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Opinion
The Battalion
Page 11 • Wednesday, April 9, 2003
EDITORIAL
Equality for all
Race should not matter
Twenty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed
down the Bakke decision allowing for limited discrimination
against non-favored minority applicants to public universities.
Every citizen is guaranteed equal protection under the law
without regard to his race by the 14th Amendment. Now, the
Supreme Court has chosen to revisit the subject, and this time it
must render a clear and constitutionally consistent ruling stop
ping racial preferences in public higher education.
In changing the status quo, the court has two options. The jus
tices could take the dangerous path of justifying affirmative
action based on the rationale of diversity and mandate that a mix
of students of different ethnicities in the classroom is a com
pelling enough interest to indefinitely suspend the Constitution.
More justifiably however, the court could decide to extend the
precedent of the Hopwood case, which bans racial preferences at
Texas public universities. The Supreme Court must not hesitate to
take this step in returning Constitutional rights to every citizen.
Striking down affirmative action will not keep minorities out
of colleges. Since California outlawed affirmative action seven
years ago, overall minority enrollment in California colleges
has increased. Without affirmative action, low-income students
would still receive the same level of grants and scholarships, if
not more. In defeating racial preferences, Texas universities
may benefit more than others. When qualified minority appli
cants no longer have to depend on lucrative out-of-state race-
based scholarships, they will be more likely to stay instate for
their education. Texas A&M will be here for them.
After a generation without equal protection by the government,
finally all college applicants will be treated equally under the law.
THE BATTALION
EDITORIAL BOARD
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Editor in Chief
Managing Editor
Opinion Editor
News Editor
Brandie Liffick
Sommfr Bunch
Brieanne Porter
Rolando Garcia
Asst. News
Member
Member
Melissa Sullivan
Sara Foley
Matt Maddox
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
77843-11 1 1. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com
Improving images
U.S. must change Muslim and Arab opinions
R egardless of how
you feel about the
war with Iraq, one
thing is beyond dispute:
the decision to sidestep
the United Nations and
disarm Saddam Hussein
has outraged much of
the world, particularly
Middle Eastern Muslim
and Arab populations.
Given the terrorist threat America faced
before this conflict began, this situation
should be very alarming. If handled cor
rectly, however.
the war presents
an excellent
opportunity to
prevent future ter
rorism.
The region that
produced Osama
bin Laden is
engulfed in an
unprecedented frenzy
of anti-American senti
ment over
this war. As the
Dallas Morning News
reported, even thou
sands of Arabs and
Muslims from outside
[ Intq have vowed to
1 / 4 defend the dictator’s
regime from the
“aggressors.” In an
JB appearance at Texas
A&M last week,
former Secretary
of State
Madeleine
Albright remarked that this is
one of the most dangerous situations she has
ever seen.
Clearly, toppling Saddam’s diabolical
regime is not enough to keep Americans
safe. Aside from the obvious mission of
destroying the dictator’s cache of banned
weapons, this war must be used to change
how Middle Easterners view the United
States before tomorrow’s terrorists are
inculcated with militant hatred.
But focusing on winning “hearts and
minds,” as the Pentagon has phrased it,
would represent a marked shift in
American strategy. Historically, this coun
try has felt rather insulated and indifferent
to threats and opinions from abroad. That
changed, however, on Sept. 11, 2001. Al-
Qaida’s despicable attacks opened
America’s eyes to a threat that had been
largely underestimated, and foreign policy
changed forever.
Like Sept. 11, America’s response to
this current crisis of international disap
proval will be a defining moment for
decades to come.
Ignoring Middle Eastern opinion has
proven to be very dangerous, so that temp
tation must be denied. The time has come
for America to swallow hard and think
long-term, even if it requires some policies
that will taste bitter for the time being.
With this in mind, there are many things
the United States could do in the course of
this war and the subsequent rebuilding of
Iraq to change attitudes and lessen the ter
rorist threat. A few are already being done.
First, the military is taking great care to
spare civilian lives, which should prove to
Iraqis that our quarrel is not with them or
their culture. This may cause the war to
last longer, but it will quell a lot of anger
in the region.
Secondly, humanitarian aid is being dis
tributed in huge quantities to embattled
Iraqis in the south. This is absolutely
imperative, because it also shows that the
United States cares about the people of
Iraq, and that domination is not the aim. As
the war continues, more aid needs to be
given out and every effort should be made
to publicize these efforts.
The critical moment will come after the
war, however, when it’s time to set up a
government in the absence of Saddam’s
regime. Many Americans are absolutely
opposed to allowing nations such as
France, Germany and others who refused to
enforce Resolution 1441, any part in
rebuilding Iraq.
While this is understandable, it will only
increase the threat of a terrorist attack.
Middle Easterners are very suspicious of
America’s motives, deservedly or not. To
avoid any appearance of impropriety, the
United States must work within the interna
tional community to set up a new govern
ment, by and for Iraqis. If this is done,
America will truly be
viewed a liberator and
the image of an
imperialist,
aggressive
power will not
resonate as
much.
Taking the
actions
described
above will cer
tainly not solve
all of America’s
image problems in
the Middle East.
Some would say
terrorism and hate
will persist until the
Israeli-Palestinian
conflict is resolved,
which is probably
true. But something
must be done. The
only thing
Americans know for
sure is that their
country is not as
isolated from
international
threats as it once was. In this post-Sept. 11
world, the United States cannot afford to
ignore world opinion. A conscious effort
must be made to change “hearts and
minds” with an eye on the future.
Jemd Najvar is a senior
political science major.
Graphics by Josh Darwin.
Unrealistic expectations lead to disappointment
T f
e to a maze k
ml her greats
Nations.”
he public and the arm
chair generals start to
circle in the water like
sharks. They glance apprehen
sively at their watches. The
war they proclaimed loud sup
port for less than two weeks
■ ago is still ongoing. This war
■ was supposed to be different,
a This war was supposed to be
■ about “shock and awe.” The
Upublic wanted, even expected, a war that would
■ be quick and bloodless. Now, after this long and
ff drawn out conflict, the fair weather war hawks
are remaking themselves. The public now cries
aloud about the costs and length of war. The
expectations of a perfect war harbored by the
public have not come to fruition. The question
that begs to be answered is, where do these unre
alistic expectations come from?
The answer is two-fold. First, the Bush
administration was overly optimistic when dis
cussing the chances of success before the war
started. Second, there is a historical legacy of
American citizens underestimating the length of
a conflict.
Time Magazine states it best when it reports
that “the administration gave the impression it
had devised a Teflon war: quick, easy, relatively
bloodless.” The administration presented an
upbeat outlook on a possible war with Iraq
because it might help gain support from the pub
lic for the war. However, war has shown its true
color, and the overly optimistic forecasts have
been debunked. The war has lasted longer than
many predicted.
President George W. Bush could have learned
a thing or two by studying how his father han
dled the expectations of the first Gulf War. The
only recent conflict of the same magnitude to
compare it to was the Vietnam War. Former
President Bush, said, “this will not be another
Vietnam.” But just comparing a possible conflict
to Vietnam was clearly sobering for the public.
There was widespread talking up of the vaunted
Iraqi military, the fourth largest in the world at
that time. The media lent a hand reporting the
shipment of hundreds and thousands of body
bags to the Gulf region. Such a terrible sight had
a humbling effect on the invincibility of our mili
tary. The public mood was set for a long drawn
out struggle, and when the war was over in
roughly seven weeks after it had started, America
rejoiced. Today, Americans grumble about two
weeks of war.
According to a CBS News Poll, only 32 per
cent of Americans thought the war would be “long
and costly” in the period from March 27 to March
29. On March 31,53 percent of Americans
thought the war would be “long and costly.” This
dramatic 21 percent swing in the span of two days
can be attributed to unrealistic expectations of the
American public being pierced.
In general, Americans are considered opti
mists. This optimism has seen America through
some difficult times. But the optimism is a nega
tive attribute when forecasting the length and
cost of a war. Time and again, American citizens
were confident of a quick conclusion, only to
struggle in the same conflict a year or two later.
The Civil War provides an excellent example of a
war that was seriously underestimated. President
Lincoln called for volunteers to sign up for 90-
day enlistments at the beginning of the Civil War,
believing the war would be won by then.
However, it took four long, bloody years before
the war was over.
The impression that war is easy, even with the
best military in the history of the world, is totally
false. War is a complex business that must
always face adversity. Karl Von Clausewitz, the
famous military theorist, discussed friction in his
book “On War.” He says, “Everything is very
simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult.
These difficulties accumulate and produce a fric
tion which no man can imagine...” Mundane
things like vehicles breaking down, distributing
supplies and the time it takes for a soldier to care
for him or herself takes time. This spent time is
not necessarily represented accurately in the
overall “shock and awe” plan.
War is a chancy endeavor by its very nature.
The war could be over tomorrow, or it could go
on for several more months, or even years. The
fair weather war hawk who supported the war
several short days ago must wake up to the reali
ty of war. American citizens must realize that a
war is not simple endeavor, and they must find
the will to support their brave troops through to
the very end of the war.
Jonny Havens is a senior
history major.
ieo
City Council member
encourages student
involvement
In response to a March 25 news
article:
Recently there has been considerable
discussion regarding College Station's
intent to exclude student input into the
governance of our city. As a member of
the City Council, I would like to offer
my thoughts on a couple of issues in
hopes of dispelling some of the nega
tive perceptions.
Regarding the selection of a May 3
election date, the Texas State Election
code
(http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/
statutes.html) provides specific dates for
holding a general election. The City
Council election has historically been
held as empowered by the City Charter
and State law on the first Saturday in
May. This date was chosen to conform to
the state law. Although the timing of this
election is unfortunately during final
exam study time, it was not set specifi
cally to exclude anyone's participation.
To hopefully mitigate some of the poten
tial access problems there is a polling
site located at the MSC, which will be
available on Election Day.
There has also been discussion
regarding the College Station City
Council's consideration of increasing
the age requirement, from 18 to 21-
years-old to be eligible for municipal
office. This matter has not been final
ized. If such a change to the City's
Charter is to occur, it must first be
approved by a vote of the citizens. The
College Station City Council will decide
in the next few weeks whether such a
change will be placed on a November
2003 election ballot.
As a current member of the College
Station Council, I have and will contin
ue to argue against increasing the age
requirement to be eligible for munici
pal office. I believe that our democratic
process is based on the premise that all
eligible voters should be given the
opportunity to decide who represents
them and how their government is run.
Whether the office is at the local, state
MAIL CALL
or national level, I believe that all voting
aged persons should be eligible to par
ticipate in the process of choosing their
representatives and if they so desire,
they should also be eligible to run for
office.
Excluding any voting aged person
from participating in this process is
principally wrong. If I am re-elected, I
will continue to oppose any change
that will comprise anyone's opportuni
ty to participate in the democratic
process.
I believe that all eligible persons
(especially students) should express
themselves through their vote. I
encourage you do so at the College
Station City Hall, Post Oak Mall or the
College Station Independent School
District Administration offices during
the early election period of April 16
through April 29 or on Election Day in
May.
James Massey
Class of 1977
Mayor Pro-Tem
City Council, Place 1
Selling an Aggie Ring
on the Internet is
disgraceful
I received some very disturbing infor
mation from a friend today. A student
at Texas A&M, named Matt Shomer, is
selling his Aggie ring on eBay. Now I
do not call him an Aggie because in
truth no true Aggie that is able to
afford such a priceless sentiment
would ever sell his ring.
This student at Texas A&M received
his ring last Thursday along with thou
sands of other very excited Aggies who
have been waiting years to receive
their ring, but instead of wearing it
with pride, he has left it in its box and
placed an ad to sell it over the Internet.
Even more upsetting is the advertise
ment and description that he has
placed with the ring. He is not selling
his ring so that an Aggie who is unable
to afford a ring may have one. No. He
is selling his ring with the statement
"Have you ever wanted an Aggie Ring
but didn't want to go to A&M? Or did
you go to A&M and transfer without
getting a ring? Or are you just a poor
soul that failed out but cannot let the
world know? Do all your friends have
an Aggie Ring and you don't? No mat
ter your reason."
He is trying to sell the Aggie
Network so that any person with a lit
tle money may claim to have worked
as hard as each Aggie on this earth
without ever having to have stepped a
foot on our campus.
Not only is something like this dis
graceful, but it breaks my heart. I know
I am not the only Aggie who feels this
way and I hope that something will be
done to ensure that this precious sym
bol of all that Texas A&M is will not be
allowed to be sold to some outsider
who can never understand what being
an Aggie truly means.
Hayley Henderson
Class of 2005