The Battalion
Page 9
Monday • March 31, 1997
-leaven's Gate closes forever
BS, Dan Rather incorrectly blame World Wide Web for cult suicides
tie deaths of 39
members of the
Heaven’s Gate cult
IjnjBiithem California are
to explain. They were
- jj mp of dissidents, out-
on society, who be-
le enthralled with the
In of a future paradise
pght to them by UFOs,
lis vision, however
|mprehensible for the
af the world to under-
i,was none the less
(■vision, something
[believed in and it caused them to
lemselves.
(ut instead of seeing the issue as
if individual choice, the media are
ipting to place blame elsewhere,
le victim this time isn’t Richard
(11, or the U.S. Navy and their se-
test missile—it’s the average In-
;t browser. According to CBS
>, this constitutes a cult.
CBS Evening News with Dan
Tissued a low blow, insinuating
[the Internet is a cult. Therefore,
fone who uses the Internet is a
[member.
[he report went on to further de-
iow members of Heaven’s Gate
ip a web page design firm called
ler Source. As web consultants,
ibers earned a steady income to
[rd flight suits, sneakers and
hes.They also were able to pay
: at the mansion where they com-
ted suicide.
)n the same date, The Dallas
Columnist
Stephen Llano
Senior
history major
Morning News printed an
article explaining the
group’s web design activi
ties. The article explains
how easy and profitable
the field of web page de
sign has become.
Instead of taking the
logical view ofThe Dallas
Morning News, CBS
took this lucrative and
easy form of employ
ment and made it the
reason for the bizarre
mass suicide.
If members of Heaven’s Gate
were plumbers, would CBS attack
the plumbing industry? What if
they developed a tasty and re
freshing soft drink? CBS would
automatically assume that
plumbing was a cult-like ac
tivity, and the developers of
Coke and Pepsi are in
league with aliens. Just be
cause the Internet hap
pened to be their source
of employment doesn’t
prove a relationship exists
between it and cults.
Of course, this shouldn’t
surprise anyone. The me
dia love to probe and
point fingers just to get at
tention. The type of re
port CBS aired is unac
ceptable, but typical.
Because the producers of
the CBS Evening News
don’t understand or / r
maybe feel excluded from the Inter
net, they assume it is a resource out
side of mainstream society. This knee-
jerk reaction to what people don’t
understand is natural, and it some
times breeds fear. But it is no reason to
assume a network of machines is re
sponsible for the actions of disenfran
chised cultists.
But in our society, fault is taboo.
On a day to day basis, people are told
by television, radio and events around
them that if they suffer from anything,
be it a headache, or financial prob
lems, there is someone else to blame.
^ ~i
. *•' &
V/—
With hour upon hour of TV watch
ing, the viewer receives a simple, dis
tinct message—“It’s not your fault.”
Instead of blaming mindless devices,
art or music for the bizarre actions of
a few outsiders, society needs to
start blaming individuals for
their actions. Personal respon
sibility for one’s actions has
gone the way of the dinosaur.
Our country will too, unless
people start to take some indi
vidual responsibility.
The death of 39 people is the
issue at hand and not much of
an issue considering they didn’t
do anything but kill themselves.
They are the sole reason behind
their own actions.
But when ignorant reporters
from CBS blame the Internet for
these people’s behaviors, it is
tantamount to saying that bul
lets kill, not people, that drugs
destroy, instead of drug users,
and that we are worth nothing as
individuals, save whatever soci
etal label is posthumously
placed on us.
One of the astronomers, who
helped discover the comet which
prompted cult members to kill
themselves, Alan Hale, has his
own opinions about the suicides.
“I’m not surprised (about the
suicides),” Hale said in a state
ment on CBS news. “There is a
lot of ignorance and superstition
left in our society.”
CBS is no exception.
exas Rep. Stiles flirts with antitrust allegations concerning A&M contract
In
Bvel iTIhe Texas Legislature has
never been known as a
bastion of ethics. Movies,
filevision shows and pundits
i such as Molly Ivins have made a
wJfy'ugreamniing countless tales
IfOfriTohd deeds. Austin is leem-
IjjflM with sordid stories of law-
■fcers spending long nights at
jiffleDriskell Hotel “interviewing”
ptaries and collecting “cam-
fign contributions” from“in-
tsted parties.”
|But the latest story from the
JOs of the Texas Capitol doesn’t
if. Jicern events in Austin, but what is hap-
pf ling on the Texas A&M campus.
9-31 for the past several months, the lime-
Columnist
Donny Ferguson
Sophomore
political science major
green cement trucks of the Tran
sit-Mix Concrete Co. have rum
bled through campus on their
way-to the construction next to
Evans Library. One of Texas’
largest concrete companies,
Transit-Mix was awarded the
contract to pour cement for the
University’s new library, com
puting/study complex and park
ing garage.
Transit-Mix, with headquar
ters at the port of Beaumont on
the Neches River, has grown
from a small, family operation
into a near-monopoly in the East Texas
concrete business. The company and its
long-time president are both well-known.
State Rep. Mark W. Stiles of Fannett, chair
of the House Calendars Committee and ar
guably one of the most powerful men in
Texas, runs the huge corporation. First
elected to the House in 1982 from Southeast
Texas’ 21st District, Stiles has padded his
credentials as one of the most influential
figures in the Legislature by serving as chair
of the powerful Appropriations and Ways
and Means committees. Something doesn’t
seem quite right when a man on the state
payroll, who can determine whether pro-
University legislation lives or dies, stands to
make money from a public institution.
This isn’t the first time Stiles has been in
hot water concerning questionable con
tracting. The construction of Jefferson
County’s Mark W. Stiles Prison Unit required
large, expensive amounts of concrete. The
company which was awarded the contract
for the unit was none other than Mark W.
Stiles’ Transit-Mix. Some media scrutiny fol
lowed, but in a county where the Democrat
ic Party machine is notorious for its power
and influence, suspicions quickly subsided.
Stiles may or may not have used his
influence to win a construction con
tract from a public institution. After all,
Transit-Mix is a competitive company.
It is so competitive it is driving com
petitors out of business and facing an
antitrust lawsuit. What is clear is that
Stiles’ past contracting with taxpayer-
funded institutions has raised serious
questions about this Fannett Democ
rat’s ethics.
No one can know for sure all the fac
tors behind the University’s decision to
hire Transit-Mix to pour the concrete for
the new construction. To charge Stiles
with misusing his power would be unfair
at this point. But what is obvious is that
the contract borders on a conflict of in
terests. In fact, the code of ethics for
A&M employees clearly states they
should refrain from actions which give
an appearance of impropriety. Unless
Transit-Mix offered a surprisingly low
bid, putting a powerful state legislator in
a position to make money from a taxpay
er-funded institution is suspicious. For
the sake of his and the University’s repu
tations, Rep. Stiles should stop seeking
contracts from public institutions.
campus endures colorful makeup job from chalk artists
Columnist
, verthe past two
I weeks a colored
r dust has coated
| sCl ipus sidewalks,
sing numerous
sers-by discomfort
disgust. Despite nu-
ous clean-up at-
ipts by the Universi-
tis entity continues
tague the Texas A&M
ipus. Sidewalk chalk:
ever-present adver-
ig craze of A&M.
Most students are ac-
tomed to the occasional chalk ad-
Ifeements. During final exams
Idents often leave messages of
Glenn Janik
Sophomore
political science major
“good luck” for their
friends in front of Helden-
fels Hall. “Happy Birthday”
and “I love you” messages
are sometimes left by
boyfriends and girlfriends,
hoping to make a lasting
impression on their signifi
cant other. And even the
rare ad for a “Latin Party”
or local band can be seen.
All of these ads are usually
done in a single area, and
wear offinaday.
However, these benign
ads mark a stark difference from the
new messages beginning to prolifer
ate across campus.
Prior to the Mar. 22 pro-choice
rally at Rudder Fountain, student
supporters took to campus sidewalks
with buckets of chalk in hand. Soon,
pro-choice ads could be seen across
most of campus. Promotions for up
coming events were sprawled on the
ground and even on the walls near
A.R Beutel Health Center.
In response to pro-choice mes
sages, pro-lifers retaliated the next
day. Creative pro-life chalk artists
turned "Pro-Choice Rally” into “real
ly murder.” Other pro-life responses
were “murderers” and “save the in
nocent children.”
Regardless of whether Aggies are
pro-choice or pro-life, watching
campus organizations fight ideologi
cal battles with sidewalk chalk is em
barrassing to the University. Imagine
visiting A&M as a high school senior
and seeing “murderers” scribbled
across the cement. Free speech is a
hallmark of America, but the side
walks of A&M are not soap boxes for
organizations to spread messages.
Last week, several Greek clubs de
cided to advertise “Derby Days” on
A&M’s walkways. One sorority was
even bold enough to scribble a mas
sive “delta” in front of Rudder Foun
tain. This symbol, large enough for a
Marine helicopter to land on, was
not only a colossal waste of chalk,
but a distracting piece of graffiti.
Greek organizations may have a
wonderful message to spread to stu
dents of A&M, but treating University
property as a billboard is not only
disrespectful to the meaning of the
Rudder complex, but disgraceful to
the organizations in question.
Every campus organization
must deal with the pressing prob
lem of advertising activities. A&M
provides kiosks, MSC banner
space and tables, and The Battal
ion offers a “What’s Up” section to
let students know what organiza
tions are doing on and off campus.
If A&M groups say more advertis
ing is necessary, they can buy
newspaper ads, receive free TV
time on CNN’s Home Front News
and free radio timt on WTAW or
simply use a phone bank to con
tact members. Enough outlets ex
ist for publicity that groups do not
need to resort to campus chalking.
Chalking is a bad reflection on all
A&M students. It ruins the beauty of
the University and forces the ground
crews to spend extra time cleaning
senseless graffiti. Walking across
campus each morning, students
should be able to enjoy the splendid
trees and architecture of A&M. How
ever, when students are confronted
with a new batch of chalk scribblings
everyday, the campus loses the lus
ter of its appearance.
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Cultural anthem Feminism teaches
not given respect
Monday night at the Kuumba
Fest presented by the Black Aware
ness committee, I saw something
that I was slightly offended by. When
the time came to sing the Negro Na
tional Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and
Sing,” there were people who did not
remove their caps.
That anthem is just as impor
tant to me as the Star-Spangled
Banner. I feel it deserves just as
much respect. Some people may
not realize that there is such a thing
as a Negro National Anthem.
Well there is, so let’s all recognize
it when its announced and give it the
respect given to our nation’s anthem.
Mosadi Porter
Class of‘97
women’s choice
In response to Courtney Phillips’ Mar.
27 column.
Phillips states, the first and greatest
lie of feminism is “You can have it all.”
She goes on to say this “you can have it
all lie” preaches “self-esteem and em
powerment above all. It should not sur
prise anyone that an answer containing
’self’ cannot possibly be the answer to a
problem of self-absorbed, self-actual
ized and self-centered culture.”
First, Courtney Phillips herself
seemed incredibly self-culture centered
when she ended her column by quot
ing the Bible and saying that women
should take faith not in themselves but
in Jesus. News flash: Texas A&M is a
public school and the entire student
body is not composed of Christians.
The so-called feminist assertion
that women can “have it all” simply
means that women can have a family
and a career. If that were not the case,
half the women at Texas A&M would
have to drop out. I see nothing wrong
with having a value of self-worth and
seeking both a career and a family. If
Phillips believes that a respectable lev
el of self-esteem is anti-Christian, I
paraphrase the Apostle Paul who said
that we should have neither an inflat
ed nor deflated image of ourselves. In
other words, know your own worth.
Secondly, Phillips states that “to be
a good feminist, a woman must be ag
gressive, dominant, preferably mov
ing up the corporate ladder and using
her sexuality to assert power over
men, all the while claiming to be val
ued totally for her intellect.”
Feminists come in “all shapes and
sizes” so to speak. A feminist is simply
one who believes that women have the
same worth as men and should be al
lowed to choose their own path in life.
Feminism is all about choice, and if
a woman chooses not to enter the work
force outside of the home, good for her.
If she decides to have a child and pur
sue a career, good for her. If she decides
not to have children, good for her.
Dawn Capp
Graduate Student