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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2000)
j OPINION iday. January 31,2CKK) THE BATTALION Page 9 What would Jesus do? lush sets example by openly embracing Christianity I HEATHER ( OKBI l I 3AVEL j) This rate a:: ne of the additional: 8most (*nd to W'JK memo- e ii lages for —ty I cxas Mfetudents RVICES ntlicl l > t )9 'ie 11 on fire ; v ap$<e was vetiior George <»«*:> ■ Bush sifting in the pews of an' , Central Baptist Church during r——:^B<irial ser\ ice. It is memorable he- se ('t his presence, and because he red rhe grief of this campus. It is unfor- abl ■ because he refused to speak. Pas- Chi s Osborne began his message by ii im6mi6 ing that he had asked the governor to . 0" re a few words, but w'as refused be- " "" selUish would not bring politics into a ————^■‘lal service. This kind of respect for !*,* .»»-*• ^san.tity of life is continually evident mwtm, he governor campaigns for the presi- eyl I lis profession of the Christian »HT LOSS h is sincere, backed up by his platform . uewi, 1 the transparency that he allowed ““ " mbe rs of this community to see w hen wor .biped here last fall. As hymns and _ogk'S Boated through the still, shocked ^ of ( entrafs sanctuary, the Governor of •« :as[w ept. Few things were more en- iragmg to Christians at that time, when zedy and death hung over the campus, IdttaliO' 11 C * 1 ’ cover ' nL l * Klt t * lc man might .. ; da> he President of the United States II 111)6 la legitimate spiritual side. Bush is a access tc mine, devoted Christian who sidesteps self-promoting compromise of modern litics. as evidenced by his unpopular re- r^^j^^tion ol abortion (though he continues to ■ for exceptions) and his push for ab- v % Htencc education instead ofsafe sex doe- ^ There has been some debate over the A S from icerity of Governor Bush and other : . tdd p -sidential candidates who claim to be iristians. 7/ie Dcs Moines Register, for ovides cor stance, skeptically counted the number coverage ' t j mes l | ult Republican candidates used The SaffaC c nanK:s of God, Jesus and the I loly airit in a debate that took place in Iowa v vi w Monday night. The Register argues it candidates spout broad-based Christ- j ar g' m 111 order to secure votes in the Judeo- ristian community. Bush rebuts such claims saying that he wants people to vote for him talion.tamuause they believe in his platform and they st him — not because of his religion. Bush is ^ver\ way honest, answering questions nit his faith and influences truthfully but not nipulating them to secure votes. RUBEN DELUNA/Thi Battalion Other newspapers have dredged up Bush's former alcohol use in an attempt to falsify his claims of clean living, as they successfully did with President Clinton and marijuana in 1992. Instead of defending his actions as Clinton did. Bush admits his fault and credits his reform to the spiritual renewal he experienced after a heart-to-heart with Billv Graham in 1985. He describes Graham’s influence as having “planted the seed in my heart that grew over time.” Many Christians go through similar peri ods of self-evaluation at intervals in their lives when they realize that they have strayed in their relation ships with God. Though always Christians, they may struggle with particular sins that separate them from God, as Governor Bush did with alcohol. Graham’s example of living a life above reproach opened Bush’s eyes. Today, when asked about influential people in his life. Bush responds, “Christ, because He changed my heart.” It is easy to understand, howev er, why the media (and voters) might be confused about what the claim of being a Christian really means to politicians. They have seen too much contradiction in the rhetoric of Bill Clinton, who pro fesses to be a member of the Southern Baptist Church. His painfully public struggles with adultery, perjury and cover-ups have desensitized Americans to genuine Christianity 7 . President Clinton loses his credibility as a Christian because he attempts to explain away these struggles, as many people do under intense pressure. By lying, he doubles his burden of fault. In admitting mis takes and explaining redemption. Governor Bush allows himself to be covered by the infinite mercy of a forgiving God and the temporal empathy of a sinful nation. The media may ask what a true Christian is, and they can find the answer in George W. Bush. Chris tians recognize their mistakes and their inability to redeem them selves. This is the story of redemp tion for Governor Bush and all Christians. He explains the change as “a renewed purpose that 1 hadn't had in my life prior to that.” George W. Bush has as many skeletons in the closet as anyone, but the world is welcome to look at them in the context of a freshly cleaned house. He is the kind of man w ho has gained wisdom from tough experience. 1 le is the kind of man one trusts because his humanity is obvious. He is the kind of man that could lead a nation. Heather Corbel! is a junior English major. Students insensitive to B-CS community T he majority of students attend ing Texas A&M do not call College Sta tion home. Undergradu ates hail from many cities in Texas, as well as other states and coun tries. Most students come to Bryan-College Station to attend school and leave immediate ly after graduation without giving a second thought to the city in which they lived. Stu dents see this community as a pitstop on the journey to a better destination without ever contributing to its improvement. In a sense, students are guests that show disrespect for this community. While at A&M, students attend classes, work part-time jobs, study and party. They live in Bry an-College Station because it is the home of A&M, not because they toured the city during a college day aid appreciated what it had to offer. The city of College Sta tion is not able to pick and choose w hich resi dents to accept into its city limits as a univer sity does. If a student is accepted to A&M, the city is forced to accept him or her as well. A&M takes pride in the existence of hun dreds of student organizations, which range from fraternities and sororities to the Tradi tions Council to intramural sports. Most groups target students looking for social, campus or sports related involvement. Find ing service organizations that interact w ith the Bry an-College Station community is a difficult task. This fact points out that as visi tors of this community, students are too self- absorbed in their own activities to consider the lives of those living around them. Most students reside here and move on without considering the effect their presence had on College Station residents and the city itself. Aggies may consider these mere facts as part of the college experience, but the truth is that many other people are involved. These people are permanent residents that deal on a daily basis with the negative consequences that students bring. They are forced to cope with the overcrowding of their roadways and businesses, the debasement of their property and the disturbances of negligent undergrads. The problems that Aggies cause in Bryan- College Station are manifold. The added number of vehicles on the streets causes a higher occurrence of accidents and heavier traffic. The careless driving of students frus trates native residents. The increase of peo ple patronizing local businesses and restau rants result in longer lines, extended waits, and difficulty finding parking spaces. Students also contribute to the problems of pollution and litter. Their lack of concern for the cleanliness of roadways and neighbor hoods contributes to the overwhelming task of highway cleanup. Aggies leaving trash and beer cans at the Brazos River and Lake Bryan shows a lack of respect for other visitors. Aggies promote the existence of the over abundance of bars and clubs. Their inclina tion to abuse alcohol is irresponsible, and their risky behavior results in legal problems such as DWIs, MIPs, assaults and noise dis turbances. This also sets a negative example for local high school students as they see their older friends drowning themselves in beer every night at Northgate. The need for inexpensive, temporary housing results in the building of an abnor mal number of apartments and private donni- tories that devalue neighborhoods and sur rounding property. Residents find it difficult to sell property in neighborhoods that are pre dominately occupied by college students. Rent prices become higher because owners know that several tenants can each pay more than the total income of one family can af ford. In addition, approximately 25 percent of the student population live in on-campus dor mitories and are not forced to pay property taxes. This creates a disparity betw een the number of people using city sen ices and those that pay for them. It is true that college students improve business in the Bryan-College Station area. However, only a small percentage of the local population actually benefits these businesses and profit from this additional patronage. Programs such as Big Event are de signed to assist and give back to this com munity. While these projects exhibit good intentions, the fact remains that getting in volved a day or tw 7 o out of the year does not constitute as community involvement. Only a small minority of A&M students actually contributes to the well-being of these two cities that are overrun. Aggies must realize the impact they have on Bryan-College Station and its residents, and make a conscious effort to respect both. They have to remember that these people tol erate frequent displays of irresponsibility and indifference. Students need to make sure that their presence does not become an over whelming burden to neighbors. Every 7 semester, the conclusion of final exams brings a sense of freedom to Aggies as they pack up their cars to head home for the break. If students were to listen closely as they reached the city limits, they would hear a faint sigh of relief from the city. Summer Hicks is a senior English major. SUMMER HICKS Orf-^rrn JITt £ s your !\ST mi MAIL CALL oncept of ‘family’ ike your jffj cu |t t 0 define r pictun. response to Heather Corbel I's Jan. 28 lumn. he 2000 . I am constantly astounded at the ieland' imber of ways people manipulate iristian scripture in order to justify |otry. I saw it once again in trbell’s column. It seems that spouting a Bible verse two is sufficient to invalidate the lole concept of a homosexual family, cording to Corbell’s philosophy I did tgrow up in a “family” either, as my id was predominantly absent. I’m sure 2re is a Biblical anecdote that might nveniently explain my situation as well. Dicture t£ Also ’ l ci like to P° int out that it does- . ' take one man and one woman to qcjie and Y a as corbell decrees. It R Photogra[ <es one e gg anC j one S p e rm and, de- 31, 20lite the best efforts of science and ed- text to Ccation, people like Corbell still believe l410TexasA 3 t AIDS and other human sexually 9 a.m. - no> transmitted diseases are exclusively a homosexual problem. I can’t believe this kind of blatant dis criminatory rhetoric can even be printed ina college publication. The last time I checked we were engaging in “higher learning.” Caleb Kennedy Class of ’00 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let ters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy, Letters may be sub mitted in person at 013 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters 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 An idiot’s guide to being attorney general Reno will be remembered for administration of incompetence, not heroics MARK PASS WA T I RS A A s the sand in the Clinton adminis tration's hour glass becomes less and less with each passing day, the word “legacy” is uttered more often. Clin ton and members of his cabinet are going to great lengths to ensure their place in history is secured. Among those concerned about their legacy is Attorney General Janet Reno. She has a dozen members of her staff working on a book trumpeting the successes on her watch. If that is the case, it may be a short book. A longer book that documents the positives and the negatives would be a more accurate por trait, as it would show multiple instances of incompetence, arrogance and outright igno rance of the law. Since her appoint ment in 1993, Reno has trampled the Constitution, helped mask evidence of Justice Department foul-ups and refused to investigate potentially se rious wrongdoings by the Clinton Administration. It was not long before Reno made her impact. Thirty-six days after be ing sworn in as attorney general, she signed off on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms’(ATF) assault on the Branch Davidian compound. The assault — a sui-prise attack which consisted of ATF agents riding up in buses — cost the lives of four agents. The reason given for the assault was that the Branch Davidians had automatic weapons, none of which were banned at the time. After the explosive conclusion of the Waco incident, claims of government mishaps quickly drew attention. Reno testi fied before Congress that the gas that flooded the compound before it burned was not flam mable and was merely tear gas. She also said that no federal agents fired into the compound on the last day. In the last several years, after substantial interference from the Department of Justice (DOJ), it was proven that little of what Reno said under oath was actually true. Former Senator John Danforth’s commis sion into the disaster found that some of the gas shells fired into the compound were not only flammable but were slightly less potent versions of a gas the Israelis used to kill Palestinian terrorists. Videos surfaced of federal agents firing into the compound. Reno has since admitted to all of these mistakes, claiming that they were “minor oversights.” Then again, Reno also defended the use of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Army’s primary armored person nel carrier, at Waco by saying it was “an up scale rental car.” Another Reno supported issue is forfei ture. Under current federal law, a citizen that is arrested is susceptible to having their prop erty seized. Even if the property does not in volve the case or if the suspect is found to be innocent, the government is allowed to keep book about Reno would show multiple instances of incompetence, arrogance and outright ignorance of the law. the property. For each of the past three years. Congress attempted to change these laws, and their resolutions were vetoed by the Clinton Administration at the recommendation of the the attorney general. Reno came out in favor of increased federal jurisdiction on seizing all assets belonging to arrested persons under the suspicion of a criminal offense. Reno is a Clinton appointee, and she has gone above and beyond her duty than merely paying Clinton back for her appointment with her handling of the Independent Counsel statute. While Reno did allow the appoint ment of Kenneth Starr to rummage through Clinton’s actions in the Whitewater investiga tion — and later, his uses of cigars — she re fused to appoint an independent counsel to in vestigate the co-opting of FBI files by the White House or illegal campaign contribu tions from China. Both times, she claimed there was not enough evidence to support an independent counsel, even though FBI director Louis Free publicly disagreed. Reno was found to be in contempt of Congress after refusing to turn over documents to Senator Fred Thompson’s committee investigating China’s illegal cam paign contributions to Clinton’s 1996 re-elec tion campaign. Reno’s rejection of the Constitution does not stop at the second and fifth Amendments. She also targeted the first Amendment as well as the separation of powers. In 1993, Reno threatened to increase federal supervision of television if networks did not tone down their acts. Now that the networks have decided to reject the Clinton Administration’s attempt bribe them into making programs that they deem acceptable, Reno again made rumblings about increasing federal control over content. Now, during the Elian Gonzalez episode, Reno overstepped her bounds. In saying that the INS deci sion on Gonzalez will stand and that he must be in Cuba by Feb. 1, she is ignoring the powers of Congress and the judiciary. Elian has been subpoenaed to ap- pear before Congress and a restrain ing order placed against his leaving the coun try. If Reno knew the law, she would know that she cannot arbitrarily overrule Congress or the court. Reno’s legacy not only shows that she does not know the law, but that she does not care. Such disdain for the Constitution is mind-boggling. A person has the right to think that free speech should be limited or that guns are wrong. They even have the right to think that the federal government should have more power. What a person does not have the right to do is simply decide that their ideas are right and ignore the rule of law. Even if they are attorney general. Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major.