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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2000)
Page 5B — Less than ised to hunt 10 killed and s, security commandos suspects be- in the grue- ation were n Israel, the im satisfac- :d by televi- , and Prime imself had ' accounts.” have a long mting down sible for ter- citizens. Af- 11 athletes at mpics, the years track- ig the PLO :sts was ex- ily a day af- alestinians ed summit :e that has n the West Palestinian eik, said if ;cial forces controlled ts, it would •st of fury ill be very lians a free s Channel ttle tf THE BATTALION oth ing like a good spanking Lack of parental guidance, not exposure to violence, responsible for violent children orporal punish ment has been _ in the forefront al rights for many years now. , : Parents, teachers ^ and doctors have ' 'been debating T'whether spanking \ causes violent be- I ’hivior in children. A new study by Zero to Three, a non- * profit child-development organization, ‘found that 61 percent of parents sur- ■ 1 i veyed believe spanking a child is an ef- ^ fective form of discipline. |H For many experts, this finding is frightening. This survey also brings an- S'C |ther question to mind — is this an indi- Jation of America’s violent nature? It seems America's violent inclina- p ' tinns do not come from seeing violence, s;|‘ but from a lack of parental guidance. I America’s violent tendencies have come under fire in many arenas of Si,;| public life. Politicians in Washington, • [ D C., fought for stricter regulation of the video game industry. A rating sys tem has since been put in place for the v industry. T But according to a study done by ■he Australian government on Ameri- ica’s violent video games, “The accu- jmulating evidence does indicate that it lis very hard to find [undesirable] ef- ■fects and that they are unlikely to be ■substantial.” Yet, many people still argue these ( ■ games are another bad influence ori IAmerica’s youth. Like corporal punish- [Mment, these games can cause youths to lash out at parents and other students. At least that is what many people would like the American public to believe. Since 1994, the juvenile crime rate has fallen steadily, while video game sales have increased 100 percent. The link between video games and violence is weak. These experts also point their fin gers at the movie industry. Experts ad vocate that Hollywood is to blame for these acts of violence. In September, the Senate Commerce Committee invited the heads of major movie studios to testify about their mar keting practices. Since 1994, the juve nile crime rate has fallen steadily, while video game sales have increased 100 percent. The link be tween video games and violence is weak. This action triggered the current de bate over whether movies that have adult content such as sex and violence are aimed at younger children. While some senators warned that the industry needs to clean up its act or it will become more regulated, parents need to take more active roles in their children’s lives. If America’s youth had strong role models, the movie industry would not be a problem. These role models would have an active part in chil dren’s lives. Some experts, such as Dr. Kyle Pruett, professor of psychiatry at Yale University’s Child Study Cen ter, said spanking increases violent acts and causes children to become aggressors. Many people believe that violence does not result from violent acts, but from the absence of positive role models. With more parents working and more single-parent families, children look to older teen-agers for role models. America’s youth violence does not stem from video games, movies or from spanking, but from a lack of parental involvement. Many parents are not there for their children and are not involved in their children’s lives. The experts do not need to look for what is to blame for the violent ten dencies, but a better way to solve the problems of violence. Studies have shown that Ameri cans are not refraining from spanking their children just because the experts say to. If parents want to discipline their children they will; expert advice has not changed that. What will solve some of these vio lent tendencies is stronger role models and a more interactive family setting for America’s youth. Brieanne Porter is a sophomore chemical engineering major. jd Barak minister te right to ohammed ’alestinian gunfire in as his fa- eld him. er — rais- r Yasser ty had co- wn of the le arrests i official itinian of- t. led to dis- :ord, but lad taken sible. “I til about ainly not lat could Defense 1 Israel’s id the six Monday ning by y’s elite special- s, assist- •ces. word on sources rael and e Israeli of those entified tck shot showed ;stinian get to a alestin- kirts of .aid the lile try- y in the teli un- jumpy, of the d-story adowy en one ned by raised the ar- he one se pic- iges of laving l. ' show imped to the them >rpses Israel from aid Bordering on blasphemy Proposed cloning m jsvi/e ^ B 0 'Ofcloning 2»f r ■ is one that t|? iias evoked diffstrong emo- raions from the scientific com- nunity and so- fciety as a vhole. The ethics of cloning human ■beings has been heavily debated, and a great deal of society oppos- les it. Many feel that the creation of uman beings should only happen rough the natural process, “as od had intended.” If cloning humans is out, how bout cloning the individual who ore than a billion people consider :o be God himself? It should be common sense hat, if cloning people is morally^ ind ethically wrong, cloning Beities is not such a bright idea, “either. Still, a group of people out s there is interested in cloning Jesus ( Christ. I The group, which calls itself ^‘‘Second Coming Project,” is inter- iested in seeing how Jesus would fmake out in this day and age. What causes this bunch of scarecrows to want to play with fire? “I think it will bring about world peace,” said one member of the group. Are these people illiterate? The return of Jesus will not be all hap- py-happy joy-joy. According to the book of Reve lation, the second coming of Christ will be preceded by some pretty nasty stuff. Death, universal destruction, famine and annihilation of the unjust are enough to make even the most laid-back person a lit tle nervous. The project’s time sched- ule calls for completion by Dec. 25, 2001, so Jesus II can be born “exact ly” 2,000 years after Jesus. The carrier of the child will be artifi cially inseminated, so the conception will be immaculate. The project goes on to state that it is not a requirement for the mother of Jesus II to be a virgin. By this point, anyone who has any knowledge of Christian reli gion is either laughing out loud or banging his head against the wall. A few small problems that the project seems to have overlooked include the fact that Jesus was not, in all likelihood, born on Dec. 25. Most historians agree that Christmas was placed on that date to coincide with the winter solstice as part of a deal to get English pa gans to convert to Christianity. Jesus was probably born in Sep tember, when the Romans held most of their tax censuses. Strike one. In order for a conception to be immaculate, a woman’s womb must be untouched. Using a device to inject sperm, “holy” or otherwise, does not qualify as a substi tute for the Almighty’s will. Strike two. Oh, yes ... was not Mary a virgin? Strike three, you’re out. Still, the members of the Sec ond Coming Project are undeterred. of Jesus ridiculous, unjustified They are convinced they can get Christ’s DNA off the Shroud of Turin or some other holy sym bol that might hold a piece of hair or a drop of blood from the origi nal Jesus. Scientists scoff at the possibility of obtaining DNA from any such object that has been subjected to ex treme heat and varying climates, which would contaminate DNA strands. Further, the scientists note, this contamination can happen in a matter of weeks. Note to Second Coming Project: it has been 2,000 years. Theologians-doubt that the DNA would do any good, as how does one get the genetic material for the guy who created genetic material in the first place? To put this idea in simpler terms, it is dumber than New Coke. It is highly debatable that peo ple have the ability toxlone an other human being at this time, , ' much less the one whose father is responsible for the start of the universe. Even if they do, society will not accept the jump from goats to gods. Speaking of those unwilling to accept such activities ... how about God hirnself? Odds are, the Secoild Coming Project will not meet with favor in the eyes of all. It is highly presumptuous, even in the mind of a skeptical believer in Christianity, to think that humans should dare tread on territory that should be clearly marked: God’s — Keep Out. According to the Old Testa ment, man tried stepping on God’s toes once before with the Tower of Babel. That went about as well as a New Kids on the Block reunion tour. Trying to clone his son would likely evoke a far stronger response. In the face of tremendous odds and massive outcry, the Second Coming Project keeps working on what it considers to be a noble cause. There is a chance, albeit slim, that it might succeed. In that case, people need to get their sinning out of the way quickly. They have 34 years until they are called on the caipet. Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major. it* 1 V ■ 1 Satire missed in column ! r In response to Oct. 18 Mail Call. I' Two letters were printed Wednesday in I what seemed to be outrage that the rights I guaranteed in the Constitution could be tak- f en away from stupid people. I My first reaction was, “Could people ac- Itually read an article that was so filled with I hyperbole, extreme examples and satire I and believe it to be true?” I I also pondered if these critics did not j|. laugh even once while reading the column. [ These letters were even more absurd in I their chastisement of The Battalion — the col- I umn in question plainly stated that what was I to follow was satire. It even ended saying that I this article should not be taken seriously. True satire would have never stated that | it was satire because humor is an individual I response. But because readers were * warned of the impending burlesque and then took it as a serious piece, this is the perfect commentary of the world .today. f Please, read the entire article before writing | a scathing response. Be sure it is written in I jest or as a serious piece before responding. — Mail Call be extreme — like a Dennis Miller rant. I think the kind of people that he is talk ing about who disrespect their freedom of speech are people like the ones who wrote in Wednesday. It seems to me that people are hoarding their mail calls to The Battalion staff so they can sound more intelligent than the next. You only responded to his “pseudo-intel- Ifectual rambling” with one of your own. I hope you got the satisfaction of flashing the clipping to all of your friends, bragging how “you showed him.” There seems to be an awful lot of mail calls with people just correcting the staff at The Battalion. Jeff Leins Class of ’04 Location of photo offends In response to Oct. 18 photograph. Can The Battalion be any more taste less? They printed a story about an Ebola virus outbreak next to a photo of a clown! What kind of a message is The Battalion ■ aiming for? Jason Cole Class of ’03 r Bennyhoff’s column on Oct. 16 was well written, I thought. It was fairly true about Americans, no matter how offensive it was to some people. It is rhetorical satire meant to Paul Springer Class of ’97 Bars are not responsible In response to Eric Dickens’ Oct. 17 column. I think the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) is forgetting the mean ing of self-responsibility. Northgate bars have hundreds of people come in and out of their doors every night. It is apparent that both Wagener and his friends knew they were doing wrong while drinking that night because they were the ones who were sneaking drinks to each other. Does that mean that they should be held accountable since they were the ones breaking the laws? It is a common sight for a friend who is of legal age to purchase a drink at the bar, walk out of sight and then pass the drink off to one of their younger friends. Bartenders are supposed to be able to tell when people come to the bar after too many drinks and that is when those people should be cut off. However, bartenders cannot always make a drink and then watch to see where that person goes to drink it or if it even stays in that person’s hands. When are people going to stop pointing fingers when they do something wrong and take responsibility for their own actions. Why does not TABC or the College Sta tion Police Department take responsibility for what happened that night? It is almost like there are more of them in the bars nowadays than there are people enjoying themselves. Ryan Mills 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 accuracy. Letters may be sub mitted 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 neces sarily reflect the opinion of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administrators, faculty or staff.