The Battalion
OPINION
Wednesday, August 15,1990
Opinion Page Editor Damon Arhos 845-33
Citizens must nix adding morality to city charter
Moses found his crusade on Mount
Sinai. A new Moses has found his crusad
in Corpus Christi.
Rex Moses has devoted his life to anti
abortion causes and has created the
“Body of Christ Rescue” organization in
the city whose name is Latin for “body
of Christ.” This Moses, while as
committed to his cause as the biblical
man, encourages other protestors to
break or to circumvent the law in their
attempts to stop abortions in Nueces
County.
Now, Corpus Christi residents must
vote on a city charter amendment
declaring that human life begins at
conception. Though well-intentioned,
the amendment, which would be added
in a preamble, must be voted down. It
calls on the city to support a moral value
that violates the separation of church
and state and bears no legal weight in
the pro-lifers’ fight against abortions.
At stake in the January vote is not
whether abortions can be performed in
Nueces County, but whether a moral
conviction can be placed in a city’s legal
charter. The objectionable passage in
the amendment says “human life begins
at conception and extends to the
moment of natural death.” This
Lisa Ann
Robertson
Of The Battalion Staff
statement is a personal belief neither
proved nor disproved by scientific facts.
Not everyone accepts the theory that life
begins when sperm and egg meet.
I do not mean to imply that only facts
can bring about change or that the
petitioners who secured the vote are
irrational in their belief. On the
contrary, I commend them for trying to
go through legal channels to affect
change. At a time when convictions
seem to be lacking in society, it is
refreshing to find people who fight for
their beliefs. However, I am afraid that
this time their emotions have tricked
them into thinking that the amendment
belongs in the city charter. Residents
can create organizations to promote
their beliefs, but they can not use the
city charter as their organizational tool.
Toward a legal surgical procedure,
theirs is a moral attitude. Roe vs. Wade
made abortions a legal option for
pregnant women. Protestors to this
option must make their opinions known
to legislators to change the law.
Protestors must not, however, impose
their opinions in a document that
outlines the structure of a city.
A city charter issues no opinions on
any matter. It lists what the legal system
considers unlawful activities, but it does
not list what the legal system considers
“morally questionable” activities. The
city functions as an entity to create and
enforce rules and to facilitate commerce
for its residents. The city makes laws,
not moral judgments, and the city
charter has no room for a preamble that
purports such a judgment.
The separation of church and state is
intended to provide governmental
stability by forcing religious multiplicity
on the nation. By placing the
amendment in the city charter, abortion
opponents jeopardize that stability.
Even though the amendment cites no
religious affiliation, its tone relies
heavily upon church rhetoric to suggest
that any who oppose the amendment
are in favor of “killing babies.”
I am not saying that all people who
support the amendment are zealots or
that they all support it for religious
reasons. But Corpus Christi is a
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Let’s go back to singing the old rugged hymns
I was reading that church attendance ■■■■^■■■■■iWBBBBB*******™™*** last verses,” but I didn’t. They probably
is on the decline in the United States. I . . would have called the cops.
I was reading that church attendance
is on the decline in the United States. I
can give several reasons for that myself.
Saturday night is one reason.
Another is the great movies Ted
Turner’s Superstation shows on cable
Sunday mornings during church hours.
It’s the 10:35 Eastern slot. There are
old movies, classic movies, like “In
Harms’s Way,” with John Wayne and, a
personal favorite, “Zula Dawn,” where
about six zillion Zulu warriors come
running and screaming over a hill and
kill Burt Lancaster.
And there’s one more reason why I
think a lot of people — and I am
certainly included — don’t go to church
as often as they once did.
It’s church music, something has
happened to it since I left Moreland
Methodist, the church so dear to my
childhood.
There was in my youth a wonderful
Lewis Grizzard
Syndicated Columnist
thing known as the Cokesbury Hymnal.
Many were worn and dogeared from
ears of use. Steve Bohannon led the
singing at my hometown church, and
the old hymns we sang have never left
the part of my heart they touched.
They rarely sing any of those old
hymns when I go to church nowadays. I
went to another Methodist church a few
weeks ago. No Cokesbury hymnals, and
a woman in the choir got up and sang
what sounded like something from an
opera and hurt my ears.
In the middle of it all, I wanted to
stand up and shout, like Steve
Bohannon, “ ‘Beulah Land! - first and
last verses,” but I didn’t. They probably
would have called the cops.
I mentioned my fondness for the old
hymns and the fact I wanted “Precious
Memories” played at my funeral to my
stepbrother, Ludlow Porch, the famous
radio star.
“What do you want them to play at
your funeral?” I asked Ludlow.
He thought for a moment and then
answered, “Volleyball.”
At the bottom of all this probably lies
the fact that big city churches have all
become too sophisticated to sing the old
songs.
They have huge choirs and expensive
organs with monstrous pipes and they
have ministers of music, some with
Ph.Ds.
At Moreland Methodist, and old
piano played the dear, sweet music. Our
minister of music, Steve Bohannon,
incidentally, ran a service station.
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predominantly Catholic city. I believe it
is only natural for some residents to
assume the amendment should go into
the charter because they think everyone
follows the Catholic church’s stance on
abortion. They probably do not realize
that the city, as a legal entity, is not and
can not be Catholic or any other
denomination.
Let me repeat that the issue here is
neither the morality of abortion nor the
pro-lifers’ opposition to it. The issue is
the appropriateness of a city charter
amendment that bears no legal weight
on the ability of women to obtain
abortions in Corpus Christi. Even
amendment supporters realize that a
victory in the voting booth does not
mean a victory against abortion, but
they justify the vote by saying:
“We will be making a statement as a
community that we respect human life
in all stages,” Trudy Cassidy said in a
Houston Chronicle article (July 29,
1990). Cassidy is the chairwoman of the
Human Family Committee which led
the petition drive for the January
amendment vote. But I wonder, do we
all agree what the stages of human life
are?
The statement is being placed before
ithecii
the wrong people. If voted into
charter, the statement will produce
legal change. If Cassidy’s committeei
serious about change, then the
statement should be placed beforesta
representatives from the Corpus Cfe
area. If taken to Austin, the statemen
has the potential to produce a change
determining if and when an abortion
could take place in Texas. Usingthe
statement as the will of the people,
representatives like Carlos Truancoi
enlist fellow legislators to restrict Tes
abortion laws. Unfortunately,
petitioners are wasting voters’ timeli)
putting a legally moot issue on theciti
ballot.
While I applaud the petitioners for
their peaceful efforts, I will notsuppoi
their moot amendment. I cannot
support an amendment that violatesti-
separation of church and state and
makes a moral generalization for
everyone. Corpus Christi residents!®
not support this amendment, even if
Moses does. *
Lisa Ann Robertson is a senior
journalism major.
Voters should forgive
Williams for old joke
I hear it more and more. Every time
the topic of the governor’s race comes
up, I hear some woman yelling in the
background. What are they yelling
about? They are yelling about a JOKE
Republican candidate Clayton Williams
made several months ago.
Everybody knows the one. When
referring to the weather Williams
compared it to rape. He said, “If it’s
inevitable, just sit back, relax and enjoy
it.”
Granted, that’s not a nice thing to say
about rape, but it was just a JOKE.
So now, whenever the governor’s race
is brought up and Clayton Williams
name is mentioned, some woman will
scream that Williams should be shot, or
have some part of his anatomy cut off.
Isn’t that a little extreme for a JOKE?
If this happened every time a comedian
mentioned something that is taboo with
someone else, there would be no
comedians.
w t
hen referring to the weather
Williams compared it to rape.
Granted, that’s not a nice thing to
say about rape, but it was just a
joke.
Now, I know that Williams is no
comedian. And I know that running for
governor is a big thing. But I don’t think
Williams should be condemned to hell
for it.
If I were to tell a joke like the one
Williams told (and I do think it was
funny, just as a JOKE) I most likely
would not be given a second glance.
If you think that having a sense of
humor will affect the way he would run
the governor’s office, then don’t vote
for him.
If you think that he has no sense of
humor and you just don’t like him, then
don’t vote for him. Just stop all the
hysteria.
Why is it that women are the only
ones I hear yelling about this? Why
don’t men condemn Williams too?
Maybe it’s because they think it’s funny
but they don’t want to admit it, so they
just keep their mouth shut.
Or perhaps all men are sexist,justas
Williams has been labeled by many,
Maybe, since men are not as likely togt
raped, it not that big of a deal.
In any case, I wish women would jus
calm down when it comes to Williams.
It’s not like he raped anyone.
Williams also admitted he visited a
whorehouse as a college student hereai
Texas A&M. That was apparentlytht
‘thing to do’ for many of the cadets at
the time. I suppose he should be
condemned to hell for that too.
For heaven’s sake, soliciting
prostitutes and makingjokes. Whata
crime!
Ann Richards, the Democratic
candidate for governor, has been
accused of doing drugs, but you never
hear anyone complaining about that
“Oh, god! Drugs! She should be
executed for that.”
The reason you never hear anything
about it is because it’s not that bigofa
deal. Just like the William’s joke: Nobif
deal.
So the campaign should restart ona
dean slate, right?
Wrong.
Richards is now accusing Williamsol
running for office just to keep his
businesses going. So the mudslinging
has begun again and we get to just sit
back, relax and enjoy it.
Now, I’m not saying Williams shouM
be elected governor and I’m nots
that Richards ought to be elected either
I really don’t care because I will belivia
in another state by the time of the
election, I hope.
I just think we ought to stop worryinj
about the past of the candidates and
start worrying about the future of our
state.
Colin Moss is a senior journalism ad
speech communication major.
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