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Mar v Albert’s celebrity status should not interfere with moral system of justice
p
Mandy
Cater
assistant
opinion editor
with|T n ancient Greece
befu! I and Rome, com-
becaj Lmoners looked
wjj o the gods in awe.
fret liey were seen as
man xamples and
beivj deals, even if their
senid lehavior was not al-
h j. rays exemplary. To-
schot we attach the
realh ame sort of status
to yyj o celebrities, where
to mocktr ds, perhaps, even
what he (h sss warranted,
hopefullylj Marv Albert at-
ained great success and fame in the
ports arena. His familiar play-by-plays in-
lude trademark lines such as, “Rejected,”
Downtown,” and “He could go all the
ray." Albert’s distinct voice and over-the-
now and I® 0 P enthusiasm have made him a house-
ig I couldtc l0 ^ name > one of the most recognized
tmerican sportscasters.
Albert’s recent visits to the media
t could 4 ave been less favorable to say the least,
he man with the voice now faces
barges of forcible sodomy and assault,
he Associated Press reports that “a 42-
ear-old woman with whom Albert had
10-year sexual relationship alleges he
it her as many as 15 times and forced
erto perform oral sex on him on Feb.
2.” Some accounts claim Albert ex-
ected three-way sex with the woman
nd another man.
Naturally, Albert is denying any
rongdoing in the suit, which means it
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exible enoiilbasically a case of his word against
tat of the alleged victim. In cases of
axual assault without witnesses, the
vo parties involved have the responsi-
ility of creating a case based on evi-
ence and their credentials.
Herein lies the problem for the ac-
aser. Albert’s celebrity status gives him
an automatic upper hand where creden
tials are concerned. Americans know Al
bert, which makes for a difficult jury
selection for the prosecution. Al
bert’s affiliation with entities
such as NBC and the National
Basketball Association give
him friends in some pret
ty high places, which
could potentially
turn into a power
play against the
alleged victim.
Albert has tak
en that ever-impor
tant first step in as
suring his
innocence: hiring an
attorney with a good
track record. Roy Black
has taken the helm of
Albert’s defense team.
Black is perhaps best
known for winning anoth
er high-profile sexual as
sault case — that ofWilliam
Kennedy Smith.
Albert’s attorneys are al
ready hard at work trying to
turn the tables of blame. As is unfor
tunately common in most rape cas
es, the defense is opting for a “put
the victim on trial” at
tack. The defense is ex
pected to pursue theo
ries that the woman
exaggerated in her alle
gations or that she is try
ing to get revenge on Al
bert for some
yet-unspecified reason.
Black and his boys are
even going so far as to peti
tion to limit the content of Al
bert’s sex life that is admissible
in court, usually a right reserved to the
alleged victim.
If Black and Albert succeed in the
aforementioned ploy, it will wreak hav
oc on advances made by women in
the area of sexual assault law.
Any society that hampers a
woman’s ability to prosecute
against sexual violence obvi
ously does not value women
very much. A return to la
beling women as sluts
who “asked for it” sends
women the message their
sexuality does not belong
to them, that it is viewed by
society as worthless.
This is not to say that sexu
al assault cases should be
treated differently from other
cases; defendants should have
the same opportunities
to contend their inno
cence as they would in
other crimes. However,
“innocent until proven
guilty” only should ap
ply to the defendant.
The victim should not
be on trial.
Sexual assault is per
haps the great
est violation
against anoth
er human be
ing. It surpass
es the physical
attack; it is a
psychological
invasion as
well. The
repercussions
are long-last
ing, and even a
conviction will
not take away the pain. Accusations of
sexual assault should be horrifying, not
so commonplace that people simply
brush them aside. When these cases
arise, every avenue of the justice system
should be employed to assure an accu
rate decision. Sexual assault should make
Americans angry, not cause them to be
come misogynists jumping on the “slut-
hunt” bandwagon.
In Albert’s case, preliminary evidence
already links him to the female in ques
tion. Virginia State Police tests have found
traces of Albert’s DNA on the skin and
clothing of the woman.
If further testing links Albert to the at
tack, juries and judges should not let the
man’s public persona influence their de
cisions. Too often in American society we
project role-model status on celebrities
simply for the sake of their celebrity. This
unfortunately has the potential to be
come a mechanism for an individual to
rise above the law.
Albert’s case is important because it
causes Americans to reevaluate persons
honored with the title of role model. If
evidence indeed proves Albert’s guilt,
he should be treated the same as any
other sex offender.
In a perfect world, this would be an au
tomatic. The woman could plead her case
free from character attacks. She could be
free from “how dare she” attitudes from
the press and the public. The justice sys
tem could be counted on to bring down
an honest verdict considering all evidence
and arguments. Money would not be a de
ciding factor. And in a perfect world, a
guilty verdict (if one emerged) would
mean the woman could count on one
more thing regaxding Maiw Albert: that he
could go all the way — to jail.
Mandy Cater is a senior psychology major.
emocradc bumblings hinder frame of political parties
Donny
Ferguson
columnist
f bipartisanship is die theme
ofthe 105th Congress, it cer-
tainly did not apply to Au-
Jsfls Congressional Softball
e.The Republican National
mmittee hammered the De-
iocratic National Committee in
26-0 five inning massacre that
ided under the “mercy rule.”
As if liberals did not have
lough problems, the double-
igit drubbing symbolized their
ich to political obscurity. Stu-
ents looking to set their ideo-
gical bearings at Texas A&M can rule out liberalism,
;cause the Democratic Party holds all the promise
Dr. Kevorkian’s waiting room.
Any party is a bummer if no one shows up. At last
Hint, over 255 elected Democratic officials had
vitched parties since 1992, the largest realignment
nee the demise of the Whigs in the early 1800s. One
ample of the Democrats’ doldrums comes from
innsylvania, where the House Democratic Cam-
lign Committee ran classified ads searching for
ate legislature candidates.
"Are you a Democrat who would like to make a de
alt salary while doing some good for your commu-
ity?Then you should run for state legislature,” the ad
said. Of the few who responded, none could collect
the necessary 300 signatures.
Even more humorous than the Democrats’ sparse
quantity is their poor quality. Texas Congressman
Nick Lampson didn’t wait long to flaunt his intellectu
al shortcomings. Then-tax collector Lampson ap
peared on talk radio with voters, who soon found out
why he was labeled “Candidate Clueless.”
Returning from a commercial break, Lampson was
asked about taxpayer-funded abortion, an issue all
candidates should have firm opinions on. Lampson’s
bungled response was a less-than-inspiring, “Tax-
funded abortion? (long pause) Uh. (longer pause) Uh.
(even longer pause) Can we take a commercial
break?” Nick probably spent his August recess in a
vain quest to find Waldo.
Amazingly, Democrats do get dumber. When asked
what he would do to fight the national debt, U.S. Sen
ate candidate Victor Morales said, “I don’t know.” The
perpetually perplexed politician went on to confess,
“I’m weak in business issues,” and said plans to save
Medicare and Social Security “don’t exist in this brain
of mine.” Obviously, nothing does.
Lampson and Morales’ brain-dead bumblings are
the least of the Democrats’ problems. Louisiana State
Rep. Louis Guzzardo was picked up in an FBI gam
bling sting. U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey, a South
Florida prosecutor, resigned after it was revealed he
bit a stripper at the “Lipstik Adult Entertainment
Club.” Predictably, the Marv Albert wannabe was ap
pointed by none other than Philanderer-In-Chief Bill
Clinton. South Carolina State Rep. Chris Pracht re
signed after a 1994 drug smuggling conviction, only
to run again in 1996.
And of course, former U.S. House Ways and
Means chair Congressman Dan Rostenkowski was
sent to prison for bouncing checks and cashing in
his postage stamps. Under rules passed by the old
Democratic Congress, the Chicago liberal still re
ceives his $98,900 pension (that’s 309,063 first-
class stamps.)
Drug dealing and stripper nibbling aside, most of
the Democrats’ public relations problems stem from
their out-of-touch platform. Democrats bitterly op
posed a Republican-proposed term-limits bill sup
ported by 80 percent of the American people.
Democrats fought the balanced budget amend
ment and welfare reform, two Republican proposals
also supported by 80 percent of Americans. They also
launched an all-out assault against a Republican oil!
to make politicians live under the laws they pass,
even though an overwhelming 90 percent of Ameri
cans sided with the G.O.P.
Continued attacks against tax cuts for working
families, deficit reduction, lawsuit reform and Repub
lican measures to abolish congressional perks such as
free haircuts illustrate just how out of touch the De
mocratic Party is with America.
The 1996 race for Vermont’s Congressional seat il
lustrates just how liberal the Democratic Party has
become. The day before Democrat lack Long an
nounced he would oppose Congressman Bernie
Sanders, a self-proclaimed Socialist, he got a phone
call from Rob Engel ofthe Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee.
Engel informed Long that the DCCC would not
support him and would instead campaign for the
Marxist Sanders. “If there is a way I can hurt you, I
will,” Engel said. When asked why the DCCC dumped
Long, Engel said the Democrats “embrace Mr.
Sanders’ socialist principles.” No wonder the Democ
ratic Party platform bears so much resemblance to
the Communist Manifesto.
Cranially challenged candidates, ethically inade
quate officeholders and a left-wing party platform di
rectly opposing the American people have turned a
once-powerful coalition party into a quickly fading
rabble of ideologically empty, warmed-over Marxists.
Liberalism is dead and the Democratic Party is out of
touch, out of ideas and out of breath — not to men
tion they stink at softball.
Donny Ferguson is a junior political
science major.
Yearbook plans help illustrate
lear picture for Class of ’98
I
Anna
Foster
columnist
N o individual pictures
of freshmen, sopho
mores or juniors will
be included in the 1998Ag-
gieland. This will help make
the nation’s largest yearbook
one of the best, as well.
Almost everything at
Texas A&M is centered
around students’ class
years. Wildcats, Elephant
Walk, Aggie rings and other
traditions highlight class
years, and students always
refer to their original graduating class, no mat
ter when or if they actually cross the stage at
commencement.
It only makes sense, then, to have the yearbook
be class-centered. When the Class of ’98 yearbook
is issued, it will have the Class of ’98 in it, with
their senior E-walk, their Ring Dance, and their
|graduation as the main focuses.
It is better to give expanded coverage of one
class, the seniors, than to spread coverage thinly
over all four classes. Future classes of Texas A&M
[students can look forward to the same treatment.
Amber Benson, editor of the Aggieland, said
eliminating the underclassman pictures will give
her more room to cover A&M and events happen
ing this year. “It is not my intention to exclude
anyone. I want to make the book more represen
tative of the student body,” she said.
Currently, one-fourth of the book is devoted to
10 percent of the student body. Any one purchas
er of the Aggieland will know' only a small fraction
[ofthe people who have their picture taken.
If more space is spent on the things all Aggies
have in common, such as Muster, Bonfire and
student organizations, the book will give a better
picture of the student body than individual pic
tures of students.
A former student looking through the book ten
or twenty years from now will remember the
events, places and organizations of the University
more than individual people.
This is a landmark year for the University. The
opening of the Bush School, the completion of
Reed Arena and the continual construction
around campus will stand out in the history of the
school more than the few students who bother to
get their picture taken.
Underclassmen are not being left out of the
book altogether. The same red-ass students who
got their pictures taken are the same red-ass stu
dents who are going to be in the club pictures and
who will buy the book.
Many people wait until their senior year to get
their picture taken, and many wait until their se
nior year to buy the yearbook. It is good business
sense to capitalize on those facts, not only to
streamline the production of the book, but also to
increase sales as well.
Other award-winning yearbooks at similar
sized schools have been doing this for years. It is
about time A&M caught up.
Incidentally, Amber Benson is a junior. Even
her picture will not be in the Aggieland. It does
not bother her, though, because the next Ag
gieland will be all about her class — the people,
places and events that marked her senior year.
Anna Foster is a junior journalism major.
Mail Call
Ethnicity knowledge
enhances diversity
The key to breaking down the
walls of ignorance is to first ex
plore the facts. Ethnic minority
groups always have encouraged
excellence in education.
In the present, according to
the National Education Goals
Panel, African-American high-
school students attend school at
higher rates than other groups.
If one would research the
Hopwood case, he or she would
understand nearly 40 percent of
the minority students enrolled in
the University of Texas Law
School had scores higher than
Cheryl Hopwood.
The final clarification is that
Texas A&M and UT are not losing
minority students because of their
low performances; they are losing
these students because of their high
performances and the universities’
inability to compete financially.
Remarks by people such as Lino
Graglia are not warranted because
they do not cite factual information
as a basis for their generalizations.
These types of remarks make
diversity training more impor
tant. The only way to combat
psychological conformity to
stereotypical images and nega
tive perceptions of any ethnic
group is to study that group and
learn for yourself.
Martin L.K. Hodges
Class of’98
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