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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1993)
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"Weii got a lot of lontal area: idy and even start to lontify some i to get over ad that type other teams rat women’ oward being ing court be- ■ession. gly and usu s aren't us suppiosed at spiortfor 'ryly. 1 think the upetitive, i pete because agine a refer- /er to not say merit." i on competi- otics, Morgan i're females, competitive n is," Morgan ; rave a lot oil ght. believe Wednesday, October 13,1993 The Battalion Editorial Board CHRIS WHITLEY, editor in chief )ULI PHILLIPS, managing editor MARK EVANS, city editor \ DAVE THOMAS, night new^- editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Aggielife editor BELINDA BLANCARTE, night news editor MICHAEL PLUMER, sports editor MACK HARRISON, opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, sports editor KYLE BURNETT, photo editor zmx™ MA£^/./£S with tourists!... /I jCX.f XTOTltT rs and they seat." tot their of- ty's contest. run first," ire that we :ks Rodney Iroy will be ■am is capa- ld start any- t really con- ,.C. Slocum y capable of inent. e of offense II be a great lylor has an I great run- . will get the lylor's quar- s. ing, rolling, said. "He's EDITORIAL TV can't baby-sit Don't blame 'Beavis' for arson s love each iff the field football is a tg once and is a Battle- -vn): The lave to kick rr Ron Lupet taken on Schroeder. the 22 before Iness): Good ou know' he A Do, Run- The mother of a child who set fatal fire said the cartoon Beavis and Butt-head" caused her 5-year-old to ignite the blaze that killed his sister. One question that has yet to be answered — or even asked — by those calling for the show's cancellation is: Where were this hild's parents when this hap pened and why did they allow this child to watch a show that has been under a barrage of crit- cism since its inception in June? More importantly, why did bey allow matches within this hild's reach? Once again, a child does something wrong and his parent blames an outside influence. This alarming trend continues :ogrow in America. It seems that it some unknown time, for some unknown reason the responsibili- y of child rearing moved from larents to television. And at that same unknown oint in time, the burden of eaching youth the difference letween the very subjective and imbiguous definitions of right and wrong became the job of artists and musicians. So, when a boy set fire to his mom's trailer home and killed his 2-year-old sister, their moth er instinctively pointed the fin ger of guilt at MTV. When two Utah teenagers under the influence of drugs and alcohol attempted suicide, their parents blamed heavy metal music. When a Houston gang mem ber murdered a state trooper, he defended himself by claiming rap music made him do it. The logic- behind these attacks on pop culture is the same "at tack the weed, but ignore the root" philosophy that has proven ineffective time and again. Why do parents place the blame for their children's acts of stupidity on someone or some thing else? Whatever happened to individuals taking responsi bility for the actions of them selves and their children? Whether "Beavis and Butt- head" has any socially redeem ing values is irrelevant. There is no point in calling for banning or censoring the cartoon. Parents and other concerned individuals should concentrate on giving the next generation the guidance it needs — in stead of blaming society for failing to do so. Opinion The Battalion Page 7 ATF warms up for Waco raid in Idaho Federal agency has history of assaulting 'fringe' religions R ecently the ATF and FBI ended their siege of a re mote compound that held members of a fringe religion. The siege — initiated by the ATP based on technical weapons charges — would be the ultimate fruition of over a year of surveillance and plotting by the ATF and in its totality result ed in the deaths of sev eral innocent people as well as ATF agents. Waco, right? Wrong. This particular siege occurred Aug. 30,1992 in Naples, Idaho in what many experts are referring to as the pre lude to Waco. The similarities in the case are so amazing, they seem to indicate a develop ing pattern in ATF policy. In January 1983, Vicki and Randy Weaver left their home state of Iowa and moved to northern Idaho, in what their friends called an attempt to get away from the rat race and find a place where they could raise their children apart from the immorality of American soci ety. It was established that Randy and Vicki were loosely affiliated with, or at least sympa thetic to, the Christian Identity movement. Christian Identity' believers are, for the most part, white separatists — meaning that unlike white supremacists, they would like simply to live apart from other races as opposed to wanting to persecute or subjugate them. : Weavers led a quiet life in I The Weavers led a quief Idaho on a 20-acre plot of land in the back mountains of Naples. Randy would occasionally take odd jobs to pay for things that required cash. They taught their children their unusual religious beliefs, but weren't particularly active in the Christian Identity movement. The Weavers attended a few Aryan Nation meetings where, in October 1989, Randy was introduced to "Gus Magisono," really Ken Fadley, an undercover ATF informant in the Aryan Nation, who asked Randy to sell him two shotguns with the barrels sawed off and even showed him where to cut. Some of the more strict interpreters of our country's penal code would call this entrapment. Although Randy was at first reluctant, he was strapped for cash. He finally sold "Gus" the guns tor $300. By December 1990, Randy Weaver was in dicted for manufacturing, selling and posses sion of illegal firearms On Jan. 17,1991, Randy was arrested and released on bond, his trial set for Feb. 20,1991. But the letter Randy received from his probation officer said to appear in court March 20. When Weaver didn't appear in February, Assistant U*S. Attorney Ron Howard, know ing Weaver had been sent the erroneous letter, got another indictment for failure to appear in court. Fearing he would be sent to prison without a chance to defend himself. Weaver spent the next year or so hiding from the gov ernment in his remote cabin. In response, the ATF began an elaborate 16- month surveillance project. They paid neigh bors to record the comings and goings of visi tors and to take down license numbers. They placed agents around the property, usually in full camouflage gear. Agents scouted sniper positions and discussed plans ranging from tear gassing the occupants to kidnapping their 16-year-old daughter. tire agents later testified that they never considered simply' knocking on the door and serving the arrest warrant — this was a mili tary-style operation from the outset. All this preparation for an armed assault came to a head on Aug. 21,1992. Sammy Weaver, Randy's 14-year-old son and Kevin Harris, a close friend of the family, followed their dog down the hill hoping to find a deer. Unfortunately, all they found were several well-armed ATF agents. The exact turn of events is hard to pin down. A gun fight erupted leaving Sammy, the dog and one ATF agent dead. Kevin got safely’ back in the house before he was wound ed by a sniper that killed an unarmed Vicki Weaver as she stood at the door of her house. The survivors, including Randy, were even tually talked out without further gunplay. The case went to court earlier this year and Randy was found innocent of any wrongdoing. The ATF outlived its usefulness many years ago. I was glad to see Clinton nut the agency under control of the FT?! after the Waco episode, but if the ATF's largest priority is the continual harassment of American citizens with fringe religious beliefs, why do we con tinue to fund it? Most experts agree that the li censing and regulatory capacity of the ATF could easily be absorbed by another agency. We must dissolve this scourge on our civil rights before it gets out of hand. How long be fore they find your beliefs are on the fringe? E/iof Williams is a sophomore electrical engineering major VOt/Re. D/AGN/OSE WtTH Appe*J oici rf* > 0o r yoJ / AtE_ AjoT SCH e O L-&- FoiQ. £>OA.e>£Ry BE FoOe. -THe- 10^ OF APRIL- Mc>R.rJ<<9C3 Oft AKT&ftMO0M *7 Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class, and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters and guest columns tor length, style, and accuracy. Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. Address letters to: The Battalion » Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Mail stop nil Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77B43 :• Fax? 845-264? •:• H;;.; Jordan: Hero will be with us long,after last buzzer sounds Jim to the er hands off t the line but :kle. He's at he's at 50, ge direction ,one. Touch ): You know o tnke "The Road" to s gun out) There It Is! There It Is! A inerica is in desperate XjLneed of a hero, someone who accomplishes what others only dream of doing. When our parents grew up, young boys and girls dreamed of be- ng the President, the pinnacle of po litical success in our country. Today, we sell T- shirts with slogans blasting the presi dent. In some of the more desperate areas of inner cities, children may not know anyone who ad vanced to a professional career. Even cartoons are devoid of heroes. Car toons ten or fifteen years ago starred the superheros who fought for "truth, justice and the American way." HBO is currently running a commercial that flashes a cell from Ren and Stimpy while the voice over mentions children's programming. Can a MELISSA MEGLIOLA Columnist Chihuahua known for flatulating replace the Wonder Twins? And of course, with the breakdown of the American family. Dad, the old stand by, no longer exists in many households. Last Tuesday, one of the last remaining heroes announced he is stepping down. Over the last nine years, Jordan has un doubtedly risen to the level of chief hero. During the commercial featuring children playing basketball on the playground, we hear, "Sometimes I dream that he is me." The picture then switches to Jordan soaring through the air to effortlessly place a basketball through a metal rim. On the court he is magical. He defies gravity while exuding the grace of a learned gymnast. To "be like Mike," is more than a bla tantly associative advertising slogan, but a dream held by children across the country. Around the globe. In Chicago Stadium, Bob Greene, author of "Hangtime: Days and Dreams with Michael Jordan," notices parents "pointing to Jordan as a parent might point to the Eif fel Tower or Venus de Milo." Outside the stadium, the streets of one of Chicago's roughest neighborhoods are lined with fathers and sons braving the winter weather to catch a glimpse of their hero driving by. The fathers, although few will admit to it, are as excited as their chil dren by the thought of seeing Jordan. Jordan, the hero, is also a legend. He was the boy who sat alone on the bus be cause the girls preferred to sit next to the athletes. He was the teenager who, during It's not Jordan's ability on the court that makes him a hero. Jordan stops after every home game to talk to four boys who live near the stadium. his sophomore year in high school, was cut from the basketball team. He is, at 30, the best player to have ever played the game. "I used to say that Michael Jordan is the Babe Ruth of basketball," says Jerry Reins- dorf, owner of the Bulls. "Not anymore. Now I say Babe Ruth was the Michael Jor dan of baseball." It's not Jordan's ability on the court that makes him a hero. Greene, who spent a year with Jordan researching his book, was more amazed by what Jordan chose not to tell than by what he did. Only after verify ing a rumor did Greene discover that Jor dan stopped after every home game to talk to four boys who live near the stadium, caring enough to take interest in their grades and offer tutors if they fall behind. "What does it cost me?" Jordan asked. "If I were to go home or go out to dinner knowing that they were waiting for me, it would ruin my evening." Neither Carmen Villafane nor Darnel Spikes, two more of Jordan's most loyal fans, ever seemed to miss a game during the 1990 season. They both had courtside seats, the kind reserved for Chicago's wealthy and influential. Yet neither were rich or powerful, but instead inflicted by crippling disease. Each had met Jordan by chance, and each had a standing invitation to the stadium. They arrived well before the start of each game. "If either of them was a few minutes tardy bevond the time they usually got there — Jordan would check it out," Greene observed. He masked his concern by constantly joking around, but towards the end of Spike's life, Jordan spent many a night in his hospital room. These are stories Jordan never offered to the man writing his biography. During a time when Jordan's private life often came under attack, it was stories like these he withheld from the press. The career of Jordan the basketball play er is over, at least for now. America is not happy. The news is being treated much like the death of Elvis. "Chicago is in mourning," said one se nior at the University of Illinois. "I think they are going to drape the city in black." We feel as if our hero is gone. Our win ter nights will no longer seem less gloomy as Jordan enters our living rooms. Tickets to see the Bulls no longer have the same value. The NBA is different. But Jordan the hero, Jordan the person, will be with us for a long time. . Melissa Mcgliola is a senior industrial engineering major ; a&m dent Center is Committee :00 ENTRiC, ;e of fun.” UNNY!" m MAIL CALL Limiting graduation seats alienates Aggies This letter is to express my amazement and honest disappointment in the decision to once again limit graduation ceremony attendance. It was quite clear that limiting atten dance at previous ceremonies was a pub lic relations nightmare with families and alumni of our institution. Texas A&M officials even admitted openly this was not a viable solution and would most probably add an additional ceremony for future exercises. The families of our students have spent thousands of dollars to send their children to this university 7 , not to mention the fact that their tax dollars pay the salaries of the emplovees at A&M as well. It is quite puz zling to me, after the administration clear ly stated this most likely would not hap pen again, that December graduation is limited in attendance. I hope administration officials can live with the fact that grandparents, aunts and uncles will have to be told they cannot at tend the graduation ceremony of someone they love because adequate facilities are not available. My question is this, "Why can't A&M add additional ceremonies to accommo date this problem?" It may mean more work for the Univer sity, but are we not here for our students? I sincerely hope there is a reasonable ex planation for this action. I also hope that administration officials are not purpose fully avoiding this problem to illustrate A&M's need for a more adequate facility (to the State) at the expense of the students and their families. Be advised, this limiting of attendance to A&M graduation ceremonies could alienate students from supporting this in stitution after they have gone. What could possibly justify allowing students and families to have a bad impression of A&M at graduation? The saying "you learn from your mistakes" should be heeded here. A&M admitted making this mistake once ... why do it again? Darrell R. Pickard Agent, Class of '85 Pedestrians shouldn't second-guess bikers I was riding my bike north on Houston Street. As I was approaching the Post Of fice, a girl looked straight at me and then walked out in front of me from the right. I thought nothing of it and corrected my course to pass behind her. A moment later, she looked up in hor ror and stopped in my new line of travel. It was too late to do anything but lessen the impact. My handlebar caught her el bow and I was pitched headlong into the street (luckily, not in front of any cars). The damage was minor. I got a few scrapes, a bruised foot and a torn bike seat (a mere $30). She may have a bruise on her elbow. The point of the story is this: Don't try to second guess a biker. We generally know what we're doing. If she hadn't pan icked, that little mishap would not have occurred. She showed all the composure of a rabbit that gets killed on the highway because he freezes in your headlights, af ter you've already committed to that swerve that would've missed him. One more bike means one less car. Eric Holbrook Class of ‘96