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Editorials
Gambling in Texas
Act will create revenue and jobs
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In its next session, the Texas Leg-
lature will debate the merits of the
oposed Texas Riverboat Gaming
ct, which would legalize Las Ve-
is-style floating casinos on Texas'
lana waterways.
If this bill is approved by the
gislature, the Texas Gaming Com-
Bssion will issue maritime licenses
v to relieve |r slot machines and gaming tables
sTmf °P erate around Dafias, Houston,
n Antonio, Galveston and Corpus
iristi. Voters will have the oppor-
nity to decide the ultimate fate of
ebill through local referendums
the cities seeking to receive such
icense.
Promoters of the Texas River-
te 9 ies8 feat Gaming Act are quick to point
^ fit that riverboat gamming, and the
n 242 | com P an ying shoreline develop-
advance lent around it, would generate
ormatwi 6,000 new jobs ana an estimated
pOO million in annual tax revenues.
Anything that would help Texas'
kirting economy during these trou-
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bled times would normally be seen
as a godsend. Yet in regard to the
Riverboat Gaming Act mere is the
suspicion that sucn a venture could
bring with it unwanted side effects
as extra baggage; namely crime,
(both organized and random) graft,
corruption and prostitution.
While these concerns are war
ranted in light of the gambling fall
out that cities like Reno and Las Ve
gas must face, we would do well to
remind ourselves that crime, cor
ruption and prostitution are bur
dens which Texans have carried for
many years.
Tne genesis of regulated river
boat gambling in Texas would not
necessarily lead to a dramatic in
crease in such vices, if any increase
at all. If approved, the Texas River
boat Gaming act will only serve as a
logical extension of America's open-
armed embrace of gambling, which
stretches from horses to football to
bingo at the local Catholic parish.
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Eliminating illiteracy
Volunteers pursuing noble goal
As political campaigns whine
)out the pathetic state of affairs in
te American educational system,
mericans may take solace in the
)urage of a growing group of stu-
ents who overcome the shame of
literacy to enroll as adults in pro
rams that teach them how to read
id write.
One such program, the Literacy
olunteers of America, commenced
s volunteer training program here
i the Brazos Valley last week. Con-
irned Texas A&M students and
lyan-College Station residents en-
illed in a six-session certification
rogram in order to fill a volunteer
eficit in the Brazos Valley.
The drive and determination of
lose adult students serve as a testa-
lent to the importance of literacy in
dr culture. Ours is a literate na
tion. Information is constantly con
veyed in print through newspapers,
books, advertisements, magazines,
street signs, billboards — the list
goes on and on.
For many illiterate individuals,
to be basically blind to the wealth of
important news and information
available in print means the differ
ence between unemployment and
opportunity.
We commend the efforts of Liter
acy Volunteers of America and
salute the time and commitment of
Bryan-College Station residents and
A&M students who recently en
rolled in the tutor training program.
At the same time, we praise the
courage of the individuals who
brave tne embarrassment of illitera
cy and triumph over it through
learning to read.
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19
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, while sitting at
e Aggie Democrat table in the MSC, a
0 dp of three Corps members walked
and one commented, "They're a
'Ach of neo-nazi socialists." Well, I
§to differ. Maybe you slept through
'ar political science classes through-
high school and here at A&M, but
f re are severe, fundamental differ-
lc es between the Socialist Party and
democratic Party.
lhave never tried to impose my
et vs and opinions on you or anyone
^ and I would appreciate it if you
told keep your small-minded, snide
toarks to yourself. It seems that you
lv e a problem with accepting people
fterent than yourself and accepting
Renting views. Maybe I'm mistaken.
but doesn't this seem to reek of fas
cism? So before you go trying to make
yourself look cute with such remarks,
you had better take a long hard look in
the mirror.
Most people, including me, would
have greater respect for your views and
for you if you would take time to dis
cuss and deal with the issues rather
than simply discard them.
Sushrut Parikh
Class of'93
Straight ticket voting
not shooting straight
Over the past few months, I have
had the pleasure of working with a can
didate for the 272nd District Court,
Judge John DeLaney. I found him to be
a man of genuine sincerity and integri
ty, with a verifiable record of accom
plishment on the bench. Since becom
ing a judge in 1983, he has introduced
computer-assisted case management,
telephone hearings, and other time sav
ing techniques that have reduced civil
case backlog by over 50 percent. In ad
dition, Judge DeLaney has pioneered
tape recording of trials, saving Brazos
County over $31,000 per year, speeding
up appeals, and reducing risk of rever-
The Battalion
Page 11
Racism: not always the same tale
Sometimes hatred is just a universal phenomenon
Something happened to me this
past summer. I worked every day,
all day in an office filled with many
different women.
Some were my age. Some were
my parents' age. Their heritages
ranged from Mexican-American to
Asian-American to African-Ameri
can to Anglo.
I am, as is quickly observable,
’white — a white, Anglo-Saxon
Protestant at that.
Since I have been at college, I
have learned many things. The most
important of these is the realization
that if I believe in something, and
know it to be true, I must be willing
to suffer for it.
Yet, none of this prepared me for the summer's lesson.
You see, someone discriminated against me because I be
longed to a different race. This may seem to be a non-event
to some or, sadly, commonplace to others. But let me tell
you, it was astounding to me. It kept me up at night. It oc
cupied my mind when I needed to concentrate on work
and demanded more of my time than I thought it worthy of
owning.
I will not specify her race, because this is about discrimi
nation, not a racial showdown. She was not an employer,
but a fellow worker who had no authority over me and
nothing to do with my duties.
We were introduced, she and I, on my first day at work.
I determined to be on friendly terms with her because there
was something intelligent in her face. The first time I spoke
to her, she looked at me with eyes as calmly angry as I have
ever beheld. She refused to be drawn into conversation
and interacted with me as if I were literally dirty.
I will never know her, and somehow, she managed to
hurt me.
It wasn't just me, either. It was all the women in the of
fice who were "different" in her eyes. Many told me they
had tried to befriend her, only to give up eventually. This
woman talked to no one. She worked in solitude, like a
machine, and read during her breaks. Her face hardly ever
turned out of her cubicle, and her silence was palpable.
On one occasion, when one of her co-workers placed a
hand on her shoulder while explaining a procedure, she
jerked her body around saying, "Get your hand off me."
Another time, someone of the same racial heritage as
this woman invited everyone to a party. When one girl an
nounced that she would be unable to attend, this woman
immediately accused her of being a racist. In actuality, it
was against the girl's religion to go to parties.
Many of the women had grown to spite the wom
an. They shared stories of her various rudenesses and
laughed at her remoteness. Sometimes, I found myself jok
ing with these women.
It seemed to be a way of handling her power over our
state of mind. When I say power, I mean it. Her refusal to
smile or laugh or greet or share was the most effective tool I
have ever encountered.
Perhaps no man is an island, but this woman was, and
she must have suffered for it. On my better days, I walked
away from the laughing women, because I realized that
something was broken inside of her.
Her weapon was a double-edged sword, and her effec
tiveness in shunning everyone else left her without one
friend in that place. She must have ha^ed every single day
of work. Yet, she seemed to prefer the isolation.
Why?
I suppose if I knew the answer to that question, there
would be no L.A. riots, no songs about killing cops or
David Dukes actually getting votes. What I do know is
that it made me angry when she treated me like something
less than herself. Very angry.
So, maybe I understand things a little better now. Per
haps I needed to taste the medicine before I could realize
why so many are so bitter. It was an important lesson, and
the way I think about some things changed.
However, 1 still believe that anger cannot and should
not ever be accepted as a justifiable reason for criminal ac
tion. Wrong is always wrong, and color does not have a
thing to do with it.
I won't say anything about peace through understand
ing. It's not that there is no truth in that. There has to be.
It's just that I presently feel uncomfortable being the one to
say it.
You see, I spent the whole summer entertaining the idea
of sitting down with this woman and saying, "Why do you
dislike me so much? What happened to make you feel the
way you do?"
But I never did. Not because I didn't have the chance,
but because I was afraid. I hope the world can do a little
better than I did.
Garrard is a junior speech communication major
TONI
GARRARD
Columnist
sals. What could threaten such a well
qualified candidate?
The answer is the traditional straight
ticket Republican vote on this campus.
In spite of the fact that a majority of res
ident Brazos County Republicans and
Democrats alike are supporting Judge
DeLaney in his bid for re-election,
many students on campus will vote for
his opponent simply on the basis of
party identification. These voters
should consider the fact that judges'
personal political philosophies do not
affect the conduct of the government as
much as other officials.
Unlike legislators and members of
the executive branch, trial judges do not
set state policy, vote on taxes, create
government agencies, or even act to
gether with other members of a party in
reaching decisions. In fact, party labels
tell nothing about how a trial judge
rules on cases. Most decisions are dic
tated by law, so a judge's personal po
litical philosophy seldom determines
results. Selecting a judge on the basis
of party label is clearly unwise.
I hope the student body will inform
themselves on this important local race,
and vote for the best qualified candi
date. If they choose to do this. I'm con
fident they will vote for John DeLaney.
Russell Langley
Class of'94:
To armchair coach: sit
down and shut up
Reading the vile spewings of some
two-percenter sophomore turns my
stomach.
Last Monday, Glen Portie and a few
of his friends decided that they had
some "wise words" for Coach Slocum
and Jeff Granger, comparing Granger to
that burnt-orange bozo, Peter Gardere.
Glen went on to say things about
Jeff that the Battalion wouldn't even
print. The fact is, Jeff Granger has more
talent and class in his right pinky than
Peter Gardere, period. After all.
Granger is an Olympic contender, do
ing his best for the maroon and white.
R.C. Slocum, on the other hand, hap
pens to be coaching for the fifth-ranked
team in the nation. His recruiting
record and Southwest Conference
coaching honors speak for themselves.
Add to this the fact that he has almost
two decades of experience with the Ag
gies, and I think his qualifications for
the job of head coach are clear.
What qualifies you to be coach,
Glen? What's your NCAA record? I'll
bet it's not 30-9-1. The Aggies seem to
be doing just fine without your ama
teur, negative, derogatory, vulgar, and
useless criticism.
In fact, the words you choose will do
more harm than good. Jeff needs more
confidence and support, not the ran
dom ramblings of some armchair quar
terback.
I would expect to see letters like
yours in the Austin paper, not the Bat
talion. R.C. Slocum and Jeff Granger
are doing their best for the team —
maybe you should try the same ap
proach.
Mark E. Mason '90
James D. Legg "88
graduate students
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