NATIO'i
THE BATTALIAS
12001
Opinion
The Battalion
11 • Friday, January 31,2003
Merit should count
Student’s free speech, not political correctness, important
GEORGE
DEUTSCH
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rl information wrV should move on, and keep t
past where they belong-in the past.
e FBI’s goal is to tal The old flag, which prominently featured the
of that system onli; Confederate battle emblem known as the “Southern Cross,” is considered
trch 31 with a “vim if many minority and non-Christian groups to be symbols of oppression
ile” terrorism databa and hatred, which rightly led to its removal. The Georgia state legislature
ning tens of millionsi took the appropriate action jn showing its desire for progress, especially
ients — and offerii concerning race relations, by changing a flag which many believe has a
•n search and cross-i? racist history and by distancing itself from the policies the flagsymbolizes.
> — to be finished I Supporters of the Southern Cross insist they are trying to preserve their
Ison Lowery, the FI heritage, but the history of the emblem suggests otherwise. According to a
lirector for administi Georgia Senate research report released in Aug. 2001, the battle emblem
design began to take on a racist meaning in 1948 when it appeared at a
/stem in place befc Dixiecrat convention in Birmingham, Ala., “as a symbol of southern
, was complete protest and resistance to the federal government.” White supremacy groups
such as the Ku Klux Klan, whose violent activities began to increase, also
using the symbol during the Dixiecrat period.
The Confederate flag went from being a sign of Southern heritage to
being a threat.
Many historians believe the old Georgia flag, with the battle emblem
comprising two-thirds of the design, was adopted in 1956 as opposition to
federal integration, according to CNN. The state Senate report confirms
this. In his 1956 State of the State Address, then-Gov. Marvin S. Griffin
insisted “There will be no mixing of the races in the public schools and
college classrooms in Georgia anywhere or at any time as long as I am
governor.” He went on to say, “All attempts to mix the races on terms of
equity, peril the mores of the South.”
According to the report, in reaction to the landmark 1954 Brown v.
T his week should mark the
end of the many accusations
of racial insensitivity being
hurled at Bellaire High School’s
presumed 2003 valedictorian,
Harry Huang. Bellaire, located in
the Houston Independent School
District (HISD), was shaken by
scandal this past month when
Huang allegedly made racist
remarks toward Hispanics on his personal
Internet profile, according to the Houston
Chronicle. Huang immediately apologized
and withdrew his statements, but he is still
the focus of needless persecution at his
school and in newspapers across the coun
try. HISD’s repeated calls for political cor
rectness and racial sensitivity counseling,
in reality, only serve to compromise the
diverse and intellectually free environment
it desires to create.
In December, Huang was apparently
duped by several Hispanic men posing as
mechanics. According to the Chronicle, the
men damaged Huang's car. threatened him
and demanded money for their “services,”
which Huang, fearing for his safety,
begrudgingly payed. Huang then vented
his anger toward the men in the privacy of
his home on his Internet profile.
And while there is no way to justify
racism, provoked or not, the circumstances
surrounding Huang’s comments
deserve consideration. HISD’s
threats of removing Huang as
valedictorian and possibly
expelling him reek of overkill and
fly in the face of his First
Amendment right to free speech.
Only last week did HISD with
draw its threats, according to the
Chronicle, but an air of impending
disciplinary action still seems to be linger
ing over Huang, and needlessly so.
The fact remains that the position of
valedictorian should be based on academic
success, and all speech, pleasing or not,
must continue to be protected.
To be fair to Huang, his comments were
not intended for an audience, nor were
they distributed to the Bellaire High stu
dent body by him. The student who did
disseminate the information in the school
was not named in the Chronicle, but it is
this person who was responsible for
spreading racially insensitive material, not
Huang.
HISD spokeswoman Heather Browne
told the Chronicle that Bellaire Principal
Tim Salem could have suspended Huang,
in spite of his First Amendment rights,
based on an ambiguous student conduct
code provision prohibiting “any activity
that disrupts class.”
“The fact that what (was written) was
copied and distributed was technically a
disruption of the educational day,” Browne
told the Chronicle. If distributing racially
insensitive material is grounds for suspen
sion, the student who copied and passed
out the remarks is at fault. It is he who
should be threatened with suspension.
Adding insult to injury, Huang was
made to wear the proverbial “A” on his
chest and paraded around his school as a
villain. The Chronicle reported that HISD
officials mandated Huang stand in
Bellaire’s halls and distribute a humbly-
written apology. Sadly, it is an accurate
reflection of society’s politically correct
saturation when an 18-year-old’s bedroom
becomes a courtroom and he is held
accountable for insignificant remarks made
to no one in particular.
Harry Huang is not a racist, but instead
a brilliant student who made a mistake
which others only compounded. If our
society is to ever come to terms with
issues of race, we must not wear our emo
tions on our sleeves or let political correct
ness guide our consciences.
George Deutsch is a senior
journalism major.
Georgia rebel cause no more
A ;
battle is raging in Georgia about whether to
reinstate the previous state flag taken down two
.years ago. Since the flag was redesigned, there
tee been marches led by men in Confederate uni
te, threats of boycotts, and even an election decid-
issue, according to CNN. It seems ridiculous
ttasucii a fuss would be made over a piece of cloth.
Georgia should move on, and keep the symbols of the
JENELLE
WILSON
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Board of Education decision, Griffin threatened to close public schools
rather than integrate them. In 1956, the Georgia legislature gave him the
power to do so. The flag redesign of 1956 was another in a line of clearly
pro-segregation legislation. One resolution adopted by the Georgia legisla
ture declared the Brown decision “null, void, and of no force or effect” in
the state of Georgia.
The new flag was simply meant to show support for segregation and to
intimidate blacks. James Mackay, a member of the 1956 legislature who
was opposed to the change, agrees, “There was only one reason for putting
the flag on there, like a gun rack in the back of a pickup truck, it
telegraphs a message.”
It's a message Georgia continued to send for 45 years.
Georgia was not the only Southern state to use the Confederate battle
flag to fight integration or as intimidation. According to the Southern
Poverty Law Center, the battle flag was raised in Alabama on April 25,
1963, the same day then-United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy
traveled to the state to urge compliance with the Supreme Court's decision
in Brown, to desegregate society. The battle emblem flew over Alabama
until 1993. South Carolina raised the battle emblem to the top of the state
capitol dome in 1962 where it stayed until 2001.
Other states have tried to move on from this shameful and racist histo
ry; the people of Georgia need to move ahead, too.
According to CNN, the new Georgia flag was adopted in January 2001
following years of debate concerning Southern heritage and racial sensitiv
ity. Georgia's state seal, the words “In God We Trust” and a ribbon show
ing Georgia's state flag history- featuring both the 13 and 50 star U.S.
flags, as well as Georgia's first, 1920 — 1956 and 1956 — 2001 flags-
make up the new flag.
This new flag finally sends the right message- that the Southern Cross
and the policies it represents are in the past and that the state is ready and
willing to progress forward. Hopefully, the citizens of Georgia can let go
of this divisive issue and move on as well.
Jenelle Wilson is a senior
political science major.
Afghanistan: Tyranny by another name
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A new policy in Afghanistan,
which went into effect the
weekend of Jan. 19, might
have some Afghans feeling a sense
ofdeja vu. The law, put into effect
by Chief Justice Fazl Hadi Shinwari,
has removed cable television chan
nels from Afghan homes, something
the recently overturned Taliban had
done as well, according to
foxnews.com
Shinwari said in a conference with The
Associated Press that his reasons for doing
so were based on complaints from outraged
citizens who objected to immorality that
conflicted with Islamic teachings being pro
jected on television. Although violence, sex
uality, and profanity on television has been
an issue in the media, the complete censor
ship enacted by the Afghan government will
be even worse if it is a sign of other govern
ment restrictions to come.
It is understandable for a government to
monitor the content on television, to ensure
that the programs do not infringe upon
rights or to protect unsuspecting audiences
from unfavorable displays. However, a prob
lem arises whenever political policies are
intermixed too deeply with religious beliefs.
Obviously in a nation such as Afghanistan,
where the religion is almost completely
homogenous, these beliefs will seep into
policy issues, but they by no means should
be the sole basis for creating laws that
infringe upon the people’s freedoms.
By preventing the Afghan people from
SARA
FOLEY
being exposed to Western culture
through television, the government
continues to suppress its country’s
economic and intellectual growth in
the same way that the Taliban did.
Although many improvements have
come about in Afghanistan since
the removal of the Taliban, replac
ing the restrictions that were only
just removed is only a step back
wards. Television is not the key to
Western thought or a forward- moving soci
ety, but the introduction of concepts promot
ed on television furthers a consumer econo
my in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, to ensure a democratic gov
ernment stays in place, steps should be
made to remove other laws endorsed by the
former Taliban, and laws that correspond
with Taliban mentality should be hindered.
Many laws from the Taliban regime are still
in place, and the process to remove these
laws is complicated, according to the U.N.
Web site. Even more detrimental to the
attempts of restoring order in Afghanistan
are new laws that replace the Taliban-era
laws with new restrictions. Such is the case
in the Herat province of Afghanistan, where
a new policy was enacted preventing
females to be educated by male teachers.
Not only does this law keep Afghanistan
from progressing forward, it binds Afghan
women to their plight. Most women and
girls in this province will no longer have the
option for education, since most instructors
are male, according to foxnews.com.
When the Taliban first took control of
Afghanistan, one of its first orders of busi
ness was the restriction of women from edu
cation and employment, according to
Amnesty International Online. Although the
government in place now has done much to
alleviate these problems in some areas, such
as laws concerning clothing and education,
the fact that these former laws are being
reinstated should cause alarm. Women’s
rights issues have been the focus of much of
the criticism of the Taliban’s regime, and
continuing the laws that restrict women will
only take Afghanistan back to the state it
was in during the Taliban rule.
The laws that are re-emerging, which
might seem miniscule at first, warn of fur
ther situations that may rise. If the laws
continue to be reinstated, Afghanistan could
once again be susceptible to more terrorist
groups or foreign influence. Although tele
vision does not hold the keys to capitalism
and small education restrictions in one area
does not mean the Taliban laws are back
into place in full force, the danger should be
noted. Had America paid attention to these
warning signs originally, the Taliban may
have been prevented from terrorist actions.
Afghanistan must continue to be scrutinized
to prevent further problems.
Sara Foley is a sophmore
journalism major.
MAIL CALL
Race recruitment is
still racism
In response to Rolando Garcia's
Jan. 28 article:
Racism, as defined by
Websters is, a prejudice or dis
crimination based on one's
race. How the actions and
beliefs of Joe Estrada, along
with other students and
administrators cannot be con
sidered racism is beyond me.
Recruiting individuals based
solely on their ethnicity, is
nothing other than racism.
Showing favoritism to minori
ties, by recruiting them harder
than whites, is just as unac
ceptable as recruiting only
whites. There are enough hard
working students, both white
and minority, trying to do
everything that they possibly
can to get into this institution;
we do not need to recruit cer
tain groups over others.
According to Tuesday's
Battalion, Estrada and others
are intent on giving more
scholarship money to certain
groups. Their justification is
race, and only race. So be it
that Texas A&M is not the most
diverse school—racism on
campus is not the reason. As
stated in the same article,
most minority students who
were accepted and subse
quently declined to attend,
did not make their decisions
based on race. Stop wasting
time and energy recruiting
students who don't want to be
here, and then blaming it on
racism.
Travis Moore
Class of 2006
This Democrat is
sarcastic, not racist
In response to Jerad Najvar's
Jon. 30 column:
I would like to express my
sincere apologies to the
nation for having "held back
progress in race relations."
Being a Democrat and a
minority my "hypersensitivity"
has been the undoing of this
country's pursuit for racial har
mony. I also urge those indi
viduals that "harmfully" con
tinue to eradicate the remain
ing inequalities that exist in
our society to do what is best
for the majority, to embrace
silence and just smile.
Racism? In the year 2003?
How silly is that? I hope you
all accept my heartfelt apolo
gy. I just wish I had time to
repay everyone by clearly
defining sarcasm and racism.
Jose Jasso
Class of 2003
Rape column
violated reason
In response to sara Foley's
Jan. 28 column:
Foley's column on redefining
rape literally made me sick.
I'm not sure what kind of
world she believes exists that
can perfectly define a crime
that steals a person's sense of
security and murders that per
son's sense of self. If she truly
believes that the abusers of
the justice system should
define the treatment and pro
tection of true victims, let's
hope she doesn't become
involved in politics. I certainly
hope more laws go into effect
that allow anyone - not neces
sarily just women - the right to
say no whenever they feel
compelled against one's will,
as the definition of "force"
states - no physical pressure
necessary.
Cara Garcia
Class of 2003
Copy Cat isn't the
first unique clone
In response Elcia Baker's Jan.
28 article:
I just thought I would point
out that the revelation that CC
is not an exact copy is not the
first of its kind. In fact, the
group of cloned pigs that was
created at A&M was part of a
scientific study which ana
lyzed the variation of behavior
and physical traits within
cloned litters and compared it
to that of the variation of
matched control litters of pigs.
This was my master's thesis
and the results were released
in a press release through
AGNEWS here at A&M in
December, which led to sever
al interviews with reporters
from Canada, Brazil, and
France. Our research showed
that clone litters had similar or
greater variation in most of
the behavior tests we con
ducted and in the physical
traits we documented. The
behavior part of this research
will be published in a scientif
ic journal (AABS) in the near
future.
Greg Archer
Ph.D student
Liberal bias should
find Highway 6
The number of articles with
a liberal bias in the Battallion
is getting out of hand. All
points of view certainly
deserve to be heard and I am
not saying that I want all liber
al articles taken out. I want
them to be balanced out with
conservative articles. I'm sure
some people such as John
David Blakely would be more
appreciated at a little school
in Austin, where they can all
sip tea and badmouth the
leadership of this country with
other people who actually
want to hear it.
David Kahn
Class of 2004
Corps Commandant
is a good leader
1 recently had occasion to con
tact John Van Alstyne, Lt. Gen.
(R), Commandant of Cadets, on
a matter related to members of
the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.
I was suprised and heartened
by his response to my letter. I
have had no other contact with
him, but his reply to my letter
showed to me that he displays
remarkable character and lead
ership abilities. 1 wite to you to
express my view that the A&M
Corps of Cadets is indeed fortu
nate to have a Commandant
with Van Alstyne's experience,
skills and wisdom. It is my hope
that the members of the Corps
avail themselves fully of this
opportunity to learn and benefit
from the wisdom of a leader
aimed at taking them into the
21st Century.
Donald W. Pettigrew
Professor of biochemistry
and biophysics