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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 1994)
■'V . ’'' 1 in e 13,19% I 11 ■ he Battalion ting their sign did d sparkling Spike Lee. John F. Hannah and IcEnroe — a he show, f, I’ve been season and have a lot of Jassell said, idvantage is :xas a leadoff y Shumpen gle and the| d on Jose groundout Shumpert double, ened a 5-0 n seventh. ; ,h one out, j and both } tripled to! [cRae’s sac- j gne. 1 five runs I [ng out five City 7 13b rd 3b b ab r h bi 4 2 2 1 5 12 3 4 0 0 1 5 0 10 4 0 10 4 0 10 3 2 2 1 4 110 0 0 0 0 2 110 35 7 11 6 OO 020-2 )00 3H - 7 as City 6, Texas !_Gagne(1). HR nd(1). 5 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 3 O 0 0 0 O 0 1 0 enow. By taking jl athlete onS> have a rterback. Monday* June 13, 1994 Page 5 Boys last tears shout his suffering Paramedics in Beirut war zone survive unforgettable routine mission GEORGE NASR S ami was crying. Small tears were rolling down his cheeks, pouring out of his covered eyes. Or was it my imagination? “Are you sure?” I shouted “Yep! Extensive brain damage.” The operator replied. I stopped listening to the faceless voice emanating from the intercom. All I could do was stare down at that face covered with bandages, and look the stream of tears running down his ravaged cheeks ... During General Aoun’s hopeless “Liberation War” — whenever the regular morning bombing ended — the first aid teams of the Lebanese Red Cross would get busy. Sector 102, my unit, was in charge of all paramedical rescue missions in one of the four sectors of Beirut. Every morning houses, hospitals, schools and churches were dancing to the deadly tune of “Stalin’s Organs,” the Syrian army’s rocket launchers. Every day, the bleeding streets of the wounded city would echo the howl of our ambulance sirens. Every time, people would stare with a mixture of fear and hope at our ghoulish Red Cross wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm uniforms, glad to see that we were not coming for them. Not this time. Every horror would 'That boy is brain dead. You guys came for nothing. He's dead.' 'Are you sure?' I pleaded. 'But he's crying!' How can a dead boy be crying? just be a part of our daily routine. In the morning of that day, Team 4 was dispatched to what remained a house in the Berjawi neighborhood; an unexpected guest had dropped in on a family at lunch. The “grad” rocket blew up the kitchen, the father and the mother, uniting them in a magma of body parts and rubble. Their son, Sami, was lucky not to be part of this sordid recipe from hell, but was badly wounded. The first-aiders patched him up and evacuated him to Hotel Dieu de France (HDF), a hospital in Beirut, where what remained of Sami was placed in intensive care. In the afternoon, HDF called the Sector. Sami was in a deep coma, and his condition was worsening. They needed a CAT scan conducted in order to assess brain damage, but had no machine operational. “Team 2! Quasimodo — mission chief! Nogua — driver! Hassibo — sicouniste!” Scoubidoo shouted. “Transport from HDF to Hospital St. Charles for a CAT scan and back, lotsa candies [shelling] on the road, so be careful! Allah maa’kon chabeb.” Routine mission. Call the team, put on a helmet and flak jacket. Jump in ambulance. Hook up VHP scanner. Turn on siren — Cool! Report departure. Sound of sniper fire — Pray. Nogua is driving like a maniac — pray more. Report Arrival at HDF — Thank God. Go to pick up patient. Robert, a cheerful resident greeted us at the door of the emergency room “Ahlan, George! You’re the freaks taking the CAT scan kid?” He pointed at some mummy on a stretcher “Here he is ... Stable condition, the severed arm and leg should not bleed, nor should his face. He’s in a coma, and shouldn’t make any trouble. Assist respiration. Bye, chabeb!” Put patient in ambulance. Set his oxygen. Report departure from HDF — Pray. Keep pumping. Life signs OK. Bombs getting louder, but no explosions visible. Glad Nogua is driving like a maniac — Pray more. Report arrival at H. St. Charles. There is a god for freaks. CAT scan room. Wear protective clothing. Keep pumping and monitor life signs while the room basks in radiation from the scanner. The machine hums. Behind the window, I could see the operator pushing buttons, and monitors lighting up one by one, displaying different slices of Sami’s brain. “That boy is brain dead,” a voice echoes in the scanner room. “You guys came for nothing. He’s dead.” That’s when I heard Sami crying. A brief, faint sound. “Are you sure?” I pleaded. “But he’s crying!” I hear that cry again. Did I hurt him? No, he’s dead! How can a dead boy be crying? “Yep! Extensive brain damage!” The operator replied. “Anyway, he can’t make a sound with that tube down his throat.” “How about those tears?” I pleaded. “Oh, that! Just a natural reaction.” I stared at that beautiful, horrible face, imploring it with my eyes to sound louder. A natural reaction. “Let’s go, Quasimodo,” said Nogua. “We can’t perform miracles.” Yes! A miracle! A sign! Something! In my heart, I begged Sami to shout to the world his suffering. I begged God! I begged whoever was up there... But only the insistent humming of the machine would reply. God wouldn’t undo what man committed. “We need to bring him back to HDF before the shelling intensifies,” Hassibo yelled. “H Flash is under shelling, the hospital is burning. 102 may be assigned to the evacuation.” Another routine mission. The Battalion Editorial Board Mark Evans, Editor in chief William Harrison, Managing editor Jay Robbins, Opinion Editor Editorials ac in The Battalion reflect appearing 1 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, ! Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. T V ’ vasts ill.K -«a Board of Regents Texas A&M System students deserve voice George Nasr is a graduate civil engineering student There is a need for better communi cation between students and the Board of Regents. Having student leaders in formally meet with regents and ad ministrators is no longer enough. A student regent seated on the Board would bridge that gap and be in a posi tion to inform both students and regents about high-level decisions. The Texas A&M student body must voice its support for a student re gent if the plan is to succeed. Texas A&M President Ray Bowen, Board of Regents Chair Mary Nan West, Student Body President Brooke Leslie and A&M Regents Bill Clayton, T Michael O’Connor and M. Guadalupe L Rangel all have expressed willingness to discuss a student regent position. Gov. Ann Richards also supports the movement to provide a student regent at every state university in Texas. A student regent with speaking, at tendance and voting rights equal to any regent member would truly provide representation for the students of the Texas A&M University System. There would be much less second-guessing of the students’ needs or concerns. Unfortunately the present proposals for creating a student regent limit the office severely. The student regent would Pot speak, unless scheduled on the agenda, or attend closed-session Board meetings. Despite these constrictions, the stu dent regent office outlined in the current plans would greatly enhance the students’ input into choices that affect the entire University and System. The of fice would estab lish a perma- . nent liaison be tween the Board and the part of the University System that its policies affect the most. Some critics of the student regent idea, who claim. that other groups! might use a precedent of, students on the Board to demand representation, ignore; the fact that students’ interests and concerns are unique. As West said,; “Frankly, that’s what [the regents] are here for. We’re here for the students.” - For the good of its diverse members, the student body of the A&M System has a responsibility to improve relations with, the Board of Regents. Likewise, the Board has an obligation to include a stu dent regent in its ranks to provide a' voice for those groups. Marriage represents more than just living with someone JOSEF ELCHANAN Columnist A paralyzed Buddhist monk used to advise all those who passed by: “Get yourself a wife right away! It was my lot to be a scholar, and I have been single since my youth. I had a great many disciples and followers, but after I became paralyzed and crippled, these people no longer care about me ... I feel that if I had a wife and children I might not have come to such a bitter pass.” - from a story called “The Monk Who Encouraged Marriage” in “Sand and Pebbles” Since I’m unmarried, this story bothers me, moreso because many of my friends are beginning the long trek toward supposed mutual love, respect and fulfillment. Beyond love, or in cooperation with it, are some central questions: what is marriage, how does it relate to us and what has happened to this ancient coupling? A religious interpretation seemed highly appropriate for this subject, since religion has strong ties to the marriage institution. The Episcopal church, according to the Rev. Mary Greene, promotes “a covenant relationship between two people and God, a three-way commitment or relationship ... Marriage is one of the most primary ways God tries to transform our lives, for the spouse is an instrument of transformation.” Father Michael J. Sis, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Parish and Student Center, explained that, “The Catholic view of marriage is that it is a sacrament, an action of God, not just a human action. It must be properly prepared for,” and that, “The presentation of the couple is much more important than the ceremony.” He believes that couples should be prepared for all parts of the marriage trial, including financial difficulties and their spouse’s relatives. According to Rabbi Peter Tarlow of the Hillel Jewish organization, Judaism takes the stance that marriage is a “moral or ethical contract between two people, a Kiddushin, or sanctification of marriage,” Judaism values the marriage in relation to the surrounding community and toward the future of the Jewish people. As for a sense of duty and loyalty, Dr. Richard Maples of First Baptist of Bryan, had this to say of marriage: “It is a, “Divine institution, created by God himself, composed of a husband and a wife who commit to each other for life. It is the most important institution in society and should be maintained at all costs.” Also relevant is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ Bishop David Ellis’ statement that, “The marriage and family is crucial, the cornerstone of the church. For us, the the wedding ceremony does not say ‘till death do us part,’ but rather ‘for all eternity.’” So, why is everybody so unhappy? Why do approximately half of all marriages end in divorce? Dr. Sarah Horsfall, a Texas A&M instructor on marriage and the family, had quite a bit to say concerning this problem. She explained that couples and young adults do not have enough role models. “[Our society] has privatized the family. Our center of values, which are also privatized, ... causes young people to be isolated. In the past, the whole community had standards and expectations. Children were raised not as much by their families as they were by the whole community. They were rigorously censored by their peers. Now, there is not a community to go to, but only to professional and scientific authorities. This forces young people into their own world. Without the larger community, [young people] learn only from their own family experiences. Many families do not have strong values due to many current problems, like single-parent families, family break-ups, and the lack of educated adults.” Father Michael discussed similar findings. He believes that there is “a vicious cycle where dysfunctional families raise children who are less capable of having healthy marriages, so then the emotional or family problems of our generation become a determinant to the success of later generations. In many cases, young people must go through some healing before they can go into a healthy marriage.” He also stated that a marriage must consist of “commitment and sacrifice.” Dr. Maples took a stronger stance, stating that divorce comes from “a modem movement to selfishness and self-gratification,” and marriages are “entered without commitment.” It came as a surprise to me that these statements, when placed together, form such a cohesive whole. Religions across the spans of time and locality continue to support marriage as the backbone of their communities. Each group promoted a certain combination of dedication and understanding, a strong intolerance of family violence and the desire to maintain a marriage and build something for the future. Perhaps these are the most important, most difficult and most rewarding parts of two people sharing their lives with one another. mam Josef Elchanan is a senior business management major HBBH KINE 199 requirement should remain in place The May 30 article on the possibility of the HIV/AIDS class being required of all students listed an option to replace one of the existing KINE 199 require ments with the AIDS class. As a physi cal educator, this concerns me. Reports show that Americans need more physi cal activity in their lives. KINE 199 classes allow the students to take class es that not only condition them now, but also give them skills to continue participation throughout their lives. While there is little doubt that AIDS education is extremely important, a possible solution to the problem already exists. Starting in the fall of 1994, the Health and Kinesiology Department is offering a KINE 199 class called Health and Fitness. This class combines half a semester of lecture on current health topics, which will include HIV/AIDS.An important difference between this and the suggested required class is that this is an optional class. This will allow the students interested in this area to be in a class with others that are interested in pursuing these topics. This will greatly enhance the level of participa tion and allow the course to be conduct ed in a manner that will not alienate a large number of the student population who are already educated in the course content. Frank Thomas College Station Gun laws worsen crime Elizabeth Preston wrote a very gener alized column (June 1) that did not per suade me to lay down my arms. She alienated me and many others immedi ately with an unnecessary racist, sexist remark: “... takeover of America by white European males.” Preston said, “The claim that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees private citizens the right to keep and bear arms is com pletely unfounded. The writers of the Constitution did not intend this right for the private citizen, but for civilians in the state militia.” Is this true? James Madison: The Constitution pre serves “the advantage of being armed, which Americans possess over the people of almost any other nation ... [where] the governments are afraid to trust the peo ple with arms.” John Adams: “Arms in the hands of in dividual citizens may be used at individ ual discretion ... in private self-defense.” Samuel Adams: “The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.” Does gun control protect everyone? I leave you with this thought: Thomas Jef ferson once qupted the 18th century crim inologist Casare Beccaria as saying, “Laws which forbid the carrying of arms ... make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man. Darin W. Smith- Class of‘95. The jfs. Battalion encourages letters to tire 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 for length, style, and accuracy. Address letters to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647