OPINION
Wednesday, March 8,2(KK) THE BATTALION Page 9
Political parties on the beach
n ad). This rate applies
get an additional 5
uled to end to qualify^
Spring break offers students opportunity to get to
the election polls
LP WANTED
/hour average. Also hiring
sply Tues.-Fri., 2pm-4pmatG)
iTIC TECHS needed lo work
ids. Supervises the aquatc?
ill pool exercise classes. Pte>]
rd. will consider aerobics expev
exercise. Maintains treatmedr
Apply at the St Joseph Rest
r 2601 Osier Blvd., Bryan.EOt
college focused internet confmi
ing for innovative individtiils
entreperneural and businasi
qurred Great experience, pj) t
o@uconnections.com
/ELLANEOUS
ur dog? Outside. 12x20ft to
nation call 279-2833.
IRE OFTEN with MYBYTESCJ
get a free CO of cool music
;s, turnout, Shay dressage ir,
emises 279-2833.
TORCYCLE
Hawk 450. $1,200 764-0187
a 600cc. Runs perfect, deary
;k/yellow, D&O slip-on, 7,008™
731
PETS
I bull mix w/kennel and sjppi
led. playful, sweet. goodwMn
Kittens. Cats. Dogs. Mam p;
mal Shelter- 775-5755.
“uppy. 2 months old, has sMsI
sred $300/O.B 0. Call KeaBit
ialifornia-Rex beautiful, whte is
comes with cage, accessrc
AL ESTATE
n, carport, large fenced badgs
. Alford SCompany Reatorsf
OMMATES
irand new 3bdrm/2ba mobile W
isse
louse, CH&A, w/d, fenced,fortes
$250 +util. +deposit. Lori
i/1.5bth, $150/summer, $200t
5 oint, on shuttle 696-5694.
mer sublease,
Call 680-0597.
n @ $325/mo. +1/3bills.
106
Con.
S pring break is
fast approaching
and thousands of
Aggies are planning to
spend their week of
freedom just enjoying
the fact that they will
not have to get up and
attend those dreaded
eight o’clock classes.
For some, the week will be spent at South
Padre Island soaking up rays, while others
will return home to earn a little extra cash.
Unfortunately, for most Aggies, spring break
will not include voting in the Texas primary
and local elections on Tuesday, March 14.
Although many students will spread
across the country next week, many others
will be in their registered voting precinct,
whether it be here in the Bryan-College Sta
tion area or at home.
Unlike the Non ember elections when stu
dents have to either go home to vote early or
cast their ballot by mail, they have the chance
next Tuesday to walk into their local polling
places and cast their votes.
Despite the opportunity created by spring
break, many students will still choose not to
exercise their power to participate in the
electoral process. Citing a lack of time or in
terest, they will not take the few minutes it
takes to vote, and in doing so, they will miss
an important step in choosing the future
leaders of Texas.
Many believe there is nothing more to
next Tuesday’s elections than choosing who
the Republican and Democratic nominees for
president will be.
Although it may seem a given that
George W. Bush and A1 Gore will capture
their respective parties’ presidential nomi
nations here in Texas, the rest of the ballot
is wide open.
Yes, that last sentence was correct. There
is more to next Tuesday than just voting for
one of the big guys.
Those who make it out to their polling
places for the primaries will find that a large
number of state and local positions are up for
grabs. From U. S. Representatives to local
school boards, many candidates for a variety
of important positions will be tested and
eliminated by the electorate next week. In
some races, including a number of mayoral
contests across the state, the winner on Tues
day will be the one taking office.
The local and state races may not have
the grandeur or the media coverage of the
presidential election, but they affect the com
mon citizen to a much larger extent. To any
student who pays local sales taxes, has a
younger sibling who attends public schools
or has an interest in a topic up for debate in
Congress, next week’s elections represent a
chance to help ensure they have a valid
choice to vote in November.
Many Americans do not vote in Novem
ber because they say none of the candidates
on the ballot represent their beliefs or what
they want in an elected official. If they would
vote in March, chances are they would find
the names on the ballot in November a little
more appealing. Like anything else, it pays to
get in on the ground floor.
Students in particular seem to show the
greatest apathy towards voting. At a time in
their lives wfien idealism and activism is
supposed to be at an all-time high, few stu
dents actually care enough to go out to the
ballot boxes on election day. Perhaps this
year will be different.
This year, a large number of Aggies have
a chance to participate in one of the funda
mental duties of citizenship — voting. There
will not be any banners in the MSC pro
claiming the need for students to vote, but
voting next week will be just as important as
planting a tree at Replant or raking a yard of
leaves for The Big Event.
There will not be any T-shirts handed out
to the participants, just a feeling of good citi
zenship and the knowledge that they will
have had a say in what happens to them in
the future. Perhaps most importantly, the vot
ing process represents a chance to gamer
more of the “other education” which Aggies
are supposed to hold so dear.
Next week, students with the opportunity
should take time out during their spring
break to vote. It takes just a few minutes and,
unless there is an accident with the ballot
puncher, is completely painless. It may not
be the most exciting thing college students
can do during spring break, but chances are it
w ill be the most important.
Nicholas Roznovsky is a junior
political science major.
MATT ROY/Thk Battalion
for brand new 4bdrm/4bth coni
680-1776.
wanted. $290 +bills, W/D, privs
1-7801.
emale roommate, brand newapa'
+ 1/3bills. Call Andrea 695-6643
South Carolina decision a victory for ignorance
$273.33 includes rent Shills. Ff
4@unix.tamu.edu
By Nick Zeckets
ERV1CES
(U-WIRE) TUCSON, Ariz. — South Carolina has made a state-
SCORE GUARANTEED!
$199
p ment, and it's a racist one. Last week, the South Carolina State
istruction. 7764-0080.
s Driving. Lots-of-fun, Laugh-a-t*'
rrance discount. M-T(6pm-9|)iT'
&Sat.- Fri(6pm-8pm) &Sat(10a'
:30pm). Inside BankolAmeite
>25/cash. Lowest price allowedR
, Ste.217. 846-6117. Short
017)
live? www.housing101.neL.Viif
fRAVEL
Breakl! Luxurytownhousestei
ver, Angel Fire, Rio Costilla. Si 1 '
i or Tommy 846-8916.
'UTORS
- Math, Biology, Chen#
cs, Botany and more. Appiofte*
2 tutor. Call Sean @ 823-0163
GHT LOSS
bs. in 30 days. 800-571-TRM
ght. Wanted: 43 people to 1 * 1
amended, #1 in Europe
899.
ng Break! Metabolife 356 f 1
great energy boost! Same jit*
: ree delivery in B/CS. Checks* 1
d. Open 24/7 695-6983.
Legislature voted to continue Hying the Confederate flag and al
low state employees to choose between either taking off'the new
ly named “Civil Rights Day” or one of three Confederate holi
days. South Carolina needs to mature into a modern state in this
union and realize that racism is not a substitute for state pride.
Rep. Joe Neal, House leader of the Legislative Black Caucus
attacked racist pride, stating that, “The prevailing sentiment
here was that there would be no holiday honoring a black per
son in this state.” As hard as South Carolina legislators try to
convince the nation and the world that this bill is for the greater
good of the state, all know loo well that there’s no good to come
ofthe legislation.
Debate over the flag is focused on whether it stands for racism
or state respect. Southerners who proudly display bumper sticker
renditions of the Hag on their bigfoot-like pickup trucks argue
that it signifies pride for the region. These are the same worthless
white trash that drag black men from the backs of their trucks un
til the bodies are limp. It’s no coincidence. Surroundings have a
profound effect on actions.
For the majority of this nation, the Confederate flag signifies
not pride, but hatred. It is the hatred that drove an entire culture
to battle, to bleed, in order to maintain the suppression and op
pression of a whole race. Neal pointed out that “The Confederate
flag is racist. It has been perceived as racist by millions of people
across this counffy and around the world.” How does a state
body validate keeping such a symbol flying? Republican Rep. A1
Robinson tried, finding that “there is also a need to acknowledge
that the War Between the States is of... significance to many
Rednecks ofthe world,
celebrate. South Carolina
is leading the way to
"racistville," and showing
the rest ofthe countiy just
how to get there.
South Carolinians as well.” Significance?
South Carolina's future is looking bleak as racism is being
heralded. To all the Billy Bobs and Sally Sues in that great south
ern holdout, I send my deepest sympathies. The state is officially
and legally a victim of sanctioned racism. Legal papers that “rep
resent” the views of all South Carolinians prove as much.
Additionally, the holiday name change reeks of bigotry. State
officials decided to remove the label “Martin Luther King, Jr.
Holiday,” to replace it with the more general “Civil Rights Day.”
The label difference isn't of the greatest import, but it does strip
the real value from the holiday. It no longer honors a man who
arguably had the greatest impact on civil rights reform and racial
equality, but rather trivializes King's place in history.
Far more upsetting is the fact that Confederate-related holi
days can be taken in place of the new civil rights day by state
employees, again allowing prejudiced sentiments to replace civ
il rights observances.
Clearly, the Confederate spirit will die hard, if ever, in South
Carolina. Allowing employees to choose lets them forget about a
civil rights day, having already lost sight of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The importance of racial equality is slowly and systematically be
ing phased out.
Rednecks of the world, celebrate. South Carolina is leading the
way to “racistville,” showing the rest of the country just how to get
there. Honkey-tonks the nation over can pull out the white sheets
and pointy hats, dancing the boot scoot boogie with their siblings.
Hell, spring for an extra can of Skoal and regular Bud — no light
beer tonight at the hootenanny.
Please Rep. Robinson, as a government official, don’t lead your
colleagues, your state and your nation into the gutter. Remember the
Civil War and the lives lost there, but don't remember them as he
roes figtying for right. Remember them as men who knew no better.
Legislators of South Carolina, the bill is being reviewed
and you, as leaders, can usher South Carolina into modernity.
Stamp out racism and restore the Martin Luther King, Jr. holi
day. Take down the Confederate flag. Nothing is gained from
exhibiting the mark of hatred. By doing these things, nothing
can be lost, but a great deal can be gained. Remember the past
and celebrate the heroes.
• Sororities • Clubs
idem Groups
earn $1,000-$2,000 with the$
i three hour fundraising event, ^
using dates are filling quickly, so^
iLisfiindrasier.com, (888) 923-3$
indmiser.com
ESIGNERS
3NISTS
1C ARTISTS
RITERS
’S
iat matter to
pens.
rmalism field,
irience.
dcDonald,
m.
SGA worthy of
praise, support
In response to Eric Dickens'
Feb. 29 column.
Prior to my employment
with the Student Government
Association (SGA), I had little
knowledge of the activities of
Student Senate or the other
branches of SGA.
My thoughts and opinions
were similar to those ex
pressed by Dickens in his col
umn.
Flowever, the previous year
that I have spent in the stu
dent government office has
drastically changed my views
on the role of the various
committees in Texas A&M
student government.
Student senators spend
countless hours drafting legis
lation that will impact the en
tire student body in a positive
Way to improve the University
that we all hold so dear.
Student Body President
Will Hurd and Student Senate
Chairs spend large amounts
of time attending meetings to
voice the opinions of student
government to the appropri
ate sources.
The Senate Chairs and
Hurd, along with Hurd’s staff,
endlessly dedicate their ef
forts to improve the technolo
gy and quality of resources
available to students in order
to maximize our education.
Each committee in student
government strives to main
tain the traditions and culture
that has made Texas A&M one
ofthe most recognized univer
sities in the country.
Their loyalty in preserving
many activities we take for
granted is often overlooked.
1 applaud each member of
the SGA in their efforts to com
plete the duties of their re
spective committee.
1 am proud to be associat
ed with student government
MAIL CALL
and the improvements that
have been made to our cam
pus as a result of student
government.
Dean Jousan
Class of '00
Touchstone a
reputable paper
In response to Mariano Castil
lo’s Mar. 1 column.
Why does Castillo believe
that The Battalion is the only
publication on this campus held
to professional standards?
Personally, I find The Touch
stone’s articles to be consid
erably more professional and
informative than those of The
Battalion. They provide an al
ternative method of reporting
that runs much deeper than
that which The Battalion usu
ally ventures.
Often, the editors include
copies of official correspon
dence and affidavits between
Dr. Ray M. Bowen and various
members of the faculty or
student body.
This allows the readers to
see the different issues first
hand and decide for them
selves what conclusions
should be reached.
Additionally, I have never
seen The Touchstone report
factual information without
documenting exactly what re
source that information
came from.
Does that not qualify as a
professional standard? If so,
how does The Battalion rate?
Controversial topics are of
ten discussed, but most often
the inflammatory statements
come from the submitted es
says of readers, a situation sim
ilar to The Battalion’s mail call.
Most importantly, it is pos
sible to read an issue of The
Touchstone without encounter
ing multiple grammatical er
rors and typos. This was made
possible through innovations
such as competent editing, ar
guably the most fundamental
quality of any “credible
source.”
Is it possible that The Bat
talion is worried about the
competition, or is Castillo sim
ply venting a little steam?
Aaron Lauver
Class of ’OO
The Battalion encourages letters to the
editor. Letters must be 300 words or less
and include 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 McDonald 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
ViEW POiNTS
PETA campaign insults
students, masks agenda
A new campaign by People for the Ethical Treat
ment of Animals (PETA) is urging college stu
dents, with a nudge and a wink, to pick up a
frosty beer instead of a chilled glass of milk. A junk
mail advertisement sent out through PETA’s College
Action Campaign touts semi-serious results from a nu
tritional comparison of beer and milk.
Among the handful of findings listed are such
mind-blowing facts as beer has less fat and cholesterol
than milk and beer is lower in sodium than the white
stuff. According to PETA’s bad attempt at humor, these
are acceptable reasons why consuming beer is better
for a student’s growing body than drinking milk.
But wait —just when a thirsty college student
would start to feign interest or think about chuckling,
the PETA advertisement hits its reader with the punch
line: “Of course, while all [these reasons] are true,”
the advertisement states “PETA recommends fresh
juices, soy milk, and mineral water — even soda —
over milk or beer.”
Hopefully, PETA will forgive its young readers if
they do not laugh or buy into the campaign’s message.
In truth, this hip new image of PETA is just an
empty front employing cheap and low-brow pandering
to the stereotypical image of beer-chugging college
students.
In an effort to reach the youth of America and slide
them their vegetarian propaganda, PETA has come to a
new low by playing to the tired image of students as
depraved and drunken know-nothings that should, as
PETA puts it, make sure their foam moustache is
“from a brew, not a ‘moo.’”
However, PETA’s “humor” is just a segue to the
real campaign which follows the gag nutritional com
parison. This second PETA message is chock-full of
scare tactics, graphic imagery of slaughter houses,
slick word play and gross-out stories ofthe cruel treat
ment of dairy cows. Now this is the PETA people have
come to know and loathe.
PETA’s little pro-beer gimmick may have given a
few undergraduates a creative new reason to drink, but
it also continued the corporate-world trend of selling
down to college students. PETA cannot be faulted for
trying to reach younger supporters, but if it really
wants to convey its message then it should not insult its
readers in the process.
PETA should stick to its tried and true methods of
garnering attention for its campaigns. After all, nothing
says “respectable organization” like throwing red paint
on unsuspecting bystanders.
— Eric Dickens
Bob Jones U. students en
titled to their opinions
T pxas A&M students understand how it feels when
the media romps through a university’s belief
system and then rips it apart on national news.
During the aftermath of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire col
lapse, many students felt anger and confusion when the
media ridiculed the school in the midst of heartbreak.
This is why A&M students should consider the me
dia’s rampage through the values of Bob Jones Univer
sity (BJU) in the name of politics.
BJU is a private 73-year-old Christian university
that is academically successful. It contains six colleges
with more than 100 majors. Ninety-five percent of its
pre-med students are accepted to medical schools, ac
cording to WorldNetDaily. And the BJU press publish
es more home-school curriculum than any other pub
lisher in the U.S. So why did the media make BJU
sound like a swarm of idiots?
Much of the flak came from John McCain and Alan
Keyes, who both criticized George W. Bush for not
condemning some of the school’s policies when he
spoke at BJU several weeks ago.
McCain did not mention that he had also consid
ered a campaign speech at BJU, and Keyes forgot to
mention a stop he made there four years ago.
“Keyes revealed his hypocrisy and insincerity in
the fact that during the 1996 presidential primaries,
he also spoke here and never uttered a word of re
proach against the university,” said BJU school offi
cials in The Truth About Bob Jones University, a
statement released to explain the school’s position on
the recent criticism.
The first criticism stemmed from BJU’s previous
policy against interracial dating on campus. The policy,
created in the ’50s, was based on BJU’s religious be
liefs that world unity leads to the rule of the “An
tichrist” alluded to in the Bible.
“The warning against interracial marriages is not
about the couple, but about the one-world system,”
school officials said. Because of recent criticism, how
ever, BJU decided to delete this policy.
BJU has also been labeled as a “Catholic-hating.”
university. The school admittedly disagrees with
Catholicism because Catholics teach salvation by works
and also consider the Pope’s words equal to the word of
God. But since when does disagreement equal hate?
Labeling groups that openly express alternative
opinions as “bigots,” as the media has done, does noth
ing to further acceptance of all. American’s unalienable
rights give BJU freedom to form and hold its own
opinions, not to mention its own religious beliefs.
Americans, and especially Aggies, should em
pathize with students at BJU. Everyone has the right to
believe as they choose, and ungrounded criticism can
lead to misunderstanding.
— Jill Riley