Battalion
O
pinion
Page 11 ‘Wednesday, September 30, 1998
udent football fans often abandon Aggie spirit at stadium gate
DAVE
JOHNSTON
ilitantpWhere is nothing like
?Libecpotball to bring out the
anti-'i'wnclary Aggie spirit.
^nani. Hhe spirit that yells at
eofficiipe stupid girl in the next
he : . : Son because she refus
ed« g to “uncover. ” The spirit
day lolialcannot understand
ihly icB the jerk two rows in
fane::bni will not “hump it”
official Bcuss along with
r the B\one else in the stands. The spirit that
ificme:Bthe football players unprintable
alonerHes because they always run the ball.
iles.araHven E. King Gill would not stand for
s, inc.|efcttitudes filling Kyle Field these days,
nal Se;:B)otball is a sport. It is an entertain-
dor4 jegt, and one the Aggies used to enjoy
hosp ettrr than anyone else. Then they start-
pmplaining, and today they continue
g to ruin the fun for everyone else,
ggie students are in no position to
olain about the football team, because
days the players are much better
the fans. At least the players do not
;ted y ;avt halfway through the third quarter.
riggecBver since the men of Kyle ended one
)Tue ftht 1 longest home winning streaks in
illing: bllege football history back in 1995, the
■ganizfBe fans have been grumpier than ever,
iher ra heckle the players, empty the stands
liiamcBtly after halftime and bad mouth the
ity ic:Bh even though he is a better Aggie
PalWB many of the students.
Beople can say what they like about
,C. Slocum, but every Aggie can be
proud of the coach’s accomplishments on
the field.
His accomplishments, not just his
victories, deserve some attention. No
matter what numbers adorn the score-
board when the final whistle blows,
when Slocum’s in control Aggies can
still hold their heads up when they
leave the stadium.
The team has a more than respectable
record, and team problems are minimal.
At a time when legal trouble is com
mon among college and professional ath
letes, the Texas A&M football program
has had very few extracurricular prob
lems. Other universities have lost several
players to academic or judicial problems,
but A&M’s biggest news was a player lost
to a “clerical error” related to a summer
school course.
It could be worse, and Slocum is one
of the reasons it is not.
The Aggie football team has had to en
dure some tough breaks, and they do not
need fans adding to their grief.
Back in the days of the Southwest
Conference when the Aggies faced op
ponents like the University of Houston,
students joked about how the team only
seemed to score in the fourth quarter.
Now as the Aggies face Big XII oppo
nents like Nebraska, fans are annoyed if
the game is not decided within the first
10 minutes.
Fans need to cut the players some slack.
There are elements of football more impor
tant than the score. The team tries to have
fun. The fans could take a lesson.
The Aggie football team is one of
the most graceful winners in col
lege football. And they should be
with all the practice they have.
Fans do not see Slocum run
ning up the score and embarrass
ing weaker opponents. He un
derstands the other team has
family in the stands too. He
tries to make sure everyone
has an enjoyable time.
Slocum has also stricken
football’s ugliest play from
his book.
Toward the end of a game
when a team is ahead in
points and has possession of
the ball, they usually try to
waste the game clock and
prevent the other team from
making any last-minute
points. When there are less than
45 seconds left in the game, many
quarterbacks will kneel the ball —
hold the ball and touch a knee to the
ground, ending the play but running
down the clock.
This play eliminates any possi
bility of an intercepted pass or
fumble which might give the
other team a shot at the end-
zone. It is a heart-breaking
play to watch if yours is the
team with fewer points.
This is exactly why Slocum’s Aggie
team will not kneel the ball. He
knows everyone came to see
some football — not a team’s
technical exploitation of the
rulebook.
Aggie fans need to keep
a few things in mind. Ag
gies never hiss other Ag
gies. Cursing and ridi
culing other Aggies is
strongly discouraged as
well. When a quarter
back gets sacked, it
does not help anyone
when you question his
parentage. A missed
tackle on a wet field is
not sufficient cause for
shouting obscenities.
Save the horse laugh
for when the referees
make a questionable call.
Here is a hint, not every call that
goes against the maroon jerseys is
questionable.
Remember, even if you are not enjoying
the game, others around you might be.
Win or lose, they are still the Aggie
Football Team. That means each
player is still an Aggie and
- part of the spirit that can
ne’er be told.
Graphic by Brad Graeber/The Battalion
Dave Johnston is a
senior mathematics major.
»ii4bortion choice creates victims
bortion is
an issue of
one iit:M»-controver-
\niericaB at has been
i Buted, debat-
affreysB^ argued
would : m | before Roe
e Wade ever
fhe po'W its en -
alsoe;* 6 into court.
CORRIE
CAULEY
proce;
•s in tlic
jbout!!:
done. A’.
ive
ter: f
Dai
linia
■nd an issue
( mdsei iat arches for resolution be-
nsoees,^ 11 the heated screams of “Baby
nr!” and “Keep your rosaries off
^ated81®varies!” is finally left in the
s of the government,
the government strives to. en-
every individual the right to
iberty and the pursuit of hap-
|ss, then it has failed by re
ting the rights of women over
ghts of unborn children.
Ihese rights, discussed in the
aration of Independence, are
[enable. They are this nation’s
ding principles. They exist
man, woman, child and even
nborn.
Monday evening, Carol
ett, a former abortion
Rider, spoke at Rudder Theater
Vc|< gpehalf of the Brazos Valley
■ • vlhalUion for Life, Texas A&M’s
liolic Student Association and
!gies For Life.
j Is a former abortion clinic
ler and manager, Everett has
en this issue as few have. Her ac-
j fit of the deceit and horror in-
| [the doors of abortion clinics is
ligh to make any woman con-
Iring an abortion think again,
iverett gave examples of clin-
s that set up their own hotlines,
ith “counselors” answering
Ines, trained to “sell” abor-
|s. She described the steps tak-
n by counselors to manipulate
ebroken women that called
eking advice and support.
In her book, A Walk Through
nnbortion Clinic, she writes of
le counselors, “They lie to
Inen. How many women
ojild have an abortion, if they
[them the truth?”
Everett gave vivid accounts of
how each girl was lured one by
one to take the bait and seek their
services. And she gave examples
of all the worst-case scenarios.
Pro-choice activists argue the
other camp always uses worst-
case scenarios to build their case.
But even one worst-case scenario
is too many.
Abortion advocates argue
some clinics genuinely care about
the women for whom they pro
vide service. But they never tell
you just how few there are.
The abortion industry is not a
movement of people interested in
protecting the rights of women, it
is a business that exists for the
purpose of making a profit.
Everett recalled making a com
mission of $25 for each client she
was able to convince to have an
abortion. She said at one time,
she and her co-workers found a
way to allow for the physician to
perform 12 consecutive abortions
in order to maximize their daily
commission.
Just as the pro-life representa
tives tend to use the worst-case
scenarios and religion to defend
their views, pro-choice activists use
the instances of rape and incest.
These instances are certainly the
bulk of controversy that surrounds
the issue of abortion. However,
they account for only a small num
ber of the abortions performed
each year. Rape and incest are only
seven percent of the 886,000 abor
tions performed annually. The ma
jority of abortions are those per
formed as a method of birth
control or those performed to “fix”
a mistake.
When Everett countered this
argument, she admitted these in
stances are tragic. A pregnancy
resulting from this experience is
horrifying. However, pregnancy is
only temporary, and though it
might seem traumatic to carry a
baby to term, upon delivery the
baby can be given up for adop
tion. And although many victims
of this circumstance find it diffi
cult to accept that a child con
ceived in this way should be giv
en birth, to end the life of this
unborn child is only to create an
other victim.
Abortion only creates victims,
not solutions. Unfortunately, many
women look to abortion to solve
their problems. By having an abor
tion, they believe the existing prob
lem will cease to exist with the ter
mination of the life developing
within them. However, they fail to
recognize that they, too, have be
come victims, victims of a haunt
ing con
science
and years
of emo- ^ j§
tional
pain.
But
there are
alterna
tives to
abortion.
Alterna
tives with
out vic
tims. And
allowing
abortion
to contin
ue be
cause it is
consid
ered a woman’s right, does not.
make it acceptable.
We have heard the excuses,
is my choice.” “It is my legal
right.” “Don’t impose your
morals on me.”
They were the same excuses
given to defend slavery.
Abortion will always be a sub
ject of great controversy. It will
continue to inspire heated debate
and remain as a contentious issue
on the moral conscience of society.
But like slavery, it can be
stopped. It no longer has to exist
as the answer.
Carrie Cauley is a senior
journalism major.
Everett generalizes clinic motives
T
JENNIFER
JONES
Graphic by Brandon Bollom/The Battalion
It
he abortion
industry —
a veritable
marketplace
where lives are
bought and sold
like loaves of
bread.
Or so pro-life
advocates such as
Carol Everett
would portray abortion providers.
Everett, a former abortion clin
ic owner and manager, spoke
Monday night in Rudder Theater
about what she perceived were
the ill-ef
fects of
abortion
and how
abortion
had be
come a
primarily
money
making
industry.
But
Everett’s
logic,
along
with
much of
pro-life
rhetoric,
relies
heavily
on overgeneralization, giving a
grossly skewed view of the abor
tion issue.
Everett spoke, for example, of
the clinics she worked for and
managed. She described visiting
sex-education classes as a repre
sentative of her clinics and then
watching her phone ring off the
hook with teenagers looking for in
formation on birth control.
Little did these women know
they were being provided with
faulty condoms and low-dose
birth-control pills that would only
work provided the woman took
them on a strict schedule, and
even then the effectiveness was
only questionable.
Alcohol death
faults individuals
In response to Stewart Patton’s
Sept. 28 column:
I find it distressing that Patton
blindly stereotyped thousands of
groups of students at thousands
of schools across the nation. Pat
ton must feel confident in his abil
ity to discern universal truth from
single, isolated events.
Scott Kruger’s death in Massa
chusetts was tragic and frighten
ing, but hardly representative of
the national Greek system, and it
should not be used to define and
belittle students at Texas A&M.
By Patton’s rationale, one could
say all police officers enjoy beat
ing motorists considering the Rod
ney King tape. This condemns
each of us for our group’s per
ceived behavior, no matter how in
accurate that perception might be.
Patton addresses a serious is
sue that deserves the careful at-
This was how her clinics
packed their halls with scared,
pregnant teens who were then
talked into high-priced abortions
by counselors skilled in the art
of persuasion.
No one can condone these de
plorable practices, but neither
can these actions condemn abor
tion as a whole.
Simply because Everett’s clin
ics were disreputable does not
mean all abortion providers co
erce women into having abortions
only to make another buck.
Organizations such as Planned
Parenthood do not generate the
bulk of their revenue from abor
tions, but rather through other
medical services such as the sale
of birth-control devices. In fact,
of the 77,027 medical-service vis
its to Planned Parenthood of
Houston and Southeast Texas in
1996-97, only seven percent were
for abortion procedures.
Everett recounted horrifying
tales of women who died because
of poor treatment at abortion clin
ics, tales of abortions provided by
unlicensed individuals resulting
in infection and painful death.
Although these are tragic sto
ries, they nonetheless represent a
minority of cases. The dubious
practices of a few cannot be gen
eralized to the majority of abor
tion providers who care, like other
medical practitioners, about the
health of their patients.
Pro-lifers point to tragic exam
ples of women who die as a result
of an abortion and rail that no
one warns these women of the
abortion-related heath risks.
They never mention, however,
that women are at a far greater
risk of death carrying a pregnancy
to term, almost 11 times more so,
than from having an abortion.
No woman should be forced to
risk her life carrying a child to
term, and spouting frightening
tales of unsterile equipment and
botched abortions is unnecessary
and misleading.
MAIL CALL
tention of all students, parents and
administrators. No young person
should ever be put in a dangerous
position to gain acceptance to any
group. I only ask that the next time
Patton learns of deplorable group
behavior, he does not use the Opin
ion Page to indict us all.
Matt Schroeder
Class of '99
Starr investigation
serves Americans
In response to the Sept. 25 article,
“Bond: Starr misusing laws:”
I read with interest Professor
Jon Bond’s assertion that Judge
Starr has misused the special
prosecutor laws. Bond overlooked
the fact Attorney General Janet
Reno and a three-judge oversight
panel authorized Starr’s investiga
tion. Starr is not acting as an in
dependent agent, and no one is
above the law.
If President Clinton committed
In Everett’s speech, she ex
pressed her deep regret over having
an abortion herself at the age of 28.
“My first thought was, T’ve
killed my baby,”’ she said.
Everett came to believe, as
some women do, she made a
choice that was not right for her.
There is a natural mourning
over the loss of a child, whether
lost to miscarriage, abortion or
untimely death, but that does not
mean because a women grieves
she made the wrong decision.
Everett’s husband convinced
her abortion was the best choice,
and she came to resent him.
The key here is she was forced,
persuaded to give up a baby she
was not prepared to relinquish.
The decision to have an abortion
should never be considered lightly.
But just as Everett was forced
into an abortion, no woman
should be forced to give birth to
an unwanted child.
Everett also characterized pro
life advocates as “the only ones
having babies.” This, by far, is
one of the most distorted visions
of the abortion issue.
In the midst of inflammatory
language the meaning of choice is
distorted — the choice to carry a
baby to term, the choice to raise a
baby or give it up for adoption,
the choice to have an abortion.
In a perfect world, there would
be no need for abortions. But in a
perfect world there is no rape and
no incest, the pill always works
and condoms never break.
Adoption, although a noble de
cision, should still be a choice a
woman is not forced to do.
There are few guarantees in
this world. But one guarantee all
children should have is that at
one time they were loved, valued
and, above all, wanted. And
that is a guarantee children born
into a world without choice
could never have.
Jennifer Jones is a senior
psychology major.
perjury in the Paula Jones deposi
tion or in his Aug. 17 appearance
before the grand jury, then he has
committed a crime, and the
House is obligated to take action.
Remember the words of a wise
man: “What we tolerate today, our
children will embrace tomorrow.” Is
that what we want for our country?
David Kent
Chairman, Republican Party of
Brazos County
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