering how
long it has endured. But room for
improvement always exists, and the
need for improvement of our legislative
branch is pretty evident.
One problem is the general lack of
ethics among the members of Congress.
Political columnists and critics have
been suggesting for years that Congress
enact legislation to put limits on
members’ outside income.
Finally, in 1989, they managed to
come up with a law that did enact some
limits. But, sadly, they had to bribe
themselves with a monster pay raise to
do it.
Another questionable area is the mail
and phone privileges that members of
Congress have. Every time you get a
newsletter or an “update” from
Congressman Jones, you paid the
postage for it. That’s silly, since these
mass mailings usually don’t amount to
anything beyond a ploy to convince you
to vote the sender back into office come
election day.
Of course, members of Congress
don’t need much help getting reelected
anyway.
Every election year, the retention rate
for senators and representatives is
above 90 percent; most years, it’s
around 96 or 97 percent. Congress is
essentially a private club —and a very
exclusive club at that.
That is by far the biggest problem
with the system. Once you’re in, you’re
in.
You can do pretty much as you
please, because you have the name
recognition and, more importantly, the
contributions from political action
committees and national political
committees to guarantee your election.
Cruise along for 20 or 30 years, living
high on the hog from taxpayers’ money,
and then retire, to live high on the hog
from a government pension funded by
taxpayers’ money.
A solution to this problem exists: a
constitutional amendment that places a
limit on the number of years a person
can serve in Congress.
This is not any kind of revolutionary
idea; it’s actually quite common in
America’s business and academic sector,
where it is more commonly referred to
as “up or out.”
The Texas A&M tenure system works
this way, too. A teacher comes to A&M,
is periodically reviewed, and if he has
not been granted tenure within a
/Americans have consistenntly
said that they favor a limitation on
the number of years a person can
serve in Congress.
specified number of years, (usually
seven), then he is gone. Of course, that’s
overly simplified, but that’s the basic
idea.
It’s pretty simple: If you aren’t up to
the standard that we want in tenured
professors, then move aside so we can
look for someone who is.
Up or out.
Simple.
So imagine the same plan for our
elected representatives. You are about
Students
could vote
for change
Claude E.
Mounce
Columnist
Recent events in Russia and Eastei
Europe remind us that the powerto
govern rests not with the governmem
but with the governed. If enough spe
out, the government is forced to
In democracy, the power belongsu
the people, mostly those who vote.
Controlling voters is the first step to
controlling power.
Aggie students are in a unique
position of power in Brazos County.
The county has a populationofabo
120,()()(). Aggies make up about 40,01
of that total. Forty-thousand voters
voting as one voice could controlmos
of the elected officials in the county.
Aggies could elect or influencethe
election of the mayor and councilof
College Station and Bryan, thePreci
1 county commissioner, county office
of judge, treasurer, assessoi-collector
clerk, attorney, sheriff and various
constables and justices of the peace
This poll power includes notonlv
voting for those candidates officially
running for office, but also students
who could be elected to these officesti
a write-in campaign.
In order to vote, a student needoi
to register 30 days before the election.
The first election is March 13.
Unfortunately, this is during spring
break; but remember, absenteevotin;
■ orty-thousand Aggies votings
one voice could control most of
the elected officials in thecoun!)
to finish, let’s say, your third term as a
senator from Texas. Because of the new
“up or out” amendment, you have a
choice: retire to private life (which in
itself is not a bad deal; most former
politicians do quite well for themselves
when they enter the business world), or
run for a different office, like governor,
president or even city council.
For 50 years, the Gallup organization
has been polling Americans about their
attitudes about Congress. Over the 50
years of the polls, Americans have
consistenntly said that they favor a
limitation on the number of years a
person can serve in Congress. In the
most recent poll, which came out at the
end of January, 70 percent of the
respondents favored such a limitation,
28 percent were opposed and 2 percent
had no opinion. More specifically, 58
percent favored a 12-year limit.
Congress has become a lifetime
appointment for its members, and the
legislative branch of our government
has become an oligarchy.
Fortunately, our system of checks and
balances minimizes the impact, but the
system could stand a little change.
Scot Walker is a senior journalism
major.
counts just as much as regular voting.
If registration and voting is too mild
of a hassle, there are other ways to ext:
influence*— -———
Letters and phone calls to your
elected officials are effective in
instituting change.
Recently a housewife, fed up with tlx
TV programs being seen by her
children, began a letter writing
campaign that resulted in sponsors
making drastic changes in these
productions. Just the threat ofaboycot
of sponsor products produced results
Similar actions against South Africa:
investments and products have
produced similar results.
Sometimes elected officials need to!
reminded of the concerns of their
constituents.
Imagine what would happen if
1 (),()()() students showed up for the
public regents’ meeting.
Would the city councils of College
Station and Bryan notice if 5,000
students attended their weekly
meetings?
What would be the reaction at the
Commissioners’ Court session ifa
thousand Aggies tried to get seats attl)
courthouse?
Think it’s too much work togeta
group of Ags to do something togethei
How about the thousands who attend
football and basketball games,
participate in Elephant Walk, bonfire.
Aggie Muster and George Strait
concerts?
Your reaction typically might be “In
only one voice; how could I possibly
have much influence?”
The answer is in one name: Rosa
Parks, the black seamstress whorefusti
to go to the back of the bus in
Montgomery in 1955.
Claude E. Mounce is a lecturerinih
agricult ural engineering department
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The Battalion Editorial Board
Scot Walker, Editor
Monique Threadgill,
Managing Editor
Ellen Hobbs, Opinion Page Editor
Melissa Naumann, City Editor
Cindy McMillian, Lisa Robertson,
News Editors
Richard Tijerina, Sports Editor
Fredrick D. Joe, Art Director
Mary-Lynne Rice, Lifestyles Editor
Adventures In Cartooning
by Don Atkinson Ji,
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