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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1996)
January 31, ierves I ‘96 on a spend i school ested in contact C8 0 AP Photo nst Los Angeles arges center in 1994 se from the served time in t last year for [reported earn- card shows, vberry earned f for the Yan- to pick up a )n on his con- if the season, ys divorced in has admitted I was arrested for threaten- in. They have yl, Jr., 10; and The Battalion Wednesday january 31,1996 Opinion Page 11 First Lady is responsible for her troubles H illary Clinton is in a bit of trouble. Actually, saying Hillary is in a “bit” of trouble is kesaying Neil O'Donnell was “bit” off when Larry Brown made his first interception in Sunday’s Super Bowl. Some how, it doesn’t convey the jpth of trouble. Last Friday, the first lady testified before federal grand jury, which will decide this week whether any charges will be filed against Mrs. Clinton for her role in the Madison Guarantee Savings and Loan land scandal, affectionately known as “Whitewa ter.” However, as Hillary dances off to the strains of “Don’t Cry For Me, Peons of Amer ica,"her supporters continually cry foul. Her loyal fans keep pointing out that no one has actually found a crime. In fact, Whitewater has been called a cover-up with out a crime. That, by the way, is exactly why the scandal won’t die. But the incredible disappearing-reappear ingbilling records aside, it’s not the appar ent cover-up that irks this analyst, but rather a certain continuing refrain coming [rom the HRC camp — the really cool, inner- circle types all get to call her that. The explanation goes something like this: ‘You are only going after Hillary Clinton be cause she’s a strong woman, and that intimi dates (bothers, grates, peeves ... insert fa vorite catch phrase here) your male chauvin ist ego.” As recently as last week, I had this clever cop-out thrown at me by a misguided friend. However, as a sensitive ’90s kinda guy, I de cided to consult my inner child and find out if any truth could be found in the accusation. I thought about the women in my family. After all, they are the ones responsible for my alleged fear of strong women. All eight women in my parents’ generation, including five aunts, my mother and my step mother, have college degrees. Two hold mas ter’s degrees and one holds a doctorate. All have successful careers — not to men tion that they are raising families. For ex ample, my Aunt L^owery is with the State Department, and my Aunt Debbie teaches special-needs children in the Richardson School District. But my mother did the most amazing job — she actually survived raising me. Oh, and she finished her degree while working outside the home. But I still think Hillary should be investigated. Hmm, maybe my male pigheadedness just over shadows any respect for strong women in my moth er’s generation. So, for the next stop on my journey through my accused gender-centric inner-child, I decided to see if maybe I had a weak pair of grandmothers. Well, on my mom’s side, there is my Grandma Betty. When she met my grandfather, she was doing a power-plant analysis for the first jet aircraft to be manufactured by the com pany she worked for. You see, Grandma Betty was two semesters short of a degree in aeronautical engineering. Did I mention that this was in 1942? It took a lot of nerve for a woman to try to earn an engineering degree in 1942. Well, then, maybe on my dad’s side. Back in 1954, L. Lowery Taylor received a degree in French from the University of Washington. As an afterthought, Grandma Lebbie earned a master’s in English teach ing from t.u. in the late 70s. This is in addi tion to the seven languages she speaks flu ently (English, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Swahili, Cantonese and Thai — she learned that one in the Peace Corps). I wonder what Hillary Clinton’s grand mothers did. Well, now that I have completed my little journey through pop-psychology’s nether world, I have reached a conclusion: I have no idea what an inner child is. Oh yeah, and this “strong woman” idea falls apart as soon as I look at it. I don’t question Hillary Clinton’s actions be cause of some deep-seated fear of strong women, but because of a deep respect for them. You see, each one of these strong, success ful women taught me the same lessons — hard work and honesty. Don’t think for one minute it was easy for them. I know that each faced an extra obsta cle as a woman. But they aren’t in trouble. No, Hillary Clinton is in trouble, but not because of some deep male conspiracy rather, because somewhere along the line, she forgot what really makes a woman strong — or a man, for that matter. It’s called integrity. David Taylor is a senior management major You JXHX1ED the defensive end, SIDESTEPPED the trtdde, And EVADED Uie defensive hack J i>oioii. Tirliero<i ;roi* iem»n such nimble Footwork ? Communism still alive and thriving in Aggieland Chris Stidvent Columnist T he late, great Dr. Seuss put it well when he cryp tically noted, “There’s a wocket in my pocket, and a Communist in my backyard.” All right, he might have left out that bit about the Communist. Yet, I’m almost certain he would have added it if he were currently enrolled at Texas A&M. “What’s that?” a proud Aggie advocate of democracy might gasp. “Communism here at Texas A&M? The man is clearly mad. “What a dastardly and despicable implication.” But wait, my young patriot. Before we jump to our quick and admittedly comfortable conclu sions, perhaps we ought to take a look around. I have a feeling we just might encounter several seething beds of potential communist activity hidden around this presumed safe haven for democracy. Why don’t we begin our search right here, with this student newspaper? Honestly now, most of our students already realize that The Battalion is a filthy Bolshevik rag. Many of its sections, especially the Opinion page, advocate so cialist propaganda on a daily basis. Subversive points of view slandering various student groups and members of the administration are prominently situated on almost any given page. As defenders of democracy, we should be descending on The Battal ion’s offices by the hundreds. We should be demanding that it quit pub lishing its socialist rot before we dyna mite its printing presses and end its threat to the American way. And here, in fact, is a truly terrify ing realization. Many students feel that socialists run the student newspaper, and yet nobody has taken any direct action as of this date. Has our University be come so saturated with expressions of communist thought that we have final ly ceased to recognize the danger that it poses? Maybe we can gather some more ev idence for this phenomenon of apathy by taking a look at the administrative head of this University. Just as communist Russia was largely governed by the Supreme Sovi et, we have the Board of Regents. Both groups are collections of pow erful and mysterious individuals who were appointed by other powerful and mysterious individuals. This appoint ment process grants each group nearly total administrative freedom, since they have no elections to wor ry about. These groups rarely have to consider their decisions in the light of their subjects' opinions. The governed, be they Aggie students or Russian peasants, have little power over those who govern them. Both groups enjoy considerably more privileges than those whose lives they control with such mind-numbing power. The members of the Supreme Soviet were usually guaranteed nicer apartments, abundant toilet paper and big refrigerators. The re gents get good parking spots, the occasional free beer, and the chance to light up every now and then in their luxurious offices. The economy of communist Russia was planned, to a large extent. This meant that the governing organization determined the prices of many commodities. These prices were not allowed to reach a more natural level under such capitalist economy factors as competition among businesses and the laws of supply and demand. Therefore, under a planned economy I might pay more or less for a loaf of bread than normal free market considerations would actually dictate. This analogy often holds true here at Texas A&M. The last time I went to purchase textbooks for my classes, I had to sell my car and take out a mortgage on my parents’ house. My entire family was deport ed to debtors’ prison and plunged into abject poverty from which they have only partially recovered. When I sold my books back at the end of the school term, I received just enough pocket change to buy a “Happy Day” snow cone from a ragged street vendor and play two games of “Terminator 2” pinball. I might be mistaken, but it appears that I neither bought nor sold my textbooks their fair market prices. I was the victim of a chilling economic conspiracy that involved both price-fixing and the lack of any competition to drive prices down. Who was responsible for this travesty? That’s right, those damn Communists, once again. 1 realize that, taken individually, these instances of presumed communist behavior don’t add up to much. I also realize that the true lesson here might simply be that The Battalion 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 Sterling Hayman editor in Chief Stacy Stanton Managing Editor Michael Landauer Opinion Editor Jason Brown Assistant Opitiion Editor Fee Fumbling Committee's decisions on allocation should be questioned. in the student service fee, which stands at $93 per stu dent per semester. With all the questionable recommendations the com mittee has made, the Student Senate Internal Affairs Com mittee has refused to forward it to the full Senate yet. This committee should be com mended for taking its time evaluating the proposals. Now, students have the opportunity to lobby their senators about the issue. All students should become fa miliar with the recommenda tions, because those propos als will affect all students to some degree. Although Vice President for Student Affairs Malon Southerland and Texas A&M President Ray Bowen will make the final decisions about the allocation, stu dents can send a strong mes sage to him through the Stu dent Senate. With $8 million of stu dents’ money at stake, the student service fee allocation is one of the largest issues the Student Senate confronts every year. Therefore, it is crucial that students provide input to their senators about this issue. The Student Service Fee Allocation Committee is proposing some radical changes — changes that would impact all students. For example, it is recom mending that The Battal ion’s allocation be cut 94%, which could have an impact on advertising rates, espe cially those of organizations on campus. The committee is also sug gesting the Memorial Stu dent Center, an organization that provides many services to students, be cut by $100,000. Finally, the committee is recommending a $6 increase large bureaucratic systems often tend to resemble each other. In other words, the only thing that Texas A&M and communist Rus sia might have in common is the fact that they are both controlled by governing systems with similar organizational structures. Rational individuals might add that any idiot ought to be able to make the simple distinction between an entity’s official ideology and the governing system that entity uses to support its ideology. Aggies and Communists are as different as apples and oranges, they might say. No matter, I’m still frightened. Until this personal “Red Scare” ends, I will be continually hum ming the riational anthem, hoarding old copies of Captain America comic books and reading a biography of Thomas Jefferson down in my basement. As a good American and a slightly paranoid individual, I figure it’s the least I can do. Chris Stidvent is a senior English and philosophy major Criticism of column misses the mark I do not know what the big deal is at Texas A&M. If we are not taking sides on whether two friends can discuss different reli gious standpoints then we are calling other groups racist. In response to Aja Henderson’s column about minority professors, I agree that we need more of them. However, statements like “coming to teach at a school with a slave owner chilling on the lawn,“ are not appropriate. She seems to have done the re search for her column, but it is sometimes better to make a good point than to make racial slurs. Her argument is a valid one. If the numbers she reported about were correct, and if they increase, maybe we will see more minority professors. Also, in her defense, I don’t think she was saying, “why don’t we go out and hire any mi nority that wants to work for Texas A&M.” I think she was saying we should make better of fers to minority professors. Sometimes as college students and future leaders we can act so childish. All Henderson wanted to say was that she wanted more minority professors. Sometimes views do get distorted in print but we have to all live with that and try to make an effort to under stand what another person is try ing to say. Randy R. Hampton Class of ’98 Port Arthur station justified in censorship This is in response to Rob Clark’s column about the Jan. 18 episode of Friends. Clark failed to mention that a very unique guest made a nationwide television ap pearance on Jan. 18 episode. The woman who was conduct ing the lesbian wedding was none other than Candace Gin grich — yes, the half-sister of our beloved Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Clark’s attack of KJAC’s “cen sorship” stopped short of reveal ing this fact. • Now 1 love Friends, and you can say I’m pnrt of the “hip yup pie cult" that plugs in and zones out Thursday nights. But 1 sup- Mail (3 All port the Port Arthur station and any group that tries to hold back the flood of gay and lesbian ac ceptance in our society. Any person who has picked up a Bible could probably tell you God is against gay and lesbian perversity in every way. Clark cites the pervert as the one in Port Arthur who wants to “watch” the lesbians. In God’s eyes that person is probably the third pervert on the scene. Because I’m against gay and lesbians am I “prejudiced” and “ignorant?” Perhaps, but ac cording to Clark, not according to Christianity. Jonathan Watson Class of’99 Students should register early to vote Do you want your congress man to listen to you? Do you want your local elected officials to represent your views? Do you want a voice in government? If so, then register and vote. The students at Texas A&M can make a difference. Thomas Paine said, “The right of voting is the right by which all other rights are protected.” This quote still rings true today. How ever, to be able to vote you must be registered at least 30 days be fore the election, and considering the fact that the 1996 primaries are in the middle of Spring Break, I know that all good Ags are going to vote early in the MSC from Feb. 21 to Mar.8, which requires you to register early. Protect your rights, and make the student vote count; reg ister and vote. Richard Holt Class of’97 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space al lows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class, and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may he submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc Don ald. A valid student ID is required. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: Batt@tamvm1 .tamu.edu