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Page 2 Viewpoint The Battalion Friday Texas A&M University October 7, 1977 Time to boycott Amin While the whole theory of economic boycott of countries whose human rights policies differ from those of the U. S. won’t stand up, the idea of boycotting such a flagrant tyrant as Idi Amin of Uganda has a strong appeal. The House of Representatives will be asked to do that very thing soon in legislation to be introduced by Rep. Don Pease, D-Ohio. Pease says the U. S. should quit buying green coffee from Uganda, from which the government of Idi Amin received nearly $177 million in the first six months of 1977. That is a third of Uganda’s total export earnings. Pease contends Amin is able to stay in power by paying his army well and allowing them freedom to loot and kill, and that the coffee money from the U. S. helps him do just that. The idea of trading with only those countries whose policies are agreeable inevitably breaks down at some point. If pursued to its logical extreme, we would find ourselves trading with only a handful of highly developed demo cratic countries, most of whom would not be able to supply the raw materials needed for U. S. industry. Yet the U. S.— under pressure from third world nations — boycotts Rhodesia, refusing to buy Rhodesian chromium because of the policies of the white minority government of Ian Smith. But even Smith’s most dedicated enemies have never accused his gov ernment of the atrocities that most of the world agrees occur daily under the tyrant Amin in Uganda. Pease’s agrument for a boycott of Ugandan coffee is powerful and one that the Congress will find difficult to overlook. Tulsa World Aggie fever — is it taking over your mind? By.-J. WAGNER TYNES I bet you think you have a lot of prob lems that don’t ever seem to bother any one else in the world. Things like too much homework, bad grades, no date for the next home game, indigestion from bad food, sore feet from walking too far to class, etc. Well I’ve got news for you. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Thanks to a tip from one of my anony mous sources. Shallow Throat, I dis covered that the Quack Shack contains a special ward that the public never sees nor hears about. It’s a ward reserved for students with personal problems that have turned them into deranged raving, froth- ing-at-the-mouth type lunatics. These poor individuals are the victims of various traditions and situations around A&M that consumed their very souls, leaving but a shattered remnant of the original student. One recent afternoon, I equipped my self with notebook, pen, and copy of my First Amendment Rights As A Responsi ble Journalist and headed for the Health Center to confront the doctors with my information. I entered the antiseptic-smelling build ing and confidently approached the nurses’ station, where I demanded access to the secret ward. “I want in!” I stated in an impressive, Robert Harvey-type voice. “In where? replied a small, friendly looking man. Don’t give ME that evasive technical jargon, I shouted, “I know you medical types! Always claiming we journalists don’t understand! Always trying to confuse us with factual garbage!” About this time, I realized by the fearful United Press International WASHINGTON—They’ve done it again, those Congressmen who are so con cerned about Congress public image and complain that the press is always taking cheap shots at them. Washington Window For the first time in slightly more than a decade this observer has covered the House, a bill was introduced, called up minutes later and passed by voice. No reference to a committee for hear ings, no debate, no explanation, no printed copies of the bill or an accompany ing report, no record vote; Even the venerable Congressional Rec ord, in reporting the previous day’s ac tivities, showed only that Rep. William Ford, D-Mich., asked and got unanimous consent “for the immediate consideration of the bill H.R. 9262...” It was done that way, with the obvious planning of the Democratic leadership and the silent acquiesence of the 70 or 80 members on the floor at the time, because it gave a One shot increase in Con- Letters to the editor look on the doctor’s face that I was taking the wrong tactic. I decided to calm down and try a different method: “I’d like to see where you keep the crazies, please.” Sure,” he said, “right this way.” We entered the elevator and he pressed a panel in the wall. The car slid downward past the basement into a secret level deep below the ground. We stepped out into a long white cor ridor broken on either side only by small metal doors and windows. The doctor ex plained in a quiet voice that the windows were one-way mirrors that allowed the doctors to observe the patients without the patients’ knowing. Humor Slightly apprehensive, I stepped to the nearest window and peered into the small room beyond. In the center of the room was a large table covered with food of the best kind: fresh fruit, tender meats, steam ing dishes of mouth-watering vegetables and plates of scrumptious-looking des serts. My stomach growled. Then I noticed an emaciated individual squatting over in one corner. He was star ing off in the distance and chewing methodically on a greasy piece of chicken with pieces of a greasy hamburger and a greasy pizza lying on the floor in front of him. “This is a sad case,” the doctor said. “That poor boy was making an honest ef fort to save money so he told himself he would never eat except at Sbisa. That wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t tried to keep it up for three years. Why, gressmen’s pensions to encourage the older members to retire and make room for younger blood. It’s the kind of thing that many mem bers would say “the press would distort and not report objectively if there had been public debate. The bill had merit. Even Common Cause, the citizen’s lobbying group which he even sneaked food out on Sunday after noon so he’d have something for Sunday night. “Presently the mere thought of good food sends him into convulsions. We think that we may be able to save him if we keep good food in front of him, but it hasn’t worked yet.” Feeling less hungry, I moved to the next window. Inside was a well-dressed young man strutting back and forth and talking to himself in a loud voice, uttering a rambling, incoherent speech with no rel evance to anything. “This man used to be high in the ranks of student government,” the doctor ex plained. “But he began to feel pressured and eventually broke down. He began giv ing rambling speeches at any time, any where: to his tennis racket on the court, in the middle of a movie, or to the speaker at Jack-in-the-Box. I’m afraid it’s hopeless.” Feeling less talkative, I moved down the hall. In the next room was a student wearing overalls that were embroidered with many Texas A&M sayings. I was sur prised to see him humping it and giving a hearty “Farmers Fight! The doctor explained, “This fellow went to one too many yell practices and got just a little too involved. He took to perform ing yells in the middle of class or church or wherever he felt like it. It was really kind of sad. He never could get anyone to yell with him. It just tore him up. “There’s hope left for him, however. We think that with a little rehabilitation, he can be trained for a successful career as a yell leader.” I was pretty depressed by this time. I peered into the next window to see a pret ty young woman clad in soaking clothes with a crazed look in her eyes. Glancing fast one on has little favor among congressmen, sup ported its objective. It’s doubtful, how ever, that it supported the method of pas sage. What the bill did was allow pensions for those, retiring next year to be figured from the current salary base, rather than de termining the base from the average of the three highest year’s salaries, which is now around, I saw a large tank of water. I noticed that the girl was staring intently at the water. “Now this girl really has a problem,” the doctor stepped in to explain again, “She is a victim of a terrible act: over-quadding. She was quadded so many times by so many people that it took over her mind and became a part of her lifestyle. It got to the point that she couldn’t walk past the Fish Pond or Rudder Fountain without ripping off her watch and shoes and throw ing herself into the water on the count of three.” At this point, the doctor nudged me on down the hall to an empty room. “This next room is being reserved,” he said. “We expect someone to come along any day now who will fit into it with ease. ” Perplexed, I looked into the room. The sight that greeted my eyes was enough to chill me to my allegedly journalistic bones. I broke out in a nervous sweat, stuttered out a thanks to the doctor and left the ward as fast as I could press the button on the elevator. So if you think you have problems, you’ve got another thing coming. Be wary of unexplained traditions and A&M ac tivities, they may be waiting to take over your mind. You, too, could be one of the unfortunate individuals stuck in the secret dungeon of the Beutel Health Center. I have a special problem. The memory of that unoccupied room still haunts me and gives me nightmares. It was decorated with precisely the same furnishings as the Battalion newsroom. I think maybe I’ll start working at home. Tijnes is a junior journalism major. This column contains his own opinions and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of this newspaper. pensions in law and which will resume in January- 1979. For any House or Senate member retir ing with the maximum pension, it means a one-time $3,426 a year increase in his pen sion over what he would get under the regular system. At last count, six Senators and 11 House members plant to retire next year. Another nine are seeking other offices and could come under the pension if they lose. Dan Glickman, a freshman Democrat from Kansas, said he wasn’t aware of what happened until he read about it the next day in his hometown newspaper. “I was absolutely disgusted when I found out,” said Glickman. So were Reps. Andy Jaeops, D-Inc., and Martha Keys, D-Kan. The three immediately introduced a resolution to amend the rules of the House “to require that measures affecting the salaries, freebies or emoluments of mem bers or former members of Congress be adopted by roll call vote.” Glickman, in his freshman naiveness, said, “As far as other members agreeing with this position, I think it would be very embarrassing if they don’t go along with it. ” What they pass so quietly in Congress, they also kill. The House pulls a By GENE BERNHARDT Students support speaker’s right to express opinions Editor: When I was informed that Dr. Shockley is to be present at one of this semester’s debates for Great Issues, and that (know ing about Shockley’s views) the Black Awareness Committee is co-sponsoring the debate, I was pleased at another Aggie first. Everywhere else Dr. Shockley has spoken, he has generally been received with demonstrations and boycotting of his lectures. Here at A&M, we show that we will give anyone a chance to express his opinion, no matter how bizarre, knowing that more knowledge can only improve us. Dr. Shockley’s lecture should be attended as an act of good will and open minded ness. One should be sure that his opinion is correct, and certainly having it debated is a good way, anything else would be prejudice, by definition. —Bryan McKenzie ’80 Doctor should speak Editor: Ann Castle in her letter to the editor in the Wednesday, October 5 Battalion pro posed a mass boycott of an upcoming de bate between Dr. William Shockley and Dr. Richard Goldsby. Given as grounds for the boycott are two arguments: First, Miss Castle does not agree with Dr. Shockley’s opinions. To quote her, “In my opinion Dr. Shockley’s theories are ab surd.” Well! Who is Miss Castle to make judgements for me? Dr. Shockley is no quack (he invented the transistor), and has a long list of credentials (the Nobel Prize, for one, as Miss Castle mentioned). Does Miss Castle have the necessary qualifica tions to tell me that a renowned Ph.D. is absurd? And please Miss Castle! Disagree ing with someone is no reason to close your ears and shut him out. Remember, no one would listen to an absurd man named Charles Darwin either. The second reason Miss Castle gave for a boycott was “The debate, being based on such an emotional and personal topic, cannot help but become destructive.” Is it not possible to consider emotional issues with some objectivity? Should we simply put such emotional, personal topics as abortion or genetic engineering in a closet and hope they will go away? I’m sorry, Miss Castle, if the subject may be un pleasant to deal with, but after all, life is full of unpleasant decisions that must be made. Do not get the impression, however, that I am defending Dr. Shockley’s viewpoint. I am merely defending his First Amendment freedom to speak freely, and this community’s freedom to assemble and listen to both sides of the story (there will be someone there from your side. Miss Castle). I have faith that many people of Texas A&M have the intellectual curios ity to attend the debate, and the good judgement to weigh each side of the issue and formulate their own opinion. —James DeBruin Abortion story fair Editor: A TAMU friend sent me a copy of the September 23 issue of The Battalion. My thanks to Liz Newlin for what seemed to me to be fair and equal cover age of both sides of the abortion debate. For each quote she took from Miss Gray, she took one from Miss Mulhauser, and did not appear to inject her own interpre tations. I am also grateful to the Great Issues Committee for bringing this debate on the killing of pre-born human beings to our students at a prestigious Texas university. —Mrs. Charles W. Plunkett Houston Impossible dream? Editor: Have you ever tried to find a parking space in lots reserved for dormitory stu dents after ten p.m. on any given week- night? Well, it can’t be done unless, (A) you’re Irish and extremely lucky, (B) use one of the three wishes granted by the magic lamp, or (C) have a great rapport with “the man upstairs.” Those of us who don’t fall into the above groups are forced to park illegally at five dollars a night or drive across the railroad tracks to park. Granted, not finding a park ing space is not a major inconvenience, provided it only happened from time to time. However, for those of us who work evenings past ten o’clock it becomes a nightly problem. The walk from the parking lot across the railroad tracks to the dorm area is not par ticularly long or unpleasant. Given the hour, however, it could prove dangerous for the coeds, and with winter not far off, the pleasant autumn evening walk will turn into a hated hike. In addition, some jobs require quick access to one’s car, which is impossible when it takes five minutes just to reach your car. Surely the powers that be in the Uni versity Police Department can come up with a solution for this problem. Perhaps this situation could be alleviated by reserv ing a special section for those of us who work late. —R.H.S. ’78 Top of the News Local Campus Debate Club auditions Oct. 11 The Texas A&M Debate and Forensics Club will hold auditions Oct. 11 for two Oral Interpretation Festivals to be held next month. The auditions will begin at 7 p.m. in room 502 of the Rudder Tower. Dr. Josh Crane, associate professor of speech communication, will select students to represent A&M at the Baylor Interpretation Festi val on Nov. 11 and 12 and at the Southwest Texas University tourna ment on Nov. 18 and 19. State Area ml Bit Texas Better ind their bus! college stl . CustoiJ ■Garden ■Cream F ■A&M art finesses tin The mark students Harding appointed treasurer Dr. Dc| instructor! has been " but that present hi Warren G. Harding, 56, Dallas County treasurer since 1951, was appointed state treasurer by Gov. Dolph Briscoe in Austin Wednes day to replace Jesse James who died last week. Harding was the only man who ever came close to defeating James. Harding’s appointment is effective immediately and he will serve through Dec. 31, 1978. 6 Slave class' in Houston? Stem the servi| quests When thil compens! extra wor! on an avl I pay for h{ “This The Houston school district would spend an estimated $5.3 million annually to provide free education for the city’s alien children. The district wants to defray this cost by charging the aliens $90 a month. However, Peter D. Williamson, attorney for 10 alien children seek ing admission to Houston schools, said Wednesday the tuition re quirement would create a slave class. The Houston Legal Foundation filed a class action lawsuit on the children’s behalf which contends it is unfair to bar alien children who are unable to pay tuition from public school. Bx Policemen found guilty Two former Houston policemen, Terry Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22, were convicted in Huntsville Thursday of a mis demeanor in the beating and drowning of Joe Campos Torres Jr. The criminally negligent homicide carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $2,000 fine. “Is that all they’re going to get?” asked Torres’ mother, Margaret Torres. “It wasn’t just a little thing they did. They should get more. They didn’t kill an animal. They killed a human being. Defense lawyers in the case continually em phasized to the jury that the prosecution had not met a basic re quirement of Texas law for a murder conviction: proof of intent to do serious harm. Nation TV intox defense rests The defense rested its case in Miami Thursday in the “television intoxication” murder trial of 15-year-old Ronny Zamora. Zamora is charged with the June 4 killing of his neighbor Elinor Haggart, 82. Defense attorney Ellis Rubin has built his defense for the youth around claims the boy was electronically brainwashed by television violence. Dr. Michael Gilbert said Zamora was legally sane until the point he squeezed the trigger of the pistol. Gilbert testified Wednes day that Zamora “was exposed to thousands and thousands of situa tions where, when you are threatened, bang! You shoot.” The prose cution has begun calling rebuttal witnessess and the case is expected to go to the jury today. No fatties at Oral Roberts Oral Roberts University officials in Tulsa, Okla. contend they do not have to enroll fat students. To Carl H. Hamilton, academic dean at ORU, this is not discrimination. He said it is all part of a lifestyle encouraged by the school. “We are a whole person university. We are just as serious about our physical growth as our intellectual and spiritual growth. He specified he was talking about the “individual who is voluntarily overweight simply from eating too much too of ten.’ Those students are told to lose weight or leave the university, Hamilton said. Shirley Barry, executive director of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union disagrees. “We think it s discriminating against individuals with minor health problems, disabilities and imperfections.” "Belie' I than issu Parsons, traffic at The re that the ] practice low slip: sisted 9 starts,” dark pai about Sfi erty. The ci I 'good si many o sibilities “Some to get th universit plaints fi hide o\v ‘Luther’ have poi at an av since Se cent of cased, a Forty- I investig; which ir ’The I bicycle case the registers Other Ibeen m i v 'ing 5 stolen jogt UAW wont rejoin AFL-CIO The leadership of the United Auto Workers union in Detroit has rejected reaffiliation with the AFL-CIO. UAW President Douglas A. Fraser said 20 members of the board originally favored rejoining the AFL-CIO but voted against the move after region-by-region review showed rank-and-file support was lacking. The UAW dropped out of the AFL-CIO nine years ago in a dispute between AFL-CIO Presi dent George Meany and his more liberal UAW counterpart, the late Walter P. Reuther. Although Fraser and others wanted to hury the hatchet with the AFL-CIO, two union leaders in particular Secretary-Treasurer Emil Mazey and Vice President Irving Blues- tone — vehemently opposed the move. If you many lap Kyle Fie have an ffind out Brazos cials will with pe: count la the circli hour rui club’s t run.” I. World Spaniard wins Nobel Prize Vicente Aleixandre, 79, received the 1977 Nobel Prize for Lr e ture Thursday in Sweeden. The Sweedish Academy cited the Spa' 11 ^ writer “for a creative poetic writing, which, with roots in the ^ ditions of Spanish lyric and in modern currents, illuminates man condition in the cosmos and present day society.” Weather Partly cloudy and warm today and tomorrow with winds out of the Southeast 8-12 mph. High today high 80s. Low tonight high 60s. Increasing cloudiness tomorrow with 20 percent chance of rain during late afternoon and evening. The 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 Re gents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a university and com munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to tluit length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must Ik- signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Tt»e Battalion is published Monday through Friday from September through May except during exam and holiday periods and the summer, when it is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates hir- nished on request. Address: The Battalion. ^ ()<) ^ Reed McDonald Building, College Station, y eX !jf i v jp United Press International is entitled exclusiu . « use for reproduction of all news dispatches crx ^ i Rights of reproduction of all other matter here ^ Second-Class postage paid at College Station. MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Janm ^l Managing Editor Mary A lie " l * a Editorial Director Lee Roy News Editors Marie Hoineyer, L Iin > City Editor n T? Campus Editor "i JWl Reporters Gleinwi Liz w Photographer rm Cartoonist Pontf Student Publications Board: Bob G. Joe Arredondo; Dr. Ganj Halter, Or Mm " | Robert Harney; Dr. Charles McC'andless; O' Phillips; Rebel Rice. Director of Student P" l> ' ^ Donald C. Johnson. Production Coordinator Sherman Bu pre