The Battalion: June 23, 2010 by The Battalion

thebattalion

news for you texas Officers train to deal with diplomats

● wednesday,

$2.47 Sam’s Club at 1405 Earl Rudder Fwy. and Harvey Road. www.texasgasprices.com

nation &world Obama defends health care law President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he will defend the health care law, signed 90 days ago, against a Republican campaign to repeal it. The administration also unveiled regulations carrying out new consumer protections in the law, called the “patient bill of rights.”

Nebraska joins Arizona in debate Freemont, Neb. has joined Arizona at the center of a national debate about illegal immigration Monday after 57 percent of voters approved a ban on hiring or renting property to illegal immigrants. An expected court challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union could keep the measure from taking effect. Staff and wire reports

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texas a&m since 1893

NASA awards Mars study

campus

Long-lasting

loyalty Mary Ruth Patranella has been serving for more s than six decades in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Man convicted of sexual assault

lowest gas price

● serving

astronomy

Law ofﬁcers in Houston have undergone special training on dealing with diplomats Monday, in response to an ofﬁcer who allegedly struck a Chinese diplomat in the face. County Attorney Vince Ryan said Houston, as an “international city,” has 30 foreign consulates and more than 60 honorary consuls. He said the manner in which such representatives are treated can affect international trade.

Abram Harker Jeffs, 39, was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old he said he married in a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ceremony when he was 34. He faces up to life in prison when sentenced. Jeffs is the sixth man of the polygamist group to answer charges since the April 2008 raid on the Yearning For Zion Ranch.

june 23, 2010

n the past 771 years, Texas A&M has witnessed ccountless changes, and one relatively uunknown woman has witnessed it all. Mary Ru Ruth Patranella, 89, clocks in more than 40 hours each week as assistant to the dean of aagriculture in an office tucked away in the Administration Building. In addition to students’ changing fashions and hairstyl hairstyles, she can tell personal stories about dean deans of the past and the first admission of women to the University. She is a w walking encyclopedia of Aggie hi history.

Awards 1982-the Distinguished Achievement Award for Texas A&M Staff 1996-the President’s Meritorious Service Award 2009-a campus bench with a plaque from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, honored at a Women’s Former Student Network luncheon

Caroline Ward | The Battalion Car

see story on page 2

The Battalion Mark Lemmon, associate professor of atmospheric sciences in the College of Geosciences, received the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal on June 15 for his rigorous work on the development of research on Mars. Leading a group of students from the University of Arizona, Europe and Texas A&M, Lemmon’s team developed a stereographic imager called the Phoenix Surface Stereo Imager, which successfully captured 30,000 images for research. The stereographic imager chooses places to dig and sample at its landing site and to make color images, videos and other products that express the nature of the Martian polar landing site to Earth. Keri Bean, class of 2010, gradiated with her bachelor’s in meteorology and played a large role in the Phoenix project. “I processed the images as they arrived and studied the dust devils and clouds that we took pictures of,” Bean said. Bean started her work with Lemmon when she arrived at A&M and said she benefited

research Courtesy photos, photo by Tyler Hosea, graphic by Evan Andrews — THE BATTALION

AMIGOS educates youth in Costa Rica The Battalion A group of 56 volunteers, including five Aggies, will stay in Costa Rica for six weeks to help a community increase educational and environmental knowledge by creating programs, beginning on June 25. Through the Junior Master Gardener Program and the AgriLife Extension Program, the Aggies have partnered up with Amigos de las Americas, AMIGOS, a nonprofit organization that helps young adults cultivate leadership and multicultural awareness through community service in the Latin Americas. “We’re going to do developmental projects,” said Travis Helm,

Sarah Ammerman

See Lemmon on page 2

service

Gayle Gabriel

Associate professor receives public service medal

senior agriculture and leadership development major. “I took a horticulture class, and we partnered up with AMIGOS to help initialize agricultural programs.” Founded in 1965, AMIGOS has grown from a Houston youth group to having 28 chapters and more than 20,000 volunteers around the U.S. “Ultimately what we are looking for is to create a better global understanding of where people are coming from, especially in the U.S.,” said Kristen Kaper, vice president of programs for AMIGOS. “We have so many immigrants coming in from Latin America. We want to have a better understanding of where people are See AMIGOS on page 3

Travis Helm, senior agriculture and leadership development major, displays the educational tools used by Amigos de las Americas to develop a curriculum for youth in Costa Rica. Matt Young — THE BATTALION

campus

High school students experience college life Students from the Energized for STEM Academy in Houston are getting a glimpse of campus through the Aggie-STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Summer Experience program. A group of 38 high school juniors are attending the program until June 26. “We’re giving kids who might not normally have the chance to visit a college campus the opportunity to experience what campus life is like,” said Linda Stea-

rns, program manager for Aggie-STEM. Students participate in activities designed to assist them in the college application process and improve chances of being accepted into the schools they want to attend. “We want these students to have more powerful STEM learning, as well as knowledge and skills that can be applied to solve real world problems,” said Robert Capraro, associate professor of mathematics

and a member of the Aggie-STEM team. The group also takes a tour of campus and participate in recreational activities including sports, games and movies. This is the first summer experience program, though its organizers plan to make it an annual event. “We hope to expand the program next year to give more opportunities to underprivileged kids,” Stearns said. Alec Goetz, staff writer

Aggies receive geology award Arnold Bouma, professor of geosciences, and Regina Dickey, doctoral student, were presented with the Doris Malkin Curtis Medal and Excellence of Oral Presentation Award, respectively, at the Gulf Coast section of the Society for Sedimentary Geology annual conference in New Orleans. Bouma is no stranger to his craft or to Texas A&M. He taught at the University from 1966 to 1975 and has been conducting research since 2005. He received the Doris Malkin Curtis Medal for his contributions to the underRegina Dickey, standing of doctoral student the geology of the Gulf of geosciences of Mexican basin and other basins globally. More specifically, Bouma’s research has made substantial conclusions about underwater structures called submarine fans. The Gulf Coast section of the society is a nonprofit, researchbased organization focused on expanding knowledge of paleontology and petroleum geology. The group offers frequent conferences for its members to learn. Dickey, a second-year docSee Geology on page 3

6/22/10 8:04 PM

Y L L U F PED P I U EQ

GRE prep seminar

Japanese anime ﬁlm screening

Learn how to prepare effectively for the GRE in one weekend. Early registration encouraged, class size is limited. The seminar is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Donald L. Houston building.

Lee and Grant Exhibit opening

The Japanese Animation Appreciation Club (Aggime) will have an anime ﬁlm screening from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday in Room 414 of the Langford Architecture Center, Building C. Everyone is welcome.

The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History presents Charles Grear, Melissa WaddyThibodeauz and Maureen Broy Papovich on Saturday at the opening events of the Lee and Grant Exhibit. For more information visit the museum’s website at www. brazosvalleymuseum.org.

corrections The Battalion welcomes readers’ comments about published information that may require correction. We will pursue your concern to determine whether a correction needs to be published. Please e-mail at editor@thebatt.com.

Today 40% chance of thunderstorms High: 94 | Low: 75 courtesy of NOAA

For daily updates go to thebatt.com ●

Facebook ●

Sanders Corps Center Exhibits

The displays at the Corps of Cadets Center offer an overview of Aggie traditions and the history of the Corps of Cadets.The exhibit is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Sanders Corps of Cadets Center.

Exhibition will feature pieces from Cushing’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection, including manuscripts, first editions and pulp magazines that capture science fiction’s influence. The exhibit is open from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Cushing Memorial Library.

Thursday 30% chance of showers high: 96 low: 77 Friday 20% chance of thunderstorms high: 96 low: 76 Saturday 20% chance of showers high: 94 low: 75

pagetwo thebattalion 06.23.2010

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A&M faculty

news for you

A&M employee works 63 years at University Caroline Ward The Battalion Mary Ruth Patranella has been working for Texas A&M in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences since 1939, other than the time she took off to raise her children from 1950-1958. The students and buildings have multiplied in her 63 years of employment, and she has witnessed changes both on and off campus. She started her career at A&M counting eggs in the basement incubator of the Poultry House for $2 day and has since moved her way up the ladder, working for every dean of agriculture in the University’s history. “I liked them all,” she said. “There weren’t any I didn’t like.” Her most notable awards are the Distinguished Achievement Award for Texas A&M Staff and the President’s Meritorious Service Award. “Mary Ruth is the ultimate team player who has unparalleled loyalty,

respect, commitment and dedication to her colleagues and to Texas A&M University Mary Ruth Patranella in general,” said Fuller Bazer, associate vice president for research in the Animal Sciences Department, professor and former colleague of Patranella. The oldest of five children who grew up on a family farm in Edge, Texas, Patranella said she was treated as if she was the oldest son in terms of physical tasks such as plowing. Thus, her strong spirit and love for agriculture began. Patranella still owns the property where she was raised, and she continues to raise and sell cattle. She said her family is extremely close, with four children Kay, Mark, Pat and Jan living in Lufkin, Chicago, Brenham and Bryan. Her four chil-

dren and four grandchildren attended Texas A&M, with the youngest entering his senior year this fall. “It’s not a great feat. It’s just the course of what happens: you go to college, you get a job and you work at the job,” said Kay Perrone Patranella, Patranella’s daughter. “We were taught to do the best job at anything we were doing, and nothing less was accepted. You were called to a higher level of [responsibility].” Kay said a friend of hers calls Patranella “Vintage Mary Ruth,” referring to her black–and-white outlook on life and her old-school attitude. “They are all graduates of Texas A&M. I don’t think they questioned it,” Patranella said. She has lived in the BryanCollege Station area for most of her life and has seen vast changes in the community. Patranella said the best era for A&M was 1963, the year the University began admitting women. She said other prevalent changes

in the college and community include the extensive growth of the population as well as the enormous physical expansion of the campus. In fact, Bazer said it is Patranella’s personal knowledge of A&M’s history that makes her such a helpful colleague. “Mary Ruth is the corporate memory of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a reference as valuable as Google when one wants to gain firsthand knowledge of events from at least the last 50 years and to understand how current issues might relate to deals struck by former administrations,” Bazer said. “If you are looking for a person who exemplifies the ‘Spirit of Aggieland,’ Mary Ruth is that person.” Despite such words of praise, Patranella said “I’m not all that interesting.” She’s not announcing any retirement plans any time soon.

whereoncampus

Mark Lemmon was awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal. Tyler Hosea— THE BATTALION

Lemmon Continued from page 1

Matt Young — THE BATTALION

Fermier Think you know every nook and cranny at Texas A&M? The ﬁrst people to get the answer correct will have their names published. Send your response with your name, class and major to photo@thebatt.com.

Correct response: David White, senior mechanical and manufacturing engineering major

howtoapply If you are interested in writing or contributing content in The Battalion apply at thebatt.com, or call 845-3313. The Battalion welcomes any Texas A&M student interested in writing for the arts, campus, metro or sports staffs to try out. We particularly encourage freshmen and sophomores to apply, but students may try out regardless of semester standing or major. No previous journalism experience is necessary.

COME

BY A N D

TA KE

TO U R

TAKE ADVANTAGE

greatly. “Mark has been a great mentor for me. He’s incredibly talented and I really am honored to work with him,” she said. During the five months that Phoenix was on Mars, the images it gathered helped confirm the presence of water and ice, as well as the discovered sources for oxygen and energy. These findings raise questions about the potential for life on Mars. Lemmon was the lead scientist and worked on the Phoenix project from 2003 to 2009. As a well-respected scholar in the planetary science field, this award confirms and further boosts his notoriety to Texas A&M and the science community, Bean said. Lemmon was appreciative of the award and the recognition it brought to him and his peers. “To be able to see the results that come out of building something to put on Mars and to then receive recognition is very gratifying,” Lemmon said. “The mission was a milestone in history.” Although project Phoenix proved to be successful and provided informational results to the scientific world, Lemmon is not ceasing his research. He is planning another mission for 2011, as a part of the science team for the cameras on the Curiosity rover. Lemmon is participating in operations of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers as a member of the Athena Science team. The NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal is among the highest NASA grants to a nongovernment employee. “This award is a great honor and brings important recognition to the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, the College of Geosciences and Texas A&M University,” said Ken Bowman, department head of atmospheric sciences.

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Science ﬁction and fantasy

texas Teen arrested after her newborn suffocates HOUSTON — Police have arrested a 14-year-old girl who they believe gave birth at a Houston apartment, then helped discard the newborn’s body after he suffocated. Police said Tuesday the girl gave birth unsupervised April 16 and placed the infant on a mattress, but the baby died after his head was covered with the amniotic sac. Another 14-year-old and two 11-year-olds witnessed the birth, but no one called 911. Police say the four learned about giving birth from the Internet. After the infant died, the group wrapped him in a plastic bag and called a neighbor, who told police he put the baby in a trash bin. The garbage was taken to a landﬁll too big to search. Police began investigating after an elementary school student told a counselor she witnessed the death.

nation&world Michael Jackson photos to be auctioned in Paris PARIS — A Paris auction house says it plans to put 12 never-before-published portraits of Michael Jackson on the block in December. The portraits were shot by French photographer Arno Bani in 1999. One of them, called “Michael Jackson’s Blue Eye,” depicts Jackson with a sad expression and a blue ring around his eye. Jackson contacted Bani, 23 years old at the time, after seeing his fashion photography in a newspaper. Auctioneer Frederic Chambre said Tuesday that the bidding is expected to start at euro1,000 ($1,228) for each portrait. Chambre said the images could not be displayed before because of copyright issues. Auctioneers Pierre Berge Associes will put the photos on the block, along with 50 contact boards.

Britain opens Google investigation LONDON — Britain has become the latest country to open an investigation into whether Google violated communication and privacy laws by mistakenly gathering data over public wi-ﬁ networks. London’s Metropolitan Police said Tuesday it was looking into complaints that the search engine picked up people’s online activities through unprotected home and business networks while photographing neighborhoods for its “Street View” mapping feature. “The matter is now under consideration. It is yet to be determined what, if any, offenses may have allegedly occurred,” police said in a statement. It is the latest in a string of controversies about Google’s access to private data including e-mail addresses, passwords, bank account information and web browsing histories. Last month, Google acknowledged it had mistakenly collected data from public wi-ﬁ networks in more than 30 countries. Associated Press

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Vicky Flores, Editor in Chief THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. News offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3313; Fax: 979-845-2647; E-mail: metro@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com. Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2696. For classified advertising, call 979-8450569. Advertising offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901, and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 979-845-2678. Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. Mail subscriptions are $125 per school year. To charge by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express, call 979845-2613.

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news

page 3 wednesday 6.23.2010

thebattalion

AMIGOS Continued from page 1

coming from in a cultural context and that is important in business, medicine, in law, no matter what you do. We also want to encourage leadership skills because they apply across the board in anything you do in life.” Predominantly working with education, the program creates activities that increase community involvement. This specific group will be focusing on agricultural and economic awareness and will create community-based initiatives that will facilitate positive change in host communities. “Volunteers will work with the youth in the communities to help them come up with a community-based initiative. It is a process that looks at what the communities are interested in building or training people in locally and then applying for funding from Amigos and from other organizations in those communities that they will be able to complete themselves,” Kaper said. Being able to work closely with the Junior Master Gardeners has allowed more resources to become available to the AMI-

GOS program. “We have been looking for strategic partnerships like this, and it is so exciting to work with both the professors and students,” Kaper said. “The students have already had a whole course on this, so they are walking into this experience with a semester’s worth of training. They can add so much value to our program. So I’m excited to see what kind of ideas they come up with and to see the creativity involved.” Before going to Costa Rica, the students will have to go through online and offsite training in Miami before departing for Costa Rica. Volunteers will partner up with Earth University in Limón and will stay with host families to practice their Spanish-speaking abilities as well as become exposed to Costa Rican culture. “Volunteers will spend the first three days at Earth University in our training program, learning more about how the university works and also about how AMIGOS works on the ground,” Kaper said. “They will receive direct guidance on how to function and how to work within the context of our projects. We usually have two to three volunteers in approximately 26 communities throughout the

Costa Rican area that we are working in. The volunteers will spend about two to three hours a day working with children and holding workshops. It is kind of like summer camp, and they will be focused around agriculture and nutrition in their summer programs.” After completing the program many of the AMIGOS volunteers will be qualified to apply to be project and leadership staff. “In our model, we focus on leadership by youth and young adults specifically,” said Erin Hein, class of 2007 and manager of marketing and communications for AMIGOS. “It provides this opportunity for people as young as 16 years old, and I think we are one of the only programs that will give the environment to someone that young where they can thrive and have just as much responsibility as older volunteers.” Upon returning to the U.S., many volunteers said they come away from the experience with a different global outlook. “Participating in AMIGOS as a volunteer was a life-altering experience,” said Carmen Sullivan, sophomore general studies major. “It exposed me to so many people who have greatly influenced where I see myself in the future and the career choices I hope to make.”

Geology Continued from page 1

toral student was recognized and chosen from a group of more than 200 presentations by students, professors and other professionals. She received her award for her presentation of a piece entitled “Paleontology Across a Sequence Boundary in the Wilcox Group, Central Texas” under the direction of advisor Thomas Yancey. Dickey said she attributes her overwhelming success to Yancey. The award-winning research by Dickey focuses on utilizing fossilized pollen and spores to determine the age of rocks. She said she is currently working in Bastrop, TX on rocks deposited during the Paleocene and Eocene Epochs, approximately 55 million years ago. “It’s my job to figure out exactly where the boundary between the epochs is within the rocks. The fossil pollen also tells

the story of what kind of plants were around at a particular time in Earth’s history,” Dickey said. The pollen has proven especially useful, she said, since plants can only be grown in certain conditions. This helps her speculate on the type of climate that existed at the time. Her research is catching the eyes of professionals for several reasons. “The rocks I work with are part of a larger set of rocks that extend down into the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, where there is a lot of interest in drilling,” Dickey said. Companies are watching her correlations between the ages of the rocks located between central Texas and the Gulf of Mexico to establish whether they are drilling in appropriate places. The geology student said her work is like solving a puzzle. “I get to piece together this geologic story from millions of years ago,” she said. Angela Washeck, staff writer

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4bd/2ba. House! 2 open rooms for girl or guy. Fenced yard, W/D, $400/mo. +1/4bills. Available Summer and Fall. 361-463-6763 or 361-463-1726. 4bdrm/2bth house. Close to campus, wood floors, tile floors, ceiling fans, W/D, fenced yards. 979-776-6079, www.aggielandleasing.com Clean 3/2 available August. Rock Prairie area. 3703 Marielene, W/D, refrigerator, lawn-service provided. 979-450-5666.

BRYAN: CHARMING 2/1 DUplexes, WOOD FLOORS, privacy fenced COMMON AREA. AVAIL JUNE. $525-$545/ mo. 979.775.2291 www.twincityproperties.com

New construction. 4br homes, rent entire house or by the room, 1950SF, washer/dryer, individual leases, fenced, $425/room 979-776-5079. www.tricaprealty.com

FOR SALE Ag Discount! 4bd/3ba brick 2100sqft house. New flooring, new applicances, on tree lot. $213,000. 979-595-5050, 979-690-1126. tlturner72@yahoo.com, nancy.turner@avon.com

HELP WANTED A local businessman seeks aggressive self-starting male students for late afternoons and Saturdays. Flexible hours, no selling, top pay. Call 979-696-0203, 8-10am only. Athletic men for calendars, books, etc. $100-$200/hr, up to $1000/day. No experience. 512-684-8296. photoguy@io.com Cleaning commercial buildings at night, M-F. Call 979-823-5031 for appointment. COLLEGE STUDENTS! Make $500$2,000 Monthly. Work Your Own Hours. Build Monthly Residual Income! Call 24hr. rec. msg: 1-800-347-7655. J. Cody’s Hiring kitchen and meat table help. Apply within, 3610 S. College. No experience necessary just common sense! SUMMER WORK, Great Pay, immediate FT/PT openings, customer sales/svc, no experience necessary, conditions apply, all ages 17+, 979-260-4555.

MUSIC Party Block Mobile DJ- Peter Block, professional 22yrs experience. Specializing in Weddings, TAMU functions, lights/smoke. Mobile to anywhere. Book early!! 979-693-6294. http://www.partyblockdj.com

PETS Adopt Pets: Dogs, Cats, Puppies, Kittens, Many purebreds. Brazos Animal Shelter, 979-775-5755, www.brazosanimalshelter.org

ROOMMATES

Cottage Holik C.S. 2bd/1ba, 1000 sqft., W/D, balcony, wooded. Private drive. Quiet. $650/month . 979-777-2472.

1 roomate needed. Spacious 2 story townhouse in Canyon Creek. Fully furnished. 4/2.5 $400/mo. +1/4 utilities. 713-823-9340.

Duplex near campus. 2bd/2ba. W/D. No backyard. 307 Spruce. $695/month. Call 254-760-8242.

1-female roommate needed for fall 2010. Private bath, wi-fi, w/d, $500/mo. +utilities. For more info call 409-748-0400.

Duplexes near campus. 2 and 3/bedrooms and 2bd/2ba. in country. 979-229-3420. Great 3bed/2bath house in popular area- 2431 Pintail Loop. Comes w/W&D, refrigerator, pets OK w/deposit, 2-car garage. Available in August. Call Joey at 979-218-4091. House for lease. 3/2/2, large fenced backyard, off Rock Prairie. W/D, refrigerator, fire place. $1500/mo. Available 6/1/10. 281-342-6969, gary@garygillen.com Immaculate 3bd/2bth house. 812 Blanco, in Bryan off 2818. Updated. Fireplace, fenced. No pets. No HUD. $895/month. Available August. 254-289-0585 or 254-289-8200. Walk to Kyle Field! 1-2bd house, pre-leasing for August 1st. $600/mo. 963-545-6044.

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FOR RENT

FOR RENT: FEMALES ONLY- One bedroom available in three bedroom apartment at Woodlands of College Station. $615/month bills paid. Call 713-576-8220. One female roommate needed. 4bd/4ba townhome in Waterwood. $565/mo. Utilities included in rent. W/D, cable included. 214-263-2555. Roommate needed. 1-block from campus. All amenities. 979-846-3376. Roommates needed, 4bd/2bath house, available June 1st, clean, good condition, on-shuttle. Free cable/Wi-Fi. $350-400/mo. 512-203-5888. Roommates needed. 4bd/4bth $325/mo., washer/dryer. University Place on Southwest Parkway. 281-844-2090.

6/22/10 8:17 PM

‘

Politicss as usual: Episode III: Revenge of the Potcast

CPR & First Aid Classes Health Care Provider CPR $35 Heart Saver CPR $25 Heart Saver First Aid $10

On thebatt.com

Tune in Thursday to hear Rick, Ian and James devote an episode to marijuana reform. Special guest: Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML.

voices thebattalion 06.23.2010

page4

EDITORIALBOARD

Cash crop

The Battalion’s editorial opinion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor in chief having final responsibility.

Editor in Chief Vicky Flores editor@thebatt.com

Managing Editor Megan Ryan battcopy@thebatt.com Opinion Editor Ian McPhail opinion@thebatt.com

EDITORIAL

A tactless tweet

Evan Andrews — THE BATTALION

very other November brings an air of political change, but this year might bring more than usual. On Nov. 2, California’s ballot will include Referendum 09-0024, the infamous Marijuana Reform Law which would legalize marijuana in the state.

TAKE A PIECE OF A&M HISTORY WITH YOU · Reserve your 2011 Aggieland The 109th edition of Texas A&M University’s official yearbook will chronicle traditions, academics, the other education, sports, the Corps, Greeks, campus organizations and seniors and graduate students. Distribution will be during Fall 2011. Cost is $64.90, including shipping and sales tax. Go to the optional services box in Howdy when you register for fall.

· Order your 2010 Aggieland (if you haven’t) The 2010 Aggieland yearbook will be a 640-page record of the 2009-2010 Texas A&M school year. Books will be mailed out during Fall 2010.

· Purchase the award-winning 2009 Aggieland (if you haven’t) The 2009 Aggieland is a 624-page, awardwinning photojournalistic record of the 2008– 2009 school year. By credit card go online to http://aggieland.tamu. edu or call 979-845-2613. Or drop by the Student Media office, Bldg. #8901 in The Grove (between Albritton Bell Tower and Cain Hall). Hours: 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Monday–Friday.

This would allow anyone in the state to purchase marijuana over the counter and carry up to one ounce. The regulation would be similar to alcohol and would include a 21-year-old age restriction, excise taxes, sales taxes and consequent enforcement of public sobriety and driving under the influence laws. Aside from the morality debate that seems to engulf marijuana discourse, there is a legitimate reason that might drive nonusers to vote for this initiative: money. Historically speaking, marijuana prohibition has only been around since 1937, when the Marijuana Tax Act was passed by Congress, widely recognized as the start to marijuana prohibition. Before 1937, marijuana and hemp industries regulated farmers with legislation such as the 1619 Virginia House of Burgesses Act, which required farmers to

state’s wine industry. Califorgrow Sativa and Indica nia has the immediate potential for roughly $15 billion in strains. new revenues. Until But the cherry on the top the 18th of the sundae will be what century, is referred to as “spin off” hemp industries. These are the cofcould Richard feehouses, the head shops and have Creecy resulting tourism that comes been with a legalized marijuana insenior classics used to major pay taxes dustry. The potential revenue is something to the tune of in Ken$12 billion to $18 billion, actucky, cording to a study performed Virginia and other states with by Dale Gieringer, who rehigh cultivation rates. Since ceived a doctoral degree from the marijuana prohibition, Stanford in drug regulation. some states such as California This initiative could bring have defied federal law and about between $14 billion on created exception statutes. the low end of the spectrum Although California’s and upward of $33 billion for status allows for all sorts of California, a state plagued by murky interpretations about roughly $20 billion in budget legal marijuana use and deficit. This money would distribution, there not be a one time halfare already baked government outstandbailout, but create ing illegal Legalizing marijuana long-term sustainmarkets. would create enough able growth. Roughproﬁt to solve With this ly $200 many of California’s much potential million revenue, it makes in state economic problems. more sense that costs Californians are leancome ing toward this initiafrom arrest, tive. According to Allen St. prosecution and Pierre, the executive director incarceration under current of the National Organizamarijuana laws. The revenue generated from the illegal sale tion for Reform of Marijuana Laws, 56 percent of Califorand use of marijuana in Calinians said they will vote for fornia totals $14 billion every year, according to the Califor- this initiative, compared to the 44 percent of Americans nia Board of Equalization. that said they would vote in None of this money goes support of this issue. into the state’s coffers. If this “This issue is what my law passes, the state of Califriends in England would call fornia would also see an estia ‘wobbler,’ where it will pass mated $1.4 billion in excise or fail by only a few percentand sales taxes alone. In addiage points,” St. Pierre said. tion to state sales and excise In a few months, Califortaxes, individual municipalities and city magistrates could nians have the potential to change the political landscape levy other taxes, therefore of America, but the result is increasing the benefit to both by no means certain. With state and city government. many economic advantages This industry would produce revenue on the conto legalization as an incensumer level as well as promote tive, Nov. 2 could be the day California starts a domino efindustrial development by fect which reverses 73 years of providing Californians up 110,000 sustainable jobs, with marijuana prohibition across America. those numbers based on the

onnie Lee Gardner paid the ultimate price for his crimes, choosing to be one of Utah’s last death row inmates to be executed by firing squad Friday. Only minutes before his sentence was carried out, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff tweeted he had given the go-ahead to proceed — an unnecessary and inappropriate use of technology. Gardner made headlines by requesting firing squad as the method of his execution. AlUtah’s though this attorney archaic general did punishnot need to ment was tweet his banned approval by Utah for an execution. in 2004, Gardner was sentenced before the option was removed and retained his right to choose. Shurtleff’s tweeted his approval at midnight, only 15 minutes before the sentence was carried out, taking advantage of publicity in a disgusting use of his position. An execution should be a somber event, to give closure to the victims. The families of Michael Burdell and Melvyn Otterstrom, the two men murdered by Gardner, were entitled to see justice carried out in a respectful manner. Instead Shurtleff used Twitter and the controversy surrounding the execution to shamelessly promote himself, tweeting again to post a link to his live press conference after Gardner’s death. As an elected official, Shurtleff should be held to a higher standard. There was no need to try to turn Gardner’s execution into a government-fueled multimedia extravaganza. A press conference after the event is enough. Beyond that, Shurtleff should have left the tweeting to the national news media and stayed out of the spotlight.

A study in contrasts - the 98 and 2 percenter...

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