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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2000)
I riday, February 4.J Friday, February 4, 2OCX) OPINION THE BATTALION the University oflt te first A&M playe te Aggies made itto merican by theAf:; isebal I Americaaai ssociation. son, Holt still hast “To go back andi laved around 70gr one every twogr gone to minor lee for this season-is team along withse he same numbers^ this year is exact!' back to Omaha.' 1 ! .•re and had a shor is get back there.' eason might rely o- at the beginningi ; stumble out ofth; oungsters get disc >ell dotrm for the.I A&M starts offqt, is gain confidence .vith this team. Be- ■nted bunch thinfc spell trouble fore; •elax and enjoy at : extremely in teres-, iseball. See vous nig Shilling is aju \ journalism tz says s for tear laid he won't lelg;| he's now thera >ns. is coachingjor6 irtzsaid he'll sSIki istead oftheitKt® 1 , te responsib^i sivers coachkto gaps. M C'CCC'Wtfat'CO'd i Jim Bakker makes a returns to evangelism ERIC ANDRAOS/Tm Bm im kis T o the cha grin of tele vangelist- weary Christians, Jim Bakker is back in the pulpit. Earlier this month, Bakker re entered the public spotlight wijh an appearance at the First Assembly of God Church in Fort Myers, Fla. The warm re ception he received from the 2,700 wor shippers in attendance shows how selec tive the public’s memory can be. It is remarkable that a seedy sex-embezzle ment scandal can be forgotten so easily. Hopefully, no one will take Bakker’s reappearance as a minister too seriously. I lis criminal past and the questionable tactics he continues to use today cast a shadow of doubt on his attempt at obtain ing redemption. Reserv ations people may have about Bakker should not be forgotten, lest they be doomed to repeat the past. Bakker and his former wife, Tammy, were the “first couple” of televised reli gious programming in the mid-1980s. Their juggernaut PLT Ministries enjoyed unparalleled success, raking in millions of dollars in donations from viewers. "The PLT Club” and “The Jim Bakker Show" were mainstays on major market television stations around the world. Thanks to the PLT empire, Bakker was regarded as one of the foremost authori ties on morality and decency. This regard and stature makes his fall from grace all the more hilarious. On March 19, 1987, Bakker was forced to resign his position in the ministry due to revelations of infidelity in his past. A former secretary, Jessica 1 lahn, revealed their Dec. 6, 1980 sexual en counter. The resulting media frenzy uncov ered more wrongdoing in Bakker’s past. Questions about his business deal ings quickly surfaced. Soon alter, a grand jury found evidence that Bakker had defrauded his followers of $158 million during his tenure at PLT Min istries. He was tried and convicted of conspiracy and fraud in 1989 and was sentenced to 45 years in prison, a sen tence that was eventually commuted. The images of Bakker being marched off to the big house were ab solutely cringe-inducing. Videotape of a slumped and sobbing Bakker literally being dragged from his home in shack les were splashed all over the news. How could this bastion of morality have sunk so low? To be able to forgive Bakker is one thing — forgiveness is completely rea sonable at this point. The man deserves the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and redeem himself. But to allow this master manipulator the opportunity to regain his past levels of influence and power would be very naive and short sighted. Not surprisingly, Bakker’s skill at manipulation reappeared in his sermon at the First Assembly of God Church. “Some of you hate me, I can tell,” Bakker told the congregation. “How many of you want to go to heaven?” As the members of the congrega tion slowly raised their arms high in the air, Bakker pulled the ultimate of underhanded moves — he pointed into the crowd and declared, “You’ve got to love me!” Since when was Jim Bakker anoint ed the sole gatekeeper to heaven? Who does he think he is — Saint Peter? Bakker has a lot of nerve questioning the faith of Christians simply because they do not support him. To draw a par allel between a person’s devotion to God and their trust in Bakker is blas phemous. It perverts the purpose of Christianity beyond recognition. Granted, any sensible person would laugh off Bakker’s rationalization as garbage. But one has to keep in mind that there are many impressionable people out there who w ill gobble it up, the type of people Bakker preyed on be fore his imprisonment. All of this eeri ly foreshadows the possibility of Bakker returning to his shady methods of the past. Clearly, it would be foolish to accept the new Jim Bakker with no reserva tions. It must always be kept in mind that this man is a convicted felon who turned his back on his so-called virtues and easily manipulated the masses. David Lee is a junior economics and journalism major. Colorado Supreme Court should uphold anti-protester law T ii c t< three anti-abortion actix ists, part of a group Of protesters referring to themselves as "sidewalk coun selors," recently appealed a Colorado Supreme Court ruling upholding the 1993 law that set up a 100 foot zone around the entrance of any health care facility. Inside the zone, people may not “knowingly approach another per son within eight feet” for the purpose of handing out literature or engaging in “oral protest, education or counseling” without consent. The sidewalk counselors appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court on the grounds that their free speech was be ing violated. The ease is currently before the court. Jay Sekulow, the lawyer representing the three demon strators, argued the speech in question was “speech in a pub lic forum.” I lowever, there are few conversations that cannot be carried on from a distance of eight feet, provided both parties want to participate. In the words of Chief Justice Rehnquist, “Speech in a public forum typically refers to a soapbox where people gather around, not to face to face con versation from an eighth of an inch.” The Colorado law in no way inhibits the activists’ right to freedom of speech. It simply saves potential medical clients from being forcibly bombarded with a “product” they do not wish to be sold. In the past, there have been two separate court injunctions because of repeated incidents of violence outside clinics. In an environment as emotionally charged as an abortion clinic, the likelihood for violence is simply too great to allow un wanted contact between clients and protesters. Sidewalk counselors often use any means necessary to get their message across. In doing so, they often make dan gerous and incorrect assumptions about human nature, then act on the assumptions to harass clients. According to an instruction manual for sidewalk coun selors from webcom.com, “A mother who is crying does not want the abortion. You must redouble your efforts ... Do not let up on her no matter how tired you are.” The instructions fail to recognize that the woman could be crying for many reasons — for example, family opposition or opposition from a significant other. It is doubtful that even a psychiatrist would be so presumptuous as to make such drastic assump tions about the psyche of someone he or she has never met. The manual also instructs counselors to “Stand directly in her path,... If she walks past you, follow alongside her.” By following this course of action, the counselors assume that persistence will always prevail. But they fail to consider that forcing their unwanted presence on someone who has al ready expressed disinterest is a better way to cause a disrup tion than to get their point across. The instructions further direct, “It is far better to be too aggressive in approaching these mothers than to be timid.” Apparently, the protesters do not comprehend that it is sel dom better to use a blow torch when a match will suffice. If the above methods do not work, sidewalk counselors are advised to take more severe measures. The manual states: “From time to time you will run across a situation in which a woman is prevented from leaving the abortion mill by the start... ” The counselors are advised to go inside and ask to see the mother. The manual then instructs, “When they give you some excuse why you cannot see her do not take no for an answer. RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion Walk boldly through the entire abortion mill shouting her name, opening doors, and looking for her.... Get physical with the staff if they try to block you.... Stop at nothing to get the mother out of there.” fbe iputer ab School vouchers prove to be beneficial IO i extra ;cted extra. es and/or other I t has been well-docu mented that the United States public school system has many prob lems. The system needs a major policy change, preferably one that does not cost more than the present system. The only educational options open to parents at this time are moving to a better school district or sending their children to private schools. However, low-income parents do not have either of these options. The idea of school vouchers, grants given to par ents of underprivileged students that attend poorly- run public schools, is a good one. These vouchers would help offset the cost of private education, and information from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) proves that the voucher programs already implemented in several school districts have been beneficial. Vouchers are cost-effective, improve students’ academic performance and aid public schools. The first issue when considering a voucher pro gram is the cost. Private schools traditionally have exorbitant price tags, but public schools now spend an average of $7,000 per student, twice the average cost of private schools. The NCPA documents the average per-pupil spending by the 300 largest in ner-city public school districts as very close to the national average of per-pupil spending. The prob lem with deteriorating school facilities in these ar eas is more often a sign of mismanagement than a lack of funds. Most voucher proponents suggest giving each parent around $3,000 per student, which is enough for enrollment at most private elementary schools. That payout brings a savings of $4,000 per student per year for the public school system. The public school students and teachers would benefit further since their schools would have fewer students, amounting to smaller, more manageable classes. There are some locations where the voucher sys tem has been tried, and it worked. Milwaukee and Cleveland are two large cities in the United States that have dismal records of success in their public schools. The NCPA states that less than half of Mil waukee freshmen graduate, and only 4 percent of eighth-graders in Cleveland pass algebra. Both have started offering vouchers to over 3,000 low-income students. Alternative forms of education must be compared to the presently disproportionate system Studies done on voucher programs in Milwau kee showed that after three years in the program, students receiving vouchers started showing in creases in test scores which compounded each sub sequent year. A Stanford study of the Cleveland voucher program found the average student gained 5.5 percentage points in reading and 15 percentage points in math between the fall of 1996 and the spring of 1997. Plans to expand these programs have been approved by both the Ohio and Wiscon sin legislatures. There has been some concern that vouchers, by increasing the number of private school students would create a system of haves and have-nots. While there may be an inequality in the wealth of private school students versus public school stu dents, the present system does not give students equality in the caliber of their education. To solve this, alternative forms of education must be com pared to the presently disproportionate system. Vouchers would reduce the educational gap that exists between the rich and poor, since they would only be given out only to less-fortunate children. James Coleman of Equality and Achievement in Education, found that the level of integration in schools is higher in private than public schools. The level of voluntary integration in school cafeterias was higher in private schools as well, according to a study done by Jay Greene and Nicole Mellow. Vouchers offer more students access to the range of benefits that social integration provides. While not every student will be able to attend his or her first choice school, the voucher system would vastly increase the number of appropriate educa tional environment choices for each student. In Japan, the value of expanding a student’s choices has been realized. Japan’s thriving educa tional market makes schools expand their opera tions, just as businesses in other industries do. As successful schools begin to have more applicants, the schools expand their facilities. In America, money available from vouchers could be used to add new classrooms and teachers in order to im prove both private and public schools. Do not be surprised to hear more about this pro gram as the clock ticks toward Nov 2. Gov. Jcb Bush made Florida the first in the nation to imple ment a statewide voucher program last June. His brother. Gov. George W. Bush, discussed a similar plan for Texas involving stripping federal funds from underperfonning schools and giving that mon ey to parents in September — smart man, consider ing that 79 percent of Americans are looking for im provements to schools as a platform of the candidates in the 2000 presidential race, according to WorldNetDaily’s David Limbaugh. The public school system has not always been as it is today, and Americans need to change the failing system. Vouchers may prove to be a viable way to shape up America’s education system. Jill Riley is a senior journalism major. The sidewalk counselors have apparently failed to realize that “abortion mills” are professional medical centers which can legally refuse visitation. The Colorado law was not passed because pro-choice ad vocates want to suppress the opinions of the protesters, but because of reckless actions such as the ones described above. Debbie McCall, Director of Community Services for Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas, stated: “1 do not have a problem with the protesters. I have a prob lem only when they start judging and harassing the clients.” McCall expressed concern that the protesters could occa sionally be dangerous to the welfare oi themselves and oth ers. She described how the protesters have often tried to keep cars from entering the Planned Parenthood parking lot, once nearly causing a wreck. Thoughtless speech that is detrimental to the immediate welfare of others is illegal in any form. Freedom of speech is not absolute — hence the classic example of yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. If setting an eight foot boundary will re duce the risk of bodily harm to both parties involved, it should be enacted and enforced without further delay. The Colorado law does not silence protesters — the ac tivists are still allowed to demonstrate, as well as to invite clients to speak with them about options other than abortion. The law simply gives the clients a right to decide for them selves whether they want to speak with the counselors — the same freedom of choice the United States is reputed to provide everyone. Jessica Crutcher is a sophomore journalism major. MAIL CALL Faith alone not worthy of election /n response to Heather Corbell’s Jan. 28 column. Few can deny that character is, and should be, an important con sideration when considering a can didate for public office. But it is not the only considera tion. It is foolish to assume that because Gov. Bush appears to be a good and decent man that he is, for that reason alone, “fit to lead a nation.” The mere fact of professing himself a sincere Christian is no guarantee that Bush possesses any of the traits necessary to be a successful President. His Christian faith may mean that if elected President, his con stituents need not expect any “Clintonesque” scandals — but it does not necessarily mean that the policies he advocates will prove effective, appropriate or even intelligent. Character is, of course, an important considera tion — but not all well meaning men and women of impeccable character are fit to be the next President. I suspect that character is not the real issue with Corbell, howev er, so much as the fact that the governor is Christian. I cannot help but wonder if Cor bell would be so glowing in her praise if Gov. Bush happened to be a sincere and devout Jew for whom Moses was the favorite po litical philosopher “because he changed [the governor’s] heart”. Or if Bush .happened to be a Muslim, a Hindu, or a Buddhist. Or a man of integrity and charac ter who happened to be an agnos tic. Above all, in spite of the sin cerity of his professions of Christ ian faith, the showcasing of sec tarian religious beliefs in the very public manner of the governor only serves to alienate Americans who are either not religious or not Christian — and betrays the gov ernor's lack of sensitivity toward the significant religious minorities of our nation. Nathaniel Rich Class of '01 The Battalion encourages letters to the edi tor. Letters must be 300 words or less and in clude the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc Donald 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