Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1994)
:tober 25, Police Beat Weekly dose of mayhem and mischief on campus Opinion mt legacy y a ted the conup -ansplaetelit; ,rans; Page 3 EDITORIAL: Politicians and the media should not use natural disasters like last week's floods for their own public relations campaigns. Page 7 Sports Sophomore Larry Walker Jr. impressing A&M with 41 tackles this season. Page 5 ONES DAY October 26, 1994 Vol. 101, No. 43 (8 pages) “Serving Texas A&M since 1893” ■sday | talion | ings | ! I J s. NEWS RIEFS lemocracy on hold for Haiti’s Aristide I PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The difficulties assembling a new government were illustrated Tuesday by the cumbersome process required to name the next Haitian prime minister, wealthy businessman imarck Michel. The president of Haiti’s lower house announced Tuesday that resident Jean-Bertrand Aristide had signaled Michel as Haiti’s premier- i-waiting. Frantz Robert Monde showed the t Chamber of Deputies a letter from the 1 newly returned president and said ' [Aristide was expected to convene the if body within 48 hours to ratify Michel. | But the Constitution requires that l|Aristide consult with the heads of both houses before officially announcing ' [his choice as prime minister. Monde I laid he met with Aristide on Monday, I but Senate President Firmin Jean- Houis has been nowhere to be found. I Worker compensation [costs continue to rise WASHINGTON (AP) — ompensation received by American /orkers continued rising at a record tow pace in the three months ended in leptember, the government said today. The Labor Department said worker ompensation increased at an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the third quarter of the year, the same as in the 12- month periods ending March 30 and June 30. Those increases were the smallest on record. Economists said after the last report that inflationary pressures from the employment lector appeared in check. I The government created the index in 1982. it measures changes in wages, salaries and costs to the employer for worker benefits such as |iealth insurance, vacations and sick leave. Analysts consider it one of the best gauges of wage inflation. The Labor Department said ages and salaries, which constitute 72 percent of total worker compensation, edged up 2.9 ercent, even less that the modest 3 percent reported three months ago. Benefit costs were up 3.8 percent, the same as the previous figure. GOP candidates predict victory at rally 'S/" ree pnly. ation is miARCRtff oft Drink ray! 1 other disco 11111 pon perord® ig Mr. Gatti’S' Today s 1 3ATX Classified 6 Opinion 7 Sports 5 Toons 3 Weather 3 What's Up BK 8 By Michele Brinkmann The Battalion Republican supporters rallied at a Grand Old Party to the tune of the Texas Ag gie War Hymn in the Texas Hall of Fame Tuesday night. George W. Bush, Republi can candidate for governor, and Jack Fields, U. S. Con gressman for the 8th Dis trict of Texas, and the Re publican team of candidates led 1,000 supporters in a grass-roots style rally. Fields said the Hall of Fame was a great place to have the rally because it represented a simple, down to earth campaign. “This (the Hall) shows the grass roots of the Republi can Party,” Fields said. “Brazos County is one of the largest Republican areas in the state,” he said. “It has very conservative people who want less taxes and a defense that is no less than the best.” Fields, the master of cer emonies for the rally, told the crowd to “get energized for the biggest victory our country has ever seen.” Fields predicted that the Republicans will rule the U.S. Senate and, for the first time in 40 years, will rule the U.S. House of Representatives. He said with Republicans ruling the Senate and House, President Bill Clinton will have a balanced budget and no new taxes to sign. Bush told an energized crowd he was glad to be in George Bush country. “I now know why George Bush put his presidential li brary here,” Bush said. “There is no place like Bryan- College Station and Texas A&M for an energy boost.” “I have worked hard to show Texas there is another George Bush in this state.” Bush thanked the A&M College Republicans for their support. “You have figured out the future of Texas before a lot of other Texans have,” Bush said. Bush said he has the ex perience in business and the “real world” that his oppo nent lacks. “I have 18 years experi ence in the business world,” he said. “My opponent has 18 years in the public sector.” Bush said he is a sup porter of small business and of taking chances to be successful. “You have to be willing to risk capital so anyone who wants a job can have one,” he said. “I will stand up for what is right for the people of Texas.” Bush said he is a support See GOP/Page 4 Blake Griggs/THE Battalion Republican gubernatorial candidate George W. Bush made his last B-CS appearance before the election at a College Republican rally at the Texas Hall of Fame last night. Oil spill clean up ex pected to take longer HOUSTON (AP) — Cooler weather Tuesday hampered oil-spill cleanup efforts in the San Jacinto 'River, and the Coast Guard said it would probably take most of the week to finish the job. Sunshine had helped oil evaporate into the atmosphere, but that process slowed under cloudy skies Tuesday. Some hard-to-reach shorelines also were taking longer to clean, Coast Guard Capt. Richard Ford said. Ford previously had expected the cleanup to be done Wednesday, but he amended that prediction to Friday or Saturday. About 600.000 gallons of petroleum products spilled last week after four pipelines in the rain-swollen river ruptured, causing a massive inferno. The fires had dwindled to a controlled burn that continued Tuesday. Colonial Pipeline Co. said it lost 400,0 0 0 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel, most of which either had evaporated or burned off in the fires. Madonna’s brother turns self in to police PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Madonna’s brother Martin Ciccone is back in jail, apparently at his own request. Ciccone, 37, of Rochester Hills was jailed on charges including drunken driving after a July 9 accident. A Detroit merchant posted his $2,500 bail Oct. 13, but he returned to the Oakland County Jail the next day and asked to be locked up, The Oakland Press reported Tuesday. He is being held on $5,000 bail. Why Ciccone wants to stay behind bars is a mystery. He's allowed to call out on Wednesdays only, and he hasn’t returned any messages. His next court appearance on the drunken driving charges is set for Nov. 10. Nick Rodnicki/THE Battalion Up, up and away Glen Meloy, a sophomore computer engineering major, takes advantage of the breeze from yesterday’s cold front to fly his kite on Simpson Drill Field in front of the Memorial Student Center. Negative political ads tarnishing candidates" image, election WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Richard Bryan, a Democrat in no apparent re-election trouble in Nevada, airs a commercial tagging his rival as a “special interest lobbyist in Washington D.C.” Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey, in a relatively easy race for re-election, shows an advertise ment accusing his Nebraska challenger of sit ting on a corporate board that “moved Ameri can jobs to Mexico.” And Sen. Paul Sarbanes, who seems com fortably ahead in his Maryland re-election campaign, has an ad saying his Republican opponent, as a lawmaker from Tennessee, “voted against the start of Medicare, the Vot ing Rights Act and the minimum wage.” Even some Democratic senators in relative ly good shape are attacking their rivals in television commercials this fall. “This is a year when voters are quick to believe the worst about politicians,” says Geoff Garin, advising Bryan’s re-election ef fort. “Incumbents and even the best-off in cumbents can’t afford to play these cam paigns on defense.” Polls say Bryan holds a lead of 20 percent age points or more over Hal Furman. He had been airing commercials that depicted him as an independent-minded senator working to fight crime and cut government waste. After Furman began attacking him, Bryan See Ads/Page 4 New century, millennium create pessimistic beliefs about society as a whole, says A&M professor By Lisa Messer The Battalion People are experiencing gen eral feelings of pessimism and cynicism in politics, religion and economics as the end of the century and the millennium draw near. Stjepan Mestrovic, a profes sor of sociology at Texas A&M, said pessimism is often seen at the end of a century, or “fin de siecle” as the French first called it in the 1880s. “The term literally means ‘end of century,’” Mestrovic said, “but it also has connotations for ‘end of millennium’ and ‘end of era.’ There’s also an apocalyptic connotation for ‘end of world.’” Mestrovic said evidence of pessimism can be seen through Americans’ disenchantment with politics. “Clinton succeeded in Haiti,” Mestrovic said, “hut people still don’t like Clinton. They dis trust him. “The polls show Americans are in lousy moods. No matter who is in power in politics, I think the American people would vote against them right now.” William McIntosh, a professor of sociology, said most people are looking for a large scale change. “A particular party or ideolo gy on the scene plays itself out after about 30 years,” McIntosh said. “That’s probably because all individuals make promises they can’t keep. It is fairly evi dent people are pessimistic about politics. I think we’re probably headed for a period of change to conservatism.” Mestrovic said people’s pes simism is evident in a worldwide apocalyptic fear. “Cults all over the country are preaching the end of the world is at hand,” Mestrovic said. “The mass deaths in Switzerland of Luc Jouret’s Or der of the Solar Temple and David Koresh’s following in Waco are examples.” Mestrovic said organized reli gions are a part of this apocalyp tic fear. “People say they have seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje, Bosnia saying that if the world doesn’t repent See Beliefs/Page 8 a : . “ ‘ - ^ \ ^ “I am IOO| percent confi dent that Brooke Leslie will be wear ing my Texas Longhorns sweat shirt,” he said. The bill states “the stu dent body pres ident must Melissa Jacobs 'he Battalion mm] A&M, UT student qll body presidents pla line in Aggie, Longhorn g-jjjl football face off The University of Texas students’ association presi dent has upped the stakes for the Nov. 5 football game between UT and A&M. John Black, UTs students’ as sociation presi dent, and other members of the students’ associ ation passed a hill requiring the losing school’s president to wear the winning school’s colors for one full day. Brooke Leslie, A&M’s student body president, said she accepted the bet. “I’m not worried about it,” she said. “I’m sure A&M will pull through, but it does give you something to think about.” Black said he takes credit for the idea. “Brooke and I have had the opportunity to work together on a business and a personal lev el,” he said. “Brooke and I have become good friends and whenever she comes to Austin I give her a hard time about the match-up.” Leslie said this year the student body presi dents have bridged the gap between the two schools. “I’ve gotten to know the student body presi dent and members of the student government really well,” she said. “We’ve built up a friend ship and I guess they thought this would be fun to do.” She said she will get a 12th Man jersey for Black to wear. Black said the sweat shirt he will get for Leslie to wear is going to be the brightest orange he can find, and it will simply read Texas Longhorns.’ t ce on TEXAS FOOTBALL pose in his/her loser’s regalia’ for a photo opportunity by both schools’ newspapers. The losing student body president will display the opponents hand sign’ (Homs) during said photo opportunity.” Black said the photo opportunity will be de termined by The Battalion and The Daily Texan. “If you want. I’ll drive up to College Station and the Aggies can embarrass me in any way they want to because I’m sure Brooke will he wearing orange,” he said. T’m really looking forward to Brooke putting up her horns. I think it’s something she’s been wanting to do for a long time.” Black said the bet fosters goodwill and pro motes interaction between the student governments. The bill states “The University of Texas Stu dents’ Association wishes to promote campus- wide joy by heating the hell outta’ those brain washed, NCAA violatin', no good mascot havin’, crew-cut wearin’, all dressed up in white and yellin’, “WHOOP” screamin’, alcohol voucher fakin’, silly tradition havin’. Cotton Bowl chokin’, bonfire buildin’ military neophytes in College Station.” See Bet/Page 4