Page 15
Monday, Augusl 21,;
thtitl
ampionsk
ay, August 28, 2000
THE BATTALION
)er won her fourth straij
unship finals MVPati )
25 points, seven assists '
ounds in the clinchinaE
en everyone countedusi
l in there and showedd
erseverance,” Cooper ss
,ild have let down today
through Unity,
roposed off-campus "wildcat'
et me make some
thing very clear
— I am as pro
ve got a game tomonwj )n fj re as anyone else
i out and played tough
linute.”
sparks beat the Comets!
this campus. Con-
dering my current po
tion, this assertion
times in the regulars® ^ a lo
e the favorites to unseiti v ,j|| ow
ig champions. ButtheCoa
nd went 6-0 in the plajof
)er bid the fans fared
ne celebration.
: had a wonderful carat
BA,” she said. “Youctd
for a better time to got
n top with the Hob
as No. 1. This is it.”
\ she hedged,
know, right now I'm sail
irs in the WNBA.Rigl
centrating on thefourda
is we won.
oper doesn't return,Swoojt
wn she’s at her peak®
most of the 1997 season!:
.‘hildbirth
Strength
bonfire should not be supported
However, it must be
.'ii last live regulars® a t e dthat these words are not coming
om some pessimistic “two-percenter.” I
OtF-campus bonFire
Special Series
Part 1 oF 2
Jive had the fortune of donning my
. rodes, boots, pot and gloves at all hours
noment, she said. Iveii fthe day in previous fall semesters. As
eat y^ars^withte CoiwJ^ as j wou } c j [jpg to (j en y it, j have al-
ays taken to heart the ideals of “unity”
id “tradition” that are espoused in an
ndless mantra at Texas A&M University.
Considering all of this, it is natural that
"Jam concerned with the possibility of an
nofficial “wildcat” bonfire being held off
tmpus.
The driving force behind this bonfire is
>wboy$
quire
mtiago
with professional engineers overseeing the
work of students. Safety restrictions in
cluding the elimination of “cut” and the
drastic redesign of “stack” will be im
posed.
Common sense dictates that, for KTFB,
its primary mission is accomplished. De
spite whatever changes the University has
made, the fire will keep burning — the tra
dition has been saved.
Bowen’s decision may not be good
enough for KTFB. Too long, too little, essentially.
Plans for the “wildcat” bonfire this fall
are proceeding under a cloud of secrecy.
Possible locations are being scoped out
and a long line of former students has lined
up to foot the bill. KTFB has made it very
clear that its bonfire will not occur unless
the student body supports it and improve
ments over safety mid security can be made.
It is at this turning point that all support
for KTFB's efforts must stop. 1 do respect
their gumption, attention to detail and
“can-do” spirit. My respect pales in com
parison to my level of anxiety and out
rage.
By not agreeing with the University’s
position, KTFB and its supporters are
making three major mis
takes.
First, they are essentially absolving the
student body from any blame in the deaths
of our 12 fellow Aggies. It would be say
ing that the Special Commission on the
1999 Aggie Bonfire was incorrect — that
Aggie culture does not need to be more
flexible, that we do not need time to flush
out the upperclassmen and start anew.
I cannot accept that logic. Whether we
like to face it or not, our inability to listen
to constructive criticism in Bonfires past
contributed to the tragedy of last year —
no matter how safe and error-free previous
Bonfires were. The blood is on our hands.
Second, any indication of disunity and
infighting between the student body and
the University will invite the scrutiny of
the national news media yet again. Al
though they will return regardless to cover
any memorial services and remembrances,
it would be foolish for us to give them
something negative to cover.
My stomach turns at the thought of
more news trucks and reporters than nec
essary roaming our campus.
Third, a poor example is being set for
the Class of 2004. Along with the Class of
2003, these are the Aggies entrusted with
resurrecting Bonfire. Upperclassmen —
we cannot argue among ourselves while
the fish class is hung out to dry. We must
invite them into a united student body that
will prepare them for the return of the le
gitimate Bonfire.
It is ironic that the Aggie ideals KTFB
originally set out to preserve are now the
very things they are obliviously set on un
dermining. Think about it — Bonfire is a
tradition rooted in unity and the preserva
tion of the Aggie Spirit. By initially fight
ing to preserve Bonfire itself, KTFB was
fighting the good fight.
But it must be understood that Bonfire
is not an end within itself — it is one of
many vehicles that convey those ideals we
hold dear. By organizing an unofficial bon
fire that conflicts with the University’s po
sition, KTFB is inviting chaos. Students
will be forced to choose sides — destroy
ing any shred of unity among the student
body.
We need to think long and hard about
the choice before us — I certainly have.
Every fiber of my being tells me that
the “wildcat” bonfire is wrong.
David Lee is a senior economics and
journalism major.
Reminder of the bad old days
lussian handling of submarine tragedy reminiscent of USSR
ie student organization Keep the Fire
urning (KTFB). Formed soon after the
999 Aggie Bonfire collapse, KTFB was a
rassroots effort to save our sacred Bon
re. Petitions were compiled, unified T
tilts were distributed — their effort was
xtremely commendable. If anything,
IFB existed as a watchdog that influ-
iced Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M.
owen’s eventual decision not to end Bon
1NG (AP)—After a ME re. Based on that outcome, it is undeni-
it ions for a third tighter; ^ that we owe this organization and its
Has Cowboys acquiredO. lem bers a debt of gratitude,
to tiom Atlanta on Sundt! However, these are the facts: Bowen’s
’ ^de-round draft picks, ff lc j a i decision mandates that Bonfire
ason-ending mj.ry loK. cominl|e jn the fa|| of 20()2 a| , he ear .
fit'm .'h'fhC-fnir esLAny future Bonfire construction on
r and Jackie Harris. ^ on the shortest of leashes
have joined LaFleurai
blocking tight end on
is 20 percent of the Co«
ew offense
las’ search includedtfi'
one candidate, claimii
r off waivers, signing
.md looking at another;
)n the roster.
Cowboys were leanitfjjTlhe desperate at
eeping two — a blocked I tempt to save the
o and complement LaFls X ] 18 men trapped
eceiver to back up HarrMj the Russian sub _
ie Falcons called S»€ |rme KmA is now
ter a few hours of negw .
Dallas agreed to give if ^ As a natlon
round pick next yearaiF 10 - voun 8 men who died
i-rounder in 2001. 0,1 the tloor of the Bar -
ey’-d been watching fits Sea, many Russians
i tight ends, so they sa#l|re angry and have begun to publicly wonder
atentially interested,”Ctnihether the Russian government made a real
wner Jerry Jones said. Jjtempt to rescue the trapped seamen,
tiago caught 27 passes 1 Since the disaster was first reported on Aug
rds and five touchdown: j2, t h e Russian government appeared, at first
he year Atlanta reached! [different, and later inept in dealing with the
pastrophe. Now, as the Russian people
ourn their loved ones and Russian President
ladimir Putin consoles the families of the de-
ased, it is becoming clear to the grieving
milies and the world at large that the “new”
ussian government is really just the same So-
^ et bureaucracy under a different flag.
GALLERY Throughout the crisis, the Russian govern-
ent reacted just like its Soviet predecessor
istomarily did — slowly, guardedly and often
mtradictorily. Faced with the prospect of los
g face and admitting weakness to the world,
e Russian leaders chose to hold their cards
fi r jaff i ose t0 t * ie * r chests. In the end, they gambled
J ; ^ J f f /f vr) Jay the lives of
1r a i
i
'*i
S *«*(
[**1
IM
u,
ADRIAN CALCANEO/The Battalion
fowl.
ISi
wn
118 young sailors.
The Russian need for an immediate
covemp quickly led to a number of conflicting
reports.
First, the submarine had been rammed by
another Russian boat while conducting exer
cises. Then it had been hit by a Western sub
marine spying in the area. Finally, the Russians
were able to admit the possibility existed that a
massive internal explosion caused the ship to
sink. Now, according to reports from the BBC,
Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev still
believes that a foreign submarine was involved
in the sinking of the Kursk, although no firm
evidence has surfaced to support such a claim.
As details about the incident slowly
emerge, many media outlets are concerned that
a number of “facts” about the incident initially
provided by the Russian government are ques
tionable at best, such as the exact time of the
incident and the reports of crewmen banging
on the hull of the ship up to two days afterward.
It now appears that the vast majority of the
crew was killed in the initial explosion and
subsequent influx of seawater into the hull.
The amount of misinformation coming from
the Russian government is confounding both
the families of the dead seamen and journalists
trying to uncover the truth surrounding the in
cident. The frustration felt around the world
was perhaps summed up best
newspaper Ivestia when it asked, “What if they
had not lied to us? ... Now it is too late.”
Perhaps the most vexing question surround
ing the tragedy concerns the Russian refusal of
outside help with the rescue efforts. Although
Putin now claims that the West’s offers were
accepted “immediately,” the stark truth re
mains that the United States and Britain pub
licly offered assistance two days before Rus
sians begrudgingly acquiesced to Western
help.
By the time the Russians swallowed their
pride and admitted they could not undertake
the rescue effort alone, the sailors on board the
Kursk had probably all died. Many Russians
are now wondering how many young sailors
could have been saved if their government had
put its people before its pride.
A number of the victims’ families are ex
pressing anger toward President Putin, a man
known for his “hands-on” approach to govern
ing, yet conspicuously detached from the
Kursk affair. Instead of overseeing the rescue
efforts personally, Putin left the job to his sub
ordinates. In fact, he did not even feel the need
to interrupt his own vacation. As he now visits
the families of the dead, Putin is facing their
indignation and frustration with his government.
Although Putin and his administration
claim to be guiding the Russian people into a
new era of governance,
the tragedy of the
Kursk shows that the old habits of Soviet rule
die hard. While the “new” Russians can hold
out their hands for billions of dollars in eco
nomic aid, they still cannot bring themselves
to ask the West for help when they need it the
most.
By devoting its energies to covering up the
Kursk incident, Russia has shown the same
disregard for human life that the Soviet Union
displayed while covering its own tracks after
the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
In the end, it was not a lack of training or
inferior maintenance work that killed the crew
of the Kursk. Mother Russia consigned those
men to their deaths.
As the Russian government scrambles to
assign blame for the tragedy and exonerate it
self of any wrongdoing, it is doubtful that any
one will re-evaluate the decisions that ulti
mately doomed the sailors on board the Kursk.
The government will undoubtedly make a
very visible effort to assure its people that such
an incident will never happen again. The Russ
ian people will add the loss of the Kursk as an
other sad chapter to their long and calamitous
history. And since nothing will really change,
the same Kremlin mind-set that killed the men
aboard the Kursk will continue to cost inno
cent Russians their lives.
Nicholas Roznovsky is a senior political
science major.
Bull Board
Good Bull — From the
Freshman Welcome Day volun
teers to the cadre of Corps of
Cadets upperclassmen, hearty
pats on the back are due for a
surprisingly smooth on-cam
pus move-in week.
The mobs of lost freshmen,
with mom and pop in tow, were
minimized thanks to the volun
teers’ hard work.
Believe it or not, Parking, Traf
fic and Transportation Services
(PTTS) deserves some of
the credit, too.
The usual standstill traffic
alongside the Commons and the
Quadrangle was sped up to a
tortoise’s crawl under PTTS’
watchful eye. If only it were as
effective the rest of the year.
Bad Bull — “I can’t be
lieve the fat, naked gay dude
won the million dollars!”
This was the collective yell of
frustration heard across the na
tion Wednesday evening as the
season finale of the reality tele
vision show “Survivor” aired.
Why the letdown? Because
“Rich” — the victorious corpo
rate trainer from Rhode Island
— connived and schemed his
way to the prize.
Granted, he recognized the
game's theme of self-preserva
tion and did everything in his
power to turn his castmates
against each other.
However, the “villain-esque”
outcome allows everyone to
lose a little more faith in the
concept of fairness.
— David Lee
BRANDON HENDERSON/The Battalion
The Battalion encourages letters to the ed
itor. 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 014 Reed Mc
Donald with a valid student ID. Letters may also
be mailed to:
The Battalion - Mall Call
014 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
1111TAMU
College Station, Texas 77843
Campus Mail: 1111
Fax: (979) 845-2647
E-mail: battletters@hotmaii.com