The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, July 12, 1999, Image 5

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    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.