Thursday, October i;|
Thursday, October 12. 2000
Us
Page 1
THE BATTALION
hey couldn't get to the
’ said Lake Jackson Assii
rhief Scott Matthews. 1
a helpless situation. She
g for help and police c
tying to calm her down,
othing we could do.”
i of the 180 units at the!
y Apartments were gutted
;r 10 were heavily damage;
and water,
ook seven fire depart!
.ake Jackson and surround
unities about five hourstoi
h the blaze.
>rge Castillo, 62, was out
t people awakened bythet
vas asleep and then I het
)dy yell for help,” saidCas
i lives near the victims’afii
“I put on my clothes,
, and 1 heard (the motel
help.”
illo said he rushed to thend
tment of his adult daughta
ear-old grandson. Mickf
Iped them escape beti|
nvaded.
tother way out
Israeli-Syrian friendship could
stabilize Middle Eastern turmoil
ith the horrific in- ’
crease in violence
between the Israelis
and Palestinians in recent
days, it has become apparent
that the peace process has
ground to a halt. In order for
there to be any chance for
peace, something must be
done to change the entire fo
ie WS in Brief-
ice accuse
:tor in murder
hire scheme
ISTON (AP) — A Houston!
an who claimed he was
tarassed called the pH
en tried to hire the ur?
officer who respondedii
itient. authorities said
\rmando Sanchez, 45
?n charged with solicit:
capital murder,
nvestigation began last
fter Sanchez report
latient had been fold 1
harassing him, accott
/ednesday’s editions o ; !
ston Chronicle.
i Sanchez was detailing
iplaints to the officer
tor asked if the oW\cf
ill the patient ant)
pay him for his;
dice said.
arranging to meetr !
again, officer Gleif
7 -year veteran, contat *
cide investigators.
:igators said Sancltet
1 the officer severs
discuss details oftl*
J killing. During oneoi
;etings, Sanchez mads
if) down payment to#
lised to pay more later
cus of the peace process. Fortunately for Israel,
there is one card it can play — but it will not be an
easy one.
The creation of a lasting peace with Syria
would not only lessen the tension on Israel's bor
ders, but would also significantly weaken the bar
gaining position of the Palestinian Authority.
If the Palestinians are unwilling to sit down
and reasonably talk peace with the Israelis, they
should not be forced to.
The struggle for peace between the Israelis and
Palestinians has been well documented. When the
abrasive and implacable Benjamin Netanyahu
was prime minister, the Israelis were as guilty of
| disrupting the dialogue as the Palestinians.
Now, Ehud Barak — a man far more willing to
bargain for peace — is prime minister, but the
process is still at a standstill. It has become appar
ent that Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestinian
Authority, is either unwilling or unable to bring
Palestinians toward a final resolution of this long-
running dispute.
If Arafat does not have the control over his
population that is required in order to make a last
ing peace, Bashar Assad of Syria certainly does.
Assad is the new leader of Syria, who replaced his
father, Hafez Assad, earlier this year.
The creation of a lasting peace
with Syria... would also signifi
cantly weaken the bargaining po
sition of the Palestinian Authority.
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town
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ire much
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'His presence makes it more likely that a peace
between Israel and Syria can be reached.
Hafez Assad ruled Syria for more than three
decades and lost three wars to the Israelis. While
Assad made steps towards reconciling with Israel
in the years before his death, the steps were small.
Bashar Assad does not have the stigma of three
f massive defeats on his resume and will not lose
: face by making peace with the Israelis. With his
recent emergence as Syria’s head of state, he is
still strongly supported by people who owe their
positions to him. Bashar Assad, unlike Arafat,
does not have to worry about internal dissent.
The Syrians are also struggling economically.
While Syria continues to sponsor some terrorist
groups, it stands to reason that such support will
dry up if the Syrians and Israelis are able to make
a deal.
A Syria that appears to be willing to work on a
| rapprochement with the Israelis will look better in
;! the eyes of the world’s largest lender: the United
1 States. An improved economy will certainly help
ease the anger of those still opposed to peace with
{Israel.
'A deal with Syria holds advantages for Israel,
! too. Lebanon, which borders Israel to the north, is
a Syrian puppet state. A peace agreement with
Syria will almost certainly mean that one with
Lebanon will be close behind. This will mean that
terrorist groups like Hezbollah will be forced to
find a new place from which to launch their dead
ly attacks.
Making a deal with Syria over land will also be
much easier than making one with the Palestini
ans. The Israelis complain about giving up the
Golan Heights, which they seized from Syria in
1967. The Israelis say that the land gives them a
strategic advantage, and they are correct.
However, the Israelis have nuclear weapons,
which are a stronger deterrent than a few hills.
They also have the United States in their corner,
which would give any possible aggressor a reason
to reconsider—just ask Saddam Hussein.
The Israelis are going to be far more willing to
give up the Golan to Syria than cede East
Jerusalem to the Palestinians. This is a major
sticking point, as both the Israelis and Palestinians
claim Jerusalem as their capital. By giving up the
Golan, the Israelis might be able to keep
Jerusalem intact and under their control.
This outcome will be possible because peace
with Syria will significantly weaken the bargain
ing position of the Palestinians. If Syria cuts a
deal with Israel, the Palestinians will be running
out of benefactors. As soon as the Syrians get
what they want, the unity between the Syrians and
Palestinians will evaporate.
Egypt, another regional power, has had little
use for the Palestinians since the 1991 Gulf War.
Two other possible supporters, Kuwait and Saudi
Arabia, echo such sentiments. With no Syrian
support and increasing pressure from the United
States, the Palestinians are going to find few who
are willing to come to their aid.
For the Israelis, making peace with Syria will
not be easy. They will have to overcome decades
worth of antipathy as well as other regional issues
to succeed.
If the Israelis do succeed in this task, however,
they will make their own borders more secure
while weakening the position of their greatest re
maining adversary.
A call not worth making
Cellular phones, driving a bad combination; need local regulation
D
riving a car re-
1 quires the con
stant attention
of the driver. Accidents
happen every day, even
with the driver giving
total attention to the sit
uation. When drivers let
radios and other distrac
tions interfere with their
concentration, the risk of an ac
cident increases.
One of the more dangerous
distractions to motor vehicle
operators is the cellular
phone. Talking on a cell
phone and driving at the same
time can distract drivers more
than changing a radio station.
Due to this increased risk,
the cities of Bryan and Col
lege Station should pass or
dinances that would make
talking on a cell phone while
driving a ticketable offense.
In 1997, the NevC 1 England
Journal of Medicine issued a
report concerning the safety
of cell phones and driving.
The summary concluded that
drivers who are talking on
cell phones are four times as
likely to be in an accident
than drivers paying complete \
attention to the road.
Drunken driving studies
have also shown that driving under the
influence of alcohol increases accident
risk by four times. In other words, drivers
using cell phones are as great a threat to
other drivers as drunken drivers are.
Arguments that talking with a passen
ger is just as distracting as using a cell
phone while driving were also addressed
in the report.
In its findings, the Journal stated, “Un
like a caller on the other end, the passen
ger can see when the driver needs to fo-
/n the dark
L
cus on driving and can further serve to
alert the driver to hazards.”
Granted, cell phones in the car offer
convenience. Assistance is easily accessi
ble if there is car trouble, police and am
bulances can be quickly reached if there
is an accident, and being able to call in
late for meetings or get directions are all
positive sides of having a cell phone in
a greater target for police.
To resolve this, students should allow
passengers to call for directions or pull into
a parking lot and stop.
Patrica Pena of Hilltown, Pa., knows
well the affects of driving and talking on
the cell phone. While in the car with her
2-year-old daughter, Morgan Lee, another
car ran a stop sign and hit them broad-
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the car.
However, all of these can be accom
plished while the car is safely pulled over
onto the side of the road.
In communities with high numbers of
cell phones, the number of people talking
on cell phones and driving at the same
time is even higher. During the weekend,
students make calls to get directions to
parties or special events. With police
looking for drunken drivers on the week
end, talking on a cell phone can make one
JOE PEDEN/Tm Battalion
side, killing Morgan Lee. The driver ad
mitted that he ran the stop sign because
he was distracted while talking on his cell
phone. He was later cited with reckless
driving and fined $50.
On the Website the Penas dedicated
to their daughter, they state, “Prior to
the crash, we and the rest of the public
lacked a meaningful awareness of the
dangers of drivers using cell phones
while operating a vehicle. Since the
horrible death of our daughter, the use
of cellular phones by drivers has be
come a substantial safety problem.”
Soon after the accident, Hilltown be
came one o£ the first cities in the U.S. to
ban talking on a cell phone while driving,
The Hilltown plan followed similar
rules to a cell phone ordinance passed by
Brooklyn, Ohio, in 1999. Drivers cannot’
be pulled over for talking on their cell
phones in the car.
However, if they are in violation;
of another law, they can be ticketed.
for using their cell phone once
pulled over. Exemptions are made ."
for users who were calling 911 or %
other emergencies.
Insurance companies have also
recognized the threat cell phone usej
I in the car can pose.
“Cell phones are an excellent
safety device on the open road, but
they're strongly linked with seriou£<
I accidents in industry research,” saidJ
Loretta Worters, vice president of *-’*
communications for the Insurance**;
Information Institute. “We recom- .0
mend pulling over before making ;
calls.”
Carrie Stahl, a junior environmeo-i
tal design major and bus driver for
Bus Operations at Texas A&M said,
“People on cell phones have to be one
of the biggest risks to all drivers. A1-* *
most every day, I see someone on > [
their cell phone cutting someone else
off in traffic or running red lights.”
The problem of cell phones and dri-'
ving in Bryan-College Station should be
addressed immediately. The use of cell
phones in cars will grow as more and
more people buy cell phones.
To combat the increased risk of acci
dents, local officials should pass ordi
nances to keep distracted drivers off the;
road.
Reid Bader is a junior political
science major.
ages Britain’s belated passage of Human Rights Act fills void
ast week,
Great
►Britain’s
Human Rights
Act was incor
porated into
British law.
The right to
freedom of ex
pression,
speech and privacy, which have
been staples in American life,
are now a written part of British
law. Many rights that are now
protected are similar to Ameri
ca’s Bill of Rights, like the right
to be protected against unrea
sonable searches and seizures.
British citizens now have the
same rights guaranteed by the
Human Rights Act.
Before this enactment, the
British were only protected un
der the European Convention on
human rights, which Britain
signed in 1953.
Under the prior enactment,
cases where the defendant felt
the government had violated
the convention would be heard
at the European Court of Hu
man Rights in Strasbourg.
Before this act was written,
British citizens had what are
known as negative rights. In oth
er words, if there was not a law
prohibiting a certain action, then
it was legal.
Recently, citizens have felt
that the rights they thought they
had were being taken away by
Parliament. With the new act,
many of these rights are protect
ed by law.
Now, British citizens will not
have to rely on their govern
ment alone not to infringe on
these rights, which makes pro
tecting basic human rights more
enforceable.
The push for this act was
made by England’s ruling party,
the Labor Party, as part of its *
platform in the ’97 election. Ba
sic human rights should not be
taken for granted, but guaran
teed by law.
Accordingly, the way British
citizens and the government in
teract will change.
The new code gives the gov
ernment written proof that what
Mail Call
it is doing is legal. While the
British court system cannot de
clare a law unconstitutional like
its American counterpart can, it
can issue a “statement of in
compatibility.”
Before this enact
ment, the British were
only protected under
the European Con
vention on human
rights, which Britain
signed in 1953.
The statement of incompati
bility will inform Parliament
' that the statute does not agree
with the human rights code, but
it will not change the statute in
question. The legislators will
have the power to change the
statute.
With this difference, the Par
liament still has more power
than the court system, which has
traditionally been the case.
Many opponents of this act
worry that standards of British
culture will be forced to change
under the new act.
According to The New York
Times, conservative British
newspapers have written articles
claiming the act will change all
aspects of British life, such as
“the right of the government to
ban polygamy, on the ground
that it would violate some peo
ple’s freedom of religion.”
Because the court system is
limited, citizens should not
worry. The court cannot reverse
a law.
It can tell Parliament it has
found that the law is not compli
ant with the Human Rights Act,
but it is up to Parliament to
change the law.
British citizens should not
worry that accepted governmen
tal bans will be changed, since
legislators have the final say in.
which statutes stand. British
courts do not have the right of
judicial review like American
justices have.
Another worry of the conser
vatives is that this act will give
“too much power to interest
groups like gays and women.”
They think that this new act
takes too much power from the
government. While it may seem
as though the government has.
lost power, in essence it has
gained the power to protect those
who go against the majority.
The code will give the gov
ernment solid footing in cases
that once were disputable.
The government now has a
legal basis for protecting pri
vacy, freedom of speech and
religion.
This act has made England a
more democratic nation.
According to Upendra Baxi,
professor of law at the University of
Warwick, “This new act is the first
time that Parliament has agreed to
limit its own sovereignty.”
Opponents have raised nu
merous problems with the new
code, but this act, while different
in the beginning, will protect fu
ture generations from numerous
problems.
Brieanne Porter is a sophomore
chemical engineering major.
Majority’s rights unthreatened Copenhagen advertisement
all right, influence of
Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical
engineering major.
In response to Marcus White’s Oct. 10 column.
White does a good job of rallying the religious
right, but he manages to ignore the actual thrust of
the establishment clause.
It is outrageous to suggest that a student’s constitu
tional right to freedom of religion should be waived
simply because a majority of students decide to do so.
Whether there is any secular value to prayer,
which is debatable, prayer is still a religious activity.
Even nonsectarian prayer is fundamentally religious.
The Constitution requires that the government
not support any religion or any religious activity.
When the school holds prayer or provides the medi
um by which others may lead prayer during school
or school activities, it is supporting religious activity.
Whether it is the establishment of a national re
ligion or one school district allowing a religious ac
tivity during a school activity, it is still a violation of
the establishment clause.
Also, it is absurd to argue that our’right to assem
ble is being abridged by preventing school prayer.
A school event is an exercise of school assem
bly, and any religious assembly associated with
that school event is simply not appropriate.
I suggest that White and those who agree with him
acquaint themselves with the diversity of organiza
tions that are permitted to assemble here before they
claim that the right of assembly is being violated.
Jason Willis
Class of ‘01
The Battalion overrated
In response to Chris Barnes’ Oct. 9 Mail Call.
Does The Battalion have so much power over
readers that if a Copenhagen ad is printed, every
one will be compelled to buy it?
No one can make the argument that consumers
buy products simply because they see them in The
Battalion.
The argument that people do not know the risks
involved with tobacco just will not work anymore.
Consumers are informed and are going to buy
tobacco products because they want to, not be
cause of an ad in The Battalion.
The fact is tobacco is legal. People have the
right to buy it. Copenhagen has the right to create
advertising, and The Battalion has a right to print
that advertising.
The Battalion is a forum for news and opinions
of all kinds, not only those that please
“thetruth.com” crowd.
If Barnes does not like tobacco, he does not
have to buy it. If he does not like the advertise
ment, then he can buy all the advertising space
he wants.
I am sure The Battalion would not mind.
Joe Price
Class of ‘99
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thors only. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of other Battalion staff mem
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