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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 1994)
£ Battalion crown i by five ion isn’t who wot ?t Conference title t. verhouse Texas is on NCAA proba- r-n Methodist and I ’t receive champi- his year. , Rice, Texas, Ba i Christian gave , but ended up tied e title at 4-3. The ; the first time in -year history more ams have shared also the first time pi on has had more ic losses, dll go to the Cotton rst time since 1939 3 been away from n game in Dallas he other four co- ech becomes only team to qualify for vl with six regular 3 or fewer. Longhorns en r as the clear fa- he title in the ab- .ggies. But losses 3 Tech and A&M hopes and left dackovic barely job. ppeared to be in it but lost to Bay ed good until los- 'ech, which could league title out- t lost to TCU. ech is headed to wl, TCU, Baylor /e better overall 7-4. Rice, which 31-13 on Satur- 6. aded to the Sun laylor likely is Alamo Bowl and ependence Bowl. > epitome of the ' came on Oct. 29, es (10-0-1, 6-0-1 i tie against SMU le only team not ice game. t^C scheduled to Text season and ee from NCAA 995, it appears been a one-time rity. n Pg5 ng the Oilers wo quarters as tin grew stead- ipped the run- m Fisher took s ago, the sud- ted Oilers were come from be- d lost each of ir games by 3 nd themselves sr Hoard’s first n at the start of ;er. ded all doubt its own terri- ct two posses- up a 23-yard att Stover and scoring run. > also opened ith a 37-yard e 14 consecu- s, two away g Don Cock- xrd. completed 15- or 199 yards ped several ton penalties, st touchdown 1 by a 27-yard ze and an off- ourth-and-2, -yard TD in rter came af- bertson was ass interfer- zone. lly Joe Tolliv- 33 for 124 lifers’ only on a 1-yard White — was McNair’s 44- turn to mid- id quarter. tidis Monday • November 28, 1994 . --i.y The Battalion Holidays wrap up giving spirit Christmas miracles are only a shopping trip away ELIZABETH PRESTON E very year, on the day after Thanksgiving, my mother and I wake up early, bolster our I courage with breakfast at our favorite | bagel shop and attack the malls. We enjoy the time together, the great bargains, the crowds of people, but we particularly cherish a new part of this tradition we started last year. It began when, out of pure desper ation near the end of last year’s trip, we found ourselves in a store we never shop in. At the door was a Christmas tree filled with paper toy soldiers with writing on therp. Curious, we decided to investigate fur ther. It turns out that each ornament had a description of a child or an elderly person and a few gifts they needed or would enjoy. We were excited by the idea, but we weren’t sure of the details. We found a helpful salesclerk who knew about the project, and she filled us in. The particular tree we were looking at was sponsored by the Salvation Army. However, there are trees like this one sponsored by various charitable organiza tions in almost every mall during this season. Customers were encouraged to pick an ornament off of the tree and buy one, some or all of the gifts listed. The gifts did not have to be from the store with the tree, or even from the mall we were in. People could just buy the pre sents where they could find them and then bring them back to the original store. Then they wrap the gifts and deliver them to the needy children and adults in time for Christmas. After shopping for roughly 10 hours, my mother and I were feeling quite worn out, but this idea gave us new en ergy. We each picked an ornament off of the tree, and then we spent two hours going to several stores in search of gifts. Some of the requests were heartbreaking in their simplicity, and others were just toys that any normal child would wish for from Santa Claus. Last year. Mom’s little girl received a dress and a night gown with lace on it. I bought mine a large doll with differ ent outfits, among other more useful items. We are never able to buy everything on the lists, but we usually only leave one wish unanswered. This year we went to that store first thing in the morning, and chose our ornaments with care. I picked a 4-year-old girl named Joann, and my mom chose to help a senior citizen. Jesse was 75 years old, and all she asked for was a blanket, a warm-up suit and a sweater. Joann needed shoes, underwear and a coat, but she also wanted a Barbie. We bought them almost everything they asked for and dropped off their pre sents, as we had done the year before. Then, I began to feel guilty. Why was I buying presents for my family and friends when there are children without shoes and coats? Why do I have a wonderful family to share an exquisite Thanksgiv ing meal with when some people need hugs desperately? These are dangerous questions, because they have no satis factory answers. Guilt is an important emotion, one that propels us to apol ogize when we act insensitively, or encourages us to finish projects that we start. It also has the ability to paralyze. If we start to feel guilty, and think about the sheer num bers involved with the homeless population in our country, it becomes harder to help. No one person, or even a family, can make a difference that will show up in the official Census Bureau statistics, or that will end all suffering. The overwhelming guilt and the feeling that we cannot single-handedly change the world, allows us to dismiss the problem. Instead of telling ourselves that helping one per son is better than ignoring the problem, we tell ourselves that nothing we do will make a large enough difference. The truth is, we probably won’t change the world. But an extra 30 dollars or a few hours of volunteer work goes a long way in one needy person’s life. Don’t throw your budgets and lists of presents to the wind and charge gifts for homeless people wildly. And don’t sit in your warm living rooms with your loving fami lies and ignore the less fortunate. Find a happy medium where you can take care of your families and help some needy people. And think of Joann and Jesse on Christmas morning. I hope they are safe. Elizabeth Preston is a junior English major Way out Liberals (DO inhale) Social Engineers-^ Far out Fascits (DO inhale) , Just Thankful not to be Democrats Social Engineers Bleeding Heart Liberals TUB Might as Well be Republicans A Tad Libertarian Might as Well be Democrats TWO CoLOiiQS J OL r TAST£! CT)S(SDs The Battalion Editorial Board Belinda Blancarte, Editor in chief Mark Evans, Managing editor Jenny Magee, Opinion editor Sterling Hayman, Asst, 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, j letters express ti Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. Whose wet .fare? Republican agenda forgets those in need The Republican’s plan to reform welfare is pulling the rug right out from under the feet of those who tru ly are in need of such services. The proposed plan under the new Republican Congress calls for a set annual limit on welfare spending in cluding programs such as food stamps, school lunches and aid to the elderly and disabled. While there is a definite need for wel fare reform, this is not the answer. Perhaps governmental spend- ing could be cut in the areas of defense spending and congressional pensions or perhaps there could be more focus on job training. Whatever the solution the answer is not in taking away gov ernment welfare programs. First and foremost, the children, elderly and disabled will suffer from this new proposal. These individu als often cannot help the position they are in and are in desperate need of help. By cutting back on welfare and similar programs, their victimization will continue. Hunger and poverty will continue to plague the nation. The Republicans need to consider what effect this plan will have in the future. Setting limits on welfare spending neglects to consider how the system would provide for a dra matic increase in eligible welfare re cipients in the case of a natural or economic disaster. One positive part of this reform is the fact that it would give power to the states to —^gggg their OWU needs. This would help to cut back on ifflWMlM red-tape and govern ment bureaucracy. However, there needs to be some involvement from the fed eral government in setting general guidelines for the states to abide by. The welfare program has become a serious problem in recent years. It is fair to say that some people who benefit from it don’t deserve it and there is a need for some reorganiza tion. But these new reforms should not hurt those who are in need of governmental assistance. The plan proposed by the Republi cans may help control those who abuse the system, but will also abuse those who truly need it. No walk is the only acceptable kind of walk This letter is in response to the edi torial in The Battalion on Nov. 23. The writers of this editorial want an “all or nothing” policy regarding walks so they can make travel plans. In my understanding, Texas A&M is a University, not a high school. Walks are great when they happen. But when professors start catering to every event that students can ratio nalize meriting a walk, valuable class time is lost. Professors are pressed for time to finish all the material on the syllabus as it is . The only acceptable University poli cy is that walks are unacceptable. Any other policy reflects negatively on the University’s attitude toward academics, and toward the value of our money. I paid for classes, not for walks. If you want to get home faster, skip a class, but don’t expect a University- approved walk. That wastes my money and time that should be spent in the classroom. Sherry LaBelle Class of ’9 7 Food and clothing drive helps needy flood victims For the past week, the Student Government Association has been col lecting food, clothing and supplies for the flood victims in southeast Texas. The drive ended on Wednesday, Nov. 23. On behalf of the Student Government Association and myself, I would like to thank everybody that do nated food and clothing. The drive was quite successful and will help many families in southeast Texas. Just because the drive is over does n’t mean that you can’t keep sending supplies to the disaster-stricken area. Nor does it mean that these people don’t need supplies anymore. Times are still hard in southeast Texas and government funding is slow in getting to these people. With the Thanksgiving and Christ mas holidays close at hand, supplies are even greater in need. The holidays should also increase our desire to give. Isn’t that what these holidays are about, giving? The people in southeast Texas are members of our families, they are fel low Texans, they are fellow Aggies and they are people in need. Therefore, I ask you to get into the spirit of the holidays, get into the spir it of being an Aggie and get into the spirit of helping other people in need. One of the greatest feelings in the world is to know that you are making a difference in another person’s life. Help the flood victims in southeast Texas by donating supplies. Gig ‘Em! Pat Troy Class of ’98 Co-head of Flood Relief as 9 Prayers, politics and Republicans Religious Right gains momentum, seeks to dominate Republican agenda 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, 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 W atch what you wish for ... you might actually get it. Earlier this month, voters wished for a change. On Nov. 8 they got it. There have been all sorts of expla nations for the outcomes of the 1994 election. “This is clearly a vote against the Democrats.” “This is a continua tion of the same desire for change that elected Clinton in 1992.” “This vote wasn’t about partisanship, it was a vote of anti-incumbency.” Regardless of what the message was, two things were made apparently clear on Nov. 8: 1. Plain and simple, the Democrats got slaughtered. 2. The Republican party, particularly the Religious Right faction, has contin ued to gain voter support over the past few years. The rising popularity of this Christian political movement can be attributed to the perception that America’s moral are rapidly decaying. Well, the perfect remedy to this prob lem would be to elect legislators whose goals include advancing the Christian agenda, right? After all, anything done in the name of God and religion has to be good, right? Well, not really. Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re thinking: “Uh, oh. Here we go again. Another liberal, communist, satanic Battalion columnist. He’s attacking re ligion. Bum him at the stake!” Hold your horses. This isn’t an attack on re ligion. It’s an examination of the larg er role that religion is beginning to play in our political system. The Religious Right’s agenda is al ready being brought to the forefront. The most notable issue being that of school prayer. The Right is pushing for a desig nated time during the day to allow stu dent or faculty lead prayer in public schools. Don’t get this confused with a silent time for reflection: it’s not. Allowing this to pass would be horri- STERLING HAYMAN Assistant Opinion Editor ble. After all, we weren’t all cut with the same cookie cutter, and neither were our religions. The moment that schools start espousing a certain religion, many students are going to start feeling alien ated or start to question their own reli gions. Surely if the schools are spout ing Christian prayers every morning, there must be something wrong with every other religion. I have always been taught that prayer is a very personal thing, not to be recited in unison at the same time each day of the week. This school prayer thing would turn prayer into a ritualistic meaningless chant, much like the Pledge We weren't all cut with the same cookie cutter. Neither were our religions. of Allegiance has become. Not only are some bad issues on the agenda of the Religious Right, but there are also a few bad apples leading the movement. Pat Robertson, a one-time presidential candidate and major force behind the Religious Right, is a prime example of someone that doesn’t need to play an in tricate part in shaping our country’s leg islation. Although he leads many people in their religious endeavors each week, it doesn’t make him a good political leader. In fact, some of his views don’t seem to be “religious” at all. Take, for instance, his observation of the recent support for the Equal Rights Amendment: “This is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their • children, practice witchcraft, destroy cap italism and become lesbians.” , Whew! Them’s fightin’ words. Earth to Pat. Sounds like someone has completely missed the entire idea of this issue. Scares the dickens out of me that he is leading the pack of the Religious Right. What people need to understand is that even if both houses of Congress and the White House were run by the most moral people in the country, it still wouldn’t affect the morality of the citi zens. That comes from the home and the family, not from government. The Republicans, after 40 years of complaining, will now have a chance to try to remedy all the moral woes of the country. I sincerely wish them the best of luck in doing it. However, the plans that I have seen so far from leave much to be desired. Being able to carry a concealed handgun around town isn’t going to solve any crime problems. Taking children away from welfare mothers and putting them in orphanages is far from strengthening family values. And Jesse Helms making threatening comments toward the Presi dent certainly doesn’t solve any social or economic problems. Ahhh, but just when you thought the political system was looking kind of drea ry, out comes a shining star. Good ol’ Ross Perot has decided that if the Gener- L al Agreement on Tariffs and Trade pass es during this lame-duck session of Con gress, he will do what is necessary to form a true third political party. Maybe then we should worry about praying. ^ ^ Sterling Hayman is a junior political science major