October 14, IS]
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,vere able to
[ore have such long-anticipated, over-
events been so disappointing,
nts and get son iy e ll, OK, Brooke Shields’ new sitcom Slid-
ly,” Cass said. II Susan wasn’t as funny as those NBC
encedwhatitisl ustSeeTV” commercials promised, but
match setting a ^another column in itself.
to gain some 1
i the veterans let ieo feven the most uninformed voters
T the court iyhy?x 0 p U t it bluntly, the Dole/Kemp and
^arlos ionmilii ^ on /G 0r e campaigns agreed to avoid any
WPP nrnm ( ia(e [jgfQj-g ^ e 5 ates even startec j
agree to stand behind their podiums,
lie and politely answer the soft questions
week to compel!
nerican Chant]
by the Univetsit?
participate in
of the tor ie( l by the moonlighting moderator Jim
Tuesday
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^gies ope
k amongst yourselves. Here’s a topic:
The presidential debates are neither
presidential nor debates. Discuss.”
And with that, a
verklempt Mike Myers —
dressed like a middle-
aged woman in costume
jewelry — walked from
the podiums and mum
bled something in Yiddish
about Barbra Streisand
being like butter.
So it didn’t really hap
pen. But if “Coffee Talk”
ever collided with the
candidates, the cross-
dressed comedian
would be right. Never
Anyway, these so-called debates wasted the
trer, who regular ly hosts PBS’s News Hour.
fhe result was just what the candidates or-
cd. But it was disastrous for the American
)lic. Instead of lively debate, we saw the presi-
ttialand vice-presidential candidates contin-
, tell television audiences how much they re-
ni nines intoilii (teach other. This nauseating civility was
owed by the election-year game known as
te Skirting of the Questions,” where candi
es desperately avoid anything of substance.
Millions of God-fearing, red-blooded, flag-
aterona® siting Americans simultaneously reached
their remote controls. Desperation led
op once againi n y t0 p ra y t j iat Suddenly Susan was on
, as she kickeii n e other station. Their frantic efforts were
ar corner of tiii io avail. Suddenly Susan didn’t come on
"Thursday, and the debates were on Sun-
and Wednesday nights.
Surfing the channels only revealed coundess
other networks broadcasting the debate from
various camera angles. It was rumored that Ted
TUrner did an abrupt about-face and actually de
colorized the debate transmissions being sent
via TBS, his flagship cable station in Adanta.
The channel and format are not important,
though. Any real estate agent could explain
how to improve the debates by offering the
generic real estate answer to every real estate
question — location, location, location.
With that in mind, Dole and Clinton
should have carried on their happy little ex
change in a more appropriate, relaxed envi
ronment. A bar, perhaps? Americans could
have seen the two men with beers in hand
trading old war — and draft-dodging — sto
ries. Bob would tell us how he saved the life of
a fellow soldier back in World War II... again.
Bill would propose a toast to the waitress. Or
maybe he’d just propose she visit his hotel room.
Then the president would talk about the time
he went to Moscow during the height of the Viet
nam conflict to protest our involvement.
Of course, that was a long time ago. And it
shouldn’t matter, right? Well, uh ...
Wednesday’s vice-presidential debates left a
lot to be desired, too. And it wasn’t just the loca
tion. A1 Gore hugged a few trees and recited an
swers like he was reading them off a
teleprompter. Jack Kemp avoided the questions
altogether and discussed the finer points sepa
rating capitalism from socialism. Thanks, Jack.
The only thing that could have saved the 90-
minute disaster would have been a cameo ap
pearance by that sage of sages, Ross Perot’s 1992
running mate, Admiral James Stockdale. It was
four years ago that “oT Gridlock” stumbled
through the debates until he remembered to put
in his hearing aid. His rusty performance didn’t
matter, though. The decorated naval officer had
already spiced up the vice-presidential debate
during the introductions by posing the philo
sophical questions, “Who am I? Why am I here?”
Both the Republican nominees, the incum
bent president and vice president — and
Brooke Shields — should ask themselves the
same questions. The American people de
serve answers. And we’d like them some time
before November 5.
rosses don’t cross line between church and state
started out as a simple memorial
Jaman killed by a drunken dri
er. If the Harris C.p.unty attor-
s office has its way, however, a
ite commemorative cross will be-
teyet another unnecessary brick
Columnist
i said. Thejit y to t | ie wa jj 0 f se p ara ti 0 n be
en church and state.
nl994, Robert Wayne Shinn
killed by a drunken driver in
of the teafe'lperfield, a west Houston hous-
subdivision.
e Aggies prep^ Upon the request of his widow, a
imemorative marker, a small white
ss, was erected by Harris County on
site of the accident on April 4, 1994.
Jenni Howard
Senior economics
and international
studies major
exas.
a - ranked Dni fee days later, the cross was removed from
iday, and N» site because it was a depressing reminder to
North Carol" Presidents of Copperfield. It also caused a
cem that property values might be lowered,
"iter Harris County Precinct 3 Commis-
ler Steve Radack received numerous
me calls and
ers complaining
'tit the cross’ re-
val, however, a
tl opinion was
ight from the
ris County Al
ley’s Office. Ac-
Missouriwitli- p ingtothe
a’s kill and#
; 15-4 on aH
ty’s road laws
a state "statute,
But in a country where
freedom of religion is
guaranteed, all too of
ten it is freedom from
religion that is enforced.
So back up it went.
And 10 hours later, down it came
again. But this time, it wasn’t be
cause of a depressed resident.
The issue at hand was expressed
in a letter sent on Sept. 25 from the
Harris County Attorney’s Office to
the state attorney general. In the let
ter, the question was raised as to
whether or not the county’s use of a
Christian cross as a marker violated
the Establishment Clause of the First
Amendment of the Constitution.
It is tragic that Robert Shinn
had to die such a senseless death
in the first place, but what is even
more tragic is that his life will not be honored
according to his family’s wishes because of a
small yet powerful phrase that has been over
applied and misconstrued: the separation of
church and state.
In the case of Robert Shinn, the cross was
one of many that has been erect
ed upon the request of family
and friends for accident victims
across Texas.
Those who question the consti
tutionality of a county law permit
ting a Christian cross to be erected
should examine the U.S. dollar bill,
which bears the phrase “In God We
Trust.” Or perhaps they could at-
e block in tli
e A&M a 7-1
|rewas nothing illegal about the county
ping the marker.
tend the opening session of Congress,
which begins with a prayer
Does the county’s use of a cross promote
Christianity? Some would say yes, because
rather than putting up a symbol of another
religion such as Judaism or Hinduism, a
cross is put up.
Those who are against the use of a cross are
concerned that it could offend people of other
religions. They also wonder what the county
would do if it was an atheist who had died. The
bottom line, in their opinion, is the constitu
tionality of displaying a religious symbol.
But in a country where freedom of religion is
guaranteed, all too often it is freedom from reli
gion that is enforced. Rather than being the tol
erant nation that we claim to be, any sign of re
ligious activity on the state’s behalf is
considered unacceptable.
The Harris County Attorney General’s Office
needs to lighten up. This is not a case of govern
ment establishing a religion. If it were, then
county officials would run up to accident sites
as soon as they occurred and post crosses, pro
claiming Christianity right and left.
But the county erected the cross upon request
of the widow, not upon their own religious con
victions. And what is now at stake is her ability to
poignantly remember the husband she lost, and
for her government to help her to do so.
Harris County officials may fear erosion of
the wall separating church and state, but it is
their sensitivity to the mourning of citizens
that has crumbled.
As they ponder the constitutionality of a
small white cross, the marker will sit in the
county attorney’s office and Robert Shinn’s
death will continue to go unnoticed.
Assistant
Opinion Editor
s could nt#
i'sslock ‘n’ Roll fails to drum up Dole’s campaign
outside hittetk 1 1 v —^
corded a kill” 1 lenn Miller and
shutout.Whitt® kBennyCood-
ditter Brooke" -* man wouldn’t
i block to gi't' 'ce many people to
e game ai# Jfor a presidential
didate — or would
jgies are ri# ??Bob Dole has
ning streak | a Wy assumed he
dories con# ' tuse th® music of
neirNo 12^ er asohehas opted
be the l#f' frock music
"eon the campaign
d she is on# [Trying to gainun-
n upper-eel"' J " votes - he ’ s gotten
)e preparedtt^ ^If into some hot
ebraska onf# er by attempting to portray
ly» coryjit' 1Se lfas someone he is not.
> to work on ®^ tists anc * recor( T companies
Erin Fitzgerald
Senior English and
political science major
we are oneom tUrning up the heat ’ ques
the Big Hid llngthe ethics and le g alit Y of
6 ^ "gthe two songs “Soul Man”
T'Born in the U.S.A.”But Dole
! sn’t deserve all the heat. To
musically literate person —
nyone with half a brain — it’s
ous Dole did not select the
sic. How many people can
Tire Dole in Levi’s with a
iveless T-shirt jamming to
^Jce Springstein? And he surely
n't get down with the Blues
|thers singing “Soul Man.”
Heone on the Dole campaign
ffmade a big boo-boo when
I*
To Place Your¥
\ttaiion
making the musical se
lections: Dole’s fabricat
ed image to appear
cooler doesn’t make him
more appealing — it
makes him appear that
much more artificial.
In addition, the un
fitting songs were used
illegally. These kind of
errors emphasize how
hard Dole is trying to
keep treading in the
waters of mainstream
America.
Dole might have be
lieved he was in the clear when
he used the song “Soul Man” by
Sam and Dave. Although Sam
(one of Dole’s few African-
American supporters) stood
nearby as the lyrics were trans
formed to “Dole man,” Dole’s
staff forgot to ask Sam if he
owned the copyrights. Apparent
ly Dole’s staff should have con
sulted with Weird A1 Yankovic
about the technicalities. Randor
Music soon sent a cease and de
sist letter to the campaign. Now
Dole may be looking at a lawsuit
for “illegal public performance
without a license.”
Bruce Springstein reacted with a
little more kindness than Randor
Music, choosing not to sue Dole’s
campaign for their use of “Born in
the U.S A.” Instead of waging a legal
war, Springstein simply sent a fax
stating: “Just for the record, I’d like
to make clear that (the song) was
used without my permission, and I
am not a supporter of the Republi
can ticket.”
Duh. Bruce Springstein repre
sents the epitome of blue-collar
America. Not many unions support
republican capitalist philosophy.
But perhaps Springstein reacted
rather mildly considering his past
experiences. This is the second
time Springstein has had to slap
the wrist of the GOP: Back in 1984,
Ronald Reagan also attempted to
use “Born in the U.S.A.”
Somebody should inform the
Republican political strategists
that rock artists generally do not
support the Republican ticket.
And they usually would not
agree to having their songs used
to promote ideologies in which
they do not believe.
Dole has wasted his time at
tempting to tap this resource, any
way. With the publicity of MTV and
support from many celebrities,
Clinton already has this area under
his belt. Therefore, any time Dole
attempts to appear hip, he’s going
to look even more antiquated — es
pecially with the media emphasiz
ing errors such as copyright in
fringement and the use of songs by
artists and companies who oppose
the Republican party.
The more Dole tries to make
himself appear young and hip, the
more embarrassing his campaign
becomes. The GOP presidential
candidate should just stick to the
music he knows while on the cam
paign trail. Hey, a great majority of
Big Band music doesn’t have any
words and most of the artists are
dead — how could Dole’s staff pos
sibly screw that up?
Instead of attempting to trans
form Dole’s personality for citizens
who surely will not vote for him —
blue-collar workers and African-
Americans — Dole’s staff should
try to inject some ambiance which
the campaign is missing. Songs
such as “In the Mood” might actu
ally regain straggling supporters
and bring the campaign to life by
helping Dole appear genuine.
The authenticity of using ap
propriate music could be the pad
dle which helps Dole up the presi
dential creek.
Page 9
Monday • October 14, 1996
The Battalion
Editorials Board
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.
Michael Landauer
Editor in Chief
Amy Collier
Executive Editor
Gretchen Perrenot
Executive Editor
Heather Pace
Opinion Editor
Building Bonfire
Redpots succeed at paving the way
toward a better, safer Bonfire.
The Redpots should be com
mended for making a concerted
effort toward improving safety
at Bonfire cut.
Last week’s changes in Cut
regulations show the Redpots
have gone out of their way to
ensure the safety of students.
Changes in safety regulations
were made after a Sept. 22 acci
dent. One student was killed and
nine were injured when a pick
up truck returning from Cut
rolled over.
The most crucial change made
was deciding to turn away any stu
dent who arrives in the back of a
pick-up truck. In addition, local
law enforcers were asked to regu
late the roads going to Cut.
Last year, students in resi
dence halls were awakened as
early as 5:00 a.m and now cut site
does not even open until 7:30
a.m. and closes earlier.
Accidents have and will con
tinue to occur at Bonfire, but
that should not be an excuse to
attack Bonfire, especially if the
Redpots continue to enact and
enforce safety regulations.
Safety is not the only area in
which Bonfire is cleaning up its act.
Last year, the Redpots re
fused to allow the racist and
sexist music that had been
played at Stack in the past.
Such actions understandably
make a larger percentage of the
student body feel comfortable. By
making Bonfire more inclusive,
increased student participation
will truly make Bonfire a tradition
that everyone can contribute to.
Moreover, increased participa
tion will hopefully allow the “fa
natical few” to no longer have to
sacrifice their grades.
The Redpots should continue
to build on a more-inclusive at
titude and continue to increase
safety at Cut.
Mail
Transgender story
crosses the line
Regarding Marissa Alanis’ Oct.
10 story, “Former cadet discusses
transgender issues’’:
This is the last straw: For three
years, the Batt has subjected me
to newsless papers, an editorial
page that I find disagreeable at
best and offensive at worst and
an unspoken attitude that T m
too stupid for my opinions about
this paper to matter. Fine. Collect
your award for being the best col
lege paper in the country. Insist
that you run a good paper and I
just don’t know it.
And while you’re at it, return
my student fees. That’s right, I’m
demanding a refund of my por
tion of the student services fee
that pays for The Batt. I’m cancel
ing my subscription, just like the
Battalion was a real newspaper
run for profit.
I encourage all you other mo
rons who can’t recognize the
quality of the Batt to do the same.
Landauer and company — print
what you like. But don’t expect us
to pay for it any more.
Aaron Cummins
Class of’97
Corps shouldn’t be
dragged into rucus
First and foremost, I am unhap
py with what the leadership of the
Battalion was intending to achieve
by publicizing, so prominently, a
person who underwent a sex-
change operation that was a former
member of the Corps of Cadets.
Was it because they feel that this ar
ticle merits more attention than
more relevant subjects? Or was it
because the Battalion’s Powers-
That-Be wanted to see how the
Corps, as a traditional Southern
military institution, whose mem
bers are generally known to have
rather conservative values, would
react? I suspect the latter is a com
pelling reason for which the Battal
ion decided to promote the article
in such an obvious manner.
Second, I believe that if alter
nate lifestyles was the primary
concern of the Bait’s article, it
would have been a lot more taste
ful as expected from a newspaper
that represents a world-class Uni
versity and the Keepers of its Spirit,
to have had the civility to print
such an article without having to
associate it with the Corps of
Cadets. Such feats are closer to
tabloidism than journalism.
Jose Diaz de Leon
Class of’98
Accompanied by 34 signatures
Uninitiated should
not be trampled on
I heard something distressing
from my girlfriend that unfortu
nately I’ve heard before concern
ing the grass at the Memorial Stu
dent Center.
She visited the A&M campus
when she was 15 years old and not
knowing any better, walked on the
Memorial Student Center lawn.
Within a couple of seconds,
somebody was screaming at her to
get her *@#%! off of it!
She says the episode left her not
only shaken and humiliated, but
also with a deep resentment toward
Aggies in general.
When a child walks on a grave,
the parent doesn’t scream at him to
get off, she calmly explains why you
shouldn’t do so. The child under
stands, and isn’t made to feel at fault
for being ignorant of yet another of
the rules society presents it.
Aggies are too good a people to
use one of our finest traditions to
lord it over the uninitiated.
Use the opportunity to educate
visitors on our traditions and show
them what being an Aggie truly
means. They can only respect you
the more for it.
Todd E Miller
Class of’86
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.