Opinion
i
Friday, March 8, 1991
American
The Battalion Opinion Page Editor Jennifer Jeffus 845-3314
TUI HU ■■■■■ -Ml ■■■!■ ■■■
students demand right to lose freedom
You've gotta fight
For your right
To PARTY!
V iolence is usually the
least efficient tactic for anyone to use to
get their way.
Just ask any professional soldier like
Powell or Schwarzkopf. They'll tell you
that peaceful solutions are preferable to
violent ones any day.
However, they also will tell you that
there are some ideals which are so
important that they cannot be violated
without a fight.
That must be how the 1,000
University of Hartford students felt in
the early morning hours of Sunday,
March 3.
According to the Associated Press, a
riot broke out there when campus
police sought to break up an
unauthorized on-campus keg party.
Rather than turning over the brew to
the police, students began pushing and
shoving the officers, who then called in
assistance from city police.
Apparently, the conflict escalated as
Tim
Tj
Truesdale
flff|
Columnist
Ms
the crowd moved into a common
outside the housing complex. Students
reportedly threw rocks and bottles at
officers for about 25 minutes.
Before it was over, 12 students were
arrested. There also were seven police
officers and nine students injured.
American students aren't the only
ones who have been rioting this past
week. Halfway across the world,
Egyptian students have been rioting as
well.
However, they had very different
reasons. They were protesting
American involvement in what they
perceived as an Arab problem.
At first glance, these motives appear
to be very different. Unauthorized keg
parties and American interventionism
appear to be different matters.
But I think we can say that one
principle underlies both actions:
Freedom and self-determination.
The University of Hartford students
obviously wanted to be free from
regulations imposed by the campus
police. Likewise, the Egyptian students
refused to submit themselves to the
authority of the "policemen of the
world."
Is that the end of the story? Is the
right to party the only cause worthy of
violence in the United States?
It's no wonder that the civil rights
movement has disappeared. Unable to
fight a two-front war with the
establishment, we've chosen to fight
for the most important ideal we can
concieve of: The right to get smashed.
Maybe the similarities between the
Hartford riot and the Cairo riots aren't
so clear after all. The Egyptians were
calling for more autonomy over
determining the future of the region.
O
n the other hand,
what the Americans wanted was the
right to take themselves from under the
control of the police and put
themselves under the control of
alcohol.
Let's face it, the guy at the party who
is most smashed has the least amount
of freedom. He couldn't walk a straight
line to save his life. He has no
autonomy whatsoever. He's entirely at
the mercy of others to make decisions
for him. So much for freedom!
When we think about the way the
Nazis dominated Germany, we are
appalled. Hitler walked in and
promised people that in return for
relinquishing their freedom, he would
make their lives better. History teaches
us that he certainly collected the
payment; but he couldn't deliver the
product.
People who sold out to Hitler's
program ended up doing absolutely
unhuman things to other people. We
are so quick to criticize, aren't we?
The reality is that getting smashed
promises a better life. All it requires is
for you to give up some of your
freedom. Freedom to control your own
body and mind. And let's face it, when
people buy the line, they can do some
pretty inhuman things to other people.
Ask me about it. I lost my
grandfather to a drunk driver who
wanted a little "freedom."
In my opinion, the University of
Hartford students were rioting not for
freedom and self-determination, but
for a right to choose; a right to choose
under which authoritarian tyrant to
place themselves. The school's
regulation or the brew.
I hear they're singing a new song in
Hartford:
You gotta fight
For your right
To give up your freedom to think
and act for yourself:
In return for the good life.
Well, maybe the lyrics don't fit the
tune very well. Somehow, that doesn't
surprise me ...
Tim Truesdale is a graduate student in
urban planning.
A&M celebrates environmentalism
Tell somebody you're from Texas
A&M University and inevitably they
will think of football, the Corps and, if
the trend continues, the ENVIRON
MENT!
This might come as a surprise to
some of you now, but in fact A&M re
cently has been getting a lot of atten
tion for many exciting ecological devel
opments. This is only natural for a
school with so much emphasis on engi
neering and life sciences.
In fact, there is some really notable
academic research with environmental
implications going on at A&M.
The alternative fuel research at the
Texas Energy Experiment Station is a
great example. What about leaking
landfills? We have some nationally
known faculty studying at the Depart
ment of Soil and Crop Sciences. And
the Department of Environmental En
gineering is doing groundwater re
search, for starters.
But the list doesn't stop there; we've
got the Sustainable Agriculture pro
gram and the Energy Extension Serv-
Charles
Albert
Reader’s Opinion
ice, to name two others.
On the administrative side, there is
of course the new Campus Recycling
Program. And thanks to Student Gov
ernment's Environmental Issues Com
mittee, a record number of clubs are
earning extra money by recycling alu
minum.
A&M also has a lot of clubs with eco
logical themes; general issues clubs
range from the Texas Environmental
Action Coalition and the Natural Re
source Conservation Association to
Earth First!-Out There and the Medi
cine Tribe.
But there also are many clubs with
specific focuses that are environmen
tally related, including the Bicycling
Club, the Speleological Society, the
Outdoor Rec Club, Oceanography and
Entomology Graduate Students, the
Wildlife Biology Society and Aggies
Against Bonfire.
The B-CS community is in on the ac
tion too: In addition to TEAC's commu
nity events, there are the Wildflower
and Native Plant Society, Ducks Un
limited, the local Audobon Society and
Sierra Club and Brazos Beautiful.
The Oklahoma and Texas Environ
mental Meeting — March 22 to 24 — is
the first of its type in Texas, and it's
happening right here at A&M!
There will be more than 100 student
groups converging here for three days
of concerts, special events, lectures,
speeches, workshops and an eco/career
fair. Green Week, from March 17 to 22,
will get the ball rolling with many other
A&M clubs holding special environ
mentally oriented events.
Call TEAC at 847-0341 or 693-3371 for
more information.
Charles Albert is a physics graduate
student and TEAC president.
Mail Call
The Battalion is interested in hearing from its readers and welcomes all letters to the editor.
Please include name, classification, address and phone number on all letters. The editor reserves
the right to edit letters for style and length. Because of limited space, shorter letters have a better
chance of appearing. There is, however, no guarantee letters will appear. Letters may be brought
to 216 Reed McDonald or sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111.
Keep an eye on Soviets
EDITOR:
May I commend Larry Cox, graduate student in range science, for his per
ceptive column (March 5) reminding us in the midst of our euphoria over
knocking out Saddam Hussein that we must keep an eye on our most formi
dable opponent, the Soviet Union, the evil empire.
Cox reminded us of the Soviet intent to subdue capitalism and the United
States by any means, fair or foul. We must pay attenhon to history; we must
remember that the Soviet Union never has deviated from its goal of world
domination. Never!
All this talk of glasnost and perestroika is a smoke screen, designed to l.ull
the United States into complacency. So far, it's working. We're being conned.
We have fallen for all that nonsense to the extent that we are dismantling
our armed forces, reducing our defenses against? ... There's only one enemy:
The Soviet Union.
It's not impossible for the Soviet Union to have sponsored the Iraqi take
over of Kuwait to lure us into another shooting scrape, to test once more our
capabilities and our resolve: Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Grenada ...
If so, once more, it didn't work; thank God. So far, we still had our guard
up.
Let's keep it up.
Dr. Doug Starr
journalism professor
Thanks TEAC
EDITOR:
I just finished reading Katherine Coffey's articles covering the tree plant
ing by bonfire.
Although I enjoyed the articles, I realized I might have said two or three
things in a confusing manner.
First, there was some confusion concerning the containerized trees we
planted.
One hundred fifty trees were purchased by the Bonfire Committee. These
trees were in one, five or 15 gallon containers or buckets. The trees and soil
around their roots were removed from the buckets and then planted. Bare
root seedlings have no soil around their roots.
Second, it is the containerized trees that have the best survival rate.
Finally, it was Bonfire and the Society of American Foresters that coordi
nated the tree planting. Although TEAC is involved in many such worthwhile
activities, its role in this particular tree planting was simply to help us plant.
With this in mind. Bonfire and the Society of American Foresters would
like to extend our thanks to the men and women of TEAC that helped us
plant.
I apologize for not presenting the information better.
Thank you for printing the positive article about an activity that is good for
the ecology, the economy and the student body.
Darren Gabriel '88
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
Jennifer Jeffus,
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
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 daily, except
Saturday, Sunday, holidays, exam periods
and when school is not in session during
fall and spring semesters; publication is
Tuesday through Friday during the sum
mer session. 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.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald,
Texas A&M University, College Station
TX 77843-4111.
the itch
by Nito
AWIMAl-
IC1N61X>M
: ENDO fl^OtfoSUCKSMCAO
(Ai-So CAUeo'pf)
• Lives /m HOfcouN rents
anp ir is often seet*
WALKING AlMtesSJ-V Afiounp
yienrM. As^tofAS.
• PURINA TH£ SVMAiCitjOg or*
vent HUM up MON ins, T T
ftemooutei /rsfONffNTtAUY.
• COMMON AND H J/i
AfFfAPANCtT, TneostpotuElHLO.
SUCKSMfAO WILL AfTAOe fCfloUCMUV
Av rue utovocAtioftyio
Mure* oori