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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1997)
13 immij corj inistry plagued by odd goals 'Statfs] a mo; r here is a shadow of an or ganization on this cam pus. It is called the Cam- mis Ministry Association, and lf ( tspurpose is to promote com- e i5®iication and cooperation Inghiinong various religious on- [t he; amp us organizations. There’s Gai uithing wrong with a group ch tries to bring religious groups to- Columnist getherto sit down and openly discuss problems with words instead of bombs and bullets. But such a group might have a more sinis ter purpose: to break m the differences between reli- hs and unite the world under a .pigle worship. sur Iral m Robby Ray lunior speech 1 $SfM)imunication major BThe CMA does not claim to buch an organization. ^Wrank Yates, a Presbyterian Blister and president of the ^ |MA, said the group is a pro fessional organization, ecu menical in nature,” and its pur- , pose is to create a forum to ' generate dialogue and respect (not necessarily agreement) Kong various religious groups on campus. This is a worthy • goal, but there are some areas of concern. jof)«Brhe CMA is a “professional organization,” which means it is aimed at individuals who serve as ministers to the students of A&M.This could be a problem because some ministries on campus are not directly associ- or ated with any particular church e or denomination. Therefore, ie they are not directly represent- i ed in the CMA. These groups could wake up one day and find ’asy ithemselves left out of on-cam pus activities. ffllhis mentality further serves ] to alienate student leadership in Other religious organizations. In o 11 let, the student leadership of eral groups did not know y were involved in the CMA fefore seeing their organiza- li vf, |ions’ names on a flier. The CMA is planning leader- ip training for students in the ure, but how much religious ining can Jewish, Baptist, brmon, Catholic and Unitari- I- an individuals have in com mon? There are serious doctri- nal differences between these groups which cannot be over looked easily. R The CMA also is “ecumenical in nature,” defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “of or encouraging iversal Christian unity.” This presents two problems, jrst, if the CMA pertains to ristian unity, then non-Chris- ian groups, such as the Jewish jllel Foundation, should not ie involved. Second, the CMA 'Seeks to unify, but this is impos sible without coming to an • agreement in doctrine. Unfortunately, the CMA is the only means by which reli gious groups can meet directly With the administration. This alone gives the CMA the same pe of power the media wields national politics. A group’s concerns cannot be dressed if they are not heard, #nd they cannot be heard if ■ere is no forum to address ■ose in power. If members of tfe CMA are the only ones who c an access the administration, |hen a certain amount of power I is given to those who determine |. membership requirements. E That individual easily could Bclude certain denominations ^belief systems, and then lob by against these not-included ■oups. The outcome between the CMA and other religious or ganizations is uncertain. 1 The University should care- killy evaluate the organization and how it performs its func- ; tions. The CMA should be looked upon with caution and Watched closely by those who feel their religious freedom someday might be in jeopardy. The Battalion Page 9 Thursday • February 27, 1997 Falling in a big way Considering the Earth's impending doom / grades aren't crucial K aboom! In the time it took to read that word, Earth could be blown out of the Milky Way by an asteroid. No human will ever comprehend the immen sity and complexity of the universe. Grasping the fact that the human race could end in a matter of years is only the begin ning of a thought process which could lead humans to think on a higher level. Whether fretting over a problem with school, work or a relationship, humans need to learn a little humili ty- About 65 million years ago, an as teroid hit Earth near the Yucatan peninsula, a collision which wiped out the dinosaurs according to some scientists. Human life is so trivial when thought of in cosmic terms. In a matter of minutes, the human race could all be vaporized, everything our species has worked for or de veloped would be gone. Scientists predict an asteroid, a much larger form of cosmic debris, will hit Earth every 250,000 years or so. However, meteorites enter the Earth’s atmosphere every day. Most are traveling so fast they burn up be fore impact. But cosmic debris some scientists would consider ‘small’ could easily wipeout the Texas A&M campus. John Connolly, a scientist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, said the chance of humans being affected by cosmic debris is rather high. “The chances of [the earth] being hit by an asteroid are better than [a person] being in a car accident,” Connolly said. In 1994, astronomers had the first opportunity in scientific history to predict the collision of an asteroid with a planet in our solar system. Four teen months before it was forecast to hit Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, astronomers around the world began preparing for the event. As the meteor closed in on the planet, tension rose. But before impact, the meteor broke into several smaller pieces. From Earth, the collision of thq first and largest meteorite with Jupiter appeared to be a relatively small explosion — like the size of a mosquito bite on one’s back. In reality though, the collision created an explosion the size of Earth, and the fires it ignited burned for over a year. Obviously, the human race would be history if an asteroid that size hit Earth. Cosmic collisions occur as planets’ orbits around the sun coincide with those of asteroids. Therefore, the laws of probabili ty and chance will ultimately lead to disaster. The severity of the disaster would depend on the size of the asteroid, which can range from a fraction of a mile wide to several miles wide. To calculate the austerity of an asteroid colliding with Earth, one multiplies one-half the mass of the object times the square of its velocity. Dr. Duwayne Anderson, a pro fessor of geology, said a major collision would create a reaction unlike any human has ever seen. “ [Asteroids] are traveling sev eral thousand miles an hour,” Anderson said. “Detonating all nuclear weapons on the planet at the same time would not equal the energy of one of these large asteroids hitting the Earth.” If an asteroid hit the Earth, it would likely penetrate the upper crust of the surface and bury it self several miles deep in the lithosphere causing an explo sion. The explosion caused by the impact would project debris for hundreds of miles. A cloud of dust and soot would fill the air, blocking the sun’s rays for sever al years. If the impact itself did not kill everything, the depriva tion of sunlight could wipe out all other living things. However, not all cosmic debris which falls to Earth is damaging. This year, for example, NASA scientist Dr. David McKay found evidence of ancient bacteria on a meteorite from Mars. Attempts have been made to create some sort of device which could throw an asteroid off course, but not even the most powerful weapons in the United States’ arsenal could prevent a mas sive rock from hitting the Earth. The cost of building something capable of such a challenge would bankrupt even the richest country. We are alive for only a fraction of the time it takes for a world to be created or destroyed. It is vital to the well-being of society that humans learn to look at things on a larger scale. That will help ease even the deepest pains. VjAlf, 1MIE \Mf Tell M£- Columnist Brandon Hausenfluck Senior journalism major Justice system fails to change criminals T he criminal justice system falters because emphasis is placed upon vindictive punishment rather than con structive rehabilitation. Statistics illustrate the depth of this problem. The number of incarcerations quadrupled to 1.5 million people from 1980 to the pre sent, while the overall crime rate has decreased steadily over the past quarter century. There are so many criminals and repeat offenders that the United States is forced to open three 500- bed prisons every week to accommodate the increasing demand for imprison ment. The costs alone are astronomical. Last year, over $100 billion went toward law enforcement. This amount is more money than all federal social programs combined. Despite the enormity of the costs, the social consequences are even more tragic. In many areas, prison has become a rite of passage rather than a punishment to be feared. The sheer indignation criminals have toward the system should convince any one it is time to rethink and reevaluate the nation’s policy on crime and punishment. The United States incarcer ates a higher percentage of its citizens than any other nation with a comparable crime rate. The key to reforming the criminal justice system is fo cusing on renewal instead of refusal, and preparing non-vi olent criminals for integration into society by alternatives to punishment by incarceration. One alternative is to give non-violent offenders non-custodial time to build skills to ease the transi tion back into productive society. Secondly, the distinction between vi olent and non-violent offenders should be made. It is not justifiable to release violent offenders through the prison floodgates because of overly severe penalties exacted upon those who commit misdemeanors. Mandatory sentencing has stripped judges of sen tencing power, making a three-time petty thief equal to an individual con victed of first-degree murder. In addition to the rehabilitative measures of education, drug treatment and work skills, prevention should be pursued in an aggressive manner. The first objective should be to propagate more child development programs. From an early age, children should be guided toward wholesome societal participation. One of the greatest triumphs of the latter half of this century is the Head Start pro gram, which re turns $7 in bene fits for every dollar invested. Former partici pants in this pro gram achieve more and form a deeper commitment to community. Another staple of prevention is drug treatment. One program in California returned seven times the state’s invest ment in reduced crime and health-care costs. Criminal acts committed by par ticipants in the program decreased by 66 percent for non-violent crimes and 71 percent for offenses with a weapon. In 1991, for the first time in history, the United States spent more on pris ons than it did on education. Society must question the current state of affairs when teachers receive less money in funding and salaries than the prison system. With education comes the assurance of opportunity, thus reducing the need in some part to commit crime. Job training also is essential in crime prevention. At-risk individuals must be equipped with the tools to pursue meaningful achieve ment to bring stabili ty to the shattered in ner-city neighborhoods of this country. Our criminal justice system provides in justice not only to victims, but to society and criminals alike. It is imperative we re assess our antiquated concept of punitive punishment and realize a commitment to rehabilitation, values, dignity and disci pline can administer punishment while still ensuring redemption. Columnist General Franklin Sophomore English major Society must question the current state of affairs when teachers receive less money in funding and salaries than the prison system DUfABIN6 DOWN or mmck L COMMENTS DEATH op Honesty deserves respect, recognition Last week I lost a considerable amount of cash. By "considerable amount,” I mean one month’s rent money. It was not my fault, of course. I blame it on the dress I wore that day and its inconsiderable lack of pockets. Anyway, I counted the money as “gone” and I went about my way, preparing speeches and looking for secret formu las to stretch my Abraham Lincolns into Alexander Hamiltons. But to my surprise, a young lady by the name of September Smith found the money. She not only found it, she dialed long distance phone numbers and drove around to find the rightful owner. September, in all her loveliness, made me ask myself questions that could be hard for anyone to answer: What would I have done in the same situation? I hope September reads this and realizes her actions are extraordi nary and quite uncommon. Courtney Caswell Class of’97 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 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