lember 2,W
mi\
3<sr Dm
Wednesday, September 2,1992
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 13
If C0MU-,
Welc
^TSK-Tg,
No-sense policy
No-fly zone unnecessary burden
The establishment of the "no-fly
[frniiimdrt zone" over southern Iraq in order
to protect the Shiites from Saddam
-1 pppi Hussein is an ill-advised political at-
TCC11 t em pt by the United States, with
Britain and France in tow, to play
the role of global policeman.
whcwss- ® Ihough the president waffles back
m and forth over whether or not
America will play that role, it seems
the nation's military may be de
ployed even if the issue has noth-
gto do with national security.
The official reasoning for the ac-
ion includes the charge of "harsh
repression" of the Shiites by Hus-
iein. By the same logic, we should
lave sent a police force into China
fter the "harsh repression" at
Tiananmen Square rather than con
tinuing to award them most-fa-
vored-nation trade status. Further
more, it is difficult to support con
tinued challenges to the Iraqi
nes
Diversity at A&M
Foreign students benefit school
in
batio
MED PRES:
: ormer Cor
airman Fra International students come to
enced to ti Aggieland from the four corners of
fuesdayai fh e E ar th. Malaysia, China, Nigeria,
adin 8 c ^ India, Taiwan and South Africa,
is sentenci ^ e y bring a perspective of America
-t appearan and the American way of life that
> visiting Hi domestically-bred and bound
at-Law M students do not possess.
With their intelligence, zeal and
:opped Los en th us j asrn/ international students,
" he r sa " on actively recruited by the University,
-ordine to) ^ here because they have proven
£0 a i S o did® themselves the best of the best in
-nse with hn their foreign lands,
aid. They may sometimes make
-n two Brest |p ac ij n g curves higher, leading to
? a .096 m some resentment. But they are not
- y hol fi subversives or revolutionaries.
- 0 ,j run i(i^ey are gifted ambassadors of
id Lorenzdtheir foreign countries and are
ror skills ready to offer a treasure chest of
ing while® culture to any Aggie who would
. care to inquire of them,
attorney, t>
diately reK
3 left at thtp
_ing.
me to syifl
rade of airl® |
-980s, step]
tive officer
Holding'
on Conti
rs.
■tal into wi
"s largest
rging the
anal Airlu
I then
d People E'
regime yet maintain a lukewarm
position on the conflict in what used
to be Yugoslavia. Harsh repression
occurs in many nations we consider
friends and allies. It is incorrect for
the United States to assume it can or
must maintain world order.
We all have sympathy for the
Shiite rebels, as for any oppressed
people; however, it would be eco
nomically unsound to enter into ev
ery conflict that presents itself.
Consider our logic for staying out of
the conflict that ensued after the
military overthrow of Haiti, which
is at least in our hemisphere. Our
government may be responsible for
encouraging the Shiite rebellion un
der pretense of aiding the rebels
economically or militarily. If that is
the case we owe them whatever was
promised. However, as with the
Kurds, what we offer is likely to
prove to be too little too late.
As Texas A&M continues to
fight accusations of racism and
intolerance on campus, how we
Aggies treat the international
students should serve as a
barometer of whether such
accusations are valid.
The desire of the international
students to leave their loved ones
behind and come to Texas A&M
brings a refreshing variety of flavors
to the vanilla and chocolate of
Bryan-College Station.
Just as Martin Luther King told
America to take a hard look at
whether it was really living up to
the ideals the U.S. had set for itself,
the international students, by their
mere presence, are asking every
Aggie to be more tolerant, to dare to
inquire and to help further the
noble goal of brotherhood.
as since M
2 flying buf
kruptcyitf
:>dyce pa$
onths for
ackard,
id Com:
ding stai
that contf i K
2 affiliate
re," or L
sembled l* 1
2 of $5,4^
q 15, 'M 1
-99.
executive
bt the coil
_od CaniO'
PC stra
Student sees the
light at PTTS
After waiting in line for an hour and
ahalf to get a bus pass, I made an
Appointment with Tom Williams, who
■sthe head of Parking, Transit and
Traffic Services to make some
^suggestions on making the line a little
Hore bearable. He listened to my
suggestions, which mainly related to
tl 1 Putting signs and instructions in the
p® building for those in line, and then
^ ^ed how that would make the line go
buster. My reply was that it wouldn't
^e the line go faster but that it was a
suiall thing he could do for his
c Ustomers. Mr. Williams' response to
ywait in line was that it was not bad
because it used to take eight hours
J ^der a circus tent.
We then began a conversation about
{be bus system. When I asked about
"iprovements in the system, Mr.
illiams more than once ended his
ponses by saying that if I didn't like
lei 'us:
the bus, I should buy a parking permit.
He also called the air conditioning and
shuttle bus route maps "creature
comforts" that he had already given the
students. Mr. Williams also stated that
he had not been on the shuttle bus, hut
he sometimes followed it in his car.
At least now I know why the line
there was so long.
Steve Bailey
Class of '88
Please respect
the drill field
I would like to welcome all of the
new freshmen and transfer students to
A&M. I would also like to explain one
of the traditions that the band holds
dear. That is that only band members
are ever to be on the drill field behind
the band dorm.
As you walk around campus you can
tell just by looking around where the
traffic tends to flow off the sidewalk
and cross over on the grass. There are
paths where the traffic flows that get
worn down, uneven, and muddy when
it rains. To avoid this problem on the
drill field we ask that nobody walks on
it. The drill field eventually looks bad
enough as we create our own ruts from
drilling every day. Also, we work very
hard on our halftime drills and put
time, sweat, blood, and tears into the
Seeing wolves in sheep’s clothing
Look for warning signs of cults before it's too late
by MATTHEW K. DICKERSON
Tens of thousands of students have just returned to
A&M, and many are here for the first time. Many are
searching for their "niche" in the many student groups and
programs that are offered here. It is unfortunate that some
of these groups are cults whose main goal is to recruit more
members. Most college students are young and in transition
— and prime targets for cult recruitment. As a former
member of a cult group at A&M I thought that it would be
helpful to give the "stigmata," or marks of a cult so that
students can more capably appraise the groups that they
may wish to associate with.
First of all, it should be noted that just about any type of
group could be cultic. Political and commercial groups as
well as religious groups have been cultic. Much of what
makes up a cult is its level of control, regardless of the type
of group. For instance, an insurance company, A.L.
Williams, has been described as cultic.
Dr. Ronald Enroth, a respected writer and researcher of
cults and abusive groups, has recently written a new book.
Churches that Abuse, which is a fine exposition of abusive
groups. He identified six essential characteristics of cult
groups:
1) Authoritarian leadership. The leadership is effectively
beyond criticism —though they often feign humility —and
control oriented. Leaders lack accountability.
2) The group fosters dependency. Themes of loyalty
and submission predominate in the leader's teachings and
relationships with others. If you are being urged to "get
counsel" or advice about nearly everything in your life, you
should be very cautious. A false security — the leaders
watching over your life to "protect" you — is used to tempt
people into surrendering degrees of autonomy.
3) Elitism and isolationism. Ecclesiastical isolation is
typical of cults.
4) Excessive discipline, such as shunning or
excommunication, is used to squash dissent.
5) Shifting loyalties, especially away from the family. If
you are "counseled" to spend less time with your friends or
family and more time with the group, you are being
gradually isolated and made more dependent.
6) Surveillance. You may discover that someone is
keeping tabs on you. If leaders somehow know things
about you that you never told them, you may have a person
in the group that is reporting regularly on you to them.
This seems especially true of so-called shepherding cults.
Of special interest in Dr. Enroth's book is his mention of
two groups that are, or have been, operating here at A&M;
Great Commission, (which I was associated with for a
number of years) and Maranatha, both shepherding cults. I
understand that Maranatha is now known as Hosanna, and
Great Commission Students is now known as A&M
Christian Fellowship (AMCF). Dr. Enroth tells me that of all
of the groups that he covered in his book. Great
Commission was the most difficult to deal with. Although
Dr. Enroth in his book was quite upbeat about Great
Commission's prospects for the future. Great Commission
threatened a lawsuit in an attempt to prevent the book's
publication. Despite these difficulties. Dr. Enroth's book
has enjoyed brisk sales; at the time of the interview, it had
climbed to number 11 on the Christian best-sellers list.
Churches that Abuse can be had at Brazos Valley Christian
Books, or at your local Christian bookstore.
It might well be added that simply because a cult has
"orthodox" Christian doctrines doesn't mean that it cannot
be a cult. I was warned that Great Commission was a cult
over four years before I extricated myself. I was lulled into
complacency because I swallowed the notion that only
"unorthodox" doctrines are associated with cults. Dr.
Enroth's book goes a long way in exposing this fallacy.
Below are listed a number of help groups, both secular and
religious, for cult and ex-cult members. If you would like
background information on any number of cults, the Cult
Awareness Network and the American Family Foundation
can be especially helpful.
You can reach the American Family Foundation and Cult
Observer (AFF) at 212-249-7693, or the Cult Awareness
Network (CAN) at 312-267-7777.
Dickerson is a sophomore economics major
and a columnist for The Battalion
drill field. It's as special to us as the
things you work hard for are special to
you. Band members hold the drill field
in such reverence that a former BQ
requested that his ashes be scattered on
the drill field after he passed on. That
is what we did after Muster last spring.
So as you walk around campus this
year we ask that you respect the drill
field and please walk around.
Jason Johnston
Class of '94
Take pride in
our community
As a concerned citizen for a neat
community appearance, I congratulate
Park Cleaners on George Bush Drive
across from the TAMU campus. Their
newly decorated maroon and white
store front tells us who is
knowledgeable and proud of the
Aggies.
Thanks to the Liles family for
making our community aware and
appreciative of Texas A&M and College
Station.
Now as the students move into our
area, we will ask for their help, support,
and civic pride in keeping the
appearance of our community neat and
attractive.
Mrs. Helen Pugh
College Station
Don't let others
do unto you...
Here at the beginning of the fall
semester Td like to say Gig'em to all
returning Aggies and share a little
knowledge I gained this summer. Not
everything is learned in the classroom.
I've found: expect apartment managers
to keep part of your deposit - even if
you comply with all requirements and
they are members of that great "Texas
Apartment Association." I foolishly
believed that contracts would be
honored — and that especially in
College Station — people would treat
each other with a code of honor, but it's
not so. Beware that some apartment
complexes will keep part of every
deposit. At least, that's how it appears.
I've done a little asking around and
haven't found otherwise.
I'm an Aggie mom. I know clean.
I've been around several years. I know
fair. I helped clean the vacated
apartment. I've also notified the Better
Business Bureau and a lawyer. There is
no reason for people to take advantage
of their neighbor. "Thou shalt not
steal" from Exodus 20 is still part of the
Ten Commandments when I look in the’’
good book. Be aware. Aggies, that
you'll have to scratch for what is your
right but keep fighting. The 'Horns are
not the only opponent in life!
Mrs. Donald R. Matthews
Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Editorials appearing in The Battalion
reflect the views of the opinion page
staff only. They do not represent, in
any way, the opinions of reporters,
staff, or editors of other sections of the
newspaper.
Columns, guest columns, and Mail
Call items express the opinions of the
authors only.
The Battalion encourages letters to
the editor and will print as many as
space allows in the Mail Call section.
Letters must be 250 words or less and
include the author’s name.
We reserve the right to edit letters for
length, style, and accuracy.
Letters should be addressed to;
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald /Mail stop 1111
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843