The Battalion
OPINION
Wednesday, September 19,1990
End sports pass woes
with old ticket books
We’ve given it a year, but it still doesn’t work. The system of
coding sports passes on student I.D. cards is inconvenient.
For part of Monday morning, the computer system at the
athletic ticket office was down. Hundreds of seniors standing in
line had to wait while ticket office workers wrote down names
and social security numbers of all the ticket buyers. Students miss
class when such time-consuming errors occur. With the ticket
books used two years ago, computer errors were not a problem.
If a student’s I.D. card is with a friend who is drawing tickets,
that student is unable to use a meal plan, work on certain campus
computers, check out recreational sports equipment, cash checks
or do a number of other activities which require student I.D.s.
Off-campus students must have separate bus passes so they can
get to campus when their friends are buying football tickets.
Coding sports passes on I.D. cards is inconvenient to stu
dents. It was intended to eliminate waiting in line for ticket books
at the beginning of the year, but that problem could be elimi
nated more easily by having the ticket books mailed.
Computerization often makes campus life easier. In the case
of sports passes, the old-fashioned way was the best.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Pro-life feminist’s position illogical, contradictory
Is Maurine McLean for real?
In the article about Maurine McLean
(front page of Sept. 10 issue of The
Battalion), she came across as someone
who was completely lacking in logical
reasoning abilities and totally out of
touch with history and the current
political happenings in the world.
She claims to be a feminist taking a
pro-life position, but most of her
arguments seem to contradict this
stance. For example, “To be a feminist
means I think for myself,’’she said. “I
don’t need any man or Gloria Steinem
to think for me. I look at the evidence
on both sides and make my own
decisions.”
To me, this sounds like a statement
made by a pro-choice advocate. She
claims that she thinks for herself and
has made her own decision based on the
Jesse
Spears
Reader’s Opinion
evidence.
But then she turns around and
supports the pro-life movement and
opposes allowing other women to make
their own decisions. If I were a woman,
I would respond to her, “I don’t need
anyone else to think for me, especially
Maurine McLean.”
Next, McLean predicts Roe vs. Wade
will be reversed “because lawmakers are
realizing it wasn’t a legislatively sound
decision.” There are several things that
make this a silly statement.
First of all, lawmakers don’t have
anything to do with reversing Roe vs.
Wade. Only the Supreme Court can
reverse a Supreme Court ruling.
The only other way around this is a
constitutional amendment. The odds of
this happening are right up there with a
snowball’s chance of surviving in hell.
Second, unless I have misread the
newspapers for the past year or so, t he
legislatures of several states have
completely thrown out the idea of
restricting abortions in any way.
Public opinion (by way of polls)
constantly shows that the majority of
Americans don't want to outlaw
abortion, and have made this fact well
known to politicians. Many politicians
that were spouting pro-life, anti
abortion rhetoric have backed off from
this position, and in many cases have
done a complete flip-flop.
Another sign that she is out of touch
with the real world is McLean’s
statement that women would not
consider abortion if it were illegal.
“Making abortion illegal won’t set loose
a bunch of back-alley butchers,” she also
says.
If I were a woman, I would
respond to her, “I don’t need
anyone else to think for me,
especially Maurine
McLean.”
Obviously, this lady has lived a very
sheltered life, or is just ignoring the
facts. Before Roe vs. Wade made
abortion legal in ALL state?, rich
women who wanted abortions took trips
to states where it was legal, and
women risked their lives in back alb
abortions. In addition, in very recen
history, the women of Romania had
illegal abortions by the thousands
because all abortions were illegal.
By Maurine McLean’s definition!
feminism as “social, political and
economic equality for women andni
1 would have to call myself a feminii
would also like to point out that
pro-choice and anti-abortion.
I believe that an abortion isadi
that ultimately rests with the woman
that is pregnant. I wish thatabortioi
were unnecessary, but until a foolpi
method of contraception is invented
and used, I accept the fact thatsomi
abortions are necessary.
Jesse Spears is a graduate student
electrical engineering.
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Statue ban would censor
Christopher Henderson’s column
Thursday claimed that Larry Cox’s
column on Wednesday was an attack on
the NAACP’s efforts towards issues
facing African-Americans.
Although this can be inferred in part
from Cox’s article, the issue he was
addressing was the NAACP’s motive for
calling for the removal of four
Confederate War hero statues at the
University of Texas. Henderson’s
rebuttal failed to address this primary
issue.
Of course, the NAACP makes
significant contributions to society and
its constituents. But to argue that
someone cannot criticize the NAACP’s
current method because they are not a
member or have not read about the
efforts of Ebony’s 50 future black
leaders is to side-step the issue posed by
Cox: that the NAACP’s efforts in this
situation are self-motivated and
unsolving of current problems.
I agree with Cox’s opinion that
people like Jefferson Davis and Martin
Luther King, Jr. are both historic
figures that shaped our nation and are
worth remembering, even though they
both had no direct connection with the
University of Texas.
Henderson contends, however, that
because Martin Luther King headed the
movement for civil rights and that
Confederate war horses did not, then
they do not deserve to represent their
William T.
Higgins
Reader’s Opinion
era of American history at the U.T.
campus.
As stated by Larry Cox, U.T. is not
denying the erection of a statue
commemorating Martin Luther King.
Furthermore, Henderson, it was the
NAACP and Thurgood Marshall on
behalf of Herman Sweatt in the 1950
case Sweatt v. Painter that opened the
first doors for blacks at U.T., and not
Martin Luther King.
Henderson argues that it is
dangerous to have one’s culture
eradicated and that the African-
Americans have been trying to teach
people this for the past four centuries.
Calling for the removal of Confederate
war hero statues is a blatant attempt to
eradicate part of a culture’s history, and
the Austin NAACP is apparently
responsible.
Obviously the Austin chapter has
stopped practicing what African-
Americans have been teaching for the
past four centuries.
Henderson also suggests that because
the majority of A&M students are not
aware of details of black history that this
gives credence to his arguments that the
African culture has been erased
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
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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
Editorial Policy
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history
through slavery and is not being taught.
How many students were asked whether
or not classes are taught about African-
Americans?
Maybe I am in the minority, but my
educational experiences, both
secondary and at Texas A&M, have
included the contributions of not only
blacks, but women and other minorities,
as they should.
Moreover, Henderson’s argument
does not offer a justifiable reason to
eliminate the war hero statues.
Henderson does not attempt to
address the issue of what principles the
statues stand for. Henderson seems to
agree with Austin NAACP president
Gary Bledsoe that these statues are
endorsements of Confederate
principles, which Henderson further
compares to exploitation and slavery.
Again, this does not directly rebut
Cox’s view that these heroes represent
their right to govern and protect their
homes.
Mail Call
Some rude Ags deserve a horse laugh
EDITOR:
I’m usually very proud to be an Aggie — sometimes more than others,
was especially proud when we let the SMU band play at Kyle Field when the
football team was on probation. At other times, it’s a little tougher feelini
proud, like when you’re at a football game around people who don’t undei
stand sportsmanship or class. Several ‘Aggies’ were hissing about the penal
we received for kicking the opening kic koff out-of-bounds. I asked why cm
might hiss an obvious call and was informed (much to my surprise) “Youit
supposed to hiss any call against the Aggies. If you don’t like it, you can leave
No, I’m afraid not. Hissing is reserved for blatantly poor calls and cheap shot
from the opposing team. Hissing our penalized mistakes, which happened!!
be quite a few in the last couple of games, gives the impression that you’rehii
sing our team, and that is never acceptable. In addition to the hissing, thefi
were people who werejust flat rude while the other team’s band was perform
ing at half time. Now maybe I don’t agree with everything this University!
doing to become ‘World Class’, but I’d like to believe Aggies are No. 1 wheni
comes to showing class. Visiting bands, fans and football teams are guestsi
Kyle Field. We should treat them with respect until they give us a damn go#
reason not to. And to the guy who said I could leave, I’ll say it again, Idon
think so. I won’t ask anyone to leave because they feel they should hiss all cal
against the Aggies. Everyone has an equal right to attend the best school intkf
world. Just know that the vast majority of the student body does know howtl
show some class. Get a life.
I am sure these are the reasons for
their erection on the campus and not
because these men owned slaves. To call
for their removal because these were
slave owners is a denial and censorship
of history and perpetuates, rather than
eliminates, ignorance of our past —
whether it be good or bad.
William T. Higgins V is a senior
environmental design major.
Jason Finger ’89
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