Ivu
fsday, August 2, 2001
o PINION
Page 7
THE BATTALION
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jl.S. not only place in the world
Bush shows inability to compromise in toxic weapons discussions
iool hiring office . T t • r
ig August 8th. again, the United
ience and experience States has shown its
contempt for the global
“Home Health'A 9 e# ,,nlunlt >- 1 he Bush ad -
lenings for R.N.’s s Hnistration’s decision to
SBuriesoncountya:*] 0lIt 0 f talks designed to
xpenenced in homtiB , , , r
& benefits Cali ii:« abIlsh a P lan to enforce
i779-5733 to speai the 1972 Biological and Tox-
dine - ^Weapons Convention fur-
SS 19 " ther reflects the Bush administration’s all take,
sign Engineerfe! 10 7 ive negotiating attitude,
roive ail aspects oUjlThe 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons
ng concept de.e Convention was set up to ban the development,
design, and detail iB , n . , ,
^iii also include inv: production iinci stockpiling’ or bacteriological
testing, refmer; weapons. However, when the Biological and
aE and rapid"""- ^ ) ' bn Weapons accord was signed 30 years ago,
ability to work on rM means was created to enforce the agree-
* rapidly understand: m int. This accord was accepted and ratified by
uimd 1 vvhife ex; m( ’ re dian 140 countries, including the United
recific areas isnc States.
dude fuel ceils. pc*e*p or (-he last seven years, a group of negotia-
and test equipment iM J ■ , r , ° , .
squipment. envi'crtors representing 55 countries has been working
lonitoring equipment■ f mc l a way to make the accord enforceable.
.3|cording to analysts, because the United
or Physics or ea Slates has dropped out of these talks, any bio-
eiated fields; Asc':*jj ca j weapons agreement will he worthless,
e expected to act;.; r- »»• h . rr .
development, teste 11 Australian Minister of foreign Affairs
effort of prototype ::-«exander Downer said, “Those countries
commercial w ] uc h have reservations about it will hide be-
ould possess . ...
is technical wriimpthind the American decision. They’ll wipe the
1 on exp Meat from their brows with relief.”
yn^techa^ecti'arB U.S. negotiator Donald A. Mahley has said
inc. 7610 Easr; the reason the United States withdrew from
the discussions was that Washington could not
Ineer, Softwa'reTiii» ce P t bow tBe acco rd was written and that no
i is looking tor an rmiount of discussion would lead to a resolution
m software des r ^ United States could accept.
r Win32 systems ■Ht-i tt • i r- , , .
ground in Active xp.'w Te United States says the accord is unaccept-
sing ail and MFC fable because it fears other countries might tiy to
dTst r ate gfes oner:;: ^ advantage of the opportunity to explore
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United States research and technology con
cerned with biological weapons, dius the accord
would pose a great threat to national security.
This logic is greatly flawed. The issue is not
the United States or the Bush administration
wanting to protect national security, but the
United States being stubborn and not wanting
to commit to an enforceable treaty that means
it would have to answer to other countries on
an absolute issue.
The convention is not that great of a risk.
None of the other 55 countries involved in the
negotiations have felt that their interests are so
greatly threatened that they must totally with
draw from negotiations.
Tibor Toth, chair of the talks to enforce the
1972 accord, said, “It’s clear that we cannot do
business as usual. No country has supported
the conclusion put forward by the U.S., and all
have expressed disappointment.”
Mahley also said.there is a feeling in the
White House that any new accord will do
nothing to stop the proliferation of biological
weapons. Why this feeling would exist is hard
to understand.
In the case of missile defense, proliferation
was stalled for many years until the United
States decided to violate it. Perhaps there is the
feeling in Washington that if this accord is
signed, then the United States might have to
stick to it.
These talks are the chance for the United
States to show the world diat it is a willing play
er in the international community. With the re
jection of the Kyoto Protocol and the Anti-Bal
listic Missile Treaty, the Bush administration
has created an 800-pound gorilla, who goes
where it wants and takes what it wants to take.
The Bush administration should be encour
aged realize that one must negotiate to be a
successful global player.
Negotiation does not include leaving if
things do not go your way. It is giving a little
and getting a little. Perhaps if the United States
decides to give a little on the idea that the rest
of the world is after its technology, as is the
case here, then maybe the threat of biological
warfare can be dropped and make the world a
lot safer for eveiyone.
Reid Bader is a junior
political science major.
RUBEN DELUNA/THf Battalion
Ripken's upcoming retirement to be mourned
't is not uncom
mon for people
.to wear insults
intech@lynntech.ctf \s a badge of bon
ne. 7610 Eastman , President
TX 77840 Attn: j' 22 .
creorge W. Bush
ivas on his first Eu-
opean tour in
979-764-5794.
arch Assistant: i
tology development'
ming for a Reseairi 1
-achelor’s or Masts'
ics, Chemical Eng ?
ingineering, or Erg 1
The successful r
:h a technology rieu
e most electrifyirgl
nd haS 3 Ilice rin & t0 In faCt ’ “ Bihle ’
fune, a French
ewspaper characterized him as the
Three-B Man,” standing for “Bible,
aseball and barbecue.” 'The name
vas meant as a half-serious insult, but
)aseball and barbecue” might be as
tppealing a definition of the good life
resume
5ch.com or mail
Eastmark Dr., Co
0. Attn: Wanda B
54-5794.
ictures. You
I cells and fuel ce!
h.corrWor detailed ts exists. Whatever one thinks of the
)ther two, baseball is finally back in
iill swing.
There has been some great drama
his season, from the Seattle
Caii^e^-aMs'™ ^' aruiers ’ success without any super-
irr^p a nyTire ritif^l ta rs to die resurgence of Kerry
provide classroom
ipetitive wages. W
at 823-1775 xtlti
Wood. Forget about another possible
lockout next spring, outrageous
salaries (especially for a certain Texas
shortstop) and the Montreal Expos
for a moment. One of truly good guys
of America’s favorite pastime is about
to end his career in the major leagues.
Few have hurled insults at Cal
Ripken during his 21 -year career
with the Baltimore Orioles. He nev
er provided ammunition. Since he
arrived in the majors in 1981, RipFen
has been an all-American success sto
ry. Fans and writers like to focus on
Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig’s con
secutive game streak of 2,130, once
thought to be the sport’s most un
beatable. He then played an incredi
ble 501 additional games before vol
untarily benching himself. Such an
accomplishment is a great tribute to
the type of work ethic that made
America without an equal in the
world after only 225 years. Unlike
the ability t6 hit a 100 mph fastball
or make a diving catch, showing up
for work and giving all you have is
something to which most people can
relate. He came in everyday, without
complaint, and put in an honest day’s
work. Unfortunately, Ripken’s dura
bility is the very thing that distracts
from his other admirable qualities
and overshadows his athletic gifts.
He never stopped working and im
proving, adjusting his stance even
into this season.
"The rewards for his constant effort
for self-improvement have been
striking. Ripken’s 1990 fielding per
centage of 0.996 is the major league
record for his position. He also holds
the record for most consecutive
games at shortstop without an error.
Ripken is only one of seven players in
baseball history with both 3,000 hits
and 400 home runs. He was Rookie
of the Year in 1982 and League MVP
in 1983, the same year he led Balti
more to a World Series victory. He
has started 19 consecutive All-Star
games, winning the MVP this year.
In 1991, he hit a record 12 straight
homers in the Home Run Derby.
Ripken is beyond just an everyday
worker who does not skip work. In
stead, he is a genuine Hall-of-Famer,
the forerunner for power hitting
shortstops such as Nomar Garcia-
parra and Derek Jeter.
Ripken could have gotten away
with Being an arrogant prima donna.
But he did not. He went to work, did
community service projects, signed
autographs and went home to his
family. In a time ofjerry Jones,
Michael Irvin and the Gold Club tri
al, he just played ball. Baseball players
are among the luckiest men alive,
playing a child’s game and getting
paid handsomely for it. Some men
are spoiled too easily by the fruits
their natural ability can bring. One
can only imagine the heights a Mick
ey Mantle or Mike Tyson could have
achieved with Ripken’s drive and de
termination.
After the 1994 baseball strike,
many fans rightfully turned away
from the game. Ripken is one of the
few professional athletes you cannot
help but like and admire. So take a
moment to catch him in action be
fore he retires at the end of the sea
son. The curtain is about to close on
one of the few guys to whom no one
really could hurl an insult toward
from the safety of the stands. Baseball
was lucky to have him.
Jonathan Jones is a senior
political science major.
always looking
5 positions in on'
ig and Design G r
dude: 1) Machine
;is 3) Prototype Ae' •
The CAD packs?
EER, Analysis ps-
and the manufaf
mufacturing. On:
; of a CNC Mill, W
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ixible schedules.'
l individuals trial
ironment and are
> improvementso!
s the company
Lynntech EOE
mtech@lynntecli
xring resume to:
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jeded for sales!
I hard worker,
lips. Call Wink
Ask for Rick,
RTOON OF THE DAY
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irt-time help.
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ibility of full-HW
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5195
So IS -SEtA\>\bl&
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s?p»ce to chus.it -me
tpivcrvi y vaosw ■?
TWt HETD shot Touhd the vioy.v.o
F:
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inued on
Lawyer
(U-WIRE) — Q: What do
you call 5,000 dead lawyers at
the bottom of the ocean?
A: A good start.
I think the jokes are begin
ning to get to the lawyers. The
American Bar Association will
begin its annual meeting
Wednesday in Chicago, where
the organization will reconsider
a rule that dates back to Eliza
beth I. Lawyers have long been
an easy target, affording us all a
good chuckle from time to
time. Most lawyers even have a
few zingers of their own, just to
show they’re good sports.
Q: How can you tell when
lawyers are lying?
Av^fheir lips are moving. .
The agenda for this week’s
meeting has me worried,
though. Lawyers may be more
sensitive than we thought. The
ABA will reevaluate its ethics
rules for lawyers, considering
several proposals that would
water down the standards of at
torney-client privilege. Tues
day’s l4ew York Times reported
the proposed changes would al
low lawyers to disclose clients’
client privilege no joke
secrets to prevent fraud, injury
or death.
I know that sounds good —
nobody likes to be the one op
posing the prevention of fraud,
injury or death. The current
ABA guidelines already allow
attorneys to reveal their clients’
information “to prevent the
client from committing a crime
that is likely to result in immi
nent death or substantial bodily
harm.” The proposal seeks to
tweak the wording so that
lawyers can blow the whistle to
stop their clients from causing
“reasonably certain death and
substantial bodily harm.”
The difference seems almost
indistinguishable to most of us,
but in the legal world, the devil
is in the details. As the rule
stands, an attorney can act if hL
or her client, say, announces a
plan to alter the brakes on a
witness’ car. Or, for example, if
a client leaves a lawyer’s office
in a rage, with a gun in hand.
Following the current code, if
an attorney for a cell phone
manufacturer is given an inter
nal study that shows that the
product may cause cancer, the
Attorney cannot release that in
formation.
The Times reported that the
change in phrasing could have
come into play in past or ongo
ing cases involving tobacco, as
bestos and defective tires. The
public seems to have a growing
discomfort with the fact that
our justice system is centered
around the accused. That dis
comfort is a luxury that comes
with our. national inclination to
take due process for granted.
The protections we enjoy are
safeguards from a type of gov
ernment abuse that many of us
simply cannot fathom, but his
tory has proven that compla
cence in benevolent govern
ment is just the fertile ground
that abuse of power needs to
bloom.
Attorneys are meant to rep
resent their clients and defend
their rights. If people cannot
trust that communications with
their attorneys are confidential,
the result is an erosion of the
attorney-client relationship in
favor of the relationship be
tween lawyers and the accusers.
This country has set up an ad
versarial system that is the best
in the world at protecting the
innocent and uncovering truth.
If lawyers cannot truly repre
sent their clients, that system
has shaken the balance that was
created to make it fair.
Sometimes this system cre
ates ethical quandaries that add
to the law profession’s dubious
reputation. And even as they
will likely share a few one-liners
at the convention this week, the
attorneys must be silently
steaming over their popular
mistreatment.
So let us all cry a tear for the
lawyers’ collective self-esteem,
and hope they don’t decide to
corrode justice over a few bad
jokes.
Q: What’s wrong with
lawyer jokes?
A: Lawyers don’t think
they’re funny, and nobody else
thinks they’re jokes.
Daphne Retter
Daily Egyptian
Southern Illinois University