The Rice Thresher, Vol. 92, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, February 4, 2005 Page: 3 of 24
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Rice University Woodson Research Center.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
THE RICE THRESHER
OPINION
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2005
Guest column
Pro-Bush, 'pro-life' are incompatible
I am an advocate of life. I believe that
life is better than any of its alterna-
tives (in almost all cases). Personally,
I think it's the best thing going for
us on this planet. You could
even call me pro-life, if that
title had not already been
claimed by the anti-repro-
ductive rights movement,
of which I am not a part.
In the wake of all the
"pro-life" activity sur-
rounding the recent an-
niversary of Roe v. Wade,
I find myself as confused
as ever by the movement's
message. Of course, call-
ing yourself "pro-life" is a
smart political move, as it allows you
to automatically label your opposition
"pro-death." It conveniently paints all
those in favor of upholding reproduc-
tive rights with the same baby-killing
brush, but it also begs an important
question: Pro-whose life?
Elizabeth
Stephens
Maybe the movement s
title just needs a little
tightening. How about
"pro-unborn-life"?
ITie anti-choice movement lias
linked itself to the George W. Bush
administration. Bush can thank
those citizens who chose to vote
conservatively on hard-hitting moral
issues, such as abortion and gay
marriage, for his re-election. And
he is already tipping his hat to the
anti-choice movement. In a Jan. 24
speech by telephone to anti-choice
protestors. Bush said, "The America
of our dreams, where every child is
welcomed in law... and protected in
law may still be some ways away," but
the movement is "persuading increas-
ing numbers of our fellow
citizens of the rightness of
our cause."
But if Bush's cause is
pro-life, his record cer-
tainly does not show it.
The right wing and the
anti-choice movement
have long been concerned
with legally pinpointing
the moment at which life
begins, but what about
what happens afterwards?
Does that matter at all to
the movement that calls itself "pro-
life"? It certainly does not seem to
matter to Bush.
In Bush's five years as governor
of Texas, he approved the execu-
tion of a whopping 131 prisoners,
far more than any other state. In
February 2000, Bush said, "I'm
confident that every person that has
been put to death in Texas under my
watch has been guilty of the crime
charged and has had full access
to the courts." Yet, according to a
Chicago Tribune report in June 2000,
one-third of those executed were
represented by lawyers who, either
before the case in question or since,
have been disbarred or penalized
— including lawyers who were on
cocaine, drunk, asleep during their
trials or who presented no evidence
at all in their client's defense. Since
1973, there have been 117 death row
exonerations in the United States, but
only 8 from Texas.
What about Bush's policy of pre-
emptive war? The United States has
lost about 1,500 troops in Iraq and
another 10,000 have been wounded.
Many of them will never recover
their previous quality of life. January
has distinguished itself as one of the
bloodiest months since combat op-
erations in Iraq officially ended, and
there is no end in sight. Though it is
not our habit to do so, we should also
consider the number of Iraqis who
have died as a result of our military
intervention. The number of civilian
casualties has been conservatively
placed at more than 15,000. Are these
deaths the result of a "pro-life"
president's policies?
For an issue closer to home, look
at Bush's environmental record.
The recently released reports link-
ing Houston's dirty air to increased
rates of cancer and disease are a
tribute to Bush's Clear Skies Act.
Bush has increasingly weakened
the emissions restrictions for heavy
polluters and delayed implementing
the necessary clean-up require-
ments to give this nation's citizens
decent air to breathe. As a result,
many of us are at greater risk for
contracting diseases related to air
pollution, such as asthma, emphy-
sema and cancer.
If anti-choice advocates wish to go
on calling themselves "pro-life," then
they must address the inconsistencies
in their political message. Maybe the
movement'stitlejust needs a little tight-
ening. How about "pro-unborn-life"? If
one is really committed to the cause
of defending the rights of the living to
live and live well, then one should rise
above the political rhetoric.
I )on't get swept along by a man or
a movement that only talks the talk.
Pro-life should mean pro-everyone s-life,
from the innocent and helpless on death
row to the woman faced with making a
difficult reproductive choice.
Elizabeth Stephens
College senior.
is a Will Rice
% Guest column
Faster light rail expansion critical to city
It's been one year since the whole
world, or at least the part that watches
American football, turned its eyes to
Houston for Super Bowl XXXVII I. But
before the teams, fans and
celebrity cleavage arrived,
our city had a makeover of
giant proportions. As part
of this makeover, Houston
unveiled a 7.5-mile strip of
light rail extending from
south of Reliant Park to
downtown. 'Hie rail had
been planned for many
years before the Super
Bowl was offered to I lous-
ton, but the imminent big
game helped speed up the
building process.
For Houston to continue improv-
ing its image, the METRORail system
needs to expand. Public transporta-
tion is crucial for a city. As the fourth
largest city in the United States, it is
especially important for us.
Unfortunately, our light rail sys-
tem faced far too many unnecessary
obstacles before its current imple-
mentation, obstacles that continue
to obstruct expansion. The petty bu-
reaucracy of ourlegislators, especially
U.S. House Majority Leader Tom
DeLay (R-Texas), led to an additional
$3 million on the price tag and a De-
layed start for construction. Irately,
the light rail has shown a consistent
increase in riders and a decrease in
accidents with other vehicles and
pedestrians. So why are we still
facing resistance to expansion of
the system? Light rail is a relatively
cheap, safe and quick mode of trans-
portation. The last things we want in
this city are more cars, trucks and
sport utility vehicles.
The existing light rail is simply
not enough for Houstonians. Many
of those who work in the city com-
mute from suburbs outside the loop.
The light rail should expand outward
toward the Galleria area. Sugar land.
Clear Lake, North Houston and other
Apoorva
Shah
major sources of commuters. We
have many METRO Park and Ride
junctions spread out throughout the
city; let's send the rail that way.
We are infamous for our
smog in this city, but we
don't really do much about
it. Emission standards only
go so far. To control pollu-
tion, we need to stop using
our vehicles so often. But
in this city, saying that is
blasphemy. Houstonians
are far too dependent on
their trucks and SUVs. If
public transportation was
available, however, I think
most people would use
it. Spending two hours every day
behind the wheel on the Southwest
Freeway breathing car fumes is not
really a great way to start and end
workdays.
A city's public transportation
system also gives the city an identity.
New York has its subway, London has
the Tube and San Francisco has its
trolleys. Ten years ago, it would have
been absurd to say Houston could
be a tourist destination. For some, it
still is absurd. But there are plenty of
interesting and fun things here: the
Johnson Space Center, the Galleria.
Kemah, Galveston and thousands of
amazing restaurants.
But tourists need a way to get to
these places, and we do not have an
extensive taxi system. Our METRO
Bus system is mediocre and confus-
ing. I jght rail routes are much easier
to understand. So for tourists, a light
rail that takes them to all the hot spots
around Houston is the way to go.
There are plans to expand with
41 new miles of light rail and 8 miles
of commuter rail that would extend
to Hobby Airport, the East End and
the Galleria area. But we would see
these results around 2025, which is
far too long to wait. Action needs to
be taken now.
1 want to see Houston improve.
and I think the light rail is key to
boosting our image. But seeking
results is a job not only for our legisla-
tors, but also for us. Our lawmakers
need to take their constituents into
mind and not let petty disputes and
partisan matters get in the way. We
need to show our support by voting
in favor of referenda regarding expe-
dited light rail expansion, voting for
candidates who support the light rail
and. ultimately, using it. Together we
can make Houston a better place to
live — and breathe.
Apoorva Shah is Sid Richardson
College freshman.
Guest column
In-house grad speaker
reveals low self-esteem
I don't think I was the only
one disappointed upon hearing
who would be speaking at my
graduation. In fact, I know I wasn't.
Literally every person
I talked to at Rice and
outside of Rice could
not believe the news.
Of all the names on the
list, out of all the ideas
the students submitted,
who did we call? A Rice
professor.
Before I go any fur-
ther, I should make
it clear that I have no
problem with Psychol-
ogy Professor Mikki
Hebl. Everyone I know who has
taken one of her classes has given
her glowing reviews, and I greatly
enjoyed her matriculation address
to the class of 2005. The problem
is not her or even that she is a
professor at Rice. The problem is
that we did not even try to bring in
a big name. Hie President's Office
only contacted Hebl.
Any student. alumnusorTexan
will tell you Rice is a great school.
We call ourselves the Harvard
of the South. Yet if you compare
our commencement speakers
to Harvard's, a clear difference
emerges. No, it jumps out and
hits you over the head. Harvard
pulls in names like U.N. Secretary
General Kofi Annan, then-U.S.
Vice President A] Gore, then-
U.S. Secretary of State Madeline
Albright and then-Joint Chiefs
of Staff Chairman Colin Powell.
Three years ago, we had comedian
Bill Cosby. The next year, we had
an astronaut, Shannon Lucid. A
step down, but still, she's looked
at Earth from space. Last year, we
had White House Counsel Alberto
Gonzales (Lovett '79). He would
later become a big name, but we
got lucky on that one.
When people ask a Harvard
graduate who spoke at his com-
mencement, they are going to be
impressed. When people ask me
who spoke at my commencement,
they are going to be confused. And
we wonder why Rice does not have
a better reputation.
Part of going to a selective institu-
tion is that there is some prestige in
the degree. The reason alumni give
money to the old alma mater is not
purely out of love for the school,
although they certainly have that.
What they are trying to do is make
sure their degrees stay valuable.
A Rice education is a great thing
to have, but what's really valuable
is when other people — transla-
tion: employers — know the value
of a Rice education. Hav-
ing a big-name speaker
is not just another way
for us to stick our noses
up and revel in how great
we are; it adds to Rice's
reputation, and that
translates to a tangible
boon to the university.
Our choice of com-
mencement speaker is a
question of priority: Do
we want to be a presti-
gious university on par
with the other academic heavy
hitters, or are we resigned to tak-
ing whatever we can get?
We are never going
to be the kind of
university we want to
be if we keep quitting
before we start.
Having a speaker from within
our own university without so
much as asking someone high-pro-
tile implies low self-esteem, and if
we broadcast low self-esteem, then
people will start to think it is war-
ranted. 1 think we should have the
confidence to trust that someone
would actually want to speak here,
that someone would consider it an
honor, even if they do want some
money for their trouble.
It is arguable that we do not
have that kind of clout. People
want to speak at Harvard because
it is Harvard, and so many other
great names have taken that po-
dium. Rice does not have that kind
of history, but we have to start
somewhere.
We are never going to be the
kind of university we want to be
if we keep quitting before we
start. That is not how any of us
got here. That is not how any of
<.<ur professors got here. We as a
in.versity are capable of some
amaing things. If it turns out I
am vtcng, I want us at least to be
capable of saying we tried.
Jeb Hritt is a hwett College senior.
the Rice Thresher
Iindsey Gilbert & Jonathan Yardley
Editors in Chief
NEWS
Jenny Rees, Editor
Clarence Yung, Asst. Editor
OPINION
Nathan Black, Editor
Stephanie Zimmerman, Cartoonist
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Jonathan Schumann, Editor
Julia Bursten, Asst. Editor
PHOTOGRAPHY
Marshall Robinson, Editor
Alex Sigeda, Editor
Rachel Davis. Asst. Editor
COPY
Risa Gordon, Editor
Elaine Ixc, Editor
SPORTS
Amber Obermeyer, Editor
Matt McCabe, Asst. Editor
Stephen Whitfield, Asst. Editor
BUSINESS
Debbie Miller, Business Manager
Elaine Lee, Payroll Manager
Bryan Steinfeld. Distribution Manager
Patrick Spicer, Distribution Manager
John Varghese, Office Manager
Sawyer Bansib. Subscriptions Manager
ADVERTISING
Matt Hamilton. Ads Manager
Michelle Grossman. Asst. Ads Manager
Rob Paek. Classified Ads Manager
CALENDAR
Cameron Day. Editor
The Rice Thresher, the official student
newspaper at Rice University since 1916,
is published each Friday during the school
year, except during examination periods and
holidays, by the students of Rice University.
Editorial and business offices are located
on the second floor of the Ley Student Center,
filOO Main St.. MS-524, Houston, TX 77005-
1892. Phone (713) 3484801 Fax (713) 348-
5238. E-mail: thresheriiprice.edu Web page:
www ncethresher. org
Annual subscription rate: $50 domestic,
$105 international. Nonsubscription rate: first
copy free, second copy $5.
The Thresher reserves the right to refuse
any advertising for any reason. Additionally,
the Thresher does not take responsibility
for the factual content of any ad. Printing
an advertisement does not constitute an
endorsement by the Thresher
Unsigned editorials represent the majority
opinion of the 77irfs/»ereditorial staff. All other
opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of
the author. The Backpage is satire.
The Threshers a member of the Associated
Collegiate Press and the Society of Professional
Journalists. Ops editor diary: Spent 20 hours
making section. 80 hours lining up staff box
€) COPYRIGHT 2005.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Gilbert, Lindsey & Yardley, Jonathan. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 92, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, February 4, 2005, newspaper, February 4, 2005; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443028/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1: accessed June 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.