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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1999)
ifei ncaiii :rs,I(| The Battalion o PINION Page 5 • Monday, August 2, 1999 ; on coverage c;, :-handed passes' i, we’ve goi i; in yelled lohinpj -jying for you. Cowboys havci I be back. > all very cm owner Jerry s looking goo; A/e know.” ; is the mostviii lias defense. U";: t cornerback, c, >re his sideolfc CYBERHATE Racists use Websites to propagandize young people T ■ r m. )I inmates a small- He’s also it; ri tying puntrerc f Sanders' imp}; in Dallas’ reco: ,vith him, 2-3 j] ders needs his ■■ for him to be ,se his gameii — quick cuts breakaway spe-l ed to make sd ve can have hi: >d of time,” 1 Beverly MIRELES he Internet is more than just an enter- ■iment-soaked ■traction. It is a tool. An exception- BL’ easy tool, es- •pei i.)l:y for the 2l00 hate groups Ht have sprung up on the Web slice 1990. ■These Websites support the links that can make bigoted software, para phernalia and countless manifestoes available with the click of a mouse. ■The sites are exceedingly easy to reach. If one wanted to find sites relat ing to anything racial, it seems almost certain that they would come across Bbsites such as the World Church of the Creator site, White Pride Network or the homepage of the ironically named National Association for the Advancement of White People. Bpor those with a commitment to spreading hatred and intolerance, Web sites are easy to acquire and easier to Kintain. B Positive things about the “informa tion superhighway,” such as accessibil ity and its low cost, have taken a decid- ledlv ugly turn on the Internet, where hite groups have used the Web’s ac- Icessibility to reach out to not only chil dren but the youthful and educated. ■ Much has been made of the obvious attempt to target children by hate groups. Kids are malleable, and unfor tunately, it does not take much con vincing to teach a kid that he is superi or to people that are different. B However, there are ways to fight back. For parents, there are “Hate Fil- tas” supported by the Anti-Defama tion League that can block certain marked hate group sites. o the A&M Ad hris Richards le: beginning of las said his depart.:- •k of playing fe concussion fora I had a meeting re said. “He si 5 to get into the was very dears going to go will s. ” et Richards ked and the senior] August, ju’re getting chi" here, it’s diffete id. “But you fi from the bend nt a clean slate. I But 1 think in | ax cu t s misuse ie program. Ittcl ace and i« budget surpluses cm blow o;, p rom t i ie Minnesota Daily at the km season s University of Minnesota. Clifton Cook rM MINNEAPOLIS. Minn. — The Nun: HIT- H,iuse Passed Friday a tax-cut ■hoMrslupsiibfPPP^^f 0,1 y he P'°jePted ie departed pli'| d ®J' a ^ uc *6 et surplus, from Brown's! Tl \ e proposal however, is ill- tis formerco t,med ancl based upon unsound itely college £ economic .P oli cy- - aess ’’ McFalb Assuming the economy con- g more and tinues t0 g row - the Projected gov- ously there is: ernm e n t surplus will total $2.9 ut there areur ^^ 01 " 1 over the next decade, ons. The quesi Rather than cutting taxes, me of the cor there are a few more pertinent p 5 es t interest uses for the anticipated surplus, such as the solvency of Medicare and Social Security and the reduction of the national Hebt. If Funds for Medicare and So cial Security are quickly being ved commit d(J P |e1:ed b y the demands of ag- her forwards 'hg baby boomers. Brown, a irf' The national debt, which is transfer from currently $3.6 trillion, should be ned during the largest recipient of surplus ly signing pert Proceeds. 16’6” forward* The proposed tax reduction ryland, signed disproportionately affects the i Bean transTWealthiest Americans, olina State and Households in the highest as per NCAA! one-fifth earnings bracket would| 1 born Tomas" 1., wasthelasj 1 1999 class. as recruiter j d as a resi4 ; Vegas motile tournae] pects. He hasj Adidas-sponsj ? for the Also, many Internet service providers (ISPs) have parental controls that can block any Website, making parental discretion the most formidable control. Hopefully, those types of blocks will keep children from reaching the sites dedicated to turning them into young hate-filled zealots. But those devices rarely stop the av erage college student from delving into the hateful underbelly of the Internet. It is something that is overlooked, but college students happen to be par ticularly susceptible to the rallying cry of hate groups. Most Aggies are from Southern states, and a large percentage are from small towns. Aggies know better than most how insidious racism really is. Personally, it is hard not to notice when your town had a white and non-white cemetery until just recently. On a college campus, it is hoped the presence of so many different types of people would lead to a certain racial equality and understanding. But we have to have noticed how many Confederate flags can be seen on assorted belt buckles, trucks and in res idence hall rooms. The sad truth of it is that some Ag gies are bigots. When you have such a large population of Southern white people, there are going to be racists. And due to the fact that we are sep arated from parents and other mentors, the possibility that those previously la tent thoughts of racist origin will thrive increases. It is disturbing to think some college students, being intelligent enough to get into universities in the first place, could harbor views that are so back ward, but that is what hate groups are relying on. They desperately need not only chil dren, but somewhat educated people who can rationalize their horrible be liefs with pseudo-intellectualism. College is a time where one can break out, learn new things and be come cemented in certain beliefs. The behavioral rebellion that often comes with being away from home can spark a continued interest in racist propagan da. College students have a tendency to fiercely support their convictions, and if those convictions happen to be racist, the possibility of those beliefs strengthening with age is great. We cannot ban racist propa ganda on the Web — ignoring the freedoms of the First Amendment would be as bad as supporting intoler ance itself. But there are ways of combatting it. Nonviolent methods might including contacting local equality groups or visiting civil- rights Websites. If racists can use the Internet to their advantage, so can those of us who seek out equality. Racism should not exist. But un til the day it does not, we cannot just stand idly by while hate groups con tinue to recruit members. As educated citizens, we have to fight back against racism in any form. With education comes responsibility. As people who support equality of all groups, we have to keep up an even greater level of intensity than racists do if we are to discredit their hate-filled Beverly Mireles is a junior microbiology major. Mark McPherson/The Battalion nter or COLLEGIATE ROUNDUP from U-Wire editorial reports receive almost 80 percent of the income tax reductions. The low est one-fifth would receive only 0.3 percent of the income tax re ductions. ... The House’s tax bill is only an attempt to appease voters dur ing the upcoming elections, and not a result of considerate delib erations. ... Rioting must not define generation From The State News at Michigan State University. EAST LANSING, Mich. — The riots that broke out at the con clusion of Woodstock ’99 are only part of the problem with how our increasingly violent gen eration reacts when a large group is assembled. ... The root of this riot is the mob mentality that is giving our generation a bad image. Regardless of whether the reasoning behind it is justified, rioting seems to be growing more common among today’s generation. ... The only way to prevent more riotous behavior is for people to stop and take a look at themselves and the con sequences of their actions. 2000 Olympics deserve support From The Daily Universe at Brigham Young University. PROVO, Utah — Ever since December of last year, the Olympic spirit has burned about as bright as a $1.99 flashlight sold at a countryside gas sta tion. The Salt Lake Organizing Committee scandal had a lot to do with it. ... In the midst of the scandal, the integrity of both the IOC and SLOG as well as the ethics of the entire selection process were called into question on an international scale. Naturally, the Olympics as a whole was cast in a negative light. But have we forgotten about the year 2000? ... While Salt Lake City has been withering under the heat of the scandal, the anticipation for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney has also suffered. ... Yes, scanddl will alwayd grab the headlines, but perhaps we should now shift that attention back to Sydney. ... Scandal or no scandal — it’s time to feed some enthusiasm back into the Olympic spirit. ... Outcome of Iranian protests holds great consequence for U.S. Mark PASSWATERS miter in Hips cat 0 its more at af handt rm, s# >s article' iportuniif •ew it up pvea Joe iut of ret ier fansi' d the 49e ool’s] ireia is a ^ nrnalism ^ B ack be fore Saddam Hussein’s leadership led Iraq to the top of the “Islam ic Nations We Can’t Stand” list in 1990, the Islamic Republic of Iran was considered the greatest threat to American interests in the Persian Gulf re gion. Under the Ayatollah Khomei ni, the Iranians had taken American citizens hostage in side the U.S. embassy in Tehran, had financially support ed terrorist organizations and had threatened American allies such as Bahrain and Saudi Ara bia. Under Khomeini, Iran had be come a theocracy — that m—m is, a nation whose law is based upon religious tenets. Since 1979, Iran’s laws have come directly from the Koran. These rules re quire women to dress from head to toe in black and do not allow them to do many things that West ern women take for grant ed. Also, Iranian schools from newspapers loyal to him. He has also stated he would like Iran to improve relations with the West, including the United States. The prospect of having a more open nation while still clinging to its Islamic ideals has captivated young Iranians, just as Khomeini’s message did their parents. However, Khatami is not go ing to get what he wants with out a struggle. Khomeini and his fellow reli gious leaders are still strongly conservative and are also in con trol of the military. Acting on orders from Khomeini, Tehran police haVe arrested the city’s mayor (an ally of Khatami) and have shut down several of the more moderate newspapers in the past three months. 'The current situation in Iran may well come to dictate America's policy toward the Persian Gulf region for the next 20 years." ly. An eruption of violence in Iran could lead one of two ways: the collapse of the theocratic state or a repeat of Tiananmen Square. Both of these could have pos sibly negative consequences for the United States. If Khatami and his supporters win, the United States may be able to resume a friendship that had existed long before 1979. If they do, however, many conservatives who are opposed to America will become very powerful nomads, much like the Saudi terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Almost certainly, America would be blamed in some part for the fall of the Islamic state, which may lead to a new rise in terrorist activity. But if the conservatives suc ceed, then it is very possible Iran will retake the mantle as America’s greatest threat in the region. Unlike Iraq, Iran can still export its oil and im port weapons. With insta bility rampant in the for mer Soviet Union, it is not out of the realm of possi bility that some very po tent weapons could move south, across the Iranian border. The current situation in emphasize religious studies over other areas. In order to prevent the corruptive influ ences of the outside world (pri marily of the “Great Satan,” the United States), very strict cen sorship has been set in place. Iran has become a police state by using Islam as a pretext. Now, two decades after the revolution that ousted the Shah from power, forces for change have started to appear. The Iranian people elected Mohammed Khatami president in 1997 after he promised to re form the current system. Khata mi was elected over the objec tions of Iran’s powerful spiritual leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, Khatami’s proposals of change in Iran can be considered staggering. Khatami has loos ened some of the restrictions on the media and has allowed some negative coverage to emanate University students have tak en to the streets to protest these moves and have been met with considerable resistance. Khatami supporters have been beaten by police and had their dormitories raided. Over 1,000 of them were taken from a protest two weeks ago and have not been heard from sense. While the students continue to protest by the thousands, the military has come out and pub licly told Khatami his attempts at reform must stop. Their message, which they re leased to the media, stated that they would not take further dis sent. Khatami has refused to budge, and the youth of the na tion (people under age 25 make up 66 percent of the population) seem to be prepared to stand with him. This situation is one the Unit ed States must watch very close- Iran may well come to dictate America’s policy toward the Per sian Gulf region for the next 20 years. If Mohammed Khatami and his supporters succeed in creat ing a new, more approachable Iran, the United States would have one less foe to deal with and perhaps a springboard from which to fight terrorism and arms smuggling. If Khatami fails, tension be tween Iran and the United States would almost certainly return. Frofn a purely American viewpoint, it certainly would be preferable to have Khatami suc ceed in his quest for reform. If he does, a chance for a new start with an old foe is possible. If he does not, the consequences could prove catastrophic. Mark Passwaters is an electrical engineering graduate student.