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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2002)
^ July 22 J Opinion The Battalion 4- t■'>- ••J-. s-;-- 3§§S -S: '' ' - y 7,A-- » - " % y roiwflowB < Ssgawa Page 7 • Monday, July 22, 2< )rice must nal possessic- doesn’t sell fy for the 5 1 early. FOUND In need of priorities Animal protection groups should focus on real cruelty aybe Thomas Hobbes was right — perhaps people are naturally evil. One could certainly come to that M; CYCLE v 650VLX 6x& (979)260-6570 TS os Animal Sti terpets.org RICHARD BRAY a great select >tion! 979-82M: STATE nhome. 212.5 ng. Enclosed c: lorage. 775-9; Jilt, on 3/4-acre. 776-0014. MTES leeded, 3Mmv2 ed yard, $320 19-0941. i 2bdrm/2bth m $40Q/mo. 1 tta NS, NP, 260-34 - ; 2bdrm/1blh Wr, al. S400/mo utits offered. %■ Male Stafford: conclusion after hearing The Associated Press news reports about the July 16 arrest of a Liberty, Mo., man who allegedly burned a kitten on a barbecue grill while several other people watched and poked the animal with a stick. It would be absurd to bemoan human morality if this were one of but a few instances of animal cruelty. Unfortunately, it is just one of over 1,000 documented instances each year, according to the Humane Society of the United States. In order to better com bat and prevent such cruelties, organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), should focus more resources towards pre venting inten tional cruelty towards ani mals. In order to do this, it must reduce activism in less helpful practices such as attempting to make people vege tarians and trying to decrease the amount of cow’s milk which is consumed. The Battalion reported one of these instances last year after two Baylor University baseball players, Clint Bowers and Derek Brehm, we accused of misdemeanor animal cruelty after killing and depilating a cat March 9, 2001. According to the Humane Society, both players were sus pended from the team for eight games, though Brehm was later dismissed from the team after he was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated. However, according to the San Antonio Star- Telegram, both men were acquit ted of animal cruelty charges because the cat they killed was feral and therefore had no owner. According to “Understanding Animal Cruelty,” a resource book distributed by the Humane Society, there are few statis tics regarding the prevalence of animal cruelty due to the diffi culty in defining animal cruelty and because there is no central reporting system in place. However, a 1997 study by the needed, Angus Rock Prairie, fence: illls, 1st monttii >r (979)324-8197. needed a.s.if ;340/mo. +1/3 Ms campus. (979)20- IbdrmOTi Univers- 3, $326mo. Depos- td first irnith p®7 C$ Brand new Valk-in closets.'nib, are) +113'c®s. ^" 39 1 -nobile home in Jr Is paid. Call D+ r5-6350. 400/mo. 6 newl/27 sM $375/mo. +1® 1 2236. ove-in, by 631 security, 130^ Allison 979-S 3bdrm/2bth dm* o. +bills. 979-fc new 3bdrnv3 ). Lindsay, I® 1 ' JEFF SMITH • THE BATTALION /1 duplex $350 route, 1/2bills-S 3 ded. Looking' smoking/drini- includes uf' 3bdrm/2bth hoc ! bus-route. needed a - 5 _ Own bed/« eeded. stance to caPf- ate needed house. ®35 fall. 4bdr# >81)844-2995 sttle bus, $34*' ED to get U-^ 1 >6-2378. Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Northeastern University estimated there are between 1,500 and 2,000 cases of animal cruelty in the United States each year, and most of these are committed by teenage boys. In 2000, the Humane Society found that 94 percent of animal cru elty cases are committed by males, and 31 percent were com mitted by teenagers. Other studies have noted a connection between animal cru elty and other violent crimes. According to the Humane Society, the FBI has recognized this since the 1970s, when its analysis of serial killers suggested most had tortured animals as children. These instances of abuse, in which animals are tortured, beaten or severely neglected, are societal problems which are much more worthy of attention than complaints about the inherent cruelty of fishing, which is the goal of fish- inghurts.com, a website associated with PETA. Other, PETA-associated sites include milk- sucks.com and furis- dead.com. Activism in this form does little to further animal rights and drains resources which would be better used to fight animal cruelty that is truly harmful to society. Last week. The Battalion ran a mail call letter from a woman who wanted the community to boycott the Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Circus which had come to town, com plaining that animals kept in a circus setting are inherently mistreat ed. Several other readers wrote in, saying circus animals were better off in the Circus, and that training animals to complete tricks does not constitute abuse. While such activism is certainly reasonable in accordance with her ideas, organizations must work toward the more important goal of decreasing animal abuse. For example, education programs might be helpful in decreasing animal cruelty and would more likely be accepted by mainstream society. As evidenced by the studies cited above, animal cruelty crime is a serious problem with real effects on society. To gain support for its organization and make a real change, organizations such as PETA need to focus its attention and resources upon cases such as the ones in Waco and Liberty. Richard Bray is a senior journalism major. A force to be reckoned with Texas politics finally focusing on women's issues T exas’ political candi dates are turning an open ear to female constituents. Gaining the female vote has become a key component in the cam paigns of gubernatorial candidates Rick Perry and Tony Sanchez, as well as those °f Texas Attorney General candidates Kirk Watson and Greg Abbott. The increasing power of the female vote has affected how these candidates are run ning their campaigns. Democratic candidates Sanchez and Watson have established support groups similarly dubbed “Women for Sanchez and “Women with Watson.” As for GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Perry, he Points to his history of naming women to high-level state positions, along with his record on health care and public educa- Uon, as a means to engage the female electorate. Republican Greg Abbott appeals to women in the state by stress- reg allegiance to his promise of increas ing child support collections and combat ing child pornography. Whether explicitly stated or not, these current political candidates recognize the unportance of attaining the female vote, and why shouldn’t they? Women hold rcore power at the polls than ever before. According to Texas Republican Party c hair Susan Weddington, suburban w °men have been known to vote without regard to political party, and they consis- te ntly show up at the polls. Weddington ‘s quoted by The Bryan-College Station Eagle as explaining, “It’s always impor- TERI BEENE tant, with women being over half of the population. You just are always factoring women into campaign plans.” This campaign strategy has made its way into pres ent political agendas. With the success of former governor Ann Richards and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, along with numerous female Texans who have been elected to public office, it is a won der that female issues are not at the fore front of Texas political campaigns. According to The League of Women Voters of Texas (LWV-Texas), women’s issues include tackling domestic vio lence, enforcing child support laws, improving statewide child care and health care, improving public school finance, enacting laws to conserve and protect the state’s natural resources and promoting privacy of women to make reproductive choices. The LWV-Texas also stresses the need for “a coordinated financial structure, equitable taxation, and increased accountability” in state government. It endorses limited cam paign contributions and measures to “ensure every citizen’s right to vote.” It seems that while women are recognized for maintaining strong stances on domes tic issues, they should also be recognized for their integral participation in effect ing legislative action on issues of gov ernment reform. The LWV encourages women to take an active role in the gov ernmental process, and the number of women involved with the LWV-Texas is growing. These women are powerful and determined, and nationwide it seems this trend also involves an increase in eco nomic status of American women. According to a recent study by Money Magazine, women represent a sizable portion of the bank of American investors. Compared to five years ago, women have expressed growth of interest in the financial market. The study found 14 percent of American women have $100,000 or more in personal retirement funds. Money magazine quoted OppenheimerFunds’ Rob Denisen com menting on this subject: “It's common wisdom now that women get it — they're responsible.” Disregarding the sexist implications of this comment, Mr. Denisen’s remark reflects the sentiments of many men in the industry who have recognized the growing financial power of American women. Women control more money in the economy than before, occupy important civic positions, display consistency at the polls and show a trend of voting on issues rather than party affiliation. With women representing such a powerful base of constituents, politicians would be unwise to fail to address female issues. Taking this into consideration, current Texas politicians have recognized the female voting power as a force to be reckoned with, and rightfully so. Jeri Beene is a senior English major. To publish or not to publish? A s the entire country cele brated the Fourth of July with barbecues and fire works, The New York Times com memorated the holiday with a few oratorical fireworks of its own. The Times published a story based on a highly-classified document leaked from a Pentagon offi cial. Criticism is now being hurled at The Times from all sides. The renowned newspaper is being accused of lacking journalistic integrity, at the very least, and some suggest that to publish such a document is an act of treason. The Times cited an anonymous informant as the source of the document. Called a “Concept of Operation” or “CONOPS,” the manuscript essentially is an outline of a pos sible course of military action. The New York Times' article described a plan to attack Iraq on three sides in another attempt to oust Saddam Hussein. Specifically, U.S. forces would deploy air, land, and sea- based military units to launch the strike from three directions — the north, south and west. According to The Times, multi tudes of Marines and soldiers would enter Iraq from Kuwait. Warplanes would invade Iraq from nearby countries such as Turkey and Qatar, and focus raids on “airfields, roadways, and fiber-optics communications sites.” Covert forces such as the CIA would hit Iraq’s facilities suspected of manufacturing or housing weapons of mass destruction. The Times' article also mentioned the attack would utilize up to 250,000 troops. Regarding their motivation for leaking such a document, the mystery informant mentioned the plan was “insufficiently creative” and “failed to incorporate fully the advances in tac tics and technology that the military has made since the Gulf War.” In other words, there are too many ground forces and not enough airpower, according to Kenneth Alhird, MSNBC columnist and former Army colonel. He speculates the person who leaked the information possibly could be someone with ties to the Air Force, a group who would likely oppose the use of ground forces on a large scale. The identity of the source is of negligible importance now, at least compared to the potential effects of his or her loose lips. One person violating a sworn confidence by leaking the information, and a widely-read newspaper consequently pub lishing classified military information “is damaging our coun try’s ability to stop terrorist acts and is putting American lives at risk,” according to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. For example, in September, after the terrorist attacks, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch said the United States had intercepted a phone call between an unidentified party and Osama bin Laden that implied his involvement in the attacks. The Los Angeles Times suggests that after learning of this through the U.S. media, al-Qaeda ceased using telephones, thereby cut ting off a major source of U.S. intelligence. However, there is also speculation the leak was intentional, and the U.S. government has essentially duped The Times into becoming a mule for carrying false information. It would not be the first time this has occurred. Winston Churchill has been quoted as saying that “In wartime, truth is so precious that she must always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.” Allard claims the Pentagon basically manipulated the media during Kosovo to disseminate only certain selected information via lengthy press conferences. Allard also sug gests that if the recent leaking was in fact intentional, the pur pose could be a sort of last chance for one of Hussein’s gen erals to take care of the problem privately and avoid an inter national conflict. Regardless of whether the leak was done by one disillu sioned Pentagon official or the result of a grandiose govern ment ploy, the fact remains that The New York Times was will ing to publish the details of a classified military document. Whether The Times is truly “arrogant, unpatriotic elitists,” as suggested by Allard, or a newspaper just looking for a story, it crossed the line by publishing an article detailing U.S. mili tary secrets. Even the chance that circulating this report could endanger the lives of Americans should be reason enough for The Times to play its journalistic integrity card and turn down a sensational, but possibly treasonous, story and look else where for a scoop. Lindsye Forson is a sophomore journalism major. LINDSYE FORSON 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 editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be submit ted 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
