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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2004)
NAH ItATT 0€» Opinion The Battalion Page 5B • Tuesday, September 7, 2004 Pace Design • MATT RICNEY Let the dog out Jonathan Smith wishes A&M used Reveille R 30 per Jblems' liter byp arc gooi id £ £ eveille: First Lady of Texas” A&M, written by Rusty and .Vannessa Burson, exam ines the history and the legacy of Texas A&M’s favorite mascot. The book ex plains how the original Reveille, a mutt with a heart of gold, led to a thorough bred line of Reveilles that have become “(tueens” of A&M. The success of the tradition of Reveille Since the 1930s proves the legendary Aggie canine should be the most prominent symbol in any effort that wishes to repre- oMnt A&M. ql Last month’s proposal by A&M President Robert Gates to ci :ate a new high-level position to coordinate communications Ad marketing at A&M implies that the University soon will Ave a professional standard for all marketing efforts put forth A the University. As A&M moves toward a more media- Viendly campus. Reveille’s image should become as closely associated with A&M as the bald eagle is associated with the Vnited States. ‘A The fact that Reveille remains on campus also increases Ikr clout around the school. Unlike the University of Texas’ Texan stays at Sunrise s in a dorm just like i country. The Mascot w'here she can mingle E sit ■ascot, which, according to The Daily lanch outside of Austin, Reveille sleep ■ousands of college students across th< lorporal also takes her all over campus |ith 44,000 other Aggies. The only real local challenge to the dominance of Rev- lle’s image is 01’ Sarge, a scruffy, tough-looking drill sergeant. This archetype is displayed wherever fine Aggie ■iraphernalia are sold and has long been used to represent lexas A&M. 01’ Sarge does a good job of symbolizing the lorps of Cadets, but he does not do a good job of represent- irg the majority of Aggies. I The popularity of OF Sarge in local stores proves that the Tlegacy of A&M as a military school is still held sacred by i many Aggies. Yet the University’s marketing effort should do / more than please the nostalgic. The marketing efforts of the Ahool should represent A&M as a diverse flagship institu tion devoted to being a positive influence in the community. Reveille should be used in cases when all A&M is represented (as opposed to just the Corps of Cadets). The image of the Aggie Collie is more pleasant and universal than a military man. Reveille represents the average college student more than one would think. Any of the A&M professors would tell you that a (sometimes disruptive) cell phone is now a near universal accessory of Aggie students. Reveille also has her own cell phone, yet the Mascot Corpo ral does all the talking and dialing for her. Reveille also possesses a student identifi cation card, exercises on campus, goes to classes and attends all the football games. A description of her average day might trick an outsider into believing that she was an Aggie student. Yet, Reveille is much higher up the totem pole than the average student. As most Aggies know, she is the highest-ranking mem ber of the University’s Corps of Cadets. There fore, in essence Reveille is able to perfectly represent the cadets in the Corps and the civilian students at the same time. This point alone should convince makers of Aggie paraphernalia (which represent the school to shoppers across Texas) to say “01’ Sarge who?” The image of Reveille has already carved a special place in the hearts of the A&M popula tion. The book correctly states that she “is to the doggie domain what Lady Diana or Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy were to femininity in their time: icons of class, grace, charm, style, beauty and nobility.” Reveille is living proof that some traditions can actually be strengthened as A&M changes. Jonathan Smith is a junior history major. e new image Tony Piedra • THE BATTALION girls ii grade. that the s Mike Walters thinks war records are overhyped cols tha! e hour ro per wed uers. abilitv to ids, if noi nds. of chi s are so k;. mething«; y," said) dent of tk for llealtl undation. i MIKE WALTERS The poet George Santayana once said: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is for this reason that both presidential candidates are having their Vietnam-era lives scrutinized. I Sen. John McCain, however, has had enough. “I’m sick and tired of reopening the wounds of the Vietnam War,” he told The Chicago Tribune. As a former prisoner of war with a reputation for bravery. The New York Times noted that Mc Cain, a former prisoner of war with a reputation for bravery, is viewed by some to embody “a mor al authority on issues related to Vietnam.” I This raises the question: Should we worry about Vietnam in this election, or is it best to leave out r Of ics and i Progran the past? 'avorite I man y veterans with painful memories as- ■ciated with war, McCain has good reason to jnever want to think about Vietnam again, l low- IIES ON! per, as with any painful experiences, there are f good lessons that can come out of trial and should At be ignored. McCain is right to say the bick- Ang re-opens old wounds, but he is mistakenly accused of believing that Vietnam should be ig- nored entirely. nch Apec/fli'H First, McCain is firmly against questioning id A Drink! I 52.99 tional Slice* 51.50 I - - - — - — - - - - the medals Sen. Kerry earned during Vietnam. “If they question Kerry’s medals,” he told The Times, “they question everybody’s medals. All those men who found so little gratitude for their sacrifices when they got here are going to feel mistreated again.” Veterans who risked their lives for their nation and its leader’s policies should be honored for their bravery. However, McCain is making an erroneous equivo cation here — the only medals in question are the ones Kerry once claimed to throw away in angry protest. While some question whether Bush’s service home side during the war is less honorable or brave than Kerry’s service in Vietnam, this should be ignored as an insult to servicemen. Not every mem ber of our armed forces is in Iraq or Afghanistan, but to call the service of men and women working stateside less brave or honorable would be spitting on their lives and service. So, McCain is right to say that Kerry’s and Bush’s military service to this country were honorable. But citizens shouldn’t merely stop there. What Kerry did after the war is important as well, because it wasn’t youthful rebellion, but a character flaw that exists in the present as well as the past. In 1970, Kerry met with North Vietnamese Army Communists to discuss end ing the war in Vietnam as well as an unconditional surrender of American forces. These talks were not sanctioned by the U.S. govern ment and therefore are in violation of Uniform Code of Military Jus tice Article 104 part 904, which states: “Any person who without proper authority, knowingly com municates or corresponds with or holds any intercourse with the en emy, either directly or indirectly, shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial or military commission may direct.” Even worse, this crime is a viola tion of the 14th Amendment and technically makes Kerry ineligible to hold the position of senator or president. It could possibly be dismissed if Kerry wasn’t still doing these things. But on Feb. 8 The Tehran Times published an e-mail sent by the Kerry cam paign promising that as president, he would try to restore relations that are at risk due to the actions and attitudes of the Bush administration. Kerry is still trying to undermine another war effort by talking peace with the enemy. There’s a reason this country requires its president to be born in America — the found ers feared that a president who was influenced too much by foreign powers would corrupt the president’s loyalty, luring it outside of Ameri ca’s own borders and interests. Kerry’s desire to make peace with the world started in Vietnam, but is still dangerous because the United States must stand against many countries in order to secure our own interests. International approval does not make an issue or a war legitimate, and America should not make friends with nations whose values stand in opposition to our own, be it North Vietnam or Iran. It’s unfortunate that voters have to recall a painful moment in American history into the present, but if they fail to learn lessons the past can teach, they are indeed condemned to more pain in the future. Mike Walters is a senior psychology major. This raises the question: Should we worry about Vietnam in this election, or is it best to leave out the past? MAIL^CALL floning technology a different type response to Mike Walters' Sept. 6 column: Mr. Walters points out very validly t students must examine everything, 'eligious and scientific, with an inquiring and critical eye. It is imperative then that Jne use this frame of mind to examine :he question at hand. lit shows little understanding of medi- aine or philosophy to equate the human Zoning efforts of today to developments slch as antibiotics that have revolution- zed medicine in the last hundred years, imust be understood that delving into complete control of the make-up of hu- |an life is the ultimate philosophical at tempt to play God, and while scientists lout the potential of cloning technology lo treat disease, the critically thinking ntlividual must not forget the long-term ects - and potential negative uses of the technology before they impose ir verdict. |1 Without the moderating voice of moral Hfcders like the Pope, the imaginations of scientists would go unchecked, and before we knew it, we would be living in the midst of things only imagined on the Sci-fi Channel. There is no easy answer to the di lemma of human cloning technology, but it must be one in which both the scien tific and the ethical voices are heard and where positive and negative impacts of the technology on the future of humanity are examined. Josh Langston Class of2004 Demolition derby held on Northside Demolition Derby Race now showing seven days a week in Aggieland at the Northside Parking garage: Come witness the races to the fourth floor — past three empty floors with hun dreds of spots — by students with every day vehicles turned demolition cars. As soon as the gate arms rise, anything goes. Passing people, backing up in the wrong direction, and near miss accidents. For the main event, watch the disappointed students as their coveted garage spot is now in the uncovered zone. (Bet they are glad to be paying twice as much for a permit as everyone else and have the same mess to deal with). You can even wait for them to leave and taunt them with chants such as, “Now the permits are $60 cheaper.’’ Admission is free to all students with the new Aggie ID. Mark Smith Class of 2006 In response to M.D. Walters’ Sept. Comic displayed uninformed opinion 6 comic: The comic strip was dedicated entirely to bashing Dave Matthews. It referred to him as “A piece of crap with a band wrapped around it.” Not only is this un called for, it is also extremely inappropri ate. When any opinion article or comic has to illustrate the dislike of a person so literally and with such crude language, I think it just goes to show the quality of the work. The Dave Matthews Band has donated millions to various organizations across the world, built parks in the Amazon to fight AIDS and performed concerts where they received nothing. I love how the press never mentions those things. Not only is he a good person, but also an incredible musician and songwriter. He is a happily married man with twin girls. There is absolutely no reason to hate this man, yet countless members of society who contribute far less to the world than Matthews want to ignorantly hate him. M.D. Walters should avoid using his comic strip to voice his unin formed opinions. Adam Fornea Class of 2006 KTti *11