Page 10
Texas A&M OPINION The Battalion
Tuesday, September22,1)
Hiding women behind locked doors no solution to rape
Editor's note: This column
is in response to a letter writ
ten by Brian Stokes entitled
"Wo?nen should take safety
precautions." It appeared in
the Mail Call section on
Thursday, Sept. 17.
M y best friend, Mari
an, was raped in
the dorm room of
an expensive art school by
the LSD-influenced son of a
family wealthier than Mari
an's. He was consequently
acquitted. About 18 years
later she was raped in the
GUEST
COLUMNIST
JULIE
OLIVER
changing room of a women's clothing store. She
was not alone; there were five other patrons as
well as the sales clerks there.
My friend Margaret was raped in the privacy
of her own home during broad daylight by the
neighbor's regular yard man and 10-time-rape of
fender. He threatened to wake her son if she
didn't do everything he wished and so Margaret
got to try some things she had never wanted to
try.
My friend Dawn was raped, also in the priva
cy of her own home, by her cousin just the night
before Dawn and her first longtime boyfriend
had decided that it was appropriate for them to
become sexually intimate for the first time.
Dawn had bought champagne for the occasion.
My little sister was "felt up" by her Sunday
school teacher while my mother went upstairs to
get him a check for some work that he had done
for us. And, oh yeah, his foster children were
taken away from him because he was having sex
with the older one.
My friend Martha's father did the honors in
her home and my friend Janine was shared by fa
ther and brother.
I was molested by older boys in my neighbor
hood when I was a child.
Excuse me — am I repeating myself? The point
is that of all my friends who have been raped
only one was out by themselves — a friend who
was raped as a boy, lured into a woody area by a
neighbor — and that wasn't even at night.
I am a night owl and have been called the "un
dead" or "gerbil" because I scurry around at
night. It is 2:40 a.m. at this very moment. I can
live on a day schedule but I prefer the night.
A major source of joy and tranquility in my life
is the stillness of the night. And I walk alone on
campus at night — with a wary eye, keys poised
between each knuckle, and a "rape whistle."
But, damn it, why should I be caged? I lived
in the time before women's lib was taken for
granted and having experienced the blossoming
of the freedom to move, I am loath to give it up.
And why should I cringe quivering in the cor
ner of my room hoping for safety when their own
rooms were not safe for so many of my friends?
Here is a story that is the favorite of my friend
Marian. In Israel, a decade or so ago, a vote was
proposed requiring a curfew of 10 p.m. for all
women. This was to reduce the rising tide of
rape. The men thought it was a brilliant solution
and were ready to vote yea.
Then Golda Meir suggested that since it wi
the men who were doing the raping perhaps if
curfew should be for them. The curfew wasvol
ed down and no one talked about it anymore.
I appreciate your good intentions, Mr. Sto
but I do not appreciate the willingnessofs
many to give up my freedom for my protectioa
Would they be willing to give up theirs? Besides
hiding us won't help.
This is the real world, and you carry as
when you walk through grass where snakes
known to dwell.
This is the real world, and I appreciate if
Corps escorts and a campus spirit that makesi
walking alone on campus at night merely alii
bold and not an outrignt death wish.
This is the real world, but I will not live wift
any more fear than I have to and I will walk it
night and watch the moon.
Oliver is a graduate student in[
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Groups unimportant;
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Gun control ignores
reality, fixes nothing
I am writing you in response to the
article "Little gun control goes a long
way" by Shawn Ralston. In this article
she displays her ignorance of gun con
trol and that of the people who feel it
will save the world.
Like the more extreme gun control
advocates she is way off base. She talks
about all the people being shot in Hous
ton, which I know a lot about being
from just south of there, by robbers and
punk kids — how if we had gun control
laws this would not happen. For those
who do not know, it is already against
the law to carry a concealed weapon or
any handgun; so what good would it be
to create another law for them to break?
When you look at the "stats" she is talk
ing about you will find out that most of
the crimes committed with handguns
are done using guns that were already
illegally obtained. She talks about how
the Brady Bill will stop violence; well, if
she would have read the bill she would
find out that it is merely a waiting peri
od (7 days) and requires no background
check. This would accomplish nothing
but increasing paperwork and causing
a lot of confusion.
She talks of the National Rifle Asso
ciation and how extreme they are; well,
as a member and observer of all their
publications I can tell you that she is
way off base. The NRA pushes hard for
harsh punishment of anyone who com
mits a crime, especially if they use a
weapon, not the liberal "let 'em go ear
ly" theory. The NRA does want a back
ground check performed on anyone
who buys a gun.
To close, let me say that anyone who
feels that the use of a weapon to defend
themselves or their loved ones is stupid
will likely end up dead. If you enforce
the law and punish (capital punish
ment) criminals you will do a lot more
to curb violence than just complaining
about guns — you might get something
accomplished.
I may be just a freshman, so every
one tells me I don't know what Texas
A&M is all about. But I do know what
A&M was all about. I do know why I
came here. I came here because of what
I saw at Fish Camp. I saw people who
no matter what type; fraternity. Corps
of Cadets, sorority, non-reg, Northside,
Southside, black, white and indifferent;
coming together to support one ulti
mate goal — to uphold the spirit of Ag-
gieland.
But when I came on campus I saw a
totally different group of individuals.
Individuals supporting and upholding
only themselves. How can we all be so
selfish? Maybe that's what's wrong
with Aggieland, with America. We
stop looking out for our fellow man be
cause we want to benefit ourselves. We
stop being one and start being several,
and before we know it we're our own
enemy — we've begun our own war.
Let's come together as Aggies; if not
for ourselves, then for those Aggies be
fore us and those still to come.
home, free from government mandate.
The Republican Party has been unfairly
labeled as a divisive party. The Repub
lican Party believes bigotry and preju
dice cannot and will not be eradicated
through government mandate, but
rather through a platform that doesn't
recognize individuals on any personal
characteristics, and through the honest
efforts of individuals to strive for a bet
ter understanding of all cultures.
Oh, and Buford, if you had bothered
to do your homework, you would have
discovered that the phrase "Judeo-
Christian heritage" does not discount
"African-American heritage" or "Asian-
American heritage," but instead is a
phrase which attempts merely to state
the foundation on which the Republi
can Party bases its moral and ethical be
liefs.
I would like to conclude that it is Bu
ford who is promoting and encourag
ing divisiveness, envy and separation,
and it is people like him who stymie the
American ideal. We are all Americans,
with different backgrounds, cultures
and ancestors, yet we are all nonethe
less Americans.
South Africa doesn’t
deserve bad press
Summer Belleperche
Class of '96
Brian Beckrom
Class of '95
As a South African I think I have had
enough of the negative and misleading
media coverage given to the situations
taking place in South Africa. Every
body seems to think that whites hate
blacks, and the articles I read here cer
tainly do everything to emphasize that
fallacy.
If it was that simple, it would have
been resolved years ago. What people
don't realize is that South Africa is
made up of many races. Within the
black race lie many different cultured
tribes.
What much of the fighting recently
has been about is the confrontation of
the Zulus and the Xhosas in the town
ships. Each trying to fight for their
leader, they necklace and casually burn
each other to death.
But you see, then the South African
police force is sent to try to create order,
to prevent these barbaric deaths, and
suddenly the headline all over the
world is "South African police kill 40
blacks."
Get it right! I'm sick of hearing nega
tive stories about my country. Just for
the record, do you ever recall reading!
a newspaper that South Africanblati
do not pay taxes; that over 90 percenti
white taxes go directly toward bis
schooling and housing, or that if ji
are black, you don't need to pass
standard senior high school exam t(
admitted into one of our extrems;
competitive universities.
And if you are white, and ask forts
type of grant in aid or scholarships i
study purposes, you'll be laughed
and told that unless you are black p
may not apply, no matter what your
nancial situation may be.
I am not a racist, but I love Soil
Africa. For anyone who hasl
opportunity to visit there, I know tie
will agree when it is said that it is os
of the most, if not the most beaul
country in the world.
So keep having your say. I p
focus on the positive side, seeingallti
wonderful and significant changesth
have taken place in South Africa on
the past few years under Presidentdel
lerk.
You have enough problems of ya
own to worry about.
um.
crea
and
thar
Joanne lijst
Class of‘i
Multiculturalism no
boon to race relations
Steven Lynch
Class of'94
In reply to the obviously uninformed
Greg Buford, I would like to defend the
Republican Party on the issue of multi
culturalism. Buford postulates that if
the Republican Party is against multi
culturalism, than it must be for mono-
culturalism. The Republican Party is for
"United States-culturalism," and deems
it necessary that our children be taught
the culture and history of the land in
which they live. Multiculturalism is
promoted under the false premise that
it will make everyone more sensitive to
the heritage of others. Under this guise
the multiculturalists have been engag
ing in a form of historical revisionism.
The way in which to welcome people
into our "melting pot" is not to promul
gate differences but instead to strive for
racial and ethical "color blindness".
Why is it that we must become (fill in
the blank)-Americans, rather than sim
ply Americans? Though most propo
nents of multiculturalism have good in
tentions, I feel that the means they are
using are not the proper ones. Children
should learn of their heritage, lineage
and culture from their parents, in the
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