uated by
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ro-Life Advertisement a disservice to its cause
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would coordrjpphe highly controversial
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ations out oit d. Shouting, praying or protest-
■ing, activists on
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Art Fleischer,
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terrorist tracts
an ... do its best
future episoK
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both sides often
spare little ener
gy when it
comes to stir
ring up contro
versy. The
Coalition for
Life, a group
that organizes
aunced the eg ^sts outside abortion clinics,
: the task
rg a meeting ot
scurity council,
did not offer tit
:he task force
rved up its latest installment in
ongoing struggle. It placed a
ge advertisement headlined
low Planned Parenthood is hurt-
|the Brazos Valley,” in last
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agencies
it But tii’i ^ay’s issue of The Battalion
will Id Eagle.
While the purpose of the ad was
attempt to rally participation for
cause and attack the beliefs of
irfoe, the message the group
id money to convey was laced
th inaccurate information and
sguided facts. It did nothing
ire than misconstrue the truth.
this case, one’s stance on
ortion has no relevance to the
ue. The point in question con
jmsthe validity of the informa-
^ inuse( d ' n the advertisement.
I ■IT] le intentions of the advertise
ATJ|nt were clear — to begin first
microscopically dissecting the
a redistricufterations of Planned Parenthood
\dcast them into a negative
;lir.then promote The Coalition
tl/fe’s cause of protesting outside abortion clinics as one
ilion to the problem. .
Hiroughout the ad. Planned Parenthood is heavily criticized
5.
Mi
, '-'-i
she said.lilacfc irtlie way it serves the Brazos Valley. For example, the coali-
wiwrites that it believes Planned Parenthood sells sex in
ididate of dfl diools, using tax dollars to operate its clinic and spread its
tssage. While it is not a surprise to see the information in
advertisements have an advantage toward the person pay-
gthe bill, this advertisement claims Planned Parenthood
ceived the public in a mail campaign. These charges are, at
;st,misleading. Yet the ad commits its own act of deceit fur-
erdown the page.
The end of the advertisement states, “Every time this effort has
ra organized effectively around the country, it has been success-
’The coalition cites a case in Corpus Christi in which “organi-
lionof a peaceful presence of prayer volunteers closed every
ortion facility within a few years, and the region has been free
abortion clinics for over 10 years.”
oe opportunity
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in the 1980
the minority’' 11
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ADRIAN CAl.GANEO ♦ THE BATTALION
This information simply is incorrect. As anyone from Corpus
ChTiSti knows, there is an abortion clinic downtown. The coali
tion’s message is lost amid a group of slanted facts.
In addition, this group is boasting of results from its efforts
of daily protesting. Even as the reader is extended the invitation
to join the coalition’s cause a few lines after this alleged “suc
cess,” one cannot help but question the shameless tactics used
as their promotion. To think that people potentially joined this
organization after being led to believe that these efforts work so
effectively is disturbing.
Although the advertisement beings with the sentence, “the
facts about this controversial organization,” the information in
this ad are not statements of fact, but the coalition’s opinion.
Before one decides to join their cause, they must be sure that
the information being presented is selling is, in fact, correct.
J.J. Trevino is a senior
journalism major.
ne way to show no fear
Rebuilding the towers would be a sign of strength
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^ Hollemanl
O
he destruction of the World Trade
Center has been a topic of discus
sion for over a month on news
lows, in classrooms and at the dinner
tables of all Americans.
There are questions
about how our country
should respond, how
each individual should
react and what the
future should hold.
People are wondering
whether to ride on air
planes or not, whether
to be afraid of anthrax,
id mostly, whether or not they should
ve in fear. One more question now
ices America. Should the World Trade
nter and the Twin Towers be built
ick up or should the site become a per-
anent memorial?
It is plain and simple: To not build the
illdings back to at least their original
rm is to admit fear of the people who
tacked America. In all of America’s
story, this country has never run from
lings in fear. If the United States had
:ared others, this country would not
ave any of the success that it holds
xlay. The buildings of the World Trade
;enter were a symbol of this country
j its economic achievement.
They were a symbol of this country’s
trength and freedom, and they were
wmbed. The bombing took the lives and
ecurity away from many people, but the
diievements, strengths and freedoms of
his country are all still there. The build-
ngs were a great symbol, but they were
list a symbol. They were composed of
metal and windows and things that can -
be broken, and the only thing to do is
rebuild them.
When children are young and they play
with blocks, they are not taught to just for
get about the blocks when their towers fall
over. They are taught to pick them up and
start from the bottom; building again,
stronger and taller than ever before. That is
exactly what America must do. We must
design these buildings to represent what
they truly are. Let them be a symbol again,
not only of this country’s freedoms, but
also of its recovery. Let them be an even
bigger and better accomplishment to show
the world what they mean to this country.
To not build the buildings
back is to admit fear of the
people who attacked America.
When ABC’s 20/20 hosted a forum
for this question the people’s ideas were
extraordinary. Ryan Purdon of New
Jersey said that the towers should be
constructed exactly the same, but “we
should make them 111 floors, as
opposed to the original 110, just to show
the terrorists how we face and overcome
adversity.”
It does not matter how it is done, as
long as these buildings are part of the
future, not only part of the past.
The two main fears against building the
towers back is that they would be immedi
ate targets for terrorism and that if there is
no memorial in that place people would
forget what happened. While it may make
people feel better to assume that only cer
tain things are targets for terrorism, that is
not the truth. The Statue of Liberty is this
country’s ultimate symbol of freedom and
throughout these events, it has continued
to stand tall and proud without any harm.
Any building, large or small, could be a
target for terrorism, and there is no use in
preventing the rebuilding of the towers out
of fear of their destruction. There should
most definitely be a memorial, but the fear
of forgetting the events of September 11,
2001 should not be a concern of anyone.
Whether or not there is a memorial
will not have an effect on the remem
brance. In twenty years, parents will
have to explain to their children this
event in all its horror. Granted there is
patriotism in saying “The buildings were
demolished, and so now there is a pretty
memorial where they used to be.”
But there is a much greater pride
and stronger patriotism in saying,
“Those buildings were demolished, but
new buildings were built in their place
— and the new buildings are bigger
and stronger, just like the country we
live in.”
That is the example that this country
must set. Let there be a memorial in the
middle plaza of the two buildings, and
let that be a place where people can
remember every single victim of this
tragedy. But let the world see those
buildings and this country rebuilt to
stand in their traditional glory.
Melissa Bedsole is a senior
psychology major.
Boy Scouts wronged
by A&M athletics
T he Aggies may have won the football game Saturday
against Iowa State, but the Texas A&M athletic depart
ment lost face after withdrawing its offer to give the Boy
Scouts free tickets to the game. Scout Day usually is sponsored
by A&M for every sport, including football.
On the specified day, members of the Boy
Scouts and the Girl Scouts are given free tick
ets to attend the A&M athletic event. The
event is usually scheduled for games that are
expected to have low attendance.
This year, however, the A&M athletic
department realized that the game against
Iowa State was going to have a higher atten
dance than it had anticipated when it sched
uled Scout Day at the beginning of the year. As a result, it
decided to cancel Scout Day and sell the tickets, because,
according to athletic director Wally Groff, the athletic depart
ment could not afford to pass up the $35 per ticket it would get
from selling the seats.
Fortunately, where the A&M athletic department failed, the
Brazos Valley community found an opportunity to succeed. Led
by local businessman Joe Foster, who organized the donations,
every Scout who wanted a ticket received one. In all, more than
400 tickets were donated by fans.
In an attempt to make up for the cancellation, the athletic
department has scheduled two Scout days for the basketball
program this season. The problem with this gesture, however, is
that tickets for basketball games are not
exactly on everybody’s Christmas
list this year, making its # jgf*
offer ring hollow.
A&M athletics is
undoubtedly a business
entity. However, most
businesses recognize the
importance of honesty
in its business dealings.
In promoting the Iowa
State game as Scout Day,
the athletic department
lied not only to the local
scouting organization,
but to its fans as well.
What makes the athletic
department’s failure to live up to
its commitment even worse is that
it is the highly visible aspect of a
University that prides itself on its
code of honor. The athletic depart-
ment represents not only the AdrianLALWWEb • the battalion
athletes who compete in A&M uniforms, it also represents all of
the students, faculty, alumni and fans who are associated with
the University.
What is truly amazing about this despicable situation is that
some good was actually rendered from it. Granted, the A&M
athletic department showed an unparalleled level of greed by
renegging, the Bryan-College Station community showed an
equal outpouring of generosity that managed to provide tickets
for every scout who wanted one.
When Foster began to organize the donations of tickets, he
had planned on raffling the available tickets to the Scouts who
showed up before the game. This plan, of course, was based on
the idea that there would be more Scouts wanting tickets to the
game than there would be donated tickets. Thanks to the A&M
fans, this was not the case.
The A&M athletic department has sunk to a new low in
rescinding its offer of free tickets to the scouts. In going back
on its word, it has not only failed the Scouts, but has tarnished
the image of everyone associated with varsity athletics.
Fortunately, the A&M community has managed to more than
restore that image by doing what the athletic department could
not - show some generosity and compassion for others rather
than looking only at the financial aspect of its decisions.
Richard Bray is a junior
journalism major.
CARTOON OF THE DAY
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