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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 11, 1994)
July 11, 1994 /■ OHi assic rd event ngs of $74,800 give him limit- ileges for the i. joked ]ike he with the title continued his a. He bogeyed is never a fac- i finished with 1. ts been devot- >re time to his usiness since 489 Western still managed ile averaging mrnaments a jam ican League, ment on seven ■ters, with the ing Cleveland Belle over the loronto’s Joe managers, 11 )k part in the ager Cito Gas- id NL man^g- f Philadelphia eir choices for jame in Pitts- Iriffey Jr. and ading home- majors, were his choices of lagers, ant support ers, however, players that i Gregg Jef- iuis wasn’t le manager. Justice of At- tstop Ozzie s were men- . Outfielder Philadelphia vice and sec- iano Duncan •ee times. !, managers opted for ?well at first aig Biggio at mati’s Barry ip, and San in and Mon- i in the out- dayers pre- •s, however, [1-Star game art at third s San Fran- ill be in the Los Angeles anagers starters licago at lomar of ase, Cal at short- Jew York odriguez d Griffey uckett of as Page 5 ig for s under H (AP) — Only ^eague starters game — Matt ry Bonds and - also are the agers, fueling ate about who : squads, ive positions ons among NL ssociated Press SI $ y JON Editorial Board _ in The Battalion reflect the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M s, administration, faculty Mark Evans, Editor in chief William Harrison, Managing editor Jay Robbins, Opinion editor on Contact the opinion editor for information iSISi Access to abortion Women in B-CS need local facility Take a look at politicians 5 attitudes Voters should think about Richards, Bush from down-home perspective r oo many times we tend to look at politicians according to their political allegiances, instead of what kind of people they are. The upcoming race for governor of Texas seems to hold more of the same. Every time Republicans want to talk about Gov. Ann Richards, they always comment on “that liberal woman down in Austin.” The Democrats also seem to lack the ability of analytical thinking, claiming that George W. Bush seems to be a spoiled kid who cannot do anything but use his daddy’s name to enter politics. Let us, as college students, use our wonderful and expansive minds to analyze these two individuals in a more down-home manner. Lets say that you were asked to have either George W. Bush or Ann Richards as a living companion for a few days. Whom would you prefer? After all, when you vote for one of these people, you are basically voting to live with these people throughout their terms in office-. - Bush is pretty conservative. He, like his father, attended an Ivy League school, served as a pilot in the military, jot involved in the Texas oil industry while also helping the former FYesident along in politics and bought a partnership in the Texas Rangers baseball team. On the personal side, Bush seems th highly motivated and extremely religious. He promotes school prayer and traditional families and lifestyles, fou kind of get the feeling that Bush would be up at 6 o’clock every morning, drinking orange juice and reading The iVall Street Journal. Let’s say that you liked to sleep late. Bush would probably give you this talk about how important it is to seize the day, to go out there and make JOSEF ELCHANAN Columnist something of yourself. He would consider going out all night to have fun inappropriate, when you could hit the sack early and catch a rousing golf- game business meeting the next morning, right after you go to church. No doubt that Bush is a tough man, a man that gets things done. Let’s say that your car broke down, and you were telling him about it. He would probably pick up the phone and call a pal of his who would tow the car Instead of looking at what our politicians promise us, which will never be deliv ered the way we want it, all of us should maybe consid er their attitudes more. for you and repair it for free. He would remind you, however, that you should take care of your car better and that it was probably not too bright of you to have bought that kind of car anyway - but since your a friend of his, he’ll help you out of your predicament. On the other hand, there is our governor, Ann Richards. Richards is a woman who came up the hard way, fighting male egos and state barkers at the same time. Yes, she admittedly did have a drinking problem, but I think that anyone who deals with Texas politics long enough must have had one at some time. She takes on big projects, like insurance regulation, and is able to make hard decisions. If Richards had to stay with you for a couple of weeks, she would probably call you up, complaining about the damned hotel rates, and ask if you would mind if she stayed over. She would drive up on a Harley and take the couch, because she wouldn’t want to disturb you. You would probably find that the gas cans in your garage, which are considered a fire hazard, would be picked up and put away, but besides that, she would stay out of your business. She would be way too busy tinkering with her bike or going hunting to have time to bother you. Plus, she would probably always have some witty story to tell, something interesting to say about her experiences. Sometimes, however, she would be mad as hell, yelling about the stupidity of certain public officials. ..Texas is full of people who differ on what they feel comfortable with. Instead of looking at what our politicians promise us, which will never be delivered the way we want it, all of us should maybe consider their attitudes more. Should we care whether Ann Richards, the person, or George W. Bush, the person, ever did drugs or had dirty dealings, or affairs, or ... ? What may be more important is how they handle the problems they have had. Do they cover them up or do they do the same things repeatedly? By recognizing these candidates as just people, instead of political icons, maybe we all can make the right decision in November. Bryan-College Station is without a facility that performs abortions. The majority of women and virtually all fe male students in this communi ty are of childbearing age and need access to a lo- J cal clinic that pro vides the facilities for reproductive choice. The primary ra tionalization for this lack within the Bryan-College Station health-care system is the conserv ative attitudes of the community and doc tors’ right to choose whether to per- ropolitan areas in the United States do not offer women the option of ob taining a safe legal abortion. Bryan-College Station is a part of these sta tistics. form abortions as part of their medical practice. Regardless, it is not the commu nity’s responsibility to judge a woman’s choice to have an abortion. Doctors should not be required to provide this service, but there should be access to abortion procedures in this community. According to the Na tional Abortion Rights Action League, 93 percent of non-met ropolitan areas and 51 percent of met- Although few patients have voiced com plaints about having to go to Houston or Dal las to have this procedure done, the community is turning its back on women who live in the area by not ensuring they have such ac cess. Considering the prominent scientific and medical stature of the University, it is illogical that the local community cannot objec tively provide this common med ical procedure. The women in Bryan-College Station should not have the choice to have a baby made for them by the hardship of travel ing 100 miles each way for prop er medical abortions. Allowing this medical lack to continue is not a reflection of the community’s conservatism. It reflects the community’s irresponsibility. Josef Elchanan is a senior business management major <s>Wf tws tecoto h&m Aetoei Public forgets tragedy of Simpson, Goldman’s deaths L ike a blockbuster summer movie, the O.J. Simpson saga has invaded the national psyche. Media star O.J. Simpson, accused of murdering his ex-wife and MACK HARRISON Guest Columnist 300 races with s champion i battling ?ad as the van’s crew repair the k onto the her friend, has been the nation’s top news story for weeks now. As the good citizens of this country crowded around their televisions watching the real-life version of “Speed” unfold on the Los Angeles freeways, they forgot the most important aspect of the story: the victims — two real people, with loved ones of their own. As people crowded the freeways to shout encouragement or even just to get a glimpse of a celebrity gone bad, the entire nation looked on — electronic voyeurs — forgetting about the deaths of two individuals and what their family and Meads were going through. I share an office with one of those friends. “Mike” started working with me just a few Weeks ago. He came to College Station in January from California. One of his friends out there was Ron Goldman. Mike and I were eating lunch the Monday after the freeway chase when he first read the newspaper account of the events. Goldman’s death hit him hard. “I can’t believe it, man,” he said. “This is my friend they’re talking about.” “You knew Ron Goldman?” I asked. “Man ... I used to party with the guy,” he replied. “You were just sitting in the same seat he rode in.” Like 95 million other Americans, I was glued to the screen as Simpson led law enforcement agents on a low-speed chase across Los Angeles. “I hope Simpson’s OK,” I said as the drama unfolded. “I hope he doesn’t do anything stupid.” I was so wrapped up in the larger-than-life drama that I had forgotten something that mattered more than any suicide letter, freeway chase or courtroom dramatics. Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson are dead. It may be impossible to find anyone in the country who hasn’t heard the story. Everybody seems to have formed an opinion. Mike says he’s pretty sure Simpson murdered his ex-wife, Nicole, and Ron Goldman. He says although there is a possibility that Simpson might be innocent, the evidence is pretty much stacked against the former football star. “Maybe there’s a chance he didn’t do it,” Mike said. “But it looks pretty clear that he did.” Whoever did it, the brutality of the crime is shocking. Mike’s voice filled with emotion as he looked at me over the newspaper. “It says he was stabbed 22 times,” Mike said. “Why did he have to do it that many times?” The story mentioned that Goldman fought back against his attacker. Mike looked at me with a sense of pride as read that paragraph to me. “At least he threw down,” Mike said. “But I wouldn’t want to go up against O.J.” Mike was in shock as he read the rest of the story. “I can’t believe this,” he said. “I used to play volleyball with this guy. I would go over to his apartment and we’d watch Cowboys games.” Mike and Ron and used to hang out with some mutual friends, living the typical California life. They would play volleyball, go to clubs, chase women. Ron even appeared on the television show “Studs.” “I watched the videotape of the show with him at his apartment,” Mike told me. Mike had heard, of course, that Nicole Simpson and a friend had been murdered outside her home. He hadn’t, however, paid close attention until the Friday of The Chase. That’s when the news hit home. “I was at a party when my friend Troy called me from California,” Mike told me. “They were showing the chase on TV when he rings up and says, ‘Man, that’s Ron they’re talking about.’” Until then, the O.J. Simpson case was just another news story to Mike. Now, he deals with the fact that his friend is dead — gone forever — and the man accused of murdering him has become a tragic hero. “I called up my old roommate, Josh, back in California,” Mike said. “We were in disbelief of it all.” Television cameras can carry us along as the police pursue a fugitive, place us in the courtroom as prosecutors describe every piece of evidence found at the crime scene and give us the sordid details of the suspect’s past. They can’t, however, convey the sense of loss the friends and family of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman are going through. It takes a voice to do that. The voice of a friend. i 'V'-v- mm i ' i ' : ' * h ! - Mack Harrison is a 1993 agricultural journalism graduate n’t restart tes Racing tart, crew lolds col- from the red quick- t get back the check- s - » BBggpaaaasfiSfisflaaj : : ' : ::: ::: v 'fr 04 ' gsgsgag ft MfiSSfiM : : tion flags as the as- p at both sr the in- 90 degree battering Winston Killary Clinton's critics motivated by politics It is very convenient for Elizabeth Pre ston to Lame criticism of Hillary Clinton it sexist firms (The Battalion, July 7). In doing so sh» is employing a time-honored liberal tactic. My criticism of Hillary Clinton has absolutely nothing to do with her sex. The only reason I’d prefer her to bake cookies is that she would then have lit tle time to socialize the U.S. health-care system, along with whatever else she can. As a matter of fact, I’d prefer Bill Clinton to stay in the kitchen too - which I suppose proves that I am an equal-opportunity sexist. My objection to Hillary Clinton centers around our different views of govern ment’s role. While she favors an in creased role for the central government along collectivisl/socialist lines (similar to Germany, France, and yes, the former Soviet* Union), I believe that this is dan gerous. I am not in favor of effectively transferring one-seventh of the gross do mestic product to the public sector to serve what is in reality a much smaller problem involving how to cover more of the uninsured. The effect of the Clinton plan would be to increase, unnecessarily, the dependence of U.S. citizens on the na tional government. The lowest classes are already very dependent and their votes usually go to the those in favor of extend ing more benefits. Could Clinton-style health care be a way to extend this form of indebtedness to the middle class, effec tively buying their vote too? I believe this is a valid and rational criticism of Hillary Clinton’s ideas. As for Clinton’s active role, my objec tion is her lack of accountability. While Preston calls the idea that we did not elect her “ridiculous” - citing the fact that we haven’t elected Stephanopolous, Schwarzkopf and Bentsen - she is miss ing the point. All three of these people have had accountability in proportion to their duties. For example, Lloyd Bentsen was confirmed by the Senate before join ing the cabinet. Hillary Clinton has as sumed the task of overhauling health care with no explicit accountability. This serves her well in that she can and does retreat to the traditional role of “cookie baking” First Lady when criticism gets too high. Please do not label critics of Hillary Clinton as being sexist. There is hardly a conservative out there who wouldn’t love to vote for a strong woman such as Margaret Thatcher or Jean Kirkpatrick, given the opportunity. If Preston hasn’t noticed, voters have recently elected two strong, conservative women: Chris tine Todd-Whitman as New Jersey gov ernor and Kay Bailey-Hutchison as Texas senator. If Preston is serious about women be ing equal, she had better stop exempting them from ideological scrutiny simply be cause of their sex. John L. ThaxtonJr. Class of ’93 The Battalion encour ages letters to the editor and will prim as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor'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 CoBege Station, TX 77843-1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 Page3 US >f Aunt the e her ave -orical ters —i