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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