Opinion
Friday, February 15,1991
The Battalion
Opinion Page Editor
Jennifer Jeffus
845-33]
Democracy should guarantee right to truth
L
ruth indeed has been
the first casualty of the gulf war.
Unfortunately, truth is not the only
loss humanity will be made to suffer.
Will anyone be so bold as to claim
our government has disclosed all
reasonable information and pictures to
which it has access?
How many of us are just too pleased
with the announcements that the
government is starting its propaganda
campaign in Iraq?
That's right. More than a week ago,
U.S. military officials admitted a
propaganda phase had been entered.
Do we realize the propaganda
necessary to "win this war" (in truth
only the ignorant will declare victors) is
far more important on the homefront?
Yes, folks, this still is a democracy.
Intellects (those whose presence ought
to grace our hallowed halls) would
more appropriately call our
government a liberal democracy ... but
none of that profanity here on campus,
right?
This liberal democracy guarantees
the public a right to know about the
activities of its government. That is the
basis of rule by the people.
Forget all the hypocrisy of policy and
actions, the collective prejudice
oppressing the disenfranchised and the
documented inaccessibility of public
office to the everyman. But, my Lord,
when some people say we are not even
to be accurately informed as to what
our government is doing, there
definitely is need for more than
concern.
Perhaps Americans do not care if
they are misinformed. (Many have
proven they are all too willing to be
actively uninformed — tuning into
"Charles in Charge" whenever
possible.)
One cannot help but assume this
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Andy
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Yung
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Columnist
phenomenon is either because we have
lost all faith in American government
or we are incredibly uneasy about our
nation's current actions. We hope the
latter is the case, and if so we need to
recognize it as such.
It's easy to accept those "video
game" images of exploding military
targets that American military leaders
are so evidently delighted to bring to
the public. But if only those films were
mere video games.
No, my friends, real people's
existences are being wiped out time
and time again before our eyes. And
the government masters that media
spin so that we forget that and are
instead enthusiastic to see these
"successes."
We now are targeting the Iraqi
National Guard. Why do you think we
aren't showing the crosshairs that
inevitably are being placed upon
individual soldiers? The reason is that
we want to be detached ... it lets us
avoid feeling responsible. In other
words, we cannot stand the moral
consequences, the utter shock to our
consciences that accompanies our tacit
support for this dubious, bloody
assault.
One might say, "All right, we do in
fact need to shed this conception of war
as sanitary and clean and start
evaluating the raw facts ... but what of
the young? Will this not scar their lives
forever?" Yes! No child should have to
live in a world of wars, but this is
reality and a violent reality sanctioned
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by our revered President.
Newscasts in the past often have
shown the bloody human destruction
of terrorism. We regretfully agree that
this is legitimate footage for it reflects
reality and can be a lesson on the evils
of hate (then again, so can the recent
newscast on which a smiling marine
said, "If we see any of those bastards
..." and then shook his M-16).
It is important to counsel our
children about the terribleness of this
and all wars. But, hey people, let's not
forget the Iraqi children who see this
carnage in person, who live the hell
that so easily could be stopped. It's
heartbreaking. No, let's get some
perspective.
When are we going to face our moral
imperatives? When will we finally at
least demand access to the truth? When
will the government stop hiding
behind the strawman of national
security?
I know there are legitimate natonal
security interests that are sensitive. But
how do these apply, for example, to
the U.S. government's prohibition of
the press showing the flag-draped
coffins of our honored servicemen and
women?
We cannot hold our officials
responsible for their actions if we are
not told what they are doing.
Tomorrow is too late. If I want to
evaluate my position on the war, by
denying me access to the relevant tnit
you make me a fool.
Next year is too late. I want tokno«
what you have done before I choose
whether to re-elect you. If the
government is able to cover all its
mistakes and unpopular decisions ini
veil of national security interests...
then someone's interests are being
served — those of the government.
If we are not afforded access to
reality, how else are we to hold our
officials accountable for their actions 1
How else are we going to be able toIr
with ourselves?
Andy Yung is a junior political scm
major.
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Editorials
Editorials expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board and do not
necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board
of Regents.
Step in the right direction
We applaud Gov. Ann Richards' recent appointments to the
Texas A&M University and University of Texas systems' boards
of regents.
Of the six appointees — three at A&M, three at UT — only
one has been a regent before. The other five include A&M's first
black female regent, Alison Leland, and UT's first black regent,
the Rev. Zan Holmes Jr.
Members of this new group of regents, with their diverse
backgrounds, bring fresh perspectives and insights to both
systems.
But both boards could use more diversity — diversity only a
student can bring. We believe the governor and the Legislature
should support one of the two legislative bills which propose
adding a non-voting, student regent to each system board.
Whether student members are allowed to vote, they certainly
would give the boards, including A&M's, better knowledge of
student concerns.
The addition of women and blacks to the state's largest
educational institutions is a step in the right direction. The
addition of students should be the next one.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Am I my brother's keeper?
Government money ignores needs
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That's probably the oldest question in
man's recorded history. This question
is so pervasive that entire books have
been written on the subject.
Our society offers us contradictory
advice in dealing with this issue. On
one hand, we vocalize support for the
Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you."
Yet, our symbols of success are not
associated with altruism, but with
personal acquisition. This is perhaps
best captured in the statement, "God
helps those who help themselves."
Donald Trump and Mother Teresa
possibly best symbolize the respective
extremes. Both undoubtedly are folk
heroes. However, I would venture to
guess that Trump's advice on success
has been more widely read than
Mother Teresa's books on how to
succeed in life.
In light of this dichotomy, how does
our contemporary society deal with the
opening question, "Am I my brother's
keeper?"
The good news is that many, if not
most, of us would respond in the
affirmative. The bad news is that we
have created an inanimate object to
take care of the responsibility for us.
Most of us are downright cowardly
when it comes to dealing with anyone
who is "different." That is, anyone
who looks poor, retarded, old, or in
Tim
Truesdale
Columnist
need of human touch.
So, we give money to government
programs to take care of what we
consider the "untouchable" caste, or
class.
But it seems that these programs
have bottomless stomachs. It's no
wonder that they grow beyond human
scale until they start looking like
monsters; both to recipients and to
those who feed the monster alike.
The welfare system has grown out of
control in this country. I, for one, say
we starve the monster and take back
his responsibility. After all, the only
reason we keep him alive is that we are
scared to death of actually having
contact with people who are different
from us.
If you are a coward, I have a
suggestion and a challenge for you.
This Saturday, KAMU is sponsoring a
telethon for people just like you. From
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, you can go
by Post Oak Mall or call 845-KAMUt
find where your skills can be put to
use. More than 20 worthy
organizations will be represented.
The more we sit back and let Uni
Sam take care of our brother, the mot
money hungry he becomes. If you
dislike big government, you have an
opportunity Saturday to put your
money where your mouth is. I
challenge you to!
Tim Truesdale is a graduate student?
urban planning.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Lisa Ann Robertson,
Editor
Kathy Cox, Managing Editor
J ennifer J effus,
Opinion Page Editor
Chris Vaughn, City Editor
Keith Sartin,
Richard Tijerina,
News Editors
Alan Lehmann, Sports Editor
Fredrick D. Joe, Art Director
Kristin North,
Life Style Editor
Editorial Policy
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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.
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and when school is not in session during
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