The Battalion: February 18, 2010

thebattalion Escaping the grip

this day in

S Uhistory

Feb. 18, 1885

● thursday,

Mark Twain published his famous and controversial novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) first introduced Huck Finn as the best friend of Tom Sawyer, hero of his successful novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”

coming friday

february 18, 2010

● serving

texas a&m since 1893

● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media

scene

Groovaloo The 15-member dance troop called Groovaloo will be coming to OPAS Feb. 25. See what elements of theatre, dance, and poetry they will be bringing the audience.

“It’s about who am I and what do I want to do with my life.”

Editor’s note

sports

Baseball preview

“Escaping the grip” is the third of a three-part series in which The Battalion examines the consequences of and recovery from inappropriate consumption of alcohol.

A look at third baseman Matt Juengel, pitcher Clayton Elhert and the Big 12.

inside

scene | 3

Green gardens Students at Texas A&M along with College Station and Bryan, have begun an attempt to aid the community through gardening projects.

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Mary Azar collegiate director of the La Hacienda treatment center Story by Katy Ralston |

Photo by Nicholas Badger

lcoholism: habitual intoxication, prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks leading to a breakdown in health and an addiction to alcohol. Drinking without the intention of drinking, consuming more than the intended amount, not knowing what is going to end up happening when the drinking starts, but drinking nonetheless. You realize it’s true.You realize it’s happening to you.You want to change it. So where do you go from here?

|

The Battalion

Millions of people have faced this question before; staring down the daunting, almost impossible, quest. Scared and unsure where to begin.

“Hopelessness, helplessness, powerlessness. Can things in fact be different?” said Mary Azar, collegiate director of the La Hacienda treatment center, of the emotions one feels at the beginning of the process.

“The shame and confusion. No, not me. My granddad, now he was an alcoholic, he was under a bridge, but not me. I can get control of it,” said former alcoholic Ray, who wishes to remain anonymous.

The flood of emotions comes rushing in, accompanied by uncertainty, questions and denials.

“For most people, the hardest thing perhaps is bouncing back and forth between ‘there is no way I can do this, I can’t go all day without a drink’, and then that denial of ‘I don’t really have a problem, if I want to quit I can’ and ‘I don’t need any help from anybody else, I don’t need any help from God, I don’t need any books, I can do this by See Recovery on page 7

sports | 5

Softball pitch

Corps selects leaders for next year

Pitcher and first baseman “Rhi” Kliesing looks to lead the softball team into the 2010 season, which began Friday.

Melissa Appel

voices | 7

Ask away The government doesn’t need a year to study the effects of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The policy simply needs to go away.

Katy Ralston

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student leaders around the University in order to ensure that Texas A&M remains an amazing place long after we leave.”

The positions of Corps commander and deputy commander emphasize uniting the entire campus — not just the 1,700 cadets — in the goal of improving Aggieland.

“The Corps commander works with other student leaders on campus to make this University one of the best in the country,” said Keim, the current Corps sergeant major. “I’m looking forward to working with other leaders within the Corps and across campus to make the Corps and Texas A&M places where character, academic excellence and servant leadership are commonplace.”

Brent Lanier, the 2009-2010 Corps Commander, said excellence is a quality that must be stressed especially in the work of the student leader.

See Corps on page 2

Catwalk raises AIDS awareness

VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPICS medal count COUNTRY U.S. Germany France Korea Canada Norway Switzerland Austria China Russia Italy Sweden Slovakia Czech Republic Poland Japan Netherlands Australia Estonia Croatia Slovenia

The Battalion The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets selected two cadets to guide the future of the organization as they serve in the top two student leadership positions.

David Keim, a junior history major in Company H-1, was appointed as Corps commander for the 20102011 academic year. Miles McGowen, a junior mechanical engineering major in Company B-1, will serve as deputy Corps commander. Together, the two plan to uphold the traditions of the Corps of Cadets.

“I am looking forward to continuing the tradition of developing leaders of character, and I am also eager to work with the University in order to continue to push the Corps of Cadets in the right direction,” said McGowen, the current Corps operations sergeant. “I believe that the Corps of Cadets is a vital part of Texas A&M, and I am looking forward to working with other

The Battalion Students will be strapping on high heels and hitting the runway at the Catwalk for HIV/AIDS Awareness Fashion Show as part of the National Sexual Responsibility Week.

Sponsored by Student Health Services, the fashion show features donated items from six businesses modeled by student volunteers.

Prior to the fashion show, the area surrounding Rudder Theatre will be filled with informational booths and tables by organizations for an hour-long health fair.

“The health fair is going to be made up of different on-campus and off-campus organizations that have an HIV/AIDS component,” said Student Health Services health educator Lauren Dorsett. “The Bryan College Station Community Health Center, the

Aggie GLBT group, Aggie REACH and the County Health department, will be there to display lots of different information on what’s available in the community for HIV/AIDS awareness — from where to get tested, to where to get information, to how can you be Fashion Show a volunteer.”

7 p.m. today in Free anonymous Rudder Theatre HIV testing open to students and faculty Free anonymous members will be ofHIV testing fered by the Comavailable munity Health Center at the health fair. The rapid HIV testing is anonymous and takes 10 minutes to find out the results, See Catwalk on page 10

Jeramie Heflin — THE BATTALION

David Keim (left), a junior history major in Company H-1, was appointed as Corps Commander for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Miles McGowen (right), a junior mechanical engineering major in Company B-1, will serve as his Deputy Commander.

Deadline approaches for Student Research Week sign-ups During March, students will be able to show off their academic skills for one week. March 2226 is Student Research Week, when students from all fields will showcase their research findings to a panel of judges.

“Students can come out and get an idea of research that is going on at A&M and some of the other projects students are doing,” said Sarah Jaks, a graduate student and Student Research Week director.

Awards will be given out by faculty, who will act as judges.

Students can do research alone or with a team and can cover

areas of study ranging from education to engineering. “You don’t have to be a research assistant, if you did a project in some course you can use that,” Jaks said. First and second place will receive prizes and every student that enters the competition will receive a free T-shirt. There are two presentation competitions, oral and poster. A student can enter in either competition, but not both. Sign-ups end at 11:59 p.m.

Feb. 28. For more information or to register, visit http://srw. tamu.edu.

Travis Lawson, staff writer

2/17/10 9:59 PM

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Feminist Critique

Barbara Bush Fellowships deadline Friday

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Inderpal Grewal, a professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Yale, will give a “Humanitarianism, Neoliberalism and Postcolonial Feminist Critique� 5:30 p.m. today in Whitley Suite, Evans Library.

Up to four Barbara Bush Fellowships of $25,000 each will be awarded for the 2010-2011 academic year for doctoral students pursuing family literacy research.

The application deadline is Friday. Finalists will be interviewed March 22-23.

Friday 20% chance of showers high: 60 low: 52 Saturday 20% chance of showers high: 68 low: 58 Sunday 40% chance of t-storms high: 70 low: 48

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thebattalion 02.18.2010 For daily updates go to thebatt.com â—? Facebook â—? Twitter@thebattonline

Judge frees 8 of 10 American missionaries

Footbag fun

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Eight American missionaries were freed from a Haitian jail Wednesday, nearly three weeks after being charged with kidnapping for trying to take a group of children out of the quake-stricken country. The eight — looking bedraggled and sweaty — walked out of the Haitian jail escorted by U.S. diplomats just after dusk.

They waited until they were safely inside a white van before ashing smiles, waving and giving a thumbs up to reporters.

Hours earlier, judge Bernard Saint-Vil told The Associated Press that eight of the 10 missionaries were free to leave without bail or other conditions after parents testiďŹ ed they voluntarily handed their children over to the missionaries. “The parents of the kids made statements proving that they can be released,â€? he said, adding that still wants to question the group’s leader and her nanny.

The group planned to y out of Haiti late Wednesday, defense attorney Aviol Fleurant said. A spokesman for Idaho Sen. Jim Risch said they would be own to Miami. The missionaries, most from two Baptist churches in Idaho, are accused of trying to take 33 Haitian children to the Dominican Republic on Jan. 29 without proper documents.

Their detentions came just as aid ofďŹ cials were urging a halt to short-cut adoptions in the wake of the earthquake.

Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION

Freshman ocean engineering major Josh Burch stalls a footbag Wednesday in front of the Academic Building. He said a footbag is often incorrectly called a Hacky Sack, a trademark name.

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“[A leader] must lead in a positive manner and set the example by exceeding the standard at all times,� Lanier said. “A leader must also have the ability to develop teams and remain disciplined in accomplishing goals for the overall organization.�

The process for selecting the top two positions began at the end of the fall semester when the application was opened to all interested cadets. A board consisting of members of the commandant’s staff and current seniors reviewed applications and offered interviews to qualified candidates.

The final recommendations from the board were then sent to the commandant for his approval.

Keim said his time in Company H-1 has inspired him to meet challenges and push

to new levels. “The outfit really stressed self-improvement and going above and beyond,� Keim said. “My upperclassmen really focused on knowing your own strengths and weaknesses and constantly striving to get better at everything you do.�

McGowen echoed the sentiment that the Corps has prepared him for challenges ahead. “My time in Company B-1 has given me a purpose of being the person that I strive to be, and I live everyday trying to live up to the expectations that I set for myself,�

McGowen said. “I believe that I would never have reached my potential had I not chosen to be in the Corps of Cadets and Company B-1.�

McGowen said it was this promise of a challenging and vigorous education that drew him to Aggieland and the Corps of Cadets. “I wanted to make the most out of my

college career, and I also wanted to experience challenges in order to gain confidence in myself as well as to develop friendships that will ultimately last a lifetime,� McGowen said.

The commander and deputy commander will work together to set policy for the Corps and unify efforts in the organization in order to improve the experience for all cadets.

In their efforts throughout the upcoming school year, Keim and McGowen hope to highlight the qualities of Texas A&M they have come to love. “Texas A&M is a great school academically, has a storied history, a beautiful campus and great traditions. The Aggie Spirit really drew me in,� Keim said. “I hope [to] play a part in continuing A&M’s tradition of being a friendly campus filled with the Aggie Spirit.�

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thebattalion Amanda Casanova, Editor in Chief

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Applications are currently being accepted for MPH and MHA degrees Fall application deadline March 1

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2/17/10 10:05 PM

things you should know

5 before you go Wrist bands for Haiti

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The National Society of Black Engineers and the African Student Association will be selling wristbands to raise funds for the Haiti relief effort from 10 a.m to 3 p.m.

Monday through Friday in the Commons, Zachry and Blocker lobbies.

Ceramic artist Sonny Moss will teach Intro to The Wheel: Pottery Workshop for students from 9 to noon Saturday at his Calvert studio. University Art Galleries Department is hosting the $45 event, which includes materials.

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The art of the wheel

Music at Hurricane Harry’s

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Hurricane Harry’s will feature Johnny Cooper with Lee Brice on Friday. The concerts are for ages 18 and up and tickets can be purchased online at http://harrys.bcsclubs. com for $8.

Sprouting

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Dodging for Haiti

As part of 12 Days for Haiti, the Asian Presidents Council will be hold a dodgeball game at 5 p.m. Friday in G. Rollie White Coliseum. Teams will be six people with an entry fee of $5 per person which will go toward the earthquake relief efforts.

Eating disorder awareness

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Jenni Schaefer, class of 1998, will be speaking on campus as a part of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Student Recreation Center Archery Room.

b! thebattalion 02.18.2010 page3

scene

success Courtesy photos

Aggie Community Garden is an on-campus group that participates in Community Fresh Brazos Valley.

Students working in the Aggie Community Garden grow environmentally sustainable food.

Rebecca Bennett The Battalion After a dismal week of seemingly endless rain, the skies cleared for one Saturday morning in February, as if in preparation for the gardening work of Community Fresh Brazos Valley. This organization, open to students and community volunteers, is a grassroots attempt to aid the community through gardening projects.

“It’s not really a way of giving back to the land. It’s about respecting it — being a good steward,” said John Borden, sophomore horticulture major and student leader of the organization. “The land is not a commercial asset. It’s something we care about, something we should look after.”

On Feb. 6, the group worked in conjunction with the Elder Aid Garden in Bryan, tending to vegetable beds. After successfully harvesting crops ranging from cabbage to onions, Borden said they plan to deliver food to residents.

“I feel that there’s a slight, what you would call disconnect

Pg. 3-02.18.10.indd 1

in what we eat and where we get our food from. There needs and lost some of its nutrients. So that’s one thing about community gardening, it’s better for you,” he said. to be a change in where we get our food, a connection with the Previous ecological projects of Community Fresh Brazos farmers who grow our food,” Borden said. “Whenever we have Valley include planting fruit trees at Lulac Oak Hill of College vegetables ready to harvest, we bring them to the client’s door Station, a low-income housing complex for the elderly. The personally. We don’t just leave them there, we knock. That’s a next project is to revitalize the community garden in Neal good way to build a relationship with others.”

Park in Bryan, to turn it into a family friendly public Borden said he was an acquaintance of the man who area. lived next door to Elder Aid’s office, after learnOrganic Those who are interested in contributing to the ing this resident was particularly fond of okra and gardening organization’s work but are not inclined to get grateful for the vegetables presented to him. preserves down on their knees and get their hands dirty Joseph Novak, senior lecturer in the Departnutrients in food can still do their part, Borden said. Volunteers are ment of Horticulture, said in addition to commuand eliminates needed to help spread the word about the organinity gardens’ potential to harvest several hundred chemicals. zation through the Internet and flyers. dollars worth of fresh produce, the food reaped For Nika Dannenmaier, sophomore accounting from such projects makes for much healthier diets.

“The produce you get from, say, the supermarket has See Gardens on page 4 sat around and been in transit for several days before you buy it

2/17/10 7:33 PM

b!/comics

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thursday 2.18.2010

thebattalion

Muldoon’s Coffee House announces our Spring 2010 MCH Scholarship winner: “A Rose for Redemption” by Blake Verboom At the end of the last semester, Muldoon’s Coffee House announced a scholarship opportunity available for all of its baristas enrolled in the upcoming Spring semester. A panel of three judges unanimously selected our grand prize winner. “The Pool” by Patrick Connor received our honorable mention.

The following is an excerpt from A Rose for Redemption. The entire story, along with the nine others submitted, is available at Muldoon’s Coffee House. In the Kohl’s Shopping Center, next to Los Cucos.

“Peter awoke yet again to the jarring dissonance of his alarm clock beckoning on another day. He sat at his coffee table with the usual breakfast spread and once more turned the television on. But this time the background noise was completely phased out by his limited ability to only think of one thing. Could Emily possibly be interested in going out with him this weekend? As hard as he tried to push it out of his mind by convincing himself that this was certainly not the case, a shred of optimistic hope lingered on enough to always pull his thoughts back to her. He sat at his couch riding this emotional seesaw for a good while until the clock on the wall to his left caught his eye. Seven thirty nine… He was going to be late. And today was not the day to be late. The curriculum facilitator was stopping by to make the rounds inspecting the teaching, and Peter’s interactions with Mr. Thorpe had always been less than pleasurable. Peter left his half-eaten breakfast at the table and scrambled to his room. He hurried out the door in his ruffled attire with his coffee in one hand, his keys in the other, and his briefcase tucked under his arm. Upon arriving at the school Peter quickly got out of his car and rushed to the doors. He continued through the hallways at a fast pace until he got to his room, barely beating the first period bell. As he was unlocking the door to his classroom, with a few students already waiting to be let in, he heard a gruff voice behind him to his right…

“Ah Peter, there you are. It’s a shame you’re just arriving, I was hoping to be able to talk with you about the content of your lesson before class.” Peter turned to see Mr. Thorpe walking up to his door carrying his usual arrogant smirk. Mr. Thorpe always had a way of making Peter feel as though he had been caught in the act of doing something malicious.

“Oh, hello Mr. Thorpe. Will you be sitting in on first period this morning?”

“That was the plan. You knew I would be here today did you not?” Peter almost visibly cringed at this retort. Of course he knew, the teachers always knew. And he also knew that these were the days where he should be prepared to deflect constant verbal backhands, a goal which he seemed to always fall short of.

“Um, yes… sorry. I was held up on my way in this morning” Peter said shakily.

“I’m sure. Well it happens, more often to some of us but it happens… shall we?” Peter stared at Mr. Thorpe’s shoes for a couple seconds before responding, experiencing the typical surge of his anxiety overwhelming his anger. “…Yes, please. After you.”

“No, no, I insist.” Mr. Thorpe gestured towards the open door with his hand, staring down on Peter. The bell rang for class to begin as Peter walked into his room uncomfortably followed by Mr. Thorpe, who was followed by the select few students who perhaps actually did not mind being in class, or simply had nothing better to do at this time. Peter walked to his desk and set down his belongings while Mr. Thorpe seated himself on the table by the door, got out his notebook and pen, crossed his arms and watched Peter intently with the same smirk fixed in his features. The rest of the students made their way into the classroom and seated themselves rather calmly. The only thing that Peter liked about having Mr. Thorpe around was that his students seemed to have much better behavior when he was there. This would never make up for his presence and all of the negativity that came with it, but Peter knew there was absolutely no way he could handle the oppressing air of Mr. Thorpe and the usurping attitude of his students at the same time. Peter opened his briefcase and searched for his necessities for teaching that day, when suddenly, his heart sank. …Where were his notes? He always kept them with his text book but they were not there. He simultaneously plowed through his briefcase and his mind, attempting to locate his notes whether they be with his things or in his memory. He could feel his body begin to perspire as he continued his attempt to locate his notes, when he finally came to the conclusion that they were not with him. He felt that every eye was on him as he looked up and scanned the room.

“Something wrong?” Mr. Thorpe asked, as though he wished for it to be true.

“Um, no… no. Everything’s fine” Peter replied unconvincingly. He walked to his podium with his textbook, racking his brain, trying to remember what was in his notes. He practically knew this information by heart but somehow had no access to it at this moment. He scanned the classroom once more, while Mr. Thorpe’s gaze continued to pierce and suffocate his composure. Peter wanted nothing more than for the next hour and a half to just not occur. But he knew this would not happen, so he opened his book, and began teaching. *** First period had just ended, and while the last of his students exited the classroom, Peter sat at his desk with his head in his hands. Mr. Thorpe had left without a word halfway through the period. But Peter knew just from the timeliness of the scribbles in his notebook, and the smug look on his face, that Mr. Thorpe’s assessment would be worse than usual. Of all the days to be late, to forget his notes, why did it have to be today? Peter let out a sigh, and started gathering the documents that he needed to make copies of when he heard a soft knock on the door. He looked up from his desk to see Jordan entering the room holding a single sheet of paper, with his backpack slung over one shoulder.

“Hey Mr. Jenkins, here’s the makeup assignment from last week. Sorry I forgot to turn it in during class.” Jordan was one of the few students in the school who still referred to Peter as Mr. Jenkins.

“Oh, thank you Jordan. Did you understand everything on it?”

“Yeah, I mean, it went right along with the book. So it wasn’t that bad.”

“That’s great, I’m glad it was easy for you” Peter said as he looked Jordan in the eye, smiled, and took the assignment.

When Peter was able to interact with him one on one, Jordan always had a pleasurable and respectful demeanor, and bore striking similarities to his old student, Samuel.

“Well, see you later…” Jordan turned and started to walk towards the door, but before he had gotten very far, Peter stopped him with a question.

“Jordan… why do you hang around those guys?”

“What?” Jordan asked, clearly a little taken aback.

“The boys I see you with after school, why do you hang out with them?” “…Uh… why wouldn’t I? They’re cool guys, and they appreciate having me around.” Peter paused for a moment after this. He did not want to offend Jordan, but he was never very good at being tactful.

“They appreciate you? Or they appreciate what you do for them?” He knew that the other boys were not nearly driven enough to earn the grades they were receiving in his class. However he didn’t want to confront them about this, as he didn’t have a way to prove it, and he never wished to be the guy with the strict seating policy.

“Well… yea. I… help them out with school, and they appreciate it. So what? There’s nothing wrong with that.” Jordan replied, his attitude becoming slightly more defensive. “…Yes, that’s true. But do you think they would still treat you the way they do if you maybe didn’t help them as much, or tried to encourage them to do some on their own?”

“Probably not. But I would deserve it then, that wouldn’t be right if I didn’t help my friends.”

“That’s not true. You would be helping them by making them work. They won’t learn anything if they always have someone to help them with everything. And besides, we shouldn’t like our friends based on how they help us. You deserve to be liked for who you are… I just see a lot in you Jordan, and I don’t want that to go to waste.” At this point Peter was actually quite proud of himself. He felt that there was real wisdom in his words, that he was actually helping someone. But this only made the pain of his disappointment greater. He was soon to realize that his kind words were not falling on an accepting heart.

“Why do you care!?” Jordan exclaimed angrily. “There’s nothing wrong with them. And I’m not wasted by being around them. You’re a teacher, stop trying to be Dr. Phil and keep to your own business!” Jordan turned and walked out of the room without another word, and Peter hung his head in his hands again. Some days it just seemed that no matter how hard he tried at whatever he was doing, he would always fail. And today was no exception. *** Peter locked the door to his classroom and closed it. He put his keys in his pocket, and turned to make his way through the hallways toward the buses. Although he was still excited to be on bus duty with Emily, the flickering flame of optimism he once had for the situation was completely smothered by the weight of his day. Peter opened the door leading outside to where the buses were being loaded and walked through. After a quick look at the crowd he spotted Emily standing just outside of the mass of students who were waiting to go home. He began to take a moment to collect himself, but shortly afterward thought it was pointless and decided to continue on. He moved toward her through the students walking about the area without her noticing until he was about halfway.

When she did see him, she brushed the hair away from her face, smiled and gave a small motionless wave. Peter smiled back as he proceeded towards her, but she immediately went back to scanning the area, watching the students. When Peter finally reached her, he smiled again, and once more began to fumble for his words.

“Hello Ms. Ellison.” But to this she just looked over to him with somewhat of a sly smirk on her face, and didn’t say anything. Peter’s heart started racing as he immediately became unsure of himself, and he was certain he was not doing a good job of concealing his worries. What was this about? Did he do something to her? Did she do something to him? Was there something on his face? All of this and more passed through his mind in the course of a few seconds when suddenly the light bulb came on over his head. “Ahem, excuse me. Hello Emily.” She immediately broke her persevering smirk with a laugh.

“Well there’s one way to teach you I guess” she said, seeming rather pleased with herself. To which Peter chuckled as well.

“I guess. That’s not the way I’d do it but it is one way.”

“Oh really? How would you do it?”

“Umm, I don’t know… a name tag?” She looked at him again with a smirk, and Peter immediately regretted saying that.

A name tag, really? No one would think that is funny. But as he was thinking these things, to his amazement she laughed again.

“Okay, I suppose that would work as well” she said as she looked back to the crowd. A few moments of silence passed until she looked at him again and asked “How was your day?”

“Umm… it was… fine” Peter lied. But it was easy to see that it was not fine. Peter never was a good liar.

“It was fine? Why just fine?”

“Oh, just… assessments. You know.”

“You had an assessment?” She asked. “Did it not go well?”

“Well, they never go well. Mr. Thorpe isn’t exactly my favorite person I guess.”

“Really? James has always been nice to me…” Immediately Peter was either worried or angry, he couldn’t really tell which. Of course Mr. Thorpe would be nice to her, why would he not be nice to a beautiful woman. And she called him James? Peter had never heard anyone refer to him that way. A few more moments of slightly awkward silence passed by until Emily spoke again.

“So are you still going to see that movie this weekend?” She asked.

“Um, yea. I think so.”

“Oh really? Are you going with anyone?” “…No” Peter responded, though his thoughts were not at all on his words.

“Hmm.” She said, as she turned to look at the crowd once more. Peter’s mind was racing. Why would she ask him this? Did she… no, that couldn’t be it. But was it? Peter started to become light headed. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and questions and apprehension and hope. Suddenly, a voice he had never heard before came into his mind. Do it. He felt as though he was melting, and his heart was beating like a drum. His hands and legs began to tremble. His nervousness was so tangible that he was worried she could feel it. Do it. Peter couldn’t believe himself, he knew what the answer would be. And the only thing he would be achieving was embarrassment. But still, he couldn’t deny that it appeared as if… (he had trouble even thinking it) … it appeared as if she… liked him. Fixing his eyes on the crowd, Peter swallowed, and stammered…

“Would you… uh” he could feel her look over at him. Was he really doing this? “Would you…”

“Yes?” she asked. Peter swallowed again. He was putting all of his focus on those few words which just would not seem to move from his mind to his mouth, when suddenly, Peter came to a painful realization. He couldn’t do it. The sound of his heart breaking was as audible to him as the words they spoke.

“Would you mind if I headed home early… I’ve got something to take care of.” Regret seeped into him as he saw the disappointment on her face.

“Oh… um. Yes… that’s fine. If you’ve got something to do.”

“Uh, thanks…” Peter said as he turned and walked away. He could feel her eyes on his back, and he could feel the start of tears welling in his eyes along with a strange sensation that his throat was closing. Peter was furious with himself, and he was certain that this was, yet again, the worst day of his life. *** Peter awoke to… silence. He rolled over and put on his glasses to see the time. Six fifteen… he never woke up before his alarm went off. But there he was. Six fifteen, and he was wide awake. He hopped out of bed and went into his kitchen. He swung the pantry door open, and took his box of cereal out. He opened the fridge and was reaching for the milk when his small stock of bacon and eggs caught his eye. There was quite a bit of time until he needed to leave, and this seemed much more appealing than a bowl of cereal. Peter set aside his usual meal, and took the bacon out of the fridge. He turned the stove on, and tossed a few slices on the frying pan. As Peter stood there cooking his bacon, he noticed that his hand was not flinching away every time the grease popped. And he realized, he felt, strange. He felt… confident. But, this was ridiculous, how can you confidently cook bacon?

Peter chuckled at himself and continued to prepare his breakfast. But still, he couldn’t deny that he felt different. He sat down at the coffee table, and began enjoying his food. As he was taking a bite of egg, he suddenly remembered the events of the previous day. He saw the disappointed look on Emily’s face as clear as he saw it 14 hours ago, and he pictured everyone watching him as he shamefully left the scene of his disgrace. Peter set his fork down before taking the bite, and stared hard at his plate for a long time.

He played the scenario over and over again in his mind, feeling disgusted with himself, unable to see anything but his own failure.

He continued in this cycle for a while until he experienced an epiphany. Peter’s jaw dropped as his brow rose simultaneously. She was… disappointed. And this wasn’t a feeling that was just from discomfort at her thought of having to finish duty alone or anything like that. She knew what he was going to say… and she was truly disappointed. Peter dwelled on this for a few more minutes until, finally, he fully understood what this meant. He could ask her again today. Well, maybe not again, but he could actually do it this time. Sure he made a fool of himself, but there was still time for redemption. Peter was thrilled, he couldn’t believe it. She liked him, he was sure of it. Or at least more sure than he ever had been about anything before. Peter finished his breakfast and got up to go get ready. Walking out the door, he had a feeling that, somehow, today was going to be the best day of his life…”

Man crafts innovative igloo

Gardens

AQUILLA, Ohio — It’s quite the man cave.

Jimmy Grey says he’s been out of work for a year and needed to stay busy. So with the heavy snowfall this winter, the 25-year-old laborer built an extreme igloo in his family’s yard in Aquilla, Ohio.

His four-room creation has 6-foot ceilings and an entertainment room. He powers the TV with an extension cord plugged into an outlet in the garage.

He also ran wires for cable television with surround-sound stereo.

Grey says candles help add ambiance, and the freezing temperatures mean that the beer never goes warm.

major and treasurer of the garden organization, doing the gritty work is most gratifying.

“Every time you go out and garden, you feel like you’re doing something good for the environment. You’re pretty much giving life to things. You plant something, water it, and watch it grow. It’s beautiful,” she said.

The group produces compost because it contains beneficial bacteria, which supplement the plants’ health.

The produce grown at the Elder Aid plot is organic, free from the chemicals found in artificial fertilizers.

“Composting is a good thing to do because it recycles a lot of organic material and it keeps things out of landfills. Also, compost releases nutrients slowly. The warmer it is, the faster the nutrients release, which makes sense because plants grow faster in warmer weather,” Novak said. “So it’s a very natural way to do things.”

Dannenmaier said the group’s gardening projects instill a greater appreciation for the environment, and bring purposeful interaction in the community.

“We want to prove to the city that these things are feasible and that we should do more of them,” Borden said.

Associated Press

Continued from page 3

Join CFBV Those interested in joining the movement should check out CFBV’s Facebook page or communityfreshbv. blogspot.com for more information.

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Pg. 4-02.18.10.indd 1

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sports

Look at thebatt.com for a recap of the No. 15 A&M women’s basketball team’s battle with No. 17 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.

thebattalion 2.18.2010 page5

Can-do Kliesing Pearland native comes into 2010 season looking to lead Aggies

By Courtney Nelson | The Battalion

Jeramie Heflin — THE BATTALION

Junior Rhiannon Kliesing was named to the All-Big 12 first team after her performance during the 2009 season. She plays both pitcher and first base for the Aggies.

When people think of Texas A&M softball, they typically think of former stars Amanda Scarborough and Megan Gibson, who led the team to second place in the 2008 College World Series.

During that record season, however, there was another major talent emerging in junior Rhiannon Kliesing.

When the Pearland native is not in the circle pitching, she is playing first base. Her achievements and honors are impressive for a junior.

She credits Gibson and Scarborough as being some of her biggest softball influences because she got to play alongside and learn from them.

Scarborough is now a part of the coaching staff, so Kliesing still works with her on a daily basis.

Rhi, as she prefers to be called, began playing softball when she was 4 years old, and played on the Texas Aces for nine years.

During those years, and for almost every game, Kliesing’s mother was there supporting her daughter.

“My mom took me to every single game and only missed one or two,” Kliesing said. “She has always supported me and been my biggest fan.”

Kliesing credits Head Coach Jo Evans as having a great impact on her life, on and off the field.

Kliesing said she has learned how to be a leader

and to have great respect for the game and her teammates.

Over the past two years, Kliesing has experienced many ups and downs, but one memory sticks out to her.

“My most memorable moment at A&M would definitely be playing Florida in the Women’s College World Series my freshman year and advancing to the championship game,” Kliesing said.

This Aggie softball team is fairly young, with five freshmen playing big roles. Now in the captain role, Kliesing knows what it was like to be the young one on the team.

“If I could tell the freshmen anything it would be to not make the game harder than it is,” Kliesing said. “Don’t overthink everything, and just have fun out there.”

Success can be achieved this season, she said, if the team can just have confidence in themselves.

Last year the team struggled all the way around, but this year there is plenty of talent to get the job done.

Despite her prestigious career, Kliesing said she will probably be finished playing softball after she graduates next year.

See Kliesing on page 8

Aggies will need contributions from all players Courtney Nelson The Battalion The Texas A&M softball team is off to a good start as they came away from last weekend’s Kajikawa Classic with a 4-1 record. The Aggies played well enough to knock off No. 11 California, but fell short to No. 5 Arizona State.

With their play in the tournament,

A&M emerged into the Top 25 at the No. 21 spot. Just a freshman, catcher Meagan May made her debut on the college scene with a .533 batting average, making her the Big 12 Player of the Week.

Head Coach Jo Evans said she was very pleased with the play of her team in Arizona, and she knows they can only get better.

“We learned a lot about ourselves last weekend,” Evans said. “I like our depth. We’re able to move people around in a lot of different positions.

We had good team chemistry. I’m encouraged, and I think the best thing is knowing that we had success but we can still get a lot better and have room for improvement.”

May will be a key contributor to the

Aggies this season, both as a catcher behind the plate and offensively with the bat. She said she has a lot to learn, but is excited for everything the season will bring.

“I’m really excited about having a lot of challenges,” May said. “The upperclassmen are so important because I really do look to them for what to do and how to react to certain situations.”

Outfielder Bailey Schroeder and shortstop Macie Morrow are the only two seniors on this year’s squad. Morrow said she believes this could be a very successful year for the team.

“I feel like this year we have really good hitting, better than previous seasons,” Morrow said. “Our offense See Keys on page 8

Dear Fellow Aggies: A federal debt of $12 trillion dollars and growing is a clear and present danger. It threatens our country and the future of our children and grandchildren. It’s wrong to saddle them with so much debt.

To put a trillion dollars in perspective, if a person spent a million dollars per day, every day since Christ was born, he or she would still have over 700 years to go before spending ONE trillion dollars. Our federal debt is TWELVE trillion dollars.

If re-elected, I will propose and vigorously support a resolution for a constitutional convention to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In the current financial downturn, Texas has fared better than most other states. Our budget is balanced; we have reduced taxes, and we have saved over $7 billion dollars for a rainy day. Our Congress in Washington should do the same.

This is our home. It is worth protecting and defending.

If you send me back to Austin, I will.

Sincerely,

Stephen E. Ogden ‘87

Early Vote: Febru uary 16, 201 10 through Febrruary 26, 20 010 0

E l e ctio c tii o n Day y M a r c h 2, 20 0 10

EX PER IENCED enough to say yes. TOUGH enough h to o say y no.

Pol. Ad. Paid for by the Steve Ogden Campaign, Andrea Woods, Treasurer; P.O. Box 3126, Bryan, TX 77805-3126

Pg. 5-02.18.10.indd 1

2/17/10 9:26 PM

news

page 7 thursday 2.18.2010

thebattalion

Recovery Continued from page 1

myself,’” Ray said.

While the initial flood can be overwhelming, according to both literature and reformed alcoholics’ personal experiences, the solution begins with understanding the problem and overcoming denial.

“What makes recovery so difficult is the whole bunch of misinformation about recovery,” said former alcoholic Chris.

One misconception about alcoholism that contributes to a person’s denial is the idea that alcoholics are visibly ruined individuals with wrecked lives, when in fact alcoholism does not necessarily manifest itself in outward appearances.

Although alcoholism can contribute to decaying one’s public life, it is only an effect of alcoholism and is not a sole indicator of the disease.

“Some alcoholics are under a bridge drinking out of paper sack. But that is definitely not the definition of alcoholism.You can be successful and be [an] alcoholic,” Ray said.

Chris said it was this misconception that fed his denial and was the most difficult to overcome.

“I’m waiting for my outside to look like an alcoholic, but I’m not getting DWIs, and I’m listening to people who believe that is what it means to be an alcoholic,” Chris said.

Defining Alcoholism Alcoholics can come from all appearances, occupations, family backgrounds, economic situations and childhood experiences.

Some people think alcoholism is a choice.

But in reality, Chris said, it is a chronic illness of the mind.

“This is a form of mental insanity.

It’s not a behavioral problem,” he said.

This disease causes a mental obsession and compulsion to drink.

For some, the craving can be as strong as the need for food and water.

For others, drinking becomes such a detached habit that they hardly even notice when they are well into their fourth drink.

No matter how many consequences they may have faced, alcoholics do not have the ability to turn away from drinking. Logical reasoning and “willpower” have no effect. That is the difference between a true alcoholic and an excessive partier, Chris said.

“It’s not like a normal drinker who can say ‘I had a bad hangover, I don’t ever want to do that again,’” he said. “We have an endless experience with too many headaches or too many hangovers or too many DWIs or too many broken relationships, but we can’t remember that.”

Chris said the mental aspect of alcoholism will guarantee the alcoholic continues to drink until they die.

“We just steadily drink ourselves to death. We are “We just not doing it because we steadily drink want to, but because we have absolutely ourselves to no choice,” Chris death. We said.

Alcoholare not doing ics do have it because one choice, however; the we want to, choice to seek but because help.

we have Looking for help absolutely no Once a person choice.” has decided to seek help, there are many Chris, former different options available alcoholic to assist them on the road

to sobriety. Options include treatment centers, halfway houses, outpatient facilities and Alcoholics Anonymous small groups.

At the La Hacienda coed inpatient substance abuse treatment center located in Hunt, Texas, a specialized treatment plan is developed for each individual according to his or her specific needs.

Patients stay on the campus for an average of 30-45 days under the care of doctors, therapists,

the

battalion Classified Advertising Easy Affordable Effective

A study by Brown University’s Digest of Adpsychiatrists and nurses. diction Theory showed that 40 percent of those Resources the facility provides include group who were helping other alcoholics avoided taking sessions, individual counseling, drug and alcohol a drink while the rate was only 22 testing, studies on defeating alcoholism, percent of those who did not on- and off-campus 12-step meetings, help others. educating the family members and “[The study] is so true,” therapeutic activities such as a “This is a form Azar said. ropes course. of mental He encourages paThe Collegiate Program at tients to get involved in the center was created for 18 insanity. It’s not a 12-step program once to 24-year-old people struga behavioral they leave the treatment gling with alcoholism. While problem.” center. the collegiate patients attend “There is a saying in most of the same sessions as the Chris, former AA: you have to give it others, there are many activities away in order to keep it.” geared specifialcoholic Ray said he found this cally towards concept to be true in his expetheir needs. rience.

One such “I go to meetings and do the things I do resource is therapists who to help newcomers, but I also do that because if I only work with the colstop doing it the insanity will return one day,” Ray legiate group. said. “Probably not today, probably not tomorrow, “They are in a group with their own age group and but eventually I will decide that one drink won’t hurt me.” they are talking about issues Alcoholics Anonymous define themselves as a that are pertinent to their fellowship of men and women who share their exage group,” Azar said. “They perience, strength and hope with each other that haven’t had failed marriages they may solve their common problem and help and lots of job losses and children; the issues others to recover from alcoholism.

This mission of sharing is underlined in the are just organization’s stated primary purpose: “to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.” Since 1935, these two concepts have gone hand-in-hand to encourage many life changes and keep those changes on track.

AA has more than 116,000 groups worldwide, with nearly 1.25 million members in the U.S. The Brazos Valley area has 25 AA programs, managed collectively by the Brazos Valley Intergroup.

“We pretty much have one thing to offer. We have a proven method to stop drinking,” Ray said, who is a part of the Brazos Valley Intergroup.

Ray started his recovery process in an AA group and has continued to be involved over the years. While there is support and encouragement at the meetings, Ray said the main objective of the meetings is to present the 12-step method to those searching for the answer.

But it’s a continuous journey.

“We find that about 80 percent of people who show up to an AA meeting aren’t ready to quit yet, so they don’t stay sober because they aren’t ready Jeramie Heflin and Evan Andrews — THE BATTALION to do the work that it takes,” Ray said. “Then out of the 20 percent that are ready and willing to do the work, about 95 percent stay sober.” real different.”

And for that 95 percent, it is the choice of a The patients participate in off-campus outlifetime. ings to the movies, bowling, hiking and kayaking so they can learn to engage with their own age group in a sober setting.

“That’s a real important piece; they don’t know AA’s 12 steps how to interact with each other clean and sober,” Azar said.

1 We admitted we were powerless over Dealing with past issues of hurt is another our addiction; that our lives had become way the patients at La Hacienda learn how to unmanageable turn the page to a sober future. The therapists 2 Came to believe that a Power greater than engage the patients in a timeline exercise. ourselves could restore us to sanity The idea is simple, a straight line of significant 3 Made a decision to turn our will and our lives events that happened throughout one’s life. But over to the care of God as we understood God the breakthroughs can be astounding, Azar said.

4 Made a searching and fearless moral “It allows the individual to see where they inventory of ourselves have been. A lot of times things happen to us, and we just kind of brush it under the carpet, no 5 Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another big deal. I think what we are finding more and human being the exact nature of our wrongs more is these kids have been through an awful lot, 6 Were entirely ready to have God remove all deaths and losses and pretty serious things,” Azar these defects of character said. “If they continue to carry around the weight 7 Humbly asked God to remove our of the world, all these secrets, then they will conshortcomings tinue to use [alcohol] to numb the pain.”

The therapy message of the collegiate program 8 Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all is slightly different than the adult program. Being 9 Made direct amends to such people at such a young age, the collegiate patients have wherever possible, except when to do so would a whole life to gain and the therapists focus on injure them or others establishing their new identity in sobriety.

“It’s about who am I and what do I want to do 10 Continued to take personal inventory and with my life,” Azar said. when we were wrong promptly admitted it Azar said the probability of individuals stay11 Sought through prayer and meditation to ing sober after release is potentially successful for improve our conscious contact with God as we everyone; it just depends upon the actions of the understood God, praying only for knowledge of individual.

God’s will for us and the power to carry that out “If they go to groups and they do their work 12 Having had a spiritual awakening as the and they start working their steps, there is no result of these steps, we tried to carry this reason in the world why they can’t stay sober,” message to other addicts, and to practice these Azar said. principles in all our affairs.

After release, the next question becomes how to stay sober.

Staying sober

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Pg. 7-02.18.10.indd 1

2/17/10 10:01 PM

sports

page 8 thursday 2.18.2010

thebattalion

File— THE BATTALION

The A&M softball team has five freshmen on the team whom they will be counting on to make an immedicate impact. The team will welcome in Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi State and Oregon State for the 2010 Aggie Classic. Play begins at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Aggie Softball Complex.

Keys Continued from page 5

defense are strong overall and our pitching is great when everyone is healthy. I do not really see any weaknesses.”

After struggling last season, the Aggies were ranked only sixth in the Big 12 for this season.

“In our conference, we have Oklahoma and Missouri who are the big teams to beat,” Evans said. “Baylor and Nebraska are up there too, but I know that we have the ability to beat these teams and get the conference championship.”

Evans said pitching will be important to her team’s success.

There are four pitchers on the team, led by junior captain Rhi Kliesing, but there have been struggles staying healthy with

Kliesing Continued from page 5

“I’ll probably be a fifth year graduate assistant,” Kliesing said, “just like Erin Glasco, my catcher from last year.”

She said she is unsure what career she will pursue with her University Studies degree after A&M, but she is interested in sports psychology.

Last season, Kliesing hit for a batting average of .265 and drove in 34 runs along the way.

On the mound, she went 20-13 in 38 appearances with an ERA of 3.06 runs per game. She was also named to the All-Big 12 first team.

In the Kajikawa Classic in Arizona last weekend, Kliesing pitched in three games and won all of them. Included in those wins was her career-high in strikeouts, with fourteen against Nevada.

As only a junior, Kliesing still has two seasons ahead of her. As good as she is now, it is hard to tell what greatness she can reach.

Pg. 8-02.18.10.indd 1

Rebecca Arbino and Lindsey Sisk fighting injuries.

Although they have shown great improvement in their offense, there is still room for improvement. Evans said she was impressed with the top of the lineup, but they are working to get the bottom just a little more consistent.

“Offensively, our kids have worked really hard in the cages and put in extra time there and you can see that and we put up a lot of teams last season,” Evans said. “Last year, our batting average was low as a team and put a lot of pressure on the pitching.”

There are several players poised to have a breakout season, including Morrow and May. Morrow adds leadership and presence as the leadoff hitter, and May will be exciting to watch with her power and

tenacity.

Kliesing was named to the All-Big 12 first team last season, so look for her to have a huge season, offensively and in the circle.

“We just want to take it a game at a time and not get too ahead of ourselves,” Morrow said. “If we do that I think we can definitely get back to the World Series.”

Evans cannot say enough good things about this team, and there is evidence that they can go much further than people thought.

“We like to have a good time, which is really important,” Evans said. “But at the same time, we have a great work ethic and work very hard every practice. I think that and our team cohesiveness will be enough to carry us.”

Beat writer Courtney Nelson’s season outlook A&M will finish third in the Big 12 behind Missouri and Oklahoma. Rhiannon Kliesing will be named to the All-Big 12 first team and Meagan May will be named to the AllBig 12 freshmen team. They will finish with a record of 14-4 in the conference.

Schedule for Aggie Classic Mississippi St. at Texas A&M 3 p.m. Friday Oregon St. at Texas A&M 5:15 p.m. Friday Mississippi St. at Texas A&M 3 p.m. Saturday Louisiana-Monroe at Texas A&M 5:15 p.m. Saturday

2/17/10 9:29 PM

EDITOR’SNOTE The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff.

‘

Serving in silence D

efense Secretary Robert Gates asked Congress for a year to study the impact of repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell policy.”

While certainly a step toward the sentiments of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, action needs to come; otherwise the gay community may wait years for progress.

It has been 17 years since Bill Clinton attempted to enact a similar policy, compromising to remove a complete ban on homosexual and bisexual soldiers. The response in 1993 was vastly different than today, as Republican opposition and public concern prevented equality in the armed forces. Progress has been made in the past two decades. Gallup polls from 2009 show 69 percent of Americans approve allowing gays to openly serve in the military.

Concerns over the impact a change in policy will have on recruitment have compelled Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullan to announce an 11-month study by the Pentagon on how the ban could be lifted. But with the potential of a Republican filibuster, eliminating “don’t ask, don’t tell” doesn’t seem as certain as it did during Obama’s inauguration.

“There are already many studies of this matter,” said James Burke, a professor of sociology at Texas A&M. “The studies tell us that allowing homosexuals to serve openly poses no significant problems to unit cohesion and no negative impact on military effectiveness.

If the new commission simply assembles this literature, making its main findings accessible to the public, it will have done its job.”

Despite the delay to gather information, Republican resistance to civil rights remains the same. Republican Sen. John McCain and House Minority Leader John Boehner have spoken against change, preferring the status quo while our country is at war.

“In the middle of two wars, and in the middle of this giant security threat, why would we want to get into this debate?” Boehner told NBC. Our involvement in two wars and the economy are simply excuses from a Republican Party who would prefer to ignore the issue. Recruitment rates are not going to drop due to the removal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Already American military members are serving alongside gay soldiers, forcing gay men and women to keep silent about their sexuality only shows disrespect for the sacrifice they make for our country.

voices

thebattalion 02.18.2010

Evan Eva van nA Andrews ndrews — THE BATTALION ndr ndre

Ian McPhail “There is no reason to believe that changing the policy will damage the military in any way,” said Burk. “Many NATO members have adopted policies permitting gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. Implementing the policy has been a non-event. Changing the policy during war should make the change easier. Historically, the U.S. military has been more willing (unofficially) to allow homosexuals to serve as war increased the demand for military manpower.”

The country is no longer as callous toward

little for their rights. With Obama a year into gay rights as it was in 1993 - five states have office, the homosexual community is wonderalready legalized same-sex marriage. Now is the ing when the time will be right and why it time for change, but the study will delay any took until now to address their concerns. real change if the government acts cautiously.

Obama has preached patience to a nation The reality is this study is a concession to gay waiting desperately for promises of hope constituents who were promised progress made to citizens during his campaign. towards equality during Obama’s camObama needs to Realization of these goals was paign. This year will buy Obama’s fufill his campaign never going to be immediate, but administration time to weigh the promises and work Obama needs to actually achieve risk of repealing “don’t ask, don’t something to retain support. Equal tell” and gauge the political cliquickly to end rights for gay citizens has made mate. Obama’s support may waver, “don’t ask, don’t steady progress in the past decade, as the solutions to the problems that tell.” it’s time to try again to repeal “don’t plague our nations are not apparent. ask, don’t tell.”

After next election, democratic influence could decrease, making the passage of a law even more difficult.

Ian McPhail is a junior history major and The country’s economic and foreign probvoices editor. lems have allowed gay rights to remain in the background, but the gay troops risking their lives overseas expect their president to risk a

Ensuring equality for the minority

A

of same-sex marriage seems to be increasing and gaining in vehemence.

A case in point is the very name of the federal bill that defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman, regardless of what individual states decide. The “Defense of Marriage Act” was passed by a vote of 85-14 in the Senate and 342-67 in the House of Representatives in 1996, under the Clinton Administration.

The name of this bill is particularly reprehensible, although in keeping with the Congress’ general indecency in naming bills — the “Patriot” Act being another example. By calling the act a defense, Congress has seen fit to divide the country into “us versus them” and label the demands of homosexuals for equality as attacks, acts of evil by extension.

The federal government confers more than 1,100 rights and protections on a citizen of the U.S. upon marriage (when recognized as such).

In the absence of same-sex marriage Abid Mujtaba or civil unions explicitly guaranteeing these rights and protections, such to deny their homosexual citizens rights are denied to any homosexual marital rights. Despite campaign couple defining their relationship promises, the Obama Administrapractically and realistically if not tions has yet to repeal the military’s legally as a marriage.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. I Some people in the GLBT comwonder how long it will take for the munity contend that allowing civil U.S. to deliver a public apology for unions but not same-sex marriage to the grossly unfair and unjust treatment of the homosexual community. homosexual couples is not enough.

They claim that any such distinction is We have come a long way from discrimination and demand that under slavery, racial and gender the Equal Protection Clause inequality, the ban on of the Fourteenth Amendinterracial marriage Although progress ment to the Constituand have even made tion, the government of headway on the has been made, the United States be issue of discriminahomosexual completely and totally tion based on sexual couples remain blind to a person’s sexual orientation. But the discriminated orientation. That would key issue concerning against. require either legalization the GLBT community of same-sex marriages or a today — same-sex marmove to regard all marriage, from riage — remains unresolved. the government’s point of view, as In fact opposition to the possibility

lan Turing was an English mathematician, logician, cryptographer, unwitting philosopher and the father of computer science, and as such is idolized by mathematicians and computer scientists the world over. During World War II he worked at Britain’s now infamous Bletchley Park, where his work in cryptanalyst and primitive computing allowed the Allies to decode the German Enigma ciphers. The intelligence this generated on German naval deployments was instrumental in achieving victory in the war. One can positively claim that without his contributions victory would have been delayed if not rendered impossible.

Following the war, Turing continued his work on computing and made a number of fundamental contributions. But in 1952 he was charged with “gross indecency” for the act of homosexuality, which at the time was illegal under British law. Given the alternative to incarceration, he chose to undergo female hormone treatment and chemical castration to limit his libido. In 1954 while facing persecution, after his security clearance was revoked and just before his 42nd birthday, Alan Turing committed suicide by ingesting cyanide presumably via an injected apple — the symbol of forbidden love. On Sept. 10, 2009, following an online campaign, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a public apology on behalf of the British government for how it treated Alan Turing after the war.

On Jan. 7, the New Jersey State Senate rejected by a vote of 20-14 a bill to allow same-sex marriages rather than just civil unions in the state. Currently only five states in the union allow same-sex marriage, while 11 others recognize some form of domestic partnership for homosexual couples and the rest continue

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civil unions with the label of marriage being left up to religious institutions.

Both these outcomes would have the same practical consequences.

California also presents unique insight in to the problem. Over the years, California’s domestic partnership laws have evolved to the level approaching that of civil unions. In 2000 the adoption of Proposition 22 explicitly limited “marriage” to a union between one man and one woman. In 2005 and 2008, legislative attempts to legalize same-sex marriages were vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger based on the voters’ say on Proposition 22. In 2008 the California Supreme Court declared Proposition 22 and earlier bans on same-sex marriages as unconstitutional and for the next few months same-sex marriages were performed in the state.

In the November 2008 state elections Proposition 8 was adopted as a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. By voting to amend the constitution of the state of California, the voters have directly disfranchised homosexuals of equal rights when it comes to marriage and therefore of equality under the law.

This is the key issue. The tragedy of this tale is that even in this day and age we can continue to deprive people of their rights.

Democracy is often defined succinctly as “majority rule, minority rights,” the inviolability of the Bill of Rights being a good example. Of the 31 states in which the issue has been put to vote, all have chosen to deny same-sex marriage. Not until the majority realizes equality must underlie diversity will we be able to correct this travesty.

Abid Mujtaba is a graduate physics student.

MAILCALL From Judith Bohr, a philosophy graduate student I would like to express my serious disappointment with the Battalion’s staff for allowing a pro-life column about Abby Johnson’s decision to leave Planned Parenthood and join the Coalition for Life to run as front-page news. The headline makes the claim that Johnson chose “morals over money,” which essentially declares that the pro-choice position is immoral. Furthermore, the article conveniently neglected to mention that Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization, and that 94 percent of their services are not related in any way to abortion. This piece was clearly making a normative claim about the morality of abortion as if it were a fact and should have been printed in the editorial section to protect the integrity of the publication.

MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNS Make your opinion known by submitting Mail Call or guest columns to The Battalion. Mail call must be fewer than 200 words and include the author’s name, classification, major and phone number. Staff and faculty must include title. Guest columns must be fewer than 700 words.

All submissions should focus on issues not personalities, become property of The Battalion and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters will be read, but not printed.

Direct all correspondence to: Editor in chief of The Battalion (979) 845-3315 | mailcall@ thebatt.com

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Dorsett said.

Some of the informational booths are more than just posters and fact sheets. Aggie REACH vice president and junior health education major Amy Hutchinson said their booth will be interactive.

“Last year we came up with games like ‘Guess This STD,’ and we would give them symptoms of different things. This year we are going to do something similar,” Hutchinson said.

“We are basically going just going to have fun with it; we have a lot of open people in our group that makes it a lot easier for people to ask questions.”

REACH secretary and senior health major Kristen Garrett is participating as a model. Garrett said this catwalk is needed, especially at our campus, because

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it is often looked over.

“I think HIV/AIDS is very prevalent around the world, and it is something that should be brought into the eyes of the Aggies so they can really learn and be aware of the fact that it can happen to them,” Garrett said.

Catwalk model and junior urban and regional sciences major Carlos Espinoza said he got involved with the event because of the proximity of the disease in his own life and the impact it has had his family.

“My uncle died of AIDS in the late 90s. Though I was beginning my teen years my parents were very honest and told me everything and how the disease develops and why it occurs,” Espinoza said. “With this in mind, last year I saw one of the flyers in my dorm informational wall and felt the necessity to help others and prevent this disease from spreading further across my community or any family members.”

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there are 73,000 known cases of people living with HIV/AIDS in Texas alone.

Brazos County amounts for 246 of those people, with 31 new cases reported in 2008.

“It’s a virus that doesn’t necessarily have outward symptoms … in most cases many people can be infected with the virus and never show symptoms for a long period of time,” Dorsett said. “So the catwalk shows people you can still be a normal person; you can still be a fashionable person; you can still be an up-and-coming hip person and still be infected with HIV/ AIDS.” Dorsett said the catwalk’s purpose is to educate people about different facts and statistics about HIV, outline the ways it is contracted, dispel common myths about ways to contract it and provide information on various local resources for HIV testing and support in a unique way. In place of long lectures, the models will present the information while they strut down the runway.

The Aggie Wranglers, Fade to Black and Aggies in Motion will perform throughout the night. Attendees will get a chance to win various door prizes from restaurant gift cards to a free massage.

Espinoza said to watch for surprises on the runway this year.

“One of the many things I am most looking forward to is the awesome production we have every year. It is just amazing, the way everything works ‘behind the scenes,’ and the end product which is an informational, fun, and fashionable event with the support of big name stores,” Espinoza said.

This year the models’ clothes will be provided by Dillard’s, Maurices, Buckle, the Closet Door, Gap and Gemini.

Toyota may recall Corollas WASHINGTON — First it was gas pedals, then brakes. Now Toyota and the government are looking into complaints that the popular Corolla is difficult to steer straight, raising a new safety concern ahead of next week’s congressional hearing about the automakers recalls.

But how worried should drivers be? Or is this an example of how any problem at the Japanese company now gets intense scrutiny?

The executive in charge of quality control said the company is reviewing fewer than 100 complaints about power steering in the Corolla.

Toyota sold nearly 1.3 million Corollas worldwide last year, including nearly 300,000 in the United States, where it trailed only Camry as Toyota’s most popular model. The executive, Shinichi Sasaki, said drivers may feel as though they are losing control over the steering, but it was unclear why. He mentioned problems with the braking system or tires as possible underlying causes. U.S. officials are also investigating.

Associated Press

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