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
' , . ' J r-> • 1 i. herein reserved. Second-Class postage piud at College
versify and community newspaper. Editorial policy is e* *.• t •
determined by the editor. a lon ’ exas - \yfir\ififcir-D
LETTERS POLICY MEMBER
_ t 1. 1 1 1 . » 1 Texas Press Association
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words o * w i- r-
. . . , . 1 1 .1 t r Southwest Journalism Congress
and are subject to being cut to that length or less ij
longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit Editor Jerry Needham
such letters and does not guarantee to publish any Managing Editor James Aitkeii
letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of Assignments Editor Rusty Cawley
the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Features Editor Lisa Junod
Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, News Editor Debby Krenek
The Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, Photography Director Kevin Vernier
College Station, Texas 77843. Sports Editor Paul Arnett
Represented nationally by National Educational • • • ^* e . Ve .^ e ' S
. , V. . c 1 ' ki vi Reporters .. Carolyn Blosser, Richard Chiunberlain,
Advertising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago Killough T ^ mmy Long George Maselli Paul
1— n ff5- es : 1 McGrath, Carol Meyer, Lynn Rossi, Melinda Shank-
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 les, John Tynes, Mary Alice Woodhams
per school year; $35.00 per full year. All subscriptions Asst. Photo Editors Tracie Nordheim,
subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising rates furnished on Mike Willy
Readers’
forum
Guest viewpoints, in addi
tion to Letters to the Editor,
are welcome. All pieces sub
mitted to Readers’ forum
• Limited to 100 lines
Submit articles to Reed
should be:
McDonald 217, College Sta-
• Typed triple space
• Limited to 60 characters per
line
tion, Texas, 77843. Author’s
name and phone number must
accompany all submissions.
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 <t
across the nation have been^y’ ^
by solicitations disguised as
for listings in teletype din^™"™
international business din''
advertisements in newspaf
magazines, and similarpubli
The Texas Deceptive
Practices-Consumer Proted
offers protection from false,
tive, or misleading busines
tices for business consumers
as individuals. Contacttbei'
General’s Consumer Proted
vision in Austin if you t
have been victimized in W
lar to the above.
You can often preve«|
abuses from occurring,
simply by designating
vidual to authorize all i«|
company contributions, ad'f?
or other purchases beforepd
The BBB also suggests thaj
vise all employees to refenW-i j
for contributions or authoir^
for purchases to this person Dash
In addition, the U.S. Pos'jg^ ^
ice now reejuires that all sol** 3
must be labeled as such, al» ;
the note that the recipient^
ligated to pay unless tl
cepted. If your business reivj
licitations designed to looH |
bills which do not carry t
mation, you should repo?
your local Postal Inspect^
ice’s Fraud Inspector.
Subscribe to the
DALLAS MORNING NEW
779-6505 after 5
K)3