Page 2
THE BATTALION
College Station, Texas Thursday, October 4, 1973
CADET SLOUCH
by Jim Earle
Listen Up — Sb
Abortion Law Constitutionality Upheld
“ We had to do something . .
up for a photograph!”
they hate getting dressed
Editor:
Re: the letters from Mr. Har
ris and Mr. Curry which appear
ed in “Listen Up” on Oct. 2.
The abortion controversy seems
to stem from differing views on
whether or not a fetus constitutes
human life and is therefore enti
tled to life, liberty and the pur
suit of happiness. The Supreme
Court, in its January decision, of
fered these words in its final
statement:
We need not resolve the diffi
cult question of when life be
gins. When those trained in the
respective disciplines of medi
cine, philosophy and theology
are unable to arrive at any con
sensus, the judiciary at this
point in the development of
man’s knowledge, is not in a
position to speculate as to its
answer.
Anti-abortionists should realize
that their criticisms are late in
coming. As an example we can
see that for years, in hospitals
where therapeutics have been per
formed, the provisions of the law
have stated that the fetus may
be flushed down the toilet or
thrown out with the garbage. If
embryos were ever regarded as
human beings then certainly such
an improper treatment would nev
er have been allowed.
Last spring, as part of an Eng
lish research project, I conducted
a survey on the subject of abor
tion. (This does not make me an
authority on the matter, but many
Boycott Bike Registration
For those of you who have registered your two-wheeled,
pedal-powered contrivances with the University Police since
Sept. 17, the overall bicycle registration program seems to
be grinding to a standstill.
To this point, only 1,056 out of at least 3,000 bikes have
been processed by the police—a ridiculous number of reg
istrants, considering the program is mandatory for all rid
ing the vehicles on campus.
The program is being terribly mis-managed by the Uni
versity in several ways, the first of which being that ad
ministrators have refused to use common sense in the en
forcement of registration and state bike riding laws.
• Last year the Dean of Students Office decided to initiate
the registration program in the middle of the semester as
it did again this semester.
In addition to this, the Dean’s Office continually backed-
off the enforcement of registration deadlines—ones which
he set several times. As a result, the program was fruitless,
since the police office computer terminal was not installed
and only one-third of the number of riders registered and
no money went into the bike rack fund.
Part of the problem in this has been that the police
have never been asked how they think the program would
be best run, even though they are running it. For instance,
five days before the beginning of 1972’s registration, the
police could tell The Battalion nothing about the program,
because no one above had told them anything.
The same thing has almost repeated this year, except
the police expected a late-starting program.
Administrators have tripped over another problem this
semester, namely, how to enforce registration without stand
ing by bicycles for hours to wait for the owners and still
stay in the black, financially. At least autos already have
conspicuous license numbers, bikes don’t. And that wraps
up almost the entire problem in a nutshell.
We think the University should discontinue its manda
tory registration program until some equitable way of en
forcement is found and approved by all necessary groups.
The University should act on recommendations from
the University Police on enforcement and then place bike
registration periods with pre-registration periods.
The existing system is being sloppily handled and stu
dents should refuse to take part in the program until Uni
versity officials come up with a decent solution.
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'BUT, MRS. MEIR, IF THE AUSTRIANS HADN'T GONE ALONG WITH THE TERRORISTS . . . ER,
WHERE WOULD THAT LEAVE US?'
€bt Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of
the editor or of the writer of the article and are not
necessarily those of the University administration or
the Board of Directors. The Battalion is a non-profit,
self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a
University and Community newspaper.
LETTERS POLICY
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and are subject to being cut to that length or less if
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Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion,
Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas
77843.
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim
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MEMBER
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Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
EDITOR MIKE RICE
Managing Editor Rod Speer
News Editor T. C. Gallucci
Women’s Editor Louie Holzem
Sports Editor Kevin Coffey
Ass’t. Sports Editor Ted Boriskie
students have since asked
about the results of this survey.)
Two hundred students, 100 male
and 100 female, were randomly
selected and each was personally
interviewed. When asked if they
were in favor of the Court’s deci
sion, 79.5 percent of the students
answered in the affirmative. Al
though 200 students is a small
sample, these figures must be
somewhat representative of cam
pus opinion. This does not mean
that most students approve of
the act of abortion, but that most
students believe that anti-abortion
laws are unconstitutional. Mr.
Curry and Mr. Harris should
realize that infants are entitled
to due process and equal protec
tion under the Fourteenth Amend
ment, but fetuses are not. Abor
tion then becomes a moral choice
—and this nation has never toler
ated the legislation of morality.
The only breach of A&M’s
“credo of fair play” has been the
verbal attack on a woman who,
having made a choice which was
hers to make by law, now finds
herself severely criticized by two
people whose argument is made
solely by virtue of their personal
morals.
Mike Alford ’76
★ ★ ★
Editor:
When I moved to Dallas from
Chicago three years ago, I no
ticed how great everybody treat
ed me. When I came to A&M, I
really got into the brotherhood
that is so definitely felt here.
When A&M was all male, tra
dition was very intense. Every
one belonged to this brotherhood
and “howdy” was the password.
However in the last two years
tradition and all other “old Ag
stuff” has taken a dive. Inci
dents such as described by Kyle
Stephenson in the 9/27 Battalion
illustrate my sad point.
Guys became pretty close when
they are by themselves. But in
troduce a girl and it’s “every
man for himself,” “go find your
own,” “hey, that’s my girl.” I’m
glad the girls are here—believe
me. But let’s face it, old Ag tra
dition has paid for it—our tradi
tion. If we lose that, we will be
like U.T. Girls should feel no
guilt and to blame them would
be unjust. The fault doesn’t lie
with anyone.
But I’m an optimist. I love my
school and would do anything for
another Ag. This feeling is still
shared by most Ags but merely
subdued. So come on Ags. Pull
your heads out! Everybody get
with it! This is Texas A&M!
Smile! Say “Howdy”—don’t look
away. Let others know that you
care. This is the Land of the
Aggies! Act like it! We’re Ag
gies!
Russell Herring
★ ★ ★
Editor:
We Ag’s who were unfortunate
enough to get our student tickets
in the south sections of Kyle
Field would be interested to
know why there are no yell lead
ers down there. We feel we have
just as much spirit as any Ag,
but we are left out on many
the yells. As anyone could
that fighting twelfth man t
there the entire game. I am
the absence of yell leaders li
nothing to do with the facttl
most of us were non-regs.
there any reason?
Judson Prince’ll
Randy Triplett ’*
Mike Krueger ’Ij
★ ★ ★
Editor:
Why, with
so much traffic
campus on game nights, is tj conS piracy
DALLA!
paftment
with the
Sharpstow
concern tl
of two r
President
testified 1
Mitchell,
era! at th
witness c
Texas off
indictment
traffic light at University Drii
and Nagle Street switched
“blinking?” The traffic on Us
versity Drive is tremendous
the game and it is impossible:
cross over to Nagle on the bliri
ing red light
We made good time on campi
until we got to that red light
then the line of traffic was baa
the scanda
Wee!
ed up as far as the A&M Pm ; pected at
Building. I wish to request
this light be allowed to workrs
ularly on home game nights.
Hattie M. Emery
Rick Brown—
Texas Fighters: Sexists vs Commies
Texas is currently in the process of adopting new textbooks for
use in our public schools across the state. Some 316 books are under
consideration, 142 of which have been challenged for one reason or
another by any of several groups basically representative of two
ideological poles, the more radical of the women’s libbers and those
groups to the right of Republicans. The authors are all a bunch
of sexist pigs on one hand; they’re all a bunch of pinko commies
on the other.
Legitimate complaints do exist in some cases, but many of the
objections have been trivial sometimes bordering on the inane.
Snow White, for example, is nothing but a sex symbol, according
to the libbers, and as such degrades all women. The fable psycho
logically conditions children to accepting the woman’s role in society
as secondary and inferior to that of the male. She just has to go.
(Chalk one up for the Bad Queen.) Other feminists’ objections are
of a similar vein, with one objection being raised regarding a picture
in which a man was driving a car with a woman sitting beside him.
“Why can’t the woman drive for a change?” quipped one libber.
As I said not all comments have been trivial. One book was
cited as having but one picture of a woman in the entire text, and
that one picture showed her in a kitchen with an apron on. That
is sexism. The book shuld be rejected by the state or altered by
the publisher before adoption.
On the other side of the spectrum Mrs. R. C. Bearden Jr of
Abilene, chairwoman of the Texas Society of the Daughter’s of the
American Revolution, has had comments on a wide variety of materisi
from the proposed textbooks. On sex, Mrs. Bearden is agin’it, at
least as far as telling kids about it goes. Speaking about the seventi
grade physiology book which describes childbirth, the menstrua!
cycle, and development of the male sex organs, she said, “It’ll teat
up your classroom because you won’t have any order, and it’ll teat
up your school because the mamas and papas will be up there ob
jecting to it.” Presumably the “mamas and papas” (known in so®
circles as parents) alluded to by Mrs. Bearden are also member-
of the DAR or similar groups. In reply the book publishers saic
“It is precisely this hush-hush attitude about such topics as menstrua
tion that causes unwarranted embarrassment.” And they are right
Mrs. Bearden also vocalized here support of pollutions, at leas
in small amounts. Specifically she objected to a comment from i
sixth grade health text which advised, “a pesticide should not br
used when a fly swatter will do.” She went on to say in effec
that environmentalists have blown problems all out of porportio:
and created unwarranted panic. In many cases this is true, but tbf
statement above is valid and based on common sense, somethin?
with which Mrs. Bearden is not overly blessed.
But wait. What? No protest on evolution! Put your mind at
rest anxious student, for Mrs. Mel Gabler of Longview has come
through, saying that Cro-Magnon men were merely victims of
arthritis.
At least
Classroom
at Texas
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FINAL CLEARANCE
ON SELECT
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SPORT SHIRTS
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DIG OUT THESE VALUES!
20% on Long Sleeve Dress Shirts
20% on Pants
F]
IV
Texas A&M
Bookstore
PEA
In the University Center