Tuesday, May 30,
THE BATTALION
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Fuesday. May 30,2(X)0
INI
THE BATTALION
Like baseball for politics
Orioles owner trades commitment to win for Cuban political stance, unfair labor practices
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Page 5 i
ince their inception in 1954, the
Baltimore Orioles have had a
tradition of winning in a classy
manner. The "Oriole Way," as it is
known, developed such Hall of
Famers as Brooks Robinson, Jim
Palmer and shoo-ins Eddie Murray
and Cal Ripken.
Unfortunately, the "Oriole Way"
has taken on a totally different meaning since local lawyer
Peter Angelos bought the team in 1993. Angelos has
scrapped the Orioles' commitment to winning by develop
ing players and replaced it with the attempt to buy champi-
|onships, which has backfired miserably. Brooding, under
achieving malcontents like Albert Belle and Roberto
battering the record off!-1 Alomar have, in the recent past, marked Angelos' reign.
Now Angelos has taken the Orioles and made them a
a set by the top 50 moviess
rial Day weekend in 1997.
? big weekend gave air:
to this year's overall box ti
nning about 9 percent ahe;
when audiences shelled a
$7.5 billion.
hat an explosive way tostan:
er," said Chuck Viane.hea;
ution for Disney, which hi:
and No. 3 movies. Disney's!
was in second place witiix
a in its second week, while)*
in's comic Western, Sk:
debuted with $19.5million
? weekend's only other k
, Demi Moore's Passionofil
If Angelos wants to hold political views,
he should be allowed to do so. However,
he should not be allowed to use his team
as a bully pulpit to enforce his views.
political statement. Angelos has decided that in order to
show his support for President Clinton on the Elian Gonza
lez issue and to demonstrate his own view that sanctions
against Cuba should be lifted, the Orioles will not sign any
Cuban player who has defected to the United States. Not
only is Peter Angelos showing himself to be a monumental
idiot, he is cheating his team out of the ability to sign quali-
J ty talent.
n, which received weakrewl
,ed a meager $2,115 a theate: I
ramWorks held the toff
;h sixth spots with GMklm
“What an
xplosive Mia]
to start the
summer.”
— Chuck Vic!
head of Disney distribut:
Peter-the-not-so-Great needs to be taken from his ivory
tower (where he somehow thinks the Orioles are competi
tive) and made to see what he is doing. Baseball, while it
may now be considered a business, is still primarily a sport.
No team, not even the Yankees, should be considered a po
litical entity. Angelos has, insanely enough, made the Ori
oles out to be not the "Team that has Cal" but the "Team
that loves Castro."
Last year, the Orioles played a two-game series —
one in Havana, one at Oriole Park at Camden Yards —
against the Cuban nation
al team, which it embar
rassingly split. The first
game was played in Ha
vana, and Angelos sat and
gaily chatted with Fidel
Castro the whole time.
And now, the Orioles
owner is going to arbitrar
ily decide that those peo
ple who defect from Cuba
in attempt to be free are
not deserving of a chance
to make a living? Such ac
tivity has a name, and it is
not a pretty one. Peter An
gelos is guilty of appease
ment. If
Angelos
wants to
hold politi
cal views,
he should
be allowed
to do so.
However,
he should not be allowed
to use his team as a bully
pulpit to enforce his views.
As he has shown in the contracts to which he has signed
lousy players, Angelos has money to throw around. The
Democratic party would be glad to take it and listen to
his desires. Major League Baseball (MLB), on the other
hand, should swiftly act to shut this man up. Angelos,
ironically enough, made his money as a labor lawyer.
As a result, he should know fully well that Cubans who
defect to the United States are automatically given asylum
and the same rights afforded American citizens. If he says
the Orioles will not sign these players, he is guilty of unfair
labor practices. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that no
employer, be it the Baltimore Orioles or the Dixie Chicken,
can bar an American citizen from working because of race
or background.
However, since Angelos' actions are in line with the
opinions of the Clinton administration and Attorney Gen
eral Janet Reno, Oriole pitcher Sidney Ponson has a better
chance of winning 30 games this year than Angelos has of
being forced to eat his words. The American people, how
ever, can do something, and so can MLB.
If citizens are sick and tired of President Clinton and
others buddying up to a ruthless dictator like Castro, they
should show their disgust. The Orioles are the easiest target
on the horizon, and boycotting their games would be quite
effective. Besides, the fans would hardly be missing a quali
ty product. Ripken and pitcher Mike Mussina are the only
two players on the squad worth noticing, and both will
probably be elsewhere next year. A quick collapse of a ball
club owned by a twit who thinks he knows better than the
Founding Fathers would be a form of justice.
Commissioner Bud Selig has the ability to censure An
gelos and — with the help of other owners — actually take
the franchise away from him. Though it is highly unlikely
that this will happen, Orioles fans and supporters of hu
man rights everywhere would rejoice. Many long-time Ori
oles fans are thoroughly disgusted by what Angelos has
done to the franchise.
The Orioles went from classy contender to overpriced .
joke much too quickly. To see their owner attempt to help
dictate America's foreign policy is just too much.
Hopefully, every Cuban who makes the big leagues will
tear up the Orioles, and Angelos will be forced to watch. ...
Mark Passwaters is a senior
electrical engineering niajpr.
dt
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nillion, Rond Trip at$14mil
oody Allen's Small TimeCn
million.
iintor has grossed $127.2mifc
g Erin Brockovich as the 6
so far this year, whileSfflfli!''
more than doubled the tab
; last movie, Sweet and bid'.
11 days.
mting the six days since
ig Wednesday, Mission: Ittf-
>ok in $92.8 million, about!
i more than the origina
ble made in its first six days o.
1996 Memorial Day weekee
sequel's take so far is more
e $181 million the firstAfe)
: ble took in domestically for
run. The new movie has
generally better reviews
;t, which drew criticism for
ing plot.
elieve the film playsbettei
>t one, just based on watch)
ce reaction in theaters,
Lewellen, head of distribut
•amount, which released!
^possible 2.
fing at 3,653 locations, Miss
ble 2 averaged a whopp
i per theater, compared"
in 3,302 cinemas for Dino0
e enormity of Mission's op
upled with the depth of j? 1
; at the box office, is unpi
i any other Memorial Dayl
said Paul Dergarabedian,
f Exhibitor Relations Co.
racks movie-ticket sales.''N 1
you see one film dominate
; next one at about $10 mill
lave this many moviesind ;
its, it's amazing."
mated ticket sales for Frit
h Monday at North AmeM
s, according to Exhibitor^
o. Inc. Final figures were to
d today.
ission: Impossible 2, $71.8
inosaur, $33.5 million
langhai Noon, $19.5 million
ladiator, $17.3 million
rad Trip, $14 million
nail Time Crooks, $3.9 miP
ecjuency, $3.8 million
-577, $3.2 million
niter Stage, $2.8 million )
Vhere the Heart Is, $2 milli (,fi
Taiwan does not
status as security threat
O
Resendez sentence not ‘insane
A :
xVs
ngel Ma-
turino Re-
.sendez,
"the railroad
killer," despite his
plea of insanity,
was convicted of
capital murder
earlier this month
in Houston. He confessed to 10 more
murders and is being linked to many
more criminal acts. Despite having al
ready convicted Resendez, the court is
considering reviewing his sentence.
However, Resendez is a sane individ
ual and should not be granted a review.
T hroughout Resendez's arrest and
conviction he showed no signs of in
sanity, according to many health pro
fessionals and police officials interact
ing with him at the time. Defense
expert Dr. Ramon Laval said, "The 40
year-old Mexican drifter suffers from
severe personality disorder" but is not
insane.
Dr. Melissa Ferguson, a psychiatrist
at Harris County jail, where Resendez
is being held, said she "detected no se
vere mental illness upon Resendez's ar
rival, July 14,1999." In fact, all of the
psychiatrists who interviewed Re
sendez said he was a charming, intelli
gent individual without any indica
tions of insanity. If it is clear to the
experts that Resendez is sane, why
should his sentence to be reviewed,
possibly allowing him to be taken off
death row'?
Resendez shows no signs of re
morse and presents a danger to soci
ety. If granted a review, Resendez
could be granted parole in 40 years.
The courts cannot let this happen. As a
society, we must not excuse evil with
the insanity plea.
Besides the recent reviews by psy
chiatrists, Resendez's background
makes it clear that he is perfectly sane.
Until a few months before his convic
tion, Resendez was known as a loving
father and husband. He was a vital
part of his community and led an aver
age life. His wife told officials he was
"a model husband." Usually, psychotic
individuals cannot function in society,
and Resendez was not only able to
function in society, he contributed to it.
Clearly, this is evidence that Resendez
is not insane. On July 16,1999, having
just committed another murder, Re
sendez surrendered to police and
agreed to speak to police. Although he
never answered questions about the
killings, the police said that Resendez
w'as verbal and articulate. He dis
cussed everything from capitalism to
mathematics. Sgt. Tom Ladd of the
Houston Police Department said "Re
sendez's mental capacity is just fine."
As one of Resendez's arresting officers,
Ladd had custody of Resendez imme
diately after he killed Houston-area
doctor Claudia Benton. Ladd told re
porters Resendez was a charismatic in
dividual and showed no signs of psy
chotic behavior.
Almost all of the individuals who
have dealt with Resendez since his sur
render say he is mentally stable. The
only w'ay Resendez could obtain a re
view is if he were found insane —
clearly not the case.
Serial killers are usually described
as intelligent people. This is the case for
Resendez, who has earned two bache
lor's degrees and has been described as
fairly intelligent. Interviews with the
police indicate that Resendez is not
only intelligent but also sane.
Resendez is a cruel and heartless in
dividual who knew exactly what he
was doing. If he were to be granted a
review and was taken off death row, he
would cost the taxpayers a great deal
of money and would be a potential
threat to other inmates.
To put it simply, he is guilty of un
speakable acts and should be put to
death as soon as possible.
Sunnye Owens is a junior
journalism major
ne of the beauties
|of studying histo
ry is that attentive
students of yesteryear
know firsthand the mis
takes made in the past,
and, chances are, they will
not make them again. The
lessons learned from the
Watergate fiasco will be forever studied by all
aspiring young politicians. Never again will
an administration be caught rummaging
through the opposing party's offices. Like
wise, the hysteria that enveloped the nation
during the Red Scare and the infamous period
of McCarthyism is hopefully now viewed by
Americans as ridiculous, unfounded and a re
sult of an overzealous government highly
trained in the art of overkill. No need for con
cern now, right? The nation has learned from
its mistakes and has matured into a wiser and
more just being. Hardly.
Try telling that to Taiwan and the rest of
the world's players who are astonished by the
U. S. government's most recent success in
playing the role of "school-yard bully."
Based on FBI, Justice Department and State
Department reports issued to The Washington
Times, Attorney General Janet Reno has made
a new addition to the FBI's already extensive
list of hostile intelligence threats.
However, the new addition is not a country
well known for its terrorist involvement or for
being well established in the arms trade. Tai
wan, considered for a long time to be harm
less, is now listed as a national security threat
on the same level as Cuba, Russia, China,
North Korea, Iraq, Iran and roughly a dozen
other hostile countries. ,
The national security threat list includes
eight issues, listed in descending priority: ter
rorism, espionage, proliferation, economic es
pionage, infrastructure targeting, government
targeting, perception management and legal
intelligence gathering.
The reasons for Taiwan's inclusion on the
list are, of course, classified, but former intelli
gence officials, while equally confused by the
government's move, have speculated that Tai
wan has been included due to its efforts to
gather intelligence on American technological
advances.
At the risk of spoiling the government's
party, several issues must be addressed.
Since communism is less threatening thanr
it once was, the government has been spin- |
ning its wheels in efforts to find reasons to
continue the spy game. Coming off the heels
of a decade where technological advances
were monitored and implemented daily, the
name of the game has become "Keep away!"
The hysteria during the Red Scare has under
gone a metamorphosis and has emerged once
again, this time into the Computer Chip Scare,
and it is just as frightening as the former.
Another suspicious fact is that Taiwan's re
cent inclusion on the national security threat-
list comes in the wake of the China-Los Alam r
os National Laboratory spy scandal. Wen Ho"-
Lee and Peter H. Lee, employees with high- "
level clearance at the laboratory, were accused
of "mishandling" nuclear secrets and were in
dicted. The federal government smelled blood
and pushed for an espionage conviction — a 1 *
vaguely defined charge. Miscommunicatiop ,
between prosecutors and Justice Department,,
officials thwarted the government's case, re
sulting in a short jail sentence for Peter Lee. '
The blame for information leaks since has
been passed to the top of the food chain and >
recently became a large pile orf Reno's desk..
Criticized for, among other things, not granfi^-
ng wire taps to the FBI at a crucial time during
the case, Reno has been labeled "soft" on espi
onage. If one can read between the lines, one *
can clearly see, in bold letters, the two wordsjj
"ulterior motive."
The former intelligence community is r>
shocked and appalled, as the rest of the nation
should be. The FBI has never uncovered an es
pionage case involving Taiwan. According tor
a former intelligence official interviewed/Tai
wanese agents have collected some intelli- .
gence, but nothing that warrants this move.
Reno needs to step back and re-evaluate. She
does not know the rules or the tactics of the
game she is playing. She exhibited this fact
when she publicized this information for the
first time in the history of all national security
agencies.
The starving jackals down at FBI intelli
gence have been served a three-course meal
by a well-known waitress who is doubling as
the attorney general of the United States of
America.
Luke McMahan is a senior
industrial engineering major.