m-ski Thursday, February 24, 1994
heft
ourTekTrt
loved witti
'enter-A®
rd, key mo;,
otherboard
om a first!
Center-A'
md a Quao:
olenfromafc
The Battalion Editorial Board
JULI PHILLIPS, Editor in chief
MICHAEL PLUMER, Managing editor KYLE BURNETT, Aggielife editor
ELINDA BLANCARTE, Night news editor DENA DIZDAR, Aggielife editor
HEATHER WINCH, Night News editor SEAN FRERKING, Sports editor
TONI GARRARD CLAY, Opinion editPr WILLIAM HARRISON, loto editor
JENNIFER SMITH, City editor
ent
imhasbeflij
teningandl
cation
allege-Air,
nent violate
itoxicafar:
County Jai
idividuah-
the South;::
5 obscenilie
fficers atta;
ts, they ran:
owing their r
lined thatkii
d. They we
os County jl
icated iitt-i
a resident:
incarcerate:'
he subject ':
spass Warm
ning of a it
stay oulofkl
spass
Mew Pemocrat
EDITORIAL
Abandon ship!
A&M should join Big Eight
The Big Eight has invited
t&M, Texas, Baylor and Texas
fech to join their conference,
iaylor accepted the offer
Wednesday, and if A&M is
ividuals m
rea ofMt.h jmart, it will do the same.
ed to the ail
ed.
I The recent collapse of the
College Football Association's
television arrangement has left
MVCrimWConferences scurrying for TV
illeals past the 1995 football sea-
box, aTAVt son. But the Big Eight took the
idle make;- Initiative Monday and offered a
merger that would double
these schools' share of the na
tional television market.
[ By accepting this merger as
Baylor has, Texas, A&M and
ffech would be abandoning a
Binking ship for a major televi
sion deal with ABC and ESPN,
he p'r f jppti6ns"ivist don't
’ake sense.
If the Friday deadline passes
ithout the each school accept
ing, then the Big Eight will
most likely make its own deal
ith ABC and ESPN. That
ould mean the four SWC
chools could join various con
ferences scattered all over the
■J.S. Texas and A&M could go
to either the Pac-10, Big 10 or
SEC, and Tech and Baylor
lence would have to find a new home
jntheylii elsewhere, possibly in the
bluelaiE
clothing
>m. Asuspc
perty was if
ndry basket
letic piffii
that a mf
credibil
rasketball
■key said
irence wo:
For worne
fC v
>ve to the
Western Athletic Conference
which has no national televi
sion deal of its own. In short,
these SWC schools could be in
the same position that Rice,
TCU, Houston and SMU are in
right now by being excluded
from the merger talks with the
Big Eight.
It would not make sense to
travel the globe when we
would have much more excit
ing rivalries in our own back
yard. A&M's biggest draw for
recruits is its regional status —
Pi ayers get to stay close to
home, and parents can ehsily
attend games. Aside from ge
ography, many state legislators
would not approve of any plan
leaving Tech and Baylor out of
Texas and A&M's future plans.
SWC football crowds were
at a 31-year low last season,
which is a sign that there is not
much more life left in the 79-
year-old conference. Each
school has to make its own de
cision about its future. But the
Big Eight offer could keep the
four biggest schools from the
SWC in competition with one
another in addition to a more
competitive future with our
neighbors to the north. The
time has come.
Opinion
mm
The Battalion
Page 11
From land of dreams to land of screams
Violence, permissiveness pervades U.S. image abroad
MELISSA
MEGLIOLA
Columnist
T he Declaration of
Independence
proclaims for all
Americans life, liberty
and the pursuit of hap
piness. As a free coun
try, we are the envy of
many nations world
wide. We have the
freedom to elect our
government leaders,
own our own busi
nesses and disagree
with authority. Our
judicial system allows
us to seek retribution
when we believe we
have been wronged
and protects us against false accusations. All
are unquestionably valid civil rights. But, is it
possible that our freedom has gone to far?
From the viewpoint of many foreigners,
the answer is yes. Our national image no
longer is limited to that of a peaceful and
prosperous utopia. Today, many foreigners
see the United States as a place where people
can do whatever they please — and get away
with it.
Our country is viewed as a violent and im
moral nation. Foreigners no longer envy us.
Instead, they are afraid to come here.
On Oct. 17,1992, when trying to find a
Halloween party, Yoshihiro Hattori, a Japan
ese foreign exchange student, was mistaken
for a burglar, shot and killed in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. Rodney Peairs, the homeowner,
fired after Hattori didn't stop after being or
dered to "freeze." For weeks later, to help en
sure the safety of future travelers to America,
the Japanese media lectured its viewers on the
loosely translated, version of the word.
In May 1993, Peairs was tried on an indict
ment of manslaughter and found not guilty. I
was traveling in Japan when the case conclud
ed. Every night for over a week the lead story
in the Japanese papers covered the trial. The
acquittal horrified Japan. In a country that is
virtually gun-free, the people could not un
derstand how someone could shoot a 16-year-
old boy and face no punitive action.
"Are you always afraid in your country?"
young children would ask me. Americans see
Hattori as a victim of an unfortunate fatal
misunderstanding. Foreigners view him as a
victim of a violent, gun-populated society.
But it's not just guns that tarnish our na
tional image. Lately the headlines of major
papers have covered Michael Jackson's out-
of-court settlement for child abuse, the acquit
tal of both John and Lorena Bobbitt and of
course the decision of the Olympic committee
to let Tonya Harding compete in the figure
skating competition.
These headlines make news overseas as
well. Foreign papers delight in making the
United States a model of uncontrollable and
immoral behavior. We, in turn, make the
process overwhelmingly easy. America is a
place where you can molest little boys, abuse
or maim your spouse, attempt to incapacitate
your competition, hire a lawyer that advertis
es on television and never face any conse
quences.
According to T.R. Reid, Tokyo bureau chief
of the Washington Post, "The Tonya Harding
case has proven irresistible because it seems
to confirm all the worst stereotypes that peo
ple overseas love to hold about America."
The accomplishments of every American
athlete will be overshadowed by the antics of
a figure skater who, though never expected to
take a medal, now personifies what is per
ceived to be the American spirit.
Why has this happened? How have isolat
ed cases come to define our national behav
ior?
In an attempt to give everyone a fair trial
and remain true to me fact that in the United
States you are innocent until proven guilty,
we hold nobody personally responsible for
their actions. Suddenly everyone is a victim.
Michael Jackson spoke out about the horrible
and dehumanizing exams to which he was
subjected. If he is innocent, then he is truly a
victim. But if he committed the crimes of
which he was accused, the humiliation of the
exam is irrelevant. We will probably never
know the truth.
Bobbitt was said to have "lashed out at the
very thing that hurt her." Harding, labeled by
Newsweek magazine as "the embattled
skater/' told Connie Chung that she was
abused by her mother. Are dysfunctional fam
ilies becoming the American norm or simply a
quick, easy and difficult to prove excuse for
otherwise inexcusable behavior?
Whether Harding had any knowledge of
the attack against Nancy Kerrigan or not, she
should have pulled herself out of the
Olympics and helped to save our national
reputation. We, as Americans, need to take re
sponsibility for our actions instead of invent
ing new ways to pass the buck.
Melissa Megliola is a senior industrial engineering
major
TvAl'i "ME HtVl
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 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
t," she s -;
^est
atmospl
Banning guns in this culture would be unfair, uneffective
I Most of us at
A&M grew up
right here in the
great state of Texas
... the wild West to
liuch of the coun-
py and the world.
B » Ours is the state
nC Jim Bowie, Sam
ICd Houston and
■ , Zachary Taylor
J proudly defended
^JJ^ywith guns blazing.
Hre Colt .45 was
rhe favorite
weapon of the
West.
■ Over a hundred
S
[Only
>9
FRANK
STANFORD
Columnist
Extra
years later, guns are still blazing, but the
famous old revolver has been replaced by
the 9mm handgun now becoming the fa
vorite armament of the avenues. Big cities
in our state and across the nation have be
come war zones with handguns galore.
The news is full of murders at schools,
pstray bullets and cold blooded killings.
most committed with the use of handguns.
At first glance we might expect to solve
this problem with a ban on handguns. Af
ter all, this solution seems simple enough;
many senseless deaths are caused by
handguns, so if we ban them, we'll have
fewer senseless deaths. And because pis
tols aren't necessary for hunting, the
sportsmen of America hardly will be af
fected.
The other prevailing argument is con
stitutional. We, as citizens, have been giv
en the right to bear arms — including
handguns — by the founders of our gov
ernment. Many Americans have grown ac
customed to this right and are quite angry
with the thought of losing it. There are
more than a few bumper stickers around
town attesting to that attitude.
What we have to do here is look care
fully at the handgun crime problem, it's
subcultural intricacies and the outcome of
a possible constitutional amendment.
Most of us are aware of how many
guns are picked up in Detroit high schools,
or how many Los Angeles seventh-graders
routinely carry firearms. Even Dallas has
one of the highest murder rates in the
country. Since the media is constantly
showing us these stories, why hasn't the
entire nation declared pistols the perpetra
tors of violent crimes and unanimously
urged for their containment?
Culture. Where and how a person is
brought up has the utmost significance on
Even if pistols are legally
unavailable, individuals
will have absolutely no
trouble acquiring them.
Cities will just have drug
lords AND gun lords.
this question of gun control. It's a conflict
regarding the ideals of the rural versus the
urban. For our purposes, anyone who
doesn't live in a densely populated area
qualifies as rural, and all others are urban.
Simply put, rural people, or those with
rural origins, generally understand and
appreciate guns — rifles, shotguns, hand
guns. You name it. This is perhaps due to
having places to hunt, or at least access to
a farm or ranch where shooting off a few
rounds here and there is part of the fun of
visiting. Having weapons outside city lim
its also lends little to the possibility of be
ing hit by a stray bullet from a gang war.
In urban areas, however, there are those
who own guns and those who don't. Nei
ther group is very fond of the other. Un
like the more rural families, grandmothers
in the Fifth Ward don't have a hundred
acres behind the house for shooting. Most
of the guns owned in cities are either for
crime or for protection from criminals. It's
no wonder citizens who don't own guns
are very nervous about those who do.
In order to solve this growing handgun
problem, some states have implemented
waiting period laws which force angry in
dividuals to "cool off" before taking pos
session of their purchase. Laws for crimi
nal background checks of consumers are
in question for many states as well. But
there is still a powerful push for an overall
ban on handguns.
No one is in favor of high schools and
neighborhoods overflowing with guns or
the killing that results, but are we to ban
handguns under the presumption that if
even one life is saved, the law is worth it?
Is this fair to those of us who are responsi
ble owners? No, it is not. It would be just
as unfair to ban alcohol, automobiles or
procreation because a percentage of peo
ple abuse the privilege. Only the abuser
should be punished.
Even if pistols are legally unavailable,
individuals will have absolutely no trouble
acquiring them. Cities will just have drug
lords AND gun lords. Just as Prohibition
was an abysmal failure at curbing alcohol
consumption and the drug war is an ex
pensive joke in the same capacity, the ban
ning of handguns will do nothing but dri
ve the price of such weapons up and cre
ate a new criminal element.
Frank Stanford is a graduate philosophy major
’LAIN
iRESSE
9
ats Ei
> Limits
/c
; sue;
Limits
Hairy situation is bad
bull at burger joint
Once upon a time there was a woman
who found a job at a new burger joint on
Northgate that people don't like because
they think its a mimic of another joint,
which it is. She liked the job, but she did
n't think her bosses liked her. They gave
her funny looks and ignored her while
they shared deep business insights in the
kitchen. If, during these sessions, she
said anything, she was stared at as
though she spoke a foreign language.
One day she went to work and found
that she hadn't been scheduled. She was
surprised, but went ahead and worked
for a while. As she left, her manager told
her that if she wore shorts to work, she
needed to shave her legs. The woman
was shocked, because she knew that if
anything was scaring customers away, it
was the undercooked burgers or cheesy
radio advertisements and not her legs.
She was very angry and was told that it
was an owner's idea.
When she called and asked which
owner, the manager would not say. Lat
er that day she found out that the man
ager had made rude comments about her
behind her back. Now the woman was
ticked and decided to write a letter. She
never went back to the joint again.
This is a true story. I only wish that
Aggies, old and new, could have some
respect for all the others, even women
who choose not to shave from head to
toe.
Leah Trice
Class of '95
A&M must appeal to
minority interests
Someone once wrote that all that
Texas A&M University needs to do, con
cerning minority enrollment, is to "ac
cept students that meet the University's
entrance requirements period, no excep
tions. Look beyond color."
To imply that by gaining more minor
ity students results in gaining unquali
fied students is ridiculous. There are
plenty of minority students across the
nation that can attend any institution of
higher education on the basis of SAT
scores, ACT scores and class rank. But
most are not choosing A&M.
Why aren't they choosing Texas A&M
University? Take a close look at what
kinds of students make up this universi
ty. Do the demographics reflect the de
mographics of the nation or even this
state? The answer is no. And why not,
since this is one of the nation's better
schools? Shouldn't everyone, no matter
what race or color, want to come here?
The problem is that Texas A&M does not
make itself seem appealing to the top mi
nority graduates, therefore not including
everyone.
Instead of going on a false assump
tion that the only way minority enroll
ment will increase is to lower require
ments, maybe we should look around
and see what this school has to offer mi
norities. Then check and see if this school
is letting prospective minority students
in on the secret. If we are all "created
equal," then why not make this an insti
tution that all top students want to at
tend, therefore increasing minority en
rollment.
Nicondra Charvois
Class of '96
urge
on
Life's little injustices
Hey! Why can't I smoke in my dorm,
man?
Fddie Nassar
Class of '96