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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 2001)
;dncstlay, July 25, 2001 O PINION THE BATTALION Page 5 She law isn’t always fair 3 WANTED ed College acting legally by denying student paper link on Web always looking ring the last "■couple of include: 1) Machr:iH wee ks, a con- lysis 3) ProiotyMtijftrsy has oc- NEER, MaiyS^ctl in Portland, 3 and the manure., dealing with rr/ 3 ^'" 9 so-called cen- sts of a CNC Ml! v. T , , The group wyjhr'P or Reed am Monday thro.rloflege’s Student flexible scheduies teWsl y Uie r ng Individuals r;®S S P J P e !' ivironmentandas.Tjns private college will not pro- ’us 'mprovementsridj an online link from its Website ly 85 lynn^E'': 3 The Qi/est, the controversial col- fynntechoiynnter >gl weekly. In the past, the newspa- rb J'TTT-4^s featured profanity, as well as Eastmark Dr„ 0* I, , r V , 3. ^Blumn on how to use the illegal — Iruu acid, or LSD. Photographs of needed for saes iTi i ”i ' j- nd hard worker men also have appeared in ships Ca 1 mM Quest. 02 ask for Rick proponents of the student paper ig. apply at nwiw|ing a link with Reed College say Jdeiivery.com hejcollege is unfairly censoring the ier, part-time,-es-;.ituhepts. Michael Hiestand, a s Can 979-26fr-My er f or rhg Student Press Law Center, said, “They don’t want a ronicie has -"raider audience to see what the stu- SSCdeUs have written,” and suggested antes also avahklhat the college place a disclaimer 6 93-2323 Rjde t } ie rat her than outright RCYCLE • :ensor * n £ ' ts content or appearance on the site. This seems like a fair ija zxe, zosoih-Miiproinise to many. However, Hi- indition, $4,ooc I® a nd and others involved with the Bsc must remember that the ulti- -11 qpz. Runs,ccupite decision is up to Reed Col- Hines exhaust wSBe’s administrators, because it is a private university. ■ According to past court decisions, ithough Reed College’s decision may not seem like the fair thing to do, as a private school it has the right to cen sor its student newspaper in any way it sees fit. The freedom of the press exercised by student newspapers in public schools is not recognized to ETS Kittens, Cats, fop ;! Occasions M thers. Brazos A"< :hs old, Hollano and accessories the same extent when dealing with a private organization. In fact, when one looks at the past actions of ott^er colleges, Reed seems very under-:, standing. T he officials are actually at tempting to help The Quest stay ifii print, as spokesperson Harriet Wat son explained: “If we put it onliri^! they would lose editorial control, and we would become publishers,” sfhei said in an interview widi The Chfbni- cle of Higher Education. “As publish ers, we would, out of necessity, exer cise oversight for what would bear the imprimatur of the college.” In addi tion, officials said they have no prob lem with the paper being published in hard copy, and they encourage The Quest's editors to put the paper online on a site of its own. Considering the controversial content of certain editions of The Quest, its editors should count their blessings and be glad they have not received more heat from the univer sity. Certain other private colleges have not been so understanding. For example, a few years ago, Baylor University in Waco temporarily shut down its student newspaper and fired its editors after Playboy Maga zine placed an advertisement in forming area women that it was coming to town recruiting models. Baylor officials felt this was not an acceptable image for the school to pPrtray and ordered the advertise ment not be run. When it was print ed anyway officials reacted harshly Although their censorship might have been over the top, the courts ruled that Baylor, as a private insti tution, was fully within its rights. Likewise, Reed College is within its rights by refusing to link The Quest to its Website. In the future, stu dents with a propensity for writ ing controversial material should re member that if they want a completely free press, they should probably choose to attend a public university. Jessica Crutcher is a junior journalism major. - Cnn rii1 * in c ***’e /W, o/ f thes ^ho/i to Tyh J 0ss thC v < that r Pri~ Na$- H ' e ^e ( tt er W s feiirfs toudoptw cept rtos ikJ om 10, iS-nin.liwC.S. ESTATE RUBEN DELUNA/tHf Battalion NAACP has forgotten the meaning of progress aS a race VlATES problem, not S to Share wlmlike every v/d, $300/mo, iorher country 979)694-1786. L, wor l ( J - need ——Fortunately much progress has 5250/mo. +bli8,7Been made in die last century. 576. But that hard-won headway is ,d 3bdrm/2biiT-jeopardized when organizations 979-229-2545 supposedly dedicated to bridg- ing the divide between races i. (979)777-5368 cause unnecessary controversy and no l° n g er advocate the jity place Condol policies of equality and progress at protect and foster racial anquility. The National Association lor die Advancement of Col ored People (NAACP) recendy held their annual convention in ew Orleans. The notion of |being even slightly civil toward Jills, on bus-roK; people witii whom they dis- larage. (Si 0 ) 65,1 : agree was nowhere to be found is year. Board Chairman Ju lian Bond blasted President eorge W. Bush, stating to die cheering delegates that “instead Call (979)75. of uniting us, die new Adminis tration ahnost daily separates and divides us.” He went on to say die President has “selected nominees from the Tailban wing of American politics, ap peased the wretched appetites of the extreme right-wing and chose Cabinet officials whose devotion to the Confederacy is almost canine in its uncriti cal affection.” The Free Congress Foun dation reports that just one month before Bond compared conservatives to the Islamic ter rorist organization, Taliban troops rounded up an estimated 300 men and boys from their homes and jobs and shot them. Such overblown rhetoric is un true and over the line, and in dicative of the type of behavior that should disqualify the NAACP from claiming to rep resent the best interests of African-Americans. Jolui McWhorter, a critic of mainstream African-American leadership, professor of linguis tics at The University of Cali- fornia-Berkeley and author of Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America, writes that if Bush was truly committed to the advancement of African- Americans in America, his first step should be to “dissociate himself from this irrelevant shell of an organization.” Last year, the NAACP ran ads linking Bush to the lynch ing death of James Byrd Jr., when in fact he vocally support ed the death penalty for Byrd’s killers. Bond also spoke of “racially-motivated voter purges” in Florida, when that charge is completely unproven. Mary Frances Berry, chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Commission that investigated the supposed viola- tions'&gainst African-Americans in Florida, was unable to come up wijth any evidence in the re- cendy-released report. She has atta|»ed away at the Republi- can«pgardlcss. At the NAACP convention, she feaid of the party switch of Jim Jeffords that gave control of the Senate to the Democrats, “Before that, I was just wonder ing when Strom Thurmond was going to die.” Such a divi sive attitude has become a ma jor obstacle to our country’s’ leaders working together on policies that could benefit African-Americans, and in the end all citizens. President Bush rightfully declined an invitation to speak or send a videotape to the con vention until a more construc tive dialogue can be built. A good place to start such a con versation would be to address the very subjects that the NAACP, Jesse Jackson and A1 Sharpton are silent on: the dys functional public educational establishment of the inner city and the crisis of out-of-wed lock births. The Washington Times reports the illegitimacy rate to be nearly 70 percent in the African-American com munity. Unfortunately, it is much easier to continue to wallow in victimization and finger-pointing than to lift up those who need help. Greater educational choic es, which would allow for some of the poorest children trapped in failing schools to escape, is overwhelmingly supported in polls of African-Americans. Last year’s National Assess ment of Educational Progress test found that 63 percent of African-American fourth graders cannot read at a basic level. For the organizational leadership to staunchly support die failed status quo is inexcus able. Is Republican-bashing all the NAACP has to offer these days? The Washington, D.C., public schools spends a huge amount of money per pupil, among the highest in the na tion, yet offers a terrible educa tional product. It is long past time for new ideas that might very well prove effective. But the NAACP and Berry oppose school vouchers and remain silent on the responsibilities and necessity of fatherhood. Now, they stand at the schoolhouse door. It was wrong for the government to institute policies that divided citizens based on race 50 or 200 years ago, and it is still wrong today. What the NAACP advo cates, including racial quotas and preferences and opposition to school choice, does not help the progress of African-Ameri cans in this country. Some of Bush’s actions, like meetings with ministers who support his faith-based and school choice initiatives, arid support of the National Center for Neighbor hood Enterprise and die Fa therhood Initiative, do. These are some organizations fighting die problems of America’s inner cities head-on, as opposed to in flammatory speeches. The NAACP would do well to realize that overheated rheto ric cannot cure die travesties and injustice that plague far too many in the African-American community. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision was one where individuals “were judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character.” U.S. leaders of every back ground should peruse color blind policies that widen the doors of opportunity for all citizens. Jonathan Jmes is a senior political science major. starting AuflU* Seorge Bush y +bills. (979)695" Mail Call Uncartoonist responds liihruMay f^ to criticism of cartoon '^ nish 764-8465 With regard to The Battalion's july 24, 2001 "Cartoon of the Da y/' was not intended to nished /2 except ! perpetuate offensive stereo- d paui822-1& types or foster anti-Semitism. ’ -rj. My cartoons are meant to ius fe VqTfi" inspire, bring laughter and 8 ’ ^ explore the endless bounds of humor. It is not my mission to create anything offensive or Driving. L °'f belittle those belonging to cer- • dlsrT g S rn7 t a,n groups. Please accept my i 6P Fri(6 P pmV whole-hearted apology for yes- ;at(8am-2:3<r terday's cartoon, depicting the mlk iiZJ'- possibility of pornography 2^7 e 846-6 11 ' being intermingled with the 2P-0017). tradition of Kosher foods in the Jewish religion. . lope Pregjf: My simple drawings are a f 5 couns^ vehicle of expression, emotion 3ee ° and love. I beg of you, do not take these cartoons seriously as they are designed for deep thinking and as a catalyst for constructive conversation. Thank you for speaking your mind and helping me to better my work. I am sorry if there was any confusion. . — The Uncartoonist New buses should be used off campus first in response to Stuart Hutson's July 24 article. I am glad to see that A&M has purchased new buses. Unfortu nately, bus operations chose to use them on campus first. I wish they would have used them for off- campus purposes first. It is impor tant for more students to ride the bus in order to cut down on park ing hassles on campus. No one wants to ride 30 to 45 minutes on a non-air conditioned bus. I do not feel sorry for anyone who has to ride the on-campus bus for 5 minutes across campus. I do feel for those people who are on the long bus routes that still have to use the old buses. I hope it doesn't take bus-ops too long to give off-campus students what they need. Jennifer Spurlock Class of '01 Road rage can have serious consequences In response to Stuart Hutson's July 23 article. I found it difficult to finish Hutson's article without the over whelming feeling of anger. A tragedy such as this usually brings sadness and remorse, but I was just mad. A year ago, on June 29, I lost my roommate Amanda Ro driguez to the same type of ac cident. We had just finished our freshman year at A&M and had gone back home for the sum mer. She was driving home from class and was forced off the road by another driver. The man fleqMne scene and would have gotten away, but a pass ing motorist wrote down his li cense plate number. But what made me mad was that this "road rage" seems to be an everyday occurrence. Only when it gets serious do people pay attention to it. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Robert Castro Jr, The next time that you feel angry while behind the wheel of a car, take a deep breath and consider the consequences. Megan Stubbs Class of '02 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let ters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit let ters for length, style and accuracy. 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 College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (979) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com