' jB P inesday • July 29,1998
The Battalion
PINION
d/festk
oing postal
tru mrt of letter writing forgotten in modern era of electronic communications
Meredith
Hight
columnist
ut their
ti i j IdMary, 1954
ing n/« ^
".Il/ie days go by at their accustomed pace, leaving lit-
B/or the more pleasurable pursuits of life such as in-
in correspondence with
s, I was just Mends. Even now l can do lit-
ap. 1 hen! p mi f 0 t e ll you again how
■ enjoy your letters, and to
’be the stop | yon lo write whenever you fed
i, a formerto do so. ”
with a TV’Portion of a let-
3S appearinprB ter from
what's out; [President Dwight Eisenhower to
• I an old friend
ling up tooB
here voi;' -pthe 1950s, Eisenhower may
thing/'nekbeen president, but he
Kjjnd the time to write a k't-
mightbethB nold triond
■he 1990s, e-mailing and phone calls have made
rt Gottfried I B un ' cal: ' on muc ^ eas > er and much faster, replac-
the comedo B 0 most c ' ass * c and meaningful form of communi-
>tar in aseii I — t ^ ie ^ andwr ' l:ten Iette r - • he convenience that
les the needs of today leaves tomorrow without a
• be theiwtB 13 *' 26 ^ record die P as h
hlbthing so unveils a person's true character than a
tef. This is most easily seen through the numerous
fecal figures who have revealed more about them-
■ through their personal letters than could ever be
/ealed through a biography.
Napoleon Bonaparte, a tyrannical general infamous
comer attempted conquest of all of Europe, wrote over
eed those5e®)j e j. ters j n p,j s |jf e time. Many were to his beloved
;■ his List feiosephine.
\orthl 71^5 excerpt comes from a letter written to her
ed to Ma before their wedding.
tudy actarfntil then, mio dolce amor, a thousand kisses; but
>. (AsaneiiVelne none in return, for they set my blood on fire."
ed a fewt:Bind of lovesick gushing from a man whose vi-
hear uttwHvas to be the greatest leader of all time human-
; "Yumir Biim in a way that no book or movie could.
/ho doge{To\ e letters, of course, are one of the most common
omng,
vomen
whole;
of letters written. If ever curious about the rela-
nip one's parents had in their youth, or how one's
parents felt about each other, the best way to
ut is through their love letters,
in attics now are stacks of letters, yellowed with
time and tied with fraying rib
bons, waiting to be read by future
generations.
Unfortunately for this genera
tion, correspondence often is car
ried out via electronic mail. This
generation may have to save e-
mails on a disk to hand over to
the grandkids, a cold and imper
sonal keepsake. A printout of an
e-mail just does not have the same
effect as the arrival of a letter in
the mail, and therefore, is not
quite as cherished.
Also common are letters to sol
diers, from soldiers or concerning
soldiers during wartime. In a let
ter sure to be brought back to the
forefront of American conscious
ness, due to its relevance in the re
cently released Saving Private
Ryan, Abraham Lincoln extends
his condolences to a woman who
has lost all five of her sons in the
Civil War.
"... I pray that our Heavenly
Father may assuage the anguish
of your bereavement, and leave
you only the cherished memory
of the loved and lost, and the
solemn pride that must be yours
to have laid so costly a sacrifice
upon the altar of freedom.
Yours very sincerely and re
spectfully,
Abraham Lincoln"
Whether the letter is from a
president, or to a lover, it carries
with it an insight to the writer's
inner thoughts that can be ade
quately expressed only through the handwritten
word.
One company. Lifelines, has recognized this
unique form of expression, and turned it into a com
mercial enterprise. For $10, Lifelines, intended for "the
moments of your life" will create a letter to be sent to
the meaningful people in one's life. The company as
sures that its creations will be original, with just a little
bit of personal information necessary in order to help
in its composition.
That, of course, destroys the whole purpose of the
letter. The handwritten letter is meant to show that the
writer has taken the time to share his or her feelings,
creating a a personal keepsake to be treasured.
The handwritten letter is important because it con
veys things e-mails and phone calls cannot. It would
not hurt to follow the example of Eisenhower more
than 40 years ago, and take the time to write a letter.
Meredith Hight is a junior journalism major.
iw 26, "I
es thatpeoplf
.uit anymoB,
but I woiilij
m televisiB
ling." I
used for; I
ich line, t 1 1
ain goal ini
?re I don't' j
trade g® |
hop
or theirK f
velers KM
Dropping the bombs
Houstonians protest incoming Navy
shipments of Vietnam-era napalm
attraction!
issouri,’
■ch done [ :
lif.-base<i|
iocial Security future bankrupt
Chris
Huffines
staff zvriter
Mall of Band plan-
orld, the 1 '
"any college students and
young adults, when pon-
_der-
said sh
ertainffl 1
y famoit
>kespers (
as threw
t,900 res*
n tourist
is sate
let center
. want le
here
:emed
Serial Se-
ty.
specific is-
?of Ameri-
national
ement
'em seem
e distant
stions and
ition
xn wn
•ting;
tion's
ns the"
r ountse |
; where 1 :
ng St 3 " 11
gd o
about s’
r-ndo 11 '
heads
j-e malls'
this.
Alison
Lackey
columnist
isions that young adults set aside
I triiddle-age.
vad 1 However, this summer and with-
ho org JI he next year, legislators will focus
^ughhet debating and improving the re-
fours, b ment system.
A result of the focus will most like-
>eabundant media attention to
pi wantJf r d young adults and their knowl-
I q jjjnesf ?e of Social Security. Hopefully, the
Motion will convince young Ameri-
ts to have more concern for retire-
nt and Social Security funds.
As a result of recent debate and
cussion in Albuquerque on Social
rurity reform, young adults should
ively participate, get involved in
d become a part of present plan-
g that will tremendously affect
Urban futures.
On the morning of July 27, Presi-
nt Clinton along with Democratic
d Republican congressman, met in
-pes, w buquerque to discuss the current
item and possible ideas for reform.
The forum, sponsored by the
nerican Association of Retired Per
sons and other groups hosted several
proposals for reform.
With the explanation of these pro
posals, many lawmakers from differ
ent parties have conflicting ideas
about doctoring the system.
Associated Press reports stated
some lawmakers, most prominentiy
Republicans, propose investing part
of the Social Security trust fund in the
stock market to increase its value.
Others favor giving individuals
control over some or all of their Social
Security payments, allowing them to
invest in the private sector.
The debate is whether Americans
should privately and individually in
vest their Social Security dollars or al
low a group of legislators taking
American's funds and bulk invest
them.
Despite this disagreement in re
form, Clinton urges Democrats to
take the reigns in fixing and improv
ing the system.
"Our party, which created Social
Security and created Medicare, has
the responsibility to take the lead in a
constructive reform of them," Clinton
said at a Democratic Party retreat.
Which political party initiates re
form is significant to the outcome, ob
viously, because different parties
have different opinions for reform.
However, the issue stands that there
are several concerns for the future of
young adults and Social Security that
must be discussed.
A USA Today Gallop Poll reports
that among those under 30, nearly
four in 10 do not think that Social Se
curity income will be there for them
when they retire.
This survey result illustrates the
hopelessness in the clogged system.
Repair is essential to the welfare of
the present generation of young
adults and their children. When it be
comes time for young adults to par
take of their due benefits, they will
have vanished.
"Under current law, young people
will receive a negative rate of return
from Social Security," Sen. Judd
Gregg said.
The Associated Press also reports
that America's current retirement
program will not be able to fully ben
efit the 77 million baby boomers retir
ing in the near future.
If this is the situation of today's
adults with the present system intact,
the future presence of Social Security
cash flow and benefits is a joke.
This is a well-known fact. Ameri
cans know that it is foolish, misty-
eyed and overly idealistic to believe
that the funds will reach and improve
the state of retirement for young
adults.
The July 27 USA Today special re
port states that while retired people
remain a potent political force, many
of them say it is not so much about
their own checks, but those of their
children and grandchildren.
This is why young adults should
get involved to understand what will
occur and how to contribute.
Individual understanding today
will affect young adults tomorrow.
Knowledge of Social Security is a sig
nificant part of an individual's posi
tively planning for his or her future.
Alison Lackey is a senior
English major.
S ome days, it seems Americans are just not
happy unless they are protesting some
thing. Protesting is a
great thing — it keeps the
government on its toes. But
some protests are a little out
of hand. The latest example
of this concerns the napalm
shipments coming into
Houston.
The issue with these
shipments is not so much
that there are protests, but
that the protests are being
put on for inadequate rea
sons. These protests, which
stem from lack of information more than any
thing else, should be stopped.
Napalm is jellied gasoline, the Devil's mar
malade. Once ignited, napalm is just about im
possible to put out. It's pretty nasty stuff.
For years, the U.S. Navy has had Vietnam-
era napalm sitting in storage containers in Cali
fornia, just north of San Diego. Recently, the
containers have begun to leak.
The Navy decided this posed
an environmental hazard and
put out a contract to recycle the
napalm. GNI Group, Inc., in
Deer Park, just outside of
Houston, won the contract.
The Navy has begun ship
ping napalm in rail cars to GNI,
and people have begun protest
ing.
There are two groups of pro
testers: those who have con
cerns with how the napalm is
being shipped, and those who
have concerns with how the na
palm is being recycled.
The first group, those who
are protesting shipping napalm
Napalm is jellied
gasoline, the Devil’s
marmalade. Once ig
nited, napalm is just
about impossible to
put out. It’s pretty
nasty stuff.
to Houston via rail, have what appears to be a
good position.
After all, Vietnam horror stories center
around this chemical compound. And the U.S.
Government is shipping it past schools, hospi
tals and neighborhoods. There is a case there.
However, according to Dr. Jerry Bradshaw,
senior lecturer in chemical engineering at Texas
A&M, napalm is much less dangerous to ship
than gasoline.
Napalm, since it is jellied gasoline, is very
difficult to ignite. Regular gasoline and many
other chemical compounds that are shipped
every day by rail are far more dangerous.
Also, the napalm is being shipped in double
hulled tanker cars made of boiler-plate steel.
These cars are so tough at least one chemical
company lines the perimeters of their plants to
stop bullets, it would take a severe amount of
force to rupture one of these containers.
Shipping the napalm via rail is not 100-per
cent safe, but nothing is. However, even if
there were an accident, the worst that could
happen is a very large fire that burned itself out
once all the napalm torched itself. Little dam
age outside of the railroad's right-of-way
would occur.
As to how the napalm is being recycled, the
Navy is putting the napalm through a process
to turn it into fuel for making concrete.
Those in the second group, the environmen
talists, are concerned that there may be releases
of dangerous chemicals into the environment,
specifically the air. This is a valid concern.
Houston already is the second-most polluted
area in the nation. Houston does not need to
turn into East Los Angeles.
According to Bradshaw, the recycling
process is no more likely to release dangerous
chemicals than any other chemical plant on the
gulf coast.
The Navy, which began this
entire procedure with the in
tention of protecting the envi
ronment, is not going to go
around polluting it. Pollution
to prevent pollution does not
make sense.
Also, Lt. Commander Pricil-
la Baird, a navy spokesperson,
said the entire recycling
process is in a closed environ
ment, preventing releases.
The environmentalists'
claims are valid, but they al
ready have been anticipated
and corrected.
The protesters are not
protesting intelligently. What
they are doing is the equivalent of students
protesting lower fees.
Napalm is a high-profile substance. Many
Americans have vivid images of what it is ca
pable of when used as a weapon of war. Their
concern is genuine and justified.
But protesting these shipments, where all the
protesters' objections have already been cor
rected, is a fool's errand and should stop.
Chris Huffines is a sophomore
speech communication major.