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thebattalion ● tuesday,
october 25, 2011
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2011 student media
For the first act in the Rock The Republic artist spotlight series, Steve Wells, music blogger for The Battalion, scopes out Black Pistol Fire. Read the blues/punk insanity online at thebatt.com.
Corn is amaizeing
Corn is everywhere and in virtually everything. Joey Roberts, wellness blogger for The Battalion, delves into the world of corn, addressing the health issues of high fructose corn syrup. Read his blog at thebatt.com.
Racing wienies Dachshund-lovers volunteered their dogs to compete in Brazos Animal Shelter’s Wiener Fest on Saturday. Catch video clips of racing wiener dogs at thebatt.com.
inside
b!
film | 4 Horror that works
Paranormal Activity 3 raked in record box office numbers during the weekend. Movie reviewer Steven Olivier offers his thoughts on the horror franchise’s latest outing.
campus Excellence dialogues The seventh installation of the Commitment to Excellence Dialogues is from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday in Koldus room 110. The topic for this dialogue is “Deepening Students’ Commitment to Learning: Motivation Through Accountability.”
Jay Kapadia — THE BATTALION
Andy Card, acting dean of the Bush School, compares George H. W. Bush to a father figure and George W. Bush to a brother.
Political passion Andy Card brings White House history to Bush School Natalee Blanchat The Battalion The man who uttered the fated words to George W. Bush on 9/11, alerting the president that “a second plane has hit the second tower. America is under attack,” now spends his time educating Aggies. “It was a message I thought I would never have to deliver,” said former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, who is acting dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service. Card entered his office on the second floor of the Allen Building on a Thursday morning with a businessman’s air, sporting a bright American flag pin on his right breast pocket, decorating a formal gray suit. But the 64-year-old came alive at the first mention of politics, and he animatedly relived the stories of his lifelong profession and passion. Using lively hand gestures, Card emphasized the symbolism of a tiny blue book laying at the end of his mahogany desk, Woman Suffrage: History, Arguments and Results. His face lit up as he explained that the book, written in 1915, was a gift
from his grandmother, Elizabeth French Platts, a “Suffragette” who fought aggressively for women’s rights in the early 1900s. “My grandmother was one of the people marching in the parades and protesting. When women did get the right to vote, she was the first woman in my hometown to vote,” Card said in his native Boston accent. Card went on to describe his grandmother’s strong will, saying it was her determination that guided his pursuit into the world of politics. “I grew up in a family where politics was not a dirty word,” Card said. “It was all inculcated with the responsibility to get involved, even if people didn’t agree with us — we were not be afraid to be different.” After receiving a dual degree in civil and mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina, Card said “the political bug consumed him.” A year later, he started a promising career in legislation by running for local office in his hometown of Holbrook, Mass. “It was not normal for a Republican
from Holbrook, Mass., to get elected to anything,” Card said. “My community is 6-1 Democrat. Even my father told me not to run but I did, and I won.” Card served in the state legislature for eight years before unsuccessfully campaigning for governor in 1982. Card characterized his loss as “better than expected,” even though he received 24 percent of the vote in a three-party primary. However, Card’s defeat was only a temporary setback. His pursuit of politics continued to Washington, D.C., and the White House, where he served under presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. “Being chief of staff has brutally tough responsibilities,” Card said. “George W. Bush was kind of like my brother and everyone knows you have really strong arguments with your brother. He and I have had some really significant arguments. I’ve even had arguments with Barbara Bush — trust me, you don’t want to have arguments with her.” Chuck Hermann, professor at the Bush
◗ 1975-1983: Member of Massachusetts House of Representatives ◗ 1983-1988: Various positions, including Deputy Assistant to the President, under President Ronald Reagan ◗ 1992-1993: U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President George H. W. Bush ◗ 2001-2006: White House Chief of Staff under President George W. Bush ◗ 2011: Appointed Acting Dean of Bush School fo
See Card on page 6
campus
nation
‘Young Frankenstein’ opens at Rudder
Obama says all troops home from Iraq by January
Jennifer DuBose
Roland Ruiz
The Battalion
The Battalion
The air is starting to cool and the days are becoming shorter. Leaves are changing, candy is everywhere — all this can only mean that Halloween is on its way. To celebrate the season, MSC OPAS is bringing in Mel Brooks’ smashhit musical, Young Frankenstein. The musical is based on the 1974 film-version of Frankenstein, directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder. While the movie was a huge success, raking in an two Oscar nominations, the musical has attracted scores of positive attention since it’s opening in 2007. Brian Keable, senior petroleum engineering major, has seen evidence of this while working at the MSC box office. As opening night nears, it is obvious that Brazos Valley is highly anticipating the show. “Tickets are selling extremely well, I’ve sold a lot so far,” Keable said. However, it is hard to say if the musical will live up to the movie. Of course, the critics say
President Barack Obama announced Friday in an address from the White House that the remaining U.S. troops in Iraq will return home by the end of the year, thus ending America’s nine-year war in Iraq. Shortly after he first stepped into office in 2009, Obama announced a strategy that would end America’s combat mission in Iraq and remove all of the troops by the end of 2011. Obama said this strategy has been one of his highest national security priorities; he has removed more than 100,000 troops from
COURTESY PHOTO
Young Frankenstein opens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in Rudder Auditorium. it does, but most students, being Millennials, do not recall the film. Still, expectations are high. “I don’t remember much about the movie, but I think the show is going to be really funny,” Keable said. But for those who are familiar with the previous works of Brooks, the show is expected to be See Frankenstein on page 4
STUDENT RUSH OFFER TONIGHT!
Iraq since becoming commander in chief. Throughout the next two months, Obama said the approximately 40,000 remaining troops will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home. Pat Reeves, cadet colonel of the Corps of Cadets and a senior biomedical science major, said President Obama’s recall of troops parallels the intent of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “Our purpose there [in Iraq] was always to liberate, aid and then provide guidance until a stable diplomatic government could be emplaced,” Reeves said. See Troops on page 3
TONIGHT & TOMORROW! 7:30 PM • Rudder Auditorium Mature Subject Matter
RUSH TICKETS ONLY $21 Call 979-845-1234.
Limited Number of Tickets Available at the Window of the MSC Box Office Only. Limit 2 Tickets per Student. Student ID Required. Not Valid for Tickets Already Purchased
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Tracking Card’s public life
mscopas
10/25/11 12:15 AM