■Battalion
® ' v
im
ossings
imandwi
y rebels)
across^)
iled 2.(XX
JESSICA
CRUTCHER
DAGEri
ie Russia!
arv must
erne
igh
chool re-
ntly found it
,e CailCiiipropriate to
.aneisSej III tile' a Wald-
t’v regionsn, inning novel
ww Falling on
by David
atersem from
teaching curriculum.
Eiglish teacher Frances Riley
also undergoing disciplinary
tion for requiring her twelfth-
ade students to read the book.
Ncrmally, a high-school ad-
inltration carefully monitoring
v f1l _ ■students’ required reading
* • ould not seem unusual.
P However, it is odd the “inap-
< opiiate” book in question was
'.•^■ e New York Times best-
% Hs list for a year, and was the
cipent of the PEN/Faulkner
L ■d and the American Book-
ij ■s Book Association of the
;ai| Award.
novel’s story, set in a New
ussiafiglt'Bmd fishing town, tells a fic-
:iols story of a Japanese man
rtionislfeRal for the murder of a white
ses plant jan mmediately following
pportisfeBd war II.
r andmcdc terson accurately docu-
s Bts local Japanese families’
Russian vcluntary exile from their
AlexanuH es during World War II, and
■ontinuing prejudice and ani-
^^^^■ty held toward Japanese
.varandr (nij-jeang following the war.
I Hccording to the Washington
■ fts, “Guterson has let the facts
Bit the internment of Japanese
^^Bricans speak for themselves,
rae end, he retrieves an impor-
neVQrcH part t * * lis countr y’ s history.”
' ^y^Bt this point, one is forced to
sseUoof-, OI |der what is so wrong with
^lSSb nove ' was originally
'^ roni oven the school’s
^ingucrn b r Lry ^ recent school-board
■sion reinstated the book in
ie| library).
»ncesince whe original censorship of this
■el is yet another example of
he common underestimation of
IBB ft h school students’ maturity.
■ According to Boerne High
OB Bool principal Sam Champion,
Snow Falling on Cedars was
ouXedfrom the curriculum be-
Buseof “explicit sex scenes and
implications.”
ere also were complaints of
Ssive profanity,
t first glance, these are all
3nable explanations.
■owever, it should be noted
Jiovel is listed as being ap-
riate for grades 10 and up
scholastic-supply catalogs
itibnwide.
ie context in which the of-
jing sections are found also
Jld be addressed.
If is made obvious to the read-
le “racist implications” are
• Pt meant to be derogatory to-
IjCjard any group of people.
^liJl|g u terson uses the offending
INCE1993
CZEB
O
PINION
Page 15 • Thursday, September 30, 1999
Two recent cases suggest high-school students are endowed with
AUENABLE RIGHTS
Banning
sensitive
books
in school
libraries
unjustly
limits
exposure
to good
literature.
JEFF SMITH/Thi: Battalion
language to better illustrate the
plight of Japanese-Americans.
The two “sex scenes” both take
place between married couples —
in no way promoting promiscuity
or sexual irresponsibility.
Overall, there is also a surpris
ing lack of profanity in the novel
in comparison to most modern
novels. What profanity does oc
cur is concentrated in the two or
three pages where one of the
character’s war flashbacks is de
scribed. Three pages of a 500-
page book can hardly be consid
ered excessive.
It is unwise to leave out part
of American history because
some parts of the narrative are
considered distasteful.
The complaints against the
novel might be considered valid
if the students reading the mater
ial were too young to understand
the situation in question.
However, most high-school se
niors have an excellent grasp on
reality. If the high-school seniors
are unable to take a book in con
text that has been approved for
lOth-grade students, then per
haps the school’s administration
should look to itself for answers
instead of simply sweeping the
problem under the rug by ban
ning the novel.
In removing Snow Falling on
Cedars from the curriculum,
Boerne High School administra
tion is denying students many
important lessons. Textbooks do
not teach students the practical
applications or effects of many
historical events.
Champion was quoted as ex
plaining the book’s removal by
stating, “we are a conservative
community. ”
But one can be conservative
and still have a grasp on reality.
Expecting students to gain a true
sense of reality from reading a
textbook is absurd. Actions such
as this leave high-school students
everywhere ill-prepared for both
college and the working world.
Daily life cannot be described
accurately in any textbook, just
as history cannot.
Racism and other undesirable
subjects are a part of daily life.
The sooner high-school adminis
trators come to terms with this,
the sooner students will realize
it as well.
Jessica Crutcher is a sophomore
journalism major.
MARC
GRETHER
A fictional
scenario
from the
business world
can easily illus
trate how high-
school students’
rights to free
speech are un
fairly coming
under fire. Suppose Bob heard ru
mors that his boss, John, is
cheating on his wife with another
of Bob’s bosses, Jane.
So one day Bob and some co
workers drive by Jane’s house.
Lo and behold, John’s car is
parked in her driveway. One of
Bob’s friends snaps a picture of
the situation and leaves the pho
to with Bob for safekeeping.
John then traces the rumors
circulating around the office
about the affair back to Bob.
Bob is then punished, while
nothing is done to John, even
though 35 co-workers wrote state
ments declaring the rumors about
John and Jane began before Bob
ever saw the car.
Bob’s plight may sound like
business as usual, but it is hardly
fair. Regrettably, something resem
bling this fiasco actually hap
pened.
But in the actual case there was
one extenuating circumstance:
“Bob,” or Casey Riggan, was a se
nior at Midland High School, and
“John,” also known as Neil Rich
mond, was Riggan’s principal.
Limiting
students’
freedom
of speech
ultimately
leads to
greater
injustices.
Riggan snapped a photo of
Richmond’s car parked outside
the house of a pretty, young
teacher from Midland High
School.
Riggan’s punishment included
a three-day suspension and
placement in an alternative
school.
By far, the harshest part of the
punishment was that Riggan was
not allowed to attend graduation.
Thus far, Richmond has not
received any punishment.
However, the punishment of
the principal and the school dis
trict may be forthcoming.
Riggan has filed a lawsuit
against the school district in fed
eral court alleging his right to
free speech has been violated.
His complaint is valid. Unfor
tunately for the Midland Indepen
dent School District, schools are
held to a higher standard than
non-governmental businesses. If
Riggan and Richmond were co
workers in a business environ
ment, Riggan would have likely
lost the suit. In some settings, it
is permissible to restrict speech,
enforce dress codes and even fire
people just because .it is Tliesday.
But schools are different. All
students at public schools are en
titled to the right of free speech
guaranteed by the Constitution.
As U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall agreed in his
majority opinion in the landmark
case of Tinker v. Des Moines.
“It can hardly be argued that ei
ther students or teachers shed
their Constitutional rights to free
dom of speech or expression at
the schoolhouse gate,” he wrote.
Later court decisions have
shown that students’ rights while
at school are more limited than
adults’ rights in other arenas.
However, the standard which
schools must use to limit students’
speech is very high. It is clear Rig
gan did not exceed these limits
and thus his right to free speech
was infringed upon.
The violation is made worse by
the fact that he was prevented
from attending graduation by the
school district.
As the Supreme Court has
pointed out, high school gradua
tion is a special event.
Justice Anthony Kennedy in his
majority opinion in Lee v. Weis-
man stated, “Everyone knows that
in our society and in our culture
high school graduation is one of
life’s most significant occasions.”
The “significant occasion” of
graduation was denied to Riggan
because he chose to talk about a
picture his mother says was never
even brought to school. Justice
has not been served in this case.
Only time will tell if anyone
will be punished for this gross vi
olation of a student’s rights.
If no one is penalized, a dan
gerous precedent will be set for
the dimunition of teen-agers’ Con
stitutional rights.
For his part, Casey Riggan will
never have the opportunity to
walk across the stage during his
high school graduation.
One can only wonder how
many more times Richmond and
others like him will wrongly vio
late students’ rights before they
are stopped.
Marc Grether is a mathematics
graduate student.
JEFF SMITH/The Battalion
met
ipi
Euro Di
sterday W
irk outsit
tors a be
movies,
ecu lives
ill erabtf
MAIL CALL
iange will not
ime ‘overnight’
espouse to Eric Dickens’
it. 29 column.
The content of Dickens’
in show Bribe was hypocrisy. It
rmed
Mountain
bms Dickens is observing
b Aggie “unfriendliness’
tudios"i s Bi hjg own pedestal of su-
» of 2001
Kingdom
i-Vallee,
out $670 :
ii takes b
iean
nilarinil
macy. Obviously, as Dick-
abstains from staring at
jiorities, he must fail to
them.
jPerhaps minority enroll-
fcnt is only 15 percent, but
lat is the application ra-
jsatWo fib? Besides, what can a
[■student possibly do to raise
jark wi' .non-white enrollment?
, attend® You also have to take into
watchsIj'Kcount that until recently,
ley chid Tg xas was “ an a \\.
>ws coH> f |ifiite, all-male, all military
at visit^Miversity.” Did you expect a
screen Achange overnight? This is
■lissonsd [hardly f a j r .
I The “friendliest universi-
ials als° ,ty campaign is not meant to
J since 'cloak the stereotypical back-
ivie sh Woods, country-bumpkin
ors. Racism at A&M, but to en-
has said ,1^0 friendliness at A&M.
' the caf 1
rrent m f Kevin Burns
I Class of ’02
--•''Orgasm lecture
Sp was indecent
I I read with interest the ar-
Mall jticle about the lecture given
1 J
by Dr. Rachel Maines on the
Texas A&M campus regard
ing female orgasm. Ravi
Zacharias’ words in Deliver
Us from Evil, Restoring the
Soul in a Disintegrating Cul
ture are a fitting commen
tary on Dr. Maines’ lecture.
“In the name of non-of-
fensiveness, religion is pri
vatized and relegated to the
home, while in the name of
freedom all kinds of inde
cencies and abandonments
are made public,” he writes.
“How ironic that sexuality
and nudity, which are meant
to be private, are now fare
for public consumption while
spiritual convictions, which
are meant to strengthen
public polity, are now for pri
vate expression only.”
Margaret Reese
Staff member
The Battalion encourages letters
to the editor. Letters must be 300
words or less and include the au
thor’s name, class and phone num
ber.
The opinion editor reserves the
right to edit letters for length, style,
and accuracy. Letters may be sub
mitted in person at 013 Reed Mc
Donald 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: battletters@hotmail.com
Mumia supporters should re-evaluate position
I n the never-
ending crusade
for an equi
table criminal jus
tice system, the
name of Mumia
Abu-Jamal has
become a favorite
rallying cry.
Currently on
Pennsylvania’s death row, Abu-Ja
mal stands convicted of the 1981
murder of Philadelphia police officer
Daniel Faulkner. The allegations that
Abu-Jamal was found armed at the
crime scene and later gave a confes
sion solidified his status as the
prime suspect.
In an ensuing media frenzy, Abu-
Jamal’s right to a fair trial was clear
ly abridged multiple times. Facing a
biased judge, inadequate counsel,
unreliable witnesses and a white-
dominated jury, his odds for acquit
tal were slim.
Given these disadvantages and
the fact that he was an outspoken
African-American activist and for
mer Black Panther, Abu-Jamal’s fate
was sealed from the very beginning.
Soon after his conviction and in
carceration, the “Free Mumia”
movement was established in order
to raise awareness of the injustice
done to him. During the past few
years, the movement has enjoyed its
strongest following yet with various
celebrities and musical artists
throwing their support to the cause.
Feeding off of this new-found
support, the Free Mumia movement
has been able to motivate student
groups around the world into hold
ing numerous protests and march-
ins demanding for Abu-Jamal’s re
trial and subsequent release from
prison. A recent example of this
support was the celebration of Mu
mia Awareness Week which began
on Sept. 19.
However, there is one serious
problem with the movement’s mes
sage. While Abu-Jamal rightfully de
serves a retrial, a disturbing miscon
ception has emerged that Abu-Jamal
is an innocent man who has be
come a martyr, fighting for justice
and racial equality from behind
prison walls.
Many of his supporters fail to re
alize that, if anything, a retrial will
solidify his guilt.
During the years since his convic
tion, new evidence has been uncov
ered and previously unknown wit
nesses have come forward with new
information. The sad truth is a retri
al does not automatically deem
Abu-Jamal an innocent man.
A clear distinction should be
drawn between Abu-Jamal’s right to
a fair trial and his guilt or innocence
in regards to the murder. Realizing
this difference, the Free Mumia
movement should rethink its pro
motional tactics.
( In a controversial report broad
cast earlier this year, ABC’s “20/20”
performed an in-depth analysis of
the Free Mumia movement and the
life of Mumia Abu-Jamal.
In their report, ABC News uncov
ered several bits of new evidence
which will become very relevant if
Abu-Jamal is ever retried.
In his original trial, two key bits
of evidence were missing: ballistics
tests linking Abu-Jamal’s weapon to
the murder and more witnesses of
his alleged confession.
Years later, it was discovered
there were indeed ballistics tests
performed on the bullet fragments
found in Faulkner’s body. An ir
refutable link was discovered con
necting the fragments with Abu-Ja
mal’s gun at the crime scene. Why
this evidence was not introduced by
the prosecution during the original
trial remains a mystery.
Although he was
unfairly tried,
Mumia's guilt is
virtually assured.
Also during the original trial, a
Philadelphia police officer who
guarded Abu-Jamal while he was in
the emergency room testified. He
swore he overheard Abu-Jamal
bragging about how he murdered
Faulkner in cold blood. Mumia’s de
fense at the time contended the offi
cer was not credible because there
were no other witnesses who
backed up his claims.
But interviews were later discov
ered with a large number of people
in the emergency room who claimed
to have witnessed Abu-Jamal con
fess to the murder. In many cases,
they recited word for word what
they overheard. Once again, the ab
sence of this evidence at the original
trial is baffling.
Naturally, the Free Mumia move
ment immediately blasted ABC
News and “20/20” for launching a
smear campaign against Abu-Jamal.
Nonetheless, they have not been
able to come up with any viable ex
cuses to refute any of this new evi
dence. Considering this turn of
events, it would make sense for the
Free Mumia campaign to streamline
its message: Mumia Abu-Jamal de
serves a retrial but is not necessarily
innocent. Not surprisingly, they
have failed to respond, clinging to
their blind assertion that Mumia is
innocent no matter what.
At a concert held this January in
East Rutherford, N.J., CNN depicted
enraged students carrying signs of
Abu-Jamal with a raised fist. The
phrase “refuse and resist” was
splashed everywhere. It was made
perfectly clear that the concert-go
ers, largely college students, bought
into the misconception that Abu-Ja
mal is absolutely innocent. For
every person asking for a retrial,
there were many more screaming
about Abu-Jamal’s absolute inno
cence and unjust imprisonment.
Without question, a clear and
definite distinction must be drawn
between the two legal issues at
hand. Abu-Jamal’s alleged guilt and
his right to a retrial are clearly inde
pendent and non-related legal is
sues. With the Free Mumia move
ment Unwilling to encourage such a
distinction, a dangerous cloud of
confusion has formed.
Such a course of action is unfor
tunate because if Abu-Jamal is even
tually legitimately proven guilty, the
Free Mumia movement will go
down in history as a sham of mas
sive proportions.
David Lee is a junior
economics major.
1 ms*