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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 1990)
The Battalion OPINION he Battali U.S. needs diverse energy sources As I was preparing to leave for school, I expected my mother to fill me with her usual advice for the semester. Instead of receiving the eat-well-study- hard-don’t-drink-too-much-beer speech, I received something totally new. “Matt, if they institute a draft, you are not going.” To comfort her, I mentioned something about how the closest I would come to the dunes in the Persian Gulf region would be a beach in Mexico. Her concern did, nonetheless, force me to think. I agree that the United States is, I hate to say it, stuck between Iraq and a hard place. I also agree that we must do something to protect our economy. Our vulnerable position is what disturbs me. Matt McBumett Columnist pump. If the trend continues, the prices of all petroleum products will skyrocket, home heating oil prices will soar and so But, through the neglection of other sources of energy, we are dependent on these undependable Persian Gulf countries for our economic success. 11 the truth be known, we are sending our troops to this Persian Hell because select groups of idiots have prevented the economic diversification of the United States. Most everyone from George Bush to the students and faculty interviewed in yesterday’s Battalion agree that we must protect our “interests” by sending troops. It is a fact. If we do not prevent Iraq from making any further advances, our economy could be devastated. IVe need to understand that nuclear energy is far more efficient than any other form of bulk power. With nuclear energy, we are completely sovereign. The technology is present, the supplies are available, the benefits are great and the risks are small. The evididence is apparent. Oil companies have already shown that a slight increase in per-barrel oil prices will allow them to stiff the public at the We need to understand that nuclear energy is far more efficient than any other form of bulk power. Sadly, less than one-fifth of our country’s electrical power is obtained from nuclear plants. With nuclear energy, we are completely sovereign. The technology is present. the supplies are available, the benefits are great and the risks are small. Unfortunately, some ill-informed groups insist that the risks outweigh these benefits. I certainly am inclined to believe that our oil companies are leading the fight against alternative energy sources. Why wouldn’t they? That is how Capitalism works. The propaganda that the no-nuke hypocrites spread is simply ridiculous. Is the burning of fossil fuels, causing numerous environmental maladies including the Greenhouse Effect and acid rain, less harmful than nuclear power which causes no harm unless an accident happens? Of course not. In addition, the nuclear power accident record in the United States is iar superior to that of fossil fuel plants. But for now, we are stuck in whai could turn out to be our bloodiest and most expensive fight since World War II. These battle-forged Iraqi soldier s just concluded nine years of meaningless fighting with Iran. They are led by a ruthless madman who assinated 22 people to take control of the country. Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady has even begun a global search for money to support our military actions in the Persian Oven. Oil is our country’s lifeblood. I cannot help but think how much easier it would have been if we did not have this problem. Matt McBumett is a senior electrical engineering major. Saddam would like this peace plan The Middle East is teeterirrg on a fascinating precipice. War could break out, dragging the whole world into a bloodbath. Iraq could use its chemical weapons on Americans, Isrealites and its fellow Arabs. America could invade Iraq, and Israel could decide to test its nuclear weapons capabilities. Millions of people could die as countries take sides. On the other hand, peace could break out and rage on indefinitely. But, of course, a permanent peace in the Middle East would require more than simply the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Iraq occupies Kuwait illegally. Israel illegally occupies the West Bank and Gaza Strip of Palestine. Many foreign forces occupy Lebanon, including Syria and members of the PLO. Much blood is shed as a result of these occupations and the conflicts that spin off from them. The basic peace plan that I propose calls for these parties to end their occupation of others’ territory. Here's how the plan would work. Saddam Hussein calls himself a hero of all Arabs. He says he acts for all Arabs. Let’s take Saddam’s Pan-Arab nationalism to the limit in order to promote a greater peace. A true hero- of-all-Arabs would give his life for the freedom and self-determination of his Arab brethren in the Occupied Territories. In exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, Saddam Hussein would have to fulfill these provisions: • Complete withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. • Destruction of all chemical weapons in Iraqi possession. • Dismantling of all Iraqi plants attempting to develop nuclear weapons. • Abiding by the Nonproliferation treaty which it has signed. • Limiting the size and distribution of the Iraqi army to one practical only for self-defense. • Allowing for international monitoring of the above provisions. A substantial portion of the Israeli population, especially the intellectual community, is sick of the Israeli occupation of the occupied territories and the huge political and economical costs it entails. And a vast majority of Israelites are concerned about possible violence from Saddam Hussein. Palestinians living in the occupied territories are definitely sick of having their children shot dead by the Israeli military. Let’s let all these people live a little easier. In exchange for Iraqi neutralization and relief from the threat of terrorism that results from Israeli occupation, Israel would withdraw its military and police forces from the occupied territories. An independent state would be established in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. And in exchange for self- determination, the Palestinians would have to keep their country demilitarized and ensure the rights of all its citizens. A substantial portion of the Israeli population, especially the intellectual community, is sick of the Israeli occupation of the occupied territories and the huge cost it entails. And a vast majority of Israelites are concerned about possible violence from Saddam Hussein. U.N. forces would stay along the Palestinian-Israeli borders to guard against Israeli attacks and watch for any armed Palestinian groups that attempt to cross the border. The frequency of conflicts would die down as the hatred between the two groups dissipated. Then there’s Lebanon, everybody’s favorite battlefield. As part of the peace plan, the PLO would be required to leave Lebanon. After all, the newly- established Palestinian state would be the new home for the organization that will have lost its purpose. Palestinian refugees and other Palestinians could also return to a country where they are considered full citizens. With the PLO gone, the Israelis will have no excuse to invade Lebanon. They would be required to stay behind their security line. The Syrians would have to leave Lebanon, as well. The only foreign forces that would be allowed to occupy Lebanon are U.N. peacekeeping forces. Of course, this peace plan is incomplete. I have not even mentioned the Golan Heights, Israeli nuclear capabilities, or any number of other issues. In addition, at this point in time, almost nobody would agree to it except for the Secretary General of the United Nations. After all, it would accomplish many of the things the U.N. has resolved must be done including Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, establishment of a Palestinian state and Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. One other party involved has said it would go along with the basic tenets of the peace plan I have outlined. That party is Saddam Hussein. Hussein said that he would withdraw from Kuwait iflsrael withdrew from the Occupied Territories and if Syria withdrew from Lebanon. No one took him seriously when he said it. The world should at least try to hold him to his word. The U.S. should be leading the peace effort, not just for the sake of peace itself, but also for the billions of dollars it would save from not having to fund the Israeli occupation. The extra cash could be used to develop alternative, cleaner, more efficient forms of energy so that the U.S. will never have to spill blood over oil. Unfortunately, the U.S. seems to be waiting for war, rather than negotiating with all involved. Instead of simply hoping that Iraq will withdraw and then having to deal with the remaining problems of the region, the U.S. should be actively waging peace in the Middle East. Irwin Tang is a senior political science major. The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Cindy McMillian, Editor Timm Doolen, Managing Editor Ellen Hobbs, Opinion Page Editor Holly Becka, City Editor Kathy Cox, Kristin North, News Editors Nadja Sabawala, Sports Editor Eric Roalson, Art Director Lisa Ann Robertson Lifestyles Editor Mail Call- some charges against cable TV unfounded offd BBS -— The title of Patrick Nolan’s article of 8/29/90, “Cable I V Would ImproJ By Joe ~ • • i /vn—” k,-;ncr« nnt feelings of general agreement tn ntTheBattal 1 he title or raiiicx iMuian o - ' . ' , If Competition Is Allowed,” brings out feelings of general agreement to those OfThe Battal who read just the headlines. I agree that con.pet.fon ts almost always fa* able to monopolies. However, this article took some hbert.es w.th the facu J some clarification is warranted. _ . . . K Toto soon First, Mr. Nolan stated that “... federal law stipulates t ut theie canonlybe quired his de one cable company in each town ... which is not ti ue. r edei al law leavesitup from a club < to local municipalities to grant franchises and the cable franchises thatT^ Ozfettish. operates under in Bryan and College Station are not exclusive franchises, There is no other cable company operating in Bryan/College Station because jvfr Rovcel of the belief of potential investors that a second company startup would not CO unter wit produce a sufficient return on their investment. Building and operatingth Te xas A&M’: same amount of plant for a potential ol half the customers does not make good business sense. It has nothing to do with the federal government. Second TCA ( able is cited by Mr. Nolan as “...a t leai example of why mo- nopolic have long been frowned upon here in the l nitetl States. I o prove his point he criticizes our practice of giving an installation discount for buy. ing a pieimout m-, k c. t hardly funk that offering a disc ount to a custotnefi) I ferssomethir buy more than basic >ei vice warrants such haisfi criticism. Uso, Mi Nolan | The orgai [ailed to mention that there is an additional installation disc, unt of $lO|jj members, it dorm and apartment residents (due to the type or work involved). I terests, inch Third, Mr. Nolan also failed to mention that in TCA’s Value Package sen fantas y an< ^ ice, when you buy any one premium service you get the other 4 premiumP wrmn 8’ aI a services free for 2 weeks. TCA makes this offer so that you can view the pre niium channels for two weeks and make an informed decision about whidi service is right for you. This way the service you end up with is the servicethai you will be most satisfied with. We at TCA Cable have enjoyed getting to serve the Aggies over the pasi two weeks and look forward to serving the Aggies all semester. We remind all TCA Cable customers that our service repair calls are free. Don’t hesitate to call us if there is a problem. and horror tee. Moyer sai MSC progra provides stui involved ii Randy Rogers, Manager, TCA Cable TV Spend parking money on bike lanes EDITOR: In the Tuesday edition of the Battalion you reported a spokesman forthe Department of Parking, Transit and Traffic Services at A&M said, “The nek bike lanes on Bizzell, New Main Drive, Coke and Ross were created to make traveling on campus easier for bicyclers and to make the campus look better.” However, the new stripes down New Main Drive are NO E bicycle lanes They have been placed there to clearly delineate the edge of the pavement and the beginning of the unpaved hard shoulder area reserved for emer gency pull-offs. The delineation lines do look nice and they represent a safety im provement. Before the stripes were introduced, some people were unwise enough to risk riding their non-mountain bicycles along the edge of the road way on the unpaved area. Three things were likely to happen to them. First! can attest from personal experience that the bicycle frame is likely to break Schwinn frames come with a lifelong guarantee, but they were not designedlo be ridden on unpaved areas. Second, punctures occurred with unreasonable regularity. T hird, spills and consequent damage to the anatomy were inevi table. 1 he new delineation lines warning bicyclists to stay clear of the unpaved side ol the road and to use the paved area are helpful. However, the spokes man’s mis-statement does contain the germ of an excellent idea. How about turning these emergency unpaved hard shoulder areas into bike lanes bypav ing them? Over $20 million appears to have been invested in car parks toer courage more people to bring their automobiles to the center of the campus; couldn t a few thousand dollars be found somewhere to provide bike lanes for the thousands of bikers who engage in the daily duel down New Main with those automobiles? John L. Crompton ’77 War i skyro HOUSTO! have shut do the price of \ tenfold, corny “We movei increase in r; Penrod Drilli; Penrod’s ja Emirates; it v\ Gulf in Octoh The enere are required risk insuranc working in th Rates vary experts say ir tenfold since surance abov< “The marg thin,” said D Services, a H drilling indus operating cos Kent said 4 Middle East, i Show support for American citizens in Iraq EDITOR: While all of us are busy with new classes, trying to figure out what clubs to get involved with, and what we will be doing next weekend, there is a very real world that continues to go on outside of our ‘college life bulDble.’ Whethei you agree with the United States’ presence in the Persian Gulf or not (or even know about it), the fact still remains that many American citizens in Iraq and Kuwait are being denied the pursuit of happiness and other free- ( oms upheld by our U.S. constitution. T here are many central figures, such as Jesse Jackson, who have been working non-stop to see that those Americans being used as ‘human shields’ return home safely. 1 challenge all Aggies to take a little time out of their ‘college life bubbles and show their support lor the sate return of these citizens by remembering them m our prayers, displaying American flags, and red, white, and blue or yellow ribbons. 1 ake time to be a small part of the real world. Melody Wilson ’91 Have an opinion? Express it! for style and length h?, T T 300The edit °™l staff reserves the right to edit 71, 10 maintain the aulh ° r ’s There is no guaranteed telephone number of the wfiter ^ ^ ^ and must include the classification, address Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-sup porting newspaper operated as a commu nity service to Texas A&M and Bryan- College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board or the au thor, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regu lar semesters, except for holiday and ex amination periods. Newsroom: 845-3313. Mail subscriptions are $20 per semes ter, $40 per school year and $50 per full year: 845-2611. Advertising rates fur nished on request: 845-2696. Our address: The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col lege Station, TX 77843-1111. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. POS 1 MAS I ER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843-4111. Adventures In Cartooning by Don Atkinson & VIHRT?!?! M