Opinion
Page 11 • Monday, February 1, 1999
at is in a name?
Pursuit of politically correct names, mascots leaves numerous groups with poor substitutes
F
JB i
he recent sale of the
Washington Redskins
has rekindled a contro-
?rsy about the team’s name,
gome people, who say the
e is racist, have demand-
ji that it be changed along
itli those of the Atlanta
ayes, Cleveland Indians
d|Kansas City Chiefs,
his sounds like a noble
Mark
PASSWATERS
e at first glance, until one considers that little or
ing has been done to confront other more criti-
natters facing Native Americans. Among these,
■oted in studies by the federal government, are
■ levels of unemployment, illiteracy, alcoholism
(drug abuse. Suddenly, complaining about the
me of a team seems rather insignificant.
■here is, regrettably, a lot of this kind of com-
aining going around. Some people seem to think
pat changing the names of teams will make things
etner. In the crusade for political correctness, the
?al problems are taking a backseat to “problems”
lafl are easier to take care.
H\nd ego salve is a lot cheaper than big band-aids.
In 1996, the president and trustees of Lehigh
iniyersity caught a case of this moronitis and
itt Moone) i-^hged the school’s nickname, having decided
fternoona ldt |t was “discriminatory.” The old, offensive
ickname? Engineers. The new name can easily in-
lude all races and sexes, since Mountainhawks do
ot exist.
^■aking this mind set into account, along with
tiendea that there should be a law against offend-
igbnyone, is it really too far-fetched to see peo-
ilecomplaining about other team nicknames? In
his day of PC, there is something out there to of-
M
EPSON'I m B‘
Rush.
es
4-HI nend anyone:
LI ImI The New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
/liiinesota Vikings and Seattle Supersonics could
t the untrutbffend people because they might promote mili-
gh to warn arism. The Golden State Warriors could probably
loval.acconbe Allowed to slide because their on-court manner
e official v, 5 to roll over and play dead,
ymity. Fhe Dallas Mavericks could probably be left
d, two of tilt lone too, since they cannot break 100 points,
secutors nuch less the law.
ek — piesideiui
Jordan atiiW
dney Blumeri:
struction qiii'
perjury ch
is close to
said that fe;"
nnessee, v,^
.ewinsky, «ifj
ion on Clint,
al their affat
young
baby
girl rests
.senaorsMle#^ ! ', n
'thavotheC^H^Y
ovehtata.*?'^
es are far 1*3 It
f^fWrandtrib
twisting
Texas Tech’s Red Raiders, on the other hand,
have to go. They are exclusionary. What about all
those Blue Raiders, Green Raiders, and Lavender
Raiders out there? At least Oakland’s NFL team
includes all Raiders — but that would get the
peaceniks going again.
The University of Texas is also exclusionary.
Longhorns only make up a small portion of the
state’s cattle population, so shouldn’t they make
sure everyone is happy and just be the Cattle? Or,
perhaps, they would feel better with a name more
in touch with Austin-say, the Singing Salamanders?
The New Orleans Saints and San Diego Padres
could draw the ire of the ACLU, not to mention
Satanists everywhere. Their religious names are
no-no’s.
In a similar vein, the Christian Coalition might
be prepared to go after Duke’s Blue Devils, Ari
zona State’s Sun Devils and the NHL’s New Jersey
Devils. Satan has no place in sports!
People who are music fans might want the
names of teams in Utah and St. Louis changed.
You call that music Jazz and Blues? St. Louis can
not quite get a smooth rhythm and the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir just does not play a quality funk
sound, thus they are not deserving of the names.
One place that should be offended by their
own nickname is Virginia Tech. One of the finest
public schools in the nation, a Big East football
power-and they are the Hokies?
Not even Virginia Tech students are sure what
a Hokie is, but they think it is a turkey. Nothing
like taking a Saturday afternoon to root on those
Fighting Gobblers.
Planned Parenthood and people supporting ab
stinence could be up in arms about the Minor
League Hockey team Macon Whoopee. All non-Or
ange people at Syracuse must be clamoring for a
change from Orangemen.
The people of Cincinnati are demanding a name
change for the Bengals, too. Not because it is in
sensitive, but because they hope if the name goes,
maybe the team will go with it.
The group wanting changes from Chicago’s NFL
team and Baylor University would be ... well.
Bears. They would prefer not to be associated with
groups whose collective fortunes have dropped
quicker than the CPA of a freshman with a new
fake ID. Scientists might request the names of the
Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic be tossed
out, since magic and wizards are not real. Then
again, neither are Washington’s playoff hopes.
Boston’s Red Sox and Chicago’s White Sox dis
criminate against those who wear black, blue, and
brown Sox. And what of the people that wear no
Sox? Scandal!
Beware. Unless the Crusade of Political Correct
ness is buried in worthwhile causes, this could
happen. Be aware of the menace, and defeat it by
MICHAEL WAGENER/ The Battalion
addressing what is important, not by charging af
ter some sideshow.
This may require people who are complaining
about these names to do something difficult, but
they would accomplish something that would ac
tually improve our nation.
Oh, no word from the Peaceful Texas Aggies as
of yet to say they have taken offense to our Fight-
in’ Texas Aggies.
Mark Passwaters is a electrical engineering
graduate student.
m.
Pro-life should work to outlaw
bortions, not fight providers
iwyers
Kenneth
Christ ima
BARROWS
'lulmonolani i^ (m ^ tear i n g them away from
ly that Jan ^ rest Q j- j ier ]j 0 gy Because the
le 1 , as l . jlBy’s skull has hardened to bone
lit is mdtd#!^ time, it must be crushed or
hip showed j'Hpressed to facilitate removal.
gain as the ■m^ n f nnocen t haby boy is sleep-
lators ot both ^ 0 t j ie soun( i G f ht s mother’s
nay at a report'■ rt w f len t he amniotic fluid is
ig in l he No em0 ved and replaced with con-
?66
rated salt. The little boy
reathes in, swallows the salt and
s poisoned. The chemical also
auses painful burning and deteri
oration of his skin. Within 72
\ours he is dead, shriveled and
THUR
Feb 4
Prac
Exams
Although horrifying and graph-
these details are facts and soon
'.ojlege Station-Bryan will have
■abortion clinic that performs
rsyfhem. Many pro-life activists have
;Aought to prevent this addition to
Manned Parenthood, but the fact
i Mains that abortion is legal,
lighting the clinics might keep
ibprtion out of the city, but it will
lot keep the woman from getting
ml abortion. It is time for those
Vho believe in life to step forward
ind fight the law.
In a recent interview, a health
iresentative at Planned Parent-
d in Bryan said that a woman
outside of a large city will simply
drive to another in order to re
ceive an abortion. As long as the
law stands, the number of abor
tion providers will continue to
grow in an effort to provide this
service conveniently.
In 1992, the Supreme Court
abandoned the “trimester” ap
proach to abortion, making it le
gal during all nine months of
pregnancy, for any reason. At a
National Right to Life Convention
in June 1998, it was reported that
one third of Generation X had
been wiped out by abortion. Ac
tion needs to be taken to save the
next generation.
Out of the 10 Planned Parent
hood clinics in southeast Texas,
only one performs abortions.
Planned Parenthood primarily pro
vides excellent women’s healthcare
at more affordable prices. This is a
necessary service for many women
who are unable to afford a private
doctor. Some locations provide
mammograms to help detect breast
cancer early.
All locations provide counsel
ing in sexual health education.
Teenagers who find it difficult to
talk to their parents about intima
cy issues can find guidance and
confidentiality here.
Unfortunately, Planned Parent
hood also fights to keep abortion
legal. According to their Website,
it advocates public policies that
guarantee these rights and ensure
access to such services. It is fight
ing to keep abortion legal and is
clearly winning.
A lawyer does not appeal to
the executioner to free his death-
row client, but instead he appeals
to the governor. In the same
sense, pro-life activists should not
fight the clinics and doctors that
perform abortions, but should
concentrate on the laws that en
able them to carry out these ser
vices. Planned Parenthood abor
tion clinics would not exist
without the legalization of abor
tion, so why not fight the law and
kill the real problem.
Those fighting the law have evi
dence it is working. The Centers for
Disease Control reported in 1997
that abortion rates have decreased
every year since 1992. In the last 25
years, pro-life literature has been cir
culating . “Right to Know” legisla
tion exists in many states to inform
women of abortion risks, its realities
and the alternatives.
The uneducated are constant
ly claiming that abortion is only
the removal of cells that may or
may not form a child. The ma
jority of abortions occur in the
first seven to ten weeks when
the child’s face is recognizably
human. It is sucked or torn from
the womb and the baby’s small
heartbeat and already measur
able brain waves cease to exist.
No funeral is held for the child
that no one wanted.
“Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, before you
were born I set you apart.” (Jere
miah 1:5) Life is sacred. Stop the
clinics by changing the law.
Christina Barrows is a
sophomore English major
Pro-lifers need to provide real
solutions, not more problems
Manisha
PAREKH
I n the battle
over abor
tion, there
have generally
been two
sides: pro-
choice and
pro-life.
Generally,
pro-choice
forces have
fought long and hard to make
abortion legal for all women, re
gardless of financial status or age,
while pro-life forces have tried to
block their every move.
To this end, abortion clinics
have been bombed, abortion
providers have been brutally
killed and women who are fac
ing the toughest decision of
their lives have been harassed.
Pro-life forces appear to be us
ing every weapon at their dis
posal to force the long arm of
the law into women’s bodies
and outlaw abortions.
However, if the self-proclaimed
“pro-life” groups were really that,
they would realize abortion is not
the problem; abortion is a solu
tion for women who find them
selves facing a pregnancy for
which they feel they have no oth
er alternative. If pro-life people re
ally want abortion to end, they
need to attack the real problem,
not the solution some women end
up having to use.
Outlawing abortion will not
stop it. Before Roe vs. Wade,
women who lived in states
where abortion was illegal did
not stop having abortions —
they simply found ways to get
around the law. Underground
networks sprung up to help
women get in touch with doctors
who were willing to perform
abortions. Women who had
enough money traveled across
state lines in search of a legal
abortion. Women who did not
have the money to afford quality
care, however, resorted to back-
alley butcher shops or primitive
“home-remedies;” many of these
women ended their pregnancies
as well as their own lives.
History has a habit of repeating
itself. Therefore, for those who
are truly “pro-life,” outlawing
abortion should not be the goal.
The only way abortion will
stop is if women think they do
not need to have one, and that
should be pro-life’s goal: creat
ing a society in which abortion
is not necessary.
Yes, the majority of women
do not have abortions for “med
ical reasons.” Many women
have them because either they
did not use contraception or
contraception failed. The solu
tion? Sex education and better
contraception methods. It is
rather elegant, is it not?
If women who do not want to
get pregnant do not get pregnant,
there will not be as many abortions.
Second, offer alternatives to
abortion. Pro-lifers often vaunt
adoption, but the truth is un
less a child is white, without
any disabilities and very young,
the chances of being adopted
are small.
So why not have every pro-lifer ;
open up his or her home to at least
one unwanted child? Why not have
each pro-lifer pledge his or her
time to making sure every child
who gets a chance at life also gets a
chance at a quality life?
Some women, who would car
ry a pregnancy to term, cannot
afford the cost. Pro-lifers should
offer to help every woman who
cannot afford neonatal care with
the costs of pregnancy. Pitch in
and help pay for pediatric visits,
for diapers and formula. It takes
a lot of time and money to care
for a baby.
Chances are, at this point,
there are some pro-lifers saying to
themselves, “But none of this is
my responsibility. ”
Yet, somehow, it is their re
sponsibility to try and take away a
woman’s choices without provid
ing her with feasible alternatives.
Something just does not seem
right about that.
So, instead of pouring time and
money into protests and rallies
that will never stop all abortions,
invest pro-life resources in contra
ceptive research, sex education,
foster homes and charities to sup
port pregnant women. Only then
will there be a chance for abor
tion to end.
After all, it is easy to shoot
doctors, bomb clinics and harass
women. It is harder — but more
effective — to help women find
true alternatives to abortion.
Manisha Parekh is a junior
psychology and journalism major
Prac
Exams
3-6
PM
ther education’
jelpful to Aggies
In response to Glenn Janik’s
. 26 opinion column,
would submit some real evi-
(ice that the students who
? .$>hhoose to pursue academics and
racurricular activities are in-
gxariHeed successful students and are
' ctually better equipped to take
Dn|real authority and responsibili-
ifter graduation.
3&4 y fpirst, students who partici-
e in the other education are
MAIL CALL
not “2.5 and go’’ students as
you suggested.
I cannot speak for other stu
dent organization, but as for the
“abysmal network of MSC com
mittees,” our average GPR for ap
proximately 60 officers for Fall
1998 was a 3.30, more than a
half grade point higher than the
University average.
Second, those who participate
in student leadership activities
are better prepared for life in the
real world because of their partici
pation during the college years.
Serving on subcommittees
and selections processes may
seem obscure or meaningless to
some, but the skills of interper
sonal communication, critical
thinking, problem solving, and
conflict resolution, just to name
a few, are best learned through
experience which only comes
from student involvement.
The truth is that involved students
generally make excellent grades and
enrich their academic experience
through the “other education.”
Bill Anderson
Class of ”99
Student thankful
for thoughtfulness
I just wanted to let everyone
know that there are still honest
people in this world.
Monday, I left my keys on the
bus, and like others, it contained
my whole life.
Of course I panicked and
waited for the bus to make the
complete loop so I could retrieve
my keys.
Unfortunately, my keys were
nowhere to be found. Almost in
tears and standing in the door
way to my home, I found that my
answering machine had a new
message.
Someone that I had never met
before had already called to say
they had found my keys, and was
going to check with my apart
ment office, and leave them
there for me.
My answering machine has its
good and bad days, so I was not
able to catch her name, but I just
wanted to thank her very much for
saving my sanity.
Kimberly Cervenka
Class of’VO
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
E-mail: batt@tamvml.tamu.edu