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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2003)
NATION THE BATTALION 1 • • • section covers solely d law enforcement sta- mother covers politics ig data. Page 238 shows mblican George Bush about 1,000 more votes dent than Democrat A1 •lorida in the 2000 elec- cording to statistics off to the nearest thou- tie final, certified tally Bush won by 537 information is added, eep up with America's ; preferences. For statistics on snow- were first added two i (more than 4.3 million ke to “get air” down s). s added this year me on alternative work s — about 29 percent of workers 16 and older e not self-employed in 1 they had flexible work d home schooling —2 if kids age 5 to 17 with tional level equivalent een kindergarten and le were taught at home ted tables are 1, with this year’s dele- eluding “Commercial s-Energy Consumption enditures: 1995” and dying-Summary: 1970 statistical abstract is from the U.S. rent Printing Office a hard-bound version, paperback) by calling 1800. dso available from the Technical Information $47 for hardcover, $39 -back) by calling 800- 5 ran ce riled at Clara Harris as jurors the woman her e earlier on Valentine's about him after leam- i affair. Mildred Harris mion with Clara Harris in heaven.” mght she loved him too •is said. “We were like c to each other because EDITORIAL Necessary action Commandant buys time to investigate incident The inadvertent meeting of anti-war protesters and Ross Volunteers Honor Corps organization in front of the Academic Building Feb. 3 must have been awkward for both parties; the cadets engaged in a regularly scheduled drill practice as those in the peace vigil looked on. The allegations that resulted from the encounter may well have been a misunderstanding, but Corps of Cadets Commandant Lt. Gen. John Van Alstyne should be applauded for the swift and and straightforward manner in which he dealt with the complaints. Suspending the operations of the Ross Volunteers, pending an investigation into the incident, may have seemed to be an overreaction considering the tri fling nature of the allegations. The cadets' loud drills and marching formations certainly interrupted the peace vigil, and the protesters may understandably have felt intimidated, but it was clearly unintentional, and the Ross Volunteers cannot be expected to adjust their practice schedule for the conven ience of protesters. Other allegations - that while conducting their drills, a few cadets pointed their non-functional drill rifles in the direction of the protestors and uttered negative comments - do not seem to constitute the sort of misbehavior that would warrant temporary suspension, even if true. However, in choosing to err on the side of caution, Van Alstyne has demonstrated his com mitment to making the Corps a more open and visible institu tion. The protesters have said they are pleased with the way Van Alstyne has responded to their complaints. Whether the Ross Volunteers are ultimately vindicated or, if it is found that some cadets behaved inappropriately during the drills, all par ties can be confident that they were treated fairly. Sometimes the process is just as important as the result, and even though on the surface the charges are not terribly serious and the confrontation seems to have been a misunderstand ing, Van Alstyne has handled the complaints in a manner that, fegardless of the findings of the investigation, will bolster con fidence in the Corps. FHE BATTALION EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief Managing Editor Opinion Editor Neivs Editor Brandie Liffick Sommer Bunce George Deutsch Sarah Walch Asst. News Member Member Member Melissa Sullivan Rolando Garcia Matt Maddox Brieanne Porter 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 sub mitted 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 Opinion The Battalion Page 11 • Tuesday, February 11, 2003 Money Woes Foreign aid would be better spent on domestic front F or quite some time, the United States has been consid ered the ulti mate world power in sev eral areas. Not only is it one of the strongest economic powers worldwide, but it also harnesses a great deal of mil itary power and political influence. America has provided aid to hundreds of foreign coun tries for years in the form of supplies, military aid, negotia tion mediations... the list is endless. On the surface, for eign aid sounds like an effec tive way to form friendly alliances with countries by willingly lending a helping hand, but this policy may be leading America down the path of destruction. First of all, while the United States is a strong nation, there is room for improvement on the domestic front. According to the L.A. Times, President George W. Bush asked Congress to approve a budget in excess of $1 billion for the aid of hun gry people in other nations. That is almost $300 million more than what was budgeted for hunger aid in 2002. Yes, there is a pressing demand to help impoverished countries around the world, but this is a tremendous budget amount, especially considering the number of homeless and starv ing people that live in this country. Could that money not be used to their benefit? In addition, should the American taxpayer be held responsible for funding other nations’ food supplies? The answer is quite simple — no. Domestic issues should be taken care of first. Too much money is being expended on other countries while issues in ERIN PIRRUNG the United States are left open and ■ - unfinished. With the billions of dollars spent each year in foreign aid, the nation could devise a national health care plan for those without insurance or perhaps provide more funds to potential college students who cannot afford tuition. These precious tax dollars would be better spent here at home, where they are needed, rather than overseas. In the effort to feed fam ished countries. Congress is, in essence, throwing taxpay ers’ money away. By sending food to these countries, America is only encouraging them not to seek out solutions of their own. It would make more sense to invest the money in educating these peo ple on how to produce their own food and how to manage nation-wide rationing. At least through these methods the countries might actually become self-sufficient enough to move away from aid and toward independence rather than relying solely on hand outs from other coun tries. Evidence suggests that American police action over seas may increase the threat of terrorism against the United States. A relationship exists between the amount of U.S. involvement in international issues and the amount of ter rorist attacks it receives, according to the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board. The 1993 attack on the World Trade Center was a reaction of Islamic groups to U.S. inter vention in the Middle East. Terrorism is a particularly fearful topic in America today. If foreign aid and intervention causes terrorism to increase, surely it makes sense to limit intervention to stop terrorist acts against America. In gen eral, there are less internation al conflicts that require the intervention of the United States, so the money normally used to fund these causes should be available for use at home. Despite the evidence that terrorism is influenced by intervention and the increas ing economic problems at home, the foreign aid budget keeps climbing. Combined with the overall risks, this should indicate to Congress, as well as the American tax payers, that foreign aid funds would be much better spent at home. Perhaps if the govern ment put more funds into resolving domestic issues, tax dollars would be spent on things relevant to taxpayers rather than overseas issues that have nothing to do with the American public. Erin Pirrung is a junior English and psychology major. imination, prosecutor ied that once David rris could have kept the rom their grandparents rt. aickly took offense at MAIL CALL NASA column contained Soldier stationed overseas several factual errors enjoys others' support at you are trying to get is no problem with me hildren,” she shot back I Harris’ father, Gerald i Harris and his grand- arris, who was in the father was struck and se relationship, amily did not approve r with Gail Bridges,his it was proper,” Gerald e went on to describe as a loving wife and s hardworking. ie? you may qualify itigational topical ;e and older; ivel. gnostic tests, and anticipants at no •(•h Inc. 417 16 toll fro* In response to Leann Bickford's Jan. 10 column: Was the recent article by Leann Bickford a serious effort at journalism? We think it wasn't. While the underlying premise that the space shuttle has flaws is justified, her erro neous historical references and gross sim plifications of a complex subject bring us to question her analysis. Contrary to Bickford's statement, astro nauts went to the moon in Apollo capsules, not in space shuttles. She wrote that Challenger was destroyed "nearly three decades ago." It fell on January 28, 1986. She asserts that "no NASA manager was iired," yet nearly 5,000 employees lost their jobs following the Challenger disas ter. She criticized the lack of an escape- capsule system. However, even a cursory study shows that a viable capsule design effective at 18 times the speed of sound would be prohibitively heavy, bulky and expensive. More generally, we believe that mankind definitely has its place in space. The pres ence of our best and brightest sparks the imagination of the world. Many important experiments cannot be carried out by machines alone, because humans are more capable and flexible. An astronaut can fepair and maintain equipment, duties still beyond the capability of a machine. Despite the technical challenge, our future does not lie entirely on the cradle of farth. We should venture out and realize uur potential, and never rest on our laurels. Sebastian E. Gay and Jeff Hillhouse Graduate students Department of Electrical Engineering My brother is in the military, so my moth er and I send care packages and letters to the troops overseas. They really love to get all sorts of books and CDs. One of the troop members, Elijah Smith, wrote back with a poem for my mom. He describes how much he loves to hear from people and how much it means to have contact with the outside world. "Here is a poem for you by me... Though I may not know you, I feel your concern. I am thankful, grateful and willing to learn... That out there, in this cold, cruel world, people like you still shine like a pearl. Though we have never met, your names I will never forget. Your words, and letters bring much com fort... to a solider, far from home and in a battle zone. Though I may not know you, your heart and words ring true. Though far apart, we are closer still. Through our computers pour our will. I thank you for all the time that you give me. When I read what others write, I feel free. Free from this war, and free from fear. Late at night, my memory of home seems so clear. My days are long, my nights drag on. The highpoint of my day. Is seeing what you have to say. Though I may not know you, I feel you." Poem by Elijah Smith Submitted by Christen Bringhurst Class 2004 Davis mismanaged the California budget C alifornia currently faces a $34 billion budget deficit, and California Gov. Gray Davis decided one way to make up for this budget shortfall is to expand casino gambling on Native American Reservations. According to The New York Times, the casinos have a profit of $5 billion dollars, and the state of California receives less than $100 million of this. The legal agreement that covers a deal between California and the Native American Reservations, called a compact, was negotiated by Davis — the same hypocritical Davis who said he was “not generally inclined to support measures that allow more than a modest expan sion of gaming.” Davis is saying one thing and doing another. An L.A. Times article considered California “the fastest growing state in terms of gaming revenue, slot machine growth and employment.” The problem is, and continues to be, one of polit ical expediency versus long term benefit for the golden state. The compact that Davis agreed to in 1999 has been held up as a model of how not to write a compact. According to The New York Times, New York and Connecticut designed compacts that were designed as com plete opposites to California’s compact, and are considered suc cesses. The compact New York signed with just one tribe resulted in $400 million of revenue with more regulation. California’s compact neglected to cover the issues of regulation, oversight and the environment. As a result, conflict between the state and the Native American tribes has ensued. a If Davis and the California legislature had exercised more restraint and foresight, the state of California would not be facing such a large budget crisis. Davis’ answer to the preced ing problems is to renegotiate the compact. This idea is funda mentally flawed because Davis cannot legally dissolve one com pact and negotiate a new one. Davis has to convince the Native American tribes to give up bil lions of dollars and subject themselves to new regulation without much to offer them in return. The one bargaining chip Davis holds is that the state has the right to license the number of slot machines within it. To gain greater regulatory control and more revenue, Davis is poised to allow a huge increase in the size of gambling in California to get more money for a budget crisis that he helped create. If Davis and the California legislature had exercised more restraint and foresight, California would not be facing such a large budget crisis. California would not be considering doubling the size of Native American casinos without thought to the social consequences and costs. The governor has not commented on the social and economic cost of thousands of new gambling addicts. Davis did not allocate money for a gambling addiction treatment program in his new budget, and he clearly sees this as a quick fix without consider ing long-term consequences. This is the mindset that created this crisis in the first place. Jonathan Havens is a senior history major. 'J )
