October),
The Battalion
Vol. 92 No. 31 (10 pages)
‘Serving Texas A&M Since 1893’
Monday, October 12, 1992
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By ANAS BEN-MUSA
Reviewer of The Battalion
The events that occurred in the
time of Columbus are equal in
magnitude to the incredible
changes the world has seen this
year, a Texas A&M history pro
fessor said.
"1492 was a year of many
events: the conquest of the last
Muslim kingdom of Grenada and
the Jews in Spain were expelled
or forced to convert," Dr. Daniel
Bernstein said.
Yet, the most incredible event
was yet to come. On Oct.12, 1492
Christopher Columbus discov
ered the New World.
But, Dr. Vaughn Bryant, an an
thropologist at A&M, said hun
dreds of years before the Italian
explorer's venture, many Vikings
and Basque fisherman had visited
North America. Bryant says
they were the "real" dis
coverers.
However, Bryant
and Bornstein said
Columbus did
something his
European pre
decessors nev
er attempted
to do.
"Thg, big
difference is
continuous
contact,"
Bornstein
said. "When
Columbus
made his
first contact
he immedi
ately began
publicizing it.
"It became
common knowl
edge throughout
Europe and the
contact with the New
World was never bro
ken, whereas whatever
contact the Vikings had was limit
ed and discontinuous."
Bornstein said the explorer had
an element of the entrepreneur in
him. He said Columbus may have
deliberately told the Spanish
crown the distance involved trav
eling to the Far East was shorter
than scholars believed it to be at
that time.
"Columbus sincerely thought
that it was possible to make an
advantageous commercial con
nection by voyaging in the other
direction," Bornstein said. "But
you have to make the distinction
between why Columbus is doing
this and why somebody would fi
nance him doing it."
Cesare Monti, an undergradu
ate student in aerospace engineer
ing, is from the same city as
Columbus: Genoa, Italy. Monti
said Columbus is an example of
determination and the human
need to discover.
Columbus' endeavors because of
its disunity, Monti said.
"Italy was divided and had
been divided for centuries into
several small but powerful re
publics," Monti said. "It was a pe
riod of great instability because
the republics were at war with
each other."
On the other hand, Spain had a
powerful unified government and
was stable — in a position to
grant Columbus his venture.
In addition to commercial in
terest, Columbus had very serious
religious motivations. Bornstein
said Columbus took the meaning
of his name — Christopher means
the bearer of Christ — literally.
"Columbus certainly saw him
self and presented himself in his
publicity as the bearer of Christ,"
Bornstein said. "He was bringing
Christ to the New World. I think
he was utterly serious
about that."
Christianity
played a major
part in his legiti
mation of the
entire enter
prise, Born
stein said.
"He was
dealing
with ex
tremely
practical
sovereigns
(King Fer-
d i n a n d
and Queen
Isabella),"
Bornstein
said. "They
were very
good and as
tute rulers, but
also people who
took seriously re
ligious commit
ment."
Although Columbus
was a deeply religious man,
many people today consider him
a greedy man who exploited and
killed natives of the New World.
Bornstein denounced that accusa
tion.
"He was acting in his own time
and on the assumptions of his
own time, without being aware of
the consequences," Bornstein
said. "It could not be foreseen."
When Columbus proved to be
a authoritarian ruler after found
ing a colony in the New World,
the Europeans at the colony
found it unbearable and rebelled,
Bornstein said.
"They accused him of misman
agement and he was arrested and
returned to Spain." he said. "The
vast destruction that happened
among the native population was
not a result of a deliberate act of
violence, but the totally uncon
trollable and unexpected spread
of microorganisms."
6th-grade students help build 'Nina' replica
By WILL HEALY
Reporter of THE BATTALION
In celebration of the 500th year since Columbus
discovered the "new world," Texas A&M's Nautical
Archaeology Department and sixth grade students at
Oakwood Middle School joined forces to build a
replica of a Columbus-era caravel, a small sailing
ship.
Dr. Robert Vincent, president of A&M's Institute
of Nautical Archaeology said it was a "reciprocal
project all the way" with the department of nautical
archaeology providing the blueprints and the stu
dents building the model of the caravel "Nina."
Teachers in all subjects are working together on a
theme of exploration, and the Columbus voyage is
the first part of the lesson, said Lisa Burns, a sixth
grade language arts teacher at Oakwood.
Science classes focus on the spread of disease at
that time while math classes work with the dimen
sions and blueprints of the ship. Social studies class
es cover the history of the voyage, and language arts
classes talk about Columbus' journal, said Bums.
Local businesses also participated in the project,
donating materials such as wood, chicken wire, and
pipe, she said. Parents and students also donated
materials, since the project had a "zero budget."
The nautical archaeology department has been
"invaluable" in designing the ship and finding mate
rials to build the 72-foot long replica. Bums said.
Oakwood intends to have the ship finished in
time for the annual Parent-Teacher Organization
See Ship/Page 6
DARRIN HILL/TUc Battalion
Four year old Karen Wedholm of Bryan plays miniature golf at
the 10th annual Brazos Folk Festival on Sunday at Central Park.
The four day festival was sponsored by the city of College
Station and celebrated the various cultures of the Brazos Valley.
Over 2,800 people attended.
Debate focuses
on issues, B-CS
supporters say
By MACK HARRISON
Reporter of THE BATTALION
Bryan-College Station backers
said they are pleased with their
candidates' performance in Sun
day night's presidential debate.
Lou Zaeske, leader of the Ross
Perot petition drive in Texas, said
Perot forced President Bush and
Bill Clinton to focus on the issues
instead of mudslinging.
"Had Perot not been there
there, would have been a lot more
cheap shots," Zaeske said. "Perot
forced them to address the is
sues."
Rodger Lewis, chairman of the
Republican Party of Brazos Val
ley, said the debate covered the is
sues as much as any previous con
test.
"As far as I can tell, it was
about the same (as past debates),"
Lewis said. "I think the president
did a good job concentrating on
the differences between him and
Clinton."
Jim James, chairman of the De
mocratic Party of Brazos Valley,
said Clinton and Perot performed
better than Bush did in the debate.
He said that for the most part, the
candidates stayed away from per
sonal attacks on each other.
"I would rate Clinton as num
ber one, Perot a close second and
Bush trailing badly," James said.
"I thought (the debate) was pretty
focused on the issues. If it hadn't
been for Perot, Bush would have
tried more personal attacks."
Clinton's actions as a college
student do have a bearing on his
candidacy, and therefore the issue
is politically relevant, Lewis said.
"Personal judgement and char
acter are issues people care
about," he said. "It's fair game."
Lewis said Bush was not ques
tioning Clinton's patriotism, but
instead he was questioning Clin
ton's judgement in protesting
against his own country while he
was travelling through Europe.
"It's going to be impossible to
get to ask questions on every is
sue," Lewis said. "That's why it's
important to get a grip on a per
son's character."
James said Bush's comments
on Clinton's anti-war stance as a
student in Europe were an act of
desperation.
"They were the desperate re
marks of a man who told a group
of Republicans he would do any
thing to remain president," James
said.
Zaeske, chairman of the Inde
pendent Texan Network, said the
citizens were the ones who came
out ahead in the debate.
He said, however, the voters
would have benefited more if Lib
ertarian Party candidate Andre
Marrou — who is also on the bal
lot in all 50 states — was allowed
to join the debate.
"The true winner is the Ameri
can people," Zaeske said. "The
only way they could have won
better is if the election commis
sion had allowed Andre Marrou
to be there."
Lewis, however, said Perot did
not belong in the debate because
he, like Marrou, does not have a
chance of winning the election.
"I would have preferred that
(Perot) not be there," Lewis said.
"If we include Perot, why not in
clude the Libertarian candidate,
who is also on the ballot in all 50
states. They didn't because essen
tially, it's a waste of time."
Candidates outline 'visions' in debate
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — Bill Clinton and Presi
dent Bush clashed over character and the
economy Sunday night in a bristling
three-way debate with Ross Perot. "I op
posed the war but I love my country/'
Clinton said in reply to Bush's attack on
his anti-war activities in the Vietnam era.
From taxes to
crime to AIDS to
foreign policy,
the three men
grappling for the
White House
outlined differ
ing visions in a
90-minute de
bate. In his first
major campaign
appearance, Per
ot was a flamboyant participant, provid
ing a series of one liners and offering
himself as an outsider who can shake up
the system.
Clinton said he represents hope for
"real change," and turned to Bush to add:
"For 12 years you've had it your way,
you've had your chance and it didn't
work."
Bush answered, "Change for change
sake isn't enough," and recalled the eco
nomic woes the last time the Democrats
held the White House.
Perot said, "We do have to have
change," saying that the first priority
should be to rebuild the nation's job base
and pointing out his experience as a hard-
charging business leader.
The debate kicked off a climactic nine-
"I hope I've earned
your trust because a
lot about being presi
dent is about trust and
character."
- George Bush
day period in the campaign for the White
House and the stakes were high, especial
ly for Bush who trailed Clinton in the na
tional polls, and for Perot, who had not
yet carved a significant place for himself
in the race.
There were no knockout punches in
the debate, leaving the campaigns free to
put their best face forward afterwards.
Clinton's running mate. Sen. A1 Gore,
quipped that Bush had finished "fourth,"
behind Clinton, Perot and moderator Jim
Lehrer. White House chief of staff James
A. Baker III said the president had made
"a mature presentation."
The opening moments were highly
charged, with Bush bluntly criticizing
Clinton for anti-war activities while
studying overseas at Oxford University
"You were wrong to attack my patrio
tism. I opposed the war but I love my
country," he said to applause from his
partisans in the audience. Bush said he
was not attacking Clinton's patriotism,
but his character and judgment.
The audience was made up of support
ers of each of the three candidates.
Clinton made several references to his
"I offer a new direction, invest
in American jobs, American
education, control health care
costs, bring this country to
gether again."
- Bill Clinton
during the Vietnam war. Bush held out
his service during World War II in con
trast.
Clinton responded directly to Bush,
who seemed not to return his gaze.
"When Joe McCarthy went around this
country attacking people's patriotism he
was wrong," said Clinton. "Your father
(Prescott Bush) was right to stand up to
Joe McCarthy.
own life. He noted that he comes from a
broken home, and his brother is a recov
ering drug abuser — that, in arguing
against decriminalizing drug use. An
swering a question about family values,
Clinton noted with a smile that debate
night fell on his 17th anniversary. He
thanked his wife, Hillary, and their
daughter, Chelsea, for attending.
Each man had two minutes for a clos
ing statement. Perot used his to under
score his outsider's candidacy. "The gov
ernment has lost touch with the people.
We've got to change the system," he said.
Clinton said, "I offer a new direction,
invest in American jobs, American educa
tion, control health care costs, bring this
country together again."
Bush had the last word, asking the vot
ers for "four
more years." He
recalled the col
lapse of Commu
nism and other
dramatic world
events of the past
four years, and
said he would
turn his attention
more to domestic
issues. "I hope
I've earned your trust because a lot about
being president is about trust and charac
ter."
With that, the three men stepped out
from behind their podiums, exchanged
handshakes, then moved across stage to
greet the questioners and members of the
audience that was comprised mostly of
See Debate/Page 6
"The government
has lost touch with
the people. We've
got to change the
system."
- Ross Perot
State of the Aggies
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