' 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.-basekespers ( 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.