o
PINION
Page 13 • Thursday, February 18, 1999
uth and consequences
onesty not always best policy, especially
hen truth might inflict more pain than a lie
did not have sexual rela
tions with that woman,
^Ms. Lewinsky.” The art
lying is as American as apple
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Ever since Columbus hopped
the Santa Maria and told the
tives ‘Don’t mind us, we
>n’t he here long,” lying has
en at the heart of this country,
nitting the Heisman Trophy-
e “I didn’t slice up my ex-wife with a kitchen
ifeltype lies, untruths are important to everyday
!. Lies are the Elmer’s Glue that holds this fragile
ng called society together.
From “the check is in the mail” to “size doesn’t
illylnatter” lies are so deeply woven into our so-
1 fabric that rather than question them, we simply
zer ourselves with their warmth. It is important to
derstand that just as there are different degrees of
irder, there are also different degrees of lying.
There is a major difference between innocent lit-
white lies and lies so big and so black that they
ike Shaquille O’Neal look like Macauley Caulkin.
ing for personal gain is never good, but lying in
: name of politeness is acceptable. It is not ab-
utely necessary to tell your mother that she
mds like a wailing cat caught in a paper shredder
?ry time she breaks into a chorus of “Wind Be-
ath My Wings.” Just smile, tell her she sounds
>at and pray no one’s eardrums begin to bleed.
Honesty is not always the best policy. The lies we
are as important as the air Americans breath and
■ water Americans drink. Imagine a world where
?rybpdy told the truth all the time. It would be
los.jA world with no lies is about as appealing as
ida Tripp in a G-string with a see-through bikini top.
A lieless world would bring about the end of the
vertising industry. The advertising industry has
sn built on lies, because without lies nothing
mid ever get sold.
In the hands of advertising executives the truth
5 been poked, prodded and violated more times
in a drunken prom date. Drinking Gatorade will
t make anybody like Mike. No woman’s body will
thrown into a series of orgasmic thrusts if she
?s Herbal Essence’s shampoo. And no matter
tat Frito Lay would like for consumers to believe,
s possible to eat just one chip.
In a completely honest society, not only will the
vertising industry take a swift kick in the behind.
but the annual ritual known as Thanksgiving dinner
will take one as well. Without being able to lean on
the crutch of polite deceit, a family dinner would be
about as enjoyable as having a root canal performed
by Muhammad Ali.
In a world without lies, when Aunt Edna plumps
down her special Spam and marshmallow casserole
on the dinner table, there are no options. Usually a
fib, such as saying a recent conversion Islam does
not allow partaking in pork by-products, would do
the trick. But without the ability to lie, the truth —
that Dennis Rodman’s dirty jock strap would taste
better than the satanic concoction she has made —
would come out.
Without small lies, male-female relationships
would never last. When the “Does this make me
look fat?” question pops up, a lie is a man’s best
friend.
Without the ability to lie, a man would have to
tell his woman that it is not the clothes, but the 12-
pack of bacon wrapped donuts she woofs down
every morning that make her look fat. The truth is
the ultimate relationship killer.
Not only do we need to lie, but we also need to
be lied to. The truth is a big boy and it packs one
heck of a punch and as a society we cannot handle
that punch.
Which explains why the American public has •
elected the Duke of Deceit himself. Bill Clinton, to
the office of the presidency twice. Bill Clinton has
done for lying what Michael Jordan has done for
basketball. Bill Clinton could not be anymore slip
pery even if he was wrapped in banana peels,
dipped in KY-Jelly and sprayed with WD-40. But
Clinton’s lies are necessary. They gave the country a
rallying point. His lies are like dime rocks to the
crack head that is the American public because no
matter how many he gives out, the country still
wants more. During the whole zipper-gate fiasco,
Clinton’s approval rating rose all the way up to 70
percent. That is simply amazing. Seventy percent.
Jesus’s rating never toppled over 50, but then again
he never lied.
Everybody does it, but nobody wants to admit
that they tell lies. Lies are just the little soldiers that
protect the country from imploding on itself. No
matter how anyone slices it, lies are a necessity and
it would be impossible to live in a world without
them.
Demond Reid is a sophomore marketing major.
MARK MCPHERSON/Tiih Battalion
hi believeinfi-
' God.”
Current system of electing judges should change to appointment
ipecial
he judges of the
Texas Supreme
£ourt are elect-
office in a
thoil that encour-
es corruption and a
dication to the hope
re-election.
The best way to
riacc nf ■ ve this P roblem is
G/doo ui ' e i ecl t i ie judges, not
any otherdfe : P 0 i nt them.
Jed)
, 1999
Lisa
FOOX
1
lTTOO
3 Station
M In the current system, the judges are
Jlltcted for very short terms. The head of
■"? Supreme Court runs for office every
; years and the other judges run every
jr years. The short terms are bad be-
use they do not leave the judges time
really concentrate on being judges.
K ,,ther, as soon as they are elected, they
ed to start planning their next cam-
ign.
Further, the election process is one
that screams corruption. Opponents of
the current system point out that with the
voter turnout in Texas being as poor as it
usually is, the people who elect the
judges are the ones most affected by
them.
Namely, the lawyers.
It does not make sense to allow
lawyers and those who are an integral
part of the courtroom process to elect the
judges who will make decisions affecting
them. It is not likely a judge would rule
against a lawyer who was instrumental
in getting the judge elected.
In a similar fashion, the judges are ex
posed to another element of corruption.
If a wealthy businessman invests a great
deal of money into a judge’s political
campaign, he might expect favors in re
turn.
If the businessman appears in the
courtroom later, it is likely the judge will
be more lenient on the wealthy man in
hopes of continued support in the next
campaign.
Sure, this is not how society likes to
view the campaign process, but the no
tion of bribery is not far-fetched.
Obviously, there are supporters of the
current political system. However, their
main reasons for support are not entirely
accurate.
First, supporters claim the election
process is one which represents the peo
ple. This is not true, mainly due to poor
voter turnout. Again, those who vote are
usually those directly involved in the ju
dicial system.
Moreover, proponents believe these
judges, if they are not effective, will not
be re-elected. This argument is a miscon
ception because judges are often support
ed in their campaigns by wealthy busi
nessmen. They will have the funds to run
for office successfully, which could en
sure they are not ousted from office even
if they are not effective judges.
So, there needs to be a new system. A
current proposition, in the bills num
bered HJR49 and HB1361, is that these
judges should be appointed by the gover
nor and, seven years later, they should
come up for political re-election. The ap
pointments are to be made by merit.
This system is a plausible one. If the
judges are appointed by the governor, the
system will escape the flaws created by
the election process.
The merit-based qualifications for
achieving Supreme Court status need to
be specified. If clarified, the qualifica
tions should ensure that “family-and-
friends” appointments by the governor
do not occur.
However, there needs to be one small
change to this proposal: a recommenda
tion that judges be appointed for a longer
term of 14 years.
Judges in New York are elected for this
time period and they have an incredibly
strong judicial system. Further, this plan
eliminates the constant fear of being
ousted from office, which allows the
judges to concentrate on more important
issues than their next political race.
Overall, it is necessary to implement a
system of judicial appointments instead
of elections. The results of this will be a
better and more equal judicial process
and a more fluid and fair society.
The Supreme Court judges make deci
sions that reflect how Texas views a vari
ety of issues. Therefore, it is the responsi
bility for Texans to ensure Texas is
well-represented.
Lisa Foox is a senior journalism major.
MAIL CALL
no tht Fmjreek attitudes exemplified
v Greek member’s mail call
1999 *
In response to Andrew C. Davis’ Feb. 15 mail call.
It is true that as students at Texas A&M we
lould not say that others are less than Aggies.
In nia [j Kt i v ie reason for Pablo White’s mail call was to point
it to Greeks here that maybe they should recon-
der their attitudes towards those of us who are
>t involved in the Greek life.
r ,nd Research The issue at hand was not about the work that fra-
mal organizations do but with the way they carry
emselves. You managed to prove him right in your
ail call when you imply that only homebodies with
w friends live in dorms and particularly Northside.
Though I have never lived on campus, I have
lionofMife" ends who live on Northside, and to put down a
„ n MilitaryEtl! 1 ' irt of our campus that continues to keep our tra-
tions alive the way Northsiders do, just shows off
e elitist attitudes of Greeks.
Deloitte & Toh |;
Jason Adam
Class of '01
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300
lords or less and include the author’s name, class and phone nunv
er.
w Coil# 1 ' The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters tor length, style,
nd accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc-
lonald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to:
allcry F The Battalion - Mall Call
013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
n- tins year'sci’ 11 77843-1111
Dnti.tamu.ed
*«n ns of MW JpT' 1
Campus Mail: 1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: batt@tamvml.tamu.edu
Talk radio callers, hosts generate lots of anger
S omeone once
came up with
a saying that
optimists see a
glass as half full,
while pessimists
see it as half empty.
Obviously, this
inventive soul was Mark
not a fan of talk ra- RASSWATERS
dio, or he would
have decided that the glass is no good
and nobody cares about it anyway.
Talk radio is a craze that has
grasped the whole of the nation. It is
also a good indicator of what the na
tion as a whole is thinking and it ap
pears the nation is not happy. If this is
really how people are thinking, we are
on the verge of having interpersonal
relations in America imitating a bar
brawl.
Whether the show is news talk or
sports talk, most (and at the national
level, almost all) shows are decidedly
negative. People call in to these shows
to rant and rave about all sorts of
things, and almost none of the callers
have anything good to say — unless
saying that your team (commonly re
ferred to as “we”) are going to beat the
dogs on the opposing team senseless
the next day can be considered opti
mistic.
People are using their First Amend
ment right to free speech to say all sorts
of inane things, varying from saying the
Philadelphia Eagles will win the Super
Bowl to wondering aloud about TToy
Aikman’s love life. Many people who
call radio shows sound like they are an
gry enough to eat their young, then
gripe that they lacked flavor.
People call Rush Limbaugh to say
Bill Clinton is an insult to cigar smok
ers everywhere. People call the more
liberal talk shows to say that Ken Starr
is a meanie. People call Dr. Laura Sch-
lessinger to complain about their un
caring spouses. People call into Jim
Rome’s “Jungle” to give “memos” to
athletes whom they have decided are
no good.
Not too many positive vibes are
found in these neighborhoods. Maybe
it has something to do with waiting on
hold for upwards of two hours; people
that are content usually do not want to
waste this much time.
Someone riled enough to tell the
nation that they think John Elway
wears a skirt is more likely to stay on
hold, while the person lauding Cal
Ripken’s charity efforts will find some
thing better to do.
Or, maybe it has something to do
with the people hosting these shows.
When hosts of a show invite — no, re
quire — their callers to tell some celebri
ty to “bite me” before they hang up (as
Papa Joe Chevailier on One-on-One
Sports does), they insure there are not
going to be too many optimists calling
in to say how much they love life.
Are there any set parameters on
how to get a show? It would appear
that the only real requirement is to be
bent out of shape at the drop of a hat.
Rush Limbaugh used to work for the
Kansas City Royals, and Sleshinger got
her break after calling into another ra
dio psychiatrist’s show to complain,
surprisingly enough.
It would seem that talk radio has
developed its own brand of Darwin
ism. With angry hosts willing to cut
off callers after “how ya doin’,” the
world of the radio caller is a place
where only the strong or the really an
gry survive.
This is best symbolized by Rome’s
motto for the dwellers of his “Jungle:”
“Have a take, don’t suck, or you’ll get
run.” In non-Romespeak, this means
that a caller had better know what
they are going to say, don’t even con
sider doing something that he consid
ers screwing up, or they are talking to
a dial tone.
Fear of national humiliation is more
than enough to keep the average per
son away from the telephone.
If the pulse of the average American
is racing as fast as the hosts and most
callers of talk shows these days, the
heart attack rate is going to skyrocket.
Let us all hope that these people are
just freaks of society and not a true
representation, because if they are, we
are becoming a fundamentally mean
nation.
Rodney King asked during the L.A.
riots, “Can’t we all just get along?” The
answer coming over the airwaves would
appear to be “hell no.” While call-in
shows are mostly amusing, this could
be pointing to a far bigger problem.
These people, and maybe America
as a whole, needs to lighten up. Are all
of these “problems” real or invented?
Save the anger for things that de
serve it; many issues discussed on ra
dio are not worth that much thought.
Taking time to put things into perspec
tive might be a better use of those
hours on hold.
If America does not nip the trend
of anger in the bud, it will spill over
into real life.
A nation that hates each other is a
far bigger problem than figuring out
what to do to that free agent that went
to St. Louis for more money.
Mark Passwaters is a graduate elec
trical engineering student.