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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1994)
9,1994 A P photo lifh, is J.Y, Gi- unday's ung no- vithout had an e had a hat we ice. was set ick that mble at for 299 ef, and a hadn't t half. ;t game n Satur- ?s down jot four tilers in irmance ( fov. 28, : id inter- ’ t Daf/as n'sNPC owboys ! :t. 17 in 1 won 26- I it game 1 i just as i to take , whom aw back | )ers had [ r losing I airies - [ entially ms blew stick 44- ; /eeks of ; i by the George ; he Nin- ck team | played lormally : tation emester 00 pm, id 111 '-4559 ’OU to kis 30 0 ;t Opinion Wednesday, January 19,1994 The Battalion Editorial Board JULI PHILLIPS, Editor in chief MICHAEL PLUMER, Managing editor KYLE BURNETT, Aggielife editor BELINDA BLANCARTE, Night news editor DENA DIZDAR, Aggielife editor HEATHER WINCH, Night News editor SEAN FRERKING, Sports editor TONI GARRARD CLAY, Opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, Photo editor JENNIFER SMITH, City editor EDITORIAL Mascot madness Dognapping is par for course Outrage spread across Texas and to Aggies around the world when they learned that Reveille VI had been kid napped days before the Cot ton Bowl. Aggies everywhere joined Mascot Corporal Jim Lively in thinking University of Texas students had gone too far by staking out his home and tak ing her from the back yard ear ly in the morning. However, given A&M's illustrious histo ry in mascot thievery, perhaps we should all calm down. Yes, Reveille lost her repu tation as the last Southwest Conference mascot to never have been stolen. But what made Cpl. Lively really mad was that she was only four months old, on a special diet and needed her shots. She could have come back brand ed with the score of UT's last winning effort in football against A&M. It would be dif ficult creating a name from "28-27." It was bound to happen sooner or later. After Aggies twice stole Bevo (reportedly cooking him once) and "sawed varsity's horns off" the center of the Memorial Stadium astroturf before the 1992 A&M vs. Texas game, some UT students finally got revenge. A&M officials and the Live ly family went to the police initially, but their complaints have been withdrawn, and it is time to admit that it was just a prank. It could have been a lot worse. If UT wanted to retali ate fully for all of A&M's past pranks, they would have to take Reveille again, cook her and deface Kyle field by spray painting horns on the 50-yard-line. Wouldn't it be better if we just quit while we're ahead? We shouldn't bother to re taliate or press charges. But the next time the Longhorns say they do not consider Ag gies to be worthy rivals, that they only care about beating Oklahoma, remind them that 30 students tried for months and staked out a house for days just to take our puppy for a walk to Lake Travis. It takes class to turn the other cheek, and we must maintain the integrity that Reveille has exemplified for over 60 years. The Battalion Page 7 History's harsh lessons often forgotten Ignoring past leads to an increase in neo-Nazi movement ROY CLAY Columnist S ixty years ago the Nazi party in Ger many devised a program to eradicate undesirable elements from what they envi sioned as a Germany- ruled Europe. As the Second World War raged, the Nazis successfully im plemented that pro gram and killed tens of millions of people in their occupied territo ries, including six mil lion Jews. Death camps such as Dachau, Auschwitz, Treblinka and Chelmno are physi cal reminders of what the hatred of a few could do to so many. The western world, it seemed, learned a hard lesson. Today, it is not so certain that those lessons are remembered by all. Germany is experienc ing a rise of a neo-Nazi movement, the "skin heads." This group of far-right extremists is responsible for over 1G0 reported crimes against minorities in Germany over the past four years. In Erfurt, Germany, a pregnant Nigerian woman was attacked by three skinheads who kicked her in the stomach. Neo-Nazis are be ing held responsible for over 80 attacks on physically handicapped people in the last two years and 30 deaths since 1990. But the insensitivity to racial differences is not limited to the skinheads. In 1988, a group of 16 Jewish people returned to Xanten, West Germany to revisit their home town. They were greeted by slogans like: "That's the way to the gas chamber" and "Auschwitz is too small."* Why is this happening? By the end of the war, most Germans were angry and repulsed by the Nazi regime. The Holocaust is not only a national embarrassment, but also a painful scar on German history. The fact that it is such an embarrassment may be one of the reasons that the neo-Nazis and racial hatred have resurfaced. Many schools in Germany do not teach children about the atrocities wrought during the reign of the Third Reich. While living in Germany, I spent many hours with their equivalent of high school stu dents who told me that they knew little of Hitler and even less of the Nazi death camps. Older Germans said that there was no reason to keep such painful memories fresh in the na tion's mind and that it was best forgotten. Some of the students didn't even know that the furnaces of Dachau were only 35 minutes away from where they lived. The omission of such historical events from four decades of German education may have its repercussions. Some historical revisionists are promoting the idea that the Holocaust did not claim the huge numbers of lives that the Allied forces claimed. Others claim that the Holocaust never actually happened. If the young adults and youth of Germany never learned of the Nazi crimes against humanity, then how hard would it be for them to believe the assertions of these revisionists? Not very hard at all. This ability to ignore history is tied to an other important event: the reunification of East and West Germany. Although linked by a common heritage and blood, Germany has ex isted under two very opposed political and so cial ideologies, and the government is finding out that complete reunification is difficult. Ironically, Germany can reestablish a com mon identity among its parts through its histo ry. Germans have a need for positive morale, national pride and maybe even a hero. To some German youth, a white-washed Hitler fills the bill. A dynamic Adolf Hitler raised a depressed Germany from the ashes of World War I and created prosperity. Under Hitler, Germany fought the greatest nations in the world and al most won. When the Holocaust is factored out, Hitler can appear to be the greatest leader in German history. Before damning the German education sys tem for its historical omissions, however, we must remember that all countries are guilty of omitting events from its history books. The United States itself imprisoned Japanese- Americans during WWII. Although the U.S. was not engaging in mass killings, the Japan ese-Americans were subject to poor living con ditions, malnutrition and were never given their property back after the war was over. Many Americans never study the Japanese in ternments until they enter college, if then. Just as Americans are forced to acknowl edge their checkered past, so must other na tions. Perhaps being reminded of the Holo caust is painful to the German people, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that it is very necessary. Some lessons are worth remember ing. Roy Clay is a senior history major &bbbbOOOOOOOOoOOOOOQO<3 o o oloooooooaoooco cTocTo o oo ; tj >y CVITC ? i .i C.N 1 LT' dan iGRofc tilt peal i^u& 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, racufty 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 for 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 1111 Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 Fax: (409) 845-2647 When eating out, here's one tip you should never forget O ne of the great old writing diches is "write about what you know." If I had spent the last five weeks working as a gro cery store clerk, the next 700 words would probably be a short dissertation on produce codes. However, I spent my Christmas vaca tion slinging chick en-fried steaks in front of screaming little kids, and I learned that there is nothing that alters perception more than personal experience. The time I spent working as a waitress taught me that a significant percent of the population is ig norant of the salary that a server earns. Waiting tables is one of the few jobs in America where an employee is put at the mercy of the general public to make mini mum wage. In America today, employers must pay their employees at least $4.25 an hour. The minimum wage laws, which were a product of the post-industrial Revo lution reforms were created to give the working population the power to fight the capitalistic desire to hire cheap labor. However, the government allows the restaurant industry to pay their wait staffs $2.13 an hour, with the assumption that their tips will subsidize the minimum wage requirement. Most people know that it is standard procedure to add an addi tional 10 percent to 15 percent of the total bill as gratuity co the server. Unfortunately, there are people who do not realize that tipping is required. Maybe it is the word "gratuity" that gives people the impression that tipping is a matter of choice. The word "gratuity" normally takes the connotation of a gift — this would imply that the customer has the op tion whether or not to give the gift. Often times, people who are on tight budgets feel that it is acceptable to save a few bucks by not leaving a tip. But, people who can't afford to tip shouldn't eat out. It is rather unfortunate that because the restaurant industry feels that the general public is responsible for part of their em ployees' salaries, some people are denied the privilege of eating out. More often when people choose to leave a restaurant without tipping their server. Denying a server a tip is a slap in the face. Not only are they not receiving a por tion of their salary, but they are also paying taxes on money they didn't receive. they do so because they were dissatisfied with the service they received. But think about it this way: doctors are paid in full whether they cure their patients or not. There are many jobs where employees make their money based on performance or sales, called a commission. But, these people are paid a base salary that is at least minimum wage. Therefore, a good rule of thumb would be to start performanced- based tipping after the 10 percent mark. If the service was not up to par, leave only 10 percent. If the server was properly atten tive, then add to the 10 percent. Restaurant customers often evaluate their servers' performances on the basis of things that are beyond their control. Servers are powerless over the amount of time it takes the kitchen to cook an order. Sometimes slow service is a result of un der-staffing by the restaurant's manager. A human body can only carry so many things at one time. Denying a server a tip is in fact a slap in the face and a kick in the knee. Not only are they not receiving a portion of their salary, but they are also paying taxes on the money that they didn't receive. Wait ers and waitresses are required by law to claim 8 percent of their total sales for tax purposes. The government assumes that the server has received tips of at least 8 per cent of what they sold. People often think of tipping as a tradi tional practice of the wealthy — a form of monetary display. Tipping bell boys, cab drivers and sackers at the grocery store are accepted practices, but these workers are already receiving minimum wage salaries in addition to their tip earnings. Most restaurant servers are only making $2.13 an hour; therefore, gratuity to them is not a gift but part of their salary. It is not right that the general public is forced to accept the burden of paying for restaurants' employees. If restaurant own- ' ers want to enjoy the opportunity to serve ’ the public and make money, they should ! not expect the public to pay for basic oper ating expenses. However, it is not fair to punish servers just because of a bad sys tem. The single mothers, college students and every other person who works as a server deserves to be paid for their labor. Jenny Magee is a sophomore journalism and English major JENNY MAGEE Columnist If it seems too good to be true . . . This letter isn't about drinking re sponsibly, safe sex, or the violent soci ety in which we live. No, this letter deals with the problem that we Aggies have to deal with at the beginning of each semester. That is the problem of the vultures — I mean salespersons descending on College Station and Bryan and trying to sell us every newspaper within a 200 mile radius or some magazine so they can win a trip to Europe. This semester I was talked into sub scribing to the Houston Chronicle and with this subscription I would receive the coveted Chronicle Extra Card. This card, I was told, can get you a 10 per cent discount off of your groceries at a couple of local grocery stores. Great, right? It would be if it were true. But the grocery stores have never heard about this deal. This is just one example of what vul tures will tell in order to sell you some thing. Be careful when subscribing to the Houston Chronicle or buying anything from the vultures. Mark Jasek Class of '90 Graduate Student Either ask the cook or get outta the kitchen I have heard that the food at TAMU will not be as good, now that it is under new management. Why would anyone say such a thing? The top management was recently transferred to newly as signed duties, but I don't recall any of them doing the cooking in the kitchens at TAMU. Now, if you asked me, I would sug gest that you ask the cooks what they think. Some of them might say, "The food will be better because they will have better equipment," or perhaps they would say, "The food will be better be cause they are treated with respect and dignity," or perhaps the food is better because "The new manager asks them what they think." The only ones that seem to have a problem with the kitchens at TAMU are the former management, the press, and the Aggie Mom's. Since the kitchens try to cook just like mom, the kitchen staff hasn't changed, the students have not missed meals, and employees are being given opportunities they had not been given before, then why would they say such things about a department that is made up of over 900 employees? And they are only concerned about three former administrators? Now that should make you want to ask why they would say such things. Perhaps the investigation should in clude the special considerations the for mer management made to special inter est groups, and not the cooks in the kitchens at TAMU. Or they should respect the desires of the employees to put the past behind and go forth with the emphasis on a new management that ask what the cooks think! Susie Fagan Employee, Dept, of Food Services