OPINION
Tuesday, February 15, 2CXX)
THE BATTALION
Page 13
eath by toxic
pudding is
not the way
)st people would
nt to die, but for
ne terminally ill
CufAoplc, this would
literally be an an-
ers to their
ayers. The recipe
KOSOVO
anonymity, said the in
mians from the sob
iver leading to theSer
larae number of Seth:
umphry
imply offers
Information
to audience
pers tried to centre
ic grenade attack
orth, suggesting S<
emhNirhixxi.
•irthis poisonous mixture was one of
■any things a cable access show on sta-
■ons shown in two ()regon cities taught
■s viewers. Derek I lumphry narrated the
| liow, which is based on his book Final
t iv/r. The show explained to the terminal-
ill w hat the three most lethal drugs are.
X JL IWilf how to obtain them and how to mix them
Tito an easy-to-swallow pudding,
lumphry also has a video of the pro-
| CCIQPlj*™ 11 ^ a Website which contains
of the same infomiation as his
V ■ook. The broadcast has raised debates
ibout whether this show should have
ien broadcast on public access television,
tie key to these debates is realizing that
■edom of speech is a guaranteed right.
The debate is not about euthanasia,
lut about one person’s right to offer in
line ... Men stillshuy Ibrrnation that some people want to hear.
'! the nitty -gritty ei. |} re g 0n j s tii C ii rs i and only state to have
o found the lettenn- m r0 p 0Se( j a | au a i| mvm g euthanasia. Tlie
on family, said.
;ht reverent and wore:
mmendmeuntovo
.'ontained in a Vate’;|
ce more than 500ye."
loved me, you'd m.
n on Feb. 14,147:
e British Library
me in March.
1‘Death with Dignity” law allows termi-
lially ill patients to request and receive
t Jethal doses of drugs from their doctors.
\ ne i cseec . r - Pr 0 broadcast this show w ithin that con-
ind your hearts de< f
icen press'ng herfe'
nothcr hath laborc'--, , ,,, , . .... .
i* twhat they want to know. Though many
i no more eel than > T . . •, , , , •
t. do not agree with the show being
is to old-fchibnedtof television, there are
®lso many who do not want talk shows
that vou do,vouv,illtioif such 35 “ Jen T Springer.” But these
t half the livelihoodttf hows are allowed to be broadcast be-
\ woman alivemiglitlf aiJsei£isever y Americans’ right to
i Broducetelevision shows — even if
, Jext is understandable. 1 lumphry is ex-
ercising his right to give the public
vhat they want to know.
Selling the recipe for death
they offend some viewers.
Critics argue there will be an increase
in suicides if this show continues to be
broadcasted. To the contrary, after the
first two airings of tlie show, the local po
lice and crisis hot line reported that there
was no suicide increase. This show
caters to those people who are seriously
ill and do not know about their right to
die w ith dignity. The show does not pro
mote committing suicide on a whim,
rather it advises those who have thought
about suicide and want to know the best
way to go about it. It would be consid
ered a simple self-help show if it did not
convey such a controversial subject.
There most likely will not be an in
crease in the suicide rates of those who
are not ill. If there happens to be an in
crease, they will occur within tlie popula
tion of those who are desperately ill.
Some believe that the show will
Christian Medical and Dental Society,
the show teaches viewers to eliminate
themselves instead of trying to fix the
pain. However, the show does not offer
a spontaneous method of killing one’s
self. Instead, it shows a way doctor-pre
scribed medication can help one com
mit suicide. Humphry urges those who
are temporarily depressed or mentally
ill to ask a counselor, minister or doctor
for help. The show does not promote
suicide as a fix for everyone; it of
fers to desperately ill patients a way
to relieve their suffering.
Many Americans arc upset and angry
that such a show can be broadcast on a
O ne the few
unfortunate
effects of
living in a capital
ist society is the
belief some people
hold that every
thing is for sale.
Recently, people
have been selling
things like Ty Cobb's false teeth
and their own bodily organs.
While uncouth, these all pale
in comparison to what Derek
MARK
PASSWATERS
influence those who are
not of sound mind, such as
troubled youths. Tlie produc
ers of the show put content
warnings on the show be
fore it was broadcast in an
effort to prevent an immature
audience from viewing the show. This
precautionary tactic was an effort to ap
pease the opponents of the show. Tlie
show does not offer methods of suicide
that arc accessible to youth. It offers
guidance to those who are under the care
of doctors.
A recent study says the will to live
among the tenninally ill fluctuates over
30 percent in 12 hours. According to
such leading opponents of suicide like
Dr. David Stevens, executive director of
public access station. They feel that sub
jects like suicide and euthanasia have no
place on television, especially public ca
ble access. Yet, if society regulates this
type of show, the right to free speech will
be lost and eventually even com
plaints about taxes would be against the
law, Freedom of speech means accepting
all speech — even the statements that the
majority of the population are against.
Brieanne Porter is a freshman
chemical engineering major.
Humphry, sales
associate for
the Grim Reaper
sells. Mr.
umphry sells death,
lumphry is the
author of the book Fi
nal Exit and has de
cided to branch out
with a Website and a
television program
running in the
evenings on local ca
ble channels. In this
show, I lumphry shows how — with
the assistance of his book or video, of
course — easy it is to kill yourself.
In one scene, Humphry talks about
how important it is for someone who
is going to asphyxiate themselves to
eat a small snack about two hours be
fore doing the deed.
Why — so that they are not hungry
when waiting at the pearly gates? In
the following scenes, Humphry takes
the viewer step by step through the
process. I Ic shows how easy and
painless it is for someone to sit in a
chair, put a plastic bag over their head
and run carbon monoxide through a
tube into the bag, quickly ending
their life.
The idea that Humphry’s video is
being shown during hours when any
one can see it is disturbing. What is
even more disturbing is his reaction to
the concerns voiced by some that
his video might not be used ex
clusively by those that are fa
tally ill. When asked on
CNN’s “TalkBack Live”
what he thought about
the possibility of
teenagers obtaining
his video,
Humphry re
sponded that he
thought it was
“marvelous” that
his Website was
getting requests
from teenagers for
more information or
the tape itself.
Humphry claims
that he is certain that
these youths are inter
ested in finding out
about difTerent meth
ods of suicide in order
to become more in
formed. A skeptical per
son may be of the opinion
that Humphry is not con
cerned about who pur
chases his book or video
because he will make
money. It does not matter
if the buyer is a 16 year-old who just
broke up with his girlfriend or a se
nior citizen with Lou Gehrig’s dis
ease — any and all customers are
welcome.
The fact that Humphry has placed
more value on making money than on
the lives of other people is very dis
turbing. The concept of euthanasia is
one that evokes different, yet equally
strong emotions across the country.
Some people feel that assisting termi
nally ill people end their lives is
merely ending their pain. Others feel
that people who assist in the deaths of
ill people, such as Jack Kevorkian,
are murderers.
While many people condemn
Kevorkian for his actions, at least he
has the courage to stand up for his
convictions. He has also made certain
that the person desiring his help was
indeed terminally ill. Humphry, on the
other hand, has no idea who he sells
to and does not seem to care.
People that do not have serious
physical problems are now more ca
pable of ending their lives, due to
Humphry’s “assistance.” Humphry,
despite his assertions, is not simply
providing a service to those who are
in the final stages of their lives. If
Program too
accessible for
immature
teen viewers
someone who is not fatally ill com
mits suicide using information pro
vided by Humphry, Humphry should
be considered an accessory to murder.
To make things even more despi
cable, Humphry is making financial
gains through the loss of human life.
Throughout history, people have
made money on the pain and suffer
ing of others. In Roman times, train
ers of the finest gladiators lived in
the lap of luxury. Mercenaries and
assassins have made substantial sums
of money by killing. Now, in a sup
posedly more civilized age,
Humphry has continued the tradition.
Instead of using a gun and a sword,
he uses a computer and television
camera.
What Humphry has done with Fi
nal Exit may be a new low in the an
nals of human history. In previous
eras, people that made money off of
the deaths of others usually had some
contact with the victim. At the dawn
of the 21st Century, Humphry can sit
in Oregon and never face the person
who has “benefited” from his work.
Instead, he can stay at home and
watch the money roll in.
While more and more people (ill
or not), drop dead.
Mark Passwaters is a senior
electrical engineering major.
he trick. She and Fasti
r said.
’ Army is going to hell
20011Old b uildings on campus neglected
ly, February
LY
9, 2000
exas A&M is a
place of cama
raderie, tradition
and decay. Many build-
Jigs on campus are
■rumbling, while Uni
versity officials deal with
Ijnore important issues
IOS, Ond mors as increasing the
^^^^^^^^^is£tudent Recreation Cen
ter fee and building a new luxury dormito-
i}. At A&M, students and faculty are re
quired to learn and work in facilities that
hardly meet modern educational standards.
Administrators ignore this problem and put
Lniversity funds into the renovation of
sales t Obi" Don-educational facilities and buildings on
West Campus,
Various older, historical buildings on
[ampus are being neglected and allowed to
eteriorate. In most cases, it seems that
therthan preserve these relics of A&M his
fory, University
) officials prefer to
TAX TjBpend government
J y X J3 « n d student funds
; building new fa-
A cilities farther and
■ — / 7 farther from main
^ Jam pus.
The Academic
Building, an icon
fthis campus, retains its majestic facade
|ut is deteriorating on the inside. This
ructure is in dire need of repair, but, after
, it only houses the departments of mod-
|rn and classical languages, music and soci
ology. It seems easy for the administration
to tuck away these “inconsequential” facul
ty members and students into a disintegrat
ing facility that has plug-in water fountains
and an elevator that rides like a lawsuit
waiting to happen.
I A classroom on the second floor is typical
of many on campus and reminds one of a
PBS documentary on the struggles of living
in an inner city neighborhood. The plaster is
tracked, the pale green paint on the walls is
eeling and the ceiling tiles are water dam-
ged. The only sign of technology in the
room is an overhead projector on a rolling
cart, while underneath the windowsill, in
boles left by crumbling plaster, there is some
i kind of excrement.
Various older historical
buildings on campus are
being neglected and
allowed to deteriorate.
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The Old State Chemistry Building, better
known as the Analytical Services Building,
is in even worse condition. Walking through
its halls reminds one of the setting of an Al
fred Hitchcock movie, yet it almost holds an
archaic charm. The paint and plaster is worn
and there is an emergency shower outside
the door of a professor’s office. This edifice
has pipes running along the inner walls and
window unit air conditioners.
Why do the building planning commit
tees insist on building costly new facilities
when there are several others that need struc
tural work in order to preserve A&M’s histo
ry, tradition and safety? An uproar would oc
cur if a proposal was made to tear down the
Academic Building; however, no one seems
to care quite enough to fix it. The fact that
renovations were and are being made to
Kyle Field and Sbisa Dining Hall point, not
so subtly, to the idea that at A&M sports and
food services are more important than edu
cation. The build
ings that are the
most dilapidated
and sorely need of
repair are those
where classes are
held.
A&M officials
seem content to
continue to allow
main campus buildings to decay while build
ing new ones across the tracks as a solution
to the problem. West Campus expands while
students attend classes on main campus
where the facilities are hardly a sufficient
learning environment. The decision needs to
be made either to tear down some of these
structures and rebuild or make some serious
renovations and updates to them.
Aggieland is a place that prides itself on
tradition and rich history. If visitors come to
campus and see educational facilities falling
apart and excrement in classrooms, they will
wonder how much importance is placed
upon students’ education — the reason for
this institution’s existence. As buildings on
main campus continue to decline, adminis
trators need to address the problem rather
than ignore it and realize that the solution re
quires more than a new coat of paint.
Summer Hicks is a senior English major.
MAIL CALL
Rudy Giuliani’s actions
justified by situation
/n response to David Lee’s Feb. 14
column.
Is Lee suggesting that being sued is a
realistic indicator of whether or not one is
in the wrong?
Does he not realize how easy it is for a
public official in a liberal city like New York
to draw a lawsuit?
And please tell me how someone can
lose "virtually" every lawsuit that is
brought against someone-eitherthey lose
or they don’t lose.
Lee mentioned several things in his
rambling critique of Rudolph Giuliani and
I must comment on some of these.
First, he listed as an example of Giu
liani’s disregard for the First Amendment
the incident involving city funding for an
art museum. In this case, the museum
was showcasing an art display that was
offensive to people in the Christian faith.
Thus, the Christians of NYC should not be
forced to pay for this exhibit through their
own tax dollars. This was a common
sense ruling. As Giuliani said, "If I can do
it, it’s not art."
Second, Lee listed as an example of
Giuliani's disregard for the Constitution
an incident wherein he attempted to cur
tail advertising for a hostile press on one
of the city's buses. This is an extremely
petty argument. I can find similar acts of
self preservation with any notable public
figure over the last three hundred years,
provided I had the records and time. Peo
ple do these things when they are em
battled (such as Giuliani is).
Lee states, "In both of these cases, it
is ridiculously evident that Giuliani abus
es his power." I ask, how much is Hillary
paying him to forego his journalistic in
tegrity and write this article?
In the last paragraph, what he is trying
to say is that we should all care that Giu
liani may soon rule on issues affecting all
Americans, and that we should all be con
cerned for the future of the First Amend
ment. This is an utterly idiotic assertion.
Lee needs to at least make a credible
argument when casting his pearls before
the swine.
Andrew Ballenger
Graduate Student
Abandoned in more
ways than one
In response to Melissa Bedsole’s Feb. 10
column.
Melissa Bedsole deserves commenda
tion for speaking out in her article against un
just laws that fail to punish those who aban
don their newborn babies. It is quite obvious
that abandonment of a helpless child is a
heinous act of infanticide.
Unfortunately, abortion is another crime
against the innocent that is unchecked and
is even encouraged. Ironically, the article
mentioned abortion as an alternative to aban
donment. Abortion, by its very nature, is aban
donment. Babies abandoned soon afterbirth
are left, helpless and frightened, only to be
gin and end their life in a dumpster. Similar
ly, babies abandoned by process of surgical
or chemical abortion are also left, helpless
and frightened, only to die within the mothers
womb (and sometimes outside) and then
tossed in the dumpster.
Scientifically speaking the only difference
between an unborn child and the rest of us
is age and place of residence. The foolish ar
gument that a human can only exist under
the condition of physical independence of an
other human being can easily be dismissed,
not only by common sense, but by simply ob
serving the fragility and dependence of other
“recognized” human beings such as the el
derly and newborns.
This explains why newborns are not as pro
tected, now, from murder by negligence. It
was only a matter of time until the govern
ment crossed the inexistent line between
harming the born and unborn and, through
the facility of litigation, allowed mothers to
reclaim the children they abandoned.
I agree when the article states that the
“Dumpster Baby Statute” is a “complete in
justice to an innocent child.” However, it
stands as fact that after 25 years of atrocious
slaughter of our innocent unborn children, we
should not be surprised about the degraded
rights of our newborn children.
Christopher Plant
Class of ’01
Different perspective
on racism issue
Being born and raised in Guatemala, a
country with people from different ethnic
backgrounds and a strong tendency to clas
sify its population in two groups “indios”
(Indians) and “ladinos” (non-Indians),
racism is something I have observed in the
groups’ actions toward each other.
After reading some articles in the Bat
talion about this topic, I would like to ex
press some ideas about it. Due to my eth
nic origin, I would be categorized as a
minority (Hispanic). However, I have never
experienced any sign of discrimination or
thought of myself belonging to a “minority”
just because we make up a small percent
age of the student body.
If one day someone discriminates
against me because of my ethnic origin, my
reaction would be one of sadness, thinking
about how that person has such a small
brain. Racism is not a matter of percentages
in a population, but rather a mental con
ception toward people based on its ethnic
origin.
Having access to a position should be
based on ability and not on ethnic origin. Let
us suppose that three people are compet
ing for a position: an African American, a
white and a Hispanic; then the position is
granted to one of them just because he or
she belongs to a minority or a majority and
a quota is supposed to be reached, and not
based on ability. This would be an unfair de
cision to the other persons.
We should consider people as they real
ly are — human beings — and not based
on their ethnic origin.
After writing this article and walking back
home, I left Kyle Field behind me imagining
the Twelfth Man yelling “Beat the hell outta
racism,” thinking, those are the real Aggies,
and feeling proud to belong to this family.
Carlos Monroy
Graduate Student
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