Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 1997)
T/t w Pagel February 4,1551 ME from Page 5 iu start looking ali hey give you here, j iig 12, the tradition! there’s nothingti Barone said. “This e to be.” ^ are obviously im| re. His jersey n s his allegiance to ? Twelfth Man. around with they’re already y, ’ because every erseys," he said. " n No. 12. My dadn like and ever sim > was that numbi o be that number, e 1 was eight years The Battalion INIOIN Page 7 Tuesday • February 4, 1997 Standing in the rocky West Texas canyons near Fort [vis, Richard McLaren ks more like a science ;r, I was that numliicher on a field trip sail, I wore it. Eve m a revolutionary on wi Lsade to liberate leas. He is the ambas- is a little tight, number.” a few miles beta lorof the Republic of tas, a group of earnest tmisguided patriots o believe Texas was ver legally annexed othe United States. lidated High mt for Brian Bar ms a bit longer, the season against Kansas Univers vhile guarding ;que Vaughn, Ban merit to realize what died so far this seas: the ball went out lad a little bitofrr y got into the id 1 thought, This everything I’ve hi he last year, and 000 people root playing the natio id and thought nted.’ Then fives; was in the game thinking about it. nited state of Texas epublic of Texas militia paints frightening picture of Texas Columnist Jeremy Valdez Senior Engineering major The Republic adamantly de- sit is a militia. Indeed, the Re- blic has distinguished itself .. J m the garden-variety militia ! >vement in at least one impor- tway: The Republic does not orporate a white-power or ul- -religious element into its nding philosophy. In fact, the vice-president of Republic is an African-Texan. don Dec. 5, 1996, the Republic Barone said “li celled a splinter faction with reme religious and racially-big- d views. McLaren explained it the faction, whose members reusing their positions in the public for financial gain, tried start a rival Republic of Texas at onvention in College Station in e November. The Republic may be misguid- but it is equal-opportunity. bter apathy leads to corruption on campus and capital hill IELL from Page 5 r of the Week iman guard Brian d outstanding bask; lissouri, this weeh o junior center Di lis perfonnance State. Quesadah ctor all season, wi:T| ''he public’s lack of atten )f the team usualkj 1 tion to politics enables ne way on his play. politicians to take steps a one center Kelvin ntoteattentive public would g the lane and su$ levent - Wfe’ve all seen the any shot taken wwspaper headlines: “Clinton .int (five in the first p White House access to la thumbed his nos ^ hes t bidder” “First Lady faces -pick-to-be by step fusible indictment” “President anger and calmly | rced t0 P lea se ,f case in 5-20 foot jump sho! PPreme Court, dn, keeping the K Politicians abuse the tax i striking distance. K others raise their own stretched our , f ies - but most f 1 re-elected, va State Head Cc;= F am P us - regents can raise ... c jeswithout feeling backlash from stu- We were aware L Qr their pare ^ ts . ° u bas et ! 1 | Over the past four years the country and s ai ted making |j scam p US h ave grown tired of hearing t o s 11 e t ch to him L ut SC j Ulc | a i s Q f President Clinton. bly got to him later | d have.” g. Super Dario finish high 19 points, n’t scoring, However, the simi larities between the Republic and admit ted militia groups are disturbing. Members of the Re public consider all federal employees to be foreign agents with no jurisdiction in Texas. The compound they call their “em bassy” is protected by heavily armed defense forces. McLaren said, between 15 and 50 citizens of the Republic guard the embassy at any given time. There’s an element of duplici ty in the Republic's stance to ward militias. Even though McLaren and the Republic may spend today trying to distance themselves from the militia movement, they’ll welcome armed militia support tomorrow if a standoff with the federal government begins. The fear of a Freemen-style standoff has the embassy’s neigh bors nervous and frustrated. For more than a month, they have not received mail at their residences. The Postal Service has stopped delivery to the resort area, claim ing the Republic’s defense forces pose a danger to mail carriers. Online press releases give the Republic an opportunity to com plain about how, among other things, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service rounded up 600 illegal aliens in the Hous ton area, some who were “sover eign citizens of the Republic.” Another press release announces an alliance between the Republic and a group claiming to be the “Em pire Washitaw de Dugdah- moundyah” of northern Louisiana. Many who view these docu ments get a “you must be kid ding” feeling, as though they were reading the musings of a bunch of adults trying to start a club to rival the Elks Lodge. This feeling evap orated for me personally after I spoke with a seriously sober McLaren in the presence of two armed bodyguards. The members of the Republic weren’t joking. But McLaren can’t truly recon cile with the deals the Republic makes with two of their personal devils: lawyers and foreign eco nomic interests. McLaren forecasts a bleak fu ture for the American legal system. “Lawyers and judges have reached an all-time low of corrup tion. God help them if this thing ever breaks out into armed con flict,” he said. “I doubt if that group of people will be around long, because everyone knows who has caused the problems.” The Republic has employed McLaren not only as an ambas sador, but as a legal expert. He can use international law to file liens and letters of reprisal against the state of Texas and private citi zens who have wronged the Re public in some way. The Republic has filed liens on $93 trillion worth of state property. So if the Republic has the opportunity to heed Shake speare’s advice “to kill all the lawyers,” it is likely they will re place them with their own brand of legalists. And although McLaren claims 87 percent of Texas’ wealth and resources leave the soil never to return, the Republic uses legal processes to lay claim to the land and personal assets of its ene mies so it can sell them on the international market. The fatal flaw by the Repub lic of Texas is that it is a more reactive movement away from a corrupted federal government than a proactive return to the virtuous and just status of Tex an sovereignty. The rugged beauty of the Fort Davis mountains frames an intriguing tale which can be rather humorous, if you leave out the part about the devoted men with guns. Columnist Glenn Janik Sophomore Political science major In Aggieland, most of us could not care less who killed Vince Foster, how Hillary Clin ton made $100,000 in the fu tures market or if Asian foreign policy is influenced by political donations. It seems the country has turned a deaf ear to the ex istence of the president, and the political scene of America continues to become a darker, more cynical realm. Public expectation is the main factor contributing to public apathy regarding these scandals. United States citizens have a low expectation of the president. A CNN/Time poll taken before the last presidential elec tion showed 61 percent of respondents had “serious concerns” about Clinton’s character. These concerns, however, failed to deter most from voting for the incumbent. Comedian Chris Rock is one support er. “Clinton has real problems — that’s why I’m voting for him,” Rock said. While Rock’s point is tongue-in-cheek, it demonstrates that much of America has accepted Clinton’s character flaws and chooses to ignore his scandals. His charm and ability to relate to the Ameri can people overcome his shortcomings in the eyes of voters. Those who listen to the allegations against Clinton often get lost in the de tails. The scandal involving Clinton and Asian campaign donors is serious enough to merit a $6.5 million congressional in vestigation. The scandal involves an In donesian bank and its interactions with commerce department officials, resulting policy changes and the subsequent cover- up by the Democratic National Commit tee. Even the most avid Rush Limbaugh listener is buried in this avalanche of de tails. It becomes easier to change the radio station, or look for a more interesting opinion article. Then there is the “this does not affect my life” attitude, which individuals spout as an excuse for not paying attention to Clinton’s problems. Students may wonder how renting the Lincoln bedroom to cam paign contributors affects Joe Aggie. The answer is tax dollars. But eventually, someone will hire a staff, launch an inves tigation and issue a report. While most of us could not care less about taxes, the real effect from these scandals is the “OJ.” syndrome. Unless the scandal involves the murder of your wife, your beauty-pageant winning children or your pets, no one will care. The media and the public eye cling to the most lurid and glamourous stories, leaving the political actions to C-Span. Clinton will continue to struggle these next four years. The first lady may face criminal indictment, former cabinet offi cials may face jail sentences and the presi dent may be forced into claiming execu tive privilege to save his job. The country could easily be thrown into a constitution al turmoil, but cynicism will continue and the political world will remain under its dark cloud. How will our campus and the rest of the country react? Hopefully, indi viduals with the sense and compassion it takes to make a stand on these issues will step forth. Editorial Round-up ind around thebasl|The following are a sample of ^ of his 14 rebounds ble-edged sword’’ ‘He shot the ballwel ' more pleasedwitli ig. If he scores 25 oesn’t mean we’re torials from around the state. Waco Tribune-Herald on cleaning house at FBI: Both Congress and President inton need to demand that FBI i game. If he gets! rector Louis J. Freeh clean it’s a different issue :e games like esada may filially?' mounce his name ng other than ale* er. Spot Bm )use at; the nation’s top law en- rcement agency. JThe public, not to mention the ttion’s entire justice system, re lies that FBI operations be love reproach. Instead, over the t several years, the FBI has n found guilty of a series of fidence-shaking scandals, n the past several days, it has n revealed that the FBI is pun- ng a high-ranking scientist- nt who for years attempted to the FBI administration to clean [sloppy and slanted lab work, he whistle-blower, Dr. Fred- Whitehurst, finally got the pector General’s office to in- tigate his claims. A final re- t that will be released later month upheld all the claims de by Whitehurst... ideo Man# died SundJ &M Athletic anager Bob M ne early Sunday moi essor and Life S’I )r. Rick Rigsby will 6 jmorial services —j : 10 a.m. WednesdffWhitehurst claims that sloppy i lab work not only botches ev- nce examinations, but the FBI ohas slanted the outcome of estigations to assist prosecu- . These charges could impact Oklahoma City bombing case well as force a re-examination he World Trade Center bomb- to mention just a few of the ^ ^ jes possibly impacted by this r'W 1 I tst FBI scandal.... *t’s time for Congress and the sident to demand the removal he last vestiges of the closed- ks, good-old-boy network at FBI. If the FBI can’t be trust- can any government agency [trusted? Chapel on campus. licans ight lections *esident h you: :s for Eva Darski. Fort Worth Star-Telegram on House ethics committee: Look at it this way: would YOU accept a position on the House Committee on Standards of Offi cial Conduct? Not if you get out of it, consid ering the recent history of the ethics committee. Yet the only way that the House can repair its machinery for enforcing rules and ethical standards is to find better people than some of those who helped make the Newt Gingrich episode such a tragedy for the House as a institution — and then leave them alone. The heightened partisanship in the House spread to the ethics committee in a way it never had before during the last two years. Just as Speaker Gingrich and Mi nority Leader Dick Gephardt don’t speak to each other, so did Chairwoman Nancy L. Johnson, R-Conn., and ranking minority member Jim McDermott, D- Wash., not consult with each oth er as previous ethics committee leaders had. As Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Irving, and Gephardt approach the moment when they must appoint the rest of the com mittee (it has only one member, Rep. James V. Hansen, R-Utah), there is a question whether the committee idea can still work in a House noted more for bared teeth than for camaraderie. Perhaps it can, if members are found who revere the House as an institution more than they worship partisan positions. Even then the ethics committee must be used as intended — as the judge of questions involving House rules and the ethics of House membership rather than as a arena for political attacks, partisan advantage and the whole “gotcha” atmosphere into which Washington (both parties are guilty) has descended Austin American-Statesman on America Online gridlock: America Online Inc. admitted to the world that it was selling the bear’s skin before the bear was caught and promised a fair recom pense to its frustrated subscribers. Anyone who believes the problems with AOL are over has n’t been calling. A busy signal is still a frequent reply to AOL calls, and notification that the Internet is inaccessible is not uncommon if you can connect. AOL prefers to characterize the flap as a to-be-expected glitch created by the surging in terest in online services and In ternet access as millions more Americans journey into cyber space each week. But that is not the case. America Online brought on the trouble through aggressive marketing — marketing attor neys general in several states said amounted to a deceptive business practice. Saber rattling by those attor neys general (including Dan Morales, Texas attorney general) is why the company quickly acqui esced to demands that it halt its advertising, repay subscribers and admit the truth in future ads: the truth that you can expect difficul ties getting into AOL and the Inter net. ... As interesting as the online world may be, the fact is that prof it has been elusive in cyberspace. AOL was pushing harder than it should have been — legally and morally — in order to increase subscribers, hoping to attract ad vertisers and build revenue. And they stepped over the line of good business practice. M AIL Free thought aids in spiritual growth Mr. Platt’s letter to The Battal ion on Jan. 30 is much appreci ated. Hopefully, it provided stimulus for those seeking truth to do so more fervently. His dis agreement centered around Ms. Phillip’s implications that “the only viable religion is Christiani ty” and that “free thought in hibits one’s spiritual awaken ing.” I write to voice the biblical assessment of these two issues. First, Christianity is not the only viable religion. Viable is de fined as “able to grow.” Many other religions-Buddhism, Is lam, Taoism — exist and flourish in different parts of the world. Despite the growth of various re ligions, there is and can be only one truth concerning our pur suit of the Deity. That truth is Je sus Christ. Only He bridges the canyon between corrupt man and a Holy God. Free thought does not inhibit, but rather stimulates, one’s spiritual awak ening. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th Century that we all have a God shaped vacuum in our souls. Therefore, if our mind is free and our hearts honest, the eye of our soul will be awakened to Je sus who is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus does not “encourage discord between Christian and non-Christian students” but rather communicates a love for all people because we are creat ed in God’s image. This love of Jesus draws people together. It even calls one to love those who reject the Truth. Mr. Platt is right: “It is possible for all faiths to co-exist and indeed thrive to gether.” The Truth, on the other hand, stands alone and cannot permit lies. Chris Sneller Class of’97 Accompanied by 8 signatures Racist remarks alienate student I was orphaned in Korea as a boy and adopted into a Mexi- can-American family in 1975. Anthropologically speaking, culturally that is, I am an “American.” I came to Texas A&M for its academic excel lence in Mechanical Engineer ing. When I decided to apply and attend, I had no idea that racism was so prevalent here. Here, in short, is the day I was rejected as an “Aggie”: I was crossing University, go ing to McDonald’s, and two “Ag gies” leaned out their car win dow and yelled, “You F**cking F*ggot Chink.” On that day, I stopped being an “Aggie.” That happened last fall, about one month after I was at T-Camp. After T-Camp, I was pumped! Wow! I was part of a great university. I had enthusi asm, went to yell practice, to the football games, Silver Taps, but not to Bonfire. By that time, I was no longer an “Aggie.” Now, that was the first time that that had happened to me. What I did not do was to return the profanity and hatred, for I am not an “Aggie.” This same event happened to me for the fourth time tonight. I can’t wait until I graduate and get out of this "wonderful” town called Aggieland. Please understand that I don’t think that 100 percent of the students here are racists. But, that percentage, in my opinion, is increasing steadily as my neg ative experiences increase. I’ve met many wonderful people here and have many friends, but I am not accepted at A&M be cause I have a stereotypic ap pearance. It is my strong suggestion to add "... and not be a bigot...” to the “Aggie Code of Honor.” Kevin Barrios Class of’97 The Battalion encourages letters to the ed itor. 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 Mc Donald with a valid student ID. Letters 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. -^Vv' ;Vv TV ’ .