Opinion
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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