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1 up. BAT]
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9 • Tuesday, September 24, 2002
>>l Dep
statistic
in 4
county may ban books
Montgomery County residents protest sexual education books in public library
I
JENELLE WILSON
ii Montgomery County, north
fcf Houston, a battle is brew
ing over which books chil-
jren should have access to in a
aublic library. After some com-
alaints about it being “immoral,”
i popular children’s book was pulled and sent to a review
pam 1. which will recommend whether the book should stay
an the shelves or be banned.
Not only does banning books assail the First Amendment,
i^fcractice goes against the nature of democracy. Individuals
must be able to decide what books are good or bad for them
selves and their own families. No one else has the right to
make that decision.
At the center of this controversy are four copies of a popu
lar children's book by Robie H. Harris entitled ‘‘/t’s Perfectly
Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual
Health!' According to the Houston Chronicle, this book has
translations in 17 languages and worldwide sales topping
650.000 copies. Publishers Weekly’s review said the book
“frankly explains the physical, psychological, emotional and
social changes that occur during puberty” and called it “intel
ligent, amiable and carefully researched.”
C ritics of the book include County Judge Alan B. Sadler,
who has vowed to change the process by which books are
sclented for the library. These critics have called the book
obscene and claim it promotes homosexuality. Some have
even gone as far as demanding that library director Jerilynn
Williams and the person who approved the purchase of the
books be Fired. They also want the county to withdraw from
the American Library Association, which speaks out against
23! ,', banning books.
or i percent,:: Houston Chronicle reports the critics are attacking
* .jched 1,165: another book by Harris, “It's So Amazing: A Book about
rd & Poors : Egg\, Sperm, Birth, Babies and Families’,’ because of the
•rccnt, to 83' same “pro-homosexual stance.” This book, which is directed
toward younger children, addresses issues such as conception,
itlOH COnk birth, love, sexuality, family, adoption, sexual abuse and HIV
dlert tO •• anc * in what Scientific American calls a “gentle and
respectful manner.”
Both books are highly praised and recommended. They
ovvenng^ offar simple, clear explanations to children about what is or
' \ will be happening to their bodies and should be available to
{ anyiparents who wish to use them.
According to the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom,
fie <ilert to approximately 450 book challenges are reported every year,
or U S. intelli; ant * 11 * s estimated that three or four times that many go unre-
t attack in co ported. The ALA uses the reported cases to create a list of
vo weeks ag the most often challenged books. “It’s Perfectly Normal”
ranked 15th from 1990-2000; “It’s So Amazing” did not
make the list.
Other books on the list include: “/ Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, “Of Mice and Men” by John
Steinbeck, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, “The
Color Purple” by Alice Walker, and “The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. The “Harry
Potter” series by J.K. Rowling topped the
most-challenged list of 2001 list because
of its use of wizardry and magic.
Book banning and challenges
have become so prevalent that
the last week in September
has been designated Banned
Books Week. During the
week, which is sponsored
by the ALA and various
booksellers, publishers
and authors associations,
people are encouraged to
read a book from the
most challenged lists as
an act of defiance
against censorship.
The ALA rightly
believes a library should
protect access to books and
that individual families
should decide which books are
appropriate. The First
Amendment protects an individual's
right to decide what they want to read,
and censors have no right to deny an indi
vidual that fundamental choice.
Public libraries serve all members of a community and
provide materials representing all points of view, not just the
opinions of a limited number of critics. Materials, such as the
highly-acclaimed Harris books, should not be excluded
simply because some don't agree with the topic.
Parents have every right to prevent their children from
reading what they believe to be inappropriate; if they
don’t want their children reading Robie Harris’ books,
they don’t have to allow it. They do not, however, have
any right to limit what someone else’s children can
access. Parents have authority over themselves and
their children — not over other people.
Jenelle Wilson is a junior
political science major.
JEFF SMITH • THE BATTIW-IONl
ireless technology can create security hazard
Investigation finds wireless network security lacking at California businesses
CHRIS JACKSON
n April
Los
.Angeles
Times article
described a good
way for hackers
tb find vulnerable computer networks to gain
iflegal access into: simply go for a drive
around town. A laptop computer with a
itiakeshift Pringles can antenna — apparently
the equipment of choice for hackers on a
budget — is all someone needs to gain access
to an insecure wireless network, making once
private information very public.
I The article says there are many insecure
w ireless networks in use, public and private,
dnd there are plenty of people who would take
advantage of this. Keeping this information in
mind, students who wish to install wireless
networking in their house or apartment should
strongly consider the security implications it
may bring about. Some wireless networking
flaws turn a simple, convenient solution into
an access point for anyone who wants to see
What is on your computer.
The Los Angeles Times article about net
work security included the story of a
California-based security consulting firm, D-
fensive Networks, Inc., that picked up stray
signals from a hospital’s wireless network
while working with another business a short
distance away. The hospital was operating as
normal, but its patients most sensitive medical
data was unwittingly being transmitted to any
one who would care to see it. To highlight
other incidences of poor wireless network
security, D-fensive ran a security audit in
another parking lot, picking up 169 different
signals from networks in the area. All but six
of those networks were unguarded, leaving
them open to anyone and everyone with prying
eyes.
Texas A&M University has implemented a
large-scale wireless network as well.
However, the University is offering its stu
dents and faculty truly secure wireless net
work access, unlike 163 businesses in the Los
Angeles area. The University has gone to
great lengths to make sure these wireless net
work access points are secure for its users, but
something you can rig up in your house or
apartment most likely won’t be as secure.
There was an uproar in the wireless net
working industry after the so-called Wired
Equivalency Protocol (WEP) was shown to be
easily breakable. The widely used WEP keys
are 40- or 128-bit encryption keys which are
supposed to keep data secure as it is transmit
ted from a computer to a wireless receiver,
known as a router. However, a simple search
for “WEP key” on any search engine will
bring up links to numerous programs with the
ability to crack such keys. Any 8-year-old
with time on his hands could get these pro- .
grams and learn how to use them. Other secu
rity measures such as service set identifica
tions and media access control authentication
are not as easily beaten, but are vulnerable
nonetheless.
Willis Marti, associate director for
Computing and Information Services, said the
only way to go about making a wireless net
work completely secure is through an encryp
tion process known as virtual private network
ing (VPN). “We configure our access point so
you can only go through this router to the
VPN server ... and you have to log in and be
encrypted,” Marti said of the A&M network.
That way, “by encrypting all the traffic, no one
else can read (what you send).” VPN requires
software be installed on the user’s computer
and an account be opened so the user’s pass
word can be identified.
Virtual private networking is the solution to
secure wireless networking. But running a
VPN requires more technical expertise than is
available at the neighborhood Best Buy or
Circuit City, though these stores sell wireless
networking equipment. For a few hundred
dollars, anyone can set up a nice, convenient
wireless network for themselves. The only
problem is, it could end up being a nice, con
venient way for the neighbor living next door
or upstairs to get ahold of free Internet access,
not to mention credit card numbers, e-mail
accounts and bank statements. In the end,
wireless may be a good solution for some, but
for those who don’t have the equipment to
keep their data secure, a Pringles can may be
what turns private information into common
Chris Jackson is a senior
journalism major.
\ i
Microsoft agreement
does not benefit students
In response to Collins Ezeanyim's Sept. 23
column:
The two stated ways in which the
Microsoft agreement benefits students are
both questionable, hence the controversy.
Sure the software is cheaper to all stu
dents, but in reality hardly any students
don't have but still need these products,
despite Microsoft's marketing. Many can't
even run the software with their current
systems. That all students are required to
pay for a discount off of monopolistically
inflated prices on software is no great
deal for them, especially when the actual
academic worth of the goods is question
able.
Second, just because the Department of
Computing and Information Services (CIS)
gets a discount under this deal doesn't
MAIL CALL
mean students benefit. All it means is that
they get a larger operating budget. It's
nice for them that they now get more
money from students without the hassle
of convincing students this budget
increase is necessary.
Also, the vote last year was very lacking
in details of the deal. Combine that with
the normal low turnout and one has to
wonder how so few students could pro
vide the student body's consent for a deal
they never really saw. Many complaints
didn't arise until the deal was finalized.
With this deal, Microsoft and CIS defi
nitely win. The student body, meanwhile,
gets trampled.
Chris Carlin
Class of2003
The only one benefiting from the
Microsoft agreement is Microsoft. At
$18.75 a semester, 1 will be paying at least
$150 over four years for the fee plus five
bucks per disk. The University tells us this
is a great deal, but an educational version
of Microsoft Office is widely available for
$154.95, the same price. For this you get a
lovely boxed set complete with installa
tion instructions and comprehensive tech
support. Order it from the University and
all you get is a CD. As for Windows, the
vast majority of students buy computers
with the operating system of their choice
already loaded and has no reason to ever
buy a separate copy of Windows. Visual
Studio would be great — if it was not
already available to students. Most com
puter science classes requiring it made it
available free to students under the previ
ous agreement.
Bill Gates, I salute you as a capitalist.
Students, I encourage you to let the
University and Microsoft know you prefer
to make your own software choices.
Grant A. Halsey
Class of2004