!S Wednesday • March 4, 1998
eh«
Opinion
IE MlSj|
writer
M SofJ
the U;
-9) li
rtingai
re cot
Georf
oundi
asA&:
-off(
)uild t
Che right stuff
r ASA attempts revival by sending Glenn back to space
Aggie;
will per.
tan ill?
ouma
was i
jack i?
Beverly
Mireles
columnist
ne ter-
I rible
day in
1986, seven
people, in
cluding civil
ian teacher
Christa McAu-
liffe, lost their
lives in a vio
lent explosion
only 73 sec
onds after the
Challenger space shuttle left earth.
On that chilling January day, with
the disturbing images of the fiery
accident replaying over and over in
everyone’s minds, the space pro
gram died with them.
Twelve years later, NASA has a
chance to revive itself.
In a move that is somewhat con
troversial, the first man to orbit the
earth, American hero John Glenn,
is being allowed to fly on one more
mission back into the ultimate
void, space.
Finally, John Glenn gets the trip
denied to him so long ago by John
F. Kennedy, who thought he was
too much of a national treasure to
risk sending into space again.
The 76-year-old Ohio senator
will take part in medical experi
ments looking for parallels be
tween the aging process on earth
and the physical effects astro
nauts suffer while in orbit.
Some political naysayers, how
ever, have charged that Glenn, 15
years beyond NASA’s grounding
age for astronauts, is being al
lowed up in space not for the
greater purpose of science, but as
a reward for backing Clinton dur
ing last summer’s Congressional
fund-raising hearings.
And while that may be partially
true (though nothing has been offi
cially charged), the political pundits
are missing the bigger picture.
ERSPECTIVES
/Vinfrey case displays freedom of speech win
I ree speech not only
lives. It rocks.”
This proclamation made by
)rah Winfrey following her
;tory over a group of Texas
ttlemen in a $11 million
? f vsuit was probably the most
portant message she lias
livered in her entire career.
Mickey
Saloma
columnist
It must be admitted that all
her candid conversations
th the likes of Madonna and
3 cast of “Friends” have giv-
my life meaning time and again. Yet when Oprah
ose to shed her Hollywood attitude in exchange
• a voice for this great country and all it stands
r, a new respect could be found for her and her
ow.
Freedom of speech is one of the principles that
1 to the founding of our country.
People left countries in which they felt trapped,
tey wanted to find comfort and be able to live
hr lives, find their voices and, more importantly,
mse their voices.
j Freedom of speech, which is a right guaranteed
| us by the First Amendment of the Constitution, is
lething many nations do not have, many people
l.ve died for, and all people must strive for every-
, y in order to ensure it is upheld and not violated.
This Constitutional right is something that
should not be taken lightly. In fact, more people
should feel free to voice their opinions more often.
Whether it be voting in the next election or writing
Mail Call to The Battalion, it is every individual’s
duty to take full advantage of this right.
Two of Texas A&M’s sources of media are The
Battalion and the Aggieland. With every page, one
is contributing some sort of opinion.
A few years back, controversy arose when the
Aggieland printed a picture of two females hold
ing hands.
People were outraged once they found out
A&M had homosexual students. Whether or not
you agree this picture should have been printed
in the school’s yearbook, you can not deny the
editor’s right to express the issue of homosexuali
ty on campus.
Furthermore, The Battalion’s cornerstone is ar
guably the opinion section. The average reader
glances at the front page, reads the comics, and
looks to the back page to see if any opinion colum
nist has decided to take a stab at this University.
While some people could care less about some
body’s opinion on the rise of “girl power” when par
alleled to the women’s suffrage movement in the
Middle East, many people do care when it comes to
somebody taking a shot at something they hold
dear such as Aggie Bonfire. The point is whether
you agree with a column, it is the writer’s right to
express his or her thoughts.
Admittedly, censorship has its time and place.
However, censorship should only be permitted
when it comes to children.
Children are exposed to a gross amount of sex
and violent crime on television each day, and it is a
parent’s job (not the government’s job) to make
sure that their children are not affected by it.
After World War II, some sort of Neo-Nazi hate
rally was prohibited by a town council in Illinois
and the judge reprimanded the town council.
The judge said that the town council was acting
the part of the Nazi, by violating these citizens’
rights to express their views.
Opinions are like anuses- everybody has one.
While some people’s opinions may sound like they
are coming out of their anus, their right to express
that opinion should not be denied.
I don’t advocate all forms of free speech. Flag
burning and other hate fueled opinions are in my
opinion wrong.
I won’t take away their right to express them
selves, yet I find comfort in knowing that these peo
ple, who use free speech to advocate any form of
hatred, make themselves look like morons and
their cause even less worthwhile.
Find your voice and use it. It’s a great right to
take advantage of.
Mickey Saloma is a senior journalism major.
Putting Glenn back into space is a sign
most of the tragedy that shook NASA to
its knees after the Challenger accident
has, with time, finally dissipated.
An even greater sign of NASA’s in
creased stability was announced only
a few days after it was reported Glenn
was put back on the astronaut roster.
Barbara Morgan, a 46-year-old ele
mentary teacher from Idaho, was se
lected as a candidate for possible duty
on future shuttle missions. More than
a decade ago, Morgan was chosen as
the runner-up to Christa McAuliffe in
the “Teacher-in-Space” competition
held by NASA in the mid ’80s.
Though the idea of sending another
teacher back into space will unnerve and
upset some, NASA is going ahead with
her training, taking every possible pre
caution — insisting, in fact, Morgan be
come a fully trained mission specialist.
NASA has also expressed some in
terest in sending other civilians into
space. In future missions, an emphasis
will be put on biologists and geologists.
Every step taken by the space pro
gram is tentative, of course. It might be
another decade before the programs
that were in high gear during the eight
ies, such as the “journalist-in-space”
program or similar projects, will be
proposed again seriously. Safety of the
astronauts is the highest priority of all
for the space program. The memories
caused by the Challenger mission as
sures hesitancy on NASA’s part.
Some images keep, as a permanent
reminder of loss. The sight of the Chal
lenger shuttle launching from Cape
Canaveral, exploding and then falling
back to earth, like some heinous Ro
man candle, is one of those images.
With the help of Glenn and Morgan,
perhaps that image will be replaced by
the one of two more Americans, brav
ing the perils of space flight for the
greater good of human exploration.
Beverly Mireles is a freshman
microbiology major.
TECH TALK
Mandy
Cater
columnist
Research
important
for future of
homosexuals
R eports published
lliesday say les
bianism may have
biological origins. Re
searchers at the Univer
sity of Texas found dif
ferences between the
inner ears of lesbian and
heterosexual women.
The study, published
in the Proceedings of the
Nat ional Academy of the
Sciences could have
powerful implications 1 ;
for the gay community. If biological origins for
homosexuality can be determined, the choice-
or-genetics debate could take a new direction.
Associated Press reported “200 adults were
examined in four groups: homosexual men and
women and heterosexual men and women.” The
test measured the echo-like sound the cochlea
makes in response to clicking noises.
The report states women have a more sensi
tive amplifier and are capable of detecting soft
er sounds than are men. The homosexual
women sampled had responses “significantly
weaker than those of straight women.”
What that jargon means, basically, it the
study yielded significant differences for homo
sexual and heterosexual women.
Dennis McFadden, lead author in the research
said, “Their auditory centers have been mas
culinized and the presumption is that so have the
sites in the brain that direct sexual preference.”
Other researchers in the field are apparent
ly taking the results seriously as well. Dr.
Michael Bailey of Northwestern University
said the data “may be ‘consistent with the bio
logical origin of lesbianism.’”
Of course, the experiment must now be
readministered. And until the results can be
replicated it will not be considered valid.
However, when one considers these data in
conjunction with earlier research, it is difficult
to ignore the possibilities. One study found two
parts of the male brain are different in gay men.
Others have found gene differences between
homosexual and heterosexual men.
So, consider for a moment, what it means if
the present study is replicated. There would be
compelling support for the argument homo
sexuality is a biological issue, not one of choice.
The issue of gay rights would be forced to be
examined in a completely different light. Gay in
dividuals would have scientific arguments against
discrimination by sexual orientation. Perhaps, the
tired, uneducated stereotypes of the sex-hungry,
perverted gay would finally be silenced.
If this study holds in the future, or if others
like it are shown to be valid, homosexuals may
finally be able to silence the masses of vicious
hate-mongers who defame and attack them.
Perhaps they will finally be allowed to live their
lives in peace and without the shame social
stigmas have attached to their community.
However, science cannot erase idiocy and
any such results would not be delivered to a
perfect society.
Rather than seeing studies such as this one
as a triumph for gay rights, it is quite possible
the effects could be just as troublesome for ho
mosexuals. If compelling evidence arises sug
gesting homosexuality is indeed biological,
there is the chance many will see it as ‘isolating
the cause of the disease.’
If, in fact a gene is determined to influence
sexual orientation, there is the likelihood anth
gay crusaders will be sent on another tirade —
this time to find the “cure” for the “disorder”
they so loathe.
Although this possibility could be years down
the road, it is an important issue to consider.
This research is powerful and could be an
important first step for homosexuals and those
who advocate their fight. However, they must
be ready to continue their battles and be pre
pared for the next wave of hate that ignorant,
intolerant fanatics will undoubtedly bring.
Mandy Cater is a senior psychology major.
MAIL CALL
ixes sent to paper
:and as fair for print
I would like to comment on
March 2 article in The Battal-
p regarding the indictment of
xas A&M professor Dhiraj Prad-
pi and and alleged death threat
Gainst him. The article states
at Pradhan believes the death
threat was a response to several of
his quotes printed in the Bryan-
College Station Eagle, and that
these quotes were taken out of
context from private faxes he had
sent to colleagues.
I must say for the record that
Pradhan’s quotes were not taken
out of context and that the faxes
were in no way private. He has
sent us numerous faxes and e-
mail messages and at no time
asked that any remain confiden
tial. We treat faxes voluntarily sent
to us the same way we would treat
a phone call or interview. Our
sources know they are dealing
with a newspaper and a reporter.
To cry foul when their quotes ap
pear in print is disingenuous to
say the least.
Finally, it would have been ap
propriate for The Battalion re
porter to contact us for our side of
this story rather than allow your
readers to mistakenly assume that
our journalistic practices and
ethics are somehow flawed.
Joe Michael Feist
Managing Editor
The Bryan-College Station Eagle
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: 1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: batt@unix.tamu.edu
SA.OOA?Y\,
TAKE OUT
THE TR&SH.
7
NO.
sfroom,
take out
THE TRASH*
SADDAM,
TAKE OUT
THE trash.
j
Yes, pear.
kt home