AMY Texas AgpBPen United (©tt£ JVrmg Texas Aggie Men United Men’s Leadership Organization Founded Texas AdrM University, November 4, 1999 One Army would like to present and recognize it’s charter class for Fall 1999. These men have shown heart and dedication to taking this dream and making it a reality. Brandon Lynch Jeff Winegarden Brian Barrow Jeff Schultz Carlton Hereford Jerrod English Carson Weber John McFate Case Copeland John Kitsopoulos Chris Chavez John Wilson Cliff Bertholf Jordan Sass Cody Compton Justin Lowenstein Cole Robertson Justin Taliaferro Collin Korenek L.E.W. Weaver Diego Garcia Lee Vi Moses Eric Krupala Matt Rossiter Eric McAfee Mazin Foteh Geoff Spahr Patrick Brensinger Hal Burgess Rod Ratcliff Hunter Helal Roslan Hassan Jason Rodriguez Steve Lacorte Jeff Fleener Steve Mota Swen Aron One School, One Spirit, ONE ARMY. The Battalion o PINION MAIL CALL Aggies should keep the victims in mind I have been teaching at Texas A&M for 30 years. If students have been here for more than a few years and are feeling pain from the Bonfire collapse, imagine how the "oldtimers" feel. Aggies owe each other some thing. We have grieved too much this year for lost students. The next time students are about to exceed the speed limit on Texas Highway 6, please re member the 12 that have died and slow down. The same goes for getting drunk in unsafe sur roundings, driving when too tired or any number of other dangerous activities. I attended the beautiful service for the skydivers who died and the awesome service at Reed Arena for the Bonfire victims. I do not want to attend any more. Please remember the 12 and be more careful. William Bassichis TAMU professor WTO protesters are wrong about issues In response to Caleb McDaniel’s Dec. 3 column. These are indeed vital human concerns about which there are protests in Seattle. But it is impor tant to remember that citizens of third-world countries have a differ ent word for "commerce, untem pered by conscience," they call it Save 50% on card calls And spend Spring Break in Cancun, not Kansas. How do you make a calling card call using 1-800-C0LLECT? It's easy. lust dial 1-800-C0LLECX and bill your call to a card you already have in your wallet. You can use a participating credit card or local phone company calling card—at half price* So try it today, and start counting those pesos. 1-800-C0LLECT Now For Calling Card Calls. www.1800collect.com *Savings vs. AT&T basic rates for interstate card calls. Participating cards only. Offer ends 1/31/00. opportunity. True, working condi tions in many of these third-world sweatshops are deplorable. But it is better than these peo ple languishing in poverty. It is the lesser of two evils. Active assistance by capitalist corporations (however self-moti vated they may be) does far more for these people than riots and hand wringing. David C. McCaughrin Class of '99 Simply because most of the protesters in Seattle did not par ticipate in the violence, it does not take away from the idiocy of their ideas. All of their empathetic pleas are based on their pampered bourgeoisie lifestyles. First, McDaniel and the protest ers bring up environmental con cerns. The normal agrarian occu pation in many third-world countries is the environmentally disastrous slash and burn system of farming. They toil away on half acre plots producing a malnutritioned existence. Secondly, no one is forcing these people to take these jobs. How are they exploited when they choose to take a job that provides more income than their previous occupation? Thirdly, McDaniel makes claims that in America, "the rich are get ting richer, and the poor in are get ting poorer." Wrong, that is just a rhetorical catch phrase. The fact is that all sections of American society are getting richer. If we allow for those who are stuck in the past to guide our future, the poorest countries have no hope to free themselves from malnutrition, sickness, and poverty. It is an insult to makef ate something asfowa how to raise hisownsj- There has been that the father is ir gerous as a parent, anj! ing driven by our that "everybody" would off if he lived in the Uni with all of our material I love the U.S. andtft live here; but there are'- of people who do notf,; about moving here. Wes honor that choice. The facts are well esfe that children are betters they stay connected tot diate parents. If this were not true, 1 should take every child and move him orherintc class home right now.Ii could share our wealtha problems in one genera: As to the child's allege of staying in the UnitedSt absolutely too youngtooe: himself because he cam stand the long-term impl« Secondly, he is seques from the influence of If he were in Cuba an asked the same quest* suspect that his answ be flip-flopped. We will do him a favor kept out of the courts a child is immediatelyreti Putting it into the legal! spoil everything forever pecially the boy and his Leave them alone. iday • Dece (L to R) , Te: Artifacts shw( be memorializi Brian Shelley Class of '99 Cuba, father right in custody battle In response to David Lee’s Dec. 3 column. I am glad to seetl versity is taking the ii planning to preservether for the future. A similar^ done at “The Wall" inis' D.C. preserving the artfefi to by Vietnam memorial Many of the artifacts ars placed in a rotatingdispiij the Smithsonian. Texa; College tragedie ering of convicti man to r student: campus Most nation 1 tioning tions an Yet, it w moved 1 the cam Lo 1 A lav PauIBi There is no phrase more con sistently misused than "best inter est of the child." In this case, the state of Flori da, the U. S. relatives and the State Department will do a good deed if they will acknowledge the fact that the father is the only per son who has the responsibility of deciding this issue right now. If the father lived in Florida, it would be a slam dunk that he would get custody. If he then moved to Cuba with his son be cause he chose to, there would be no way to stop him. He does not have to "compro mise" with other family members. The Battalion encourages lettffil itor. Letters must be 300wordsoiq elude the author's name, class? number. The opinion editor reservesfel letters for length, style, andaccaa| may be submitted in personat013' Donald with a valid student ID. Letles| be mailed to: The Battalion ■Mail Cal 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M Universit) College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-264' E-mail: battletters@hotmaW QoCden ‘Ney National Honor'Society General Meeting Tuesday, December 7th 8:30 p.m. Koldus 111 pk r-izz: a - s>tr.oiviboi_i- hoao. 409, Medium One Topping Y\i $3.50 * Order 3 for free delivery 693-BUG Y2K COMPLIANT 4 su ■•Texas A< Team pre Accidents Happei| Emergency Contraception pggies pn [horns, jk on 1 -800-230-PLAN » connected to the nearest clinic * www.pphouston 0 P Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas, Inc. listen to I P-m. for d news.