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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1992)
/ell all year a-:. scoring 10 misj fednesday, April 29, 1992 pinion The Battalion Page? The Battalion Editorial Board DOUGLAS PILS, Editor-in-Chief BRIDGET HARROW, Managing Editor BRIAN BONEY, Opinion Editor JASON MORRIS, Night News Editor MORGAN JUDAY, Night News Editor MACK HARRISON, City Editor KARL STOLLEIS, Photo Editor SCOTT WUDEL, Sports Editor ROB NEWBERRY, Lifestyles Editor The following opinions are a consensus of The Battalion opinion staff and senior editors. the criterium d by riders fe North Texas in vomen and children were beaten. Texas at v recks which c- /lists, he race, strong, cohesit, > recruit menm year's teamwh uccessful as»i aid Kurt Sauer,] cience major, conference St® ■giate Cycl cling team*! p riders to con Georgia, rai In memorium Holocaust atrocities deserve remembrance Fifty years ago, millions of men. jtarved, and otherwise tortured under he order of Adolf iitler and his Nazi |egime. Even after all hese years, it is still Imost inconceivable to imagine the more than 6 million people who lied at the hands of the Nazis. Most people are eforA&Mai now somewhat aware if the suffering that the European Jews went jhrough during this ime, but many do not ealize that the Nazi hersecution was not ^mited to this group. The evil of the Jazis affected a very large portion of he population of Europe including Christians, Muslims, homosexuals, and Others who did not fall into the |ategory of Adolf Hitler's Aryan race. To students at Texas A&M, the rrible events of the Holocaust may em very far removed from the reality we know. 'go native, ck. (ill hasplanstel i with assooisl se with us, so 1 just let itroSl l go for the bK| ner joked, that dependiij| inditions,"Ko( three races* n him, and llK(| .eas and hijl d. "So hebml when thewiitl nor we’ve l check the weabl leeks the surfel 1 1 just did wlulj e to the team f 5 contribution! but he doesk| the sole catalfij »se. - if it is justiii| 1 the spark,’ ou get a coup I oeople getexcitl low it up. one gets a ( m's recent pro! , Holt thinkst! ting to cou| ling of theyea’I consistent wil| lid. "Buti some th e getting soul g better coltoj ight now. n situations"! and we haven! But it is important that we emember the horrors of the Holocaust ecause these atrocities really weren't hat long ago. Learning about history's j>ast mistakes is important so we can prevent them from happening again. DW god! i’ve In light of this, we need to take a minute to look back on the misfortunes of humanity. Holocaust Remembrance Day, today, provides a perfect opportunity for this. Tonight, the All Faiths Chapel on campus will hold a special program honoring the victims of the Holocaust. Continuing with this remembrance will be a scheduled reading outside of Rudder Tower. This will be a reading of 10,000 of the 40,000 names of those people who have been identified as having been killed during the Holocaust. The program is sponsored by students from several different religious organizations on campus. Our society has come a long way since the era of the terrible actions of the Nazis, but the haunting memories of the Holocaust live on. The Holocaust shows us just what can happen when prejudice and racism gets out of control. We must remember this fact and work together to keep our own prejudices and hatred under check. BEWARE THE TEXAS AW SWAM Pf Health of the nation Denial of medical insurance to all shows US thoughtlessness A: // \ mbulance 29, Engine 26, you have a 7-year-old .male with difficulty breathing, 800 Park Place at Detroit, apartment three." Arriving on the scene, my partner and 1 found the crew of Engine 26 administering oxygen to a 7-year-old Hispanic male experiencing an asthma attack. The child had Guest Columnist Paul Greco is a freshman general studies major been wheezing for the past two hours. While I examined the child, the mother explained to me that she had run out of the child's asthma medication about four days ago. Then I asked her why she let her child's medication run out. She explained, with tears in her eyes, that she could not afford a day off from work to go to the public clinic to refill the prescription. (I did not realize she had no insurance.) She continued to explain that filling a person's medication involves an eight hour day, from riding the bus to the clinic to completing a stack of paperwork taking five to six hours. For 13 years, I worked as a paramedic, running calls in the inner city of Houston and Bryan. I experienced first-hand something that most people just read and hear about, the pain and suffering of others. The above story was just one of the many examples I ran into that involved hard-working individuals trying to provide the best care for their families. Unfortunately, some people stereotype our country's less fortunate: they consider them dope dealers, prostitutes, alcohol-abusing individuals and drug abusers. However, this is not the case. The majority of the individuals who I have dealt with only had one thing in common - they were just less fortunate than others. Some were handicapped individuals getting a new start in life. Others included a laid-off woman struggling through vocational school whose husband recently left her with no child support, and many more. Obviously, there is a flaw in this country's present health care system if these people, approximately 38 million, are unprotected. Wanting to know how others felt about our current national health care system, I ventured out on campus asking people if they were secure with the present health care system or in favor of a national health care program. I received a variety of interesting answers. Alarmingly, the majority of students interviewed had no idea of what a national health care system was. I then explained that national health care is a community health care plan that denied no one health care, regardless of their socioeconomic status. One student was in favor of a community health care plan because she spent several years as a volunteer helping the less fortunate. She was from an upper middle class family. And she believed that the public hears about poverty, but people don't actually realize the problems others endure until experiencing it themselves. My favorite response was from a gentleman who blurted ouf the answer, "to hell with those who have no health insurance, why should I give anyone a share of my hard-earned money?" My response to this thoughtless statement was because we're human beings! Quality health care is a basic human right, from the cocaine snorting individuals to the self-made billionaire; health care should not be denied to anyone. By denying quality health care, we may be turning our backs on someone who in the future could discover a cure for AIDS, improve auto safety, become a political genius or a friend. All of whom would otherwise perish without quality medical care. Sometimes Americans are selfish people - under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for-ME! Mail Call Editor’s note: The Battalion rec/eved more than 40 responses to the letter printed Monday titled “Quit whining about rape." Unfortunately, we have only enough space to print these few. has not alwa! "oilFilippov letter >me through® -d ing, Ty. Asii jgh that A&M Richardson taking Ofe 1 ' :: n San Diego, ten spots the draft, ne who is not pro-style us that old nting out ore the fight r oT Ty looks has in his life Irastic drop ae and a -back job mainly of I every Sun- he Aggie de- ust how Mr. omas would shows insensitivity I've read very few letters expressing as much ignorance and sexism as the letter written by Dimitri Filippov. After reading the letter twice I asked myself whether he sincerely harbors these Insensitive feelings or is he just trying to make a pel, sarcastic joke. In either case it's Dimitri and others who aren't "seeing the big picture." While it may be socially unacceptable to express views of intolerance or bigotry towards minorities, opinions and letters denigrating and offending women have become an almost weekly joccurrence. So people really think women are "bitching" about the possibility of being attacked and assaulted? If this is some sort of cruel joke, (does he also think it would be appropriate to joke about child abuse or poverty? Dimitri, picture jthis, you're walking home alone at 1 a.m. and (someone attacks you and imposes a humiliation to last a lifetime, then someone tells you to "quit your bitching, you'll get over it". Let's try a little [Understanding. Howard Detnroff Graduate Student This is to all women who have ever been on a jdate, and had a man buy them dinner. As we Ww, a receipt for dinner is not a ticket for sex. Rape is a violent crime, it has nothing to do Nth sex, or dinner. It is the action of a sick Nividual, who has no respect for other human pings. A date is an opportunity to get to know someone with the possibility of beginning a relationship. It is not consent to sex. Some parents are now teaching their daughters to go "dutch." This is in response to thinking such as Dimitri Filippov's that the invitation to dinner or a drink, is an obligation for sex. It is unfair that women cannot accept a date, walk across campus at night, or go to a convenience store without the fear of being raped. We salute those women who have the courage to report criminal injustices, and the men who believe that sex is a loving, caring commitment, not just dessert. Dr. Lynne Walter's Journalism 357 Class In response to your recent letter to The Battalion, we can only draw two conclusions about you. Either you have purposely set out to anger a large number of people, in which case you are a cruel and insensitive human being, or your letter truly reflects your belief, in which case we pity your ignorance. Either way, your comments do not reflect those of a responsible, mature college student. Obviously you have not matured between junior high and college. You and those who think like you are apparently so obsessed with sex (or the lack thereof) that you cannot form or even comprehend a meaningful relationship with the opposite sex. Women should not be happy that men attempt to "buy" their bodies with dinner. Alcohol is no longer an acceptable aphrodisiac to be used on sober and unwilling women. And if breasts drive you into a money spending frenzy, then that's your neurosis, not ours. You say that a relationship "doesn't get any better than this". We're here to say "IT DOES!" We would suggest that instead of telling women to "get off your soapbox and enjoy life', you get out of the gutter and learn a thing or two about healthy relationships. Andrea Burris '94 Bryan Pope '95 I am writing concerning Mr. Filippov's letter in Mail Call on Monday. I just wanted to congratulate him for standing up for what he believes. After all, all this talk about rape is making me sick, too. Really, is it such a crime for a guy to want to enjoy his manhood? Girls, we have been in the wrong for too long, keeping a guy from getting the sex that he so well deserves. Hey, what is an unwanted pregnancy or years of emotional torment compared to a guy giving up a year's supply of beer to buy us diamonds? Now that is committment to me. It is crazy to see why a girl would want to wait to have sex until she's married. This is the '90s for goodness' sake! I bet that all this talk about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is just a ploy to keep guys from raping, excuse me, having sex. I hold a job where part of my responsibility is to counsel girls on personal problems, including rape. Now I know what to tell them - that it is just a guy's way of expressing his deepest emotions and that they should be elated that their breasts turn him on so much. Ladies, I say we get rid of our mace and start supporting the institution of rape for what it really is - the thrill of a lifetime. Kammie Rodriguez Class of'94 You poor misguided soul. Women in general do not care to sit back and enjoy your measly "30 minute" entertainment. If you have to buy your dates with dinner, rocks, and beer, then obviously you do not have what it takes to please a woman. It sounds to us like you need a prostitute because you could never get a true woman. It is time to register for the fall and we suggest you look into a psychology class to learn the motives involved in the crime. Rape is a violent crime; it's not about sex. The emotional and physical abuse that a victim endures can change the scope of one's life. Patricia Ireland and Jan Parshell deserve our respect and admiration for their courage to openly deal with their trauma. We agree sex can be enjoyable - when done with the right person whom one cares for and at the right time with one's consent. It is a pity that you are a closed-minded individual who is not getting the big picture. As we all know, it takes two to engage in intercourse but without one party's approval, it is no longer just sex, but rape. We considered that your article might be a bad joke. If it is, we do not find it humorous and we are not laughing. How would you like to be molested, lose your self-respect and your trust of other people? Rape causes an individual to experience all these things. Tory Duncan Class of'95 accompanied by 113 signatures This letter is in response to Mr. Filippov's insensitive remarks about women. If I remember correctly, Mr. Filippov, you are the vice-president of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Are the views expressed in your letter held by many of your Kappa Sigma brothers or are you just the lone neanderthal in the outfit? We will certainly know the answer to this question if you are still an active member one or two weeks from this day. In any event. I'll bet you have eliminated the problem of your fraternity ever having to attend another co-ed mixer. Brooke Smalt Class of'94 Have an opinion? Express it! The Battalion is interested in hearing from its readers. AH tetters are welcome. Letters must be signed and must include classification, address and a daytime phone number for verification purposes. They should be 250 words or less. Anonymous tetters will not be published. The Battalion reserves the right to edit all tetters for length, style and accuracy. There is no guarantee the letters will appear. Letters may be brought to 013 Reed McDonald, sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111 or can be faxed to 845-2647.