The Battalion
OPINION 2
Tuesday, February 27,1990
Opinion Page Editor Ellen Hobbs 845-3314
Candidates’
endorsements
not endearing
It’s amaz/ng-who’s doing the political
endorsing these days.
I just can’t figure out the process. It
seems very simple, doesn’t it? I mean,
first you declare your candidacy, then
you slam all of the other candidates in
the race in any way that you can. After
some fellow candidate bashing, you get
someone who is famous, someone who
people look up to, someone with
credibility to endorse you. (Then you
win or lose the nomination. If you lose,
you just endorse the candidate that you
have been bashing all along. If you win,
you bash your opponent.)
Political candidates don’t want just
anybody to endorse them. For instance,
how do you think one of our
gubernatorial candidates would feel if
Tammy Faye Bakker decided to come
out publicly in support of them?
Yet, lately we have seen some doozies
in the race for Texas’ governorship.
The latest came from Henry
Cisneros. Last Saturday at a Capitol
rally, Henry jumped on the Richards
bandwagon. This endorsement is an
attempt by Richards to swing the
Hispanic vote her way.
And if current allegations are true,
she’ll need some help in the Hispanic
community. The Cisneros endorsement
came just two days after allegations that
Richards used the term “wetbacks” in a
1976 campaign speech.
Ernesto Fraga, publisher of the
Hispanic-oriented newspaper Tiempo,
quoted Richards as saying: “If it takes a
man to hire non-union labor, cross
picket lines and work vyetbacks then I
say thank God for a woman or anyone
else who is willing to take over.” (This is
alleged Richards gaffe number two, the
first being the “white woman” slip in the
gubernatorial debates.)
But Cisneros, who said he didn’t
know about the controversy until after
the scheduled endorsement, is
defending Richards’ Hispanic record.
What I don’t understand is Richards’
motivation behind wanting Cisneros’
endorsement. Granted, Cisneros was
the mayor of San Antonio and has a
resounding voice in the Hispanic
community, but what else is he known
for?
Adultery.
Why does Richards want a adulterer
to endorse her candidacy? His
endorsement could potentially damage
her candidacy.
And it gets even better!
Kent Hance has been running
around Texas with Oliver North. Oliver
North — the convicted felon. While
Oliver North still may be very popular
with many people in Texas, there are
many others who really don’t like his
style. After all, he is a criminal. Why
would any candidate want to be
endorsed by a criminal?
What’s even more incredible is that it
may not even be helping. Clayton
Williams is way ahead of his fellow
Republicans in the polls.
It is time for our political candidates
to think about the names they choose to
associate themselves with. Voters
associate people with action. If they
don’t like the actions of the people who
are doing the endorsing, then they
won’t like the candidate.
Reputation and character are the
political lifeblood of the candidate. If
the candidate compromises their
reputation and character when they
seek political endorsement, they
essentially reveal their true reputation
and character to the electorate.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
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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
Mail Call
Good could exist without God
EDITOR:
I think Ronda Sheperd missed the point with her column in Tuesday’s
Battalion when she tried to deal with the problem of evil in the world.
Epicurus summed up the problem well: “Is (God) willing to prevent evil,
but not able? Then He is impotent. Is He able, but not willing? Then He is
malevolent. Is He both able and willing? Whence then is evil?”
Since few people’s conception of God include him being impotent or ma
levolent, Ms. Shepherd tried to “prove” God’s existence by mentioning a few
non-evil things that go on our planet.
While there are ways to reconcile evil and the Judeo-Christian God, one of
them is not pointing to the good in the world, as Ms. Shepherd did.
Good could certainaly exist without God, as could any “good” organiza
tions she mentioned.
Not believing in God does not mean you don’t care about your fellow man
in society. You might.
The whole argument rests on her conclusion that “for every evil, there is a
greater good,” something she doesn’t prove at all.
My saying that more people are hungry than are fed does not prove that
there is more evil in the world any more than her statements show that good
prevails.
But these things are beside the point, anyway.
The point is this: Ms. Shepherd began her column with some good ques
tions, yet completely ignored them in the body of her argument.
She failed to address how an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God
could place evil and suffering among his children.
Stephen Pace ’91
Humans lack authority to sentence death
EDITOR:
1 am writing in response to the letters from Mr. Crawford and Mr. Finfer
appearing in the Feb. 21 edition of The Battalion, supporting capital punish
ment instead of life imprisonment.
I agree with Finfer’s argument that life in prison does not exactly fit the
crime of raping corpses. As humans, however, we are not all-knowing. There
fore, we do not possess the knowledge and thereby the authority to say exactly
what is appropriate punishment.
If I condemn someone to death with no better justification than revenge,
then I am no better than the murderer himself.
Finfer’s argument that keeping a corpse-raping murderer is a waste of'tax
money is additionally offensive. How can Finfer assign a monetary value to
human life? Is Finfer suggesting that we allow money (greed?) to help us with
moral decisions?
There is a term for that: selling out.
By the way, Finfer suggests that we use methods that “insure” a rapid de
mise. Who sells quick death insurance? How can I get into the business? The
word, I think, is “ensure.”
Mr. Crawford, your use of the Bible as an argument for capital punish
ment is blasphemous, banal and blatantly incorrect. Jesus (one of the people
you can read about in the Bible) said that only the sinless could throw the first
stone, in other words, condemn someone to death.
He also said that not one of us are sinless. I am not attempting to say that
the Bible supports life imprisonment, merely that it does not support capital
punishment.
David J. Massey ’91
KAMU benefit article unethical
EDITOR:
The Feb. 8 article, “Benefit shows rescheduled,” was simply unethical.
One should never print an article that can be damaging to a person or
business without notifying the subject. Instead of interviewing Tim Davis ex
clusively, John Righter could have very well included a response from Club
Fahrenheit.
Tim Davis was quoted as saying, “By sponsoring this benefit for us, (Es-
takhri) will actually be making quite a profit. ...” If Tim Davis ran a night club,
he might understand that employee’s salaries, premium liquor and electricity
must be paid for.
The bar does make money, but how much of a profit can you make with
free drinks at certain hours and $1.25 to $2.25 mixed drinks?
Even though Todd Stone presented what should have been the original
article later in The Battalion, I think a public apology is in order to Club Fahr
enheit as well as Battalion readers.
Jennifer Lynn Humes ’91
Have an opinion ? Express it!
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial stafj reserves the right to edit letters
for style and length, hut will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. There is no guarantee that
letters submitted will be printed. Each letter must be signed and must include the classification, address and
telephone number of the writer. All letters may be brought to 216 Reed McDonald, or sent to Campus Mail
Stop 1111.
People lack understanding of racial issues
In recent weeks there have been
many articles in The Battalion on
racism, affirmative action, diversity,
discrimination, Black History Month
and other related issues. Reading the
comments made by our students, faculty
and staff I was enlightened but
reassured that too many of us still do
not have a good understanding of civil
rights, affirmative action,
multiculturalism and cultural pluralism.
First of all, I would like to thank John
Bussell ’92 and S. Murrell ’93 for their
letter to the editor, “Racial Tensions
OFlare at A&M,” which appeared in the
Friday, Feb. 16 Battalion. It is their
beliefs, values and attitudes towards
what they deemed “racism” that has
challenged me to respond and clarify a
few concerns for all those involved in
making America a better place for all of
its citizens.
Thank you for sharing your insights
on the issues of racism, discrimination
and segregation. I can only assume that
your socialization into this great society
assisted you with your opinions on the
above-mentioned social ills. I cannot
and will not blame you for your feelings,
just like I don’t blame anyone else who
carries with them similar opinions. I say
this in all truth and honesty, because I
too have been socialized into this society
and I have been a personal witness of it
for over 30 years. I have read much
about “the struggle” which is not just
over 300 years, but more than 2000
years old. Until all of us learn to
appreciate, understand and deal with
how society treats its residents
differently, the “the struggle” will
continue.
It is a Black thang and you wouldn’t
understand. It could also be an Asian
thang or a Hispanic thang and you
wouldn’t'understand that, either. You
wouldn’t understand unless you have
had the same experiences with racism,
discrimination and segregation as your
counterparts from other ethnic groups.
Until you immerse yourself into their
culture and their environment, you just
won’t understand. It could have read
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Kevin
Carreathers
“It’s a White thang and you wouldn’t
understand,” but I doubt it because
members of ethnic minority groups
have always had to understand the
“White Thang” if we hoped to be
accepted and respected in America.
Members of ethnic minority groups
have been forced to become bi-cultural
to survive “White America”. It’s
important to understand that there are
values and traditions in all cultures
which are unique and meaningful to the
members of those cultures. Now, more
so than ever, we all need to learn how to
respect and appreciate those time
honored values and traditions and not
ask that they be given up in order to be
totally accepted by the so-called “power
structure”.
Thank you for recognizing that this is
Black History Month. I hope that
people of all races and ethnic
backgrounds have been able to
participate in some of the events. You
see, this only proves that Black History
Month focuses on the accomplishments
of African-Americans, but in reality the
month is designed to be celebrated by all
people.
I, too, would tend to agree that we
shouldn’t need a Black History Month.
However, we do not live in a truly
integrated society where we are taught
about the accomplishments of all the
great people who have helped to build
this world and our great country. When
Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Negro
History Week, which then evolved into
Black History Month, he ws only asking
that the accomplishments of African-
Americans be infused into our
educational process. I am still disturbed
that so many African-American
students assume that their history
started with slavery in America.
Educational curriculum, as it is today,
does not address Black History from its
origin. Its origin goes beyond 4000 B.C.
Only recently have many of the leading
anthropologists and Egyptologists
publically admitted that Africa is the
“cradle” of civilization — that so-called
“Dark Continent^’. We were never
taught that the earliest forms of cataract
surgery were performed thousands of
years ago by African Priests, or how
some of the world’s greatest thinkers
such as Socrates and Aristotle based
their philosophical beliefs on the beliefs
of African philosophers. We don’t read
about the accomplishments of Imhotep,
Ramses II, Hanibal, Aesop, Cleopatra
and Akhenaton, who all lived before the
birth of Christ. The way we are
socialized in our school system today
denies African-Americans their sense of
historical connectedness in how out-
ancestors helped to make the world
what it is today. We are led to believe
that Egypt is in the Middle East and that
Georgetown University is great because
of its basketball team, rather than that
Father Patrick Healy, a Black man, was
one of its presidents in the 1800s. We
were never told about Lewis Latimer
and how he assisted Alexander Graham
Bell in designing the telephone, or how
the first successful open heart surgery,
the invention of blood plasma, and the
invention of the traffic light were all
accomplishments made by Blacks.
It is for these reasons that we
celebrate Black History Month, to share
with the world our great and glorious
past. 1 wonder how many more ethnic-
minorities would be successful in the
fields of engineering, science, medicine,
law, business and education if they knew
the impact their ancestors made in these
areas. Until we do a better job of
infusing the accomplishments of all
ethnic minorities into our educational
process, you can rest assured that there
will always be Black History Month.
It might appear that organizations
which have ethnicity, culture or gender
reflected in their titles are only for said
members. In order to set the record
straight, membership in these
organizations is open to any student
who meets the qualifications. Ethnicity
and gender are not part of the
requirements for membership. Their
focus and purpose will be aimed toward
the enhancement and development of
Blacks, Mexican-Americans, women
and other specified gorups. Historically,
the Society of Engineers was not
meet ing the needs of women engineers;
thus came the Society of Women
Engineers. The Accounting Society was
not meeting the needs of Black
accountants; thus came the outgrowth
of the Nat ional Society of Black
Accountants. As long as cultural
differences are not respected and
treated with dignity, we will forever
have gender-and culturally-related
groups.
I applaud you for understanding the
principle of equality encouraged by Dr.
Martin Luther King. I hope that you
will use your breadth of knowledge and
talents to ensure that equality is forever
promoted. That is but one way you can
help keep Dr. King’s dream alive.
In closing, please understand that
both overt and subt le forms of racism
and institutional racism exist incur
society today. Until we can cure these
ills, we will be forever dealing with
“racial tensions”, however anyone
chooses to define the term. Just as the
abolitionists of all ethnic backgrounds
cured the ills of slavery and all the
people involved in the Civil Rights
movement brought an end to legal acts
of racism and discrimination, now we
must join hands together and find a
cure for the societal ills of racism,
discrimination and segregation of the
’90s and beyond.
Kevin Carreathers is coordinator of
the Texas A&M Multicultural Services
Center.
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