Opinion
■■I
The Battalion
Page 5 • Thursday, June 10, 2004
Conservatism run amok
YCT must reconsider its hard-line partisan approach to racial y political issues
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't’s sad when an organization with the
potential to influence and improve daily
.life on a college campus renders its good
Intentions useless, isolating itself from the
vast majority of the student body. This may
lappen to the Young Conservatives of Texas
both here at Texas A&M and at the
Jniversity of Texas — unless some changes
ire made.
At its core, the YCT advocates many ideo
logical policies that this author, a libertarian,
pgrees with. Nevertheless, the crude fashion in
hich this group has strived to marshal student awareness regard-
ng controversial issues has cast it under a dark cloud of bigotry
for all onlookers to see.
Recently, members of the YCT chapter at that other school in
ustin raised a ruckus over a proposal, initiated by University
resident Larry Faulkner, requiring students to spend one semester
tudying a different culture.
What’s the big deal here? Is it possible that the university wants
tudents to actually learn something multicultural? The nerve of
hose crazy liberal professors who dominate academia!
The Director of Internal Affairs for the YCT at UT, Mark Tait,
roclaimed that this multicultural program is “political correctness
one amok.” Tait further declared, “Students don’t need bureaucra-
y to tell them to increase and broaden their cultural perspectives.”
OK, fair enough. Mr. Tait has a point — a weak one — but
onetheless a noteworthy argument.
Perhaps most students don’t need a constant reminder that
increasing one’s awareness and understanding of other cultures is
important. However, it is foolish to believe that students, not
required by an academic curriculum, will leisurely engage in
studies of foreign cultures simply because they know it’s benefi
cial. It’s just not going to happen. Even if it did, universities still
should not receive this degree of student opposition to proposals
huch as this one. After all, has no one heard of the term
eden j‘Globalization?”
sper: By itself, this event doesn’t blemish the YCT’s reputation here
!, rear; on A&M’s campus. In fact, this chapter in Austin has virtually no
half of' impact on A&M whatsoever.
it paid However, the YCT Chapter at A&M has also involved itself in
Afghani:, numerous paltry conflicts, similar to that at UT, and has utilized
ir.apn tasteless tactics, serving as shock value to solicit awareness of the
(tanks issues they oppose or support.
For example, recall that the A&M chapter of the YCT is
aneffec responsible for the following: the posting of the A&M Professor
threat Watch List, protesting “Coming Out Week,” protesting a lecture
> of if: by Bill Clinton, protesting Ted Kennedy receiving the George
.accort ; Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service, protesting the
Diversity Plan, proposing “Straight Pride Week,” announcing a
scholarship for overcoming the stigma imposed by giving prefer
ence to particular racial groups and holding an Affirmative
'oupCfri lAction Bake Sale.
iase."’ Each of these events revolve around two issues: race and poli-
8 perfl itics. That is, if any University policy appears to place too much
■emphasis on other races/cultures, or if any party, person or organi-
spent ;zation disagrees with the policies of the Republican party or
Jwide c;
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ternati!
itute.
'osety
President George W. Bush, then a cardinal sin has been committed
in the eyes of the YCT.
To illustrate this point further, examine more closely the
Kennedy Protest and the bake sale.
When the YCT heckled Senator Kennedy, it did it for one rea
son only: Kennedy disagreed with Bush over Iraq. What the YCT
failed to realize is that Kennedy was receiving an award for distin
guished public service, not for acquiescing to all of the president’s
policies. Kennedy has a public service career that spans decades,
through which he has sponsored and championed numerous pieces
of legislation that have enhanced many public sectors in our coun
try; most notably in health care. He received the award because he
deserved it.
Now look back to the bake sale. While it was cute and amusing
to see YCT members selling baked goods to protest affirmative
action, one couldn’t help but realize that the manner in which the
goods were sold — at arbitrary prices based on the individual —
literally belittled women, homosexuals and minority groups.
Obviously, this is not to say that organizations should remain
silent when salient issues arise. However, if YCT members contin
ue to confront controversial campus issues in this same stubborn
and obnoxious manner, they will not only discredit their organiza
tion, but also stigmatize the ideological position of conservativism.
The YCT needs to re-prioritize which issues really merit
staunch opposition and reconsider the fashion in which it will fight
its political battles on campus. If the YCT doesn’t change its tac
tics soon, it will isolate itself from “moderate” students, and no
one will even bother listening anymore.
Nicholas Davis is a senior
political science major.
Graphic by Tony Piedra
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report.
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the di
iss of
MAIL CALL
At any stage, a fetus
represents life cycle
In response to a June 7 mail call:
I'm continually amazed at the so-
called "pro-life" argument against abor
tion. How can the spouters be pro-life
and at the same time draw this imagi
nary line in their conscience between
life and not-life when not even the doc
tors who perform abortions can do so
and still have peace? Is this a deflec
tion of guilt from themselves, an absolu-
■tion ora spiteful lack of penance? I think
.v I prefer those possibilities over the alter-
1 natives: ignorance, or worse, careless-
. ness. I am not at peace on this issue,
; and I may never be. Let me tell you why.
Consider the following two people
; (notice no gender distinction):
| Person 1. 8 months pregnant, of
! poor enough mental health to be
incognizant of pregnancy, gets an
J abortion now with sound mind
through medical treatment.
Person 2. Of sound mind, has
used a contraceptive.
Can you tell me which of these 2
people is a murderer, and which is
cj not? I can't. In fact, I can't even dis-
I tinguish between person 1 above and
I a person who thinks about a sex act
iif without full intent to carry through to
< birth. A single cell, a "stem" cell, a
)| sperm cell, an egg, a thought, a fetus
[fj 2 days after conception, and a fetus
200 days after conception are all
exactly the same to me — they are life.
If you want a line, then draw it. If
afterwards you find that you have
blood on your hands, then deal.
Whatever you do, withdraw your
judgement of others.
Reade Sitton
Bryan
Aggies needed a day
to mourn for 9-11
I realize that Ronald Reagan was a
beloved President and that it is a loss
that he has passed away, but why is
A&M giving students a day off from
classes on Friday to mourn? Give me
a break. When I was a junior at A&M,
I remember no such day off on or
after 9/11/01, even after President
Bush declared a national day of
mourning. I guess losing a few thou
sand of our fellow Americans in the
worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil
doesn't mean much in Aggieland.
I’d just like to say that, as a native
New Yorker and a former student who
had a parent working in Tower 2 on
9/11, it would have been nice to have
my university recognize that many of
its students needed a day to mourn
their own family and friends.
Melissa McKeon
Class of 2003
Banning of public baptisms
a First Amendment violation
Hi
i/ere
‘ow do you know when
you have done some-
.thing outrageously
wrong? When you have the
Christian Defense Coalition and
the American Civil Liberties
Union working against you over
the same issue.
This is precisely the
predicament that park officials
at Falmouth Waterfront Park in
Virginia have found them
selves in.
On May 23, The Associated Press
reported that the Rev. Todd Pyle, pastor
of Cornerstone Baptist Church in
Stafford, Va., decided that he would take
a few members of his congregation to the
waterfront to baptize 12 people because
his church has no indoor baptismal font.
Park officials, however, did not like
the idea and tried to break up the event
on the grounds that a public baptism
might be “offensive” to those nearby.
This is unacceptable and a clear violation
of First Amendment rights.
Has society today become so sensitive
that witnessing a peaceful religious cere
mony in a park is offensive? There once
was the expression, “Your rights end
where mine begin.” Apparently, the right to
not be subjugated to being ip the proximity
of a religious service is greater than the
right to hold the religious service itself.
Or perhaps sensitivity is not the issue.
Park officials later said that religious
groups need a permit to perfonri any kind
of service in the park, but also admitted
that it has no official written policy of this.
The whole ordeal seems to have been a
random case of religious discrimination.
However, it is understandable that it
might be necessary to obtain pennits for
large, organized gatherings such as
church and community-wide picnics, con
certs and “big tent revivals.” However,
there is no reason why small spontaneous
gatherings, such as this baptism, should
have to obtain permits.
Consider a different sce
nario. Suppose that a small
group of high school or college
students at a local church
decided to meet in the park
after the morning church serv
ice to have a picnic. One stu
dent brings his or her guitar
and begins to play and sing
contemporary hymns; the oth
ers sing along.
Could this spontaneous event
be banned from the park under the notion
of it being a “religious service?” Few
would disagree that it is religious in
nature, but should these students be
required to get a permit? And if so, if the
songs were secular, would a pennit still be
needed? Is it simply the religious nature of
the songs which would require a permit?
Very few people would have the
courage to say that these kids must go
... in cases such as this,
the best solution is civil
disobedience.
through the time and hassle of getting a
permit to sing their songs.
What is the difference between one
small group singing “praise and worship”
songs versus another having baptisms?
Besides the sacramental nature of bap
tism, not much. There is no reason why
one activity should be allowed freely and
another restricted.
The park is a public park, and the
gathering was small and peaceful. If the
event was a large, loud gathering of
church-goers, or if it was in the public
right-of-way or blocking streets, it would
be understandable to require a permit. As
it was, the actions of the park officials
were completely unacceptable.
The ACLU of Virginia made the fol
lowing comment in its press release: “The
rules for religious expression in a public
park are actually pretty simple because
they must be the same as for all other
activities. If the park rules allow people to
wade and swim in the river, then they
must allow baptisms in the river. If the
rules allow groups to gather for cultural,
social or political purposes, then they must
allow religious gatherings as well. If the
park allows the use of amplified sound,
then religious voices have the same right
to be amplified as other voices.”
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, head of
the CDC, threatened to sue if the park
refuses to allow future gatherings by
religious groups.
"These people are being discriminated
against because of the content of their
speech," Mahoney said. "It's one of the
most egregious violations of the First
Amendment I have ever seen."
Many times in cases such as this, the
best solution is civil disobedience.
The Rev. Pyle said he will perform his
baptism elsewhere, but other churches
should not be frightened into having sim
ilar activities; then and only then will
religious freedoms prevail.
Students at A&M should not dismiss
this case as something isolated occurring
thousands of miles away. It is not an
unfamiliar sight to be walking around
campus and see a group of people praying
or singing hymns. There are even stories
of some ministers performing baptisms in
the various fountains around campus.
If the actions of the officials at
Falmouth Waterfront Park go unchal
lenged or are even deemed appropriate, it
is entirely possible that religious free
doms might be violated close to home.
Cody Sain is a junior
philosophy major.