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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1997)
Page iday • February 10,1 s toda i campm us driver and senior najor, said manyRei ud the route took to le Blinnstop. minutes on the .? . The Battalion NIO N Page 11 Monday • February 10, 1997 • said. lard to decide whetlii m the Reveille instead, error on all these t know what it’s gorf until you try it out.’® landfulofpeoplewa addition of the nev confusion, eveille passengeram leering major, said enrolled students finding their ownrii be beneficial tostuc > go out of theirway lents some convei pock visits planet profit rekkie web sites shot down with copyright laws hese are the voyages of the starship Enter prise. Its continuing sion: To explore strange new Ids.To seek out new life and civilizations. To boldly go re no one has gone before.” his line, heard at the begin- g of every Star Trek episode, Ips explain the plethora of Trek fans today. It summa- s everything great about the Ties — movies, books and livision shows that portrays Txciting vision for everyone o mare. Columnist ert at 8 p.m. at Cal lore information ca T0215. Organization for ; to plan spring evei t 7 p.m. in 205 h irmation contact I. Stephen Llano Senior history major Trek’ over the Internet.” Further along in the letter, Levitt said, “When such dis cussions rise to the level of copying full scripts or ex cerpts therefrom or providing detailed summaries of the works, such transmissions are clear infringements of Para mount’s rights.” One would think Viacom would rather have the fan ma terial posted than this authori tarian style letter. No one would or should ut be careful who you share this vi- with. It’s all owned by Viacom. And iy don’t want to share any of it, unless iy’re going to make money. [Viacom Inc., the company that owns amount, has decided that the posting ny pictures, sound bites, scripts or jtht r Star Trek material, on the Internet fans, is a violation of Paramount’s ts. Viacom sent out letters to Webmas- |rs who run such web pages, asking them oad Programs: An o shut down or face the consequences, iting covering intemsh |Mallory Levitt, acting as the attorney i study abroad oppofte it Paramount, set some stiff guidelines ritain, Ireland andAus^aform letter sent out to allWebmas- d from 4 to 5 p.m fers in violation. will be the onlymee:l:(“Pa r a moi - m t does not, of course, object the rest of the semes!* 11 materials posted on the Internet re- is out. An information® 1 ^ to the STAR TREK Properties,” she gspokespersonsfore;^ 1 “For example, Paramount does not grams will be setu;: object to the general discussion of‘Star hallway from 5to6pj® •mation contact the! >grams office at 84K; deny Paramount the right to horde all of their Star Trek property. But this doesn’t make it right. What’s the difference if someone purchases a Star Trek book, reads it, then proceeds to tell everyone what happened? Sure, Paramount and Vi acom lose income from those who would buy the book. But this is not the reason behind their actions. It seems our friends at Viacom are begin ning to realize the power of the Internet. Recently, Viacom and Microsoft joined forces to create the Star Trek Continuum, the official Star Trek site. Then they real ized something about the Internet: Just because you’re the parent company or the creator of a hit show, doesn’t mean you have the best site. Fans of the show, using nothing but their own time and computers, have cre ated sites which have the executives at Vi acom green with envy. Since they plan to make money from advertisers on the Continuum, they need to have people visit their site. Advertisers can’t sneak in between the cracks as they can on televi sion and radio. This means Viacom’s site has to be the best Star Trek site, and the only site. Many of these targeted sites have re moved the controversial material as re quested, and found a new use for their site — Anti-Viacom web sites are spring ing up from the ashes. Many laugh and think there’s no chance of changing the corporate giants’ mind set. But then again, why did Viacom take the time to seek out the best Star Trek sites, then deliver a threatening letter from an attorney? Only on the Internet can an individual, with a hobby pursued in spare time, be per ceived as a marketing threat by an entertainment company. The Internet provides vast power to the individual. Until now, the only way to express views to such a large audience was to buy a newspaper ad, write a letter to the editor or buy a radio or television commercial. On the web, however, the user goes directly to his or her destina tion with no interference. Viacom has a right to its properties. But if they have to resort to heavy- handed tactics to get people to their web site, it is nothing short of censor ship. Viacom should spend their time and money designing a competitive web page, not tearing others’ down. Red Cross: Blood! be taken from 11a. 1 Rudder Tower, Sfc unge on the Quaes Intoxicated individuals should assume responsibility, not pass blame I t’sno secret, peo ple go to bars to drink. Unfortu- '• nately, some of these people do not know Omega: Meet in how to control their BO p.m. for the Pte aelions after getting vice project. Meet 'munk. 3:30 p.m. for the | ! Every weekend, ce project. fiundreds of drunken giespour into the Columnist Business Student! SA): We will have an feets after bars close a.m. Most make it BO and Anderson Cois me without inci- a workshop at TM W, but some get Brandon Hausenfluck Senior history major drink are underage. They go to great lengths to get boozed up in a bar, even though they have a huge “under 21” stamped on their hand. Some, however, get stamped “over 21 ” by using a fake ID. I know — I’ve done it. These are the kids bar owners have night mares about everyday. Bartenders are also required to stop selling 5179. nner. Dress is busW to trouble, ore information caffi'H Texas A&M is one of the gest institutions of higher ■arning in the world. We boast a wily drinking student body. One of the problems is that any students who go out to Business Student Anderson workshop# .m. in 159 jsiness attire. alcohol to an “obviously intoxi cated person.” The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission regulates alcohol sales in bars. They require potential bar tenders to take a class which "certi fies” them to serve alcohol. Furthermore, the commission expects bartenders to determine the sobriety of customers and to know the age of all the people they are serving. All of this must be done in the few seconds it takes to order a beer. If a minor gets caught drink ing in a bar by an officer, it’s the bar’s fault. The minor receives a minor in possession citation, a class C misdemeanor. This is the same level violation as a parking ticket. Then the minor will either get a fine not to exceed $250 or be put on probation for a few months. On the other hand, if a bartender is caught selling to a minor, he or she will be charged with a class B misdemeanor punishable by a $2,000 fine, days in jail or both. Hurricane Harry’s, a huge College Station bar, has a prob lem. In November of 1995, an in toxicated individual left Hurri cane Harry’s, where he had allegedly been drinking heavily. While driving home, he rolled his car, and the passenger was killed. The individual pleaded guilty to intoxicated manslaugh ter and was sentenced to six years in prison. Last week, Judge Cathleen Parsley announced she would decide within two months if the bar should lose its liquor license or be shut down. Harry’s is also facing charges of knowingly serving alcohol to minors, a violation which could also force the bar to shut down. During the month the acci dent occurred, the bar grossed over $80,000 in alcohol sales. Over time, hundreds upon hundreds of people will spend their Friday and Saturday nights in bars like Hurricane Harry’s. Customers will swarm around bartenders, demanding drinks like sharks preying on a bloody carcass. Still, a bartender’s job is to sell alcohol. Although they are instructed not to sell to minors or intoxicat ed individuals, they can’t always determine the sobriety or age of the customer when there are hundreds more in a similar state around them. Of the thousands of drinks sold, a few are destined to end up in the hands of a minor or an in toxicated individual. There is not a bartender in this town who wants someone to get hurt after being served alco hol. Bartenders sacrifice their so cial time to serve those of us who want to drink at bars. As a society, we cannot place the blame on others for our ac tions. If a person goes to a bar to get drunk, he or she will most likely achieve this goal. We lost a fellow Aggie in a terrible accident. And no one likes hearing about a fatal acci dent, but the bar should not be held responsible. It was a horrible twist of fate. As bar hoppers, we need to take issues like this seriously and work to deter future accidents from happening. Blood Drive: From 113j 3u can donate blood4 locations: RudderW burg,the immons. rand Old Party embraces causes of minorities, women Tuesday road Programs 3e an informational note Italy Spring’98| 1:30-2:15 p.m. in I Hall West. Ip is a Battalion t lists non-profit I faculty events s. Items should d no later thantl rtvance of the di . Application df d notices are nd will not be rm Jp. If you have s, please call n at 845-3313. acism, in any form, is a crime against society. The republican Party is dedi- ed to forging a nation where ericans will be judged, not e color of their skin, “but by content of their character.” The Republican Party and its mbers are not racially exclu- . And they have the record to ive it. For students, college is ime for adopting new ideas throwing out old stereo- es. One such stereotype is myth of the anti-minority Columnist Donny Ferguson Sophomore political science major ratio Party was busy perpetu ating the welfare state, Re publicans were working to ensure prosperity for Ameri cans of all colors. During the years of full blown Reaganomics, 1982 to 1990, African-American em ployment boomed 30 percent, and the number of African- American-owned businesses grew by more than one-third. The number of Hispanic- owned businesses skyrocketed 81 percent; it was 89.3 percent R Even on a campus as conservative as as A&M, a segment of the students feel elcome in Republican ranks. They sider the party racially exclusive, idling could be further from the truth, ublican minorities are shaping Ameri- political landscape. While the Democ- for Asians. It took the much-maligned “trickle-down economics” of Ronald Rea gan to bring prosperity to minorities. Wel fare didn’t do it, taxes from the rich didn’t do it, housing projects didn’t do it, but the Republican Party did. With Republicans back in control of Congress, economic growth for minorities is expected to blos som again. GOP successes in race relations aren’t limited to the pocketbook. The Republi can Party has a long and illustrious history as a champion of civil rights. Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, ended the atrocities of slavery. The Repub lican Party also led the charge in women’s suffrage. From the moment of its birth in a Rippen, Wis., schoolhouse 142 years ago, the Republican Party has been an eternal champion for Americans of varied races. As the Grand Old Party builds upon its record of equal opportunity and racial harmony, minorities are quickly jumping aboard. In 1996, 27 African-American Re publicans, male and female, ran for Con gress. Sixty-three percent of African- Americans now consider themselves conservative to moderate. In Texas, Republican Congressman Henry Bonilla, a Hispanic, represents the San Antonio area. In Austin, Teresa Doggett, a third generation African-Amer ican Republican, ran for Congress against ultra-liberal incumbent Lloyd Doggett (no relation). Minorities are fleeing the pitiful public housing, mush-minded multicul- turalism, embarrassing Ebonics and pho ny promises of the Democratic Party to embrace the equal opportunity, color blind tenets of the Party of Lincoln. Americans, especially minorities, are adopting the strong-family, individual- achievement ideals of the GOP. More and more people are turned off by quick-fix Democratic policies such as quotas, and subscribing to Republican initiatives such as empowerment zones, which bring good-paying jobs to inner-city areas, and school choice, which provides equal edu cational opportunities. Minorities are tired of Democratic policies that only re act to racism. They want the Republican ideals that fight it. The myth of the anti-minority Repub lican Party has all the credibility of an Elvis sighting. From Congressman J.C. Watts’ stellar re sponse to Clinton’s State of the Union Ad- dress, to Alan Keyes’ and Colin Powell’s presi dential prospects, minority Republicans are among the Party’s brightest rising stars. From the abolition of slavery, to women’s suffrage, to civil and voting rights and now school choice and empowerment zones, it has always been the guiding prin ciple of the Republican Party to ensure op portunity and prosperity for all Americans. The “Big Tent” is open to everyone, and minorities have long been welcome. The Republican record on race is an esteemed one, and Hispanic, Asian, Native Ameri can, and African-American members of the GOP are quick to point it out. >7 Aggieland M-HUH. HUH-HW. HUH-huh huH-HUH. W-HiC l say tli& school 1 res will be taken 9 i. Monday through 1 Feb. 21.' Mail Trains annoying, ultimately nostalgic In reference to Michael Schaub's Feb. 5 Aggielife feature story, “A challenge to convenience,’’ As a Texas Aggie bus driver, I am quite aware of the nuisance the train system causes on campus. Not only are passengers wait ing on the bus annoyed, but also the bus drivers. Trains cause the buses to run off-schedule, which causes pas sengers to be late, and people are not nice when they are late. I hate to wait for the trains, espe cially when I am driving the bus. I have been unlucky enough to be caught by trains on more than one occasion. Keeping all this in mind, I would still be very disappointed to see the trains disappear from Bryan-College Station. Texas A&M has changed so fast in just the past five years and much of the “old army” style is slowly and subtly being taken over by the “modern world.” West campus was once known as “across the tracks.” These days, some people do not even cross the tracks to come to main cam pus. I would not be surprised if one day main campus is called “across the tracks.” We should accept what we have and be happy with it. The trains are part of our commu nity’s history. It is not likely to disappear soon, so we should accept it, be informed about it, be safe around it and have patience with it. The trains may be annoy ing, but they define College Station and add character to our community. When I am up late studying or trying to sleep, the train whistle re minds me of where I am and the wonderful school I attend. Most importantly, each semes ter when I return to College Station, the train whistle is a reminder that I am home. Laura McAlpine Class of ’98
