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The Battalion • Page 5
W'ednesday • July 19, 1995
Bosnian conflict prolonged by U.S. involvement
I onald Reagan once told us
to be wary of those who, by
choice or accident, lowered
the stature of the United States
international relations be-
f lpause, “ they may just end up
lowering our flag.”
Ever since the 10th Century,
the area we formerly recognized
Yugoslavia has been a hotbed
of internal, as well as, external strife. The region has
lip-flopped between Serbian and Croatian rule
throughout its history and has fueled many a story
ibout the atrocities of war.
In 1914 the assassination of Archduke Francis
Jperdinand in Sarajevo lit the flame that would be
come World War I. After the war, Yugoslavia was
•eated with Bosma and Herzegovina as provinces,
ing World War II, Serbians and Croatians at
tacked each other with unprecedented fury. The
'ea was left with only a strong communist regime
to quell the ethnic groups.
j During Yugoslavia’s embattled transition to
democracy beginning in 1991, Bosnia and Herzegov
ina declared their independence. This plunged them
headlong into the tenacious civil war which exists
Ipoday between the Bosnians and Serb militias'
backed by the Yugoslav army.
Bosnia is no stranger to unrest. The only dif-.
ference between this most recent conflict be
tween Serbs and Croats is the involvement of the
United Nations, which I might add, has muddied
the waters.
In an effort to end fighting, the UN
imposed an arms embargo, which has
been enforced by, of course, America.
Also, in an attempt to stop “ethnic
cleansing” or the slaughter of Muslims,
the UN has established “safe areas”
where fleeing refugees seek the protec
tion of UN forces.
These forces, made up of predomi
nantly French troops, gave up one “safe
area” last week when Serbian artillery approached
within a mile of the city. This loss displaced thou
sands of the Muslims harbored there.
Don’t start blaming the French, yet. For those of
you not familiar with the situation, UN troops wear
bright blue uniforms — ideal for target practice — and
are rarely allowed to carry more than a pistol.
That’s right, given several big rocks and the ele
ment of surprise, even I might be able to overpower
a platoon of UN troops. In addition, since there is an
arms embargo, rocks are essentially the only
weapons these refugees have to fight with. Not too
fair, huh?
Now start blaming the French.
Last week, French President Jacques Chirac
demanded increased allied involvement in
Bosnia. He requested American equipment, air
craft and money be channeled to help retake and
reinforce the safe zones.
Without specifically naming the United States he
unleashed withering criticism of countries which he
believed have behaved “irresponsibly” in Bosnia,
preaching democracy and human rights but being
increasingly unwilling to put money or soldiers on
the line to defend them. President Chirac “allowed”
the allies 48 hours to remit a response before he
would seriously consider removing the French forces
from the UN protection group.
Yes, that’s the same France who had very little
involvement in the Persian Gulf and would not even
allow us to fly over its air space during our engage
ment with Libya. Unbelievable.
To think that the world’s only superpower
would commit our resources to the mercy of a
campaign the French have not even planned yet
is nonsensical.
We cannot conclude these events
endanger American interests and
require a military response.
Luckily, on an issue that has the White House
looking like the Waffle House because of the lack of
sound international policy. President Clinton seems
committed to withholding American ground forces
from involvement.
Involvement in Bosnia by the United States is a
vote of confidence for a United Nations which has in
creasingly flexed its impotence in the past several
years. President Clinton has shown a propensity to
be used by the UN (i.e. Somalia) rather than using
the UN for the benefit of our nation as President
Bush did in the Persian Gulf.
Beyond supporting a dwindling, world governing
body, the United States has absolutely no imminent
national interest at stake in the Bosnian conflict.
In former President Nixon’s last book Seize the
Moment, he defines three levels of national interest
as “vital,” “critical” and “peripheral.”
Vital and critical interest involve the direct
threaterung of the sovereignty or the resource base
of the United States, such as a conflict with Japan.
The Bosnian situation does not even fit the defini
tion of peripheral interest, for it does not even dis
tantly affect a critical or vital interest to our country,
accepting their voluntary inclusion in the unrest.
While we do not support “ethnic cleansing”
and certainly do not condone tyrannical govern
ments, we cannot conclude that these events en
danger important American interests and re
quire a military response.
This crisis is far from over. Further U.S. involve
ment only ensures the loss of more human life by
prolonging a situation which has no positive out
come. Congress is poised to lift the arms embargo
and allow the Bosnians to defend themselves, the
vote may come as early as today.
For the benefit of all, I hope President Clinton re
fuses any help except the evacuation of the UN
forces. For the benefit of France, I hope FVesident
Chirac seriously considers his threat of pulling out
of the UN forces.
If so. President Clinton, through his actions, will
have saved more than just American lives.
Alex Miller is a senior
bioenvironmental science major
(§)\qq£ 1MB
new
Regulation of Internet is long overdue
Controlling Net information is no different than censoring other mediums
Ti
l:
EREMY
ALDEZ
Guest Columnist
DAY.
) APPLY.
|he Internet will ultimate
ly redefine the way infor
mation is exchanged.
Currently on the World Wide
Web, you can access high-reso
lution full-color pictures, short
video clips and more text than
you could ever hope to read.
As computing hardware becomes cheaper,
smarter and more prolific, the Internet will
engulf every existing medium. Anything
newspapers, movies, TV or radio can do the
Internet will soon be able to do better.
Earlier this year when Sen. Jim Exon of
Nebraska introduced the Communications De
cency Act, many people feared that the federal
government was rushing to censor this new
cyberdomain.
Perhaps a comparison between this infant
medium and some of its older, more mature
cousins could help to clarify the debate.
What are we ready for when we turn on
our televisions?
Nielsen ratings attest to the fact that sex
or a little violence can attract viewers to al
most any show.
So what is the American audience afraid
of? The Public Broadcasting Service perhaps,
the Discovery Channel or just about anything
with any nutritive value ... but that’s anoth
er story.
Would the audience stop watching if nu
dity could be seen on broadcast television? If
explicit sexual acts became a staple of the big
three networks, would we close our eyes? How
many Americans would tune in to watch gay
or lesbian sex, bondage, rape or sex with small
children?
How many of you are still looking for the
remote?
What would public reaction be if Federal
Communications Commission regulations
evaporated overnight, and during rush hour
you could listen to explicit songs or even poet
ry about rape, stalking or child abuse?
Maybe you are still not offended by our new
hypothetical media. Would the knowledge
that children can access these sounds and im
ages just by clicking a button change your out
look?
First, as Americans we’ve got
ten used to the fact that we can’t
see some things on TV or hear on
the radio.
If any expression could be broad
cast over the airwaves, it would cre
ate an environment where many
viewers would be offended on a reg
ular basis, almost nobody would be satisfied
consistently, and most parents would be too
scared to leave their children cm attended near
an electronic box.
Also, consider that nobody defends an ob
scene phone caller’s right to free speech, sim
ply because we would find it inconvenient to
live where anybody could reach out and ha
rass someone.
The Inter
net has a
wealth of educational and entertaining mater
ial that anyone could enjoy.
However, there are several easily-accessi-
ble areas of the Internet where users post and
view pornography and stories eroticizing rape,
child molestation and other violent acts. Peo
ple are stalked via modem and sent electronic
death threats.
Some of the Internet’s characteristics make
it a haven for dangerous individuals. The Net
is superbly economical — if you (or your uni
versity, employer or government) can ante up
enough cash for a little computing power, ac
cess to the Internet is cheap, if not free.
Any information or image uploaded to the
Net can change hands thousands of times al
most instantaneously. Pornographers can
trade and distribute images without fear of
postal inspectors.
Also, the Net is impersonal. With a little ef
fort, you can communicate with or molest oth
ers completely anonymously — no face, no
voice, no address.
Despite its ease of use, the entrails of the
Internet are highly complicated, so it takes a
persistent, nerdy cop to track you down. Final
ly, current statutes were not designed to pros
ecute cybercrimes, and jurisdiction is hazy.
Essentially, Exon’s bill seeks to extend the
laws applicable to phone communications,
computers and other electronic devices. Exon’s
Communications Decency Act is not the only
proposal; there’s an interesting alternative be
ing introduced by Democratic Sen. Patrick
Leahy of Vermont.
Congress must realize that regulation of In
ternet is a necessary idea. People will contin
ue to traffic in pornography and oth-
_ m er controversial material, but why
l/’ not ensure that it’s the kind of mate
rial that would be legal in the analog
world?
Make people pay — or at least prove adult
hood — for access to Internet “cable channels.”
That way, the underage and unwilling would
be afforded some measure of protection.
The Internet goes unpoliced for lack
of knowledge. If knowledge of the Inter
net was widespread outside of academia
and the opinion page, support for regula
tion would be extensive.
Anyone who wants to prevent electronic
stalking would support it. Anyone aghast at
the glorification of rape would support it. Any
one who wouldn’t want to stumble into a dis
cussion about bestiality would support it. Any
one who would fear the proliferation of child
pornography would support it.
I think ... I hope that’s just about all of us.
Mail
Race should be
factor of adoption
This is in reference to the
Opinion page of July 18.
It is difficult to understand
where Elizabeth Preston is com
ing from in her column on bisex
uality. From her past writings I
have come to the conclusion that
she is sympathetic to homosexu
al and bisexual organizations
and their causes. Yet here she
seems to be wavering a little.
Her logic meanders through a
series of media references and
personal epiphanies before she
concludes that “bisexuality is
not wrong” but can be confusing
and detrimental to the individ
ual. Well said.
The editorial, which referred
to an Austin adoption court case,
stated that “face should not be a
factor in deciding the fate of
adoptions.”
I beg to differ. In our society,
the media will not let the public
forget about racial strife for one
day. I think it is important to
consider how this would affect
adopted children.
Would you go against the
will of a child who might be in
stinctively more comfortable
starting a new life without the
race issue to contend with as a
central theme everyday? Poli
tics should be kept away from
the children’s lives.
I was also a little unclear
about the guest column by J.
Frank Hernandez. There is one
item I can feel sure about
counter-arguing with total com
prehension, however.
It is a damn good thing the
Aggie Band still has a larger
budget than the Department of
Multicultural Services.
Otherwise, our foreign friends
might not fully be able to appre
ciate our American culture.
Gabriel Salas
Class of ’96
Thanks to those
who gave support
I am writing this as a letter of
“thanks” and to advise you of
Trevor Shockley’s progress. As
you may know, Trevor was in
volved in a serious accident on
campus Feb. 1, 1995.
After three months at Brazos
Valley Medical Center in College
Station, he was transferred to
The Institute for Rehabilitation
and Research in the Houston
Medical Center.
Though Trevor’s physical ther
apy is extremely painful, he be
lieves that a good sense of humor
and positive outlook are impor
tant to one’s recovery.
Trevor constantly talks
about walking again and being
able to return to A&M to com
plete his degree.
A heartfelt thanks to all who
wrote, called, came to visit and
offered their love, support and
encouragement. We are grateful
to all who gave of their time and
donations to help in his fund
raisers. A special thanks to all
the media people who were sin
cerely touched by Trevor’s story,
and in turn touched thousands
with their reporting.
An extra-special thanks to
all the legislators, their staffs
and the government agencies
that helped.
Many thanks to all the doc
tors, and staff at Brazos Valley
Medical Center, who with their
life-saving acute care brought
Trevor through the life-threat
ening phases. Also for their
helpfulness and kindness for
working with us on the stagger
ing cost accrued during his
three month stay.
I do not have words to express
my gratefulness to the Texas Re
habilitation Commission and all
the fine people who worked so
hard on Trevor’s behalf.
Last, but certainly not least,
thanks to TIRR for giving Trevor
his first 30 days, which was nec
essary to get him started in his
rehabilitation.
Because of the kindness and
goodness of all of those that have
been a part of Trevor’s miracle,
this has also been some of the
most rewarding times of my life.
The greatest lesson I have
learned from this experience is
that there is no guarantee for to
morrow.
Trevor and all of us who love
him are so very grateful for all
that’s been done in his behalf. We
are thankful first and foremost
for God’s healing power in an
swer to the prayers of all who
have been praying for his recov
ery. We credit this for Trevor’s
being where he is today.
May God bless each and every
one of you for your part in
Trevor’s continuing miracle.
Joe C. Shockley
You can write to Trevor at:
TIRR (Room 305)
1333 Moursand
Houston, Texas 77030
Jeremy Valdez is a junior
chemical engineering major
The Ba/i i ai ioini
Jay ROBBINS, Editor in Chief
Rob Clark, Managing Editor
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