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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 2000)
Wednesday, July 12,® vidual contributions. ;o spent time teaching nutj , Mexico and setting upstiii; ns between Mexico and in ang educational programs' ersities, we can increase I universities to do comm*! their own," he said, will retire soon from A&i still has a lot of worktodo, ) years to work on these pi 'I hope to live long enough on malnutrition is eliminal :a and the Caribbean." V1MER idnesday, July 12,2000 THE BATTALION Death & Texas Continued from ?1 a little bit and watch son other teams compete, said. M swimming coach Md aid the chance for Nelantt te at the international level ■at opportunity, is exciting for us to seehir ^ome next year, and t is neat because he issue! t kid, and he's done such ob listening to what we te! ' do," Nash said. "Thisisi ecial opportunity for him Ian's parents are excite! their son's achievement; Nelan, his mother, said ski 'ress incorrectly blames residents for use of capital punishment I MARK PASSWATERS lexans are a bunch of redneck mur derers and ould be ashamed of emselves and their ate. Sound like a bit of itretch? Even offen ce, perhaps? Please rward all complaints the national media, for this is exactly how xans are being portrayed on television. The primary reason for such allega- ins is Texas' use of the death malty. Many members of the edia, led by supposed jour- ilist Geraldo Rivera, have icked to the "Death malty Bad" cause. Ap- rently, since these embers of the media ady proud of what her sul,,^ ^ they fee] complished. |at the rest of the na- the first swimmal e was teller (Texas) High School n the state meet and the fid a a scholarship to a Divisioi ge," Debra Nelan said s believed he can do any- he wants to do." ristopher Nelan Sr., his father, nat after last winter's Junior lal meet, Chris Nelan Jr. founi m should too, even the truth gets tchered in the :ocess. Two weeks ago, hen Gary Graham as executed in untsville, Rivera (who has one more preaching of itethan Pope John Paul )out the possibility of repnil) started crying on air g America in the DW( pen it became apparent :opher Nelan Sr. said Chit hatthewill of the people Jr.'s request for a strobe lip >f the state of Texas had Maced on the starting block'i Seen carried out. the start of the racebroughtal "The terrible thing has n to Chris Nelan Jr.'ssituata Happened,'' Rivera iarrie Hollier of the United lobbed. "Gary Graham ; Aquatic Association for (lie Ras been murdered." He (USA AD) wondera/ wh)' then, went on to say that one would requestniwie fceorgeW. Bush had the at a Junior Nationalcompeti 1 blood of an innocent Christopher NelanSr.saii .manonhis hands. ?n she found out Chrisms Rivera got at least she called swim teams all (one thing right — a terrible Texas trying to track Chili tiling had happened: NBC was dumb nough to put him on the air. There are major points surrounding Webcast dilutes nruM Steed ebra Nelan says the family ; to do everything possible# ner husband and their othei children can make the trip It e next summer to supped > Nelan Jr. Ve'!! walk what we can to," Debra Nelan said. purpose of Internet hristopher Nelan Sr. said hi nust work to be able tom* fN n Ju| y 22 ’ a San Fr a ncisco Bay ni g ht club will- rip himself. He said toi» J P ™?.Jff SeX SellS ^ ho8 “ , «« ha * 11 * Calling f an AIDS awareness event where five women ill have to do a fund-raisen ^ com p e1;e j n having sex with as many strangers as the nearly $4000 Chris Nek possible. jh e participants in the sex-a-thon, which will ?eds to make the trip. e Webcast live to paying viewers, will attempt to ireakthe world record for consecutive sexual part- |rs and accordingly win $1 million. This Webcast is a Id and disturbing display of people succumbing to a ils form of self-degradation. People are both outraged by and interested in this Continued from Pag 1 nmor al spectacle, but the technological involvement this virtual orgy needs to be addressed as well, suring oxygen consumpti® file the Internet has proved to be a valuable re- nn Hinvirip nrnHiirtinr aP-irce in terms of education, research and entertain- 01,77 p" 1 the Web has contributed ' ts share of fllth to the uu ou lublic consciousness. In the case of the sex-a-thon, Avde Womack, l it Lite .^ rverts w j|| g a j n se xual satisfaction while five women a coordinator for the Applfve away their dignity. cise Science Laboratory,sfiCyberspace undoubtedly opens millions of doors center tests athletes butii 11 'discovery and opportunity, but it also opens programs that allow studf lrs of manipulation, perversion, addiction and de- 7 , . £ , Q ,'truction. The upcoming sex-a-thon illustrates the t\ am nn-m mi sol t iu,: i rs t f orm of Internet misuse. The virtual world that ege Station community i s cre ated to expand the spectrum of knowledge uate their health. |s become a great social ill filled with obscene pic- The only 100-percent waifies and movies. sure percent bodv faii Awar ding people for what amounts to prostituting i j ' . i. hemselves sends an incredibly twisted message to ’ 1 lllK UUl1 ' ul1 ' he world. With this sex-a-thon, promiscuity is applaud- this is the only place todoH, O-mile radius of Bryan and l | 1 Station," Womack rough the summer, we | _ .. •> .. like permits pointless, Texas and its use of the death penalty that apparently do not merit air time. Perhaps it is because, when taken into account, they shows that many claims of these so-called reporters contain more hot air than a blimp. Bush, though governor of Texas, had as much power to stop the execution of Gary Graham as a Wal-Mart greeter. According to state law, the governor can grant a single 30-day stay of execution to review the case, after which the sentence can be commuted to life in prison. Ann Richards, whom Bush defeated to be come governor in 1994, had already used that stay for Graham — not that it mattered to the journalists cover ing this story. Norah O'Donnell said on CNBC's "Hard ball" that 134 people have been "murdered" since Bush became gover nor. The next day, Dan Rather proclaimed Gary Graham "an in nocent" while Tom Brokaw deemed him "a martyr." St. Gary, as the media has anointed him, was a very good criminal. He was convicted of capital murder in 1983 and confessed to two rapes and numerous as saults, 10 of which ended with the shoot ing of the victims. He told one of his guards while in jail that "Next time, I won't leave any of you to talk." Considering that there have been scores of better candidates for the "No Death Penalty Poster Child" than Graham, why is there such a pressing need to address the is sue of the death penalty in Texas now? Out side of hating the death penalty, many members of the media are interested in making Texans look stupid. This percep tion would harm Bush's presiden tial campaign, which is exactly what people like Geraldo Rivera want. Even if it means lying to do it. Unfortunately for the media, their val ues are not shared by the most Americans; two-thirds of Americans support the death penalty. The values of the media are certain ly contrary to the ones that have authority in Texas. It is extremely difficult to take the media seriously when their reporting sounds clos er to a personal vendetta than to the stat ing of fact. In the regular world, the use of factually inaccurate information to support an argument is considered fraud; on television these days, it is considered "inspired." The real culprit for our dry summer may have been found at last consider ing how often reporters have spewed hot air on the issue of the death penalty in Texas. Texans, regardless of their be liefs about the death penalty, should not let the opinions being spread as gospel stand unchallenged. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is the ulti mate judge of the con demned, not the gov ernor. Texans strongly support the death penalty and the legal system is merely doing their will. The truth is out there, but it can not be found on televi siop screens. It is unfair and unethical for members of the media to por tray the people of Texas as a bunch of blood thirsty criminals be cause they support the death penalty. The re ality is that the majority of people in Texas and in the na tion see the death penalty as an effective deterrent to crime. The fact that some crimes deserve such punishment is not news. However, the members of the media are suddenly offended by reality and will not hesitate to condemn those who disagree with them. Their actions, however, beg a question: Are the beliefs of the public any more im moral than the media's lying to the people whom they are supposed to be informing? At the close of his June 26 television pro gram, Geraldo said, "Texans use the death penalty to remember the good old cowboy days,... Send your hate mail, because you're just crazy." Keep crying, Geraldo, and cry for the demise of accurate reporting. Texans will be too busy upholding the law. Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major. Viewpoints ed and encouraged. Web garbage like the sex-fest will pollute adolescent minds and further disgrace sex, which was once considered an act of love. It will cast aside the sanctity of intercourse and recreate it as a form of entertainment. Just like television, Internet garbage has desensitized society and increased peo ple’s tolerance for filth. This Webcast is an embarrass ment to the United States; it crosses the line. The In ternet should be used to better a person, to learn and to contribute good to society. As far as promoting the brothel as AIDS awareness just because its participants will be using condoms, the night club is hypocritical and moronic. Sleeping with hundreds of people is far from safe. People should save their money and learn to surf the Internet the mature way. If the concern is AIDS, there are several non-pornographic, informational Websites properly dispensing educational material without masking it under porn. Internet perverts and abusers have failed to uphold the ideals which give hope to future generations. The Internet is a powerful instrument that needs to be utilized appropriately — improving the world, not perverting it. — Amber Rasco Hacker insurance hides need for real security I n the wake of a series of aggressive attacks by hack ers on several major Websites, including America On line and Yahoo, online companies have been scram bling to protect themselves from revenues lost when Websites are disabled. This month, the.insurance com pany Lloyd’s of London is offering a package to cover CEOs’ pockets in case of future hacker break-ins. The purpose of this insurance is to provide the owner with peace of mind. However, like a homeowner who buys a policy but keeps his front door unlocked, Internet company heads are overlooking the obvious. Bruce Schneier, co-founder of Counterpane, a net work monitoring company associated with Lloyd's of London, explained that CEOs would buy the insur ance even if their security worked. Schneier said, “The CEO doesn’t care that his firewall works.” But judging by the field day hackers had shutting down corporate Website after Website, CEOs seem not to care whether their firewalls work at all. Now, more than ever, the stability of a company’s Website needs to be a priority of top management. Hacker insurance is a second line of defense that has gained popularity because the first line of defense has been sorely neglected. Online companies have continuously been outpaced in the arena of network security by hackers. The denial-of-service attacks that shut down many Websites this year demonstrate the naive mentality Web CEOs have concerning the strength of their firewalls. Most hackers are not out to shut down Websites out of malice or financial greed. Usually they are ideal ists trying to wave a red flag by showing CEOs first hand that their networks are not secure. Online com pany CEOs need to pay more attention to that red flag and make the safety of their Websites a personal con cern. The need for tighter network security runs ahead of the need for hacker insurance. Increasing the first will lessen the need for the latter. — Eric Dickens Page 5 Concert riots show worst of human nature W hen it comes to music, people often say they want something so badly they would die for it. "Ld die for the new' Britney Spears CD!" "I'd die to see Metallica rockin' out!" "Eddie Vedder? I would die for him." In recent weeks, it has become shockingly apparent that people are willing to die for these causes. On June 31, nine people died from in juries sustained at a Pearl Jam concert 25 miles west of Copenhagen, Denmark. Those killed were among a crowd of 25,000 fans. Besides those trampled to death, 26 other fans were injured during the concert. While extremely saddening, the death toll is not surprising. Re member Pearl Jam's "Evenflow" video on MTV? Many viewers probably wanted to jump around in that sweaty mosh pit, even those who are big fans of personal space. Pearl Jam should have been named Jam Pile — the title is much more fit ting for the feelings evoked by its music. However, the deaths are not the fault of Pearl Jam. According to concert-goers, frontman Eddie Vedder repeatedly asked the crowd to move back. They simply did not listen. So, if Pearl Jam is not to blame, who is? There has to be a culprit in all this madness. Blame continues to shift from source to source, but it still has not found a definitive resting place, unlike the nine victims. Are not the pushing, screaming, animalistic fans at fault? According to Nina Crowley, an anti-censorship activist with MassMic who worked booths at the concert, the answer is no. She attributes the deaths to muddy conditions at the concert that day. As con- cert-goers sunk into several inches of mud, they were tram pled by fellow fans. Is the mud really responsi ble? Not likely. The real killer at this concert was human na ture. People are willing to kick, punch and tram ple their way to get a closer view of the icon du jour. Record companies package insanity into CDs, T-shirts and bumper stickers and sell it to the masses. Many- music consumers respond by destroying property and people at concerts. The nine Pearl Jam deaths are not isolated in cidents. Nearly 70 concert deaths were reported in 1999, according to Crowd Management Strategies. Unbelievable. In 1979,11 fans were killed at The Who's Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum show. The event is widely regarded as one of the worst concert tragedies. Most people have already forgotten the gruesome deaths of June 31. After all, there are new ones to grieve over, such as the death of Martin Muschette, a 21-year-old who fell 80 feet to his death at the Fourth of July Summer Sani tarium festival. Festival performer Metallica is sued a statement saying the band was "ab solutely devastated." Hmmm. I wonder if it has ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy? If so, maybe they should change the name of the tour. It is obviously attracting a crowd of crazies. Deaths are inevitable at concerts filled with en thusiastic, drunk music lovers. Some people may, rather than risk their lives for a firsthand view the gyrating hips of Justin Timberlake, prefer to just stay home and watch "Beliind the Music" episodes on Motley Criie. That way they can rock on the "Wild Side" in tire comfort of my home. Blame continues to shift from source to source, but it still has not found a de finitive resting place, unlike the nine victims. Amy Lahaie is a columnist for The State News at Michigan State University. Mall Call 3, along with giving phy-r ii the local police officer-fTTS motivated by greed lighters." Vomack said people m»r ,,esponse Rasco’s My 11 column. for strength and conditio' T he y^oig concept of bike permits sounds ses, facilitated by senior*jdicrous tame. Rasco says in her column and physiology majors,tluat “This will ensure that there is enough access to the same equip' arkin §-” ,f PTTS registers 30,000 bicycles d by A&M athletes. ' ; ^J e f e on| y 20,00° parking spaces, * . iere is not enough parking. Or if 2,000 peo- Jark said some memberso|J wan ^ pg^ at zachry and there are only M coaching staff have#,500 parking spaces, are the other 500 ie the extensive physicala'-upposed to ride their bikes to West Cam- nt tests and training offer^ 510 P ark? Does that n °t d e fea t the pur- AppHed Exercise Science' 10 ! 6 9 l:) ' ke2 Applied exercise scene Rgsco stgtes that « Bjkers are parkec) tory, and he said the sef'p/erywhere,’’ but why is that? Could it be be- a great opportunity fora# nested in personal health- cause there are not enough bike racks for bi cyclists to use? I have nothing against PTTS confiscating bicycles that are blocking doorways, but I personally have yet to see a single bicycle blocking a doorway. Even though the bike racks are overcrowded, most Aggies are still very courteous and park their bike in a rea sonable fashion. Just look at the Zachry bike lot during the middle of the day. Are we going to have blue racks, red racks, green racks and yellow racks? Rasco say “The new policy would not only clear the walkway for pedestrians but provide better facilities for bikers,” but when does the University repave the streets, but not the bike lanes? The only thing that will keep bikers off of the sidewalks (when there is a bike lane avail able) is to keep vehicles out of the bike lanes — no cars, trucks or buses. That is not practi cal, so it is a problem we have to deal with. Andy Lee Class of ’01 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 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 014 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com