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.
It's a sweet deal for TCA
’ EDITOR:
In addition to questions concerning the ethical aspects
of forcing all on-campus residents to pay for a service only
a small percentage use or whether a University known for
its academia should be responsible for making a luxury
such as cable available to all on-campus residents, I would
like to offer yet another reason for voting against the cable
referendum Wednesday and Thursday.
The completion of this contract with TCA Cable Com
pany closes the door to all further price negotiations and
clinches the cable company's control. Not only will most be
unaware of the fact that they or their parents are paying
the cost, but also, TCA will no longer have to deal with nor
provide the same quality service to its real users, the stu
dents.
In fact, TCA would be thrilled to have this contract
signed because it would no longer have to compete for stu
dents' business — everyone on campus will be forced to
pay for cable.
Because of this, the quality of its product and services is
likely to deteriorate since the company would no longer
depend on its reputation for its business.
Furthermore, when the cable prices go up (which they
inevitably will), TCA has no fear of losing any of its obliga
tory customers. You can be certain TCA is eager to close
this deal.
Those of you who use cable and who feel this is a great
idea, realize that all consumer control — your choices and
voices on the matter as a consumer — is being shifted to
the University. There will be no need for negotiation over
prices or quality service, and all on-campus residents will
be obligated to be customers of this service.
The rejection of this cable proposal does not mean that
we are agreeing that the current cable rates are fair: On the
contrary, our rejection of it would force other negotiations
for lower prices to take place.
Although the cable rates at this time are extremely
high, all avenues of working with TCA have not yet been
explored.
This proposal is only an alternative offered by TCA.
Our agreeing to it essentially kills discussion, something
TCA would love to happen. The cable company would get
a sweet deal and be guaranteed to haul in a hefty profit un
der the guise of providing cheaper rates.
The Residence Hall Association has given us the oppor
tunity to express our views on this issue to the administra
tion involved in making the decision. Please vote — your
opinion matters.
D'Jelma Coughran '91
Be honest with Aggies
EDITOR:
I don't want to hear any more b.s. from Business Serv
ices about why they have to charge exorbitant prices. I am
fed up with the weak explanations that Business Services
has so gloriously tried to make us believe as true.
The excuse that prices can't be lowered because it
would be unfairly competing with off-campus businesses
is ludicrous. We are not asking that prices be reduced be
low off-campus prices; we are just asking that prices at
least be close to convenience store prices.
A dollar or more price difference on some items in a
convenience store is totally out of line.
Could it be Business Services knows students' mom
mies' and daddies' money (Aggie Bucks) is used to buy
food and convenience items on campus?
I am outraged Texas A&M and the business community
has the audacity to take advantage of the students and
their parents with unfair business practices and policies.
It's time Business Services examines its pricing policies and
procedures and starts being honest with Aggies!
Tim W. Byrd '92
Control of minds, bodies, souls
EDITOR:
This letter is in reference to Larry Cox's column: "Bush
should take advantage of his popularity" in Tuesday's Bat
talion.
Cox blames liberals for the "heavy hand of govern
ment" and says libertarians and conservatives promote
"empowerment of individuals."
I am appalled that Cox puts conservatives in the same
league as libertarians. Conservatives are aggressive antag
onists to individual liberty. They promote censorship, con
scription, govemment-led prayer (Christian, of course) in
public schools, restriction of reproductive freedoms and
limitation of education to prevent the "poisoning of young
minds" with ideas they might not agree with.
Conservatives oppose most of the principles of the Bill
of Rights. They have shunned the ACLU (American Civil
Liberties Union), which exists only to eliminate laws which
can be proven unconstitutional. Perhaps it is true that lib
erals want control over our money, but conservatives want
control over our minds, bodies and souls. Which is
worse?
Suzanne Adams
graduate student
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-sup
porting newspaper operated as a community
service to Texas A&M and Bryan-College
the itch
A lesson to learn
Gay basher deserves
to contract AIDS virus
Jm he AIDS epidemic
prompted an unheavenly host of
religious folks who claimed the disease
was God's wrath against the people
with whom he was displeased. I never
thought this to be the case; after all,
what does the divinity have against
hemophiliacs?
At any rate, the case of a 49-year-old
married man is certainly one of just
desserts.
The British medical journal Lancet
details the story of the poor fellow. He
claims to have had no possible
exposure to the AIDS virus except for a
stint as a truck driver in New York
when he and friends beat up gay men
"too many times to count."
So basically, the report states that
this man contracted the virus through
the blood of at least one of his bashed
victims via cuts in his hands.
The medical community presently is
skeptical of all of this. The Washington
Post reported that David Henderson,
an HIV-transmission expert, stated that
in only three cases of 1,000 does a
direct, accidental needle stick with a
syringe containing HIV-infested blood
result in transmission. He also said
blood on an open cut or scratch and
other less-direct exposures are
associated with an even smaller risk.
The infected man's doctor, on the
other hand, said he hoped the
experience would serve as a
"deterrent" to the "dreadful practice of
bashing people because they belong to
a particular minority."
The doctor also is quite confident the
man received the virus via open cuts
because the man claims never to have
shared needles and never has engaged
in sex with anyone other than his
loving wife.
Maybe I have a sick sense of humor,
but not only do I have no sympathy for
the man, I almost find it amusing. Who
does this fellow think he is?
First of all, he is obviously not the
most brainy guy. If he did not contract
the virus because of gay bashing,
couldn't he have made up a better
excuse to tell his wife and doctor?
Maybe he thinks that they will feel
sorry for him because he happened to
contract this disease by beating the hell
out of people.
If his disease is from beating gays,
maybe he should have considered the
risks involved in this bloody mess.
Very few experts agree the truck
driver's case would serve as a deterrent
to the practice of gay bashing. The Post
also quoted Larry Kramer, the New
York City playwright who founded the
AIDS activist group ACT-UP.
"My first thought was that maybe
they will stop beating us up," he said,
"But then again, maybe they won't.
Maybe they'll just start using guns. It
serves him right."
The implications of this are not quite
clear. Logic dictates that there are risks
involved in engaging in fisticuffs with
an AIDS victim. The "experts" in the
Washington Post story seem to believe
that this gay bashing is quite a common
occurrence.
Whether this is true, I believe that
one New York truck driver will not be
beating any gays in the near future. If
he cannot resist the temptation, maybe
he will be smart enough to use a stick
or something. _ ^
I hate to think that this man will die
for what he did, but he will. If stupidity
were criteria enough for the death
penalty, this guy would be one of the
first to go.
Matt McBumett is a senior electrical
engineering major.
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Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Lisa Ann Robertson,
Editor — 845-2647
Kathy Cox,
Managing Editor — 845-2647
J ennifer J effus,
Opinion Page Editor — 845-3314
Chris Vaughn,
City Editor — 845-3316
Keith Sartin,
Richard Tijerina,
News Editors — 845-2665
Alan Lehmann,
Sports Editor — 845-2688
Fredrick D. Joe,
Art Director — 845-3312
Kristin North,
Life Style Editor — 845-3313
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