l£/sjpnday • November 17, 1997
O The Battalion
PINION
mi
he more you know...
indents should take time to understand diverse world of other peoples’ cultures
JH
Kendall
Kelly
columnist
|\
irnej
Wire
<ed Men'i
in a fie
their fina;l
! ason, th
Invitati
red the*
th place! ast
ig 298 te! week
tion. LecM^th 0
el, whosw 6 In for
id for sirftrsity
indings Jference
)3, theaJ held on
f 289. |Texas
ie first rj!l cam-
Aggie sc! and
id 11th ™ week,
Irto Ri-
Jme com I Week
13-1531 ins its
Is: off of programs.
I Jnfortunately, the only peo-
fjnj who attend these culturally
( iching events are the very
[am« >p le who p it the programs
|AtA&M, it seems like the
Ire attempts made to educate
Idents about those different
nourselves, the more peo-
turn away.
ketball'ej
jugoslaii]
he toda;
dllie W
han tea-
eam j n , tappears that the only
Id adva'
its Un«
to lull
Ite, Deni
1 Missoc'
oounds.
their Si
|e sea;
nner in which cultural
s last - 3reness can ca U attention to
ilfis if the title “Affirmative
ion” is stamped on the front
t.What a tragedy it is how
iplecan become hysterical
Ag: ira change in policy, yet
illti
mill
oxas Ail
Id Df|
Inkedi
Texai
at a i
yfail to make any individ-
effort themselves. Seems a
lehypocritical to me.
Affirmative action does not
aalmulticulturalism. The ma-
ity of Americans seem to
think this is the key for diversify
ing our country. Movements
such as affirmative action are
merely the beginning of con
quering the ethnocentric per
sonality of a large population of
this country. The true success of
hearing a harmony of cultures in
America lies within the individ
ual, and the easiest place for the
individual to begin striking the
right chords is in the University.
There are countless programs
and a variety of entertainment
to promote multiculturalism in
College Station. What is multi-
culturalsim, anyway?
It seems when students en
counter this popular phrase,
they are turned off, believing
they will be forced to engage in
some “feel good” activity. Multi
culturalism simply means “many
cultures.” Anyone can educate
themselves multiculturally.
Students need to take it upon
themselves to interact with other
cultures. For example, comedian
Paul Rodriguez performed in
Rudder Auditorium last month,
and 1 think I was one of only a
few students present who was
not of Hispanic background.
Salsa and merengue lessons
will be offered this Thursday as
part of the Puerto Rican cele
bration, and it will come as no
surprise if the students partic
ipating in this fun and rare op
portunity are, no doubt, Span
ish or Latin American.
What a disappointment it is
to those students who work to
bring activities and out-of-the-
classroom education to A&M
and students are too busy or too
ignorant to take part in learning
a little something about some
one else for a change.
Because "multiculturalism”
means “many cultures,” it con
sequently stands for the United
States of America.
Our country is the prototypi
cal melting pot for what the rest
of the world will eventually be
come. We are no longer a world
in which each country is its own
boat racing against one another.
Instead, we represent a
planet that will soon operate
full-time on multi-national
fuel. The United States is the
captain of this ship. Have you
made the individual decision
to come aboard and realize the
enrichment and opportunities
other cultures have to offer? Gl
are you standing on the shore,
waiting for the wave of affir
mative action to come and
wash away the borders that ex
ist between cultures?
Instead of relying on affirma
tive action, students should take
more individual actions to learn
Dr. Cullen, the keynote
speaker for the Drive In for Di
versity Conference last Friday
said, "Hopefully people can
act or believe the way they do."
Herein lies the answer to
having an equal and harmo
nious world. Because after all,
of brown.
Kendall Kelly is a junior
Spanish major.
16
jiereAtf
I both the
[vents.
Ireslmian
lowed &)'
U/onals
push, CIA hold secret ties of government
F
reedom?”
This some
what cryptic
pstion was spray-
painted on a wall near
le Pavilion during the
seek of the George
Presidential Li-
and Museum
dedication, when hun-
March.pds of leaders of the
bad
John
Burton
columnist
the tee world assembled
1000 nAggieland.
In the newly released book Secrets: The
'IKsWarat Home, the late investigative
^ ournalist Angus Muckenzie uncovered
everal controversial aspects of the recent
istory of the Central Intelligence Agency.
As a staunch supporter of the First
T imendment, his investigations as a re-
lorter resulted in personal harassment by
lovernment agencies.
A particularly interesting aspect of
Mackenzie’s research focused on the re
liction of American freedoms as a re-
alt of George Bush’s role as director of
he CIA.
Bush was appointed Central Intelligence
jn Igency Director by President Gerald Ford,
'ho, at the recent Library dedication, not-
,“Bush joined the CIA at a most difficult
Voit htie in our intelligence community.”
Indeed the agency was rampant with
earlifreat scandal — domestic spying on U.S.
itizens and involvement with Watergate
fere among the allegations made against
alofieCIA at the time.
In his confirmation hearings before the
ini enate Armed Services Committee in 1975,
lush spoke of “Operation MHCHAOS,” a
IAdomestic spying program which had
|p aSS 'een uncovered by the media.
He said, “This agency must stay in the
ureign intelligence business and not ha-
sAmerican citizens, like in Operation
HAGS.” At that time, however, CIA offi-
TWO FEIMLB HAVE
rateN nIAtaed
gASKETBALL REFS.
cials were still claiming MHCHAOS was
only investigating foreign issues.
Oops, Bush had spilled the beans.
He later changed his position on the is
sue and adopted the official position of
the CIA.
After being director for less than a
month, Bush was confronted by the House
Select Committee on Intelligence “Pike
Report,” named after U.S. Representative
Otis Pike.
This revealing report detailed official
findings of CIA extravagance. Among oth
er things, the agency paid for extensive
propaganda operations — incurred cost
overruns of 400 percent above budget for
foreign operations and 500 percent above
budget for domestic operations.
Keep in mind the CIA should not be in
volved in domestic operations at all. Also,
the agency had constructed a military ca
pacity greater than most foreign armies.
The most shocking fact is the CIA’s
largest category of foreign secret projects
involved the news media. The agency
planted articles in newspapers, and dis
tributed books and pamphlets around
the world.
Often, this propaganda “information”
was picked up by U.S. newspapers, thus
leading Americans astray.
Bush handled these controversies with
his charming and persuasive personality.
In a meeting before the Senate Committee
on Rules and Administration, he issued a
formal plea for reducing Congressional
oversight. His lobbying was effective. Con
gress drastically reduced its own access to
CIA secrets.
From then on, only the Senate and
House Intelligence Committees would
oversee the CIA. Also, President Ford — by
issuing Executive Order 11905 — autho
rized Bush to allocate secrecy contracts in
the entire executive branch and control all
intelligence budgets.
As a result, Bush managed the CIA, the
National Security Council and the Nation
al Reconnaissance Organization — as well
as other agencies — for a total of 13 sepa
rate agencies in all. The New York Times
noted Bush had more power —
unchecked power —- than any Director of
Intelligence in history.
This power led to reductions of freedom
for Americans.
New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug,
an outspoken critic of the McCarthy witch
hunts, had been spied on by the CIA for 23
years. She testified before a House sub
committee, blasting the CIA for its domes
tic spying activities.
Rather than eliminating, or at least re
ducing spying on Americans, Bush re
sponded by organizing the Publications
Review Board in 1976. This was the first
U.S. government censorship body estab
lished during peacetime. Its purpose was
to censor the writings and speeches of
CIA officers.
In 1976, while Americans were celebrat
ing our country’s bicentennial and the
freedom it represented, Bush was squelch
ing some of the very freedoms upon which
our country was founded.
The Publications Review Board was a
pivotal accomplishment for Bush. It was a
near-foolproof system in preventing nega
tive disclosures and Congressional in
quiries, as well as effectively quieting pub
lic outrage. Yet Bush never mentioned it
when running for office. Likewise, the
George Bush Presidential Libraiy and Mu
seum and Web page fail to mention the sig
nificance of the Publications Review Board.
It is fitting that a portion of the Berlin
Wall, a symbol of government secrecy, is
located at the George Bush Center.
But what about “Freedom?”
John Burton is a junior
bioenvironmental science major.
TL
MARKING THE
FIRST TIN\E TWO
PEOPLE WHC> r
ACTUALLY BEIPNG
in vvomens
CLPTHES pm-
PART OF THE
NBA.
a*
, - Larv
Albert
tewrnftBW
Mail Call
Arts funding, taxing
proves dry in writing
In response to Robby Ray’s Nov. 14
"The Art of the Sale” column:
As a human and an artist, I was
sickened by the narrow-minded
capitalist viewpoints expressed in
Ray’s column.
I consider it an insult to Aggies
to say the closest they come to the
arts is walking by the J. Wayne
Stark Gallery in the MSC. Programs
such as MSC OPAS and the Stark
Galleries would not have lasted
long without support from A&M.
The argument presented about
the NEA supporting “pornogra
phy” and “excrement” is straight
out of the Jesse Helms “School for
Cultural Ignorance.”
Art is freedom of expression,
and I pose the question: how
many people would say Michelan
gelo’s David is pornography?
Another point made was only
political and religious freedom,
not artistic freedoms, are protect
ed by the Constitution.
Where would religious icons and
other related art fall under this theo
ry? How many communities would
support funding for a military statue
or a stained glass window?
Maybe these would be consid
ered moral artistic expenditures.
The only word for trying to im
pose that kind of regulation on
art is “wrong.”
There is no such thing as a
moral majority, just a bunch of
people who fear free thought and
difference of opinion.
To believe we have much of a
say in the destiny of tax dollars is
naive. The government is a busi
ness, and we are its patrons.
I disagree stealth bombers are
more important than art; without
art, society would fall into despair.
Those who feel differently may
be forgetting all of the different
ways art can be expressed. It could
be an uplifting story, a picture in a
book or magazine, a greeting card
and even journalism ... usually.
Those who deny the role of art
in society and in culture are often
afraid of the reflection it portrays.
Kathryn Stephenson
graduate student
I myself do not mind spending
38 cents a year in taxes on the Na
tional Endowment for the Arts
(that’s the $99.4 million budget di
vided by 260 million Americans),
especially when less than Icent
goes to projects that could be ar
gued as being obscene.
I find it ironic Ray, who works in
a profession constantly screaming
free speech is the most important
American right, would demand a
public election to determine ex
actly what kind of art is eligible to
receive a portion of my 38 cents.
Ray said, “If taxpayers are not al
lowed to determine where their
money goes, then die entire pro
gram should be eliminated.” In diat
case, it would be far more relevant
to Texas A&M students to be able to
vote on what appears in The Battal
ion, a college newspaper funded by
a state-mandated tax of $1 per year
in student fees — this is nearly three
times what it pays for the NEA.
If students were able to vote on
The Battalion’s contents, I suspect
many poorly written, under-re-
searched columns published this
year, including this one, would
never have seen the light of day.
Lynn Leifker
Class of’96
Ray seems to argue the rich
should have to shoulder die burden
because public funding for the aits
is too controversial. Besides, art is
not as essential as other government
acdvities such as national defense.
Ray is correct on this but he
seems to miss the point art has
been publically funded not be
cause of its importance but be
cause, like national defense, it is
considered a public good. It
could be possible to force the
richest people to bear all the
costs of defending the country,
but it would be unfair since the
armed forces work for the benefit
of everybody, not just the rich.
In the same way, if the arts were
funded by a small group of people,
it would mean the artistic output
would belong to them, or at the
very least, they could determine the
content of the art the public gets to
see based on their own interests.
For example, if only the rich
funded the arts, it would be impos
sible to produce a piece of art that
questions capitalism. I am not say
ing there are better economic sys
tems than capitalism, but simply,
artists tend to show us the down
side of things many of us are inca
pable or unwilling to perceive.
I think there should be some
public funding for the arts for the
same reason there is some public
funding for scientific basic re
search: it may not serve any pur
pose at the start, but there is a
chance eventually it may yield a
considerable payoff for society in
the overall scope.
Dennis Muzza
Class of 93
The Battalion encourages letters to the ed
itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and in
clude 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: nn
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: Batt@tamvml.tamu.edu
For more details on letter policy, please call
845-3313 and direct your question to the
opinion editor.