Opinion
Bgan t
The Battalion
Page 11 • Monday, April 5, 2004
Porn in the U.S.A
a
| legislation should be introduced to outlaw pornographic films in vehicles
edhis
enorist!,
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Jchenectady,
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s more Americans outfit their vehicles
with DVD players, a disturbing trend is
emerging: car-owners playing X-rated
films while driving. Worse still, these films can
be seen by anyone near them — often children
in other vehicles. This sort of disgusting and
flagrant behavior requires government interven
tion. Lawmakers across the nation should intro
duce bills that would make playing pornograph
ic films in vehicles illegal.
In February, Andre Gainey, 35, of
N.Y., was arrested for playing a pornographic
Chocolate Foam” in his Mercedes-Benz, accord-
igto USA Today. Not only was the movie visible to the driver,
it was also playing in the passenger-side
aphs. fclsor and on screens in the back of vehicle’s
:adrests.
While it is fortunate police were
orcemi to charge Gainey with a public
loreeffs isplay of offensive sexual material
id operating a vehicle in which a TV
II everlii :reen was visible to the driver, more special
FBI asa «d laws are needed to address this issue. This
Butwcfiould be done as a deterrent to anyone fool-
ihenough to watch porn while driving.
Matt Sundeen of the National
lonference of State Legislatures told
SA Today that no state expressly pro-
bits the playing of X-rated movies
tiile driving, but a couple of states
e taking action. For example, The
ssociated Press reported that a
ichigan councilwoman is consider-
g a measure that would fine a per-
n $500 for playing pornography
hile driving. In Tennessee, a bill recently passed in
e state Senate that would expressly prohibit the
shows display ever-increasing amounts of nudity. Certainly
someone shouldn’t be arrested for allowing “NYPD Blue” to
entertain his passengers, one could argue. Right now, the defini-
m.
irrivedat
in
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i flams
ie fire d
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laying of obscene films with screens that are visible
other drivers, according to USA Today.
Of course, some will be uncomfortable with any
ort of government intervention on this issue. Some
light specifically have problems with some of the lan-
uage used in proposed laws addressing this problem.
: orexample, regarding the Tennessee bill, some might
Isk, “What exactly defines ‘obscene?’” Some
lainstream Hollywood films and television
tion of offensive material should be left to police officers. Most
times, authorities will display proper discretion as they did in the
Gainey example.
Another issue that might .arise is whether statutes created to
deal with pornography on the road might be expanded to include
films depicting especially violent acts. It is arguable that acci
dentally seeing realistically brutal violence might be just as
offensive as viewing explicit sexual behavior. This type of nuance
will eventually work itself out, but only after the big problem of
drivers making material that is obviously X-rated visible to other
vehicles is properly addressed.
To properly deal with this issue, ordinances that discour
age such behavior must be created. Although the inside of
one’s vehicle is generally regarded as private space, that dis
tinction becomes irrelevant once one engages in an activity
that could negatively affect other drivers. Andrea Carlton,
a 26-year-old mother who witnessed
someone playing a pornographic film in
another car while driving with her 4-year-
old daughter put it best. Carlton told the
AP, ‘‘Just like there's no windows in a strip
club, you shouldn't be able to see inside
windows in a car when they're watching
X-rated movies.”
w]> \ It’s not a secret that Americans are
already too distracted while driving,
vl However, while some driving activi
ties, such as eating, putting on
makeup and reading the newspaper
will only distract the driver stupid
enough to attempt them, the practice of
playing X-rated DVDs has the potential to dis
tract drivers in other cars. Therefore, special atten
tion on this matter is warranted. Quite frankly,
it is embarrassing that this problem needs to be
addressed at all. But to make the already chaot
ic streets of America a bit saner, the govern
ment must act on this issue with alacrity.
Collms Ezeanyim is a senior
computer engineering major.
Graphic by Paul Wilson
b
udacris concert didn’t
ve up to advertisement
response to the April 1 Ludacris
oncert:
After returning from the Ludacris con-
ert Thursday, I felt so sad. Don't get
le wrong, the concert was great, but I
It deceived.
enjoy Ludacris just as much as the
ext man, but honestly, I was not going to
o to the concert so I could get some
done. Being a psychotic Chingy
I rushed to get my ticket that cost
Imost $30. I waited anxiously for the
itire concert in hopes that he would run
ut and surprise us, but alas, my dear
was no where in sight. I almost
led when the DJ said it was over.
The thing is, the MSC Town Hall Web
itesaid that Chingy was the special guest
dormer, and that was false advertise-
lent. That was THE ONLY reason I went
the sole reason for me to purchase
ticket. I just wanted to express how
isappointed I am that it was not true, and
!Xt time MSC Town Hall should make
re it has the correct acts listed. All in all,
hen I left, I felt that it was all a very cruel
il Fool's joke.
Onyinyechi Okoro
Class of 2006
/IP program only meant
increase diversity
In response to an April 1 mail call:
Mr. Fisher, both you and Mr. Maddox
liss the point of the VIP program com-
, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last
ear that diversity was an important issue
higher education. Rather than use race-
ased admissions, President Gates
ought to increase diversity at TAMU
trough other means. He instituted schol-
rships, created recruitment programs,
nd proposed other initiatives.
In the speech he gave on Dec. 3, 2003,
e also mentioned a specific problem:
...Currently, only 44 percent of African-
merican, 48 percent of Hispanic and
3 percent of Asian-American students
/e admit actually enroll as students
ere. This contrasts with 62 percent of
hite students who are admitted and
len enroll."
The VIP program has been developed to
ixthis problem. To complain, then, that it
hurts white students, or that white'appli-
cants deserve the same treatment, miss
es the point. Of course, it would be nice if
all admitted students could benefit from
the program. But, with the budget situa
tion as it is, that is not practical. Right
now, the VIP program is open to those
who need it most.
Besides, your brother, Mr. Fisher, seems
too intelligent to base his decision on
whether or not to come to A&M on such a
minor issue like the VIP program.
Midhat Farooqi
Class of 2004
McCaig, Hernandez go
with McAdams for SBP
We, Mark McCaig and Royd Hernandez,
would like to thank those of you who sup
ported us during the recent student body
presidential elections. While we were not
successful, we will continue to advocate
the ideas we ran on in order make Texas
A&M even greater.
That being said, Will McAdams is the
only candidate in the runoff for SBP who
will put an end to the "social club" atmos
phere that has taken over student govern
ment. Will has the leadership experience
as well as the desire to put the SGA back
in the hands of the student body. He has
made it clear that changes to improve the
quality of student representation will take
place if he becomes elected.
Will is also the only candidate who has
been willing to take firm stands on issues
of importance to the student body such as
parking, traditions and communication.
His willingness to speak his mind and take
action is admirable as well as necessary
to be an effective student leader.
On April 7 and 8, we will be voting for
Will McAdams for student body presi
dent. We encourage our fellow Aggies to
do the same.
Mark McCaig
Class of 2005
Royd Hernandez
Class of 2005
Battalion coverage of
Rip Torn disappointing
When I picked up my copy of The
Battalion last Friday, I was more than
disappointed to see the reporting priori
ties for our campus. At the very bottom
of the page was a relatively small image
of the actor Rip Torn, Class of 1952,
MAIL CALL
reciting verse from a first edition of Walt
Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass." The pur
pose of the reading on Thursday was to
celebrate the Whitman work as the three
millionth acquisition of the Sterling C.
Evans Library.
The image placement was disappoint
ing, but more so because there was no
extended story about the event. Texas
A&M is one of the nation's leading univer
sities in numerous fields with regard to
research and creativity. Students need to
recognize that these research and creativ
ity components are the lifeblood of our
university; moreover, students should take
full advantage of these experiences during
their education. The University libraries
often play a vital role in any research and
creativity experience and, in the future,
students should be made more aware of
these unique happenings associated with
the University.
Josh Peschel
Class of 1998
Not all Muslims are
affiliated with al-Qaida
In response to Nicholas Davis' March
19 column:
The American media has a tendency to
attach the name of Islam to terrorist
groups that carry out actions against the
religious beliefs of the Islamic faith.
Heard that argument before? Sure, we
all have, but nonetheless the media keeps
doing it. The estimated size of al-Qaida is
anywhere from a few hundred to a few
thousand people. The number of Muslims
in the world is 1.4 billion people. You do
the math!
It is really very simple. Blaming Muslims
for the acts of al-Qaida, would be analo
gous to blaming Christians for the acts of
Serbian forces, IRA, Basque and other
groups. Let us remember that Serbian
forces massacred, not too long ago, well
over 100,000 Albanian civilians. Way, way
more than all recent terrorist acts com
bined. Is that what their religion teaches
them? Of course not!
As regards to Israeli actions, I wonder
how you could consider the recent killing
of over 700 and injuring (mainly through
live ammunition) of over 28,000
Palestinian children an act of self defense
(note I said children, not all Palestinians).
I would like to end with the following quote
to show how similar quotes can be found
on both sides and at the end of the day
will not help bring any solution. “We have
to kill all the Palestinians unless they are
resigned to live here as slaves." — take some justice from this act.
Heilbrm, the chairman of the Committee
of the Re-election of General Shlomo
Lahat, the mayor of Tel Aviv.
Hassan Jaffer
graduate student
Battalion’s choice of
photos is undesirable
In response to an March 31 sci-tech
article:
Although Amelia wrote a great article, I
was not pleased with The Battalion's pic
ture. But, sadly, I am not surprised. I was
hoping to use the article for our required
outreach part of our project; however, I
do not feel that it would be appropriate to
do that now.
The choice of pictures in The Battalion
never ceases to amaze me. I do not
understand why the unique and exciting
images of real Aggies having real-life
experiences were replaced with some
cheap cartoon. I personally did not mind
at first until fellow engineers and stu
dents started to joke about it.
It now makes our project look like a
joke, which is something I am starting to
take offense at.
I am not sure what can be done to
change things since the article has
already been written. Many times I see a
random picture on the front page or
somewhere else in The Battalion that has
no related story. I am usually fine with
these pictures as long as they relate to
Aggie life.
If the pictures from the NASA Web site
were used in such a manner, they could
still inspire other students. If this were to
happen, the Texas A&M teams could
Thanks on behalf of the Texas A&M KC-
135 teams.
Grant Kemper
Team Leader
WSW KC-135 Team
North Siders can’t eat
without making a mess
I was personally offended today when a
group of 30 North Siders decided to eat
in the Commons Dining Room. They
found it necessary to recite their juvenile
rhyme about how close-knit they are and
how the food we South Siders eat is less
than quality.
They went too far by not using plates,
but slopping their food directly onto the
trays, throwing things off the tables and
onto the floor, and taking parts of an
Easter display and throwing them around
at one another. The hardworking employ
ees do not deserve to clean up an unnec
essary mess made by a rowdy bunch of
rude people who think that their actions
make them Red-ass. If you think you're
closer because a rhyme says it, fine. If
you think it's tragic we live on South Side,
fine. But if those of you involved in this
sort of infantile act think you’re repre
senting Old Army or the Aggie Spirit,
you’re wrong.
Shannon King, Krueger Hall
Class of 2007