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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1998)
c ELLANEOU :s,;nce '0 an^ ( , JTORCYCU “a^anty, helmet slk • i ^ Battalion “ 696-2870. ’ •at shape, 4K. Chet pinion Page 9 • Monday, November 16, 1998 ERSONAL ,ou rs s day. Talk one- BOO. Ext.#3413. $3.j a-U: (619)645-8434. ideast military buildup creates dangerous scenario tat person who owes,; *, less costly solution c> services, 847-7272. PETS Kittens, Cats. Dogs nal Shelter-775-5755. /VL ESTATE ond 2bdrm J tbath, ce~ Hiding. Setup C.Stapj 1696-3703 OMMATES 2txjrm/3bath house | 693-5633 maracucta i tree 1 M-roommale t as, computers Sfitr 104/mo. +1/261115. u6 i ASAP; across from !60-4062 I tor spnng. 2tx)rm2 Ann (~ CALEB McDaniel ere we go again. Baghdad will not , , back down again. u: (619)645 8434 wkee Doodle is going to to\ n again, riding on a ■rship. And U.S. offi- ■ls, with typical bom- Ist, are insisting in their Kst grown-up voices, ■e started it.” ^T^^Jneja vu, anyone? Dis- ated very afte Jsted, anyone? If not, think logically. Saddam Hussein probably refuses to [operate with inspectors because he has ■mething he does not want inspected, ■mething such as a weapon of mass de duction. Or at least one in developmen tal stages. 9 However, if this secret weapon is the -duse of Hussein’s recalcitrance, provoking an tied conflict is the scariest thing the Ur ted States can do. ■■Militarizing the standoff with Hussein .jnay trigger him to use whatever it is he has under wraps. And although it is ex- (dmely unlikely Iraq is capable of threat- eiing the United States, it is extremely like- dthe county is able to rain brimstone on neighboring countries such as Israel. No ds masks are being distributed in Wash- for spnng 2bdr : "feton, D.C. But they abound in Jerusalem, so : TTimes such as these prove old-school brinkmanship is a hazardous course of ac tion in the New World Order. In the good ' D t c i J „ an ' of I days, madmen with a couple of armies : e . 696-6259 could be brought to their senses by a few lor spring. The Mkh i well-placed aircraft carriers. Nowadays, Jpadmen with loose cannons must be treat- more delicately. Does anyone know for dire Hussein will not use a weapon of dass destruction if pressed into conflict? d Suppose President Clinton does know. He knows one of three things. M He might know more than we have been ■told. Perhaps weapons inspectors have con- drned Hussein does not have any especially dangerous weapons. If this is the case, why spring. 4M^ ? If Saddam Hussein has no weapons of all Pamela @764-789/ | now a.s.a.p.l Hen, 695-0215. 99. share room w/tun o. +l/4util., Andrea® g-'99 only. 3bdm2t all Slacy @77941011 99. 2bdrm/1balh4fi maid, meals, lumitin 2bdrm/2bath, wd. $3' Commons. Pam, 696- Spring. 2bdrm/2W 16. mass destruction and we know it, then the sense of urgent last resort being propagated by the administration seems misplaced. Why stomp on a ladybug? Scenario numero dos: Clinton knows Hussein has a weapon, but he also knows it only has short-range capabilities. With such knowledge, military action would seem not only unadvisable, but ethically dubious. Why gamble with the lives of Arab children? The third possibility is scariest of all. Perhaps Hussein has a weapon of mass de struction hidden somewhere up his sleeve. If he has such a weapon, it is safe to as sume he is not afraid to use it. And if he is not afraid to use it, it would be wise to as sume he would unleash it in reaction to American military strikes. Why not let sleeping madmen lie? Clinton’s implication that action in the Persian Gulf is the only option left is ridiculous. Not only is it not the only op tion, it is perhaps the least advisable. Either Saddam has something to hide or he does not. If he does, then it is best to assume he will use it And any 10-year-old boy can tell you not to throw rocks at a rabid dog. If he does not have something to hide, then a little more delay, a little more stalemate, certainjy could not hurt. At least, it will not hurt as much as a weapon of mass destruction. Therefore, whether Saddam has a scary weapon or not, the United States ought not consider military action in the Gulf. It seems in recent months, American offi cials have converted en masse to a cult of air strike admirers. They are eager to demon strate such strikes on Iraq would be justified. But they forget one thing: to prove mil itary action against Saddam would be jus tified does not to prove it is the right thing to do. Proving it permissible does not prove it prudent. And prudent it is not. In the words of our very own Benjamin Franklin, “There has never been a good war or a bad peace,” even if there might BRAD GRAEBER/Thu Battalion have been justified wars and uncon scionable peaces. And when it comes to the situation in Iraq, in the words of our very own Han Solo, “I have a bad feeling about this.” Caleb McDaniel is a sophomore history major. bdm./2ba. duplex, js 1/3-bills. Call69Mj| bile home available Id )/mo. +1/3utilities. M" MAIL CALL 7/ ■ • Slacker bill limits O/mo. plus bills. 696-2.' students’ options response to Andrew Baley’s 'ov. 12 column: found Andrew Baley’s sup- 3-'99. 2WmTlMi 47/mo. Aaron, Spring. 2Miro*"J >/mo.+l/2utilil«s ■ . ..I,-,, ,' , poit of the slacker bill unfortu- It seems he has not only d for Spring. New - I pus. $265/mo. ti: "nate Jforgotten one of the primary pur- derests and talents lie. Many students do not know what they fish to do with their, lives when ley enter college. The early col- years allow the student to ■or 4bdrm/2bafcs tposes 0 f undergraduate study, . $300/mo.+1/4bfc ! j. , . . . , . — <bu; he has also neglected to artment^wfflwiwWnsider a large number of stu- • 24-hppr copies; Merits here at A&M. The bill has e-rm Rent $345 Some ser j 0|js f| aws _ s.a.p.n ciose'to^l An undergraduate education can Paige tor#*is an opportunity for a student --.to discover where his or her in- 'drm/lbath with too® 1 nings. lies. Share i 10-acres. Good to ! ormation- (409)589-!f (VICES Driving Loisroi* ex P |ore man V possible courses isurance discount Study. ) Fri(6P |n"fd P e" 1, Nat^l The slacker 13111 als ° f ails t° cash. Lowestpree |consider transfer students who :e.2i7. 846-6117. -fiake up a large portion of the student body. I attended a IAVEL icommunity college in California, EAMBOAT-woKLofyhere | received an associate’s -e nightlife-c^iegree, before transferring to -888-ski-this". over qq semester TORS fredit hours. Unfortunately, ' „ „ ^ Pany of the courses did not ap- ath, Science, BioW-L, , .. . _ , _ . n . „ , nd Spanish. Byrffiyto anything at Texas A&M. I pad over 40 hours of music, film ^production and even math cours- her native languages (jjjj not; f u |fj|| requlre- ents here at A&M. I will be graduating in May. If I ecide to take an internship, I leave A&M with over 200 Jredit hours. I have spent 15 ars trying to earn this degree, javing to leave work and take [are of my two children on sever- occasions. I hardly consider yself a “slacker." Derrick Nelson Class of ’99 dditional classes roaden education o It r res P° nse t0 Andrew Baley’s ^ "Wvjiov. 12 column: f It appears Andrew Baley has f'TtZCil lined the ranks of those who HIT LOSS leases & -etireds! ave bought into society’s plan for our life. In my experience, kids are told ***** rom high school on they should “rincess, ioto college merely to land a bet- *in: $19.99 er iob and make more money. As .**#* * nany people out of college al- (fcid 1 eacj y know - a higher-paying job vtoisL. | oes no t bring happiness or con- entment to your life. Yet, if you wish to stay in school and take advantage of all he opportunities offered by a miversity, the state of Texas eels obliged, to make you pay = ***!(: s: $4.99! **** ?D’ S TBB’ tum Cow 260-C0tfi out-of-state tuition. Does that sound right? Take a stand. Do not let a piece of paper (your degree plan) tell you not to take 27 hours of humanities. Broaden your mind. Do not let the state limit your edu cation and throw you out into the business world to bring more money in for them. It is your edu cation, not the state’s. i understand the general princi ple of the bill, but I oppose it be cause it will hurt those who are at school to learn all they can and broaden their minds. So if you want to take your re quired classes and leave, then do it. But do not let man-made capi talist rules of society tell you when your education should end. Take a stand. Take more classes. Ben Brennan Class of ’00 Local businessman helps students I would like to thank the owner of T.J.’s Laser Tag for helping out some Aggies. My accounting group is working on a project that requires us to make a video about various inter national accounting issues. We decided that T.J.’s Laser Tag would be a perfect place to shoot some scenes. We walked in unannounced, fig uring we might have to pay a fee for renting the place, but none of us bothered to ask if it would even be OK for us to come in. To our surprise, the owner not only let us use the facility, he gave us suggestions on how to make our video better, and did not charge us a dime. We were there for well over an hour, and he let us use it for free. This letter was sent to show our appreciation to the owner of T.J.’s Laser Tag (and the employee who tolerated us for all that time). We appreciate your generosity. It made our video great. Jonathan Anderson Class of ’99 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or less and include 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 McDonald with a valid student ID. Let ters 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 New millennium computer concerns promise challenge, not catastrophe DAVID JOHNSTON F rankly, the whole sce nario sounds like a bad science fiction plot. Or maybe the ramblings of a cult fanatic. One second after midnight on Dec. 31, 1999, the world will end — for all prac tical purposes. Stock portfolios will vanish, refrigerators will quit working and the paper boy will forget he already collected last week. Of course, these are all ran dom guesses. Americans should pause and consider this century’s amazing accomplishments — before those achievements are swallowed by a computer glitch. Around the world, people are realizing how important comput ers are in their daily lives. Elec tronic machinery plays essential roles in fields from manufacturing to television. Computers operate with such precision that even a minor problem, such as part of a date, can bring entire systems crashing to the ground. Imagine trying to register for class, only to hear that ominous voice say, “Registration for spring term 1900 is not available at this time. Enter an action code now.” Computers are everywhere. However, while everyone else is swept up in panic, trying to fig ure out whether their coffeemak- er is Y2K compliant, take a mo ment to appreciate how far America has progressed since the turn of the century. Consider for a moment how different life would be if the world misread its digital watch and reverted 100 years. For starters, most Texas A&M stu dents would not be able to vote. If the Constitution were not year 2000 compatible, the voting age would be 21, women would not be able to cast ballots and everyone else would be subject to poll taxes. Of course, on the bright side, there would no such thing as a federal income tax. Texas A&M University would still be around, but it would be all-male, all-Corps and all differ ent. At least students would not have to worry about missing the bus to the Bush School — though William McKinley might be look ing for a site to build his presiden tial library. America has seen unparalleled progress in the last century, and not just politically or socially. The country has witnessed economic growth, advances in literature and art and increases in land and population. In general, the decades have been good. Technology has grown by leaps and bounds. Now the pessimists say it will all disappear when the clock strikes midnight. Technology — and depen dence upon it — has created the millennium scare. However, the ability of innovators to create that technology means there does not need to be a scare. People got along fine without computers, then a handful of cre ative geniuses — starting with nothing — sparked the technolog ical revolution. Even if a catastrophe (like a new millennium) crippled the world’s computers, humankind would overcome. The inconve niences would be only temporary until new creative geniuses re solved the problem. If the country manages to sur vive the impending 4-digit crisis, there is no telling what the next 100 years will bring. Then again, those next 100 years may be spent upgrading software. Dave Johnston is a senior mathematics major. The Bible offers readers literary value M etaphors, aner- dotes, prose, poetry. The Bible is full of interesting and well-written liter ary techniques. Needless to say, the book de serves to be stud ied as a literary work and not merely taken at face value. Inside the Bible lie some of the most interesting and enter taining stories ever read. How ever, that does not mean these stories are complete by them selves. If one just reads the words that are written, it is pos sible to miss some of the more insightful points. For example, when the Bible speaks of God getting angry (in the original Hebrew translation), it says that God was so angry, he snorted fire from his nostrils. That description is perhaps one of the most vivid and beautiful, and it makes its point extremely well. However, readers of the Bible are not meant to take this descrip tion literally. It is a metaphor to express a concept and should be studied as such. People who want to become good writers should use the Bible as their handbook. Although the Old Testament (or Torah) is . sometimes a little lacking in plot, the stories take an argument and follow it through a variety of gen erations. It follows the story of Adam and Eve and their relation ship with God all the way through to the choosing of the Jews and their relationship with God. The simplicity and accurate word choice throughout the sto ries can only be beneficial to a beginning writer who has a ten dency to confuse readers. The New Testament offers a different form of literary criticism that is also beneficial to younger generations and English students. It follows the story of one person and his relationship with God from a variety of different angles. This creates a form of irony for the reader, where the audience knows what is happening, yet Je sus does not. It is important to note here the Bible should not be studied as a literal interpretation. If one stud ies it as such, the deeper mean ings in all the stories are lost. . For example, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is not meant to be a historical chronicle of a wicked city. Although it could represent a truthful hap pening, the point it is trying to make is if members of society be have wrongly, they will be pun ished. It is also a story that illus trates the mercy of God, because for 10 good men, the city would have been saved. But a more important lesson to gain from this story is it is OK to disagree with God — if the disagreement is for a valid pur pose. Abraham argued with God in an attempt to save the city. This is OK. Now realize, all the points that were mentioned could not have been gleaned from a casu al, factual reading. That is where literary criticism becomes important. It allows readers to form their own opinions based on deeper levels and subtexts in the Bible. The New Testament also is not meant to be read on a factual lev el. Inherently, when 12 disciples witness an event, and four of them write varying accounts of the event, the story is not meant to be taken without analysis. The contradictions between the writers Matthew, Mark, Luke and John should in themselves lend a strong argument for literary cri tique of the Bible. It is necessary for English stu dents to be taught to look for the meanings inside the Bible because it can only lead to better thinkers for the future. If students are taught to find their own meanings, each as im portant and perhaps more valid than a strict, factual reading, they will be better able to find the real meanings in other events in their lives and in other situations. LISA FOOX Lisa Foox is a senior journalism major.
