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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 1996)
sign post 'd to do was tr. a solid organiza; it ion that coulc uiny years. I (K ige goals of bet, I don’t now.” Vs disappoint rent the past: 1 Angels struggi; 1 water torture, kept dripping: ally to thep; the thing to do- ncerned." had mentionedH general manal bout a montt:: 'ring resigning ?d that I was; :>int were 11(!;| re job donear: me persona}. aid, adding:: of quitting tha ; f n stressed tb •e on him tore;, ying Bavasii® him to stay, n it my beste: thing I know: working," Lac- do not feel ba: t, but do feel vr ■ results.” The Battalion WEDNESDAY August 7, 1 996 OPINION Page 5 "esolved. ye that a refer;: ice as long as’ versy over wh i built," Couil teve Radacb ly would defr arendum. as to get on: uit talking bet: downtown or : os goodbye.” greement o«| m would be: that contribu: impending, 'e of the Hot j lers pro footfc o Nashville. Oilers g for Nashvi ason. panel appor’ I Eckels has $625 million: acilities, inct on retractat rk across strodome. head Petf lilding the bn would add illion more iws abouttl osition fro! T former A$ and Wallati ent the Aggif in compensai J95 All-Arne: i. at replaceraf! iman, he’ll step! er, Trent (f 1 return - to beat.” does not mait e would ( he season ) see us in S oraska (attk ace Champ! th said. sitions. Review, □dents an till another JN ✓.com on UniveislyiKilS Real heroes don’t get media coverage C all me un- Ameri can, but I hate sports. I learned this after gradu ating from kindergarten — as I spent my summer in the swel tering heat playing tee ball. But as the Olympics were winding down, the world of ath letic competition was redeemed in my eyes, if only for a moment. Not by Kerri Strug and her “courageous” vault. Nor by Michael Johnson and his world record in the 200-meter dash. No, it was the work of a little mem who could not afford gold running shoes from Nike. A man who had no corpo rate sponsors or lucrative com mercial endorsements. A man whom none of us knew — A Baser Wasiqi. He came with only one other athlete from his distant country. A country that has been referred to as the “Soviet Union’s Viet nam” — Afghanistan. The Red Army invaded the independent nation in 1979, which resulted in an American boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games. But the Soviets stayed for 10 years. After that, more civil war in Afghanistan. And while the only other Afghan athlete was defecting on Sunday morning, Wasiqi began his grueling struggle to complete the Olympic marathon. As the race claimed 13 other men, this determined Afghan refused to give in to exhaus tion. Even a leg injury did not deter him., But as health mordtors en couraged him to drop out, Wasiqi ignored them all. He continued on. Sometimes jogging. Some times walking. He would win no medal, though. His anthem would not be played. And no spectators would be at Atlanta’s Olympic Stadium to cheer him on to the finish line. You see, as far as Olympic officials were concerned, the marathon was over. The track had already been covered with tarps. But as the volunteers saw Wasiqi limp into the stadium, they pulled back the tarps to let him finish and cheered him on. They even stretched a piece of tape across the track for him to break. Seeing this, Wasiqi mustered his last ounce of energy to jog down the straight-of-way. Four hours, 24 minutes and 17 seconds after the starting gun was fired, A Baser Wasiqi of Afghanistan crossed the makeshift finish line and al most collapsed. Two men caught his arms and helped him off the track. He had finished the marathon in last place. It was the slowest finish ever in Olympic history. But nonetheless, Wasiqi finished. And the look on his face was worth more than any gold medal. He had beaten the marathon that was so eager to claim him as its 14th victim. Wasiqi was victorious. And I couldn’t help but re alize that this man was the real thing. He wasn’t out there running for Nike or Reebok. And he didn’t pose nude for black and white photographs in Life magazine. While other spoiled ath letes gloated over gold or were pathetically disappointed with a silver or bronze medal, Wasiqi left Atlanta as humble as he came. He ran for himself, his family and his country. Nothing more, nothing less. And while the arrogant Carl Lewis returns to Houston an gered by the 10th gold medal that will never be his, A Baser Wasiqi returns to Afghanistan with quiet dignity. Yes, on Sunday, the world witnessed a true champion. It’s just a shame that none of the other athletes were there to see such a triumph. Michael Heinroth is a Class of ’96 political science major Public feeds entertainers’ greed i : JAMES FRANCIS Staff Writer E very day we hear how money is being wast ed in our society. Too much is being spent on military advancements at the expense of educa tion, and people in high places are benefiting from the downfall of the com mon taxpayer. But despite these com plaints, inflated and unmer ited salaries continue. What’s worse is, most Americans contribute to and accept these overblown wages for entertainment’s sake. In the summertime, most would agree a venture to the movie theater is a good way to have fun. But the enjoyment comes at a higher price than the ticket value. Take Jim Carrey, please! His reported $20 million salary for The Cable Guy was a rude awakening to Holly wood, but only after the movie was de clared a summer flop. Had the film done as well as hoped, Carrey’s salary would be labeled appropri ate because of his ability to draw audi ences to theaters. Although The Cable Guy will barely cov er its production costs, the money is Car rey’s to keep. As for Arnold Schwarzenegger, the future looks green with Gotham City. The green stems from the envy of others who will learn of his $25 million contract to portray Mr. Freeze in the next Batman installment. It may be OK for people to say Schwarzenegger’s popularity is worth the salary, but he only has to spend six weeks on the set to earn it. The paycheck wars are not restricted to movies either, as television and hardback non fiction have their own roles. As of right now, each member of the oh-so- talented Friends cast wants a raise — an in crease from $22,500 to $100,000 per episode. They feel they deserve it because of the show’s huge success and because talents such as Roseanne and Tim Allen receive such rewards. Roseanne and Allen are veterans; besides, their ABC shows are actually funny. And no one knows jokes better than co median Whoopi Goldberg, but even she has to be laughing about her upcoming under taking in print. She hasn’t had time to begin writing her account of life observances, but the publisher is advancing her $6 million. Talk about priceless words. But before the red, white and blue becomes tainted with green paperbacks and America begins to take these matters more seriously, here’s a lighthearted poke at Hollywood. Straight from The Battalion newsroom comes “James’ Top 10 Indications That You Are Be ing Overpaid”: #10 - A new clothing line you introduced is being picketed because of child labor usage. Your production designer, K. Lee, blames her son Cody for the mishap. #9 - After waiting your table at the opening of a new Planet Hollywood, a young waiter collects his tip, buys a yacht, and sails the world three times over. #8 - Moneybags, your pet parrot, has a bird cage lined with hundreds of one-dollar bills. You claim they clutter your wallet and should be recycled. #7 - When the tire on your Porsche went flat, you bought a new one — not just a tire, but the Goodyear company. #6 - Ed McMahon comes to your door with a life-size check for $10 million and declares you as Publisher’s Clearinghouse’s grand- prize winner. You slam the door in his face, crawl back into bed and say, “I can’t believe he woke me up at 10 o’clock in the morning!” #5 - All of your childhood friends begin to affectionately call you by the nickname Bank One. #4 - Bill Clinton decides not to run for a second term. Instead, he auditions as your boss in a new sitcom titled The Prez. #3 - Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous per sona Robin Leach is unable to conduct his in terview because you had him shot at the gate, thinking he was a crazed stalker. #2 - The newly divorced Princess Diana at tends your new movie premiere, stating her life can’t be as tragic as your recent breakup with heartthrob Brad Pitt. And the #1 indication that you are being overpaid: That little, red button from the White House now rests beneath your pillow, so the next time People magazine puts you on the year’s worst-dressed list, they’ll get theirs! In the end, entertainers do what they are paid to do — entertain. Only when we stop to take a closer look, a personal question arises: When the time comes to make a decision whether to spend a lifetime educating our children or nudg ing them into pro-basketball, what will you choose? James Francis is a Class of ’99 accounting major Aggie spirit blazes at first, then wanes je&Bj com Mail CDC deserves AIDS funding for research As a Peer Educator and Street Outreach Worker for AIDS Ser vices of Brazos Valley (260- AIDS) in Bryan, I have a few comments to supplement David Recht’s recent column regarding Centers for Disease Control (CDC) funding for AIDS re search. Let me start by saying that I am quite happy for Recht — that he’s been so lucky and has led such a sheltered life. It becomes clear when reading his column that he is not aware of the realities of drug abuse, sex, and the usage of barriers, i.e. clean needles and condoms. I am willing to bet that as a college student he is acquainted with at least one person — male, female, gay or straight — who has gone out looking specifically to get laid. Maybe he has met one of the many unreported rape vic tims on this campus. He is well-informed about the facts of infection, but he neglects the realities that surround these events. Contraction of HIV does not happen in a vacuum. Besides that, not everyone is as informed as he is. After stressing individ ual responsibility, he asks, “Why, then, should the CDC devote such a disproportionate amount of money to AIDS research?” Be cause the spread of infection from mother to baby occurs not in utero, but during childbirth. Through proper procedures, it can be prevented. After all, ba bies cannot ask for clean needles or demand condoms. Suzanne M. Buttery Class of ’96 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 be submitted in person at 013 Reed McDon 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 A fresh man en tering A&M, I was a devout follower of the Aggie state religion. I gave a firm “howdy” to all passers-by. I believed it to be a sin to miss a football game or a yell practice. I worshiped the pagan god of Bonfire, sacrificing my weekends and nights for the greater glory of Aggieland. Today, my attitude is a little different. A quick nod or a friendly “hi” will suffice. I plan to make it over to Kyle Field for the big games against Colorado and Oklahoma, but I’ll probably be more interested in my plant design project than Louisiana Tech. And Ill see you when it bums. My outlook is not very differ ent from that of most seniors. Except for a handful of two- percenters, freshmen generally enter the University thinking Aggie traditions define the essence of human existence. The chosen 98 percent demand that the remaining fraction hit the outbound lane of Highway 6. By the time Fish Camp is a four-year-old memory, the evil two percent has grown to encom pass most of the class. Unless you’re a yell leader or on the Traditions Council, you’ve prob ably realized that being an Ag gie is not the ultimate fulfill ment of life. This is not intended to be an other “Aggies are a bunch of stu pid, ignorant rednecks” column that criticizes everything some people hold dear. It is simply an observation that most people do in fact out grow the myopic view that Ag gieland is “the best place on Earth.” That does not change the fact that Texas A&M is, to put it tritely, a really neat place. Working on Bonfire is a hell of a lot of fun. Watching it bum is a magnificent sight. Football games and yell practices are fun. They are quite unique and denote a spirit that, in a way, “can ne’er be told.” People who can draw the line between what is a neat thing to do and what should be a compulsory thought or action are the people who truly un derstand the meaning of the Aggie spirit. And I suspect this number in cludes a vast majority of us. There are extremists on both sides of the traditions debate. Those who think that A&M is perfect and does not require change or improvement com prise one edge of the spectrum. We might call them the “love it or leave it” crowd. Then there are those who view every Aggie tradition as a primitive. Neanderthal ritual that perpetuates the school’s im age as a backward society of racist, sexist, homophobes. When these factions clash with a flurry of letters to the edi tor during each fall semester, these two mindsets seem to dom inate the debate. However, neither side repre sents the opinion of most stu dents, and neither side is correct. As freshmen we were indoc trinated to be Aggies. Today, most of us recognize the great fun that it was and appreciate the experience, but we realize life does not culminate with the maroon and white. Jim Pawlikowski is a Class of ’96 chemical engineering major
