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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1992)
Opinion 1 oose froi Thomas, i 1 standoi: of a scraiir he Philadsl- dth the hal >ke left, cm 1 zone, rais- s head aaf , about as aver shows, hree passe 9 of 38foi me on just ■yarder to )allas' oi : our times, up a short •s' 12-yanl th 3:04 left Editorials sour Madness to maturity some gooi became the the majoi th 43. Also, games, tin games sim '73. rosy in the is at Arl® Yell practice behavior admirable Once again, the Aggies pulled through under pressure. The stu- lents who assembled at Kyle Field riday night showed everyone what means to be an Aggie. I Journalists from two Houston pa pers, the Associated Press, and even a TV crew watched yell practice om the press box. They came to see how students would behave following the Tulsa Ml practice fiasco three weeks ago, when cadets assaulted students who raced across Kyle Field. At the Texas Tech yell practice Friday night, increased lighting and an increased police presence acted as deterrents to possible streakers while cadets lined up farther down the field. On the whole, the Univer sity handled a difficult situation with grace and poise. guys if The real heroes of the evening and Cot however, were the students attend- last ytfl lim to per lajorsinei' her and tk he Raneas avoid fo isses. eason M : n, the firsli im failed It I home.Tk !ach lost I Roper : whom an tional Foot ing yell practice. On Friday night, students reasserted to all observers that the spirit of Aggieland burns brightly — that Aggies really are “true to each other as Aggies can be." The identity of Texas A&M has changed slowly over the past 25 years and continues to change to day. As the 'Old Army' paradigm loses influence within the Universi ty as a whole, we strive to redefine ourselves in a different cultural con text. The traditions and identity of Texas A&M must adjust to fit a changing student body. The Tulsa yell practice fiasco was simply a growing pain in this process. In the future, as in the past. Ag gies will meet and overcome the challenges placed before them. Our success speaks to the strength and the adaptability of the Aggie spirit. lat arod Every bod)' jentin W Measured enthusiasm Resistance to metrics unfounded play ned ambas- ghtreal id intro- lienee netrable. ile in hockey etzky's on is j Look at 'sSan lest uni- he sec- ng will ill will America sadly lags behind the rest of the industrialized world in itshesitance to adopt the metric sys tem. This hurts America's ability to compete in the international mar ketplace by raising the costs of do ing business overseas. Clearly, the metric system is su perior to our own because it is cased on units of ten and is easily convertible. Metric system opponents argue that the expense of converting to the metric standard would outweigh its benefits because workers and con sumers are unfamiliar with the sys tem. The truth is, any American seek ing a career in physics, mathematics or engineering will have to master the metric system even at the most introductory levels. This being the case, it would seem prudent to begin exposing our children to the metric system at an early age, in order to help them suc ceed in the important fields of math and science. Americans must realize that the metric system is already here. How many liters of Coca-Cola have con sumers purchased without realizing that they have confronted the metric system? Surely the average American can withstand the trauma of purchasing liters of petrol instand of gallons of gasoline. Many other nations, including our neighbors in Canada, have suc cessfully made the metric transition. In America, we're still waiting. The Battalion Page 9 And you thought Atlantis a myth Editor, city share name, but please - no more jokes A newlywed couple, returning to the United States from Ger many to have their first child closer to home, ponder names for a baby girl. The young man is in the military and will only be with his new wife a short time before being sent to Vietnam. While on the plane, over the ocean, he says "Atlantic — that's a nice name." But his wife, a bit more imaginative than her husband, disagrees: "No, we are probably over the lost city of Atlantis. And that's a much nicer name for a little girl." While he is away in Vietnam his daughter is born, and named Atlantis Hope, in the hope that he will return safely. So now you know. You should also know that I have heard every witty little remark that goes with my name. It always surprises me how people believe I've never heard those comments before or that I would find them amusing. Honestly, I try to be nice with strangers who aren't sure how to react to a name like mine, but I tend to get a little irritated with their lack of imagination. Or maybe their lack of knowledge. Or tact... "Oh, heh, heh, I guess they found you," ranks as the most commonly heard Atlantis joke. "Where are your dolphins, man?" Has to be the most far-reaching. "Isn't that where some Academy is?" No, that's Annapolis. "Like the Donovan song, dude?" Usually by people with long hair and tie-dyes. "The boat, right?" No, that was the Titanic. Come on people, Atlantis is the mythical lost continent where a higher level of intelligent human beings dwelt. It sank before the days of ancient Greece. The great prophets wrote about it, each left clues as to where it lies, and some say its inhabitants adapted to life under the sea. But, the jokes keep coming and now I get letters to "Mr. Editor" and "Mr. Atlantis Tillman." Why not? Look for yourself at my picture. Mr. Atlantis Tillman. Can't you see it? Granted, with a name like mine, most aren't quite sure what to expect. And by now, some people would be suffering from an identity crisis. Not me. I usually just throw that mail in the trash. That is, after my staff has taken it upon themselves to make an enlarged photocopy of the envelope and tape it to my monitor. You see, now, as Editor in Chief of The Battalion, I'm in a position for revenge. Ha! Call me "Mister", pal, and your press release goes straight into the round metal file with the plastic lining. It's a good feeling. Trust me. I've done it once or twice. And I know there are many of you out there who would like to be able to get a taste of such revenge. Some of you have names that are comparable to mine in originality, names that meet with the response, "Well, that's an ... interesting name." One wonders how best to answer them. "Thank you?" At this time in my life, I have learned that these inconveniences are far outweighed by the benefits offered by having such a unique name. No one ever forgets the name Atlantis. Years can go by and still long, lost elementary schoolmates (in Alabama, at that) remember me from their fourth-grade classroom. Employers never fail to notice my resume. Professors catch on quick when I'm not in class. I am proud of my name and I have learned to look upon it as my biggest asset in life. Thanks, Mom, for your good sense back in 1970 when all the world was crazy and people certainly must have thought you were, too. Thanks for giving me such an incredible gift, a beautiful name by which others can know me. And thanks for not letting Dad name me Atlantic. Now, my favorite question to be asked is, "Oh, is that a family name?" With a smile on my face, I reply, "It is now." Tillman is a senior journalism major ATLANTIS TILLMAN Editor in Chief “Tm to allow little Samrnpr to divorce his parents... The evidence fe dear they made him drink 3 glasses of milk a day. ” :njoy hawk ! Garth >> Women not proven neccessary in combat ing, V’ , 990's We are writing in response to Stacy Feducia's column concerning women in tombat in the Sept. 28 Battalion. Al though it appears that a great deal of research was done on this subject, we feel her information didn't provide suf ficient support for her argument. Fedu- ha said, "The futile whinings that Women couldn't hack it in a war' buck le under the weight of truth." She is as sociating "truth" with a single instance involving a female becoming the first Woman ever to win the "battle of the sexes" endurance race. I would hardly refer to this as "the weight of truth." ty stating that this was the first woman Owin the race, you have shown what a are occurrence it is indeed. You can't tose "truth" on a single instance alone. Feducia goes on to say that women's lack of upper body strength could be "offset by greater upper body training." Perhaps this is true. However, why would the armed forces waste valuable time and limited assets on extra train ing for women when sufficient strength is found in men. The argument that women can with stand being captured and held as pris oners of war is valid. Lt. Col. Cornum is an extremely brave and courageous woman to have withstood the sexual assaults from her captors while in se vere pain from various wounds; but, you see, men would not have to under go that type of torture. We must focus on the real issue, that of the needs of our defense efficiency and effectiveness in the combat zone, both of which are sufficiently met by men alone. Kirk Ellison Jacob Carroll Class of'96 Police impress yell practice observer This letter is about yell practice. Ag gies, but don't worry — I'm not com plaining. I'd like to thank and commend the two University Police Department offi cers who removed their covers during Friday night's yell practice. In my mind, you guys have proven that once inside Kyle Field, we are all there to support the Twelfth Man. Too bad some of your co-workers don't realize that you can get further working with the current than fighting against it. Johan Osth Class of '92 Stop unfair criticism of Republican voters I am writing out of anger toward a letter to the editor written by Russell Langley (Mail Call, Oct. 1). He ex pressed his disapproval toward Repub licans who vote straight party. I don't know about anyone else, but I am very tired of hearing complaints against the Republicans. People are allowed to vote however they please. If they be lieve that straight party is the best choice, then that is their business. Your letter, Russell Langley, is not only anti-Republican, but is also unfair. It is unfair because you are blaming the Republicans for something that has not even taken place — the elections. You believe that your friend, the judge, may lose the election due to the voting habits of the Republicans. Who knows. maybe this guy will win. So don't go around casting aspersions without hav ing real evidence. David Kaptik Class of '96 Pro-life poet receives pointed response In response to Stephen Emmons' let ter in the Oct. 5 Battalion, I offer this: Here's a slap of reality for the ones Who believe that every baby bom awaits a future filled with joy. Here's the anguish for the children Who will never feel the love of a mother who wants them. For the women forced to bear her attacker's child, For the wasted life of the young girl Who ran to a dirty back alley when the clinic couldn't help her. For the foster children seeking the parents who gave them away. For a woman repeating her mother's mistakes looking for love in sex but only finding children she can't afford. For the women who face the threat of the government controlling their bodies. And here's a laugh in disgust for those Who dwell in the romance of life Instead of the facts of reality. Will you adopt them all? Margaret Gordon Class of'96 Future poetry submissions should be di rected to other publications — Editor. Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the opinion page staff and editor in chief 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 tetters to the editor and will print as many as space allows in the Mail Call section. Letters must be 300 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