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History books fail to make the grade
j in the openie
hot down
sparked a run
iners answered
their own, curO tudents in the public school system are
being robbed by an absurd campaign of
tter Jennifer“political correctness.” And although the
icocheted ofhoncept was well-intentioned in its formative
Aggies scored ears, it has proven disastrous when applied
? game w'hem o the pages of state-adopted textbooks,
the net. jk)ne merely has to examine the revised
r Cindy Vander history texts being used
he second gar-- ^ , in classrooms across
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;ing well. b»i l ert ,. ffcatf0 „ stuaent
the state to understand
why many of these
guides to yesteryear are
simply failing to make
the grade.
In one approved
Texas history book, the
space devoted to slav
ery has been reduced
to a handful of para
graphs to make room
for topics such as Jew
ish women.
were devastat Of course, including
them werere.;he contributions of various groups is a no-
ly to take thole endeavor. But should students be ex
es was junicpected to believe that two paragraphs are all
with 20 kills tlmt is necessary to discuss slavery and its
dude with si impact on American society? This issue is
; outside hi: not even debatable — the answer is no.
RBut the manner in which slavery was pre-
icord to 22 sented in classrooms prior to this mad em-
ence. Sixtet brace of political correctness was equally un-
ime in thn worthy of accolades.
■ Students were subjected to the notion of
.ruthless Europeans raiding peaceful African
I j"ljmlages and shackling the inhabitants into an
| Vexistence of enslavement.
I And the long-discredited “merrie Africa” the-
—’''MW was use d to promote the continent as a
place where relatively uncivilized people lived
in harmony with nature — and each other.
I But much of this is simply false, and the deci
sion to abandon these myths was long overdue.
| Unfortunately, political correctness dictat
ed the virtual deletion of such “divisive” is
sues. But ignoring the topic
of slavery instead of expos
ing its many facets only per
petuates misconceptions.
1' Indisputable evidence
Ai^filidas shown the existence of
rather advanced African
:ity-states and empires that
actively participated in the
Continental and Indian
irade routes.
^|y| Although dissimilar from
slavey in the New World,
Africa was also host to its
bwn form of slavery long be
fore the first Europeans ar
rived. And it was many of
these captives who were sold
In one approved
Texas history
book, the space
devoted to
slavery has been
reduced to a
handful of
paragraphs.
ng at theSu to European slave traders. Yet, such a fact can’t
be found in most texts.
The historian John Thornton argues in his
book, Africa and the Africans, that “Europeans
did not possess the military
power to force Africans to
participate in any type of
trade in which [African]
leaders did not wish to en
gage. Therefore, all African
trade with the Atlantic, in
cluding the slave trade, had
to be voluntary.”
Thornton goes on to write
that much of the “sale of
slaves was under the control
of African states and elites.”
Admittedly, it is unlikely that
African leaders realized that
their lust for European luxu
ry items led to such a brutal
existence for so many in the
New World, but such findings should no longer
be ignored by the public schools.
Secondary school textbooks have also
failed to mention there were actually slave
holding blacks in the antebellum South. And
although such instances were few, the book
Black Masters details one such family. Al
though it is a college-level supplement, such
information deserves to be included in class
room discussions.
History, like any other subject, cannot af
ford to be viewed with blinders.
And the mere handful of paragraphs de
voted to the development and maintenance
of the South’s “peculiar institution” is unac
ceptable. But the manner in which such
topics were formerly presented is to be
equally abhorred.
The time has come for the textbooks used
in public schools to print the truth. Students
should be given the opportunity to see the
past in its entirety, while misguided revi
sionism is deleted. Unfortunately, such a
notion is politically incorrect.
Page 11
Monday • November 1 8, 1996
Batting average of
alcoholics decreases
I n a country in
which it is often
easier to cry foul
play than to take re
sponsibility for one’s
actions, smokers and
alcoholics must finally
pay up.
The United Network
for Organ Sharing,
which governs nation
wide transplant policy,
approved a decision
Thursday giving top pri
ority for transplants to recipients
with the best chance of survival.
This decision has been long in
coming, and it is about time that
those who abuse alcohol aren’t re
warded with a second chance to
continue destroying their lives.
It is ironic that suicide is still
illegal in our country, yet those
who are committing a slow form
of suicide were practically pre
vented from dying. They re
ceived organ transplants while
countless others waited for a de
served second chance.
Taxpayers should be fed up with
funding health care for those who
have abused their bodies for years.
Although little has yet been done
by the government to make drug
and alcohol abusers responsible
for paying for their health care, the
decision is indirectly the first step
in making them responsible for
their actions.
Previously, the agency gave
preferential treatment to those
who were expected to die within
seven days, in spite of the fact
that many in need of immediate
transplants were alcohol and
drug abusers.
Celebrities such as baseball play
er Mickey Mande and Dallas star
Larry Bagman are prime examples
of those who received liver trans
plants for all the wrong reasons.
It is unacceptable that Mantle,
infamous for alcohol abuse,
should jet on up to the top of the
recipient list when his need for an
organ transplant could have been
eliminated with a little self-con
trol. Mantle died two months af
ter his transplant, robbing some
one else of the chance to live,
providing one example of why
scarce organs shouldn’t be wasted
on those whose prob
lem is unfortunately
not so scarce.
Alcoholics currendy
receive about 20 percent
of all liver transplants,
but they shouldn’t re
ceive transplants at all.
The gift of life is too
valuable to be handed
to those who have taken
so much for granted.
Fortunately, livers will
now be given to people
with acute liver problems
— those who have suddenly devel
oped liver problems — because, his
torically, they have the best chance
of surviving.
Although the agency clearly
stated that its decision was not
based on any moral beliefs, indi
rectly it does have moral ramifi
cations. However, the decision
was correctly made only to en
sure that a rare commodity is
used most effectively.
The agency should not only be
commended for aiding those who
have the best chance of living, but
for omitting morality from the de
cision-making process.
Although alcoholics should not
receive liver transplants, agencies
should not be prejudiced toward
certain groups of people, but
should look at all objectively to en
sure that the ultimate goal of ex
tending life is best provided.
The fact that patients who have
viral hepatitis and genetic liver dis
eases, previously receiving trans
plants the fastest, will no longer re
ceive preference demonstrates
that the agency is not making a
moral decision.
The decision, which has tragic
consequences for those with ge
netic liver diseases, was made to
give a second chance to those who
have the best chance to live, there
fore achieving the agency’s goal.
Because eight to 10 people die each
day waiting for transplants, it is im
perative that organs are not wasted
— especially when only 3,922 of
those on a 7,200-person long wait
ing list received transplants last year.
The agency’s decision is a neces
sary step in the right direction to
helping those who help themselves,
and not to another round of drinks.
Opinion Editor
Heather Pace
Sophomore
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Editorial Roundup
lin97-89wiff ( Ap ) ~ The following is a
at field goal sam P^ in 8 °f editorial opinion
14 points from Texas newspapers:
ur free thro*
I Austin American-Statesman
n on prescribing marijuana:
ji A version of California’s recent-
^ approved Proposition 215 that
galizes marijuana for medical
rposes is possibly headed for a
ote in San Marcos.
_ Harvey Ginsburg, a professor
|0fiof psychology at Southwest
xas State University in San
arcos, is heading a petition
Jrive to get enough signatures
to force a May vote on a mari-
v Pav Fo ,juana initiative -
y * Ginsburg has said the initia-
peCtionSfive would not legalize pot but di-
:stimate$ rect police to “minimize the im-
i ke { P act mar ij u a na laws” on those
vieine Who use it for medical purposes,
y're Flw The petition specifies six
— — —— ■'ttiedical conditions said to be
ri!lieved by mari j uana: aids,
ex^fancer, glaucoma, chronic
Pain, seizure disorders and
iiultiple sclerosis.
d Advert ^ ts ^ ace ’ i ssue of med
ical uses for marijuana seems
straightforward enough.
Marijuana should be treated
as any other drug prescribed by a
physician for relief of a medical
condition.The problem is that
growing and harvesting marijua
na still is illegal.
So approving its medicinal
use is legalizing the use of a
product that is still unlawful to
produce. ...
This seems a perfect situation
for the medical establishment,
state legislatures and the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration
to resolve.
Allow government produc
tion of a small amount of mari
juana to be prescribed by physi
cians, a situation that already
exists for cocaine. ...
This would deflate the drive
toward legalization of marijuana
while making it available to pa
tients whose doctors prescribe it
for relief.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram on
prison loophole:
Attorney General Dan Morales
has sealed a potential loophole
that could have allowed convict
ed child molesters to slip prema
turely out of prison.
The attorney general’s opin
ion, issued last week, conclud
ed that the Legislature had in
tended to prevent convicted
child molesters from accruing
“good time” credit toward re
lease on parole.
Revisions to the state penal
code in 1991 tightened the rules
for early release of violent offend
ers but inadvertently eliminated
the offense of indecency with a
child from the list.
Without Morales’ ruling, about
60 inmates convicted of indecen
cy with a child could have been
released automatically.
The opinion, however, indicat
ed that two other sections of the
legislation clearly intended for
the offense to be included in the
nonrelease category.
In case any questions should
linger in the minds of creative
writers now behind prison walls,
the Legislature should close the
loophole by statute when it con
venes in January.
Prejudice displayed
every day by Aggies
Regarding Aja Henderson’s Nov.
13 column, “Sul Ross rededication
sullies A&M”:
1 would like to commend Hen
derson for once again writing a
terrific column that pointed out
one of the biggest problems at
this University.
This problem was best stated
in the Nov. 13 Mail Call written by
the E-Walk Chair in reference to
the recent T-Shirt controversy.
In the letter, the Chair ex
plained that the council was just
“not as sensitive to the issue ... ”
This insensitivity to different
races is displayed every day by
Aggies all over campus.
If students don’t think that
this insensitivity exists, I en
courage them to think about it
the next time they sport Dixie
Cafe T-shirts or pass a Confed
erate flag proudly displayed in a
dorm window. Students should
ask themselves how they would
feel if the tables had been
turned 135 years ago.
Perhaps then they will under
stand how African-American stu
dents feel every time they pass the
statue of our beloved Sul Ross.
Amy Gearhart
Class of’97
Headline wrongly
suggestive of Islam
Regarding the Nov. 15 article,
“Bosnia commitment may extend”:
As I read Friday’s article re
garding Bosnia, I noticed the sec
ondary headline: “Muslim
weapons ceased.”
Being a Muslim myself, I asked
myself why the article referred to
the religion of the guilty party
rather than its ethnicity. It oc
curred to me that this is a relent
less cycle in the media.
Lately, it seems that whenever
something bad happens and the
word “Muslim” is somehow con
nected, the media emphasizes
that fact.
It is this sort of manipulation
that gives some people the mis
conception that Islam is a religion
based on violence.
Islam is another religion, just
like Christianity or Judaism
and, like every religion, there
are extremists.
Beliefs can become dangerous
if taken too far.
The Bosnians may be wrong in
their attempt to arm themselves,
but after what they have been
through, I do not blame them.
All I ask is that people be more
open-minded and see past such
misleading headlines in the news.
Majed Azouqah
Class of'00
Battalion editorial
hypocritical in logic
Regarding the Nov. 14 editorial,
“Thinking smart”:
The opinion page is for opinions;
however, The Battalion should re
member that it is for both the opin
ions of the columnists and of those
responding to them.
The statement, "Instead of
dealing with the fact that some
one may have a different view,
some readers have opted for the
time-tested defense not uncom
mon among grade schoolers:
‘You don’t know what you’re
talking about and you’re just
trying to make me mad,”’ in ref
erence to reader responses to
opinions is itself as narrow
minded as the editorial accuses
students of being.
According to The Battalion,
students should just accept, with
out reservations, the expressed
viewpoints just because they are
different — even if they are obvi
ously flawed.
This contradicts the closing
statement about the First
Amendment — perhaps The Bat
talion should deal reasonably
with our opinions rather than be
insecure about being criticized
or proven wrong.
When I respond to a column I
disagree with, I back my opinions
up with research.
Many columns I have respond
ed to have no basis in fact. They
are emotional opinions and are of
ten as childish as the editorial ac
cuse reader responses of being.
The Battalion should think
smart and use an open mind
when dealing with the opinion
page — in other words, it should
follow its own advice.
David Webb
Graduate Student
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: 111.1
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.