Page 2 Viewpoint The Battalion Tuesday Texas A&M University November 8, 1977 Fools rush in... The House Ways and Means Committee has proposed to congress a three-times increase in the Social Security tax over the next ten years. The current maximum payment of $965 a year would rise to $2,732 by the year 1987. The average family trying to make a go of things unquestionably will find these figures shocking, as will employers who match each employee s con tribution dollar for dollar. It is small comfort that the lawmakers may have to give serious consideration to the committee s proposal unless they can find some better way of keeping the Social Security from going broke. Nor is that prospect far-fetched. Without new income, the main trust fund is expected at the present rate of depletion to be exhausted by 1983. Because Social Security is one of the most binding commitments which our government has entered into with its citizens, it is inconceivable that it be allowed to fail. The impact upon both the social and economic fabric of the nation would bring with it the severest of tests. With this in mind, one wonders where the voices of prudence were when congress voted the generous new benefits without pausing to reflect upon the nation’s ability to pay. The Sharon Pa. Herald HERE, VOTE ON THIS! MSC decision no solution to problems By WES CULWELL Last Thursday, Nov. 3, 1977, Lynn Gib son, president of the MSC Council, had an article in the Battalion concerning the MSC grass issue. He asked us to sit back and think of how many people we have seen walk on the MSC grass and how many times we have seen some Aggie rudely tell someone to get off of it. I understand what he was saying, and I have witnessed some of these rude oc currences. I can also see where this hurts our reputation of being the friendliest cam pus in the nation. This is really too bad that an Aggie would treat a visitor, who knows nothing of this tradition, this way. He told us that the policy adopted by the MSC Council reads: “as the MSC grounds are a living part of a living campus and at times are used as a teaching aid, the use of the MSC grounds will not be dis couraged. Right before this lie, said: Readers ’ forum “some of us are going to politely continue to ask people not to walk on the grass. We are going to do it politely. I plan to apologize to anyone rudely treated by a fellow Ag and then turn the tide and give him a taste of his own medicine. Well this is well and good, but what is going to happen when he tells this person not to walk on the grass and then he turns around and there is a whole class of Aggies sitting on the grass. Now this person is not going to think of Aggies as being rude, but he is going to think of us as being hypo crites. I understand that the MSC Council has a problem with complaint letters concern ing people being rudely confronted about the MSC grass and also people wanting to use it even though it is a memorial. They definitely have a problem; however, I do not think that they came up with a good solution. I can understand people wanting to use the grass, but it has kind of become a tradi tion not to lounge on or walk on the grass. It’s going to cause a lot of uproar by trying to change a tradition that has become very sacred to many Aggies. The tradition of not walking on the grass is not written down anywhere that I know of, but I can not think of too many traditions that are written down. If it was written down it would be a rule and not a tradition. By ALICIA LE ROY The monstrous suffering that laboratory animals undergo to satisfy obtuse re searchers and ambitious Ph.D. candidates is outrageous. I feel that both time and money are being wasted on experiments which have little if any scientific impor tance, and only tends to disturb the rights of the animal. When I mention the animal’s rights, 1 mean at minimum that they should have the right not to suffer. For a while labora tory rat, the right not to suffer shoidd pro tect it against such scientists as the ones at Temple University who starved rats for seven days and then offered them live mice and infant rats. (The scientists found that the starved rats ate infants rats as often as they ate mice.) Or there was one experiment in which rats were forced to choose between elec trical shock and starvation; I can find no significance in experiments, such as these, Wouldn’t it be much simpler to try to resolve the problem some other way than the MSC Council has? There are many grassy areas just as close to classrooms other than the MSC grass. Mr. Gibson said that he didn’t think that the signs would work. They work in the MSC building. Of course the only way they are going to work is if they are placed where people might walk on the grass and this is most of the time at the corners of the grass. I admit that some people won’t obey the signs, but there are a lot of which result in trivial matter commensu- rated at the enormous cost of pain. If an i mals had rights, such experiments wmdd be outlawed. It’s important also to distinguish be tween those who promote the death of the animal and those who study its life. In cases of overriding human need, where no alternative exists and human lives are at Readers’ forum stake, painful experiments (as in some cancer research) mu$t continue. Would you end cancer studies on laboratory rats? Unless you want to deprive all humans of their chances of avoiding this horror, you had better allow some experimentation with animals. H owever, it is important to remember that most tests—such as the coating of rabbit’s eyeballs with cosmetics—are people who would obey solely because they know that Aggies have many sacred traditions and they will respect it on that basis. It’s a shame that Aggies are becoming less friendly toward each other and to vis itors, but I can see no way that the MSC Council can solve that problem. However, the council needs to take another look at their new policy because their present de cision is only causing them more prob lems. Culwell is a senior floriculture major. needless because the product being tested is completely unnecessary. Should rab bits, which lack tear ducts to wash away poisons, be forced to die in agony so that women can wear mascara? For a moment lower yourself to the animal level. If scientists perform experi ments on feeling, helpless animals, then why not on severely retarded infant or phans, who have no parents to mourn them, no potential to develop as thinking beings? If you believe that the baby should be protected, then why not equal rights for animals? Granting laboratory animals rights would not require releasing therm (as in the case of white rats, they were bred for the laboratory and could not survive in the wild), it would simply protect them against atrocities. Le Roy is a freshman biomedical science major. Animals have rights too Tetters to the editor President Carter trying to rewrite Texas history Share the road Editor: Speaking last week to an audience in Denver about the Panama Canal, Carter said: “We have never bought it, it has not been ours. We are not giving it away. There is no semblance between the status of, say, the Panama Canal Zone and Texas or Alaska that were bought and paid for and over which we have always had sovereignty. ” The following is one of the many replies which should be received by the president shortly from concerned Texans every where: ■Dear MR. PRESIDENT: ! I want you to know that I have sup- 1 ported you from the onset of your cam paign for the presidency. I campaigned for you in Houston for over a year, testifying about your expertise in the fields of ad ministration and financing. It was just brought to my attention, however, that you are also a historian. I want to be one of the first to congratulate you on your startling revelation about Texas history. I d always thought that the history books had been about Texas’ his tory for the past 132 years. I guess it takes the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES to make the truth known. There wasn’t really a Texas revolution, and Texas didn t really win independence from Mexico in 1836 either. We also weren t annexed by the United States of our own free will. We were, as stated in your bril liant speech in Denver, bought from Mexico in 1845, right? I was also amazed at the other revelation you made in your Denver speech that the executive branch of government is sovereign over the states. I didn’t think we still needed the Constitution (you know, that old document written by our the American people are sovereign is an old fashioned idea anyway. I guess you took care of that that with an executive order? . P.S. Do you know how many electoral votes Texas has and how many you proba bly just lost if you decide to run for reelec- t ' on ' —Craig Shelton, ’81 Editor: Once again we are witnessing a well- intended attempt to demote bicyclists to second-class citizens. College Station city councilwoman Anne Hazen was reported in the Battalion as saying that College Sta tion will try to “prohibit all bike ridng on Texas Avenue among other roads, be cause “they really have not been con structed for this type of use. The city evidently proposes to take away and give nothing in return: the article re ports that a bike path plan was cancelled. As for bike lanes painted on the road. Col lege Station’s latest move was a giant step backwards. The two lanes painted on Jer sey were reduced to one, on the eastbound side. A local misinterpretation of the Texas Vehicle Code requires cyclists going both ways to use this narrow lane. A federal study on bicycle facilities identifies this practice as “a major causal factor in bicycle-motor vehicle accidents.” These misguided efforts to make the world safe for cyclists by making them extinct are not new. Increasingly, the literature of traffic safety is documented with incidents where poorly-designed bike lanes and paths have proved more dangerous than no special facilities at all. The correct answer is sim ple: Bicycles are vehicles, and vehicles be long on the road, not on « glorified sidewalk. When these paths intersect a road, accident rates often climb higher than they were before the “improve ment. There is no “quick fix for the bicycle situation in the form of a strip of pavement or paint. The solution lies in education of bikers and motorists about the rules of the road, and respect by motorists for the rights of cyclists. With these, we can all share the road. —Daniel F. Harrison What’s the problem? Editor: This is in regard to the dating situation at Texas A&M (or lack of it). At last week’s football game the number of dateless men compared to the number of men with dates was a sad situation (especially C.T.’s) What’s the problem? Many use the excuse of lack of funds, but this is just an excuse! A date to a football game, an Aggie tra dition, doesn’t mean a meal, corsage, etc. We understand the money situation, we have them ourselves (or more so)- But, having someone to score with when our team scores means more than the extras you supposedly think a necessity. Come on guys! There are lots of eligible girls out here that are waiting to be asked. But it’s your choice—you have to do the asking. All we can do is wait and hope. So don’t make us sit with our roommates. We do prefer guys!! —M.H. ‘79, S.F. ‘81, F.F. ‘80, C.L. ‘78, P.W. ‘80, T.S. ‘81, .M. ‘81, C.B. ‘79, C.U. ‘81, etc. Tequila, come home Editor: Because of an absence on Hallo ween , our suite was unable to pass out goodies to the trick or treaters that passed though our dorm. Since we didn’t want the goblins, ghosts and gorillas to be denied candy fr° m our suite, we put a display outside our door. Our good friend. Ole’ Tequila (a cactus) .had two bags of candy in his crooked cac tus arms. When we returned, not only was the candy gone, but so was Ole ! That s right, our six-foot inflatable green cactus was stolen. We are underclassmen and, untn now, were under the impression that all Aggies are honest. It’s sad to think we may never see Ole’ again. If Ole’ is returned to us » H will surely brighten our day. —01e”s mourning friends, Mary Hog^ n » Rhonda ReeS e » 81 Pat ColH? s > |80 Missy Mulvihm, 81 Top of the News Campus Special yell practice scheduled asi A special yell practice has been scheduled for Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. in Kyle Field. The yell practice is in addition to the regular midnight yell practice to be held at Kyle Field Friday. State Few votes will cost many dollars Texas will spend $1.4 to $1.5 million today to allow voters to decide on seven constitutional amendments that state officials predict will attract only 700,000 voters. Officials in the secretary of state’s office in Austin predicted only 12 percent of the state’s 5.8 million registered voters will bother to go to the polls between 7 a. m. and 7 p.m. Unless turnout exceeds the predicted 200,000 total, the election will cost more than $2 for each vote cast. “It is high,” acknowledged Gov. Dolph Briscoe. “But the problem is more people not coming out to vote. The cost would be lower if more than 700,000 people voted— that’s not near enough.” Jaworski supports immunity Leon Jaworski said Sunday in Houston he supported a Justice De partment proposal to grant Tongsun Park immunity in exchange for testimony about congressmen accepting bribes as long as it did not hamper further investigation. Jaworski, heading the Congressional investigation into the South Korean influence-buying scandal, said, “The whole program was one launched by the Korean government. I think Park has a relative minor function.” By SA I The small lorn green L middle i Id clutches |g color an | e floor sit lading her Ints. {The child L color of lives prais jncoordinat Irough the lox. Minul Imy and ht Tries. The i > hand c Lied hair les. I Such is tl jation class Jated Scho' [or is an a inior in e lexas A&N' Itional ps\ Amin’s pilots training in U.S. Twelve members of Idi Amin’s Ugandan police airwing currently are being trained in helicopter piloting and maintenance at Bell Helicopter’s Textron plant in Fort Worth, Bell officials confirmed Monday. Bell spokesman Marty Reisch said, “Our company’s posi tion really is that the people (Ugandans) arrived just like any other student from any other place and will be treated accordingly. He said the Ugandans arrived Oct. 10 and will remain in training until mid-December. Nation Deaths from heart disease lower Since 1950, the rate of deaths from heart disease in the U.S. has dropped 30 percent, and one-third of that reduction has taken place in the last five years. Dr. Harriet Dustan, president of the American Heart Association said in an interview in U.S. News and World Re port. "Modifications in lifestyle may play a role— keeping your weight down, giving up smoking and getting exercise. Control ofhigh blood pressure is very important,” she said. Improvements in care and diagnosis also have helped, she said. Two convicted in bombing death Plumber James Robison and contractor Max Dunlap were con victed Sunday of murdejr and conspiracy in the car-bomb killing of investigative reporter Don Bolles. Bolles was fatally injured June 2, 1976, when a bomb exploded under his car in the parking lot of a Phoenix hotel. He died 11 days later at St. Joseph’s Hospital. State Attorney General Bruce Babbitt indicated other arrests might be forthcoming. “It is our view that there were other people involved, he said. “The file is still open, and the case will continue under investigation by the Phoenix police and ourselves.” Four more flood victims found Workers found the bodies of four more people Monday, including three teen-agers, raising to nine the number of victims in flash flood ing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Damage to roads and bridges was estimated alone at $40 million by Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. after a helicopter tour of the mountain area. Hunt said he would try to obtain federal assistance for individuals and local gov ernments hit by Sunday’s flooding. Court to judge privacy of tapes A Supreme Court decision could bring a selection of Richard Nix on s famous tapes into any home at small cost in the form of records or cassettes. Arguments were scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. today. Nixon contends that to place the tapes in private hands “to be played at cocktail parties and satiric productions” invades his privacy. Broad casting networks and others say their right to copy the material is guaranteed by the First Amendment and any privacy protection Nixon might have had was lost when the tapes were played in open court in a criminal trial. World New Russian tanks paraded Weather Mostly cloudy and cool today and tomorrow. High both days mid-60s. Low tonight upper 40s. 30 percent chance of rain for the afternoon and evening. Winds will be north westerly 12-20 mph. The Battalion The cour irsity stuc jrience wi id retarde iooIs, sax course lege stu lucation t and c igned thei itting out icorations leek lent in spe Cynthia [lementar outh Kn ree hour ig mental hysically lainstrean says si ho need l therr acher is the leep Ixpenence lial studen frogress ir 1 Some st Jeacher. 1 Isycholog) lerves thi hildren n casionall 1 readi Ramsey finable b Students ; hildren, 1 live more She say; liven mor hud more 'gether t Phyllis iccial ed Mated ; ides fron 'uses in t Ire place 'achers, lected to 'aid aidi laterials, id tutor Perkin: ides has ition pre ie ratio c iys the stu use the ducatioi an they 'com listi Most I at the ( tase stu “We v to do wit d in th CA< The Soviet Union celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution Monday in Moscow with a Red Square parade of military might twice as big as any in recent years and highlighted by a new laser-equipped battle tank. Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev and other members of the Politburo reviewed the troops from their tra ditional post atop Lenin’s marble mausoleum. Thousands of specially selected viewers watched the parade from the sides of Red Square as two squadrons of T-72 tanks—the new battle tanks never before seen in public — were featured in the parade. The new tanks were equipped with laser rangefinders and were part of the first con tingent of Soviet army tanks to take part in the parade since 1974. TO 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 tvords and are subject to being cut to that 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 Ixi signed, show the address of the tori ter 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. nished on request. Address: The Battalion, R