The Battalion
Tuesd
•OPINION •
Tuesday, November 27, 1990
Don’t shatter the tradition
EDITOR:
On the evening of November 29, the 1990 edition of a
Texas Aggie tradition will take place. Students, alumni and
friends of Texas A&M University will gather on Duncan
Field for bonfire and to encourage the Texas Aggie football
team for a victory over the Longhorns.
Don’t let alcohol spoil this event. Remember, people will
judge Texas A&M and its students by the behavior of those
attending bonfire. Let them see the finest student body in
the country. Have consideration for the safety and property
of others. If you drink, drink in moderation. Do not bring
alcoholic beverages to the bonfire site. Let’s keep alcohol
from shattering the tradition.
See you at Bonfire.
Larry J. Ringer
Mayor of College Station
Drinking threatens bonfire
EDITOR:
Most Aggies believe the environmentalists, the Aggies
Against Bonfire, and other so-called “two percenters” are
the biggest threats to our beloved traditions; however, peo
ple who act irresponsibly at bonfire and yell practice are ru
ining the traditions for everyone and will be the ones to
blame for the loss of these traditions.
Many of these “Aggies” come to bonfire or yell practice
drunk. Many of these drunks stumble into the stadium and
to bonfire with bottles of alcohol out and open as if they are
showing off. I have even seen some corps guys with open
bottles at yell.
It seems a little hypocritical that a Corps member cannot
have their shirts untucked and yet they can disgrace this
University and destroy the image of the Corps by being pub
licly intoxicated. If this risky ostentation of their immature
habits continues, it will surely result in the eventual removal
of bonfire and yell practice.
As a result of this drunkenness, fights and other asinine
events occur. People have even lit roadside flares at yell.
These people must either be drunks or t-sips, because a
sober Aggie would know the tradition of using a small,
]Mail Call!
hand-held lighter.
Another repugnant venture shared by these drunks is
urinating in peoples’ yards during bonfire. The homeown
ers must be sick of this and could become a loud voice
against bonfire.
When the students, faculty, administration and home-
owners, as well as the parents of these delinquent children,
decide to end this destructive and embarrassing behavior,
they are not going to be willing to compromise. So instead of
harassing those who are concerned about the environment,
the yell leaders need to be telling these pathetic drunks that
“HIGHWAY 6 RUNS BOTH WAYS!”
Gregory Douglas Harper ’93
Witness, please step forward
EDITOR:
There are Aggies and those who call themselves Aggies.
One of the latter rear ended my van in parking lot 12 re
cently then fled the scene.
Fortunately, a witness left me a note with the suspect’s
description, car model and license number. I appreciate this
gesture very much, but I would need the witness to identify
him or herself so I don’t have to pay for the damage myself.
If you left me the note or if you happened to see the in
cident, please give me a call at 845-2186. A smug student
thinks she has gotten away with it.
Roger Crockett
Modern and Classical Languages
WIC saves you money
EDITOR:
David Helms’ letter of Monday Nov. 19 shows a failure
on his part to understand Tang’s column and many social
programs in general. He thinks that the WIC program costs
him tax money but it actually saves him money.
Children from poor families are under nurtured, lead
ing to a high degree of premature births. The typical health
bill of a premature baby is $2,000 per day. If the parents
can’t afford simple birth control, do you think they can af
ford intensive care? They don’t pay for it, everyone else
Opinion Page Editor
Ellen Hobbs
845-3;
By BUZ/
Of The B;
does through higher health care costs.
Mr. Helms, you state that scraping by on welfare hand
outs is not healthy for the child, does that justify forcing it to
live in poverty? Approximately one-third of the children in
the United States live in poverty. Does this justify your not
paying more taxes just so you can buy another item of con
sumer electronics, or another car?
Mr. Helms, did you know that the largest cause of pov
erty is being born in poverty? Not everyone has the chances
that coming from a middle class background allows. Do you
really blame your living in difficult economic times on chil
dren, many of whom are lucky to get one meal a day?
Mr. Helms, what are you going to say to this child 20
years down the road when you are running a business and
you need to hire a work force? The poor children of today
are the work force of the future. A premature child has a
much greater possibility of having learning difficulties. A
poor child typically has a much poorer education. What you
get is an uneducated work force.
The lower level an education a person has, the lower
their lifetime earnings are going to be. What are you going
to do 40 years down the road when you are ready to retire,
but the economy is in ruins because it can’t compete?
Are you willing to risk such a future? The WIC program
doesn’t cost that much, it costs less than 1 month of Opera
tion Desert Shield, whose main purpose is to assure cheap
gas for fat Americans. Why don’t you complain about that,
Mr. Helms? That is just a hidden tax, you have to pay for it
in the end, why not at the pump?
Mr. Helms, you should try to think about the conse-
quences of your actions. Which is worth more to you in 20
years, $ 1 spent on a glass of beer now, or $ 1 invested at 20%
interest? These are things for you to decide, but just remem
ber that not only do you have to live with the consequences
of your decisions, but so does your family.
John A. Shoemaker ’87
Have an opinion ? Express it!
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff re
serves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to main
tain 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.
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Letter writers don’t deserve at-home harassment
This is my last column as Opinion
Page editor. 4 know there are some of
you out there who are glad to hear
that.
I’ve been the editor of this page for
two semesters, and it’s been quite an
experience. I’ve learned a lot from
you readers; I’ve heard a lot of fresh
ideas; and I’ve had a lot of fun
working with this page. It’s definitely
one of the best places to work here at
The Batt.
But...
There have been a few things
about working on the Opinion Page
that haven’t been that great. And,
These readers believe their
opinions are strong enough and
important enough to be printed with
their names. These readers invite
public scrutiny and criticism of their
ideas. They aren’t afraid of seeing
how other people will respond —
It's not the place of any reader to harass the writers at
home. If you want to express your opinion, use the
Opinion Page. That’s what it’s for. You have no right to
invade the privacy of writers just because you don’t
believe the same things they do.
just as many of things that have been
good about it have come from you,
the readers; the things that are
distasteful have come from you too,
the readers.
I’m not talking about encountering
opinions I don’t agree with, or
answering 10 to 20 calls a day from
people who don’t understand why
their letters haven’t run, or dealing
with people who think we’re just a
bunch of liberals (or just a bunch of
conservatives — that happens just as
often). Those are minor frustrations.
I’m talking real sleaziness here.
Many readers write into The
Battalion to utilize the forum for
readers’ opinions, the Opinion Page.
Those people are required to put
their names on their opinions; we just
don’t allow anonymous letters and
columns.
though they expect to see those
responses printed on the Opinion
Page.
But a few readers (quite a few,
certainly too many) don’t respond by
sending letters into The Batt.
Instead, they harrass the author of
the opinion at their home.
Yep, that’s right. If you’ve got an
opinion and the urge to express it in
print, you take the risk of getting
phone calls and letters from people
who get your number and address
from the student directory or the
local phone book. Maybe, if the
addresses and phone numbers are
available, they’ll even get in touch
with your parents, too. And if you’re
real lucky, the phone calls will be
obscene.
It’s not just readers, of course. I
now suggest that all columnists get
unlisted phone numbers and
addresses. Even the cartoonist gets
calls at home.
Most of these people write letters
or make calls anonymously, unlike
the poor letter-writer. And after
seeing the things these people mail
in, it’s quite obvious why they are
scared to send it into The Batt with
their name on it.
They realize their opinion won’t
stand up to public scrutiny and that
Opinion Page readers will tear it
apart. And though they think they
have a right to express their opinion,
and that the letter-writer’s opinion
doesn’t deserve to exist, they are such
cowards they are afraid to sign their
name.
It’s not the place of any reader to
harass the writers at home. If you
want to express your opinion, use the
Opinion Page. That’s what it’s for.
You have no right to invade the
privacy of writers just because you
don’t believe the same things they da
If you’re one of those people who
chooses to express your opinion to
the Page 2 writers anonymously at
home, you’re a coward. And no
matter how off-the-wall and loonev
you think their opinions are, at leas!
they care enough to print it in the
paper, and that’s better than you did
Ellen Hobbs is a senior journalism
major.
Desert Camouflage
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
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-sup
porting newspaper operated as a commu
nity service to Texas A&M and Bryan-
Colle^e 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.
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