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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1996)
iday • October 7,1 eep ado andOSI , v The Battalion viaaoooMoaoooofc ^.mnnonnnn.inKmmwi ^ l PPI VIO N ;t , X 1 JL \JP JL 1 Page 9 Monday • October 7, 1996 gainst OSU beforeji Diana Rowe convent ss from freshman« e Pinkerton to givi 0 lead at the half, ond half got offtoa e senior forwardlii red her second goali nd. To seal thevict® ates later seniordeisi linson scored theAp ■as a good ntgegrate someofoj ilayers into our Head CoacliC said. “I thoughtti id a good joboflet) noving, especially Hi ia (Castillejos)at Davidson), ers did a hind the defense, d have liked to seet ’oals in the Irabs, not Israel, should pick up the slack lichael Heinroth aching certification student was pleased to seet i many chances, is ted a season-hii es the season. icy travel to Normal 4 p.m. today. ennis strong nee again, the “land of milk and honey” has been doused with blood. Vio- ce broke out in Palestinian sec- s of Israel after an archeological tunnel near MAf&vu&s PBCCfiP m/J&W wwvv, benjen .aWnwjul^ Columnist 1 an Islamic holy site in Jerusalem was re opened last week. Palestin ian leader Yasser Arafat used the decision by the Is raeli gov- ernment as excuse to renew hostilities, ckswere thrown, and gunfire exchanged. By week’s end, at ist70 Israelis and Palestinians dead in the streets. Israel should take note of Arafat’s jgeous act and redirect the 11 corner kicks™ of any further peace negoti- SU to four andthiig msTtisthe Arab states, not Is- y. Freshman goalte- j^at should provide a home- Wilson started fonli dfor the landless Palestinians, ght time and postti sjews waited too long for the re fer her third soli nfortheir own homeland to tch it dismantled through mis- ;ies will have little sided diplomatic efforts. The Battalion Established in 1893 Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorials board members. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Bat talion 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 Michael Landauer Editor in Chief Amy Collier Executive Editor Gretchen Perrenot Executive Editor Heather Pace Opinion Editor Deserving decision Former regent Ross Margraves deserves Friday’s guilty verdict. Modem Israel’s short history is face the Oklahoii eofacontinual struggle for exis- ice. Since the rededication of the dsh homeland in 1948, open iity has continually emanated mthe surrounding Arab states. After a prolonged and bloody efadah (holy war) conducted the Palestinian Liberation Or- lization, Israel was partitioned aconcession in the name of ace. It was an unjust reward for s of terrorism wrought by [aland the PLO. Arafat, whose hands were still Ipingwith blood, became the istofthe town. He was invited the White House by President n to sign the peace agree- and shared the Nobel iswith the late Israeli Prime Minister Rabin. The terrorist returned to Wash ington, D.C., late last week to nego tiate an end to the recent violence. The meetings were unproductive, but before leaving, Arafat turned and saluted the President. Without hesitation, Clinton returned the gesture. Courteous diplomacy is one matter, Mr. President — salut ing a terrorist is another. Parallel to this outrageous episode involving the President are the fatally flawed assumptions by which peace agreements are for mulated in the violent region. Why must Israel relinquish its own territories to serve as the sacrificial lamb? The Jewish state’s internal security should not be undermined and its future put in jeopardy to appease the desires of Islamic fundamentalists. It is no secret that neighboring Arab states, namely Jordan and Syria, sponsored much of the ter rorism conducted by the PLO. Should these countries not bear the burden of creating a new Pales tinian state for their Arab brothers? The answer is simple: yes. Syria’s King Assad and Jordan’s King Hussein both have enough money to construct a Palestinian homeland within their own bor ders with vast revenues from oil exports. In addition, they reign over countless square miles of sparsely populated land just east of Israel’s crowded settlements. This much more feasible sce nario was never proposed by the Arab states, though. By leaving the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Assad and Hussein have much more to gain — a weakened and destabilized Israel. Like so many others, I was convinced a final peace between Jews and Arabs would be achieved through Palestinian au tonomy within Israel’s borders. But it has become clear that the Palestinians and Arab states are using these partitions as a means to erode Israel’s continued existence. When Arafat is not sit ting at a negotiation table, he readily admits to this fact. Israeli Prime Minister Ben jamin Netanyahu must continue his hard line with Arafat, but should be more careful not to pro vide the terrorist with excuses for throwing stones. Millions of lives are at stake. And an atmosphere of civility must be maintained as a new (Arab) solution to the Pales tinian problem is devised. But as the dove that descend ed upon the region is strangled by the current misguided efforts and as the olive branches wither, the mirage of peace in the Mid dle East fades away. Justice has been served, al though former regent Ross Mar graves would beg to differ. Margraves was convicted Fri day for abusing the use of Texas A&M’s airplane. Although he claimed he used the University’s plane to discuss a possible merger with the Southeastern Conference, he ac tually visited Louisiana to see his son graduate from Louisiana State University. The cost of his trip to taxpayers was $1,435. Placed on four months proba tion, Margraves faces the loss of his law license and plans to ap peal his conviction. How Margraves could possibly hope to continue practicing law in the face of his blatant abuse of the law, though, is a question that is simply unanswerable. After hearing the verdict, Margraves was shocked by the decision. Many of his closest friends joined him in refusing to believe his guilt, even in the face of evidence giving ir refutable proof of his guilt. Margraves should own up to his actions, taking full responsibility for what is entirely his own doing. He should consider himself fortunate to have escaped with such a light sentence, considering that he could have served up to continues to miss the mark o matter how advanced your re mote control, only a certain level of happiness can be reached by mging channels. ndwhen the reason for changing the faster than Clinton changes his (tform is because of offensive storylines, fers should utilize another modern erican invention — the telephone — Angkriwan, the Batou® let local stations know that they de ity Dingwall reP nd a higher level of quality. fhe debate over how far we should allow vision to go is not a new one. For years iplehave been complaining about the in- asing trash factor of American television Columnist <hand against the of Alabama Sept, ingwall took the 11$ indy Reid andl consolation cr» ^ an( j f or y ears the producers have been re- over^the Tenneflf mding with the same three excuses: we’re just de- ting what’s going on in the real world, we show at gets the best ratings and society should be open- ided and learn about other lifestyles, he producers, of course, fail to recognize that na Kocergrin and It 1 ivision plays a large role in the perceptions we -0 to take home 1 ' 1 m about the world around us. Although many wers are mature enough to handle the morally- stionable situations portrayed, access to these ;rams is also available to younger viewers who VI duo of a San Miguel blank n doubles ght B. ill compete nextai™ Pgi :an Champions# ynothave the same level of discernment. the Riveria noN 3E!I r 30 and •ishable >the tallation! 0k Jenni Howard Senior economics and international studies major But beyond the moral implications, the financial 1 philosophical excuses that have been given for ng these programs just don’t stand up anymore, fo claim that most television shows give us insight )the“real world” implies that our own reality is vir- land their conception is actual. They would prefer onvince us that adulterous affairs occur on a weekly is, homosexual couples are the norm and violent labor is the only means of solving a conflict. But if producers are so intent on presenting re- i, then maybe they could work into their story- sthe fact that a Gallup poll found 90 percent of lericans pray and 40 percent attend church on a tilar basis. Relying solely on what we see on TV, ewouldn’t think this is the case. Financial motives should lead producers to run revalues-oriented programs, not more shows with scandalous storylines. The case used to be that the trashier shows got the higher ratings due to the “shock factor.” But ironically, this same shock factor could encourage networks to run shows or movies that were based more on traditional values. Americans really don’t care anymore about the small segment of society that happens to have slept with their daughter’s boyfriend’s third cousin while being an im perial wizard in the KKK. And they’re get ting bored with teenage cheerleaders who seduce their boyfriends and then ask them to kill their parents. People want producers to be nicer in their story lines, and some are already listening. Consider some of the recent shows that have become highly popular: Touched by an Angel, Home Improvement and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Granted, some of these shows may not suit our particular tastes, but their overriding success has been based on the fact that they create suspense on how values like faith or integrity will pull someone through a situation, rather than how a flawlessly beautiful teenager is going to keep secret her affair with her best friend’s boyfriend. As hard as it is to believe, clean shows are suc cessful. Characters can be funny, interesting and even deep without having to be drug addicts, sexu ally promiscuous or criminally inclined. And finally, the idea that some of the questionable situations depicted on movies and sitcoms encourage people to be more open-minded about issues is com ing dangerously close to toeing the line of immorality. As someone once said, “It pays to be open- minded, but let’s not be so open-minded that our brains fall out.” Television can be a useful tool for education and entertainment. But when it becomes difficult to find a movie or sitcom that you can enjoy without having to cringe five times before the first commercial break, it is time not to turn the television off, but to turn on the heat to those who are responsible for the offensiveness. BANK four years in prison for his crime. Since first being scrutinized for his abuse of the University plane, Margraves has offered jumbled explanations that have never done much more than in sult the intelligence of those he sought to convince. The senseless facts he offered in a futile attempt to exonerate himself are especially ironic as he once again attempts to convince the public of his innocence. Margraves was concerned only with clearing his own name, even if meant dragging others down with him. The most important result of Margrave’s conviction is the message that corruption will no longer be tolerated. Hopefully, the day is gone when the guilty can flee from their mis takes without retribution. The University’s current Board of Regents and adminis trators appear to have relegated corruption to the past. A shadow of doubt should not be cast over the University for the misguided actions of one man. In the face of constantly ris ing tuition and fees, it is a relief to know that students will no longer have to add the regents’ pleasure trips to their already lengthy fee statements. &I996 the KBcopp www. . cctH/vtefyjiif*, Flying on a wing and a prayer Mail Joshua Wilkinson Class of’98 LEW ’an attalion provides esh voice for A&M Regarding Patrick Smiley’s it. 2 column, “Traditions tradi- onally perpetuate stupidity’’: The Battalion should be com- lended for its consistent hiring of en-minded columnists who are brave enough to question the estab lishment. Without these columnists, The Battalion would simply be an other college newspaper. Smiley’s column is a perfect example of this. Smiley courageously attacked some traditions that should maybe be viewed from a more critical angle. After all, you can see what tradi tions have done for lemmings. The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or fewer and include the author’s name, class, and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Let ters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: Batt@tamvml.tamu.edu For more details on letter policy, please call 845-3313 and direct your question to the opinion editor. F ellow Americans: The recent flight tragedies of ValuJet and TWA have made it apparent that the entire air line business needs to be reexamined. All air transportation should be banned in the United States if man cannot ensure the safety of planes during flight. If elected president, I will create an ex ecutive order mandating ground trans portation for all travel within the country. The reasoning for this ban is simple — man was not meant to fly. Look at the animals that do fly: birds, bats and insects. None of these has a brain larger than a human thumb, so each can only have a few thoughts. Consider the life of a bird: Flap wings. Flap wings. Flap wings. Stop. Eat. Eat. Eat. Flap wings. Flap wings. Humans, on the other hand, have large brains and overanalyze every situation. If the human body were able to fly, the following would occur. For the first two weeks, everything would be cool. A girl invites a guy over for lunch. He decides to fly there and on his way he spots some girls laying out by a pool. Feeling macho, he flies over them and does a loop-de-loop. The girls are impressed and the guy thinks he is great. But after awhile, the guy gets tired of just flying around town and showing off. He flies to the Dixie Chicken and hangs out with his friends. Since it is getting late, he chugs his beer and says goodbye to his classmates. A girl yells at him, telling him not to drink and fly. Columnist David Minor Graduate.student He does not listen and tells her he is OK to fly. As he soars over campus, he approaches the Oceanography & Meteo rology building and attempts to make it over the top. Not having the strength to clear the tower, he clips a wing and crashes to the ground. The next morning as students go to class, the poor drunk flyer is found dead on the ground. This dramatization is only one of many examples of what would happen if man could fly. The undying spirit and overanalytical mind of man does not allow him to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, such as gliding through the air. Instead of enjoying the fruits of his labor, man con sistently believes the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, so he continues to search for a greater rush of adrenaline by pushing the limits of what hu mans are capable. If flying is not banned, man will con tinue to abuse this privilege and destroy himself. Every time man and flight mix, the consequence is death. It does not matter if the situation is a commer cial airplane flight or a man is flapping his own wings. Plain and simple, man was not meant to fly. That is why the United States needs a law that will prohibit air travel within its national borders. We can not prevent other countries from acting with such reckless abandonment for human safety, but we can save human lives of United States citizens. Support the United States and the hope that we can get this country back to where it was meant to be — firmly on the ground. God bless you and God bless America.