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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1977)
Page 2 Viewpoint The Battalion Texas A&M University Friday October 14, 1977 Freedom comes first Freedom of choic e in a free society essentially means the freedom to dissent from orthodoxy of any kind. Majority opinion requires no protection. The California Court of Appeal reached this conclusion in upsetting a lower court's appointment of parents as temporary guardians for young adult follow ers of the strange cult established by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who represents himself as the new Messiah before whom all creation yearns to kneel. The parents of five young adults, 21 to 25, sought guardianship because they said their children had been “brainwashed” by Moon s Unification Church. But, the appeal court said, the appointment of the parents as conservators violated the rights to religious freedom of Moon’s young followers. The' court held correctly, in our view, that the assertion of brainwashing was no substitute for evidence, and, furthermore, “if an adult person is less than gravely disabled we find no warrant for depriving him or her of liberty and freedom of action...” To most people the court said, the religious views of the Moon church “might seem incredible, if not preposterous.” We find them to be both incredible and preposterous, and we sympathize with the parents of children who have been caught up in this web. But we agree with the court that “if those doctrines are subject to tiral before a jury charged with finding their truth or falsity, then the same can be done with the religious belief of any sect. . .The First Amendment does not select any one group or any type of religion for preferred treatment. It put them all in that position” The individual is free to choose, and is not bound by any official doctrine. The choice may not be wise, but freedom of choice means freedom to make a mistake. l,o\ Angeles Times A modern miracle First, there were fishes and loaves. Then, there w as water to w ine. And then, last night, the College Station City Council w ent in and out of session in a mere hour and a half. Credit for this mirac le of miracles must go to Councilman Jim Dozier, acting for the absent Mayor Lorenee Bravenee. He* allow ed none* of the nonsense and unnecessary discussion usually fea tured in council meetings. His explanation, follow ing the applause* of his audience, was. “I haven’t eaten supper yet. R.C. Little future in German nuclear industry By HEINZ MURMANN International Writers Service BONN, WEST GERMANY — A few years ago, I would have advised a young man or woman with technological inclina tions to enter West Germany’s nuclear energy industry, whose prospects then seemed to be bright. Today, however, I would be more cautious. Here as in the United States and other major industrial societies, the growth of nuclear energy has been impeded by a va riety of elements. Opposition by environmental organizations as well as rad ical factions has discouraged politicians from supporting atomic power plants, and the courts have also issued injunctions against the erection of nuclear installa tions. New orders for nuclear technology from abroad are also drying up, iri part at least because of efforts by the Carter adminis tration to block the spread of atomic facilities. The West German nuclear industry has moved into a defensive position and its managers, engineers and other specialists have never been more pessimistic about its future than they are at present. This gloominess represents a dramatic- change from the optimism of the early 1970s, when nuclear energy seemed to have a splendid future. Experts predicted that increasing numbers of atomic power plants would be built at home to reduce West Germany’s heavy dependence on imported oil. They also saw the industry taking over a large share of the world mar ket, then dominated by American firms. This forecast was not only based on es timates of the global need for energy. It was also founded on West Germany’s nu clear industry being highly sophisticated and able to meet tbe many safety regu lations reejuired by international agree ments. In addition, the industry had de veloped rapidly since its start in the mid- 1950s. The nuclear business appeared here in the decade following the end of World War II, when local firms began to.operate under licensing arrangements with U S. companies like Westinghouse and General Electric. Soon West German outfits became in dependent. The biggest of them is now the Kraftwerk Union, which is subsidiary of the gigantic Siemens complex. The nuclear industry here in itself is still small in size, employing only about 35,000 technicians. But it is linked to about 300 electrical, chemical and engineering com panies, and so these firms are involved to some degree or another with the future of atomic power. The construction business is also con nected to the nuclear industry, as are numbers of other companies engaged in the exploration, mining and enrichment of atomic fuel and the reprocessing and stor age of radioactive waste. Altogether the nuclear field provides work for several hundred thousand people, and it is central to the West Ger man economy. Ten commercial nuclear power plants have been put up here and work has begun on eleven reactors to be linked to the country’s electrical energy system. The government has approved other in stallations which have since been stalled by various legal proceedings arising out of protests. Thus the chances are remote that nu clear power, which now accounts for eight per cent of West Germany’s electricity needs, can be expanded within the next decade to furnish thirty per cent of the nation’s energy requirements, as envisaged in development plans. The indsutry has made headway over seas. It has completed nuclear plants in Argentina, Austria and the Netherlands, begun work on others in Spain and Swit zerland, and has orders for still others in Brazil and Iran. But these sales are not sufficient to keep the business functioning at maximum capacity. Foreign sales, moreover, are dependent on domestic nuclear expansion, since technological innovations are developed at home before they are exported. Potential customers abroad know this. Consequently, the industry is caught in a squeeze between domestic pressures and an inadequate export market. And this largely explains the bitter dialogue that poisoned relations between the United States and West Germany when President Carter tried to halt the nuclear deal with Brazil. *-*■ Whether the nuclear industry can re gain its former momentum depends on many factors, including the climate here in West Germany and President Carter’s policies. Until these factors show im provement, the industry is no place for ambitious young technicians. GOP governors —new endangered species By DICK WEST United Press International WASHINGTON — Ten of the 12 re maining members of the Republican Gov ernors’ Association gathered in New Hampshire this week for their annual con ference. Politically, they failed to make much of a splash. Which again demonstrates the basic unfairness of life. The Tighter Side If they had been whooping cranes, they would have been smothered with atten tion. It’s something of a mystery why the GOP governors, despite their rarity, have not yet become a major anxiety factor in the conservationist movement. One of the few naturalists specializing in gubernatorial ecology is Algernon Ter- rabuena, who spent a couple of days in Bretton Woods observing their nesting and feeding habits at close range. Asked for a report on the situtation, he gave this analysis: “By nature, governors of whatever stripe tend to gravitate toward liish water- Letters to the editor ing places for their conferences. Their in stinct, however, is to confer on the nesting grounds of one of their own species. “This means the GOP association limits its conference sites to Alaska, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. “There are, to be sure, suitable sites in those states. The fact remains, however that some of the lushest watering places are found in California, Nevada, Hawaii, Florida and Louisiana. “When a gubernatorial conference is ar bitrarily precluded from conferring in, say, San Francisco, Las Vegas, or New Or leans, it loses a great deal of viability. Or at least conviviality.” 4 Terrabuena also was asked what steps might be taken toward protecting, pre serving and perhaps enlarging the GOP association. Here was his reply: “The main trouble is that the guber natorial count in recent years has re mained fairly constant. At any given time, the country will have around 50 gover nors, give or take a couple who might be under indictment or otherwise inopera tive. "In this circumstance, the number of GOP governors cannot be increased with out dislodging a corresponding number of governors of other species. Which is doing it the hard way. “A more promising method, favored by many of us naturalists and environmen talists, is to expand the overall size of the gubernatorial population. There are two ways to reach that goal. “One plans calls for having each state elect the same number of governors as it does U.S. senators. That would provide 50 additional gubernatorial seats, some of which undoubtedly would go to Republi cans. “The other approach is to increase the number of states. By admitting, say, 25 new states to the Union, you give the GOP governors’ association a much better chance to expand. Freedom is most revered Aggie tradition Editor: In response to the puffed-up publicity about Greek organizations at A&M, I would like to offer what will hopefully be a final work on the subject. Stop and think a moment about A&M’s most respected and revered tradition. I’m not referring to Twelfth Man, ‘humping- it’, saying ‘Howdy’, Silver Taps, or kissing your date at Yell Practice. This tradition is what our university was founded upon and what former Aggies fought and died for.. .Freedom. A&M stands out not only in Texas, but nationally as a bulwark of freedom. During 101 years, we have contributed more ded icated officers to the armed forces than any school in the nation. Freedom is the one tradition that Aggies have so seriously fought for, yet now treat so lightly regard ing Greeks. When are we ever free to break up all social clubs at A&M or exclude groups that don’t add to the homogenization of 30,000 students? Is this for the sake of standing apart from other schools and being unique?’ I’ve always considered A&M ‘unique’ because of our strong traditions of spirit and friendship, not because we don’t have Greek organizations on campus. We can exemplify our true uniqueness by offering the freedom to be individuals within the traditional Aggie system. —Andrea J. Vails Class of 1979 Say it with feeling Editor: Gail Zieshang’s letter in the Tuesday Battalion laments glum-faced reactions to her “howdies.” I find some “howdies” irritating. Some people, particularly cadets, barely utter a brusque “hoddy” to others they brush by. I hardly feel up to returning such an apparently perfunctory, even compulsory gesture—especially on rotten days, when an unrestrained “hello!” could cheer me up considerably. Aggies, give me a warm greeting any day, and I’ll be glad to return it. —Kathryn Goff ’80 No drunk serenades Editor: As the date of the Michael Murphy con cert draws near I feel I must express a pet peeve which I failed to express after the last concert held at G. Rollie White Col iseum. It’s irritating to pay to be entertained by a professional singer and then end up being serenaded by some intoxicated jerk sitting next to you who thinks he’s God’s gift to music. This was my experience at the last con cert. I don’t condemn anybody for drinking, but there is a right time and place for ev erything. Also, I enjoy singing along too, but not to the point where I drown out the performer. Everybody should “do their own thing.” But when that “thing” encroaches on the rights of others, something should be done. So, for those few who attend concerts and annoy others, some words of advice: Try to hold it down. You may sound great singing drunk in the shower, but remember—not everybody has to listen to you there. —S.J.H., ’79 Correction We goofed. On page 15 of the sport section of Wednesday’s Battalion we identified Jeff Booth as Mike Mosely in a foot ball photo. The Battalion regrets the Top of the News Campus Safety class offered for Bonfire There will be an organizational meeting for off-campus students interested in helping with Bonfire, Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.in Room 108, Harrington. Because of present regulations, off-campus men interested in working in the cutting area must attend a safety class and receive a safety card. These classes will be held Oct. 10-13, 17-20, and 24-26 from 5 to 6 p. m. in the Animal Industry Pavillion. For more information, students should contact Dani Reardon at 846-6006, Mary Hutchison at 779-9425, Brandon Goleman at 693-2000, or sign up j n the Student Programs Office in Room 216 of the MSG. Co-op program holds meeting Students interested in a plan of study where they can gain work experience and still pursue their degree objectives, should attend a meeting of the Co-Op program at 7 p.m., Oct. 27, in Room 308 Rudder. State Walter Coleman goes on trial The trial of capital murder suspect Walter Joe Coleman has been scheduled to begin March 27, 1978. Coleman is accused of the Jan. 12 robbing and shooting of Larry Baugh, a graduate student and English lecturer at Texas A&M University. The announcement was made Wednesday by 85th District Judge W. C. Davis. “This was the first open period of about three weeks,” Judge Davis said. The judge saida motion to restrict press coverage at the trial was still being held under advisement. Coleman, who had his bail lowered from $20,(KX) to $15,(XX) during an Oct. 6 hearing, is being held in the Brazos County jail. Caravan decends on Amarillo A caravan of farm tractors began a 165-mile drive, Thursday, from Colorado to Texas to participate in a rally today in Amarillo to protest the nation’s agricultural policies. American Agriculture, a newly formed farm group based in Springfield, Colo., says it will call a strike for Dec. 14, unless farmers are guaranteed prices equal to their costs of production. During the strike, they will sell no products and buy no agricultural supplies or equipment. Allen Smith, a Goldwater, Texas farmer, stud, "A lot of us can’t afford to strike and can’t afford to farm either.” Hill wants state law revision Attorney General John Hill, in Austin, is recommending state law be revised to provide for felony prosecution of civil rights violations after an investigation of the beating and drowning of Joe Campos Torres. He has asked the U. S. Department of Justice to investigate the Torres case since federal laws permit felony prosecution of law enforcement officials who violate a prisoner’s civil rights with punish ment up to life in prison if death occurs as a result of the civil rights violation. The only existing state law under which civil rights violators can be prosecuted is a misdemeanor provision carrying a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $2,(XX) fine. Nation Congress approves airbags Airbags or other passive safety restraints will be required in every new car in the United States by 1984 now that Congress has upheld a Gaiter administration decision. The House Comme rce Committee blocked a resolution of disapproval from reaching the House floor and the Senate upheld the decision on a 65-31 vote. Though opponents of the device called for more testing, they now must resort to legislation to overturn the decision. One test left for space shuttle The space shuttle Enterprise performed so well in its most impor tant test Thursday at Edwards Air Force Base, Galif., that only one more test flight will be flown. The 750-ton space shuttle hit a maximum speed of 330 m.p.h. and landed going 212 m.p.h. on a dry lake bed in the Mojave desert in only 2 minutes, 40 seconds. Astronaut Richard Ti ulv, one of the craft s two pilots, said the flight “went awfully fast and I don t remember hardly half of it.” The Enterprise will land on a regular airstrip on its final test flight Oct. 26 instead of on the desert. Then it will be shipped to Huntsville, Ala., for more testing, before it is rocketed into space for the first time in March 1979. Balloonist wants to try again i t wu W Colo 1 r ? do balloonists said their landing in the stormy Atlantic felt them cold, wet, and tired. Dewey Reinhard and Steve Stephenson Se ,. < }i lt r m B T harbor, Maine, Monday to cross the Atlantic, but bad weather forced them to abandon the attempt Wednesday. The two W T T ° f the wate1 ’ by the Canadian Coast Guard about 80 World Soviet Union gives jets to Laos The Soviet Union has given MiG-21 jet fighters to Laos in what is believed to be its first major weapons shipment to Indochina since the end of the war there, government sources reported in Washington, Thursday. Arrival of the MiGs gives the Laotian air force its first jet aircrafts which will apparently be flown by Laotian pilots who have undergone training in the Soviet Union. In the past, the Laotians have - »>- whkl Weather Fair and mild today and tomorrow with southeasterly winds 5 mph. High today mid-80s and low tonight mid-40s. High to morrow high 70s. No rain. LVU ng By C Mexicar civil ri lloyment Texas stat United Bonilla ,vd We bwer. H jhe Cornu Mexican-A Bonilla cent ev lexican-A lied Hoi ase a “la In the a ^ death lolice off! legligent me year y “We art nr civil nent, B lantly Me The pa irutality 1 rations in if justice f ikinned, a the pc nd who i: Bonilla ers sho lunishmei his, he Si nonse reatment The Fee ening in iredicted five of the [leath of T he Feder Bonilla 2hristi : LULAC st jhan a mt argest Me ion in the Opinions expressed -/■/„. B„'tali',,, arc- these- of ejetor or of the- unu-r of,he ar'icle and arc- no, nc-cc-lcol those of the- University administration the Board of Re. I*cuts. I he Battalion is a non-nrofit v if ^ cntcnnisc operated by students as a unir^tya^Z mnnity necespaper. Hditoria, po,ic V ,, detecJnmlhyZ- LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed ... / i snhjee, to heinp e,„ ^ U,,,, T rrhto'ied s,off reserves the !onlRsoehlmm!"ond dt not guarantee to publish am, let,,-, l- m h h-t, , Signed, slum the adelre.ss of the- .eiJam^'S"' mnnln-r for verification. "st a telephone Address eorrespondence- to Utters to the I-di,or -# I Battalion, Boon, 216. Reed MeDemald Bnilel ni j "’ Station, Texas 77843. ^■ <, 'l(’i'e Rcpn-sc.ilitl natiomilly |,y National Kd,national A,lv, . tisniK Scrviit's, Iik"., Now York t in cl- , AoKt les. * ''“--‘Ko and U,» . i-w., ,,,i ...ax;™;;; '"“•v Wednesdays ami Fridays. u u Mondays. Mail snl«c-riptH„,s an- $1(1.75 por wnn-.t,., VM « HhotJ year: .VI5.«0 ,xt y,, lr . AeU-e-vti^ ^C The Battalion Battalion . Tc [S nished on request. Address: Tlu Heed Mc Donald Building. College Station. United Press International is entitled nse lor reproduction of all news dispatches i’*' (11 ^ Kights <>l reproduction of all other matter here Second-Class postage paid at College Station- MEMBER Texas Press Association Editor J ll,n ' 1 ’ | Managing Editor Mary Alice "'»* Editorial Director Sports Editor . . . News Editors Marie Homeyer. City Editor Campus Editor . • • I'' 11 ' : ,n Glenna "I" . i>„> ill Lee R<>y U . . Paul ■srlipiri 1 , Cun' . Ratty Copy Editor Report ei Photographer Cartoonist . . . Liz Ncwlin. |ohn W. Tynes. ..^ Cialu 1 /win"' 1 Kr" l)»uS Joe A,redondo: Dr. C«mj Halter. Dr. John ' ; ■ «o/« i7 llenTe-y; Dr. Ulmrle-s MeCanelless: \ Phillips, Reln-t Direc tor of Sluelrnl f" W Doneelel Johnson. Production U.emrclinellO* Sherman tk'#