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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 1999)
Battalion O PINION Page 5 • Monday, July 12, 1999 ailbreak Hotel v recent escapes from jail in Huntsville reveal need for new methods of prison security movie theaters iround the coun- kry, Summer of [rc is playing. Jut in homes i|oss the nation, the pmer of insecurity blaying out. JWhile every town [h train tracks has tael Resendez- Beverly MIRELES itirez on their minds, the people of ptral Texas have something more lo- to fear - Huntsville prison escapees, ttt is frightening to think that prison- ■ can escape any high-security prison. It compounding that fear is I ntsville’s recent history, which in- 4 des two prison breaks in the past ;e\en months. BThree weeks ago, a convicted killer Bmed Clifford Dwayne Jones took the Bportunity to break out of prison. Two Bards were escorting him through the Bxeation yard of the Estelle High Secu- I / Prison Unit when Jones managed to |e. ■Jones somehow avoided gunshots Bm his guards and reached the rimeter fences unscathed. He scaled a total of three fences, two which were 12 feet tall and topped ;iuck\f ■th razor wire. Jones was eventually ig Lipinicaught, but only after an intensive man- ne. Cr hi nt lasting for days, essfullyli Before Jones, there was Martin Gu ile. On Thanksgiving, convicted mur- lm BrerGurule escaped from Death Row, snmi J met hi n g that is supposed to be im- js^Assible. Seven men had attempted to break out, but Gurule was the only one d abom y hadleii )f exte actually escape. He was found dead in a creek a week later, but his memory lives on for many convicts. Gene Hathorn, a resident of Texas Death Row for 14 years, best expresses prisoners’ emotions on the unfeasibility of Gurule’s escape on Lamp of Hope, an organizational Website devoted to pris oners on Death Row. “Excitement was high among the convicts. We had never heard of such a thing,” he said. “There had been nu merous attempts through the years. But, these were thwarted, and one won ders whether they were genuine at tempts, or just window dressing to give certain individuals bragging rights. “But, Gurule had made it. He had, at least for now, bested the walls, fences and the machinery of state-sanctioned death.” To the inmates of all Texas prisons and “the machinery of state-sanctioned death,” Gurule and Jones may be he roes and fine examples of daring. For the rest of us, Jones and Gurule serve as reminders that there is some thing very wrong with security at Huntsville State Prison. With signs of hero worship of the es capees by fellow convicts, people must keep in mind that other escape attempts are going to be made. That makes Huntsville seem a whole lot closer. The danger of a future prison break has shown to be more than just a fig ment of the imagination. A reevaluation of security must be made. Prison building is almost a cottage industry in Texas. However, if the secu rity is not there to back up those high cement walls, then “high security” units will cease to exist. Obviously, we cannot stop prisoners from wanting to leave prison. If they wanted to stay, then something would be wrong with the system of criminal punishment. However, one plausible solution is to increase the number of guards at Texas prisons. Right now, there is a shortage of guards in the state correc tions system. Having a shortage of prison guards is a little like having a part-time nuclear safety inspector - for the most part, everything works fine, but in an emergency, there is going to be trouble. Another solution, put forth by some private security agencies, is to renovate the fencing system. The Huntsville sys tem only sounds an alarm when dam aged. But technology is available that can monitor the fence and send guards to the exact location the fence was dam aged. A more animalistic — but highly ef fective — solution is to equip the fence with a Voltage that emits a lethal dose of electricity. Perhaps this is too grue some a suggestion, but a fence that could stun an escaping prisoner might do the trick. However, until officials get the ini tiative to change security measures at Huntsville, there continues to be a risk. Criminals already in prison have shown themselves to be particularly dangerous. Solutions have to be found. Until then, we will have to make do with the hope that if there is another escape, the prisoner won’t know that Highway 30 exists. Beverly Mireles is a junior microbiology major. eart of the matter ealing power of forgiveness, peace needed o counteract dangers of vengeance in Kosovo MAIL CALL here re mains one ob- tacle to 'eace in for- ner Yu- .oslavia, and uts. t# wil1 P rove >nue foi [' be the illpatM fggest obsta- Caleb MCDANIEL Be of all. f ee l pai Although the bombings have i not* psed, the mass killings have thesmt jeen stopped and the refugees lave begun to return, the hatchet ams0 [t! as not been buried, lajorfej i For the moment, of course, it ir ne(lp« lay seem as though peace has r thgj rrived, that violence has r 0n bee rounded to a halt. ve y But until peace is made per- (hg Bjl lanent by reconciliation, this n y r0 ] current calm will only be fol- the f wed by another storm. r gontel For peace in Kosovo to last, wie victims of oppression must forgive their oppressors. I It may not be today, it may lot be tomorrow and it may said tlulot be next year, but as long o impair Albanians harbor hopes nsiblf-for vengeance, renewed con- i is r® c t will always be just over »e moiltpe Balkan horizon. I In fact, some returning nprov®fugees have already corn- year jljiitted retaliatory killings and nalsa.A/ondalisms of their own. I But the solution to this cy beginiele 0 f violence will not be <!• & fpund in getting even. It will J lnly be found in giving for- _ Iveness. I Of course, this issue of for- ^Jiveness is a dicey matter, pjTwnd it bears some thinking at the Ujjpnd of an incredibly 1 bloody cen- -4C Tary. Surely, Kosovar Albanians and thers must justifiably wonder, there are some crimes which annot be forgiven, some evils hich cannot be overlooked and ^ebpJl s °me privations that must be re- [enged. I And those who call for recon- ciliation should not treat this re- S action against forgiveness lightly. It reveals the moral complexi- y of the challenge of forgiving. The Sunflower, an autobio graphical book by Holocaust iurvivor Simon Wiesenthal, illu- * tmllill ** > ninates the incredible difficulties ^ of that challenge. The book tells how while forking one day as a prisoner in Polish concentration camp. Wiesenthal was taken to the bed side of a dying Nazi soldier. The soldier, a German named Karl, asked the Jewish Wiesenthal for forgiveness and absolution for horrible crimes of genocide he had committed. In Wiesenthal’s judgment, Karl was truly penitent and sin cere, but, partly repulsed and partly flabbergasted by the re quest, Wiesenthal responded by walking silently out of the room. Years later, Wiesenthal asked a panel of distinguished men and women whether he had done the right thing by refusing to answer the soldier. The variety of re sponses to Wiesenthal’s story il lustrates the variety of theories on forgiveness. Many of the re spondents resolutely defended Wiesenthal’s decision. Writer Cynthia Ozick said, “There are spots forgiveness can not wash out.” t news tfrod -ss slue* Noted Jewish theologian and philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel echoed a theme found in many of the responses. “No one can forgive crimes committed against other people. ” Sidney Shachnow, a Lithuanian prisoner in a con centration camp and now a re tired U.S. army officer, surely ex pressed the understandable thoughts of many readers: “I per sonally think [Karl] should go to hell and rot there.” Virtually all of the respon dents emphasized that it would be the height of arrogance to tell Simon Wiesenthal what he should have done. Not having watched children being led to gas chambers in Poland or mass graves being dug in Kosovo, how can outsiders presume to say what they would have done in the same situation? First and foremost, our aware ness that we are unbereft of our lives, loved ones or dignity must temper everything we say to those who have seen such mis eries. But with that cautious qualifi cation, a few of the writers in The Sunflower advocated forgive ness as a way to move beyond the hopelessness of returning hate for hate. Jose Hobday, a Native Ameri can, recalled the words of her Seneca mother when she was once wronged and wanted re venge: “Do not be so ignorant and stupid and inhuman as they are. Go to an elder and ask for the medicine that will turn your heart from bitterness to sweet ness. You must learn the wisdom of how to let go of poison.” If peace is to be found in the Balkans, the international community must urge Kosovo to learn the truth of Hobday’s insight, to be more human than their hateful tormentors. Such counsel does not show a lack of sympathy or sorrow over the crimes done. Neither is such advice self-righteous, for honest persons will remember how quickly they ponder re venge at much slighter provocations. But we should advise forgiveness because it is the only way to arrest violence. The only path to peace is the wisdom of letting go of poison. That course is difficult, and many wounds in the Balkans will be reopened before they are fi nally closed for good. But without failing to appreci ate the anger expressed by many in Kosovo and many in The Sun flower, those who long for peace must walk a longer mile. For as Desmond Ttitu said in his contribution to Wiesenthal’s symposium, “It is clear that if we look only to retributive justice, then we could just as well close up shop. Forgiveness is not some nebulous thing. It is practical politics. Without forgiveness, there is no future.” Caleb McDaniel is a junior history major. Cabarets not “up to date” In response to July 8 mail call. I agree whole-hearted ly with Nordost’s wish to bring Bryan “up to date" with a cabaret. In fact, there are many regards in which Bryan is quite lacking behind a normal “up to date” city. I am disappointed that along with the lack of sex, we have a lack of violent crime. It is a true disappointment to read local papers and see lit tle mention of murders, robberies or rapes. Perhaps I can mod ernize Bryan by starting a company which will re ally make citizens fear to walk the streets. I am also disappoint ed that the cost of living is so low, unlike many "modern" cities. What a true shame that we are forced to live with this. Also, I absolutely de test people being friend ly. It is such an unfortu nate by-product of that “old style” country living. If we modernized, per haps we could throw that out too. Get real. An argument that a cabaret would “bring this town up to date” is missing the point. Jeff Wischkaemper Class of '02 Since Nordost is “glad people have differ ent opinions," I’ll give my own and say that ap plauding John Skruck is applauding the possibili ty of breaking families apart, spreading dis ease, destroying relation ships and producing sex criminals all for the sake of pleasure. When God gave us the law, he did it for our own good, not so that he Mark McPherson/The Battalion could deny us the plea sures of life. By breaking these laws, we hurt ourselves and other people. McDaniel has shown where the root of the problem lies, and that is the love people have for sin. If you want to bring this town up to date, bring it up by loving your neighbor. John Skruck doesn’t will the good of God or love his neighbors. He loves his money and himself. Armando Chavez Class of '01 Israel should extradite suspect Mark PASSWATERS S ince Sep tember of 1997, there has been only one suspect in a gruesome murder and dismember ment case in southern Maryland. The suspect, a teenag er by the name of Samuel Shein- bein, has been charged with first- degree murder in the death of Alfredo Tello. But Sheinbein has not yet come to trial in this high publicity case because he has fled the country. Since 1997, Sheinbein has been in Israel. Since his father was a Jew who resided in Palestine before the cre ation of the Jewish state in 1947, Sheinbein can automatically claim Israeli citizenship. Attempts by the State of Maryland to have Shein bein returned to face trial have been rebuffed repeatedly by the Is raeli government and Supreme Court, saying in part that a Jew would not be able to merit a fair trial in the United States. Appeals from the U.S. State De partment have been similarly ig nored. But things have changed in the past few weeks in Israel, and it is high time for the U.S. government to once again assist the State of Maryland in demanding that Sheinbein be extradited to face justice. Ehud Barak has been elected Prime Minister of Israel on a plat form calling for peace and cooper ation between Israel and its Arab neighbors. While it is very encour aging that Barak intends to undo the damage that his predecessor. Benjamin Netanyahu, did to the peace process, he should also look at repairing the rift between Israel and its closest ally, the United States. Netanyahu did not simply bite the hand that fed him; he very nearly bit it off. In order to ensure that America will continue to support Israel, Barak must make amends for the sins of the man he follows. Shein- bein’s extradition would be an ex cellent starting point. It is common knowledge that the United States and Israel have been very close allies for nearly a half century. However, in the past decade, that relationship has come under strain. President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Shamir were not on speaking terms, nor were President Clinton and Netanyahu by the time the Is raeli was ousted from office. Some times, American and Is raeli interests do not coincide, but these two men were unwilling to take American concerns into ac count. The past year has been the most glaring example of this situa tion. The United States brought the Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table at Wye, Md., last fall in an attempt to solidify a peace agreement already in place. Several times, the Israelis backed off from positions that they had previously agreed to, in an attempt to gain concessions to the United States, who was not even an active party at the negoti ating table. Once the accords were signed, Netanyahu almost immediately vi olated them, ordering the con struction of more Jewish settle ments on the occupied West Bank and not withdrawing Israeli troops from areas that were ceded to the Palestinians in the Wye accords. In so doing, Netanyahu destroyed any trust that he and the late Yitzak Rabin had gained with the Arabs, and made the United States look like fools for thinking he would stick to his word. Now, Netanyahu is gone, and Barak would like to start anew with the Arabs. However, Barak will not be able to get very far in his plans for peace if he does not have the complete backing of the U.S. Government. There must be some way to prove to the United States that Is rael once again means what it says and is a loyal ally. Sheinbein’s extradition may just be the peace offering that is needed to achieve a much larger goal — peace in the Middle East. It would be simple and correct to say Samuel Sheinbein is an American who committed a heinous crime on American soil and should answer his accusers in an American court. It is equally simple for the Is raelis to say Sheinbein is also an Israeli citizen, and because Israel has no formal extradition treaty with the United States, it can try Sheinbein in its own courts. But looking at the larger picture shows that Israel has some public relations work to do, and it may be time to play “Let’s Make a Deal.” In exchange for the return of one teen-age criminal, Israel would regain the complete back ing of the most powerful nation on earth. Extraditing Sheinbein is a very small price to pay for the prospect of a lasting, continued peace for Israel and its neighbors. Mark Passwaters is an electrical engineering graduate student.