WORLD
THE BATTALION
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in Iraq
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Combat
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■■■■■
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ay to Florida aboard Ait
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itil the theat of missiles or
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Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9 • Friday, March 28, 200:
Questionable police work
Irregularities, sloppy science plague Houston’s crime lab causing lab closure
iled
unch
ion
y Blair
tinister
Israelis
been told in
keep gas tr
with them
to
sealed rooms in
case of a
cal or biological
attack.
The war
Iraq, wh
began a ws
ago, has fue
anger in the
Gaza Strip and
ank, where Saddam
out $35 million to
ian families with
lied during the
Israel.
ike, strike Tel Aviv
ffs!” more than L
rhanted in the West Bank
f Tulkarem and Tubas on
iy. “Bush, the little one,
a coward! The land of
lot for you!”
abroad
mtries, U.S. colleges ate
) avoid demonstrations,
and clothes that identi-
dents are passing them-
its and faculty overseas
encountered has been
it U.S. citizens.
role in war
doorstep, the Navy war
3m with a thunderous
v launching planes that
a single tank or mortal
Is of men and women,
tan 4,000 aircraft to the
i to focus its impressive
T hough currently at war with Iraq, this
nation now faces another important war,
one being waged in the cities and streets
ofTexas. The brutal regime Texas’ citizens must
deal with is not that of a dictator, but one
imposed by the incompetent work of police bal
listics and DNA labs such as the Houston Police
Department’s crime lab and similar research
facilities across the state. Only now are decades
worth of illegitimate convictions stemming from
tests conducted by these labs coming to light, according to The
Houston Chronicle, which calls into question the validity and
accuracy of ballistics and DNA evidence throughout Texas,
specifically when peoples' lives hang in the balance. The serious
ness of the Iraqi conflict can’t be downplayed, but saving inno
cent civilian lives must start right here in Texas.
In a scathing indictment of the Houston Police Department’s
crime lab. The Houston Chronicle this week cited an independ
ent audit revealing that “sloppy science, an undertrained staff
and a leaky roof’ were tainting, if not totally corrupting, DNA
evidence. In the multiple examples presented by The Chronicle,
lab mistakes still resulted in convictions, as juries didn’t ques
tion the information police and prosecutors gave them. But
DNA evidence alone has always been questionable, in spite of
the fact that it is often referred to as flawless
by prosecutors and police. This assertion of
flawlessness could not be any further from
the truth, as minuscule DNA evidence can
inadvertently be carried from one place to
another and even slight human error can
compromise samples.
As The Chronicle’s Mallory S. May
put it, just because evidence is collect
ed from a crime scene, it
“does not necessarily pro
vide any reliable informa
tion about when or how
the DNA was originally
deposited.” It is easy to
see how the unreliable
nature of this evidence,
compounded by an
ill-informed
staff and sloppy
science, could
Conoley responds and clarifies statements
In response to Rolando Garcia's front page article on March 26:
lam writing in response to the story that appeared on the front
page of The Battalion titled "Gay tolerance brings controversy to
faculty."
Although I applaud you for writing an article about the very
important issue of diversity on this campus, many of the quotes
in the article attributed to my name are inaccurate and I want to
take a moment to clarify what you have written.
In the brief phone interview I had with Mr. Garcia on March 17
I did not say that I found Crouse's letter "rather pompous and
arrogant." 1 did say that there had been charges and counter
charges in regard to a newly proposed college-wide statement on
diversity and, in fact, I had been called pompous. Further, I said
that people on all points of the spectrum of acceptance of GLBT
individuals felt they were being attacked. Finally, 1 said that we
must get beyond personal attacks and move toward collegial
conversations. These conversations are currently happening in
our college.
A memo from me is quoted as saying, "I generally consider dis
tinctions that call us to love the sinner while hating the sin to be
empty, rhetorical gestures at best and covers for persecution at
worst." The article fails to mention that in the next sentence I say
that I am also cognizant of the great good accomplished by many
denominations of many different religions.
This very same memo speaks of the immense trust and respect
that I have for my colleagues whose signatures appear at the bot
tom of the letter opposing the wording of the proposed diversity
statement for the college (which, by the way, passed unanimous-
lyyesterday). I have known most of these signers for almost seven
years and have complete trust in their dedication to fairness.
In another letter to the faculty in the College of Education and
Human Development, I wrote, "In our culture, the introduction of
religious perspectives always give rise to deeply felt responses.
The right, however, to hold those beliefs and be open about them
must be protected as must the right to be who you are, in terms
of sexual orientation, be protected."
The Battalion article also states that I "instituted a new policy
that states the college 'celebrates and cherishes GLBT (gay, les
bian, bisexual and transgendered) people.'" This is not a new pol
icy; it is an operating policy that has been upheld by the college's
administration, at least since 1996 when I arrived at Texas A&M.
In sharing this operational policy, it is not my intent to confront
any existing TAMU System policy or to quell anyone's thoughts or
opinions. Rather, my intent is to encourage enlightened conver
sation from which our community can grow together and learn
from one another.
I am quoted correctly once in the article. I did, in fact, say that
use sacred texts to guide my personal life and not to judge oth
ers. This is true. I try my best not to judge others. I seek to under
stand and learn from others — those who are like me, but more
importantly, those who are very different from me.
Jane Close Conoley
Dean and Professor
College of Education and Human Development
result in a faulty conviction and send an innocent man to death
DNA testing in Houston has now been discontinued and cases
are being reviewed, according to The Chronicle. Though over
due, this is the Houston Police Department’s first step toward
real justice in quite some time.
But as Robert Rosenberg, a lawyer for a Houston death row
inmate, told The Chronicle, “It is not just DNA. In these cases
we have (a weapons examiner) who is not following any recog
nized set of standards, (yet) he didn’t have
any problems taking the stand to get con
victions. Why should we trust him or any
one else in the department who is review
ing his work?” The answer, Mr. Rosenberg, is
that we should not.
The clearest and most highly publicized example of
this injustice is the case of Houston death row inmate
Johnnie Bernal, who was convicted of a shooting death in 1994
and awaits execution, according to The Chronicle.
A weapons examiner testified against Bernal at his trial,
claiming a bullet found in the murder victim matched Bernal’s
gun. According to The Chronicle, the problems arose when the
weapons examiner, Robert Baldwin, was test firing the gun,
which he did 25 times before making a somewhat inconclusive
ballistics match. Ballistics tests usually don’t even require three
shots. Baldwin also coated the barrel of Bernal’s gun with a
chemical solvent, according to The Chronicle, which is another
inappropriate step in ballistics testing. The lingering question is
how long Baldwin and others like him have been performing
tests in this grossly amateurish manner.
Fortunately, state legislators decided Tuesday that a “compre
hensive audit” of DNA and ballistics work in Harris County
was necessary, but this should only be a first step. When
lives hang in the balance, meticulous care must be taken in
doing lab work that determines their fate. Shoddy police
work will no longer suffice. If mistakes are made, police
must begin erring on the side of caution and no longer on
the side of guilt. As Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, told
The Chronicle, “Harris County has the greatest number of
people going to death row. Isn’t it ironic that it is the place
where they can’t get it right?”
George Deutsch is a senior
journalism major.
Graphic by Josh Darwin.
MAIL CALL
Anti-war protesters are not anti-troops War solved many of the world's problems
The continued accusations that anti-war protesters do not support
the troops are getting tiresome. Before attacking those who oppose
the war, take a moment to listen to what the protesters are saying.
The protests are against the war, not the troops. The protesters are
concerned with the reasons we have gone to war in the first place
and the future precedents this war could set in regards to interna
tional relations. As the daughter of a retired Air Force officer, the girl
friend of a Marine, and with friends who are now fighting in Iraq, I
feel even more compelled to make my voice heard in regards to the
need for peace. I feel for the families with loved ones fighting in
Iraq, and I feel for the soldiers who are far from home. I do not sup
port the decision to go to war; I do not support the international
policies of our president. It is possible to both support the troops
and not support the president and his decision to go war. Certainly
the troops need our support — I have not heard any peace protest
ers say otherwise.
Gina Opdycke
Graduate Studies in English
Protesters, patriots raise critical concerns
In response to Erin Pirrung's March 27 column:
There are many in America who have been accusing those who
oppose war in Iraq of lack of patriotism, of undermining the war
effort, of making the nation appear weak or undecided, and even of
opposing the troops who are risking their lives for our nation, and
the argument which was wielded by Erin Pirrung in her recent col
umn. All of these arguments are dangerous and misleading, equat
ing dissent with opposition, pacifism with anti-Americanism.
Those of us who oppose war with Iraq do so because we are
patriots, because we love our nation, and because we treasure
the freedom and democracy that America affords us. This nation
was not built to its current strength because of its uniformity or
harmony of opinion. It is exactly the diversity of people, of beliefs,
and of opinions, and the fact that all of these differences are
equally heard and considered, that has lent this nation its
strength and endurance. America thrives on debate. Issues from
civil rights to abortion, taxes to the environment have all been a
part of this continuing and crucial dialogue that serves to shape
the path that our nation will follow.
How, then, can war, the most ultimate, costly, and controversial
choice a nation can make, be exempt from this critical debate?
How can those of us who feel that war is the wrong choice, that
it is damaging our great nation, remain silent and still call our
selves patriots?
Many, Ms. Pirrung included, point to Vietnam and say look what
happened there. Some misguided protests were actually aimed at
the troops rather than at their proper target, which was the policy
makers. This shameful mistake is one that will not be repeated, for
I know of not one protester who does not hold both respect and
appreciation for our troops. And while we are looking back at
Vietnam, we also must ask ourselves how much longer we might
have remained in that misguided war if dissenters had remained
silent. How many more lives would have been lost in vain if the pro
testers had not voiced their opposition?
Robert Deegan
Class of 2003
In response to Melissa Fowler's March 21 news article:
Except for ending slavery, fascism, nazism and communism, war
has never solved anything. I saw the demonstration on Thursday.
The protesters could at least come up with better slogans for the
signs. "No Blood for Oil"? How cliched! If anyone has a motive for
oil, the French, Germans and Russians all have billion dollar oil con
tracts yet to be filled. While the rest of the world was trading "food
for oil," France, Germans and Russia all decided to go the extra step
and trade "arms for oil."
Also, the Rev. Danita Noland stated, "The actions and words of
President Bush have caused this country to be at odds with most of
the world, and we hold our government accountable and responsi
ble for the lives of each and every Iraqi citizen." How about the
French, Germans and Russians have alienated themselves from the
rest of the world and the 45+ nations (including many Arab
nations) that have joined the coalition aimed to disarm Saddam
Hussein and liberate the Iraqi people.
God Bless America and our Troops!
Grayson B. Anderson
Class of 1997
Global community is the future
In response to Michael Ward's March 21 column:
I read the Newsweek column you wrote about, Mr. Ward, and it
seems to me that getting defensive is not the approach we should
be taking. America is facing a real dilemma right now, and that is
global opinion. We are emerging from a time in our history when
we lived blissfully isolated from the rest of the world, separated by
two massive oceans, but with the rise of the Internet, satellites,
globalization, etc., the global community is beginning to take
shape. The notion of a "superpower" is becoming obsolete. A gen
eration or two from now, children born in America will identify
themselves more with the world community than with the
American community. The more we fight to preserve our "lone
superpower" status by parading our massive military might, and
flaunting and dismissing as ludicrous the will of the rest of the
world, the more hostile, violent, and anti-American a world we will
be bringing our children into.
Scott Monk
Class of 2005