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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2000)
, a major city 01 u and was last >re the Korean ik between the ng, heavily guanv the truce village as the sole com south Korea and ’’ ailure of policy American Legion, United Nations support lifting of Cuban Page 5B embargo listled and rolled! londay’scerenr as Han Joon-ki at ran on theert ^; msporting miliiioi T he 82nd annual American ion Conven- passed a res- fighting lbrS> >li|tion on Sept. 7 o bncouragethe Jijited States to I ■the38-year- )ltl embargo igkinst Cuba. CHINA ijom SOUTH KOREA IThe American Legion should be iriised for taking such a stand igainst the policy. ■The embargo is a source of suf- ering for the Cuban people and has ■■vented the transition to a democ- atic government. Ironically, the embargo was in- ended to have the opposite effect in soth of these instances. ■ Numerous international organi sations to which the United States Delongs also encourage lifting the jmbargo. Stan The United States first imposed in embargo on Cuba in February 1962, in response to Fidel Castro's confiscation of privately owned Demara' properties and other assets. ■ The original goals of the embar go were to compel Castro to open Cuba’s economy, to establish democracy and to force Castro to 'elinquish power. ■ After almost 40 years, the em- iHrgo has been witness to many pe- •iipds of tension between the United States and Cuba, such as the Bay of i’igs invasion, the Cuban missile crisis and the Elian Gonzales saga. ■ The United States should lift he embargo immediately. The em bargo is not accomplishing its goal a “peaceful transition to a sta ble, democratic form of govern- nent and respect for human ights,” according to the U.S. State Department. ^Evidence from a report by Dr. lichard Garfield and Sarah Santana in the American Journal of Public Health reports that, while the em bargo is meant to promote democra cy, it is instead decreasing respect for human rights. The report goes on to say, “The embargo is shown to make the sup ply of essential goods more costly, more difficult, and more time-con suming to procure and maintain.” By making important goods, such as medicine, more expensive and hard to find, the U.S. is mak ing Cuban citizens turn to Castro for help. >45 the Americon Le gion's national com mander, Al Lance, said, "If we're going to forgive Vietnam and trade with them and we're go ing to forgive China and start trading with them, why shouldn't we do the same with the peo ple of Cuba?" Therefore, the U.S. policy can be viewed as one of Castro’s best pro paganda tools. The American Legion is not the only organization that supports the elimination of the embargo. Other world organizations, including the United Nations, encourage an end to the policy. By a vote of 155-2-8 in 1999, the United Nations decided that the United States policy against Cuba violated international law because “the extraterritorial effects of which influence the sovereignty or free dom of trade and navigation of oth er states.” This is the 10th year in a row that the United Nations has urged the United States to lift the embargo. The American response was that the embargo’s purpose is to “pro mote peaceful change in Cuba,” in the form of democracy. However, no examples of “peaceful change” in the country were cited over the 38-year period. Pope John Paul II also encour ages the United States to lift the embargo. During his visit to Cuba in 1998, the pope said, “Economic embar goes ... are always deplorable be cause they hurt the most needy.” Most importantly, the embargo is a double standard in policy. The countries of China and Vietnam have strong communist regimes in power, yet China has been given Most Favored Nation trading status by the United States. As the American Legion’s na tional commander, Al Lance, said, “If we’re going to forgive Vietnam and trade with them and we’re go ing to forgive China and start trad ing with them, why shouldn’t we do the same with the people of Cuba?” If the federal government fol lows this advice and lifts the embar go, much will be accomplished. There will be the opportunity for American businesses and indi viduals to invest in and expand the faltering Cuban economy. Ulti mately, the global community will have one less reason to view the United States as a international bully forcing policy on some, but not on others. Reid Bader is a junior political science major. 7NAL 9 i 000 m. jr No pay, no way Striking teachers nationwide illustrate poor wages in secondary education For many students, the first few weeks of school are meant for them to settle in and get to know their teachers. || However, in Buffalo, N.Y., the first weeks have been a mix between can celed classes and picketing teachers. r Educators walked out after negotiations be tween the Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) and the Buffalo Independent School District (B1SD) stalled. The disagreement over teachers’ pay and health insurance concessions emphasizes a growing problem in many towns and cities throughout the United States — instructors are not paid enough for the work they do. | While many, including first lady Hillary Clinton, argue that the teachers need to be in the classroom instead of on strike, these teachers have been working without a contract since June 1999. || The critics fail to Realize that the olame does not fall solely on the eachers. ■Teaching is inlimportant md influential ob. Many peo- )le do not real- ze how poorly nany educators re paid. ■According to J.S. News and Vorld Report, “The verage starting jacher earns $25,012 year, and, even after 20 ears, a classroom teacher arely makes over $50,000.” • When compared to other jobs lat also require a four-year degree, iaching has one of the lowest starting salaries. Meanwhile, a degree in computer science 411 earn a person, on average, $36,964. U.S. News goes on to say, “The Education Department estimates that America will need 220,000 new teachers a year for the next 10 years — compared with 150,000 a year in the recent past.” This shows that America needs teachers and needs to pay enough to keep them. According to Newsweek, 20 percent of new teachers leave the profession within five years. Many teachers students see now will not be there within the next few years. Students are ultimately left with a stream of new and inexperienced teachers. From new friends to more responsibilities. the world changes daily for children. They should be able to depend on their teachers. By giving teachers increased salaries and benefits, schools can ensure one stability in these students’ lives. While people contend that teachers should not strike because it hurts the students, striking should not be the only option teachers have. Federal and local authorities need to work to raise the budget for teachers salaries. Many politicians, including presidential can didates Al Gore and George W. Bush, have been pushing the idea of better education. The Buffalo teachers ? strike is the beginning of a problem that will continue to grow. Already, educators throughout the country are becom ing disillusioned and leaving the profession in search of salaries that can support families. Teachers in Philadelphia are also working without contracts and threatening to go on strike if agreements are not worked out. These teachers are trying to continue working, but still fighting for what many see as reasonable raises and compen sations. If the local school districts could work with the idea that they should do what is best for the stu dents, schools would become bet ter environments. By relieving the stress of money troubles, these school districts will have more productive teachers. The best way to keep teachers and entice more to the profession is to of fer competitive salaries. Brieanne Porter is a sophomore chemical engineering major. Mail Call Displeasure with proposed condom dispensers In response to Stephen Met calf’s Sept. 15 article. Margaret Griffith, chair woman of the Texas A&M HIV/AIDS Committee, states “health vending machines” in residence halls that distribute “condoms ... and other com mon medicinal items” are to combat the problem of sexual ly transmitted diseases. Since when have condoms cured diseases or relieved pain? Such are the attributes of “medicinal items.” I find the suggestion of con dom dispensers in residence halls disgraceful. It falls below the Aggie standard. Are we — as leaders of the new millennium — going to place latex penis covers in Uni versity vending machines to fit the convenience of sexually im moral students? I chose Aggieland as my place of higher education be cause it is different. Many of its students are persuaded to reject the liberal, short-sighted and amoral norms of American society. The suggestion from Griffith fails to demand a solution to the real, underlying problem of premarital sex. This will only help feed the moral dissolution of our stu dent body. Carson Weber Class of ‘01 Accompanied by 18 signatures Justification for Olympic financing In response to Nicholas Roznovsky’s Sept. 18 column. Roznovsky missed the point of corporate sponsorship of the Olympic Games. He did not mention that the ■money the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) re ceives from companies such as NBC and Coca-Cola is the very money that funds the USOC. While every other national Olympic committee in the world receives at least partial fund ing from their national govern ments, the USOC remains a private entity. Not one dollar of tax money goes to support the USOC or the athletes that compete un der it. Without such corporate sponsorship, the USOC would cease to exist. The USOC is proud to be able to say that “America does not send its athletes to the Olympic Games, Ameri cans do.” Unless people are willing to contribute some of their own money to the cause, I suggest they be less critical of the fund raising strategies. Christopher Shull Class of ‘02 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 accura cy. 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 1111TAMU College Station, Texas 77843 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (979) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com Columns and letters appearing in The Battalion express the opinion of the authors only. They do not necessarily reflect the opin ion of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, adminis trators, faculty or staff. ■;"****# : 'y>’