;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.
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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
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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:
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014 Reed McDonald
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77843-1111
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