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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1991)
Wednesday, October 16, 1991 The Battalion Page 3 Thomas confirmation divides Texas senators WASHINGTON (AP) - Texas Isenators stood squarely on oppo site sides of the issue Tuesday as [the Senate voted 52-48 to confirm [Supreme Court nominee Clarence [Thomas. Democrat Lloyd Bentsen voted [against Thomas — though not be cause of the sexual harassment al llegations that swirled around the [conservative judge, he said. Hours after blaming the [Democrats for perverting the con- [firmation process. Republican Sen. [Phil Gramm cast his ballot in fa- [vor of Thomas, only the second black appointed to the high court. Bentsen said, "I voted against [judge Thomas because of the con tradictions between the strong [views he expressed in earlier [speeches and articles and his an swers to questions during confir- [mation hearings. "In addition, he has only mini mum qualifications to serve on the highest court in the land. There are far more qualified individuals the president could have chosen." Gramm said Democrats am bushed Thomas with a "last- minute political charge." "When we get into politics and philosophy rather than into basic competence and character, we ba sically pervert the process," Gramm said in a speech on the Senate floor hours before the vote. "I don't think the Senate cov ered itself in glory in this pro cess," Gramm said after the vote. "The only positive thing I can say is that when all the mud was • Thomas wins confirmation to Supreme Court/Page 1 scraped away, I believe the Senate gave the right answer." Thousands of callers phoned Bentsen's and Gramm's offices Tuesday to register their opinion in the highly-politicized confirma tion process. "The switchboards were jammed," a Bentsen spokesman said. Although in previous days support for Thomas had fluctuat ed, the spokesman said that a ma jority of calls Tuesday were in support of the judge. Gramm's office logged over 5,000 calls between Monday morning and the vote, said press secretary Larry Neal. The calls ran from 2-to-l to 3-to-l in support of Thomas, he said. Both Texas Democrats and Re publicans agreed neither side was unsullied following three days of lurid hearings into allegations that Thomas sexually harassed a for mer employee. Crime Watch Most telephone calls are legitimate, but every now and then you may receive a call which is annoying or obscene. Texas criminal laws state a person commits an offense if he or she "causes the telephone of another to ring repeatedly or makes repeated telephone communications anonymously or in a manner reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, embarrass or offend another." Here are some helpful telephone tips: * If the call becomes obscene, abusive or profane, simply hang up! The caller wants to hear your shocked verbal reaction. * If the calls persist, call the police immediately and file a report. Keep a log of the calls, the times, a description of the caller's voice and what was said. * Don't answer questions you wouldn't respond to if they were asked by a stranger on the street. Never give confidential or personal information over the telephone to someone you don't know, especially credit card numbers. * Ask the caller to identify himself or herself first. If the caller asks, "Who is this?" or "What number is this?" — don't answer. Instead ask, "What party are you trying to reach?" or "What number did you call?" For more information on telephone tips, contact the Texas A&M University Police Crime Prevention Unit at 845-8900 or 845-6713. In Advance T-Camp seeks applicants for co-chair position Transfer Camp Co-Chairman applications are available and everyone is encouraged to apply. Janette Hennekes, associate director of T-Camp, says abso lutely no experience is necessary for those interested in the posi tions. Applications can be picked up in room 211 Pavilion. They are due at noon on Oct. 24. T-Camp provides transfer students a special orientation to familiarize them with A&M and its traditions, Hennekes says. Fort Worth police supervisors call for officer to be fired FORT WORTH(AP) — Supervisors of a po lice officer are recommending he be fired in the wake of a handcuffed prisoner's videotaped beating here. Edward J. Parnell III was named by the board of supervisors in connection with six im proprieties ranging from use of excessive force to creating unfavorable publicity for their de partment. Parnell said Monday he had received a let ter from Police Chief Thomas Windham notify ing him of the recommendation. He has been on restricted duty since he was videotaped July 3 using his baton to repeatedly strike the prisoner. A Tarrant County grand jury had cleared Parnell of any criminal wrongdoing. "I hurt," Parnell told the Fort Worth Star- Telegram. "But when this is finished, I believe I'll come out looking real good and vindicat ed." The next step for Parnell is to help choose a pre-disciplinary review panel made up of five police officers and then argue his case before it, said Lt. Ralph Swearingin, administrative as sistant to Windham. The supervisors' board stated in its letter that it had studied the findings of a police in ternal investigation in naming Parnell in the improprieties. ?TWEED $100??? Well the MSC Variety Show needs you. Variety Show Committee is looking for an aspiring comedian to serve as theEmcee for its Faculty Follies Production on Nov. 15th. Faculty Follies is a talent show featuring TAMU faculty and staff as well as faculty from area High Schools. Auditions will be held the night of Wednesday, Oct. 16. If you are interested in auditioning or would like more information please call Dan Erdberg, 847-1248, or leave a message at the Student Programs Office, 845-1515. 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PAULL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL CALL 776-0400 TILL 6:30, WEEKENDS 361-1500 Commission to overhaul penal code AUSTIN (AP) - A new com mission charged with overhauling Texas laws on crime and punish ment must make sure there is enough room in prison so violent criminals serve their full sentence, state leaders said Tuesday. "The emphasis must be on re serving our maximum security prison space for the most violent offenders," Gov. Ann Richards said as she announced appoint ments to the Texas Punishment Standards Commission. The 25-member commission, established by the recent state prison bill, will propose legisla tion in 1993 to rewrite the state pe nal code. "Our criminal justice system is broken," Richards said. "Texans are fed up with the spectacle of violent offenders be ing released from prison after serving only a fraction of their sentence. They are frustrated and angry with the revolving doors in our prison system." The panel will study punish ments for criminal offenses in Texas, sentencing practices in criminal courts, prison construc tion costs, jail and prison over crowding, and parole laws. "This commission has the op portunity' to restore some rational ity to the way we go about sen tencing criminals in this state," Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock said. "In doing so, their overriding concern must be to ensure that vi olent criminals in Texas serve the time — not just a fraction of it — that they deserve," he said. House Speaker Gib Lewis, D- Fort Worth, said the new panel "must develop a comprehensive, long-range strategy that will al low Texans to once again feel safe in their homes and their neighbor hoods." The panel includes five state senators, five House members and 15 public members. The senators, all Democrats, are Temple Dickson of Abilene, Rodney Ellis of Houston, Ted Lyon of Rockwall, Jim Turner of Crockett, and John Whitmire of Houston. Lyon said priorities must be made in sentencing so that "we are no longer turning loose mur derers and rapists to make room for hot check writers and petty thieves." He said the panel must also ensure that similar types of crimes receive the same punishment re gardless of where the crime oc curs. The House members are Bill Carter of Fort Worth, A1 Granoff of Dallas, Allen Hightower of Huntsville, Sam Russell of Mount Pleasant, and Mark Stiles of Beau mont. All are Democrats except Carter, a Republican. How American Express helps you cover more territory For less money Become a Student Cardmember today and get 3 roundtrips on Continental Airlines, for only $129 or $189 each. Only the American Express® Card offers an exciting travel program exclusively for students—including three roundtrip certificates on Continental Airlines. And much, much more. Just look at the map and pick the place you’d like to visit. 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