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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.
Help save the Earth
EDITOR:
We seek the best of everything for ourselves and our
children. Yet we find little time to save the health of the
Earth, without which, little else would be of importance.
Butterflies and blue skies have been traded for noise
and cancer-causing air. Rainforests, inhabited by thou
sands of plants and animals, many new and unstudied, are
being destroyed at a rate comparable to a football field per
second. These forests hold wealths of information and po
tential cures for cancer and AIDS.
That once destroyed are forever lost. ... Our heavy de
pendence on oil and lack of serious implementation of al
ternative fuels and conservation will, in the future, cause
us not to wonder whether we can get gas for our cars, but
whether essential uses for oil, such as food and medication
processing, can be accomplished. What a shame. Is it lack
of knowledge? Or lack of care?
Despite all that we have lost, there remains much to be
saved and we all must take part. Green Week begins
March 17, leading to TOTEM, The Oklahoma and Texas
Environmental Meeting. Hosted by the Texas Environ
mental Action Coalition (TEAC), TOTEM will be at Texas
A&M from March 22 to 24 and involves more than 100
groups from Texas and Oklahoma.
To register to'attend TOTEM or for more info, call Mary
(846-6767), or stop by one of the registration tables March
18 to 22 in the MSC, Sbisa or near the Chemistry Bldg.
Get involved and involve any organization you are in,
because if you live on this planet, you cannot afford not to
take part in her safekeeping.
Bang Huynh
Don't tell me to leave America
EDITOR:
I would like to comment on the article in which Nito at
tempted to explain the motivation (Euro-Culture) behind
"the itch."
I very much disagree with the view that minorities ex
pect to be made fun of, and that if they are offended they
are insecure.
Although I have traveled to only one European coun
try, England, I have seen the tension that exists between
Indians, Pakistanis and Anglos. I have read about how
other minorities are treated in other parts of Europe (Turks
in Germany, Moroccans in France and Spain etc.).
These cartoons may be harmless if the audience has a
rich schemata filled with cultural awareness and will not
use the few (and derogatory) glimpses offered by the car
toon to make generalizations about all minorities. There
fore, I am not amused when my ethnicity is made fun of,
and resent statements aimed at "normalizing" this kind of
behavior.
Now, I would like to tackle the issue of sexism that
manifests itself in the cartoons. The reason I feel so
strongly about this issue is because I have seen battered
women who are the victims of their spouse's/partner's atti
tude that women are objects of pleasure and need to be
ruled: These attitudes culminate in violence when accom
panied by feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem. After
reading the April/May issue of Ms. Magazine, I was ap
palled to learn how a civilized society like ours continues to
tolerate the dehumanization of women.
Finally, I feel compelled to add: Please don't tell me to
get the hell out of America if I don't like it, because I do like
it. I enjoy the challenges offered by America. I love the
pizza places, libraries, campus activities and McNeil-
/Lehrer News hour among other things.
Haneef Mohamed '91
Rationale for death penalty
EDITOR:
I'd like to take issue with Andy Yung's column "Death
penalty damages morality of Americans."
I would reply that my rationale for the death penalty is
not because of deterrence, retribution or savings, but one
of just punishment for the crime. When capital offenses are
committed, I feel the perpetrators have placed themselves
in a position of forfeiting their own lives by unjustly taking
the life of another. I've heard this called "the principle of
forfeiture." If not a single offense is deterred, nor any retri
bution gained nor a penny saved, justice should still be
carried out.
I realize that the admistrator of justice can be discrimi
natory: But then shouldn't the discrimination be the fault,
not the just punishment? Yung also said that no credible
evidence ever showed the death penalty to be a deterrent,
yet he did not reference any, nor the other "studies" he
used to support his statements.
The trial by jury is a fundamental right of all citizens,
even the worst offender. The jury (not the government)
has the last word on the application of any law. The pro
nouncement of "guilty" or "not guilty" is the most power
ful I know.
When a jury of 12 pronounces a verdict, that verdict
must be upheld or what hope do any of us have of seeing
justice? The system is not perfect, but I know of no other
that I would want to be tried under.
If I knew I was innocent, yet pronounced guilty, I defi
nitely would be very disheartened, yet I also know that
physical death would not be the worst that could befall me.
Also, I definitely would not say that the process was unjust
and needed a change.
David Panak
graduate student
Editorials
Editorials expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board and do not nec
essarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of
Regents.
Athletic program needs examining
For the second straight year, the University is looking for a
new men's basketball coach. It's time administrators set aside
their rhetoric and uncover the real problems in the athletic
department.*
Losing teams and weak fan support have been attributed to
the poor facilities at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The special events
center is supposed to alleviate those problems. But we think the
real problem is internal.
If Texas A&M coaches still are committing NCAA violations,
then the University is failing to communicate its intolerance of
such actions to these coaches. If the University is communicating
its intolerance adequately, then why is a stricter system of checks
and balances not in place?
Coach Kermit Davis Jr.'s "inappropriate actions" began last
May. The University did not begin its investigation until
December, after published accounts of the violations appeared in
national newspapers.
We call on A&M President William Mobley to take a more
aggressive, investigative look at the athletic department as a
whole. Only with a healthy department can we ever expect to
have coaches who emphasize honest playing and honest
winning.
The Battalion Editorial Board
Congratulations to University
for award-winning performances
JL ot only is it Academy
Award night, it's time to give some
awards for outstanding performances
on the Texas A&M campus:
The Biggest New Erection on
Campus: The as-of-yet untitled statue
of a roughneck that has been erected
on the corner of Ross and Spence
streets. And we thought bonfire was a
phallic symbol? Geez, this thing is a
good candidate for those new extra-
large condoms!
The Best Destruction on
Campus: The "Planned for the
Future" statue by the Memorial
Student Center is gone! Whoop!
Most Tasteless T-shirt: This was a
tough one — the war in Iraq prompted
the production of literally dozens of
tacky T-shirts glorifying the destruction
and death inherent in war. However, it
wasn't as hard to pick a shirt as one
might have hoped.
The award goes to "Open Season on
Saddam Hussein; Give Force a
Chance" T-shirts that were sold in the
MSC. Maybe instead of buying a shirt
you could just have "warmonger"
tattooed on your forehead.
A&M Sports Team Most Likely to
be on Probation Next Year: The
Ultimate Frisbee team. No, no, just
kidding. It's the men's basketball team.
Least Surprising News: An A&M
Student Government report has said
the University is overcharging for food
and other retail items. Apparently,
Student Government spent quite some
time on finishing this report — it only
took a few minutes in the
Underground Market for me to figure
that out.
Least Surprising Denial: A&M
officials refuted the charges of
overpricing — now, really, are you
surprised?
The Upcoming Event Likely to
Annoy Students Only Slightly Less
Than the Parking Situation: Student
Government and Yell Leader elections.
There is little that is more irritating
than living in a dorm and having a
stranger knock on your door every five
minutes to ask you to vote for them.
Certainly, one of the nicest things
about living off campus is avoiding
that.
And while we're on the subject of
student elections: Remember,
candidates, when the elections are over
it is time to take your signs down.
Nobody but perhaps certain students
interested in climatology and erosion
want to see what happens to those big
wooden campaign signs after they sit
outside in the weather for a month
after the election.
Silliest Desert Storm Support
Effort: The world's longest yellow
ribbon. A&M just must have the
biggest everything, you know. Just ask
the people who erected the roughneck
statue.
Best Desert Storm Support
Effort: Squadron 1 cadets headed a
campaign to get cards and letters of
support from A&M students to the
family of a former squadron member
and Air Force pilot listed as missing in
action.
Most Disturbing Realization About
Life at A&M, Besides The
Overabundance of
Republicans: Most freshmen here
don't remember the bowling alley in
the MSC, that Aggie Bucks used to be
called Point Plan or that at one time the
Underground Market sold cigarettes
and condoms.
Ellen Hobbs is a senior journalism
major.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Lisa Ann Robertson,
Editor —845-2647
Kathy Cox,
Managing Editor — 845-2647
Jennifer Jeffus,
Opinion Page Editor — 845-3314
Chris Vaughn,
City Editor —845-3316
Keith Sartin,
Richard Tijerina,
News Editors — 845-2665
Alan Lehman,
Sports Editor — 845-2688
Fredrick D. Joe,
Art Director — 845-3312
Kristin North,
Life Style Editor — 845-3313
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.
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the itch
by Nito