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WEDNESDAY
June 26, 1996
OPINION
Page 5
B-CS inaction keeps concerts away
I feel like
Charlie
Brown.
Lucy holds a
football in the
shape of a ma
jor local con
cert, and my
excitement
builds. Forget
ting all the
times I have
been fooled
before, I run
after it — only to have it
yanked away, leaving me flat
on my back, desperately hoping
the next concert in College Sta
tion doesn’t consider line danc
ing a valid opening act.
Much has been said about
the recent cancellation of Lolla-
palooza at the Texas World
Speedway. Unfortunately, the
history of most major rock con
certs in College Station all ends
up the same way: the way to
the Woodlands Pavilion or the
Astrodome.
For those who enjoy them, Col
lege Station is considered a mag
net for top country acts. Indeed,
as one promoter said, “The only
way not to draw a large crowd to
a country act in College Station is
by refusing to sell beer.” As sur
prising as it may seem, however,
there is quite a large population
of us that refuse to sing along
with Garth Brooks. And for those
of us who don’t keep our TV glued
to TNN, there is a better chance
of finding a nearby on-campus
parking spot than a local concert
by a band we can appreciate.
Historically, the bands that
have played here under the guise
of a “major concert” have been
pretty grim. No one can forget (no
matter how hard they try) Adam
Ant and Robert Palmer, who both
played here in the ’80s. The Gin
Blossoms concert a few years
back does not count either. They
were here only as a last minute
opening to Toad the Wet Sprock
et, a band known more for cre
ativity in its name than its music.
And people who actually attempt
to bring up the Frank Black fiasco
deserve severe punishment — but
the fact that they probably went
to the show is painful enough.
The only thing sadder than
the bands who have played
here is the list of bands that
were supposed to and canceled.
Nine Inch Nails, Matthew
Sweet and the Cranberries are
just a few of the bands that
were willing to play in College
Station but had their deals fall
through. Unfortunately, those
of us driving 100 miles out of
town to see these and other acts
are also left to question why.
One of the most common ex
cuses is the lack of audience
support, and people often point
to the Sponge concert as an ex
ample. Granted, the attendance
was a bit sparse, but the blame
should fall on inclement weath
er, confusion among promoters
and a poor choice of bands.
Bring in a non-country band
that most people actually enjoy
and they will come. Just ask
those already waiting in line for
the next Jackopierce concert.
Another excuse is that many
bands aren’t willing to play a
market such as College Station.
However, if Willie can book nu
merous top-notch regional acts to
3rd Floor Cantina and Dixie The
atre, then why can’t the powers-
that-be bring a bigger act to a
larger local venue? One road
manager of a major band that is
currently on tour in Texas said,
“We’d love to come to College Sta
tion because we see it as an un
tapped region. But if no local
agent or promoter asks us, we’re
not going to go out of our way.”
Great.
While local officials and pro
moters are busy booking Otis Day
and the Knights, the only way to
listen to our favorite bands in con
cert is by ordering their live CDs
through BMG.
College Station will never be
come heir apparent to Woodstock
or Glastonbury. And no matter
how much I pray, Depeche Mode
or Morrissey will never consider
Wolf Pen Creek as a destination
on their U.S. tour. But there are
numerous major acts that will
choose College Station over Fer
ris, Texas, if only local promoters
and officials will book them.
No one wants to feel like Char
lie Brown, and I hate to accuse
anyone of being Lucy. But if more
bands don’t start coming to Col
lege Station, the next time that
football is held up. I’ll be aiming
for something else.
Steven Gyeszly is a Class of ’99
finance and sociology major
STEVEN
GYESZLY
Columnist
Church burnings
break body, not soul
urning
a
church
will never
break the
faithful.
A right
eous church
is more than
just an ar
chitectural
painting of
mortar, con
crete and
lumber — it is people brought
together by common threads
of faith and hope.
The fools who think they can
squelch faith by burning a
building are just reaching for
power they will never have.
The people who have been
burned out know God can use
the weak. Those who are
burning churches think they
are really hurting someone be
cause they are black or be
cause they are Christian. Be
cause of those very reasons,
the only thing that is being
hurt is the building. The faith
that built those churches is
the same faith that will re
build them.
Persecution and oppression
are constant. Chains of iron,
however, can never bind the
soul. During the dark age of
slavery in this country, the slave
was among the most righteous,
the most humble, and the most
faithful. The fact that a slave
could rarely go to a white church
made no difference. The fields
and the clapboard-shack slave
quarters served God much bet
ter than sanctuaries of marble
and glass.
The issue is not how horri
ble it is that churches are be
ing burned. The issue is not
even that the churches are
made up of black congrega
tions. A burning church is just
a symptom of a sick nation.
Anyone can see arson and
ALEX
WALTERS
Guest Columnist
violence as nothing but pitiful
hate, but the real problem is
the moral sloth that has crept
into our society so slowly that
few have seen it.
Thirty-three churches in
18 months have burned to the
ground, but nobody noticed
until recently.
What does this ignorance
say about the spirit of our
country? If houses of worship
are being destroyed, most likely
for racist motives, everyone —
Christians and non-Christians
alike — should take a stand
and refuse to be enslaved.
If a church with a black
congregation burns by arson
in South Carolina, that’s sad,
but it’s still in South Carolina.
If a black church bums in
north Texas, that’s a bit dif
ferent, but it’s still just a
black church.
This complacency will
eventually destroy this na
tion, and political rhetoric
won’t help.
If people want to bum a
building, there is really nothing
to do about it but begin again.
The only words I can offer
to help with that are the
words I wrote when I drove
by a partially demolished
church about two years ago.
The roof had caved in, but
the image was beautiful be
cause the steeple still pointed
upwards. It seems to make
more sense now.
The Church I want has a
broken back
but its crucifix remains
within the stars ...
... if only we could hold a
funeral party
and in its wake ... the timid
in their wonderful slumber
churches are but lumber.
Alex Walters is a Class of’97
journalism and
theater arts major
False accusation against Catholic priest pays off in Louisiana
C hild rapist.”
These were the
words used by
Assistant Terrebonne
Parish Prosecutor
Mark Rhodes to de
scribe Father Robert
Melancon.
After less than two
hours in deliberation,
a jury in Houma, La.
(60 miles southwest
of New Orleans), con
victed the Roman
Catholic priest of aggravated rape.
The conviction mandates life in
prison with no parole.
But hopefully, an appeals court will
overturn the verdict and free Father
Melancon.
Why? Because after speaking with
both the prosecuting and defense at
torneys, I am convinced that the 60-
year-old priest is innocent.
The accuser, Kevin Portier, 19, says
Father Melancon forced him to have
intercourse in the Annunziata
Catholic Church rectory. The teenager
originally said the encounters took
place over a five-and-a-half-year peri
od between 1985 and 1991 while he
was an altar boy.
So let’s bum Father Melancon at
the stake. Right?
Well, there are a few problems. Es
pecially with Kevin’s testimony.
First, the young accuser’s story isn’t
consistent.
On a church trip, he “confided” to a
friend, Terri Campbell, that Melan-
con’s successor at Annunziata, Father
Morrison, was the molester.
Kevin later decided it was Father
Melancon.
The teenager also has a problem re
calling the frequency of the encounters
at the church rectory.
In a previous civil trial, Kevin re
ceived an $800,000 settlement from
the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Houma-Thibodaux. He said Father
Melancon forced him to have inter
course two and three times a month
over the five-and-a-half-year period.
During the recent criminal trial,
though, Kevin could only “remember”
two encounters.
That’s a big difference. And money
seems to be the source of Kevin’s in
consistencies.
According to George Simno, one of
Father Melancon’s defense attorneys,
Kevin Portier showed “no emotion at
all” on the stand. He stared blankly
and recited the alleged events without
a tear.
Now whether the rapes occurred
three times a month for five-and-a-half
years or only twice, I imagine the
events would conjure up some type of
emotional response.
At any rate, the prosecution man
aged to ignore these problems and ob
tained the judge’s approval to call
Ronald Folse, 34, to the stand. Folse
had brought a civil suit against the
diocese in 1993 and received a $30,000
settlement. He had decided that he too
had been a victim of Father Melancon
as a youth.
Folse’s credibility and relevance are
lacking, though. He was not a witness
to the alleged events surrounding
Kevin Portier’s accusations.
And Folse never even bothered coming
forward with his own story until his at
torney convinced him that a monetary
settlement was in their future.
Once again, money looked to be the
motivating factor.
Ironically, the prosecution raised
the issue of money to “discredit” one of
the defense’s key witnesses.
Remember when Kevin told his friend
Terri that Father Morrison and not Fa
ther Melancon had assaulted him?
Well, it turns out Terri and her
family had moved to South Carolina.
So, the defense had to pay for her
flight to the trial. The defense was
also responsible for her hotel expens
es. And they bought her a dress to
wear to the trial.
These actions were hardly irregu
lar. In fact, they were essential be
cause Terri Campbell stepped off the
plane with little money and no appro
priate clothing to wear to the trial.
But prosecutor Mark Rhodes
claimed the defense had, in effect,
“bought a witness.”
He also claimed the jury “didn’t buy
her testimony.”
But at least one of the 12 jurors did
and refused to vote for a conviction of ag
gravated rape. Unfortunately, Louisiana
law only requires 10 jurors to vote for a
conviction in a case such as this.
But what about the accused and
now-convicted Father Melancon?
Well, he maintained his innocence
throughout the trial. And he continues
to do so, despite the fact that he is now
faced with life in prison.
His defense attorneys are currently
working on his appeal, though.
And I hope they win and Father
Melancon is set free.
Fkit simply, there are just too many
questions surrounding Kevin Portier’s ,
failure to present a consistent story
from the civil to the criminal trial.
And Robert Folse’s credibility and rel
evance are questionable. ,
But this case is only one of an in- |
creasing number involving priests ac- )
cused of molestation.
The Roman Catholic Church is an
easy target because of its vast re
sources. And for those with no con
science, phony accusations often result ,
in profitable returns.
We are living in a time when noth
ing is sacred, and any wild accusation
is accepted as Gospel truth. 3
As a result, an innocent man may j
spend the rest of his life in prison.
' '
Michael Heinroth is a Class of ’96 \
political science major
Mail
Freako label belongs
only to the intolerant
This is just a quick response
to Kevin Harbuck’s letter from
the June 24 issue of The Batt.
First of all, let me say that
this whole thing has gotten
blown entirely out of propor
tion. What happened to just
being Aggies?
The other point I’d like to
make is directed towards Har-
buck. I drink Coca-Cola. I like
to dance. I learned to drive in a
Chevy one-ton four-on-the-
floor. And I am one of those 2
percent of this school he would
probably classify as a freako.
Why am I here? Because
Texas A&M happens to be a
damn fine institution of higher
learning that also happens to
boasts a wide variety of people
and cultures (and no, I’m not
talking about race).
Harbuck, on the other hand,
seems to think that going to
college is about staying with
your own kind. Well, the rest
of the world isn’t conservative,
country dancin’, Coca-Cola
drinkin’ or Chevy truck drivin’.
Someday when he grows up,
he’ll be dealing with us
“freakos,” and his attitude is
going to get him nowhere real
ly fast.
Sarah Hughes
Class of ’97
Someone needs to remind
Kevin Harbuck, along with “Al
lison and all the other fresh
men” he singled out, that the
purpose of college is to prepare
people for the “real world.”
Must I remind him that the
“real world” does not consist of
only conservative, country
dancin’, Chevy-truck-drivin’
Ags? I don’t drive a Chevy
truck nor do I really prefer
country dancing, so does that
mean I’m a “freako” who needs
to go to t.u.? Not even close!
We are going to be faced
with a lot of different people
when we get out of here, so
there’s no better time to learn
to deal with it than now. One
day that guy you called a
freako, maybe Ag or even t-sip
(ssss!), may be your boss. What
are you going to call him then?
Stephanie Feagin
Class of ’9 7
Editor’s note: Although the
editor cannot distinguish be
tween freakos and nonfreakos,
he feels strongly that all Aggies
should'use both straps on their
backpacks.
1996: Bob Dole finds it.
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