Page 2 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1977 Opinion/Commentary/Letters Gilmore death doesn’t silence protest Editor: Shortly after dawn on Monday, Jan. 17, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore was executed by a Utah fir ing squad. His death carried with it the significance of ending a ten-year moratorium of capital punishment in the United States. Reactions to Gilmore’s execution were, as ex pected, divided and strong. Outside the Utah prison a vigil of protestors to the execution stood through the dawn and into the afternoon. A Lewis-Harris poll conducted before the execution showed a different sentiment. It found 71 per cent of the persons it questioned favored the death penalty and only 19 per cent opposed it. If the people have spoken, their voices will be heard again and again, for there are dozens of men throughout the country whose fate seem to be closing in. Again the question is posed, “Is the death penalty necessary, useful or moral?” Perhaps society demands its ven geance and will exact punishment upon its offenders, whether it is therapeutic or not. Meager evi dence bears this out, for when a survey was taken ascertaining Americans’ views on the penal sys tem they responded that they fa vored punishment for some crimes, even if it was certain that the offen der would never again commit them. So capital punishment does serve the people as a tool for their vengeance. Whether this service is beneficial to society is extremely dubious. The most widely spread argu ment favoring capital punishment is that it is a deterrent. This is based on speculation rather than careful analysis. If it is truly a deterrent there is strong reason to continue its use, for victims’ rights, and future victims’ rights, should be our paramount concern. If criminals do preview their actions as ultimately ending in their executions, there might well be less killing, unless the criminal did not care about dying. But what if the attacker wanted to die, as in Gilmore’s case? Then the death penalty would be an induce ment (rather than a deterrent) to kill. Almost without exception. criminals do not expect to be caught and do not stop to consider the con sequences of their actions. Most killings are spontaneous expressions of passion, devoid of consideration about society’s reaction. Caryl Chessman, who was executed in San Quentin on May 20, 1960, wrote these words in an eloquent letter to the Governor of California: “The death penalty does not deter; it does not protect society. On the contrary it leaves it defenseless, since as long as we have execution ers and gas chambers, we will be content to believe that we can bury the problem with the offender. We think that revenge is enough. It isn’t. We must find why men kill and we must learn to prevent kill ing. We must become as intensely concerned with tomorrow’s pro spective victims as yesterday’s ac tual ones.” An obvious obscenity of the state performing executions is that it places a low value on human life and admits its own impotence. It is a “let’s murder the murderers” phi losophy. I think there must be a better way. To object to executions does not imply that murder is not horrible. In Gilmore’s case, his ac tions were worse than detestable and if allowed to live, it would be obligatory that he never be freed. But his victims are dead, and no thing can resurrect them. What we can do is to protest the current system of dealing with our “worst” citizens. Would it be im possible for us to say, “We will never forgive you but we will not lower ourselves to the level you did.”? For Texans, this is an espe cially timely question. We have several men currently on death row. If you feel, as I do, that these men’s blood should not be on our hands then I urge you to write to the Gov ernor, expressing your views. We live in a democracy and the will of the majority cannot be ignored. —Bob Rios Texas Taxes Slouch by Jim Earle “I’VE BEAT TH’ COLD, BUT I CAN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET TO CLASS!” By Bob Bullock, State Comptroller Taxpayer rights have received new emphasis in the comptroller’s office. Some of these rights are re viewed in this column. As a state taxpayer, you are entitled to protest and appeal any tax assessment you think is im proper or unfair. That is your right under the law. Contrary to what many think, you don’t need a lawyer or accountant to appeal. And in most cases, you won’t even have to leave your home. If you feel that your assessment is improper, you are entitled to a re determination hearing before an ex aminer from this office. After receiv ing your request, our office will set a time and a date for hearing and notify you by mail. You may argue your case in per son or designate an attorney, ac countant or anyone else to repre sent you. If it would be more con venient, you may submit your ar guments in writing. After consideration of the evi dence, the examiner will make a recommendation to me to either uphold the assessment or revise it. I will make the final decision after re viewing the case and notify you in writing. If you are not satisfied, you have 15 days to file a motion for a rehear ing. If you fail to do so within that time, my decision is final. I have 45 days from the time I make an initial ruling in which to rule on a motion for a rehearing. If I take no action within the time al lowed, the motion for rehearing is deemed overruled. If you still are not satisfied, you may appeal my ruling by filing a pet ition in a district court in Travis County. The petition must be filed within 30 days from the date of my denial of the rehearing motion. As a precaution, you may want to pay the tax under protest prior to filing the petition in the district court. The courts have not finally resolved the issue of whether pay ment under protest is required be fore the case can be heard in the district court. Battalion ^ . t . rjii n i. .» r.i request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216, Reed Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those oj the u « -u- ^>11 c* ».• ^ r .' rA J McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. editor or of the writer of the article and are not neces- j ™ t ^ i- ^-..i 1 1 • 1 » . 1a1 r a i r - , 1 , , .1 United Press International is entitled exclusively to sanly those of the University administration or the . c , r n t , , D I r D t rri n i- r* if the use tor reproduction ot all news dispatches cred- Board of Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self- . r 1 c n A A if . j r . ited to it. Rights ot reproduction ot all other matter supporting enterprise operated by students as a uni- . 10 1 » 1*^11 ' , . 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New staff jockeys for po Vi • 11 • 1 In aits ■an«« ■ui.na San WASHINGTON — Two chance remarks, quite unrelated, triggered the memory. A soon-to-retire member of the Ford Cabinet, prob ably an embittered fellow, said that President-elect Carter was starting to look like a man who bent to the advice of whoever talked to him last. And Jack Watson, the Carter transition planning chief, said Car ter would fill the White House with special assistants who knew better than to invoke the President’s name to impress Cabinet members or other lesser bureaucratic creatures. I knew the two remarks were somehow connected, and, staring at the bookcase, I spied the slim vol ume that linked them. It is called “Who Talked to the President Last?” and it was published five years ago by Will Sparks, a writer who endured the Lyndon Johnson White House and other chastening experiences. It is a survival guide for new gov ernment officials and would make an ideal present for your nephews Hamilton, Jody, Zbigniew, Griffin, Cecil, Cyrus, or Bert — those obscure relatives whose names seem to be in the paper all the time now. It will tell them more than all the Brookings books ever published about how government really works. For Cabinet members, Sparks says, the first critical requirement is that “you must decide why the Pres ident gave you the job. In making the appointment, the President will say that after a nationwide talent search he has found exactly the right man for the job. The President is delighted and deeply grateful that you have consented to serve, at great personal sacrifice, in this most exacting office. Indeed, the Presi dent believes, in these trying times, yours may prove to be the most crit ical Cabinet post of his administra tion. “Since the President makes this same speech every time he appoints a new Cabinet officer,” Sparks notes, “nobody believes it, least of all the President.” So the Cabinet officer must de vise a more plausible explanation o his appointment. Sparks lists three possibilities — “you are a close friend of the President; you have a WELCOME BACK AGGIES When you get settled in, come by and see us about your banking needs — we’ve been serving Aggies for over 30 years. IST^VTION^VL f BAISTKI “ON THE SIDE OF TEXAS. A&M” 711 UNIVERSITY DR. MEMBER FDIC 846-8751 Drive-In & Walk Up Windows Open Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. © EL Chic©' m 10% DISCOUNT FOR STUDENTS With presentation of A&M I.D. Good at all hours all semester 3109 TEXAS AVE. 823-7470 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS ELECTRONIC CALCULATORS Regular Sale Model Price Price TI-30 $24.95 $21.50 SR-40 39.95 33.95 Bus. Analyst 39.95 33.95 SR-51-II 69.95 59.95 SR-52 250.00 209.95 SR-56 109.95 93.50 PC-1 00 200.00 169.95 Plus $2.50 Shipping SEND MONEY ORDER OR CASHIERS CHECK FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY DISCOUNT CALCULATOR SALES P. O. BOX 30392 .DALLAS, TEXAS 75230 PHONE 214-691-0215. David S. Broder Witf power base within the party; or you are a genius” — and then helpfully explains why all three will surely lead to disaster — or forced resigna tion. As to the White House staff members. Sparks starts with the basics — how to be the assistant who sees the President first in the morning and last at night, i.e., how to get into the President’s bedroom if your name is not Rosalynn. “What transpires in the bedroom, what is actually said to you by the President, is of no real importance, ” he concedes. “Far more important is the fact that you are free for the rest of the day to begin conversa tions with, ‘The President told me in the bedroom this morn- ing. Not being aware of the Watson- Carter dictum against pushy presi dential assistants. Sparks furnishes in his book a sample conversation between a White House aide and a Cabinet member. It goes like this: “Mr. Secretary, this is Julien Sorel, at the White House. I’m glad to find you still in the office.” “I’m not still in the office, Mr. Sorel, I’m at home. In bed. With my wife. But what can I do for you.” “I’m terribly sorry, Mil tary. I guess the Presidenfl sumed that you, ofallpeof still be working. At any before the President weni he asked me to tell you would like to see that resit oil report first thing in it ing.” “Just a minute, youngc may not be aware of it, bill specific understandings President that I’m togetmijj ing instructions from body else.” "I understand that, Mi tary. After all, you area mi the Cabinet. All I can tell)! when the President was p.| his pajamas a few minute;I did ask me to call you, amp say he’d like to have the thing in the morning. Hesfl asleep by now, but if you: ( to awake him. . ." , , Link I Sparks advice to the PkBlj,. contained in a final ehagtM*' to Control the White Horn™, very basic advice: “You ik President, personally « »g. signments to the Whitr mess, office space, telepkL_^i ice, access to White f limousines and invitationfl H ouse receptions and Under no circumstances these powers be delegati are really your only tools foil ling the egocentric-i tremely powerful — bundK morants who constitute yoi Richard Nixon igwyted advice. And we know whalU^ did to him. 1976, The Washington Pe^j(| Consumer Alert From the Texas Businesses can be consumers and they can have some special types of consumer problems that individual consumers never have to face. As a matter of fact, sometimes un scrupulous “con artists” and other fraudulent operators concentrate their energies solely on trying to take advantage of business persons. They figure that with the usual flow of billings and payments a business handles routinely, some dollars di verted their way will never be mis sed. Some Texas business com munities recently have experienced a wave of specialized frauds aimed at “conning” them into paying for products or services never received or items which were received al though they had never been or dered. One ploy is to call a secretary, of fice manager, or clerk to offer “dis counted” prices on office products, such as toner for copying machines. Lawyers in the Consumer Protec tion Division have learned that one approach is to say that a customer in the same city had cancelled an order for the product, but that it was al ready in shipment. “In order to save the expense of having it returned to the home office,” the caller says he is authorized to sell it at a “reduced price.” Or the caller may indicate that the person will receive a special bonus, such as a television, if an order is placed. The caller usually wants to acquire a name and address to use for “authorization” before sending the product. Even if no order is placed, the product may be sent anyway, and the company bil led. The Better Business Bureau re ports that some unscrupulous sales persons intentionally bypass per- Consumer Protection pe Ci sons in authority and tallE with a janitor or maintenij son. In these cases, the sell’ a small, inexpensive gift) janitor for his time, in order) him a line of office maiif goods. In order to get thei janitor has to sign a receipt! the company is sent a shipiChgr office goods based on theS|jy m g “authorization” on the gift? Businesses not only in