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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 1994)
Tuesday October 11, 1994 ber 11, It)} • H SPORIi iFS am takes nnesota len’s golf teai ie Northwester; rmorial Classi; lead over ed by Anthor;, ed fifth in Hit with a 71,Drt 3th place. Rp jtt tied for n. i by Jeff Bror Wearing 'gay' T-shirt on campus draws criticism, compliments Ison lay ’) — Any- )ilers uni ts booed iless it’s the team are of crit- , Richard- med exis- is as the quarter- . Richard- proach to ithusiasm Id scram- an enter- iining fea- !9t as I can round ail i Sunday nebodys ippen.” niggling hoot of- mpts to s of the ack sets lee and i Kevin barge of ? been hing of- d offen- )n have a heavy nearby a&m, the Oil- ss. His iy when would- covered ee and owl ction. , it identi- 3 that re- her were ty-owned :ertifi ca ' company ! 103,195 e in the ji s putes 3t of sH ! project, for any dit- But city o ffl ' dnst the .tractors d-IVtac's utive of- iied any ;ed fully er, nev- been Jal'Mac in Mon- Dali 88 t know they’ re Asa freshman, I remember seeing a /\ man in Bemie’s with a T-shirt that JL Ajsaid “Everybody thinks I’m straight.” The way the people stared at him was both rude and painfully obvious. At the time, I idly remarked to my friend that I would be interested in wear ing a shirt like that sometime. When I re alized that October 11 was National Com- ng Out Day, I was galvanized into action. I went to Club 202 - the only place in town that is open-minded enough to sell T-shirts that support the homosexual community - and bought one that said “Some of my best friends are straight.” I have had one uncle die from AIDS, and another is presently infected with the disease. In addition, several people have told me horror stories about the cruel treatment inflicted upon them because of their sexuality. As a result of these and other reasons, I have al ways been openly supportive of the homo sexual community. I am a member of Allies, a homosexual sup port group here on campus. This accepting atti tude is sometimes difficult to maintain in this bastion of conservatism, so I constantly try to --vC' 1,7 The Battalion • Page 11 Walking a mile in their shoes wears on your soul ELIZABETH PRESTON think of new ways to pub licly demonstrate my re ceptiveness to the A&M homosexual community. The night before I wore the shirt I spoke with sev eral friends to gauge their reactions. Three thought that I was coming out of the closet. One friend pointed out that I would be telling the community I was gay, and that every one - gasp - would not read my column to correct that impression. I was only a few hours into this experiment and already feeling uncomfortable. I then began to worry that the homosexual peo ple on campus might see me and trust my T- shirt. If someone came out to me because they believed I was homosexual and then discovered that it was an experi ment, the betrayal would be deep and uncorrectable. All this oc- I curred to me before I even walked out of my house. I walked to school early and went to Pie Are Square. A handsome man sitting at a table stared at my shirt openly and then pointed me out to his friends as I waited in line. As I walked around campus all day, the reac tions remained constant. In Hullabaloo people stared as they read my T-shirt, then quickly looked away without making eye contact. When I was walking with a friend in the after noon, a young woman looked at me closely and then laughed out loud. She touched my arm and said “Great T-shirt!” with a kind smile. In my last class of the day, a man who always compliments my style glared as he read the shirt, rolled his eyes at me and then scoffed audibly as he turned his back. This was the worst re sponse of the day. The surprise reaction for the day came from the Quad. I stereotypically assumed that when I strolled around the Quad people would stare, point or otherwise show Homosexuals do not choose to be gay, but in coming forward with their sexuality they are choosing to be an example in honesty that we should all strive to follow. themselves to be homophobes. Actually, all of the people I encountered there that read the T-shirt smiled broadly at me and practically yelled an enthusiastic “HOWDY!” I don’t know if I just came across accepting Corps members, if the stereotypes are overblown or if the Corps are just so scared of being burned by another scandal that they are overcompensating. Whatever the reason, they were the nicest ^ people I came across all day. The reactions were nowhere near as hateful as~ I had imagined they would be. Speaking with < friends this weekend, many pointed out that the reactions would have been sig- nificantly different had a man worn thev shirt. For inexplicable reasons men re act much stronger to gay men than do women. I also realize that throwing on a T- shirt and wearing it around campus all day does not come close to discovering how it feels to be homosexual in today’s homophobic world. Today is National Coming Out Day, and all T around the country brave men and --y- women are stepping out of the closet to - join the ever growing homosexual popu- Il lation. Facing the stares and comments £ for one day, even knowing the next day E'- - would be straight again, was a humiliat ing and humbling experience. Having the guts to come out and face v* those reactions for the rest of your life! is admirable and must be the most dif- ^ ficult process a person can go through. Homosexuals do not choose to be gay, but in ■ : .\£ coming forward with their sexuality they are choosing to be an example in honesty that we '*■ should all strive to follow. Elizabeth Preston is a junior English major 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 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 tne opinions of the authors. Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. \it & coNHa SUMCE'EH ur Toutwni! Legislating Lobbying Need for reform remains despite bill's failure The Lobby Reform and Disclosure Act passed the U.S. House of Repre- | sentatives, but Thursday, a filibuster Allied the bill in the Senate. Although the bill had flaws and was should not have passed, reform of the lobbying industry is still needed. Lobbyists constitute one of the most powerful political forces in this country. The influence they wield can help determine the fate of al most any legislation, including funding for universities like Texas A&M, determining crim inal punishments and estab lishing tax rates. The failed bill included several points which would be beneficial to the future regulation of the lobbyists. When a similar bill come to Congress’ floor again, these features need to be present in it. Under the Lobby Re form and Disclosure Act, small groups who paid out more than $2,500 for expenses or spent more than $5000 during a six-month period, would have had to register with a director of lobbying. The same would have been required of groups who spent 10 percent or more of their time contacting federal offi cials over specific issues. Groups who dedicate such resources should be considered influential on legisla tion, and subject to regulations. The banning ofrfree T TuHebes is also needed. Such practice is considered unethical in several professional fields, and congressmen should be held to the same standards, if not higher. They earn enough money to pay for their own food, and should not be influenced by “ritzy” dinners at “the club.” Religious organizations would have been exempt from such reg ulations under the proposed bill. However, these organizations also have special interests and spend a great deal of time trying to attract the ears of Washington. They too, should be in cluded as lobbyists, as they attempt to influence public policy. Many constituents are members of these lobby ing organizations and should have the right to know how their membership dues are being spent. Yet, individuals who are not members of interest groups should also have the right to equally access their representative. With such government regula tions, both lobbyists and individuals will still be able to voice their opin ion and see its effects on the law. rthir rmticv: otnrtn or. niernot 1RLM That lAEKE 'S kA - <we2&}2© U.S. should have finished Iraq job American soldiers again may die in defense of oil, money )OSEF A. ELCHANAN Trade school mentality sacrifices 'education' I have never read anything so offen sive to the spirit of education as Amy Michelle Bench’s whining critique (Oct. 7) of her professor’s alleged tantrum.” Bench is upset over her in structor’s criticism of his students who had not sufficiently read for the day.” Now, understandably, the ideal situa tion where everyone has read and is prepared to discuss the assignment is farely, if ever, reached. However, that is no reason that a professor should not expect students to strive for that ideal. That is precisely the value of ideals - they are goals to be worked toward. When people fall short of the ideal, encouragement and sometimes criticism are called for. What is most pathetic and offensive about Bench’s complaint is her charac terization of what she refers to as “the i of the college experience,” which is supposedly to “teach students what vivfyiHSy 1 : " •pHy" -'U v immmm&MMm they need to know to be a part of the competitive job market.” In other words, students are not here to experi ence life, broaden themselves and their minds, be challenged by new ideas inside and outside the class room, grow emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Rather we should rec ognize that students come to our Uni versity merely to receive job training. Arguably, this trade school mentality is the largest problem facing educa tors today. Bench has given voice to a common view of the value (or lack of value) of what used to be referred to as “an education.” While it is, per haps, amusing and ironic that she is studying English — a discipline known for producing subtle intellects, well developed souls and articulate waiters - what is truly frightening is that she plans to “stand before her own class room of men and women struggling to get an education.” All I can say is giv en her attitude they will no doubt be struggling! Ryan Soisson Department of Philosophy The Battalion encour ages tetters to the editor and wil! print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or Jess and mdude 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 College Station, IX 77843-1 til Fax:(409)845-2647 E-mail: Batt@tamvm1 .tanu.edu W hen we all were in high school, the image of Colonel Oliver North in front of Congress, explaining U.S. foreign policy in the new world order was somewhat depressing. Finally, many Americans were forced to realize that our country’s leaders were doing some pretty underhanded things, like selling weapons to unscrupulous countries around the world. Then, in my freshman year of college, visions of tanks blasting away across the desert landscapes and terror weapons unleashed by a backward and vicious country continuing its petty little struggle for power in the Middle East filled our television screens. All around America, families were putting- up yellow ribbons and praying for low casualties. Unfortunately, many strategists of the time were calculating thousands of American losses during the Gulf War. The single reason that our losses were so low is that instead of striking at the heartland of Iraq, liberating the Kurds from Iraqi oppression and creating a safe environment for the Saudis and Kuwaitis, the United States, under the leadership of President Bush, decided to stop its offensive — the poorest of military strategies — and set-up sanctions instead. Now, four years after the big parades and with a new president, we are again preparing for an attack by Saddam Hussein against Kuwait, or his possible use of blackmail to force the world into easing the sanctions levied against Iraq. While Americans are in Haiti, trying to fix a problem we got involved in long ago, we are now being pulled back into a problem we helped to create in the Middle East. While many people hate to admit it, Ross Perot has again provided a glimpse into the mirror of our foreign policy, and it is a poor sight to behold. When the Congressmen of this country ignore many of the discoveries of the Iran-Contra affair, they also did not allow the American people to realize how we were supporting people around the world through unsafe arm sales. These dictators, who we all despise for their brutal regimes and aggressive natures, were created by the U.S. government in some kind of balancing game with the Soviet Union. Now that we do not need them anymore and they have become intolerable to our new-found sensibilities, we are forced to destroy them. On top of these problems, our military has not received the kind of support that it truly needs. Tactical needs, like more troops and training, have fallen by the wayside while base closings and fancy weapon systems have gotten all our Congress’s attention. Everyone also should remember that many soldiers came home from the Persian Gulf with illnesses as yet unexplained and uncured. These soldiers have been ignored by the military, much like their fathers who were poisoned by Agent Orange in Vietnam. Again, we have asked these same men and women to protect an ungrateful country so that they can be ignored when they come back wounded and sick. Money talks, it seems, and soldiers are expendable. While former president Bush runs around making speeches about his wonderful successes, the troops that he should have allowed to take Iraq last time are now there again because he did not have the guts. We were forewarned. Two men, both generals and presidents, told us of the problems we have now. In their last moments of office, George Washington advised future Americans to not get involved in, “foreign entanglements,” and Dwight Eisenhower warned of the, “military-industrial complex.” Now, we are both up to our noses in the foreign affairs of others and are being guided by interests of profit and greed instead of common sense and morality. When people around the world are being decimated through famine, plague and war, we barely step in; but when our oil supply is threatened, ^ we jump through the hoops like trained circus animals. Furthermore, the countries we are defending are not exactly the most democratic people on earth. Both the Saudis and the Kuwaitis guarantee almost no rights for women, to the point that our women in uniform had to cover themselves in the native garb in order to move around in those countries. Moreover, how many people remember how our soldiers were ordered to take their American flag patches off their uniforms and were asked to not discuss their religious values with ~~ anyone? Yet, our men and women may die for these people. Whether Iraq makes an aggressive move that forces us to f war is now a totally irrelevant issue. The very fact that we are being forced to deal with it is the issue. Instead of the end of the Cold War becoming a time of n \ peace, it has again pushed us onto the brink of war, and all for a little oil. Josef A. Elchanan is a senior - business management major When people around the world are being dec imated by famine, plague and war, we barely step in; but when our oil supply is threatened, we jump through hoops like trained animals.