Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1994)
September 8, ’hursday • September 8, 1994 OPINION s ,'s' Ixl 'J & ' .- >- ... ,..- , ' < '- v V ■■ , ■■. o. an terrorists build a bomb? of plutonium may halt spread of nuclear weapons ar arms are spreading. Now let’s examine whether or not this is a world is heading toward valid concern. The Battalion • Page 17 ,7: | c safes ‘uclear arms are spreading. The world is heading toward mass destruction with lerrorists wielding nuclear weaponry limed at all of the Western world, "hat’s what recent news could lead is to believe. Time and Newsweek both ran cover Stories on the possibility of bomb- [uality plutonium being stolen from Russia’s vast arsenal of nuclear LYNN BOOMER Columnist % eaponry and sold on the black market. The plutonium has arted showing up in alarming amounts during smuggling ,ings in Germany. Although this plutonium is never found in quantities large ough to actually construct an atom bomb, the Time article ggests that small amounts of smuggled plutonium could soon |dd up to the 18 pounds necessary for a beginner to build one. his plutonium could end up in the hands of terrorists or a untry, such as Iran, seeking nuclear power. No one can say for sure where the plutonium that has [ppeared in four Recent busts in Germany has come from, ussian officials have vehemently denied that any of the [lutonium cores from their dismantled bombs are missing from orage. U.S. intelligence sources, however, indicate that curity at the dozens of Russian nuclear research institutes d laboratories has beaimelax Not only are employees sted to account for nuclear material themselves, but apparently some Russian labs haven't opened nuclear material Tntainers for 10 or more years to chick if the contents match In inventory list, says Newsweek. I There is certainly incentive for the estimntee|l million employees of Russia’s Atomic Energy Ministry (Minatom) to sell radioactive substances illegally. Everyone’s pay has ■Topped considerably, and soiile go months at a tim| | without pay. The top 3.000 atomic scientists are paid less than Moscow bus drivers, if at all, says Newsweek. These people have access to a better lifestyle through the sale of extremely valuablel3||t o mum. I In effect, there could b&ja virtually unlimited supply of Jamb-quality plutonium bl&ag smuggled out of Russia into the , lands of anyone who’s willing to pay for ih For just $500, tmmm k a lot of ? ^ jl’ilitary pilots will fly a package from RussTato Germany, no sters degree bei:; w es ti 0n s asked, according to Newsweek. Practically anyone t really know *# )U 1 C 1 have access to this plutonium, right? Imagine the to do after they g^ayhem that would result if a terrorist group threatened to ite said. They i blow up New York City and actually had the power to do it. ist get another deg y they're just put™ ? a decision, w ier and further!: :o-op gives you ink about it." also said compat igh grades,' lunication s rim Moog/Tm Battaia" : sign from II srnoon for jrday. to do afteri Now let’s examine whether or not this is a valid concern. Both articles concede that it’s possible. The European black market is made up almost entirely of undercover policemen. It’s possible that all of these police-operated stings have created a demand for plutonium that was not otherwise there. More importantly, the price of this illicit plutonium is so astronomical, it’s highly doubtful that a terrorist group could ever finance it. The dealers in the most recent sting offered four kilos, or approximately 8.8 pounds of weapons- grade plutonium for $2^50 million in cash — S250 million American dollars. If it takes 18 pounds of plutonium for a beginner (e.g. terrorist group) to build a bomb, plutonium at the sting price would cost that group $612.5 million. While the actual price might be several million less, no terrorist group has access to that much capital. Perhaps a small country might financially back such a group then? Fat chance. Time reported that a State Department official said, “If you just spent $300 million on something [would you hand it over to terrorists] or would you keep it for your own protection?’’ Good point. Any country would be very hesitant to hand such an expensive and powerful weapon over to a volatile group. The official further notes, “God help the state that, gave terrorists nuclear material. The international community’s response!would be dramatic.” So perhaps a Middle Eastern country like Iran is attempting to stockpile nuclear weaponry in order to try to control the gulf hr even the world? There’s no doubt that Iran has a motive for attempting to gain nuclear power. Military expert Mourad El- Desouky states, “Iranwants to be the most powerful military presence in the gulf. It wants iiuclear weapons for deterrence and to intimidate its neighbors.” 4 Still, it’s realistic to sugges&that they, too, don’t have the necessary money. Time explains tha1 in order to avoid retaliation from other nuclear countries, a state interested in obtaining nuclear weaponry would have to “be in the market for tens or hundreds of kilograms of plutonium,” an amount that would be extremely difficult to fqpa. So it seems the threat of nuclear destruction is ironically ‘'avertedby money, the root of all evil. Still, there’s always the chance that an unfriendly state could eventually pay for warheads. Frightening, isn’t it? Lynn Booher is a junior English and psychology major 04 The Battalion Editorial Board Belinda Blancarte, Editor in chief Mark Evans, Managing editor Jay Robbins, Opinion editor Jenny Magee, Assistant opinion editor Editorials appearing in The 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. Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. - -v lip i—i— nmmmmmmnmmMNHI rogram Student Counsel ri a wide varielf trained to help oil nance and rs. DW! rtember 13, Henderson Hail or to louse. (Tairs Disabilities Action Compliance with access law ensures rights Local plans to further comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, will further ensure individuals with disabilities the rights which they deserve. The act requires privately owned businesses, state, city, and government buildings to provide rea sonable equal access to public accom modations for disabled persons. Some inaccessible buildings are con sidered legally acceptable in certain cases, when “ade quate help” is of fered. But there are those individuals who chose not to de pend on the assis tance of others, and have the right to do - SAjiwiyet,«ihey *lso have the right to en ter public places. For such reasons, adaptations to buildings such as wheelchair ramps, street ramps, auto matic doors, and handrails are neces sary to all public places. Although these improvements will require money, they are well invested. Private busi ness who make their facilities acces sible will only increase the scope of their clientele. And businesses will not only benefit from those who they have helped, as people tend to eat,shop and go to the movies in groups. As private businesses and govern ment buildings are taking a step in the right direction, students can also play an important role and should feel liable to comply with the act. These liabilities will not take from the pock- etbooks, but only require an extra minute of time. Individuals who require the assis tance of handrails are placed in jeop ardy by those per sons who chose to lock their bicycles to them. One per son’s lethargy or tardiness can lead to another’s injury. If a person is hav ing difficulty, per haps offer assis tance. If they refuse, be gracious. Otherwise, abstain from blocking facili ties intended for the disabled: doors, restrooms, rails, ramps, etc. Without cooper ation from individuals, consideration of newly enforced city ordinances may be come a necessity to ensure equality for disabled persons. Bryan-College Sta tion’s efforts to further comply will al low disabled citizens to become inclu sive and active within the community. tores Serve You i - Village <d Software" ^Child custody rulings often neglect fathers / i/s $179.95 $99. Erin Hill, like a lot of feminists, is still ing in her Aug. 30 column about the gment by a court to give physical cus- ly of a child to a (gasp!) father, instead |the usual award to the mother. Hill sn’t seem to know, or decided not to ntion, the facts about custody deci- s. From: the U.S. Bureau of the Cen- Current Population Reports, Series 0, No. 458, 1991: Total Custodial thers: 11,268,000. Total Custodial Ea rs: 2,907,000. e 20 percent of custodial parents men, you should not assume that 20 ■cent of fathers are given custody at an utial divorce custody hearing. Many, nd probably most, fathers gain custody $ 99.00 > believe it) $109.95 $149.95 DUSe Dictionary) ^rhe years after the mother had initially Kn given custody. This happens either r hen the child was allowed to have a say ■he matter, or when the mother could E handle the situation. ■Does Hill know what happens in the 0 percent of the cases where the mother ■warded primary custody of the chil- ■n? “Thirty-eight percent of noncusto- B fathers have no visitation rights; 55 etcent of noncustodial fathers have 3me visitation rights but little enforce- ient; and 7 percent of noncustodial fa 's have joint custody (shared parent- ).” Source: Bureau of the Census; y. , . 4 ~ild Support and Alimony: 1989. Series ve have mot /-50 ; No. 173 (this information was pro- Ttes on any sodded by mothers with custody), r call 846-8731 “Forty percent of mothers reported ijt they had interfered with the non- “todial father’s visitation on at least occasion, to punish their ex-spouse.” tween 25 percent-33 percent of moth- 3.1) ve access to ot, purchase on ers denied visits.” Source: Frequency of Visitation by Divorced Fathers: Differ ences in Reports by Fathers and Mothers - Braver, Wolchik, et al, American Jour nal of Orthopsychiatry. “Unfortunately, some angry women attempted to use the child’s symptomatic behaviors as proof that the visits were detrimental to the child’s welfare and should therefore be discontinued, dis tressing the unhappy children even more.” Source: Surviving the Breakup, Joan Kelly & Judith Wallerstein, p. 126. “The former spouse (mother) was the greatest obstacle to having more frequent contact with the children.” Source: In creasing our understanding of fathers who have infrequent contact with their children, James Dudley, Family Rela tions, Vol. 4, p. 281, July 1991. “Feelings of anger towards their for mer spouses hindered effective involve ment on the part of fathers; angry moth ers would sometimes sabotage father’s ef forts to visit their children.” Source: Ahrons and Miller, Am. J. of Orthopsy chiatry, Vol. 63. p. 442, July ‘93. “Mothers may prevent visits to retali ate against fathers for problems in their marital or post-marital relationship.” Source: Seltzer, Shaeffer & Charing, Journal of Marriage & the Family, Vol. 51, p. 1015, November 1989. Does Hill lament the double stan dard that undercuts men in custody cases can now undercut women? Hill re veals her pain at the judge’s decision, but does not say what the judge should have decided in this case, or in other cases where the facts were the same but the sexes are reversed. Surely she is not recommending a continuation of the double standard for custody decisions. Pat Hayes Class of’88 Everyone s opinion deserves respect The Battalion encour ages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor's name, dass, 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) 845-2847 E-mail: 8att@tamvm1 .tamu.edu Agreeing to disagree sometimes answers most about questions O n a rainy night last week I went to the grocery store to pick up some beer for my thirsty roommates (it was my turn). On my way to the cashier, four smiling students stopped me to veri fy my identity based on my Battalion photo and ask me about my column on prayer in school. Since the students were still smiling at me - I stated that, yes, I was indeed responsible. Then here came the question: “Do you know where you’re going when you die?” “Well ... No,” I said. “I’ll be dead. Do you know where you’re going?” The stu dents stared back at me. One of the girls answered. “Yes. Heaven.” And she told me why. I wasn’t sur prised. I’ve never heard anyone say “Yes, Hell,” not even my philosophy colleagues. We are in Hell now. She told me she was praying for me, and so I thanked her. But I should have told those students - or anyone who might stop a columnist to ques tion them - that when someone prints their opinion, it is only that. Others’ thoughts may be different, but they still are respected. Columnists rarely mind disagreements, as they can write about them. Generally, columnists don’t mind be ing stopped either. Even negative criti - cism is helpful as long as you don’t make one of us cry. However, Ann Lan ders would say that implying someone else is hellhound is ill-mannered to say the least. Not to mention the philosophi cal implications. Such a pious judgment is simply mind-boggling. Just before getting peeved at the stu- FRANK STANFORD Columnist dent who said she was praying for me, I realized she was merely speaking her opinion, just like I do every week. In fact, it seems terribly unfair that my opinion is available all over campus, spread out under apartment puppies’ butts, and probably wrapped around a fish some where, while everyone else has to bottle theirs up. So, here are more of my bottled-up gripes: Bonfire is a pagan ritual and quite a waste of wood, but it's still a trip. However, some people aren't into that stuff and don't deserve to be harassed. This whole athletic department scandal makes me sick. The way some officials at this University point their fingers and cry, “Not me!” is pathetic. The NCAA reminds me of a second grade teacher scolding little boys and asking, “Who started it?” Take your raps like adults. Conservatism: an A&M disease that rots the brain. Like liberalism, any extremism is the same as beer. A few beers are OK, but 17 beers impair your thinking and are bad for your liv er - or in this case - mind. Too bad we can’t all just think a six-pack. Some liberal views don’t make you a “liberal” or vice versa. Espousing particular philosophies and political viewpoints because of some social tradition keeps people in a “thought rut”. Learn every thing you can and think for yourself, whether your parents and friends are hippies or yuppies. The library: this place is great - lots of books, computers and clean bathrooms - but Texas A&M is the third largest university in the country and loaded with cash. Shouldn’t the li brary be at least in the top 50? (It’s not.) Does an institution of higher learning really need another place to kick a ball around at the expense of the library? What are we, the YMCA? Athletics can be an integral part of any college experience, but it is not the most im portant. For instance, Ivy League schools have a good time with sports - without funding scandals - and are more highly thought of academically. Of course, the teams never win. But the students do. Aggie fanatics: Bonfire is a pagan rit ual and quite a waste of wood, but it’s still a trip. I’ve worked all night on it my self. Letterheads can shave their eye brows too, for all I care - at least it’s something interesting to look at. Howev er, some people aren’t into that stuff and don’t deserve to be harassed. If someone is so into traditions and being “red ass,” they should be in the Corps. If they aren’t, they’re hypocrites. Also, “Howdy-ing” off the quad has been dying hard at least since 1984 (fish Stanford). Getting mad enough to smash someone’s face in for not saying “Howdy! ”is sort of defeating the purpose. The more people hear it the more they will say it, or maybe they wont. There’s just nothing you can do about it. If you have opinions to blab, please write to Mail Call. The Battalion loves letters. If your gripe or question is for me, use e-mail. If not, tell your roommate. The important thing is to let your self be heard. Frank Stanford is a philosophy graduate student
