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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1999)
.fhe Battalion o PINION Page 13 • Tuesday, January 19, 1999 !rs flood a resolution to change 'Aggies should T i ; tors INGTON -with praise f'- Republican SeT^ he start of i f Rhode Islanc. I a new se foor he usedfc^B mestei is I he Senate- h ® erfec ; orlt'xas AdsiM Jniwrsitv to H;e a New H , ’s resolu- ion This ■’s resolu- ion is simple: Jet rid of theB so good, e be advisee - e event that ,:, te in favor iffersonClmtc- Glenn *e® s resolu- iantti^ WMmmi. qimnlp- i nickel in ause ofens.' . c i :1 A 0 i> s wors t traditions. siexttimeyoLv Sandwiched between the fave a ntceCr r^^j,] s g re<s t traditions of Bonfire, ' ,T, ailt>ags a - : he Corps, and ring dunking are a thing except s )ev ^ 0 f s ij|y traditions that make e debate owl vggies look foolish. itemaybeerH: fSome of these traditions have y fitfully, but r )een developed by Aggies with s it beats wit r »oO( intentions, but it is now time o nut a stop to them. rigor instance, none of the ^^fcilles — living or dead — have H concern about the score of the H football games. Despite this )b\lious fact, some Aggies sacrifice i diy at Kyle Field to stand across he street and hold a dry-erase cofeboard for the dead dogs, all in ame of tradition, re we sure this is the kind of tradition” A&M needs? Mascots ;erve as symbols to inspire the earn and the crowd, but what do lead mascots do? Placing flowers it tjie grave of the befallen n excitingforii teyeilles is respectful. Holding up ect to work; I ! ' II repeat aga:: aringing witr 11 definitely d his process,’ lit Ml 11 cord j ralh and-a-halfbl ett Elements el for a ecutr stop practicing pointless and silly traditions, focus on the good ones a sign to show them the score is utter lunacy. Many traditions at A&M involve not only ceremonies and events, but the words and phrases Aggies use daily on campus. The A&M lex icon is full of outdated and some what disgusting terms. Only in Aggieland could “red- ass” mean anything good. In the rest of the country “red-ass” is an uncomfortable, unflattering status people actually try to avoid. As courtesy to the Aggie Mom’s, let’s also do away with “piss-head.” No mother, no mat ter how “Aggie” she is wants to call her child a piss-head. “Gig’ em” is fine, but what on Earth does “gig’ em right back at you” mean? Does “sit down bus driver” really apply anymore? Could anything really be more vile than a “horselaugh?” Each of these phrases is a sense less saying that makes Aggies ap pear to be slack-jawed, back-woods rednecks. By purging our vocabu lary of the most embarrassing Ag gie-isms, perhaps the more valu able sayings — like “howdy” — will be noticed. The practice of Midnight Yell could use some adjustments also. The yell leaders do a superb job during the practice. So then why must they waste our time with 20 minutes worth of antics before practice begins? Why do the yell leaders show up at Kyle Field at 11:40 pm, do hun dreds of little-tiny push-ups and then roll around on with each other on the turf? Neither the fans nor the football team receives any encour agement from this pre-game wrestling match. If the yell leaders want to roll around together, can it not be con fined to the Quad? According to a recent Rolling Stone poll, Texas A&M University is the most spirited college in the country. Our traditions help keep our spirit alive. However, as current Aggies, we have an obligation to get rid of the traditions that make our school look flat-out ignorant. Perhaps if we transferred our en ergy away from “Gig’em right back at you” and the dead-dog score- board, and back to the valuable tra ditions, more people would say “Howdy,” show up for Silver Taps and attend Muster. As the last year of the millen nium dawns, let’s resolve to do away with our worst traditions. Yell practice will be more enjoy able, Aggie Moms will be happi er and perhaps the traditions de serving our attention can be restored to the rightful place. Glenn Janik is a senior political science major. J.P. Beato/The Battalion Vittig said. "li fB insight intoDi m its were also it students’ parti::® ) Do Somethir: tice Challenge: || sponsored bvrjB organization || uits from acroi'w on raged to heir if • p for what’s n? f.' 4 .-TiniE En V0lJ Racial bias, threats of violence should not affect execution ion. Our j -ibution ;embly stration lupport a Zach HALL ust over a week ago, convicted murderer Gary Graham was granted a jtay on his scheduled execu- ion. Graham, a 34-year-old olack man, received the death penalty in 1981 for piirdering a man after a robbery in a Houston super market parking lot. p After being on death row for 17 years, Graham has fi- tially reached the end of his legal rope. But Gra ham and his attorney, Richard Burr, contend that witnesses and evidence has emerged that can prove Graham’s innocence. They claim that a new trial must be granted. ■ While Graham was denied a new trial, the 5th Ills. Circuit Court of Appeals granted him a stay until his case could be further reviewed. In doing so, it appears that justice was held hostage by mil itant political and racial activism. Until this time, no court has granted a new trial for Graham, and his sentence has not been com- ted. According to the Houston Chronicle, Gra- m, in the final days before his scheduled execu tion, has vowed that he “would fight like hell” before he is allowed to die. He also urged support for his cause adding that “if it takes a picket sign, ingthat. If it takes an AK-47, bring that.” In support of Graham, radical black Muslim tivist Quanell X of Houston is quoted in the buston Chronicle openly urging African-Ameri- jans to support Graham by taking out their vio lence on whites. ■ “For the next three to four days we are ask ing for total peace and calm in the black com munity. We don’t want any brothers doing any drive-bys, anybody mugging anybody, anybody bbing anybody. “If you feel that you just got to mug somebody cause of your hurt and your pain, go to River ks (an affluent mostly white neighborhood in uston) and mug you some good white folks. “If you’re angry that our brother is put to ath, don’t burn down your own communi- , give these white folks hell from womb to e tomb.” Perhaps Quanell X would gain more respect and support if he championed a true racial cause and not one that involves a convicted thug. The efforts by much of the black commu nity to turn this issue into one of racial bias are unsubstantiated and misdirected. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should not further this issue any more and should lift the stay so Gra ham can face his punishment. Furthermore, Quanell X’s actions should be closely watched and perhaps he should be brought up on charges of inciting riots. Graham was convicted on testimony of Bernardine Skillern, who was an eyewitness to the murder. She followed Graham in her car to get a closer look at his face after Graham tried to flee the scene of the murder. She has subse quently picked him out of a police line-up every time since then. In addition, the case has had 35 previous re views. Graham was determined to be guilty by every one of them. The judges during these re views ruled Graham does not need a new trial because the new witnesses could not be deemed credible. It should also be noted that these witnesses did not come forward until 1993, when Graham was first scheduled to die. Hopefully, the decision by the 5th U.S. Cir cuit Court of Appeals to grant a stay was not done out of fear of riots and the threat of armed insurrection. It is unlikely, though, that they will allow Graham a new trial. Nevertheless, no court or any branch of law should be pressured into action by violent threats. The Graham case is not a Rodney King case.The black community should not al low its radical racists to taint future causes that might have merit. No cause, regardless of how unjust it is, warrants violent actions against innocent citizens. If and when Graham is again scheduled for execution, the Houston and Huntsville commu nities should not tolerate the violent threats and actions from militants like Quanell X or any of his sympathizers who share his views. Zach Hall is a senior philosophy major NBA shows poor sportsmanship T here is no joy — in Mudville, because the I Jill Mighty Casey wants a 5-year, $50 million contract. The six-month saga of the ^ m “Lifestyles of the Demond Rich and Greedy” REID came to an abrupt end when the National Basketball As sociation players and owners reached a settlement concerning the lockout. The main reason behind the lock out was a disagreement over what percentage of the total NBA revenue should be devoted to players’ salaries. Over the next seven years the owners wanted an annual average of 54 percentage of the revenue dedicated to salaries, while the players wanted 56 percentage. Basically, the past half-year foolish ness has been over a measly difference of two percentage points. It is this type of money-grubbing and penny-pinch ing that has caused a rift of mistrust and frustration between professional sports and the American public so wide that it makes the Grand Canyon look like the gap between Mike Tyson’s front teeth. In a situation such as this, it is hard to decide who to hate more. On one hand, there are grossly over paid, ultra-testosteroned, parole-violat ing behemoths who have been pam pered for the majority of their adult lives because they have a “sweet” jumper or a 35-inch vertical leap. On the other hand, there are the gazillionaire, megalomaniac owners who probably did not get any action in high school, but since they have more money than God now, they think they can use the world as their own personal playground. Sure Kevin Garnett will end up making $126 million, but Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is writing him the check. Choosing sides on this issue is like deciding whether to be handcuffed to Charles Manson or Jack the Ripper. The best thing to come out of the settlement is that we no longer have to listen to Patrick Ewing talk. How did he get elected president of the Players’ Union? Who was he running against, Latrell Sprewell and Dennis Rodman? Patrick Ewing is not qualified to be president of the Luke Perry fan club. It is good to know the NBA is putting the basketball back in his hand and taking the microphone out. During the negotiation meetings, it was easy to feel sorry for the majority of the NBA players. If those guys wanted to spend their days in a stuffy room listening to a boring speaker, they would have stayed in college. The people who are really to blame for this entire fiasco are we, the fans. We empower the basketball players with our money, which in turn empowers the owners. We are facing nothing more than the Frankenstein we have created. So villagers join together, pick up your pitchforks and torches and let’s go monster-hunting. If we come together as a group and collectively boycott the N.B.A. and all N.B.A. merchandise, the revenue will drop faster than a fresh man after seven beers. And a decrease in revenue means a decrease in salaries. If we hit both the players and the owners in the wallet, maybe they will stand up and notice that the fans are mad as heck and we are not going to take it anymore. After all, if the N.B.A loses enough money, “The Mailman” will no longer be Karl Malone’s nick name — it will be his job title. Demond Reid is a sophomore marketing major Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editori als board members. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of oth er Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, ad ministration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. KASIE BYERS Managing Editor MANISHA PAREKH Opinion Editor BETH MILLER City Editor Realizing a dream Martin Luther King Day should he a time to reflect on the past, make plans for bettering the future of race relations in America It has been more than 30 years since the death of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, but the passage of time has not dimmed his legacy. As the nation prepares for the next millennia. King stands as a symbol of what man can be when he strives to better himself and his society. King is reminder of the this nation’s past and the great strides we have made towards racial harmony. His “I have a dream speech” still stands as a turning point in the history of race relations and civil rights, serving as a yardstick with which we can measure or progress towards a time when people are no longer judged on the basis of skin color. King’s legacy is also a symbol of how far American society still hds to progress before even half his dream is realized. Society has come a long way, but we must not stop while the goal is still out of our grasp. King also serves as shining example of what person can do when he puts his mind to it. In an age of in creasing cynicism, the legacy of King continues to in spire social reformers across the globe. King is proof that one person can make a difference in the world. Further, his example was one of calm reason. In stead of taking to the streets with violence. King chose to work towards his goals through civil disobedience. Even when faced with violent resistance. King never re sorted to using force. His was a philosophy of peace, not pain. King was also a man who tried to bring the races to gether, instead of dividing them. He accepted all races as followers and did not discriminate. He offered a vision of the future in which all peo ple were represented. For this reason. King stands as a symbol of freedom for people of all races, not just a few. King, despite the flaws some historians choose to dwell on, was man who brought people together in an effort to make the country and the world a bettfer place. Through his efforts, he has come to be though of and honored as a modern-day founding father. However, as, Americans stop to reflect upon the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, is impor tant to remember that there is still long path to travel before his dream is realized.