STATE
THE BATTALION
w hours
louston
over officer, a third-
felony carrying a penal-
vo to 10 years in prison
ine up to $10,000.
y are accused of com-
; bribery as an organized
from Oct. 1 1, 2002, to
1. The five officers were
i of duty with pay after
rests.
police Chief
C 1 a r e nee
Bradford pre
viously said
the officers,
who each
worked for the
department
for more than
a decade,
were arrested
after an inter
nal affairs
investigation
revealed they
were working
in groups each
Friday and
S a t u rday
id taking between $25
0 each night from a
of bar owners,
ford said illegal under
iking, prostitution and
ctivity took place in
f the clubs and bars
le officers looked the
iy-
tant District Attorney
torts did not immedi-
turn a call from The
;ed Press seeking com
er Tuesday’s hearing,
ivicted, the officers can
to life in prison and a
fine. No trial date has
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 11 • Wednesday, October 8, 2003
Next stop, Tehran
U.S. must take definitive steps to eliminate Iran's nuclear weapons programs
red
be
ence
ry
>
that
secrest
tomey
EWS IN BRIEF
an committee
nmends $361
ase in tuition
H alloween could be
a lot scarier this
year, thanks to the
-Axis of Evil’s latest antics.
North Korea is playing “trick-
or-treat” with the rest of the
world,declaring it will con
tinue to pursue a possible
operational nuclear weapons
program unless the United
States agrees to give it eco
nomic aid and diplomatic ties. But while dicta
tor Kim Jong-II has been keeping the world on
its toes in Asia, terror-sponsor Iran's interest in
spilling blood through the splitting of the atom
maybe the bigger threat at the moment.
Earlier this year, U.N. inspectors discovered
weapons-grade uranium particles at an Iranian
power plant supposedly producing only low-
grade uranium. Last week, the International
Atomic Energy Agency found small quanti
ties of weapons-grade uranium during one
ofitsown inspections. Accordingly, the IAEA
has given Iran an Oct. 31 deadline to account
for its atomic program and to cease uranium
enrichment immediately.
Iran’s stance on the matter is anything
but friendly. Iranian foreign ministry
representative Hamid Reza Asef told
the world last week
“renouncing nuclear tech
nology or enrichment is
not something that Iran
will accept a compromise
on.”One of its top military
officials, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, warned
that any attack by the United States and
Israel against its nuclear installations
would be considered a declaration of war
and merit an appropriate response.
One wonders what such a response would
entail, and why Iran would be so hostile if its
■nuclear intentions are truly good. Iran’s record
is its fonner leader. Ayatollah
Khomeini, calling the
United States “the great Satan,” detaining
American hostages for 444 days in 1979. In 2000
it still offered no defense when the hostage sur
vivors sued the Iranian government.
Iran's defense on recent nuclear allegations
has proven to be just as impotent. Iran officials
claim the uranium discovered last September
isn’t theirs: it was imported along with some
equipment they purchased from another coun
try, which they refused to name. Thomas
Cochran, a member of the
Institute for Science and
International Security, said it
^ J is unlikely that Iran would
mC] not have checked any used
tion, especially consid-
a 5-year-old’s denial of wrongdoing with his
hand still in the cookie jar.
The existence of an Iranian atomic program
is ridiculous to begin with. The country claims
to be interested in nuclear power to ease sup
posed worries about its oil-dependent power sta
tions, despite the fact that OPEC reports put Iran
as the country with the third largest oil reserves
in the world.
Iran’s excuses — and the entire situation —
is ridiculous. Iran’s pro-terrorism and anti-
American stance is clearer than ever. On Sept.
22, Iranians paraded ballistic missiles through
their streets painted with slogans such as “We
will crush America under
our feet.”
Were Iran to
develop nuclear
weapons, if it
does not
have them
Mahesh Neelakantan • THE BATTALION
reason to believe it wouldn’t use them against
the United States given the chance. To promote
the safety of America, the government must
recognize and eliminate the threat Iran poses
before the situation gets worse. Hossein
Khomeini, great-grandson of the Ayatollah, has
recently spoken out against the Iranian govern
ment, calling upon the United States to estab
lish a democracy in his country.
The Iranian government, with its intolerance
of student-led freedom movements, has
answered such uprisings with slaughter and
imprisonment. By ruling according to the inhu
mane Sharia law, Iran is slated to execute an
Iranian woman for murdering her attempted
rapist. “Even if the situation necessitates for the
United States to take military action in Iran,”
Khomeini said, “they should not hesitate.”
An invasion of Iran would solve the prob
lem of the country’s nuclear ambitions, elimi
nate another member of the Axis of
Evil and give Iraqi guerrillas one
- less sponsor in their daily
cLw \ attacks against U.S. troops.
y55 \ The elimination of the current
Iranian regime is clearly ben-
k | eficial to both oppressed
I Iranians and Americans.
J Since the successful inva
sion of Iraq that overthrew
Saddam Hussein, oppressed
Iranians have been calling out
for the United
States to help
them shrug off
their own evil.
In America’s war
against terror, the war for the safety and
security of American lives, the next step
on the road to victory clearly runs through
Tehran.
Mike Walters is a senior
psychology major.
IN — The cost of an
dd could be going up
ation’s largest univer-
✓ersity of Texas advi-
nel voted Tuesday to
lend a $361 increase
next spring. Under
posal, the increase
ole to $722 more per
;r starting in fall 2004.
egislature earlier this
ed to allow universi-
et their own tuitions to
idget cuts,
ne undergraduate
now pay an average
4 in tuition and fees
ester. If the proposal
/ed, students will pay
next spring, a 13.3
ncrease.
oard of Regents will
v. 18 to consider the
crease would apply
ne resident under
and graduate stu-
ition Policy Advisory
ee also proposed
ercent of each dollar
new “Academic
bility Tuition” be set
need-based finan-
U.N. pullout from Iraq puts region’s stability at risk
P ostwar Iraq has become a dangerous
place, with pro-Saddam forces deter
mined to stpp the formation of a new
government using violence to achieve their
ends. U.S. soldiers are not the only ones in the
line of fire. Shiite clerics, members of the
U.S.-appointed administration and anyone
who might be associated with restoring or pre
serving order in Iraq are targets.
These targets include U.N. staffers, as
shown by the recent bombing of the U.N.
Baghdad headquarters. The attack killed 22 international
staffers, including Sergio Vieira del Mello, the U.N. high com
missioner for human rights. Now, the United Nations has decid
ed that it should pull out its remaining staffers.
The removal of staffers would harm the future stability of
Iraq and the possibility of the United States and the United
Nations reaching an agreement about- increased international
involvement in Iraq.
The United Nations seems to be succumbing to pressure
from its employees’ union and a desire to see the United States
fail in this decision. According to the International Herald
Tribune, at one time there were roughly 600 U.N. international
personnel in Iraq. That number has fallen to 86.
The decision by the United Nations to withdraw its staff to
Damascus, Syria, was influenced by the U.N. Staff Union,
according to the IHT. The U.N. Staff Union was quoted in a
statement asking “How much more can our staff take in Iraq?”
The concern of the union for its constituents is commendable.
But it fails to realize that to leave Iraq will only make things
worse and harm the United Nations as well.
Removing the staffers will only make the problems faced by the
United Nations in Iraq even bigger.
On top of having to venture out in a dangerous
environment, the replacement Iraqi staff will lack
the experience and skills of the missing interna
tional staffers, harming U.N. operations in Iraq.
Many Iraqis, according to the BBC, rely heavily
upon the services and materials provided by the
United Nations.
Although the U.N. Staff Union must protect its
workers, its constituents do assume some risk in
choosing their profession. Agreeing to go into the
field or the United Nations in a possible war zone
includes the risk of being killed or wounded in
their line of work.
Although U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is
upset with the United States for going at it alone
in Iraq, this is not the way to show his displeasure.
However, this is exactly what he seems to be doing. As far as
he is concerned, the U.S. invasion lacked legitimacy because it
was not sanctioned by the United Nations. In a news story from
the BBC, Annan said, “in the international arena there is no substi
tute for such legitimacy” with regards to international law, as inter
preted by the United Nations.
Annan has a right to disagree with the United States, but if he
values the fair and positive light in which the United Nations is
seen in many countries, he may wish to rethink the staff pullout.
According to the BBC, Hoshyar Zebari, the minster of foreign
affairs for the provisional government, said the U.N.’s move was
“playing into the hands of terrorists.” By driving
out one of the primary stabilizing forces in Iraq,
the anti-American forces hope to drive the country
further into chaos and eventually mobilize the
average Iraqi against the United States in particu
lar, and the West in general.
By leaving Iraq, the United Nations is aban
doning the civilians who depend upon it, and
making the United States'job there more diffi
cult. This might satisfy Annan’s desire to spite
the United States but will likely make an already
intransigent Bush administration less likely to
deal with the United Nations or other countries in
giving them expanded roles in Iraq.
Annan and the United Nations should rethink
their decision. Although the safety of their staff is
an important consideration, the legitimacy of the
United Nations as a reliable neutral looking out for the interests
of people like those in Iraq must be preserved as well.
David Shoemaker is a junior
management major.
DAVID
SHOEMAKER
By leaving Iraq y
the United Nations
is abandoning the
the civilians who de
pend on it, and are
making the United
States'job there
more difficult.
current budget year,
rsity has about $40
ss than last year in
opropriations and
-om the Permanent
/ Fund.
ities
Classless behavior
at Midnight Yell
I I’m currently a freshman at
Texas Tech. Friday night I went
over to the Buddy Holly statue
to experience Midnight Yell
with the Aggies. I noticed two
tilings during my visit: an enor
mous amount of pride that the
Aggies display for their school
land classless behavior por-
Itrayed by my fellow Red
i Raiders.
A large group of Red Raiders
came to “crash” the Midnight
Tell for the Aggies. Not only did
I they disgrace our school, they
I disgraced our athletic program
land most importantly their par-
lents. If that couldn’t be enough,
;the cops had to make an arrest.
; Rude hand gestures and
; crude behavior made me
I ashamed to associate myself
I with the school I’m currently
I attending. What happened to
being “good sports?” After the
display that I witnessed by my
fellow classmates on Friday
night, it makes me even more
thankful that my time at Tech
will be short before I go on to
join a school full of class.
To the Aggies I say, not only
did you bring your pride for your
school with you, you also
brought good sportsmanship
and Texas hospitality as well. I
look forward to being part of
your family soon.
Justin Garrison
Texas Tech student
Companies need
to make profits
In response to Jonathan
Steed’s Oct. 3 column:
I find it amazing that you
would think that successful
MAIL CALL
companies that invest money
in countries do so out of altruis
tic reasons. To be successful,
meaning profitable, for the
company and thereby its stock
holders, they make decisions
to produce their product as effi
ciently as possible. This does
not include charitable ideas of
helping the poor in socialist
countries.
But a corollary of these busi
nesses investing in these coun
tries is the fact that the country
is no longer as poor as it was.
The people now have a choice
to work for a living or die a slow
starving death in whatever
fields they plow. I suggest you
consider how much damage
your ideas have brought to
those poor countries.
Mr. Steed’s kind of altruism
ruined many businesses in the
1980s and has taken many
lives in the countries their lower
wages were supporting.
Same applies here: they raise
wages and they lose a reason
to invest there. Their poor
country stays poor, and good
ol’ socialism can tramp on them
a little more.
Keenan Nichols
Class of2004
Reporting too late
In response to Lauren Smith’s
Oct. 3 article:
I was disappointed to see The
Battalion print the story about
the passing of Virgil Dabney
last Friday. I am disappointed
because The Associated Press
filed that story on Tuesday and
The Battalion failed to print it
until three days later, after his
funeral services had taken
place. What about those who
would have wanted to attend
his services?
I have found this very type of
delayed reporting to be a con
stant problem with The
Battalion. I often see AP stories
printed a week or even two
weeks after the story’s news
worthiness has passed
because television and The
Eagle reported it when it actual
ly was news.
Noe! Freeman
Class of 2003
Sportswriter owes
A&M an apology
In response to Dallas Shipp’s
Oct. 6 column:
We feel that Dallas Shipp
was out of line in his refer
ence that compared the
Texas A&M defense to the
heroic USS Arizona at Pearl
Harbor. This article is an
unjustified, as well as unnec
essary slandering of Texas
A&M and its traditions.
We feel an apology is due
to both the heroic soldiers of
the USS Arizona and the stu
dents of this fine University
who faithfully believe in and
will follow its traditions with
out question.
Brian Reeves
Class of2007
Travis Book
Class of2007
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