o PINION
Page 5
THE BATTALION
to the scarlet letter?
ludge was wrong to require signs in yards, on cars of sex offenders
d an airplane:
ling bannera
protest lette-fiLjor most
he One Chklj neigh-
y’s office tok« bor-
wicle he will Mods and
olans. The cBbdivisions
tore than 3( across
izations in Hnerica,
ston area. Brel signs do
of the allianc. nothing
a a full-page ;Bpre than advertise a house for
local Chine sale or notify passersby of an
aperstoprot upcoming garage sale. But in
hinese to ojArpus Christi, residents are
Juled trip m'hBing forced to deal with new
- and Sunday Ans ordered by District Judge
aporters have J. Manuel Banales.
ig weekly tor Tv enty-one sex offenders in
rtivities to preArpus Christi, who are on
ble confror.'Aibation, have been wrong-
mbletree HoAly required to place a large
»'here Chen', sig i in front of their homes
1 At reads “Danger, Registered
as be :en regarrBx Offender Lives Here” and
icials as a rentlh ce a bumper sticker on their
er defeatingn car with a similar warning,
arty KuomkAThe ordinance also banned
fled to Taiv the offenders from frequenting
>ws to reclaim topless bars or using the Inter-
province. Bui lei, which unfairly tramples on
Air rights as citizens.
■Since the order, one of the
offenders has attempted sui-
Bc, two have been evicted
from their homes, several have
had property vandalized and an
■ • (offender’s father has had his life
1 OH [threatened.
BThe judge’s ruling centers
• these scarlet-letter clad of-
t "I /^jfeliders in the public spotlight.
^ ^ ^Bnales’ order blatantly disre-
I ^ girded nearby residents and
1^^ /TtlhaLs spawned numerous inter
im/ LJ VI view requests from media
around the world. By labeling
.s lawyer said i the offenders as social out-
obbery, Nom.-casts, the ruling in no way
e victims to h:provides them with the rieces-
i goods intoh: sary rehabilitation,
one of the crir. iUnder current r 1 exas law,
-, were armec judges possess the right to
'olf-equipmen:
Iwin Watts, Pn
Stores, Las
Nevada Bob's,
investigators
ecame his way
s all his job was
langer Sgt.
ie would do ita
iIso has
malist party,
oped to reck
modify probation conditions at
any time during the term.
However, the changes must be
deemed reasonable.
“It is a return to the days of
the scarlet letter. I think this is
just madness,” said Gerald Ro-
gen, president of the Corpus
Christi Criminal Defense
Lawyers’ Organization, who,
along with the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU), has
mounted a legal challenge that
seeks reversal of the order by a
higher court.
Rogen and the ACLU say
this order is cruel and unusual
punishment and a violation of
the offenders’ right to privacy.
The effects the order will
have on the hundreds of resi
dent’s who live near, or with,
these violators has also caused
opposition. Property values
for those living nearby are ex
pected to plummet.
“It won’t help me sell a
house in that neighborhood,”
said real estate agent Gene
Curensey.
Banales’ order has reper
cussions that are not fair to
the offenders’ neighbors, and
places everyone involved in a
position to deal with possible
unwarranted violence.
In fact, since the order has
taken place, there have been
several reports of harassment
to the offenders and many fam
ily members fear for their lives.
“I’m the one on probation, not
my wife,” said Gilbert Canales,
who received 10 years proba
tion for aggravated sexual as
sault of a child in 1992.
Banales’ motivation in pass
ing the order does prove to be
somewhat justifiable, because
increasing public awareness of
sex offenders is crucial in pre
venting further violations.
However, the prior terms of
their probation have proven to
be suitable and appropriate. To
comply with the Sexual Of
fender Registration Act, all sex
ual offenders are required to
register with local law enforce
ment agencies and have their
names and photos placed on an
Internet database.
In addition, in more severe
cases, the Department of Pub
lic Safety sends a postcard to
neighboring residents in the
area notifying them of the of
fender’s presence. These pun-
CALCANEO/The Battalion
ishments adequately notify the
public in the immediate vicini
ty while leaving the offender’s
right to privacy intact.
Issuing this order without
giving these offenders the
proper means to negotiate the
requirement in a courtroom
will prove to be a backfire for
Banales. In the meantime,
these offenders can do noth
ing more but wait, until a
higher court can terminate
Banales’ order.
J.J. Trevino is a senior
journalism major.
e's
et your Z's
veryone needs regular sleep
one oi
K JL'
s school starts
back up in uni-
I 4- t- /)■ -».versities around
- lUSL LIUt the nation, a collective
ngsters ol is breathed as col-
oart of lege students once a £ am
r L U give up the hope of reg-
itury, and ular sleep until the next
JESSICA
CRUTCHER
tow he's
retired”
George
break. Many students see the grueling
schedule of classes, studying and often a
full-time job as just paying their dues.
Aowever, this theory is beginning to be
Vt questioned. A group of medical students
arc petitioning the Occupational Safety
and Healdi Administration to put limits
itry — Orlando ; on their work hours. Many people are
, Memphis. He concerned that the long hours of medical
1 then leave to' 1 ' residents makes them more prone to make
i and FBI mistakes that could threaten the lives of
on Watson h;u patients. Many other groups of people,
ails and attemf such as airline pilots, have also corny under
dently verih recent scrutiny for potential poor per-
e crimes Norm because of a lack of sleep. As
nitted since the 1 have repeatedly shown, not getting
’tors a | -- I'H ! enough sleep causes long and short-term
icnwide will no''| h L. alth problems .
. unso ve cas^Hj Qf course, it is often impossible for peo-
iear as we can -
ling to clear 62 1
pie, especially college students, to stick to
nan s
^^ afcemi-regular sleeping schedule. But an
effort should still be made. According to
. ANN report, lack of sleep is America’s
number one health problem. CNN also
ter hurdles crowH states that the National Commission on
13.09 seconds.! 1 Sleep Disorders estimates that sleep depri-
i actually matched vation costs $150 billion per year in higher
inmate Chamik' stress and reduced workplace productivity,
id out the winin'. ft is well known that sleep deprivation
i. Cai tei adda causes a higher likelihood of traffic acci-
kng performance-dl ntsand
on-the-job injuries. However,
>y ta mg irst P «L nv p eo pl e d 0 no t realize the personal
ir ump with a P l , , , T , , , , ,
r f i f c health and mental problems that can be
cancc ox X rCvij r* i
Senior Meshellf cimsed b y a lack ofslee P'
rther first by wi# t A recent study by the University of
■dirowwithadiC Chicago Medical Center showed chronic
■ 3 inches. sleep loss can reduce the boefy’s capacity
the men andw'C' tp perform basic metabolic functions like
will compete if?processing and storing carbohydrates or
Outdoor 0*—
sin Eugene, Ore
Itojune 2.
regulating hormone secretion. The study
cut down the nightly amount of sleep
from eight hours to four, and these un
wanted bodily changes wernfTybserved in
less than one week.
“We suspect that chronic sleep loss
may not only hasten the onset but could
also increase the severity of age-related
ailments such as diabetes, hypertension,
obesity and memory loss,” said Dr. Eve
Van Cauter, director of the study and
professor of medicine at the University of
Chicago. (
However, long-term health problems
are usually not the first thing on one’s
mind when trying to pass finals and finish
several projects in a short time span. In
this case, there are also short-term draw
backs to lack of sleep that might motivate
students to at least take a nap. Losing
sleep for one night slows down one’s
thinking skills the next day, according to a
study from the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center (UPMC). The UPMC
study also showed that the body’s need
for sleep may also slow down thinking
processes at night.
Therefore, pulling an all-nighter may
not be the best study method, because
one’s body may be too tired to retain and
process the important information any
way. Those people who leave the study
group and go home to bed at 2 a.in. may
not be lazy after all — they might have
the right idea.
All the studies in the world will proba
bly not convince someone to sleep when
they have to learn a semester’s worth of
information in one night. But when the
situation is looking especially hopeless,
the value of sleep is important. With
one’s mind working clearly, eliminating
wrong answers on a “multiple guess” test
may be a lot easier.
Jessica Crutcher is a junior
journalism major.
Disney changes the past
P
, olitically correct was orig
inally a phrase developed
by members of Vladimir
Lenin’s Bolshevik Party during
the early days of the Soviet
Union. While the U.S.S.R. may
no longer exist, political correct
ness is thriving in the United
States. Many people believe it is wrong to insult or
defame anyone for anything they have ever done.
It seems that political correctness has reached its
highest point, while common sense has reached a new
low. It is sad that such a blow against truth and histo
ry would appear in the blockbuster Pearl Harbor.
This new movie, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
and directed by Michael Bay, has been released by
the Walt Disney Corporation. The surprise attack
by Japan, which prompted the United States to en
ter World War II, takes place about halfway through
a shallow love story involving Kate Beckinsale and
Ben Aifleck.
After the Japanese are done devastating most of
the U.S. Pacific fleet, Affleck leaves Beckinsale be
hind to wreak havoc on the U.S.’s foe with the aid
of General Jimmy Doolittle, played by Alec Bald
win. At the end of the movie, Beckinsale has a
monologue in which she notes that the United
States has bounced Jjack from the dastardly attack
on Pearl Harbor not to only defeat the Japanese
but to help the Allies triumph over Nazi Germany
as well.
At least, that is what American audiences will see.
In a pathetic display of profit over pride and decen
cy, Disney has changed the ending of the movie for
release in Japan and Germany. Such actions may be
common practice for Hollywood, but this instance
is an insult to the 400,000 men who lost their lives
in American uniforms during World War II.
It is time for the American public to stand up for
the truth, which is something those men gave their
lives to save.
Disney said that it made the decision after they
“canvassed people worldwide to see if anyone would
be offended.” A Disney official said that the Japan
ese “fear the film will be seen as a historical docu
ment with them as the baddies.”
It may not be nice to say, but his statement is true.
Led by a corrupt and sadistic military junta that hid
behind the throne of Emperor Hirohito, the Japan
ese committed scores of atrocities during World
War II. Pearl Harbor was just one of many crimes
committed by this government, which included
killing millions of Chinese by Japanese occupation,
the horror of the Bataan Death March and the suf
fering of millions of Filipina and Korean women
who were used as sex slaves by Japanese troops.
It is important that the world remembers this.
Japan has already attempted to hide this truth either
by omitting the attack on Pearl Harbor from their
history books or claiming the attack was part of a
large American scheme to draw them into war.
And what of the Nazis? Will they be forgotten as
well? Their crimes are common knowledge in the
United States and Great Britain, but what about the
rest of the world? If the world is to forget names like
Auschwitz and Bataan, does that not bring us clos
er to a repeat performance?
It seems odd that Disney would cater to the feel
ings of those nations, who committed gross acts of
naked aggression against the country where Disney
was founded. But there is a baser motive to Disney’s
move besides trying to get everyone to kiss and
make up: money.
Japan is a very large movie market and account
ed for 20 percent of the profits from the ship-beats-
man classic Titanic. As a result, Disney has, accord
ing to an official, '‘tried very hard not to portray the
Japanese in a very bad light.”
So there it is. In order to make another quick
buck, Disney has sold out its home nation and those
who died to keep it free. Pearl Harbor made $75.1
million in its first weekend and will be a massive box
office hit, yet Disney could not contain its greed.
This is reprehensible.
Disney has tried to claim that Pearl Harbor is
based on history. In their attempt to coddle former
Axis nations by acting like the Uriited States should
feel sorry for winning World War II, they have
made it a fantasy. In trying to make Japan and Ger
many feel better about their roles in this horrible
conflict, Disney has insulted America, England and
Russia. Doing so to increase their profit margin
should be insulting to everyone, regardless of their
nationality.
The Disney corporation made its reputation by
making great flights of fantasy that could entertain
the whole family. Pearl Harbor is their latest fanta
sy, but it insults the sacrifice made by men buried
from the Philippines to North Africa — as well as
those who have no resting place.
Mark Passwaters is a senior
electrical engineering major.