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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1993)
Opinion mmgm mmm Page 10 The Battalion Wednesday, March 10,1993 Don't call him daddy Affirming male reproductive rights Last week, the Supreme Court is sued a landmark decision in the battle for reproductive rights. This time, however, the court ruling cen tered around the reproductive rights of men. The justices affirmed a lower- court ruling to protect the rights of men who do not want to become parents. Such a decision must be applauded for acknowledging that men have the same rights as women in cases regarding in-vitro fertilization. This case concerns a Tennessee couple, the Davises, who resorted to modern science after failing to conceive naturally. By combining seven of her eggs with his sperm, scientists were able to produce sev en "viable" embryos that were frozen and stored in a clinic. The couple divorced and was un able to resolve the fate of the em bryos. Mrs. Davis' claim in court stated that she had a right to her "offspring," and her appeal asked that she be allowed to implant the embryos in her womb. Mr. Davis, however, requested a court order to destroy the embryos; thus asserting what he called his own "reproduc tive rights." The Supreme Court upheld the lower-court ruling, which used the term "procreational autonomy" to describe any person's irrevocable right not to become a parent. In do ing so, the court decided that Mr. Davis' right not to become a father was more important than Mrs. Davis' desire to have a child. By upholding the right ot "pro creational autonomy,' the court sends a clear message that all rights regarding parenthood will be up held equally, and without bias due to gender. Embargo violations U.N. should investigate arms sales Last week reports surfaced that the Russian army signed an agree ment with Serbian leaders to sup ply $360 million worth of arms to Serbia and the areas of Bosnia and Croatia already under Serbian con trol. During negotiations that alleged ly occurred in Romania and Bulgar ia, Serbia agreed to buy T-55 medi um tanks, and anti-aircraft and anti-rocket missiles having a range of 375 miles. An agreement of this sort would violate the U.N. arms embargo against Serbia, yet the outcry against this utter disregard for in ternational authority ha£ been mini mal. The United Nations must in vestigate such allegations against Russia. If Russia is found guilty, the United Nations must force the nation to comply with U.N. poli cies. The Balkans have proven capable of precipitating world-wide tur moil, and the United Nations must set an example for the rest of the world by examining all possibilities for peaceful co-existence; this in cludes preventing other countries from perpetuating the violence by arming the warring factions within the former Yugoslavia. Although intervention between Russia and Serbia is both tricky and potentially hazardous, it would be more risky to allow the power-hun gry state of Serbia to gradually de vour all the factions in the former Yugoslavia with resources that Rus sia is capable of providing. It is time for the United Nations to investigate these allegations and to take the necessary steps to en force the embargo and punish vio lators, should the accusations prove true. Exploring the crimes of fashion A&M offenses include cattle clothes, belt buckles A s an official member of the fashion police — badge num ber 8169 — I must issue a gen eral warning to the populace of Texas A&M: Beware of what you wear. As a dear professor friend of mine recently said, "Scientists have long suspected a recessive gene that predis poses white heterosexual males to make poor decisions, but as yet there is no proof .. . Some have begun to suggest that environmental factors play a role in the formation of bad taste in neckties, and while there is a correlation between certain occupa tions and fashion faux pas, researchers have yet to isolate the specific factors that induce clothing catastrophes such as those that are routinely reported among accountants and academic administrators. Whether this great mystery will be solved in my lifetime depends on the talent of ambitious young column writers . .." I suppose this is where I come in. Tm here to set some things straight about what you people are wearing around campus. As representatives of Texas A&M, ya'll have a re sponsibility to present yourselves in a manner that doesn't scream "tasteless and tacky." Remember, in the eternal quest to best t.u., our greatest weapon is to look sharp while puk ing on the beach this spring break. First of all, what is the deal with all you frat daddies and s.b.'s? Have you all gone t-shirt happy? What events do you NOT honor by creating some insipid t-shirt? I actually saw a person wearing a shirt celebrating the opening of an envelope. Let's get real now. Greek t-shirts just don't have the appeal they may have had at one time. Besides, no one really cares what you did last year during a weekend retreat. Huge belt buckles are yet another A&M tradition that needs examining. What purpose is there in displaying these massive hunks of scrap metal? Do the buckles provide pro tection from stray bullets? Are they used, in case of a real emergency, to signal passing airplanes? I don't understand why someone would wear such a blatant display of testos terone. Most of those atrocious buckles should be rented out as early afternoon tea-time serving trays. This would pro vide the owner with a profit-bearing business while provid ing the community with the aesthetic pleasure of the buck le's absence from public view. Think of it as one of President Clinton's public service jobs. Of course, while we are ridding the world of tea-tray belt buckles, let's try to do the same with those silly bandanas. Bandanas are not to be worn as headwear unless you are sailing on the seven seas and raiding merchant ships for booty. Arg! This ridiculous fad makes those wearer/pirates look as if they couldn't figure out anything better to do with their hair. One other fashion mishap is the recent fad of wearing bik ing shorts in public. Egads, people, have some respect for others. In the privacy of your own home, those biker shorts may be acceptable, even provocative, but never walk around campus in them. Innocent by-standers are forced into a situ ation similar to a horrific traffic accident. They are totally disgusted by it, but for some strange, unexplainable reason they can't look away. The fashion police term for this occur rence is "biker shorts hypnosis." The fools for whom I nave no pity are those that wear shorts and a T-shirt in 30 degree weather. What idiots! If you can'toinderstand that frost on the grass in the morning means cold weather, then try watching the evening news for the weather forecast the night before. The weather people will usually tell you to wear a warm coat, although recently I have noticed that they don't warn people not to wear biker shorts. While we're on the pity line, let's talk about cow prints. Need I say more? Come on folks, a little self-respect is need ed here. It's obviously a cry for help when people emulate bovines in their dressing habits. For their own safety, we need to keep these people away from sharp objects. Others to watch out for are the artsy-fartsy types that wear those beads. OK, I admit that a few stylish, matching beads can make an outfit look tasteful, but remember the word "moderation." Large, gaudy beads in neon colors give people the idea that the wearer spent a three day vacation in a craft shop. It screams, "I have NO life." Look, the main rule of fashion is comfort. None of the problems I have with the ridiculousness of the trash some people are wearing really matter as long as those individuals feel good about their personal style. Fad, style, color — it means nothing if you aren't comfortable. If someone isn't comfortable with what they are wearing, it shows. They'll look ridiculous, and they won't know why. However, if people feel fine about what they are wearing, the outfit works. The lesson to learn here is to never be a slave to fashion. Wear what you want and wear it with pride. That pride will usually trickle into other aspects of your life. If you ignore this comfort-oriented advice — I remind ou that I am a badge-wearing fashion police officer — I'll ave to re-instate the Garanimals Tag identification program. It's just a thought. Scmgg 5 is a senior English and philosophy major. I you ' yo<J WOOLO L'nc& "&OPAt4" T& bb) —— — zevAMep '' b<?^as/a" J ^ Handy hints for having a happy spring break vacation I teach a little known one- hour class in the safety educa tion department called "Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Abuse." We cover a variety of topics related to personal risk management and liability regarding alcohol use and abuse. I think it's a fun class, and last semester's evaluations indicated that the students endured it quite well. A couple of weeks ago I asked the students in my class to think about our upcoming spring break vacation. Keeping in mind the focus of our class, I asked them to write down ways their spring break might be ruined due to ir responsible behavior. Judging by the detail of some of their submissions, I would guess that some of them have first-hand knowl edge of this topic! So, listen up, folks! This is not the alcohol educator talking; this list of ways to ruin your spring break comes from your peers: 1. Putting your body on top of our underneath a moving vehicle. 2. Getting arrested in Mexico. 3. Inviting people you don't really know back to your place or in your car. 4. Flashing your cash when taking it out of your wallet to pay for something. 5. Getting arrested for possession of an illegal substance. 6. Carrying high-powered firearms. 7. Drinking and driving. 8. Driving to a vacation spot with friends in their vehicle, getting wasted and doing something stupid to alienate them for the rest of the trip. This caus es an uncomfortable trip home. 9. Passing out on the beach and get ting really sunburned. 10. Missing your flight back home because you were sleeping it off. 11. Carrying your entire spring break funds with you at all times or keeping all your money in one place. 12. Mixing alcohol with your allergy medication. 13. Losing all the friends with whom you came across the border. 14. Drinking too much the first night and having to stay home the rest of the week. 15. Getting arrested for public intox ication. 16. Getting a disease from unpro tected sex. 17. Drinking from dusk 'til dawn. 18. Riding on the back of a vehicle while intoxicated. 19. Getting stranded. 20. Delivering a memento of your spring break vacation nine months lat er. Here are some other helpful hints submitted by students in my class: 1. Turn down the stereo; you may go deaf. 2. Watch for golf balls, frisbees, base balls, footballs and volleyballs. 3. If your wallet is stolen and you have video rental cards in it, cancel them ASAP. They can be used to steal movies, and you are liable for the cost (about $100.00 each). Your spring break vacation can be fun without taking unnecessary risks. One way to minimize the possibility of negative consequences is to limit alco hol consumption. Staying alert and in control means you will be more prepared to deal with the unexpected. Remember, alcohol is a depressant. As such, it slows reaction time, lowers inhibitions, intensifies emotions such as anger and depression and often blurs communication. Be cause of these effects, people often do and say things under the influence that they would not ordinarily do and often regret later. One common consequence of over consumption of alcohol is the dry mouth, dull ache, throbbing head and queasy stomach associated with a hangover. However, some medications may alleviate some of the symptoms as sociated with over indulgence. If you drink, the best way to avoid a hangover is to drink slowly, alternate drinks with non-alcoholic beverages, eat high pro tein foods, know your limit and stick to it. Believe me, I am not here to recom mend that you spend your spring break reading ahead for your Chem 102 class. You've been working hard this semes ter, and you deserve some stress-free recreational time to revive your brain cells. However, alcohol is not an ener gizer, and pickling those brain cells will only make Chem 102 seem even more difficult when you return Monday morning. So, play hard, but be responsible. Relax, and enjoy your time away. As another student in my class put it, other ways to ruin your spring break are "studying intensely" or "sitting around the house with mom and dad!" Moses is the Assistant Coordinator of the Center for Drug Prevention and Educa tion. LYNANN MOSES Guest Columnist
