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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2002)
y, January ua( THE BATTALION Friday, January 18, 2002 after playir. a year ago. vill provide | x*rience. Jarin, Keith. played inrj ;y’ve been at' >aul. "We've ;j t s got some t j t should help merit at Rice ingles flightsi flights. It Is Sunday. IVAN•THE re drives par. -71 win Sa ! half, veries ag c M defc en the two las won sew Hilder. mally on th EDITORIAL Reflect on MLK Sometimes, positive initiatives can emerge from misconcep- |tions. The Battalion is optimistic, after meeting with represen tatives from the African-American Student Coalition (AASC), that the controversy raised over a cartoon called racist will be ■such a case. The celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on [Monday creates the proper atmosphere to reflect on the realities of the racial climate and racial perception at Texas A&M. Students easily recognize MLK Day as one of the select holi days that merits a day off from classes. Unfortunately, many Aggies do not take the time to consider why the MLK holiday is significant. King was one of the most influential leaders of the ■20th century. He led the civil rights movement during its most crit- lical time in U.S. History, and inspired millions of people from all ■ races to seek to understand each other and break racial barriers. The Battalion maintains that the cartoon was not meant to be ■ interpreted as racist. But in a world where perception is every- ■thing, Mariano Castillo, Battalion editor in chief, is committed ■to modifying the factors and criteria that are considered before ■ publishing a cartoon. Cartoons that may lend themselves to mis- lunderstanding will be avoided, as The Battalion stands for ■diversity and equality. The ideal of progress in racial equality that King fought for ■resonates strongly at A&M, where great strides have been ■achieved in the last decades. There is still work to be done, but ■those who believe that A&M remains an intolerant place or that ■certain groups feel unwelcome in the Aggie community are ■simply ignorant and small-minded. As The Battalion learned ■ from the cartoon that ran Monday, perception is a measuring |stick to judge by. If students and administrators perceive that Iracism is an ingrained part of Aggie culture, it perpetuates the ■problem. The climate of equality that King sought is not a lost ■cause at A&M. It just needs some direction and a clear defini- Ition of what the real issues are. For this reason. The Battalion has proposed a forum for ■minority leaders on campus, where the issues that were brought lup by the cartoon can be examined and discussed. What do dif- Iferent groups perceive as racist? What are the biggest chal- Jlenges our University faces regarding race? How can under- Jstanding be fostered among all Aggies? These are the types of ■questions that the forum will address, and that will be reported |by the newspaper. It is unfortunate that a controversy arose over a cartoon, but it is refreshing to see mature leadership seeks out |the positive opportunities that may come of it. We urge all students to reflect about the meaning of MLK Day and how it relates to campus life. “How far have we come?” was one of the points King often stressed. The Battalion honors King’s memory by offering an answer in light of the recent controversy: We have come far enough to respect open dialogue and work together to raise the understanding of race on our campus. THE BATTALION EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief Mariano Castillo also the L known tori' tournaments one of them •rds in sports t ( scheduled' le of the ms PGA Touri' lost money r. j Managing Editor [ Opinion Editor News Editor News Editor Brian Ruff Cayi.a Carr Sommer Bunce Brandie Liffick Member Member Member Member Melissa Bedsole Jonathan Jones Jennifer Lozano Kelln Zimmer the Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or less and include the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion edi tor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com MAIL CALL Cartoon raises more controversy RD In response to Jan. 14 car- , n toon of the day: chooseJrtnn *ucks, I believe the point of the so- js called "offensive" cartoon was Internet l# criticize airport security. The 11^ race, ethnicity or religious beliefs of the characters meant absolutely nothing. For people to totally miss the concept of the joke, and twist it into some thing racist, is absurd. I guess this means that all forms of humor must not only depict white males so as to not offend anyone, but I don't think that tudent Rule: ^ me(; jj a ' s portrayal of every :ur over th person as "white" is a way to isions will d'show that ASflVl is a "truly wel- xgie Hotline coming place for all people." ?b. Approve^ tudent Rule: aeginning tK ^ules ed Chris Sana Class of 2002 is have bee' iles.tamu.edi! 14.2 Degree ors Program ior; and rnate format :udent Life a 1 •edu. ■I write in support of the African-American Student Coalition's contention that the Jan. 14 cartoon published in The Battalion deserves a formal pub lic apology. The saddest truth in this and similar incidents that I have witnessed during the 10 years I have taught on campus is that enlightened Aggies cannot recognize, and apparently even reject how such a cartoon can be considered racist - even when that fact is pointedly underscored for them. Education transforms people, that is, we should allow what we learn in class and in what people tell us to enlighten us. If our educations do not change how society encourages some of us to think, what are we doing at Texas A&M? When will formal education begin to show up in the ways we see and treat people who are different from us? Diversity is central to the American dream. Marco Portales, Ph.D. Professor of English Texas A&M University Bonfire survey receives criticism This survey is a joke. It's a perfect example of everything that is wrong with the bureau cracy at a large institution. The administration talked at great length about wanting students input. Yet, when one actually attempts to respond to their appeal, it becomes plain that any dissenting opinion is unwanted. The very first ques tion simply asks if you acqui esce to all of the criteria dictat ed by the "unbiased" review committee. If you actually take the time to read the terms and comprehend their meaning, I find it hard to believe that any one would get past the first question. Jimmie Hayes Class of 2002 Misguided youth Suicide plane crash was act of tragedy, not terrorism o: KELLN ZIMMER n Jan. 5, 15-year-old Charles Bishop flew a plane into a sky scraper and drove a knife into the heart of an already splintered American psy che. This incident was treated like every other news story in the last several months, immediately swinging to the possibilities of terrorism. Beyond the news, the chilling realization with Bishop’s actions is the American youth’s slide beyond school shoot ings to a much more visible, unthinkable way of ending their lives. As Bishop stole and proceeded to crash a small plane into a 42-story skyscraper in downtown Tampa, Fla., news outlets imme diately churned out stories reporting the pos sibility that Bishop was linked to terrorism, and then quickly they reassured the American public that he had acted alone. This was merely a suicidal flight. Bishop's flight opened the floodgates for scrutiny on the security of the aviation system. He effort lessly stole the plane from the private airport and citizens and legislators called for a closer look at the world of private air travel and its security. Aside from the startling fact that a 15- year-old breached a heightened state of national security, the real devastation of this suicide flight is its illustration of the bleak state of America’s youth and the measures they will take to display grief. After the Sept. 1 1 terrorist attacks, the logical thought process of Americans was undeniably altered. Unspeakable horrors like this are immediately charged as attempts at terror with grand motives and a larger intent to harm. Bishop and any ties he had to terror ism can be refuted thanks to the fact that Bishop’s fatal flight occurred on a Saturday evening, when few people would be in the building. He only hurt himself. Bishop is thought to have taken contro versial acne medication. Accutane, which was investigated under charges that patients can become depressed or suicidal while on the medication. There are conflicting reports as to the personality and mental state of the teen, but in any case it is unfortunate that a 15-year-old has the insight and the will to end his life in such a terrible way. Rather than focusing on terrorism, the media and the public should reach into the issue and realize what kind of a world has been created when a teen-age boy has the insight and the means to crash a plane to end his life. In the last decade, continuing into this week, school shootings have plagued America and its youth and children live in a society their parents never dreamed they would see. The focus of America must be to save its children, for they are doomed under a black cloud of fear. Unforeseeable events caused the nation to spin out of control and forget what living in America means. Tragedy does not equal terror. Bishop was a product of America and unfortunately his death was glazed over to ensure the safety and sanity of a country rather than awaken a nation to the dwindling state of its youth. Kelln Zimmer is a junior english major. ADRIAN CALCENAO • THE BATTALION Leggett’s morals deserve praise Formerly jailed author sets an example for all MELISSA BEDSOLE I n a world where marriages are requiring pre-nuptial agree ments and there is paperwork to be signed for everyday arrangements, giving someone your word has become mean ingless. However, there are still people who believe in having morals and sticking by them — regard less of the cost. Vanessa Leggett is one such person and deserves to be recog nized for her superior display of morals and trust. In July 2001, Leggett was arrested for refusing to surrender notes she had taken from a conversation with Roger Angleton, a suspect in the murder trial of his sister-in-law, Doris Angleton. Courts subpoe naed Leggett’s notes from an interview with Angleton after he committed suicide in jail, and when Leggett refused to release them, she was held in jail on charges of contempt. The prosecutors fighting for Leggett’s notes argue that the laws that apply to journalists should not protect her, since she has not been published. Despite prosecu tor’s attempts not to consider Leggett a journalist, her position as a writer is real and the responsibility of keeping one’s word should apply to everyone. As a journalist, she has a legal respon sibility of confidentiality, but Leggett has gone well beyond any legality at this point. Plain and simple, the person she was responsible to is dead. Leggett would not be in any legal trouble for releasing her doc uments; she was protecting her own morals and that is what is so honorable about her situation. In her mind, keeping her word is the ultimate responsibility and she will go to any length to do just that. It is time that someone stand and applaud this amazing woman. Children and adults everywhere have the chance to learn that being true to yourself and believing in your own morals is worth everything — in this case, even one woman’s freedom. Leggett was recently freed after the term of the grand jury expired, but she knows there is a possibility of her notes being requested again. She said she would return to jail if she must. After being released from the Houston Federal Detention Center she explained, “If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes.” Leggett has made quite a statement and it is not just her own principles that she is stand ing for, it is the freedoms that Americans are supposed to have. She told reporters during one of her interviews, “This is not so ^ much about me. It’s about the public right to a free and independent press.” Leggett still intends to write a book on the case concerning the murder of Doris Angleton. In the end, this book, or others like it, may reward Leggett for losing five months of her life. However, having peace of mind for her actions and knowing that her morals set quite a standard, Leggett has already received her greatest reward. Leggett has made a statement and it is not just her own principles that she is standing for, it is the freedoms that Americans are supposed to have.