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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 1998)
Battalion inion Page 9 • Friday, September 25, 1998 oningOut Stadium construction inconveniences Aggie fans, but promises improvements ANDREW BALEY away tpener, tl ftam is a: Is start; igaps tt 1 (here is a ns- H wise quote ,jns that reads, ng, athleti |F1k' toils of the iave a serMd will seem said. "Butlothing, when 1 an we've* to the end of ihere." Broad.” ansive sB AH A&M stu- phomore Bits, faculty ) led tt anil guests who ,e and taatlend football games for the du- as well as ration of the football season imbull artshculd remember this quote, d fortheteaBlhe Zone is far from the spec- in. Bular display it will soon be. sopho Uifortunately, until it is all done, as the e: foc;ball spectators will suffer. The staff after Bid news is that they will not eading 1.5'siller for long. ie will sp'Bas anyone could tell from the th junior Bt football game, The Zone con- ill complet-Biction — as it is now — is t is short By. Hardly anything could make ewis trarsB north side of the stadium look this year, wlrse. Hopefully first-time visi- nave th- tors to Kyle Field can picture its would likei’Bnpleted construction in their ‘Our pitc’Bnds or come back next season ist liketo'itocet a better look. But this is Bv construction schedule, espe- Hlly long ones, go. The work ■es not rest or get put on hold ..fol the football season. ■'Olvl ^B^nother dilemma the con- ction causes is the inconve- nce to the fans that come to A&M B games and the workers that will reirarwlrk them. Cutting 12,000 seats forfeiture ami a major entrance from Kyle Fifld has caused many obstacles. Football patrons are advised to game, s Departs isiana Te:j discovered D'Andre yed in W l' veille’s rank mands respect lesponse to the Sept 21 article, le game Brr/ty sees doors of Corps open- will temping for women:" am writing in response to n Bookman’s article about lyGarrity on Monday, Sept. The caption under Garrity’s ure said she is the highest- king female in the Corps of ets. That is not true. Reveille rs five diamonds, and any- lywho can do simple math iws five is greater than the ee diamonds Garrity wears. Mow, had the proper research n done, one would have found t Reveille is the highest-ranking rale in the Corps of Cadets. Jason Hoelscher Class of '99 esident answers American public ill remain ases wto i involved; Ted went a 1-0 loss, plays 12 1 , this p ired to win j for a bowll las not ^ whether ' ount towai quired to 'esponse to Sept. 22 articles: he articles in the Sept. 22 fallen sickened me. No matter it Clinton does, every newspa- continues to quote Americans ending his actions and accus- „ fig anyone who disagrees of be- n Papuan extreme conservative. -nHprpstimil 1 am J ust as sick of hearing 1 thevareB utClinton ’ s scanclals a s the e J t | tf »(t person, but it is our responsi- e " fi Pity to hold our leaders account- ble for their actions. n,” Gueiw s are very lefenses defensr mal week' jeek. Tire sophonro 1 -getter ► turn th®' i. aiding th® -4-1, the ; er their tj' to win" 3er Enri a tough rue test 1 ward to'; captain. !J in am in ft iry Clean* ashers&W ►Id Senift LowPrii* ? s »ast midnii Week .College^ ,Ie Dave's) /> /Z come early to games because of the longer, narrower lines to enter the stadium. It is a tall task for the majority of the students on this campus who attend football games to even get to their bench before kickoff. To ask that they not only be on time, but early, is a stretch. Do not forget to mention those people who were unable to get tickets because of the ticket shortage. It is better to be late than not be there at all. Kyle Field workers, who range from field maintenance crews to concessions staff, have had to change their normal rou tines be cause of the construction. Stadi um operations has had to relo cate utilities and phone lines, in stall new water systems and deal with numerous other nuisances as this season approached. Aramark runs all concessions for Kyle Field, and they have been adversely affected as well. JW INSERT J^ZONE" HERE ifimiiiplfc tat Graphic by Robert Hynecek/Thk Battalion MAIL CALL Our country has become apa thetic. What once would have been an outrage is now accepted without question. We are the future of our coun try. We are the leaders, the col lege educated. If we are blind to Clinton’s dishonesty and question able activities, how can we expect anything better from him? Clinton has not done a “great job,” or even a “decent job.” He has stripped our presidency of its honor and respect. Apparently, many people feel that Clinton’s scandals will have “no effect” on our country. I sin cerely hope that these events will have a profound effect on every American citizen. It is time for us to do the research. It is time to lis ten to our president’s testimony, his evasions, his lies, and it is time to hold him accountable. Clinton has not fulfilled his du ties. We should not make the same mistake. Leah Graves Class of '01 Clinton’s actions demand attention The news of the President’s ac tions has really upset me. Al though his sexual encounters should normally be none of our business, what he has done is. He holds the highest office in the land, but he also works for the citizens of this country. If my boss caught me performing sexual acts in my office, I would be fired. Clinton not only cheated on his wife with a 21-year-old intern in his office while we were paying him to conduct the affairs of the nation, but he lied about it under oath to a grand jury. The sad part is, the people of this nation want to blow it off be cause the economy is good and “Clinton has done a wonderful job as President.” Clinton defenders cannot name any Clinton acts that had an impact on the economy. Only some allusions to a weak welfare reform act and a balanced budget idea that Clinton vetoed and then resubmitted as his own. However, the fact of the matter is, any other official would have to answer for his actions. Clinton should be no different. Brad Fox Class of '97 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@tamvml.tamu.edu Gays not converted by prayer and persuasion MANISHA PAREKH FIML QUESTION,Ms. LEWINSKY. /\RE YOU DOING ANYIHlNe TONIGHT 7. P rejudice and discrimina tion can rear their ugly heads in many forms. Whether it be in the segregated South of the ’60s or the glass ceil ings of the ’80s, discrimination can be found throughout history. As much as we would like to lull ourselves into a false sense of equality as America approach es the next millennium, discrimi nation, and the prejudice that underlies it, is alive and well in the United States. Alive and thriving, actually. For years, the gay, lesbian and bisexual community has fought for the same rights afforded to heterosexuals. For a while, it looked as though they were mak ing progress. Folks began to ac cept homosexuals as actual peo ple and began to realize the extent to which they are discrimi nated against. Statutes were passed in many areas to protect the precious civil rights that everyone, regardless of sexual ori entation, deserves. And then, suddenly, the pendu lum began to swing backwards. The religious right went on the offensive, claiming gays and les bians can convert to heterosexual ity through the power of prayer. In July, Exodus International, a group that specializes in “conver sion therapy,” took out full-page ads in newspapers across the country proclaiming that gays can be prayed straight. Pronouncing the numbers of gays that had “successfully” con verted to a heterosexual lifestyle as proof of the therapy’s effective ness, Exodus leaders hit the na tional television circuit to say the homosexual lifestyle is a choice and a sin that can be corrected — through prayer. Maybe the “Information Age” should be renamed the “Misinfor mation Age. ” According to the American Psy chological Association, conversion — or reparative — therapy is not only scientifically ineffective, it is also potentially harmful. Becki Elkins-Nesheim, director of Gender Issues and Education Services, agreed. “It is not directly harmful to wards gay, lesbian and bisexuals,” Elkins-Nesheim said, “but for the population in general. When you have a group struggling for civil rights, to say people (gays) are able to be prayed back, it makes the perception that it’s a choice Play abuses free speech Two of the company’s conces sion stands were demolished, cutting profits for this season, and their entire warehouse and office spaces have been tem porarily repositioned at the south end of the stadium. It is time to go back to the quote. These toils of the road, although annoying, will be long forgotten at the end of the road next season. The ugly duckling construction will bloom into the pleasant “Zone.” Thousands of new seats will be added to allow more fans into Kyle Field. Students, alumni, and visi tors will not have to wait in endless, narrow lines to enter the stadium. Stadium opera tions will be back to nor mal, and of course the hot dogs and cokes should taste even better as Ara mark receives its new- and-improved warehouse and concession facilities. Hopefully this season will proceed in a winning manner for the Aggies to take away attention from all of the inconveniences of The Zone’s construc tion. Visitors should all come back next season. You cannot judge Kyle Field 1998 or A&M football until you have seen The Zone. Andrew Boley is a junior political science major. JOHN LEMONS and (homosexuals) don’t need civil rights.” In Elkins-Nesheim’s experi ence, that perception is wrong on two counts. She said for many of the gay, lesbian and bi sexual students who come to see her, the choice is not about whether or not they are homo sexual, but about whether they should “come out.” “Being gay is not a choice. The choice is whether you are going to be your authentic self or someone else in order to fit into society,” Elkins-Nesheim said. In many states, however, there is a price for being true to yourself. In a number of states, gays and les bians can be evicted from their homes and have no protection against losing their jobs, simply be cause of their sexual orientation. And thanks to “evidence” from organizations like Exodus Interna tional, some people feel as though they have every right to continue denying homosexuals the same rights as every other American. However, it is the details Exo dus does not include in its state ments that are much more telling of the ability to convert gays into “ex-gays.” Two of Exodus’ original male co-founders fell in love and left the ministry. Thirteen different Exodus ministries were forced to close after their directors “re turned” to homosexuality. In fact. Exodus has no record of the num ber of the ex-gays who are still living a heterosexual lifestyle. Mark Satterlee, a gay man who tried conversion therapy, wrote the following to Newsweek: “After four years of prayer, time and money, I finally realized that God made me the way that I am and that just as someone cannot be ex-straight, one cannot be ex-gay ... I never met one person who had legitimately changed from gay to straight.” It is time to realize that gays cannot be changed. Homosexu ality is no more a choice than heterosexuality is. Groups like Exodus International do not pro vide a defense for those who choose to discriminate against homosexuals; they simply pro vide excuses. It is time to stop focusing on things that cannot be changed and refocus on things that must be changed, such as prejudice. In the words of one Newsweek reader, “What we re ally need are fewer ex-gays and more ex-bigots.” Manisha Parekh is a junior psychology and journalism major. A ccording to Mark Twain, sa cred cows make the best ham burger. That may be true, but some times sacred cows leave a bad taste in the mouth. Terrence McNally is a play wright who has taken Twain’s philosophy to new heights. On Tuesday, McNally opened his new show, “Corpus Christi” in a New York off-Broadway theater. Mc Nally’s play centers around a gay Christ figure. The play is indica tive of the growing acceptability of Christian bashing in America. It is ironic that anti-religion sentiment could persist in the United States. After all, as taught in grade school, many of this na tion’s original settlers came here to escape religious persecution. But not only does anti-religious sentiment exist, it is trendy. MTV plays videos by Marilyn Manson, a self-described antichrist super- star. Off-Broadway theaters fea ture plays attacking Christianity. The debut of McNally’s play at tracted about 100 protesters, and rightfully so. “Corpus Christi” is nothing short of a full-scale as sault on the biblical portrayal of Jesus. The play’s gay Jesus char acter, named Joshua, has sex with his disciples, an event foreign to Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. McNally does not to discuss the play’s contents with the press, only releasing this description: “From modern day Corpus Christi, Texas, to ancient Jerusalem, we follow a young gay man named Joshua on his spiritual journey and get to know the 12 dis ciples who choose to follow him.” The play’s message is particu larly insulting in the ultra-sensi tive ’90s. Every ethnic group must be called by its appropriate name, all cultures must be ac cepted and every religion is to be respected. These rules, however, only apply when dealing with groups who, in some way, are in the minority. It seems tolerance is a one-way street. When it comes to the cul ture of the majority, sensitivity is optional. It is acceptable to trash the majority’s religion. But real cultural sensitivity means being sensitive to every body, even those in the majority. Just because it is the country’s pre dominate religion, does not make it open season on Christianity. Frighteningly, off-Broadway theaters are not the only places exhibiting anti-religious senti ments these days. Attacks on reli gion are emanating, shockingly, from the White House. Consider presidential adviser Sidney Blumenthal’s comments on Kenneth Starr’s top deputy, Hickman Ewing. Last April, Blu- menthal called Ewing a “religious fanatic,” referring to Hickman’s evangelical Christian beliefs. Faced with criticism of his at tack on Hickman’s faith, Blumen- thal eventually apologized for his bigoted remarks. It is interesting how anti-reli gious behavior gets justified. Of ten, those who aim to destroy the sacred claim they are merely ex pressing themselves. Candace Simon is a theatergoer who watched the opening of “Corpus Christi.” “It’s all about free speech,” Si mon said in an interview with the Associated Press. “They have the right to protest, the theater has a right to stage it. ” One wonders if the framers of the Constitution had defaming Christ in mind when they en dorsed American’s right to free speech. One might hope that free speech would have more con structive uses. Freedom is a precious com modity. And Americans are en dowed with the God-given right to practice religion, not destroy it. Bigotry is bigotry. Calling it art does not make it something else. The anti-religious behavior that passes for acceptable these days is bigotry. By telling the greatest story never told, “Corpus Christi” is profaning the sacred. It is one sa cred cow that should have never been slaughtered. John Lemons is an electrical engineering graduate student.