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THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 1977
V
Viewpoint
The Battalion
April 26, 1977
Readers’ Forum
Morals need
By HOLT WILLIAMSON
On first hearing of the controversy between the gay activists
and their opponents, I was immediately struck by the signifi
cance of the situation. As the vitriolic and hysterical harangues
against this minority increased in number and volume, I began
to perceive more clearly the problem and its ominous conse
quences. Finally, when the administration of a major state
university (the bastion of tolerance, enlightenment, and truth)
joins forces with the herd of the small-minded to deprive homo
sexuals of their fundamental rights as loyal, tax-paying, Ameri
can citizens it becomes necessary to take appropriate action.
I think everyone will agree there is something wrong here. I
always thought American citizens were born with certain inal
ienable rights and to deprive the citizen of these rights consti
tuted the greatest of social and moral sins. Now, when a person,
a university administration, or even society itself denies an
individual the inalienable and legal rights guaranteed him by
that same society, then, yes indeed, there is something drasti
cally wrong. It might be a case of social schizophrenia or simple
repression. Both diseases are intolerable in a healthy, free
society.
America has always stood for individual freedom and liberty.
The terms are synonomous. America is liberty and freedom, at
least that is the great concept to which my allegiance was
pledged throughout my childhood days in a small school in a
dry, dusty West Texas town. Did someone tell that child a lie? If
so, does an individual owe his allegiance to a nation whose
morality is based on lies? I am sort of confused and I would like
some answers. I was taught to respect the rights of my fellow
man, regardless of whether or not I agreed with him; regardless
of whether or not his actions slightly upset my stomach. In fact,
as the international standard bearer of freedom, I was expected
and obligated to defend his rights. After all, that was why we
were in Viet Nam, wasn’t it? Strange, that with such a cause we
could have lost; or were we fighting for the wrong cause in the
wrong country? Stop! Go to your bedrooms. Look in the mirror.
re-evaluation
You need go no further to find the enemy. We, ourselves are
the most dangerous threats to the things we hold most dear —
to the greatest and best values of this country. Why are we the
threat? Because we are ignorant, we are apathetic and lethar
gic. Because we have taken liberty and freedom for granted for
so long we have forgotten what they mean. We have allowed
“cheap, little hustlers” like Richard Nixon to redefine our sym
bols, the language. “Annihilation” grew to mean “pacification;”
the infamous deeds of a powerful, authoritarian organization,
i.e. the university administration, are described as “valiant;”
“freedom” now means “repression. ” Oh yes, I heartily concur,
something is dreadfully wrong.
In our numbness we have become vulnerable to the greatest
weakness of a democracy— the tyranny of the majority over the
minority. This danger is manifested by the predominance of the
misconceived idea that might makes right; the distorted idea
that prompts the question, “Why can’t everybody be normal
like me?” In a truly free society, “majority rule” can never be
the justification for oppression. If it is, then the people are using
the same deplorable tactics as those of totalitarian or despotic
regimes. Are we ready for that yet?
To deprive someone of his right to peacefully join in associa
tion with those of his own choosing and to express the group’s
views; to prevent him from exercising the fundamental rights
due all American citizens is wrong. Such societal restraint is like
trying to cure the common cold with a flame thrower. The
disease is successfully extinguished but at the expense of the life
of the patient. Societal and political repression of ideas, be
havior, and attitudes simply because they do not correspond to
those of the majority is tantamount to committing social
suicide. We will have overthrown ourselves.
As a product of the Viet Nam War, I heard a lot about
patriotism. Everybody claimed to be one so I know there are a
lot of you out there. Step out of the shadows where I can see
you. Stand up for America, Liberty and Freedom for All. The
battle is in your own backyard.
Holt Williamson is a University employe.
Letters to the Editor
Displaced sailors denied lake
Editor:
On March 4 an article was pub
lished on the front page of The Bat-
I'/talion, entitled “Bryan to Drain
"‘‘'‘bake.” The article stated that the
'‘Bryan Municipal Lake was to be
drained for removal of arsenic resi-
' due which initially came from waste
seepage from Pennwalt Corpora
tion’s Agchem-Decco Division on
Dodge Street in Bryan.
The main concern of the article
■i seemed to center around the effect
the drained lake would have on the
Texas A&M University Sailing
Club. Since the lake will contain no
water for some time, after drainage,
the effect will obviously be a recre
ational disaster and a great detri
ment to the club.
In an effort to compensate for this
expected drainage the club is look
ing elsewhere to carry on its activi
ty. According to Jerry Mainord, ad
visor to the TAMU Sailing Club, the
(i most probable site would be the
cooling lakes of the Roland Dansby
Power Plant north of Bryan. This
would seem to be an excellent
choice regarding location and acces
sibility. Regardless of the unavoid
able situation the City of Bryan
seems to be reluctant in making ar
rangements for the club to use the
lake. Since Bryan charges a $2 fee
per automobile to enter the park
area surrounding the lake, there
seems to be some problems for the
club in the use of the lake.
The article stated that the club
has made no financial arrangements
with Bryan for the use of the lakes
because the city is unwilling to give
special consideration to groups.
They had also submitted a proposal,
in 1976, requesting space for a club
facility and permission to enter the
park after paying a yearly fee. This
proposal was turned down.
I do not understand Bryan’s
rationale for their decisions con
cerning this situation. When the
proposals and philosophy behind
the Dansby Power Project became
known to me, recreation was a
major underlying benefactor as
sociated with the cooling lakes. The
lakes and surrounding park areas
would provide good outdoor recre
ational opportunity which is essen
tial to a community such as Bryan-
College Station. With this philoso
phy in mind, I should think Bryan
would jump at the chance to incor
porate and expand the recreational
program of the Dansby Park Area. I
feel that sailing is a quality activity
and would be an attribute to any
recreation program with a facility to
accommodate such an activity. I
sympathize with the sailing club be
cause of the inevitable situation and
would like to hear more.
—Mike Hunter, ’77
Recreation and Parks
Wheelchair day
no light matter
Editor:
While glancing at the front page
picture in The Battalion on April 20,
I was appalled at what I saw. The
photo was of the administrators and
instructors participating in Wheel
chair Awareness Day activities by
actually portraying a wheelchair
victim for the day. What upsets me
is that these people appear to enjoy
their ride by their facial ex
pressions. This is defeating the pur
pose of the event. The day was sup
posed to show the many difficulties
wheelchair-bound individuals ex
perience daily, not how much fun it
is to get a free ride. How are we as
students supposed to respond if our
own administrators treat such an
event so lightly?
— Chuck Burr, ’79
Ag worth his
weight in wallets
Editor:
Last week I lost my wallet while
bicycling in Bryan. I had no hope of
seeing my driver’s license, credit
cards, ID, etc. again. A couple of
days later it was delivered to me by
a fellow Aggie. He had taken the
time and trouble of getting my ad
dress, then finding it, to make sure I
got my wallet. Such a thing could
happen at no place but Texas A&M.
Thanks again.
—S. Taylor
Fraternity
receives thanks
Editor:
The clients and staff of Dilly Shaw
Farm and Vocational Training Cen
ter and Robertson County Activity
Center want to thank the Lambda
Chi Alpha Fraternity for the Easter
Party given to us on April 7, 1977.
The party was a big success and
included food, beverage and music
donated by Lambda Chi. The party
also allowed the clients to dance and
to socialize with others which usu
ally happens too infrequently. I and
my staff were quite impressed with
the enthusiasm and organization of
this fraternity and their efforts have
helped to develop basic social skills
and self confidence within our
clients. Again, thanks.
—William C. Morgan, Director
Slouch by
rzerofcTi
ohice 1 '
“IT’S JUST MY WAY OF TRYING TO MAKE THE LAST WEEK INTERESTING!
FOR GRADUATING SENIORS!”
Commentary
Growth for a cause
By DAVID S. BRODER
WASHINGTON — There’s a rich irony about the
organization called Common Cause. It identifies itself
as a public-interest group, as opposed to the putatively
wicked special interest groups. Its great crusade has
been to open up the political-governmental system to
participation by “the people.”
And yet Common Cause itself is a model of elitism.
Its membership of 250,000 comprises one-tenth of one
percent of the American public. By the estimate of its
president, David Cohen, less than one-tenth of those
members do more than write their annual dues check
and maybe an occasional letter to their congressman.
From its birth in 1970, Common Cause has largely
been an expression of the personal values, philosophy
and program of its founder and chairman, John Gard
ner, a classic American aristocrat.
And yet, it’s fair to say, I think, that this highly un
representative organization of mostly comfortably fixed
and well-educated folks has had more impact on chang
ing — and opening up — our political system than any
other group in America these recent years.
Common Cause was on my mind because Gardner
recently turned over the chairmanship to Nan
Waterman of Muscatine, Iowa, and took up a kind of
emeritus role at the age of 64.
What he and Common Cause have done these last
seven years has been rather extraordinary. They have
played a leading role in the weakening of the congres
sional seniority system, the passage of public financing
for presidential campaigns and other major campaign
reform legislation, and in the enactment of ethics,
conflict-of-interest and “open government” statutes at
both state and federal levels.
Another way of measuring their impact is to note that
among their chief antagonists were former President
Richard Nixon and former Rep. Wayne Hays.
This kind of clout seemed rather implausible seven
years ago when Gardner, a former foundation president
and outcast Republican alumnus of the Lyndon
Johnson Cabinet, announced formation of a new citi
zens’ group which would go beyond the conventional
“causes” and focus on the fundamental forces that de
nied accountability in the political system. “Rampant
goo-goo-ism,” was the judgment of the Washington
wiseacres.
It turned out that the cynics were wrong and Gard
ner was right. There was a constituency of angry citi
zens, who could be educated to the fact that you
couldn’t stop the Vietnam War until you changed the
internal procedures of the House of Representatives
that had denied its members a chance to cast a rec
orded vote on the war. Gardner mobilized tlo!
zens on behalf of significant but obscure si
reforms.
Gardner’s definition of “reform” isn’t everyow
of tea — including mine. Some provisions of
paign finance and ethics codes Common Cause
through strike me as excessive, imprudent
lent of an unacknowledged bias for middle-4
tivism over any other form of political partiq
But I have to admire his skill in creating!
constituency for that handful of congressmen
legislators who were battling for accountabilil
openness in their own sectors of government.
And I have to like the orneriness Common
showed in making life miserable for the defeni
the old devices for dodging responsibility
badgered them with law suits, publicity and
political reprisal. As Gardner said the other cb
been through some rough issues — race andpovei
but I never knew what real slugging was untillgi
the ways people in power preserved their power 1
seven years, he has given as good as he has go
Along the way, Gardner hit on an organizatii
vice that seems to give at least a quarter-millto
zens of this sometimes cynical land a genuinef? 1
that they can have a real, personal impact on tk
their government operates. And that is no smalli !
either.
Now, in keeping with his ideas about self-rew
organizations, Gardner is turning over the clia
ship to Waterman and the day-to-day direction
hen. ;|L
But what Waterman mentions as his unique qm <
— “his sense of commitment, his real indignatioi ’
clarity of his thinking and his skill in communto 1 >
— will still be used on behalf of Common Cause
And Gardner has no doubt that Common Cause s
its equivalent — will be needed for a long time,
though the battle for openness and accountatt 1
Congress has been remarkably successful, he said 1
jungle grows back over the clearing.”
And the struggle for similar safeguards in the©*
five branch has barely begun. Gardner looks at
Carter — a Common Cause backer — with
crossed.
“It’s an open administration,” he said, “butitlf
met its greatest test. The paranoia sets in later.
When that time comes, this deceptively c!
mannered man and the organization he has create!
be around. And that’s probably a good thing fori E
us.
©1977, The Washington Post
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