Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1995)
V 13, 1995 The Battalion T perhaps in losing anoth- lid. 'oed pressure ause of bud- Kobles, who aircraft main- I orce Base. ecommended Tich employs and moving another near- 'an (lie shut- 5 largest etn- can — Trying to s on a politi- ident Clinton er guidelines First Amend- es adequate ever have to n said. "But ;n denied the ?ion and that eared intend- of a Republi- onal amend- and to court Americans, directed the issue guide- es to the na- aricts before ler. ; exile A year after a ured out ot igs and card' > sturdy shel e walls. Tiny PITvTI x ni. u/M • Page 7 -r Thursday • July 13, 1993 ‘True’ history includes many views Anthony Martinez Guest Columnist it ■ g from meat diapers and •r, pestilence ,000 refugees area's seven e, refusing to iture in their rebels over- lers and end- •r of 5 00,000 amen and, in cases, neigh- e afraid the ill kill me,' 1 12, told a re- itro ERIE DR A merica.There are so many stories to tell, from the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to our ill-fated war with Vietnam. It has the power to make our pulses race and our imaginations soar. No one wants to change this history, but more of the story must be told. In fact, no one is rewriting American histo ry. It all happened the way it happened, right? But the history many learn depends on who’s reporting their news — La Prensa or the Los Angeles Times? Readers don’t receive the same news from La Prensa, a Spanish-English newspaper in San Antonio, as they would from an English only “mainstream” newspaper like the Times. Recently, La Prensa reported that the Na tional Association of Hispanic Journalists is attempting to have the death of Rueben Salazar reinvestigated. But if people don’t read a newspaper like La Prensa, they may inquire, “Who’s Rueben Salazar? He’s part of history, friends. Whose his tory? America’s. The relationship here is that in nearly every history book students pick up today, cer tainly in every public school, they receive the academic equivalent of the Times. If every newspaper was the National En quirer, how fair would that be? The truth is that we need our L.A. Times as well as our La Prensas — and sometimes even our National Enquirers — to see the whole picture. The “true” American past is a past that has been reported only through the eyes of Anglo- Americans. Who else was researching and writing American history until the 1960s? To day we have much more information. Many African-American, American-Indian and Chicano scholars have worked fervently though the years to learn more about this land we call America. From a love and pride that should be praised, not scratched apart, we found our “roots,” rediscovered Pueblo pottery and found pride in La Raza. A few people have complained that a recent UCLA project on American history omitted Paul Revere, Daniel Webster, Alexander Gra ham Bell and other figures from the report. They should be glad they were able to learn about those figures in the first place. Through all my years of history, I was nev er told of the Bracero Program, Juan N. Corti na, Operation Wetback, Felix Tijerina or Ce sar Chavez. Here is a more specific example: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. Arti cle 9 of the treaty promised Mexican-Amer- icans “all the freedoms of a U.S. citizen un der the Constitution.” Article 10 promised that land grants from Mexico already given to Mexican citizens in the southwestern United States were guaranteed. Article 10 was deleted shortly after being introduced, but Mexico said it would not sign the treaty until this article was returned. The U.S. government reassured Mexico that Arti cle 9 covered Article 10, based on the U.S. Constitution, and the treaty was signed. As a result, the Mexicans lost their land. Challenged in a Texas court, many resi dents did not have the physical” documents to protect their claims. Others who did couldn’t speak English or afford a lawyer, and they lost their lands through “legal” means. Land was also taken by squatters. East erners were flooding into Texas and claim ing land, already settled or not. Mexican- Americans occasionally were removed by physical force. At the same time, ranches such as the King Ranch in south Texas began growing. The Texas Rangers worked for many of these wealthy Anglo land owners and elim inated entire Mexican-American families and communities. Spanish folk songs, called corridos, record ed much of the history of the Rangers and their brutal injustices. In addition, Anglo communities sometimes raised property taxes for the Mexican-Ameri cans until they couldn’t pay. The taxes would then coincidentally drop when an Anglo would take the Mexican’s place. In 7th grade Texas history I learned plenty about how the “bad” Mexicans tried to stop the “good” Texans from getting what was “rightfully” theirs. They had Manifest Destiny on their side, right? That may be good ol’ American history, but it’s not my history. No one in my family worried about crossing the Appalachians to get west. No one in my family felt that “taxation without representa tion” was infringing on their rights. No one in my family partook in these events, but I am nonetheless American. What is my history? America and its history is not static. Ameri ca is always becoming. When America stops be coming, it will no longer be — I guarantee you. Some might say that I’m putting down America and that I am not proud to be an American. That couldn’t be further from the truth. America is the place that saved my family members from death in the Mexican Revolu tion of 1910. It is American history that I am criticizing, not America. If those who don’t agree wish to gallop around wearing blinders, I encourage them to continue. They’ll never know the jockey on their backs or the circles in which they’re run ning around. However, the rest of us — despite the poli tics and rhetoric — thirst to know the rest of the story. Anthony Martinez is a junior architecture major VIE CAHt AfTcRD ftiUXTS ANYfrM GAFlT EVEN AfTcRV ’oVLTiam fME. CctAzjx; Ce>\J^cXZ. DS~ <§> The Battaeion Established in 1893 Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorials 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. Editorials Board Jay Robbins Editor in Chief Rob Clark Managing Editor Sterling Hayman Opinion Editor Kyle Littlefield Assistant Opinion Editor Scrap the suits The Miss America Pageant should eliminate the swimsuit competition. The swimsuit competition of the Miss America Pageant has long been a hotly debat ed topic. Though the pageant be gan as a bathing-beauty con test in 1921, the swimsuit competition’s continued in clusion in the program has been the subject of contro versy since 1945. Yesterday, the Miss Amer ican Organization announced that the swimsuit competi tion may be laid to rest once and fbr all. The fate of the swimsuit competition will be decided this year during the actual telecast of the pageant on Sept.16. Television audiences will be able to call in on a “900” number and vote for or against it. If the majority of caller vote against it, the swimsuit compe tition will be replaced with an other type of competition. Since the contest began, it has evolved from a small pro duction to a lavish and wide ly watched event. However, though the con test matured, its competition categories unfortunately did not. The swimsuit competi tion should have been re moved years ago, but it re mained because of popular demand and tradition. Comparing women’s near nude appeal is sexist and de meaning and has absolutely nothing to do with the talent, charm or beauty of the indi viduals. It actually detracts from the pageant, degrading it from a scholarship competi tion to a well-watched peep show. Leonard Horn, CEO of the Miss America Organization, said he “personally cannot rationalize putting a young college woman in a swimsuit and high heels.” Since 1950, participants in of the competition have been voicing public objections to the swimsuit portion of the contest. The first winner to refuse to be photographed or to ap pear in her swimsuit after her crowning was Yolande Betbeze Fox, who said that type of publicity made her “extremely uncomfortable.” Last year the organization decided not to require contes tants to wear high heels dur ing the swimsuit competi tion, instead allowing the contestants to go barefoot. The pageant should elimi nate the entire event. When viewers vote on the swimsuit issue, hopefully good taste and decency will win out over voyeurism. Frustrated citizens often lash out at ineffective government Kyle Littlefield Asst, Opinion Editor W hat do the Oklahoma bombing, the steady in crease of hate groups and others who stockpile weapons, and formal militias have in common? They are all a result of the govern ment’s increasing inability to satis fy its citizens. Bigger and bigger groups of citi zens — bigger groups with bigger and bigger guns. “Now hold on,” you might say. “What do hate groups have to do with dissatisfaction with the government?” It is a well-known sociological fact that when two groups of people have the same socioeconomic status (usually indignant people), the groups feel like they are in competition with each other. When something goes wrong with one group, a way is found to rationally blame the other group, making it a scapegoat for all problems. With America’s middle class slowly disappear ing into the lower class, groups such as Aryan Na tion and skinheads are becoming more and more prevalent. Most people think skinheads are just a bunch of punks that likes to throw cheap punches — well, they are, but they are probably more interested in politics than you think. It is their disenfranchisement with the government that fuels their hate for minorities. If people stripped away the hate for minorities and looked at what needs aren’t being met for these skinheads, they just might find that the majority of them are reacting to their socioeconomic status. Move them up on a higher class and the hate would probably disappear, for the most part. Or at least the violent expression of hate would be less common. Groups such as the Michigan Militia, which is suspected to be connected with the Oklahoma bombing, are growing larger in size for some of the very same reasons. These groups feel dissatisfaction with the gov ernment because people’s needs aren’t being met with Washington’s current state. Militia is really only a word to describe citizens (like you and me) who want to change things — al beit, they may be using the wrong methods. That they have had to resort to violence and terroristic means shows the degree of frustration and utter discontent with the watered-down democracy that exists in America today. In the current issue of Esquire magazine, one article depicts the typical militia member as basi cally a common citizen of the United States. What is happening? These militias aren’t all made up of radical crazies anymore — we are be ginning to find more “regular” people as members. Militia is really only a word to de scribe citizens (like you and me) who want to change things, but they use the wrong methods. With the startling rise in militias, small (or large) bodies of armed and often dissatisfied citi zens, those in power would be wise to re-examine the quality of the pedestals they’ve placed them selves on. Perhaps things aren’t as sturdy or as eternal as we imagined then to be. The United States, with her promise of “liberty and justice for all,” seems the crowning achieve ment of brilliant thinking. People like John Locke and others were able to help reinvent government. In fact, they did more than reinvent, they created something new, whose greatest strength was also its major weakness — “by the people.” It’s a system, just like any other system, be it political, economic or otherwise. Democracy can * . only be as good as and successful as the people - , who make it up, like us. It’s ignorant to believe that just because we have a brilliant and inspired document at our helm that we will exist forever. ’ ; The United States isn’t necessarily a perma- Z nent fixture. Just like Rome, we could collapse at any time. The Roman Empire stood for over 500 years. U Just imagine what the citizens of Rome thought ^ 1 when the Empire had already ruled for 250 years. ‘Z* \ They probably never thought that in another f* 250 years their dreams would collapse and disap pear. And yet political trouble and turmoil secured * the demise of the great empire. ■ It is time we treat democracy with the respect it> i deserves. The emergence of the many militias in the U.S. is a harbinger of what could be our future if we don’t pay more attention to the people who com pose this great country. Kyle Littlefield, a senior journalism major, assisted by Erin Hill, a senior English major'. - LY. The Battalion Editorial Staff Jay Robbins, editor in Chief Rob Clark, Managing Editor Sterling Hayman, Opinion Editor GretCHEN PERRENOT, City Editor Jody Holley, night news editor Stacy Stanton, night news Editor Michael Landauer, aggielife Editor Nick Georgandis, Sports Editor STEW Milne, Photo Editor Staff Members City Desk - Assistant Editor: Eleanor Colvin; Re porters: Katherine Arnold, Javier Hinojosa, Jill Saunders, Michael Simmons, Wes Swift & Tara Wilkinson Aggielife Desk — Assistant Editor: Amy Collier Fea ture Writers: Elizabeth Garrett, Amy Collier & Libe Goad; Columnist: Amy Uptmor Sportswriters — David Winder and Lee Wright Opinion Desk - Assistant Editor: Kyle Littlefield; Columnists: Elizabeth Preston, Frank Stan ford & David Taylor; Contributing Colum nists: Justin Barnett, Margaret Cordon, Alex Miller, Chris Stidvent & Mark Zane; Editori al Writers: Jason Brown & Alex Walters; Editorial Cartoonists: Brad Graeber & George Nasr Photographers — Mike Friend, Roger Hsieh, Nick Rodnicki & Eddy Wylie Page Designers - News: Kristin DeLuca; Sports: Robin Greathouse; Aggielife: Stew Milne Copy Editors - Rob Clark & Sterling Hayman Graphic Artists - Toon Boonyavanich & Melissa Oldham Strip Cartoonists - Valerie Myers & Quatro Oakley Office Staff — Office Manager: Julie Thomas; Clerks: Wendy Crockett & Heather Harris News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in the Divi sion of Student Publications, a unit of the De partment of Journalism. News offices are in 013 Reed McDonald Building. Newsroom hours: Sunday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday — Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Newsroom phone: 845-3313; Fax: 845-2647 The Battalion Online: The Battalion offers photos and the day's headlines on the worldwide web. Web Site: http://128.194.30.84 Advertising: Publication of advertising does not im ply sponsorship or endorsement by The Bat talion. For campus, local and national dis play advertising, call 845-2696. For classi fied advertising, call 845-0569. Advertising offices are in 015 Reed McDonald and of fice hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 845-2678. Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 pier school year and $50 per full year. To charge by VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express, call 845-2611. The Battalion (USPS 045-360) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer sessions (except University holidays and exam periods), at Texas A&M University. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.