Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1998)
lint! m Irunnim. ^ Battalion leinv^f— jisalrea.*: 1 pinion Page 7 • Friday, October 16, 1998 i Edwaii f the Age istuck ID lophy, I r scorers [pace administration focuses less on exploration, more on profit he National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- flralion once stood as arteamE ffanclnk High fc; ltheirr-1 ?s all p:,] meet rertheliid pte tor I JOSH MASKOW tountry is thebe?: runners nemeea: iDecausea] I runnep.' ig to see Cross d fifth i in be se iturdav A&MGo'i of Baylor and the i i n headlirii ie a tou^s ten, rante II be the goli Universte ■outh Plait <asaieeM teai ?S$f Ipioneer in space loration. The ncy was a symbol he vitality of Amer- h research and de- [opment. It appears jse days have gone, s it stands at its 40th anniversary, £)A reflects not only the changes in sci- :e and technology, but also the changes merican attitudes in general. It reflects | shift from pure research to capitalistic [Suit of profit. Risky ventures once en raged in the interest of research e been abandoned in favor of safe [erprises that are more likely to pro- e profit. ASA was founded in 1958 in re use to the launch of Soviet Sputnik Elites. Guiding all non-military erican space activity, the agency engaged in a dramatic competi- with the Soviet Union, hrough its early history, SAwas a world leader lesearch as it studied ]v technology for space loration. ASA was driven by the neces- for cutting-edge technology. Since it in direct competition with the Sovi- the American space program could afford to fall behind. Much pure research was conducted in areas of propulsion and spacecraft ign. This scientific inquiry allowed United States to create the Mercury gram which launched the first Ameri- s into space. With a bold challenge by President Kennedy, the Apollo program set its sights on the moon. The hard work of NASA scientists put the first people on the lunar surface. The technological advancements devel oped in the lunar program benefitted countless Americans in a wide range of fields. With waning public interest, funding was cut and the program concentrated less on cutting-edge science and more on public relations and study of abstract phenomena. NASA began focusing on administration instead of space. However, once the moon missions were completed, the space program took on a different character. The challenge of competition dropped off, as did public in terest in space exploration in general. The public and media turned their inter est elsewhere, virtually ignoring NASA since the ’70s. The space program of to day is almost nothing like it once was. It was once a civilian pro gram dedicated to space exploration. With the start of the space shuttle pro gram, NASA became more frequently in volved in military activities such as the development of booster rockets for mili tary application. The American space program partici pates in international space activities such as space station construction and joint launches to foster interna tional harmony. Real re search and exploration of space ended with the Apollo program. The agency has shifted from a large-scale ex ploration and con quest endeavors to a low-budget study of some things scientific. NASA prob lems are a symp tom of society as a whole. The thirst for pure re search and ex ploration that characterized the agency only two generations ago are no more. In its place are profit-driven studies to determine what technology can best be utilized for further profit. The consumer electronics boom in the ’90s was driven primarily by profit. The increases in elec tronic and computer speed and capabilities were driven by profit. Such research time and money that could have gone to pure exploration and research were fed instead into the corporate machine. Any technologies or research that seemed impractical or un profitable ceased. Motivation for research to the general benefit of mankind is low. Companies care little if anything for research that does not maximize profit per research hour. Once the newspeak about the global benefit of the Internet are swept away, it is seen that the “information super highway” is really a guise for marketing geniuses. It serves no other useful pur pose other than use as another avenue for corporate giants to market to a cap tive audience. Capitalism in its purest form seeks to advertise as often and as much as possible, and the Internet is an ideal tool. The new tendency to maintain rather than invent is disappointing. The ad venture of the space program is gone in favor of conservative projects that re quire less innovation. A complacent America will become an America dependent upon the initiative of others. The risk is high, but so is the pay off. America must again take the lead in space and aeronautics. Only through an aggressive research and exploration program can NASA re gain what it has lost. If the drive and initiative of the founders of NASA are lost, with it will be lost the future of space exploration. If scientific knowledge is abandoned in favor of profit, America will be re placed as a leader in technology by other nations daring enough to risk the costs for the ultimate benefit of science. Josh Maskow is a sophomore computer science major. huasinijci college pi MAIL CALL tent v panning i [ies impress Aggies Nebraska fan as. nors in.®just returned to Nebraska iding tfe puthe 14-hour jaunt to this withafiMtend's game in College Sta- 3 y. ■>, and I wanted to thank the Ag- g eMfans at Kyle Field for display- be junipftie greatest sportsmanship ‘ amoreMii! h witnessed at any Husker i unchar#ygame. ;l at Tfe tat was During my undergraduate career tie University of Nebraska, I at-1 a cold pi ded numerous away games as a to overcd s this wt of 86 aii vo touW is, whose has na Jonstf arnes aster, ond on mberof the Cornhusker March- Band, and I received more than fair share of insults, jeers and 'Mling from the opposing fans. This note is not about criti- m, but about giving credit ere credit is due. My hat is off (the following: The Aggie players and coaches a great game, -ing avetel^e Aggie fans for their tremen- ack solid!) in herf n Aggie ampeted the fits 1 knee iif Ms support of their team and at sportsmanship, The Aggie Corps of Cadets for lowing me what tradition is all lout, and finally, the “Fighting RawlsIfftNs Aggie Band” that was the fTst college marching band I |ve ever seen. Congratulations, and best shes to the Aggies with the re- inderofthe season. Gig’ em F^^s.and Go Big Red. •Acce-^F CallillS M Rod Krogh tcop^LM u n i V ersity of Nebraska alumnus (hristians called o influence others ^response to Manisha Parekh’s It 14 column: her column, Parekh said (ople need to try to understand [her religions instead of de- jiuncing their views. She even said the denouncing iristians were the religious igno- nt, and she called on Christians learn more about minority reli cs. However it does not appear me Parekh has the first clue at Christianity is all about. It is hypocrisy to call Chris- ns ignorant for not under- landing other religions when letoo is at fault. Christians are called to make sciples of people of all na- bns, teaching them what Jesus as commanded. Nowhere in my ible does it say to accept all re gions as equal. By not attempting to make eople of other religions disci- es of Christ, we are not truly f ing as Christians, lam sorry Parekh does not gree with such views, but I feel ie salvation of others is worth topping on a few toes. ivites y« c earms/ CUNIU' 1093 Jes East of Iwy 21 5 - Dark a.m. - SkeetPi* MACHlNf iausin^ ■ Cleans iers & fT" Service vv Price ; midflU allege St^ ■ave’s) ■avesl^A w Andrew Remke Class ’02 Beutel therapist thanks Aggies It is with great sadness and heartfelt emotion that I am resign ing from my 9 1/2 year position as Chief Physical Therapist at the A.P Beutel Health Centen I love Texas A&M University, and to every single Aggie that I have had the opportunity to work with, I say Gig ’Em and thanks. i ask that the Aggies, as a pow erful governing body, strongly en courage the Physical Therapy De partment at the A.P Beutel Health Center to remain in operation and allow students to work as Physical Therapy Technicians. I think Aggies are the best thing in the Universe. Mimi Sicilio Chief Physical Therapist A.P. Beutel Health Center Ritalin use helps ADD sufferers In response to Elizabeth Strait’s Oct. 14 column: Attention Deficit Disorder is a serious problem and should not be ignored. Elizabeth Strait fails to recognize many doctors are very conservative in prescribing Ritalin. Therefore, proper diagnosis is the key in deciding whether or not its use is a viable solution. The restriction of Ritalin use can lead to dreadful implications including learning problems and ill recognition of a student’s talents. I am an ADD student using Ri talin and have been for most of my life. Despite the fact I was under the attentive care of a private ele mentary school, I still needed the drug to reach my full academic po tential.! contest the idea that those under Ritalin are isolated withdrawn. Ritalin has been an ef fective tool in assisting me, both academically and socially. Joanne Evans, the former president of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder states, “The medication and treatment allow the ADD patient to learn to use their own talents. But it’s the patient who puts in the hard work.” Ritalin, when used correctly, can be a useful drug in presenting a person’s true productivity. Kathryn Warren Class of ’99 Former student lauds Maroon Out As a former student, I want to commend the class councils who developed the idea of Maroon Out. Not only did they come up with this idea, but they saw it through to fruition. I think it is to the credit of Aggies everywhere that it was so successful, but we must first thank those who put this spirited idea into action. Few expected A&M to beat Ne braska. Not only did they doubt the football team, but the overall spirit of the Aggies. I believe Ma roon Out contributed to the win, because spirit seemed to be at an all-time high on Saturday. Hopefully, this has proved to all that the Aggies have a truly won derful spirit that should be doubt ed by no one. Hats off to the Twelfth Man. Candice Wright Poston Class of ’93 Bonfire workers defame mascot I am writing in response to the lack of respect Walton Hall residents showed Sunday at Bonfire cut. As I was leaving cut and walk ing around load site to my truck, I was berated by residence hall members with orders to remove my pot, each sentence heavily laced with profanity, and someone even wanted to fight me. I know to take my pot off in Bon fire load site. However, I was clearly not in load site and wearing my pot was not endangering others. They were obviously just heck ling me. Since neither of the two Red Pots in the area instructed me to remove my pot, I did not. What I am outraged about is how I was treated when the resi dents found out I was in Company E-2, the mascot company. They yelled we should “put that epileptic bitch to sleep.” I per ceived these comments to be made with malicious intent. This behavior should not be tol erated by any Aggie. Reveille Vlis our mascot, and she represents Texas A&M and all its students. She is not the Corps’ mascot nor Company E-2’s, but the University’s. If you do not like her and what she stands for, then keep your opinions to yourself or find anoth er university that does not take pride in its mascot. Swede Hanson Class of ’99 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 National apologies solve nothing R ecently, the Japanese government issued an apolo gy to Koreans for how the Japan ese army treated the Koreans rumc when they invad ed and occupied Korea during World War II. This treatment included the usual wartime fare of attacks on civilians, looting, raping and some low-level attempts at geno cide. Unique to the Japanese in World War II were also the “com fort women,” captured Korean women who were carted around to the Japanese front-line troops for sexual purposes. Suffice to say, the Japanese were not very nice people during the war. However, the Japanese govern ment should not and really can not apologize for its actions more than 50 years ago. Not only does such an apology violate the char ter under which governments op erate, but it is also insincere. A wave of revisionism has been sweeping the history books recently. For years now, the method of dealing with a coun try’s poor choices in the past has been to simply sweep them under the rug and hope no one notices the lump. Instead of facing the fact the country goofed and learning from the error, most countries have re cently been trying to erase any blemishes on their records. One of the most effective ways to do this is an apology. After all, in the western culture that is pre dominant in these revising coun tries, “forgive and forget” is a widely understood and accepted platitude. Suffer a few quick mo ments of humiliation, and then pretend nothing happened. It is the recipe for clearing up the mat ter quickly and efficiently. The best part is in that same western culture it is generally im proper to mention the offense af ter an apology has been offered. However, governments, by their natures, cannot apologize. The basic problem is that a government, like any type of com mittee, is really nothing more than a metaphor in which power is placed by the people. Govern ments really do not exist in any physical sense, and they cannot do anything, except through the people they represent. This means even if the policy of the Japanese government and military was to commit atrocities (it was), those actions were not performed by the government, but by the people who actually pulled the triggers. Even the policies themselves were drafted by people within the government. Metaphors do not have fingers, and so they find it very difficult to work a pen or a rifle. The Japanese government did not do anything. So, it is unable to apologize for an action it did not commit. Also, a government’s origin as a representational body means the Japanese government is not the same government today as in 1941. Aside from the MacArthur-dri- ven democratic reforms, many Japanese citizens have died or been born since the war. This would mean that the government is, in effect, a different “person.” It would be insincere for a student to apologize for any atrocities committed by his or her room mate, just as it is insincere of the Japanese government of today to apologize for the actions of the Japanese military of 50 years ago. The government must recog nize wrongs were committed and then must take action to help the surviving victims and hopefully ensure those wrongs never occur again. This is not revisionism, this is taking an error of the past and learning from it. Instead of trying to forget wrongs, the Japanese and every other country on the planet must remain accurate to the past while reflecting the growth of the inter vening years. Chris Huffines is a junior speech communication major.
