Thursday • April 6, 1995
The Battalion • Page 11
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Clinton lacks
expertise in
foreign policy
David
Taylor
Columnist
I hear tell our President wants to write
a book. Of course, in the hyper-compet
itive political book market our Presi
dent should come up with a catchy title.
He should choose: “How To Hurt Your
Friends,” by William Jefferson Clinton —
it’s cooler to use your full name for these
political books.
Here’s a likely plot line.
Let’s take a country that’s been the
U.S.’ best friend through thick and
thin and find a way to make it mad.
For many years the Irish Republican
Army has tried to force Great Britain into
making Northern Ireland part of Ireland,
against the wishes of the majority of the
Northern Irish.
The I.R.A. has used such universally
appreciated techniques as random car
bombs in London, which have killed thou
sands of innocent civilians. The I.R.A. has
a political wing called Sinn Fein and is
headed by Gerry Adams.
The I.R.A has steadfastly refused to re
nounce terror as a weapon in all the years
of it’s existence. You might say that Sinn
Fein is not a very popular organization in
England. Guess who was issued an unre
stricted visa and invited to a state dinner
by William Jefferson Clinton?
I know how he can make it better,
though.
If I remember right, 1995 is the 50th
anniversary of the end of World War II.
Okay, not really an excuse to party, but
definitely worthy of remembrance.
William Jefferson Clinton has received
an invitation from Her Majesty, Queen
Elizabeth II, to attend a reception com
memorating the allied victory over Hitler.
The United States and Great Britain
fought side-by-side like no two nations
had ever fought before. Many Americans
gave their lives in the defense of England
and the retaking of France.
So William Jefferson Clinton will
spend the week in Moscow.
( I am sure that Clinton will want to in-
cludej a chapter on where he gained his
vast expertise in foreign policy.
Whenever William Jefferson Clinton
needs advice on, say, how to handle dicta
tors from the strategically situated sub
continent of Haiti, he picks up the phone
and dials 1-800-CALL-JIMMY.
Yes, now you too can receive bril
liant strategic insights on how to give
$1 billion to Communist dictators in
North Korea in order to secure a
promise of, well ... nothing.
Of course, William Jefferson Clinton
has a lot of experience with the James
Earle Carter technique of foreign policy.
It was simple, actually. All he had to do
was go all over the world telling people
how ashamed he was of his country.
I am not making this part up.
Jimmy Carter told Raul Cedras that
he was “ashamed of my country’s poli
cy towards Haiti.” He then proceeded
to invite Cedras to teach his Sunday
School class. Sunday School, of course,
being a traditional training ground for
budding despots.
William Jefferson Clinton spent most
of his college years traveling the world,
making sure the world knew how
ashamed he was of our foreign policies.
This, of course, coming from a person
whose actual foreign policy experience
consisted of ordering French crepes at the
i International House of Pancakes.
Now it’s time for the chapter on
William Jefferson Clinton’s crowning
achievements, also known as “How to
take credit for what someone else did.”
Clinton should take great pride in his
ability to sign his name. He did that very
well when he signed for the U.S. on the
treaty between the Palestine Liberation
Organization and Israel. Clinton did a
wonderful job of not screwing-up what his
predecessors had worked on for a decade.
Good on ya’!
Our aspiring writer may want to leave
out that chapter on Somalia.
You know, the one where the local mil
itary commander pleads for tanks, but
Clinton and his Defense Secretary decide
they know better. Clinton may also want
to forget about the two-dozen young men
who died the following week in crossfire
because they have no armored support.
Clinton may want to forget it, but I won’t.
The final chapter is called “Whatever
you do, don’t offend Japan.”
This is where Clinton relates how he
was able to keep the Japanese Prime
Minister out of trouble by scaling-back
the ceremonies at Pearl Harbor.
Hey, Clinton feels your pain.
On second thought, maybe this book
thing isn’t such a good idea. Right now no
one has realized all the dubious achieve
ments of William Jefferson Clinton.
If he ever does actually write a book
about his foreign policy, Clinton could do
wonders for I.H.O.P.
I can see it now: “Rooty Tooty Fresh N’
Fruity,” by William Jefferson Clinton.
Kinda’ has a nice ring to it...
David Taylor is a senior
management major
Tragic accident leaves unanswered questions
I trembled fiercely as I
stared at the badly man
gled body hooked up to a
life support system. He was
completely motionless. All I
could ask myself was, “Is
this really my brother?”
My older brother, who I
had always looked up to, had
broken his neck, back, facial
bones, leg and had badly damaged both of his eyes. He
was covered with scars and had knocked out a few
teeth. Fortunately, these were all injuries that would
almost completely heal with time.
What would never heal was the severe head injury
he received. The doctors said his brain had been thrown
around inside his skull and was now severely swollen
and bruised.
The swelling was being monitored by a bolt inserted
in his skull. The doctors had no idea what he would be
like once the swelling went down, if it ever did. All we
could do was wait.
While we waited I had mixed feelings about my
brother’s accident. I felt sorry and scared for him be
cause he would probably never have a normal life
again, if he ever woke up. But I was also extremely an
gry with him because I felt like the condition he was in
was his fault.
He had been riding his bike at eight o’clock in the
morning, after a night of partying with alcohol and
drugs. He did not realize was that his judgment was
still impaired, because he was under the influence of al
cohol and marijuana.
His poor judgment caused him to pull out in front of
a car going 55 mph. Because the car was going so fast,
my brother was thrown over 300 feet.
The ambulance arrived, only to find an unidentified
body struggling to live. He died twice on the scene. It
was a miracle that they finally stabilized him after an
hour of work. Because of the severity of his injuries, my
brother was flown in a medical helicopter to a hos
pital. He spent hours in surgery and finally
slipped into a coma.
We just waited to see if he would continue to
live. I wanted my brother back. I did not want to
watch him die.
After many long days of waiting and praying,
the swelling of his brain subsided and my brother
finally opened his eyes. He could barely speak and
was now mentally retarded. He didn’t even know
who his own family was.
As I starred at his bewildered face, I realized that al
though he was awake, this was not the same brother I
used to have. I took over the role of being the oldest
child in my family. We would have to teach him how to
do basic things such as walking and talking that we
had always taken for granted.
After months of being strapped to a bed in the inten
sive care unit, my brother was moved to a rehabilita
tion center. Each and every day, his condition improved
as he went through painful sessions of physical and oc
cupational therapy. He began to speak coherent sen
tences and could walk slowly with a limp.
We thought he would recover completely, but physi
cal and mental scars from the accident still remained.
The doctors said his brain would never heal because
in addition to it being severely bruised, the drugs and
alcohol that were in his bloodstream at the time of the
accident made it a million times worse. He would never
have clear thoughts again.
My brother began to have daily hallucinations of
traveling to different countries such as France and
England. He even dreamed that an atomic bomb had
exploded and ended the world.
He couldn’t tell what was real and what was an
illusion. He felt so frustrated when he told stories
of his daily adventures, and he heard responses
like, “Are you crazy?”
What was frustrating to the rest of us was that he
had lost his short-term memory. In addition to not re
membering over half of his life, he would forget what
someone had just told him.
After many long months of rehabilitation, my broth
er finally learned how to do basic things to live. Howev
er, he will never be able to live without supervision.
Today, four years after the accident, my 24-year-old
brother hangs out with eighth graders. People his own
age do not speak to him because he has a personality
disorder. His IQ is 85, he is almost completely blind
and barely knows how to read.
Basically, he is a social outcast. His scarred body in
timidates people; his personality makes people think
he’s insane.
Drugs ruined my brother’s life. He will never lead a
normal life because of one night of what he considered
fun. He will never leave home, he will never get an edu
cation and he will never even have a family.
Last year, the government labeled my brother “per
manently disabled” when they decided to give him dis
ability checks the rest of his life. He will never be nor
mal again.
Whenever I look at my brother’s face, I want to ask
him, “Was doing drugs worth losing your life? How
could you be so stupid?”
Drugs are not worth the trouble they cause. Do we
know anyone who has benefited from drugs? Is it worth
the risk of ending up like my brother?
We all hear the stories of rock stars, actors and ath
letes dying from drug overdoses. Some of us don’t real
ize how damaging drugs are until someone close to us
is killed or is permanently disabled.
Do tragedies have to strike each one of us before peo
ple stop doing drugs?
If people decide to have fun with drugs, they should
think about the pain they could cause themselves and
others. They should recognize that they have a problem
and get help before they lose their future.
No one wants to end up like my brother.
Amy Collier is a sophomore journalism major
Mail
Call
Selena — ambassador
of Latin culture, music
The immense talent, charisma, and
personality of the music star Selena
Quintanilla will be sorely missed not
only in Texas, but throughout the
United States, and many parts of the
world. I do not believe the article on
April 3 illustrated this artist’s various
accomplishments and their impact on
a great number of people, especially
the global Hispanic populations
The vigil held in Corpus Christi for
the fatally murdered woman lasted 12
hours, and was attended by many
Texans, as well as fans from Miami,
California, New York and Mexico. Se
lena’s influence was not limited to the
South Texas community, as her fame
continued to grow to an international
level. This 23 year-old achieved more
in her short lifetime than many could
begin to imagine.
Perhaps most importantly, Quin
tanilla was an example for many
young people, actively promoting both
a vigorous mind and a strong body
through campaigns for education and
abstinence from drugs.
Selena embodied the manner in
which success could be achieved
through perseverance and used her
position to positively influence youths
in dire need of a role model.
Selena also made great headway in
achieving Hispanic representation in
the music, movie, and television in
dustries. In 1994, the artist won a
Grammy for Best Mexican-American
Album, Selena Live, and was nomi
nated for another in 1995 for Amor
Prohibido.
Though her work was labeled Te-
jano, this dynamic artist combined
rock, salsa, and cumbia influences in
her music. Her vivacious talent knew
no limits, as she had concert perfor
mances pending in Argentina, Spain
and Fherto Rico.
Recently appearing in the movie
“Don Juan de Marco,” to be released
April 7, starring Marlon Brandon and
Faye Dunaway, and also recording a
song with Bryan Adams, this spirited
woman integrated Latin talent and
the Hispanic culture into many insti
tutions.
Selena also had a minor role in a
highly popular telenovela, Dos Mu-
jeres Un Camino, aired on the global
ly number one rated Hispanic pre
miere network, Univision. Univision
enjoyed especially high rating during
the time in which she appeared on the
show. Her personality and flare were
an instant attraction to Hispanics, es
pecially in Texas, and westward to
California, and brought her increased
fame with fans in Cuba, Puerto Rico
and the Dominican Republic.
In her short-lived career, this ab
stemious Coca-Cola spokesperson was
already worth over $5 million. Howev
er, the influence she had on those who
admired her, and the Mexican-Ameri
can representation she achieved by
crossing cultural frontiers is immea
surable.
I do hope the remarkable Selena
Quintanilla will be remembered for
her outstanding achievements as a
multi-talented Mexican-American
artist and a gifted representative of
the global Hispanic community.
Her death is a great loss to those
who would follow her example and
learn from her many talents.
Catherine Pacheco
Class of ’97
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EDITORIAL BOARD
Mark Smith
Editor in chid
Jay Robbins Heather Winch
Senior Managing Managing editor
editor for Business
Sterling Hayman
Opinion editor
Erin Hill
Asst, opinion editor
EDITORIAL
Aggie Buck Access
The Texas Legislature should pass the bill
allowing the expanded use of Aggie Bucks.
The bill which now is under consid
eration by the Texas House of Repre
sentatives to expand the Aggie Bucks
debit card system off-campus should
be passed. This expansion would bene
fit not only students, but the Universi
ty and community as well.
Currently, Aggie Bucks can only be
used for on-campus services and mer
chandise. This system limits students
to the number of places they are able
to spend their money.
For many students, the price of
textbooks is a major burden each se
mester. The current system forces
those students purchasing books with
Aggie Bucks to shop at the MSC book
store. This creates a monopoly and
does not allow these students the op
tion of comparing prices and, in turn,
saving money. *
By expanding the debit card system
to off-campus establishments, stu
dents would have more flexibility in
deciding how to spend their Aggie
Bucks. This could not only help lessen
the financial burden on students, but
could also help stimulate the growth of
the local economy.
Furthermore, the Texas Banking
Commission is now questioning the le
gality of the Aggie Bucks system. Con
cerns have been raised about whether
the Aggie Bucks system is in direct vi
olation of the Texas Banking Code.
Certainly, no one wants the Aggie
Bucks system to be abolished. However,
the structure of the system should be
reorganized so that it is in complete
compliance with the Texas Banking
Commission and so that it increases
benefits to the students of Texas A&M.
While expanding the debit card sys
tem to off-campus would be beneficial,
certain limits must be defined. Stu
dents only should be allowed to spend
Aggie Bucks on similar services and
merchandise that is currently avail
able on-campus. Without some re
straints, the debit card system would
become uncontrollable and could re
sult in unnecessary hassles.
If the Aggie Buck system is expand
ed to other areas, students, the Uni
versity and the city could all benefit as
a result. The Texas Legislature should
end the current monopoly by passing
the bill that would allow the use of Ag
gie Bucks to be expanded to off-cam-
pus establishments.
Operation Rescue re-evaluates ‘'neighborly love’
T he biggest problem
the anti-abortion
movement has is the
people in it.
Every movement has its
obnoxious, banner-waving,
screaming in-your-face
group. The homosexual popu
lation is represented by ACT-
UP, the group infamous for
“outing” closeted homosexuals whether they want to be
outed or not.
The animal rights activists have PETA (People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals), who occasionally
throw blood on people wearing furs.
Environmentalists have Greenpeace, with its ex
treme actions and their members’ willingness to die in
the fight to save the environment.
These groups do serve some purpose — bringing at
tention to their respective causes and occasionally
making people sit up and take notice. However, the
anti-abortion group goes too far, too often.
Operation Rescue is headed by Rev. Flip Benham,
and is known and hated nationwide for its policy of
heckling, taunting and terrorizing women as they ap
proach abortion clinics. It also blockades abortion clin
ics at every opportunity.
Operation Rescue and its tactics have been a major
inspiration to lawmakers, and several laws have been
passed to prevent it from bullying and harassing
women exercising their legitimate legal rights.
Yet once again, it has crossed all reasonable bound
aries. This time, even an Aggie is involved.
Warren Gilbert, our favorite Texas A&M Scandal
King, is once again making national headlines.
The problem begins in an abortion clinic in Dallas.
“Roe” in Roe v. Wade — Norma McCorvey — is
the marketing director for this clinic, so it is fairly
well-known. The building in which they lease an
office is owned by Gilbert’s company and is man
aged by none other than Warren Gilbert himself.
According to an April 1 story published in The
Houston Post, Gilbert’s company claims that the
real estate broker representing the A Choice for
Women clinic — back in 1991 — did not make it
clear what type of company would be leasing the
office space.
Apparently, it took them four years to notice.
Well, notice it they have, and now their horrible war
against the clinic has officially begun.
McCorvey has received a letter nearly doubling the
clinic’s rent. It specifically stated that it was because
their insurance company “substantially increased our
annual premium.”
This is where Operation Rescue comes in with its
dastardly and disgusting ways.
They have just leased the office next door — only
separated by a wall — to the A Choice for Women clinic
and moved in.
The laws that define how far hecklers must be from
the door to the abortion clinic do not apply in this case
because Operation Rescue is actually leasing the prop
erty. What a fortuitous and astounding coincidence for
the abortion foes.
On the first day Benham yelled obnoxious taunts
at McCorvey, attempted to stop women going into
the clinic and truly showed himself to be an all-
around jerk.
“We did not orchestrate this. We are not smart
enough or shrewd enough. It was almighty God,” Ben
ham said.
Well, the first part is certainly true. The second is
certainly doubtful.
On a side note, Gilbert is in trouble with the Depart
ment of Housing and Urban Development for money
they claim he has misappropriated for federal housing
projects — something to the tune of $900,000.
Chump change for a rich man like him, right? Too
bad about those poor people who needed the housing ...
This is also the same Aggie who paid for mainte
nance fees on some federally subsidized apartment for
football players in 1993.
Maybe it is time someone gives him a call and re
minds him about the Aggie Code of Honor. And about
human decency? He seems to have lost touch with both
of these ideas. Maybe these concepts are a little too ab
stract for him since they do not deal directly with cash.
But Gilbert, has not acted alone in these despica
ble actions. Operation Rescue must also shoulder
some blame for their offensive, out of line and rep
rehensible actions in this horrific tale. In the
Bryan-College Station Eagle story, Benham said
that it was a coincidence.
These coincidences are just so amazing — sort of
like when students get ‘deathly ill’ on the day of a test
they have not studied for.
Abortion is not a decision any woman takes lightly.
It is not a decision that can be made by anyone except
the woman carrying the fetus.
And once that incredibly painful decision is reached,
no woman deserves to be put through the trial of deal
ing with the rabid people of Operation Rescue.
For the women at A Choice For Women clinic,
peace and dignity during a tragic choice is no longer
an option.
Elizabeth
Preston
Columnist
Elizabeth Preston is a junior
English major